#tony starkreader
Insider (Part 1) (Tony Stark x reader)
Synopsis: Tony Stark is your only lead as a team, so you’re sent right into the lion’s den. Set after Avengers (2012)
SERIES MASTERLIST|MCU MASTERLIST|GENERAL MASTERLIST
“You’re insane!” You cried, spinning around to face the team. “I can’t take on Tony Stark’s system. The man’s a genius, it’d be easier to get a one on one with the President than hack into his computer. Arctic, you’ve gotta be kidding.”
Arctic shrugged, steepling his fingers as he leant back against the table. He glanced over at Delila, who nodded at him to speak.
“We haven’t had a lead that worked out in months, this might be our big break.”
You weren’t surprised, Arctic always agreed to do dumb shit if it was for a girl. Said girl stared you down, as if daring you to chicken out while fiddling with the point of her knife.
Girls with knives were always ridiculously hot but Delila scared you shitless. Plus you were pretty sure she was straight, and Arctic would kill you if you ever made a move. Which you wouldn’t, because especially right now, that knife in her hand looked like it could cut air.
“I thought you were supposed to be a genius as well,” Delila stabbed the knife into the edge of the table where it quivered, a bored expression flitting across her face.
You scoffed. “I am a genius, but this is Tony fuckingStark we’re talking about. The man basically invented personal security; he has a billion-dollar suit, and his house has the most advanced AI in the world in it.”
You were coming to your wits end; they were as willing to listen to you as a brick wall would be. You were wasting your breath on them.
You glanced back at Ghost, who just smirked and tilted his hat down.
Prick.
“I don’t get it. You’re either a genius and you can do this, or you can’t,” Delila pulled the knife out of the table and studied its point before pulling out a cloth to polish it. It was already shiny enough for you to be able to see your face in it, but you were pretty sure it was an intimidation tactic of some kind.
“You don’t get it! This is like.. like,” You paused, you hadn’t actually thought this through. “Like, okay, imagine that the Goliath operation was us battling some mutant gorillas, enhanced, so therefore a bit of a fight, but also gorillas so they’re not the brightest of animals. Now, Tony Stark has an AI which is the battle-hardened mutant gorillas, but without the physical form which is their weakness. And it’s got his brains so it’s incredibly smart, so they don’t have the other weakness of not being very bright.”
“An AI is made from code, right? Which is your specialty, may I remind you. This isn’t up for discussion.” Arctic butted in and you let your head drop onto the dented and scratched metal table, the thud echoing around the dingy, dusty warehouse they had found abandoned and were using as their makeshift base. “Don’t lose any braincells, we need those.”
:.
You weren’t sure how you had managed to let them talk you into this, maybe it was the fact that Tony Stark was undeniably attractive or that you wanted to pick the brains of arguably the biggest genius in technology at the moment. Sure, the latter was it. Anyway, this meant you had ended up where you stood now, clutching your briefcase in both hands to simulate anticipation, and waiting outside Miss Potts’ office. The CEO of Stark Enterprises. She had to be cutthroat to survive in the male-dominated tech industry and you couldn’t lie that perhaps the nervousness you were projecting wasn’t all acting.
“Hello, you’re here for the interview, right?” A ginger lady stuck her head round the door, softly smiling at you as she caught your eye. “I’m Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Enterprises. I’m so glad you applied for this job.”
You hurried through the door Miss Potts held open for you, eyes widening a fraction as you took in the state-of-the-art office and the beautiful city skyline you could see out of the floor-to-ceiling window stretching across one wall of the spacious room. You were motioned into a plush sofa chair across from her and she tapped on the keyboard.
“So, Y/N Warren, am I right?” You nodded, your first name was common enough and had never officially been linked to you, which meant you could use it as part of the alias. It also made it a hell of a lot easier to answer to. “Now, I can see that you graduated from MIT summa cum laude and had a stint in the US Army. Could you explain to me why exactly you left the Army?”
Internally, you froze, you didn’t know that Arctic had added that to your fake profile and you cursed the captain with all the rude words you could think of in your head. Outwardly, you smiled shyly, pausing to consider the question.
“I guess, umm… In the army, I was Base Ops for my team, but the rest of the team there were very… macho, believing that fighting embodied what we were meant to be doing? They kinda thought that because the fighting I carried out was on a computer and not physical, it was lesser, like I was lower than them. So, I found that the whole team dynamic didn’t really end up working for me and I got an honourable discharge, after paying off the mountains of student debt I had amassed from MIT and went on the search for a new job.” You had pulled upon old army memories to spin the tale you fed to Miss Potts, days you hadn’t really thought of since the government recognised your skills and put you on Special Ops with a team who actually appreciated and understood your work. Well, they appreciated it when you weren’t running your mouth off about nothing in particular.
“Huh,” Miss Potts seemed surprised, her features twisting from a polite smile to a genuine one which broke across her face. “Why exactly did you apply for this job then?”
