"Did you sign the papers I left for you?"

"Yeah."

"Did you finish those stock reports?"

"Yes, though I'm pretty sure I have people that are supposed to take care of that."

"Did you finish reading the income and outcome statistics?"

"No, but I'm sure they're all like the last ones… and the ones before that… and the ones before that…"

"I need you to update your résumé and send it to the head council's office."

"Why can't I just let Jarvis do it? He knows me better than I know myself. Actually, why is there even a head council? Why didn't I just fire them earlier?"

"Because it needs to be handwritten and because you need someone to keep your company running in case something ever happened to you."

"Oh please, if that ever happened, you know you're the next one in line for the CEO position. I have said so myself, and everybody knows it."

"What if I quit?"

"You won't quit, you know you love too much."

"What if something happened to me?"

"Jarvis would take over."

"I beg your pardon?"

"He's joking Jarvis."

"I see."

"No, I'm not joking. I'm sure Jarvis is smart enough to run the company all by himself. He knows the system inside and outside. There's no one better than him."

"Then why are you still running the company?"

"'Cause I'm not dead yet."

"Tony, when are you gonna grow the hell up and take things seriously?"

"Pepper, when are you gonna stop being so high-strung and relax for a minute?"

"I'll stop being high-strung when you stop being immature."

"And I'll stop being immature when you stop being high-strung."

"That's a bit of an oxymoron isn't it?"

"It would be if we decided to climb the stairs downward and swim on the ground."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know. Want a drink?"

"Stop changing the subject!"

Pepper's hands collided violently with Tony's work bench and the whole table shook with the force she applied. Tony's head craned up slowly to look at his assistant/best friend's face and his eyes landed on Pepper's look of annoyance. She was known to be violent when she was upset. She had never beaten anyone up, but she had a mean right hook and she could slap like the devil.

Tony has been on the receiving end of some of Pepper's angry moments. Let's just say those are better left forgotten.

So as the rational, self-preserving man he was, he decided that his crude humor had over stayed his welcome and he put down his tools to give Pepper all his attention. He sighed and closed his eyes as he massaged his temple. He felt a headache coming on and he was pretty sure it was because of Pepper's loud outburst.

Or it could have been the four glasses of Scotch he had earlier.

"Pepper look. I'm just not in the mood to deal with business right now. I know you're stressed, but I'm stressed too! The whole future of Stark Industries rests on my shoulders and I think I deserve some time to unwind and relax."

"You don't think I know that? Tony, how long have we known each other?"

"I think we met when we were in diapers."

"And how long have we been working together?"

"Eleven years, five months, six hours and twenty-nine minutes…But who's counting?"

"… Dear God. Sometimes I forget you're a genius."

"Thank you."

"A very stupid genius."

"Ouch…"

"All I'm saying is that even though I know you're stressed, you shouldn't look over your duties as if they're not there. Stop neglecting your work. You're a smart man! You can figure something out! You can have your work done and find some time to relax in less than a week! I know it's a tedious job, but if you don't do it, then no one will! And if no one does it, then we're all screwed, you're out of a job and you can say goodbye to all this wealthy living."

Tony stayed silent for a moment. He knew that what Pepper had just said was right, but he was just too damn tired to care. He had been working hard and honestly, he enjoyed his job. But sometimes he just needed to get away from it all. He needed to breathe and be Tony Stark: the witty, smart, laid back man, not Mr. Anthony Edward Stark: the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, entrepreneur that everyone was always talking about. In his thirty-two years of life all he had known was work, build, discover, work, build, discover, work, build, discover and- oh look! –work, build, discover.

That was one of the many reasons he enjoyed drinking.

Not to mention he was also a playboy extraordinaire. He slept around as much as person breathed in one single day, and yet he never stuck to the same devices. He had been with enough women to fill an entire football field. Hell! He had been with other guys too just to try it out, and he must say it was not half bad at all. He had all the options in his grasp and he made sure to use them as much as possible. He had no intentions of settling down any time soon and he made sure to make everyone else quite aware of that.

