When it was time, Sally walked to the podium. She held her notes tightly in her hand. She paused, adjusting the microphone. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the one person whose opinion in this mattered. The one person who she did not dare let down. Sally found where her mother was sitting. Toni looked at her, raised her chin in the familiar, stubborn way that Sally knew so well. She nodded once, and Sally nodded back
( ... )
Tony was only surprised for a second. It wasn't the kind of speech that a man expected to hear from a girl to whom he had just arranged to give a large amount of money and, potentially, a job. But it was the kind of speech he should have expected to hear from the girl he remembered raising for almost sixteen years.
The implications of this thought are still swirling around in his brain, when Sally finishes, and Pepper speaks into his brain. My God, Tony, you did hit on her!"Have a little faith, Pep," he said, out loud. He patted her arm, then got to his feet. There was a smattering of applause, and a few catcalls after Sally spoke, but mostly dead silence. Except for the reporters, in the back, buzzing on their cell phones. They had been expecting a routine event. What they were getting was yet another Tony Stark public relations train wreck. But, as Tony approached the podium, he couldn't stop smiling. His hadn't felt this clear for a long time
( ... )
Apparently, Tony did know a thing or two about America. Another dozen camera phones came out as he watched. He could have used Extremis to blow them all to hell, but that wouldn't be very sportsmanlike. Politics was politics, and as he had recently told Jean Grey about a not entirely dissimilar situation, it was your own fault if you let somebody beat you at your own game
( ... )
"I've been trying to think --" Tony spoke in a clear voice, tears disposed of. He pulled the prepared speech from his breast pocket and began to unfold it. "I've been trying to put into words exactly what that quality was that Happy Hogan possessed. Loyalty is an easy one -- he stuck with me through more disastrous schemes than I dare to recount." A few laughs rose from the audience. He wasn't sure whether they were laughing at him, or with him, but at least they were recovering from the earlier silence
( ... )
Pepper didn't want to leave his side during the reception.
"You handled that well, with the girl," she said. "And of course, what you said about Happy was perfect. But --"
"But you're living in constant fear that I'll run off my mouth and say something to ruin it?"
"Not constantly," she answered. "Only when you're talking."
But she was a woman much in demand in the crowd -- even more than Tony, since some people who were obviously afraid of or intimidated by him found the executive secretary more approachable. So Tony found himself alone in the crowd, and managed to have a series of inconsequential conversations. There were only, after all a few people here who he was really interested in at the moment.
He had noted Matt Murdock and Sam Wilson in the crowd, both openly applauding Sally's speech. And then there was the woman Sally admired.
Sally finished her ginger ale and carefully set her glass aside on an empty tray. Her mom was nursing a sparkling water. Sally knew the story, of how before she was born her mom and Sally's dad, Stephan, had been a little wild. That's what Toni always said -- "a little wild." But Toni hadn't had a beer, or a glass of wine, since her daughter's birth.
Sally sighed. "This -- I think maybe this was a mistake," she said quietly. "I think -- do you think we should leave?"
Toni knocked back the last swallow of her drink and set her glass aside. "Of course not," she said with a familiar, daring grin. "Let's go pay our respects to the host."
Sally giggled with nerves. "Mom, are you kidding?" she said, half-horrified. "After what I said, are you kidding?"
"Nope," Toni said. "C'mon, squirt," she said, taking Sally's elbow gently. "Let's go thank the nice man for his money, and then we can blow this popsicle stand." Her daughter in tow, Ms. Stetins headed for Mr. Stark.
He didn't remember the woman, from this world or the other. He wasn't sure whether she remembered him. The Avengers had saved her life, apparently, but he didn't know if he hadn't participated in that reality or if he'd just forgotten.
But Sally. He remembers Sally.
As she approaches, he holds out his hand, and he really wants not to be thinking about the voices that have suddenly gone quiet, and all the eyes that are suddenly on them. "Miss Stetins," he said. "If you wanted to go to Berkeley instead of MIT, you could just have said so."
"Mr. Stark," Sally replied, taking his hand. "How will I ever found a corporation to rival yours, devoted to my goals for the future, if I go to Berkeley?" She smiled for a moment, then started giggling. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," she said, " -- I mean, not for what I said? But for laughing and ruining the dramatic tension. My teachers all tell me I'm no good at dramatic tension. I had to be banned backstage during the school play last year, I kept making the cast laugh."
Sally let go his hand and smiled at her mother. "Mr. Stark, may I present Toni Stetins? Mom, this is Tony Stark."
Matt had headed over to Tony and Sally earlier, with Sam, but had stopped in order to talk with someone he'd known--and hadn't really liked--in law school. It was several moments before he was able to get away, and by that time, Sam was talking with Sally, and Tony had broken away from them.
Matt hesitated for a moment. He did want to continue talking with Sam, and he wanted to congratulate Sally on her speech, but that could wait. For now, he headed in Tony's direction, using his cane to navigate the crowd even though Stark's scent and the rhythm of his heartbeat were practically like beacons.
"Mr. Stark," he said, once he was close. Almost a note of question at the end, as if he wasn't quite sure.
Matt briefly considered ignoring Tony's outstretched hand, but couldn't quite bring himself to do it. With all the noise in the room, though, he didn't have to pretend to fumble a bit before shaking it. And he absolutely could not suppress a tiny smirk.
"Thanks," he replied. "But how do you know I heard you? The stench of evil's kind of hard to miss." His eyebrow quirked up. "Well, that, and obscenely expensive shoes in a room of regular expensive shoes."
Growing more serious, he shook his head at Tony's question. "Believe it or not, I actually didn't come to be entertained."
