December 18th, 2012

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Following the Battle of New York, Tony Stark and his brand were becoming many things. The days of being a no-accountability war profiteer were already well behind him, but he hardly anticipated playing landlord to a ragtag team of honest-to-god superheros. In the aftermath, that was one the first things he set about doing with Pepper. With her blessing, Tony had thrown himself into it. Never one to half-ass things, he oversaw the extensive remodeling to accommodate the specific needs of each and every Avenger. Several were essentially homeless and there was no initiative for the superpowerly-abled, even in a place as progressive as New York.

Including Steve. Even if he called Stark Tower ugly and immediately found an apartment somewhere in Brooklyn. Even though Tony set aside one of the top 12 floors for him like everyone else. Fine.

Today was all about adding that personal touch. He was giving free room and board, might as well be a gracious sugar daddy about it. Besides, who wanted to thwart crime with a guy or gal whose liquor of choice you couldn't name? Just bad form.

Stopping outside the luxury suite dedicated to the arguably most unique new friendly friend, Tony bounced on his heels. He contemplated just walking in for a split second, but he liked having his cranium hammer-free. And it was still about being gracious--as much as he could be. "JARVIS? Ping Point Break for me." Tony didn't feel like knocking. This was a compromise.

"Mr. Odinson, you have a visitor." JARVIS dutifully announced from within Thor's quarters.

Comments

[st_ormbreaker]

"There is plenty to be done back home," he says. "I'm sure I'll be back soon enough, though. Sooner than six months from now."

Maybe just once or twice, but he'd still come.

"Consider it a formal challenge. Next time, I'll bring Jane, and you bring your Pepper."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony gave a single, scoffing laugh. "Well if Pepper's there then the rest of us may as well pack it up."

[st_ormbreaker]

"Is she that good of a skater?" Thor keeps slowly moving forward, though now he's moving still faster than he was before.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"A good skater." Tony matched his pace with Thor's, puffing up beneath his thick scarf. Even middle-class hand-me-downs had little bearing on his demeanor. "An excellent kick-boxer. Business instincts like a shark. Oh, don't let that fool you, she is a woman of culture. Served as my company's lead curator for years."

[st_ormbreaker]

"I don't know if my Jane's good at skating or kickboxing, but she's a brilliant scientist, the best astrophysicist out there. She's giving a talk at this conference about Foster theory. It's named after her because she was the one who came up with it."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony nodded politely along to Thor's words, continuing his leisurely slide backwards. "You know, Pepper was well established in her field right out of--"

However Tony Stark intended to finish that one-up was cut short when he was bowling over and snorting ice courtesy of a passing child using his trailing scarf as a convenient leverage point on their race with their friends.

[st_ormbreaker]

Thor makes the mistake of pushing himself away from the rinkside, to try and help Tony to his feet; instead, he moves too quickly, stumbles, and winds up on the ground next to him.

[st_arkintern]

One of the kids from the group skate back to where Thor and Tony are left sprawled out on the ice.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, offering them a hand up.

And just then, Thor turns over. Peter's widen with recognition and he struggles to get anything out at all. Thor had been his second-favorite Avenger since basically forever.

Finally, he manages to spit the words out: "You're -- you're Thor!"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Yeah, he's thor, I'm thor. Thick and thired of kithing ithe." Tony piped up from nearby, pushing himself shakily up on his forearms. 'No one check on Tony, he's fine.'

[st_arkintern]

Peter stands there on the ice, shocked as the two Avengers (Avengers!) pull themselves to their feet; neither one reaches for his hand, but Peter knows it's because they're Avengers. They don't need the help of a ten-year old kid -- there's nothing they can't handle.

Still, a goofy, embarrassed grin forms on his face as he stuffs his gloved hand into his pocket, trying to will himself to breathe so that he can somehow manage to say something -- anything to his first-favorite Avenger, but all he can really do is stand there in stunned silence.

