4287/Empathy Training

Empathy Training
Date of Scene:	16 April 2018
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Pepper and Tony relax, while Tony's given some good advice.
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Pepper Potts

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Iron Man has posed:
    Tony's a whirlwind of motion, as he often is when at full ramp on a project and full health. He can be something of a force of nature. He comes out of the Bunker at full tilt, chatting loudly at JARVIS. "And send those other lab robots across. I'll just fabricate --- two more for here. No rush job on that though, finish the other parts," Tony rattles off at high speed.

    "Of course, Sir," JARVIS agrees calmly.

    "This smells almost as good as you, honey," Tony says of the food, but mostly of Pepper, approaching from behind and crowding into the kitchen space. "Taste comparison pending," Tony adds, while attempting to snare a spoon to try some and teasingly touching her opposite hip with a few fingers to distract from spoon thievery. He's a disaster of dust: that gray shirt normally is black. There's streaks where the glasses he was wearing protected his eyes, and there's a fine dusting in his hair and forearms, though hands seem washed. This isn't the first day of this; he's been in construction mode a while, in particular at the Avengers mansion. "Oh, by the way. The housewarming gift. They loved it. We're very considerate." The one she picked out.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Dinner. Pepper is actually trying to cook dinner. One night a week she does her best to cook for them, not order in, they go out, or they both work through dinner. It doesn't always happen, but she's making it happen this week. She's tossed off her suit jacket and heels in the front room, so she's standing just in a silk camisole, fitted skirt, and sheer stockings with bare feet on the kitchened floor. She still, somehow, manages to look elegant. Her hair was probably down for the day, but the kitchen is warm with the heat of the stove, so she's swept it up messily in a pair of chopsticks, a few errant strands still falling down along her cheeks.

"I was wondering if I was going to have to drag you out of the la..." And then she realizes just how dusty he is even as he's snaring her in his arms, and she gives a little bit of a yelp. The dust is distracting her farm more than the grab at her hip, half laughing and half yelping, "God, Tony! WE are going to need that cleaning service if you keep walking around like that, you're a MESS!" It's too late, though, half her back is a mess too, and her cheek where she's turned to kiss the side of his mouth. The alfredo can wait.

Iron Man has posed:
    "You make it sound like I normally clean up all on my own," Tony says, impressed with the flattery of her assumption. He has little robots for that. And employees. "But maybe I can clean you up at least." He then considers where he got dust on her, and pats her down a little, dusting her off fairly ineffectively. And in some deliberately teasing zones, since he caught her low. "Yeah, this isn't working. Just need to even it out," Tony playfully decides, attempting to casually pull her front towards him now, and return the kiss. He tastes like alfredo for some reason. Due to thievery. He then offers her the spoon back.

Pepper Potts has posed:
A small laugh escapes her lips and a mocking bit of a whimper. She's trying to protest -- trying so hard -- but she enjoys the wrap of his arms around her as she sinks into his grasp and gives up on keeping her suit or camisole clean. They'll just have to go to the drycleaner tomorrow. "I... am not certain you know the meaning of the words clean up, Anthony Stark. You are so lucky you are handsome." Pepper teasingly mutters in his direction, sinking forward into his arms and returning the kiss. Which then gets a small narrowing of her eyes as she tastes that bit of cream and garlic on his mouth. "...Are you stealing bites of food before dinner is done, Mr. Stark?"

Iron Man has posed:
    "I'm lucky for a myriad of reasons," Tony agrees with her easily. "Such as getting such great help with making sure I'm clean when I need to be," he adds. He grins into her 'accusation', with absolutely no shame. "Yes, but 'stealing' is a little harsh. /Taste/ testing. You still taste best," Tony assures her, smoothly. He winks at her, and casts his eye around at the food itself, with obvious interest. The man is probably starving, so yes, he's going to pick at anything in reach. "I'm actually early?" Tony asks, surprised.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"...Just a bit. And the garlic bread came out a minute ago and is cooling. You... might be able to start with that." Pepper nods towards the cooling rack above the second oven, where she'd melted and broiled incredibly delicious looking garlic bread. That's probably actually the smell coming from the kitchen, more than the sauce she's still making. She wrinkles her nose at his tasting comment, shaking her head, but she's only half able to hide her smile. Seeing him in such a good mood, and with such energy, is almost contagious. "And... I guess if I still taste best, you can dig in." She mutters, now grabbing at a towel and trying to brush some dust off of her front.

Iron Man has posed:
    Tony adapts to suit her a little more without calling attention to it-he removes the long sleeve over shirt he had on, after stepping away from the food, and then balls it up and loosely tosses it over towards the side of the door. Sure, his pants and neck are still dusty, but now the undershirt isn't. It's the effort that counts, and he did get the worst of it.
    "Hey, so, I wanted your opinion on something," Tony says while he snares one of the breads he was permitted to take, leaning a hip on the edge of the counter next to the allowed food. They might all disappear if he's not minded. "Or someone, actually."

