The whole point of leftover champagne is mimosas in the morning. [Tony/Pepper - Friday morning-ish]

[playboy_philanthropist]

Tony was more relaxed than he had been in weeks, but being home and having Pepper around did that. Well, along with other, very pleasant things. He'd been glad that Pepper actually followed his text and was up in their bedroom by the time he made it the block to the tower and up to their floor. It was nice to fall into the friendly banter after the meetings, boozing and schmoozing, and presentations. To let the shields down as much as they ever went down and take the suit off. Having a full night with all his focus on Pepper was a relief too. She was very good at quieting his mind. Especially when the banter led very quickly into activities that didn't require words and usually involved reprimands and punishments if he didn't shut up.

He was even more pleased when it didn't require too much pouting and needling to get Pepper to take the day off, which made him wonder if she had just planned to have the day off anyways and was just giving his ego a boost. It really didn't matter though as it meant more private Pepper time. Too bad food was required and he was certain that the romantic gesture of making breakfast in bed would be made completely moot considering the time it would take him to make inedible toast. So, even if it required clothing, they decided to go out for brunch down the street.

He took a sip of his mimosa before taking a bite of his french toast, his elbows resting on the table. He'd dressed for comfort, even if the cut of the t-shirt and jeans were still form fitting enough to be stylish. He murmured happily before pointing his fork at Pepper. "Mmm... I know I said no work, but make a note. You're not allowed to have me alone on meetings and tours that long again," he said before taking another bite of toast. "I'll start thinking you're mad at me with that sort of torture."

Comments

[pepperinapot]

Pepper had planned to take Friday off as soon as it became apparent that she was going to work through Labor Day despite everyone else in the building down to the janitors having the day off. She wanted time with Tony and everyone else could hang for a few hours. The world, hopefully, would not explode.

She felt...blissful and boneless. Usually when they were in public, she didn't allow herself to become too content, but the night before had undid her more than a little. She sipped her mimosa and ate her french toast in tiny appreciative bites. Under the table her heels were off and her feet propped in Tony's lap.

"You agreed to it." She said mostly because arguing with him was half the fun. "But yeah, not for a while, I think. It wasn't pleasant on my end either. Left me feeling pretty raw."

[playboy_philanthropist]

"No, no. I don't remember that," Tony shot back, even though he knew very well that he had agreed to it. "You tricked me. All this talk of it being necessary and all. I'm sticking with that I secretly did something wrong that I haven't figured out yet. Or that this is preemptive punishment."

He shifted slightly so he could still comfortably fork food into his mouth even while his other hand went into his lap to rub his thumb along Pepper's foot. "Honestly, I didn't think it'd be that hard going solo. I mean, at least you had everyone else in the Tower. And-" He lifted his fork to punctuate his words. "-no horrible PR nightmares, so I'm wall of infamy free so far. I think I deserve a shiny award for that. Maybe I can have the plaque on one of those old awards re-etched for it."

[pepperinapot]

"It was your idea and you will remember that again when it works out and then it will be all bragging again." She laughed at him. "I really don't have the time to punish you for things I imagine you're going to do."

She made a soft happy noise as his thumb pressed against sore tendons.

"Your reward is getting the scholarship through like you wanted. I've already gotten confirmation." She took another sip of her drink. "It was easier having people around. I even got to go shopping. Steve is the proud owner of work clothes that fit him now."

[playboy_philanthropist]

"Until all the applications come in. And then again, the not remembering. Of course, entirely dependent on the quality of the practical aspect of the applications. Pray that I don't get bored." Tony chuckled as a smirk quirked his lips. "Not enough hours in the day for that, right? Sadly, we are still not working on a time turner and no amount of pouting will change that."

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh? Are you sure they're all work clothes? Am I going to find tabloid shots of Steve going to work in hot pants because you convinced them they were the newest style?"

[pepperinapot]

"We'll have an intern whittle them down to twenty or so for us to choose from. And by us I mean I'll hand you three. I think you'll live through it." She laughed. "I told you to get on time travel, but no, you were all 'mildly impossible' and 'not a priority'."

"All 100% responsible things. Even a swim suit that covers from waist to near knee. If they photograph him in something scandalous, I had nothing to do with it."

