Avengers Imagines (Part One)

Tony Stark X Young!Reader - Brooklyn Baby

A/N - This chapter was supposed to be a Valentine's Day themed post, but it ended up being a little more angsty than intended. It's based on the song 'Brooklyn Baby' by Lana Del Rey. Reader is in her early-mid twenties. I hope you all enjoy it.

The magazines had grown a little too fond of plastering you on their front covers in the last few months. From the first moment that a pap had caught you and Tony sharing a quick kiss goodnight outside your apartment, they had turned rabid. Every other day there was a headline expressing their distaste for your relationship with your boyfriend. God, neither of you had even officially announced that you were together before they'd begun spinning their stories. 

Today was no different. A picture of you walking hand in hand with Tony through your local part of Brooklyn, smiling as though you were the happiest people in the world. Over the top of the picture was the headline: "Tony Stark's Sugar Baby Outing." It wasn't even clever. 

You wanted to believe that the stupid comments didn't effect your relationship. You loved Tony and he loved you, and yet each time you read one of those ridiculous headlines you would grow a little more distant. Constantly having your love challenged so openly was painful and of course it put doubts in your mind.

Even today was shifted by the magazines. You'd woken up in such a good mood with the intention of spending a day just relaxing with Tony. Valentine's Day was always a little overhyped, in your opinion. It was a classic cash grab by the big corporations, guilting people into buying gifts for their significant others. But you'd always enjoyed spending it with your partners. It was a chance to spend time together without worrying about anything else. 

You'd snuck out of bed whilst Tony was still asleep,  grabbing some clothes for the day and going to change in the bathroom. The plan had been in place in your head for weeks. You always woke up at least an hour before Tony did, and you would use that to your advantage. 

After you were dressed, you grabbed your purse and your coat and headed out of the front door. The walk to your local coffee shop couldn't have taken more than five minutes, but you'd already spotted paps on your way. They had this ability to hover just in your periphery, barely visible if you didn't know what to look for. 

It wasn't until you were inside the coffee shop that you felt fully at peace again. Of course, they would wait outside for you and follow you home; they always did. But in here, you were safe. In here they weren't watching your every move and pointing out even your tiniest flaws. 

Once you'd collected your drinks, you hesitated, looking through the window. There was a young guy on the other side of the street with a camera, shifting on the spot and staring at the shop. You would have known his type from a mile away. 

Your anxiety must have shown pretty clearly on your face, because a moment later a young woman was at your elbow, staring at the pap. She couldn't have been much older than you were, but you watched as her face hardened before she glanced over at you. "Is that guy bothering you?" she started, face softening as you looked at her in horror.

"Oh," you murmured, shaking your head. "No, he's just doing his job," you added, watching as her brow furrowed. 

"And his job is stalking you?" You opened your mouth as if to speak, but she quickly cut you off. "Look, I know who you are. Your face is everywhere. But, you dating some billionaire doesn't mean these vultures suddenly get to bully you." You nodded, but there was so little conviction behind it that the woman looked a little disappointed. "Are you from Brooklyn?" she murmured.

You nodded. "Yeah. I grew up in Williamsburg," you uttered, your brow furrowing as you watched her carefully.

"Then you shouldn't be letting them scare you. You belong here; they don't. Quit taking their shit." 

A small smile pulled at your lips, and you gave another short nod. "Thanks," you started. 

"You want me to get the door for you?" 

"Please," you answered quickly, following her out onto the street and glaring over towards the pap, who was suddenly on the move. 

You were on your own again a few moments later, but well aware that the man still had his camera focused on you. A single slip up and you'd be plastered all over the front covers again. For just a second, you considered doing something brash. You could yell and scream at him until he gave up and went home, but they'd likely twist that into something much more than it was. 

By the time you'd reached to door to your apartment building, you'd decided that the best action was no action. Eventually, he would get bored and go away on his own. 

Tony was pacing the living room when you'd finally gotten inside, his eyes fixing on you the second he noticed your presence. 

"Where've you been?" he started, his face softening when you held up the coffees for him to see. "I called and you didn't answer."

"My phone was in the bottom of my bag. I must've missed it." You paused for a moment, placing the coffee cups down on the table. "Sorry," you added quietly. "I didn't think you'd wake up before I got back, but I took longer than I thought I would."

"It's fine," he murmured, moving forward to wrap his arms around you. 

Tony had become super cautious since your relationship had been outed. There were plenty of people in the world who would do whatever it took to hurt him, even if that meant using you to do so. 

"Happy Valentine's Day," you uttered against his shoulder, your words coming out distorted and muffled by his t-shirt. 

Tony hummed slightly, pulling you a little closer. "Thank you for the coffee," he responded, pressing a kiss to the top of your head before releasing you. 

"I made a friend at the shop," you murmured, grabbing your cup from the table and making yourself comfortable on the sofa. Tony joined you a second later, humming for you to continue. "There was this woman who noticed a pap watching me. She told me I needed to stick up for myself more."

"Yeah?"

You nodded, shifting to look at him properly. "I think she's right. These people just keep putting up these headlines about me. About us. And it's because they think I won't respond. They think I'll just sit here and take it, but that isn't who I am."

Tony was smiling as he watched you, a sweet little twitch of his lips that had your heard fluttering and your head spinning. This man really did drive your brain wild. "They won't know what hit 'em," he uttered, his hand pulling your face to his. The kiss you shared was fierce and passionate, leaving you a little breathless as he released you.

"If they don't like this side of me then they can go fuck themselves," you added with a toothy grin. 

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