"Why did I agree to this," said billionaire Tony Stark.
"Because I asked," replied Pepper smugly. They were currently standing in a pet shop in the centre of New York. Pepper had dragged a very reluctant Tony to buy her a puppy for her birthday.
"But why did I have to come? You could've just taken my card."
"I needed your opinion, and you need a break."
"Couldn't you have taken Natalie? She's a girl, you're a girl, you girls think similarly, right?" Tony said awkwardly. "Besides, who's going to look after it while you're at work?"
"You are."
"What! No! I am way too busy to look after a dog, I have things to do. I don't have time for a pet."
"Then you'll have to make time," she said matter of factly. The sales assistant took them to choose a pet. They had birds, cats, fish, dogs and mice. She looked over the dogs while humming to herself, when she finally made a decision she pointed and called, "Tony, I need your opinion. This one or that one?"
'This one' was a border collie husky cross, 'that one' was a little golden retriever. "First one," was Tony's unenthusiastic reply. And so it was settled.
When they got home Pepper set up the dog's room in one of the spare rooms. Tony had named the dog Maxi Stark when they went to register him. When he went to work on the suit the dog followed him. He took Maxi back up and told him to stay. He tried to go back down but the dog kept following him, so he got a blanket and put the dog on the blanket in the corner.
"JARVIS, would Pepper approve of me locking her dog in its room?"
"I doubt it, Sir," was JARVIS's reply.
"Damn. Oh well." Maybe next time we'll get a fish or something.
"Sir, might I suggest feeding him?"
"Good idea, why didn't I think of that?" he went and fed the dog and sure enough he stayed upstairs. He worked on the suit for a few hours then went to bed, with no further trouble from Maxi.
"Good morning, Sir," came JARVIS's wake up call.
"Ugh," was Tony's unintelligent reply. He got up and, having forgotten the events of the day before, was surprised to see a dog waiting for him at the door. Confused he asked JARVIS what the dog was doing in his house.
"He's your dog, Sir."
"Oh. Hey, J, do you think I could build a suit for him? You know, like an Iron Dog suit."
"I think it's plausible, Sir."
"I'll feed the dog and myself." After they ate he took measurements of Maxi and created a design for the suit. "What do you think?"
"Well done, Sir. We'll need to make a miniaturized arc reactor to fit the suit as well. Shall I start building the suit?"
"I'll work on the reactor. You start building the suit."
"Yes, Sir."