Across the Universe

“I booked you two that townhouse by the water in the Hamptons for the night.” Pepper clicked her tongue, checking the reservation on her phone while speaking over the radio from the front of the car that Happy drove. They’d spent a good long while in the car after organizing the remainder of their evening.

“The beach house I like? My favorite one, right?” Tony rolled down the window between the two sides of the car after sliding across the elongated backseat. He’d asked Happy to drive a limousine for the occasion. If tonight was to be their first night out then he was going to pull out all the stops for it! It had never occurred to him that they hadn’t really been on a proper date before. Of course, they’d gone out together on multiple occasions while living in Manhattan but it had never really been something either had considered a date.

Being with Scarlett had always been a very natural fit for Tony. He had never considered that they needed anything more official. Not that he didn’t want to take her out on dates or anything. Now that he’d realized he hadn’t, Tony was ready to wine and dine her as often as she’d let him. He’d never thought she was the type to enjoy being wooed, per say, but now that he knew it was something she desired he would indulge as much as she would allow him.

“Yes, Tony, the beach house you like. It’s a townhouse. They are one in the same.”

“Did you make sure the thermostat was set at seventy? And that my favorite bottle of wine is waiting?” Tony looked to her expectantly. Pepper narrowed her eyes at him through the glass and made a thin line with her lips.

“Yes, they are ridiculous requests but I made them anyway. I was assured you would be catered to.”

“Don’t get all huffy with me. Just because I have a girlfriend now doesn’t mean you are any less my assistant.” Tony folded his arms behind his head and smirked. Scarlett rolled her eyes at him from the back of the car and looked again out the window curiously. She’d packed a small overnight bag since Tony had decided they wouldn’t return to the city and had chosen a white dress trimmed with gold for the evening with a slit up the side. Scarlett hated having her legs constricted even on a night out. Ever since an incident in Tony’s lab where a chemical reaction had fused her blue jeans to her leg she’d been wary of constriction of any kind.

Unfortunately white had been a poor choice for their date and she’d regretted it immediately after coming out of the bathroom. After Tony had dressed up in a casual, but classy suit, he’d chased her around and told her that by the end of the night white would be the most inappropriate color she could wear. It had delayed them at least a half an hour in the process of leaving which Pepper had been none too pleased about.

“Yes, an assistant who had the day off if you recall.” Pepper responded and then set her phone down and looked away to signal that she was done with that conversation. Tony went to respond but Scarlett scooted from the backseat over to him and nudged him with her shoulder.

“Give her a break. She’s been more than helpful and she’s not wrong. You did give her the day off.” She smiled and nudged his arm. Tony melted and nodded his head. Despite how he’d teased her about her dress, he was pleased that she’d dressed up for him. Not that Scarlett didn’t dress up often, but knowing that it was specifically for him made it all the more special.

“I guess I can do that. But only because the view from here is spectacular.” Tony placed his hand on her bare leg and she instantly swatted him away. He pouted in response. Scarlett was always obstinate but he usually got away with simple touches.

“You clean up pretty nicely too, I suppose.” The meeting with her psychiatrist had faded into the back of her thoughts for the night. At least one good thing had come out of her meeting and that was seeing Tony as excited as he was. The bags under his eyes seemed to have faded as he’d made plans. She knew hers were still there but hidden under a layer of makeup.

“Don’t think I don’t notice you checking me out when I turn my back, Scarlett. I’m not a piece of meat for you to ogle, you know.” He held his head up indignantly resulting in a chuckle from the woman next to him.

“Oh, didn’t you know that you’re my arm candy for the night? That’s the whole reason we’re going out. People seeing you on my arm? I mean look at that sassy bowtie…” Scarlett tugged at the black bowtie he wore and then straightened it. Tony wore them nearly all the time now, at least when he was required to wear a suit. She’d made a comment once about how she liked them and how they often wound up draped around her neck by the end of the night. Now he’d worn them at every opportunity in hopes they’d have the same effect. So far, it had been a successful effort.

“Me? Oh, no, no, no, I do think you have the roles reversed here, Miss Damien.” Tony slipped his arm in hers and leaned close enough to give her a kiss. Much to his surprise, she snubbed him and looked away, batting her eyelashes.

“What did I tell you already ten times about kisses?” Scarlett laughed. It shouldn’t have been a surprise that she kept turning away because she had been telling him since they planned their date night that he had to earn any kisses he got. They were going to be special, she wasn’t going to give it all away simply because what they had was routine. Tony pouted again and batted his eyelashes at her, trying once more to make his brown eyes as wide as he could.

“I don’t like this part of dating. It’s mean. I want kisses now.”

