// ❛ 𝗉𝗅𝖾𝖺𝗌𝖾 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗍𝖾𝗅𝗅 𝗆𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗋𝖾 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝖽𝗈 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗂 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎'𝗅𝗅 𝖽𝗈. ❜ // — @kepnerisms
𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒆𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 around to know the expression on her face—somewhere between fear and frustration, maybe even a little desperation. April has that effect on him, making him second-guess, making him want to be more than just the man in the suit. But old habits die hard, and Tony Stark has always been a man driven by the need to fix things, to stay one step ahead of disaster, even if it means stepping into danger. He exhales, dragging a hand over his face, eyes closing for a brief second. The irony isn’t lost on him. April was supposed to be his anchor, the one to pull him back from the brink, and yet here he is again—on the precipice of something reckless, something she won’t understand.
His gaze sharpens as he opens his eyes, still not turning to face her. The guilt snake its way up his spine, a familiar, unwelcome sensation tightening his chest. His jaw clenches instinctively, and his fingers curl into a fist by his side, knuckles whitening as if he can physically crush the feeling away. He forces his gaze back to the holographic display, the cold, logica l numbers grounding him in the illusion of control. " April, " he starts, his voice quieter than he intends, almost pleading. He doesn’t want to hurt her, but he’s Tony Stark. He can’t not be the guy who does what needs to be done, even if it scares the hell out of her. " I have to do this. Because if I don’t... who will ? "
