🫧 ー idk some marvel/nikke psl apparently we'll name later.

[bubblesong]

"It's Tony's birthday today. Now, he won't want you to make a big deal out of it. Don't even mention it. Because, last year was a disaster. I mean a huge disaster. He and Rhodey broke the house with suits! It was bad. Really bad. So, this year, he has to save face publicly. It's part of having your name on a company and having a Board of Directors. He needs to look good so they look good. So, a big fancy party that isn't here at the house. He'll probably make a flashy entrance because thats just Tony."

"... And you need me to stay here otherwise it might cause a problem. Because I'm a NIKKE."

Pepper Potts frowns slightly. "More because of his reputation with women. I'm only there because he made me CEO of the company."

"Aoou... I see. Okay. I understand." Little Mermaid nods slowly.

This is what happens when you insert yourself into someone's life. You aren't the center of their world. They have obligations, duties, and relationships already in play. She can't try to over shadow them or be more than the place she has already carved out. She understands. The world isn't meant to know NIKKEs still even exist. Maybe she's the only one...

"I've already asked JARVIS to help with anything you need. Tony probably already has, but, I wanted to make sure too." Pepper tries to smile. It feels like telling someone she's not accepted by the crowd and purposely kept away. She doesn't like it, but, Rhodey also felt the same way. Tony has to save his face with this event. "Is there anything I can do before I go, Siren?"

"Ahh? Uhm, no! It's okay. I'm used to being alone! Although it really isn't being alone with JARVIS here."

Pepper feels her smile falter just slightly. "No. I guess it's not. If you need anything have JARVIS call me."

Little Mermaid nods before raising her hands to shoo Pepper away. The woman is busy and has her things to do! In a way, it reminds her of her old friends. Abe always had meetings or tests to run with them. Hansel and Gtrel would stick to themselves mostly unless it was to cause trouble. Cinderella was the closest one to her, while Red Shoes...

Her hands tremble slighy at the memory of the woman.

"Tony's birthday..."

She thinks for a moment before nodding to herself. Within moments she is in her room, placing on her old uniform wet suit, and then heading out the back door that would lead outside. The path she takes is familiar to her. Diving in the sea is an enjoyable hobby. Especially as her bubbles allow her to dive deeper than NIKKEs normally are capable of due to their heavy bodies. She spends enough time underwater that when she finally returns to the surface, night has settled in. A bubble rests gently in her hands as she quickly returns to the Malibu mansion. The bubble is tucked under her arm as she enters the home, making her way to grab a few towels. Water isn't appreciated in the workshop.

Little Mermaid presses her hand to the glass door. The system recognizes her and allows her to slip into the workshop.

"Good evening, Miss Siren. Is there something I can help you with?"

She jumps at the voice and coughs to regain her composure. "Ah! JARVIS..."

"Apologies for frightening you. Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts are far more accustomed to my random interjections."

"Oh, it's not that! I just... am used to being alone." Little Mermaid comes to stand in the middle of the workshop with a towel wrapped around her main body to dry her suit and what she could fit of her hair on a towel on her head. "Uhm... ah... JARVIS? Could you help me with something? I need a strong wire. It doesn't need to be thick! Thin is okay."

"That is a simple request. Shall I have it brought to you upstairs?"

"No! Here is fine."

Little Mermaid stops in the middle of the room. Then, she moves down to the landing area. She makes herself comfortable and moves the bubble in front of her. With a gentle tap the bubble dissolves showing variations of shells. A smile spreads to her face. She starts to work on organzing by shape and size, humming slightly to herself. It's only when the arm stretches the flexible wire out to her she remembers that she isn't quite alone. The smile simmers slightly into something else sadder.

"Uhmmm... JARVIS?"

"Yes, Miss Siren?"

"Oh! Siren is fine. Even Little Mermaid is okay." She fidgets slightly before taking the wire from the arm. She snaps it easily then begins to bend it into the shape she wants. "Could... you look for something for me?"

"Of course, Siren. I will note that anything searched for will be recorded on the database for Mr. Stark to see as well. If that has your approval we can proceed."

Little Mermaid bends one of the ends of the wire. "That's fine. I don't think he'd really care anyways..."

"Very well. What should I look into? I have access to several public databases as well as certain top secret databases. Some would require further access requests from Mr. Stark."

