9009/The best angle

The best angle
Date of Scene:	30 August 2019
Location:	Pepper's Office - Stark Tower
Synopsis:	Tony coaxes Pepper to come on a vacation trip.
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Pepper Potts

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Iron Man has posed:
JARVIS's warning to Pepper comes with a crisp, even tone: informational, and not sounding particularly urgent. These warnings come with no real time to react, though. The reason is that Tony made a sudden decision on the fly, and others are expected to quickly pull together what the billionaire's wishes are. This time isn't any different.

"Ms. Potts, Mr. Stark is on his way," JARVIS begins, in the tone that suggests that the man is probably already in the elevator, and he's attempting to be of assistance to her, to give her at least a tiny heads up before the whirlwind of Stark is directly blowing her house down.

Tony has been buried in the lab for the day, which means this could go any number of directions: food, chatting up some idea, frustration venting, griping about illness, or 'other'. JARVIS adds, "And it appears he has recovered fully from his cold."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"... Thank you, JARVIS. For... All that information." Both the heads up and, particularly, how Tony is feeling. It relieves her and yet also worries her as to what the demand might be almost immediately, this late on a weekend nearing a holiday. Part of her had almost thought of taking a day off. Almost.

Instead, she sits up a bit straighter and grabs her suit jacket from the back of her desk chair, slipping into it neatly and securing one of the buttons at her waist so she looks as put together and on the clock as possible. While they might have a rather unprofessional relationship after hours, during work, she was still his most trusted assistant. She still needed to be the Pepper Potts he's always known and relief upon.

Jacket in place, she decides to stand and swipe quickly through to a clearer screen overtop her desk top instead of the hovering holographic plans she had been working upon. A place to take notes and set to recording in case Tony is full of energetic ideas and no focus to actually write them down. She's just got everything cleared and ready the moment her door opens. She echoes a smile in his direction, professional and prim.

Iron Man has posed:
"Have you seen this, Pep?" Tony is asking as he comes in through the door, with his usual complete unawareness for whether or not she's in the middle of something. He comes in with a magazine in his hands, full color, clearly oriented on something in the pages. His tone betrays some kind of mixed emotion from him.

Pepper's familiarity level with Tony, though, can read the reality of it from his face when he strides over and tosses the magazine onto her desk near her. He's acting annoyed, but he isn't: he's amused, and he's being playful, with this sort of deadpan manner. Tony acted the same way when one of the lower offices was remodeled, making everyone freak out that it was awful since it wasn't exactly to his specifications, and then revealing that he /had/ changed the specs: it was perfect after all.

"Page.... middle. Middle pages. And cover. Obviously," Tony says, not bothered with remembering exactly where the section is.

The magazine contains an evaluation of the hottest, most eligible human superheroes. Tony's a winner, naturally. He 'wins' himself into the comfy visitor chair at her desk in his usual relaxed sprawl, his unsuppressed smile a flare of self-satisfied charisma.

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's about half a second that Pepper is ready to go into PR damage control mode but then she sees just the slight twitch at the corner of his lips. The glimmer behind his eyes. That amusement and tease. The part of him that's ever so pleased with himself. Pepper arches both brows now, but her shoulders fall out of the tension she had been feeling from his initial entrance. No damage control, not today.

"...I haven't seen it. Some of us have day jobs that keep us very busy beyond magazine reading. Maybe I'll actually take a holiday off and get to catch up on such things but... I *suppose* I could look down." Pepper teases very lightly, stepping around her desk and scooping up the tossed down magazine. The cover makes her smirk deeper, mirth in her eyes, before she flips to the middle pages.

"...Most Eligible? Hmm. Should I be worried, or clearing your calendar for the slew of dates that should be coming in...?"

Iron Man has posed:
"I don't remember that photo-shoot, in the back," Tony says. The reason? It's probably just candids from a party, not a shoot. Tony's smiling, settling his head back, hands dropped to his lap, fingers lacing against one thigh, as he crosses that leg on his opposite knee. His foot bounces a little bit, betraying a little bonus energy in there: Tony's not tired and wiped out, at least. That means he could be trouble. He's likely to have /ideas/.

"The cover I like, though." It's a good shot, and he can recognize he looks amazing, it features him speaking out to the media after some world rescuing: of course he looks great.

"But the facts are wrong. I mean, don't I pay you to keep on top of these things?" Tony teases her. "Or do you agree I'm still eligible and unattached? I guess you should probably have a say on that."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Another flip of a page. Another photo of smiling Tony, though she absolutely can tell he's not aware it's being taken. It's not a camera smile but something more private and fun. The look of it actually makes her smile in turn, that momentarily, entirely too in love expression crossing her face before she snaps herself back into being a bit more professional, "Well, I don't think you did a photo shoot for these ones in the back. You don't have your making nice with the camera smile on. You're just...enjoying yourself."

