Avengers Preferences and Imagines

Drunk Mind, Sober Thoughts (Tony Stark)

A/N: A bit of light cursing in this one too. Only including it because it was once again in the prompt and got stuck in my head. 

Prompt: "I really fucking love you." "Hang up and try again when you're sober." 

It was well after one in the morning, and yet the party Tony was hosting at Stark tower was still raging on with no sign of dying out yet. I had gone for a little bit and had to admit it had been fun before it got out of control. Parties were not my thing, but when Tony made a point of personally inviting me, I felt obligated to at least make an appearance, not expecting to stay as long as I had. Surprisingly, Tony had been an incredibly gracious host, before he got too drunk that is. When I arrived he was thrilled to see me and went off to get me a drink immediately. I was surprised to find that he knew exactly what my drink of choice was. But then again, Tony's thing was drinking, so I suppose he had a pretty good handle on what it was his guests preferred. Throughout the night, he even asked me to dance with him. Several times. And he was charismatic and polite about it too. 

It was odd, and out of character behavior for him. Tony was funny and witty, but this side of him was just- strange. Although most people found Tony's typical persona to be infuriating, I actually found it refreshing. He didn't care what anybody else thought of him, he spoke his mind, and lived life to the fullest, free of anything holding him back. This made Tony and I unlikely friends, but tonight's behavior, although it was nice, was extremely off-putting to me. I had known Tony for years, ever since S.H.I.E.L.D had started working with him, and I had never seen him act like this, especially not with me. With my mind still reeling, I decided to call it a night and leave the still raging party. I looked around for Tony to say goodbye and thank him for the party but he was nowhere to be found. 

As I was making my way to the exit of Stark tower, my phone started to ring in my purse. After a moment of digging, I was finally able to pull it out of my bag. The caller ID on my screen showed "Tony Stark". Curious as to why he was calling me at one in the morning when he was most certainly drunk, I hit the answer button on the screen. "Hi, T" I drawled in my voice specifically reserved for highly intoxicated people. "(y/nickname) where are you?!" he asked shouting over the music. "I'm heading out Tony. It's early in the morning now. I tried to find you before I left-" I tried to tell him, but he wasn't having it. "You can't leave yet!" He whined on the other end. I sighed, knowing the only way I would ever get out of here is if I played this out. "And why not?" I asked him, a bit impatiently, I was tired and wanted to go home to bed. 

I heard the music of the party starting to fade away, he must have come inside somewhere or moved where the music wasn't as loud. "Because I have to tell you something..." he said, trailing off as he slurred his words a little bit. "I'm listening T" I encouraged, wanting him to spit it out so I could go home. "It's just that- I really fucking love you (y/n)" I tried my best to stifle my laughter. What was it with drunk people and declaring their love to everyone? I sighed and shook my head. "You're VERY drunk Tony. Hang up and try again when you're sober. Goodnight T" I said, laughing as I hung up the phone and made my way out of Stark tower. 

The next morning, I was woken up all too early by my phone ringing. I fully expected it to be Fury, calling me into work on my day off for some emergency. I was shocked when I heard Tony's voice on the other end of the line. "Good morning (y/n)!" He said, sounding all too cheerful for someone who had such a late night. "He must still be drunk," I thought to myself. Before I had a chance to ask him, Tony piped up. "Nope, I'm not still drunk. In case you were wondering," he informed me. "What can I help you with Tony?" I asked, groaning as I rolled over in bed. "Oh I'm sorry to have woken you, your highness, but you DID tell me to call you back when I was sober," he said, a matter of factly. I groaned even louder into my mountain of pillows. 

He clearly wasn't over this, so I picked my phone back up. "It was a joke, T. I was JOKING. I'm shocked you even remembered that." I said, hoping he would drop it now. I heard Tony clear his throat on the other line. "I'm glad you were joking. Because I wasn't." I nearly spat out the water I was drinking. "Excuse me?!" I yelled into my phone. "I was being serious (y/n). I really do fucking love you... I've been trying to tell you for months, I just didn't have the nerve. The booze helped a little bit I guess." he said, mumbling the last part. "You. Love me?" I questioned him, not really believing it. Tony laughed. "Yes. I don't know how much clearer I can make it for you woman," he said with a chuckle. 

And suddenly it hit me: why Tony had been being so weird around me the last few weeks; he was trying to tell me how he felt about me. And then it hit me, something I had never realized until now: I was in love with Tony too. We understood each other, and for some weird reason, we just kind of clicked. Our dynamic was weird but for some reason, it worked. Two people that everyone had assumed would never get along because of how different they were from one another, had somehow managed to fall in love with each other. "Oh my god," I whispered into the phone. "You feel it too. I know you do," he whispered, and I nodded. Remembering that he couldn't see me, I spoke up. "Yeah, Tony I do. I love you too- I don't know how it took me this long to realize it but-" I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "That's ok (y/nickname), I still love you even though you were late to the game," he assured me. 

I snorted. I couldn't help it. That was Tony. MY Tony; always cracking a joke. He was the one person who could always make me laugh when I needed it the most. "(y/nickname), you still there?" he asked me. "Yeah T, I'm still here," I assured him. "Can I take you to brunch, I really wanna see you," he asked and I giggled. "Of course you can Tony," I said, accepting his offer. "I'll see you in an hour, I'll pick you up," he said before hanging up the phone. I really couldn't believe that any of this was happening right now. It seemed surreal, but right at the same time. 

True to his word, Tony was outside my place waiting for me an hour later. I made sure to wear something nice, but not too formal, and I was immediately glad I had; Tony had done the same. I walked across the street to get in the car, but he stopped me before I could. "Tony?" I asked him, but he just wrapped me in his arms and held me tightly. "I can't believe it's really true- that you love me too," he whispered into my hair as he hugged me. I pulled back a bit to look at him. "It's true. I really do love ya, T." I whispered to him. When I looked up at him again, he was looking down at me with bewilderment and mischief in his eyes. "Tony?-" I asked him, wondering what he was up to. But before I could get an answer out of him, he dipped me down low and kissed me passionately. 

Until next time my lovely readers. 

xoxo, -L