It used to be that FFNet read my mind and made a horizontal line whenever I made an obscene consecutive number of periods...now I have to pick one off a menu *grumble grumble grumble* Anyway, in the near future I may not be updating as frequently and don't hyperventilate it's only because I'm turning 21! And yes, I've only waited forever to be able to drink (I kid) so I'll be out for about a week (in a drunken stupor...again I kid) so wait till the week after before you call for divine retribution. Anyway, I am soooo glad that all of you are enjoying the fic so much and the comments, alerts, and favorites are very wonderful. All I ask is you read, enjoy...and maybe wish me a happy bday on the 26th.

-Jokerfest

She was kind of a messy eater too. She wasn't as bad as her brother, what with the hunched shoulders, and the bold use of hands, but it was in that general direction. He supposed he hadn't noticed when it had come to dinner because Jax had taken up all of his spare attention. She licked her fingers and as undignified as she was, not to mention unsanitary, he still wanted to be the one licking those fingers. She chewed a little loudly, something he hadn't noticed the day before because she'd been eating something soft. However, her breasts still heaved gently and somehow her throat, as she swallowed, still remained attractive. Or maybe it wasn't, maybe she wasn't, and Tony had been viciously brainwashed.

He was a perfectly happy brainwashed victim then, wasn't he?

"You're staring at me...again."

"Was I?"

"Yes, you were. What's going on in that obnoxiously snarky head of yours?"

He looked at her pointedly and after a second, realizing what he meant, Mina blushed and glanced back down at her plate.

"You always blush when people compliment you?"

"Well, no, it's just, how often do you think of the two of us having sex?"

Tony choked on his own sandwich, his eyes watering. He reached for his glass of soda and gulped it down. He glanced up to see Mina shaking with silent laughter. Tears gathered at the corner of her closed eyes and Tony couldn't help but smile. When she snorted he couldn't help but join her.

"So, how long have you and your siblings been, y'know?"

"Orphans?"

"I was aiming for sensitive."

"I don't need it. It's been years Tony, I was nineteen when they died."

"That long, you've been watching your siblings for that long!"

Mina walked over to her motorcycle. She carried the helmet under her arm. Her eyes were glancing up, a million miles away. He guessed that she'd told a little white lie, she wasn't over the pain of losing her parents yet. Tony knew that even though he and his father had never been on the best of terms he still missed the bastard. From what Tony had seen of Mina's relationship with her family she'd lost a lot more than he had.

"Yeah...I mean, it doesn't get easier but...after awhile you get used to it hurting. When they first died, I thought-I mean, the world was over, y'know? I was in school, life was good, I wasn't even there when they...I just wasn't there."

"It must have been hard."

She stopped at her bike and looked at Tony. Tony didn't know what the look in her eye meant, it meant so many things. It was a mix of pain, anger, determination, so many things. No one had ever looked at him like that, he didn't think he was close enough to anyone to garner such a naked look.

"I did what I had to, to keep me and my siblings together. I did what I had to...t' make sure that my parents were taken care of. It was more than hard...burying my parents, it was so much more than that-it was me...it was me burying my old life, six feet under."

"How'd you support yourself?"

"Mom and dad had money, life insurance money, that they left to us. I used it to buy the house off. I dropped outta school first, started looking for work. Dad already paid the bike off, so I sold the car. Used that t' get myself a lawyer. I needed t' find a way to keep the kids. Got three jobs, working Uncle's dojo, waitressing and working as a pharmacy technician."

"Shit."

"Yeah, I still got time off from that pre-honeymoon thing which is why we're hangin' out now."

Tony took all of the information in. She fought hard for her family, she fought hard to survive in general. Tony never had to want for anything. Even if he hadn't taken in his father's footsteps, the funds from his father's company would have kept him in a lofty state of wealth. In a few short weeks Mina had gone from college kid to single parent.

"What school?"

"The Art Institute of Chicago."

"Jesus, what's that, one of the best art schools in the world?"

"Yeah," she whispered softly, "but that doesn't matter."

"No?"

"Nope, because the best fuckin' school in the world isn't worth shit compared t' the people I got."

She smiled before donning the helmet. She hopped on easily enough, her bottom wiggling temptingly as she settled onto the saddle. Tony's hand practically twitched as he weighed the pros and cons of slapping her ass.

Kung fu?

He decided against the idea and watched as she coaxed her bike into a soft purr. She glanced back at him, helmeted, and nodded her head forward.

