17186/A Very Tony Valentine

A Very Tony Valentine
Date of Scene:	15 February 2024
Location:	Stark Tower: Penthouse
Synopsis:	Pepper comes home to a surprise - Tony in the kitchen. Turns out he can cook. And that he actually can share his feelings with her.
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Pepper Potts

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Tony Stark has posed:
    Valentine's Day not being one that counts as an actual holiday, people still have to work. This includes Pepper, who had a fairly normal day in the office. Nothing terribly hard to deal with, but more normal, fairly boring documents and reports.

    Upon stepping out of the elevator, Tony isn't in sight. This is actually normal, since he's usually a floor down in the workshop or god knows where in a suit of armor. What is unusual is the noise coming from the kitchen - sounds of pots clanking and various chopping sounds, followed by Tony's voice. "No dummy, slower and smoother. Yeah, like that. Now keep doing that until I tell you to stop."

    Now, this is unusual. Tony's normal methods of getting meals include the microwave in his workshop or takeout delivered to the receptionist and brought upstairs by a modern day dumbwaiter.

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's true; Valentine's Day is a work day like all the others. It's a day filled with reports, with phone calls, with data distribution, with PR approvals for different projects.. and, of course, preparing for the Board of Trustees meeting at the end of the week. Glossies don't make themselves, after all. Nor power point presentations.

At the end of the day, Pepper's done. Done? Done.. but not really done. Pepper has never above bringing work upstairs to the Penthouse to finish up one or two things. As the elevator door opens to the Penthouse suite, she steps off and removes her shoes immediately, slippng them off while keeping her laptop and pad in hand. Barefoot now, Pepper pads across the expanse, her head turned towards the noise, brows rising. Instead, then, of sitting down, she sets her electronics down and looks towards the busy-ness that is the kitchen.

"What are you doing in there?"

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony calls out from the kitchen "Well, it's Valentine's Day and you had to keep my company running, so I thought I'd do something special for it. And cooking is a good deal like engineering really. Pick a blueprint, follow the process and out comes food."

    The sound of the oven opening and closing is followed by the command "Now keep stirring that until I come back." Tony steps out of the kitchen holding a bottle of wine, which he takes over to a table near the doors to the balcony. He then puts the bottle down on it and lights a pair of candles he's already put in place. "Lights forty percent. Romantic music, low volume."

    Quiet piano music starts to play as he walks over to Pepper and smiles, asking "Be my Valentine?" as he takes her hand.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper stands there for a long moment, her head canting, and there is that ghost of a smile that reaches green eyes, showing that fondness and affection that has been there for what seems an eternity for her. "That is very sweet," she returns, her voice low. "You really didn't have to..." Well, okay.. he probably did. "This takes care of at least 500 of those 1000 times you have to make up to me." She's teasing, really.

"I have.." but as the music comes on, the romantic strains of violins, violas, the crooning of some, Pepper drops the thought and reaches out to take his hand. "Of course," and with that, she steps in closer, "Are you going to let me get used to this?"

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony grins and steps a little closer to kiss her gently, then says "You never know, maybe it's the start of a trend. Being me though, I'll probably build cooking robots." He shrugs, adding "Still, I'll try to remember to spoil you a little more. You deserve it just for putting up with me most days."

    Another light kiss, then he leads her over to the table and pulls out a chair for her. "Here we go, the first part should be done in about a minute." Once she sits down, his watch beeps. "See, perfect timing." He heads back into the kitchen, where she hears him say "Good, that's just right." Plates clink while he says "Don't mess with the dishes, you'd probably break them" before he comes back out with two plates.

    He sets one down in front of her before walking around the table to his seat and putting the other plate down before he takes his seat. "Lobster risotto. Gordon Ramsey has nothing on a chef with his own stirring robot." Who knew that Dum-E could cook as well as assemble components? He opens the wine and pours a measure into each glass. "Enjoy."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper leans into the kiss, and lingers just a heartbeat away before pulling back a little further. There's that smile again, the sort that she simply can't help. "I'll put it on your schedule." Her tones are gently teasing, wry humor that is founded in decided affection. "And you're actually getting easier. But," she allows herself to be led towards the table, "don't take that as a challenge. I like this change of pace."

