He sees Penny on Monday. She appears like her normal self but Tony doesn't know her that well. Not to see through her smiles and witty remarks and her sarcasm. He thinks she's okay, Pepper says she is and he trusts her. So Penny is okay. She's back to interning and they're back to scheming to get him and Pepper back together. Tony might feel bad about thinking of it like that if Pepper wasn't doing some conniving of her own.
Tony doesn't ask Penny about the socks. It would be bad timing either way. But he talks to her with Pepper about interning for him once a week. She seems excited about it. Pepper smiles softly at her and gives him a look that says, 'you better not screw this up'. He knows he'll have hell to pay if he does. And she'll never come back to him.
Wednesday comes before he's ready. He thought he had the summer to come up with plans for the whole made-up-on-the-spot internship. But he's dug himself into a hole and he'll die in it before he admits he can't climb out by himself. Or admit that there even is a hole. What hole? No hole here. Everything is going according to plan.
Tony stays up all night Tuesday trying to figure out what to do the next day. He doesn't think Penny would betray him and tell Pepper that he was clearly unprepared. But what if she does?
He sets her up a little area that she can call her own. It's not much but he thinks she'll like it. If she tells Pepper, maybe she'll be proud of him for thinking of it.
In the end—around 4 am—he reasons that if he can just get through tomorrow-today?—, he'll have another week to come up with more things. It's the first day, after all, he can just show her around and talk shop. Pepper can't fault him for not showing her how to build a computer from scratch on her first day. (Maybe building a computer isn't such a bad idea)
Wednesday morning finds him down in Pepper's office. She not so subtly hinted that he should meet Penny there and take her to the lab himself. Tony, a couple of inches deeper in that pesky hole, hadn't thought a second about it and was down there thirty minutes before Penny was supposed to arrive.
He and Pepper manage mostly pleasant small talk. She asks him what he has planned but tells her that if she wants to know, she'll have to come visit them later. He hopes she doesn't take him up on his offer. But before she can hint at it, the door to her office opens.
"Hey, kid," Tony twists in his seat to greet Penny. "Ready to get to work?"
"Yeah," Penny grinned. "Morning, Ms. Potts."
"Good morning, Penny. If he gets to be too much, you can always come back here." Tony gasps and places a hand over his heart while Penny laughs. Pepper looks between them with something akin to fondness in her eyes before waving them off.
"Thanks, Ms. Potts!"
"Bye, Penny, I'll see you later."
Tony nods to Pepper's assistant. She nods back but raises an eyebrow and him and Penny. The girl waves and finally, Tony sees the first smile pull at the woman's lips. He huffs quietly to himself and leads Penny to the elevator.
"Does she have you spying on me now?" He asked after the doors close.
"Like you asked me to spy on her?" Penny raises an eyebrow, not unlike Janet just had, and looks up at him.
"Touché." Penny chuckles.
"She didn't put it quite as bluntly as you, or at all, but I think she might ask me to fill out an employee satisfaction survey." Tony shudders at the thought and the elevator opens before them.
"We'll start with a tour, please don't touch anything sharp or anything that looks like it might explode."
"You have explosives just lying around?" Penny asked while picking something up. Tony almost rolls his eyes but it's neither sharp nor does it appear like it will explode.
"No," Tony takes the sphere from her and sets it back on the desk. "Better safe than sorry, though. Wouldn't want to send you back with fewer fingers than I got you with. Or no eyebrows. How about you just don't touch without asking."
Penny nods and clasps her hands together behind her back. She rocks back and forth on her heels and looks all around the lab. She's excited but she's holding back. Tony wonders if she's protecting herself from any possible disappointment. A smart move on her end.
Tony shows her around. He tries to drag it out for as long as possible. This is made easier by the amount of questions Penny asks. But once they're done, it's not even time for lunch yet. So, Tony shows her to her area. He takes a page out of Pepper's book and subtly hints that this is something Penny should mention to her.
