New York - Tony Stark's House (May 2017)

[Hollywood Heidi]

Tony's House

One of Tony's many houses, this one located in New York near the Avengers Facility

[Hollywood Heidi]

Hope paid the driver and stepped out of the cab, collecting the two large bags full of take-out Chinese food, asking him to wait until she was sure someone was home. She hoped showing up with food would soften the uninvited intrusion. Hope had tried texting Pepper but hadn't heard back. Or she should say, she didn't wait long before her restlessness had her throw caution to the wind and head out her own door to grab food and show up on Tony and Pepper's doorstep.

She'd made the trip from San Francisco to New York after having set up a meeting with Tony, arriving earlier today. Their meeting wouldn't be happening until tomorrow but Hope was going nuts stuck in the big Pym Tech company Brownstone with nothing but her thoughts echoing in her head. Thoughts of what she'd in part be discussing with Tony tomorrow.

As if mocking her situation, Hope's phone pinged with another message. All day, every day since her meeting with Andro three weeks ago, he'd been e-mailing her, trying to convey the importance of his mission and requesting another meeting. She knew how his mind worked, the borderline tenacity of a crazy person when Andro got it in his head that he could get through to someone, sway them to his way of thinking if he could just get a face to face with them.

Hope used her elbow to push the bell. In short time, it was opened by Happy.

"Hey, Happy!" she said cheerily. Perfectly content to convince Happy into sharing dinner with her should Pepper and Tony not be home, Hope looked back at the cab and gave a nod to send him on his way.


"Hope, good to see ya," he said as he took one of the bags from her, looking a bit confused. "Tony and Pepper didn't mention you were stopping by."

"Oh good, they're home. I texted Pepper but didn't hear back. I just needed to get out. I got an order of your favorite," Hope said, laying on the charm as if pretending to bribe her way past the bodyguard.

Happy chuckled. "You know you're always welcome here. But bribery doesn't hurt," he added conspiratorially. Happy looked momentarily in the general direction of where Tony and Pepper were holed up, concern and indecision on his face.

Hope couldn't help mirroring the concern when she saw it on his face. "Everything alright?"


"Yah," Happy said none too convincingly. "The bosses are in the middle of a... 'discussion'"

She knew exactly what he meant by that. They were fighting. Again. Hope frowned. "Well, why don't we get started without them? I'm sure Friday will inform them when she can get a word in."

Happy looked immensely relieved at not having to walk into that room. He led her to the smaller, more casual and intimate dining area. He set out plates and utensils as Hope removed the food from the bags. Hope caught Happy eying her, a mix of confusion and concern. "What?" she asked with equal confusion.

"Did you need to take care of that?" At her 'take care of what' look, Happy added with growing concern, "That's probably the fifth time your phone has pinged. Seems important."

Jesus, it'd been going on so much for so long that she'd learned to completely block the sound. "Oh," she said with a chuckle and dismissive wave. "That's just work. Things have been busy. I already work too much so I've learned to block it out when I'm clocked out." Hope pulled her phone from her pocket, eyebrows drawing together as she frowned at the number of new messages from the unnamed sender. She flipped it to silent and turned the phone upside down on the table next to her plate. "There. No more interruptions," she said with a smile. It was only a couple minutes into settling into her seat that her phone vibrated with a quiet hum of another message.

Being extra alert to his surroundings, Happy had picked up on it and the fact that Hope seemed unnaturally oblivious to it. Work correspondence at this hour and at that frequency? He continued to discreetly observe her and the situation as they made small talk.

[Kristi Lynne]

"...Because, Tony, I asked you to do one thing." Pepper was still talking as he tinkered with something on the table. It was force of habit to talk to him while he was working. If she waited for his full and complete attention, she'd never be able to talk to him. But wasn't that part of the problem anyway?

"I asked you to meet with the baker while I was in Switzerland," she reminded him. "And now I'm looking at an invoice for an Italian strawberry cream vertical layer cake." She laid the incriminating piece of paper down on the table so that it would be directly in his line of sight. She tilted her head at him, waiting for something in his expression to show that he recognized the error.

