Disclaimer: Oh, you know the drill. Also, Joss is Boss.
A/n: Over at the Beta Branch, we did a "One-Shot Party" where we got a prompt and made a one-shot. The idea was to TRY and write for a fandom we had not written for or written little for, but Tony won't let me write anything else, so I caved, and did Avengers. I promise I'll try harder with the next one. ;) I blame all the IM3 stuff taking up residence in my brain. Why isn't that movie out like nao?
Prompt: It was certainly one of the more salubrious examples of this kind of establishment.
The Definition & Overuse of 'Nice'
It was, generally speaking, a respectable example of this kind of establishment in this area of town. Pepper, however, looked rather horrified the moment they walked in.
"What?" Tony asked, oblivious, innocent or playing dumb on purpose she couldn't quite discern.
Hissing under her breath, she pulled him to the side of the doorway. "You said we were going somewhere nice."
Tony glanced around the diner. "This is nice." He gestured vaguely.
Pepper glared.
It was perhaps overall on the shabby side, he could admit, but it wasn't bad (not really). The smell of fried food hung heavy in the air but wasn't unpleasant. The décor looked like it was stuck somewhere circa 1986 with half-hearted attempts at updating it, and the patronage was maybe of a lower class than he or Pepper were used to. He'd eaten in all kinds of places, from absolute dives to the fanciest of restaurants, however, and the look of a place mattered less to him than the quality of the food. This was definitely one of those hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop type places with loyal regulars and out-of-towners who stumble in not knowing what places are good to eat at in the city.
"You said nice which means fancy – " she insisted.
"It's a gray area."
"Tony."
"It's generic – it can mean almost anything."
"Tony."
"I said nice because Barton said it was really good." He relented.
"I got dressed up."
"And I told you that you looked gorgeous before we left, because you do."
"Tony, I am incredibly overdressed for somewhere like this." Pepper glanced down at her sparkling green cocktail dress, her cheeks flushed.
"You still look gorgeous." He shot her rakish grin which she fiercely ignored.
"And it's incredibly embarrassing, so can we please leave."
A waitress scrubbing tables was starting to stare, and the construction workers in a nearby booth were looking too, which didn't help Pepper calm down. She really did look stunning; that green set off her eyes while her long red hair was pinned up in an elegant up-do.
"Pepper," Tony cocked his head to the side. "They apparently have the best chili dog in town. Don't you want a chili dog?"
Her mouth pressed into a thin line. "I'm not opposed to eating a chili dog sometimes, I am opposed to eating in a…" She sort of waved before her with her hand and couldn't find the polite word she wanted (especially because the waitress was coming over). "I dressed for fancy, Tony." She snapped in a frantic whisper.
"You two can come in and just pick a spot anywhere," the waitress greeted. She was older and a bit haggard looking, but friendly enough. She couldn't help giving Pepper a once over, however, eyes lingering on the shiny black stilettos with a touch of amusement. Pepper forced a tight smile and thanked the woman then shot a heated glare at Tony. He shrugged, part helpless and part defensive, before following his girlfriend to a booth at the back of the diner.
They settled onto the worn turquoise pleather and the waitress left them a pair of laminated menus.
"They're staring at me too," Tony offered as he opened the menu. "I dressed up too."
"You knowingly wore a suit to a crappy diner?" Pepper said sternly. "You knowingly wore a suit and told me we were going somewhere nice, and took me here."
"Pepper…"
"Is this a joke?" she replied. "Because it's not funny. We can go now. We can go to the actual nice restaurant where you made a reservation, and where the dress code matches what we're wearing."
"I think you're being a snob." He flipped the back of the menu over in search of the beverages section. "And you're overusing the word nice."
She declined to answer him, but her jaw was taut.
The waitress came by to take their orders not long after. Tony asked for a chili dog with everything on it and a raspberry milkshake, while Pepper opted for the tomato soup and a glass of water. She was giving him the cold shoulder, but the longer they were there the more he could see her relaxing, even though it was probably against her will. The construction workers had long since become uninterested in them, as well as the couple of other patrons who'd watched them sit down earlier. Though Pepper had made it extremely clear what kind of place she'd been expecting to eat at, he knew it was a relief for her not to have to be socially perfect for a night. He doubted she would ever admit it, but that was okay because he knew the truth.
