Luna held the same position she had been in for the last hour: hunched over, glasses off, and staring through the eyepiece of her microscope. She looked away every now and then to take meticulous notes about her observations of Sammy, but she stayed put. An impasse had been met, and she wasn't one to quickly back down.
She leaned back and rubbed her eye with the back of her wrist.
"Why aren't you dead already?" She moaned out. The life cycle of C. elegans lasted around four days, and it had been over two weeks since he hatched.
Sammy was on his third Petri dish of nutrient bacteria, and he kept making little trails of ice. So long as he had food, nothing could stop him. Luna was tempted to poke him and see how fast he healed, but he was much too small. She would need a larger specimen for such an experiment. An event for a future time.
With a final glare at the dish, Luna picked it up and took it into the fridge. Unlike the other worms she had grown, Sammy tolerated the cold. He shouldn't have been able to live in conditions below 60°F, but he was able to do so and keep up all normal behavior.
Luna let Sammy sit for 30 minutes in the cold, contrasting the hour he had previously spent at room temperature. He adjusted well and quickly to each temperature change. For an extraordinary organism, he acted as per usual.
The little scientist rubbed the top of her head with her forearm. She was at a loss. Could her endeavors lead to a dead end? No, it was too early to assume. There was no end in sight, but she had endless possibilities. For the time being, however, a mental and physical break was called for.
Luna turned the microscope off and put Sammy's dish in its designated place on the counter. Snapping the rubber gloves off, she tossed them in the trash bin and hung up her lab coat. Rubbing her hands and stretching her arms out, she made the long trek to the greenhouse.
The entire compound was a tad colder than usual, but the greenhouse was always warm. It was large, holding a wide variety of plants used for the kitchen and Tony's personal garden. A view of the river and surrounding forest could be seen from any of its windows. If Luna weren't a biologist specialized in genetic science, she would have gone for a job here instead.
She spared a few passing 'hello's to the employees working there on her way to Tony's private section. To avoid any outside tampering of her plant, he opened up a small space in his collection for her. She needed but one pot, a watering can, and the occasional spot of fertilizer. He had more than enough of everything to spare.
Wrapping her arms around herself, Luna crouched down and stared intently at the soil, still undisturbed by signs of life. She poured a bit of water and watched it seep into the warm dirt, hopefully giving life to the minuscule prize buried beneath. Again, it was too early to tell. Such things require time and patience of the caregiver. For the sake of the little seeds, she had both to give.
With a gentle finger, she stroked the rim of the pot. She hoped it would work and the flowers would bloom before Loki was forced to leave her. It was disheartening to dwell on. She would be happy to keep watch over the roses if he never got the opportunity to lay eyes on them, but the initial purpose for their existence would be taken away. They would serve henceforth as a grim reminder of the space she had made for him in her little corner of the universe.
The cold and the promise of snowfall soon further dampened her spirits. The plants should be fostering serenity and happiness in her heart, but a touch of sorrow took its place. Satisfied with the care of her roses, Luna moved about the room, touching the leaves of ferns and tomato plants and the petals of peonies and chrysanthemums. Tony had an entire row dedicated for Pepper to come and tend them at her leisure. Luna wondered if he grew them for their wedding, whenever and wherever it would happen. Tabloids tossed out hundreds of 'confirmed' theories, but no one had a clue.
A cool mist erupted from the irrigation system, covering the majority of the area with a layer of fresh water. Luna's pullover did little to protect her from the slight chill racing beneath her skin. Shuddering, she wrapped her arms around her torso and moseyed back to her lab, stopping once to grab a free cup of iced tea.
Finishing her refreshment, Luna rounded the corner and spotted a figure peeking through the window of the door to the lab. As she neared, she recognized the short brunette hair and called out to them.
"Peter, hey. What're you doing here?"
Peter whipped his head to look in her direction and smiled. "Hey, doc. I was just looking for you. Is this a bad time?"
"No, no, it's as good a time as any. I just came back from taking a short break." Luna tapped the door. "Did you need anything here?"