[DarkSideCookie]

"...Because, Tony, I asked you to do one thing."

Tony looked up at her half attentive, while a short answer popped up in his mind, maybe luckily not able to get spoken out loud, as Pepper went on prattling and he went on working.

"I asked you to meet with the baker while I was in Switzerland,"

"Yah, that's what I did, hun.", he interjected, yet again half attentive. She seemed to not listen to his words though, or maybe simply ignoring them.

"And now I'm looking at an invoice for an Italian strawberry cream vertical layer cake."

When suddenly a piece of paper was laid right next to him, Tony almost recoiled for a moment. Well, that was his habit of reaction to important looking things that got handed over to him. Then he looked up at her, finally stopping his work and instead analyzed her features; or at least tried to. There was a long pause of bandying looks following before he began to speak again.

"Ah c'mon, when will you stop reproaching me for not remembering every of your foodstuff preferences? You ladies nowadays are so into your health crazes that... oh shit." And then it finally dawned on him. The only thing she was actually allergic to... strawberries. "You know I don't like to take over this kind of things.", he added with kind of a Stark-like snoot.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Ah c'mon, when will you stop reproaching me for not remembering every of your foodstuff preferences? You ladies nowadays are so into your health crazes that... oh shit. You know I don't like to take over this kind of things."


"This kind of thing?" Pepper repeated incredulously, snatching up the offending piece of paper. "Tony, you would have to take over all of this kind of thing if I were to go into anaphylactic shock at the reception. Do you have any idea how many decisions a day I have to make in order to run your company?" she inquired. "And don't deflect and tell me that it's my company. It's still your name on the building.

"So I will deal with the baker," she declared with a resigned sigh. "In addition to everything else. Do you know how many decisions have to be made for a wedding? And it's not my wedding, Tony. It's our wedding, and it would be really helpful if you could find time in your schedule to make our decisions."

[DarkSideCookie]

"This kind of thing?"

Eh, so that fat's in the fire. Yet again a wrong choice of words. As a precaution Tony inconspicuously, or at least he thought so, shoved all technical stuff, which was laying in her close proximity, aside, resting his chin on one of his hands and giving her an attentive expression. His attentive expressions, unfortunately, were famous for not always serve with the intended effect though. This time it anyway was more to distract her from the fact that he was just saving his things, although Pepper wasn't famous for acting that way at all, but you never know.

"Tony, you would have to take over all of this kind of thing if I were to go into anaphylactic shock at the reception.""Do you have any idea how many decisions a day I have to make in order to run your company?"

"Well, technically speaking..."

"And don't deflect and tell me that it's my company. It's still your name on the building."

"Soon-to-be yours as well.", Tony interposed with a charming smile before he quickly got aware of the fact that this was no moment for charms and jokes... apparently, judging by her face at least.

"So I will deal with the baker," He was actually going to say thank you when her next words revealed that this would have been a bad choice of reaction. "In addition to everything else. Do you know how many decisions have to be made for a wedding? And it's not..."

"I hate to interrupt your private affairs, Sir...", suddenly Friday's voice, sounding through the headset he still had set on his head, drew his attention away from this going-to-be argument. Tony didn't dare to avert his gaze from Pepper right in front of him, and so he pretended to still listen. "...but Miss Hope van Dyne has arrived a short while ago, waiting in the dining area. Shall I tell her that it will take you some more moments to meet her?"

"No, I'm done."
"...make our decisions."

Tony bit his lip when he realized he just had answered Friday's message while pretending to listen to Pepper, speaking up at the same time she finished her speech at that. Shoot...

[Kristi Lynne]

"No, I'm done."

"You're done? You're done?!" she repeated, crossing her arms with a huff. "Y'know, men have it so easy when it comes to weddings. You just ask the question and then show up in a tux at the appointed time. Well, maybe we should switch. Maybe you should meet with the florist and the priest and the music director. And I can finish doing whatever it is that you're working on," she offered, waving a hand at whatever collection of machinery he had attempted to quietly push aside. "What are you working on, anyway?"

[DarkSideCookie]

"You're done? You're done?!"

