POTENTIAL THREAT ✓
ᶜʰᵃᵖᵗᵉʳ ᶠⁱᵛᵉ
. . . Y/N . . .
IN THE LIVING room with Pepper, I was sunken into one of the gray cushions, which was unusually comfortable compared to the rest of the furniture. I may have judged it for looking as hard as a brick years ago based on the looks I saw from a distance, but sitting on it now felt like sinking into a cloud. Another reason to take on that one motto-what was it? Ah. Never judge a book by its blah, gray, boring, and bricked exterior. I know that's a mouthful, and most likely not the saying, but it perfectly describes my newfound appreciation for this cushion.
Shaking my head at myself, I returned my focus to the reduced stack of documents in my folder. Most were for Tony's upcoming firefighter's event, catering, venue arrangements, guest list, etc. The remaining, which I was simply avoiding, were from Stark Industries' latest performance reviews. I knew I needed to, as Pepper likes to call it, "prioritize the important things first," which I can completely do, but I also didn't want to be the one to tell Tony the bad news I knew was waiting for him in those reviews. Staring down at the documents, unmoving, I stay lost in thought.
Pepper, who had observed that I hadn't voiced any complaints since we started, halted her pen. Stealing a glance at me, she took note of my state and followed my gaze. Inhaling deeply, she then diverts her eyes back to me. "It isn't going to bite you, you know?" Pepper says this in a lighthearted manner, but her tone is serious. "Probably not... but it sure can leave a nasty paper cut if I'm not careful."
Truthfully but sarcastically, I return the favor with a small smile, and out of the corner of my eye, I see her smile spreading across her face. There's a knock on the door as she shakes her head and raises her hands. She makes a "gimmie" gesture, and I smile broadly, knowing exactly what she means. After giving her the folder, I quickly get up and move toward the door. "Thank you, Pep," I say as I look back once at her before she's no longer in view. "Yeah, yeah... just know I deserve some much-needed Alaya and Auntie Pepper time."
I just shook my head at her, trying to stop the sticker that came from me. "Fine by me; she loves it at your place. So you can babysit her next week, and I'll have some much-needed me-time." I said with a lopsided grin, and Pepper said something that came out unclear given the distance I put between us. Stepping down the three steps, now turning my focus to the door, and who it might be, I call out to Jarvis.
"Hey Jar, How come you didn't just open the door? It seems unlikely that someone we don't know would visit at this late hour and manage to pass through the front gate." I called out as I crossed closer, and Jarvis replied, "You'd be surprised, Ms. Y/L/N, how many try every night. But to answer your question, Ms. Y/L/N... my programming, for some reason... doesn't feel obligated to." Titling my head, I make a face. He didn't feel obligated? Interesting.
When I eventually arrived at the door and turned the lock, I pulled it open. Catching a glimpse of the person awaiting me, I released a sigh under my breath. No wonder he didn't feel obligated... I wouldn't, but wouldn't his coding tell him he should since Obadiah is a regular? Seeing that I'm lost in thought, Obadiah waves a hand in my direction. "You gonna let me in, sweetcheeks, or are you just going to stand there all day?" With a thin smirk on his face and an unmistakable hint of annoyance in his voice, he asked. I arched a brow at the name but moved aside to make room for him.
After he entered, I shut the door behind myself. Once I locked it, I mustered up one of my best smiles and turned to face Obadiah. "Obadiah, what a pleasant surprise!" I attempted to mask the sarcasm in my voice as I said this. "Where's Tony?" He asked, getting straight to the point as he looked around, gazing at the clean surfaces as he held a box of New York pizza. "He's downstairs, " I reply just as quickly before adding. "What brings you by?"
"Did someone clean up in here?" Obadiah asked randomly, and I stopped. I glanced around the room, slightly taken aback by his question. "Yes... uh, I did some cleaning earlier," I admitted, nodding around the place. "Cleaners don't come until this Monday, and the place was starting to look a bit messy. So, I decided to tidy up a bit."
After finishing, I turned to look at Obadiah again, and I saw that he was staring. I watched, and he tilted his head at me, raising a brow before realizing he was staring a little too long. Turning around, he clears his throat and drops the pizza on the closest table. "Well, I'm sure Tony appreciates this gesture." Confused as to where this conversation was going, I furrowed my brow but played along.
"I mean... sure. It's sort of become a habit of mine, and Tony knows how irritable I can be at times about the state of his place, so I thought I'd help out, and he doesn't seem to mind." I said with a slight shrug, and Obadiah shook his head somewhat, a smile slightly forming. "Wow... Tony just doesn't know how good he has it... Does he?" I laugh it off a little, not entirely sure what he's implying. "Excuse me?" I asked lightly, still trying to laugh it off.
Slowly making his way closer, Obadiah crosses over towards me. "Come on... you can't tell me you don't get a little upset to have all your good efforts go unnoticed." Backing up to put some space between us, I made a face. "Uh... no, not really." Obadiah raised an eyebrow, his smile fading slightly.