"No, I just stopped by to see you, actually." He set his backpack down and opened it.
"Oh, ok. Did I forget something at your house?"
He shook his head. "Uh-uh. I just, uh, I wanted to give you this," he held up a small gift bag, "you know, before I forgot and I wasn't able to. It's for, uh, it's for Loki."
Luna carefully took it from him and admired it, a bright smile making its way onto her face.
"Peter, that is so nice of you."
He chuckled and bent his head. "I hope he likes it. Just something I made in art class. It's kinda fragile so be careful." He pointed loosely into the bag. "The shirt I wrapped it in is for him too. I got that from a thrift store."
Luna glanced inside at the mass of fabric rolled around a small object, hiding it from her view. "Oh, I'm sure he'll love it. He's a gift type of guy."
Peter paused, a bit taken aback, but he recovered before Luna could comment.
"That's good," he laughed nervously. "Oh, and uh, I got this for you." He handed Luna a smaller wrapped package. "That is not fragile at all, so you don't have to worry."
Luna beamed and received it carefully. "Thank you, Peter." She reached and pulled him into a brief one-armed hug.
Letting go of her, Peter stooped down and closed his bag.
"Well, uh, that was all I came to do." He slung his backpack over his right shoulder. "I'll just say hi and check in with Mr. Stark and be on my way."
"Alright. I'll see you, Pete." Luna bid him farewell, waving him off as he walked to the main elevator.
Alone with the new parcels, she strode into the lab and placed them beside her personal effects. Safe and sound, for now. She wondered how long she could keep Loki's gift hidden from him and out of his snooping habit. A 'don't open till Christmas' tag might deter him, but she still had no tree for it to nestle under. She made a mental note to propose the idea of getting one once she got home. With the subject of presents still sitting fresh in her mind, Luna snapped her fingers, remembering a different mental note from earlier in the week.
"FRIDAY," she called out, "is Tony still busy with Peter?"
"Yes, they are still conversing in his office."
"Ok, thank you."
Luna put her fists on her hips and huffed. She didn't feel like working, and she couldn't return to the greenhouse. There was no reason to. It was too cold to walk comfortably outside and admire the scenery, so she opted to wander inside next to the windows.
In the time to herself, she listened to her music in peace, earbuds in and the world out. Peter could have the longest heart-to-heart with Tony as he liked. Luna was in her own space, admiring the forest from the warmer indoors and indulging in Corey Hart's freshman album.
Touching the chilled glass and tapping it along to beat, Luna swayed to 'It Ain't Enough' with a faint grin on her face. A sentimental, slow groove song coupled with lyrics of unequal love and devotion. An enjoyably sad song, but how many of its kind existed? How many would come to be in the future, near and far?
"I know that I'll never be afraid to say that I'm here by your side and I'm gonna stay."
What a nice thought.
'Does She Love You' was more upbeat and moved Luna to rhythmically tap her feet as she walked. She kept an eye out for on-lookers who weren't supposed to be seeing her out and about during afternoon work hours. She wouldn't get reprimanded, but it would be embarrassing.
Conveniently, in the middle of the album, FRIDAY interrupted.
"Ms. Fields, Mr. Stark is available to speak with you now if you like."
Luna clapped her hands together. "Fantastic. Thank you, FRIDAY."
Bounding up the stairs, she finished the song and part of the next one prior to reaching Tony's office. Lifting her hand off of the bio-scanner once the door unlocked, she discovered Tony supervising a spec-run on a set of new web-shooters.
"Hey, boss!" Luna called to him. "Talk about anything fun with Peter?"
"Ah, so he saw you too? Yeah, he wanted to say hi before I left."
"Good, good. And did you show him that?" She pointed to the screen, still running numbers and simulations.
"Heh, oh no. This is a surprise for a later date. Remember the Iron Spider suit I tried giving him?"
"It's too cool to forget."
Tony waved a hand at the screen. "Think of this as version 2.0." He nudged Luna's side. "And you can thank your not-so-little friend for all the help when you get home."