Don't you ever get the idea things couldn't get any worse during an argument with a woman. Especially when you had to deal with listening to actually two of them at the same time.

"Y'know, men have it so easy when it comes to weddings. You just ask the question and then show up in a tux at the appointed time. Well, maybe we should switch. Maybe you should meet with the florist and the priest and the music director. And I can finish doing whatever it is that you're working on,""What are you working on, anyway?"

Tony even hadn't gotten a chance to completely get the point of this yet, or better said, where this had gone to all of a sudden.

"Wait, are we still arguing about a cake or is this something else? Because to me the whatever it is that you're working on came with quite a reproachful tone.", he finally threw in with lively gestures of his hands and yet again without answering a question.

"Well, okay okay, you're pissed. I get that. Maybe not every part of the reasoning, but I can see you're kind of overloaded with something.", Tony suddenly tried it the sympathetic way, albeit for the self-serving reason of getting this done before...

"Sir?"

Just that.

This time Tony ignored the other female voice probing in his ear, reminding himself about Hope was still waiting in the dining area though.

"Did you hear that too?", he spoke up again all of a sudden without regarding Pepper might just have talked as well. "I think I just heard the doorbell. I'll quickly go check, okay?" Of course, he hadn't heard the doorbell, not even when it had rung indeed a while ago. And with these words, Tony already was on the run towards the dining area.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Well, okay okay, you're pissed. I get that. Maybe not every part of the reasoning, but I can see you're kind of overloaded with something."

She again gave him a head tilt with a frustrated look. To be so brilliant, he could miss the most obvious things. Maybe it wasn't just about the wedding, at least not all of it. Maybe it was having to be reminded how dangerous his 'work' could be, or maybe that the Sokovia Accords and its rules had made things more complicated.

"Did you hear that too? I think I just heard the doorbell. I'll quickly go check, okay?"

"Huh, saved by the doorbell," she muttered as Tony headed for the exit. She couldn't imagine who it might be, no guests or deliveries were expected. And unexpected company usually had very negative consequences. But as she approached the dining room, she was met with the enticing smell of Chinese takeout. And it seemed the benefactor of this impromptu feast was the head of Pym Technologies, Hope Van Dyne.

"Hope, hi! I'm so sorry, we weren't expecting company," Pepper greeted her, looking back at Tony to mouth a silent 'Were we?' She gave her fellow businesswoman a hug, then stood back to survey the set table and Happy hovering. "This is so thoughtful of you. Did you just get in town?"

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Hope, hi! I'm so sorry, we weren't expecting company,"

"Hey!" She hugged Pepper back, her response extra cheery in hopes of alleviating the troubling vibes she'd been picking up since stepping through the door. "Sorry for stopping by uninvited and unannounced," she said as she stepped back. "I brought dinner, if that helps make up for my total lack of social etiquette."


"This is so thoughtful of you. Did you just get in town?"

"Yes, earlier today. I sent you a text before heading over and I'm guessing you didn't get a chance to see it yet. Sorry again for just dropping by. I needed to see some friendly faces." She looked between Pepper and Happy, then looked at Tony, adding with a cheeky grin, "And his smug mug, too, I guess. Hey Tony," she said with a nod.

[DarkSideCookie]

"Hope, hi! I'm so sorry, we weren't expecting company,", Pepper suddenly greeted their guest from behind before Tony could have first. He answered her silent 'Where we?' with an exaggerated 'Nooo', followed by a silent 'Thank you' towards Hope, once the betrothed had turned her attention away from him.

And before he knew what was happening, Tony found himself in the middle of a small talk between the two ladies. One time his finger raised in kind of contribution, but then he reminded himself that he had escaped an uncomfortable conversation only seconds ago, and so he kept his nose out for once. That was before he earned a cheeky grin from Hope all of a sudden.

"And his smug mug, too, I guess. Hey Tony,"

"Yah, really funny.", Tony replied fast speaking before he decided to finally add his two cents after all. "You wanna get started with how I can help you this time or want me to put on my face of surprise first?" Of course, the present company knew him good enough to pick out the hidden humor in this sarcastic words, even though there was no smirk shown on his face.

