The first time you ever scolded Tony, he smiled. Not his smug, camera-ready grin, but a real one. Small. Soft. Almost disbelieving.

You were standing in the middle of his workshop, hands on your hips, covered in a light layer of grease because you’d been trying to help him fix one of his robots. And then, of course, he’d done something reckless.

“Tony, you cannot keep skipping meals and living off coffee!” you snapped, waving an empty mug at him like a weapon. “Do you even know what time it is?”

He didn’t even look up from the arc reactor he was tinkering with. “Uh, invention o’clock?”

“Try three in the morning!” you huffed. “You’ve been down here for ten hours straight, your eyes are bloodshot, you’re going to burn yourself out or worse!”

He glanced up then and that’s when you saw it. That grin. The one that softened the sharpness of his face. “You done?” he asked lightly.

“Not even close,” you said, exasperated. “You need to eat. And sleep. And maybe- just maybe- act like you’re not trying to self-destruct for once!”

He tilted his head, pretending to think about it. “You know…” he said slowly, “I think I might love it when you yell at me.”

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

“It’s cute,” he continued with a teasing smirk, leaning back in his chair. “The way your nose crinkles when you’re mad. It’s like being scolded by an angel.”

“Tony-“

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I’m serious! You wouldn’t get this riled up if you didn’t care.” His voice dipped just slightly, losing the playful edge. “It’s… nice. Having someone who cares.”

That last part caught you off guard. The vulnerability in it.

You sighed, the irritation slipping away as quickly as it came. “I only nag because you scare me sometimes,” you admitted. “You push too hard, Tony. You burn yourself out, and then you act like it’s fine.”

He set down the wrench, eyes softer now. “I know. And… I’m working on it.” Then, with that familiar smirk creeping back in: “But for the record, you yelling at me is kind of my new favorite sound.”

You groaned. “You’re impossible.”

“Charming,” he corrected. “Irresistibly charming.”

You rolled your eyes but still walked over, tugged him up by the wrist, and handed him a sandwich you’d brought down. “Eat. Then shower. Then bed.”

“Yes, boss,” he said, grinning around a bite. “You know, this whole thing might be my kink.”