The courtesy of a gentleman as the chair is pulled; Tony knows how to court women, how to impress, to push all the right buttons for the perfect response. When he wants to. It's one of the thing Pepper loves about him. "First part.." and there's a soft sound of delight that rises, "You really.. Oooh, Lobster risotto? Isn't that hard to make?" Her eyes narrow, "Are you sure you didn't hire Gordon Ramsey? Though, I think you might have something. Stirring robots. Maybe you can market them?" She doesn't want them in her kitchen while she's cooking, however..

Tony Stark has posed:

    "I'll admit that I thought about hiring someone, but I decided that it would be better if I did it. My money isn't the sort of thing that impresses you, I'm past that." He pauses, then asks metaphorically "I wonder if this is what growing up is like? Anyway, I decided to do it myself, with just a little help."

    "Apparently one of the things about risotto is that you have to stir it nonstop, so I brought Dum-E up and put him to a simple task. But now that you mention it, I could probably miniaturize him and start a line of kitchen assistants." His eyes go a bit blank as his brain starts designing, but he brings himself back with a little jerk of the head.

    "But that's an issue for another time. Tonight is about us, because I know quite well that 'getting easier' is still miles away from what most women would put up with, and I love you all the more for cracking through that hard shell I keep around me. And I don't mean any of the suits." He picks up his wine glass and raises it slightly, "To us."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I admit, it is probably every woman's dream to have a hired chef cook a romantic meal," but the way Pepper's sounding, she's not one of them. "I think it's much nicer that you did it." Her Tony. THAT impresses her. Not the way he can move money around.

As he talks, discussing the nuances of stirring and how he's got one of his more well trained robot side-kicks on the job, Pepper is able to just listen to him. His words, the cadence, how much thought that he's put into it all. There.. there is the genius that she knows so well as considerations spring to mind on what other technological breakthroughs to become common household items could come forth. The fact that he pulled himself out of his reverie before she had to do so speaks volumes.

"Another time," and she's only got eyes for him; there could be explosions going on around them, and she wouldn't even know. "You are going to spoil me," she laughs softly. "Just this is enough." The glass is raised, just slightly, before she adds, "But don't stop." A pause comes before she offers her own feelings, "I love you to the moon and back. But, knowing you, I think I could make it to Mars.. with a little help.

"To us."

And there, on his nightstand, is a small card that says exactly the same thing, and beside it, a holographic rendering of Marss.. with a bow and a heart wrapped about its orbit.. there and back again.

Tony Stark has posed:
    "I kind of figured you'd feel that way. I think we've been to enough dinners made by some of the best chefs in the world that one more wouldn't be that big of a thing." His watch beeps again, "Ah, there's the main dish. Be right back." He gets up and heads into the kitchen.

    After the rattle of a couple more plates. he reappears and sets a plate down in front of her, taking the other to his seat. "Hopefully this is actually good, it caught my eye when I was looking for things to make. It's chicken with sauteed apples and mushrooms. Certainly smells nice enough."

    He grins, "As for Mars, I bet I could get us there if I put a little work in on it. But then if we have kids they'd be Martians, and from the movies I've seen, nothing good ever happens when the Martians show up."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper sets the glass down after taking the toast's sip from it, only to start on the lobster risotto. It's creamy, and she dips her fork in to try; it's delicious. "I think you're close to a Michelin Star," and once a couple more bites are taken, she nods. "When we retire," we? "I think we could set up a little restaurant on a beach somewhere."

And there, he's off again, and Pepper puts her fork down, hands go to her lap where her napkin is. The aroma is.. "Oh, Tony. That smells amazing. What-" and there is the answer. "I smelled the apples, and the mushrooms." A nice, sweet with earthy fragrence. "It is perfect. You actually looked.." for things. If the entire dinner idea wasn't enough to melt her, there the fact that he has been planning this?

A laugh escapes, even as she takes up her fork again. "Well, if they're anything like you..." There's a pause before, "I think it'll be fine."

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony grins as she praises the food, noting to himself that he was right, cooking is just engineering with squishier substances. "I could probably live with that as long as I have a workshop attached to it. Just because the body ages doesn't mean my head will let me stop inventing things. Hmm, I wonder if it could be the world's first fully automated restaurant. That'd give us more beach time."

