The second she tasted the fear, she let go. Tony Stark was afraid? How did that even work? They looked at each other through the wavering water, and Summer started cursing herself. Fear, pain, anguish … every time, those emotions set off the bond early.
There had to be a way to stop that from happening. Gritting her teeth and surfacing, Summer blinked at him for a long moment. “That was a hell of a lot of fear,” she commented finally. “I didn’t think you were afraid of anything.” She tried to slow down her breathing, tried to get used to the faint sense of Stark in the back of her mind.
Rubbing at the back of her neck, she swore again under her breath and started slogging toward the side.
Tony gave her a mildly perplexed look, irritation easing in favor of confusion. ”Everyone’s afraid of something,” he replied. ”Was I really that obvious?” He was generally pretty good at keeping that in check… After all, it wouldn’t do for Tony Stark to freak out in public, now would it?
Logically, he knew the difference, obviously. The pool was just the pool, and no one was holding him under. But knowing that didn’t mean he was going to enjoy it.
Hitching herself up the side of the pool, Summer said over her shoulder, “I cheat. I’m sorry; I won’t do it again.” She flung herself off the edge again, speeding under the water until it was too deep for her to stand before rolling over and surfacing. “If you’re that afraid, this isn’t the fun I thought it would be, though.”
Stripping her shirt up her body and off over her head, Summer grinned. “I just need the water to hold me up and I’m fine.” She shucked her shorts as quickly, leaving it all in a pile on the decking, and knelt to sweep a hand through the water.
Cool, but not cold. Kneel turned into shallow dive, flinging herself through the first foot or so of water with careless ease, before she resurfaced facefirst, long hair swirling around her shoulders. “I guess you’ll just have to punish my audacity, then.”
Tony toed off his shoes and stripped off his shirt, tossing it onto a nearby chair, and sat down on the edge of the pool. ”Really? I thought we decided you were in charge.” He slid into the water, dunked his hands under the surface, and used them to push his hair back and out of the way. ”In which case, logically, you should probably be punishing me for being a smartass. Just can’t make up your mind, can you?”
She skimmed a wave at him with the flat of her arm. “Oh, but I can request that you punish me.” With the flash of a grin, she added, “But I like your idea better,” and dropped under the water, aiming for his legs. Both hands wrapped around one leg, and she pulled.
“This place could use a flight well,” Summer muttered as she shot for the stairs. Down, down was easy, hit the railing and slide, hands on the post and swing, try not to get dizzy. Up was a bit harder, if she wanted any turn of speed; she had to boost herself with rising heat and turn in an even more dizzying spiral.
Either way, she was gasping for breath and had hands clamped to a stitch in her side by the time she hit the pool level.
Since it was mostly irrelevant, Jarvis didn’t mention that there was a flight well, but it was attached to Mr. Stark’s lab.
Tony stepped into the pool area, eyebrows raising when he saw her. ”Blast it all,” he sighed, “beaten to the pool in my own tower. How will I ever recover from this blow?” He grinned. “‘Course, I’ll probably recover a bit faster than you. Very leisurely elevator ride, that was.”
Stripping her shirt up her body and off over her head, Summer grinned. “I just need the water to hold me up and I’m fine.” She shucked her shorts as quickly, leaving it all in a pile on the decking, and knelt to sweep a hand through the water.
Cool, but not cold. Kneel turned into shallow dive, flinging herself through the first foot or so of water with careless ease, before she resurfaced facefirst, long hair swirling around her shoulders. “I guess you’ll just have to punish my audacity, then.”
“Poor Jarvis! You should have access to something that will let you be more proactive around the place.” Summer couldn’t help her active brain instantly starting to tick over various schemes to give Jarvis some arms, or hands, or something. “It shouldn’t be too hard for you to have some robots to command.” She chewed on her lip, thinking, then shook her head.
“Nothing I can do right now. Jarvis, honey, can you give me a map to the pool? Or help me get there somehow? And oh! towels.”
-I have access to a far larger percent of the building than otherwise, Miss Rainault. Mr. Stark’s dresser and closet, however, are both fully manual. I have opened a map on the terminal by the elevator, and you will find towels in the pool area already.-
While that exchange was taking place, Tony was back in the elevator and making his way down to the pool in a swimsuit and t-shirt.
“I can already tell, I am going to miss the hell out of you when I have to leave here.” Summer flung herself at the elevator, one glance taking in the map. “Not gonna make it, am I?” She slapped at the floor button, and tried to breathe out the jitters adrenaline ran through her bloodstream.
Okay, so challenging Tony Stark to a race in his own tower might have been a little stupid. “Jarvis, I don’t suppose you’d help me cheat, would you?”
-The sentiment is most appreciated. It appears Mr. Stark’s elevator has stopped for a rather large influx of passengers a few floors short of his destination. If you utilize the stairwell, there is a chance you can make it to the pool before him.-
(Meanwhile, Tony glowered at the ceiling of the elevator. ”You had something to do with this.” The ceiling, however, did not deign to answer him.)