And then she pads over the last few feet between them, not quite sitting in his lap, but allowing her knees to brush against his as she stands close enough that there is nothing professional about her proximity. Nor her smile, "The front... well... You did sit there. You'd just told off the government for something or other and were feeling very self satisfied. I remember that. As for fact checkers... Well... They certainly didn't call me. Or I'd set them straight. They just want to sell magazines... Unless YOU told them otherwise, hmm?"

Iron Man has posed:
Tony's looking right at her, so he did catch the shifts in her expression. Some people suspect he's too arrogant to catch signals from others: that isn't the case. Tony can work a room, and for that, he needs good awareness of how others are reacting. In this case? She's rolling out the red carpet.

Tony moves one hand to snare one of hers as she comes over, though he doesn't pull her at his lap, he lets her pick that pace.

"I, no doubt, said something witty and intelligent, when they asked. I mean, that would sound entirely like me," Tony says, sleek and rogueish.

"I /do/ sell magazines," Tony admits, brazenly. "I'm /really/ good at photos with hot women exiting from my private jet. I know you're a bit new to it, but I think it would be a great idea to have you on my arm, exiting my jet, a few times this weekend. Just to clear up any confusion, and to sell more magazines. Think of the poor paparazzi; they gotta eat."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Hand taken, Pepper cannot help but smile a bit wider. Any worry that the article had implied things is quickly slipping away. She dares to look up and over the top of his head, making certain no one is in the hallway that might be able to see through the little windows that flank her office. "JARVIS... lock the door. Warn us if anyone is approaching." Better to be safe and professional than sorry. But now, with her professional reputation protected, she does shift her hips and settles down to perch in his lap.

Maybe she shouldn't have put the suit jacket back on.

"...Mm... we wouldn't want those poor paparazzi to starve, would we? And, I mean, we could just contact the magazine and print a retraction... but..." Her fingerips reach up, combing back through his dark hair, daring to tuck a lock of it behind his ear, "...that sounds less fun than getting on a plane somewhere, I will admit. Where did you have in mind?"

Iron Man has posed:
Tony adjusts position some to make a more comfortable spot for her to sit against his thigh and the side of the visitor chair, drawing his other hand around her waist to rest, fingers hooked gently, on her opposite hipbone. If he noticed her suit jacket in the way, he's kind enough to ignore it for now. Tony's is open, as usual, and his tie loosened but not off.

His brows lift as she passes her hand into his hair, though his dark eyes remain on her face, not her hand. There's a good deal of styling product in his hair, she's not going to cause much of it to budge.

"Personally I had more focus on disembark: the plane itself, I could live without," he teases back. "Not feeling patient. Maybe somewhere close.... Bahamas?" Tony suggests. It's not a joke, not with Tony Stark.

Pepper Potts has posed:
A small, thoughtful sound from her throat as she stretches herself back a bit and lounges deeper against him, "Mm... we could do Bahamas. Hopefully not too warm. I don't think you've taken me there yet. But, if you wanted closer, maybe Key West?... Or we could take a pond hopper to somewhere on Lake Erie?" Pepper, before Tony, had never taken extravagant vacations. Even now, it was only on business things, not actual vacation. From a modest family, living a modest lifestyle, and now all the money in the world, she did nothing but work. He might actually see the fact that she has no clue what to do with a simple *vacation*.

"...as long as there is somewhere with internet, so I can keep an eye on things remotely. We should go. And you can show off a bit. I might even get a new swim suit." She winks at him teasingly, all the better to cover up the fact that just going on a relaxing vacation is actually a bit daunting. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't even consider it.

Iron Man has posed:
"You think I'd go somewhere without room service and Wifi?" Tony asks, agast, and then laughs, drawing his other hand in to securely hold her around the middle. His amusement that caused a brightness to his eyes relaxes into a more gentle, serious look. "I'd bring both with me, even camping," he promises her. "We can power it off my arc reactor." A wink. Also not really a joke.

"One new swim suit? It's like pulling teeth, you drive such a hard bargain; it'll just be one gold-digging rumor after another, you and your one suit," he smiles.

"My vote's bahamas, but you're the scheduler. Pick it and book it, and I'll bring the plane. And your one suit. If I remember it. Might have to go without suits." The flirt is loud and clear, with a brush of thumb over the back of her hand.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Even after all this time, he does actually manage to get her blushing. Especially with that comment about leaving the suit behind. It's the same sort of blush that came the first night, in her blue dress, momentarily dancing with her boss. That shy, sometimes awkward Pepper is still stuck in there somehow even as she leans a bit deeper into his touch and he can practically feel some of the tension easing from her ribs and hips as she melts into his lap. "Tony! If you truly plan to be stalked by paparrazi, I am NOT forgetting my swim suit. We aren't going to be in THOSE kind of magazines." Oh yes, she's blushing.