Pepper Potts has posed:
    The cream sauce is delicate. If she doesn't keep stirring it it'll separate, so she's turned back to the stove now, idly running a whisk through that heavy, decadent sauce she's made for both of them. They could use a night of home cooked decadence for once. Her eyes, however, follow him as he takes off that shirt and there is a moment of hunger that isn't about cooking dinner at all. Since she's let herself actually indulge these feelings, well, it's clear just how attractive she finds him.


Even when he's covered in awful dust.

    "Alright, my opinion? On... some...*one?* Ask away." She looks a touch concerned, but mainly curious, her attention firmly split between him and the last bits of cooking she needs to door. She's completely forgotten the half glass of wine on the counter, which she poured for herself twenty minutes ago and has barely touched.

Iron Man has posed:
    "Steve brought someone into the Avenger's mansion," Tony begins, with a tone that suggests he's very skeptical. "And he doesn't exist, scans say. So I wonder. I run a check, and this guy has been a mass murderer for decades. And worse. Spy, assassin, sniper - the works. Some kind of horrible ghost murder-hobo. And with how many SHIELD files I had to, ah, create access into, to find even that much, it's probably worse than the scope I have looked at so far," Tony says. Then, with his super power, Tony finds the wine bottle and a glass for himself, handling that while eating his garlic bread.

Pepper Potts has posed:
    The woman listens quietly, her brows arched, a touch of worry in her eyes as she hears the run down of this entire situation. "Ghost... Murder... Hobo." She repeats, Pepper's expression screamingly skeptical now. She finally kills the heat on the sauce and grabs at the nearly overflowing pot of noodles. That's dumped quickly into the strainer in the sink, but she's not really let her eyes leave him. As ever, Pepper is the miracle worker at multi-tasking, especailly when she's worried about something. "Have you asked Steve why he brought this man into the mansion? Why he trusts him?"

Iron Man has posed:
    "Yes, I did. He says he's some relic war buddy he knew from World War 2 that got brainwashed into being a killing machine for ages, and he's "in recovery"." Tony doesn't physically make air quotes, but they are evident in his tone. "Steve says he's getting through to him, which only says to ME that he's currently a danger. After seeing all he does is beat up things in the Avengers gym and shoot at the firing range, I'm skeptical he's not a zombie." Tony rubs his jaw with a few fingers. "I told Steve he's responsible for this lunatic if he reverts to his ways, but. I don't like it. We have some kids in training in the mansion. /I/ put them there." And Tony is responsible for the new young Avengers being safe. And that responsibility has caused this difficulty for Tony.

    "But its Captain America vouching. Or clinging to a shred of his past. He's Captain f'ing America, but I can overrule him if I have to. What do you think?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
    A low sigh escapes her lips and Pepper doesn't speak a few minutes. Not because she's ignoring him in favor of putting food on the table -- though she is putting food on the table -- but because she's heavily mulling this over. She plates out two dishes with good servings of the pasta and sauce -- though Tony gets a good bit more than her bird like appetite -- and nods him over to the table so they can both sit and eat. Pepper places them catty corner to each other at the table, so they are as close as they can sit without literally being on the same side of the table.

    "Sit. Eat. Then it's shower time, but eating first." She still looks a bit concerned about it all, mulling across the possibilities. Once she's claimed her own wine and settled into the chair near him, she leans back and sighs, "...If... if something happened to Rhodey, if someone messed him up a long while and you found him again, what would you do?"

Iron Man has posed:
    Tony lets her think over the situation, in the same way he'd let Dr. Banner think over a science question: respectfully. He moves whatever is missing over, such as the bread, and the wine glasses, easing into the chair indicated for him. But then she has some questions in return. Tony didn't think of it from that angle at all. He isn't Captain Empathy.

"Well. Try to help him. Probably get- the best experts I could find. I'd.... bring him here. Of course." Because that's how Tony thinks: apply the best tool to the problem. And wield the power of the tower.
    "I'd figure something out." That confidence, unflagging as always. But it seems to help. "Steve must think the mansion is helping him somehow. 'Being around people', I think he said."

Pepper Potts has posed:
    "Well, there you have it. If you were in the same situation, you'd be doing just about the same thing. Now, helping him, doing what you can to mitigate any... dangers. Making certain that you have a plan in place for the younger ones to get out and get safe if he'd... crack or something? That might be a wise idea. Just because you aren't going to convince him to make the guy leave. And, if you were going to try to, you'd have done it already. You aren't exactly good at keeping your mouth shut about the things you feel, Tony. You know he's gotta stay around for a reason, you just needed to...Understand that reason." She reassures him gently, the tone of her voice actually a little bit proud, but also practical. Pepper is already thinking ahead to problem solving for this issue. And utterly forgetting that she's put food in front of herself.

Iron Man has posed:
    Tony laughs; a rich depth in it, "I didn't keep my mouth shut, no. I told him directly that I didn't like it. But he knew it wasn't good. Sometimes it's like kicking a puppy, with Steve," Tony says, rolling his eyes and taking a deep drink of the wine. "But somebody's got to do it. Otherwise he'll get a big head. We only have space for mine." Tony drops his free hand under the table and touches her leg. He appreciates the words, even if he's dysfunctional about telling her so.