[Kristi Lynne]

"And his smug mug, too, I guess. Hey Tony,"

"Yah, really funny. You wanna get started with how I can help you this time or want me to put on my face of surprise first?"

"No need to be rude to our guest, Tony," Pepper advised. "Hope, you know you're always welcome here. Besides, we can talk business tomorrow. Right now, I'd rather talk moo shu chicken." She began sorting through the packages of entrees, rice, and noodles. "Nothing like planning a menu for the reception to give you an appetite. Well...I planned, and Tony pretended to pay attention."

With the throwaway line about their current situation, Pepper secured her own selections and took a seat at the table. "It just seems unending," she lamented as she clasped a piece of chicken with her chopsticks. "Contract negotiations with the Taiwanese were easier."

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Yah, really funny."

Hope gave an 'It totally was' grin.


"You wanna get started with how I can help you this time or want me to put on my face of surprise first?"

As if to mock her for the reason she'd needed to grudgingly reach out to Tony for his help, the vibrating buzz of her phone on the table went off again. Hope didn't react, as if it didn't register but Happy had noticed. Behind her back, Happy had caught Tony's eye and sent a silent message of concern with a pointed look toward Hope's phone.

Before Hope could retort with a reminder that it was he who called her far more often to help with Avengers stuff, Pepper, the mature, level headed of them, piped up to keep the peace.


"No need to be rude to our guest, Tony," "Hope, you know you're always welcome here. Besides, we can talk business tomorrow.

Hope nodded her agreement.


Right now, I'd rather talk moo shu chicken." "Nothing like planning a menu for the reception to give you an appetite. Well...I planned, and Tony pretended to pay attention."

Well, usually mature and level-headed. Hope's eyes slid to Tony, giving him a 'Oh, you fucked up, my friend,' cringe as she returned to her seat across from Tony.


"It just seems unending," "Contract negotiations with the Taiwanese were easier."

"I can imagine. People seem to only have nightmare stories about wedding planning." Hope grabbed various cartons and filled her plate as she spoke. "I've never heard anyone say, 'Wedding planning was so much fun!' Why someone would want to make a career of it, I'll never know." She took a bite of Mongolian beef and chewed, pointing her chopsticks at Pepper with that thought. "Speaking of, didn't you hire one? You've got enough on your plate running Stark Industries as it is." Her downturned phone had quietly vibrated against the table again in the middle of her question and again, Hope had seemed oblivious to it.

[DarkSideCookie]

Tony answered Happy's silent message of concern with just a look of incomprehension, before Pepper suddenly spoke up in place of Hope.

"No need to be rude to our guest, Tony," His gaze turned from Happy towards her. Wordless. "Hope, you know you're always welcome here. Besides, we can talk business tomorrow. Right now, I'd rather talk moo shu chicken. Nothing like planning a menu for the reception to give you an appetite." A wise saying, Tony thought in agreement with Pepper for once. "Well..." He really tried to suppress the sudden urge to roll his eyes, or rather, he didn't make it too obvious at least. Every potshot coming from a woman was starting with a Well followed by a pause. "I planned, and Tony pretended to pay attention." And here we go. The potshot.

He received Hope's silent 'Oh, you fucked up, my friend,' immediately and answered it with a silent 'It's the thought that counts' right away.

By the way, was this the day of silent messaging? The three of them should create an actual chat group for that kind. Well, at least the person who seemed to permanently text messaging Hope wasn't part of such a group, Tony judged by yet another unanswered and even disregarded buzzing of her phone.

"Either you finally check those messages or I will.", he suddenly spoke bluntly. Not only was that permanent buzzing annoying him, but this also was pretty disconcerting, considering how fast-moving she usually was with a business concern; unless this wasn't business but something of a private concern? Interesting.

[Kristi Lynne]

"I can imagine. People seem to only have nightmare stories about wedding planning ... Speaking of, didn't you hire one? You've got enough on your plate running Stark Industries as it is."

"Oh, I did hire one," Pepper replied. "And another, and then another. Tony managed to run off every wedding planner in the tri-state area because they didn't agree with his 'vision.' So now I have to juggle the wedding and the day-to-day business. At this point, I'd be happy to just go to a justice of the peace, but have you ever known Tony to do anything understated?"

