Notes: robbie, I love the inhuman squealing noise! yay! Scott is a secret Sassy ninja. No one will convince me otherwise.
griezz - just can't answer that question one way or another. sorry.
dragonwriter88 - yes, Coulson's a neat cat. I like him a lot. And though you can't read it in the original 906 right now bc ... construction (oh hey, keep your eyes open for an updated chapter REAL FAST) I have a more extensive backstory as to how these two know each other. And I personally think it's pretty awesome, but that's just me. meh.
scruffy! - yes. Tony can be a bit sleazy, but he is SO. MUCH. FUN. to play with. omg. which leads us right to ...
Chapter 37: Mr. Stark
After Scott showed her around, K had a hard time getting to sleep that night. She knew Scott wasn't lying, and she knew that Logan wouldn't misdirect her, but she also knew that Logan was anxious, and it was pretty clear that even though he at least partially trusted these people, he still wanted to get out. Fast.
So when it was apparent that she wasn't going to be sleeping, K wrapped the flannel shirt around her new pajamas, slipped on a pair of soft socks and silently padded down the hall toward the kitchen. No one was around and aside from the usual ambient sounds of any household, the place was silent.
K took just a moment to take stock of where everything was before she started up a pot of coffee. If she couldn't sleep, she could at least have some kind of comfort in some java.
She was well into her third cup, her chin resting in the palm of her hand, when she heard someone coming down the hall. For an instant, her pulse picked up, not sure of who it might be, or what the consequences were if she was out of her rack - no … this was a house. Out of bed. If she was out of her room before it was socially acceptable. K held her breath as she waited for the approaching person to appear and when it was Tony, she simply waited to see how he'd handle things. But she had to smirk at his response to seeing her there.
"This definitely wasn't the date or late night rendezvous with you that I had in mind," Tony said as he made his way over and got a mug to pour himself some coffee.
"I wasn't aware I was allowed out of the house," K replied, simply going back to her coffee, though she missed the smile that Tony was wearing when she didn't flat turn him down.
"Why not?" he asked, leaning against the counter and watching her carefully. "They're the ones on lock down. You're off the radar, so I'm told. No reason you can't get out … stretch your legs, have a good time."
She smiled toward her coffee cup before she glanced up to catch his gaze. "I'm reasonably sure that going out anywhere with you would wreck that entirely," K pointed out. "But it's a sweet offer."
"Sweet nothing," Tony said before he kicked off from where he was leaning against the counter to lean on the table next to her. "Come on. Let's go do something. No press. No cameras. Just you and me. Believe me, I know how to avoid them if I want to."
"Yeah?" K said, one eyebrow raised in challenge. "Prove it."
"Come with me and I will," he said with a crooked smirk.
But she shook her head lightly at that. "No dice, Romeo. Prove it first."
Tony smiled outright at that. "That's your condition? Prove that I can avoid cameras and you'll go have a little fun?"
She was entirely sure that it wasn't going to happen, so she shrugged lightly. "Yeah. Why not."
He grinned wider and pointed a finger her way. "I'm taking that as a promise, missie."
"Alright, that's fine," K said, nodding. "Of course, I'll probably be long gone by then…"
"No, no," Tony said, already heading out of the kitchen. "Watch the news - there will be no live sightings of me today, and tonight? Well. Tell Jan you'll need something high brow."
"Awfully optimistic of you, Mr. Stark," K said, lifting her mug to her lips.
"Yes. and also right," Tony called out before he stepped into the hall, leaving K shaking her head.
With a sigh, she refilled her mug, turned off the coffee maker and headed back down the hall to her room. If nothing else, the entertainment was good.
By morning, K had honestly forgotten about the little fiasco at three in the morning with Stark, and she was simply enjoying the company she had in Scott and Logan, though neither of them had much to say as they sat down at breakfast.
Of course it wasn't too long before others began to show up, and in short order, Jan was trying to get Scott to engage in conversation and K was simply sitting next to Logan watching and listening to the conversation he was deeply involved in with Steve.
The two of them sounded like old friends, and K found herself simply enjoying the back and forth between them. Little inside jokes, shared experiences that came through in the manner in which both men spoke.
