Chapter Nineteen

                                    

                                          
YN's eyes fluttered open at the sound of muffled voices, her ears were ringing and her head felt cloud with congestion. Opening her mouth, she winced when her lips cracked in protest. Having made a small noise, the voices stopped, causing YN to lift into a seated position.  
Soon, the door opened and Tony stepped in, an apprehensive look on his face. YN stared at him blankly, her eyes raking over the face that had inhabited her dreams for the past few weeks. She felt revolted in herself to admit it, but she had missed the feeling of being close with Tony, even after he'd admitted to what he'd done.  
"How are you feeling?" YN didn't answer, choosing instead to continue watching the brunette man take a seat in the furthest seat from YN. "You've been sleeping for over sixteen hours... you must have needed it."  
"Getting beat within an each of your life will do that." YN retorted, her face remaining in its usual stoic position. Tony nodded, looking down to where his hands lay flat on his knees. YN sighed, swallowing past an anxious lump in her throat. "Are... are you okay?"  
Looking up to meet YN's eyes before she averted them, Tony cleared his throat, nodding again. "Yeah, all good." YN's lips fell to a flat line as she dragged her gaze around the room. "You can leave as soon as you're feeling up to it."  
YN hated the feeling of hurt that curled around her heart as Tony spoke, resenting the sad acceptance in his tone. Silence fell over them as YN tried to find the words to express how she was feeling, grimacing as her mouth opened and closed.  
"I... I'm not the best with... with words." She started, clenching and unclenching her fists in her lap. Tony waited, sitting straighter in his seat with anticipation. "I never know what to say or even how to say them exactly."  
"You don't have to say anything-"  
"I do. Because, if I don't, I might never get another chance." Tony swallowed, falling silent as he allowed YN to fight with herself once again. "When you told me about... what you did," she winced, trying to stop the growing rage inside her. "I felt like I was on fire, there was so much hurt, and anger and... and betrayal-"  
"YN-"  
"Please let me finish," YN stopped him, turning to hang her legs off of the side of the bed. "You have crawled your way into a place I hadn't allowed many people to be. I let you in and you... and you broke my trust, which is more hurtful than any heartbreak I've felt before." Tony looked down sadly, YN's words snuffing out the little hope that had ignited inside him. "My whole life I've never had to rely on anyone. I was okay, by myself, getting by enough that I could smile and believe it was real. And when I met Derek and then lost him, I felt like I could never feel like that again."  
YN sighed, rubbing a hand over her forehead, trying to sort out what to say next.  
"You were the last person I expected to change that. I looked at you and saw who you wanted me to see, a billionaire playboy genius without a care for anyone but himself, and after what you told me, I believed that to be true." YN uttered, watching the pain build behind Tony's stare. "Yet, every time I look at you, the feelings are still there."  
Tony looked up, the flame relighting in his soul as YN sent him a small smile. "What does that mean?"  
"It could meant one of two things," YN started, getting to her feet slowly. "I leave here, leave you behind and wait for my heart to forget about you. Or," Tony nodded frantically, also getting to his feet. "We can try again, take it slow, at my pace."  
Tony stood still, unsure what YN's words meant for either of them. The silence between them was tense, but there was no sign of the anger or betrayal that had been there earlier. It was a silence that echoed a sense of forgiveness, a silence that showed two people growing from a mistake that could have ruined something very special.  
YN stepped closer to Tony, who was staring at her, an expression that resembled fright written over his face. He waited for her to get close enough to touch him, not wanting to reach out in case he spooked her. YN lifted a hand up to place it gently against his cheek, her fingertips dragging over the stubble of the older man's face.  
Tony repressed a sigh of content, wishing he could close his eyes to relish in the feeling, the sensory overload of YN's closeness. However, he kept his eyes open, wanting to remember that this was YN touching his face. It was YN's breath fanning over him, enticing him closer.  
"I feel like I'm a million miles away from you, yet you're standing right in front of me." Tony finally whispered, the words making YN's movements stop, her palm lowering so her whole hand had encase Tony's cheek.  
"Let me show you how close I am." She murmured, leaning forward and connecting their lips, reveling in the butterflies that swarmed her stomach with a wave of ecstasy. Tony's breath was wisped away with YN's as he let her take control, only letting her move closer when she wanted to. "Kiss me like you mean it, Stark." YN whispered, gripping the back of his shirt with a little more force.  
Groaning, Tony's own hand snaked around her neck, pulling her close enough that he could feel every movement she made, every breath that expanded the chest that was pressed against his own. YN breathed out a moan, her other hand slipping under Tony's shirt to rest against his taut stomach.  
Pulling back only slightly, YN rested her forehead against Tony's, letting her lungs fill with air again. Tony bit his lip to stop a grin from stretching his mouth wide, his brown eyes flicking between YN's.  
"I absolutely adore you, YN." Tony said, the grin slipping past his defenses when he watched a blush tint YN's cheeks. "And I will never, ever forgive myself for causing you any type of pain." Nodding, YN rested her forehead against Tony's chest. "So, believe me when I tell you that I will do everything in my power to ensure you never feel alone or betrayed by me, ever again." He leant forward to press a kiss to YN's hair. "Can't guarantee that I won't make you angry though."  
"Well, we won't make a promise you can't keep, will we?" YN chuckled, lifting back onto her toes to kiss Tony's mouth.