[ Tony sits at the edge of the bed, looking like he's trying to find something to do with his hands. Impressive, since he's still holding the plates with cake slices on them. ]
Hey, you can ask JARVIS anything you want. You're not breaking some high-security protocol. Worst case, he tells you I'm an idiot, but in that hyper-polite way of his. But you don’t have to ask for permission to ask him questions, all right?
[ He watches as she sort of crunches the towel into her hair, and then he adds: ]
As for the party, it was impressively loud while simultaneously being boring. Half the guests didn’t know what they were celebrating, the other half wanted to talk mergers and defense contracts. Boring stuff, but Pepper wanted boring. The board of directors wanted boring. I guess after the last party, it had to be boring, but- [ He cuts himself off, faking a yawn. ] Almost put me to sleep a few times.
I always thought, what's the point of it being your birthday if you can't celebrate how you want and with whoever you want? So I made an excuse to duck out early. I think Pepper was relieved, frankly.
[ She asks about the cake, and he leans back slightly on the bed, glancing at her. ]
Yeah, Board-ordered cake. Board-certified, probably. [ It's a bad joke. Actually, it's not a joke at all. ] Triple-tier monstrosity with sparklers and edible gold leaf. Fancy stuff.
[ He holds out the cake slice to her. ] Figured you might enjoy it. If not, well, it won't hurt my feelings if you toss it out. By the way, you left me something. You probably thought I didn't even notice it, but I did.
Believe it or not, I don't actually get many presents. Something about "what do you buy the rich guy who has everything?" Fun fact, I don't actually have everything, although you probably won't believe that.
[ He pauses, and when he speaks again, his tone is more genuine than it was just moments ago. ]
Thanks, by the way. Really. Is it laying it on too thick if I say it's one of the best presents I've gotten in awhile?
no subject
Hey, you can ask JARVIS anything you want. You're not breaking some high-security protocol. Worst case, he tells you I'm an idiot, but in that hyper-polite way of his. But you don’t have to ask for permission to ask him questions, all right?
[ He watches as she sort of crunches the towel into her hair, and then he adds: ]
As for the party, it was impressively loud while simultaneously being boring. Half the guests didn’t know what they were celebrating, the other half wanted to talk mergers and defense contracts. Boring stuff, but Pepper wanted boring. The board of directors wanted boring. I guess after the last party, it had to be boring, but- [ He cuts himself off, faking a yawn. ] Almost put me to sleep a few times.
I always thought, what's the point of it being your birthday if you can't celebrate how you want and with whoever you want? So I made an excuse to duck out early. I think Pepper was relieved, frankly.
[ She asks about the cake, and he leans back slightly on the bed, glancing at her. ]
Yeah, Board-ordered cake. Board-certified, probably. [ It's a bad joke. Actually, it's not a joke at all. ] Triple-tier monstrosity with sparklers and edible gold leaf. Fancy stuff.
[ He holds out the cake slice to her. ] Figured you might enjoy it. If not, well, it won't hurt my feelings if you toss it out. By the way, you left me something. You probably thought I didn't even notice it, but I did.
Believe it or not, I don't actually get many presents. Something about "what do you buy the rich guy who has everything?" Fun fact, I don't actually have everything, although you probably won't believe that.
[ He pauses, and when he speaks again, his tone is more genuine than it was just moments ago. ]
Thanks, by the way. Really. Is it laying it on too thick if I say it's one of the best presents I've gotten in awhile?