RP for aestark: Movies night!

[takingouttrash]

It wasn't as though Pepper hadn't accompanied Tony Stark on a wide variety of public appearances.

It was just that the role of the date for them was usually otherwise (and often, by more than one ... person) occupied and that was making her nervous.

... maybe not telling her sooner hadn't been a bad tactic. Otherwise she'd have had more time to get MORE nervous. At least she'd been satisfied with her choice of dress. Blue again. If with slightly more back to it than the last one. Though it made up for it by the skirt being split ridiculously high (she thought).

She also made sure that whatever color coordination was possible, in Tony's black suit ensemble, was available for him - if he felt like it.

Eight pee emma she was ready, heels, loose curls, and everything.

And maybe a little eager to see the movie. Just a little. Not that she had a vested interest in superheroes or anything, not at all.

Comments

[aestark.livejournal.com]

No telling if he would have been on time if his date were anyone other than the attentive and timely Pepper Potts. Since she had fled left early in order to get herself ready he hadn't spoken to her, only confronted a text message with a reminder to clean up and to peruse the selection of clothes. Happy was only a call away to ready a car but Tony was ready to prove he was still able on the road himself. He pulled up to the theater, surprisingly prompt and handed over the car to the sweaty-palmed valet who never passed up the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of a Shelby. He spotted her with ease, drawing in a breath before smiling.

"I liked the other blue one, but this one is nice too. Nice cut," he said nothing further of it or deodorant, offering his arm at the curb. "Ready?" Not much of a turn-out for the paparazzi tonight...he was vaguely disappointed but refused to let it show too much. Showing off was something he would never grow out of.

[takingouttrash]

The paparazzi turn-out may have been better if she had confirmed his presence to the multiple calls with inquiries, instead of deflecting them vaguely (she still didn't lie, she just ... yeah). But she did feel there were too many still, and she was relived when he showed up promptly. A. Because that meant she wouldn't have to stand there all alone waiting, and B. because now she knew he was the center of attention (and not her). It still put her too close to said center, but it was closr to her more accustomed role.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." She took the offered arm lightly as an answer to the question. "And I am certain you like the other one better, it did display your taste, after all."

[aestark.livejournal.com]

At least she hadn't put the emphasis on tastes.

"Well it was a birthday gift. I remember you saying it was tasteful." Tony smirked as they ascended towards the cinema smoothly. Since they had been one of the last couples they had to be ushered in quickly. She was doing a fine job at containing her nervousness- he was only able to see through it after knowing her for so long. There were cues...gestures...subtleties. For the life of him he couldn't understand why.

"You want anything?" he nodded to the snack bar as soon as they had made it into the lobby and been awarded their passes. It felt like a horrible cliché- guy gets girl a cherry soda, hopes to round second base by the end of the night. When such discomfort existed there was only one solution: tease."Or would you rather find a good seat so you can get a better look at Batman?"

[takingouttrash]

It felt so odd, the thought of him getting her something (instead of the other way around) that she couldn't resist. "Cherry soda." A beat, so she could savor his expression, then she tried to top that. "No, actually, a Dr. Pepper."

[aestark.livejournal.com]

"..." Half a beat of silence passed before the information processed and he regarded her as something foreign that had probed his mind. "Cherry-" he shook it off, "Dr. Pepper. Right. Got it."

By the time he returned from the counter with the drinks in hand he was back on his game. He couldn't let that one moment eat him alive. "One Dr. Pepper," he offered the drink to her and stopped himself from placing her name at the end of his sentence. It certainly felt strange but somehow fulfilling...buried under those gooey layers of humility and manners. "Elbows up, Miss Potts, we might have to fight our way to a seat." The line had just been admitted into the auditorium and people from the lobby were trotting towards the IMAX theater as well.

[takingouttrash]

She had meant to stop him and say she was joking, but she was trying to not laugh so badly that he had turned and vanished before she could.

