Chapter 2
He couldn’t believe it. His girlfriend was Ironman. His comrade on the battlefield was his girlfriend. It started to make sense.
They’ve said things that are so similar that he should’ve noticed it sooner.
“I’m sorry which bad sci-fi movie is this out of?”
“Geez sounds like a bad sci-fi movie.“
And Toni always seemed to know a lot about the fights right after they happened. Ironman always knew what was happening around the tower even though he never spent time there.
“JARVIS? Do you know where Toni is?” Bucky asked the AI.
“Yes, she is with Dr. Banner checking on her wounds down in the medbay,” was the response.
Bucky gave his thanks to the AI and went down to confront Toni.
When he walked in Toni and Bruce were laughing. Toni walked behind some monitor and pulled out a packet of blueberries.
“Want one?” Bucky heard her ask Bruce.
“Thanks, and don’t forget to take it easy and ice your back okay?” Bruce reminded her.
“Does taking it easy mean she can’t fly around in a flying hunk of iron?” Bucky asked to announce his presence.
“The suit is actually a nickel-titanium —,” Toni cut herself off when she realized who said it.
There was a whisper of ‘oh no’ from Bruce before he snuck out of the room.
“How do you know that?” She asked Bucky.
“You’re not even going to try and deny it?” He retorted.
“Would you believe me?” She questioned.
“I want to,” he told her.
“I am Ironman. Though technically it should be iron woman but every one assumed it was a man in the suit so. They got everything wrong with the name,” Toni rambled.
“Why wouldn’t you tell me?”
“No one knows. Well Rhodey and Pepper but they’re always a given.”
“Any of the avengers?” Bucky asked.
“Nat and Bruce, but they’re it,” she answered.
“Why would you tell them that and not me?!” Bucky yelled.
“Nat was undercover at SI for a bit and she found out then and I told Bruce to try and help him with his self-doubt about the hulk,” Toni said, evenly. “I didn’t know you when they found out, everyone thought you had been dead since the 40s.”
“I can understand that but why not after we met? Or after we started dating?”
“There was never a good time and then I was scared of how you’d react,” she whispered.
“What were you scared of? That I’d break up with you over this?”
Toni remained silent.
“You were. You thought I’d break up with you because you were Ironman.”
“Yeah.” She whispered, with a crack in her voice.
“If you think that’s what I’m mad about then you don’t know me.” Bucky got the last word and walked out of medbay.
Toni on the other hand started to break down on the floor.
After a bit she got back up and went to the workshop.
“Jay put the workshop in lockdown mode,” she told the AI.
“I don’t recommend you try to cut people off right now,” the AI told her.
“Please I don’t want to be around anyone right now.”
The AI listened and shut the billionaire genius in like she requested.
Toni kept herself there for the next two days. While Bucky spent most of his time in the gym or in the city, anywhere but the tower.
On day three after Bucky found out about Toni he had stopped by the common floor to eat something.
“Has anyone seen Toni today? We were supposed to run an experiment but I haven’t seen her,” Bruce asked.
“No I haven’t seen her, in a few days actually,” Steve said.
“Yeah we were supposed to do a girls’ night yesterday but she never showed up,” Nat told them.
“Bucky do you know where she is?” Bruce asked.
He just shook his head.
“What trouble in paradise?” Clint teased.
Bucky just stayed quiet.
“Oh my god the perfect couple is having problems!” Clint exclaimed.
“What happened Buck?” Steve asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Bucky grumbled.
“This is because you found out isn’t it?” Bruce asked him.
Bucky nodded.
“Found out what?” Steve asked.
“That Toni is Ironman,” Bucky whispered. It was so quiet that only Steve was able to hear it.
“She’s who?!” Steve yelled.
“Toni is Ironman,” Bucky said louder.
Steve and Clint were both shocked by the information. And Nat already knew but was surprised by the fact that Bucky knew. Bruce who was there for the start of Bucky and Toni’s confrontation wasn’t surprised by either.
“I didn’t think the fight would get this bad,” Bruce commented.
“How come neither of you said anything?” Bucky asked Bruce and Nat.
“It wasn’t our secret to tell, but we both tried to convince her to tell you,” Nat said.
“I’m pretty sure any secret that puts her life at risk is something I deserve to know about,” Bucky commented.
“That’s true but Toni is a grown woman she needs to do something like that herself,” Nat told him.
“I know she can decide for herself but what if something happened to her because she’s Ironman and there was nothing we could do because no one knew?” Bucky asked.
“If it got to a truly dangerous point we would have said something. But Toni is usually in the air, she gets hurt a lot less there than on the ground,” Bruce responded.