"Alright," Sitting across from her, Tony claps his hands together. "I thought we could work on one of your ideas. That's why you're here right, to learn and use my resources?"
"How do you know I have ideas?" Penny questioned.
"Are you telling me that you don't?"
"That's not what I said."
"Okay then." Penny grins but then, for the first time since they got here, starts to look unsure. She looks down at her hands and picks at a hangnail.
"Mr. Stark," She glances up at him through her fallen hair. "Is this part of you trying to get back with Ms. Potts or...do you actually think I'm smart? Like, smart enough to be your intern?"
Tony's heart does a weird thing. He worries momentarily but FRIDAY doesn't shout off any warnings so he ignores it. "I know you're smart, Penny. I've seen your grades, for one," He stands and grabs the closest thing to him. A screwdriver. Philips head. Grey handle. "Dr. Winston was also very impressed with you. And he's not an easy guy to impress. He's nice, but he won't lie to you. A skill I've yet to master. The nice part, not the not lying part." Well-
"I think you're nice," Penny interrupts. He turns and looks down at her. She's still sitting on the edge of her seat, attention solely on him.
"Thanks, kid. My point is, I do think you're smart, smart enough to be here. But, if this helps me get back in Pepper's good graces, all the better."
"Okay," Penny nods and stands. Tony blinks. He somehow expected that to be harder. "Um, what kind of stuff can we do? I have a lot of ideas."
"Look around, kid," Tony spreads his arms out by his sides. "We can do anything."
Tony walks Penny down to Pepper's office at the end of the day. They weren't able to meet with her for lunch. Pepper had been busy but so had they. Tony is surprised. He had thought he would be floundering for things to do. But he should have known better. Iron Man doesn't flounder.
But the kid was right. She had a lot of ideas. And most of them are promising.
Pepper's assistant is nowhere to be seen. Tony wonders where she is when she's not here. Is it not her job to stay at the desk and make sure no one who's not supposed to go into Pepper's office goes in?
Penny darts ahead of him. She doesn't knock before going into Pepper's office. Either she doesn't care if Pepper is with someone, on the phone, or she somehow knows she wasn't. But Tony doesn't know how she could know that.
Pepper is smiling wide when he enters behind Penny. She greets them both warmly and asks how Penny's day was. Tony holds his breath.
"It was so amazing, Ms. Potts! Mr. Stark showed me around the lab and he even gave me my own workstation! How cool is that?" Penny has braced her hands on the edge of Pepper's desk and she leans forward. Childish energy flows off of her. "And there's FRIDAY, she's so awesome and there's the robots Dum-e and U. They're so cool! And we've already started on a project that was my idea!"
"Really? That's awesome. I'm glad you had fun." Pepper glances over Penny's shoulder at him. Tony smiles proudly.
"I've already learned so much!" Penny continues to gush. She looks back at him and smirks. He would roll his eyes if Pepper wouldn't see. "I can't wait for next week! Not that working with you isn't awesome too, Ms. Potts! Because it is."
"Thank you, Penny. I know it's not quite as interesting as the lab. That's more your speed, anyway." Pepper stands and rounds the desk. She pulls Penny into a hug that the girl readily returns. Tony steps back, giving the two of them more space. It makes a good picture. He always thought Pepper would be a good mother, even if he would make a shit dad. If she can put up with him, she can handle anything. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright? Let me know when you get home."
"I will. See you tomorrow. Thanks, Ms. Potts." Penny waves and heads towards the door. Tony points after her.
"I'm going to walk her down." Pepper hides her surprise well but Tony can tell she's pleased. He grins to himself and follows behind Penny. She's waiting by the elevator and looks up at him when he stops at her side.
"Was that too much?"
"Not at all, kid, lay it on thick."
"I thought you'd like it." Penny smirks, seemingly satisfied with her performance. "I mean, it's not like it was all a lie." She shrugs and steps into the elevator. Tony follows her. "You don't have to talk me down, Mr. Stark, I know my way."
"I know, kid." He said. He leaves it at that and hits the button for the ground floor. "How are you getting home?"