Her face was perfectly straight by the time he returned, and she took the drink with a nice(ish), "thank you, Mr. Stark." If his choice of drink surprised her... Well, she did notice it. With approval. She had, after all, noted Happy's absence. (Now, the absence of bodyguards may have been somewhat less approved of, but this was a premiere, and it was generally a high security event, so she'd forced herself to let it pass.)

She fell into step beside him. "Yes, Mr. Stark." In a small attempt to make up for making a joke on him, even if a private one, she leaned a bit closer to him and said quietly, "if you want somebody's toes perforated by stilettos, just let me know." Trying to get into the movie theater could be an ugly fight, after all. Even for the great Mr. Tony Stark. Plus one.

She added conversationally as they made their way in, "it should be interesting to know what happens in this one." Well yes, folks. She still thought they'd come to see the movie. Sometimes, she can be a bit naive like that.

[aestark.livejournal.com]

"Noted," he laughed under his breath as they trudged on through the masses. Once they got past the doorway the lights had just started to dim. "Found one!" And he was determined to get it. Slipping past the crowd hiking the stairs, he found a pair of seats and gave Pepper a light tug in tow as not to lose her. Just in time- the previews were now rolling.

[takingouttrash]

Now this felt more like it. Being towed in his wake while he achieved his goal? Definitely familiar. Welcome.

A small signal alert may have come on since he didn't acknowledge her last statement, but that wasn't enough to get her attention. Yet.

She settled gracefully in the seat beside him, out of habit giving a smile to the teenager on her other side, and then leaned to whisper to her bos-- dat-- to Tony, another tease, eyes following vaguely the preview for Tropic Thunder. "The reactor won't be glowing though you clothes in the dark, will it?"

It would make people turn to look at them, after all, and she'd actually welcome the relative anonymity of everyone's attention focused on the big screen.

[aestark.livejournal.com]

"I thought that was the point of the jacket," he replied back as quietly as his voice permitted. A war movie- it looked like Vietnam. The lush jungles and explosions held his attention for a moment before it revealed itself as a comedy. He could now look her way without having to share his senses. "Might scare off a few people. More room for us."

[takingouttrash]

"Just checking." Heh. That amusement of hers could be for his comment... or for the preview. Pepper had no doubt whatsoever which one he'd prefer to be its source.

She shifted a little in her seat, crossing her legs comfortably, trying to accommodate as much of that split... demurely. More or less successfully. Possibly less. Then she leaned back, eyes flickering one more time towards her boss to make sure he was sitting put (why was he looking at her?) before she turned towards the big screen. IMAX was a pleasure to the senses. In the overwhelming way. Then again, she seemed to be attracted to, ah, overwhelming forces - wasn't she.

[aestark.livejournal.com]

The slit of her dress had parted to reveal a tender thigh. It didn't exactly leave him squirming in his seat: he had seen women with far less, but he didn't mind the peeking presence at all. As soon as she turned away he felt compelled to do the same, settling back into his seat, expression settling to something either bored or reserved as he took the imagery in.

Time wore on...the movie was good judging by the nerdgasm the group of guys seated to his side were gasping and exclaiming at every turn; it was perfectly possible it was just a guy thing as well. Cars, explosions, motorcycles and such. He simply wasn't in the mood to digest it with his distractions. By now the plot had stilled to a filler scene subject to change at any moment. It was now or never. He placed a hand on her armrest nonchalantly paying no mind to if her hand was present or not and leaned in closer to her. "Pepper..." That should have got her attention.

[takingouttrash]

On the other hand, Pepper seemed to have been in the mood for it. Or maybe, the story pulled her in (again, not that she had any reason at all to be, ah, interested in 'superheroes', right?) and she was tense... tense enough for her arm to be on the armrest, fingers starting to tighten around the edge of it.

His touch and the call of her name made her kind of start in her seat, head swiveling towards him, and her voice was sharp, in the 'you just scared me' way. "Yes?"

