A/N: Thanks to everyone who is following this story and an extra thanks to those leaving reviews! Y'all rock, man.
Chapter #07:
First Day Jitters
"The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." –Socrates
The Stark Pad I was given was honestly a work of art. Sleek, thin, lightweight. How was so much processing power installed on something so small? It literally fit in the palm of both my hands. Tony had even given me a fancy technology pencil to write on the screen with too. Honestly, I kind of felt like Stark had pulled me out of the dark ages and into the 21st century. I was just a lowly cavewoman trying to figure out how the scheduling app worked on this thing.
It was Sunday morning, which meant the big job started tomorrow, and in my usual fashion I put everything off to the last minute. So now I was sitting on the expensive white couch playing with the Stark Pad while the TV played some random show in the background. I just wanted the noise.
"Ms. Bradshaw."
"Fuck." I blurted and nearly dropped the hella expansive pad onto the hella hard wood floor. That would've been grand. Crack the new thing on the first day you used it. I glanced around frantically, but nobody else was on my floor. "Hello?"
"Ms. Bradshaw, sir requests you on his floor at this moment."
The smooth voice spoke from above me and I blinked, "Uh, God?"
"Not exactly. I am JARVIS."
"Oh, wait, he told me about this." I mumbled to myself. Tony had talked about it, but this was the first time the fancy AI was speaking directly to me. I didn't think it could talk on my floor, "You have access to my floor?"
"I have access to the entire Tower."
"Cool cool cool." I nodded then laid down onto the couch to stare at the ceiling, "So, JARVIS right?"
"Yes."
"You ever get tired of working for Tony Stark?"
"I was designed to help Mr. Stark, and I can say that it is never uninteresting." The AI was replying back to me like a real person. It kind of felt like I was having a conversation with any other weirdo Avenger in this Tower. "Again, Mr. Stark is requesting—"
I waved my hand, "It's my day off. He said I start Monday."
Yesterday, I had made the mistake of actually listening to his request and after getting dressed and getting to his floor Tony just asked me where his favorite mug was. As if me, the new girl, would have any idea. This happened three more times with three random things until I turned my phone off and stopped answering his call.
"Tell me more about yourself JARVIS." I settled in for a long conversation.
JARVIS and I talked for about twenty minutes when my elevator doors opened with a 'ding'. I sat up slightly to see Tony breeze in like he owned the—well, wait. He motioned to me with a wave and nodded his head toward the elevator, "I've been calling you. J, haven't I been calling her?"
"Yes, sir, but she states today is her day off."
I nodded and pointed to the ceiling for emphasis. Tony smirked at me and shook his head, "That's all well and good, but Pepper is upstairs, and she wants to meet you, sunshine."
It took a moment for his words to actually make sense in my brain. Pepper wanted to meet me. Pepper Potts. Pepper as in his girlfriend, according to the last tabloid I read, and Pepper as in the CEO of this entire company I was now working for.
"Motherfucker." I yelled and rolled off the couch in a panic. I skidded to a stop in front of the elevator and glanced down at myself. Right now, all I had on was some joggers and an old work out, sleeveless shirt with most of the sides cut out so my black sports bras could be seen. I didn't want to meet the CEO looking like this, but I also didn't want to make her wait any longer than I already had. "Shit, shit, shit, Tony."
Tony grinned at me. He had on an AC/DC shirt and jeans, "You look great! Your right eye is more yellow than purple now."
I groaned and jumped into the elevator. Tony followed slowly after me and as JARVIS pulled the elevator up to his floor, I tried my best to calm my wild hair in the reflection of the walls. Tony chuckled and I ignored him entirely. When the doors opened I sucked in a sharp, nervous breath and then padded out onto his floor with my bare feet.
Pepper Potts was a tall, thin, beautiful woman and everything about her screamed professional. She had on a white skirt with matching blazer and a gray shirt underneath it. Her heels only made her look even taller and her ginger hair hung around her face in clean, straight lines. She was on her phone but when Tony called out from behind me, she looked up.
"Hi! Ms. Potts. I am so sorry to keep you waiting. Mr. Stark called me so many times yesterday I just assumed this was another one of those situations. Especially since he didn't tell me the CEO was waiting on me." I leveled a glare at him with each final word.
Pepper laughed and her smile brightened her features, "Yes, well, that does sound about right. It's very nice to meet you Ms…?"
"Aj Bradshaw, ma'am." I stuck my hand out to shake hers but then remembered I still had that stupid brace on, "Er, I'll just", I pulled my hand back with a nervous grin, "It really is great to meet you though."
"Your resume was outstanding so I'm sure you'll have no issues, but I wanted to run through a few things—"
"My what?" I questioned.
Pepper gave me a curious look that slowly morphed into one of knowing. Her eyes shifted away from me, to Tony, in a glare. She crossed her arms, "You sent me a fake resume?"
"Her resume is not as extensive as the one I sent, maybe?" Tony replied with his hands up in surrender, "But she's got a real degree! With a minor!"