"Either you finally check those messages or I will."

Pepper had learned to tune out the incessant buzzing of her own phone after weeks of being pestered with questions about negotiations or nuptials. She assumed Hope had the same coping mechanism, but she couldn't help picking up on Tony's concern. "It's okay, Hope. It could be something important, maybe your dad..." Her voice trailed off as she considered what grave concern would prompt Hank Pym to be incessantly texting her. Or equally unlikely, maybe her alleged war criminal boyfriend who was currently confined in parts unknown.

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Oh, I did hire one," "And another, and then another. Tony managed to run off every wedding planner in the tri-state area because they didn't agree with his 'vision.' So now I have to juggle the wedding and the day-to-day business. At this point, I'd be happy to just go to a justice of the peace, but have you ever known Tony to do anything understated?"

Hope's mouth quirked with amusement and she rolled her eyes in confirmation. She was going to be in town for a few days and had nothing planned besides meeting with Tony to dig up some info. Spending time with Pepper had also definitely been on the agenda. Why not be productive at the same time? "I could he--"


"Either you finally check those messages or I will."

Hope looked at Tony in surprise. The man certainly wasn't known for patience or tact but given the current scenario, the casual dinner and chatting, his outburst of irritation came out of left field. It took a couple seconds for what he said to sink in. Eyes on Tony, Hope scowled, her eyes shooting warning daggers at him while she placed a hand over her phone, both to muffle the current vibration and to shield it from him in case he actually had the audacity to follow through with his threat. As soon as the latest alert finished, Hope held down the power button and shut the damn thing off without bothering to turn it over and give it a glance.


"It's okay, Hope. It could be something important, maybe your dad..."

As an extra measure of caution against Tony's threat, Hope stuffed her powered off phone in her pocket. Her expression eased into passive boredom and she looked at Pepper, giving a dismissive wave. "Nah, it's just someone I worked with in the past who's been trying to negotiate a new deal. You know how it goes," she said, business woman to business woman in companionable exasperation. "Some people can be overly tenacious." Hope gave Tony a pointed look and added a good natured jab to further deflect the attention elsewhere. "Obviously, someone's been out of the business world too long to have forgotten that."

[DarkSideCookie]

With regard to Pepper bluntly spilling their private concerns to their guest, Tony should have felt ashamed or something, anyone else probably would have. But then again, he was far away from being anyone else. And so he actually had to grin at words just as his vision and understated, oh and not to forget, at every single time she said Tony. He just couldn't help enjoying somebody was talking about him, especially when it was Pepper.

But Hope's phone had made his hidden, or maybe not as hidden as believed, smiling vanish at some point of it not stopping to buzz every other minute. And now she was giving him a glare of death for he had asked her to finally answer those messages. Wait, did she just shut it down for like the first time Tony had seen her getting any call or message? And yet again... interesting.

Tony put his chopsticks aside and instead rested his chin between his fingers, intently observing Hope while she was talking with Pepper again.

"It's okay, Hope. It could be something important, maybe your dad..."

"Nah, it's just someone I worked with in the past who's been trying to negotiate a new deal. You know how it goes,""Some people can be overly tenacious." Tony didn't miss the pointed look in his direction. "Obviously, someone's been out of the business world too long to have forgotten that."

"At least I haven't forgotten someone's been known for chasing business too much to ignore her phone.", he snapped back immediately, giving her a silent Nice try, but you know you can't dupe me.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Nah, it's just someone I worked with in the past who's been trying to negotiate a new deal. You know how it goes. Some people can be overly tenacious. Obviously, someone's been out of the business world too long to have forgotten that."

"At least I haven't forgotten someone's been known for chasing business too much to ignore her phone."

"Or we could try this novel new concept of actually having a conversation with one another," Pepper offered, "over this delicious dinner graciously provided by our guest." It was as much a suggestion to ease the tension between herself and Tony as it was a means to mediate between Tony and Hope. Granted, Tony loved to verbally spar with anyone but Hope was one of the few who could hold her own against the prolific playboy.

