Party for Two

Tony/Steve slash


Tony Stark watched as his Personal Assistant checked something on her clipboard.

"Is that all, Miss Potts?" He smiled. Normally, it was she who asked that question, adding the Mr. Stark to give it a hint of formality.

He was mocking her… and she knew it.

She gave him a half-smile.

"Yes, Mr. Stark," she said, putting her pen down, "That's all."

"Good," Tony said, "'Cause I need you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"It's just a list," he said, motioning her to his workbench. There was a single piece of paper on it, and he handed it to her.

Pepper read it. Twice. Finally, she looked up.

"This is quite a party."

"You think so?" He walked around her so he could take a peek at the list. "A light buffet," he read, "Non-alcoholic beverages… a list of twenty-two guests… That's a 'small gathering'."

"Exactly," Pepper replied. "It's not your usual kind of party. And the guests..."

"Some agents from SHIELD," Tony said, still looking at the note, "We can't leave them out, can we? Fifteen girls -"

"And not a single model among them," Pepper cut in. "No models, no actresses…" She looked up. "Why is that?"

"What, you don't approve? A few teachers, some college girls, a couple of nurses from Stark Industries that I'm flying here for the night…" He waved at the list. "Those are nice, wholesome, salt-of-the-earth girls."

"My point, precisely." She narrowed her eyes. "What is it exactly that you're planning to do?"

He shrugged. "I told you, it's just a party. An unusual one," he conceded. But he could tell Pepper wasn't placated. She'd crossed her arms and now was eyeing him suspiciously; "Oh, come on; don't look at me like I'm some kind of pervert!"

Pepper rolled her eyes.

"The injured tone won't work, Tony. This is not a party like any other and you know it. Either you tell me what you're up to or…" she let the word trail off.

Tony hesitated for a couple of seconds, then gave up.

"Ok, I'm gonna tell you. I need your help, anyway." He paused for a moment as if to gather his thoughts, then, "It's about Steve."

Pepper was surprised. "Steve Rogers?"

"Yeah, him," Tony said testily, as if Rogers was the only one Steve they knew. Reluctantly, he added, "He's been hanging around here."

"He lives here."

"I know he lives here," Tony said impatiently; "Don't play dumb with me. My point is, he hangs around all day! That can't be healthy."

"You hang around here all day, too," she replied; "Is that unhealthy too?" But she was smiling by now. "So, Steve hangs around. Why is that a problem?"

"Well, for starters, he hangs around in my workshop!"

"Oh." She nodded slowly. "I see."

"No," Tony started shaking his head. "You don't see. You just think I'm getting bored of playing host to the guys."

"Well…" Pepper merely shrugged.

"That's not it," Tony said, then added, for good measure, "It's not! I like being the Avengers' landlord." He paused. "It gives me the upper hand."

She smiled. That, she did believe. "All right. Then what is it?"

Tony didn't immediately reply. Instead, he walked around his workbench and sat on his swivel chair. He leant back on it, then threw an appreciative glance around.

"See this, Potts?" he asked. "It's a nice place; it's comforting, it's quiet -"

"It's messy -"

He pretended not to hear. "Bottom line, this isn't just a workshop," he said; "It's a refuge from the outside world. It's… a sanctuary." He paused, and noticed that Pepper was suitably impressed, (and rightly so; he'd never been so open). "Now, I don't mind the guys taking over the living room or the kitchen, Potts; or the gym. God knows I wasn't wild about sharing the sauna, but I did." This was the hardest thing actually, since sharing the room with guys who were buffer than him was not his definition of fun. "But now they're starting to invade my workshop…"

Pepper smiled indulgently. "Invade?"

"Ok, maybe 'invade' isn't the right word. And it's not all of them; it's just Steve. He's been dropping by every day, Potts! Look!" He waved at a couch on the opposite end. There were several sets of encyclopedia books neatly piled on it.

Pepper looked at them, then back at Tony.

