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]

"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."

[letmetakeaselfie]

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."

[efficacy]

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.

[letmetakeaselfie]

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.

[efficacy]

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."

[letmetakeaselfie]

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.

[efficacy]

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.

[letmetakeaselfie]

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.

[efficacy]

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.

[letmetakeaselfie]

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.

[efficacy]

"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?"

[letmetakeaselfie]

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.

[efficacy]

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.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Oh, god. His heart is hammering, he edges a tiny bit closer for no discernible reason. He's just drawn into her orbit, he's found, nearly addicted to being near her. "Something a little less competitive this time?" Not that he knows what that could be. He doesn't think he has the focus for a proper game anyway. "I Spy?"

[efficacy]

She purses her lips against a smile, but it doesn't quite work, eyes sparkling. "I spy with my little eye... something beginning with letter G."

[letmetakeaselfie]

Oh, she's playing along. He manages to hold back the slightly hysterical laugh that threatens, eyes darting around the room without moving away from her. "...I give up."

[efficacy]

"Oh, come on. You didn't even try," she admonishes through a light laugh.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Reluctantly, he sits up a little and takes inventory of the room. G, g, g... Nothing starts with G. "Grapefruit vodka." He knows that's not right, but he also knows she wouldn't let it go if he didn't guess. "Come on, give it up." His head lolls back against her couch cushion, eyes wide and doughy.

[efficacy]

She chuckles a bit and bites her lip, battling down her mirth. "...Grey hairs," she reveals, barely restrained laughter making her voice tremble.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Oh my god. He eyes pop even wider, mouth fixing into a silly grin. The picture of scandalized tbh. "I thought you said it made me look distinguished, honey."

[efficacy]

Her self-control shattering at his expression, Pepper bursts into peals of laughter. "They do!" she reassures through her giggles. "Doesn't mean I don't see them."

[letmetakeaselfie]

He lets out an honest-to-goodness wistful sigh at the sound of her laughing, laying his head back down and smiling at her softly. What's happening to him? "And here I thought this choice wouldn't get feelings hurt."

[efficacy]

Belatedly, she registers the earlier petname, her cheeks pinking slightly at the combination of it and his warm smile. The way he looks at her just now... it's almost as if she's the only other person in the world. Smiling herself, a mix of bashfulness and quiet pleasure, she gives a short hum and clear her throat delicately. "How about I make you some coffee to apologize, then?" She begins to slowly get up. She could use a cup herself before they did... whatever they were going to do, next.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Blinking, he has the urge to reach out and make her stay. But then what? And coffee sounded amazing... After she's already gotten up, Tony nods, curling in on himself a little as the spot suddenly feels cooler without her. "That is one form I will always accept an apology in." Not that he feels owed one in the first place.

[efficacy]

"Just one, hm? What are the others?" she quips over her shoulder as she pads into the kitchen, loading up the coffeemaker in practiced movements and pulling down cups for them while the machine percolates softly. It doesn't take long to brew enough for the pair of them, and she's pouring the steaming liquid into mugs soon enough. Adding a splash of cream into hers, she totes the mugs back into the living room and Tony his with an expectant expression, probably waiting for a response to her earlier query.