Like hell itself could keep him from following her. Long legs wrapped in leather, clonky boots, and a leather jacket, that as she leaned forward, revealed the creamy skin of her back and stomach?

Uh huh, he could see him chopping off his right arm before he let that get away.

...............................................................................................

They were home by 2:30 sharp. Well, he was, at least. She had already planted herself on the stairs of the house looking at the street. She had taken off the riding jacket, revealing a black tank top, that, Tony thought, was very flattering to her breasts.

"Waiting for me?"

"Sorry, sweetie but no."

Tony heard a faint rumble and saw the almost painful yellow of a school bus.

"Oh."

She chuckled and stood up, brushing by him casually as she moved to the sidewalk. Soon the rumbling became a dull roar and the bus was squealing in front of them. The door opened with a loud hiss and Maddie and Hannah came out along with three other teenagers. Hannah was chatting with a boy and Tony looked over at Mina to see what she thought.

Her thoughts couldn't have been clearer if smoke had been coming out of her ears.

As the bus rumbled away, Mina made her way to her younger sister and the teenage boy. The boy was a head taller than her, with flaming red hair and wicked brown eyes. He looked like something out of a My Chemical Romance video. His hair was gelled and messed up with careful precision. He had eyeliner lining his eyes and a prominent lip ring. His clothes were torn almost strategically and hung on a solid frame. He wasn't emo...wasn't a jock...he was something of the two collided together.

"Eric!"

The young man paled considerably at this name being shouted, his freckles standing out on his skin.

"M-m-ma'am," he almost squeaked. His voice was a gravelly mess, as if he was still going through puberty. Maybe he was, Tony hadn't been around people this young except for at charity benefits Pepper managed to wrangle him into.

"Oh, don't you ma'am me," Mina growled out as she stood in front of Eric.

She grabbed the young man in a tight hug, startling everyone. Tony raised a brow but decided to keep quiet just to see what would happen.

"I haven't see you in ages, you bum. Everyone tells me how well you're getting on in school but I never actually see you. Did your brother already tell you...about...everything?"

"No, Hannah did, but as soon as I heard-Mina I'm sorry."

"S'alright, things will work out just fine. So, what finally brought you by?"

Tony watched the interaction, watched the boy's face. Finally, he understood what was going on.

"You're Aaron's brother?"

They all turned to look at him and Tony felt only a small twinge of guilt at interrupting. Aaron blushed thickly and gulped nervously, before looking down at his shoes. Mina saw Eric's reaction and laughed.

"Yeah, kinda hot isn't he," Mina said plainly as she glanced at Tony. Tony looked at the pair for only a second before realizing another truth. The boy was gay. He was absolutely gay and that was probably why Mina hadn't been worried about Hannah at all.

"Yeah...gayer than a rainbow," Hannah grinned as she walked towards him. She punched him playfully on the shoulder before heading inside. Maddie looked in Tony's direction, smiled and then headed into the house after his sister. Mina gave Eric's arm a squeeze before he headed inside too.

"Does his brother know-"

"Not one clue. Eric has to tell his brother in his own time. He used to come by all the time and then he stopped all of a sudden. I was never sure why but I guess he'll tell us eventually."

"Uh huh. So," Tony whispered, his arms around Mina's hips. He let his chin rest on her shoulder. "You think I'm hot?"

She chuckled a bit, glancing a bit behind her. "Tony you're extremely attractive. I can't be the only one that's told you that."

He pressed a kiss to her neck, once again reveling in her scent. He felt her body shiver in his arms, felt the little intake of breath, but she didn't stop him. Maybe he was actually doing things right. He kissed again and saw her teeth tug at her lips.

"Tell me again, Mina," and this time he playfully nipped at her skin. She gasped and her hands moved over his, squeezing them a little in their grip. He waited patiently for an answer and when she finally seemed to gain control over herself he got a reply.

"You're very good looking, Tony." She turned herself around in his arms, letting her own rest around his neck. Tony let out a sharp sound as a tongue left a warm trail up his throat. He held onto her more tightly, pulling her closer. When the sensation passed he looked down at her. She smirked up at him and pulled away from the embrace. "But you know...so am I. I'll see you inside."

Grandmothers? Shit, what had worked last time? Tony envisioned Nick Fury in a bubble bath and sighed as he felt it beginning to work, though the image of the man burned several brain cells beyond repair.