“Oh, you poor thing. However are you going to survive? Life is so hard.” Scarlett patted his arm gently and then peered out the window again. “So are you going to tell me where we’re going for the night or do I have to sit and wonder? Obviously it’s somewhere in the Hamptons considering that’s where this townhouse you won’t shut up about is.”

“Beach house. We’re almost there! Have you no patience?” Tony feigned offense but his eyes sparkled with amusement. It wasn’t often that he got to see Scarlett act antsy about something that wasn’t work related. As it turned out, Tony was rather fond of surprising her.

“I learned it from watching you.” She declared dramatically.

“I’m a terrible influence. But you knew that long before you signed up for the whole package here.” He leaned close enough to kiss again and this time Scarlett did leave a peck on his lips.

“Mmm, I did. And I agreed to do this anyway.” She smacked his cheek playfully and he nearly leapt out of his seat in awe. Leaning back as though it were nothing Scarlett continued. “I told you I’d take the good with the bad. That was part of the deal.”

“You aren’t always a peach to be with either, you know. You’re filled with absolutely miserable habits!” Tony accused, racking his mind to try and think of them. “Like reading the financial section of the paper. Or actually paying attention to the stock ticker. And Houses of the Holy is your favorite album, come on Scarlett, really?”

“I’ll convert you, yet. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard Zeppelin on a good stereo.” She narrowed her eyes at him. He continued on about music but she was only half listening. It wasn’t that she felt impatient to learn what was planned for the night but she wanted to prepare herself for what was ahead. Planning seemed to ease her nerves these days. If they were going somewhere posh it was likely there would be photographers hanging around in hopes of catching a juicy story. Given how often they were already in the tabloids it was likely they would be targeted as a very juicy story.

The last time Scarlett had appeared in front of the press with Tony had ended terribly for her. He had thought she’d been playing him by faking a panic attack on the street corner just to get away from him. From then on she’d agreed that it had been faked but in the back of her mind she knew it wasn’t and couldn’t admit it. It was the first time Scarlett had ever panicked over anything so seemingly trivial. Since then the panic attacks had become more frequent and violent. But Scarlett wasn’t one to be left crippled by them. She knew better than most that the only way to cure yourself of fear was to face what caused it and eliminate it altogether. This particular fear had seemed trivial in the greater span of things but the opportunity had arisen at last to rid her of it.

If they were going to be in front of the press tonight she wouldn’t duck out or make excuses or even try to run away from it as she once had. She’d do what she had to do in order to get past the panic and put on a pleasant face regardless of how it wound up. Tony wanted them to be together in the limelight. He wanted the world to know that he was with her and she was endeared by the notion. Unfortunately, she wasn’t endeared in the least by the attention it would give her. Scarlett very much wanted to keep her anonymity. To be with Tony meant to give that life up. It was a transition to say the very least.

“Scarlett?” Tony gently nudged her shoulder when he realized she’d spaced out. She did that sometimes and it often left him either worried or annoyed that he’d been ignored. But considering the first few months of their relationship, he could understand that sometimes she got lost in her head. It mostly concerned him when he really thought about it. Something was off in the back of her mind and she refused to talk about it. Though Tony hadn’t made many efforts to ask just what it was that ached within her thoughts either. He was afraid that the answer had to do with him.

“Hmm?” She arose from her mental coaching and looked back to him with sudden clarity.

“You disappeared again.” Tony brushed her curly hair away from her face but it only rebelliously returned to where it had once been.

“Sorry, I think I’m a little nervous.” Scarlett smiled warily and Tony looked at her, astounded.

“Nervous? You?”

“You don’t remember, do you?” Scarlett laughed under her breath. Before she’d met Tony she thought she’d been rather bold in public places but it turned out that was not the case.

“If you two don’t get out of this car soon we’re going to get a ticket.” Pepper spoke through the radio and narrowed her eyes mostly at Tony. She knew that the only reason Tony had been on time for anything over the past few months had been because Scarlett had made sure that he was. As much as the two women didn’t really get along, Pepper would never blame Scarlett for their tardiness.

“Oh, we’re here already?” Scarlett batted her eyelashes and peered behind Tony to look out the window. The building behind them was bustling with people and even as they sat in the car with darkened windows she could see flashbulbs going off. No one knew who was in the car but it was obviously worth watching. “Where is here? You still didn’t tell me.”

“Dinner and a show. You’ll love it” Tony nodded to Pepper who nodded in return. “No one’s going to give me a ticket, but we should probably get out before they think something’s amiss.” Happy walked around the side of the car and opened the door for Pepper. There was a roar of excitement outside of the car that made Scarlett freeze up. Those gathered around the building seemed to realize who else must be in the car if Pepper had shown up.