Little Mermaid places the wire down. Her hands extend out, bubbles forming at her palms into exact shapes of two women. One taller with twin tails and one slightly older with a lab coat and glasses. The small bubble replicas walk forward and stop a few feet from their creator.

"Can you find anything about them...? Cinderella and Abe. My dear friend and out creator. I tried for a long time to find them on my own before I was captured..."

Blue laser lights project from the ceiling and wall. They scan the two bubbles before disappearing.

"I will begin a facial recognition scan. May I ask how long ago was "a long time"?"

"Uhm... its 2011 now...? So, uhm... sixty years ago?"

"The time of World War Two. If I might say, Siren, you hardly look a day over twenty."

She laughs a little. "Thank you."

JARVIS gets to work and she returns to her own arts and craft project. While certainly not on the scale of what Abe or Tony can do? She's at least certain her little project here will have some meaning. Even if it's a meaning that ends up on a shelf and forgotten for years and years. The two bubbles she has created stand by and watch her work. The twin tails nods or shakes her head at the order of shells being threaded onto the wire, while the one in the lab coat points to where errors of sizing have happened. Little Mermaid nods along with them.

Her humming has stopped and is instead replaced by the whirling of the robotic arm and hums of the machine.

"It seems as if I may have found something. May I show it to you, Siren? It will help narrow down the search."

Little Mermaid raises her head at the announcement. She ties the two pieces of wire together and begins to secure it before standing. A hologram projection of an old newspaper comes to view. Her hands sink in front of her at the faces she sees. A man and a woman standing next together. The man looks familiar, but she can't ever remember knowing exactly who he was. The woman she knows very well.

"Abe..."

A hand raises to gently touch the hologram. Fingertips slide through the projection. A woman with unruly blonde hair and glasses, an old lab coat and period dressing of the time. She stands beside the man. Behind her another woman with short hair stands with a smile on her face. Little Mermaid feels her hands begin to tremble at the sight of the other woman. She is a part of the story that Little Mermaid wishes she could forget... or at the very least no longer feel afraid of when she thinks or sees her.

"It would seem not many public records exist of the woman you identified as 'Abe.' She disappears from census records sometime after World War II. I have yet to find public records of the other woman you presented for the facial recognition scan. However, it could take time, as records from this time period are still in the process of being digitized."

"You probably won't find anything." Little Mermaid lowers her hand and looks at the strung together seashells in her other hand. "We were secret... meant to be unveiled to the public after the success of our mission. That never happened."

She pauses.

"Are there no records of them being seen anywhere recently...?"

"Not that I have identified yet, but these searches can take time. Shall I widen the search to include other parameters?"

"N-no. It's okay. Thank you for looking anyways." Little Mermaid forces a smile on her face. The bubbles of her two friends then dissipate into smaller bubbles. "Do you have a pen and paper I could use?"

"Of course."

The mechanical arm returns once more with the requested items. She gives a gentle pat of thanks to the arm before walking over to the desk that is filled with various pens, notes, drafts, and cups. A quick note is written with the string of seashells neatly placed onto it.

𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝐵𝒾𝓇𝓉𝒽𝒹𝒶𝓎, 𝒯𝑜𝓃𝓎.

She places the pen on the table before smiling. Once more she bundles what hair has fallen out of the towel in her arms. She heads to the workshop door and pauses.

"Good night, JARVIS. Thank you for trying to find anything. S-sleep well."

"While I do not require sleep, the sentiment is much appreciated. Sleep well, Siren."

"I don't need to sleep either."

She leaves the workshop and quietly heads to the room that has been given to her and shuts the door. The lights dim and she shuts the curtains. She sits on the bed in the dark drying her hair before laying back on it. Then, she rolls to her side and closes her eyes. Sleep doesn't necessarily come though. Maybe that's for the best. Her dreams would probably be filled with memories of how her team fell apart. How they were betrayed from the inside. How their heroes had to come in and stop ...

Little Mermaid sighs and rolls over to put her back to the door. There's definitely no sleep for her tonight.

Comments

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony doesn't say anything right away.

He's been called a lot of things, either by himself or by others: genius, billionaire, warmonger, and worse besides. But hero? No one's really called him that, and no one wants to call him that, for the most part. He could brag and make claims that he's a hero, but he's really not. But hearing that from someone who still believes in heroes?