"I take the subway."
"Every day?" Tony squints down at her.
"Well, yeah. I can't drive and even if I could I don't have a car. And my aunt works every day so she can't drop me off or pick me up but I don't mind. I grew up here," She shrugged again. "I'm used to it. I'm a pro at subway navigation. If I don't miss my train. It happens more often than you'd think. I swear they leave earlier than they say they're going to. There's probably a conspiracy there."
"Trains leaving early," Tony hums to himself. "Could be quite nefarious."
"Yeah. It is when I get detention for being late three days in a row. But that only happened once."
"Pepper should get you a driver," Tony decides. "Internship perk. I'll talk to her about it."
"No, no, Mr. Stark, that's not necessary," Penny faces him and shakes her head. "Really! I like the subway. I mean it smells and most people don't understand personal space but it's not so bad. I don't want to inconvenience anyone."
"It's not an inconvenience if it's their job, kid," Tony assured her. "Come on, I'll drop you home today."
"What? No. You know I live in Queens, right?"
"All the more reason." Tony changes the course of the elevator to take them to the underground garage instead.
"Mr. Stark, you really don't have to do this. I take the subway every day."
"I know I don't have to, kid," Tony told her. And he's actually doing it for a good reason, not just so Pepper will like him again. He doesn't like the idea of Penny alone on the subway. Especially going all the way back to Queens. He doesn't ride the train, because he doesn't need to, and also eww. But he knows how people can be. He got an up-close show last week. He just...he just doesn't like it. So he'll drive the kid home and talk to Pepper about that driver as soon as he can.
"It'll be nice, getting out for a little drive. If anything, you're doing me a favor."
"If you're sure, Mr. Stark," Penny said but she still sounds unsure.
"I'm sure." He takes one of the driver's cars. Nondescript and accessible. Even if he had the keys to one of the other cars on him, he doesn't think Penny would feel comfortable in them. So, he settles.
"Buckle up," He waits until Penny's seatbelt clicks into place before pulling out of the garage. Penny starts directing him without prompting.
"I found this nice scarf for Ms. Potts. It's like really nice. Very pricy but I assume that's not a problem. I'll send you the link later." Penny said halfway into the drive. "Also, we might want to move on from the gifts stage, at this point I feel like you're just trying to buy her affection. That's not going to work in the long run."
"You're probably right, kid," Tony sighs. Buying things is what he knows. It's easy and he has money. And people like things, especially free things. But Pepper's never really been like that. But he doesn't know how to not be like that. And he likes getting her things, she deserves to be spoiled.
"Don't worry, Mr. Stark, we'll get there." A beat passes. "You still want the link for the scarf?"
"Yeah, send it to me."
Tony buys the scarf—Penny was right, it is nice and it was expensive-but he doesn't give it to Pepper. Not yet. He will. When the time is right. He can't stop thinking about what Penny said. He's not trying to buy his way back with Pepper, but he is. It wasn't his intention. It's what he knows and it's easy. He doesn't know what else to do.
But he knows it won't work, not with Pepper. Not with anyone who matters. So he stops with the gifts. For now.
The next Wednesday Penny is down in his lab, she tells him that they're having lunch with Pepper. Apparently, she had suggested it the day before and Pepper agreed. Tony really has to hand it to her, she's good at this whole scheming thing. He should give her a raise. He'll add it to the list. Right where he just crossed off getting her a driver.
When Tony brought up the idea to Pepper, she told him she'd already tried. Penny had turned her down. Tony tells her that Penny is stubborn. But so is he. Pepper seemed both delighted and piqued that he got Penny to cave when she couldn't.
So Penny is no longer taking the subway to and from her internship and Tony feels a sense of accomplishment. He keeps this to himself.
They're making good progress with their project. It's a watch. A watch for anyone to wear, that does normal watch functions, but with an added panic button. Simply press it three times in quick succession—or that's the idea right now, Penny has changed it four times already—and it will send your location to chosen contacts and the police.
