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takingouttrashTony: And I've noticed, Miss Potts, you've been socializing with my other lesser halves, or fifths... twentieths... and we've only had one date. *raises brows 'formidably'*
Pepper:My mun's trying to get a hold on my voice I'm right here, Mr. Stark.
Tony:Do you think I graduated MIT suma kum laude by waiting forever? You are, unfortunatley here is not the happening spot. I suggest we find a good there or means of correcting the here.
Pepper:I mean, that's why she's been throwing me at blind, lame, and dumb muses so she can practice. And no, I don't think so, not at seventeen. Let me know what and where I need to do, and I'll be on it. Just don't kill yourself in the process.
Tony:*frowns* I know that doesn't apply to the other Starks...wow. it sounds like I have a family. I know you don't act like this all the time. Not healthy for you. *finishes off his sixth scotch for the evening, setting it aside and lightly taking her wrist as he headed for the garage* Picking out the car might help things along.
Pepper:Okay, maybe *almost hisses* Stane? And you do, you know. Kind of. *frowns slightly* You do know the board of the directors will not take it kindly if the press gets even a hint that you've been pulled for drunk driving, don't you?
Well, yes, that's where you having such a varied choice comes in handy. What do you have in mind?
Tony:Please. He can't even fix his own segway. Sure he's been there as long as I can remember and he keeps a decent part of the company in check, but the man couldn't get the inspiration to pick his own wedgie unless I did it first. Figuratively, at least. I hope he's not watching me that close. The point is he's predictable. Then it's a good thing I don't value their opinions of me very much. My name is on the company. *enters the code to the garage* You think the R8 is getting overused? How about the Tesla?
Pepper:Doesn't mean... oh never mind. *bites her lip for a very brief moment* Tony... I don't want you locked up. You don't want to be locked up either. I think you can see that part. Just... be careful?
I've... no preference either way. My question was more along the lines of where to, but...
Tony:...I'm supposed to let that go, right? Tesla. Good. *holds the door of the fancy red sports car for her* Scout's honor. You'll survive the trip and it will be arrest free.
You didn't say anything, so consider it a surprise. *closes the door after her, heading for the driver's seat*
Pepper:Might as well. It's all been practice that mun thought useful... and I got to see a movie off it. I think that version of you wanted me to see it only to be able to comment on red eyes or something. Thank you.
*chews on her knuckles and puts on the seat belt and makes a mental note to mark the route in case she has to return home on her own* Yes, Mr. Stark.
Tony:*squints* That's almost shallow. Practice makes perfect. Miss Potts. Not that you weren't great before but...you know. Perfection takes time. I'm working on it
*sits down in the seat, starting up the car calmly* JARVIS, we're going out. Don't wait up. *turns off the communications system for a moment before flicking it back on* Oh. And find something good on the XM Radio. *revs the engine, frowning at the Chuck Mangione music* Don't push it. *satisfied with the ACDC choice he speeds out of the garage and onto the road*
Pepper:Thank you, Mr. Stark. I'm doing my best not to disappoint. ... You've never been satisfied by anything but the best.
*gives a small smirk at the bickering with JARVIS, is unsurprised at the choice of music, then grabs the edge of her seat with both hands as the speed picks up* *raises her voice over the music but doesn't make a move to turn the volume down; but maybe talking, or trying, will distract her from being afraid?* So what prompted the change of pace? I mean, the dates? *because you are you and everybody knows you and how you are with girls...*
Tony: Everyone deserves the best. Obviously we rarely get it, but I'm lucky in more ways than one.
He drove on calmly unaffected by the volume of the music, his slight intoxication and her uncertainty and how she was trooping her way through it. Hell's Bells lowered ever so slightly but he still replied in a raised voice, "I guess you're going to have to be a little more specific than that," he teased maybe taking the opportunity to think of a clever answer. "Shit," he turned sharply yet smoothly to the right skillfully missing oncoming traffic, "That turn always gets me."
Pepper:*snorts* If one could collect people's envy for you and put it to useful work, it could easily replace the old arc reactor in powering up the plant. Not that I'm complaining.
She had to admit that if she kept her eyes off the road, and off the speedmeter, it wasn't so bad. Which left, say, him to look at.
Dangerous.
"Well, I mean-- Good god!" Oh look who was trying to fuse with her seat once that sharp turn was done! "You..." She swallowed and tried again to distract herself, though it was a bit harder just now. "I mean, I've always been here. And yet now something's changed, hasn't it?"
Tony:Fortunatley the arc reactor is doing a fine job. Harvesting envy would cause all kinds of uproar...damn humanitarians. *waits for a smile* Come oooon....
He hadn't noticed her attempt at fusion nor the swallowing...not this was all going well. The next turn he was braced for and the car glided smoothly into the left turn. "Well, I think change comes hand-in-hand with what has been going on the last couple of months." The station flicked to a Dido song and once again he was unamused. "I'd feel safer entrusting the radio to you, if you don't mind, Pepper."
