In the end, Athena gave in like she always did and grabbed some coffee for Tony and herself. In the time she had done that, the only progress that had been made was Tony moving the box with Howard's name etched across it from the balcony to his workshop. Athena stood patiently with the two cups of coffee in her hands as Tony unlatched the locks on the box and opened it. Inside, multiple sheets and blueprints took up most of the space.
Tony looked curiously at one blueprint in particular, one that involved himself. He picked up the blueprint with the title Arc Reactor printed neatly across it, taking note of Howard and Anton's names printed inside the Project Designers box. He straightened the print, carefully examining the design before placing it on the ground beside him. Athena remained silent as Tony continued to go through the contents of the box, understanding that he wasn't aware of her presence at all.
Tony picked up a folded piece of newspaper which he unfolded to read the headline, "Soviet Scientist Vanko Defects." Next he picked up three video reels, reading the titles of each. Tony looked up, suddenly aware of Athena's presence or perhaps just the presence of the coffee. When Athena realized he wasn't going to say anything, she sighed. "Well, are you going to watch those or not?"
Before she knew it, Tony had a projector and screen playing the videos. He sat in a chair, as the video played in the background as he read through his father's book of notes. Athena was throwing the empty cups of coffee away, when Tony called her over, not looking away from the notebook. Athena approached him, placing her hands on her hips when he didn't acknowledge her. "Yes?"
Tony glanced up from the book at her, before glancing back down at the notebook. Athena shook her head, ready to leave his side when his hand reached out and pulled her onto his lap. He manipulated their positions so both could see the notebook in his hands. "What do you think?"
Athena shifted slightly into a more comfortable position to look at the equations and scribbles in the notebook. "I see nothing of any use."
"Exactly! This is pointless." Tony argued as a new clip started playing onto the screen he had set up.
"It is not." Athena defended, reaching onto the table to grab a device. "Nothing is ever pointless. Make it relevant."
Tony took the device from her. "That is flawed logic and a recipe for disaster."
"I thought you like that sort of thing." Athena retorted, before gesturing to the device in his hand. "Put those equations in that. We might need them later."
"Everything is achievable through technology. Better living, robust heath, and for the first time in human history, the possibility of world peace. I'm Howard Stark, and everything you'll need for the future can be found right here. City of the Future? City of Tomorrow? City of..."
Athena looked away from the notebook as Tony continued to tap things into the device, focusing on the video that playing. She watched Howard stumble over his words, losing confidence in himself with ever fumble he made.
"I'm Howard Stark and everything you'll need in the future can be found right here. So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I would like to personally... Tony, what are you doing back there? What is that?"
Athena felt Tony turning to look at the projection at the sound of his name. She smiled softly at the sight of a younger Tony, her heart swelling slightly. Tony felt bitter at the exchange between his younger self and his father.
"Put that back. Put it back where you got it from. Where's your mother? Maria? Go on. Go, go, go, go."
Athena leaned into Tony has they watched a man pick up little Tony off the set and over, presumably, to his mother.
"All right, I think we got..."
"I'll... I'll... I'll come in and..."
The video changed and a recording of Howard drinking a glass of whiskey appeared, a frighteningly familiar image that Athena was all to familiar with, in terms to Tony.
"Are you waiting on me?"
The video changes again.
"So, from all of us at Stark Industries, I'd like to personally show you my ass. I'd like to... I can't... This is... I can't... We have this, don't we? This is a ridiculous way..."
Tony flicked another page of the notebook, coming to a blank page. He frowned and flipped through the rest of the notebook, only to be faced with more blank pages. An uncomfortable feeling washed over him as he realized that his father probably never got to finish it because of his death.
"Everything is achievable through technology."
Athena watched as Tony threw the book aside, grabbing the glass beside him. He took a sip, glancing at the tape to make sure it was still playing as there was no one talking before looking away again. Athena looked at the tape too, recognizing what was about to play. The part that she knew would set Tony into action.
"Tony." Tony's head snapped in the direction of the screen once more."You're too young to understand this right now, so I thought I would put it on film for you. I built this for you. And someday you'll realize that it represents a whole lot more than just people's inventions. It represents my life's work. This is the key to the future. I'm limited by the technology of my time, but one day you'll figure this out. And when you do, you will change the world. What is and always will be my greatest creation... is you."
Athena watched the screen turn black, aware of how tense Tony's body was underneath her. She twisted in her seat, to face him as he hastily wiped at his eyes.
"Don't." Athena mumbled, softly grabbing his hands away from his eyes. His eyes glistened slightly.
"Don't what?" He muttered back.