It takes a moment, but then Peter swallows and somehow, that clears his throat enough that he's finally able to get something out.

"Mr. Stark," he says, and he can't manage to say anything more than that.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Uh, no, I'm actually a Tony Stark impersonator. Camp out in the Columbus Circle. Got a birthday party coming up, kid?" Tony hugged the railing as he dragged himself up, posing casually against it, as if the whole spectacle was fully intentional.

[st_arkintern]

"No, I mean," Peter looks from Thor to Tony. "I've got both of your action figures."

Peter presses his lips together. "Can I get your autograph?" Then, worried that he might be imposing, Peter begins races to continue:

"You don't have to if you don't want to," he says, waving his hands in front of him. "I know you probably get this all the time."

[st_ormbreaker]

"Certainly."

Thor looks at Tony and nods a head towards Peter in an act that clearly means one thing:

You should give the kid an autograph.

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Relenting, Tony pushed off the metal and skated slowly towards the direction of the stairs. "Fine, kid. Got a pen? Crayola?"

[st_arkintern]

Peter begins digging through the pockets of his heavy jacket, skating after Tony (and ahead of Thor, who was going considerably slower than the rest of the pack).

And when he pulls out his pockets, all he has is a phone, a fifteen dollars for hot cocoa and a snack and the fare back, and one of those one-use-only heating pads May insisted he take just in case.

"Um."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Ah." Tony looked about the passing crowds--no one was staring, thank God. He considered appealing to one of the women for their lipstick, but hell, he was Iron Man. He could do better.

"There's one in the limo. C'mon, kid, wanna race? You can say you left the God of Thunder in the dust."

[st_arkintern]

Peter skates alongside of him; he's all jitters and nerves now. He can't believe he's talking to Tony Stark. Iron Man. About...

"The limo?"

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

Tony pushed his thick sleeve up his forearm, revealing a slick silver and black watch bearing a small screen as its face. He brought it near his lips. "JARVIS, bring Christine around. I've got an ankle-biter with me."

"Yours, Sir? I was counting the days."

"I'll take a pen and paper. Hold the sass."

[st_arkintern]

Peter tries to will himself to say something intelligible.

"Is Jarvis your butler, sir?" he asks. He's not sure who Christine is, either. A personal assistant? Mr. Stark would have to have one, right?

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"An AI I carry around in my pocket. Also, 'Mr. Stark' is fine. I've not yet been knighted." He gave a single pat to the boy's head. They emerged onto the raised concrete platform, and Tony knelt to remove his skates. "So. Uh. You go to school around here, kid?"

[st_arkintern]

An AI. A real, actual AI! Of course Mr. Stark would have an AI! Peter tries to reign in his excitement at that revelation, and attempts to steady his voice.

"Yeah, uh, in Queens."

Peter finds himself gesturing over in the direction of the borough, then suddenly feels embarrassed at having done it. Mr. Stark definitely knew where Queens was. "I'm in 5th grade this year."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Turn your homework in on time? Eat your veggies?" Tony slipped his feet into his regular shoes after getting them returned--a pair of sketchers picked up on sale at Value Village.

[st_arkintern]

Peter is still walking around on skates. The fact he's still wearing them doesn't even register in his head right now.

"Always, s-- Mr. Stark," he says. "I really want to be an inventor when I grow up. Just like -- you know, just like you."

[st_arkravinghazelnut]

"Uh-huh. Eat your spinach and peas and get A's and B's and you can be just like Iron Man one day." Tony pushed to stand, mentally cringing at how identical he sounded to those god awful Captan America PSAs. "Wanna, uh, get your feet on there, champ?" He gestured towards the skates.

[st_arkintern]

Peter looks down at his feet, realizing for the first time that his skates are still there.

"Uh, yeah, yeah," he says and he sits down and begins to unlace just as Thor joins them and sits right beside him.

Thor. Sitting next to him. Unlacing his skates like a normal person.

Was this real life?