2974/Goodnight. Maybe.

Goodnight. Maybe.
Date of Scene:	18 August 2020
Location:	Stark Tower: Elevator
Synopsis:	Tony ambushes Pepper for dinner.
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Tony Stark

---

Pepper Potts has posed:
It's nice to get back into the swing of things at work. It's a comfortable feeling when work is just work; no working on how to save the world other than with the 'usual'. Even meetings feel as if they flow better. Or, it could be the fact that Ms Pepper Potts is happier than she has been. And work for her has been pretty fulfilling in the past.

Still, a day's work means at the end of it, she can relax. Behind her, the dark city still glows with its luminscence, but there's rain. It's not a stormy sort of rain, but a 'constant' sort; one that requires an umbrella'd escort to a waiting sedan to take her home to the Upper West Side.

--- Elsewhere in the building

"Sir," HOMER's voice interrupts the flow of whatever it is that Tony may be doing, regardless of where he may be as per request, "Ms Potts' office is registering a decrease in power."

--- Back in Pepper's office

Indeed, Pepper's sliding her pumps back on, and is powering down her laptop, her desktop, and is taking her phone in hand. It's just a pull of her suit jacket from the back of her chair, and once she shrugs it on, pulling at it so it lays right, Pepper's crossing the room in order to turn out her lights. She's a creature of habit, so the moment she's at the door?

The phone is palmed again and maneuvered for a quick thumb call on a contact page that has a picture of Iron Man with the absolutely chuffed kid. One of the many.. and it's a second before, "HOMER? It's Pepper. Put the call through, please?" It's something that's said more than once, and sometimes she gets the feeling of annoyance that there's yet one more thing that keeps her from him. It's nothing really, something, nothing.. and HOMER's voice returns smoothly,

"Mr. Stark is unavailable, but I will convey the message that you called. Have a wonderful night, Ms Potts." At the same time, the connection on her phone is closed, and she's left standing there, staring at it in hand.

"HOMER?" Now she asks directly, "Is he in the lab?" Pepper's on her way out the door now, closing it and catching the sound it makes as it's locked. She's torn.. go up and see him, or go down.. pick up some food, then go up.

Food actually wins out, and she exhales in a sigh, making her way to the elevator and down. Her night just got a little longer, but it's okay, right? Instead of chinese, as the elevator dings down, Pepper's considering Middle Eastern. Little curries, some couscous..

Once on the bottom floor, the bell *dings* its chime, and the door opens, allowing Pepper to step out.

Tony Stark has posed:
Normally there is a pause when Pepper asks questions about Tony's location: because HOMER doesn't volunteer Tony information without Tony's consent, a lot of the time. HOMER hasn't gotten his permissions changed lately, so it's the same as it used to be: that he'd let Tony know, and then get the information he should convey back. HOMER is tireless about it: a benefit to being an AI, and not a frustrated go-between human assistant!

"Tell her I'm finishing working, but am starting a project," Tony chuckles. Tony himself is in the elevator now; he'd taken it down after the report that Pepper was finishing up in her office. A plan is in motion!

"Mr. Stark is finishing with his current work items, and beginning another project," The AI dutifully lets Pepper know as she boards one of the elevators.

Tony beat Pepper down to the bottom, and he gives her room to get most of the way through the lobby before he smoothly moves to catch up with her and fall into step. "So my thought is: we go out to eat," Tony says, flashing her a pleased sideways smile, brown eyes warm with a hope of seeing her surprise.... and maybe happiness.

Tony is dressed to go outside in the rain; he's in comfortable streetwear, though the hood on his jacket isn't raised yet.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"I see," Pepper drawls in response to HOMER's information, and she considers before, "We're having Middle Eastern tonight." Just in case the AI cares to convey that information back.

But, she is at the Lobby level, heels *click* on the marble floor as she passes the back area, the steel and glass of the architecture replaced since the last 'mishap'. She's a woman with purpose, and green eyes are set forward in her walk, so she does actually startle the moment Tony steps in line with her.

Pepper pauses in her progress to turn and look at him, green eyes wider open, her tones sounding a hint of confusion. "What? I thought HOMER said..." It's a recovery, though, as her features brighten, green eyes light as she rocks back slightly, that happy smile on her face. "A project, huh?" She laughs at the ploy, shaking her head affectionately.

"Dinner. You and me," Pepper's voice lowers and she takes a half-step towards him, reaching to take his hand, that little bit of a public display of affection, to entwine fingers for a moment. Her tones remain intimate; reserved for them alone, "I'd love dinner out. It's a wonderful surprise."

Tony Stark has posed:
"You caught on to the nature of this project quickly, guess that's why you make the big bucks," Tony teases her automatically, laughing and smiling back as she steps towards him to take his hand. He pulls her towards him by the hand as she does that, intending to draw her in and off-balance.

Tony doesn't, and has never really, cared about who is watching him do any number of things. There's no shame to Tony at all, and it wouldn't have mattered if the lobby /were/ full of people. It isn't, it's late of course, and Tony isn't wildly obvious anyway: his attention is on Pepper.

"Great. I was going to say a walk, but seems like somebody decided to rain on that idea, so we're going to have to adapt on the fly," Tony sighs. He adds, "I blame Thor." For the weather. Which might not be wrong.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper's eyes light at his teasing compliment, and there's that ghosted smile, "I've learned how to speak 'Tony'. Do you realize how many times I've had to translate you-speak into something that other people could understand?" The point is, it's not that she //knows// him, it's that she's attuned to him. They've managed unspoken conversations before, and this?

