𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐏𝐄𝐈, 𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐖𝐀𝐍

ELEANOR

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It was the second time that week that I had woken up with woozy eyes and a parched throat. It was the quiet buzzing against her head that had woken me up this time, the feeling rattling my brain altogether. As soon as I woke up, I reached to my neck to feel the soreness along my skin and sharply hissing my fingers prodded at it. I drifted my gaze to the moving blurred skyscrapers from the limousine judging by the longness of the vehicle, understanding that we had arrived in Taiwan. If I weren't in a hostage situation, I would've admired the pixelated banners and street-life outside. 

My eyes landed on the smartly dressed figure in front of me, focusing on his outstretched hand that held a sizzling glass of amber liquid that I needed to quench my thirst. But I was scared that he had drugged it too so, I refused the offer.

'There's nothing in it,' he said, raising a short-lived hand to explain his point. 'I promise, don't want you sleeping for this one.'

I snapped my gaze to the red satin that wrapped around my body like a tight bandage and my legs having strapped on a tall pair of peep-toe heels. I used my zip-tied hands to feel my lips and catching a red smudge against my fingertips. I shot him a glare. 

'You're going to sell me off to the highest bidder?' I asked with darkness in my voice and an impending fear. 'Is that your plan: to sell my body?'

It took him a good minute to understand my over-thinking brain and shook his head as if he recollected something. A smile played on his lips that I simply wanted to slap off.  Glancing back at the dress, I realized that there was no way Zeke could've worked this dress up my body by himself. The man didn't know the difference between lipstick and lip balm. It must've been Sasha to give the feminine whirl to my battered body.

'Do you remember when I took you to that mansion of ours?' He said, reliving a memory. 'It was your first year completing your first job, and you thought I did the same because I made you buy clothes for yourself and everything.'

'I honestly didn't think you'd remember,' I answered back in the littlest voice. I was in disbelief and he felt it. 'All I thought about was taking that one shortcut to the backdoor and running.'

'I remember every night with you from four years ago,' he said, leaning forward to get a better look at me and completely ignoring my scarring statement. 'Every night from the moment you cried like a tot before you drifted off. Even the nights you didn't and managed to satisfy me,' he smirked. 'If you know what I mean.'

My jaw tightened at the vileness. When I started to realize how flawed our relationship was, I took no pleasure in bedding him. I felt used and couldn't bring myself to revel in the false delight he was bringing me. I forced myself to fall out of love, the hardest thing I had ever had to do in order to pull myself back up. Every night from then, I remembered belching my guts out into toilet bowl in the sheer repugnance of his touch. I couldn't sleep next to a man with blood on his hands and a stone for a heart.

'Piss off,' I weakly murmured to his statement. My hands started to shake restlessly, wanting to know where the hell we were heading because sitting in such a wide space with a man that full of himself was punishment enough. I caught my reflection in the window-side glass, gasping at myself. 

The only thing distracting in my face was the bright red lipstick smeared over my lips. Otherwise, the once bright blue of eyes had dulled to oblivion. My cheeks had lost colour and my formerly well-maintained bangs were puffy and sticking out at the edges. I pulled on a few to straighten it out. My hair was hefted behind my shoulders in a ponytail and revealing the ugly burn mark that Zeke had imprinted over the side of my neck. 

'You look lovelier than ever, my Elle,' he muttered and took my hands to press a kiss to it. 'I almost don't want to share you with the world yet.'

I yanked my hands back, pulling them to my shoulder. 

'I was happier without you. He was keeping me happy and I woke up every day with faith in a cause,' I spewed at him. 'I love him, Zeke. And nothing's going to change that.'

His eyes burned with jealousy, the fury almost making him reach out to me once again to grapple my neck. I shrunk into myself when he did, the flame in his eyes put out when he saw my reaction. Before he could say something, another voice broke through.

'Mr. Stane, we're here.'