"Wipe away your emotions." Athena said softly, squeezing his hands with her own. "You're not a robot, Tony. You have feelings, and feelings demand to be felt. It's okay to be sad, frustrated, angry..."
"I'm not sad." Tony denied, sniffing.
"Yes you are and that's alright. You're allowed to cry. You're allowed shout. You're allowed to be human." Athena spoke passionately, unconsciously leaning forward. "You're allowed-"
Athena was suddenly cut off by the sudden pressure of lips against her own. Tony's hands cupped her cheeks as he pressed his lips against hers, a familiar and welcome unknown feeling fluttering his stomach as she kissed him back. He felt happy, for the first time in a long time.
Athena missed this feeling. The sensation of his lips on hers, the way his hands gently caressed her skin when they kissed, the way everything just seemed to fix itself without her help. It was perfect. Just Athena and Tony, alone together.
--
Athena sat in the passenger seat of Tony's car as he drove speedily down the road toward Stark Industries. She felt her eyebrows raise as Tony slowed slightly and began pulling over on the side of the road where a small stall was set up beside a trunk full of strawberries. She remained silent as Tony slowed to a stop as a man approached the car with a box of strawberries in his hands.
"¿Cuánto cuesta?" Tony asked once he had came to stop, in the man's native language.
"$6. Six." He replied in English.
"I don't have any dough." Tony suddenly realized. He looked at Athena, who shook her head with panicked eyes, her way of saying she had no money on her. Tony glanced at his watch and began to took it off. "Here."
"No, sir, that's too much." The man protested, seeing the expensive watch.
"No, it's fine. Take that. It's fine." Tony reassured the man, holding the watch out to the man.
"No, señor."
"Take it. Take it." Tony gestured, smiling as the man hesitantly took the watch. "I don't like people handing me things. If you just-"
"I'll take those, señor." Athena smiled at the man, gently taking the box of strawberries from his hands. "They look delicious!"
"Muchas gracias, señorita." The man thanked, smiling gratefully at the pair in the car. "Are you Iron Man?"
"Sometimes." Tony called out as he drove off causing Athena to shake her head.
"We believe in you!"
Athena smiled at the words of the man that she caught as they drove away. She looked down at the strawberries on her lap and then to Tony with narrowed eyes. "Please, don't tell me these are for Pepper."
"Why?" Tony asked, sounding defense.
"What is the one thing Pepper is allergic to?"
Tony's silence was enough for Athena to know that he knew he had messed up. "Strawberries. This is progress, Athena. I knew there was a correlation between Pepper and this."
"Great work." Athena huffed.
--
"It was an illegal seizure of trademark property." Athena could hear Pepper speak from inside her office as Tony forced Pepper's poor PA to let them in.
"Miss Potts?" The PA announced as she opened the poor of the office.
"Relax." Tony muttered at her.
"Mr Stark-"
"-is here." Tony cut over the PA, the box of strawberries tucked under his arm despite knowing that Pepper was allergic to them. He had nothing else to offer, he figured something was better than nothing. Athena disagreed.
"He refuses-"
"I don't. It's fine. I'll just be a second." Tony once again cut over the poor woman, as Pepper held up a finger to shut them up.
"Listen, it's our position that Stark has and continues to maintain propriety ownership of the Mark II platform." Pepper spoke into the phone in her hand which was pressed to her ear.
Athena and Tony stood at the now closed door that the PA exited through as they waited for Pepper to finish up on the phone.
"When Mr Stark announced he was indeed Iron Man, he was making a promise to America."
"No, the suit belongs to us." Pepper said.
"We trusted that he would look out for us."
"Yeah, but you're not-"
"He obviously did not."
"Burt..."
"And now we learn that his secretary..."
"Yes, it does."
"...a woman named Virginia "Pepper" Potts, has been appointed as CEO of Stark Industries. What are her qualifications?"
"No."
"Miss Potts has done nothing to manage this terrible..."
"Mute." Both Tony and Athena said, muting the news report. Tony looked around him, flustered before heading towards the boxes in the corner of the office.
"No... Burt... Burt... Burt, listen to me. Don't tell me that we have the best patent lawyers in the country and then not let me pursue this."
"I'll take this stuff out of here." Tony announced, gesturing at the boxes full of his own stuff.
"Well, then, tell the President to sign an order. We'll talk about it at the Expo."
Tony pulled down a sheet, revealing the same model that was in the video of his father as Athena listened to the conversation that Pepper was having with Burt.
"Hammer's giving some presentation tomorrow evening." Pepper looked at Tony as she said the next words. "Will Tony Stark be there?"
