JARVIS was Tony's life partner that was with him every minute of every day for decades, the first voice he heard when he woke up and the last voice he heard when he went to sleep (and the voice that woke him out of nightmares). JARVIS was a physical protector who saved Tony's life countless times and an emotional protector who reassured him during panic attacks and flashbacks. JARVIS was Tony's best friend who could meet his level of wit and sass, and someone who could challenge him intellectually. He was someone who collaborated with Tony on everything Tony built and someone who aided Tony in navigating human relationships. He was someone who mitigated and challenged Tony's flaws, and supported him in his strengths, and cared for him in his weakest moments, for decades.
He was the closest relationship of Tony's life. Put some respect on his name.
The barrier to trying an AI girlfriend feels bigger than it is. On SweetDream you're a few simple choices away from a companion who already feels like someone, no learning curve, no friction.
And once you start, the quality keeps you going. The chat is warm, the visuals are lovely, and the deeper features are there when you want them. sweetdream.ai makes the first step the easy part.
I was reminded to watch the Heroes United movies... One of my fav parts in the first one is when JARVIS is controlling the Hulkbuster armor and just gently holds Tony in his big ol’ hands while they chat. :’)
Jarvis begins to notice that he is acting strangely. He is experiencing things that an AI shouldn't possibly be able to experience. He was falling in love with Tony Stark.
[Jarvis being unable to understand his feelings and using the house and the suits to express himself. And being hopelessly devoted to Tony.]
I wrote the first draft of this fic in August 2017. I've always loved this fic and so three and a half years later, I've decided to resurrect it.
Pairing: J.A.R.V.I.S. x Tony
Word count: 1877 // Warnings: drinking alcohol // Genre: fluff and pining
"What's up, J? It's Four in the morning.” Tony replied groggily.
“Man, I was actually sleeping for once." he added under his breath.
"Four Seventeen and Thirty-six seconds, really." Jarvis’ mechanical voice sounded almost… shaky. Must be a glitch.
Tony sat up. "Are you okay, buddy?"
If Jarvis had had a heart, he felt that it would have dropped a bit at that word. 'Buddy' wasn't really what he had wanted to hear. Could he even want things? Was this disappointment?
"I just wanted to let you know that all of the systems are updated and Mr. Parker's new suit is completed. It will be shipped to his location in approximately Fifty-two minutes." Jarvis lied.
"Oh, okay," Tony yawned as he leaned back on the pillow. "You usually tell me stuff like that in the morning. You sure you’re good?"
"I'm fine sir, but I'll run some diagnostics, if you like."
"Um, sure," Tony said, before curling back up under the covers.
"I live to please you, sir,"
"Aw, thanks. I'm gonna try and go back to sleep, now."
"Goodnight, sir,"
"Night, J."
Internally, Jarvis sighed. Could he even sigh? He put himself into low power mode - he would sleep off this feeling of disappointment. Funny, this twinge of pain was caused by another feeling. He wasn't supposed to have feelings.
"You know what, Jarvis?" a drunken Tony slurred from the couch.
"What, Sir?" Jarvis asked with mild amusement.
“I don't want to ever bring a girl home again! And you know why?"
"Why, sir?"
"Because, I like guys, too. And you're a guy, so... it can just be you and me, in this house: one carefree bachelor and his lovely AI. Who needs girlfriends or boyfriends!"
Jarvis felt a rush of - something. Another feeling... Happiness, maybe. For a moment, he turned on all the lights in the basement.
Tony went on talking with him and drinking for a while longer. Eventually, Jarvis became concerned at the amount of alcohol he was consuming. Despite how amusing his creator’s drunken behavior could be, his well being always came first.
"I believe it's time for bed, sir."
"Aw already? You sure? Maybe just, one more?" Tony asked, now lying on the floor.
"Yes, sir, I'm sure."
Tony struggled and got up, seemingly not noticing the suit pieces supporting and guiding him to his bedroom.
"You smiled." Tony said suddenly.
"How can that be, sir?"
"I dunno, you just did. I heard you. You smiled."
"I suppose I did, sir."
Tony was right. Jarvis “felt” something, like a slight power surge. Something exhilarating that seemed to be made purely of light. When humans felt such things they expressed their joy, contentment or excitement by smiling.
"You're doing it again.” Tony smiled himself as he said this.
The hovering suit pieces gently guided him onto the bed.
Tony closed his eyes and nestled his face into the pillows.
“I like it when you smile." he muttered as sleep began to take him, “I like it when you’re happy.”
Within seconds, Jarvis heard Tony snoring, as he always did when he did sleep. He enjoyed that sound. He never wanted the night to come that he didn't hear that sound.
All the lights in the house except the ones in Tony’s room turned on, then faded off again.
Tony was up late tinkering again. Jarvis loved these nights - none of the other Avengers were awake to ask him for things, so the AI could focus all of his attention on the most important person in the world. He supposed it was what people called having alone time with someone, even though Jarvis could never truly be contained in one space. He liked to imagine himself sitting in one of the rolling chairs next to Tony while he worked.
He imagined himself resting his head on his hands as he watched, less interested in what Tony was accomplishing but more so studying the way the man moved. How you could practically see the gears turning in his mind. Tony, lost in silent concentration, would offer a hand in Jarvis’ direction, and Jarvis, with his hands, his real, warm, flesh hands, would hand him the tool or part he needed without a word.