"Really? I find that hard to believe. Everyone wants their hard work to be recognized and appreciated." His words made me pause for a moment, analyzing him for a moment. It was like he was talking from personal experience, as if he had been through something similar to the way he's describing. I cautiously took another step back as I thought about it and realized how close he had gotten.
"Why are you here, Obadiah?" I asked once again, but this time firmer, and it seems to catch him off guard. He clears his throat, straightens his posture, and stares me in the eyes while acting as though the conversation never happened. "I need to speak with Tony," Obadiah said, and I only nodded. I quickly turned around and headed back the way I came. "What are you doing?" Without turning, I repiled as I stepped up the third step. "Letting Tony know about your arrival." Finishing, I finally made my way towards where I left.
When Pepper comes into view, I see her hand on the buzzer, and she turns over when she hears me. "Who's here?" I just shook my head with a sigh. "Obadiah, my only guess is because of the reviews." When I mentioned the reviews, I saw Pepper's eyes gaze down, and I titled my head as I made my way towards the kitchen. "That bad, huh?" I asked, and Pepper just shook her head, continuing to buzz. "You can say that," she replied, her voice tinged with disappointment.
Sighing I entered the kitchen, getting ready to brew some coffee. While I was briefly grinding the coffee beans, I softly called out to Jarvis. "You did good, Jar, but if only you told me who was at the door." As I finished grinding the coffee beans, I poured them into the coffee maker and pressed the start button, and he replied shortly after. "My apologies, Ms. Y/L/N."
On the desk he's standing in front of, Tony's arm rests in a kind of wire-attached, secured arm cage. Tony was engrossed in his work, with tools and sketches scattered around him, as I approached him cautiously, not wanting to startle him while overhearing him speak. "Up two. All right, set that." Walking over to a table, I begin to place the coffee down.
"Pepper's been buzzing you, you know. You heard the intercom, right?" Gently, I set the box down next to the coffee as I asked him. "Yeah, everything's... Sorry, what?" He pauses as he does a double-take at me before quickly returning to his work. "Obadiah's upstairs... with Pepper... waiting." I informed him, hoping to get his attention. "Great!" He replied absentmindedly, still deeply engaged in what he was doing.
"What would you like me to tell them?" I asked patiently, trying to bring his focus back to the conversation. He responds while continuing what he was doing. "I'll be right up." He raises his arm, encased in the "thing" he is attempting to complete. "He's working on something that, as I watch him longer, starts to take on the appearance of a tiny, finely detailed mechanical device. It was impossible to resist my curiosity about what it was and how it worked.
"What happened to being done with making weapons?" I asked as I crossed my arms, wondering what he'd do next. "It is. This is a flight stabilizer. It's completely harmless." He replies, reaching out to turn on the device by pressing a red button.
The more I consider it, it almost looks like-before I can finish thinking, the moment the device fires and something shoots out, Tony is flung backward. I practically instantly duck at the sound of a loud noise out of habit. I see Tony lying on the ground, panting heavily, as I begin to stand up again. Walking over to check on him, I bend down to his level and examine him for any injuries. "I didn't expect that," Tony said, slightly dazed, as he lay there staring up at the ceiling.
I turn to look at his head, checking for signs of trauma. "I thought you said it was safe, Tony." I spoke softly but focused as I was still examining. I felt Tony try to move his head, but I quickly stopped him, concerned about any potential neck or spinal injuries. "Don't move, Tony," I urged gently.
"We need to make sure you're okay before you try to get up." Tony looked up at me, watching while I checked on him, and he just nodded. "It doesn't seem bad... Your pupils are equal and reactive," I noted. "You don't seem bothered by any light sensitivity either." I said lightly and began to trail off. It wasn't long before I caught his gaze again, and I spoke again.
"Are you feeling any pain or discomfort anywhere, Tony?" I asked softly, concerned for his well-being. Tony only watched me for a moment before a smirk broke out across his face. "Nah, I'm good, just a little sore." He replied nonchalantly as he began to sit up, which caused me to fall back, almost hitting the floor, but Tony's quick reflexes caught me just in time. "Careful there," he said with a chuckle, helping me regain my balance.
I couldn't help but smile at how quickly he was back to himself. "Are you sure you're alright, though?" Tony simply stood up and gave me a slow spin to demonstrate his point when I asked. "See? Good as new," he said confidently before reaching out a hand to help me up. After accepting his hand and thanking him with a nod, I stood up and dusted off my clothes. "We should probably head upstairs now," I said as I continued to brush off my trousers.
Tony merely hummed, and when I was done, I looked up only to see him watching. With a brow raised, I spun slowly around to show him my outfit. "I think I'm presentable enough, don't you?" I asked with a playful smile. Tony chuckled and nodded approvingly. "You always look good, ready?" As he began to slowly make his way toward the stairs, he looked back.