That one gets past the armor that he's worked so hard to build. It's not armor like his suits, but something harder to see and even harder to break. Except one word from one person managed to do it. ]

Damn, you really know how to hit a guy right in the arc reactor, don’t you?

[ It's half a joke and half not. Of course he has a heart, despite his efforts to pretend otherwise, but it's almost easier to deflect and just reference the arc reactor, not the real thing. ]

Listen, I’ve been a lot of things. I’ve done a lot of things. Some good. Some... really not good. The kind that people pick apart and question until there's nothing left to question. Hell, I'm not even really a good guy, not if you look at my record. But if I ever needed a reason to keep pushing? Well... I'd say moments like this count as a reason.

[ He nods toward her, as if to say "moments like this, with someone like you." ]

So, Iron Man's your hero, huh? Believe it or not, I didn't start all of this wanting to be a hero. I just- there was a problem that I caused and I had to fix it.

[ He's not sure why he's really telling her this, but it's something to do to fill up the space as he moves around slowly with Mermaid. ]

The thing is, Ariel? And yeah, I know how this sounds, coming from someone who's always front and center, but... It's not always the front and center people who end up being the real heroes. Sometimes it's the ones people don't even notice.

[ He pauses before he adds: ]

I notice you, by the way. And if I had to choose between you and Cinderella, I know who I'd pick every time. Don't get me wrong, I bet she's great. The whole package.

[ He tugs lightly at her hands in a somewhat playful gesture as he eyes her with a suddenly serious but obviously playful look. ]

You've got better hair, though, and a better laugh.

[ It's obviously meant to be funny, as he's never even seen Cinderella, but at the same time, Tony means every word. ]

[bubblesong]

[ Who wouldn't call him a hero? The things he has done as Iron Man may not erase his past, and instead make up for it, but it's clear he is a different man. A different person. Then again, she had always been called too kind and too naive. Perhaps this is one of those times. In her eyes? Tony isn't "new", but simply more refined. The better version of himself.

A man who wishes to do good and will accept the wrong doings in that strive to be better.

His question simply makes her smile. She doesn't mean to make him uncomfortable or left feeling awkward. She's simply honest about how she feels... and forward about it when the time is needed.

Otherwise? She simply keeps to herself trying to be unseen.

Her eyes widen slightly. 'With someone like you.'

She isn't the only one who knows how to get past protective walls.

He tugs at her hands and she steps closer to him. Didn't he want her closer by that motion? A tinge of pink comes to her face at the realization of how close she is, but she doesn't step away either. A shy smile overtakes her gentle one.

Her hair and her laugh? ]

Not just Iron Man. You! With or without the suit. [ Her hands squeeze his in an attempt to make her point obvious and known. ] That's what makes you a hero, Tony. You don't need to be perfect in order to be someone that people admire.

... sometimes seeing someone still pushing forward to make something right gives you the courage and strength to keep going too. I think that's the kind of hero you are. That's why people admire you now.

[ How many times had she nearly given up on being found? On the idea that the doors would open and she would see the silhouettes of Cinderella and Abe standing there; that her bubbles had led her friends to her in order to save her. She couldn't get out on her own--she tried. A different silhouette had shown up one day, but that isn't hardly a bad thing. She met a human that cares about her regardless of a Nikke.

Just like Agent Oswald had.

Even if he doesn't care about her the same way she cares about him. ]

It's okay if you stop noticing me one day. [ She smiles but there is something else to it that lingers.

An expectation or maybe even an acceptance. She always stood behind her squadmates--supporting them because she couldn't stand on the same level. Just like she can't stand on the same level as Tony. He's a real hero. Not one that failed before she could even become a hero.

Let alone a Goddess of Victory. ]

Someday someone will swoop your attention away and they'll be the one you notice! You'll find the person that catches all your thoughts and you should. Because, you deserve it for all the good you've done. Maybe you didn't always do good, but you are now!

[ That person, romantically or not, in her mind is Pepper Potts. The one Tony should notice the most. ]

[doesntpaint]

[ He stares at her for a long second, long enough that the silence might’ve felt awkward if it weren’t for the way his thumb instinctively brushes over her knuckles. ]

That’s the thing about people like you. You say stuff like that, and I don’t know whether to thank you or tell you you’re way too good at handing out second chances.