[playboy_philanthropist]

Tony wrinkled his nose a bit. "Do we have a competent enough intern for that? I mean, yeah, whoever you want for going over the financial crap and all, but we need someone high scale for the science." He tapped his fork on his plate as he flicked the bottom of Pepper's foot lightly. "Again with handing me things. You meant put them on my desk. I'm sure that's what I heard."

He took another bite of toast before shaking his head. "Oh, Pepper, Pepper. You had such a chance and you wasted it. And no one would have even suspected it was you."

[pepperinapot]

"I use intern in a light sense. You know I wouldn't entrust this to someone incompetent. There are going to be several hundred applications though. It's a generous scholarship and college is expensive. We need a frontline filter for people who are clearly inappropriate, then someone to vet the science." She flicked her toes right back at him. "You love when I hand you things. My things are the best."

"I like him." She bit into her toast. "I get that he's the All American dream and everything, I'd be blind not to notice that he's incredibly good looking, but I don't know. He's my friend. I'm beginning not to see him that way at all. I think he's a little too..earnestly decent for me to be attracted to him."

[playboy_philanthropist]

"So I've been told. The expensive thing that is. If you'll believe the television, internet, and graduates with crushing student debt that is. I'm going to be nice and figure they're telling the truth this once." Tony rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Tolerate. The word you're looking for it tolerate. I tolerate you handing me things. Although your things are less irritating that other people's. And usually less legaly."

He couldn't help the slightly pleased look that quirked one corner of his mouth. He wouldn't have been surprised if Pepper had been attracted to him. After all, physically perfect, blond hero soldier had all the ladies tossing their panties at him if you believed the stories. He'd been good about pushing down the competitiveness that had reared its ugly head when he'd first met the super soldier in the flesh, to just focus on the present and Steve and not on the whole Captain America thing and all the issues that held with it. Still, he couldn't help that spark of smug victory that Pepper found him more attractive. "Oh, I see. You like being the debauchee rather than the debaucherer." He smirked as he went back to pressing his thumb along the arch of her foot. "Not that I didn't know that already, of course."

[pepperinapot]

"It is ridiculously expensive." She thought of the neat stack of bills, quiet tendrils that leeched across the country to put money into Gigi's pocket as subtle as a revers pickpocket. "I'll keep that in mind the next time I feel the impulse to hand you one of my things. Might have to rethink it if it's taxing you so much."

She groaned a little as he unraveled the constant ache in her foot, "I'm not sure I have anything left to debauch at this point. I've been thoroughly turned into a regular libertine. I just like my men a little more...world weary." She smiled at him. "I like the shared mileage."

[playboy_philanthropist]

"Presents are not taxing. At least your presents. And clothing. Feel free to hand me any clothing that you take off." He smirked as he kept working at her foot. "I'm sure we can find something. I mean, look what I'm managing now and I haven't even taken those massage classes yet." He snorted in amusement. "I'm not sure if I should be impressed or insulted that I'm more world weary than a World War II soldier. Or are you just trying to say I'm old? Because that's only allowed on my birthday. All the other 364 days are age commentary free."

[pepperinapot]

"One of these days, I'll pass you a stack of paperwork with my underwear in side. The little black lacy ones that you like. That should be motivation enough to look through some stacks until you find them." She liked the idea, stored it for a particularly bad day.

"You're not old." She rolled her eyes at him. "I like how you've aged. Tony at 25 was not my favorite. You. Right now. Older, wiser and massaging my foot, you're my favorite. And I imagine that will only change when your still yet older and that version of you becomes my favorite."

[playboy_philanthropist]

"Unfair. And cruel. Plus a good way to end up losing your underwear. Which is just a good excuse to buy you more pairs of that kind. You know, just in case." Sadly, he was likely going to have to look through the piles of paperwork anyways. Just to see if she'd follow through. And when. Because if she actually did it when other people were in the room...

"I was dashing and debonair at 25," he said, shrugging off the straight forward statements with a smirk. "But then I've always been and always will be dashing and debonair. It's my thing." He shook his head. "And you keep talking about all this wiser stuff and I might have to do something stupid. Like inviting all of Asgard over for one of those giant orgy parties."

[pepperinapot]

"I already stockpiled after you ripped the last ones." She liked that memory. "It's neither unfair or cruel. Merely a promise."

"You were obnoxious and manic, but I liked you anyway." Well, she'd fallen in love with him like a dizzy teenager. "I didn't say that you'd actually become wise. Just wiser than you were before. I think actual wise will have to wait for your testosterone levels to drop in old age."

