"Kresk!"
"Mr G?"
He hung up the work landline - an authentic, red, bake-o-lite dial-up telephone, of course - with a slightly dazed expression. "Tony Stark just ordered two iced caramel lattes, one with an extra espresso shot."
"Nothing new there," she shrugged, "up to and including getting Miss Potts' order wrong, as per."
"No," said Mr G, "he- he's in California, he said he got a craving for our java. He wants you to fly it over, asap."
She stared at him. "Seriously?"
He nodded. "There's his private jet waiting for you at the airport."
She whipped up the drinks as soon as she could, put them in a coolbox and biked down to the airport, where a couple of security guards were waiting for her. She was taken round the side of the building straight to one of the private landing strips, where a perfectly groomed air hostess was waiting for her outside a flashy jet with Stark stencilled across the side.
"Good morning, Miss Kresk," she smiled, and Eva wondered how she wasn't freezing to death in her blouse and pencil skirt. "Please, step aboard."
"Uh," said Eva, "thanks."
"The flight will take approximately five hours. Do you have the drinks? We can refrigerate them for you during the journey."
She handed the woman the two cups and sat down awkwardly in one of the seats, unzipping her leathers and pulling them off to the waist.
"Hot towel?"
There was a little television that rose up out of the table in front of her; she watched the 1992 Dracula as the US disappeared beneath her and the cloud banks, then dozed off for the rest of the journey with dreams of a gothic Gary Oldman. The air hostess woke her as they landed in a cool, although much warmer than NY, California, and a large man in a suit escorted her off the plane and up to the overlarge building that housed Stark Industries.
"This is your ID," he said brusquely, and she juggled the cups into one hand to take the pass from him. "Please make sure you are wearing it at all times, or you will be assumed guilty of nefarious activities and will be either removed from the building or detained until further information as to your identity is gained."
"Chill, dude," she said, clipping the badge onto her shirt, "it's just a coffee run."
The building was all glass partitions and sharp designer businesswear; she felt very out of place, with her leather and tattoos and general demeanour. The man showed her up to the CEO's office, and pushed open one of the massive mahogany doors.
"Happy!" Tony Stark exclaimed, who was perched on the edge of the desk with his legs swinging to and fro beneath him. "Hope you've been a hospitable host to the charming Miss Kresk."
"Eva," Pepper smiled, standing up from her seat behind the desk and walking round to greet her. "So lovely to see you again. Tony tells me you're quite the fixture up at the HQ now."
"Like mold," said Stark cheerfully, and Eva glared at him.
"One caramel with an extra shot and one skinny chai," she said, handing them the drinks.
"That's not what I ordered."
"No, Mr Stark, because you ordered two caramels."
"Tony," said Pepper exasperatedly, "you know I don't like sweet things. When have you ever seen me drink caramel latte?"
"Last… year?" Tony hazarded, and Pepper rolled her eyes.
"This is the strawberries all over again. Thank you, Eva, for coming down here. I know it must have seemed ridiculous just to travel all this way for a drink."
"It's fine," said Eva, "got me out of doing the rest of my shift. I don't have to pay for my flight, right?"
"Cheapskate," muttered Tony, and Pepper whacked him round the back of the head with a file.
"Of course you don't." She took Tony's wallet out of his jacket pocket and handed over a wad of bills.
"Thank you, Miss Potts," said Eva, marvelling at the biggest tip she had ever received.
"Oh, it's no problem."
"So," said Tony, "I hear you didn't dodge a bullet."
"Nope. Unfortunately, one Vision had to swoop in and save my ass at the last minute."
How is my Frankenstein's Monster?" Tony asked, sipping at his drink and making a noise of appreciation.
"He's wonderful. Somehow managing to out-moral-compass the star-spangled man with a plan."
"Good," said Tony, "nice to see he's taking after his father. Smart and wise."
Eva snorted.
"Are you alright?" Pepper asked, and Eva waved a breezy hand.
"I'm fi-i-ine," she said lightly, "not even a bruise. Thank you for asking."
"Well, we're glad to hear it."
"Are we?"
"Tony!"
"Sorry."
"Hmph. Happy, show our guest out will you?"
"Yes, Miss Potts."
"Bye, short round!" Stark called after her, and Eva heard Pepper sigh as she left the room.
A/N because Tony Stark would 110% do something like this.