[ He pauses again, another long one that seems to stretch on for too long. This isn't uncomfortable for him, exactly, but vulnerability is something he's never been really good at. ]

You really think I'd just stop noticing you? You're probably going to say I'm full of shit, but- believe it or not, I notice things sometimes. I mean, okay, I forget things a lot, like what Pepper's allergic to, but- [ He's trying to say that he tries. ] The point is, I notice things. Especially the stuff I pretend I don’t. You think I pulled you closer by accident?

[ He squeezes her hands gently now, because while he's not the most touchy kind of guy, this feels like the right time for a little physical contact. ]

Look, if I ever stop noticing you, it’s not because someone better came along. It’s because I messed up. Because I let my head or my tinkering or whatever get in the way. And if that ever happens?

Kick me. Hard. And if you're really not happy with me, go for the cars.

[ He smiles at her, and maybe it's weird to smile after he just gave her permission to kick him and then destroy his stuff, but it makes sense in his head. ]

I don’t know where this thing between us goes. I’m not exactly a safe bet. But you’re wrong about one thing.

[ He leans in a little closer. ]

I already noticed you. Too late for me to notice anyone else now. You're stuck with me.

[bubblesong]

[ A small laugh, then: ] I was told I was ridiculously, stupidly nice... to a fault. I guess somethings don't change?

[ Abe had always told her that and her squadmates lovingly agreed. Even in times she felt she wasn't good because she couldn't control the Kotodama and potentially hurt her friends. She decides its good if Tony feels the same way. It means, not only has nothing changed, but that he sees in her the exact same things her long lost friends and creator saw. It means so much to her that she doesn't feel she can really explain it in a way that would make sense.

At his question she simply gives a nervous smile. Yes, she does think he would notice someone else. He should notice someone else. Barely anything of her is human anymore by physical means. Information on how she was made or who she even was as a human girl is lost to time. He deserves a woman he can share his legacy with and have children with. That can't and won't ever be her.

Part of her would wonder why she is even debating things at such a level, but, she supposes it must come with the territory of Tony Stark. Especially with the constant warnings and reminders from Pepper about his past with women.

Or, maybe, she already has a feeling and simply doesn't want to admit it to even herself just yet.

At least that is what she thinks before leans in closer. It feels like the air leaves her lungs and her heart--at least what would be considered her heart--pounds in her ears. It almost feels like a fairytale with the prince and princess getting closer. Not that she is anything like a princess and she would never say Tony was something like a prince to her... out loud. ]

If I kick you? It'll break your leg... [ Little Mermaid tries to add something like his humor into the very suddenly intimate moment. ] And it'd break your cars...

[ Her hands curl around his more as if accepting the offer of being "stuck" with him. Not that she thinks he would think of her like she thinks of him. Regardless of the hero factor? She thinks about him quite a lot. If he's healthy, if he's eaten, if he's upset or needs to go out and be outside for a bit before going back to whatever problem he's trying to fix with his suits. If he really likes all the music he listens to

She hasn't noticed how close they are, not really. How if they leaned just a bit closer they would be in the range that would give temptations to kiss one another. She wouldn't suggest or even hint at it. Especially when his birthday should be about him, not silly thoughts in her head. ]

Little Mermaid gives him the most genuine smile she can give him. One that shows how truly happy she is to be here with him. ]

Then, I guess you're stuck with me too. [ Her head tilts back slightly. ] I know it's not much, and you said this is how you'd want to spend it, but... is there anything else you would like to do for your birthday?

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony lets out a soft, warm huff of breath, his smile shifting into something fond. He doesn’t pull away from how close they are, but he doesn’t lean in, either, not yet. For now, he just stays there, like he's hanging out somewhere between this closeness they have going and... and something more. Maybe that something is undefinable; maybe Tony doesn't want to put a label on it. But he'd be lying if he said he didn't want something more: not a hookup, not a one night stand, but something else... Something that lasts. And he can't imagine the last time he felt like that. ]

You know, I’ve had a lot of birthdays. Some loud, some explosive, literally. There was one year where I got a crazy idea and tried to make my own cake. I know, crazy idea, but I'd never done it before and those shows on Food Network make it look easy. Let me just say that the kitchen's still mad at me.

[ His voice lowers, like he's about to tell her a secret that's for her ears only. ]

Let me just tell you right now that this birthday might be the best one I've ever had.