“This place could use a flight well,” Summer muttered as she shot for the stairs. Down, down was easy, hit the railing and slide, hands on the post and swing, try not to get dizzy. Up was a bit harder, if she wanted any turn of speed; she had to boost herself with rising heat and turn in an even more dizzying spiral.
Either way, she was gasping for breath and had hands clamped to a stitch in her side by the time she hit the pool level.
That earned him a smirk. “Weeeeelllll … you know the tower, and I don’t, so just because you go off and get a swimsuit doesn’t mean I get a head start.” Summer put a finger to her lips, considering. “Given your … reputation, I’m a little surprised you even bother with a suit.
“But I suppose I can let you have one.” This grin was positively wicked, all ‘see what I did thar’ and ‘I dare you to say anything’.
Tony gave her a look, a silent sort of ‘really now?’ and of course he couldn’t just…not comment on it. It wasn’t as if he had some sort of decent reputation to preserve, after all.
“Well, typically when someone wants me sans clothing, we’re not going swimming. But I suppose I could make an exception, if you really want me to,” he said, his grin the epitome of beaming, cherubic innocence, ‘see what I did there, I can play this game, too!’
“I was unaware /that/ option was even on the table,” Summer shot back. “I usually prefer a bit of foreplay before hopping into bed with someone. Shoo. Go get that swimsuit.” Then her eyebrows shot up as a new thought occurred to her. “Jarvis, is it possible for you to deliver things around the tower? Like, say, a swimsuit?”
Tony grinned, but refrained from saying ‘when is it ever off the table?’ ”I’ll meet you at the pool,” he said, stepping back into the elevator as Jarvis answered.
-Considering I am a computer, I could have someone fetch one, but I have no way of delivering one myself. I believe Mr. Stark has decided it would simply be faster for him to fetch his own.-
“Poor Jarvis! You should have access to something that will let you be more proactive around the place.” Summer couldn’t help her active brain instantly starting to tick over various schemes to give Jarvis some arms, or hands, or something. “It shouldn’t be too hard for you to have some robots to command.” She chewed on her lip, thinking, then shook her head.
“Nothing I can do right now. Jarvis, honey, can you give me a map to the pool? Or help me get there somehow? And oh! towels.”
She gave him a very flat look. “All right. In for a penny, in for a pound. Just … wait there for a minute.” She went inside her room, and shut the door. Approximately a minute later, she came back out, looking exactly the same, and grinned at Tony.
“Last one to the pool’s a rotten egg!”
Tony snickered at the look she gave him, and arched an eyebrow when she stepped back out of the room. ”Assuming you’re wearing a swimsuit under your clothes, don’t I get to go fetch one? Or are you just expecting one hell of a head start?” he asked, innocently enough. Well. For Tony Stark.
That earned him a smirk. “Weeeeelllll … you know the tower, and I don’t, so just because you go off and get a swimsuit doesn’t mean I get a head start.” Summer put a finger to her lips, considering. “Given your … reputation, I’m a little surprised you even bother with a suit.
“But I suppose I can let you have one.” This grin was positively wicked, all ‘see what I did thar’ and ‘I dare you to say anything’.
Tony gave her a look, a silent sort of ‘really now?’ and of course he couldn’t just…not comment on it. It wasn’t as if he had some sort of decent reputation to preserve, after all.
“Well, typically when someone wants me sans clothing, we’re not going swimming. But I suppose I could make an exception, if you really want me to,” he said, his grin the epitome of beaming, cherubic innocence, ‘see what I did there, I can play this game, too!’
“I was unaware /that/ option was even on the table,” Summer shot back. “I usually prefer a bit of foreplay before hopping into bed with someone. Shoo. Go get that swimsuit.” Then her eyebrows shot up as a new thought occurred to her. “Jarvis, is it possible for you to deliver things around the tower? Like, say, a swimsuit?”
She gave him a very flat look. “All right. In for a penny, in for a pound. Just … wait there for a minute.” She went inside her room, and shut the door. Approximately a minute later, she came back out, looking exactly the same, and grinned at Tony.
“Last one to the pool’s a rotten egg!”
Tony snickered at the look she gave him, and arched an eyebrow when she stepped back out of the room. ”Assuming you’re wearing a swimsuit under your clothes, don’t I get to go fetch one? Or are you just expecting one hell of a head start?” he asked, innocently enough. Well. For Tony Stark.
That earned him a smirk. “Weeeeelllll … you know the tower, and I don’t, so just because you go off and get a swimsuit doesn’t mean I get a head start.” Summer put a finger to her lips, considering. “Given your … reputation, I’m a little surprised you even bother with a suit.
“But I suppose I can let you have one.” This grin was positively wicked, all ‘see what I did thar’ and ‘I dare you to say anything’.
“Hi, Jarvis!” Summer waved haphazardly at the ceiling. “Please don’t call me ‘miss,’ it makes me feel like I should still be sixteen and virginal. First name is fine.” She unslung her backpack as she stepped into the elevator, letting it rest at her feet while she examined the details of everything.