Ringing began quietly in Scarlett’s ears and she closed her eyes to try and shut it out before it drowned out her thoughts. Tony grabbed her hand and nodded toward the door that had been opened without her realizing it. She snapped her eyes open and saw him gazing at her hopefully. The best way to ease her out of her nerves was to thrust her into the limelight. At least that’s how things worked for Tony. Then again, social anxiety had never really been a thing for him, so he wasn’t sure how to approach it. Tony had been entertaining crowds and had them eating out of his palm since he was old enough to talk.

He stepped out of the open door and waved to the crowd of people who had gathered around to greet him. Most were just civilians out on the town for the night but a few were photographers and they were flashing their cameras as often as they could. Not that the civilians were any better. Ever since camera phones had been invented the major masses had become self proclaimed photography experts. Tony didn’t much mind. It was a simple thing to do, take a picture, and if it made those around him feel special then he would indulge them with ease.

After waving to the cameras and greeting those around him but ignoring the many questions being asked he turned and offered Scarlett his hand. She looked hesitant at first but when he offered her a smile to go along with it she took it. Even if she did melt down in front of the press or gave into any of the numerous fears building with anxiety in her chest, Tony would be there to help her through it. She could see the excitement running through him, the thrill of being in the limelight.

This made him happy.

He loved being the center of attention and he was damn good at it. Scarlett was comforted by this and left her fears in the limousine that Happy got back into and drove away to park somewhere nearby. Scarlett could do this for Tony if it made him happy. She wasn’t necessarily as good at it as he was but she wasn’t terrible at it either. Questions were fired at them from people nearby, the roar growing every louder at the sight of her. The tabloids had been dying to know more about Tony Stark’s mystery girlfriend so neither of them was surprised. Still, Scarlett’s hand trembled in Tony’s. She had to repeat over and over in her head that she wasn’t alone and Tony would help her and somehow managed to keep it together. The questions became a blur of sound. Everything from what her name was to what they were doing there and why was being asked.

“You don’t have to answer anything. Just smile and be yourself. They’ll love you. It doesn’t matter what you say, they’ll print what they want. But you’ll look damn good next to that headline.” Tony whispered in her ear, resting his arm around her waist and guiding her along the path that was being made through the blossoming crowd for them. The restaurant’s host had been expecting them and had called for security to help clear out the crowd.

“I’m doing my best.” Scarlett laughed out of nerves but stayed close to Tony and allowed him to take the reins. When they got to the end of the path, Tony kissed her cheek and whispered to her.

“You did really well.” He smiled and gave her side a playful squeeze.

“You did too, being my arm candy and all that.” Scarlett bumped him gently with her hip but was relieved to be away from cameras and the noise of Tony’s populace. It wasn’t as awful as she had remembered it being that first night he’d tried to take her out to dinner at some club in Malibu. Maybe with time she could even enjoy it the way that Tony seemed to. She looked back at the feeding frenzy outside of the doors to the restaurant.

Never mind.

It was likely she would never really enjoy it the way that Tony did. She viewed the press as sharks chomping at the bit not an audience.

“That’s right! I hope I looked good enough for you. Next time we’ll have to color coordinate.” Tony slipped his arm in hers and pulled her toward the host who watched them both expectantly and nervously. “You know who I am.” He nodded toward the log book in front of him.

“Yes! Yes, sir. Mr. Stark, sir, right this way.” The concierge nodded his head politely and then fumbled as he closed the book in front of him. Then he flipped it back open and muttered a nervous apology underneath his breath. The Hamptons, at least the richer part of it, was always filled with the glamorously rich and famous. But even establishments who were used to catering to a higher income lifestyle seemed to be nervous when Tony Stark showed up. Scarlett had been surprised that even in some of the fancier places in Manhattan they had been treated like royalty, even when they were doing simpler things.

Scarlett was so used to living in the shadows that stepping out of them and coming into the limelight was a tough transition. She thought back to what Dr. Ganter had asked her, about how she was scared her secrets would lead her into some kind of danger. That was partially true and she had considered it before but the scenarios in her head always turned back to Tony and what would happen to him. He was the uncontrollable factor in her life and also the most important these days. It wasn’t that she needed him for things to be important or for her to retain significance, but rather she had chosen him to be the most important.

She chose him because she had fallen in love with him. If she had really wanted to she could’ve done anything she liked. From pursuing MedCo, to running her own company, to doing absolutely nothing at all on a beach somewhere Scarlett knew she’d had options. But Tony made her happy and not because he expected anything in return. Love had seemed very complicated at first but when she broke it down it all became very simple. Tony had told her once that she didn’t have to do everything alone. He wanted to be there for her and that was something she had never had in the past and never wanted.

