5244/Small Gestures

Small Gestures
Date of Scene:	18 February 2021
Location:	Stark Tower: Pepper's Office
Synopsis:	Tony gives Pepper Valentines Day flowers, and HOMER is not good at romantic Hallmark Card sayings.
Cast of Characters:	Tony Stark, Pepper Potts

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Tony Stark has posed:
The first thing to hit is not the visual.

It's the scent.
It was subtle in the hallway; sort of a mild pleasant aroma. It came with some softened smiles from coworkers as Pepper arrived for the morning. Why? They're in on it, some of them.

Pepper's office has become an explosive array of flowers. Not just roses - there's a huge variety: white lilies, pink carnations, blushing pinkened baby's breath. It's overwhelmingly packed, with the very clear intention to be, indeed, an onslaught of a display!

Pepper Potts has posed:
It really isn't a day like any other day. This, this is the first time in the last.. many years where Valentine's Day actually might hold some meaning, at least to her. It's the first time she's celebrating it with any thought of the meaning behind it. For lovers.

An early morning of showering, getting ready for the day, and as the *click*click* of heels sound down the hall, there are the glances, the hidden smiles of her coworkers. In a way, she's had this feeling before; that others perhaps know something more than she does, and there's a touch of the unsettled.

As Pepper approaches, the scent of the floral array hints at the edges of her notice.

*click*

With each step closer, it gets a touch stronger. Nothing new in the corridors, no new arrangements.. and Pepper seems to shrug it off, though curiosity begins to tinge her expression.

*click*

"Good morning," is given to her own aide, with the return of, "Good morning, Ms Potts.." perhaps with a touch of a swallowed smile.

The door to her office is gained, and upon the door opening to her, the full force of the blooms makes itself only partially known. Breath is caught in her throat, green eyes widen, and she does forget to breathe. How could she?! The air is a melody of fragrance!

"Oh..."

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony isn't present, but a slightly amused, but professional alternate voice is. There's a beat, while Pepper is allowed to soak in all of the visual, before the AI says, perhaps extremely unnecessarily, "Mr. Stark sends his regards."

As if this explosion of opulence and exessive flowers could have somehow been anyone else.

"He has also requested that I extend an invitation to a private meal this evening on the STARK-003 yacht."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper takes a step in, then another.. the rooms are filled with flowers, floor to ceiling, and the richness of the colors are only surpassed by the sweetness of the smells within. It's almost theatric, the slow turn to take everything in, which isn't truly possible on one simply spin.

The smile on her face, the glitter of her emerald-colored eyes, she positively glows in the happiness of the moment. The only thing, however, that could make it even better?

Homer?

Nope, not quite the voice she wants to hear at the moment, but the message it carries?

"His regards?" Pepper is smirking at the wording of the message, but the rest of it? Brows rise even as she tries to find her way to her desk, made a touch more difficult with the planters, the tables, the blooms that brush against her business suit.

"Tell him I'd love.." Pause. "No.. where is he? I'll tell him myself."

Tony Stark has posed:
"I have paraphrased," admits HOMER, thoughtfully. He then pauses, and then plays an audio clip. Tony's voice.

"HOMER, once she arrives, say...." there's a small pause. "Well, once she's gasped, or awakened from a possible swoon, /then/ say that they were from me, that they're not as beautiful as she is, but it's a start, and... you know what, go ahead and phrase that in a way that doesn't overdo it," Tony laughs.

The audio ends, and HOMER adds, "Mr. Stark is currently returning from the Avengers Mansion, and is parking in the garages."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper finds her desk, with more than a little difficulty when Homer confesses to his paraphrasing. "You have..." slides out slowly, with no real surprise edged to her tones. Eventually he'll learn. Maybe.

"Play me the.." clip, yes, and as his voice fills what few spaces are left of the room, Pepper leans on her desk, eyes closing to take in the moment. The flowers bursting with display and their fragrance, and his voice. As she listens, she can't help but smile, an affectionate, light laugh at the words, and finally, where he is.

