“Thank god I met you,” he murmured, changing gears and heading toward the mall, thankful for the fact that he’d stowed one of his suit-briefcases in the trunk. “The fire… Well, we’ll see. Should work, but he can jump pretty damn high if he wants out, and something tells me he will…” He bit his lip, trying to bring up his memory files on Banner to see if there was anything, anything about his response to fire.
“Irrelevant. Just bear in mind I can’t do all those things at once. Someone’s gotta prioritise for me, or I’m going to do it myself, and my priority will be civilians to cut down my risk of overload.” Summer closed her eyes, her mind already spinning scenarios from best to worst. She let her body relax, moving with the motion of the car, while she reached outward, but she couldn’t get a fix. “Not enough data,” she muttered. “How long?”
“Crowd control might be best to start with,” he decided. “Especially since we don’t know how he’d react to fire, or even to you trying to calm him down. And to be honest… I’d rather you not get too close to him unless you have to…” He grimaced a little. “The rest of us have experience with him, and hell, I have armour… We’re not far, ten more blocks until the parking lot, I think.”
“He’ll have a fun time trying to catch me.” Summer opened her eyes again, frowning in concentration. “I’ve /got/ armour, though it’s not meant to withstand something like the Hulk. But I think you’ll be surprised how much I can d—” Her hand snapped up to her temple as the taste of the panic at the mall swept into her mind. There was still too much distance for any kind of resolution into individual minds, though. “I have to get airbourne.”
“Yes, and find out who’s been actually hurt and who’s just having hysteria, and calm the crowd enough to actually get them /out/,” she jerked open the door and flung herself in, remembering to jerk her head sideways so the door wouldn’t close on her hair. “How’s he about fire? I might be able to establish a containment perimeter, and I might be able to siphon off enough of the anger to unwind him. Can’t tell those til I get a read on the situation.” Fighting the wind, Summer collected her hair into a tail, then tied it into a lover’s haste knot.
“Thank god I met you,” he murmured, changing gears and heading toward the mall, thankful for the fact that he’d stowed one of his suit-briefcases in the trunk. “The fire… Well, we’ll see. Should work, but he can jump pretty damn high if he wants out, and something tells me he will…” He bit his lip, trying to bring up his memory files on Banner to see if there was anything, anything about his response to fire.
“Irrelevant. Just bear in mind I can’t do all those things at once. Someone’s gotta prioritise for me, or I’m going to do it myself, and my priority will be civilians to cut down my risk of overload.” Summer closed her eyes, her mind already spinning scenarios from best to worst. She let her body relax, moving with the motion of the car, while she reached outward, but she couldn’t get a fix. “Not enough data,” she muttered. “How long?”
Tony rubbed the back of his neck, grinning warmly, and feeling a certain warmth in his chest. “I’ll catch you if you do,” he teased, knowing just how easily he could do very much the same. “JARVIS’ll get over it. It’d rather not see me lonely anyway.”
“Is that so?” she chuckled. She fished around in the bowl for the last bits of meat, avoiding looking at Tony, because she knew if she did she’d just start giggling and not stop.
“You bet,” he said, nodding and taking up his fork again to get the last few pieces of broccoli he’d left at the bottom of his own bowl. His phone vibrated on the table, and he thought about ignoring it, but he knew he should at least see who was calling.
“Shit..” he muttered under his breath before looking back up at Summer. “I, uh… I gotta take this. It’s Fury…” he explained, standing up and answering the phone a few feet away from their table, peeking out the window to see if he could see what he was being called about.
It was Bruce. Something had triggered his Hulk form and he was busy flipping cars outside a mall. Stark cringed and promised he’d be there before heading back to the table to explain.
Summer felt his mood drop as he answered the phone, and braced herself for bad news. It was almost a relief to hear it was ‘just’ the Hulk scaring people. She stood up almost before he finished explaining. “Let’s go, then. Um, check, check … ” She scanned around for a hostess, beckoning urgently.
Tony startled a little at the term ‘us,’ but remembered who she was. Maybe she could help, as long as she stayed far enough back to not get hurt. Tony threw a bill down on the table, more than enough to cover their meals and the tip, figuring that if she really wanted to, she’d pay him back later, when the Hulk wasn’t playing demo-derby around innocent bystanders.
“Do you think you can read what’s upset him for us? Or at least what’s helping as we try to calm him down?” he asked as they got outside and he hopped into the car.