Once she had gotten around that particular mental block she was much happier for it. Things were far from perfect but Scarlett hoped they always would be. Happiness was a rare gem of a gift and Scarlett wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

They were led to their table in the corner of the restaurant set on a higher platform, segregated from the other tables. Only a handful of tables were separated like the one they’d been given and Scarlett assumed that was so they would have the best view of the small stage in the center of the dining room at the far end. The concierge pulled out Scarlett’s seat but Tony shooed him away and did it for her.

“A gentleman and arm candy, what did I do to deserve this?” Scarlett laughed as she sat in her chair, smoothing out her dress. Her hands were still trembling from the nerves she’d built up surrounding their sudden appearance in the media but for the most part she was proud of herself for making it through it without screwing up.

“You told me I had to earn these kisses, didn’t you?” Tony pushed in her chair as she sat and then leaned over the back of it and puckered his lips. She offered him a small kiss on his cheek in return and while he pouted, he was still grateful for it. In truth, he had realized at the very last minute that the sudden onslaught of attention from strangers could have been overwhelming for her. He’d forgotten about their first outing together and how she’d run away from him, seemingly having an attack of some sort. After he had found out that she was deceiving him because she’d thought he’d been working with an underhanded corporation he had just assumed it was part of the clever ruse she’d perpetrated in order to get what she wanted.

Now he realized that wasn’t the case at all. He wouldn’t bring it up, of course, because he was sure that Scarlett would deny it but somehow he knew that those feelings of fear and anxiety were real and stage fright was had become a real fear for her. It shook him as odd that Scarlett would suffer from such a fear, considering how fearless she seemed of other things that scared the hell out of him. At times they seemed very similar but at moments like this they couldn’t have been more different.

He took his seat next to her rather than across from her for a better view of the stage, and easier access to Scarlett. He then ordered a bottle of wine off the menu before even bothering to ask Scarlett what she’d like. They’d spent enough time together in the weeks past that he knew her drinking preferences by now. Neither was an alcoholic but they both enjoyed drinking. Even if this was technically a first date of sorts, a first official date at least, it wasn’t going to be typical.

“Where are Pepper and Happy? Aren’t they joining us?” Scarlett adjusted her chair and watched him curiously but also spied the stage in search of clues of whatever show they were going to see. She was secretly hoping it was not dinner theater. Most of those sorts of places ended up being quite the joke. One of her first dates in college had been to dinner theater and she’d spent the whole night forcing a smile.

“They’re on the other side of the restaurant. I may or may not be trying to set them up on a date.” Tony shrugged and nodded toward the other side of the stage. Scarlett followed his gesture and saw the two hunched together talking. In her head they were making fun of Tony and his extravagance but either way they looked rather smitten with each other.

“They would be pretty cute together.” Scarlett shrugged. She had once asked Tony if Happy had a thing for Pepper and ever since then Tony hadn’t been able to let it go. He was hell bent on getting the two of them to fall madly in love with each other. Tony wanted those who worked for him to be as happy as he was.

“It was your idea!” He scoffed, looking surprised that she didn’t remember.

“Was it?” Scarlett shrugged, trying to recall that particular instance.

“It was. They picked us up downtown after that thing and you asked if they were an item and…” Tony drifted off because Scarlett’s lips curled in a smiled. “You remembered, what’s this all about?”

“You like me.” Scarlett teased, pointing past her glass at him. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her.

“What makes you think that?”

“You remember stupid little things I say.” She pointed again but this time poked his arm afterward.

“Do not.”

“I said that in passing. I think we were downtown, maybe…” Scarlett thought, attempting to remember the circumstances.

“After your first Broadway play.” Tony repeated then cursed as she pointed again at him and smiled widely. “Okay so maybe I like you, what’s it to you?”

“I just like to make you uncomfortable.” Scarlett shrugged and batted her eyelashes. “Don’t you think it’s kind of funny that this is our first date? Shouldn’t you be asking me some first date stuff or something?”

“First date stuff?” Tony laughed, trying to think of what exactly that meant. Dating wasn’t exactly what Tony had done in the past. It was more like picking out women and taking them back home after a witty line or two. “What is first date stuff, exactly?”

“You’re just as bad at this as I am!”

“We must be meant to be I guess.” Tony smirked. Maybe things would be just fine for them after all. He was worried that Scarlett might never adjust to his popularity but she seemed just fine now after a rough start. Granted, this was probably the smallest amount of media he could muster up on a big outing. If he gradually urged her into the spotlight perhaps it would be easier for her to handle it. If they could find normalcy with this sort of event then maybe that meant normalcy would eventually find its way everywhere else. Usually that would’ve only proved to frighten Tony further but at that moment it was a comfort. He racked his brain to try and think of questions he didn’t have the answers to. Then it occurred to him. There were very simple things he had no idea about Scarlett and she had no idea about him! “Got it! What’s your middle name?”