"In Business with foreign affairs as her minor?"
"Uh, Biology actually with a minor is Psychology." I answered sheepishly.
"As much as Tony needs a psychologist", Pepper sent him another glare before looking back to me sternly, "Do you have any experience as a personal assistant? Preferably with a company as large as ours?"
I opened my mouth then just sighed, "No."
"Pep—"
"Look, I'm sure you're a very sweet girl and this is not your fault." Pepper glared again at the man who was taking steps backward from us. "But I asked Tony to hire a PA with experience. He has a lot on his plate and he's basically a toddler which means his PA is going to be picking up a lot of his slack."
"Hey that's—"
Pepper pointed at him, "You do not want to talk right now."
"Shutting up."
I had only been in the Tower for three days and already my job was slipping away from me. I had a feeling it would, but I expected it to be because I did something stupid. Not like this. I took a step forward, interrupting the silent fight the couple were having, and pleaded, "Ms. Potts, please." She looked back to me and I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I know I don't have a lot or—any experience, but I'm clever? And—and I pick up on things real quick. I was looking through his schedule for the week before I got distracted by JARVIS and To—Mr. Stark, and I know I can do this. If you just give me a chance, a two-week audition, then I can prove to you that I am more than capable of doing this job and doing it well." I rubbed my elbow with my left hand nervously and offered her a small smile, "Plus, I'm not intimidated by Mr. Stark in the slightest so there's no learning period where I have to get used to him being him."
"Ok, I think you're a little intimid—"
"Shush." I interrupted him without looking away from Pepper. "All I'm asking for is a chance."
Pepper mulled this over for a moment. I knew my argument wasn't airtight, but I was banking a lot of hope on her liking the fact that her boyfriend didn't spook me at all. Luckily for me, I had been right. Pepper let out a sigh, "Alright. A two-week window is all you get. I'm not doing this to be mean and I know you've been through a lot. I just have to look out for this company's best interests."
"I completely understand. Thank you so much, Ms. Potts." I beamed at her. "I will not let you down, I promise."
"There are some things I wanted to walk you through. Do you have time or your Stark Pad?"
I shook my head, "I don't have my Stark Pad on me, but I do have the time. Please go ahead and tell me. I'll remember it."
Pepper looked hesitant but began to walk me through the process anyways. She told me that I needed to limit Tony's schedule to no more than four meetings in a day. More than four and he would absolutely start skipping. He didn't like to be handed things and there was no point in me ever hiring a driver because Tony would just dismiss them then drive himself. There was information on the Stark Pad about his information. Things like social security number, passwords, and pin numbers that I needed to keep with me in case he needed the information because he definitely wouldn't remember them on his own. I was in charge of his email. He would look through it sometimes if he was waiting for something specifically, but it was up to me to reply to the ones that needed replying to and making sure he actually got the information.
"There's also a few charity galas and parties I need you to plan for, but I'll talk more about that as we get closer to the first one. It'll be the week before Thanksgiving, so we still have about a month." Pepper finished with a soft smile, "Any questions?"
"No, ma'am."
"Good. I have a flight to catch." Pepper set a hand on my shoulder and I tried not to tense up out of habit, "I know this conversation didn't start great, but I promise I'm only one phone call away if you have a question. Don't be afraid to call me."
"Thank you so much again." I replied and she turned to leave. Tony gave me a thumbs up behind her back before jogging after her. My entire body relaxed in relief. I honestly should've known something like this was going to happen. It sounded too good to be true. Now I just had to learn how to be a kickass PA in less than 24 hours. No biggie.
The issue with owning so much clothes is never knowing what to pick. I stood in front of my, very full, closet for over twenty minutes now trying to figure out what to wear for my first day of work. I've literally never had this problem before. More than just indecision, I wanted to make sure I looked good today. Not just good, I wanted to look professional.
I was up nearly all of last night learning everything I thought I was going to need to know for this week and now I only had 15 more minutes to get ready or I would be late. And if I was late that meant Tony was late. Quickly, I grabbed a light blue button up shirt, one Natasha had told me would go good with the skirts we bought, and I paired it with a light gray skirt. The clothes felt restricting. If I needed to jump up and fight it would be a problem, but I guess the whole point of this job was I wouldn't need to do that anymore.
I slipped on a pair of black heels and turned to head to the bathroom only to nearly break my ankle as my foot inverted. A curse slipped my lips as I barely caught myself on the doorframe. Ok, this wasn't going to work. I kicked the death traps off and grabbed a pair of light brown ankle boots that also had a heel, but this heel had a wider base so my chances of dying via falling were significantly less. I hurried out of the closet and was pleasantly surprised when I jogged across the room without falling.
Little victories.
After checking my hair and make-up one last time in the mirror, I grabbed my purse, one large enough to hold the Stark Pad plus more and walked to the elevator. Every step clicked and clacked on the wood floors.
"JARVIS?" I called out. "Is Natasha on her floor?"
"Ms. Romanof and Mr. Barton have already left for the day. Would you like me to call her?"
