You gripped the controls of the new suit, heart pounding, adrenaline rushing.

“Come on, you can do this,” you muttered to yourself, testing the thrusters over the empty test chamber.

Tony hovered behind the console, arms crossed, brow furrowed. “Just… try not to crash, okay? I swear, if you burn a hole through the floor again, I’m going to—”

“I’ve got it!” you snapped, the suit responding sluggishly. Sparks flickered from the wrist gauntlets.

“Sluggish?” Tony echoed sharply, leaning forward. “Sluggish is what I call a heart attack waiting to happen!”

You rolled your eyes, pushing harder, wanting to prove yourself. The suit lurched, spinning you sideways mid-flight.

“Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!” Tony shouted, scrambling over buttons, red warning lights flashing. “What did you do?!”

“I didn’t do anything!” you yelled, panic rising as the thrusters sputtered. “It’s the suit!”

Tony slammed a hand on the console, sending a jolt of sparks into the air. “It’s always the suit! It’s never the human being controlling it! I swear, one more stunt like this and I’m grounding you from everything!”

Your stomach twisted, fear and anger colliding. “I’m not a kid! I can handle this! You trained me!”

“And that’s why I built this suit for you! Because you’re capable! But being capable doesn’t mean invincible, and I’m not risking your neck for ego!”

The suit faltered again, spinning wildly. You screamed, heart hammering, until Tony lunged, activating the override, stabilizing you mid-air.

“You okay?” he said, breathless, eyes wide, hand gripping yours through the cockpit.

You coughed, gripping the controls, shaking. “Yeah… yeah, I’m fine.”

Tony pressed a hand to his forehead, muttering. “You’re lucky I didn’t blow a gasket. And you wonder why I panic every time you touch a thruster.”

You exhaled, chest heaving. “I just… wanted to prove I could do it.”

Tony softened, reaching over to ruffle your hair awkwardly. “You already did, kid. You’re going to be amazing at this—but next time, maybe let me keep my blood pressure in check, huh?”

You gave a shaky laugh, leaning back as the warning lights dimmed. Sparks still smoldered, but the panic had eased.

And in that quiet aftermath, you realized something. No matter how furious he got, no matter how overbearing he seemed… he would always be there. Watching, protecting, and refusing to let anything happen to you—even if it meant yelling, panicking, and swearing like a madman while doing it.