There are apps out there that do similar things. But pulling out your phone, unlocking it, and opening an app all take too long. Says Penny. Tony is inclined to agree with her. He wants to ask if she ever needed to use one of those apps, doesn't like the idea of the answer being yes, but he doesn't. It's probably not his place. Maybe he'll bring it up with Pepper.
It's mostly coding. And design. Penny is a bit indecisive about the little details, he's come to learn. He just thinks she's a perfectionist. He can't fault her for it, not when he can relate so well.
Things would move faster if they had more than one day a week to work on it. So Tony asks Pepper for another. She seems surprised. He delights in it as she hands over Mondays as well. They tell Penny together. She's excited. Tony thinks she's acting a little more so for Pepper. Tony pats her on the back for it later.
It's the very next Thursday that things start to change. When it becomes something more than just trying to win Pepper back. Tony thinks it's been this way for a while, he just hadn't realized before then.
He's gone for a walk and Pepper's office happened to be along the way. So he decides then to stop in to say hello. The assistant's desk is empty—really, what does she get paid to do?-but Penny is there, tapping away at a tablet in her hand.
"She in?" He points towards Pepper's closed office floor. Penny barely glances up at him.
"Bathroom. But she went the opposite way of the bathroom so, I don't really know." Penny looks up then, her eyebrows furrowed like she's just coming to this realization. "Weird." She sets the tablet aside and that's when Tony sees it. A heavy-duty brace around her wrist.
"What happened there?" He gestures to it. Penny looks down at her arm.
"Oh, just a sprain."
"That happened between you leaving last night and today?" Because he knows for a fact that she wasn't wearing it yesterday.
"I'm clumsy," Penny shrugged. It was said so easily, so casually, Tony wouldn't have any reason to doubt her. Accept he's spent time with Penny, seen her move around, and he's never seen one thing that would lead him to believe that she's 'clumsy'. In fact, she's oddly graceful for a teenager. But he does know her to be a good liar.
"Plans for the weekend?" Tony asked instead of any follow-up questions. He can't exactly grill her about how she got hurt. No matter how much he wants to. Pepper probably wouldn't approve.
"Spending the night with a friend. We're going to watch all the Harry Potter movies." She seems fine. Not upset about anything like she was those weeks ago after everything with Beckham. But she appeared to bounce back from that extremely fast. Who's to say she's not lying right now? Tony is no stranger to wearing masks. Iron Man or otherwise.
"All of them? What's that, like twenty hours?"
Penny narrows her eyes in a way that does not remind him of Pepper. "Yes."
"No need to sound so surprised, kid, I know things."
"Of course you know things, Mr. Stark. I just didn't think teenage cinema was one of those things."
"I know all."
"Except how to get your girlfriend back," Penny winces as soon as she says it. "I'm sorry. That was a bit much."
Tony snorts. "Don't apologize, that was funny. Besides, you're right."
"It's only a matter of time, Mr. Stark, I'm sure of it."
"Thanks, kid." He reaches out to ruffle her hair and Penny laughs while batting away his hand. That's how Pepper finds them, coming back from somewhere that isn't the bathroom.
"She's your intern on Mondays and Wednesdays, Tony, today is Thursday," She reminded him but she's smiling.
"I know, dear," Tony dares to use the nickname. Pepper doesn't seem to mind and Penny's grin widens. "I was just walking by, thought I'd stop in to say hey." Pepper just looks at him. Tony hums. "Gotta talk to Pep for a second." He tells Penny.
"Okay," She picks up the tablet, rests it over her cast, and starts tapping away. Tony isn't convinced she's not just playing solitaire.
Tony gestures towards Pepper's office with a questioning look and she motions him to follow her. As soon as the door is closed, he asks, "How'd she hurt her wrist?"
"She tripped on the stairs," Pepper rounds her desk and takes a seat. Tony leans against the back of another chair but doesn't sit. "They live on the seventh floor, the elevator was down. She was running up them last night and slipped. Not everything is a conspiracy, Tony."
"I can't be worried?"