[playboy_philanthropist]

"I still maintain that wasn't my fault. They are awfully flimsy. Not that that's a bad thing. It's actually very, very nice, so no complaining to the manufacturers." He snorted. "It'll remain unfair and cruel until it is actually fulfilled. If only because you're hiding it in paperwork. If you were hiding it in my lab, that'd be another matter entirely."

He shrugged. "Some say dashing. Some say obnoxious. Obviously not that obnoxious if you liked me and stuck around," he pointed out before taking a sip of his mimosa. "Which is good considering everything. I like it when you stick around through my obnoxiousness. Although if you're going to be holding your breath a long time if you're hoping for me being wise because those testosterone levels are never going to drop baby."

[pepperinapot]

"I'm not playing scavanger hunt with my panties to keep you from pouting." She warned. "I just know that one day I'll want to drive you crazy and if they're in that stack then they aren't on my body."

She laughed, loud and just...delighted. She titled her head back to catch some of the warm sun.

"No breath holding. Turning blue isn't on my priority list." She stretched a little, rubbing his stomach with her toes. "Maybe I just like obnoxious men. Ever think of that?"

[playboy_philanthropist]

"Supposedly. I think I'll need more prove to that. You might be trying to trick me. Even more reason to install those mirrored floors in the office," Tony teased before grinning widely and warmly. That was a sound he could get used to. There needed to be more of that type of laughter in the world. "That's good, because that whole Avatar blue fetish thing, never really got it."

Moving his hand to her ankle, he worked his thumb along the tendons there. "Impossible. Untrue. If that was fact, you'd be going out with most of New York City. Although that would explain your busy, busy schedule."

[pepperinapot]

"The movie was unfortunate. Let's never mention it near sex ever again." She wrinkled her nose. "I felt a little slimy after watching the sex scene in it."

"Alright, so maybe it's just your particular brand then. Must be Stockholm Syndrome." She teased.

[playboy_philanthropist]

"Interesting from a tech point of view, but yes. Braid sex is not the new thing. Especially when you use it to mind control other creatures too. Just ew. Even if it's convenient..."

Tony tilted his head curiously as he narrowed his eyes slightly. "I kidnapped you? I think I'd remember that. As I'm sure it'd involve the slave girl Leia outfit. Yes, yes, it would definitely involve that metal bikini. I'd remember that. And have pictures. And video. Plus I'm also pretty sure you don't actually pay hostages income."

[pepperinapot]

"That's not convenient, it's unhygienic. And also dangerous. You shouldn't have your reproductive organs flapping around in the breeze."She paused. "Would having short hair mean you were eunuch?"

"Maybe we kidnapped each other." She liked that thought. And they sort of had, a little.

[playboy_philanthropist]

"It can be both," Tony pointed out. "And I'd say you've never complained about reproductive organs flapping around in the breeze, but I'm pretty sure there were quite a few lectures about that." He chuckled as he shook his head. "That's one way to make sure long hair stays popular. Also gives a whole new meaning to getting a trim."

A fond smile quirked his lips. "I like the sound of that. You're certainly better looking and more benevolent than most kidnappers."

[pepperinapot]

"There are very few places where it's appropriate to go nude. Sometimes I just fear for the safety of your family jewels, honestly." She ate the last bite of her french toast.

"That's how I got to keep you." She teased. "Only pretty kidnappers have a hope of keeping hostages over a decade."

[playboy_philanthropist]

"Well, you do have invested interest in them now," Tony teased before sighing dramatically. "The world is a worse place for lack of appropriate places to go nude. Take note, our next project, promote more nude places. Spin it that it's healthier for you because you get more vitamin D or some crap like that."

He shook his head. He couldn't believe they were actually joking about this and more so that it didn't really bother him. Or Pepper for that matter. But maybe it hadn't just entered her brain and he sure wasn't going to remind her about it. Not when the meal was going so pleasantly. "Oh, I see why you built the tower now. Very, very clever. Especially knowing that I'll never, ever grow my hair that long to try and escape. Although I do make a very lovely princess."

[pepperinapot]

"I'm not encouraging the globe to take off all their clothes. We have enough of an overpopulation problem as it is." She snorted.

"You're the prettiest of princesses." She winked at him. "And you kill the dragon. Knight and princess all mixed up together."