Negotiations
May. 10th, 2012 10:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
resonantOr: The prologue to anything I might possibly write involving any of the Avengers at any point in the future, allowing me to love multiple apparently-mutually-exclusive ships at the same time.
When they showed him around Stark Industries, Dr. Banner was vague and charmingly ruffled and polite, but he didn't have any particular reaction to anything. It was obvious to Pepper how disappointed Tony was, and watching him clown to get the man's attention was so unpleasant that she was forced to take drastic action.
"Tony," she said in an undertone, folding her arm up awkwardly behind her back. "I, uh, something has come un- -- Doctor, would you excuse us for a moment?" And she backed out of the room, trying her best to look like a woman who had just felt the hook on her bra fly loose in public.
"Here, let me take care of -- wait, there isn't any -- Potts, you little minx, was that just an excuse to --"
"Jarvis," Pepper said, "can you show us the security feed for the room we just came out of?"
She could definitely pay attention to both Tony's hands and the security monitor. "No, it's fine, Tony. Mm, you can keep doing that anyway, but look. No, at the screen."
In the other room -- the one where Tony had worked on the miniaturized air purification system that had allowed him to take the suit underwater -- Dr. Banner had begun by walking around like a person at a museum. But something in one of the prototypes had caught his eye.
He resized the holodisplay. Opened another one, then two more. Conjured up a holographic stylus from somewhere and used it to put a couple of points into a scatter graph. Stacked up two output curves so he could compare them. Frowned, scratched the back of his head, bent over until his nose would have touched the display if there had been anything to touch.
"See," she said. "I told you he'd love it. You just have to give him a little time to process."
Now he put the holographic stylus behind his ear as if it were a pen, where it sat, glowing faintly, while he pushed his hands elbow-deep into the data with a dreamy smile on his face.
Tony's mouth quirked up into a very similar smile. "I want one."
"No."
"Pep. Come on. You never let me have anything fun."
"I let you have a swimmer just last month. He's very fragile, Tony. I don't want you to break him."
"You cheater, that swimmer was in exchange for your Greek translator. Ha, you thought I'd forgotten, didn't you? So you're one up on me. But you can have your own scientist, if you want. Yes, no, maybe? A scientist and a minor novelist, maybe?"
"A playwright and that very special private video you promised, and don't even pretend that's not a reward for you, too. And you have to promise me you'll be very careful. All right?"
In the other room, Dr. Banner looked over his shoulder, as if he expected Tony and Pepper to come back through the door any second, and then he balled up a display like so much scrap paper and gave it the patented Tony Stark toss over his shoulder.
"Fine," Tony said breathlessly. "Anything."
-----
Meanwhile, elsewhere at Stark Industries, Captain America gave the heavy bag another floor-shuddering punch.
Clint drew breath.
"Dibs," Natasha said.
"Aw, shit, really?"
"Hey, you snooze, you lose."
He shook his head. "Fine, but I expect a report. And I mean detailed. Strengths. Weaknesses, Tactics. Gaps in experience."
"Just like always."
He put his arm through hers and squeezed. "Just like always."
When they showed him around Stark Industries, Dr. Banner was vague and charmingly ruffled and polite, but he didn't have any particular reaction to anything. It was obvious to Pepper how disappointed Tony was, and watching him clown to get the man's attention was so unpleasant that she was forced to take drastic action.
"Tony," she said in an undertone, folding her arm up awkwardly behind her back. "I, uh, something has come un- -- Doctor, would you excuse us for a moment?" And she backed out of the room, trying her best to look like a woman who had just felt the hook on her bra fly loose in public.
"Here, let me take care of -- wait, there isn't any -- Potts, you little minx, was that just an excuse to --"
"Jarvis," Pepper said, "can you show us the security feed for the room we just came out of?"
She could definitely pay attention to both Tony's hands and the security monitor. "No, it's fine, Tony. Mm, you can keep doing that anyway, but look. No, at the screen."
In the other room -- the one where Tony had worked on the miniaturized air purification system that had allowed him to take the suit underwater -- Dr. Banner had begun by walking around like a person at a museum. But something in one of the prototypes had caught his eye.
He resized the holodisplay. Opened another one, then two more. Conjured up a holographic stylus from somewhere and used it to put a couple of points into a scatter graph. Stacked up two output curves so he could compare them. Frowned, scratched the back of his head, bent over until his nose would have touched the display if there had been anything to touch.
"See," she said. "I told you he'd love it. You just have to give him a little time to process."
Now he put the holographic stylus behind his ear as if it were a pen, where it sat, glowing faintly, while he pushed his hands elbow-deep into the data with a dreamy smile on his face.
Tony's mouth quirked up into a very similar smile. "I want one."
"No."
"Pep. Come on. You never let me have anything fun."
"I let you have a swimmer just last month. He's very fragile, Tony. I don't want you to break him."
"You cheater, that swimmer was in exchange for your Greek translator. Ha, you thought I'd forgotten, didn't you? So you're one up on me. But you can have your own scientist, if you want. Yes, no, maybe? A scientist and a minor novelist, maybe?"
"A playwright and that very special private video you promised, and don't even pretend that's not a reward for you, too. And you have to promise me you'll be very careful. All right?"
In the other room, Dr. Banner looked over his shoulder, as if he expected Tony and Pepper to come back through the door any second, and then he balled up a display like so much scrap paper and gave it the patented Tony Stark toss over his shoulder.
"Fine," Tony said breathlessly. "Anything."
-----
Meanwhile, elsewhere at Stark Industries, Captain America gave the heavy bag another floor-shuddering punch.
Clint drew breath.
"Dibs," Natasha said.
"Aw, shit, really?"
"Hey, you snooze, you lose."
He shook his head. "Fine, but I expect a report. And I mean detailed. Strengths. Weaknesses, Tactics. Gaps in experience."
"Just like always."
He put his arm through hers and squeezed. "Just like always."
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Date: 5/11/12 03:48 am (UTC)I want them alllllll!
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