I straighten my shoulders as I step from the car, giving Happy a small grin as he holds it open for me.
"His flavor of the night is still here." He warns me and I fight the sigh that bubbles up in my throat. Couldn't he have kept it in his pants for one night? Just one night?
I nod again and move to step towards the house when my wrist is snagged by a gentle hand. "Happy Birthday, Pep," Happy holds out a small gift bag with absurd colored ribbons and parchment paper spilling out of the top.
"Oh, Happy, you didn't need to." I give him a genuine smile, glad at least someone other than my mother remembered that today is my birthday. I know that my boss will have forgotten, as he does every year.
"Did you buy your gift from him?"
"Yes, didn't need another car showing up at my apartment." The first year I had worked for Tony Stark, he hadn't known about my birthay until a few weeks after it had passed. After claiming it was ridiculous that he didn't get me a gift, as my boss, I'd gone home to find a brand new car sitting in front of my apartment building with an obnoxious red bow on the top. Upon realizing who had sent it, I'd gone back to his mansion, told him to take it back, and had to threaten that I'd quit should he refuse. He'd reluctantly done so, realizing he'd be lost without me, and parked it in his workshop amongst his other toys.
The car sat in his workshop, untouched, for an entire year before it showed up outside of my apartment building yet again, and to his merit, on my actual birthday.
This time, Tony refused to take it back, claiming that if I didn't want to drive it, that I could sell it or trade it for something else. Even after trying to threaten my resignation again, he was adamant that if I didn't drive it, that I could choose what else to do with it. Begrudgingly, I'd taken the car and sold it, putting the funds towards paying off the rest of my student loans and covering rent for the next year, at least.
The following birthday, Tony had started asking what kind of car I'd prefer since I hadn't liked the Audi from the years prior. I had immediately shut the idea down and told him I did not, in any kind of circumstances, want another car. I hardly drove anymore, anyways, with Happy mostly driving me or arranging for another car if he was unavailable. So when Tony offered me money to choose my gift instead, I'd hesitantly accepted that instead. It was way more than he should ever pay an employee for a birthday, but I didn't want to risk him buying something else overly extravagant.
After a couple years of doing this with Tony's knowledge, he told me to just pull an amount I found fit from one of his accounts and buy myself something each year for my birthday. It was a clear sign of his faith in me, to trust I wouldn't empty an account and run off but I'd never taken as much as he'd given that third year.
"Think he remembered?"
"What? That today's my birthday? No, he's only remembered once in the six years I've worked for him and I think it was only because he had to look at the car everyday."
I don't hold it against him though. That's just how Tony is. He'd be late to his own funeral if it were up to him. He can't remember a thing outside of his gadgets and toys. That's why he needs me. It's why we work so great together. I keep him in line and he keeps me on my toes. No two days are ever the same when working for Tony Stark.
"I could do without waking and assisting the girl in her walk of shame."
"Oh, before I forget," Happy moves to the trunk of the car and pulls out a garment bag.
"Doing my job?"
"Thought I could help you out for your birthday." I can't help but smile before leaning up to give Happy a brief hug. I take the garment bag from him and wave the small gift bag before ducking into Tony's home.
"Good morning, Miss Potts, and Happy Birthday." JARVIS greets as soon as the door clicks shut behind me.
Once again grinning, I return the AI's greeting, making my way further into the house. I've hardly exited the entryway when I hear the loud drums and bass of Tony's rock music cranked way louder than what could be humanly healthy.
"How long has he been up?"
"Mr. Stark did not sleep last night." I sigh, dropping my gift bag on the counter before flipping on the coffee machine in Tony's ginormous kitchen to begin making myself some coffee.
"Is the young lady awake yet?"
"No but she has begun to move around. I assume she will be waking soon."
Nodding to myself, I set up shop at the kitchen counter, quickly responding to a few emails and going over Tony's itinerary for the day. As I read over the schedule, I notice that he was due to board a plane an hour ago yet I know he hasn't left or the billionaire's home would be blissfully quiet.