Got her attention, all right.

[aestark.livejournal.com]

The jolt that shot up through her body surprised him. Not exactly the reaction he anticipated...but he'd take it. Now that she had turned his attention to him fully he leaned closer slowly, careful to try and find her lips with his own.

Perfect time for an explosion on screen.

[takingouttrash]

... at least the jolt didn't get any Dr. Pepper on them her the way her other arm moving up in surprise did now?

After all, even Pepper Potts has moments when she gets information overloads, and this? Was one of them. Movie story, Bruce Wayne, explosion, and a kiss... from Tony?

She flinched away at the feeling of the still-cool liquid she'd spilled on herself. No, it wasn't exactly flinching back because of the kiss. But would he be able to see the actual cause of it and the following gasp, in the dark?

[aestark.livejournal.com]

It felt weird. Scratch that...it felt incredibly and infinitely stupid. He was suddenly thirteen years old again. She had gasped in surprise but it was hardly one that indicated the kiss was welcomed or pleasant. He retracted almost instantly.

Before she could get a word out he was on his feet, moving down the aisle towards the exit of the auditorium. "Fuck!" he cursed to himself out loud...of course to one who wasn't looking for it it blended with the commotion on screen. He left the dialogue far behind when he walked straight out the doors of the theater, standing in the plaza shifting uneasily and throwing his head back in a sigh.

"Real nice job, you son of a bitch."

[takingouttrash]

Pepper actually lost a moment staring in space, after he flew off, more or less... shocked.

What did just... Oh god! "Tony!"

Stilettos have their advantages. They really do. But not when you're trying to run down IMAX steps in the dark. (Of course, if somebody could pull it off, it would be Pepper. That, however, by no means made it easy.)

It was a little less strenuous running through the lobby, although she had to look around to try to see which way he'd gone (alas, it wasn't deserted as one might hope... yes, of course. If something happened, it would be public!) - until she caught his figure through the exit door glass. She pushed the door open.

"Tony?" She stepped closer to him, carefully. It was quite possible that the darker spot of spilled drink was visible now in the lights outside, but she wasn't exactly thinking about it. "What was... what was that?"

Somewhere she knew that it was a rather stupid question. She was aware what it had felt like - a kiss.
Still... the overreaction?

[aestark.livejournal.com]

Tony had kept his gaze level as she approached. His fight of flight mechanism had told him to get as far away from the scene as he could: he could kick himself for it. "Hey," he swallowed a bit as a subtle nervous reaction, not bringing himself to look down towards her just yet. There was no processing the Dr. Pepper spill on her dress, just a great view of a planter full of flowers and cigarette butts.

"I...should probably apologize for that," he lowered his eyes slightly, not enough to take in the ground (he was too proud for that), just enough to avoid her at a new angle. "Bad timing on my part."

[takingouttrash]

Her heart was actually pounding, though she thought it may have been the running... or maybe not.

That was... was...

Tony Stark, as far as she knew, never actually ran away from a woman.
He never avoided Pepper's eyes when he was talking to her.

And he never really apologized. Not like this, not for what she thought he was.

It was just wrong.

"You should apologize. I don't think the fabric will recover from the spilled drink. I don't exactly react perfectly to being startled." She swallowed, then went on. "At least I didn't get any of it on you. The sudden cold is a little unpleasant."

God, I can't go on beating about the bush much...

"I think this is going to be sticky." The dress? The situation?

Take your pick.

[aestark.livejournal.com]

Spill? His eyes were led away to the fabric of her dress and the dark stain the lights of the plaza brought out quite wretchedly. "Oh. Oh," he had started to piece the mishap together. He smoothed his hair back to calm the sporadic activity in his brain. At least he felt like Tony Stark again.

"I believe I said it was bad timing on my part, but you did spill the drink on yourself," he teased if not to break the thickness of the air. Calmly he brushed a strand of her hair back into place before she could tend to it, the active hand cupping her jawline delicately and lingering a moment before it began to slip away. "...You had a...it was in the way."