“It doesn’t matter that she gets hurt less in the ground! She shouldn’t be flying around getting shot at! She’s a civilian!” Bucky yelled at them.
“A civilian who is a genius, billionaire and philanthropist. She used to design weapons for the military, and she still designs other tactical gear for them. And for us, she has made arrows for Clint, and upgraded the guns that we use and the shield,” Nat said calmly.
“She has a point Buck,” Steve spoke up.
Bucky glared at him ready to tell him off.
“Just because she’s a civilian doesn’t mean she isn’t capable of being an avenger. She knows how to use the same weapons that we do and before you knew it was Toni in the suit did you care that Ironman was a civilian?” Steve asked.
“No,” Bucky replied.
“The only difference between now and before you knew is that you finally have a face to the name and that face is the one of the person you’re in love with,” Steve told him.
“Bucky I know you’re upset about her lying about being Ironman but did you let her explain why she didn’t tell you?” Nat asked him.
“A little bit I stormed out pretty fast,” he recounted.
“Maybe give her more of a chance. You know she isn’t the best when it comes to trust,” Nat reminded him.
“How can I talk to her if no one knows where she is?”
“Ma’am is in the workshop and has been since her argument with Sergeant Barnes. But she still has it in lockdown mode so no one can get in,” JARVIS told them.
“What?” Bucky asked the AI.
Toni hadn’t activated that protocol since they started dating. Because when they started dating Bucky got overwhelmed easily Toni left the workshop open for when he needed a break from the others or anything else in the tower.
Bucky started to make his way down to the workshop to check on Toni. He leaned against the wall of the elevator and sighed.
“God I am such an idiot,” he whispered to himself.
“No you aren’t Sergeant. Ma’am has really only told Miss Potts and James Rhodes about her activities as Ironman. And Dr. Banner needed a reassurance about becoming the Hulk so Miss Stark told him about the arc reactor,” JARVIS told him.
“The arc reactor? What about it?” Bucky asked.
“The arc reactor powers the Ironman suits as well as keeping Miss Stark alive,” JARVIS explained.
“How does it keep her alive?” Bucky questioned.
“You’ll have to ask her yourself,” JARVIS opened the elevators to the floor.
Bucky thanked the AI and made his way to the workshop. And when he got there the windows viewing in were blacked out.
At first he tried listening in to see what she was doing. All he heard was classic rock playing louder than any normal person would need.
He knocked on the door.
“Toni? Are you there? We need to talk,” he called to her.
“Can’t hear you!” Was the muffled response.
“Please. I don’t want, I can’t let you hide yourself in in here. It’s not healthy,” he called again.
“I can decide what’s healthy for me Bucky,” she yelled at him.
“You avoided telling you’re friends and family about when you were dying, you don’t know what’s healthy for you,” JARVIS reminded her.
“When were you dying?” Bucky asked.
“Before we met, and Jay? Don’t out me about something that happened years ago,” Toni told her AI.
“I’ll ignore you dying for now. Just please let me in,” Bucky pleaded.
“No!” She yelled.
“Lockdown mode has been deactivated, it has been 72 hours since its activation,” JARVIS said while opening the doors and unlocking the workshop.
“Forgot about that part,” Toni mumbled as Bucky came in.
She looked a little worse for wear. Her eyes were red, there were even more stains on a t-shirt of his that she stole from his closet. There was a little mascara running down her face.
“You still look beautiful,” Bucky told her.
“Liar. What do you want?” Toni asked him.
“To talk. Or more accurately listen. I should’ve listened when you tried telling me about being Ironman,” Bucky explained.
“No you were in the right, I’d hate it if you lied to me about something like that,” Toni reasoned.
“I’m still sorry. I know that everything you do has a reason, usually at least,” Bucky smirked.
“Yeah. I didn’t tell you because I was scared. I had no idea how you would’ve reacted. And I know how you are about the people you care about jumping into danger and doing stupid things,” Toni said.
“Don’t compare yourself to Steve and doing stupid things, but I wouldn’t have cared if you had told me sooner,” Bucky told her.
“I know that but...” she trailed off.
“I get it. We’re both kind of idiots aren’t we?” Bucky asked.
“Yeah we are. No more secrets, I’ll tell you anything you want to know about Ironman,” Toni promised.
“That’s good but right now I don’t care about that, I care more about when the last time you are a real meal was,” Bucky teased.
“That I don’t know. But it’s also been a while since I’ve actually slept so take me to bed?” Toni asked.
Bucky just grinned and scooped her into his arms heading back up to their room.