“I’m interested with just working under Mr Stark; his inventions are ground-breaking and the fact that he created an AI as young as he did proves his genius. Plus, I’m sure I could make an attempt at keeping up with Mr Stark, something not many people could say,” You ran a hand through your messy hair as Miss Potts laughed.
“You and Tony certainly match in your modesty.”
The mild suspicion that had remained in her eyes dissipated and her posture became more relaxed and less rigid. You cracked a grin, relieved that you’d at least got through this round. The next bit was going to be more difficult.
“Would you say I have a shot at getting this job?” No need to beat about the bush, really, you were a busy person. Arctic would kill you if you took a whole day just to come back and say that you’d gotten nowhere.
“Well, you have all the necessary qualifications, and you seem like the first candidate who would be able to handle Mr Stark, but I’m not the one who has the final say. I’ll introduce you to him but a lot of hopefuls with potential get the boot because Mr Stark finds that they irritate him or aren’t up to the standards he needs.” Miss Potts gathered her clipboard and a couple of sheets of paperwork before heading to the door and indicating that you should follow. She liked you; you had spirit and a bit of fire in you which meant you and Tony could gel quite well.
:.
Tony was deep in thought as he puzzled over the hydro mechanism of the engine he was building. The valve pipe was under a lot of strain due to the high-water pressure and the problem had stumped him for a while now. JARVIS interrupted him from his reverie, his screen suddenly filled with a security camera feed.
“Tony, get your ass out of the labs, I’ve found you an assistant,” Tony could see a figure hovering next to Pepper, but the cameras didn’t give him enough definition to pick up your features.
“How many times have I told you that I don’t need a babysitter, Peps? I’m a big boy. Big boy in a shiny metal suit. And I’ve got a Rhodey; I already have a babysitter. Even if this one looks cute.”
"You’re acting like a petulant child. Stop it and come and meet Miss Warren.” Pepper rolled her eyes as a beep signalled that the audio hadn’t gone through. “Miss Warren, we’ll go and see him if he’s not going to come to us.”
She pressed the pad of her thumb against the biometric scanner, a red light flashing to signal that it hadn’t been approved.
“I regret to inform you, Miss Potts, that Mr Stark has removed your access rights.”
She gave you a look and you cracked a grin. “Sorry, Mr Stark, but that seems like an awfully childish move for someone who doesn’t need a babysitter.”
There was no beep and you wondered what Stark’s immediate reaction had been. Static crackled over the speaker, and you wrinkled your nose, waiting to be told to leave the building. Arctic was going to murder you; you always fucked things up by saying stupid things.
The door slid open in front of you silently; Pepper’s eyebrows shooting up before she gestured for you to follow her. You descended into the lab, glancing around at the high-tech equipment and discarded parts in the corner. A bitter sensation twisted at your chest, and it took you a moment to realise that it was a nostalgia for the life you could have had without all this being hunted business. But then again, you’d never swap your team for anything else.
“Tony, this is Miss Warren.”
You smiled at the man, breath catching in your throat. He was even more attractive in person.
“Pleasure to meet you,” Stark smirked, extending a hand to you. Of course he knew. Or maybe he just assumed everyone was attracted to him.
You shook it eagerly; you couldn’t deny that you were slightly intimidated by being in the same room as such a genius. “Likewise.”
He gave you another once-over and turned back to Pepper. “Fine.”
“Fine?” Pepper repeated, tone incredulous. You were equally surprised that it had been this easy; the way he’d been fighting having an assistant moment earlier had suggested that you had no chance.
“Yes, alright, Pep, I’ll take her as my assistant,” Stark sighed. It was clearly a long-running argument, but the exasperation in his voice was tinged with affection. His gaze hardened for a second. “As long as she isn’t another Natalie Rushman.”
Pepper slid the file over to him. “I checked that she’s not from the same organisation.”
They’d done a background check. Thank God or whatever was up there that you’d been able to get into all the official servers to insert false records, otherwise you would have been rumbled. And the last time that had happened, you’d ended up at the top of a skyscraper, cornered by security.
Stark flicked through a couple of pages before tossing it to one side and leaning forward, hands clasped together as he stared you down.
“Thanks Pepper, you can get back to your busy schedule now.” His gaze didn’t waver, and you did your best to hold eye contact. For some reason, you were pretty sure that this was a test. Albeit a weird one.
As the door upstairs slid open and shut, you waited for him to make the first move.
“So, Miss Warren,” he raised an eyebrow, satisfied by what he’d supposedly found. “MIT, then in the army. Bit of a weird step to take.”
You shrugged. “Not with the mountain of student debt I got into. Army paid for it as long as I went into their Communications department for a few tours.”
Not all of us were lucky enough to have rich parents. You bit back that comment, realising that you’d probably already pushed it enough earlier.
He pushed back his chair and stood up, making his way over to the other side of the room. Your eyes followed him, finally noticing everything else in the hangar. God, it was any nerd’s wet dream.