I took this as my chance to look at the window to gauge where we had arrived. It was the front of one of the tallest buildings I'd ever seen after the Empire State building. Sasha wrapped her fingers around my elbow and hauled me harshly to make me stumble out. The entranceway was empty as if even the little pedestrians on the sidewalk wouldn't hear me if I screamed. I faltered in my footsteps when I read the banner at the entrance, my breath hitching.

'Starkdynamic Expo,' I read out to Zeke when he reached the stairs behind me. I steered a menacing gaze toward him. 'What are you up to?'

'Something you don't see every day,' he murmured back and pushed a hand over my back to make me tumble past the glass doors. 'Move.'

The lobby was just as large for the tall building and I assumed that it was a Stark International tower. The elevator doors opened just before we reached, six of us filling in and my body rammed into a wall and Zeke's body. We waited for the elevator to stop and weird sullen music played through the speakers.

'Now if you even think of running off,' Zeke said, his voice low and holding a warning, 'I won't hesitate to press this trigger.' 

He produced a small silver trigger button from his pocket and I wondered what it would do if I did press it. I looked up at him, his dark eyes giving nothing off. 'See that pretty little necklace on you? It ain't no everyday thing. Unless you want to be bad and find out what it does.'

I rolled my eyes, looking at the mirror to assess the looks of the necklace. To any onlooker, it would seem like a dazzling red-diamond necklace but if you looked close enough, you'd see a thin tube running acting like silver chains and the diamond fading and dimming lightly. I was scared to touch it and inspect it, fearing I'd fasten it. It looked electric, light and hostile - there was no way I was setting it off.

'You should be scared,' he said ominously after gauging the shock. 'It stings.'

When the elevator dinged on the one-hundred and fortieth floor, my eyes failed to adjust to the dimmed lights of the bustling party but looking nothing like the thrilling Expo back in the States. They were all white-collared and primly dressed, laughing obliviously to the commotion that brewed. A few eyes fell on me but I brushed them off, searching the room for the person I wanted. Any of them I recognized.

In the mulling darkness, it was hard to find my way through and the quiet but quick murmurs hard to make out. There was no wall surrounding the space, only the elevator side of it otherwise the entire floor overlooking the Taiwan skyline. Taller skyscrapers surrounded every corner, my gaze catching in awe.

'Shuffle along, now,' Zeke ordered his hands prodding into my back and making me stumble once again. We merged with the crowd, Sasha disappearing somewhere into a nearby room. Zeke's hands worked around my zip-ties and he loosened them to extricate it from my wrists. I nearly cried out of the feeling that overtook me, freedom after nearly two days of captivity. 

'Remember what I told you, my love,' he leaned into my ear to murmur. 'I'm only letting you off for after.'

'What's after?'

He smirked, rubbing his nose along my ear line. 'A surprise.'

I swallowed tightly. That either meant my death or the hundreds around me. His hands roamed to my backside which I had to swat off with a disgusted scowl. He sported a corrupt grin. 

'I love the shade on you, by the way,' he murmured, stealing a kiss from me. I pulled back, outraged and ready to backhand him with my free wrists. He stepped back from my lashing, fluidly walking away.

Zeke jerked his chin behind me to merge with the crowds, but I drove into strangers not knowing my way around. I stumbled into a few women who shot me dirty glances so I made my way to the north side of windows, hoping to get a bit of air and away from the crowds. I rested my cheek over the glass, steadying myself and letting my hot breaths fog over the panes. I was so afraid to even move the slightest not wanting to set off the time-bomb over my neck.

'Elle.'

I turned to the voice, shaking my head at the terse tone. 'Zeke, I'm not—'

A warm pair of brown eyes merged with mine, my lips lifting to a grin. His hair was a mess as always but managed to pass as bedhead and in all his clean-cut suit-clad glory. He had the same few bruises decorating his stylishly-trimmed face but that was a part of the job description. That was Tony Stark. 