"I will warn you Tony has trouble paying attention if he's not the subject of a sentence, so we might have to drop his name a few times to keep him focused," she advised, with an apologetic smile at her fiance. "But yes, if you've got some free time while you're in town, I'd love your input."

[Hollywood Heidi]

"At least I haven't forgotten someone's been known for chasing business too much to ignore her phone."

Hope opened her mouth to give a rebuttal but quickly shut it when she caught Pepper's expression. She and Tony had the bad habit of acting like competitive siblings. His snarky, know-it-all nature seemed to bring out the worst in her.


"Or we could try this novel new concept of actually having a conversation with one another," "over this delicious dinner graciously provided by our guest."

Hope gave Pepper a grimace of apology then turned her attention to her plate


"I will warn you Tony has trouble paying attention if he's not the subject of a sentence, so we might have to drop his name a few times to keep him focused," "But yes, if you've got some free time while you're in town, I'd love your input."

With Pepper's playful jab at Tony, Hope smiled down at the chow mein she was pushing around her plate. Easing back into calm waters, Hope looked up and smiled warmly at her friend. "And I'd love to offer it. I'll contact you as soon as Tony and I finish our meeting tomorrow. We're meeting at the Avengers Facility, right?" she asked, turning her attention to Tony. He had the same tech available here but it seemed easier to put herself in the right mind frame of passing the whole thing off as business related by handling it at the Facility.

[DarkSideCookie]

"Or we could try this novel new concept of actually having a conversation with one another,""over this delicious dinner graciously provided by our guest.", suddenly Pepper disrupted the little back and forth between two of actually the same kind or at least two that weren't as different as they might think they would be.

Tony's and Hope's head simultaneously turned into his fiancee's direction, the smug face making way for an almost childish expression of gotten caught.

"I will warn you Tony has trouble paying attention if he's not the subject of a sentence, so we might have to drop his name a few times to keep him focused," "Really funny.", Tony quickly threw in to answer her apologetic smile his way. "But yes, if you've got some free time while you're in town, I'd love your input."

"And I'd love to offer it. I'll contact you as soon as Tony and I finish our meeting tomorrow. We're meeting at the Avengers Facility, right?"

He was actually taken by surprise with the sudden mention of an alleged meeting with Hope as he had nothing like that on his calendar. Or he was just too overloaded with handling this appointments Pepper was imposing on him lately.

When Tony's head turned around to Pepper, obviously waiting for his reaction to Hope's statement, it was more like an emergency button that got switched in his mind that made him come up with this lie. "Yeah, right.", he replied, turning back towards Hope with a lively gesture of his hand, and then back to Pepper. "Sorry, honey, I totally forgot to tell you about this meeting. I know you wanted me to do this..." Oh damn, he didn't even remember what it was that she wanted him to do the next day. "... it's on the tip of my tongue..." Tony was still hoping she would help him out with what it was, though he had no doubts she wouldn't.

[Kristi Lynne]

"And I'd love to offer it. I'll contact you as soon as Tony and I finish our meeting tomorrow. We're meeting at the Avengers Facility, right?"

"Yeah, right. Sorry, honey, I totally forgot to tell you about this meeting. I know you wanted me to do this ... it's on the tip of my tongue..."

Pepper let her chopsticks rest on the plate and looked silently across the table at Tony, eyebrows raised expectantly. "Y'know, it's kinda' cute when he's struggling for words, hoping I'll throw him a lifeline...." She gave Hope a sidelong smirk before releasing Tony from this torment. "Fine, you are absolved of all wedding-related activities for the duration of Hope's visit," she granted him. "But at least call and tell me if you won't be home for dinner tomorrow night. I know how time flies when the two of you get talking whatever it is you talk about."

[Hollywood Heidi]

"Y'know, it's kinda' cute when he's struggling for words, hoping I'll throw him a lifeline...."

Hope rested her chin in her palm and smirked while she looked at Tony, joining Pepper in watching him wriggle. She and Pepper exchanged a knowing look, their affection for the self absorbed former playboy turning what would probably be maddening to others into what they saw as a personality quirk.