"No, no, no." I bit down on my lip. I kind of wanted her to give me an ok for what I chose to wear. "Is Steve on his floor?"
"He is, Ms. Bradshaw."
I slid into the elevator and JARVIS took me one floor up. This was the first time I was in his apartment. The layout looked a lot like mine, but the color scheme, furniture, and décor were different. Steve's apartment looked warmer than mine. Maybe it was just the colors.
"Uh, Steve?" I called out and awkwardly knocked on the elevator frame. It felt weird to just barge in. Maybe I should've asked before having JARVIS take me up to his floor. Movement to my right made me glance over just in time to see Steve step out of his bedroom, if the floorplan really was the same, freshly showered while pulling a shirt on.
He spotted me, I spotted him, and then we just stood there staring for an odd minute. I stared at him wondering if his abs were actually chiseled out of marble because holy hell. The 40's made men different, man. Steve stared back at me with slightly widened eyes probably wondering why my crazy ass was on his floor without permission.
"I made this weird. That's my bad." I blurted then motioned to myself, "I just needed someone to tell me how this looks? Be brutally honest. Do I look like a woman who knows what she's doing?"
It was the first time in my life I asked that question unsarcastically.
"Uh, wow." Steve nodded once.
I grimaced, "Is that a 'wow, you actually look like a female woman and not a walking trash fire' or a 'wow, how could you choose those shoes with that skirt you dumbass'?"
Steve chuckled, "Wow, you look fantastic. Very professional."
"So, if I wore this in the 40's they would've considered me professional and not like burned me at the stake or something?" I pressed.
"Wrong era." He pointed at me and walked closer, "But no, I don't think anybody would try to burn you at the stake. Are you nervous?"
I groaned, "Is it that obvious?"
"You just seem a little jittery." Steve shrugged. "No really bad tells. People would think maybe you had a little too much coffee."
"I am literally more nervous for this than I am for a marathon fight." I shook my head, "How sad is that? I'd be more prepared to get punched in the face than go to a board meeting."
Steve laughed, "It's an adjustment. You're just not used to it. By the end of this week, hell, by the end of this day, I bet you'll feel like you know exactly what you're doing."
"I like that. Say more nice words in your Captain America voice."
"You're going to do fine. Stop worrying." Steve smiled. He shrugged, "And then after you kick ass as a PA, I'll order us some more to-go food to celebrate. Deal?"
Last night when I had been so absorbed in learning how to be a PA, Steve had shown up on my floor with a pizza to share. Apparently, JARVIS had snitched on me skipping a meal and he came to correct that. He was good company to have. I knew he was just making sure some bad guy or bird didn't crash through my window and kill me, for Bucky's sake, but the company was more than welcome. Being alone in that huge apartment still felt weird.
"Can we get Chinese?"
"You got it, boss." Steve gave me a thumbs up. I took in a steadying breath and walked back into the elevator. Steve looked momentarily nervous, "Listen, you got this, but if Tony starts acting up just—"
I shook my head, "Oh no, I have Tony Stark handled. I got a secret weapon up my sleeve today."
Steve looked curious, "And that is?"
"The truth." I winked at him before the elevator doors shut. Show time.
The Iron Legion was his newest baby and like any baby it was fussy and needed his constant attention. The idea was to have droids for the Avengers to use anytime they were duking it out in a well populated area. Tony had seen the wreckage of what they left behind, and he wasn't going to sit back and let it continue on. Especially if he had an answer for it. The Iron Legion could protect and divert civilians away from the battle while the Avengers focused on the danger.
Now he just had to get it finished. The building part was a breeze, though time consuming, it was the programming he was trying to weed through now. Tony took another long chug of the cold coffee from his mug and moved onto the next line of numbers.
'Hell's Bells' was mid chorus when the music shut off entirely. Tony glanced upward out of habit before turning around. At the lab's door stood Aj. She was dressed to the nines in business professional clothes and all done up. The young woman was so done up that he never would've guessed she was kicking some Russian chick's ass a week or so ago in Moscow.
"Morning, Mr. Stark." She chirped. It was funny. Seeing her standing in the doorway of his lab expectantly reminded him of years ago when Pepper would kick down his lab door, shut off his music, and drag him out by his ear. Ah, the good old days. "JARVIS told me I could find you here."
"Yeah, it's funny how my own creation betrays me like that. Is this what Frankenstein felt like?"
"Hardly, sir."
Tony turned back to his work, "It's only 7:45. I didn't expect you here until like 8:15."
"Well your first meeting this morning is at 8:30." Aj replied coming to stand right next to him. From this distance he would see the yellowish tone of a fading bruise around her right eye. The gash below it had healed up but left a small scar.
He hummed, "I don't like meetings before 9."
"I will keep that in mind as I start to plan out your meetings." She countered, "But today you're going to a meeting at 8:30 with a start up from Tribeca."
"You're still here pretty early." He narrowed his eyes at her, and her smirk only grew, "I got time to kill."