My face erupted with relief. His lips parted with surprise when I walked past a few party people to get to him, steadfast on my pace. My arms went around him instantly, crushing him into a bone-tight hug. He brought me into the circle of his arms, pressing his nose into my shoulder and his breaths fanning my neck and lips near my hairline. As if he wanted to feel every inch of me against every inch of him, his arms tightened in a never-letting-go action.

'Tony,' I whispered with ease, a demure smile on my lips. 'Oh my god, Tony—'

'Hello to you, too,' he rubbed my back. Leaning forward, he planted a soft kiss over the edge of my lips and letting his forehead rest against mine. He rested his thumb beneath my ear, his warmth nothing but inviting. 'It's okay, you're safe.'

'I'm sorry,' I said, tears welling at the corners of my eyes. It morphed into a sob easily but he never let go. 'I should've told you, Tony, I'm sorry. I'm a horrible person but please, don't hate me—'

'Hate you?' He scoffed indignantly. I sniffled, wiping a hand to dry off the tears and a thin layer of foundation smudged my fingers.

'Well, yes,' I hesitantly tried to explain. 'I didn't tell you about Zeke.'

'And I didn't tell you about the hordes of women I screwed before you. Likewise,' he shrugged, 'it slipped by our attention.'

'This is different,' I murmured, reasoning further. 'You know that.'

He sighed out at my fight for purpose, a forgiving smile stretching across his face and in hope to put me out of my misery. I only wished his words provided just as much justice. Hunching my shoulders, I readied myself for the worst.

'Rhodey stated you can't love someone until you learn to love yourself. Me, being the world's biggest second-guesser and someone who hates his own guts, sort of expelled it out of my cranial rule as absolute horseshit,' he murmured, evoking a sad laugh from me. He continued when I rested back down with a nod.

'And?'

'And then, I met you and realised, god, what I would do for you to smile. I, honestly, forgot to hold my end of the deal. Might seem stupid but Elle, I love you so much that I forgot what hating myself is like.'

What was unexpected was his latter words that got my racing like a hunted gazelle. I was unusually moved by his short message, a satisfied smile sprouted on my face through the tears. I looked down at our feet to shroud the marginal blush, shifting forward to place my lips over his shoulder. 

'Thank you,' I said whole-heartedly and laughed again when he grumbled about his cheesiness not being acknowledged. 'I love you, too.'

My lipstick creased his light blazer but I couldn't care less, the only relaxation that flooded through my system was being in his arms. He angled me back to run his gaze over my face, tensing over the reddening scar over my neck. His mandible tightened as if to control himself, letting out a deep breath.

'Did he—' he fought off an expletive under the wrath. 'Stane did that?'

'Well, I attacked him,' I gulped, sending my gaze wandering. His fingers clasped my chin to bring my gaze back to his, once again casting a glare at the blackening scar. 'Because I thought he was going to hurt you.'

'Look who's talking,' he muttered dryly, tucking a stray tress of my hair behind my ear. This was different, I noticed as I followed his hands. Like he was finding every means to touch me and it was oddly stirring. 'Lost cause for two days and completely off the grid.'

'I'm quite fine,' I said to ease him out of his anger. 'Really.'

'You know hate makes you ugly,' he shared, nodding his head fiercely. 'Yeah, whatever, I've got sexiness to spare. So your neurotic ex better haul ass or—'

'Oh!' I piped up to get involved. I rambled out with the first words that hit my tongue on the topic he had chosen, pulling back. 'Zeke was the one who set off the bomb in Tabora. He's the one who slandered your name by putting the blame on you. He used your tech to frame you, love, you have to get out of here—'

'Elle,' he breathed out and placed his arms over my shoulders to cease my incoherent sentences. 'I'm gonna' save you a little time and tell you that I knew all of the above. And that he was pretty untraceable after he took you.'

'Really?'

'Yeah,' he made a sound at the back of his throat. 'Outsmarted me by one move. I'll get that weak, son of a—'

'Okay, Tony,' I snapped my fingers to get his attention. He blinked with a crane of his neck, an amused glance sent my way. 'It's not the time. More people are going to die if you don't listen.'