    "But I still don't LIKE it. Most of us can take care of ourselves, but." Tony stirs his pasta. "We have a Hulk with us, besides. What's one more person on a hair trigger? Something is wrong if I'm the one trying to not be dumb about risks, Pep. But I also don't do 'stupid'. So, maybe some new security lockdown systems..." Tony squints into the air, gears in his head turning.

Pepper Potts has posed:
    A slight chuckle escapes her lips, "I'm sure you told him you didn't like it. That is different than kicking the guy out. I trust Steve... YOU, you trust Steve. You know the guy needs to be there for a reason. You can shout how angry you are as long as you like but that's not going to help things. New lock down procedures? That might help things. Training the younger ones in case of emergency, well... They'll need crisis training anyway, considering your lives. You can make this work and support a friend through it. Steve... he's still your friend. Your colleague. So, don't be stupid and don't be emotional about this. Be practical and make plans." Pepper smiles a bit wider at the squeeze on her leg. That alone reminds her that they were here to do something more than discuss business -- eat! She finally digs into her own pasta, the general, delicate bites she normally takes. But she's eating, at least.

Iron Man has posed:
    "I don't know about /friends/," Tony replies. "Coworkers; mutually sharing a goal of saving the world now and then," Tony says, offhanded, relaxed, and downplaying. As usual. Which means he probably does like Steve.
    "Emotional? I'm fine. It isn't like the guy stabbed ME in the face." Tony focuses on the food, which reduces his talking down, though not by a huge percentage. "Emergency training's a good idea. I'll put someone on that," Tony says, cheered by the idea of delegating that duty out. He then focuses more on what he's consuming. "This might actually taste better than you," Tony teases her, and leans over to ambush with a kiss to her cheek and ear.

Pepper Potts has posed:
    Green eyes slightly narrow on him, an amused, slightly wry smirk crossing her matte pink mouth. "...You are being entirely too off handed about this for me to be wrong. You like Steve. I can tell." Pepper teases him gently, her hand turning up to give his a squeeze before she goes back to nibbling on her food. SHe's about to say something more before he comments about the food and leans over for that ambush of a kiss, and Pepper just isn't able to think at all for a few moments. Her cheeks color almost as pink as her lips. Even after all this time, he can still make her blush.

    She returns that kiss gently before clearing her throat and sitting up a bit straighter, trying to recompose herself. "Yes, well... that is... I'm glad you enjoy the meal, Tony... I can occasionally cook, when I try. Now... we were talking about... training... Right?" He really has derailed her mind!

Iron Man has posed:
    "To be fair, he makes it virtually impossible to actually dislike him," Tony reminds her. "He's a walking Hallmark card. But don't worry. I still like you best," Tony says, deadpan serious, still leaned over towards her. And is pleased with himself that he was able to clearly distract her, even if it is something of a mutual distraction. "Something like that. Something something good idea Tony, something something you're amazing. The usual." A flash of charismatic smile comes in, but it melts into a more heartfelt smile before he leans back to his own meal. That small window of warmed brown eyes close to hers, and then slid back. "I'm staying here tonight, taking a night off the demolition in the Avengers' lab." A shoot of look. "You busy?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
    Lazily, pretending nothing at all is happening above the table, Pepper stretches her stockinged legs out to drape across his lap beneath the table, her calves resting on his thighs and legs crossing at the ankles, though her left toes idly caress against the side of his hip. It's a purely comfortable, utterly trusting stretch of languishing in his company. SOmething of a couple that has been together years, not months, but then they have been together that long in a sense. With that contact alone, he can practically see the tension drain off her shoulders.

    "I mean... I have a lot of emails I should catch up on, and prepare for the Miller proposal tomorrow, and the conference at the end of the week. I really should get back to work, but... if you have a better offer, I suppose I could be... persuaded away from such work..." She comments casually, trying to hide a bit of a coy smile on her lips, behind a bite of that garlic bread.

Iron Man has posed:
    Tony gives her a 'look' of amusement with a raised eyebrow but hooks a hand over one of her ankles, adjusting the position of her feet just a hair. "What conference? The one we might not need to attend?" Tony parries back. "Also..." He smirks promptly, "I'll always make the better offer," he reminds her, with a smooth pass of kneading hand up her calf, slow and hardly subtle. He's primarily done with eating, and is enjoying the remainder of the wine in his glass, and looking at her, now.

Pepper Potts has posed:
    A small, happy sound comes from deep in her throat as she feels his fingertips kneading up her calf, "I'd say your opening offer is a pretty strong bid, Mr. Stark...I am listening." She murmurs happily, her own meal being mostly forgotten and a last, deep gulp taken of her wine before she fully turns to face him. Needless to say, talking does not need to be on the table much longer this evening. But she's happy to have him home and the rest of the night is spent in thorough distraction (and exhaustion) of each other. At the end of it all, it's the best night's sleep she's gotten in days, wrapped up in his arms in in his large, ridiculously comfortable bed.