Summary:Tony needs a ride home, and Pepper is there for him yet again. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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After a few texts back and forth, Tony has agreed to meet Pepper on a corner in Hell's Kitchen, and there he stands, dressed down in jeans and an AC/DC t-shirt over a grey Henley. He's holding a small white box and he's leaning against a street lamp. His hair is a bit mussed, and he's got a small cut on his lip, but other than that, he seems okay…ish. Still pale, but he was pale before leaving tonight to go off on his own.
A sleek, black Audi pulls up next to Tony and Pepper gets out of the front passenger's seat. "Tony? Are you okay?" She looks him up and down, and other than the paleness and the split lip, she doesn't see anything obviously wrong. But still. She's been seeing more and more reason to worry lately.
Tony Stark pushes off the lamp and walks over to the Audi. "Oh, you know. Can't complain." He gets in the passenger seat, putting the box on his lap, and he lets his head fall back against the headrest. "Thanks for picking me up. You're the best. I just need to get this to my lab, then maybe call it a night."
Pepper follows Tony back to the car, and settles into the back seat since he just stole her 'shotgun'. His words do absolutely nothing to calm her worries, and sitting where she is, he's going to have a difficult time avoiding her.
Leaning forward, she puts one hand on his shoulder so he knows it's her, then presses her other hand to his forehead. "Honestly, Tony, you look like you're coming down with something."
Tony Stark does feel kind of clammy. "That might be it," he says. "I might be coming down with a cold or something. I'll sleep it off, and I'll be there for tomorrow's meeting." He glances over his shoulder at her and smiles a little. "I haven't taken a sick day in… I can't remember the last time."
Clammy. Honestly clammy, not Ferris Bueller faking clammy. Now she's even more worried. "If you're still not feeling better in the morning, Tony, maybe should try to get more rest. I can deal with the budget meeting." She'd rather not, some of the R&D heads refuse to listen to her because she's not get a PhD, but she'll do her best.
"I can't leave you to those vultures," Tony says. His gaze goes out the window, and he works his jaw like he's thinking about something he's not putting to words. "Worst case scenario, I'll phone in from home. If I can build an arc reactor with a gaping chest wound, I can handle a budget meeting while I've got the sniffles."
Tony's declaration that he's not going to leave her to deal with the R&D heads alone elicits a small smile, but she's still worried, and that won't go away easily. "Maybe you should plan on calling in to the meeting. You know at least a couple of others are going to do the same anyway." Because R&D geeks are still geeks, and any chance they can get to work from home…
"Yeah, if there's others who aren't going to bother putting on pants, neither will I," Tony says. His eyes drift closed, and he smiles a little. "You're a good assistant," he murmurs, "probably better than I deserve. Remind me to give you a raise, okay? You could practically run this business without me."
Tony's words honestly surprise her, and since it sounds like he's working toward falling asleep, she doesn't reply aloud. He'll likely forget in the morning and… she can't help but think maybe that would be better. It still unnerves her a bit to think about running SI completely for Tony. She's just a former accountant turned personal assistant, after all.
Who happens to have a knack for business on a level that is its own form of genius, so there is that. Tony does start to drift off, mumbling, "Might need to promote you before…" And that's when he starts to sleep peacefully. His features are drawn, and it's clear he hasn't been getting a lot of rest.
Pepper sighs faintly when it's clear that Tony is finally asleep, then says to the driver quietly, "I don't care if we take twice as long to get back. Drive as gently as possible, please." Then she settles back and watches the buildings to by out the window.