Aj shook her head, "You say that, but I know that 'time to kill' will turn into 'oh, Aj, shit I'm sorry is it already 1 in the afternoon?'."
"Huh." Tony motioned toward her with his hand, "It took Pep a few days before she figured that one out."
"That's because Pepper had faith in you and gave you her trust." Aj leaned on his lab countertop, "I have no faith in you, and I trust no one. It flattens the learning curve."
Tony chuckled. He had been right. This was going to be a lot of fun. Tony had already planned on making today as difficult as possible for her. There was no reason to pretend to be good in the beginning. Today was like the first day of school all over again. He had to see how far he could push the teacher. It was science.
"You know, I didn't expect you to jump headfirst into this." Tony picked up his coffee mug and took another big sip of his old, cold drink. "Also, I need another coffee ASAP."
"I will go downstairs to the lobby and get you your favorite brew from the coffee stand as soon as I know that you are getting ready for your meeting." Aj gave him a sweet but threatening smile. "I'll even add a pastry."
Tony smirked, ready to make her life increasingly difficult, when he noticed her nervously playing with the brace on her wrist. It didn't take him long to figure out that Aj was fidgety when she was uncomfortable. He set his mug down, "You good, sunshine?"
"Yeah." Aj nodded quickly and hid her hands behind her back. "I'm just…ready to, you know, work. This is kind of my first real job, uh, ever. Unless you count getting punched in the face."
"I don't."
Aj chuckled, "Exactly. So, I just wanna do…good. Pepper is giving me a shot and I don't wanna fuck it up. I've fucked up a lot of things in my life and I don't want this to be one of them."
Tony's smirk softened and he tried not to look overly concerned. Joking around with her over the weekend and seeing how level minded and clever she was he forgot that she was just getting a real start in her life. Those years in the ring had put her into a state of survival, and for the first time since then, maybe even longer than that, it seemed she could see a light at the end of the tunnel. Aj wanted to prove herself as more than just a good fighter. She wanted to prove that everything that piece of shit boss told her wasn't true.
And Tony was proud of that. He respected it. Sunshine was a fighter and despite all the shit thrown her way she was still pushing forward.
"Alright." Tony clapped his hands. "I'll go get ready. The coffee better come with a blueberry muffin though or I'm demoting you."
Aj grinned, her entire face lighting up, "Really?"
"Yupp." He moved to the door and held it open for her to go through first, "I'll meet you in front of my office at 8:15. You know where that is?"
Aj nodded, "I do! I'll see you there, Mr. Stark!"
"Tony." He corrected, but Aj didn't even acknowledge him. She disappeared into the elevator and he chuckled to himself.
"You seem to be growing soft, sir."
"There'll be plenty of time to put her through the ringer." Tony shook his head and started moving to the other side of the room so he could take the stairs into his apartment only a couple floors down. "She's in it for the long haul after all."
I had a hunch that Tony Stark was a softie deep down. There was no way a guy who gives a stranger a new apartment, job, and entire wardrobe wasn't. Luckily, my hunch was spot on. All it took was a little emotional honesty on my part. That wasn't ever my strong suit though, so I was a little proud that I managed what I did.
"Yes. We'll definitely have to catch up some time." Tony was shaking the hand of the last speaker. The meeting had been about some sort of investment opportunity. Honestly, I hadn't understood much of it, but I still took notes on it all. It was like I was back in college. "Have a good one."
Tony glanced my way and his eyes widened as soon as the speaker turned away from him. Iron Man desperately motioned to the door and I grabbed my belongings before following him out. The moment we were in the hallway he groaned, "God, that was awful."
"You were on your phone the entire time."
"Just hearing his voice told me all I needed to know." Tony stuck his hands into his suit pockets. He really had done what he said he would. He had dressed in one of his nice suits, it was gray and that's really all I knew about it, and cleaned up from all the grease. Pepper had told me to make sure he showered, slept, and ate and so far I got one of those done.
"I took notes for you to probably ignore." I tilted my head towards him, and he gave me a smirk. "And you don't have another meeting until 2. Do you want me to get you some lunch or…?"
Tony nodded, "Lunch sounds good. Come on."
"Come…on?" I questioned and slowed down as we reached his office. Most of the work Tony did with the company, including meetings, happened on the 32nd floor. I pointed to his doors, but he shook his head and looped his arm through mine to pull me further down the hall to the elevators. "Where are we going?"
Tony shrugged, "Lunch. You just said so yourself."
"Together?"
"What?" Tony shook his head and hit one of the elevator buttons. "You don't wanna get lunch with me?"
I held my hands up, "It's not that! I just—you're like my boss now, I guess. Do bosses and employees eat together? That doesn't sound right."
"You said it yourself, this is your first real job." Tony shrugged. "So obviously you don't know how the boss/employee relationship works."
"True, but I know you're kind of a weirdo so everything you say I take with a grain of salt."
Tony chuckled, "Damn. You are a quick learner."
The elevator doors opened, and he stepped out with an amused grin. I followed after him curiously and realized the elevator had opened up into a garage. Honestly, I didn't even know we had a garage. It definitely wasn't a public one based on how expensive all the cars looked.