But it wasn't too long before Steve tipped his head her way and got to his feet. Logan turned and gave her a little smirk. "You got anything to do, or did you want to take a look at the intel as it came in with us?" he asked quietly.
"Oh, you boys go ahead, I hate to interrupt a good thing when I see it," K replied, though that only got Logan's smirk to stretch out a bit.
"Come on by if you change your mind. I'd like to see you tear up Cap's strategy," Logan told her with a low little growl.
She bit her lip and grinned at him before she nodded her agreement. "Alright then. See you later."
He gave her a little wink before he stood up and headed out in Steve's wake. "Glad to have you back, Darlin'."
K shook her head and turned in time to see Scott with a little smirk. His conversation with Janet was obviously over, and the young man had very little to do, from the look of things. "You got any big plans?"
Scott shook his head lightly. "Not yet. Janet was going to get me set up with clothes. Again."
K watched him for a moment and went back to her coffee. "I'm all kinds of messed up - between being used to west coast time zone and the whole - dart. Thing. I think I'm going to just go and try to relax."
She got to her feet gingerly and as she passed him, she couldn't help but ruffle his hair affectionately on her way by.
Scott smirked, ducking his head down belatedly in an attempt to save his hair, then smoothed it out as best he could, still smiling as he gathered up his things and headed for the kitchen. Though he could hear the conversation before he got there and he didn't like it at all.
"... I told her to tell you," Tony was saying. "She doesn't think I can do it." He laughed under his breath and his tone dropped a bit. "Seriously, Jan. Just do me this favor. You know her sizes. We're going out tonight - find her something appropriate - your discretion. I swear I won't complain."
"I don't know Tony," Janet was saying. "What if you're wrong? Not like she's going to have a use for something like you're talking about."
"Come on," Tony said, almost scoffing. "Every girl needs a pretty dress, right? Come on, Jan, for me. Please?"
There was a long moment of silence before Scott heard Janet cave - the prospects of finding something for a woman was just that much more interesting than just what the guys needed. Especially when the guys had guidelines she had to follow, and Tony was obviously asking for something more to Janet's tastes. "Oh … fine," Janet breathed out. "But if she gets mad, I'm telling her to hit you."
"Beautiful. You're just beautiful," Tony said, clearly beaming - and only then did Scott see him when he darted forward to kiss Janet's cheek, getting a little squeak of a laugh from her before he left the room out the opposite door.
Scott waited for just a moment before he stepped into the kitchen to put away his dish and glass, though he couldn't help but frown deeper at the conversation that he'd over heard.
He knew it wasn't any of his business what K did with her time. Or Tony. They were adults, and he really didn't have any claim on K outside of having known her anyway.
And leaving aside the fact that he didn't care for Tony's arrogance and the way he pushed his tastes and his opinions on people, the guy was an Avenger, so that had to count for something.
It was just that Tony … didn't seem like her type.
No, that wasn't it.
It was that Scott had been selfishly enjoying the dynamic between the three of them - him and his dad and K. He liked having her around. Logan seemed to like having her around. And it wasn't like he was asking for a mom when he knew he was flat-out lucky to even have one parent for how old he was when Logan adopted him. He just… didn't want K to end up staying with the Avengers while he and Logan moved on. It wouldn't feel the same with just two of them, not after all they'd been through together.
Not that he had any say in it.
He let out a breath and reminded himself again that it wasn't his business and that he really didn't have a say in what K did with her personal life before he left to find… something to do, not that there was exactly that much that was teenager-friendly around the place. He ended up settling on simply finding a TV and sitting down, not really paying much attention to the programming but trying to get used to the idea of not having K around...
Meanwhile, K had gotten restless trying to relax when she knew the guys were deciding what it was that they were going to do next - or where they would GO next. She was stretched out on her bed and staring at the ceiling, trying to decide what to do - when she realized that she wasn't going to be able to relax, and she honestly couldn't stop wondering what Logan and Steve were finding.
She tapped her fingers on the bed and bit her bottom lip, trying to hang back since she knew Logan had wanted more space when they were on the road. Even if he was starting to flirt a little bit … he probably just didn't like seeing the takedown the way it had gone down.