She then clears her throat, trying to pull herself together a bit more. While she was enjoying his lap, he did just say she should book something, so she shifts forward to escape from his arms. If he lets her. It doesn't take much fight to keep her there. "Bahamas it is, then. I'll book the resort. All inclusive. Just through the weekend. We can't miss too much around the office. But...it should be enough to make an... Impression."

Iron Man has posed:
Tony doesn't trap her, he lets her move as she wishes. He has no need to physically be grabby; he has a sense of complete trust with her. There's no reason to try to contain her, he believes she'll always be there. It's taking her for granted, in a way, but it's also a pure type of bond.

"Meaning, a four day weekend," Tony reminds her. Holiday weekend. "Banks are closed anyway. And, worst case, it's a normal sized weekend, if the world's villains decide to be noisy."

Tony stretches, then gets up, pausing with her desk between them, and then coming around the edge of it to follow her to her chair. "I won't bring any projects," Tony tells her more quietly, drawing a hand to the back of her neck against her strawberry blonde hair. "Well, not any that aren't in my head already." Best he can do.

Pepper Potts has posed:
That trust is absolute, from Pepper as well. Even if she habitually jumped right back into working and looking for some acommodations for them. She looks up as he comes around to her desk, then to her side, looking her with a gaze she's not really accustomed to. It's something more gentle and not simply business focused. The hand across the back of her neck actually makes her breath pause just a moment it's so gentle. She simply turns her head, pausing working at the display and giving him all her attention. A quiet kiss is placed to the inside of his wrist, against that pulse point.

"...No projects, hm? I... suppose... I could leave the laptop for emergencies only. Take a day or two... Just you and I. If you don't think you'd be bored of me?" She half teases, but the joke gently covers up the worries that Pepper always has. That she's not the flashy models or glamor girls he used to date. That maybe she's too much work and not enough play.

Iron Man has posed:
"Well, if you /must/ bring yours, I'll bring mine, to not be bored," Tony says, smoothly 'bartering.' This way, he got to offer to give her his complete attention, and then get credit for actually working on a project during the vacation since that's what she wants. Tony's a genius for multiple reasons.

He grins, though, in his shameless way, and drops his head down towards the side of her lips, a confident kiss offered. "If you want some models there I'll be open about it, I suppose, if that's your fantasy," Tony adds, cheeky. It's a joke, he really hasn't looked away from her, now that he's seen her. It's just Pepper, now.

Pepper Potts has posed:
A deeper smirk, "You know this company would fall apart if I didn't bring mine. You can bring ONE project... One. But... we both should try and stop working some. Even if it's just for one of the nights." Pepper objectively knew that it wasn't healthy to work as much as they did. That they probably could do with a few days just to themselves. But work always called. She tilts her head towards his, catching his mouth in that confident kiss. Though her smile turns wry as he adds those words against her lips.

"...I think I can manage without the models. If we can't figure out how to entertain each other for two days while showing off for some pararazzi, then... we're really in trouble for further down the line." She's only half teasing there. Her fingertips slip up, wrapping around the side of his ribs and drawing him a bit closer. "...you... Sure you're ready for this? If the press actually picks it up, its going to be a... Well, it'll be all over the news. You are the press corpse darling or devil, depending on the day."

Iron Man has posed:
"Well, if you say so, I can do that. I promise to drink, party and do the opposite of work for most of the trip," Tony vows, sneaky. Is drinking and partying better than working, from Pepper's viewpoint? It probably isn't.

"Ready for what? For the world to see what I do in you? Sure. Always, Pep." Tony leans into the embrace. "Besides, you've always been by my side. Hardly different." It is, and he knows it, but his confidence is ironclad, and he gives her a proud look. She'll be great.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"...Hardly different?" Pepper's smirk deepens, trying to hide those nerves between her own veil of practical business efficiency. "Having sexual relations with one's employeer is rather different than being... well, an assistant. But yes. I... have always been here. And I'm not going anywhere. We might as well let the papers get their fill." And with that determination, Pepper takes a breath to chase away the last bits of nerves.

She leans up and fully kisses him before finally letting go of his side. "Now shoo. If I'm going to get us a good resort with SOME semblence of privacy, I need to do some research. We'll leave tomorrow afternoon. I promise the new swim suit will not leave... that to the imagination. Go." She winks at him one last time before shifting away so she can sit down at her desk and actually make the travel plans. Excitement has overshadowed her nerves. Mostly.