[Next Morning – Stark Tower]
Natasha sat comfortably in the lounge, legs crossed, a tablet in hand. Pepper was across from her, leaning forward with a notebook open, ready to jot things down.
"Let me make this simple," Natasha said, scrolling through the screen. "Tony has a schedule, but don't expect him to follow it. He does what he wants, when he wants. Half the time he's in the lab, the other half he's in space or punching someone in the face."
Pepper tilted her head. "Sounds manageable."
Natasha gave her a sharp look. "It's not. He pisses off political parties at least twice a week. He's blunt with the press. Doesn't filter, doesn't care. Your job is to keep the fallout from piling up." She tapped the tablet. "He also forgets to eat. If you don't force him to take a lunch break, he'll run on coffee and protein bars. So remind him. Repeatedly."
Pepper noted it down. "Got it. Schedule wrangling, PR management, food police."
Natasha smirked faintly. "You'll need more than that. There are a dozen charity events coming up. He'll try to skip them. Pretend he has lab emergencies or the world is ending. Don't buy it. Drag him there if you have to."
Pepper raised a brow. "Drag him?"
"Literally, if you have to," Natasha said dryly. "Or just use the nuclear option."
Pepper tilted her head. "Which is?"
"Tell him you'll report it to his mother. He won't argue with you after that."
Pepper couldn't help but laugh. "That's your secret weapon?"
Natasha shrugged. "It works every time."
Pepper leaned back slightly, considering everything. "So basically I'm here to keep him alive, on time, and out of trouble."
"Exactly," Natasha said, finishing her coffee. "You'll earn your pay. Just remember, he respects people who don't fold under pressure. If you tell him no, stick to it."
Pepper smiled, the weight of the challenge settling in. "Sounds like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
Natasha leaned back, studying her. "We'll see. He burns through people who try to manage him. You last more than a week, I'll be impressed."
Pepper smiled, calm and confident. "I plan on lasting longer than that."
...
[Tony's Lab]
Tony leaned back on his chair, eyes fixed on the two palm-sized transformer cars battling across the desk. The blue one rolled forward, unfolded into a miniature robot, and in a booming recorded voice declared, "Autobots, roll out!" The black one snapped into place opposite it and fired a tiny pellet, snarling in Megatron's voice, "You fool, Prime!"
Tony grinned, flicking the blue car with his finger to send it tumbling over the desk. "Yeah, yeah, fight it out. Whoever wins gets upgraded to a jet."
A knock came at the door. Tony glanced up, the grin fading into a look of mock suspicion. "If that's another intern with a coffee tray, tell HR to stop multiplying them like rabbits."
The door opened and Pepper stepped in. Notebook tucked under one arm, expression crisp and professional, she looked like she had already decided she wasn't impressed.
Tony leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming against the desk. "Let me guess. You're the new scheduling overlord my dad hired. Pepper Potts, right?"
"Yes," she said without hesitation. "Effective today, I'm your assistant."
He eyed her for a moment, then gestured toward the desk where the two mini-transformers sat. "Do assistants usually walk into a war zone? Because Optimus and Megatron were about to settle decades of conflict."
Pepper looked at the toys, then back at him. "Do you want me to schedule a rematch for them, or would you rather deal with the four meetings you're already late for?"
Tony chuckled, standing and sliding the miniatures aside. "Alright, you've got teeth. That's good. Most people start with flattery or panic."
Pepper opened her notebook, already scanning notes. "First rule of working with you, Mr Stark—"
"Tony," he corrected. "Mr Stark's the old man. I'm just Tony."
She didn't miss a beat. "First rule of working with you, Tony. You're not skipping the charity gala tonight, no matter how many robot toys or lab projects you stack in front of me."
He raised an eyebrow. "You think you can stop me from skipping?"
Pepper's calm smile didn't falter. "If you try, I'll call your mother."
He froze for a second, then groaned. "She talked to you, didn't she? Great. Now I've got a spy network working against me."
...
[Charity Gala – Afternoon]
Tony adjusted his tie with visible reluctance as Pepper checked her notes beside him. The ballroom was full of New York's elite, cameras flashing while donors shuffled between tables stacked with champagne.
"You're supposed to smile," Pepper reminded him quietly.
"I am smiling," Tony replied without looking at her.
"That's a grimace."
Before he could argue, a senator approached with two aides. "Mr Stark, I wanted to personally thank you for the AMS rollout in my state. Clinics that were charging thousands are practically begging now."
Tony shook his hand. "Glad to hear it. Affordable healthcare tends to go over well with the voters."