Pepper:Hmm. You could patent it and have others take the fire. *yes, smile. Fine! Also, always looking after his best interest, right?*
She took a deep breath and tried to force herself to relax. She was scared of the speed... not just of the car, but of shifting and making things other than the comfortable... frustrating... established employer-assistant relationship. But in a way, well, in many ways, she wanted it. Just wasn't sure it was the best of ideas. Or a good idea at all. "Indeed change is. I... maybe didn't expect it would be... me." She choked a laugh and unglued one hand from the edge of the seat to fiddle with the radio controls. Blinking only for a second over them, she dialed a frequency she was more or less familiar with the music selection of. "Whoever thinks AC/DC followed by that makes sense needs a sanity check, I think." The station flickered and the new song was one of Suicidal Tendencies. "Is this better?"
Tony:That a girl. Not very sincere, but I'll take it.
"Agreed," he replied with a pause. "To the music selection, not your first question." He needed to get his question and answer priorities in order, if not for the media certainly for the people who deserved the responses. "What you were talking about is nonsense. You're a nice enough girl and though I'm sure the birthday presents you pick out are exceedingly more, well, you than anything I'd give you, consider it earned." He listened to the music for a moment before nodding along with it allowing the approval to show via the gas pedal, smirking, "It definitely works."
Pepper:Yes, sorry, if I recall correctly, one of the reasons you hired me was that I couldn't lie with any degree of success. I'm just... edgy?
She sighed and felt tempted to sag a little, feeling the new acceleration. It wasn't exactly easy to keep him both happy and safe, was it. Her lips quirked up slightly, wondering whether he was the only one taking on impossible tasks and such. "That dress was ridiculous." That's all she could come up with right then, too.
Tony:I get my daily dose of liars. Hell, I get my yearly dose of them in one board meeting.
Rather than slow down the car came to a gradual halt. It was a sports car... brakes were meant for definite stops and last-minute resorts. "Quite flattering on you, actually." He stepped out and around the car to open the door for her. The car was parked askew in a shopping strip nestled next to a park. "Most of the places are closed by now, I'm sure, but there's always window shopping. Nice hot tub place to check out. 24 hour coffee shop helps too."
Pepper:*nods* Yes. If I can do anything to help there...
She let out a breath as the car stopped and scrambled to unbuckle before he changed his mind and started again... hopefully. "Yes, but not the best choice among... everybody I work with. If... That will be hallways jokes fodder for months yet." That. And this. If they got a whiff of it.
She stepped out of the car and straightened out, surprisingly not shaky on her feet (for the moment), and the smile at the way he'd parked was honest, this time. "The advantages of middle-of-the-night parking, I guess." She tilted her chin up and had to add, honestly, "I think window shopping must be the last thing I expected you to-- unless you have something in particular in mind which you'll expect to show up promptly where you can use it." A beat, then, "hot tubs. That does seem an interesting object of observation." Yes, she was smiling. This seemed... not uncomfortable. Interesting, even. With his mind, it was bound to be interesting.
Just for her. Now that was a change.
Pepper:
Tony:
Pepper:
Tony:
Pepper:
Well, yes, that's where you having such a varied choice comes in handy. What do you have in mind?
Tony:
Pepper:
I've... no preference either way. My question was more along the lines of where to, but...
Tony:
You didn't say anything, so consider it a surprise. *closes the door after her, heading for the driver's seat*
Pepper:
*chews on her knuckles and puts on the seat belt and makes a mental note to mark the route in case she has to return home on her own* Yes, Mr. Stark.
Tony:
*sits down in the seat, starting up the car calmly* JARVIS, we're going out. Don't wait up. *turns off the communications system for a moment before flicking it back on* Oh. And find something good on the XM Radio. *revs the engine, frowning at the Chuck Mangione music* Don't push it. *satisfied with the ACDC choice he speeds out of the garage and onto the road*
Pepper:
*gives a small smirk at the bickering with JARVIS, is unsurprised at the choice of music, then grabs the edge of her seat with both hands as the speed picks up* *raises her voice over the music but doesn't make a move to turn the volume down; but maybe talking, or trying, will distract her from being afraid?* So what prompted the change of pace? I mean, the dates? *because you are you and everybody knows you and how you are with girls...*
Tony:
He drove on calmly unaffected by the volume of the music, his slight intoxication and her uncertainty and how she was trooping her way through it. Hell's Bells lowered ever so slightly but he still replied in a raised voice, "I guess you're going to have to be a little more specific than that," he teased maybe taking the opportunity to think of a clever answer. "Shit," he turned sharply yet smoothly to the right skillfully missing oncoming traffic, "That turn always gets me."
