Chapter Text
He was Tony Stark, so she wasn't expecting 100% of his attention, but Pepper could usually get around 90% on a date night. “We said no work.”
“It's not work,” he protested, still smiling as he hit the power button and his phone went dark. She noticed he set it down next to his plate, and not back into his pocket. “We said no work. I keep my word. It wasn't work.”
“And we definitely said none of that other stuff.”
Tony nodded. “You said that, and I agreed, because I love you.”
“Because you love me,” she echoed, nodding back at him.
“I mean, if you want to get technical...”
“I do. I do want to get technical.”
“It was sorta maybe a little related to the other stuff, but...”
“Tony, my salad is perfect. This pinot is...one of a kind. I have never had squash this good. Why are you trying to ruin my night?”
Tony sighed. He swiped at his phone and then projected the image for her to see. It was a photo of Peter Parker with his head in a lion statue's mouth, pretending like he's being eaten. His mouth was open like he was screaming and he had smeared something red on his neck.
“Well, it's not work,” Pepper conceded.
“Like I said.” Tony set his phone down again. “I don't know why he's bothering me with this. I'm a very busy billionaire fiance.”
“Maybe he needs Iron Man's help. You know, with the lion.”
“See that's another thing to complain about. The kid has a lot to learn but he's certainly capable of webby-thinging an animal's mouth shut. So I'm not even really sure what he's going for here. Where's the artistic vision? Where's the internal logic?”
The phone dinged again, and Tony didn't hesitate to check the text. Pepper's eyes were wide with indignation but she softened at seeing Tony's unguarded smile, his momentarily unrestrained affection for Peter. “...Tony?” she prompted after a few seconds.
“Oh, oh.” Tony held up the phone for her to see, chuckling to himself. “He's a good kid. An idiot. But a good kid. Likes wasting my time, though. I never should have given him this number.”
In the new photo, Peter was pretending to run from the lion. His shirt appeared all torn up and the fake blood spread around further.
“He's really committed to the bit,” Pepper remarked dryly, taking a sip of her wine.