Pepper sighs and her expression softens. "Of course you can. I'm sorry."
"No, it's alright. Kids, they're clumsy, aren't they?" Tony said. He doesn't bring up his concerns with Penny's obvious-to him-lie. What could he do anyway?
"I'm having lunch with her aunt this weekend, I will talk to her. Make sure Penny is okay." Pepper said, completely unprompted in Tony's opinion.
"Is this a girls-only thing? If not, I'm offended that I wasn't invited as a member of the Penny Parker Fan Club."
Pepper's head tilts to the side and she gives him a look. A look that makes him think he's said the wrong thing. She smirks before she says, "Would you like to have lunch with us, Tony?" And how can he say no? He's not even sure if she's being serious. But he refuses to back down.
"My treat."
"I'll send you the details." Pepper's eyes spark in a way that Tony reads as her not believing him. Well, Tony is going to prove her wrong. He smirks right back.
"Can't wait."
Pepper is challenging him, Tony is sure of it. He brings it up to Penny and she agrees with him and tells him to keep it up. She smiles brightly at him and gives two thumbs up as she says it.
Tony doesn't tell her that he's going to lunch with Pepper and her Aunt that weekend. He's not sure why, he just felt he shouldn't. She'll probably find out from her aunt or Pepper later. Or he'll bring it up on Monday. Because it's not a big deal. He hadn't planned on this actually happening. He made a stupid joke that became a test. One he can't afford to fail.
Determined to surpass Pepper's low expectations of him, Tony makes sure to be on time for lunch. He's there exactly the time Pepper told him to be. He dressed down, nothing too flashy with a discrete car. He's feeling pretty good about the whole thing so far. Until he walks into the little, nearing hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant and sees Pepper and May Parker. He'd been so focused on being here, he hadn't thought about what to do when he actually was.
But, he tells himself as he removes his glasses, he's Tony Stark, he can improvise his way through anything. It's eighty percent of his life up to this point. This will be a piece of cake.
"Ladies," He greeted with his most charming smile. "You must be May Parker. I've heard great things," He offers his hands and May shakes it with a grin of her own. Tony thinks it's warmer than his. "I'm a big fan of your niece."
"And she's a big fan of you," May said while Tony pulled out his chair. "Tony Stark and Iron Man. You should have seen her when she came home the other week, raving about working with the Tony Stark. Don't tell her I told you, she would be mortified if you knew."
"Ah," Tony raises his hands a little by his sides. "Your secret is safe with me." He'd known Penny was a fan, she'd told him when they first met. And besides, what kid doesn't love Iron Man? But despite her initial stuttering during their first meeting, he wouldn't have guessed she was as big a fan as her aunt makes her out to be.
"She has a poster of Iron Man in her room," May continued. "I shouldn't say but isn't embarrassing your child in the job description?"
"I do believe it is," Pepper smiled. "I'm glad you could make it, Tony."
"Glad to be here," And Tony can't say that that's not the truth. "Now, if you don't mind," He turns back to May. "I would like to hear more embarrassing stories about Penny."
"Oh, I have plenty," May grinned. "So when she was ten, she had it in her mind that she was going to become a professional skateboarder. I mean, she was never into sports, with her asthma and everything, it made it hard. But she had her heart set on it-"
"Penny has asthma?" Tony asked. Had he known this? No, he thinks that's something he would remember. He's never seen her with an inhaler either.
"It's not as bad as it used to be. I don't want to get my hopes up, but she hasn't had an attack in nearly a year. She still carries an inhaler everywhere with her, but thankfully, it's gone unused."
Tony hums. He thinks that maybe, he should get an inhaler to keep in the lab, just in case. And he can get one for Pepper's office, too.
"I'm guessing her skateboard career didn't go as planned."
"No, not at all," May laughed. "Her uncle caved and got her one. He could rarely say no to her. He went all out, too. Helmet, knee and elbow pads, everything." Tony nods along, his focus solely on the story, leaving him unaware of the soft smile Pepper sends his way.