penistower | He made some bad investments.

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He made some bad investments.

After working with her at the Battle of New York, Tony had come to respect Rescue -- and the woman behind the suit, of course. But to say they were friends was a gross overshot. Pepper and he could get along. They both had tough shells and were ready equipped with all sorts of sarcasm and wit to deflect any unwanted attention. Because they were essentially Iron Man and Iron Woman, however, the press had their own ideas about the relationship between the pair.

Nick had phoned earlier to tell them about a recent threat, and words came out of his mouth that Tony was pretty sure he misheard. So he made the other man repeat them like, three times. But they didn't change. SHIELD wanted Rescue and Iron Man to shack up, publically. "Officially" so that when the bad guys came they'd have two heroes to contend with, but also so they'd think they were each other's weakness. Since they were only teammates, what could be the harm?

Before he knew it, a press release was set for the morning and Pepper Potts was on her way over to the Tower to move in. He had about a thousand rooms in the place, but if Dr. Doom did find his way inside they should be together just in case. It's all very -- sudden for a man who's never even had a girlfriend. And he still doesn't, but he has to convince the world he does. #Awkward.

"Welcome to Stark Tower, Ms. Potts. And please..."

"Wipe your feet," Tony interrupts JARVIS and his big, sweeping introduction, lifting his eyebrows as he watches her arrival. Should he help her with her stuff...? Probably. After a beat's hesitation, he moves to grab the larger of her two bags.

"Enjoy your stay," JARVIS corrects steadfastly, much to Tony's chagrin. But he offers up a meek little smile for her all the same.

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Pepper finishes her slice and drinks some water in silence, taking advantage of her higher ground to discreetly watch Tony every now and then, never lingering long enough for it to be noticeable or sensed-- she hopes. The movie is okay so far, it's just not raising any great passions in her one way or another. But Tony seems to be enjoying it, and that's interesting enough for her. Some time passes before Pepper grabs one of the throw pillows and tips on her side on the couch, shoving the pillow under her head and curling up in a fetal position. "Is this one of your favorites?" she asks idly when there's a bit of a lull in the action.

He's hyper aware of her gaze, though he can't be sure if she's watching him or just the movie, and so he tries not to squirm. He's trying to keep tabs on her movements since he can't see her without turning around completely, but even this companionable silence is nice. He finishes his pizza and remembers his soda, popping the tab and drinking it intermittently. Her voice hadn't been expected, but it pricks his ears pleasantly and he lays his head back against the cushion so he can meet her eyes. He has to bite into his lip, warmth taking up his gaze at how downright cozy she looks. "It's pretty cool." Is it his favorite, though? "I guess it would make top... 6."

"Top six is very specific," she comments with a smile, chuckling faintly. They talked some about movies yesterday, but they focused more on her favorites, she thinks.

He hums in acknowledgment, watching Marla and the Narrator fight. Is that what real love is like? He finds himself wondering when he watches movies like these. Not that Fight Club is really like many other movies. "Favorite of all time: Terminator 2." He's predictable like that. Tony smiles softly at her, finding it hard to turn his head back this time. "Comfy?"

Pepper's lips twitch fondly. Yeah, that was predictable. "Who would have ever guessed that..." she teases, smile deepening. She tries to pay attention to the movie, but it's just not holding her interest as much as their conversation (and Tony himself) does. "Mmhmm. You have a very comfy couch."

She has to stop smiling like that. Pepper is the only person who actually listens when he talks, unless it's Bruce but that's about science stuff. He hates to talk with Tony about stuff like this, and even Rhodey gets tired after the second hour on the phone. Maybe it's just because this is new, but Tony is so completely captivated by her, and he sees it echoed in her gaze. It's intoxicating. So much so that he keeps losing his train of thought.

"You look..." Adorable. Gorgeous. Like I want to kiss you again. He doesn't voice any of these aloud, as desperately as he wants to. "Comfy."

"Yes, I... am," she agrees though they're repeating themselves now, feeling ridiculously like a giddy high school girl talking to the coolest boy on campus. Silly, it's so silly. Why must he have such gorgeous eyes? And... face in general. She realizes the danger that lies herein, but she can't bring herself to move away or break their eye contact, either.

He bites into his lip to keep from grinning all over again, wishing there were some instantaneous way to bridge their gap. As if that would somehow make it a good idea. He's the one who ends up forcing himself to turn, though of course it's the terrible Brad Pitt sex scene. What else would it be? "This part always freaks me out," he murmurs, feeling awkward and out of place in a way he never has before, yet another flush eating up his throat.

"...Ew," Pepper issues quietly at the scene before she can edit herself, wincing a little. It's probably not the reaction most women have for anything Brad Pitt related, but really. And yes, it's also a little awkward to watch scenes of this nature with Tony, biting into her lip and hoping it ends soon.

