He made some bad investments.

[letmetakeaselfie]

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.

Comments

[efficacy]

As if feeling his eyes on her face, Pepper glances at him sideways, smiling a bit bashfully as she notes his gaze, some color rising to her cheeks unbidden as she looks back down at her task. God, she's never hated her tendency to blush so easily more than now. Desperately, she tries to think of something to say to distract from this sudden... awareness.

"So," she starts, mostly steadily. "What do you usually do with your evenings?"

[letmetakeaselfie]

"What do I usually do with my evenings," he repeats, voice even. It should be an easy question, he thinks. Or it would be for any normal person. "Oh, you know... the usual evening... stuff."

Which is what? He has no idea. "I usually miss the evening altogether," he realizes aloud, glancing towards the staircase that leads down to his lab. "Maybe a little Netflix, a newspaper, before bed." At 3 am. He shrugs one shoulder.

[efficacy]

"Stuff," she echoes with a slightly amused smile, handing him the second bowl to dry. She's not entirely sure whether he meant to say that follow-up statement out loud, glancing at him just in time to catch the look he throws toward the stairs. She wonders if he just gets so caught up in tinkering, or whether he actively seeks to lose track of time in his work so as not to notice any feelings of loneliness. She knows she does that, sometimes.

"Newspaper, huh? On a tablet or something?" He can't possibly mean an actual paper newspaper. She'd be very (pleasantly) surprised if he did. A stubborn lock of hair keeps getting in her eye and she lifts one wet hand, pushing it back with her wrist.

[letmetakeaselfie]

He senses that she's having a laugh at his expense, but that's okay. Really, it is. Tony dries the second bowl and sets it aside, watching her fidget with her hair. Reflexively, he leans in, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "Some things they got right the first time." Like newspapers. He knows there's a technical term for it, not that he can think of it now. The sensation of paper, reading from the source instead of from a screen. It's the one, silly antiquated indulgence he allows himself.

[efficacy]

She freezes for a beat at the gesture that feels ridiculously intimate, her mouth going a little dry. Giving herself a mental shake, she murmurs a soft thanks, smiling as she washes the spoons quickly.

"Yeah," she agrees a bit belatedly. "I think so, too. I like the feel of the paper in my hands and the smell and sound of it. Same with books. You can't get all that off a screen." She breathes a small laugh, at her own expense this time. "I like to do that on Sunday mornings. Make coffee and just take my time reading newspapers. Well, barring any crises."

[letmetakeaselfie]

"...Yeah." He clears his throat softly, jerking his hand away once he realizes he stepped over a line. "We haven't had a Sunday off in a while." Dr. Doom and his merry band of fools had kept them busy. This feels like the most time off they've had in a while, truly. He can't remember the last time he hadn't worried about anything for even an hour at a time.

[efficacy]

"No," she acknowledges, her expression sobering. "A lot of newspapers to catch up on." It's a sad state of things, all in all. Dishes done, she pulls the stopper of the sink and rinses the soap suds off her hands, fingertips a little pruney. "May I...?" Borrow the dish towel.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"What? Oh... here." He hands it over after a brief mental hiccup, smiling awkwardly. "Do you want. Coffee? Or water, or. Anything." He's doing that sinking into her eyes thing again, their shoulders bumping as he leans over to wash his own hands and steal the towel back when she's done.

"Not that you can't-- get it yourself. You can." He inclines his head, his smile growing by a fraction.

[efficacy]

She smiles at the offer as she hands back the towel, serving as a distraction from their proximity.

"You don't have to serve me," she says by way of agreeing. "And if you have work or something to do, don't let me keep you. I can amuse myself. Not that I'm against your company," she hurries to add, a touch awkwardly. "Just... you know." She makes a hand gesture that's supposed to mean something along the lines of just do your thing like I'm not even here, recalling belatedly they'd already done the whole 'don't feel obligated' dance earlier. "But coffee would be nice."

[letmetakeaselfie]

"Work, right..." He can't focus on work with her up here alone. Especially not after a declaration like that. "Wait. Since when?" Is she not against his company. That seems momentous, to him.

He chews his lip, leaning back against the counter to watch her. Tony points vaguely. "The coffee machine is... you know." Right there.

[efficacy]

"What do you mean, since when? I've never been opposed to it," she says with a slight frown, a mix of confusion and disbelief, as she locates the coffee grounds and starts loading up the machine. But even she has to admit that's not strictly speaking the truth. Sighing, she clarifies, "Okay, not... all the time. Just when you've acted like a real jerk."

[letmetakeaselfie]

"Oh." A foreign feeling starts in his chest, something he can't begin to identify. He crosses his arms across his middle and settles in. For some reason, watching her is calming. "Okay, well that's... fair. Honestly."