    "It actually does smell nice. Better now than it was making it, which wasn't too bad to begin with. It was the apple thing that caught my eye, it's not something I've seen with chicken before." He looks over to her with a smile, "Well, you deserve it. Especially today. I've got three hundred sixty four other days of the year to be an opinionated narcissist."

    He chuckles "If they're anything like me, we'll probably both end up in the loony bin by the time they're eight. I'll need to invent puzzle toys nobody's even considered before just to keep them busy." He takes a bite of the chicken dish, then says "Damn, this _is_ good. I'll have to keep this recipe around, it's worth making more than once."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Workshop, yes," Pepper nods her head and holds up her fork, gesturing at the food with it, "If you promise to make this at least once a week." A soft 'mmm' escapes and she takes another bite. "See now, I like the idea of more beach time." She does spend a good amount of time on the balcony and yacht in the sunny months, even though it causes the freckles to be a little more pronounced.

As they eat, she nods her head in the conversation. "It made the entire Penthouse smell delicious." Normally, she's got flowers to help keep the living area smelling good. Some nights, candles..

She deserves it? Pepper smiles and sets her fork down only to reach across the table for his hand, "You might actually start cutting back on those days. I really do love everything you've done.

"And if they're anything like you, I only give us to five.." There's that smile again, that fondness that easily reaches green eyes. "You //and// they will have to invent games." Shaking her head, Pepper finishes, "I might retreat to the kitchen.. and keep making this. As soon as you give me the recipe."

Tony Stark has posed:
    "Ok, it's a deal. And yeah, I've noticed your attachment to the big ball of fire." He waggles a finger, "Just remember, too much can be bad for you." Tony Stark giving a warning about taking things to excess? That's the pot calling the kettle black given his history. "While it is a nice scent, I think it would be a bit difficult keeping it going all through the week."

    He shrugs a little, "Maybe, but it's an awful lot of work to constantly remind myself not to tell people they're dumb when they're being dumb. And let's face it, I really am just that good, so the narcissism comes naturally. I've just learned to tone it down around you because you're worth it. It'd be an awful lot of work to censor myself around everyone." He looks over at her slyly, "Besides, that's the Tony you fell for, since I certainly wasn't toning it down before we got together."

    He pauses, then says "Ok, now we're talking about kids past the little offhand joke. I'm not sure if I should be happy or scared. And somehow, with you around I think we could handle it."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I happen to love being in the sun. I still get work done, and there are times when I can get Janet out, which is important. She needs a little more healthy encouragement. So sun it is." Well, and yoga. The sly smirk rises, of course, as he begins the light 'lecture' regarding excesses, and her brows rise. "Mmmhmm.."

She's not let go of his hand, not really, and Pepper offers a light sigh, her shoulders dipping a little. "I realized that I loved you.. well, okay, I accepted that I actually loved you years ago, when you were still a womanizing, gambling, drinking to excess.. you." Jerk. Narcissistic jerk. "But I saw more in there. I thought I might be seeing things, but I was right." Her head dips and her voice lowers, "Don't you dare go back to doing all of those things." It also took her a long time to see herself //as good// as those models and actresses that threw themselves at him, or their agents did that for them. "I happen to like //my// Tony."

Pepper laughs and finally retakes her hand. "Just .. little what-ifs. What if our lives were different. I can't see us giving this up for a little island restaurant. You need your workshop, your ... everything around you. And me? I like what I'm doing. When it works, but I like this. I like my life." She offers a gentle smile, "Maybe."

Tony Stark has posed:
    "Yeah, Janet probably could use some healthy influence. She reminds me of me before I decided to rein it in for you. And that's not really a healthy lifestyle." He laughs and hakes his head. "I know, I know, I'm the last person to be telling you something like that. But now I have a vested interest in your health, so yeah, going to watch out for you even if it does seem a teensy bit hypocritical."

    He shakes his head and says, "No worries there, I've got no reason now that I have you. What we have is so much better than all that meaningless crap I got into before. It was all an effort to escape, you know? Now I don't need to escape. Well, not as much, at least. And the escapes I need now I can do by hiding in my workshop until the annoying person goes away."

