The lecture and the rest of the convention went off without a hitch. His French was a little rusty, but his audience was very forgiving with the avatar of the Iron Man and ate up every word he said. It was amusing how even at what were supposed to be professional lectures he still ended putting on a show.

The banquet afterward was fantastic, and it was easy to get lost in the crowd of scientists and engineers that were just waiting for a chance to pick his brain. But that was the thing about scientists; either they were really arrogant, or they stayed to themselves, secure enough in their research to know they didn't need validation from a celebrity. And there were plenty of those.

Yeah, there were plenty of people, too many people. So when everyone had their fill of him, he stayed off to the side and entertained the fantasies of some very pretty girl who'd come along as a guest of their father's and had been very bored otherwise. He put on his most dashing camera smile and watched her go tipsy at every word she said, his fingers entwined around a glass of whatever had been going around on the serving platter. It looked like champagne.

Tony glanced around at the dozen faces, smile still stamped there on his mouth as he reflected Pepper's words, the ones she had been about to say but he hadn't let her. The same words she'd said when they were in Bangkok, and Sweden, and the entire grand tour of countries he'd flocked to giving demonstrations on how Stark Industries had the right stuff to share with the rest of the world.

This wasn't working. It hadn't ever worked.

"Monsieur Stark? Quelle que soit mauvais?"

He came back to reality and saw the pretty young woman on his arm looking up at him, her lips pressed to the edge of her champagne glass while her eyes bulged with curiosity. She'd been speaking English previously, but seeing him respond to the sudden switch in language made her smile flirtatiously and chuckle.

"Uh, nothing. Just realized I'm demonstrating the definition of insanity."

She looked confused. Of course she did. He gave a patient roguish grin and took a long draw from his champagne; he embraced the dizzy tide the bubbles brought.

"Heh, yeah. Like I said, it's nothing. Anyway…"

—-

Pepper didn't wait up for him that night; she rarely did anymore and it wasn't like they were sharing a room. He eventually returned to the hotel at around a quarter to five, when the streets were emptying of the night life and the bakers were waking up. He slipped off his tailored suit jacket and toed out of his shoes and sat on the bed with with intent to take off his socks, but instead he just fell back onto the soft mattress, and decided it wouldn't be so bad to sleep this way.

It had been almost a year since the Avenger Initiative had sent the Chitauri back through the portal opened over New York city, and saved it from nuclear attack. Well, he'd done that last part. Entirely on his own, he liked to add. Well, he was the only one who could. He was the only one who could fly, though the Hulk certainly tried.

Banner. No wonder the U.S. Army had lost him for five years, S.H.I.E.L.D. a little less than that. He'd disappeared without a trace. No cell phone, no credit cards. No I.D. They were assuming he was well out of States by now, but just where, well no one knew.

No one.

Shortly after, S.H.I.E.L.D. had said it would only be a matter of time, that they had bases stationed all over the world and that's how they had tracked him down the last time in Kolkata without him even noticing. He'd walked into a cash and carry without a hat on and a tapped camera picked up his facial profile. Fury had been confident he'd slip eventually and be back on the radar.

But ten months later, nothing. Which was of no surprise to Tony at all because it wouldn't be like Banner to make the same mistake twice.

He turned his head to the side and his dark, slightly drunken eyes followed down the course of his clothed arm, hand relaxed and open to the ceiling. In the silence, he heard the steady thrum of the arc reactor in his chest, his own calm, measured breathing.

No. Banner would never make the same mistake twice.