[efficacy]

She finishes up her task with a small smile and flicks the switch of the machine, returning the coffee grounds to where she got them before turning around and leaning back against the counter, watching him watch her. "But since we established you just play a jerk on tv instead of actually being one, I think I can safely say I like your company just fine."

[letmetakeaselfie]

He scratches his eyebrow, looking up at her from underneath his hand. "It's not all an act, you know. I have some real-life jerk qualities, too." Though true jerks probably don't disclaim their jerkishness. "But... I can work with that." He can't quite keep the smile off his face, a bit of color rising to his cheeks as he tucks his arm back in against himself. It feels like a pure victory. Pepper Potts doesn't hate me!!! Woo-hoo etc.

[efficacy]

"And I can work with that," she counters with a small, crooked smile, oddly endeared by the fidgeting and flushing. It's... sweet, and there's a term she never thought she'd so easily associate with him. And it's true; if he were a real jerk through and through, he wouldn't be so self-aware of it. The coffee machine hisses and gurgles softly, breaking the quiet settling over them.

"You're lucky, you know," she teases a bit out of the blue, lips twitching. "Fury could have assigned Natasha for this instead."

[letmetakeaselfie]

"Oh, god..." He's picturing it and actually shuddering before he can stop himself, blinking his head clear a second later. Okay, this is awkward and all, but. That does actually make him feel better. "I prefer not to sleep next to someone who can strangle me with her thighs."

There's a beat, he almost took it back just as quickly, but they have to sleep in the same bed if they're going to convince anyone, right? Not to mention for actual practical... purposes. A tiny scrap of his smile remains as he regards the coffee maker by way of staring at her (still). "Pour me a cup?" The please is heavily implied by his batting eyelashes ok.

[efficacy]

Pepper hums in amusement, the small sound turning into a chuckling laugh at his evident horror as well as the statement. "Excuse you. How do you know I can't do that?" Her gaze is laden with mirth at that, stubbornly compartmentalizing the implication of their sleeping arrangements away -- she'd rather not think about that right now.

She shakes her head slightly, tempted to tell him she wasn't here to serve him, either, but that little act is (again, damn it) endearing enough to get her to turn around slowly to locate the mugs from the cabinet.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"Because I'm pretty sure you would have tried it on me in training already if you could." He's an obnoxious asshat in those sessions and he's fully aware. He goes on smiling as she seems to make herself at home. "Thanks, babe," he says it again without any forethought whatsoever, going to find himself a seat at the counter again so he isn't in her way.

[efficacy]

"I think you're underestimating my patience," she returns wryly as she pours them both cups; but no he has a point. Her legs are way too long for Natasha's brand of acrobatics anyway!! Everyone has their crosses to bear etc. The pet name comes out of left field and she has to glance at his retreating back, brow arching as she tries to figure out if that was just him poking fun of the situation. It didn't sound like it, though. Averting her face to hide the burning of her cheeks, she busies herself by going through his fridge for something to add to her coffee.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"There's... milk." He had made sure there was milk, for her. Is that weird? He shuts up, feeling like he stepped over a line with that one though he didn't mean it any certain... way. He doesn't think. Mostly. Tony starts drinking his black when she slides it over to him, not seeming to care that it's still too hot for human consumption.

[efficacy]

"Ah." She makes a little noise of triumph at locating the carton, plucking it out and bringing it over with her own cup, taking her previous seat opposite of him.

"Slow down. You'll burn your tongue," she cautions with some amusement, only belatedly realizing how nagging that sounded. Biting her lip, she focuses on adding some milk in her cup.

[letmetakeaselfie]

He blows over the surface of the liquid, offering her a tiny look of concession. He's used to being yelled at so it doesn't even register as off to him in any way. "I was thirsty." Or nervous, same diff.

[efficacy]

Pepper glances at him with a small smile slanted to one side, giving him a look that's amused and totally disbelieving. Sure, whatever you say. She takes a slow sip of her own coffee before broaching another topic. "Where's your gym, by the way?"

[letmetakeaselfie]

"...Downstairs." He eyes her. He is suspicious of why she's asking that!! Though she strikes him as someone who might work out at night to wind down or something. If that's a thing that can strike you about someone you barely know. Tony looks down into his coffee a second later, enjoying the warmth in his hand even if now he can barely feel his mouth. She was right, he burned it.

"Any... particular reason?" Because if it's just info there u go.

[efficacy]

She smirks just a bit at the suspicious looks he's shooting at her. It's not like she couldn't just ask JARVIS for directions. She's mostly just making conversation at this point and establishing each other's habits a little, if they're trying to make this cohabitation thing work. If only for appearances sake.

"I do yoga in the mornings," she explains with a slight shrug. "And work out in the evenings, mostly. I assume you fit that in your schedule somewhere, too." Her brow arches just a tiny bit, questioningly.