    "Your Tony... I like the sound of that. Nobody's ever really wanted me to be theirs, not in a real way, at least. Lots of people have wanted Tony the walking wallet or Tony the party creator, but not just me." He smiles at her and nods his head, "I'm definitely yours, Pep. And yeah, I like things the way they are too. Except for the occasional supervillain who upsets everything and makes me fly off in the armor. I think I could use less of that, but I might get bored without it. You know how easily that can happen."

Pepper Potts has posed:
It isn't often that Tony drops the facade, that forward facing mask of perpetual confidence, and the snark isn't anywhere to be seen. It's this time, these moments that Pepper guards so fiercely; she shares so much of Tony with the world, and the parts that are hers are only hers. Not only can he trust her with corporate secrets, but also secrets of the heart.

"I want you around for a long time to come, too." And, to make sure he remembers, "You're still all I have." He's right.. and to a lesser extent, Pepper feels the same in a great deal of her relationships. Some seek to use her as 'Proximity to the great Tony Stark' or once the secret was let out, 'Proximity to Iron Man', but over the years, she's learned to spot them from a mile away.

"My Tony." The words truly do fall trippingly off the tongue. "There are always going to be people targeting you. I've learned that when you were gone," in the desert, kidnapped. "The suit at least helps you?" That's how she rationalizes the Iron Man suit, above and beyond the good that Tony does on a regular basis. "I think you'd be miserable without him," the suit, "I really could do without the occasional supervillain, though. The ones that rip out entire neighborhoods, or.. declare war on Nw York.. or.." Her words falter there as she tries to conjure up others, but fails. "I don't know. All I know is that I'd be lost without you. So.." A smile comes back up from the momentary seriousness of her feeling, "I need you around. Even in your workshop. That's fine. I'll keep the jerks away." Promise.

Tony Stark has posed:
    Tony is kind of working his way through a lot of new feelings these days. Tony Stark, billionaire genius and partier never really paid much attention to his feelings. He had fun, he had women and people who wanted to be around him, so that must be happiness, right? Everyone seemed to want to be him, so he must be doing it right.

    Boy, was he ever wrong.

    What he has with Pepper is real, and feels so much better than having drunk models throwing themselves at him. "Yeah, me too. I wasted a lot of years before we found each other, so we need to stick around for a long time to make up the time. And yeah, the armor's important. Without it I'd be a sitting duck for the next guy who comes along looking to kidnap or kill me. Or you, for that matter. Especially if you're guarding me from the jerks."

    He pauses, then grins and says "Huh, maybe I should make a suit for you, then you'd be safer too. Heck, even just something you can activate that HOMER would pilot just to get you out of a bad situation, like an escape pod."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Can HOMER do that? Is something like that in your suit?" If so, that'd make Pepper feel so much better. Not only is there a GPS that HOMER or JARVIS can track him, but a recall? Lifting a hand, Pepper waves it to dismiss the words, "No, not talking about work or Iron Man or the Avengers or anything like that. Not tonight. Tonight is about us. You and me." She really does love just looking at him; handsome, strong shoulders and arms.. "And a little bit of day dreaming and what-ifs."

To be honest, Pepper hasn't really considered the possibility of //her// being kidnapped or an attempt on her life due to proximity. The expression on her face easily gives away the fact that it is dawning on her. "No," she shakes her head, "I'm pretty sure that not a lot of people would actually recognize me." After all, while the tabloids went a little nuts to see the same redhead on Tony's arm more than once, there haven't really been too many stories or deep dives trying to figure out who she was. Virginia "Pepper" Potts just isn't as much a feature in peoples' homes as Tony is. Doesn't mean, of course, that those bad guys that are paying attention won't go after her. Weak link and all.

"A suit for me? Oh, I don't think I'd need one. No one's ever going to even consider me..". It's an argument, but a weak one. And, not one that she wants to consider at dinner.

"We'll talk about that later. For now? After dinner, I have your present too.." The dinner is certainly not one to be wasted; from the lobster risotto to the chicken with apples and mushrooms, it proves that the best gifts are those not necessarily bought in the corner boutique but from the heart. A scribble here, a cut-out heart there.. a dinner, a dance, and renewed promises to love.