"Aren't those your childhood books…?" Tony nodded. "He's reading those?"

"Yeah. And you know, for a strong, silent type of guy, he sure talks a lot while he's reading. And the stupid questions he asks -" He stopped when he saw the look on Pepper's face. She was trying hard to keep a straight face and failing. "Hey, it's not funny! The guy's becoming a nuisance, Potts! I can't work with him in the room."

Pepper bit her lip. With an effort, she said, very reasonably, "Tony, it's Steve Rogers; how bad can it be?"

"How bad? He comes early in the morning and leaves in the evening. He brings his own lunch -"

"Oh, no, he doesn't!"

"Oh, yes, he does," Tony said irritably. "Sandwiches. In a creaky brown bag. Usually it's ham on white with lots of mayonnaise –the real thing, too."

"The kind you wish you could eat."

"Exactly," Tony said off-handedly. Then he narrowed his eyes. "You're not taking it seriously."

"I'm trying to," Pepper protested. "But… It's hard to see Steve Rogers as a nuisance. He's a nice guy; he obviously admires you -"

"He needs a distractor," Tony said firmly. "And I'm gonna give him one."

Something clicked in her mind. She looked at the list, then at Tony.

"You're giving this party…. to get Steve a girlfriend?"

"Finally," Tony said. "Yes, Miss Potts; that's exactly what I intend to." He nodded at the list. "There are blondes and brunettes and a couple of redheads in that list. I figured he'd go for quiet rather than flashy, which is why I didn't include any models. I don't think he'd go for a skinny type of girl, anyway. And the students -" He paused when he saw the doubt in Pepper's eyes. "What, you don't think it'll work?"

"Does Steve know about this?"

"Of course not! Come on, Potts, you know the guy; he'd say no."

"Then maybe you shouldn't do it. Tony, this is Steve Rogers. He's -"

"Shy," Tony cut in. "I know."

"I'm not talking about that." She hesitated, "Do you know how long it took him to understand blacks were no longer segregated? And the -"

"Oh, that's a low blow, Potts. Sure, it's been a slow process, but the guy's heart is in the right place!"

"I'm not saying he's a bad man, Tony. On the contrary; he was glad when they told him. But that's my point; he needs things spelled out to him. This…" she held up the list. "This may be more than he's prepared for. I mean, he may not even want a girlfriend!"

"He doesn't know what he wants," Tony said dismissively; "That's why I'm giving the party. Once he sees what he's been missing…"

"What if he doesn't like those girls? What are you going to do then?"

Tony shrugged. "I'll find some others."

Pepper shook her head. "Mr. Sensitive," she muttered under her breath.

"That's what they call me," Tony replied cheekily. "Come on, Potts! I'm only doing this to help Steve! The guy's lonely."

Pepper eyed him in silence for a moment.

"And you're doing it out of the goodness of your heart?"

Tony raised his eyebrows.

"What, you don't believe I can try and do something nice for a coworker?"

"Well, I don't see you trying to help Hawkeye -"

"He doesn't need my help. And he doesn't come here every day either."

Pepper stared at Tony a while longer. It looked like there was something she wanted to say but didn't quite dare. Finally, she nodded.

"All right. I'll call the caterers."

"Thanks, Potts. You'll make sure they have a good time, right?"

"What, you're not attending your own party?"

Tony snorted. "A lame party like this one? No thanks. Besides, it's not my party; it's Steve's." He leant back in his chair, looking pleased with himself.

Unfortunately, JARVIS piped in just then.

"Captain Rogers is on his way here, sir."

"Oh, crap." Tony automatically sat up. He gave Pepper a beseeching look. "Please, make it happen."

She nodded briskly. "Yes, sir. Right away, sir." She even raised her hand in a mock salute. But she wasn't really mocking him; not really. "I'll do my best." She turned to the door.

"And get him some new clothes," Tony called out. "Something not in plaid, for God's sake."


….tbc