"No, of course not. You came to call me evil." He quirked an eyebrow at the last word, regretted that the gesture was wasted on Murdock, then wondered if it was. Could he really be that good?
"I don't suppose you would condescend to tell me exactly which of my sins is responsible for the -- what was it, stench? I'd been under the impression I'd gotten rid of the bad-smelling ones years ago."
After Tony walked away, Matt took a deep breath and slid his sunglasses back on. He closed his eyes behind them, for a second, and tried not to think too hard about what the hell had just happened.
God, he was getting a headache. And it had very little to do with the Chanel no. 5.
He squared his shoulders and walked through the crowd, heading in Sally's direction. He'd heard her talking with Sam a moment ago, but couldn't be certain, not with this many people, if Sam was still there or had gone elsewhere to mingle. He hoped they'd get a chance to connect later, if not here, then on a rooftop or something sometime. If this evening had taught him anything, it was that Sam Wilson seemed like he could be a friend, maybe.
Sally was right in front of him, now. Matt aimed a friendly smile a little off to the side on purpose. Best to be a harmless blind guy and not to give himself away if she didn't already know. "Excuse me. Miss Stetins?"
Sally turned at the polite inquiry, smiling. The man in front of her, well, he was blind. Sally felt a little bad that that was the first thing she noticed, but it was. Cute was the second thing, a sort of rugged sternness behind the smile.
She looked around. Her mother was still talking to Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Stark had vanished into the crowd. "Yes," she said, "that's me, Mr. . . . ?"
"Mr. Murdock?" Sally shook his hand and blinked. Matt Murdock, continually and forever outed as the superhero Daredevil? That Matt Murdock? "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, smiling. "To what do I owe the honor?"
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The implications of this thought are still swirling around in his brain, when Sally finishes, and Pepper speaks into his brain. My God, Tony, you did hit on her!"Have a little faith, Pep," he said, out loud. He patted her arm, then got to his feet. There was a smattering of applause, and a few catcalls after Sally spoke, but mostly dead silence. Except for the reporters, in the back, buzzing on their cell phones. They had been expecting a routine event. What they were getting was yet another Tony Stark public relations train wreck. But, as Tony approached the podium, he couldn't stop smiling. His hadn't felt this clear for a long time ( ... )
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"You handled that well, with the girl," she said. "And of course, what you said about Happy was perfect. But --"
"But you're living in constant fear that I'll run off my mouth and say something to ruin it?"
"Not constantly," she answered. "Only when you're talking."
But she was a woman much in demand in the crowd -- even more than Tony, since some people who were obviously afraid of or intimidated by him found the executive secretary more approachable. So Tony found himself alone in the crowd, and managed to have a series of inconsequential conversations. There were only, after all a few people here who he was really interested in at the moment.
He had noted Matt Murdock and Sam Wilson in the crowd, both openly applauding Sally's speech. And then there was the woman Sally admired.
And then there was Sally.
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Sally sighed. "This -- I think maybe this was a mistake," she said quietly. "I think -- do you think we should leave?"
Toni knocked back the last swallow of her drink and set her glass aside. "Of course not," she said with a familiar, daring grin. "Let's go pay our respects to the host."
Sally giggled with nerves. "Mom, are you kidding?" she said, half-horrified. "After what I said, are you kidding?"
"Nope," Toni said. "C'mon, squirt," she said, taking Sally's elbow gently. "Let's go thank the nice man for his money, and then we can blow this popsicle stand." Her daughter in tow, Ms. Stetins headed for Mr. Stark.
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But Sally. He remembers Sally.
As she approaches, he holds out his hand, and he really wants not to be thinking about the voices that have suddenly gone quiet, and all the eyes that are suddenly on them. "Miss Stetins," he said. "If you wanted to go to Berkeley instead of MIT, you could just have said so."
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Sally let go his hand and smiled at her mother. "Mr. Stark, may I present Toni Stetins? Mom, this is Tony Stark."
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Matt hesitated for a moment. He did want to continue talking with Sam, and he wanted to congratulate Sally on her speech, but that could wait. For now, he headed in Tony's direction, using his cane to navigate the crowd even though Stark's scent and the rhythm of his heartbeat were practically like beacons.
"Mr. Stark," he said, once he was close. Almost a note of question at the end, as if he wasn't quite sure.
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He could play this game as long as Matthew could.
"So, did you and Sam get your money's worth in entertainment?"
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"Thanks," he replied. "But how do you know I heard you? The stench of evil's kind of hard to miss." His eyebrow quirked up. "Well, that, and obscenely expensive shoes in a room of regular expensive shoes."
Growing more serious, he shook his head at Tony's question. "Believe it or not, I actually didn't come to be entertained."
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"I don't suppose you would condescend to tell me exactly which of my sins is responsible for the -- what was it, stench? I'd been under the impression I'd gotten rid of the bad-smelling ones years ago."
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God, he was getting a headache. And it had very little to do with the Chanel no. 5.
He squared his shoulders and walked through the crowd, heading in Sally's direction. He'd heard her talking with Sam a moment ago, but couldn't be certain, not with this many people, if Sam was still there or had gone elsewhere to mingle. He hoped they'd get a chance to connect later, if not here, then on a rooftop or something sometime. If this evening had taught him anything, it was that Sam Wilson seemed like he could be a friend, maybe.
Sally was right in front of him, now. Matt aimed a friendly smile a little off to the side on purpose. Best to be a harmless blind guy and not to give himself away if she didn't already know. "Excuse me. Miss Stetins?"
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She looked around. Her mother was still talking to Mr. Wilson, and Mr. Stark had vanished into the crowd. "Yes," she said, "that's me, Mr. . . . ?"
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