“Why not you?” He tilted his head a little with a soft frown.
“Yeah
if you want to. I was hoping you would but I get it if you don’t.” He
ran a hand through his hair a little and chewed on his lip. “I was
hoping we kinda could now.”
“Uh – um, yes, sir, sure,” Carlos said. “We can go now. I’m… I’m at a stopping point here anyway.” He turned and quickly saved the changes on the design he was working on before closing it up.
“Okay,” Tony gasped hoarsely in between hard coughs. “I’ll just…suffer in silence.” He let out another long series of coughs, but the corners of his mouth were turned up in a smirk, and he was looking at Carlos with a merry gleam in his eyes.
Carlos snorted softly and reached to take the offending cup of coffee away. “You want me to make you a new one?” he asked.
“That depends,” Tony grinned without coughing this time, “are you going to run a sample of it through the chem analyzer before you give it to me?” He was laughing silently, kind of enjoying Carlos’s unintentional knack of breaking him out of a rut.
Carlos smiled sheepishly, glancing away. “Uh… would you like me to?” he asked. It was a joke, obviously, but Carlos was playing along. Maybe he’ll do it just to make sure Stark knew that it hadn’t been on purpose… Carlos didn’t know what the hell happened. He suspected his own cup was also compromised.
“Okay,” Tony gasped hoarsely in between hard coughs. “I’ll just…suffer in silence.” He let out another long series of coughs, but the corners of his mouth were turned up in a smirk, and he was looking at Carlos with a merry gleam in his eyes.
Carlos snorted softly and reached to take the offending cup of coffee away. “You want me to make you a new one?” he asked.
“Why not you?” He tilted his head a little with a soft frown.
“What’s
there to get? I mean you just come out with me one id the days that’s
all.” He laughed softly and shook his head a little. “Come and enjoy the
high life and doesn’t have to happen again if you don’t want.”“Well…” Carlos couldn’t say yes. “Uh… you remember that suit that I got interviewed in? That’s my only nice thing to wear. I, uh… heh, don’t know if you want your partner to be showing up in bright primary colors…” Carlos’ voice dropped to a mumble. “Though those aren’t technically the true primary colors since they’re so dark…”
“Well, if you really want I can take you shopping too.” He replied to the other. “We can get you some nice suits, for business trips and everything if you want me to? I mean I’m paying you anyway.” He tilted his head a little and smiled kindly to the other.
Carlos’ head snapped back to looking at Mr Stark again, partially horrified at the suggestion. “That’s not what I –” he started to say, but stopped. This was Stark – the man was ridiculously generous, almost frivolously. And he was incredibly hard to say no to.
Carlos looked to the side, considering. “Well… If it’s going to be for work meetings too,” he murmured. He could accept it then, if it was technically a business expense.
Tony smiled softly hearing Carlos try to fight before giving in. He chuckled softly and lay a hand on his shoulder. “That’s the spirit. You need some suits and it can be a business expense, nothing out your paycheck or anything I promise.” He called for Happy to bring the car to the front so they could go. “Come on.”
Carlos looked at him. “What, right now?” he asked, a little surprised.
“Why not you?” He tilted his head a little with a soft frown.
“What’s
there to get? I mean you just come out with me one id the days that’s
all.” He laughed softly and shook his head a little. “Come and enjoy the
high life and doesn’t have to happen again if you don’t want.”“Well…” Carlos couldn’t say yes. “Uh… you remember that suit that I got interviewed in? That’s my only nice thing to wear. I, uh… heh, don’t know if you want your partner to be showing up in bright primary colors…” Carlos’ voice dropped to a mumble. “Though those aren’t technically the true primary colors since they’re so dark…”
“Well, if you really want I can take you shopping too.” He replied to the other. “We can get you some nice suits, for business trips and everything if you want me to? I mean I’m paying you anyway.” He tilted his head a little and smiled kindly to the other.
Carlos’ head snapped back to looking at Mr Stark again, partially horrified at the suggestion. “That’s not what I –” he started to say, but stopped. This was Stark – the man was ridiculously generous, almost frivolously. And he was incredibly hard to say no to.
Carlos looked to the side, considering. “Well… If it’s going to be for work meetings too,” he murmured. He could accept it then, if it was technically a business expense.
“Why not you?” He tilted his head a little with a soft frown.
“What’s
there to get? I mean you just come out with me one id the days that’s
all.” He laughed softly and shook his head a little. “Come and enjoy the
high life and doesn’t have to happen again if you don’t want.”
“Well…” Carlos couldn’t say yes. “Uh… you remember that suit that I got interviewed in? That’s my only nice thing to wear. I, uh… heh, don’t know if you want your partner to be showing up in bright primary colors…” Carlos’ voice dropped to a mumble. “Though those aren’t technically the true primary colors since they’re so dark…”
“Why not you?” He tilted his head a little with a soft frown.
Was Mr Stark really asking that?
“I… uh, b-because you’re… I mean, I’m just me. And uh… I haven’t been on a date in ages – real or otherwise.”
Tony just shrugged a little and smiled softly to him. “Then I guess you’re over due and no one is just them.”
