Chapter Three-Meeting the Team

9K 195 163
                                    

"It's time to go, honey. Get up." My heavy eyes open to find Tony sitting beside me. "There you go. Up and at em, kiddo." He slaps my knee and grins.

"Ah." I wince and sit up. "Right. I'm ready." I mumble, standing and wobbling until Tony's hands steady me on my shoulders. I look around and get very confused. "Uh, what?" I ask, looking around at the lavishly decorated space. Sitting back down, I look at what I'm sitting on and find it's a smooth, tan, leather chair. "Tony?" My eyes find his as he smiles amusedly at me.

"Oh yeah. We're on a jet nearly to New York." He tells me as if it isn't a big deal. There's a window to my right that I instantly look out of and see nothing but clouds and pieces of blue sky.

"We're in the sky." I deadpan. I've never been flying in my life, so missing the take off and bulk of the flight sucks.

"That's what usually happens during flight, sweetie. Have you never flown before?" I shake my head and look back at Tony as he sits back down on the arm of my chair. "Ah. Sorry you missed it then. I'll take you out again one day, but today I just wanted you to get all the sleep you could." Tony's expression is apologetic, but his eyes are affectionate.

"How'd you even get me here?" I question, slowly waking up a little more.

"Well, uh, I carried you. You're skin and bones, remember?" He teases and stands again while I absorb the fact he carried me here just so I could continue to sleep. "Time to change. We'll be landing soon." He tells me and sets my backpack in my lap. "Bathroom's back there." Tony winks at me and walks over to where Pepper is flipping through a folder, sliding into the seat next to her and whispering in her ear. I get up with a tired sigh and head to the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. Remembering that today is my day to meet the press wakes me right up and has me putting a little more care into how I dress. I put on what I chose the other day; black ankle boots, a button up burgundy skirt with gold buttons, a tucked in mustard tank top, black leather jacket, and sunglasses. After brushing my teeth and putting on deodorant, thankfully I put that stuff in my backpack, and taking my hair down, I hurry back out and to my seat to look out the window again.

"Well look at you!" Tony exclaims and I instantly blush. He stands from the same spot he was in when I left and walks over to me to guide me over to the small table he and Pepper sit at. "You look great." He assures me and sits me down across from him and Pepper.

"You do look very nice, Amelia." Pepper comments with a kind smile.

"Thanks." I murmur and start messing with my hands nervously.

"Now, you've got to tell me what changes you're going to make to your suit." He tells me excitedly while Pepper shakes her head. An amused smile makes its way onto my face as he relaxes back in his seat, facing me with rapt attention.

"Well, I've changed the blue lights you favor to violet." I start and Tony nods, as if this is a revelation. Taking this as encouragement, I continue. "And...instead of using all your missiles and things in your suit, I was going to calibrate small projectiles that attach to a person and stimulate electrical impulses in their nerves to paralyze them."

"So, incapacitate them instead of decapitating them." Tony proposes and we both glance at Pepper when she snorts at Tony's word choice.

"Crude, but yes." I affirm and Tony shakes his head.

"Brilliant. You might get requests from the rest of the team if you keep thinking like that. Including me." He reaches over and fluffs my hair and I take off my sunglasses to better see his eyes, clipping them to my shirt. Amber even in the sheltered lighting of the plane, his eyes are alive and excited.

No ChoiceWhere stories live. Discover now