But, sadly, good things weren't meant to last and at the end of it he still had to go back home. Back to work and back to this tension-ridden world he called his every-day life. And that's where the drinks were pulled into play. Drinking sometimes helped ease his mind. It helped him cope with every obstacle he came across in his life- and trust me; there were a lot of obstacles. He drank to relax, to forget, to enjoy and to fade. Fade away into an alcohol-induced state of happiness that only being drunk could provide.

And yet, he had been privy to find the cure for hang overs. If there was something he hated, it was most surely hang overs. He hated them with such a passion that just the mere thought of one brought a painful cloud to his thoughts. That, coupled with his slowly growing headache, only helped to sour his mood.

"Pepper, you know you're right. I know you're right. We all know your right." Tony said as he motioned around the room to show Pepper that when he said 'all' he meant all the mechanical contraptions that moved about the room. Including Jarvis, the well-known A.I.

"Let's just not talk about this ok Pepper? I'm tired, I'm not in a good mood and my head is starting to feel like one of ACDC's drums." The man said with a sigh as he rubbed his temples a little more.

"Tony when was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No Pepper, I don't know. I don't remember and, truth is, I don't care either."

"Tony, go to bed."

"I'm a little bit busy right now."

"I don't give a damn."

"Pepper…"

"No, listen to me Tony. I have worked my ass off for this company and I have worked my ass off for you. And I sure as hell am not gonna let you destroy yourself. You can continue your work tomorrow, it's not going anywhere. Or rather, you are going somewhere." Pepper's face contorted in what was most obviously a look awe. As if she had suddenly found the cure for cancer.

"Care to make some sense ?"

"Oh sure! You, , are going on vacation!"

"I'm sorry, come again?"

"You are going on vacation!"

"Pepper I can't possibly just."

"Shut it!"

Tony promptly closed his mouth and locked it tight.

"Listen to me, and listen to me carefully Tony. Right now you are going to drop your project and take a breather. In other words: You are gonna march your ass up the stairs and to your room. You're gonna get some rest and tomorrow you are gonna pack. You will pack anything and everything except your technological gizmos. The only thing you will take is your iPhone and no, you are not allowed to take your other cellphone."

"But my other phone is way better!"

"It is also a distraction. It is full of all your technological database and you are absolutely not allowed to work on your vacation. Not even on your phone!"

"But-"

"Am I clear Anthony Edward Stark?" Pepper voice boomed around Tony's lab. He was surprised that such a small woman could generate such a volume to her voice, but it was all the incentive he took to reply in a small oh-fuck-I'm-screwed voice.

"Yes ma'am." He replied meekly.

"Good! Tomorrow you will pack and choose a destination. You have until tomorrow night to grab some clothes your iPhoneand pick a destination. I will cancel and transfer all your appointments so you can have two weeks all to yourself."

"Two weeks?" Tony asked appalled. "I cannot possibly go away for two weeks!"

"Yes you can AND YES YOU WILL!" The woman shouted so loudly that the ringing noise in Tony's ears was almost deafening. Even the robots scattered for cover and opted to run and hide behind the dozens of counters that layered the lab.

"Are we clear Tony?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Good… Now move!" Pepper's arm shot out and pointed to the glass doors that led up the stairs and up to Tony's living room. He wasted no time and promptly ran up the stairs like a bat out of hell being chased by the devil itself.

He reached his room and once inside slammed his door and locked it as if it would protect him from the demon-woman lurking in his house. He sighed and began stripping his clothes. He was down to his boxers when he finally flopped on his bed. Immediately he felt all the tension ebb away and he sighed tiredly.

"This is gonna be one hell of a vacation."

Those were the last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep.

x~O~x

"Welcome to Johnny Rockets! May I take your order?"

"Ummm… We're not ready to order yet…"

"Oh, no problem. Do you have anything to drink in mind or should I come back shortly to get your full order?"

"A few minutes would be good, thank you."

"Sure thing!" The blonde waiter excused himself politely from the table and went to the back of the restaurant using the "Employee's only" door. He sighed as he made his way over to the bathroom. Once inside he locked the door and looked at himself in the mirror.