Pepper slid in seamlessly, pulling the senator's aide aside to set up a follow-up meeting. Tony watched her for a second, amused. She wasn't just keeping him on track, she was already running interference.
By the end of the hour, she had lined up three investor commitments and blocked off time for him to brief the press later. Tony leaned down as they exited the ballroom. "You're good at this."
"I know," Pepper said without missing a beat.
...
[September Foundation Event – Late Afternoon]
The conference hall was filled with donors, journalists, and community leaders. A massive screen behind the stage displayed the Stark Industries logo alongside the words The September Foundation. Rows of chairs stretched to the back of the hall, where Pepper stood with her notebook, ready to keep things moving.
Tony walked up to the podium, hands in his pockets, posture loose despite the gravity of the occasion. Cameras clicked rapidly as the room settled into silence.
"Good evening," Tony began, scanning the crowd. "When I was a kid, there was a moment when I thought money solved everything. If something broke, you bought a new one. If someone was hurting, you threw cash at the problem and hoped it fixed itself. Turns out, life doesn't work that way. Well, at least a part of life that is."
He paused, then placed both hands on the podium. "The September Foundation is not about writing checks and walking away. It is about investing in people who are smarter, hungrier, and braver. Kids who have ideas that can reshape the world if someone just gives them the chance."
The audience leaned in as he continued. "We are funding scholarships, labs, and mentorships. Not because it looks good in a headline, but because those kids are going to build the next reactor, cure to some new disease, maybe even stop the next war before it starts. And if that means Stark Industries has to bankroll it, then fine, I'll pay the bill."
Applause broke out, building into a standing ovation. Tony raised a hand to quiet them. "I'm not a saint. This isn't charity for the sake of charity. This is strategy. Invest in the future now, and build a better world with your own hands. What could be greater than that?"
He stepped back from the podium, giving the crowd a half-smile. "That's the plan. Let's see if we can stick to it."
The applause returned, louder this time. As Tony left the stage, Pepper met him at the steps, her expression unreadable.
"You were supposed to read the speech I wrote," she said under her breath.
Tony smirked. "I did. Then I ignored it. Worked out, didn't it?"
Pepper closed her notebook, hiding the faintest smile. "Barely."
...
[Press Conference – Evening]
The hall was filled with reporters, cameras flashing as Tony stepped up to the podium. Pepper stood just behind him, ready with notes but knowing he'd never read them.
"Crime in New York is down thirty percent this quarter," Tony began. "That's thanks to cooperation between local law enforcement, Stark tech, and a few people who prefer to stay in the shadows." He let the line hang, smirking at the cameras.
A reporter called out, "What about tensions between humans and mutants?"
Tony leaned forward on the podium. "Improved. Not perfect, but improved. Mutants aren't your enemies, they're your neighbors. And as long as the Ultimates stand, peace will remain our priority."
The room buzzed with questions, and Tony answered them for approximately 15 minutes or so before ending the conference.
...
[On the way to Stark Tower]
The events were finally over. Tony slumped in the passenger seat while Pepper tapped away at her tablet, scheduling the next day's meetings.
"You realize you survived two charity events and a press conference without a single scandal," Pepper said without looking up.
Tony smirked. "What can I say? I ain't insane. Nat might have exaggerated certain things about me."
Before she could answer, the car jolted violently. Tires screeched, and Tony's eyes snapped forward just as an arc of plasma tore through the air.
"Oh, my!" Tony calmly raised his hand, creating a cosmic energy shield around the car. He looked at Pepper, who looked surprised. "Our date is getting better and better. Charity, event, press conference, and now someone with plasma is trying to kill me."
"Date?!" Pepper mumbled as her eyes went outside through the windshield. She saw another arc of crackling plasma flying toward the car. "Tony... Shit!" It slammed against the cosmic energy shield, creating a massive crackling sound.
"I mean, what do you call it? We spent the entire day together. And here I was hoping to have a nice dinner together... maybe pop up a bottle of vintage wine. Well..." He opened the door as the nanites rushed out of his skin pores, forming the armor. "...it is what it is. Wait here."
He got out and closed the door.
"Hermes, who the hell is that?" Tony asked his AI as he noticed someone standing in the middle of the road in bright crimson armor.
"Boss, that's a carborundum-matrix alloy exoskeleton, and I could detect traces of Vibranium from that armor," Hermes replied.
Then, two electric whips shot out from the guy in red's hands.
"Of course it's him. Anton Vanko, aka Crimson Dynamo," Tony said as he aimed his hand toward Vanko. "A little late. But whatever..."
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