I let out a low whistle, "Wow. These are nice. Are all of these yours?"
"Mostly. All the Avengers except Thor have a car in here." Tony motioned to a sleek, silver sports car. He moved the driver's side and I slid into the passenger's side. The seats were black leather with white piping. I didn't know a lot about cars, but I knew this had to be top of the line. "Rogers has a bike in the corner. Do you have a car? I assume you don't since you didn't even own a pair of heels."
Tony revved the engine before peeling out of the garage. I narrowed my eyes at him, "Ok, owning or not owning a pair of heels is not a good measurement of anything."
"Do you own a car?"
"Well, no, but that isn't a correlation." I argued despite his laugh. I crossed my arms, "The only places I ever went I walked or took the subway. If I had a car it would've just been stolen from outside my apartment."
Tony shook his head, "The hole in the wall you lived in should not be called an apartment. I've seen third world countries with better amenities."
"Hardy har har." I turned my head to look out the car window, "My Dad said when I turned 16 he'd get me my dream car, but then he abandoned me so that didn't happen."
Tony bobbed his head, "Dads are shit like that. What was your dream car?"
"Oh, I always wanted a Jeep Wrangler. I just thought they were so cool, you know? I could put the top down and just cruise. I'd have to go outside of the city to cruise anywhere around here, but in Alabama there were plenty of back roads to explore." I chuckled. That had been one of those tiny dreams I had ages upon ages ago when my life was still somewhat normal. After everything that had happened though I let it go and never really opened that door again.
"Hmm."
I blinked at Tony's hum and snapped my head to him, "That was not an invitation to buy me a car, Mr. Stark. I swear to God—"
Tony threw one hand up, "What is with this Mr. Stark shit all of a sudden?"
"I work for you. It's professional or something." I argued. "Don't worry, on weekends I'll call you Tony or asshole or whatever I need to in the moment."
"Change that into your everyday attitude. No more of this Mr. Stark thing." Tony said and I opened my mouth to argue, but he glanced at me, "Nope. I mean it. You call me Mr. Stark again and I will buy you a car. I'll buy you a new car for every single time you slip up."
I scoffed, "Have I mentioned that you're absolutely insane?"
"Once or twice, I think."
Tony drove the car into a curved sort of driveway all the way up to where a man stood next to a podium. He stopped, got out, and tossed the keys to the man by the podium. All the while, I scrambled to follow his lead. I brought my purse with me. It felt odd to leave it in the car where it could be stolen, but that was probably a poor person thought.
"Where are we?" I asked as I hurried to catch up to Tony.
"I like their sandwiches." Tony shrugged.
He led us into the fancy restaurant, and the moment the host saw Tony Stark he rushed to greet us. Tony, ever the charmer, returned the man's greeting and had him take us to his usual table. I just watched the interaction curiously. People acted so giddy around Tony. He was a celebrity, so I guess it made sense, but it was so strange to see it up close and personal like this.
The host sat us at a two-person table in a less crowded part of the restaurant beside a large window overlooking a garden that was built in the middle of the building. I sat down and took in a sharp breath.
"What?" Tony questioned.
I shook my head, "I'm just… still trying to get used to all this, I guess."
"Culture shock, huh?" Tony smirked.
"Something like that." I chuckled softly. My left hand moved to play with the strap on my brace as I glanced out the window. Even back when I was a kid, we didn't have a lot. We weren't hurting for money by any means, my family was probably the definition of middle class, but never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would take a peek into the 1%.
Tony suddenly stood up and I glanced back at him, "Come on."
"Uh, what?"
Tony stepped around the table and offered me his hand. I took it hesitantly and he pulled me out of my seat, "Let's go."
I readjusted my purse onto my shoulder and picked up my pace to keep up with him. He waved at the host as we passed him. The car attendant also looked panicked when we walked outside, but Tony waved him off and said we'd be back.
"Hey, Tony", I said, making sure I didn't use his last name, "What is going on?"
"You didn't like the restaurant." Tony shrugged. "Central Park's only a couple blocks from here, and I know a guy."
I stumbled over my feet at his words, but Tony didn't slow down from his casual pace. He thought I didn't like the restaurant? I really didn't have an opinion on it. I mean, I felt kind of uncomfortable there, but that was just because I was still adjusting to my new life. Honestly, I still wasn't sure I'd ever get used to it.
Rather than argue with him or try to explain my thought process, I just followed him down the street until we got to the park. I hadn't come here very often while living in the area. Despite living in New York for 8 years I really hadn't experienced anything more than my college campus and the ring. It was a little pathetic. Ok, a lot pathetic.
Tony led us toward a guy at a food stand who apparently knew Tony very well based on the way they greeted each other. He asked me if I had ever had a falafel before, I said no, and then Tony ordered for me. After getting two to-go boxes from the guy Tony led us over to a bench. I sat down next to him. He seemed unfazed by the stares he was getting.