“Melissa.” Scarlett answered with a nod of her head and took a sip from the wine he’d chosen for the night. “Oh, Italian wine, you remembered. You definitely like me. I would ask your middle name but I know it’s Edward already.”

“Well, that’s not fair.”

“It’s not my fault you’re a celebrity.” Scarlett laughed and shrugged it off as though it were nothing.

“Fine, here’s one we haven’t talked about. When… is your birthday?” Tony smiled eagerly. He needed more reasons to throw parties. The top few floors of Stark Tower were designed for such occasions and they had only thrown a few small ones so far. When her birthday rolled around he planned on throwing her quite the bash.

“August fourteenth.” Scarlett hesitated before responding and winced when Tony’s face fell.

“What?” He let his mouth hang open in surprise. It was the end of October.

“Yeah…” Scarlett tapped her fingers on the table.

“I missed your birthday and you didn’t say anything? What kind of woman are you? Is this going to happen at all our important dates? Who’s going to yell at me when I forget our anniversary? Whose going to nag me about Valentine’s Day?”

“We have an anniversary?” Scarlett cocked her head to the side curiously and Tony leaned his head back and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Why didn’t you tell me about your birthday?” He could only battle one demon at a time.

“I forgot, I guess.” She laughed in hopes of easing his fears. “I’m not upset about it. It’s just a birthday. I’m a pretty big girl. I don’t celebrate birthdays, really. I mean I will now for you but in the past I always worked through my birthday. I never paid much attention to the calendar unless it was relevant for a job or to find out what the weather would be like… for a job.” She smiled apologetically and placed her hand over his on the table. “It’s okay. Next year we can celebrate twice if it makes you feel better.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t say anything.” Tony seemed to be mulling this over in his thoughts. How could he have not known it was her birthday? He couldn’t even remember that particular day! It had only been a few weeks after their return from overseas so maybe she had other things on her mind. There were no clues left behind to allow him to discover this on his own. “I think you might be a witch. Women don’t just forget their birthdays! And they definitely don’t forget that I forgot.” He looked to her seriously.

“Well, I do. And if I was a witch, things would be very different right now.” Scarlett chuckled, glad that he could at least joke with her. For a brief moment she thought he’d really been upset that he’d missed it. “When is your birthday? I’m sure I’ve heard it before but I likely only rolled my eyes when I saw some news about a big blow out you had.”

“And there was plenty of blowing to be had.” Before she could roll her eyes at him he continued on. “May twenty ninth. I feel like we should ignore mine to be even or something.”

“Tony, we’re celebrating your birthday.” May was a long way ahead in the future but Scarlett didn’t think for a second that they’d ignore it. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you mine. I really just forgot. Do you see why it’s important to have a first date? These kinds of questions get out of the way…”

“Fine, fine! Okay. But I’m going to make up for this birthday thing.” Tony had always seen birthdays as a reason to celebrate his own grandeur. He’d always thrown all his own birthday parties but it occurred to him for the first time in his relationship that he didn’t have to anymore. It was likely that Scarlett would do it for him which meant he would get to do it for her. Somehow it was more exciting when someone was getting surprised on the other end. This opened a whole new level of possibility for extravagance in Tony’s eyes. It wouldn’t be just a party for the sake of partying anymore. “And what are you talking about? You keep joking this is our first date but I’ve taken you out before.”

“It wasn’t a date.” Scarlett argued for about the hundredth time.

“You were in a sexy dress and I paid for dinner. That sure sounds like a date.” Tony pointed out. “There was alcohol and dancing. Very romantic if I recall.”

“You were trying to get in my pants and I was trying to get into your computer.” Scarlett took another sip of her drink but stopped as the lights dimmed around them. A waiter came over and spoke to Tony before disappearing but Scarlett was transfixed on the stage anyway. Much to her surprise, and pleasure, musicians walked out onto the stage. A piano was wheeled on and a tall handsome man sat and ran his fingers over the keys. Another pulled out a trumpet while another set up his upright bass.

“You mentioned you love jazz a few times.” Tony whispered in her ear and nodded to the stage. “So I made a little request while you were getting ready.” Scarlett let her mouth hang open in surprise and turned her gaze away from the band to look at him.

“You arranged the show at this place?” Scarlett had never been on dates with anyone like Tony Stark before. She had no doubt that if he was trying to impress her he’d fly her around the world just for a bite to eat. It shouldn’t have surprised her that he’d arranged the entire thing just for them and yet somehow it still did.