Pepper:
She had to admit that if she kept her eyes off the road, and off the speedmeter, it wasn't so bad. Which left, say, him to look at.
Dangerous.
"Well, I mean-- Good god!" Oh look who was trying to fuse with her seat once that sharp turn was done! "You..." She swallowed and tried again to distract herself, though it was a bit harder just now. "I mean, I've always been here. And yet now something's changed, hasn't it?"
Tony:
He hadn't noticed her attempt at fusion nor the swallowing...not this was all going well. The next turn he was braced for and the car glided smoothly into the left turn. "Well, I think change comes hand-in-hand with what has been going on the last couple of months." The station flicked to a Dido song and once again he was unamused. "I'd feel safer entrusting the radio to you, if you don't mind, Pepper."
Pepper:
She took a deep breath and tried to force herself to relax. She was scared of the speed... not just of the car, but of shifting and making things other than the comfortable... frustrating... established employer-assistant relationship. But in a way, well, in many ways, she wanted it. Just wasn't sure it was the best of ideas. Or a good idea at all. "Indeed change is. I... maybe didn't expect it would be... me." She choked a laugh and unglued one hand from the edge of the seat to fiddle with the radio controls. Blinking only for a second over them, she dialed a frequency she was more or less familiar with the music selection of. "Whoever thinks AC/DC followed by that makes sense needs a sanity check, I think." The station flickered and the new song was one of Suicidal Tendencies. "Is this better?"
Tony:
"Agreed," he replied with a pause. "To the music selection, not your first question." He needed to get his question and answer priorities in order, if not for the media certainly for the people who deserved the responses. "What you were talking about is nonsense. You're a nice enough girl and though I'm sure the birthday presents you pick out are exceedingly more, well, you than anything I'd give you, consider it earned." He listened to the music for a moment before nodding along with it allowing the approval to show via the gas pedal, smirking, "It definitely works."
Pepper:
She sighed and felt tempted to sag a little, feeling the new acceleration. It wasn't exactly easy to keep him both happy and safe, was it. Her lips quirked up slightly, wondering whether he was the only one taking on impossible tasks and such. "That dress was ridiculous." That's all she could come up with right then, too.
Tony:
Rather than slow down the car came to a gradual halt. It was a sports car... brakes were meant for definite stops and last-minute resorts. "Quite flattering on you, actually." He stepped out and around the car to open the door for her. The car was parked askew in a shopping strip nestled next to a park. "Most of the places are closed by now, I'm sure, but there's always window shopping. Nice hot tub place to check out. 24 hour coffee shop helps too."
Pepper:
She let out a breath as the car stopped and scrambled to unbuckle before he changed his mind and started again... hopefully. "Yes, but not the best choice among... everybody I work with. If... That will be hallways jokes fodder for months yet." That. And this. If they got a whiff of it.
She stepped out of the car and straightened out, surprisingly not shaky on her feet (for the moment), and the smile at the way he'd parked was honest, this time. "The advantages of middle-of-the-night parking, I guess." She tilted her chin up and had to add, honestly, "I think window shopping must be the last thing I expected you to-- unless you have something in particular in mind which you'll expect to show up promptly where you can use it." A beat, then, "hot tubs. That does seem an interesting object of observation." Yes, she was smiling. This seemed... not uncomfortable. Interesting, even. With his mind, it was bound to be interesting.
Just for her. Now that was a change.
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Date: 2008-07-06 12:24 pm (UTC)non-present!cat dragged in? Oh, Tony...Her chin dipped slightly as the smile deepened. "You make all those irresistible invitations, Mr. Stark. I'll think about it."
Semi-consciously, her hand reached to hold his (the one not drumming on the chestpiece, she wouldn't dream of stopping that) and, her voice now serious and tinged with concern, she finally asked. "How are you feeling? Do you expect trouble falling asleep?" The first, she almost needed to know and she hoped he'd tell her, in private. The second... she thought she had an idea how to help with.
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Date: 2008-07-07 07:48 am (UTC)She had taken his hand again. He squeezed it lightly but made no effort to turn it over as he had before. It was a mixture of growing tiredness and, well, maybe he had liked her initiating something like that- he just couldn't admit that openly. "Like I said...super," One side of his lips curled up into a shameless grin, "but I think it's going to take some convincing for me to fall asleep."
He meant to sound formidable and stifled a yawn to do so. Pepper always had a plan and he could see the wheels were turning inside of her mind: everything was reflected in her eyes. What would she do? And could he really get her to stay?
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Date: 2008-07-07 09:23 am (UTC)Pepper almost snorted at herself. Yes, she should have expected him not answering, but she just bloody cared, and seeing him unwell and not being able to do anything about it...
... was like him refusing to be examined by doctors after Dubai and insisting to stick to paramedics.
Impossible man.