He heard her footsteps moving about upstairs and couldn't help but look up. He wanted to go upstairs, see what she was up to, but decided against it. Instead he headed down the hallway and entered the kitchen. Hannah was chopping lettuce and Eric was beside her peeling cucumbers. The two of them were talking and laughing like old friends, and Tony realized that was probably exactly what they were.

"Hey, Stark, make yourself useful," Hannah joked as she nodded towards two peppers that were also on the counter. "There are knives over there on the counter by the sink."

Tony did as she said and began to hack into-

"Jesus Christ! What the hell are you doing to that poor vegetable?"

"Cutting it?"

Hannah grimaced as she moved to his side of the counter top. She took the knife from his hands and moved with poised grace. She took his butchered pieces and chopped them into smaller cubes. The larger portion she chopped to slices. Then she was reaching for his hand.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!"

"I am not going t' chop off your hand, idiot! Now look, this," she muttered as she wrapped his hand around the handle," is how you hold a blade. Got that?"

"Yeah, got it."

"Now," she said as she grabbed a pepper and placed it in his other hand,"is how you hold the vegetable. You don't wanna crush it to the table, just wanna steady it. And when you cut," she took his wrist this time, "you wanna cut at an angle. You cut in and then snap back,"she instructed as she pressed his arm forward and down. The slice fell neatly onto the table and Tony couldn't help but smile.

"With you, how come Mina doesn't know how to cook?"

"Because she's impatient, cause she doesn't wanna learn. Also, I've never taught her how, neither did our parents."

"Why not?"

"Well, after she melted three teakettles to the stove they thought she was beyond hope."

"Teakettl-how does that happen?"

Hannah shrugged and then moved back to her lettuce.

"Now let's see what you've learned."

Mina entered the kitchen her hair still wet and curled. She was wearing a long flowing tyedye skirt and a blue tank. Tony glanced up from the stove, for a moment, completely entranced by the woman.

"Dammit Tony! The ground beef is going t' burn," Hannah said as she smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!"

"Whatever, go with Mina and wait for Josh or something. You're completely useless t' me with sex on the brain."

Mina laughed and crooked her finger at him. As if summoned, Tony found himself quickly moving to her side. The two of them walked outside, occassionally sneaking glances at one another. He knew it was childish, the sudden shyness, but he couldn't help it around her. Being around Mina was similar to being a young teenager again. Sometimes he just couldn't think of a thing to say that didn't come off as obsession plain and simple. She sat down on the stoop gathering her skirts around her, so he assumed, he could have a seat. He didn't sit down, he leaned against the house and glanced out towards the street.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you, Mina."

"I figured as much," Mina said simply.

"You figured?"

"Well, yes, I mean, you're not exactly known for your lasting relationships with women."

"You're looking for someone to settle with."

"I'm really not, y'know. I'm looking for someone that wants me fore me. It just so happens that thus far, the only man that does happens to be multibillion dollar manwhore, with a fetish for motor oil and adventuring."

"So what are you gonna do about that?"

"It's not up to me. He already knows what I want."

"Mina-"

"Tony...if you were to go back to California right now, I wouldn't be angry with you. I didn't expect this little game of cat and mouse to go on for as long as it did, or for you to actually want me for more than just my body."

"You didn't?"

"Well...no."

"What did you expect?"

"To have drunken sex with you back at your place."

"What the-oh come on!"

Mina giggled and glanced back at him. He wasn't sure if she was messing with him or being perfectly serious. She winked and turned her eyes back on the street. He sat down beside her.

"You expected that, for me to take advantage of you?"

"I didn't know you well enough. To me, you were a guy lookin' to get laid by a pretty lady. I know I filled that role more than adequately. I mean, why did you invite me back to your place? Why not set me up in a different hotel, or schedule a flight for me?"

"I don't know. Liked you more than I thought."

"That's what I figured out, the next day, when you started asking me about myself, about the kids. It's only been three days, Tony. We could end this now, go our separate ways. This could be stopped."

"But do you want it to?"

She sighed and leaned against him, her head on his shoulder. He let his arm pull her close, his hand curling gently over her hip. There was that scent again but there was a hint of some berry shampoo that floated around her. She remained silent in his arms and he knew then what was happening.

"We can't stop, can we?"

"Yes, we can...it's just that neither of us want to."

"Mina-"

"Shutup, I'm listening for the bus."

"Alright," he said as she pressed closer to him. Her hand moved to the center of his chest, settling on the reactor. She looked up at him for a moment, before pressing a quick kiss to the cloth that covered it. He looked down at her and saw her biting her lip.

"No, we can't," she whispered.