Theme 90 - Lie
Title: White Lie
Author: ZionAngel
Stark 100 Theme: 90 - Lie
Rating: G
Length: 723 words
Summary: The tricks he learned from his father weren’t just limited to engineering weapons and rebuilding cars.
AN: Didn’t turn out quite the way I had imagined, but… whatever. When plot bunnies follow you around, you just kinda have to shoo them away as quickly as possible. Unedited as of yet, because if I post now I think I might be able to ditch the bunny.
The babysitter doesn’t notice when Tony sneaks out of the living room. He makes it all the way to his parent’s room undetected, and slips inside. He finds his father in the walk-in closet, buttoning up a crisp white shirt in front of the full length mirror.
“Aren’t you supposed to be doing your homework?”
“I finished it,” he replies simply, entering the closet and climbing onto the nearby chair. “Is Mom at the concert hall already?”
“Mmm-hmm.” His father turns and smiles at him, and rustles the hair on Tony’s head as he passes to the other side of the closet. “She’s getting ready.”
“Can’t I go? Please?” He puts on his best pleading face as his dad returns with a tie and jacket. “I like going to Mom’s piano concerts.”
“I know you do,” he says patiently, letting Tony hold the jacket. “But your mom and I are going to a late party afterwards, and you have school tomorrow.”
Tony pouts and slumps back against the chair, but he knows better than to try and argue if the reason is school - his parents never let him out of that. Instead, he just watches his father’s reflection in the mirror as he drapes the red and gold striped tie around his neck. “Maybe the babysitter can tie it for you.”
His dad glances at him in the mirror, one eyebrow raised in confusion, but this look quickly changes to a smile. “I can tie it myself,” he insists, and then he does.
This time, Tony is the confused one. “But you always have Mom tie it for you. I thought you couldn’t do it by yourself.” His dad finishes the knot until it’s perfect. “How come Mom always has to help you with it?”
“Because,” he says, taking the jacket from Tony’s arms and shrugging it on, “I’m not just trying to get the tie on straight.” When Tony’s eyebrows just creep closer together, his dad laughs, and picks him up. “You’re smart. You’ll figure it out someday.”
Even though it confuses him, the boy lets the subject drop as soon as he is carried out of the bedroom and back to the waiting babysitter. “Can I have ice cream after dinner?”
“Yes.” And with one last kiss to his son’s forehead, he’s out the door, off to see the wife who apparently doesn’t actually need to fix his ties for him.
As he works his way through a bowl of chocolate ice cream before bed, Tony wonders why his father would lie about that.
---
“Hey, Pepper, can you give me a hand with this tie? Can’t get it on straight….” He fidgets with it a bit more in the mirror, just for good measure.
She glances at him and sighs a little as he turns to her in defeat. But she sets her Blackberry down on the chair and comes to him. “You know, I could have sworn there was a time when you actually knew how to do this yourself.”
“Yeah, well, things change. Can’t be wasting valuable brain space on trivial things like ties anymore.” He quiets down when she reaches him, and focuses on her as she undoes the tie completely and starts over.
He lets himself enjoy how close she is, the way he can feel just a bit of her heat radiating from her body to his. He can smell her, faintly, a scent he’s learned is made up of the sunblock on her face, her shampoo, and something he’s always guessed is her laundry detergent. He breathes her in, watches the effortless concentration in her face, the crystal blue of her eyes as they study her work. He relishes the faint brushes of her fingertips as she makes too quick work of his tie, making it perfect. She pulls out his pocket square without being asked, fluffing it up and putting it back just so.
He looks away to a random spot on the far wall just as she finishes, and lifts her own eyes. “All done,” she says, with a small, sweet smile that finishes the moment off beautifully. Then she steps back, checks her watch, and ushers him along to their next meeting.
The trick, apparently, never stopped working on his mother, and he hopes it will always work with Pepper.
.