At that moment, I hear a voice call out through the house. "Tony?" I take a deep breath and grab the woman's clothes before stepping into the open sitting area. I watch as the blonde wrapped in one of Tony's shirts pauses by the floor to ceiling windows, admiring the impressive view from Tony's house. "Hey, Tony?" she calls out again before turning away from the windows.
She then steps closer towards the hall leading to multiple guest bedrooms before stopping by one of JARVIS' many control panels sporadically placed throughout the house. I bite my lip to contain my amusement as she reaches out to fiddle with the advanced technology, jumping back when JARVIS loudly beeps at her, reprimanding her for touching something she does not have authorization to.
While I am not JARVIS' creator, I can't help but feel proud that I am one of the very few people who has the proper authorization. "That's JARVIS," I announce, stepping into the opening of the hall, the blonde spinning on her heel to see me. "He runs the house." I hold up the garment bag, watching as she realizes she's not very covered, despite Tony's shirt. " I have your clothes here, they've been dry cleaned and there's a car waiting for you outside that can take you anywhere you'd like to go."
Realization dawns on the woman's face and she becomes less shy about her state of dress, moving to clasp her hands in front of her as she steps closer, something smug sliding across her face.
I immediately recognize where this is going.
"You must be the famous Pepper Potts."
"Indeed, I am," I keep my face polite, waiting to see just how much of a fool she's willing to make of herself. I may not be one of Tony's many conquests and considered, to many, to be nothing more than the help, but I am closer to the Stark heir than many realize, having formed a close friendship over the years I've worked for him.
Deep down, though, I've come to realize that while Tony relies on me to keep him on track and in line, I also rely on him. He's ridiculous and a pain in my ass sometimes but Tony also keeps me feeling human. His antics, while absurd most times, also make me laugh behind closed doors and he makes me smile more than he makes me frown. He relies on me to keep him functioning and I rely on him to remind me that not everything needs to be a serious ordeal, that sometimes there's light to be found in darkness.
"After all these years," she reaches out and takes her dry cleaning from me, swinging it up over her shoulder. "Tony still has you picking up the dry cleaning." As I thought, she's here to take a dig at the seemingly professional relationship between Tony and myself. But if I were to go downstairs right now, tell Tony that I needed a week off, no explanation offered, he would drop whatever it is he's working on, offer to drive me wherever I need to go, give me money to help if needed, and give me two weeks off, no questions asked.
However, realizing the dig I can make back, I am now the one to clasp my hands in front of me, straighten my shoulders, and offer a fake grin. "I do anything and everything that Mr. Stark requires. Including occasionally taking out the trash." I watch the smug grin fall off her face. "Will that be all?" She tries to correct her grin but I see right through it, holding out an arm to gesture the way to the front door.
The blonde drops her eyes, slinking away to slip into the bathroom to change. Moments later, she steps out, refusing to make eye contact with me before moving towards the doorway, grabbing the heels that are sitting on the entryway table before slipping out the front door without another word.
I glance at my watch and realize that Tony's close to reaching an hour and a half since he was supposed to be headed overseas for a demonstration. Rolling my eyes in aggravation, I move back to the kitchen for paperwork he needs to sign before heading downstairs with the intention of forcing him to leave.
I shoot Happy a quick text about my intentions so that he is ready to either drive or follow Tony to the airport if I'm successful in making him leave when my phone rings. I quickly answer, briefly checking the caller ID and not surprised to see Rhodey's name flashing on the screen.
"I know, I know," I tell him before allowing him to say anything. "I had to let his lady friend out of the house first."
"He's late!"
"He's always late!" I reply, trying not to grow aggravated with Tony's best friend. "I'm going to try getting him to go right now. I'll keep you posted." I hang up on the soldier and pocket my phone.
After putting in my passcode to allow me into Tony's beloved workshop, I turn the deafening rock music down, JARVIS' voice, who had been speaking loudly over the music, lowering with it.
Tony is kneeling in front of his beloved Hot Rod, sleeves rolled up with his tools spread out messily on the floor around him. "Please don't turn down my music," he tells me, not bothering to turn away from his project.
"You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now-"
"How'd she take it?"