“Yeah. I made a few phone calls after you suggested we go out. You made a comment once about how you could listen to John Coltrane all day. Do you remember that?” Tony nodded onto the stage and received a nod in return from the trumpet player before the music started up, filling the room with the sweet sound of classic jazz.

“No.” Scarlett scoffed in disbelief, leaning one elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand. “But I do love John Coltrane. So I’m not surprised I said that.” She kept her gaze on Tony in disbelief. Sometimes he seemed like the most thoughtless, selfish man she had ever known in her life and then there were these little moments where he remembered the most trivial things and she recalled that underneath that tough façade was a big teddy bear. “I think…”

“I might like you? Yeah, I think so too.” Tony nodded. He’d expected to feel smug watching his plan unfold but instead his stomach felt weird. Not sick, but weird. Scarlett was oddly really touched by his music choice for the night and the way he’d recalled something she could barely remember saying.

“No, that’s not what I was going to say.” Scarlett smiled and turned her gaze back to the stage again. “I was going to say that I think this is what we should call our first date. I really think it should be. I had fun with you that first night, Tony, but I was also terrified. I was scared of what you would do if we got close. I was scared of what I had to do and not being able to do it. I’m not scared of anything right now. I don’t want to remember our first date as something I was scared of. I want to remember this.” Tony leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply really taking in what she had to say. It was far from what he’d expected.

“Wow.”

“What?” Scarlett smiled out of the corner of her mouth.

“I like that much better than what I thought you were going to say.” Tony nodded his head. “Fine. You win. This is our first date. Our first real date. So today will be our anniversary.” He considered what that implied. Had he ever actually asked her out in the first place? There had been a time where he’d stopped a train on the tracks to get to her after he’d scared her away and called her terrible names. Vaguely he recalled that he’d asked her to officially be his girlfriend then and there but had he? He remembered telling her that he loved her. It was the first time he’d told anybody that he’d loved them, at least like that. But he couldn’t remember if he’d actually asked Scarlett to officially be his girlfriend. He’d asked her to move in with him, he knew that well enough. In fact, that was a question he’d asked on so many occasions he was sure she’d never forget that he wanted it.

“Tony, what are you doing?” Scarlett watched as he got up from his chair without thinking twice about it. He walked onto the stage and asked the musicians to stop playing. A waiter came up to the stage and asked him if he was alright and he insisted he was. Pepper and Scarlett exchanged glances from across the restaurant, both worried about what was about to happen in front of them.

“Sorry to interrupt our little jazz session up here.” Tony glanced over at Scarlett and gave her a wink.

“Oh no.” Scarlett grimaced but forced a smile and waved her hand at him then mouthed for him to sit back down with a stern gaze.

“I’d introduce myself but it’s safe to say most of you know my name already. I booked this restaurant tonight for a special reason. I chose this band for a special reason.” He walked across the stage and spoke to the people around him.

“Deep breath,” Scarlett whispered. “God I feel like I’m practicing for labor or something.” She muttered under her breath and then drained the remainder of the wine in her glass as though the alcohol could help her deal with whatever Tony had spontaneously gotten on stage to do.

“This place once only did murder mysteries. I was a kid and my dad would bring us here and they’d never let me play.” The crowd laughed and he held his hand up to quiet them. “They never let me play because the one time I did the game was over in ten minutes and they didn’t know what to do with the rest of the night. But still we came here every summer. Even after management changed and all they would do was Shakespeare. Lady MacBeth got worse every year but we came and watched anyway.”

Scarlett set down her glass and leaned back in her chair to listen. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as she had expected. He was going to make a scene of some kind but it was at least starting with a relatively cute story. Though she was positive this would have been just as sweet a story if he had told it without getting on stage and sharing it with everyone in the restaurant. But that’s just who Tony was and so Scarlett didn’t make any attempts to stop him. Tony was who he was. She didn’t need him to change. It didn’t mean she wasn’t going to make fun of him for it later, though. Pepper gave Scarlett another worried look and Scarlett held up her hand to let her know it was okay. This didn’t seem to convince the redhead of anything. Sometimes Scarlett was just as reckless and even more so than Tony.

“I never understood why dad loved this place so much.” Tony laughed but the response was mixed since he’d accidentally insulted the establishment. “Until now, that is. I get it now. I don’t think dad came here for him or for me. I think he came here for mom.”

Scarlett checked her phone and got a message from Pepper asking what Tony was getting at. She responded that she wasn’t sure and put her phone back in the bag she’d brought to accompany her.

