Avengers Preferences and Imagines

Preference 1: How You Meet

***Edited and revised on December 20, 2021, ***

A/N: I KNOW this is like the second or third edit of my book. I KNOW I have TONS of new content I should be focusing on. But the thing with me is I tend to work on what calls to me. And lately, that has been the revision of this book. I simply don't feel as if this is my best work right now, or the right portrayal of the characters I love so dearly. Or if these words are the stories I want to be telling. So I'll change them. And I'll change them again if I have to until I am happy with the stories I have created. I have continued to grow as a writer and as a person, and I want my work, and the world I'm building through these stories to reflect that. For those of you who were hoping for new content, I hope you understand, and I promise you'll have it soon enough.

Tony Stark

After months of a grueling interview process, and weeks of waiting anxiously to hear back, I had finally received word late last evening. Against all odds, I had beaten out hundreds of other applicants for the job I had been after for most of my adult life. That's right, yours truly had just been hired as the newest executive assistant to the infamous Tony Stark. Although this was the job I had spent ages dreaming about, I couldn't deny my anxiety about starting the position. I was no stranger to the stories that had been passed around about Tony Stark; the way he loved to party, the way he was with women...The list of reasons to be concerned seemed never-ending, and although it didn't sit right with me, I simply couldn't bring myself to pass up the job.

But those stories were awfully one-sided, and I had been raised to never judge a person based solely on what you had heard about them from other people. With my mother's words in my mind and a promise not to judge a man by a multitude of rumors, I set off for my first day of work. I followed absentmindedly behind Pepper Potts as she gave me a frankly uninteresting tour of the premises. I had studied the provided map in detail before today, and I knew that I could ask the AI known as J.A.R.V.I.S for anything I needed, rendering this tour useless to me. I strolled along absentmindedly, not uttering a word as Pepper offered explanations. It would have been beneficial for me to be paying more attention to my surroundings; I hadn't noticed the stairs in front of us and had tripped on the bottom step trying to ascend the staircase.

My eyes squeezed shut as I braced myself for impact, preparing to drop the folder and the coffee cup I had in hand, to feel the cold stone of the steps bite into me as I settled into a heap on the floor. But that never happened. When I opened my eyes, I was staring into the familiar chocolate brown eyes of none other than Tony Stark. He was on the other side of the staircase, holding me up by my elbow. I fumbled for the right thing to say before finally managing to mumble out a "Thank you, Mr. Stark". Blood rushed to my cheeks, staining them red as my embarrassment slammed into me. I had tripped and fallen in front of my new boss on my first day of work. What a way to make an impression.

I took a breath to compose myself, figuring now was as good a time as any to formally introduce myself. "Mr. Stark. I'm (y/n) (y/l/n), I'll be taking over for Ms. Potts as your new assistant." I offered, extending my hand for him to shake. His eyes sparked with interest at this. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance (y/n)." He said as he took my hand in his, kissing it instead of shaking it, a slight smirk tugging the corner of his mouth upwards. My heart skipped a beat, my brain too stunned to think of a response. All of the rumors came back to my mind; I made a conscious effort to push them down. We had only just met, and he technically hadn't done anything wrong. In fact, it could be considered...gentlemanly. He had certainly piqued my interest that was for certain.

Tony stood there a moment, his gaze shifting from Pepper, to me, and back again before he spoke. "Pep, why don't I finish this tour up for you? I'm sure you have lots to get done, and I'm a much better tour guide seeing how I own the place and all." Tony suggested with a cheeky grin. Pepper only rolled her eyes and shrugged in my direction, indicating that the choice was up to me. "That sounds great." I decided, trying to keep my tone neutral and ignore the unsteady beating of my heart. "Right this way (y/n), I'll give you the real tour," Tony said to me as he jokingly blew a raspberry in Peppers direction, to which she rolled her eyes and I stifled a giggle as she turned and stomped away. "Sense of humor. You'll need a good one to survive around here." He noted with a slight cock of his head in my direction. "Come on, follow me." He said as he gestured to the stairwell in front of us. "Let the adventure begin," I said more to myself than anyone else as I climbed the rest of the stairwell and followed my new boss into whatever new future was waiting for me at Stark Industries.