The city air was cool against my face, brushing past me as I moved from stall to boutique. I wasn't just out for fresh air and a good latte, I was hunting for new fabrics. Maybe some rare stock had been restocked, or maybe something I overlooked last time would finally catch my eye. CJ waited in his car along the street, probably scrolling through twitter or texting one of his many situationships.
Just as I brushed my fingers across a bolt of deep crimson velvet, my phone vibrated violently in my pocket.
Ring ring.
Pepper.
"Hey, Pepper. What's the crisis? Another last-minute suit emergency for Mr. 'I-Have-An-Ego-Bigger-Than-My-Tower' Stark?"
She laughed. "Not quite. Well... sort of. Tony's working on a suit and refuses to admit he needs help, so naturally, I'm calling you on his behalf."
Tony. Of course.
"Pepper, I design couture, not metal suits. I don't know the first thing about building superhero armor."
"Not armor. Just the design. Aesthetic stuff. He's being stubborn, so this is me going over his head."
In the background, I could hear his voice. "Who are you calling?"
"Help," Pepper replied dryly.
"Help? I don't need help. Hang up the phone."
I couldn't help but chuckle. That man was allergic to the word assistance.
"Sounds like a welcoming invitation. I'll try to swing by."
"Great. I owe you one," she said before the line cut.
After I wrapped up my shopping trip with three new fabrics, one textured, two plain, a handful of designer buttons, and what felt like a lifetime supply of thread, I loaded up the backseat of CJ's car.
"Heading home?" CJ asked.
"Actually, no. I need to make a quick stop at Avengers Tower."
He blinked. "The Avengers Tower?"
I shrugged. "Pepper says Tony needs help with a suit."
CJ gave me a sidelong glance, raising an eyebrow. "Just for the suit?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, CJ. I'm not making googly eyes at Iron Man."
"Didn't say you were." He smirked, pulling into traffic.
Not long after, we pulled up to the tower. I made my way inside, past the sleek lobby and straight to the top floor, where chaos always seemed to be served hot.
"Oh thank God," Pepper exhaled when she spotted me. She mouthed, "They're a mess."
I laughed under my breath as my eyes landed on Tony, arms crossed beside a table of tech, and a man I didn't recognize standing beside him.
"Why is it that every time she's here, it's because you went behind my back to call her?" Tony said, glaring at Pepper like a betrayed child.
The unfamiliar guy stepped forward and offered a handshake. "Rhodey. Nice to finally meet you."
I shook his hand firmly. "Y/N. You poor soul. You've been stuck with these two, huh?"
He grinned. "They talk about you a lot."
Tony cut in without missing a beat. "Only to mention how annoying you are."
"Flattered, really," I said flatly. "So, I heard you need help?"
"Correction. She said I need help. I'm fine."
"Pepper?" I asked.
She gave Tony a hard look. "Tell her."
Tony groaned like a teenager asked to do the dishes, stepping aside to reveal his latest project. A suit. But not just any suit.
A Spider-Man suit.
"It's fabric, Not metal, so automatically not my thing," Tony muttered. "Also, it looks boring."
"Boring how?"
"Like something you'd find at a Halloween store."
I rolled my eyes. "Get me a pencil and some paper."
Pepper and Rhodey immediately sprang into action. Meanwhile, Tony stood in front of me like he was trying to outstare me into outer space.
We both stared. Neither of us blinked.
Eventually, Pepper handed me a page torn from some random book, and Rhodey offered me a pencil so fancy I was afraid to sharpen it.
I held it up. "Really?"
Tony smirked. "God forbid a billionaire uses anything less than artisanal graphite."
I smiled and started sketching.
"We sticking with red and blue?" I asked, eyes still on the paper.
"Obviously," Tony said.
Of course. Heaven forbid we do something revolutionary.
I blocked out their stares and focused on the lines, my mind racing through color theory, fabric flow, functionality, and flair. I added accents, structure, and depth. When I lifted the pencil, I held up the sketch.
Tony squinted like I'd just shown him abstract art. "What in God's name am I looking at?"
"Instead of the basic royal blue, we darken it. Black or navy. More sleek, more intimidating. Heavier knee pads to shape the silhouette and help in combat. Switch the spider logo from black to gold for contrast, and use red as accents instead of drowning the whole suit in it. Keep the top red, though. Classic."
I looked around.
Pepper was nodding slowly. "That's actually genius."
"Yeah, it's solid," Rhodey said, sounding genuinely impressed.
Tony shrugged. "Meh. I could've thought of that."
"In what universe?" I shot back.
"In every universe. Multiverse of Better Ideas by Tony Stark."
"Tony, it's better than anything you've shown me today," Pepper said firmly.
"I've got taste, I've got flair-"
"You've got delusion," I interjected.
He smirked, now standing an arm's length from me. "You're just mad I didn't call you directly."
"Oh, I'm furious, clearly."
"Good. Stay furious. You do great work when you're mad."
"You're impossible."
"And you're intrigued."
I narrowed my eyes, not backing down. "Keep dreaming, Stark."
He took one more step, now close enough that I could see the faint smudge of engine grease under his jaw. "Every night."
Rhodey groaned. "Can you two stop flirting for like, five seconds?"
"Nope," Tony said, snatching the sketch from my hand and turning his back to me as he placed it on the table like it was his brilliant creation.
I let out a breath and accidentally met Pepper's gaze. She raised a brow, clearly amused.
She mouthed, "You sure you're not flirting?"
I squinted at her. "Don't even start."
She just smiled wider.
My stomach flipped a little.
Disgusting.