He was tired and he was ready to go home and curl up in his bed. No matter how tired he truly was, his reflection never showed none of this. The only way for anyone to acknowledge his exhaustion would be to look into his eyes and search for it. But there were also the subtle hints. Like the way he slouched whenever he stood. The way he walked slowly across the diner's main room. The way he talked was also lacking. Normally he would be his bright happy-go-lucky self. But Work was strenuous. He was having trouble sleeping and it didn't help that he had to work the late shifts. But then again, that was his own fault. He had decided to work the afternoon shifts because he had study in the morning. And working in the afternoon was the only choice.

He was not going to college per se, but he was taking singing lessons in one of the classrooms of his community college. Ever since he was a child, he had always wanted to become a singer. His mother had once told him he could become anything he set his mind into and she would always be proud of him as long as he made the right decisions. She always encouraged him to sign for her.

While she washed the dishes, while she did the laundry, whenever his attention wasn't occupied by anything trivial, she'd ask for him to sing to her. Ever since he was a child, his mother had always loved to hear him sing.

One time he had refused to sign for her because he instead wanted to play his video games. She asked him a few time, almost pleadingly but he never relented. She gave up and kissed her son's cheek before going to work that night. She was a nurse and she had to go into work that night at the hospital.

That night his mother never came back.

Her body was found a few days later. Apparently she had been mugged on her way to the parking lot. After finishing her shift in the wee hours of the morning, she had been assaulted. Yet, the police never found out who did it or why.

He could still remember the way his mother asked him to sing for her that night. He could still remember the dejected look he she had on her face after he refused. Even though his mother quickly went back to her happy, serene mood right before she left, he had felt guilty for rejecting her.

He had wanted to apologize the morning after, but he never got the chance.

He looked back at his reflection and he watched as a few stray tears made their way down his face. He closed his eyes and sighed. The pain was still there, and he couldn't help but feel endlessly guilty.

Because of that day, he had decided that he would become a singer. He had originally planned to be an artist. He had wanted to draw and paint and do all sorts of things, but that all changed. Now the music he sang was the only thing that really gave life to his existence. Knowing that somehow, somewhere his mother might be listening to him sing was what gave him the strength to get up every day.

And that's how he got into singing again. He had stopped after his mother's departure, but one night he had a dream. His mother sang to him in this dream. That night he woke up screaming and crying out for his mother. And that's when he decided he would sing again. He would sing for her, and he would sing for himself.

He was friends with one of the music teachers at his community college and he struck a deal with him and the dean. He'd only take that one class and hopefully continue his career as a singer in the long-run.

But just because he only took one class with a teacher he knew didn't mean it would be free. On the contrary, he had to pay the same expense as any other student. He had to pay for books, materials and every other who-knows-what the teacher decided they needed to complete the curriculum. And thus, here he was working at Johnny Rockets as a waiter.

But he was a terrible waiter.

There is definitely no doubt in that. Sometimes he forgot which table ordered what, sometimes he got the orders wrong, sometimes he had even spilled something (thankfully not on the customers, but on himself). And sometimes- no actually every time he did something like that, it was all docked from his pay check.

You might ask, if he's such a terrible waiter, then why the heck is he even working there?

Well simply because he's the hottest, most gorgeous employee in the whole restaurant!

Or so says Peggy his co-worker.

According to her, he was hired because he looked simply drop-dead gorgeous. He laughed it off as it being one of her fan-attacks. Yes she was definitely one of his fans.

She was infatuated with him, hell she'd probably watch him in his sleep if he let her. But he had made sure to let her know that he wasn't interested. Not because he didn't like her, heavens no. She was funny, she was smart, she was very pretty and she was very kind. (Except for those estranged moments where she would go all psycho over him.) She was the perfect woman.

But he wasn't looking for the perfect woman. He was looking for the perfect man.

That's right! Steve Rogers was gay. And when Peggy found out, she flipped a shit. But not the way you think. Not at all.

The moment Steve came clean to her, she stayed quiet. She had her poker face placed neatly upon her head and she was calm.

Which only endure the length of five seconds.

Then she started crying. Oh the crying. It was as if you had personally taken her puppy and killed it with safety scissors. She cried, she bawled and Steve was shocked into paralysis. Never in his life had he dealt with a crying woman, and it is now why he understood why men did the best they could to keep their women happy.

