Summer ducked her head, smiling a smile of perfect happiness, before letting his hand go and bending to dinner. After a little bit, she looked back up at Tony. “Thank you for dinner, too. For a first date, this is … I just … thank you.” A gleam of mischief entered her gaze again. “Did you have anything else planned for tonight? There are a few things I can think of to do … ”
His grin returned. “I figured I had to make a good impression.” The expression turned into something playfully mischievous again, still playing at innocent. “There might be another little thing,” he replied. “But you can’t have that until after dinner,” he added with mock sternness, and resumed eating.
“So I should hurry?” she laughed, putting a cranberry in her mouth. “It’s too good to hurry, though … ” She closed her eyes for a long moment, focusing all her attention on the taste. “Just a hint?” Summer peeked, opening one eye at Tony.
“Well, then, stop insinuating Jarvis and I have anything to be jealous of,” she teased. “It would be miserable if — ” Summer stopped short, suddenly thinking of Dummy, then continued, “if he didn’t like me.” Dinner arrived then, and she fell silent, feeling overwhelmed once again by the high class of the restaurant. When the server had gone, she reached a hand across the table to Tony. “Thank you, Tony. I love you.”
“I’d never insinuate anything,” he replied, still playing at over the top innocence. “I’m wounded at the accusation.” The server’s arrival was well timed, before any topics that were too sensitive were brought up. “It’s not a problem.” He offered a lopsided smile and took her hand when she reached for his. “Love you, too, Sunshine.”
Summer ducked her head, smiling a smile of perfect happiness, before letting his hand go and bending to dinner. After a little bit, she looked back up at Tony. “Thank you for dinner, too. For a first date, this is … I just … thank you.” A gleam of mischief entered her gaze again. “Did you have anything else planned for tonight? There are a few things I can think of to do … ”
“I’m going to kick you,” she threatened, laughing. “I would always rather have you than Jarvis; I can’t coax Jarvis into giving me kisses, grease-smeared and bare-shouldered and completely sexy, if I get something right. I don’t know how fast a learner I’ll be, though.” She sipped her drink. “Please teach me about cars, Tony,” she wheedled, matching his innocent look.
“How terrifying,” he drawled in response to the threat. “Threatening people isn’t a good way to get their help,” he pointed out primly, mock-offended, though he added with feigned reluctance, “but I suppose you do present a good case.” His smile won out again. “I would be delighted to teach you. We both have the patience of a hyperactive corgi, so it should be fun.”
“Well, then, stop insinuating Jarvis and I have anything to be jealous of,” she teased. “It would be miserable if — ” Summer stopped short, suddenly thinking of Dummy, then continued, “if he didn’t like me.” Dinner arrived then, and she fell silent, feeling overwhelmed once again by the high class of the restaurant. When the server had gone, she reached a hand across the table to Tony. “Thank you, Tony. I love you.”
She made a disgusted face at him. “If I wanted you to just hang around, I would ask, like you told me to. I would at least ask to borrow some space in the workshop. But no. Real work.” Putting her elbows on the table, all serious intent and earnestness, she propped her chin in her hands. “I want to learn how to take care of her. Change the oil, the spark plugs, the filters. How to tune her engine. How to interpret all the car codes. I, um,” she flushed, “kinda threw a rod real hard once because the engine overheated and boiled the oil, and I didn’t know enough to notice. And I want to basically redo her entire electricals, put in seat heaters and automatic locks. I thought about automating the roof, but it’s kind of fun to take it off myself.” She grinned. “I like to see who thinks I struggle with it and offers to help. I was going to ask Jarvis to guide me through the simpler stuff and not bother you.”
He shrugged and folded his arms loosely on top of the table.”I don’t mind helping,” Tony replied. He grinned. “Unless you don’t want me to, I suppose. I know what you have with Jarvis is special, so I guess I could let you two have some bonding time,” he added, cheeky and feigning innocence. “He’d probably be more helpful in the garage than in the kitchen, anyway.”
“I’m going to kick you,” she threatened, laughing. “I would always rather have you than Jarvis; I can’t coax Jarvis into giving me kisses, grease-smeared and bare-shouldered and completely sexy, if I get something right. I don’t know how fast a learner I’ll be, though.” She sipped her drink. “Please teach me about cars, Tony,” she wheedled, matching his innocent look.
“I’ve been thinking I’d like to do some work on my car,” Summer commented. “Maybe you could help me with that?”
“Probably,” Tony answered easily, because what is modesty? He had no idea; he’d never had a sense of it. “What sort of work were you thinking? Minor? Complete overhaul? Real work? Just an excuse to get me to hang around work?”
She made a disgusted face at him. “If I wanted you to just hang around, I would ask, like you told me to. I would at least ask to borrow some space in the workshop. But no. Real work.” Putting her elbows on the table, all serious intent and earnestness, she propped her chin in her hands. “I want to learn how to take care of her. Change the oil, the spark plugs, the filters. How to tune her engine. How to interpret all the car codes. I, um,” she flushed, “kinda threw a rod real hard once because the engine overheated and boiled the oil, and I didn’t know enough to notice. And I want to basically redo her entire electricals, put in seat heaters and automatic locks. I thought about automating the roof, but it’s kind of fun to take it off myself.” She grinned. “I like to see who thinks I struggle with it and offers to help. I was going to ask Jarvis to guide me through the simpler stuff and not bother you.”