"Fine, you are absolved of all wedding-related activities for the duration of Hope's visit,"

Hope interjected a quick taunt in Tony's direction. "Oh, hear that? If you're nice to me, maybe I'll stay an extra day." She sent Pepper a wink. When the three of them were together, it sometimes came with the amusing feeling that she and Pepper were co-parenting Tony. Then there were the times when Hope and Tony started to peck at each other and it felt as if Pepper was parenting competitive siblings. Hope picked up her last bite of food, chewing thoughtfully and thinking that Freud would have had a field day observing the three of them.


"But at least call and tell me if you won't be home for dinner tomorrow night. I know how time flies when the two of you get talking whatever it is you talk about."

"Mm," she said, finishing chewing her last bite. She gestured to Pepper with her chopsticks. "I believe the technical term is 'science-y techy stuff'."

Hope placed her chopsticks across her empty plate and dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. It was nearing the end of her visit and with that thought, the bubble she'd gotten absorbed into where nothing existed outside of this dinner with friends burst. She'd stopped thinking about her phone and Andro and her whole reason for being here. But now it came flooding back, distracting her into her thoughts again. How many messages would show on her screen when she powered her phone back on? Should she just leave it off until tomorrow? No, she couldn't because there was always business to attend to. Or her father might try to reach her. He had no idea anything out of the ordinary was going on and she didn't want to give him any reason to start thinking there was. She'd definitely wait until she left as Happy seemed to have figured that something was up. Hope had noticed him quietly observing her in his way.

Hope pulled her attention back, putting on a smile. "Well, thanks for graciously hosting my impromptu visit. I should get to bed early. You guys have got three hours on me." Hope placed her napkin next to her plate and stood. She looked to Tony. "I'll be at the Facility at 8 a.m." That would be 5 a.m. for her internal time clock. Not unusual when running a company that did business globally but it didn't help that her sleeps had been restless lately. Hopefully tomorrow's research would help remedy that.

[DarkSideCookie]

"Y'know, it's kinda' cute when he's struggling for words, hoping I'll throw him a lifeline...."

Pepper received one of his famous grimaces of not approving what he was hearing at that before he gave up trying to come up with whatever it was he had forgotten again. He hadn't tried that much anyway.

"Fine, you are absolved of all wedding-related activities for the duration of Hope's visit," Tony was just going to interject with a quick Thank you when Hope preempted him as for butting in.

"Oh, hear that? If you're nice to me, maybe I'll stay an extra day." And yet again someone received one of his grimaces.

"But at least call and tell me if you won't be home for dinner tomorrow night. I know how time flies when the two of you get talking whatever it is you talk about."

"Mm,""I believe the technical term is 'science-y techy stuff'."

"No, the technical term is Stark Industries technology.", Tony couldn't resist to quickly comment into Hope's direction with a complacent look before turning back towards his betrothed. "And thank you, honey. You're the best."

"Well, thanks for graciously hosting my impromptu visit.", Hope eventually raised a word again. "I should get to bed early. You guys have got three hours on me.""I'll be at the Facility at 8 a.m."

"See you tomorrow then.", Tony quickly said his farewell to her and then drew his attention back to Pepper again. "So, is Mrs. Stark allowing Mr. Stark to compensate for his bad memory?" He closed the distance between them and eyed her with that look that was to make her forget about how egocentric he could be. In fact, just this was an act of egocentricity as well, but it was not like Tony was acting this way wittingly. It was just his nature. Something he had never made a secret of.

[Hollywood Heidi]

Knowing she'd be seeing each of them again soon, their goodbyes were short and sweet. Happy escorted her to the door while Tony began to work his charm on Pepper. The corner of Hope's mouth quirked upward and she shook her head on a heavy sigh. "The lucky bastard found the one woman patient enough to put up with him," she said, affection in her voice despite the words.


Happy chuckled his agreement, then decided to blindside her while she was least expecting it. "You seem to have a healthy dose of patience yourself. I'd have thrown my phone out the window five minutes into dinner."