'You continually wound me.'

'Zeke has some sort of Extremis based repulsor blast system and it's consistent with yours,' I shared under my breath, trying to keep my voice to a low. 'It's linked to his spine or something and he's got some sort of plan in Stark International head sectors around the world. Tony, he wanted to bring your empire down first so you have to - '

'Skip. Tell me more.'

'His suit is just as advanced as yours,' I murmured on order. 'Something about black markets and using your old tech to precede the new one. Something is very wrong here, Tony. You need to leave.'

'I haven't got the intel, but SHIELD is on speed dial,' he nodded. He took a deep breath, once again glimpsing at the wound on my neck. I rolled my eyes, pushing my hair over my shoulder to fixate his gaze. 'You're okay, right?'

'I'm a grown woman, not a baby,' I grumbled at his chiding. 'And it's a scar, not a bullet.'

'I am worried about you, is that—'

'Look what we have here,' a voice broke through our conversation. 'Lover's spat, innit?'

Zeke, I mentally growled out. My heart skipped a beat, my immediate instincts confusing both me and Tony. I pushed myself in front of Tony as if to shield him from Zeke. He was unpredictable and if he were to lay a finger on what's mine, he'd have to deal with me. I folded my arms, ready to take a shot.

'Zeke,' I snapped. 'Why are you here?'

A grin spread on his face. 'That's a question you shouldn't be asking.'

'Oh, I apologize,' I fired back. 'Was I too busy fraternizing with the enemy?'

He looked past me to merge his excited gaze to Tony's, tucking his tongue in cheek. 'Fantastic creature, isn't she?'

'A class of her own,' Tony answered simply, shrugging. Zeke stretched out his arm, beckoning me to come back to his side. I sighed with frustration, turning to throw Tony a quick glimpse. He was hesitant to let go of my hand, holding on tighter as I tried to move.

'Tony, you take me for a fool and it's cute,' Zeke chuckled at his stability and displayed the silver remote to Tony this time. 'I have her hooked.'

He cast his neck over my body and then, landed on the chain over my neck. He hung his head to the side as if trying to control himself and loosening his grapple, my eyes narrowing over Zeke. I was ignored. 

'I just want to get even,' he murmured, not wasting in grabbing my arm and hauling me to his side. I grunted as I tried to wiggle myself out his hold, his grasp stiffening by the second. 'This one here, she's a keeper but a handful.'

'I'll say,' he snorted. 'If you're here to avenge your dead man, you're not doing a great job.'

'I've not even gotten started, Stark,' he simpered darkly. 'I have a lot more to come. I want to watch you fall from the sky and no one there to catch you. So much,' he clucked his tongue, 'but so little time.'

'Funny thing,' Tony said back, his lips quirking up lightly. 'I've been said worse. You're just one of the many uncountable people who want me dead.'

'Oh, I probably lead the lot,' he mentioned. 'Now, if you will excuse us. Shall we, my love?'

I snarled up at him as he tugged on my arm and my steps faltering before he could lead me out. I put up a fight but he silenced my pursuit with a single glare. 

'Don't test me, Elle, I will hurt you,' he hissed, pushing me forward to force me forward. 

We hustled past the crowd, my gaze set over my shoulder and watching Tony helplessly. I saw him pat his pockets and I understood that it was a gesture. I followed his motion, patting the side of the dress and finding a solid rectangular device wedged between the pockets. His phone.

He winked when I looked up with surprise, not able to grin back when I was pulled into the elevator door and his stature vanishing from my sight. I drew in a deep breath, looking at the shutting automated doors and realizing that Zeke hadn't followed us in.

Before I reached the lobby, the phone started to buzz.

∞

[ w/n: OOF. she gon' be alright . . . ? ]

[ update (16.01.2020): meh nothing. edited.  ]