And for the record? I'm going to tell you something else right now. I don’t need you to be something else. I don't need you to change who you are. Why's that? Well, because you're you. You're who you're supposed to be.

[ And then since he's not very good at being serious too long, he breaks the moment just slightly with a smirk, nudging her shoulder with his. ] Also, for the record, if you do break my leg, I’m calling dibs on the best wheelchair. And I expect it to be customized.

[ He's well aware how ridiculous that sounds, but making a spectacle of himself comes with the package. Sometimes that means being ridiculous. He's learned to live with it, more or less. ]

But, to answer your question: I meant it when I said this is how I wanted to spend it. Just being here, with you.

[ But then there's just the briefest of pauses and he adds: ] Although if you did have any top-secret, bubble-themed surprise parties planned, I wouldn't object. Maybe something with floating cupcakes. You know, modest requests.

[ He tries but doesn't quite manage to conceal a grin. ]

[bubblesong]

[ Has she ever been close like this to someone? Maybe as a human, but never as a Nikke. Her squad was her family--her sisters. This is something entirely different. She likes how he holds her hands, and how he smiles. His real smiles--not the charming one he shows the public. The one he wears in this moment or when something goes right in his building! That one that is truly from his heart and underneath the visage of "Tony Stark."

Did they stop dancing at some point? She hasn't noticed.

Her eyes widen. One of his best birthdays? He mentioned already this was how he wanted to spend his special day; that she was his best present ever.

Even then? What he says touches a part of her she keeps under lock and key. A part of her that she felt people could see but never truly grasped, and that was fine, because they didn't need to really understand. How could they? Everyone else could talk without fear of hurting those around them. They could have conversations without hurting themselves. She's long out grown that particular problem. But... there had always been the underlying worry:

Am I good enough for my squad? Who do I need to be to help them the most? I can't be anyone else but me... and it's not enough.

How much does Tony truly notice about her and never say?

Little Mermaid tilts her head down slightly.

Then, she rests her cheek against his chest. She can feel the arc reactor underneath the suit and shirt, but it doesn't bother her. She has something similar inside her that keeps her alive. It's been something she's thought about here and there--that some technology keeps them both alive. They're similar in that regard.

If Yinsin taught him how to live his life? Then, it's a lesson he's passing down. His friend would be proud. She's sure of it. ]

Next year? I'll make a cake for you. That way you won't need another board approved cake. [ The emotions are evident in her voice. They flow through her like water. Her voice wavers somewhere between awe, love, and gratefulness. ] Or cupcakes... or bubbles that look like cupcakes. Maybe all of it!

[ Her hands comfortably lock around his. ]

I'll make sure your wheelchair has red and gold paint on it! And that JARVIS connects to it!

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony’s arms tighten just slightly around her, just enough for her to feel it, like he’s anchoring her in place, or maybe anchoring himself, or both. The smile, the real one, the one that only certain people get to see, lingers, softer now, like it’s been earned rather than flashed out automatically for show. He presses a kiss to her hair, just briefly. ]

God, you’re dangerous, you know that? No, really, I don't know if you know the kind of pull you have. And before you start getting all worried and freaking out, I don't mean the kotodama. I mean you. Some people call it magnetism, I just call it you being so good at just being you, that you draw people in. It's a skill, and a good one.

[ One of his hands lifts to touch her cheek carefully, with slight hesitation as if he's reaching for something so special that it could break apart if touched the wrong way. ]

So yeah, this one's for the books: best birthday ever, literally.

[ But then he pauses for a second, mouth twitching with mischief, before he adds: ]

If you do rig the chair with JARVIS, at least let me try to race it down the hallway once. For science.

[bubblesong]

Uhmm... no... I... no one has ever...

[ She leans into him as she feels the kiss to her hair. Her cheeks turn pink again, and it feels like her heart pounds again. If she has a natural magnetism? Then, he had a natural way of making her feel like a human woman again.

Little Mermaid doesn't see how she has anything like a natural magnetisim. Not like he has. She hides behind people. She does everything she can to support them and make sure they can do what they need to do. It took her years to be able to talk to people. How can she have anything like that? ]

... maybe it's just you that's drawn to it?

[ She would be okay with that.

