Work Text:
Bern, Switzerland
New Year's Eve, 1999
The hotel’s clocks had just struck midnight when the plant on Maya's sitting room table exploded.
Inside the bedroom alcove, the noise didn't faze Tony much, as he peered over Maya's head at the laptop on her desk. Mind still on the data, he simply called out over his shoulder, “You okay, Steve?”
After a moment, a gruff “yeah, no problem,” emerged from the smoke in the alcove's entryway. Satisfied, Tony turned back to Maya, who swiveled in her desk chair to face him.
“Sorry about that.” A shadow passed over Maya's expression as she told him about the problem, which apparently was a consequence of stubborn flaws in her code for the biochemical sequencing.
Tony offered an encouraging smile. “So, that wasn’t a one-time thing?”
“No, unfortunately. It’s like a horrible, inverted version of déjà-vu: it happens over and over, and each time is a nightmare.”
“And you’re sure it hasn’t become sentient? It’s not trying to tell you, ‘I’m hungry,’ disguised in the language of flowers, right?”
Her shoulders eased and she grinned back. “Nope, nope, nope—”
“Because I’ve got money on me! We can bring it down to the hotel restaurant, pass it off as a member of our interspecies polycule ... ‘Hey, we’re out on New Year’s, dating! Apps and drinks for everyone!’”
His ridiculous chatter finally had Maya laughing. “You have a warped sense of humor,” she protested.
“I take that as high praise. But listen, your work is amazing; you should absolutely submit your grant proposal to the Maria Stark Foundation. You’ll have great mentoring and build a colleague network, so you won’t have to go it alone. Even if your theory doesn’t pan out, you’ll have funding enough to conduct a half-dozen studies, tax-free, space enough for all your experimental apparatus, and time enough to write yourself into a great academic position.”
Her eyes were luminous. “Are you seriously trying to make all my wishes come true, Tony? I’ve never had a fairy godmother before.”
“Wings and a wand are overrated. I’m more of a workshop elf.”
“Lord, forget elf — you’re a whole Santa, all by yourself.” She reached out and clasped his hands, blinking hard. He pressed hers gently and stepped back, turning away so as not to see her tears.
“Hey, it’s the right time of year …” he said, grabbing his party hat from an armchair. “And with that, I’ll wish you season’s greetings! I’m heading out to the casinos; going to try my poker face on a table full of Swiss bankers. Have a good night!”
Maya was still thanking him as he stepped into the outer room.
The smoke had cleared away, but Tony didn't think it would have made a difference. He could find a path to his bodyguard in a total blackout.
Steve was standing a careful distance away from the plant. As they exited, following the hallway down to the elevator, Tony smiled at him.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Steve.”
“Really? I thought my presence put the damper on some budding intimacy.”
“Are you kidding — if Happy had been working security instead of you, when that plant exploded, he'd have run in for a tackle and ended up falling on top of me!”
If Steve hadn’t been working security on this trip, Tony thought, I wouldn’t have spent these last few weeks getting to know him better. I would have been restless and looking for distractions. I would have been drinking a lot more.
“I’ve gotten used to things blowing up around you, Tony, but that one sure was a surprise. I didn’t think this was a job where I’d need a helmet.”
“Well, I’ve got you covered,” Tony stretched up and planted his sparkly bowler hat on Steve’s blond head. The elevator doors opened. “Come on, we’ve got plans.” He took Steve by the hand and dragged him into the empty elevator car.
“We’re not really going gambling, are we?”
“Nah, who needs cheap thrills when I’ve got you? We’re going to get some sleep, and tomorrow morning I was thinking — road trip! Geneva is only a couple of hours away, and Steve, it’s so beautiful. There are medieval castles and fortresses, and all sorts of art museums; I want you to see everything.”
Steve’s delighted laugh welled up, surrounding them both as the doors closed.