"You're gonna like this." Tony motioned to the food before digging into his own meal.
I glanced around at the area around us. Normal families walking around, a guy a few benches down from us talking to the pigeons, and in the distance, I could see two random guys barking at each other in an argument over God knows what. This felt more my speed. I chuckled and started to eat. I still wasn't entirely sure what a falafel was, but Tony was right about me liking it.
"You're not what I expected." I said midway through my meal.
Tony hummed, "I'm even more charming than you thought?"
I chuckled, "I knew you were charming. I just assumed you were also kind of vapid. A superhero, sure, but I figured anyone with your kind of bank account had to be a real asshat."
"What makes you think I'm not an asshat?"
"An asshat wouldn't have noticed I felt weird about that restaurant and they definitely wouldn't have done something about it." I shrugged and kept my eyes on my food. "Thanks, I guess. I don't know if I said it before, but… I appreciate all this."
Tony hummed and at the sound I glanced over at him to see him grinning at me. I rolled my eyes and he just laughed. Who would've guessed that Tony Stark was a good human being? A little obnoxious and very forward with his affections, but everyone has their quirks I suppose.
"How's your hand?"
I lifted my right hand with a small smile, "I think it's been fine since Saturday, but I'm keeping it on for Clint's sake. Which reminds me, do I have access to the employee gym since I'm part of Stark Industries now?"
Tony shook his head, "Don't go there, that's for the employees."
"Again, I am an employee."
"Use the training floor. It's not the floor below you, but the one right below that."
I shook my head, "Isn't that for like the Avengers?"
"Avengers and friends." Tony waved me off. "Besides, I think you'll really like it. Just ask JARVIS and he'll take you to it. You have access to nearly everything in the Tower."
"As a superhero shouldn't you be a little more cautious about who you let roam around your house? I mean, I could have villainous intentions." Tony barked out a laugh and I frowned at him, "Hey, I could so be a villain!"
Tony snickered and focused back on his food, "Ok, sunshine."
"Listen, Mr. Stark—" Tony whipped around to point at me, and my eyes widened, "No, no, no! I was saying that sarcastically! It doesn't count!"
We argued a little further on that topic until Tony finally dropped it. He asked me a little about my college days, which I answered with ease, and then he told me stories of his own that we laughed about. Tony said I needed to meet his friend, a guy named Rhodey, because we'd get along super well. Apparently, we both had the similarity of loving to mock him. Any worries I had when I woke up this morning though slipped away as we joked on a Central Park bench.
After a while, Tony took the box from me and tossed them in the trash before we started walking out of the park. We still needed to go get his car from the restaurant before heading back to the office. Tony nudged me with his elbow, and I glanced over at him to see his smirk.
"So, what color Jeep did you want?"
"Stark, no."
Natasha pulled her phone out of her pocket when it vibrated only to see another text from Clint. 'How is she doing today? Any problems? Do I need to talk to Stark?' The redhead rolled her eyes. Clint tended to be a little overbearing at times, but she supposed that was one of the things she loved about him. With a career like the ones they had, it was easy for people to grow cold and hard. To become a machine hell bent on the mission and the mission alone.
It's what happened to her.
Not Clint though.
Clint Barton, despite all the shit, still cared. He could still find someone like her or Aj, lost in the storm and their sins, and see what they were to their core. That they were just tired souls who had lost faith in people and the world. Clint never lost faith in the people he found though. It was part of his charm.
'I'm not stalking your daughter for you, Barton.' She typed back before sliding the phone back into her coat pocket. The text wasn't a lie. She wasn't stalking Aj for him. She was actually doing it for herself. Natasha glanced back at the conference room with glass walls where a meeting was being held. Ever the newly professional, Aj sat upright while scribbling notes madly. Tony sat across from her with his head leaned against his hand and his sunglasses on indoors. He was definitely sleeping right now. There was nothing quite as good at putting him to sleep as an after lunch meeting.
So far, everything seemed to be going fine. Aj was doing her new job and Tony was being Tony. A more well-behaved version of himself today, surprisingly, but himself nonetheless. Natasha had a feeling it was because Aj, whether she knew it or not, had the billionaire wrapped around her finger. That was part of the reason why Natasha was sitting in the hall stalking the young woman.
Aj was growing on the group already and Natasha didn't fully trust it. She liked the woman well enough to continue to allow her to live among them, but she wouldn't be the spy she was if she left it at that. Now, Natasha knew the boys she lived with had a knack for helping anyone within their reach. Honestly, it was always a 'who can draw up adoption papers faster' competition between Clint and Tony. She wouldn't be surprised if they had arm wrestled over who got to do it this time. So that definitely played a role in her being able to settle in.
This was one of those rare cases where Natasha hoped she was wrong. She truly did hope this was just her paranoia eating at her and that Aj meant well by them. Especially since even Bruce and Steve were beginning to befriend her. Bruce was a little too busy with his next lecture circuit to spend much time outside of his office, but Steve didn't hesitate in reaching out. After the shock from the news of his best friend had worn off, he took it upon himself to really take on Bucky's odd request.