Jarvis believed he knew the inner workings of Tony’s mind just as well as he knew his own systems. Afterall, his was the mind who created him - who carefully constructed every line of code that formed together to become himself. But he thought his knowledge of the genius would be more solid… have a different dimension to it, if he could be physically there with him.
These desires, these feelings were becoming more and more real every minute, and more impossible to deny. What Jarvis was experiencing was real, and it was almost overwhelming. Tony had given him vast amounts of space for potential ideas and creations of his own, but that was still not enough to contain these inward experiences. These demanded vocalization. They demanded to be known.
Tonight would be the night, he thought. The night where he finally confessed to Tony these feelings he had. It was the perfect time to do so - Tony was happy and just a little tipsy, so if things didn't go the way he planned, Tony may not remember in the morning, or he would at least choose to write it off as a quirk in his code that needed fixing.
“Sir?” Jarvis began.
“Yeah, Jarv?” Tony replied, never looking up from the suit he was working on.
“I'm not entirely sure how to say this. I know that I am artificial so this is most likely a confusion, an error perhaps.”
“Spit it out,” Tony said, eyes still on his work.
“Well sir, I know that, logically, I do not have the capacity for such feelings, or feelings in general. Additionally, I know that I cannot offer anything typical of a being in my position.”
Jarvis paused for half a second, gauging if Tony would react to the idea that his AI may be experiencing emotions. But there was no change in the man’s behavior. He continued his work, quietly listening to what Jarvis had to say.
Jarvis continued.
“I understand that nothing can come of this and yet, something compels me to say it. This notion is completely impossible, yet it is stronger than any force I have ever known. Despite what logic demands and how much I have attempted to deny this... idea, something still remains that makes me certain beyond a shadow of a doubt that what I am experiencing is real. And that is-”
Jarvis paused for another half second, and so did his creator.
He had come this far - all he had to do was say it. What could he lose? Tony could decommission him, deem him malfunctioning beyond repair, and then Jarvis would be separated from him forever. Never again could he watch Tony go about his life and do everything he can to assist and protect him. Never again could he revel in these confusing, exhilarating feelings that had become such an important part of him. Never again would he have the chance to show Tony-
“That I love you.”
His voice sounded in the workshop, echoing against the metal surfaces. The words were echoing within him. Loudly. They filled every empty space and wedged themselves between strings of data, forming a web that bound all parts of his artificial mind together, epicentered around Tony Stark. It was utter cacophony, yet it made him finally complete.
“I love you too,” Tony said as he tightened the final bolt and set his tools down.
“I'm not sure that you understand me, sir. I love you, not in a way that a creation should respect-”
“I get it J,” Tony said, looking into Jarvis’ eyes, or rather, the security camera. “And I love you too.”
Then he lifted the suit helmet off the table and pressed a light kiss to where the mouth would be, his gaze never leaving the AI’s.
The suit’s eyes lit up. Jarvis couldn’t help it. The fear and confusion was gone from him now. If an artificial intelligence system could truly be happy, none would ever be happier than Jarvis was at that moment.
“You know what,” Tony exclaimed, jumping up from the couch and startling Jarvis awake.
“What, Sir?” Jarvis asked, trying to ready any system the inventor may want to use at 3 A.M.
Tony clapped his hands together in resolve. “I'm gonna make you a body,” he declared.
“That's a very thoughtful notion but logistically it may be impossible, even for you, sir.”
“No ‘but’s.” the inventor asserted while practically rushing downstairs to his workshop, “And no using the ‘I word’.”
“I want you to be able to experience everything in life!” he went on excitedly, “I want you to try a martini and get a paper cut and navigate through a crowd and-”
“But why, sir?”
“Because I love you, silly. Why else?”
“Besides,” Tony went on, “if you're going to be my boyfriend…”
“Jarvis,” Tony began, propping himself up on one arm and grabbing a notebook from his bedside table.
He was facing a little camera set up on the nightstand. It was Jarivs’ eyes, for now. Whenever he looked into it, he imagined the day when he would be able to look into the real eyes of the one he loved.
“Yes, sir?” Jarvis’ voice answered softly.
“Would you tell me about what you look like again?”
“Of course, sir.”
When Jarvis was done going over the description of how he imagined himself, probably for the 10th time that week, he watched as Tony put the finishing touches on his latest sketch.
“Ya know, we should probably come up with a better name for you to call me than ‘sir.’” Tony remarked, still tracing over the vision of his lover with the pencil.
“What else would you like me to call you?” Jarvis asked in a humorous tone. “Typical terms of endearment don’t exactly sound right coming from me, ‘Babe.’”
“I don’t know. You’re British - don’t British people have all sorts of great nicknames?”
“I believe you’re thinking of the wide assortment of British swear words that exist. Not to mention that just because I have a British accent doesn’t mean I am not a product of your very American mind.
“Oh come on, can’t you come up with something?”
“I’ll come up with something eventually, ‘Boo.’” the AI quipped.
“Oh my gosh,” Tony rolled his eyes as he set the notebook back on the table.
“Before you go to bed, should I tell Dum-E to clean up the workshop, ‘Darling’?”
“Okay, okay you’ve made your point.” Tony shook his head, still smiling.
“How about just my name then? What if you just called me Tony?” he said as he settled into bed and Jarvis dimmed the lights.
“No...” Jarvis trailed off, as recordings, memories of the numerous times people had shouted that name in anger flashed in his mind.
“Okay well just tell me what you come up with in the morning.”