Smiling, I nodded and followed behind him as he went upstairs. I maintained my smile as we reached the top and started to move in the direction of the living room. The sound of the piano met our ears, filling the air with a melody. I went over to the couch and sat down with Pepper after realizing she was already seated. The piano's calming melody fills the room once more, but Tony's voice soon overpowers it.
"How'd it go?" He approaches as I peer over Pepper's shoulder at the computer screen she is reviewing. When Obadiah doesn't respond, Tony looks over at him as he examines the pizza box. "It went that bad, huh?" While continuing to play the piano, Obadiah replied. "Just because I brought pizza back from New York doesn't mean it went bad." Tony only shook his head as he replied "Sure, it doesn't... oh, boy."
With a chuckle, Tony grabs a piece of pizza and taps my shoulder. I turn to face him and give him a tired smile. He returned my smile while extending a pizza slice to me. "Tired?" I nod appreciatively and take the pizza slice. "Exhausted," I replied before biting into the pizza.
Tony chuckles again but nods understandingly. "Get some rest for me after this," he says, patting my back gently. "You deserve it." I only nodded again, but this time with a small smile. Taking a seat next to me as Obadiah stops playing the piano, Tony leans forward and grabs a pizza for himself.
"It would have gone better if you were there," he only said, and Tony just shook his head. "Uh-huh. You told me to lay low. That's what I've been doing. I lay low, and you take care of all..." Tony says this as he begins to ramble and bite into his pizza.
"Hey, come on... In public, the press. " Obadiah closed the piano lid and continued. "This was a board of directors meeting." I hear Pepper inhale a breath as Obadiah continues. Subsequently, Obaidiah starts to approach and settles down beside Tony.
"This was a board of directors meeting?" Tony raises an eyebrow; his attention immediately captured. "What are you doing here, Obadiah?" Tony asks with a voice filled with skepticism. Obadiah leans in closer to Tony, his voice barely audible above a whisper. "I thought you could use some guidance, Tony. You've been making quite a mess lately."
"The board is claiming you have post-traumatic stress. They're filing an injunction." Drawing back from Obadiah, Tony's head was titled as he made a face. "A what?" Tony's voice was filled with surprise as he asked, and Obadiah exhaled a sigh. "They want to lock you out. "
I eyebrow-raise at Obadiah's carefree manner as he picks up what I could only guess was a glass of whiskey. "Why, 'cause the stocks dipped 40 points? We knew that was going to happen," Tony said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Fifty-six and a half," My eyes widened toward Pepper as I was taken aback. I then raised a brow at her, and she simply nodded, indicating that it was indeed true. Damn.
Tony answered defensively, cocking his head in our direction and displaying his blatant frustration on his face. "It doesn't matter. We own the controlling interest in the company." Tony said trying to reassure us, but Obadiah just shook his head as he responded calmly.
"Tony, the board has rights, too."
"They're making the case that you and your new direction isn't in the company's best interest." Tony scoffs and slightly raises his voice in response, becoming more defensive. "I'm being responsible! That's a new direction for me... for the company." Tony stops, becomes aware of what he's just said, and turns to face me as Obadiah raises a brow at him. "I mean, me, on the company's behalf, being responsible for the way that..." I exhale a noticeable breath, and Tony turns to look at Obadiah once more before sighing.
"This is great." After a moment, Tony hastily gets to his feet and takes the pizza box with him. "Oh, come on. Tony. Tony." Obadiah sets his glass aside and follows after him.
"I'll be in the shop." Only said, clearly not wanting to talk anymore, and I sighed. "Hey, hey! hey, Tony. Listen." In order to give Obadiah a chance to speak, Tony then comes to a stop.
"I'm trying to turn this thing around, but you gotta give me something. Something to pitch them. Let me have the engineers analyze that. You know, draw up some specs." Tony cuts him off, "No, no, absolutely not."
"It'll give me a bone to throw the boys in New York!" Obadiah says this as he continues to try and reason with Tony. "This one stays with me. That's it, Obie. Forget it." Tony firmly rejects Obadiah's request, clearly emphasizing that this particular project is off-limits and will not be shared with anyone else.
"All right, well, this stays with me, then." Tony merely blinked at Obadiah when he took the pizza box out of his hands. "Go on; here, you can have a piece. Take two." Tony then reaches for one, quickly turns, and walks away.
Tony continues his way to the basement, and Obadiah tries his luck again. "Do you mind if I come down there and see what you're doing?" Obadiah asks, hoping to gain access to Tony's workspace and understand the project that Tony is so adamant about keeping to himself. "Good night, Obie." Tony says, brushing off Obadiah's request and declaring that their conversation is over. As I take another bite of my pizza, he leaves Obadiah standing and heads back down to his workshop.
-ˏˋ⋆ ᴡ ᴇ ʟ ᴄ ᴏ ᴍ ᴇ ⋆ˊˎ-
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