She reached, he draws her in; the moment she made contact, she can feel her heart beat in her chest, the warmth of his hand radiating. Her other hand rises to rest on his jacketed arm, and she can feel the strength there. There's her moment of self-consciousness, but she's near him. With him. He's hers, and the world? "This will be the first time I share you with the world. My little bit of you," is murmured. Her eyes search his own, and she smiles tightly before she nods at unasked question. She can do it!

"Mmmm.. you know, I don't mind the rain right now." The smile widens, and Pepper inclines her head again before she quirks it to the side slightly. Her tones lilt with playful affection, though they're still quiet; meant only for him. "I think we can blame Thor on this. Messing up our first date out. He'll owe us, you know."

Tony Stark has posed:
"You're suggesting I speak in tongues or complicated manner just to impress. You're confusing me with Dr. Pym, or one of the others," Tony retorts, /scoffs/, but his smile is real.

Eyebrow is tipped up at her, a dark arch in amusement. "To share me, that requires I be yours, doesn't it?" Tony questions. He's a quick one; nothing gets past the sharp Stark intellect. He's teasing and amused at first, but then he reads the warmth on her expression, sees her vulnerability there in it, in her pleasure. He sees the search of his eyes, and he picks up on the importance of it. This is outside of the 'silly meaningless flirtation' area that Tony is more used to.

Tony also picks up her private tone, and looks around them. "Nobody's staring," Tony says to her quietly, with a natural little wink. "Not yet, anyway. Let me know when I'm allowed to kiss you in public, okay?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper stands there for a few heartbeats longer as Tony sounds amused, teasing her, and there's the second where she can almost feel her heart fall into her stomach. There's the rescue there, the proof that he at least sort of understood what she was saying, what she was feeling. Nope, didn't lose it! A deep breath is taken when her body realizes she hasn't actually breathed during those seconds, and once past the moment, there's a little pinkening to her cheeks left behind.

Why is this any different than any other time they've gone out? It shouldn't be, right? "I feel like they're going to stare," Pepper murmurs. Exactly, 'not yet'.

Pepper breathes again, and his question as to when he can kiss her in public? Brows rise and she chuffs a soft breath as she tries to get her footing once more. She did say she was ready for this! "Now?" Pepper looks at him for a long moment before she leans in to lay a soft, brushed kiss against his lips. Only then will she be able to leave the relative safety of the lobby.

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony's dark eyes had flitted aside, back to the people around them, as Pepper remarked that people were going to stare. Again, still something Tony didn't necessarily mind. Nor was it unusual. He attracts the public eye all the time: in fact, it would be more odd to him to blend into somewhere. He has no concept of stealth, not really. It just isn't part of his world awareness.

Tony's gaze snapped back to her quickly as she leaned in, and brushed lips to his. There's a very rare expression on Stark. He didn't expect or anticipate that /at all/, and she caught him off-guard and... therefore speechless for at least a few beats, where he just stares at her, brown eyes widened.

/Well/.

"Well, if you're going to, no need to half-ass it," Tony quips, recovering, and leaning in to kiss her more deliberately, intentionally, and then draw his head back, with a smile that's not sly, not mean, but... softened.

Pepper Potts has posed:
For Pepper's part, she's a 'blend in' sort of girl. She's the one to make sure that everything that needs to happen around and behind Tony is done, so he can do what he does. She's sidelines, part and parcel of the retinue. This, this is an adjustment that she //said// she was ready for, but it will take a little time.

The kiss. The brush of lips in passing had a twofold purpose for her. It was something of a reacknowledgment that she and he were.. really a thing. That this wasn't another foray, another outing, and two? To give Tony something of an answer. Something to tell him that she was okay.

When Pepper pulls back slowly, she catches the surprised look on his face. Green eyes are bright, dancing, and affectionate; full of warm emotions that she couldn't even begin to put into words as she catches him that little bit off-guard. It's his reaction after that, though, that has her head spinning, and there? There are those rockets.

She's drawn into his embrace, not 'half-assing' it anymore. Arms drape over his shoulders, fingers play at the short hair at the back of his neck for those both impossibly long and short seconds that she's captivated. It's returned, and she can feel those knees weakening.

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony had been playing, he'd been doing his usual dance of flirt and charismatic banter. He's been on a lot of dates, and he's familiar with Pepper, so he went into it a little unsure, but relying on his general good instincts with the ladies.

Pepper had surprised him, and he immediately had responded with raising the stakes, and not really thinking of the consequences of that. That he might feel something as well.

It had been intended as a bold, hot kiss to impress. But it sort of changed from that as he found her arms coming around his neck, and reveal more of her heart to him. He hadn't really seen it fully, and he didn't expect it in the lobby while flirting and playing. Once the kiss parts he stays close, clearing his throat a little, but looking at her: her eyes and face, studying her expression.

But Tony just can't leave something alone, he has to /talk/....

"Good start to the date."

Pepper Potts has posed:
While Tony's been on many dates, sweeping countless women off their feet a countless number of times (really, Pepper's lost count!), the redhead hasn't been on nearly as many since her employment with SI. Count them on one hand, almost two. And if a second date happened? A third rarely, if ever, did. He's got experience on her, certainly.

Pepper has something on all those countless dates of his past, though. She's his past, present, and at this moment, nothing to suggest that she won't be there for his future in one capacity or another. The kiss, on her part, was a sign. The kiss on his?

Sealed. Delivered.

Pepper's arms are still draped about his neck, and when it comes to its end, and she pulls back a little, she's still so close. It takes her those extra seconds to stop her head from spinning, and in that meantime, her mien is bright, almost brilliantly so.

When he does say something, it's about the time when she fully expects it. What he'd say, though, is anyone's guess. Including hers.

There it is, and her lips press together gently, eyes dancing as they look into his dark ones.

"I think I'm ready to face the world."