“I took a special woman on a date here tonight. She claims it’s our first date but we’ve been together far too long for that to be true.” Tony nodded toward the table they were sitting at and all eyes in the restaurant seemed to find Scarlett. She tried terribly hard not to look at the crowd but it was almost impossible. “I realized if it is true, and she is right about most of this stuff… I probably didn’t ask her out either.” The crowd laughed thinking that he was joking. “You laugh, but I’m pretty insistent and likely didn’t take no for an answer. So, Scarlett. I feel like a nineteen year old boy making a fool of himself up here about to ask this question. Or a Justin Timberlake song, I can’t decide which. Either way, I was wondering. Would you be my girlfriend? Officially.” She didn’t respond and instead stared at him with her mouth agape, unsure if he was serious or not.

Someone who worked there got the hint and turned the spotlight on her and this shook her back to life. For some reason she’d frozen up. Was Tony going to keep doing things like this throughout their relationship? To be fair it was the first time he’d pulled anything like this but her thoughts moved into their future and how things would progress. Oh god, did that mean they had to talk about their future?

Tony walked off the stage and picked up her hand and made her stand up with him. She shook her head no to let him know that this was a very bad idea. Her legs were shaky and four inch heels plus shaky legs did not mix.

“This will only take a minute, come on Scarlett.” He had never seen her so far out of her element before. It was endearing to know she could almost be shy about something. “If it were up to me I’d say we’ve been dating for months now, officially. But in all that time I don’t think I really ever asked you. I just assumed you were my girlfriend because we’re always together. Which is just like me to assume. So here I am asking in front of all these people. You could very easily put me to shame and tell me no or you could tell me what I already think I know. Tell me I’m right. I know how much you love to do that.” The crowd chuckled again but Scarlett’s continued to be on edge.

“Oh, you would love that wouldn’t you?” Scarlett spoke barely audible and mouthed to him. “You are out of your mind.”

“Yes, I’m crazy, I know. You know. So what is it? You made a big deal about not having a first date so here we are.”

“I did that to annoy you.” Scarlett laughed and furrowed her brow. Those close enough to hear her response laughed as well.

“You’re starting to make me nervous about your answer!”

“You? You’re nervous?” She sighed but then nodded her head as a response stubbronly.

“Use your words.”

“Tony, you’re pushing it so hard right now.”

“Scarlett.” He looked to her knowingly. She narrowed her eyes at him in return. Somehow he’d managed to ease her nerves by joining her and joking around. When she was with him it wasn’t so bad but being put on the spot in front of a crowd wasn’t exactly Scarlett’s forte. Maybe if it had been in regards to one of her projects that’d be great. She was an excellent leader when it was on a topic she was well informed about. Dating, however, was not something Scarlett knew much about at all. Yes, she’d been on plenty of dates in the past but they had never been important and she’d never been very good at it.

“Tony.” She retorted. Scarlett saw Pepper on the other side of the room holding up her phone. Was she taking pictures or recording a video? Only moments ago she’d been panicking that Tony was going to make a terrible decision too quickly. Happy was laughing and helping Pepper find the right angle for her shot. She glared at them from across the room. “Yeah, I’ll date you. Boyfriend sounds a little high school but, it is what it is.”

“She couldn’t resist making fun of me, but she said yes everyone.” Tony held out his hands and bowed his head proudly, receiving a round of applause from those around him. The musician at the piano played a few notes of congratulations. He exchanged pleasant nods with Tony before returning to the music that they had been playing before his interruption. Tony helped Scarlett back into her seat and she instantly smacked his arm repeatedly. Those around them continued to laugh.

“You are out of your mind! Don’t do that to me again!”

“Hey! Ow! Stop!” Tony laughed, deflecting her as she swatted at him. “Don’t do what? Be incredibly romantic and sweep you off of your feet in front of a bunch of strangers?”

“No! Put me on the spot in front of a bunch of people I don’t know when you know I’m uncomfortable!” She laughed and smacked at his shoulder again.

“I thought that since this is our first date and every…” Tony drifted off as Scarlett grabbed the collar of his jacket and pulled him close. She silenced his lips with hers in a kiss, laughing against them as she did. He swatted at her shoulder and muttered against her lips not to laugh at him but she only kissed him harder to shut him up. His lips always tasted sweet, and even more so when he was smiling. “I thought I had to earn my kisses.” He kept his eyes closed after she pulled away, though her nose still brushed against his. She fluttered her eyes open and looked up into those that were already staring at her.