"Dammit," she muttered under her breath before she got up and headed down the hall, following Logan's scent to where he and Steve were putting their heads together. She stayed in the doorway just for a moment, watching the two of them strategizing until Logan glanced up at her.
"Come and take a look," he said with a little smirk. "Gettin' a few options for you to pick from."
"For me to pick from?" K said as she stepped into the room, her arms crossed in front of her loosely. "I thought it was a joint decision."
Logan nodded once and waved her over. "Come on, take a look."
Both he and Steve were standing up straight as she approached, and when she got near enough, Logan rested a hand on her shoulder to steer her to stand closer. "Here's what they're up to anyhow. Northwest and most spots along the border are shot, not that it's any kind of a shock."
"What is interesting though is that they seem to be lining up on the Mexican border too - do you have ties in Central America?" Steve asked, and K quickly shook her head 'no' as she looked over the map. It was pretty apparent that they were trying to cut off any escape into the world at large.
"What about airports?" K asked, looking up at Steve, who smirked and shook his head.
"Kind of hard to get around metal detectors for you two," he said with a smirk.
The little trio was just getting involved in their plotting and planning, and reasonably discussing the possibilities when Tony came in and set a tall latte in front of K with a grin. "What's this?" she asked, pushing the strand of hair behind her ear as she straightened up and picked up the coffee.
"Proof." Tony was smirking crookedly as he raised his own coffee.
"So … this … is a coffee date then?" she asked before she crinkled her nose a bit at the scent of the overly roasted beans.
"No. This … is proof that I can go out, do things, get several things done - and still not be photographed." He gestured to the tv screen in the corner. "You'd know if I was wrong because … well. I don't buy coffee for anyone but me when I'm out and about."
"So … you just raised suspicions on yourself," K decided. "Nice. Not the move I'd take but … to each their own."
"No, see - that was the deal. I've been out and about all morning," Tony said. "My point has been made." He took a few steps toward the door. "I'll see you at seven. Jan should have something pulled together by then."
"Alright," she said, shaking her head before she tried to get into the coffee. It wasn't as good as she'd have made it - or Scott for that matter, but … maybe east coast coffee drinkers weren't quite as sophisticated with their coffee palate.
"What was that?" Steve blurted out, when it was clear that K was ready to just go back to their planning.
K looked up, not at all expecting the expressions of disbelief on both of their faces. "What?"
"Stark," Steve said, not hiding his disapproval at all, though Logan was just … watching her.
"He caught me early this morning," K replied. "I couldn't sleep. I headed to the kitchen for coffee … and apparently he was passing through."
"And?" Logan said, which only set K back a bit.
"And … he said I should get out of the house. It was a stupid little bet," she said, waving it off. "Didn't think I needed permission from the committee."
"I thought you were trying to fly under the radar," Steve said, crossing his arms.
"And I thought you said I was in the clear," K countered. "It's one stupid little date. And the first whiff I get of a camera man, I'm going to kidney punch him and slip off."
"Come back here," Steve said. "Please."
"Yes, Dad," K said with her nose scrunched up. "I honestly don't see what the big deal is. It's one. Non public, no pressure date."
"You clearly don't know much about Stark," Steve muttered, but that only got a glare from K.
"You'd be surprised about what I know, Cap," K shot back with a little growl. "Mind your own business." She picked up her latte and headed out of the room, though she only got to the kitchen before she stopped her march and headed to the sink to dump out the latte. "Awful," she muttered. "Scott did better his first try."
She brushed her hands off after she tossed the paper cup and then started toward her room. She couldn't figure out why on earth Steve was so worked up. It was all friendly fun. She was just short of her room when she realized that the door was open, and when she peeked inside, Janet was there, laying out several options.
"Oh, good! I was hoping to catch you," Janet said with a grin. "I wasn't sure what you and Tony had in mind ... " she stopped and looked like she wanted to say something, but quickly shook her head and pushed by it with a clearly put on grin. "... so I found a few options. Do you know what you're doing?"
K tipped her head to the side and watched her for a moment. "Are you asking in general, in regards to Tony - or whatever he's got lined up for this little outing?"
