my own self-fufiling prophecy.

[irondick]

[ he's drumming his fingers on the desk, watching Pepper out of the corner of his eye, though pretending to be focused on his cell texting Bruce. She's talking to the board and Tony -- well Tony's there because he was dragged there. It was needed? He's not so sure, Pepper has this, she always has this sort of thing. But, Tony is wont to deny that this is something he enjoyed about Pepper -- that she could handle this sort of thing and still handle him. He might be smiling a bit more smug than ever.

He finally shoots Pepper a proper look and glances down at his watch in a tell that, they are going to be late for lunch at Pepper's favourite place and Tony had to pull strings to get the slot he wanted to. ]

Comments

[saltand]

"No, we aren't agreeing to those terms." she explained to the person across the table. "You know those only benefit you. You have to by now. Otherwise, we just wasted the last half an hour. Anyways..." she said, finally noticing Tony. "I have an appointment. We'll break until tomorrow. Meeting adjourned." She stood, giving Tony a rather strained smile, before reaching across the table to offer a handshake to the person she had argued with. After that courteous motion, she turned to her boyfriend wih a smile.

"Let's go."

[irondick]

"The fact that you did that without even batting an eye makes me infinitely more attracted to you, Pepper Potts," Tony rumbled out, standing slowly and moving to wrap an arm around her waist and tug her into his side. "Also makes me even more glad that I'm not the guy you just bullied into doing whatever the hell you want. Have you ever thought about taking up being a dominatrix? Because you could definitely make a killing with men like him, it's a viable option you should look into if I ever decide that I am not worthy of your beautiful face looking at me every morning."

The grin spread and he dropped a kiss onto her cheek and let her go. "Ladies first, beauty before brains after all."

[saltand]

"It isn't exactly what I would plan on doing. Killing isn't on my resume." she joked, accepting the kiss with a smile. "And I deal with douchebags like him for a living. And you." she added, shooting him a look. She preened at the kiss, grin widening as sh with she seeped outside the board room, walking towards the exit.

"Thank you for taking me out to lunch, Tony. It means a lot." she planted a kiss on his cheek. He relieved her stress sometimes. Other days, he caused it. Thankfully, today was not one of those days, and she was perfectly content with him today and they could act like a normal couple.

Hopefully.

[irondick]

"I think you misunderstood what I meant," Tony replied, nuzzling his cheek and laughing low in his throat. "Oh, I'm glad I'm on a separate level from them. If I wasn't I think I'd have to do a bit of soul searching and wonder where our relationship was going, Ms. Potts." A beat passed, he pressed another kiss to her cheek and smiled bright -- reaching his eyes and making deep brown almost glow and the arc reactor seemed to brighten with his eyes.

The praise left him preening and laughing quietly to himself, stopping her for a moment to tug her in and finally kissed her lightly on the mouth. "How could I not, Pep," he started, mouth spreading wider in his show of affection and happiness. "You're getting stressed and I do not want my girlfriend," he stroked his hands up her forearms to her elbows and tugged her in. "To ever get too cranky for me to handle."

[saltand]

"Maybe, maybe not." she smirked, teeth showing as it turned into a full blown smile as she pulled her in, eyes smiling too, truly happy and not smarmy for once. He made her feel warm, and she looked down at his reactor for a second as it seemed to glow more.

"Seems like you've got a Stark Industries mood ring there. I heard it doubles as a heart, too."she kissed him back just as lightly, laughing a bit as he pulled her in. "Now I can't promise that. I can say I'll be okay for now, though." she laughed, smiling at him.

[irondick]

"It comes in red and yellow too, I'm told, I'll get you one," Tony chimed and pulled away slightly. "Lunch, then we'll go and get you those shoes you were eyeing. Maybe some clothes? Not sure yet. I know you like shopping, I like shopping, we should do it together."

[saltand]

"You don't have to do that, Tony." she shook her head. "After all that stuff you buy me already, I'm surprised you haven't gone broke yet." she laughed, smiling at him and then turning to open the door. She asked the valet to bring up the car, and after it was done, took the keys and unlocked the car, setting the keys on the driver's seat for Tony.

"He's out sick today. The driver, I mean. I hope you know how to drive this thing." she said incredulously as she strapped herself in the passengers side.

