Way down Hadestown, way down under the ground.
Nikolas had actually enjoyed the fundraiser and as his first public appearance go, it went well.
He wore a gorgeous high collar black dress with gold detailing the entire way down in shapes that resembled sunbursts. It was something that had been sitting in the back of his closet that he had been meaning to wear forever and now that he felt a sense of confidence at wearing it he stood with his shoulders back a bit more, his chin a bit higher in the air.
And the doctor was a vision to behold.
The high collar made his jawline stand out in a specific way, the dress fell to his ankles, and only for the fact that he had only just started wearing his prosthesis Nikolas had chosen to wear flats. Though he did feel slightly self conscious when it came to the top of his left foot and ankle, the new prosthetic fully visible from there down at the moment.
He had not felt the need to hide his tattoo's, as his arm appeared on full display and his the barest amount showing on his neck. The overall appearance only seemed to add to the ethereal energy that he put forward.
Nikolas had fully expected the shouts of the press to follow their arrival, all of whom had been eager to see both him and his dad. Tony Stark had dressed in a complementing black tux with gold detailing on the sleeves, the overall look adding to Nikolas' air of royalty.
It had taken Nikolas the entire drive to the event to realize that his dad had the suit made months ago, most likely around the same time he had completed his son's leg. The tux was a way to connect himself to his son without putting it on air for everyone to see.
Nikolas leaned heavily on his dad's arm as they walked and he found himself smiling at the event despite the anxiety rising in his chest.
The first that they saw was Obadiah. The man had dressed in black, just the same as everyone else and Nikolas had nearly failed at suppressing a groan when he realized his dad was leading the pair of them towards the man.
"He looks like he shined his head." Nikolas said it in a low voice, flashing a smile to the camera just over his shoulder as both him and his dad started up the stairs.
Tony attempted to not laugh, shaking his head and speaking just loud enough for Nikolas to hear. "God that's bad." He moved forward, reaching for Obadiah's hand to shake firmly and flash a practiced smile to the camera opposite of them. "What's the world got to come to for a guy to crash his own party?"
Nikolas found himself tensing almost immediately as he took a moment to focus on Obadiah. The man appeared fake, though Nikolas could not be sure if it was directed towards the Stark's or the press in general. The part that made the good doctor pause was the way that his eyes flicked over Nikolas' dress clad form, focusing more specifically on his waist and hands.
"Look whose on his feet again." It sounded patronizing but Nikolas couldn't be sure. "What a surprise."
The addition to the words made the entire situation worse.
Nikolas took a step back from the two, smiling brightly at a near camera as he readjusted his dress around his leg. The material had already taken to catching on the black and gold metal of his prosthesis and the doctor found himself sifting through ways to fix the situation.
"Doctor Stark! Doctor Stark!" The voice that called to him gave him just enough pause to listen.
Nikolas turned on his heel, catching sight of a middle aged balding man as he approached. It took the doctor exactly three seconds to learn that he would not be a threat and file his mental presence away in his mind for later recognition.
"I was wondering if I could have a few words with you." The man ducked his head as he asked, speaking as loud as he could given the crowds but not loud enough to announce his business to the world.
He was an agent, and given how he approached the conversation, Nikolas knew that he would learn of the man's presence here without needing to look through his mind. Nikolas glanced towards his dad in response, noticing how friendly he appeared to Obadiah and whoever was currently interviewing the pair of them.
I am going in. Without considering it, Nikolas pushed the though into his dad's mind, noticing how stiff his dad appeared before relaxing and carrying on. Nikolas smiled as he looked to the agent, "If you help me up the stairs, we can have words inside."
The agent smiled, "Seems like a fair trade." He offered his elbow and Nikolas hooked his arm around it, resisting the urge to pull away when the man set his hand over his.
The stairs were slow going and simply to pass the time, Nikolas spoke softly. "You know my name, but you are?"
"Agent Phil Coulson." He paused, reaching into his pocket to remove a business card that he offered to Nikolas. "I work for the Strategic Homeland Intervention and Enforcement Logistics Division."
Given any other situation Nikolas would have commented on the name, but as the pair reached the top of the stairs the doctor found himself rather out of breath from the exertion of it all.
Nikolas spoke only after both him and Agent Coulson stepped inside the building. He felt comfortable on his own two feet, though one was not his own, smiling to those around him as he adjusted the skirt of his dress.
"I assume you are here for a reason." He waved down the bartender, asking for a Shirley temple without really thinking about it. He knew that alcohol would not be a good combination with his current mindset and so the virgin beverage fell through his lips without consideration. "Unless you just like to attend parties for the benefit of firefighters."
Coulson smiled. "I did yes." He paused briefly, waving off the bartender after the man delivered Nikolas his drink. "I am aware this may be a trying time for you and your father, but we need to debrief the both of you."
More than anything, Nikolas wanted to correct the man's use of 'may.' But rather than that he hummed and took a sip.
The Agent appeared to put emphasis on his words as he continued to speak. "There are still a lot of unanswered questions and time can be a factor in this."
Nikolas noticed his dad enter the ballroom, making his way to Pepper Potts directly. "I can understand wanting answers to your questions. I suppose you could provide me with at least a basis for your line of questioning? That way I may be sure that you have your facts right."
Coulson bristled as if he were not expecting the phrasing of Nikolas' words. "There was accounts of an angel leaving the explosion. I don't suppose you can explain an angel?"
The doctor kept his face passive as he sipped his drink, "An angel?" The realization that people saw his winged form and first considered an angel nearly made him smile. "Nothing as exciting as you would think. A reaction from the explosion, the amount of ammunition that they had all lumped together created the image that they perceived as an angel."
Nikolas pressed into Coulson's mind, his fingers moving beside the rim of his drink as he rid the man of any doubt when it came to the doctor's words.
"I wonder if we could put something on the books?" Coulson appeared dazed as he asked it, an accidental side effect of Nikolas' persuasion. "How about the 24th at seven p.m. at Stark Industries?"
Nikolas has a terrible concept of time, but he nodded nonetheless. "Sounds wonderful. I will speak to my assistant and we will make it a date."
The doctor does not have an assistant, but Coulson nodded and held out his hand for Nikolas to avoid shaking in favor of taking another sip of his drink and turning to face the crowd of those dancing.
Nikolas hummed, "An angel."
Who would have thought.