6784/The Littlest Convalescent

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The Littlest Convalescent
Date of Scene: 06 March 2019
Location: Unknown
Synopsis: Pepper comes to visit a wounded Janet for a little mutual support.
Cast of Characters: Wasp (van Dyne), Pepper Potts




Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet's on the mend. Biogel is still wrapped around her torso, layers of the heavy blue bandages obscuring any details from view. Her hospital gown is an affectation of propriety more than anything else, though propped up as she is in bed, she's covered from the belly down by warm white blankets.

Charcoal glides over white paper with a soothing skating sound. The pencil's held pinched between thumb and forefinger to give her wrist the most possible range of motion. Someone's brought colored pencils as well and they're spilling out onto the service tray near her bed. Designer, high-end pencils, at that. From the looks of it she's making the best of her convalescence and taking advantage of the bright natural afternoon sunlight.

Pepper Potts has posed:
There is a light knock on Janet's door, which has been left ajar, and Pepper Potts peeks around the door, pushing it slightly open it see if the patient is awake. The sound of her pencil urges Pepper to push the door open farther, and she smiles.

"Hey there. How are you feeling?" As she pushes the door open wider, she reveals a flower arrangement with gold and crimson roses - two dozen, in fact - arranged in an elegant fashion with a sunny gold bow. "Tony and I wanted to visit, but you know Tony...Always off saving the world. Or charming it." She winks, and takes a step inside to let the door shut further again.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Pepper!" Janet's face is wreathed in a smile at the sight of her ginger friend. "You're so sweet to come visit. I'm managing," she says, and opens the side of her gown to show off the thick layers of bandages. "The doctors said that I'll need to be careful about tanning for a while but there's no infection and it probably won't scar."

She beckons Pepper over with a flapping hand and sets aside her sketching materials so there's room for Pepper to sit on the edge of the bed. "C'mon, come sit. Don't worry about Tony at all, sweetheart, you're not his keeper. I mean," she amends, "you're not his keeper at the *moment*, so."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"He just needs a little guidance, sometimes," Pepper replies with a bright smile. "You know, sometimes you have to save a man from himself." Pepper sets the vast arrangement down in a vacant space on another table, admiring the flowers and gifts assembled there. "Looks like you have quite a few admirers, Janet," she adds, seating herself on the edge of Janet's bed. "You doing all right in here? I was afraid you'd be going stir crazy by now."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Ugh. Story of my life with Steve lately," Janet tells Pepper with wry sympathy. "I don't even know if we're actually dating yet or this is like, one more day in this excruciating game of 'Is He a Monk, Or Just Not Into You?"

Janet gives Pepper's fingers a squeeze in lieu of a hug, holding her hand with casual affection. She rolls her eyes at the gifts and fails to temper a pleased smile. "Yeah, the whole team's been by. Plus the work friends, y'know, the tailor teams, my management staff, the media crew. They had to sneak the models up through the service elevator, though. Fortunately, they deal with a lot of high-profile types here and they're good at keeping the media frenzy to a minimum. The last thing I need is to show up on Access Hollywood looking like this." She flips a hand at her features. Hair styled, makeup looking 'casual' but impeccable, and she even turns the draped apron into a sort of fashion statement.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper breathes a laugh and shakes her head. "Only you, Janet. Only you could both look perfect and fashionable as a burn center patient, and simultaneously be worried about showing up that way in the media." Pepper shakes her head, still smiling. "Just so long as you aren't actually working. Because you /know/ you need to be relaxing and mending, not tending models and fussing over business." She arches a brow. "I'll take on the task of saving you from yourself, too, if I have to."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet smiles in a lame attempt at demurity. Pepper's praise certainly hits the right chords with the petite fashionista, though. "Hey, I told you *years* ago, if you ever wanna stick it to The Man, I will hire you on the spot," Janet assures Pepper. "But I think even with your Super-Corporate Executive Assisstant powers, you couldn't keep a handle on me *and* Tony. I'll be okay," she assures the redhead and squeezes her fingers again.

"Oh, uh, but if you *do* want to do me a favor, can you get into my penthouse for me?" Her voice drops to a conspiratorial tone. "They keep trying to dose me with oxy, and I hate how fuzzy-headed it makes me. I need something for the pain. Can you get my little pink party box out from under the wet bar?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Aww, Janet..." Pepper squeezes Janet's hand gently, with a smile. "Not a chance, but thanks for playing..." Her expression changes from playful to apologetic. "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to defer to the doctors on this one." And the one that Tony's doctor handed her only last night. "Talk to them, see if they can't do something different for you, maybe? Or I can. But I'm not bringing you a party case so you can make your own arrangements....which may or may not play nice with what the doctors have you on." She cuts her eyes back at Janet. "I'm not just a pal, y'know. I'm a friend. And friends have your back even when you don't have your own."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet makes a face and blows a raspberry at Pepper. "Okay, /mom/," she teases. Pepper's fingers get a reassuring squeeze that belies her tone. "Ugh, like, so /lame/."