He eyed her as she removed her glimmering earrings and secured them in her clutch, the start of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He cleared his throat and she met his gaze, still projecting irritation.
"It's nice to do this once in a while," he said. "Where I don't have to… you know, and you don't…" He shrugged. "You know. I'm just saying it's nice."
"It's nice for me to get dressed up for a five star restaurant and have you take me to a dive instead? Yes, it's very nice. I love it. I love feeling incredibly self-conscious and excessively over-dressed."
"Pepper."
"Tony."
"You're overusing nice again."
"So are you."
The waitress brought their food with a cheerful smile. "Enjoy, dears. Holler if you need anything."
Pepper thanked her while Tony dug into his chili dog. The waitress headed back to the main counter, whistling along to a country tune playing on the tinny red radio by the kitchen.
Tony's eyes widened as he swallowed his first couple bites. Barton was right – it was a damn good chili dog. He moaned a little and saw Pepper's eyes flicker in amusement though she kept her features carefully stoic. She would be mad a little longer, but he estimated by the time he was done his hot dog, he'd be able to get a smile out of her. Well, maybe a small one.
It didn't take long for Tony to finish his meal and were it not so filling, he would've ordered another one straight away. In fact, he decided he might have to buy the joint and ensure it stayed exactly the same for the next ten years because it was that delicious. Under the table while Pepper ate her soup, Tony hastily texted a note to Jarvis to remind him about it later, before returning his attention to the remains of the chili dog on his plate.
"How's your soup?" he asked around his last couple mouthfuls.
Pepper was politely sipping from her spoon carefully, ever the lady. She looked up at him through long lashes. After several seconds, she answered almost reluctantly, "It's very tasty."
Tony started to grin in a very satisfied, I-told-you-so kind of way, but Pepper tilted her head just so and he stopped. Too soon?
Pepper finished her soup and set the bowl aside moments later.
"You still mad?" Tony ventured.
"What do you think?" Her tone held little of the anger it had before however, and he took that as a positive sign.
Okay, so he had kind of implied it was fancy place by emphasizing the word nice earlier, and she had been wanting a date night for a good few weeks now. Generally "date night" meant a lavish night out. He supposed maybe she did have a right to be irritated, but he'd never been good at apologizing.
Instead, when the waitress came back to clear their plates, he ordered them the "Famous Homemade Apple Pie" to split for dessert. It was brought promptly with two clean forks minutes later.
He let Pepper have the first bite, and as they ate, Tony thought he could see the tension melting out of her with each spoonful. He let her have most of the ice cream and they chatted idly about nothing in particular. When they were finished, she leaned back in the booth.
"Thank you, Tony," she said softly, and everything she wasn't saying, he could still hear.
Tonight, they didn't have to be Iron Man and the famous Pepper Potts. They didn't have to have their pictures taken or sign autographs or be model citizens. They didn't have to public figures and give interviews and wave to the people who excitedly recognized them in the street or the posh restaurant. In this hole-in-the-wall, mom-and-pop diner, they didn't have to be anyone but just Tony and just Pepper.
She stood as he retrieved his wallet to pay the bill. "But next time warn me." Her tone was the right mix of dangerous and annoyance to show that he wasn't quite forgiven yet.
"Next time I will be very explicit with my use of the word nice."
She suppressed a smile.
He tipped the waitress generously, and then they headed outside to his shiny blue car.
"Everything was very salubrious though, don't you think?" Tony commented as he slid into the driver's seat.
"Salubrious?" Pepper raised her eyebrow at him.
"It means pleasant."
"I know what it means. I'm just surprised you do."
"Hey, I'm a genius, remember?"
"Yes, but you never read."
"I read the Word-A-Day calendar you got me." He stated, paused then added, "Well, once every few weeks I realize I haven't read any of it so then I tear off all the days until I get to the current one…"
Pepper chuckled and slid her hand into his.
-end-
A/n: Thanks for reading! Any and all feedback appreciated. :D