I huff a laugh. Of course he's more concerned about the blonde than he is about keeping the military, paying clients, waiting. "Like a champ," I breathe, puffing my bangs out of my face as I look through the papers in front of me.
"Why are you trying to hustle me out of here?"
"Your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half ago."
"That's funny." He continues pulling pieces off of the engine of the Hot Rod. "I thought, with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there…."
"Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple of things before I get you out of here-"
"I mean, doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?" He shifts to sit on the wheel of the car, now polishing one of the pieces he removed, while looking at me challengingly.
I ignore him and begin going through my list of things. "Larry called, he's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the Wings. Do you want it, yes or no?" Tony considers me for a moment.
"Is it a good representation of his spring period?"
"Um, no, 'The Springs' was actually the neighborhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked, not spring like the season-"
"So?"
"-I think it's a fair example. Um, I think it's incredibly overpriced." At that moment, something glints in Tony's eye. I shouldn't have made the overpriced comment. It's as if he takes it as a challenge and now he'll want it just because.
"I need it. Buy it, store it." He stands and tosses the rag he was using on the floor, placing the piece he'd been shining on the Hot Rod before moving towards the small kitchen set up in the corner of his workshop. I fight the way my lips quirk, having called it.
"Okay," I check that off my list before following him.
"The MIT Commencement-
"-Is in June. Please don't harangue me about this stuff-"
"-Well, they're haranguing me-"
"-It's way, way, way down-"
"-So I'm going to say yes-"
"-Well, deflect and absorb it, don't transmit it back to me-"
"-I need you to sign this before you get on the plane-"
He grabs something off the counter before stepping towards me, eyes calculating and ignoring the document I'm holding out to him.
"What are you trying to get rid of me for? You have plans?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." I hold out my pen to him, looking at the document as if it will convince him to sign the paper faster.
"I don't like it when you have plans." He admits, still refusing the pen. I glance up at him and see him intensely watching me. It's times like these, when his eyes are staring me down, that I have a hard time wondering what it would be like to beone of his girls.
There's something in the warm brown that just tugs at me. I know what it is but I refuse to acknowledge it, knowing he's probably just trying to work me over.
"You won't be here and I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday." I look back down at the paperwork, noticing it's a small espresso cup he's holding in his hand.
He's silent for a moment. "It's your birthday." He repeats, not as a question but a statement, a bit of something hidden in his tone. Guilt, perhaps? Or maybe shock that he forgot it. Again.
"Yes," I nod, moving the paperwork towards him.
"I knew that." He dismisses but then asks. "Already?"
"Yeah, isn't that strange? It's the same day as last year." I grin at him but he doesn't return the gesture, eyes now considering again.
"Mm," he hums. "Well, get yourself something nice from me."
"I already did." I try not to think about the ridiculous blue dress I bought the other day, justifying it by telling myself it was Tony's birthday gift to me, knowing I'd never normally buy or even wear something like it.
"And?" he asks, as if hoping I'll tell him what I bought using his money.
But I don't. "Oh, it was very nice." He grins again, as if happy with his gift to me, despite not knowing what it actually is and having forgotten it was my birthday in the first place. "Very tasteful. Thank you, Mr. Stark."
"Your welcome, Miss Potts." I hold out my pen once again and this time he takes it, holding eye contact with me a moment longer before signing what I'm holding without looking at it. He then holds it out blindly in my direction, tosses his head back to swig back the espresso before pushing the cup into my hands, walking past me, grabbing his leather jacket, and slipping into his Audi R8.
I watch him back up then peel out of the workshop, tires squealing and leaving behind tire tracks. I shake my head affectionately before heading back upstairs, texting Rhodey on my way up. Some emails are calling my name.
A/N: I've been putting off writing this chapter for weeks just because I didn't have the ability to watch the first fifteen or so minutes of the movie in order to get the lines accurate. And because of that, I've had to push back posting other stories because for some reason, in my head, I refuse to post the same story two weeks in a row and I have some makeshift, crap schedule that I am now set on following even though I don't actually have to. Woo. So, in case you're reading Birds of a Feather and wondering where the second part of Princesses Don't Cry is, it'll be up next weekend!
Thx!
AMM