“Yes, and find out who’s been actually hurt and who’s just having hysteria, and calm the crowd enough to actually get them /out/,” she jerked open the door and flung herself in, remembering to jerk her head sideways so the door wouldn’t close on her hair. “How’s he about fire? I might be able to establish a containment perimeter, and I might be able to siphon off enough of the anger to unwind him. Can’t tell those til I get a read on the situation.” Fighting the wind, Summer collected her hair into a tail, then tied it into a lover’s haste knot.
Tony rubbed the back of his neck, grinning warmly, and feeling a certain warmth in his chest. “I’ll catch you if you do,” he teased, knowing just how easily he could do very much the same. “JARVIS’ll get over it. It’d rather not see me lonely anyway.”
“Is that so?” she chuckled. She fished around in the bowl for the last bits of meat, avoiding looking at Tony, because she knew if she did she’d just start giggling and not stop.
“You bet,” he said, nodding and taking up his fork again to get the last few pieces of broccoli he’d left at the bottom of his own bowl. His phone vibrated on the table, and he thought about ignoring it, but he knew he should at least see who was calling.
“Shit..” he muttered under his breath before looking back up at Summer. “I, uh… I gotta take this. It’s Fury…” he explained, standing up and answering the phone a few feet away from their table, peeking out the window to see if he could see what he was being called about.
It was Bruce. Something had triggered his Hulk form and he was busy flipping cars outside a mall. Stark cringed and promised he’d be there before heading back to the table to explain.
Summer felt his mood drop as he answered the phone, and braced herself for bad news. It was almost a relief to hear it was ‘just’ the Hulk scaring people. She stood up almost before he finished explaining. “Let’s go, then. Um, check, check … ” She scanned around for a hostess, beckoning urgently.
“Well hopefully I can manage myself to feel good every time I see you,” he teased, knowing full well that he would. “I’ll let you know, but I doubt you’ll bother me. I need someone to ‘bother’ me. To keep me from forgetting to eat, from drinking too much… I’m not all that good on my own, either. It’s just, no one ever sees that. But if that’s a problem… I’ll work harder on it.”
“I could fall right in love with you very easily, Tony Stark,” Summer murmured, smiling down at the table. She took another bite to keep herself from saying anything more, but threw a little pulse of how happy she was feeling to Tony, shaping it so he could know it was her feeling. Swallowing, she added, “You’ll make JARVIS jealous of me.”
Tony rubbed the back of his neck, grinning warmly, and feeling a certain warmth in his chest. “I’ll catch you if you do,” he teased, knowing just how easily he could do very much the same. “JARVIS’ll get over it. It’d rather not see me lonely anyway.”
“Is that so?” she chuckled. She fished around in the bowl for the last bits of meat, avoiding looking at Tony, because she knew if she did she’d just start giggling and not stop.
“I don’t blame you for being in shock,” he laughed. “And yeah, I know. That was one of the things I was tearing myself down about. You’re definitely in a different league of women than I’m used to, so I was a little… Well, you nailed it right on the head. I was awkward as hell about the whole thing.”
Summer ducked her head, embarrassed. Setting down her utensils, she got up and circled the table to stand over Tony. “Thank you,” she whispered, leaned down just a bit and kissed him softly.
He brought his hand up to touch her face gently as they kissed, and he smiled at her as the kiss broke. “You’re welcome, Summer,” he murmured, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. His smile was a little goofy because the night had finally shifted in both their favors, and it was such a relief.
“Mmmmh, I think I could get high off you feeling good.” She dropped a quick kiss on the back of his hand before going back to her dinner. “I, um … I tend to throw myself into relationships, any kind of relationship, really.” She flicked a glance up at him through her eyelashes. “So if I’m bothering you, and I don’t notice it, you should tell me, okay? It’s like when I walked into your workshop tonight, and wouldn’t let you alone til you talked to me … like that.”
“Well hopefully I can manage myself to feel good every time I see you,” he teased, knowing full well that he would. “I’ll let you know, but I doubt you’ll bother me. I need someone to ‘bother’ me. To keep me from forgetting to eat, from drinking too much… I’m not all that good on my own, either. It’s just, no one ever sees that. But if that’s a problem… I’ll work harder on it.”
“I could fall right in love with you very easily, Tony Stark,” Summer murmured, smiling down at the table. She took another bite to keep herself from saying anything more, but threw a little pulse of how happy she was feeling to Tony, shaping it so he could know it was her feeling. Swallowing, she added, “You’ll make JARVIS jealous of me.”