Janet let out a little laugh at that. "Well that answers my question," she said. "If you don't know what he has planned then I guess it'll come down to what you like best. I have super trendy - which, is I think, a little bit flashy." She pointed to a very modern looking dress that K outright cringed at. Too loud of colors. The cut was not one that would flatter anyone, either, but when Janet saw her reaction, she just giggled and moved on to the next one.
"I didn't think that looked like your kind of thing," Janet said before she rearranged to show off a slinky half-see through number.
"No," K said, turning it down flat before Janet could begin to go through the higher points. "Just no."
"That's fine, I thought I'd save that one myself for a saucy kind of evening out," Janet said rolling one shoulder up to her ear. "It's very high fashion right now."
"Well I'm glad to be of assistance, or excuse … whatever," K said before she walked closer to the last two selections. One was an icy blue, the other black - but the black one was obviously the one Janet liked least - half buried under the colorful dresses.
"The blue one is one of the newest out from Lagerfeld …"
"I like the black," K said as she picked it up. It was almost like a summer dress - fitted around the torso but gently flared out with a fabric that was cut on the bias. "Classic. Simple. Most flattering."
"So you're a classics kind of girl," Janet said with an approving nod. "That … was inspired by an old Chanel design - I know the designer of this one."
K smirked and nodded. "Must be why I like it," she muttered to herself before she thanked Janet for going through all the trouble.
"Oh, no trouble at all. I got a load of jeans and simple clothes for you too - Scott said you were a more laid back kind of girl, so …"
K couldn't help but smile. "He's a good kid," she said fondly, and that got Janet grinning.
"Okay, but you have to let me help you," Janet said. "Let me do your hair."
"I'm not going all out," K insisted. "But if you want to let me borrow a little makeup …"
"Oh, I got all of that for you," Janet said, rushing across the room to pull out yet another bag from the stack that K just now realized Janet had next to the dresser. For just a moment, the two women stared at each other and finally Jan shrugged up both shoulders. "Okay … so I might have gone a teensy bit overboard? But in my defense, the only people I've been allowed to shop for are Logan and Scott - and both of them have pretty specific and strict guidelines of what they'll wear."
Janet looked both ways before she closed the gap between them. "Honestly," she whispered. "The stuff Tony picked out for him wasn't horrible. It just … wasn't Scott."
"What was it?" K had to ask, already highly entertained.
"Rock tees and blue jeans that were probably a little tighter than Scott liked."
At that, K had to laugh. "Oh, that's just great. Kid went to a concert and I gave him cash and told him to get a tee. That's just … perfect." She had to laugh at the whole thing. Had she known Scott had issues with things like that she would have never suggested …
"You've got a little time still," Janet said. "Even if you're not super interested, it's bound to be a one of a kind sort of night, right?"
K tipped her head to the side and considered her. "You're not wrong," she said, before she started toward her bathroom. "And it's been … oh, man. Ages. Since I've been out on a date."
"So you're just long overdue," Janet decided, nodding to herself. "I'll tell you about him when you get out - and I promise not to go crazy with your hair."
Logan and Steve had taken a break from their planning. New variables were coming in from the military and they were doing all they could to try and predict where they were looking … though the fact that there were small factions popping up in NYC wasn't making Steve feel any better about things - at all.
Nothing seemed to be going they way they wanted it to - and no one was sure what the next spot could possibly be if they weren't sure what these idiots from Canada were up to. It was maddeningly frustrating. For both of them. And when they stepped out of their planning room, Logan had to let out a disbelieving laugh when he saw Stark with a drink in his hand in a suit.
But none of them was expecting to hear the click-clack of high heels as K and Janet made their way down the hall from K's room. Both men turned and stopped as she made her way down the hall, putting in the earrings that Janet was handing her.
The two women were talking between themselves, and neither of them seemed to notice the three men standing near the end of the hall until they were almost to them.
K looked up just as she was finishing up with a swipe of berry-red lipstick and gave the three of them a little smile. "Been waiting long?" she asked, and Tony grinned outright.
"Worth it," he said, looking far too full of himself to be legal. He offered K his arm and she gave Logan a little wink just before she disappeared with Tony.