Little Mermaid leans her cheek entirely into his hand. It feels nice. Special. Her bubbles are like her. They look fragile, but there is an unexpected strength there. One that can take damage and be hurt, but it won't break and fizzle out. She won't burst or turn into seafoam. ]

Okay! [ She giggles at the idea of Tony racing through the house on a wheelchair. Not that she plans on kicking him or hurting him ever. ] I'll put bubbles down to mark the way you're supposed to go too. And, Pepper and Rhodey will never know!

[ A voice over the intercom of the familiar AI: ] Might I remind you, sir, that neither Miss Potts nor Mr. Rhodes check the security footage. However, if a large enough accident occurs, I would need to notify either one of them.

Oooh? [ Little Mermaid looks up at the ceiling, but doesn't move an inch. Her head remains on his chest, leaning into him, one hand still holding onto his. She hadn't expected JARVIS to comment. ]

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony’s hand stays right where it is, curled around hers, thumb brushing slow over her knuckles. Her answer plays on a loop in his head: maybe it’s just you that’s drawn to it.

Maybe it really is only him that's drawn to it, but from where he's standing, is that a bad thing? He doesn't think so. ]

Hey. [ His voice is lower now, having dropped down a few notches. ] I don't think it's just me, but if it is? Then it's going to be our thing. You know, every couple has a thing: something that's them, that if they opened up a dictionary, that would be in the entry written about them. Maybe that's our thing: we're like magnets, pulling each other together.

[ Of course that would be the analogy he uses. It's fitting, somehow.

She giggles about the wheelchair and then makes the suggestion about how she'd use her bubbles. It makes him chuckle in return. ]

Bubbles as lane markers, brilliant idea. Obstacle course version 2.0., and don't ask what happened to 1.0. JARVIS might find a way to smack me if you do. Also, bonus points if I don’t wipe out in front of the lab cameras.

[ And then at the sound of the AI that Tony is fonder of than he admits, he glances towards the ceiling keeping his voice deadpan but grinning from ear to ear. ]

JARVIS, I want selective memory loss installed by tomorrow morning.

Of course, sir, whatever you say. [ JARVIS may be an AI, but Tony can tell when JARVIS is having a laugh at his expense. He designed JARVIS to not just take whatever he says at face value, so of course he knows that's JARVIS's way of rolling his eyes and completely ignoring his orders, at least in this instance. ]

So, any other suggestions for JARVIS to disapprove of?

[bubblesong]

[ Every couple has a thing.

They're... a couple?

Little Mermaid tilts her head up, amber eyes immediately locking onto his. Her chin rests on the surface of his arc reactor, the fabric of the dress shirt being the only real barrier between her and physically touching it. He probably wouldn't want her to anyways--it's something deeply personal to him. Something that keeps him alive. She doesn't know all the details, just the facts that she knows he would die without it and it powers his suits.

It's his birthday... they can pretend they are a couple for his birthday. ]

... I'd like being your other magnet. [ She's not lying in that regard.

The idea makes her "heart" thud powerfully in her chest; being his someone. Being the one that he does notice more than anyone else and that occupies his thoughts. Being the person that he comes home to be with at the end of the day. It's romantic and she never thought she'd romantically think about anyone.

She leans a bit more against him. ]

Uhm.... [ she trails off in thought. An idea lingers in the back of her mind, but she knows she shouldn't suggest it. She probably shouldn't have even thought it. Would JARVIS really disapprove of it? ] Maybe sneaking out in the middle of the night without telling him?

[ That's definitely not what she thought. ]

[doesntpaint]

[ Tony's not usually one to get all hot and bothered, because he's usually the cool one when he's getting, well, comfortable with another person, but something about having Little Mermaid as close as she is and looking at him with those amber eyes of hers is making him feel like he should open a window. ]

Kinda hot in here, don't you think? [ She doesn't look like she's overheated at all, so it's 100% a him problem. Probably. Most likely. ] Don't mind me if I...

[ He starts unbuttoning his dress shirt as he replies: ] Yeah? You'd like that, huh? Well, that's settled then. We're magnets. [ He grins widely at her and there's a fondness bordering quite heavily on something more in his eyes.

Eventually he manages to undo all the buttons, but he doesn't toss his shirt away just yet. Maybe he found himself distracted by her leaning against him. Maybe just her closeness in general is distracting him.

Then she proposes an idea, and a very mischievous grin takes his face. ] Ariel, I really like the way you think.

