From the Desk of: Virginia Potts-Stark

((An independent, interactive, ongoing roleplay blog. Movieverse, post -Avengers.))

[exeunt-pursued-by-a-bear]

#we’re here to fuck shit up

[dadfromthehood]

Yep

[sgposters]

[vpottsceo-blog]

» Make me choose Maria Hill or Pepper Potts

[ginger-redheadhero-deactivated2]

[dj-triumph]

"Wasn’t the count ninety-seven before? Where did the other nine come from?"

Following at her side like a lost puppy or a small child, Tony actually paused awkwardly in response to the somewhat intense stare he thought she was giving him.

"Really? It doesn’t? I was going to say we could get lunch, but you’re eating data, so that’s cool."

He swallowed and nodded, managing to look casual. Completely normal facade—or so he’d like to think.

[vpottsceo-blog]

"From people wanting a bit of my time," she explained, more gentle this time as she regarded him.

She thought she knew what was going on here: Tony either had something on his mind or something he was avoiding. But the fact was that sometimes the man holed up in his workshop and only ate boxed cereal and cheeseburgers for the better part of a week, so she only pretended to consider for a few moments.

"...You were really going to eat lunch?" She set the stack of papers down with a single tap against the desktop to straighten them. "Because I haven't taken my break yet."

[dj-triumph]

"Why are you ignoring me?"

[vpottsceo-blog]

"I'm not ignoring you," she breezed, fingers sifting the paperwork in her hands for the exact subsection she needed. "I just have a hundred and six things to do -- literally, a hundred and six last time I checked my inbox -- and you're --"

She paused what she was doing for a moment, looking up calmly through the fringe that was just a touch too long. A haircut should really be on her to-do list.

Make that a hundred and seven things.

"...Remind me again what you're doing in here? Because it doesn't feel helpful."

[theavengertonystark]

OPEN

[theavengertonystark]

He winced at her words and looked away.

"I don’t—I’m not asking you to," he insisted as his eyes found hers again. Tony took a breath and leaned back in his chair. "I’m just trying to figure out what to do with this whole team thing. Cap’s hunting down Barnes and he’s got this new guy tagging along. SHIELD’s gone. Natasha’s in the wind. Fury’s disappeared, along with Hill. Thor’s back in Asgard, Bruce is…" He shook his head and laughed. "I don’t even know. And Feathers? Last thing I knew, he was on a mission in Madripoor that was supposed to end eight months ago. And I’m just sitting here doing what, exactly?"

He didn’t want to bring up what had happened to them in Malibu. No way in hell.

[vpottsceo-blog]

Pepper's look didn't soften; she'd learned over the years not to go easy on him all the time.

"For starters, you can stop pretending that you're not working on a suit." Her tone finally broke, and she eased down on the bench next to him. "I get it, Tony."

One eyebrow raised, accusatory.

"And if you ever checked your email anymore, you'd have seen the background check I had run on one Samuel Wilson." She tucked her fingers into his hand, the barest of touches. "Steve has good people, Tony."

[theavengertonystark]

OPEN

[theavengertonystark]

"Pep." Tony’s voice was a whine and he made a face up at her. "It’s nothing. It’s not important. And I really am sorry." He reached for her hand, intending to bring her over to his lap.

[vpottsceo-blog]

"Tony."

Her voice held a warning as she carefully extracted her hand.

"You make up even slightly for demeaning the whole of womankind, and you may get a kiss goodnight." She didn't hesitate to stare him down for a long moment, folding her arms over her chest.

"Contrary to popular belief, I can't actually read your mind."

[theavengertonystark]

OPEN

[theavengertonystark]

He looked up and gave Pepper a sad look that begged her not to be offended.

"Sorry, sorry, I just…" He shook his head and rubbed at it. "Bad day, Pep. Real bad day."

[vpottsceo-blog]

Pepper's lips thinned with tension.

"Be that as it may, you're only making it worse." He would pay for that comment. Later. For now, she poured him a tonic water over ice, managing to still look disapproving as she tucked it into his hand.

"Talk."

[theavengertonystark]

OPEN

"Could you not? I have a pounding headache and your bitching is making it worse."

[vpottsceo-blog]

Pepper's pale eyebrows shot towards her hairline.

"Care to rephrase that...?"

[theavengertonystark]

Tony nodded immediately. “Done. Any special requests?”

[vpottsceo-blog]

"Something green," she said, kissing his cheek, already resigning herself to an array of fried options and carbs and a single side salad. Her feet made no sound as she padded off to change from her own kind of battle armour.

[theavengertonystark]

"Pad thai, then," he suggested. "Lots of noodles, delicious peanut sauce, doesn’t cause indigestion in old men, which I am nothing like." He kissed her hair, then her temple, hands coming up to smooth over her shoulders. "You’re tense, Pep. Do I need to fire the board?"

[vpottsceo-blog]

"If you fired the Board every time I came home tense, we'd have dissolved years ago." she pointed out. Finally she moved, just the slightest nuzzle into the crook of his neck, beginning the process of leaving work behind.

"If you don't mind ordering, I think I might slip into pyjamas." She made an apologetic face. "It's been that kind of day."

[theavengertonystark]

Tony slid his other hand around Pepper’s waist and held her. It was nice just to have her in his arms. “Indian’s good,” he agreed, nosing at her temple, “but Thai is better.”

[vpottsceo-blog]

"I don't actually care," she admitted, relaxing into the hold he had on her. "As long as it comes with carbs." Her laugh was short and dry; she paid a trainer very well to make sure her love of bread didn't conflict with the array of suits she owned, but it usually just made her love it more.

[theavengertonystark]

He looked up in mock thought and grinned. “Uhhhh, you? Can I have you for dinner? Is that an option?” he asked, circling an arm around her waist.

[vpottsceo-blog]

"No," she said simply, her smile light. "Because while that might have worked at MIT, your boss wants Indian."

[theavengertonystark]

Tony leaned back on the couch and shot Pepper a grin. “Hi, honey.” He paused the game he’d been playing and stood, walking over to give her a kiss.

[vpottsceo-blog]

"Working hard, I see," she mused, stopping for a moment to kiss him without thinking about anything else.

"Opinions on dinner?" She thought for a moment, holding up a finger before revising. "Opinions on dinner that don't involve whipped cream?"

[theavengertonystark]

vpottsceo || read thread here

[TEXT] Not sure if you’re making a pass at me or implying I’m bad at sex.

[TEXT] I’ll go with option one since option two is obviously untrue.

[vpottsceo-blog]

Pepper chose that moment to open the suite door, wasting no time stowing away her briefcase and slipping off the heels that only caught on the deep carpeting.

"Obviously," she called out, wondering where he was.

[theavengertonystark]

[text] JARVIS is being cagey on the topic of your schedule today. Anything I should know about?

[TEXT] Uh.

[TEXT] No?

[theavengertonystark]

[TEXT] Naturally.

[TEXT] And I’m sure you’ll continue to be unsurprised for the duration.

[vpottsceo-blog]

[text] Oh, I'll likely have other things on my mind for the duration.