"It's supposed to be... alarming," he explains, pointing at the screen as he turns his head once more to catch her gaze. He's caught smiling all over again at her little exclamation, nodding his agreement easily enough. It is kind of a gross scene. "Plus it establishes... a thing. I don't want to give it away. Unless you've figured it out already."

"Maybe. This guy Tyler doesn't really exist, or something weird like that," she muses idly. "I think that's my theory for now. Oh god, that's so gross. That's so wrong," she grimaces at the scene where the guys go looting for human fat at the liposuction clinic.

She's so smart. He's downright endeared. God, it's so much better watching her reaction that watching the actual film. That's fucked up, isn't it? "Oh my god, I know, right? They're awful. I love them." He grins fiendishly, never taking his eyes off her lest he miss a single beat.

"Oh god, nono-- ew," she all but whines in disgust when the bag tears, clapping her hand over her eyes so she doesn't have to watch. "That's disgusting. Seriously."

He laughs, not cruelly though he's only bemused. "I'll tell you when it's over," he pledges, reluctantly turning back to the screen so he can do just that. Tony curls up on himself a little, setting down his empty Coke can so he can hug the couch with his torso, making it easier for himself to turn back and forth. "...Okay. Safe."

She peeks at the screen from a gap in between her fingers first, as if not quite believing him, before dropping her hand entirely. "I get to pick the next movie, just for that," she says teasingly, though she means it tbh.

He's still grinning by the time she puts her hands down, back to staring at her rather than the screen almost immediately. "We don't have to finish this one if you don't want." He's not that great at watching movies all the way through anyway, even without a great distraction like Pepper Potts.

Pepper smiles, shaking her head a little against the pillow she's back to cuddling. The movie probably wouldn't last very much longer, anyway. "No, it's fine. Besides, I want to see if I was right about Tyler."

He wants to yell at her to stop that, it isn't fair. Especially since he wishes he were that pillow just now and that's -- wrong.

"Alright, let's see." Tony reluctantly turns back around and oh, Bob is dead. The movie is about to get even more super weird. The Narrator is going all over the world, finding fight clubs wherever he went. Tony always wonders how he had so much time to do this, though the rest of it is pretty logically sound. And he knows better than anyone how much you can get done when you skip sleep.

And here it is. The Tyler/Narrator face-off, finally. Tony finds himself holding his breath.

She grimaces at poor, stupid Bob's gory fate, but can't muster up a lot of sympathy for "Tyler's" crew. They're really being incredibly stupid. The story turns more insane, kind of deteriorating a little if Pepper's being honest, but then one of the hotel managers confirms her suspicions and she sucks in a sharp breath through her teeth.

"I knew it!" she exclaims, victorious, one hand lifting up in an aborted fist pump. "Oh, no-- ohh, he's so crazy," she continues to lament when the two men talk and the whole thing begins to unravel.

Tony has to chuckle, trying to remember when he looked away from the movie at at Pepper instead. He can't find it in himself to care, nodding enthusiastically along with her righteousness.

"Completely fucking batshit," he agrees, just deciding at this point he'd rather look at her than Ed Norton. "I knew you'd get it." She's one of the smartest people he knows after all, and being the smartest person he knows that's saying a lot.

It's difficult to ignore his stares she can feel on her as she follows the ending of the movie distractedly. The compliment (because that's what a statement like that is, coming from Tony) has a faint blush creeping to her cheeks and she breathes a faint little chuckle, self-conscious and pleased all at once.

Then the Narrator shoots himself in the head to get rid of "Tyler" and provides a welcome distraction, drawing a grossed out grimace from her. "Aw, god." No, seriously. "Well, that was... interesting. The end deteriorated a little," she decides when the credits begin to roll.

That Pixies song is going to be in his head all night now, but it was kind of totally worth it to get her commentary. "You didn't like it." He doesn't sound offended. If anything he's completely bemused, still watching her closely.

"I wouldn't say that. It was gross in a lot of places but it wasn't bad, though the ending felt a little rushed to me." She gives a small shrug of one shoulder, the one not mushed against the couch as she's still curled up with the pillow on her side. "...Now what?"

That question is dangerous. It has his heart beating fast as he lays his cheek on the couch next to her, studying her eyes. They're gorgeous, and a clearer blue than any he's ever seen before. "Is it bad that I kind of just want to get back in bed?" The with you is heavily implied, but he leaves it out. He can't remember the last time he had a lazy day like this, maybe he was due. "We could watch another movie. Whatever you want. Or play another game..." Tony can't actually think of anything else that doesn't involve asking her to make out again, eyes drawn to her lips as he licks across his own.

They're clearly edging toward more dangerous ground again, but though Pepper acknowledges this, she doesn't particularly care at the moment; the lure of this -- whatever this is -- is greater, her curiosity overriding the warnings from her common sense.

"I wouldn't say bad..." A little quiver trails across her belly at the implication, hardly unaffected by their closeness. "What kind of game?" she finds herself murmuring, eyelids drooping slightly as she mimics him, gaze dipping down to his mouth involuntarily.

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