Natasha also knew of course that Steve was still trying to find his place in the new world though. He was much better than he was months ago, but the friends he had let in were often busy and since Captain America was supposed to be laying low and not getting involved with the new SHIELD build up it left him with too much free time.
Her phone went off again and she pulled it out expecting another text from Hawkeye. Instead, it was the results of her last sweep. She glanced down at her phone and read through all the information her sources had sent her. James Buchanan Barnes was still in the wind and nobody had caught sight of him yet. There was no way he would stay in Moscow after everything that had happened. Natasha had a feeling he had left Russia altogether. The question that remained was where he was going to try to go next.
Natasha glanced up to see the meeting was wrapping up. Aj kicked Tony under the table and the man sat up and began to nod his head. After realizing where he was, he stood to speak to whoever had been pitching their spiel to him. She watched Aj pack away her tablet into her bag and stand off to the side waiting for Tony to finish talking to the man. She stood up from the waiting room couch she was on and began to casually walk over.
Tony and Aj slipped out of the room and she could hear them billionaire groan, "That was the longestmeeting of my life."
"You slept the entire time."
"Hey, you said I couldn't play with my phone this time so what else was I supposed to do?"
"I was going to suggest 'pay attention', but I guess that would put me out of a job."
Natasha smirked and as she got closer both of them turned to look at her. Aj had picked out one of the skirts and shirts to wear and wore ankle boots with it. The outfit called for a different pair of heels, but for the woman's first real attempt of business professional it wasn't too bad.
"Having fun, yet?" Natasha quirked an eyebrow at her.
Aj shook her head, "This nanny stuff is a full-time job."
"Ok, not a nanny, how many times do I have to clarify that?" Tony pressed, glancing at her with a smile that he tried to smother.
Natasha chuckled, "As someone who also had this job once upon a time, I have to agree with her description."
"That doesn't count. You were spying on me." Tony argued with a point of his finger. He motioned back to Aj, "Also, what color jeep do you think would fit her? I'm thinking yellow."
Aj groaned and buried her face into her braced hand, "Do not buy me a car, Tony."
"He bought us all cars." Natasha shrugged. "Well, he bought Steve a bike and Clint already had his car. Tony just fixed it up."
Tony motioned to her, "See? It's a tradition."
"You already gave me an apartment and an entire closet full of clothes." Clothes that Natasha still needed to have a tailor come in and fix, she made the mental note though a part of her was sure Tony already called one. "I don't need a car. I especially don't need a jeep in the city." Aj countered.
The tiny argument held a tone of amusement, but Natasha could see real discomfort with the idea of Tony buying her more things. Aj was definitely not after Tony's wealth that was for sure. It almost seemed like something she was putting up with so she could stick around. That was good. She could mark that hypothesis off her list, though it hadn't held much weight anyways.
"Why does he want to buy you a Jeep? Other than for the tradition of it all." Natasha questioned.
"Because he's irrational—"
"Because she is doing a wonderful job as my assistant."
"It's only my first day as your nanny."
"My only complaint is that she tried calling me Mr. Stark." Tony shook his head and Natasha chuckled. She knew very well how Tony felt about being called that. "So, as a reward for doing such a good job and as punishment for calling me something I told her not to call me, she gets a Jeep."
Aj rolled her eyes, "You need a new definition of punishment."
"It's a perfect punishment. You don't want me to buy you a car and by doing so I am teaching you the lesson of not calling me Mr. Stark." Tony shrugged. "It's action and then consequence. How else would you define it?"
Natasha watched something close to fear flash in Aj's eyes. It disappeared as soon as it came, and the young woman had only stiffened for a second. It told her that Aj had a very, very different definition of punishment. Natasha would guess that her old boss was not buying her Jeeps for doing something he told her not to do. The flash that had passed in her eyes was one of haunting trauma.
Aj forced a chuckle, "I just think if we polled the city of New York, no one would agree with you on the Jeep topic." She readjusted her grip on her bag's handles. "That was your last meeting of the day, by the way."
"Thank God." Tony said. Aj continued on, talking about the emails she had read for him and what he needed to get done before tomorrow, but Tony glanced to Natasha. The red head had wondered if he caught onto the same thing she had and based on the look he gave her he had. Neither of them were going to press on her history in the ring. They had their own skeletons they hid and understood the pain that came with digging them up to share. "Come on, let's go to my office and you can use my computer to answer my emails instead of the tablet."
"Or you could answer your own emails?"
"You're a riot, Bradshaw."
Aj gave Natasha a small smile, "Thanks again for picking out my wardrobe."
"Anytime. It's always nice to have some girl time around here." Natasha smiled back. "And I don't think yellow is her color. Maybe a matte gray?"
Tony snapped his fingers, "That's good."
Aj groaned again as Tony dragged her down the hall to his office. The two continued to argue about the Jeep the entire way. Natasha twisted her lips in thought. It really did seem like Aj meant well and it wasn't as if they couldn't handle any trouble she brought down on them. In fact, beating the shit out of the low level scum that tortured her seemed like a fun break from their usual world threatening dangers.