“You’re pretty stupid sometimes. But that story about your parents was really cute. And you still remembered that I love John Coltrane. So you earned it.” Scarlett knew that people were going to watch them for the remainder of the night, especially after Tony’s display, but it was just something she was going to have to get used to. She wasn’t going to behave any differently just because others were watching. It was scary to have all eyes on her when she wasn’t sure what was happening or why, but it had also been exciting. Maybe getting over her anxiety wouldn’t be so difficult after all. With Tony there to both help her and make it exponentially worse the odds were almost in her favor.

Afterward they ordered their meals and stayed into the night, far later than they had ever intended. The jazz band played on and on, song after song. Staff came out partway through the night and cleared some tables to make room for people to dance to the music. They didn’t usually do such a thing but given the buzz about the place that night thanks to Tony, Scarlett guessed it would become a longstanding tradition there. Scarlett had made Tony get up and dance with her but when he’d tried to get inappropriate with his hands she’d made him sit back down.

There were only a handful of people left in the restaurant by the time Tony and Scarlett were ready to leave. Pepper was falling asleep in her chair across the room and Happy was playing a game on his phone. The pianist was playing a quiet improvised tune on the keys and drinking a glass of wine that Tony had offered him when he and Scarlett couldn’t finish their last bottle. Despite an emotional start it had ended up being a pretty successful date.

“We should probably head back to the beach house now.” Tony checked the time on his phone. It was nearly midnight and while he was tired, he knew the night wasn’t over. Not yet. Scarlett got up from her seat and took the hand that Tony offered her before walking across the room to retrieve Pepper and Happy. Pepper was more than grateful to finally get to leave the restaurant for the night. She hadn’t seemed too terribly upset that they had convinced her to stay longer than planned despite her weariness. Ever since Tony had made his little display her mood had lightened considerably. They’d joined them at their table for a little while to joke and share dessert before Tony had requested his privacy with Scarlett again.

But now they walked as a group into the lobby. Pepper leaned against the wall sleepily with Happy’s jacket around her shoulders. Scarlett was about to ask Tony where Pepper and Happy were staying for the night when the lights in the building suddenly went out. The air in the restaurant suddenly seemed cold. Scarlett was on edge instantly. Blackouts were never a good sign. She was ready for a villain to appear around the corner in an instant. But then she felt Tony’s hands grab her backside and she nearly jumped a mile. The tension was instantly broken and filled with laughter.

“While we’re acting like teenagers…” Tony slipped his arms around her middle and she laughed nervously. “Hey, don’t be so tense. I bet this place is on a timer. They don’t usually keep it open this late. Give them a few minutes to fix things up.” Tony brushed his lips against her neck in the darkness. Somehow Scarlett still felt as though something was off. The lights didn’t just go off in places like that. Someone had turned them off. And she wondered why. Every reason she came up with was a bad one.

“I’ll go pull the car around. No point in waiting for power to come back.” Happy spoke through the darkness with a yawn. He whispered something to Pepper before blindly making his way across the lobby and toward the front door of the restaurant. Scarlett pulled her phone out of her pocket and Pepper did the same to light up the small space in front of them.

“See, don’t worry so much. Everything’s fine,” Tony whispered.

“It doesn’t feel right.”

“You didn’t say that last night.” Tony practically purred against the side of her neck.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” Scarlett laughed. Sometimes she couldn’t turn her instincts off. Or maybe something really was amiss. Either way, she was uncomfortable. “Let’s go wait outside for Happy. I don’t like this. I can’t see and everything’s unfamiliar. I need exits Tony.”

“Fine, if it’ll ease you up a bit then let’s go.” Tony placed his hand on her back and guided her toward the door. Somewhere in the back of the restaurant there was a sudden and loud crash and a clatter of piano keys being smashed. The air was filled with screaming following the crash and then the clamor of footsteps echoed throughout the dining room behind them. Scarlett closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. Sometimes she wished that her instincts were wrong.

Scarlett slipped from Tony’s arms and peered into the dining room cautiously. A bright orange light was shining from the far end and in the shadows she could see a half a dozen armed men making their way through the diners who remained. People were running around backstage, trying to get to safety.

“Not good, Tony.” Scarlett whispered, knowing that he had likely followed her closely.

“I guess things were going just a little too well, weren’t they? It wouldn’t be a first date if there wasn’t danger, I guess.” He spoke in her ear. Then he looked behind him. “Happy! I need my suit.” When the driver didn’t respond, Tony grabbed Scarlett’s wrist and made her shine her light around the lobby. “Damnit…”

“He went to go get the car.” Pepper was soon next to them, looking as worried as she ever was. “How come no matter where you two go something horrible seems to happen?”

“I ask myself that question constantly.” Scarlett responded. But who could have followed them? And why would they attack them on a night like this? Scarlett planned on asking these very questions. That was, after she had taught them a lesson on proper date etiquette.