He paused at the door, hand on handle and pinned her with a too clever look. A blockade leaving Hope no escape, physically or otherwise. "It's just work--" she started but a shake of his head had her breaking off. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance but couldn't muster up anger when all he was doing was looking out for her. Hope sighed in defeat. "It's what I'm meeting with Tony about tomorrow. I'm handling it. Just... don't say anything." She glanced back in the direction of the dining room. There was no point in getting everyone all worked up and worried over nothing, especially Pepper, who had enough on her plate.

Satisfied, Happy opened the door with a sweeping gesture. "Thanks," she said, both for his discretion and for opening the door. She turned to bid him goodnight but he was locking the door behind him then at her side. "I was gonna call a cab--" He was shaking his head again, dangling his car keys in front of her face and gesturing to his car. She knew there was no point in arguing again and he knew that without giving her words, she'd have nothing to argue against him with. "Gah, do you ever shut up?" she asked sarcastically. She bet he'd probably sit outside until he saw her enter her place and lock the door. Hope was feeling a bit on edge. She was grateful to him for looking out for her. Still though, she walked with petulant steps to his car just for his amusement.


***Hope exits to next day at New York - Avengers Facility (May 2017) ***

[Kristi Lynne]

"So, is Mrs. Stark allowing Mr. Stark to compensate for his bad memory?"

"Well, I'm not Mrs. Stark yet," Pepper retorted, as if Hope's departure brought back all the pre-dinner annoyance. But his closeness, those eyes, and that self-assured smirk were beginning to help her forget that as well. "Maybe we should check your fortune cookie, see what it says."

She reached for one of the cookies off the table and snapped it in half to reveal the small square of paper inside. She furrowed her brow as if seriously studying its words. "It says that I will meet a humble, generous man with a heart of gold and he will fulfill all my desires," she read aloud, then tossed it aside. "Well, 'humble' and 'heart of gold' -- it's clearly not talking about you." 

[DarkSideCookie]

"You mustn't read it so literally. One can be humble in so many ways just like..." Tony made a pause to search for words that probably wouldn't make sense anyway.

"Okay let's face it. You really wanna believe in a factory-made cookie more than in your own instincts that tell you Mr. Right is standing right in front of you?" Before Pepper could have answered his just given sample of not being humble at all, he added with a silencing gesture of his hands: "Okay, wait. I'll prove to you that each one of these has a message just like that, as that's what people want to hear."

Tony reached for one of the cookies himself, ostentatiously snapping it in half and silently reading the fortune line on the small square of paper. Without saying anything he put the paper aside, only to reach for another one. And another one.

"It was right about the color though. I mean, gold and red are my colors.", he tried to save the situation puppy-eyed.

[Kristi Lynne]

"Okay, wait. I'll prove to you that each one of these has a message just like that, as that's what people want to hear... It was right about the color though. I mean, gold and red are my colors."


"And they suit you very well, Mr. Stark," Pepper stated, wrapping her arms around his neck in an effort to get him to focus. "Tony, I don't need a fortune cookie or a...a three-tier cake to tell me that I'm where I'm supposed to be." She leaned in and planted a long kiss on his lips. "So if you'll have Friday initiate 'Do Not Disturb' mode, you can get on with fulfilling all my desires." 

[DarkSideCookie]

"And they suit you very well, Mr. Stark,"

"Thank you, Mrs. Stark to-be.", Tony replied with a grin, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. At least this time his choice of words wouldn't result in an objection.

"Tony, I don't need a fortune cookie or a...a three-tier cake to tell me that I'm where I'm supposed to be."

"That's good news, as otherwise, I had to instruct Happy to get you a fortune cookie with a line that would play more into my hands. And I'm not so sure about Happy's baki..."

At some point, Pepper just silenced him with a long kiss on his lips. Now, that was a good way to get silenced.

"So if you'll have Friday initiate 'Do Not Disturb' mode, you can get on with fulfilling all my desires."

"Friday?", Tony was wasting no second to do just that, his eyes still directed at his beautiful red-head.

"Yes, Mr. Stark?"

"DND"

"Confirming the DND mode. Have yourself a nice evening, Mr. Stark."

"Now, where were we?", he stated before drawing once again closer to Pepper to give her a kiss.


***