Instead of snorting, she just sighed. "Don't you dare pretend you're like this to make me do what will follow again. Right?" Correct?, a small voice in her mind prompted quietly, but she didn't pay attention.
"Once upon a time, back when I had to be babysitted," she waited a beat for his reaction, but yes, parents were still wary of leaving children on their very own back when she was a kid too, "one of the ladies who came was Indian. You know, with the dot and everything." She lifted her free hand to point between her eyebrows. "And when I couldn't fall asleep, she'd sing to me. Her English wasn't that good, you know; besides, it worked better than stories." She still remembered the melody that babysitter had used. She couldn't recall her name anymore, but she remembered talking how she was her Ayah for the evening, and the song. She didn't know how good the singing would be, but... "How does that sound to you as means to convince you?"
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Date: 2008-07-07 10:26 am (UTC)Just consider. No promises.
"Correct," he replied having already fallen comfortably into the habit. Like hell she was going to get him to see any kind of doctor now, let alone back then. He didn't comment further, listening to her story and raising his brows to ensure her he was responsive and attentive. Not all the words sunk in, just enough to imagine a child version of his secretary laughing and playing and he wondered what excellent breeding had given him the assistant he had today. Singing was unorthodox...but it might work. Nobody had ever sang for him...danced, maybe, but the suggestion leaked into the realm of sweet
"Mhm," he had not sounded entirely interested as he had been hoping for more, but it would do. The laziness of his voice could easily be mistaken for a hint of deliriousness which was quite present as well.
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Date: 2008-07-07 10:57 am (UTC)Knowing that just didn't stop her worrying.
And she'd keep on reminding. Hopefully, he'd consider her reminders. Hopefully, he'd hear most of them. Sometimes she wasn't sure he heard at all, when he was too involved in what he was doing.
More? Tonight? Well, let's say that if he went and passed out during something more, neither of them would retain pleasant memories of the experience. Besides... she'd tried to go for a kiss. Once. They'd both realized it was a wrong move.
Right?
"Correct," she repeated quietly. "Relax, now." Then she closed her eyes for a moment to remember the Ayah's voice, and started singing. She wasn't trained; she hadn't sung this to anybody else, as a matter of fact, but her memory of the melody was strong, and it came out, soft but distinct, lulling-by. After a few moments, her other hand moved and her fingers started lightly, slowly caressing the back of his palm.
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Date: 2008-07-07 11:39 am (UTC)The moment the voice emitted from her lips he knew this was something special and personal. It was not the requirement of an assistant to sing their bosses to sleep nor was the case with friends. The quality of her voice didn't matter- it was the sincerity along with the gentleness of her touch. No, he had never had anything quite like this. It seemed to be exactly what Tony needed.
"Peppe-," he had started off aimlessly before a peak in the notes brought him back to the realization she was still going. He cut himself off, and closed his eyes without a single complaint or sign of resistance. The heaviness of his head and empty aches in the pit of his stomach alleviated along with any signs of physical stress. His hand squeezed her own lightly once more before his knuckles and digits relaxed entirely. The other hand steadily drummed away on his chest piece but progressively slowed until the light was obscured from his fingers over the glow and the shadows drifted calmly with his breathing. Anthony Edward Stark had been soothed to sleep in under 3 minutes with no interjections.
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Date: 2008-07-07 02:42 pm (UTC)She watched him for a couple of minutes. His face was relaxed in sleep. No tension, no pain, no bad memories, no show. Just peace. On the other hand, she missed the fire in those dark eyes which could command or implore or inspire or beg...
She shook her head. Enough of that now. Gently, oh so gently she disengaged her fingers and adjusted the cover. She slipped her feet out of the shoes, picked them up and tiptoed out of the master bedroom, gathering up his clothes on the way. She started the dry-cleaning cycle, then walked back up and into the small guestroom that she'd occasionally crashed in during 'high party' or other 'high attendance' seasons. (Not that she'd moved in or anything, no. It was just the last bedroom to usually get occupied if there were people who were to stay overnight, so she'd naturally tended to choose it when it was needed.)
She closed the door tightly and only then whispered for Jarvis.
His voice sounded quiet, though far from whispering (she wondered if he could whisper...) and she sighed.
"Jarvis... please let him sleep in tomorrow? If something comes in for him before that - wake me up. If he wakes up before me - wake me up. If - if he seems to be having some sort of fit or something, wake me up. Please?"
"Will do, Miss Potts."
She was tempted to just curl in the bed as she was, but she'd have to be here in the same clothes tomorrow. So she took care they were on a hanger and would be presentable in the morning, and curled under the coverlet. She'd have hissed something in the direction of the boss, the frustration, the fear, the worry, the... rest of it. If only she could find words for it. Instead, she stared out into thin air for a while more until Jarvis completely dimmed the windows as well as the lights, and darkness and sleep swallowed her too.