"Just remember this the next time you get blown up and you want me to do you a favor while you're in the hospital. Probably from a Tony-related injury." She fluffs out her blanket and resettles it on her lap. "I mean, I'll still *do* it, but I'll rub it in your face a little."

"So, uh..." She brushes some hair back behind her ear. "Maybe you've got some insights with this Steve situation," she prompts. "I seriously don't know where his head's at. Is he into me, is he just being polite, are we dating, are we work buddies..." She makes an 'mff' noise. "He pulled this Irish accent on me out of nowhere. I thought I was going to faint dead. So hot."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Well, Janet," Pepper begins thoughtfully. "I feel like if you were /dating/ you'd know it, right? If it's right, you don't even have to question it." She frets at her bottom lip with her teeth as she turns the question over in her mind, then looks back up at Janet. "There's affection there, I can see that. But I feel like things will happen in their own time. Or....not. And if not...I think you'll know by them that it's NOT right."

Pepper is circling the subject. It's clearly one with which she is very familiar. "Bottom line, you have to ask yourself...Are you better for his presence, such that it is? Or are you worse? If the worry outweighs the happiness, then it's time to walk. Buuut...if you're better for his presence in your life as it is now, why question it? Just enjoy it..."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet stares at Pepper. "That is ... " she exhales. "The most frustratingly useful advice I've had so far. I was hoping for more of a 'yeah girl, he's into you' pep talk," she mutters. "I don't know. I mean, we're basically co-workers. So it's not like there's a really safe way to do this. I don't know," she repeats, and plucks fitfully at her blanket.

"He's smart. Very devoted. Hot as hell. I'd be an idiot not to go for him. Just some ... clear signals would be helpful. Y'know? So I can figure out if he's into me or if I'm scaring him off."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper grins. "Y'know it took Tony a really long time to decide he was interested enough to put some things away. But in the end, he did, and he let me in. And was it worth the price of fretting, day in and day out over what he thought, what he wanted...what he was doing when he wasn't around me?" Her grin is half-cocked. "Maybe, maybe not. But I'd do it again, in a heartbeat. And the things Steve would have to put away are far less troublesome." With a gentle shrug, Pepper lowers her eyes to examine her nails. "I think if you were going to run Steve off, you would have by now, don't you?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Uh, that's what *scares* me," Janet tells Pepper. "We've had like, one proper date. He's this..." She grunts, strangling the air. "I don't know. He's so *polite* about everything. I can barely get him to flirt with me and all he does is look embarassed when I flirt at *him*. Once in a while we're on the right wavelength. We've never gone partying or clubbing, he doesn't smoke or use drugs, barely drinks... He's such an ... old-fashioned guy." She shifts the wrong way and winces at the protest from her healing skin under the bandages. "I feel like I'm on eggshells with him. Like... shit. If I say or do the wrong thing he's gonna just--" she makes a zipping sound and throws her thumb at the door. "boom, gone, leave Janet behind for some ... blonde cornhusker," she mutters with dark envy.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper watches Janet's theatrics with a growing smile, and nods, then levels her gaze on Janet. "But are you better for his presence, or worse?" She arches a brow, watching Janet as she awaits her answer. "Because in the end that's all that really matters. Nothing in the future's ever a guarantee. /Tomorrow/ is never a guarantee. All we have is today. So...is today better because of him? Or worse?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet stares at Pepper and makes a whining noise. Her legs kick twice like a child having a fitful tantrum. "Damnit, stop making me have the feels!" she gripes, sourly. "You and your... stupid useful advice. You're killin' me, smalls." Her hands flip into the air.

She exhales with an over-heavy shrug of her poised shoulders. "Fine. Yes. God. I like him around and I like being around him." She folds her arms over her chest and immediately regrets it, exhaling with a high-pitched wheeze of pain and moving her arms to the side. "Owwwww.... fffffffffaaaaaccck that hurt," she hisses.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I don't knooow..." Pepper balks. "Seems to me like his presence is causing you some...pain..." She gives Janet a sympathetic look, and pats her somewhere that isn't bandaged. "If you're keeping him around on principle, you're... only hurting yourself." But her expression turns to more of a smirk as she finishes that line.

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"OoooH!" Janet screws her face up and tries to pinch Pepper's arm, but she's too hesitant about hurting Pepper to really make it stick. "God, you SUCK," she grates. Then she laughs and grips Pepper's hand with both of hers, squeezing tight. "But you've got some good advice. I *guess*," she says with a theatrical, grudging tone.