Were you sure you couldn’t come work here permanently?
Delila’s knives came to mind, and you shook that thought away.
“Come on,” Stark called to you, and you snapped out of your daze, rushing to his side. You really were no good at this whole assistant thing.
He handed you a screwdriver, nail between his lips as he fiddled with a strange looking contraption on the table. You frowned slightly. With the amount of top-range technology at his fingertips, you’d have thought that he would be less hands on. But then again he created a metal suit in a cave. In the desert. After being kidnapped and needing an operation.
“Take a look at this.” Stark turned the object towards you, seemingly just a hunk of metal with one joint and a mismatch of wires poking out of it.
“Can I?” You reached out a tentative hand, fingers hovering millimetres above the surface. He nodded; eyes narrowed as he watched you turn it over. You had the funny feeling that if you turned it the wrong way he’d kick you out.
Your eyebrows shot up. “You’re using cylindrical topology? And, let me guess, you miscalculated the opposing torque so failed to offset the centrifugal force.”
He looked impressed; surely the engineering degree gave away that you at least knew something. And this was basic stuff.
“So, what’s your opinion on Ex Machina?”
You grabbed a flat-headed screwdriver and began prying off the panel. “Ex Machina? Isn’t that the one where the billionaire has sex with robots? Is this your way of warning me?”
“Or an offer to join me?” At that you looked up, locking eyes, and pulling a face. You didn’t actually think he was being serious, but it was an unpleasant image all the same.
“Well, thanks, but I’m good. I will also remember to knock before entering any room now.”
He cracked a grin. “The offer will always stand.”
:.
“So, how was it?”
Arctic had barely let you in through the door before bombarding you with questions.
You rubbed your face, slumping into a chair and sipping at the glass of whatever Ghost had just shoved into your hand. Ah, the cheap rum. “Not even the nice stuff?”
Ghost shrugged, slipping back to his perch in the corner.
“That man’s security systems are unbelievable. Several-years-ahead, almost out-of-this-world insane.” You took another slug of the liquid and grimaced. You didn’t understand how Ghost could stomach it. “And he has an invisible voice watching over every room.”
“So what? You can’t do it?” Delila smirks; you had a feeling she had always wanted to make you feel this small. “I thought you were supposed to be the best.”
Ah, there was the killing blow. You clutched at your heart, forcing an expression of exaggerated pain. “I can.”
“It can’t be too difficult, he’s just a businessman,” Delila continued, unfazed by your dramatics.
“Sure, put pressure on the one person who can actually do this. See how that turns out for you.” You paused, rethinking her words. “Have you forgotten the whole Iron Man side to things?”
“So, are you sure you can do it? We can’t afford to be wasting any effort on this if it’s not feasible.”
You groaned. “I just need more time”
“You have a week.” Arctic frowned, Delila smoothing away the expression with a soft kiss. Eurgh, they made you sick. Soppy romance just made you feel a little ill.
“I know, I know, I just-” You buried your head in your hands, muffling your words. “It’ll be fine, I can do it.”
Quintus patted you on the shoulder and you mustered some semblance of a smile.
:.
“I have your coffee,” you called out, balancing as you tried to push the door open with one foot. You caught sight of a video call disappearing from sight as Stark spun around, wide grin already plastered on.
“Who were you talking to?” You waited to reach Stark’s side before asking the question.
“No one,” he replied, far too quickly. His lie would have been less obvious if he had had a neon sign flashing over him saying ‘Liar! Liar!’. You had a funny feeling that he would be a great liar if he could be bothered to put any effort into it, but you assumed he just enjoyed fucking with people’s minds a little too much for that.
You didn’t want to press him about it, but you still had questions. “Oh, I was wondering if we’re the only ones in the house; like is it just you that lives here?”
“Yeah, just me. Luckily I’ve got you to keep me company… Why are you asking?”
You shook your head; no need to make him suspicious. “Just thought I’d heard other footsteps earlier. Coffee?”
“Mm, yes please.” Stark murmured as he invaded your personal space. Okay, definitely hitting on you.
You pushed the cup into his hands and took several steps away. No sleeping with your boss. You were pretty sure that was quite a common rule, and you were determined to follow it.
:.
It had taken a day to map out the various cameras in the house and their blind spots, or lack thereof. This had to be one of the best security systems you’d ever seen. Unsurprising, but you had hoped that with the safety net of his metal suit, Stark would have skimped on the stuff like cameras.
It was another couple of days until you started to lose hope.
“I can’t do this,” you stared at your computer screen, begging the plans to just give you some help. Ghost rubbed small circles between your shoulders, not saying a word.
Your program was perfect; with nothing other than just waiting to do, you had made sure that the code was airtight. But with no opportunity, crying now seemed like the appropriate and respectable response.
“Delila was right,” you groaned. “I am a failure.”
A light thwack on the back of your head broke you out of your self-deprecation as Ghost just gave you a simple look. “You can do it, patita. Don’t lose hope.”
-
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