"Hmmm?" She has to fully return before the information truly trickles down. When she does, and it does, Pepper straightens from her lean on the desk, and setting what few things she'd carried with her into the office aside, she's working her way out again. The mansion? A flicker of concern creases her face, but it's replaced quickly with the need to see him, make sure all is well. Sometimes 'business trips' are just that, and no monsters are actually part of it!

She'll be meeting him there.

Tony Stark has posed:
Around the time that Pepper makes the scene in the garage, Tony has arrived... and is chatting with HOMER there. He has parked, and seems to have directed a bunch of the little repair bots to leap into action all over the car, polishing it and cleaning it up, going over the windshield with delicate care of their little scrubbers.

"Really, she didn't say anything? That's disappointing," Tony is saying to HOMER, while heading away from the car towards the building proper, but gets distracted by a bot. "Do the whole bay, while you're at it. I think that explosion of dust the other day settled on everything in here," Tony laments.

"Well, no complete sentences," HOMER relates, and Tony considers that, mollified.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper takes off her heels before getting to the stairs, and down she comes into the garage. She doesn't enter fully, instead, she leans on the bannister, her heels in hand, listening to the conversation at hand, that hint of a smile playing on her features. Her cheeks, the light dusting of freckles are glowing still as she listens.

"Tell him what you actually said, Homer," Pepper encourages from her spot as an introduction to a happier greeting. "Go on."

She reaches the bottom of the steps, only to put her shoes back on before she begins her path across the expanse of garage. "You," she simply can't help herself, "are..." and the smile, the happy laugh simply doesn't allow her to finish the statement.

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony doesn't startle; he immediately sides with Pepper against the AI. "What did you doooooo," Tony asks the ceiling warningly, before smirking slyly and gesturing with a hand as Homer answers with a "I conveyed---"

The hand gesture is taken into account, and Homer quiets at the discharge of interest from Tony as he crosses over to Pepper instead. "Incredible. Amazing." .... "How about 'Spectacular'?" Tony suggests, attempting to put his arms around her, folding his hands together at the base of her spine, to hug her in smoothly.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"...your regards, yes," Pepper smirks playfully as she finishes the cross, met halfway by Tony.

She takes a deep breath as she moves to wrap her arms around his neck, stepping into an embrace. "Mmmhmm.. modest, but in this case, deserved." Her features are still so very bright, her eyes shining as she looks into his. "I couldn't find my desk."

Tony Stark has posed:
"My regards," Tony repeats, with a slant of eyes skyward in a 'oh dear, help me' roll. He releases a little huff of breath through his lips as she relates how terribly the AI did. "Yet another reason to swap HOMER and JARVIS around. JARVIS would have had something better for you -- or at least known /my/ intent, like you do. Too bad I can't have you write a romantic message to yourself."

Tony pauses, reconsidering that. "I can't do that, can I?" he questions, in mock whisper.

A grin follows, and he flippantly comments, "It was /supposed/ to be something more like... I say lots of things, but it's sometimes hard to say the things I want to say the most... maybe the flowers can be a start of the conversation, though." Tony's lips quirk slightly in a sideways smile, dark eyes showing a more serious tone.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper's eyes don't leave his own, looking into them with such affection, the smile easily reaching them in her laugh. "It was pretty horrible," she agrees at the edge of amusement, "and I can't say I wouldn't be happy if JARVIS was home." Her voice lowers into a conspiratorial whisper, the laugh still tinging her tones, "He did try, though. After that." Still, she so misses Jarvis.

Brows rise and she cants her head sideways, theatrically studying him in one of those looks. "No," she says simply. "You're on your own with that one."

What he does recite, even in his light, seemingly flippant air gains a warm, much happier (if it was possible) smile. Her muscles relax under his touch, and she melts into him for a warm embrace. "That's better than I could write for myself," is whispered.

Tony Stark has posed:
"Turns out I'm pretty good when I wing it," Tony teases her, tone quiet, low, but smile warming. His clear pleasure at her melting reaction seems to cause all other lack of response to fade away into the background, as he instead adds a kiss, and then draws her towards the inside by the waist, still by his side.