‘Tell me again why we have to be at this thing,’ Tony said as he took a sip of champagne.
‘Because your Dad’s the head of the company,’ I said, ‘and I love free food.’
‘Ah, I might have known there would be an ulterior motive with you,’ he said looking down at me with a wry smile.
‘Well actually,’ I said taking a small sip of my own drink, ‘there’s more than one.’
‘Oh yeah?’ he asked quirking an eyebrow.
‘Yeah,’ I smiled as I looked out into the crowd. There were at least a hundred people in this grand function room. What the function was actually for I couldn’t tell you. All I had been told was that the Starks expected Tony to be present which meant I also had to attend for…moral support. People milled around boozing and schmoozing but we stayed on the fringes. Tony hated these functions. He hated that his Dad forced him to participate. That he made him rub shoulders with the rich and sometimes famous. Tony nudged me apparently impatient enough not to ask me what my motives were.
‘What?’ I toyed with him pretending I didn’t know what his question was going to be.
‘Come on,’ he said, ‘spill your reasons.’
‘Well number one is obviously free food,’ I said.
‘Obviously.’
‘And free booze comes a close second,’ I said.
‘Naturally,’ he smirked.
‘And,’ I said leaning in so I could whisper in his ear, ‘you look hot in a tux.’
‘Oh really?’ he said. I nodded and grabbed his glass from his hand downing the drink in one. He raised his eyebrows as he watched me. I placed it down on the table beside us and grabbed his hand.
‘Yeah,’ I said after a minute, ‘and because you do look so good tonight…I think you should dance with me.’
‘Oh I don’t dance,’ Tony said as I grabbed him by the hand and started tugging him towards the dance floor.
‘Oh come on,’ I said tugging hard but he dug his heels in and I struggled to move him.
‘Tony Stark doesn’t dance,’ he said pulling me back to him. His hands fell on my hips and he tried to pull me in to kiss him but I leaned out of his way and folded my arms across my chest.
‘Babe,’ he grumbled but I turned my head away.
‘I don’t make out with people at parties,’ I said.
‘Oh I have some memories that dispute that fact,’ he chuckled leaning in so his face was mere inches from mine.
‘Well if you’re not gonna dance with me then memories will be all you have to rely on tonight,’ I said.
‘You really want me to dance with you?’ he grumbled. I turned my head to him with a massive grin plastered all over my face.
‘More than anything,’ I said in a sickeningly sweet voice that sounded completely unlike me.
Tony sighed and offered his hand up which I grabbed with gusto as I led him through the crowd of people. There were plenty of people standing around socialising and networking but there was a small dancefloor just past the crowd that had a few couples on it, blowing off some steam. As we got to it the song changed to a slow song I didn’t recognise. Tony pulled me into him, wrapping one hand around my waist and the other holding my other hand. He stood up straight as he gently moved us round the dancefloor in complete rhythm with the music. I watched him closely. His brown eyes were watching the people around him, not me, but he seemed not to be interested in them rather he was focusing on the dance.
‘Are you counting the beats?’ I said with a giggle.
‘You asked me to dance with you,’ he said as if it were obvious.
‘Tony Stark,’ I said with faux shock, ‘are you a secret dancer?’
‘I said I don’t dance not that I can’t,’ he said looking at me properly. He was leading us expertly in a slow yet elegant dance that fit perfectly with the classical music theme that the band was putting out.
‘Oh I bet you know them all don’t you,’ I giggled, ‘the fox trot, the waltz, ooh can you jive?!’
He looked away from me and pursed his lips as if he was sucking on a lemon before he mumbled quietly, ‘my mom made me take a class with all genres okay?’
I burst into a fit of giggles attracting attention from all around us. Tony scowled but there was a smile behind his eyes.
‘Oh I can just picture you as a little dancer,’ I sighed, ‘bet you impressed all the girls huh?’
‘Well, it was me and twenty other posh kids all of which were girls so yeah. I did alright,’ he chuckled.
‘Well I’m happy you picked me to be your dance partner tonight,’ I said moving so my arms were wrapped around his neck. His hands slipped to my hips as he pulled me into him. We weren’t properly dancing now just rotating in a slow circle. His big brown eyes were watching me with adoration that made my heart swell.
‘I’d always pick you,’ he said leaning down. His nose bumped against mine a little before he captured my lips between his soft ones. I leaned into it until my tongue probed his bottom lip begging him to let me deepen the kiss. He did and I felt his hands travel down under my ass, cupping it gently. Finally, with a sigh of contentment, we broke apart. Before we could kiss again someone appeared at the side of us. An older gentleman with a pencil moustache, white hair and the same gorgeous brown eyes as Tony. Howard Stark.
‘This isn’t a frat house Anthony,’ he said with a tight smile that widened as someone passed by us.
‘Mr Stark I’m sorry it was me-’ I started but Tony cut me off, ‘don’t bother.’
‘Tony,’ Howard said with a warning in his voice.
‘Whatever,’ Tony sneered, ‘you know what how about we just get out of your way?’
And before anyone else could say anything Tony was storming off through the dancefloor, practically dragging me across behind him as I teetered along in my high heels. I had to jog to keep pace with him as he took us out of the grand room into a smaller one that adjoined it. There were a couple of spare tables and chairs inside. A beat-up old couch sat in the corner and he flopped down onto it with a thud. I clambered onto the seat beside him and tucked myself into him. I pushed my dress off my legs so I could swing them across his legs as I wrapped my arms around his neck, stroking his hair softly. We sat there for a moment in silence.
‘Are you okay?’ I said after a moment.
‘Yeah,’ he grumbled.
‘I mean really?’ I said, ‘because you don't have to lie to me. If you’re not okay I-’
‘Y/N really I’m fine,’ he said kissing my cheek.
‘Really?’ I asked quietly.
‘Yeah,’ he said fiddling with the edge of my dress, ‘he just bugs me is all.’
‘I know,’ I said sadly. I knew Tony and his father didn’t have the best relationship but I had to admit, it seemed whatever Tony did was never good enough.
‘He just always has something to complain about. Something’s always wrong. Or I’ve always messed up somehow,’ he said.
‘Not to me,’ I said as my fingers ran through his soft brown locks.
‘I know, I could tell from that kiss,’ he smirked.
‘Hey maybe your dad was right,’ I said, ‘who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t broken us up.’
‘Sure would’ve made this party more exciting that’s for sure,’ Tony chuckled.
‘I bet you wouldn’t even care,’ I said.
‘I never do,’ he said, ‘not when I’m with you. Nothing else matters.’
‘Tony Stark are you going soft on me?’ I giggled.
‘Maybe,’ he said, ‘but even if I am I don’t care.’
‘Me either.’