"So c'mon, dish a bit. Any good gossip lately? What's up with you and Tony? You guys getting more serious, or what?" She nudges Pepper's hip with her knee.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Gossip. The one element that Pepper has long been immune to, but has more recently had to begin heeding. She sighs, and shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Janet. I wish I had some juicy tidbits for you. We /did/ have a visit in the medbay from that fembot that crashed into my office and attacked Samantha--well, I guess more know her as Nyx." Pepper shrugs. "I guess she felt embarrassed about how things went before. Can...robots feel embarrassed?" She skirts around the rest of the visit to the medbay and frets at her lip again. "Either way, I guess Tony scanned her and maybe he will be working on her core, or as she referred to it, her 'heart.' If anyone can fix her up I guess it's Tony."

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"God, that's all we need. Tony elbow deep in another robot," Janet says. Her nose wrinkles. "Vision's okay, like, he's a little off sometimes but he's a decent guy. Android, whatever. But the rest of them, I don't know. I don't trust something programmed in a lab. Mostly because I've seen how bad things can go haywire when Tony gets a wild hare about some new programming model. Last thing we need is this Nyx, or Samantha or whatever, deciding that we'd all look better if we were skinned and assimilated."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"No kidding," Pepper agrees, with a heavy sigh. Something about the whole conversation is niggling at her, though, and Pepper sighs distractedly. "Janet, has Tony seemed...all right...to hou, lately? Anything out of the ordinary? Has he behaved differently at all?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet blinks twice at that question. "I ... gosh. No?" She tugs her earlobe and frets her lower lip while staring blankly at the far wall. Her head shakes. "I mean, I don't know. He was himself while we were dealing with the Sentinels thing, right? He was teasing Steve, snarking, dealing with the robots. All... pretty Tony, really. Why, what's up? Is he acting weird to you or something?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Oh no, no, no. Heavens, no. Tony treats me...he treats me amazingly. Just...I don't know." Pepper hesitates, and shifts her gaze sideways with a soul-deep sigh. "Just keep an eye out, maybe? Let me know if you see anything out of the ordinary. I never know how things are when he is out with everyone else, and I just...I just want to be sure. Okay?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
Janet narrows her eyes warily at Pepper, making a back-and-forth with her index finger between her and the ginger. "Okay, like, is this a 'I'm worrid I'm sleeping with a Skrull' thing or a 'I'm worried Tony's sleeping with a Skrull' thing?" Janet inquires. "Because I know a lot of what Tony does is just putting on the act-- the models, the booze, the parties. Keeping his media brand awareness up in the tabloids. I've built 'designed to fail' dresses for deliberate wardrobe malfunctions for that exact reason."

"C'mon, *something* prompted this. Did he say or do something weird? Is he acting like he's off his game?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper shakes her head in defiant denial of Janet's suggestions. "No, it's nothing like that. Truly. Just...I feel like I can't do much to protect him when he's out /there/." Pepper makes a circular gesture with one hand, indicating anywhere that isn't home base. "I need to know if there's anything else I can do to help, y'know? Because you know as well as I do that people are like coins. For all his bravado, there's gonna be a flipside. I can only watch for it...from /here/. Does that make sense?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Not really," Janet admits. "But there's a reason my relationships don't last much beyond swiping right. Look," she touches Pepper's arm reassuringly. "Don't stress. I know what to look out for and I'll keep an eye on Tony. I'll even nudge Steve to see if he's noticed anything. If it comes down to it, we can come up with a plan together. Okay? Don't sweat it."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper relaxes a little, and smiles. "And this is why I come to you with things," she replies, patting Janet's hand gently. "I didn't step into Tony Stark with my eyes closed. To do so would be madness. But sometimes there can be concerns beyond the norm, even for him." Pepper rises from the bedside slowly, so as not to disturb anything or hurt Janet. "I should probably get back to the office before long, but is there anything I /can/ do for you that wouldn't label me as an enabler?"

Wasp (van Dyne) has posed:
"Relax? Don't get wound up?" Janet smiles at Pepper. "And when I'm better, come in for a fitting again. I've got some office outfits in mind just for you and I want to see you rocking a JVD label the next time Forbes covers you, okay?"

"Thanks for coming by, though. It really means a lot to me. Let's do lunch next time we're in the area, yeah? Gnocco, or Jean-Georges?" she offers. "Text me, you know I'm always game for mojitos and pizza."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"That sounds perfect," Pepper gushes with a smile. "But you have to keep getting better if that's the case. I'll /definitely/ be wearing JVD next time Forbes covers me, and that's a promise. But it's always my pleasure to come by and see you. I'll have pizza and mojitos on standby, soon as you escape this place. It's a date." Pepper winks, gives Janet's hand one last squeeze, and moves to the door. "Oh...and don't even think about sending Steve for that little pink case. I'll tell him he has to look in it, even if you tell him it's female stuff." With a smirk and a wink, Pepper gives a little wave and heads back out the door, leaving the roses she brought in behind to remind Janet that there are plenty of people in her corner, even when they aren't there.