seren_ccd | Tight Coupling: Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Tease, Theme 032
Series: Tight Coupling
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1428
Disclaimer: Not mine, all Marvel's.

Summary: "Why do I feel like we're in the middle of some kind of caper?" she asked.

A/N: Happy Halloween everyone! Thank you again so much to everyone who has left a review or comments. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think!

There was mostly silence in the workshop. And if there was a slight edge to the silence, well no one was mentioning it.

The glasses were resting on one of Tony's worktops. A small beam of light emitted from one of the robots was slowly and methodically tracing the shape of the glasses.

Pepper was perched on a stool at a nearby table and was finally going over the hard copies of the stock forecasts Dr. Cummings had emailed over to her. She'd kicked her shoes off and was making notes. Every now and then she'd look over at the scanning process. And very definitely not look over at Tony.

Tony was down in the pit manually adjusting one of the arms that fitted his suit.

Well, not completely down. The lower half of his body was lying flat on the garage floor while the upper half was submerged under one of the flaps.

When Pepper had commented on the potentiality for decapitation, Tony had laughed and called her an adorable worrywart. Pepper had taken slight offense at the use of a word that should only be applied to people over the age of seventy. Tony then called her ageist and that was when Pepper decided to just stop speaking to him, because he was obviously in a teasing mood and Tony Stark in a teasing mood generally ended with Pepper wanting to throw large objects at his head and a reverse head rush from all of the blushing she tended to engage in.

So she was quietly doing her job and waiting on Jarvis' verdict regarding the glasses and not looking over at the bottom half of her boss.

It didn't help that the jeans he was currently sporting were faded in the most interesting of places and since that was the only part of his body that was visible at present, she was most certainly not going to ogle the right pocket area where the fabric was so worn down she could possibly make out the edge of his boxer briefs and, seriously, she was not looking.

She re-focused on the November/December trends.

"Miss Potts," Jarvis called.

Pepper raised her head and winced when she heard Tony's head hit the flap above him. She proceeded to ignore the profanity that followed.

"Yes Jarvis? Is the scan finished?" she asked.

"Yes. The purpose for these particular spectacles is for seeing," the AI informed her.

"Seeing?" Pepper repeated, ignoring the snort of derision and sounds of a person trying to emerge from underneath a metal flap.

"Jarvis, correct me if I'm wrong," Pepper said carefully. "But aren't most spectacles used for 'seeing'?"

"That is the traditional purpose," Jarvis said. "Perhaps I should have been more specific."

"That would be very helpful," Pepper said.

"They are used for seeing something quite specific: information. These are augmented reality glasses," the AI. "They overlay data on the tangible world. In fact I believe Stark Industries may have manufactured this pair."

The AI paused.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised that Security did not immediately pick up on their function," Jarvis said in a disappointed tone.

"I remember those," Tony said from right beside Pepper. She jumped slightly. When had he become so quiet? "Called 'em InfoVision, Vision Seekers, something like that."

"InfoVisors, actually. However, the current holographic CAD systems are much more fluid and elegant," Jarvis continued. "Therefore, production on the previous model ceased."

"Well, that answers that," Tony said leaning against the table next to Pepper.

Pepper looked at him questioningly. She leaned an elbow on the table and mimicked his posture.

"You mean, go over a list of people who purchased a pair," she said. "And cross reference that with anyone who may want to send a message to me?"

"Ding, ding, ding, Miss Potts," he said. "Jarvis, tell her what she's won."

Silence.

"May I presume that this is another one of those pop culture references I haven't had uploaded yet?" Jarvis queried.

Tony sighed and hung his head in defeat.

"Never mind Jarvis, could you download a list of people and companies that purchased the InfoVisors?" Pepper asked.

"Certainly Miss Potts, it should only take me approximately thirty minutes," the AI replied.

Pepper looked at the bent head of her boss.

"Why do I feel like we're in the middle of some kind of caper?" she asked.

Tony lifted his head and met her gaze with a grin.

"Oh come on Miss Potts," he said. "Tell me you don't like playing girl detective?"

Pepper blushed and looked away quickly.

"Oh my," Tony said with interest. He leaned closer. "There's a story here isn't there? 'Fess up Pepper. Nobody here but us superheroes and his trusty gang of robots."

Despite her blush, Pepper glared at him and then sighed heavily.

"I may or may not have gone as Nancy Drew a few times for Halloween," she confessed. "And two of my male friends may or may not have gone as the Hardy Boys."

Tony's mouth twitched.

"Nancy Drew?" he asked.

She shrugged. "I had the titian-colored hair to go along with the costume. And I'd read most of the classics."

Tony nodded in understanding and said with a sincere tone, "Well, she is considered to be a very good role model for young girls."

He grinned at her. Pepper rolled her eyes and slid off the stool to retrieve the glasses. The garage floor was cool against herbare feet and she rose onto the balls of her feet to avoid the chill.

"Did you ever go as Daphne from Scooby-Doo?" he asked as he followed her with a spring in his step. "I mean, let's face it, along with the requisite red hair, you've really got the legs for it."

"Excuse me?" Pepper said as she turned around, glasses in hand, eyes wide open and trying to determine if it was embarrassment or aggravation that was causing her to blush this time.

"Oh wait," Tony said making a face. "I can't say that, can I?"

"No," she said flatly. "No, you really can't."

"Right," he said slouching and sounding disappointed.

Pepper opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it and decided instead to look for the case the glasses came in. She spotted it over on the table next to her papers. She walked briskly towards them, the effect being diminished somewhat by the lack of sound of her bare feet made.

"Maybe it's not a caper," Tony said as he continued to follow her.

"Oh I see," Pepper thought as she picked up the case. "We're ignoring it."

"Maybe, we're in a noir," he suggested. "Do you smoke?"

"Not since freshman year of college," she said with a snap of the case and turned to face him.

"Oh well," Tony said. "Wouldn't that be great? To be Sam Spade and lurk in dark alleys? Get into trouble with a beautiful woman? Drink hard liquor 24/7 and have a perpetual hangover?"

Pepper just raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm sober today," he informed her. "I always wanted a tan trench coat too. Or a pin striped fedora."

His face took on a far away quality. Pepper shook her head and slipped her feet back into her shoes and began to gather the forecast together. She'd go over them carefully upstairs and leave Tony to his repairs.

"I'm going upstairs," Pepper told Tony. "I need to make some calls. When do you want to go over the latest trends?"

"Later," Tony said abruptly emerging from his noir daydream. "I have to finish up here."

Pepper nodded and asked, "Will that be all Mr Stark?"

"That's all Miss Potts," he said heading back over to the pit. He grabbed a pair of pliers and knelt down to descend again under the flap.

She turned to leave and was almost to the stairs when she had a thought.

"Tony?" she called out. He lifted his head and looked at her.

"If this is a noir," she told him in a serious tone. "The second I'm referred to as a broad or a dame, I'm walking."

Tony grinned.

"You got it doll face," he said.