Chapter Text
Being an assistant at Stark Industries had some amazing perks, especially when you worked at the tower in New York. You saw the man himself on a near daily basis along with the other Avengers. Mostly your job was filing things for the likes of Pepper Potts or Maria Hill. Sometimes you filled in at the reception desk when the usual receptionist needed time off. It was an amazing job with lots of liberties. So when there was a lull in work, it wasn’t unusual for you to play around on your phone. What was unusual was Tony Stark sneaking up behind you to see what you were doing.
“What is that?” his voice practically purred in your ear, his breath tickling your skin.
Needless to say, you jumped and almost dropped your phone. “Oh my god!” you breathed as you knocked into your boss. Your hand flew to your heart while Tony chuckled from behind you. You whirled, face red, and eyed him carefully. “Can I help you with something, Mr. Stark?”
The dark haired man scowled at you slightly. “Mr. Stark was my old man,” he pointed out. He set his ever present tumbler down on your desk and extended his hand, motioning to your phone. “So, what new trend are we playing at work?”
You passed your phone over to him. “Pokemon Go. It just dropped in the app store here. You can catch Pokemon using your camera to display Pokemon in real life. Augmented reality and what not,” you tell him.
The moment the phone was in Tony’s hand, it began to vibrate. He quirked an eyebrow at you as your eyes lit up. “People still play Pokemon?” he asked as he began tapping on your phone’s screen.
“Oh yeah. It’s a global phenomenon. There’s events going on all over the city right now,” you told him as you watched him play the game on your phone. He made a circle of the office, his brow creasing in concentration. You could practically see the gears turning inside his head. You couldn’t help being amused as you watched him - Tony Stark, the self-proclaimed billionaire genius playboy philanthropist and member of the Avengers, was engrossed in a Pokemon game, catching them like a pro.
“Interesting,” he mused as he completed his lap around the office. He handed you back your phone before picking up his tumbler and sauntering out of the office.
You watched with a raised eyebrow. “Interesting indeed.”
~*~
A week later, you walked into the reception area of the Tower and just stopped. You were tempted to turn around and walk out; surely you must be dreaming. There was no way what you were seeing could be real. The main lobby was filled with people – the majority of them were not even on Tony Stark’s payroll. “The hell is all this?” you asked yourself as you fished out your phone. Had you missed a work announcement explaining why people were wandering around Avengers Tower with their smart phones in their hands?
Then it hit you and you let out a low groan. Quickly switching from your emails to your Pokemon Go app, you knew what you were going to see. The game map showed your avatar in the middle of a packed cluster of Pokestops that had not been there the day before. You worked in the building and had played the game over the course of the week; you knew for certain this was a new development. You also had the sinking feeling that the entire thing was your doing.
A low, almost pained moan escaped your lips as you closed your app and began to slowly back towards the door. You could not deal with another one of Tony Stark’s crazy ideas. You had just barely survived the Ultron fiasco; you didn’t think you could survive Tony Stark the Pokemaniac.
“There she is! My favourite employee!”
You groaned and stopped, a mere foot from the door, as Tony Stark made his way towards you with his arms flung wide. By the way your boss’ grin widened, you guessed you had a deer in the headlights sort of look as you watched his approach. Possibly, you were gaping at the man. It was hard not to; in his hand he held not a tumbler but what looked suspiciously like a modified Scizor plush. As Tony drew closer, you almost face palmed. He was indeed carrying a stuffed Pokemon doll customized to look like one of his suits. “Mr. Stark,” you started, only to receive a disapproving look from the sharply dressed man carrying a Pokemon doll. “I mean, Tony… What the hell is all of this?”
“Well, I own some stock in Nintendo and I struck a deal with them and Niantic,” Tony drawled as he forced the Ironman Scizor into your hands. “Nintendo gets to market these exclusive Avengers themed Pokemon and I paid for all the Pokestops here,” he continued when you failed to look impressed by his business savvy.
All you could do was raise an eyebrow at him.
Tony just sighed, clearly disturbed that you weren’t fawning over his obvious genius, and moved to drop an arm around your shoulders. “I thought you would appreciate this merger of your gaming and professional lives,” he mused with a shake of his head.
“It’s… something,” you conceded as Tony led you around the main lobby, weaving you both through throngs of people. Your eyes widened when you saw the merchandise tables. “Holy hell,” you gaped. Rows of Pokemon dolls sat at the tables – Pikachus dressed like Thor, Mewtwos that you assumed were The Vision, Aegislash with their shields done up to look like Cap’s, and even metal-armed Sneasels sat before you. “How did you manage this in a week?”
“Sweetheart, I’m Tony Stark. There’s nothing I can’t do,” he reminded you as he pulled you over to a table and picked up a Pidgey resembled Hawkeye. “I know you have a soft spot for Dad Barton,” he said as he plopped the doll into your free hand.
“So you’re using this for profit?” you asked, frowning despite inwardly adoring your Hawkeye Pidgey. Tony was right about one thing - you did have a soft spot for Clint Barton. He had always been good to you, almost like a second father.
Tony just raised an eyebrow at you. “Seventy-five percent of the profits for each sale is going to charity. Different ones, depending on the doll. See that Graveller Hulk? Proceeds are going to medical research for various diseases,” Tony told you seriously. “Cap’s, Frosty’s, and the other Birdbrain’s go to help veterans. The Maximoff dolls? Relief efforts in countries like Sokovia.”
You looked up at your boss in wide-eyed wonder. Sure, he was an eccentric man who drank and flirted too much but he was also a genius philanthropist just like he touted. He was helping bring people together in a safe environment and promoting a multitude of charities in one fell swoop. He might have been slightly crazy, but you couldn’t help respect him just a little bit more. “I’m impressed,” you finally admitted.
“Of course you are.”
And just like that, you were groaning and shaking your head in disbelief once more.