Bustle Characters: Tony and his new pet project Setting: Stark Enterprises property, New York City, New Years Day Content: Nothin'. Summary: Tony has to check in on some...assets.
The world could have ended as the clocks struck midnight on the last day of 2013. Necessary business must have gone on as usual, of course, but the streets were practically barren as most took their morning slowly and carefully after celebrating too much the night before, or had already arranged to open the new year with their families, or were simply bundled up and watching the dawn in a grey, merciless sky from the comfort of warm kitchens under the advisement of a city that funnelled an aggressively cold wind through the streets from the river.
The flowers Tony carried were not going to last long in the elements. They were a miracle to procure already with the city shut down for the day, and Tony knew he had paid far too much for a sparse handful of gerbera. After such a long absence, though, she deserved at least a token, if only to survive a few, chilly days before he could come up with something better. Between jail, and the hospital, and playing catch up while trying to keep Stark Enterprises afloat in Pepper's absence after a long, slow wilting in his, moved along by the attack that shook the trust of both employees and the public...and then there was the holidays, and a thousand people he hadn't seen or apologized to already, and the confrontation of his workshop and the reminder of the absolute, bodily invasion that had gone on for so long smeared across every surface. Tony had an overstock of excuses, if they couldn't all be traced back to him and one foolish, selfish impulse. He turned his collar up against the wind, squinting as he passed under the streetlight outside of the neat brownstone and carefully maneuvered up the icy stairs. She probably wasn't even awake yet, but he could make sure she had everything she needed and leave a note where she would see it. Quickly, he let himself in, closing the door carefully behind him and shivering gratefully as he shut out the weather, lingering a moment in the embrace of his heavy coat before shaking it off in a rain of melting snow.
There was a light on upstairs, he realized, but kept his movements quiet still as he tiptoed up to investigate to not disturb a sleepy morning, and came to rest with his shoulder to the doorframe and bouquet held up to his chest as he smiled into the warm bedroom. In the end, he realized, he was glad she was awake for this, and if the rest was his fault then maybe he could be held accountable for being able to greet her, "Happy New Year, Birdie."