Sunshine part two: solar Tony inventorfic

Pepper pads downstairs into Tony's workshop. Friday lets her in without fuss. Tony is modelling

some sort of chemical reaction, atomic values floating around the air, scalable values float in a table nearby, inscrutable numbers rolling up and down: T +74563+ 10 10 526.

"What are you up to down here?" Pepper isn't usually comfortable in the workshop. Distinguishing the delicate from the dangerous wasn't always easy, and the contents were ever changing.

"I'm working on that solar film I showed you a while back." He gestures to what looked oddly like a row of developing photographs.

"The music box one?" She asks. Tony nods.

"The very same." He says, showing her the film under microscope. Microscopic wires weave patterns through a glittering matrix.

"Your first reaction was that it could power cities... and it could, but not yet."

"No?" She asks. He holds up a bar of milled titanium, and another of vanadium.

"Some of those layers are either very energy intensive to make, made of very expensive materials, or both. I'm going to have to make a lot of adjustments, and it will sacrifice on electrical conversion a little, but your wish is my command." He bows with a flourish.

"Really? I had no idea. Why are you working on this personally? I thought arc reactors were your thing."

"Because, it's for you." He smiles indulgently.

"I'm not sure I understand. The mansion already has it's own arc reactor. You're not going to be sticking this on the roof instead are you?" She looks around at the different films.

"I might for publicity. Look, I really like arc reactors. I mean, they're brilliant in every sense of the word. And I hold exclusive patent on them." He brags. "But you're not comfortable around them. Understandably, to be honest, given your experience with them. So I'm working with a technology you do trust. Renewable, unlimited, and all the nuclear reactions involved happen a nice safe 150 million kilometres distant." He says, pointing at the Sun.

"When you put it that way. Yes, there are very good reasons why I prefer solar power to arc reactors." She puts the lens back on a handy work-top.

"You're not the only one who feels that way. And powering cities is important. A lot of people live in cities. All of my favourite comforts require cities, and power. I may be selfish with some of my cooler tech, but I'm not going to keep the world waiting for cheap, safe, plentiful, sustainable power in order to feed my ego."

"Everything needs power. Transport, electricity. Constructing durable infrastructure for water purification and distribution, garbage disposal. Internet servers."

Friday starts displaying distribution grids and battery schematics, webs of interconnected solar power systems.

"They can all be solar powered, if I can make it efficient enough, and make it out of readily available materials. And make it at a competitive price." He shrugs.

"You're serious about this whole change the world thing aren't you?" Pepper marvels.

"I guess I am. What's so surprising, I've saved the world, changing it isn't so weird is it?"

"I guess not." She smiles.

"So, we have to make this scalable." He hugs her.

"We?" She cranes her neck to look into his eyes.

"Well... you run Stark Industries, I'm just your pet mad scientist. I don't have the resources for this kind of production personally. So, pretty please, can we set up a factory? Get this mass produced?" He gestures at the floating display of miscellaneous infrastructure.

"I'll look into it." Pepper says evenly.

"How is this not an automatic yes?" Tony gapes.

"Because you're brilliant, not infallible. I'm going to do due diligence on this. I'm sure we'll have it up and running soon enough, ok? But if we're going to power the world, we need a good business model to get it done."

"You are very sexy when you're professional, you know that? I'm not trying to belittle your acumen as a CEO, I simply find you sexy for a lot of reasons, and I enjoy telling you when you're sexy."

"I know." She smiles.

"As long as we're clear on that." He smiles back.

She kisses him. He holds her waist. Breaking off to breathe, he asks.

"Do you want pancakes? I'm ready for a break, and my stomach says pancakes."

"Well, it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon, but I bought the good maple syrup last week, so why not."

"You are the best. Can we eat them cuddling on the couch?" He asks excitedly.

"We can." She says happily.

He holds her hand. They exit the workshop side by side.

Fun?