For a moment, Logan frowned at the closed door, but didn't say anything about it other than to let out a disbelieving huff and head off with Steve. He wasn't going to say anything to Scott about it yet, but he wasn't going to change any plans either. If all the stories were true, even if she ended up screwing around with Stark - she'd be on her way out anyhow. He just didn't like it. At all.
Once Tony and K were seated and the car was in motion, it was no time at all before he couldn't help but give her an open once over, which she tactfully ignored, instead, looking out the window to try and see where it was Tony was planning to take her.
"This isn't some elaborate ruse to separate me from my traveling companions, is it?" K asked before she turned to face him.
Tony took half a second to school his features as he leaned toward her. "Really, sweetheart, it's the first date. Let's see where it goes."
K couldn't help but smirk at that. "You're really asking for it," she said, allowing the smirk to stretch into a smile.
"Not yet, no," he replied with a grin.
She returned the smile and reached up to brush a lock of hair out of her face. "One step at a time, Mr. Stark."
"Sometimes I like to do two or three steps at once."
"Not with me you won't," K said, keeping her smirk firmly in place, and getting a grin out of Tony.
He spent the rest of the ride simply smiling her way and admiring the view, and when they finally got to their destination, they didn't get out on the street, instead, pulling into the underground garage and then rushing to the private elevator.
K had no idea what it was he had planned, but she had to take stock of the situation she found herself in when he led her out of the elevator and to a pair of double doors that opened up to show that he'd arranged for dinner at the top floor of his skyscraper.
There was a fire in the corner and a waiter that was just then pouring out the wine, and it was clear that it was just the two of them, along with the gentleman handling the affairs for the evening. Tony led her over to her seat, and held the chair for her until she was seated and simply started chatting without any mention of the salient details.
It wasn't until after they'd had dinner, and she'd gotten a bit comfortable that she even tried to engage in conversation.
"So what was it you were hoping to achieve with all of this?" K asked, keeping her gaze on Tony while her wine glass was refilled.
"Like I said. You needed a chance to get out and relax. Get spoiled. I'm sure your travelling companions haven't been able to do too much of that," Tony said, smirking her way as his wine glass was replaced with a rocks glass and a decanter filled with whiskey was left at the table - a sure sign, K was sure that the two of them were going to be without their waiter in short order.
"I appreciate your concern," K said as she lifted her glass. "But what do you get out of this?"
"Isn't your company enough?" Tony asked, with a troublemaking look.
"Probably not, by your measure," K replied.
"I'm not going to interrogate you," Tony said, before he leaned back and drained the glass in his hand in one go, frowning for a moment at the expression on her face. "Is it that hard to believe I want to spend time with a gorgeous woman?"
"No, that I can believe," K replied, though she smiled slightly at the complement. "The idea that you could successfully interrogate me is laughable though, Mr. Stark."
"Then why not just take it as it is?" Tony leaned toward her, smiling crookedly. "You and me - out for a laugh. Who knows what might happen?"
She watched him for a moment, and finally, against her better judgement, she nodded and then went with him to enjoy the view.
The house, however was fairly quiet. There really wasn't anything to do outside of planning and plotting out their new game plan, but with the third member of their party out with Stark, Logan was having a hard time concentrating on how to move forward.
He knew it wasn't going to be long term even with the best of outcomes for K with Tony, but it didn't make it any easier to come up with a plan.
In fact, he wasn't sure how to look at the woman if she was gonna be screwing around with Stark. Nothing about the situation made it sound like the girl they'd disappeared with. The no-nonsense barista that had given Scott his first job … just flat didn't seem like the type to hop into bed with the billionaire.
He rubbed his hand over his face and then through his hair. Maybe that was what the girl was like. Maybe the personality she was using as a barista was the cover. But … that didn't fit either. The kind of girl that would be mooney eyed for Tony Stark couldn't possibly evade Sabretooth.
Logan was deep in thought when he caught Scott's scent nearby. He guessed that the young man was looking for him - looking out for him, even. "Hey Slim," Logan said softly. "What's on your mind?"