“What do you think you’ll work on next?” Summer tried to picture what ‘special’ and ‘unique’ might mean to Tony, given that his suit tended toward gold and red. Not that she’d any room to talk, but her red and gold was, at least in her mind, related to her abilities. His was apparently just his total inability to be subtle.
Oh, well, they made a lovely matched set.
“No idea,” he answered cheerfully. “I like to keep my options open like that.” A bit more seriously, he added, “I’ll probably get back to Jarvis’s holographic avatar. That kinda got moved to the back burner for a while. And updating the suit and the reactor is a constant, never ending process. The wings have been a nice distraction, though.” And they would not be red or gold. That would be weird. Wren’s costume didn’t involve either color.
“I’ve been thinking I’d like to do some work on my car,” Summer commented. “Maybe you could help me with that?”
She ordered the cranberry dish, withholding her answer to Tony until the server had left. “I was just thinking we might as well go ahead and be very public about things.” Her eyes glittered with mischief. “/Lots/ of PDA. Flashy gifts. Things like that.”
Tony snickered quietly. “Well then, tonight should be a good start,” he replied innocently, with absolutely no intent to tell her what he was talking about just yet. But it was, indeed, a flashy gift.
She twisted her lips, eyeing him. “You are a very bad man, Tony Stark, stirring up my curiosity that way.” One finger tapped the base of her glass. His stubborn was up, though, she could tell, so she changed the topic. “How are Wren’s wings coming along?”
“I never claimed not to be,” he said, his tone of the utmost earnestness. He gestured in no particular direction. “They’re almost done. Making them look all special and unique still, but really I just need to scrounge up wherever the hell she is to fit them and test them.”
“What do you think you’ll work on next?” Summer tried to picture what ‘special’ and ‘unique’ might mean to Tony, given that his suit tended toward gold and red. Not that she’d any room to talk, but her red and gold was, at least in her mind, related to her abilities. His was apparently just his total inability to be subtle.
She ordered the cranberry dish, withholding her answer to Tony until the server had left. “I was just thinking we might as well go ahead and be very public about things.” Her eyes glittered with mischief. “/Lots/ of PDA. Flashy gifts. Things like that.”
Tony snickered quietly. “Well then, tonight should be a good start,” he replied innocently, with absolutely no intent to tell her what he was talking about just yet. But it was, indeed, a flashy gift.
She twisted her lips, eyeing him. “You are a very bad man, Tony Stark, stirring up my curiosity that way.” One finger tapped the base of her glass. His stubborn was up, though, she could tell, so she changed the topic. “How are Wren’s wings coming along?”
“Are we going to tell anybody we’re seeing each other? I don’t think,” she shrugged uncomfortably, “anybody except maybe some of our SHIELD friends realises what’s going on. And you /are/ an Avenger and CEO of a major company. I guess I’m asking, is there anything I need to watch out for?” She felt awkward as hell, trying to figure out how to ask what she was thinking about.
“Pepper, the team, SHIELD. Rhodey, if I can ever find the jackass. Beyond that, if people ask, sure, and it’ll probably be public knowledge the first time we hold hands or something in public.” He shrugged. “You’re a known hero, so there’ll prob’ly be some speculation on whether or not it’s just a business thing. Possibly some speculation on you being a replacement for Pep. But in everyday life they should at least maintain breathing space.”
Summer sniggered. “A business thing. Are we a business thing, darling?” She paused, thinking about what he’d just said, and doubt rose in her eyes. Deliberately, she swallowed it back down. “Maybe we should give them something to think about.”
“I don’t know, McDonald’s is pretty damn awful. That might be a tie.” The server came back, and she asked for a peach daiquiri, still frowning at the menu. “I think I will have to let you pick for me, Tony,” she said at last.
“Clearly you’ve never tried any of my attempts at cooking,” Tony remarked with some amusement. He ordered coffee when the server came by, and glanced over the menu again. “Any sort of food you’re particularly averse to?”
Summer couldn’t help but laugh. “Six months and you still have to ask me that. We’re so weird.” She closed up the menu, rubbing at her fingernails for lack of anything else to do with her hands. “I don’t like spicy foods,” she told Tony, “and there are a lot of things I haven’t tried. Not very helpful, I know.” Pulling her hands to her lap, she fidgeted with the edges of her dress. “Can I ask you something, Tony?”
“We haven’t exactly eaten home cooked meals together every night,” he pointed out, “and even if we had, I certainly wouldn’t have been the one making them.” He leaned over to tap at three options in succession; something involving a Cornish hen, “Haven’t had that, but I’ve been told it’s good,” something involving venison, and something involving duck and cranberries, “And I know for a fact those are both good. Anyway, ask away.”
“Are we going to tell anybody we’re seeing each other? I don’t think,” she shrugged uncomfortably, “anybody except maybe some of our SHIELD friends realises what’s going on. And you /are/ an Avenger and CEO of a major company. I guess I’m asking, is there anything I need to watch out for?” She felt awkward as hell, trying to figure out how to ask what she was thinking about.