Energy

“Miss Christie? Are you awake?” Jarvis asked quietly, bringing Christie out of her slumber. She groaned as she opened one eye, still a bit spooked about how there was a voice talking to her yet no one was in the room.

“I am now,” she grumbled as she felt her body start to wake.

“Mr Stark has left you a present outside your door. He wishes for you to wear it and then join him in his workshop,” Jarvis informed her. Christie sparked with interest and she got out of bed and went straight to the door. Sure enough, there was a cardboard box waiting on the ground with some expensive branding across the lid. Christie bent down to pick it up, then walked back into her room, shutting the door behind her. After pulling the lid off, a sparkle of designer sunglasses caught her eye. Then she saw the container of sunblock. Why would she possibly need that? Christie set the two items aside before hastily removing the light packaging inside the box. A medium blue top piece of a bikini was there. Christie almost gasped as she hurried to find the bottom piece, and was relieved to see it was modest.

“Jarvis?” Christie called as she realised there was no more items in the box.

“Yes?”

“What are Tony’s plans for today?”

“I am not at liberty to say,” Jarvis answered, making Christie roll her eyes. Of course. She shouldn’t have expected anything else. Nonetheless, the anticipation of another fun activity with her new friend excited her, so she headed to the en-suite.

“Jarvis? Tell Tony I’ll be down in ten minutes,” Christie told the room.

“As you wish, Miss Christie,” Jarvis replied before relaying the message. Christie took a quick shower and got dressed, applying the sunblock and perching the sunglasses atop her head. She left her long hair loose, but brought a hair-tie around her wrist. Without another glance at the mirror, Christie hurried downstairs, punched in her code and then pushed the door open. Tony was typing away on a computer, a slowly rotating hologram in front of him of the calf and feet portions of his Iron Man suit. As Christie approached he hit save, then closed it all and swung around in his chair. He’d prepared a simple compliment during the night, but he hadn’t expected her body and skin to look so fantastic.

“You are… Wow,” Tony spluttered before cringing a little at his pathetic attempt of speaking. “I mean, blue is your colour.” Christie chuckled, thinking he’d done it all on purpose just to flatter her. She noted the black swim shorts that Tony sported below a casual t-shirt.

“So, what are we doing today?” she asked enthusiastically.

“Something I doubt you’ve ever done before,” Tony grinned as he stood and moved to the middle of the room. “Jarvis!” The floor shifted and a few moments later, Tony was dressed in an Iron Man suit that was almost completely red.

“I’m not fighting crime in a bikini,” Christie remarked as Tony headed for the exit.

“I know. Come on, we’re going flying,” he said with a gesture to the door. Christie followed him out onto the balcony, resting her sunglasses on her nose before summoning her flying powers. With a burst of energy to her feet, Christie directed her body upwards and then forwards, following the brilliant red of Iron Man. After a couple of minutes of flight, Tony dipped down and Christie spotted what had to be their destination. A small luxury yacht awaited them in calm waters, surrounded by nothing but the sea and sun. A few moments after Tony had landed, he was out of his Iron Man suit and pulling off his t-shirt.

“What are we doing here?” Christie asked with raised eyebrows. She’d never seen anything like this beautiful yacht in her life. To her, things like this only existed in the movies.

“Breakfast,” Tony shrugged as he headed inside. Christie wondered if Stark did this frequently. She wouldn’t doubt it; he seemed to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Regardless, she followed him and helped him bring out some deck chairs and a foldaway table, setting them up on the back of the yacht. Then they raided the fridge, bringing out an assortment of fruits, breads, spreads, cheeses and juices. Eventually they were seated in the brilliant sun and ready to eat.

“This all looks wonderful… I feel so spoiled,” Christie said and Tony smiled.

“Just another simple treat,” he shrugged as he reached across to pick up a croissant.

“Seriously, though. Why are you doing all this for me? I just thought I was visiting you, starting fresh with a fellow SHIELD agent…” Christie trailed off, becoming speechless as she stared at the expensive food selection.

“I haven’t even got started,” Tony mumbled casually as he repositioned his shades.

“But…” she started, sighing when she couldn’t find the words. It puzzled her.

“I already told you, you saved my life so I owe you. You’re having fun, I’m enjoying your company-” Tony cut off as he realised what was happening. “Why are you trying to ruin this?” Christie breathed out with an awkward smile.

“I’m not trying to!” she exclaimed defensively, even though she mentally acknowledged he was right. “I’m sorry, it’s just overwhelming for me…”

“I get it, okay? You grew up having nothing; I grew up already owning the world. Let’s not let it ruin our day,” Tony said.

“Okay,” Christie nodded, still having difficulty finding appropriate words. She watched as he took a bite of the French bread and decided she’d try one with some delicate cheese. Once Christie started to eat, she began to relax. The two enjoyed each other’s company over a pleasant meal, delving into more personal discussions near the end. They then packed everything back up inside, not taking too much care as Tony claimed Jasmine would clean it up for them afterwards.

“Jarvis? Is the suit ready?” Tony asked.

“Yes, sir. Boosters have been scaled down dramatically. You should not require your headgear if you wear the earpiece,” Jarvis spoke back.

“Do you ever get a break from that guy?” Christie laughed as she followed Tony back out to the deck.

“Don’t ever want one,” he remarked with a smile as he stood on the spot where his suit had disappeared into the floor earlier. Jarvis activated the robotic arms that came out and attached pieces of Iron Man to Tony, but only on his hands, feet, forearms and calves. Despite the half-human half-robot look he had, Christie couldn’t help but admire the chiselled torso. The centred arc reactor gave off a peaceful pale blue glow, reminding Christie of her own energy.

“What’s going on?” Christie asked, completely confused as Tony secured an earpiece. Was his software malfunctioning? Tony just smirked as he started to hover due to the boosters on his feet. He flew a few feet away from the yacht’s edge, pointed his palm at the water at a calculated angle from Jarvis, then lightly fired. Salt water sprayed up onto the boat and splashed against Christie, who automatically deflected some of it with an energy barrier. “Oh it’s on.” She grinned wickedly, loving how Tony had planned the unique water fight. He backed away from the yacht as she took flight, summoning the blue orbs of energy to her hands, the one in her right hand sparking and turning even whiter. Christie threw the force down and towards Tony, creating a large splash that flicked droplets onto him. He chuckled and returned the favour, but Christie flew away and avoided it. Back and forth they went, firing low-energy shots at the water to attempt to soak the other. They constantly laughed and shouted playful insults at each other until Tony’s pricey glasses fell off his face and into the water. He glanced at the parts of his suit that he wore and realised he shouldn’t submerge them, just in case.

“Can you?” he asked shyly with a raised eyebrow. Christie dove down into the cool water and retrieved the sinking glasses for him, soaking herself in the process. “Well I guess I win.” Tony grinned as she handed them back, the water pouring off her body. As Christie rolled her eyes, Tony watched a drop trail down the shining skin of her abdomen, but he quickly stopped, feeling guilty for looking at her like that. He diverted his gaze down to his sunglasses, pretending to check for damage. Christie used that opportunity to check Tony out once more, her stomach dropping as she admired the flattened wet hair that now had a slight curl to it. It suited him well, or at least the playful, casual Tony who wasn’t doing business or being a cocky superhero.

“You might have won, but I enjoyed it the most,” Christie admitted as she smiled from ear to ear. Tony glanced up at her and grinned. He was so glad he was paying off his debt.