Carlos laughed nervously. “Compared to you, Mr Stark, I absolutely am ‘just me’.” Carlos still wasn’t convinced that Mr Stark was being serious – at least not about bringing him in on this scheme.
Tony chuckled softly and shook his head a little. “Everyone seems to think I’m this great person. I’m not always.” He replied before he lay a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, have some fun.”
That was because Tony Stark was a great person – especially in Carlos’ book. But he could sense that there might be an argument to be had if Carlos insisted that point so for now he was willing to let it drop.
“What… what is this even about, Mr Stark? What’s the reason for the… pretense?”
“Because I wanted someone to be my ‘partner’ for an event and everyone knows Pep is just my CEO at that point.” He replied and chuckled softly when he watched the other trying to think through his answer. “Just come with me for one night, will be a great time I promise you.”
“I… I don’t doubt it’d be,” Carlos said, which was a lie – he did doubt that he’d get over himself just enough to relax and have a good time. “I guess I just… don’t get it.” He knew he was being difficult, but Carlos couldn’t help it.
“Why not you?” He tilted his head a little with a soft frown.
Was Mr Stark really asking that?
“I… uh, b-because you’re… I mean, I’m just me. And uh… I haven’t been on a date in ages – real or otherwise.”
Tony just shrugged a little and smiled softly to him. “Then I guess you’re over due and no one is just them.”
Carlos laughed nervously. “Compared to you, Mr Stark, I absolutely am ‘just me’.” Carlos still wasn’t convinced that Mr Stark was being serious – at least not about bringing him in on this scheme.
Tony chuckled softly and shook his head a little. “Everyone seems to think I’m this great person. I’m not always.” He replied before he lay a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, have some fun.”
That was because Tony Stark was a great person – especially in Carlos’ book. But he could sense that there might be an argument to be had if Carlos insisted that point so for now he was willing to let it drop.
“What… what is this even about, Mr Stark? What’s the reason for the… pretense?”
“Why not you?” He tilted his head a little with a soft frown.
Was Mr Stark really asking that?
“I… uh, b-because you’re… I mean, I’m just me. And uh… I haven’t been on a date in ages – real or otherwise.”
Tony
watched him and smirked more seeing his response. It was good, damn
good,and honest too. Not some answer the guy expected them to want. He
nodded along slowly before going back to his tablet and working on his
own little plans on there.“You can help program the systems for those machines if you would
want to. They need something in there to help compensate, one of our
colleges has been paralysed and Tony built him a leg system so he can
walk. He wants to make them more comfortable and more accessible to
others while we work on treating the cause.”“He was a good friend, kinda my fault he was in that position in the
first place, not fair to let him suffer when he never was like that. The
guy is too smart to waste in a chair, now he can still work and still
flies in a suit with me but yeah.”Carlos smiled slightly. “For some though, it’s not about ‘until
treatment’,” he responded to Stark. “It’s about accessibility and freedom. My brother: he’s
paraplegic. He hasn’t walked since birth. It’s better to ask him about it, but for him he’d rather be
able to be spontaneous and go someplace without having to call ahead and asking
if it’s wheelchair-accessible. He’s not exactly ‘wasting away’ either – Mikey’s
self-employed. He works repairing folks’ computers, TVs, and gaming consoles. Just…
anything that can be considered ‘smart’, really. I actually worked with him
while I was looking for work.” Carlos grinned. “I, uh… literally did the heavy lifting for him.”Corny as hell, but Carlos thought it was funny.
But then Carlos thought about Tony’s friend. He said he ‘flew
in a suit’ with him. He… he wasn’t talking about War Machine, was he?Tony smiled hearing the other’s reply. “Yeah, I get that, it’s more giving them their legs back with machines until we can do it without you know? That’s what I’d meant, sorry if it came across as rude.” He ran a hand through his hair and licked at his lips a little anxiously. “He told me it felt great to walk but they aren’t all that comfortable so I want to be able to repair the nerves, might even mean we can fix brain tissue too if we get far enough ahead. Help those who had brain injuries or those who struggle with dementia. Just…I think of everything I can do for everyone but it usually starts pretty close to home.” He laughed softly at the joke and smiled. “That’s a good one, you’ll have to tell Rhodey that, I’m sure if you work with us you’ll meet him.”
Tony like this guy, he seemed smart and kind and well mannered and nothing like the other’s he’d seen from Hammer Tech. He was just glad he could give the guy a chance.
“Are you finished Carlos? Or do you need some more time?”
Carlos smiled, a bit anxious himself. “Oh, I didn’t mean that you were rude, Mr Stark, I just… no, I understand what you mean, now that you’ve explained.” He smiled a bit wider, glad that Stark thought he was at least a bit funny. “If I ever get the opportunity to meet Colonel Rhodes, sir, I’ll be sure to remember it.”
This was going so well, Carlos thought. He wondered if he was imagining things, but he really wasn’t sure one way or the other. And it was getting pretty close to the moment of truth.
“Almost done,” he said, looking back at his draft. He chewed on his lip a bit before writing down a couple more points that he wanted to be sure to remember. He then set the pencil down and looked between Mr Stark and Ms Potts. So… how do you want to do this?” he asked. He wasn’t sure if he should start explaining it or if they wanted to start with the supplemental portfolio he brought.
The Perfect Scientist 