"Will I?" Tony asked as he pulled out a chair to sit on. Athena sat in the seat beside him as Pepper glared at him.
"No, he will not. Bye."
"I would like to be. Got a minute?" Tony asked her, finally sitting down.
"No."
"Come on, you just got off the phone. You're fine. 30 seconds." Tony bargained, setting the box of strawberries on the desk and leaning back into his chair.
"Twenty-nine Twenty-eight." Pepper began counting down as she looked at her watch causing Tony sit up and start talking quickly.
"I was just driving over here, and I thought I was coming to basically apologize, but I'm not." Tony rambled making Athena look at him funny. She looked at Pepper apologetically.
"You didn't come here to apologize?" Pepper repeated, sassily.
"Look, that goes without saying, and I'm working on that. But I haven't been entirely upfront with you, and I just want to try to make good." Tony stopped and then gestured to the spinning sculpture in front of him. "Can I move this? This is crazy. It's like a Ferris wheel, going. I'm trying to get some-"
"No."
Tony cleared his throat and before he could think about it too much, he pushed his chair to the other side of the desk, pushing Athena and her chair into the wall. "Do you know how short life is? And if I never got to express... And by the way, this is somewhat revelatory to me. And I don't care... I mean, I care. It would be nice. I'm not expecting you to... Look, here's what I'm trying to say. I'm just gonna say it."
"Let me stop you right here, okay?" Pepper interrupted him as Athena glared at Tony, who was avoiding any eye contact with the godly woman. That, however, left him faced with the wrath of Pepper and he wasn't too sure if that was the better or safer option. "Because if you say "I" one more time, I'm gonna actually hurl something at your head, I think. I am trying to run a company. Do you have any idea what that entails?"
"Yes." Tony stated, grabbing something to nervously mess with as he got scolded.
"People are relying on you to be Iron Man and you've disappeared, and all I'm doing is putting out your fires and taking the heat of it." The object that Tony was messing with flew from his hand which Pepper caught. "I am trying to do the job that you were meant to do."
Pepper finally realized what was on her desk. "Did you bring me strawberries? Did you know that there's only one thing on Earth that I'm allergic to?"
"Allergic to strawberries. This is progress Pepper. I knew there was a correlation between you and this." Tony repeated what he had told Athena in the car.
"I need you..."
"I need you too." Tony replied, making Athena look at him funny again.
"...to leave now." Pepper finished and Tony looked slightly crushed.
"That's what I'm trying to..."
Tony was cut off from the opening of the office door as Natasha entered with Happy following after her. "Ms Potts?"
"Hi, come on in." Pepper said to them.
"Wheels up in 25 minutes." Natasha informed her, while she walked further into the office.
"Thank you." Pepper thanked.
"Anything else, boss?" Happy asked from the doorway.
"I'm good, Hap."
"No, I'll be just another minute."
Athena bit her lip at the awkward silence that followed.
"I lost both the kids in the divorce." Tony laughed bitterly until he looked at Happy who was shaking his head to tell him to stop. Tony cleared his throat and looked at Natasha. "Are you blending in well here, Natalie? Here are Stark Enterprises? Your name is Natalie, isn't it? I thought you two didn't get along?"
Athena eyes widened at his antics as Natasha froze.
"No. That's not so." Pepper answered his question.
"It's just me you don't care for." Tony tried to joke. "No? Nothing?"
"Actually, while you're here maybe you and Natalie could discuss the matter of the personal belongings." Pepper smiled forcibly and exited the office with Happy as Natasha replied saying; "Absolutely."
"I'm surprised you can keep your mouth shut." Natasha snarled once the door was closed, leaning over the desk at Tony intimidatingly.
"Boy, you're good. You are mind-blowingly duplicitous. How do you do it? You just tear things... You're a triple imposter. I've never seen anything like you. Is there anything real about you?" Tony laughed, but was sort of serious.
"Tony, shut up." Athena warned him but he took no heed of her.
"Do you even speak Latin?" He asked her.
"Fallaces sunt rerum species." Natasha quipped back, gathering her thing.
"Which means? Wait. What? What did you just say?" Tony called after her, turning his seat.
"It means you can either drive yourself home or I can have you collected." Natasha didn't stick around long after that and soon it was just Athena and Tony.
"The appearances of things are deceptive." Athena spoke after a second of silence.
"What?" Tony asked as he picked up the box of strawberries and threw them in the bin.
"The appearances of things are deceptive. Fallaces sunt rerum species." Athena repeated, standing up from her chair.
"That's nice." Tony mumbled distractedly as he looked at the model again, looking at it through one eye. Athena smiled.
He has it now.