Between Pages

Body Shop

Tony's POV
I run into the commons room, slipping and falling a bit as I find the others still there.

"Did you set the lab on fire again?" Bruce asks.

"She opened her journal!" I smack mine on the table. 

All eyes go wide and a few smiles appear on faces as they look back at me.

"Congrats man!" Sam says patting me on the shoulder.

"Shes somewhere in Manhattan, too," I add.

"Wait," Bruce looks at me quizzically, "how do you know that?"

"She found a way around it," I say still excited, "she was able to give me a clue; Central Park."

"Central Park?"

"Yeah she told me to look up a song and go to a certain line and that was that's what it said," I explain, "she said it should give me an idea of where she lives."

"Oh," Bruce's brows raise, "that's smart."

"I know!" I say excitedly, "you guys gotta help me find her."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Nat asks, raising a brow at me, "you're the only one that can feel if she's the one when you get close to her."

She's right. They can't tell if they've found her or not.

I groan in frustration a bit.

Okay I can do this.

Manhattan is only about twenty-three square miles. I can find her.

"Oh I gotta go, I have an appointment to get my car fixed," Sam says, "I'll keep an eye out for anyone that might seem like they could be your girl, okay man?"

"Thanks," I give him a smile.

I guess that is some help.

I grab my journal and head back to the lab. There are so many for questions I have for her, so many things I want to tell her.

I open the book at find more words written for me to read along with a doodle of a forest.

I smile at it before reading what she wrote.

"So, how big is the company you own? Is it like Amazon big? I'm just curious."

More like "my name on a building" big. That was until a few years ago until we changed to to just a big letter A. Nice drawing by the way.

There's a few moments before my words disappear and she responds.

"Thanks, also sorry you'll probably see a lot of random drawing like that, I get bored easily. And neat."

I chuckle and run my finger over the drawing.

Don't apologize, I like it. A little piece of you I get to learn.

"Lol. Also wait, you said a big letter A. Does the building look like this by any chance?" 

I watch as she draws the tower, the ink of her pen creating a perfect likeness.

Yes! She knows the tower.

Yes.

"And that used to be YOUR name on it?"

Yes.

Please don't freak out.

"YOU'RE TONY STARK?!"

And she's freaking out.

Yes.

There's a long moment of nothing and I begin to worry that she's shut her journal and doesn't want to talk to me any more. I prepare to write more just as more words show up.

Oh thank god.

"Sorry. Needed a minute to process that. So let me get this straight. Tony Stark is my fucking soulmate. Mine. A fucking nobody that works at a damn body shop with her uncle."

You're not a nobody, you're my soulmate and I really want to see you. Would you be willing to come to the tower? Or could I meet you somewhere?

There's another pause.

"No"

What?

Why not?

Why doesn't she want to meet me?

"Cuz I know you'll be disappointed if I do."

Disappointed?

Why would a be disappointed?

"Like I said. I'm a nobody. Tony Stark doesn't deserve a nobody for a soulmate. You deserve someone better. Someone stronger and prettier."

"What the hell?" I stare at her words, not believing she would say something like that.

Don't you dare say that. You are my soulmate, which means you were made for me. You are perfect for me. It doesn't matter what you look like or how how stronger you think you are. You are perfect.

My words stay on the page, meaning she's closed the journal.

"No no no no no," I panic.

So long.
I've waited so long.
And now she refuses to meet me because she doesn't think she's good enough?

I read over her words.

She works at a body shop.

I dash to my computer quickly and start searching up all the body shops in Manhattan. I groan at the number of results.

I starts scrolling until I stop at one for some reason.

54th Street Auto Center.

I click on it.

There's a ton of pictures of cars that people have brought there, but one picture catches my eye.
A man and a young woman standing by the front seat of the shop, smiling brightly.

I skim over the image and nearly leave the picture until I notice something.
A large fades scar on the woman's chest, peeking out from under the top of her shirt.

My hand goes to my chest.

The scars from the reactor.

I grab my phone and call Sam then go back to staring at the image.

"Hello?" Sam answers quickly.

"What shop are you taking your car to?"

"54th Street Auto Center," he answers, "it ain't that far from the tower. Why?"

"I'll meet you there, don't go in until I get there."

I get to my feet quickly, grabbing my journal, and head out of the lab making for the elevator.

"Okay? You okay man?"

"I think I might have just found her."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah," I press the ground level button, "and if I'm right, she works where you're taking your car."

"Holy shit," I can hear the shock in his voice, "she's been that close all this time?"

"Yeah, and I might have scared her off," I sigh as the doors open again.

"How?"

"She figured out who I was," I hold the phone to my chest and tell Happy where to go.

"Wait how?"

"I told her about the tower and she pieced it together, then she freaked out and started saying she wasn't good enough. Then she closed her journal and hasn't read what I wrote."

"Oh shit. Well I'm here, I'll wait till you get here."

"Thanks, I'll be there is a few."

"No problem."

With that I hang up and let out a heavy sign.

Please be her.