[ And if AIs could be scandalized, it's not difficult to imagine that JARVIS would be scandalized right now. ]

[bubblesong]

[ When normally she would giggle or laugh to affirm his questions? She simply smiles. Yes, she would very much like to be considered his magnet. The other part of a frequency or polarity. The person he notices the most. He's stated it all, of course, but part of her can't help but think that it won't always be the case. It shouldn't be the case... no matter how much she finds herself wanting it.

She leans back just enough so he can finish unbuttoning his shirt. Maybe it is hot? The offer to open the window is almost given, but how bright the arc reactor is catches her attention more. His shirts always dim it's brightness or hide it entirely. She's never realized how bright it is, nor how much space it takes up on his chest. None of it bothers her in the slightest. It's apart of him, just as her core or her bubbles are apart of her.

Her hand raises to touch it, but, stops a few fingertips away from it. The whole notion strikes her as extremely intimate all of the sudden. This is effectively Tony's heart. The thing that somehow keeps him alive. Her fingers curl and her hand pulls back. That is far too much to ask of him.

Thankfully, his comment pulls her attention back to his eyes. ]

Well, they don't need to know what you do all the time. You're a grown man. [ She smiles at him as if the world hardly sees him as such. ] If you sneak out in the middle of the night and go for a drive along the coast? You could.

[ Little Mermaid almost smirks then as she glances up at the ceiling, expecting a remark or comment from the AI that oversees Tony's house. His friend in her mind. ]

[doesntpaint]

[ Well, for Tony, that's all the encouragement he needs, really. He finishes with the buttons and once that's done, he slides the shirt off his shoulders and pulls it away. ]

You know what else I can do, being a grown man and all? [ He can't stop his grin from growing, and he doesn't even want to. He doesn't just fling the shirt away, because it's expensive or something like that, but it does get slightly tossed somewhere out of the way.

Once it's gone, then he reaches for her hand, the one that reached out to touch the arc reactor and stops. He simply holds her hand until she's had enough time to react to his hand taking hers, and once he decides it's been long enough, he slowly begins moving his hand towards his chest and towards the arc reactor. ]

I know, you're probably thinking: what kind of weird, self-absorbed person just assumes another person wants to, well... you know, get handsy? [ He lets his grin widen even further. ]

Hi, I'm Tony Stark, nice to meet you.

[ It's his way of dispelling any notions she might have that he's not occasionally a little wild and flirty and not above taking the slightly sensual route. Which, this may or may not be that route. Or maybe it's both: it's sensual and intimate and personal and revealing.

Or maybe it's just that he's decided he trusts her with seeing what is essentially his heart. ]

So, what do you think? [ About the arc reactor, not necessarily himself. Although given he's presently standing there shirtless, he imagines that she's probably thinking something about the sight in front of her. ]

[bubblesong]

[ Her attention moves back to the fact he is taking off his shirt. She feels her cheeks flush at the sight of his bare chest. Of course, she isn't the only woman ever to have seen him shirtless, but she still can't help but feel there is something special about the moment. Not only because it's his birthday and he chose to spend it with her. It's the meaning underneath the humor. Especially as he takes her hand and holds it.

She squeezes his hand gently and let's him guide it to the arc reactor.

Her fingertips gently trace the triangular shapes that make up the glowing pattern. It's so bright and full of life. She can feel the hum as the reactor spins. It's barely noticeable, just like so much about Tony, but she can feel it. She notices it. The hum of life and technology that keeps him alive underneath all of the showmanship. It's a rather layered way of expressing Tony Stark and yet it seems perfectly appropriate in her mind.

Little Mermaid looks up at him then. It's not as if she is really seeing him for the first time. She notices so many things of him that this is just another piece in the puzzle. This isn't a reintroduction, but somehow, it feels as if it could be. ]

Hello.

[ Did they actually say "hello" the first time they met?

Her fingers curl slightly along the arc reactor.

Then, her other hand reaches for the one that has been grounding her. She lifts it and places it against her chest with no hesitation. Her hand presses his palms against her so that he can feel not a heartbeat, but source of energy. Her core--what keeps her alive. ]

I'm Little Mermaid. Everyone always calls me Siren. [ A smile comes to her face as she gently presses her fingers against the smooth surface of his arc reactor. ] But, someone I know and care about calls me "Ariel."

[ She takes the half-step closer. ] It's bursting with life and energy! It glows bright for everyone to see if they look close. It's so full of life. Just like you.