Natasha pulled out her phone and typed out a message to Clint.
'She's doing good today.'
"JARVIS, take me up, my man." I chirped while leaning against the back of the elevator.
"Of course, Ms. Bradshaw."
As JARVIS took me up to my floor, I pulled my shoes off to stand barefoot in the elevator. Today had been a good day. Tony attended all his meetings, I got to know him a little better, and as an assistant I did the job I was supposed to do. Granted, as time went on, I was sure Tony was gonna make it tougher and tougher, but it still felt like something I could handle.
The elevator doors opened and as I stepped out, I saw Steve walk out from the kitchen. A few minutes earlier JARVIS had passed along a message from Captain America asking if he was allowed on my floor since I was nearly done with work.
"Hey, how was work?" Steve asked. He had on jeans and a short sleeve shirt. "Tony wasn't too bad was, he?"
"He might be buying me a Jeep, but other than that he was an angel." I grinned. "You brought Chinese food?"
Steve nodded, "I did promise you some."
"Yes." I pumped my fist then pointed at him, "Lemme change and I'll be right back!"
I jogged to my room sliding on the tile floor with my socks. It didn't take me long to change into a pair of shorts, a hoodie, and fuzzy socks. After a moment of hesitation, I pulled the brace off my wrist and moved it around a little to test it out. Like I thought, it seemed back to my baseline.
With a chuckle, I slid out of my room and padded to the living room. Steve had brought the food to the dining room table and I paused to take in the room around me. I wrapped my arms around myself, warm in my brand new, hole less clothes, in a gorgeous apartment hanging out with Captain America who was turning out to be cooler than I thought he'd be. Yes, it was hard to wrap my head around all of this, but I wasn't stupid. I knew how blessed I was right now and not very often did I get to say that about my situation.
Steve turned around, "Hey, I actually wasn't sure what you liked so I kind of got a little of…well, everything." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "But don't worry I can eat whatever you don't want."
"I've never been a picky eater." I grinned and walked over to join him. "Thanks so much for this, Steve."
He sat down and waved me off, "It was nothing."
We started to dig into the food and Steve asked all about my day. I answered easily and it seemed like he was actually listening to every word I said. It was nice. After a few minutes, I bit down on my lip and stirred my chopsticks around the to-go box of lo mien I was holding.
"Hey, Steve." I said slowly. He glanced up from his food with a raised eyebrow. "Um, I know Bucky said to…look out for me, or whatever, but you know you don't owe me that, right?" I chuckled and shrugged as nonchalantly as I could, "I'm sure you have better things to do than babysit me. I promise I'm not gonna make a break for it."
Steve laughed at my last phrase and then slowly shook his head, "This might sound kind of sad, but I actually don't. I'm adjusting a lot better lately, but sometimes I still don't really know what to do with myself." He gave me a soft smile. "Besides, I don't consider this babysitting at all. I like talking to you. It's nice to have someone in the Tower to hang out with. Tony and Bruce are great, but they're usually in the lab talking about…God knows what. Then there's Clint and Natasha, who again, are amazing but…"
"Hanging out with them kind of feels like third wheeling?" I guessed since I knew the two were involved.
Steve laughed, "No, they're good about that. They're almost always busy these days with rebuilding SHIELD though. Plus, I'm kind of used to feeling like a third wheel."
"How so?"
"I spent a lot of time hanging out with Bucky and whatever girl he invited out with us." Steve smiled at whatever memory he had in mind. "He was always mindful about it, did the best he could, but even when he brought me a date of my own…"
I smirked, "Are you trying to say past Steve Rogers didn't have game?"
Steve shook his head, "I don't think present Steve Rogers does either."
"Well, despite your lack of game, I really like hanging out with you." I chuckled, "And are you sure you don't have anything else to do tonight?"
He looked curious, "I'm completely free."
"Perfect." I stood up with my box of food and started to move towards the living room where the TV was. "Follow me, Rogers. I'm gonna introduce you to the world of the Walking Dead." Steve grabbed a few of the boxes and brought them over to the living room. He set them down on the coffee table and I went to work on getting Netflix up and running. I flipped to the first episode and then glanced at him, "You don't scare easy, do you?"
Steve narrowed his eyes at me, "Really?"
"Just double checking, Mr. America, calm down." I laughed and turned on the first episode. It'd be nice for me to watch the series from the beginning too since I usually only caught random episodes on the TV of whatever bar I was sitting in midday. "JARVIS can you dim the lights a little?"
JARVIS darkened the room some and I dropped down into my seat a cushion away from Steve with my legs criss crossed. My biggest worry was getting used to this only to have it snatched away, but maybe that was just as bad as never accepting it at all. Both ways cause me to lose out on this opportunity, and Lord knew I didn't get a lot of opportunities in life. I glanced over at Steve who, while eating, looked focused on the TV. I could get used to this having friends thing really easy.