[irondick]

"I'll have you know that I am the best driver you will ever have the pleasure of driving with," Tony paused only for a moment and slid down to sit in next to her. "And that I enjoy making sure that one Pepper Potts has everything she could ever think is pretty. Have I told you yet that I'm working on a way to get you the moon? I think I have a solution that doesn't involve me taking a laser and writing your name into the side of it, apparently astrophysicists and astronomers get very angry if you suggest doing that -- oh by the way, update the list of places I'm banned from to include NASA and CERN."

[saltand]

"Tony." she said, shaking her head. "I enjoy the thought, but the moon? Pretty sure that belongs to everyone. And I don't like stealing. I also don't date criminals." she went on, laughing as she played with the radio and turned it to a soft classical station to play in the background.

[irondick]

"Trust me, you can do that right?" Tony hummed out and laughed quietly, finally peeling out of the parking spot and sped his way towards the bistro she loved in a part of Brooklyn.

"So, I'm thinking, we shut your work off to your personal assistant -- you do that right? You don't pamper her, right? Because making me look bad is not good for the company image, Ms. Potts," Tony shot her a look, before turning his eyes back onto the road. "Anyways, shunt it off on her for the next week and you and me will go and take a vacation to London? France? Milan? Monte Carlo? Somewhere-- And have a nice week to ourselves. We earned it, okay let's face it, I earned it."

[saltand]

She nods. "I'm sorry, I couldn't do that to her. I have a whole budget plan I have to write up and a bunch of meetings. After all, I do a lot of your work." she explained, then looked out the window. "Maybe sometime when I'm not as busy." she said. "I'd love to go to France, though. See the sights. Not just hear about them from my boyfriend." she smiled. "What was your favorite thing there, anyways? The girls?"

[irondick]

Tony paused for a only a second and answered. "The food, in all honesty, nothing like a proper french meal." He hummed and furrowed his brows, eyes narrowed out the window and already he was working ways to get the woman out of her duties. "Think I could take Natasha to play 'replacement' for a bit?"

[saltand]

"Doubt it, and you really think she wants to after all that?" she explained, giving him a look like he was insane. "She doesn't like me, either, remember?"

[irondick]

"Lies and slander, she likes you, apparently that's how she shows her 'approval', Barton called you a 'good influence' on her. I just want to see you two make out," Tony replied nonchalantly, as if he was talking about the weather and not his girlfriend and Barton's partner and whatever else making out for Tony's own pleasure.

[saltand]

"What?! No. I'm not kissing Natasha for your creepy lesbian fantasies. And she does not like me. Girls know this things." she said. "You're disgusting." she looked out the window in a look of disgust, shaking her head. Sometimes, Tony was a pain.

This was one of those times.

[irondick]

"Your girldar is broken, I'm telling you Natasha likes you," Tony urged and then paused and smiled brightly. "Oh, come on. Not like you don't imagine making out with someone who's not me. Be open, it's a fantasy. It's hot to me. Means you're hot to me. Because woah, Pepper Potts, I have seen you out of your clothes and you are smoking. Oh come on stop that, Pep, no, Pep. I'll be good." He whined, tossing her a proper look as he pouted for only a few seconds to turn back onto the road.

"They're also not creepy, most of them are classy and end with me actually getting cockblocked -- Wow, that says a lot about me."

[saltand]

"And the person who told you that was a guy. I swear she doesn't like me." and she bites her lip at the next statement. "Only a bit. And flattery isn't going to help you here, and I know how long that promise will last." In turn, she shot him a look.

"I meant your fantasy was creepy. I wouldn't do that unless my life depended on it."

[irondick]

"And this guy knows Natasha better than you do, dude is a bro and a ho, I don't get how, but he does it." Tony pouted and glanced at her in the rear view mirror.

"No, it's classy, you're classy and you only deserve to star in the classiest fantasies of mine. But seriously, Pepper, it's a fantasy, it's meant to stay like that."

[saltand]

"You just don't want to admit that deep down it's dirty and a regular guy thing." she retorted. "But if that's your classiest, I guess I should be thankful. It could be worse." Like....she didn't know, a stupid porno plot fantasy. She wasn't sure, but she figured it was time to change the subject.

"....If you can convince her, I'll go. To France."