She could fill in the gaps.

[takingouttrash]

For a few moments, as his entire body reacted to the realization, all she could think of was, it's all right. I made it all right.

Then it dawned on her again that it left them back in the sticky situation they'd 'danced' around since that night on the roof of the Disney Hall.

No. Closer. This time it had definitely been him who set things up - no crazy random happenstances about it. No chance that he was taking advantage of in a spur-of-the-moment decision.

And then thoughts were drowned between the half-hypnotizing look of those dark eyes, seeming to glitter in the moonlight, and the feeling of his hand on her chin. This close, this way, his magnetism, on top of what she'd felt for way too long - was just counterproductive for effective thought processes.

What happened was her taking an unconscious half-step... closer to him. And her blurting the first thing that came up, without fully registering it until it was out in the air around them. "I don't feel like any more drinks. No martini."

... what?

[aestark.livejournal.com]

Disregard everything that had happened: this moment felt strangely fulfilling. It made Pepper seem brand new. He couldn't have traded her for the world (she knew his social security number), and yet a clean slate could do them both some good. "Yeah?" he questioned softly, smiling as their lips drew in close again, his hand slipping around to find the small of her back.

No sooner hand the tips of his fingers touched the fabric a bright flash intervened. Tony was used to the harsh truth of the camera, but admittedly this one had caught him off guard. He leaned away slowly hoping she would follow suit, then smiled, still holding her around the waist for a few more photographs. "I didn't think the movie was that bad, but I can see you all needed some air too." After he put his sunglasses on he directed his attention to the first reporter who questioned his leisure when a hostage situation taking place downtown and another brought up the heroics interfering with the Stark Industries board of directors' views of him. His fists clenched briefly on the tails of his coat and his eyes hardened. He could answer, but his place in the headlines was secured either way. The charming smile had long dissipated. He could only think of two words to excuse himself...two words was as apologetic as he was going to get. Those two words could convey a lot and he had said them for what felt like an eternity. They were formal and sought the approval of being dismissed.

"Miss Potts..."

And he was pushing through the media mass with his own strength, headed for the car.

[takingouttrash]

When the first flash caught Pepper, she only closed her eyes tight for a brief instant, that was all the way she showed whatever surprise and disappointment she felt. After that, she followed his lead automatically, as she had drilled for years now, and her smile for the photographs was as perfect as any in her long-ago modeling career.

She didn't begrudge the two words of farewell. Under the circumstances, it was probably for the better, not humiliating either or both further. She was not, however, best pleased at being left alone to deal with the questions - especially since a few of them actually set her work-related alarms off. She'd need to check a few of those out. On the grounds that being prepared, even on media information, was better than not.

Some of the reporters turned and flocked after To-- Mr. Stark, but enough remained around her to make her too much in the spotlight, and uncomfortable. She muttered a faint, "excuse me" and set off in the direction of her own car.

If this time she didn't step with her heel on somebody's toes, it wasn't for lack of trying.

She didn't drive directly home, though. She parked besides one of the beaches, slipped her shoes off in the car, and walked barefoot across the sand till it was moist under her soles. She stood alone in the dark - well, under the moonlight still, technically - trying to figure out what was going on and what she was going to do about it.

Whatever it was... it was definitely not meant to be. That was her conclusion. The night breeze tugged at her hair and the skirt as she reached her conclusions. No more letting her hair down, so to speak. Sticking to professional had worked for years and years, and though things were different, it would still work.

She'd be at work on time in the morning, crisp and business-like and as willing to criticize and be truthful as the first day when she'd started. And only that. That's what he was paying her for, and whatever he asked, she'd do for him. Professionally. Her feelings... really shouldn't have gotten involved in the first place.

And yet she stood there, on the beach, a while longer, fingers touching her lips absent-mindedly where he'd kissed them.