"Just … had to see how you were doing. It's been quiet," Scott said as he stepped into the room. "You know, with K not around … it's not as … um. Lively."
"It won't last long," Logan said, turning Scott's way. The words had slipped by his lips before he'd even had a chance to weigh them out - but it sounded right to him. "I'm not changing our plan unless she says so."
Scott frowned at that, but didn't say anything. He too, had heard things about Stark - it was impossible not to, but that didn't mean that it made any sense at all for K to fall prey to that kind of behavior.
The fire had died down to embers, and the last of the whiskey was melting the ice cubes in K's glass, slightly out of sight, out of mind as she and Tony were otherwise occupied. A simple kiss had turned into more of a makeout session, and Tony was doing his level best to gain the upper hand.
She hadn't stopped him, and it had gotten heated fast. The height difference was substantial enough though that the whole affair was easier accomplished on the couch, where he'd managed to push her back into the cushions, one hand tangled into her hair and the other at her ribcage.
But it all came to a screeching halt when he slid his hand behind her to work on the zipper to her dress. In a flash, she'd twisted his arm out from behind her and reversed their positions so that he was pressed into the opposite corner of the couch while she pinned him in place. "First date, Mr. Stark," K growled out. "I'm not that easy."
He was grinning in spite of himself. "Can't blame a guy for trying."
"Wanna bet?" she argued, though when she let his hands go, he only pulled her closer for another overly heated kiss that ended a short while later, with K pulling his hands away. "You really need to learn to hear no. Let me make it more clear. Stop or you'll be bleeding."
"So … I screwed myself over huh?" Tony asked, watching closely as K got to her feet.
"No," she said with a little laugh as she straightened herself up. "But I think that's enough for one night- before you push too much."
He thought about it for a moment. "What … about next time?"
"We'll see when next time happens," she replied, already on her way toward the door. "If next time happens."
Tony watched her go for just a moment before he was on his feet and rushing to catch up. "You tacked on that if. And still, you're going home with me," Tony teased.
"Totally not something I can control," K laughed.
"That's what I'm telling you," Tony said with a grin just before the elevator doors closed behind them. "All of this is beyond our control."
She let out a disbelieving laugh and shoved him a step away. "You're pushing your luck. So much."
"Yeah, but you like it don't you? Just a little bit?" Tony was grinning, and in spite of herself, K couldn't help but shake her head and smile with him, which only seemed to puff him up a bit more."Toldja. Just a matter of time. No reason not to."
The car ride back seemed to take longer than the ride to get to the tower, and Tony wasn't entirely ready to give up. K was looking out the window at the passing lights when Tony gently reached over and rested his hand just above her knee, though he was watching her out of his peripheral vision as K turned toward him and covered his hand with hers. "Thin ice, Mr. Stark."
He leaned closer and spoke at just over a whisper. "Not going to stop trying. Especially when you call me 'Mr. Stark'. Kinda got a dirty secretary kind of ring to it when you say it. I like it."
She narrowed her eyes slightly and gave him an open once over, totally ignoring his commentary on the name. "I didn't take you for the patient type. And I'm not doing anything to make it sound dirty."
He raised an eyebrow her way. "You don't have to do anything, it's just your voice. Maybe it's the feral edge coming out, doesn't matter. Totally not the point - and … I can be very patient. For your information."
K tipped her head to the side, openly considering him. "I doubt that. But also … what am I doing that makes 'Mr. Stark' sound dirty?"
He tipped his head to the side, chuckling as he bit his lip. "That. Just that."
K stared back at him with her mouth partly open in pure disbelief. "You're so making it up." But Tony just leaned in a bit and grinned, trying to catch her eye for more than a moment or two, occasionally asking her to say it again, which only had her laughing, though for the rest of the ride, neither of them moved their hands from where Tony had originally started.
Once they were back inside, Tony reached out to take her by the elbow and pull her back to him for a good night kiss. "Go again? I've got plenty of quiet, private spots to keep it low key."
"I'll think about it," K answered. "Ask again some other time, Mr. Stark." When she stepped away from Stark, she looked up in time to see Scott looking out at the entry from where he was seated a room over. K gave him a bright wave and simply headed for her room, ready to change and call it a night.