She smirked and side-eyed him. "Oh, I will. I'll tell him all about how you gushed and you 'couldn't've done it without him.'"
Tony chuckled. "Don't play it up that much. I could have easily done it alone. It just would've taken a little longer."
Luna nodded and hummed. "Mhm, gotcha."
"Careful, it's the holiday season. Try not to sound so sarcastic." They shared a brief laugh. "Speaking of which, why don't you come to the office Christmas party this year? You missed the last two."
Smirk still on her face, Luna glanced Tony's way. "Oh, you mean the party that you won't be attending again because you'll be vacationing with Pepper in...where is it this year?"
"Paris. For a month. But it's the thought that counts, right?"
Luna shook her head. "Pretty sure that doesn't apply to parties."
Tony faced her, the numbers on the virtual screen wholly forgotten. "Why don't you show up anyway? I'll even let you bring Loki if you think he'll miss you too much. Just dress him up in one of those surgical masks and say he's recovering from TB. No one will know it's him."
"Thank you, Tony, but I'll have to pass again." Luna needed a nonnegotiable lie and fast. "My mom is coming."
"Great. You can bring her too."
Luna grimaced a bit. "She's not keen on big parties, and I don't want to just leave her. Besides, with Loki in my home, I'll have enough of a party going on to think about another one." She chuckled nervously.
Tony eyed her. "Ok, sourpuss, you don't have to go, but you do have to make up for it with a nice present when I get back."
"Already working on it, boss." Tension left her body. He believed her, for now. "And speaking of presents, I would very much like you to help me out with one in particular, please."
"Well, since you said it so nicely, I really have to do it now. What's the thing?"
Luna crossed her arms. "Uh, it's a phone...for Loki." Tony's face dropped.
"Are you being serious right now?! Do you have any clue what he could do with one of those things?!"
"Yeah, but I still think it's a good idea!" Luna exclaimed. Tony dragged his hands over his face.
"How could this be a good idea?! You do remember who he is, right?"
"Of course!" Luna threw her hands up. "That's part of the reason why I think it's a good idea."
"And what's the other part?" He groaned. "Oh, please don't tell me you went and made him your boyfriend. You can't be that lonely."
"What?! No!" Luna screeched and took a deep breath. "It's just that he's in my house all alone during the day and I think it'd be good to be able to check on him whenever. You know, make sure he doesn't try to microwave tinfoil."
"Come on, he's not a puppy, although you may think he's cute like one."
"I know, but think about it. So please?" Luna laced her fingers together and held them in front of her face. "Will you help me out?"
Tony sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "Alright, fine."
"Yay! I promise you won't regret this."
He pulled out his phone. "Uh-huh." He typed a message out, eliciting a few clicking noises and a whoosh, and tucked the device back into his pocket. "Ok, it'll be here by Monday. Everything in it is already set up so just activate it like always. Or I could give you one now since we're here."
"I like getting things in the mail. Tony, you know that."
"Yeah, and it's really weird."
"You're just mad about that one delivery guy calling you 'Tony Stank.'" Luna couldn't help giggling.
"Ugh, don't remind me. Rhodey's still teasing me about it."
"Hey, it's funny." Her laugh grew, making Tony join in with a few chuckles of his own. It was a funny memory. "So when are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow. Just closing up some stuff here." Tony gestured to the screen and table littered with tools and metal samples. "I promised Pepper that I'm not going to work over the holidays, so I'm not going to work. At all."
"You're lucky I'm more than willing to babysit the kid when you cant."
"And this is why you're great." Tony slung an arm around Luna, pulling her into a side hug. "Hey. Consider this my gift to you."
She shot him an incredulous look. "Really? Your Christmas gift to me is my Christmas gift to Loki? Wow, classic."
Tony gently poked her shoulder. "Just don't say I never did anything for you."
"Nothing?" Luna wrapped both her arms around Tony's torso. "Oh, boss, you've already done so much for me."