“I know I’m sounding like an idiot fangirl here, but I can’t even express how amazing this all is.” The close confines of the elevator, she hoped, wouldn’t last long, because she could already feel the empathic side-effects kicking in. ‘Thank gods for shields and iron control,’ she thought.
There was a beat of silence, and then Tony supplied, “Summer Rainault, Jarvis. He can’t hear things said outside the building too well.” The last he directed at Summer. ”And I wouldn’t say you sound like an idiot fangirl.” More like just an average fangirl, really. He’d met enough fangirls to tell the difference.
It wasn’t the shortest elevator ride in history, but then it was a fairly large tower, and guest quarters were just a few floors down from the top. But it also wasn’t terribly long. When the elevator dinged open, Tony stepped out and gestured down the hall to the guest suites. ”Take your pick.”
For simplicity’s sake, Summer picked the first door she came to, pushed the door open with a gentle kick, and dropped her backpack just inside. Then she stretched hugely, with a crackle of unwinding sinews, and turned back to Tony. “Now what?”
Arms crossed and leaning back against the wall beside the elevator, Tony replied, “Pretty sure that’s your call. You were the lotto winner, were you not?”
She gave him a very flat look. “All right. In for a penny, in for a pound. Just … wait there for a minute.” She went inside her room, and shut the door. Approximately a minute later, she came back out, looking exactly the same, and grinned at Tony.
“Hi, Jarvis!” Summer waved haphazardly at the ceiling. “Please don’t call me ‘miss,’ it makes me feel like I should still be sixteen and virginal. First name is fine.” She unslung her backpack as she stepped into the elevator, letting it rest at her feet while she examined the details of everything.
“I know I’m sounding like an idiot fangirl here, but I can’t even express how amazing this all is.” The close confines of the elevator, she hoped, wouldn’t last long, because she could already feel the empathic side-effects kicking in. ‘Thank gods for shields and iron control,’ she thought.
There was a beat of silence, and then Tony supplied, “Summer Rainault, Jarvis. He can’t hear things said outside the building too well.” The last he directed at Summer. ”And I wouldn’t say you sound like an idiot fangirl.” More like just an average fangirl, really. He’d met enough fangirls to tell the difference.
It wasn’t the shortest elevator ride in history, but then it was a fairly large tower, and guest quarters were just a few floors down from the top. But it also wasn’t terribly long. When the elevator dinged open, Tony stepped out and gestured down the hall to the guest suites. ”Take your pick.”
For simplicity’s sake, Summer picked the first door she came to, pushed the door open with a gentle kick, and dropped her backpack just inside. Then she stretched hugely, with a crackle of unwinding sinews, and turned back to Tony. “Now what?”
After a brief internal struggle, Summer answered honestly, “Mostly the computers. I’ve always had a computer, and I just … a man like you, with that suit? You must have some of the best tech on the planet.” She glanced around. “I am going to get so lost in here. Where is my bedroom, anyway?”
Five seconds too late, she realised that might not have been the best thing to ask Tony Stark, playboy. Time to wing it. “I … just want to put my bag down before I even try to go exploring.”
“Now that I can do,” Tony said after a moment’s thought. ”I’ve still got equipment set up in the garage, when I needed more room for a test. And I can introduce you to one right now.” With that, he looked at the ceiling, snapped his fingers, and said, “Yes, I’m talking about you. Be polite.”
-My apologies, sir. Guests do not always take it well when the building begins speaking to them. Greetings, Miss.-
At her last question, Tony smirked, eyebrows raising, but all he said was, “Just follow me,” and turned towards one of the elevators.
“Oh my god!” Summer emitted a tiny, high-pitched squeak. “Is that an AI? No, sorry, if that’s an AI I should be asking it — him? It? Hi?” She tried not to split her face grinning, gave up trying to school her face into something less like a ecstatic schoolgirl. “You wrote an AI! I think I love you!”
She turned around, trying to follow Tony, trying to spot where the speakers were that the AI was using, half-laughing. “This is so amazing!”
-‘Him’ preferably, miss, though I have no objections to ‘it.’ I am Jarvis.-
“I’ve written a few AIs,” Tony corrected, walking backwards with his hands in his pockets so he could face her, grinning with an expression that suggested he was mentally preening at her reaction. ”Jarvis is just the most advanced and kind of a butt head, and the others live in the workshop most of the time.”
“Hi, Jarvis!” Summer waved haphazardly at the ceiling. “Please don’t call me ‘miss,’ it makes me feel like I should still be sixteen and virginal. First name is fine.” She unslung her backpack as she stepped into the elevator, letting it rest at her feet while she examined the details of everything.
“I know I’m sounding like an idiot fangirl here, but I can’t even express how amazing this all is.” The close confines of the elevator, she hoped, wouldn’t last long, because she could already feel the empathic side-effects kicking in. ‘Thank gods for shields and iron control,’ she thought.