afterglow - tony stark

22

They were now back in Malibu.

The news was on the TV and the reporters kept going on and on about Monaco. They said it proved that Iron Man couldn't protect the world. Pepper and Natalie were answering phone calls and doing damage control.

Eira was on the other couch beside them as she watched the news. She laid on her stomach and she had a potted plant in front of her; she kept making the leaves move like it was waving to a person. She smiled at the small act.

Then she heard the news talking about her. They questioned if Angel was a new superhero.

"I cannot believe they are calling you Angel," Pepper said as she got off the phone. "It sounds like the code name for a stripper."

Eira furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head back to Pepper, "What's a stripper?"

Pepper and Natalie both chuckled before explained, "It's...a profession for pretty girls."

"So it means I'm pretty?" Eira smiled.

"Yes. Of course," Natalie shared a coy look with Pepper.

"So is Tony still having the party tomorrow?" Pepper asked.

"Uh, I think so," Eira answered before smiling. "He says he wanted to make it special for me."

"Did he?" Pepper questioned knowingly. "Eira, you had a boyfriend in New York, didn't you?"

"Yes," Eira answered quietly. She didn't like to think about Jason.

"Did he ever do...sweet gestures to get your attention?" Pepper asked and Eira thought of how Jason bought her smoothies on the night they met.

Then a lightbulb went off in her head about what Pepper was trying to imply. She looked at Pepper and Natalie in alarm as they both gave her knowing looks. "But Tony doesn't...I mean it's not like...I mean I don't know."

She huffed and looked away from them before Nat spoke, "He swoons over you, Eira. Swoons."

"Definitely," Pepper agreed.

"No, he doesn't," she denied before she turned back onto her stomach and ignored them. She focused back on her plant. She denied that any such feelings existed because, well, she didn't know how she felt.

_____

The next day was officially the birthday. Tony had surprised her with a full breakfast being made by a top chef; she had amazing chocolate strawberry pancakes drizzled with syrup.

She wished Tony happy birthday in the morning then and it made her giggle when he did the same because hearing the phrase was still so odd to her; and because it wasn't technically her birthday.

But then she didn't see Tony for the rest of the day. There was going to be a birthday party later that evening. Natalie got her all dolled up and as soon as she did, she went to see Tony.

She was in a red dress and her hair was in a French braid. She walked into his room while he was buttoning his shirt in the mirror (he was actually looking at the poisoning that had spread on his chest with the little blue veins).

"Sorry," she said sheepishly as she looked down with a blush.

He quickly buttoned his shirt as he turned with a smirk, "It's nothing you haven't seen before, Snowflake."