Then she started wailing around in the back of the restaurant and everyone though he had threatened her with rape and was holding her hostage.

The manager burst through the doors demanding to know what was going on. But before Steve could explain to him calmly what was happening, Peggy opened her mouth and yelled as she pointed at him.

"HE'S GAY JOE! HE'S GAY! MY FUTURE HUSBAND IS GAY!" And then she began sobbing.

Joe only looked at her once before his eyes landed on Steve. Steve, the pour soul, was as red as a tomato and his jaw was almost two feet below the rest of his cranium.

Joe only asked him "Is this true?" and Steve nodded dejectedly. What he didn't expect was for Joe to burst out laughing and collapsing on the floor. The man was holding his sides as he laughed and rolled on the floor like a fish out of water. He laughed so hard that Steve was sure the entire restaurant was trembling with the magnitude.

Steve wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

Peggy, on the other hand, was not too thrilled. She immediately stopped her theatrics and began badgering her superior.

"Why in the world are you laughing Joe?"

Joe was rolling on the floor, laughing his ass off and wheezing through clenched teeth. He had tears trailing down his cheeks and his boisterous laughter carried over the whole establishment. He was in no position to answer and Peggy fumed silently as she placed her hands on her hips.

The patrons were in a way concerned for the well-being of the man. Not because he was turning a scary shade of blue and looked like his head might pop like a birthday balloon, but because he looked like he had gone completely insane. Through the open doors of the backroom, they could see him rolling on the floor and pounding his fist on the floor. He looked absolutely mad and some people were worried he hadn't had his Xanax that morning. But of course the children in the establishment began laughing as well and soon the adults followed suit and the whole building was in chaos.

Steve thought, only for a moment, that they were all laughing at him, but then all those thoughts disappeared when he saw that Peggy was back on the floor. Except this time she was laughing so hard she could practically piss herself. Steve, not knowing what to do, started laughing along with them, but in no time he was laughing full heartedly, because in truth, the situation was very comical.

After Joe finally regained his composure and turned back into a human-ish color, all he said was "Get back to work." He smiled, shook his head and trailed back to his office. Peggy stood up and dusted herself and gave Steve a big grin.

"I'm sorry for going off the deep end there." She said as she walked up to Steve. She opened her arms and said: "Forgive me?"

Steve only smiled, nodded his head and wrapped his arms around the small woman. It was an awkward hug, but it didn't last for long. She pulled away quickly and smiled as she told him to get back to work. They became friends ever since.

After that spazz-attack, everyone smiled at him and business sky rocketed after the episode.

People started coming in more and more and soon the house was packed. And that is how Steve found himself here. He had his shift changed from part-time to full-time. Before, he only came in every other day, but now he had to go every single day.

He looked at his reflection and smiled. That had been an experience he would never change, yet he would never have the balls to go through it again. Ever since that day Peggy became one of his best friends and the rest of the staff became a quite a bit nicer to him.

Except of course for those times where they had to do their musical number.

Every half hour they had to sing and dance. The songs were at random, but they had to know the routine to each and every one of them. Steve only danced in every other routine (i.e. one yes, one no, one yes, one no.) And each routine only lasted about three minutes. He had fun doing these, because that's where he had the chance to shine and show off his singing. And that's exactly why most of the staff envied him. He had an amazing voice and the rest only had some-what average voices. That was reason enough to make Joe assign him as the leader every time they did their show.

Steve was thankful, because this only made him go one step closer to his dream. His goal, and his ambitions seemed to grow closer with every show they had and Steve couldn't wait to finally reach the top of that metaphorical ladder.

But until that day, he was stuck delivering food and milkshakes. He was stuck in a white, skin-tight shirt that had the customary Johnny Rockets name tag with his name emblazoned in bold on it and a pair of black skinnies that he was sure gave everyone a good view of his ass.

He sighed and turned on the faucet. He splashed some water on his face then dried it off with some paper towels. He made sure his hair looked perfect and he smiled a big bright smile. He exited the employee's bathroom and went back outside to the table he had previously been working on.

Once he reached the couple, he took out his note pad and his pencil.

"So, are you ready order?"