“I don’t blame you for being in shock,” he laughed. “And yeah, I know. That was one of the things I was tearing myself down about. You’re definitely in a different league of women than I’m used to, so I was a little… Well, you nailed it right on the head. I was awkward as hell about the whole thing.”
Summer ducked her head, embarrassed. Setting down her utensils, she got up and circled the table to stand over Tony. “Thank you,” she whispered, leaned down just a bit and kissed him softly.
He brought his hand up to touch her face gently as they kissed, and he smiled at her as the kiss broke. “You’re welcome, Summer,” he murmured, stroking her cheek with the back of his hand. His smile was a little goofy because the night had finally shifted in both their favors, and it was such a relief.
“Mmmmh, I think I could get high off you feeling good.” She dropped a quick kiss on the back of his hand before going back to her dinner. “I, um … I tend to throw myself into relationships, any kind of relationship, really.” She flicked a glance up at him through her eyelashes. “So if I’m bothering you, and I don’t notice it, you should tell me, okay? It’s like when I walked into your workshop tonight, and wouldn’t let you alone til you talked to me … like that.”
Tony set down his fork and swallowed his mouthful. “You did? I— That’s awesome,” he said, reaching across the table to swipe his thumb over the back of her hand. “I wasn’t sure, I mean… There was a hesitation and…” he trailed off, looking down and smiling. “But you meant it.”
“I was a bit in shock!” She turned her hand up to capture his. “Darlin’, you’re not known for relationships at all, you know. It wasn’t that I thought you were … how did you put it? forward, it was that we were both sitting there castigating ourselves for not being lovable, and then you stumbled your way through possibly the most awkward asking out I think I’ve ever heard.” Summer squeezed his hand.
“I don’t blame you for being in shock,” he laughed. “And yeah, I know. That was one of the things I was tearing myself down about. You’re definitely in a different league of women than I’m used to, so I was a little… Well, you nailed it right on the head. I was awkward as hell about the whole thing.”
Summer ducked her head, embarrassed. Setting down her utensils, she got up and circled the table to stand over Tony. “Thank you,” she whispered, leaned down just a bit and kissed him softly.
“Friend of mine from college. It’s his handle online. PCWizard, because he installed computers in cars.” Her mouth curved in a soft smile. “I haven’t seen him in ages, or his wife.” Summer leaned over a little bit and rested her head against Tony’s arm.
“Oh, right,” Tony said, looking over at her. “Friend of mine knows another ‘Wizard’. He’s not such a great guy. Glad it’s not the same guy.” He laughed a little again, wondering how he’d even begun to think it could have been the same guy. He looked over at her, sliding his hand on top of hers.
A few moments later, their dishes were done cooking and they headed back to their table. “Bon appetit.”
Summer barely waited until she sat down before she dug in, she was so hungry. A few minutes of silence followed before she was satiated enough to slow down and start paying attention to something other than food. She swallowed the mouthful she had and said, inconsequentially, “I meant it, you know. When I said yes.”
Tony set down his fork and swallowed his mouthful. “You did? I— That’s awesome,” he said, reaching across the table to swipe his thumb over the back of her hand. “I wasn’t sure, I mean… There was a hesitation and…” he trailed off, looking down and smiling. “But you meant it.”
“I was a bit in shock!” She turned her hand up to capture his. “Darlin’, you’re not known for relationships at all, you know. It wasn’t that I thought you were … how did you put it? forward, it was that we were both sitting there castigating ourselves for not being lovable, and then you stumbled your way through possibly the most awkward asking out I think I’ve ever heard.” Summer squeezed his hand.
“Friend of mine from college. It’s his handle online. PCWizard, because he installed computers in cars.” Her mouth curved in a soft smile. “I haven’t seen him in ages, or his wife.” Summer leaned over a little bit and rested her head against Tony’s arm.
“Oh, right,” Tony said, looking over at her. “Friend of mine knows another ‘Wizard’. He’s not such a great guy. Glad it’s not the same guy.” He laughed a little again, wondering how he’d even begun to think it could have been the same guy. He looked over at her, sliding his hand on top of hers.
A few moments later, their dishes were done cooking and they headed back to their table. “Bon appetit.”
Summer barely waited until she sat down before she dug in, she was so hungry. A few minutes of silence followed before she was satiated enough to slow down and start paying attention to something other than food. She swallowed the mouthful she had and said, inconsequentially, “I meant it, you know. When I said yes.”