“Really? Huh, I didn’t know I’d upped my record, consider it noted, and I’m exceptionally proud of myself.”
He brushed past a few things, casting her a disbelieving look, “Traitor,” He said expressively, indicating at Dum-E, “He’s in trouble and he knows it,” He echoed, narrowing his eyes on the piece of mechanics, more out of dramatics more than anything. “You know what you did, and I want you to think about it,” He added in Dum-E’s direction.
Lifting his hands, he slid his jacket off, laying it over the back of his chair while he worked on his tie, “Here’s hoping,” He said, a wry smile crossing his lips. He’d kept much of the Extremis under wraps, and admittedly the first he’d told was Natasha which had almost surprised himself, but this was Pepper who knew practically every corner of his life, and one of the people he trusted implicitly.
The tie followed the jacket, and was covered quickly with his shirt, and he rolled his shoulders, hitting the holographic control nearest him, and changing a few dials, opening the case.
For a moment he looked like he was doing nothing before the near fluid, near material nanites flooded over his skin, forming a second skin over his own, and the second it closed over his fingertips, he made a short gesture and the armour left it’s case, aligning to his arms, pieces following bit by bit until the plating had covered his chest, and both arms, “It takes a little concentration, but I can actually call this half way across the town, maybe even overseas—I’m still testing on distance, but it beats those bracelets.”
“Of course you are.” Her eyes rolled slightly in their sockets.
“Whatever do you mean, Mr. Stark?” she replied, freckled features shifting into a look of feigned innocence. Though it was no secret that Pepper had a soft spot for Tony’s robotic creations. They were not essential to her objective, but she had bonded to them like a owner would bond with a pet. They were adorable in her eyes. Perfectly crafted robotics, but still awkward in their own way. Not to mention, they got under Tony’s skin on several occasions, which never ceased to amuse her. “Oh, stop being so dramatic. He didn’t break anything. It’s just a little mess— which hardly stands out amongst everything else. Like creator, like creation.”
Pepper ran her palm along the mechanical arm before she stepped towards Tony, giving him her undivided attention. Green eyes stared ahead as he began to undress. “I am sure it will be incredible,” she assured, shifting her weight as she waited for the great reveal.
She had only seen Extremis once — and not because he had shown her like this. Tony wasn’t especially good at keeping secrets from her, especially since she had the security codes to his private server and the trust of JARVIS. Using the excuse that she was concerned for his well-being after he had been acting strange for several days, Pepper had gained access to a visual record of an Extremis test. Though, even if she had not found the video, Rhodey had come to her a few days later and blabbed because of his own concern for their mutual friend.
Tongue swept across her lips, moistening the skin as she watched him roll his shoulders. He was certainly taking his sweet time with this presentation. Pepper was beginning to nibble on her bottle lip out of sheer anticipation. Then finally what could only be described as liquid gold began to spread across his body. Eyes widened and her body leaned forward slightly as she observed the process, amazed by it. Seeing this in person was quite different than on a video screen. Out of pure curiosity, an urge to run her fingers over the surface bubbled up inside of her, but she resisted. Keeping her few feet distance, she watched as Tony called the pieces of armor to him with only a gesture of his hand. They metal fit around his body like pieces of a puzzle. Each one had their proper place and found it with relative ease. Like a moth to a flame. It was remarkable. Ingenius. Envious.
“You’ve truly outdone yourself this time, Tony. Bravo,” she commented before her hands met, rewarding him with his desired applause. She took a few more steps forward, closing the distance between them. Now she allowed herself to run her fingertips against the surface of the armor, completely mesmerized by what she had just seen. ”The best of both worlds, I’d say. A good combination of Extremis and the Mark VII’s call and recognition.”
