Almost Famous
The room was blindingly bright and busy when they arrived on the set of their photoshoot and Natasha started to wonder if maybe she’d made a mistake as an obscenely large crew bustled around them.
Her eyes darted to Tony, but he seemed strangely relaxed, chatting good naturedly with the wardrobe assistant and occasionally flashing a charming smile.
Pepper shot her a grin that was half amused, half sympathetic as she took her coffee and sat in a chair that an assistant had designated for her.
Natasha turned her attention to the wardrobe lady, who held up a black garment bag and a quick glance over her shoulder told her that Tony had already been whisked away to get dressed.
She frowned slightly at the mirror in her dressing room. They’d curated a sleek, black and red number for her; a thin, soft cotton that hugged her curves and cut off above her knees, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, although she did have to admire how the deep red in the center of the dress accentuated her hair.
She put on a gracious smile as she re-entered the room, her eyes locking with Tony’s as he emerged from his dressing room and he winked playfully.
Her breath almost caught in her throat when she took in the sight of him; a freshly pressed black suit with a deep red dress shirt that matched the red stripe in her dress, gold vest and tie that brought out the soft brown of his eyes and… was he actually glittering?
Pepper whistled from her perch. “Niiiiiice,” she commented. She held up the press sheet. “They’re calling it the ‘Iron Wedding,’” she said.
“Cute,” Tony said, rolling his eyes a little as the assistants moved to escort them to the makeup chairs.
“I’m Ashley,” the artist introduced herself briefly with a friendly smile. “It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Romanoff. Or should I say, the future Mrs. Stark?”
Natasha returned the smile as she got to work. “You can call me Natasha,” she said, closing her eyes as the girl held up a thick black eyeliner pencil. “You know, I’ve never actually had anyone put makeup on my face before.”
“Ugh, wish I could say the same,” Tony commented, wrinkling his nose as another makeup artist dabbed powder all over his face.
Another pair of hands had their fingers running through his hair, using more hairspray and gel than Natasha would’ve thought was necessary and she sneezed as the same was done to her hair before the makeup artist had even finished with her face.
“People, people! Can we get this started, please?” The photographer, whose name was Jeff, insisted.
A short, black haired woman in a pencil skirt introduced herself as the director of the shoot and she guided them over to the set, a clean backdrop with a table base in the center, all dressed with romantic flowers, grass, and fake trees to look like a meadow.
“Over here, Mr. Stark,” the director said, showing him his mark.
He stood obediently, holding out his hands to Natasha, who grasped him eagerly. “Have I told you yet that you look absolutely stunning?” He whispered into her ear. “Don’t be nervous. You’re doing fine.”
She smiled gratefully.
“Beautiful smile, Ms. Romanoff. Can we get that again, facing me this time?” The photographer asked as he finished adjusting his camera.
She blinked in the spotlight a few times until her eyes adjusted.
“Wonderful. Mr. Stark, why don’t you put your arms around your lovely lady?”
Tony wrapped his arm around her waist, his hand pressed firmly to her stomach and she could feel the heat from his skin through the thin fabric of her dress.
“That’s great… now face each other, Mr. Stark, hands on her waist, nice and loose and sexy. Ms. Romanoff, maybe hold onto his face, very soft and delicate, that’s nice.”
Natasha took a deep breath as she raised her hands to his face while the camera clicked away.
“Don’t look at the camera, Ms. Romanoff. Look at him, head tilted to your right at a forty-five degree angle.”
She gazed up at him and he crossed his eyes, sticking his tongue out at her and she burst out laughing, nearly doubling over and he wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her close against his chest.
“Okay, we actually got a pretty good candid there,” the director said, studying the camera. “But Mr. Stark, can you please refrain from any further distractions?”
“Don’t make her laugh, Tony,” Pepper bluntly clarified with a roll of her eyes.
He grinned. “Alright, alright. I just wanted to loosen her up a bit,” he apologized.
“That’s a good position there behind her,” the photographer commented, giving them a thumbs up from behind the camera. “Maybe place your chin lightly on her shoulder?”
He took the suggestion, his facial hair causing her to shiver slightly as he pressed a soft kiss to the base of her neck before doing so.
“That’s beautiful. Can we get a little kiss on the cheek?”
He raised his eyebrow and she nodded, a low giggle escaping her as he loudly smooched her face.
“Great, now can we please get that shot from before?” The photographer pleaded.
The director moved into the scene, quietly mumbling commands to face each other and set up the shot they’d originally asked for, his hands lightly grasping her waist and her hands cupping his face as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“I can’t see enough of his face,” the photographer grumbled in frustration as he zoomed in.
“May I?” The director asked, holding out her hand.
“Uh, sure,” Natasha said, trying to keep her eyes on Tony as the woman touched her arm, gently lowering her elbow.
“How’s that look?” she asked.
“Perfect!” Jeff shouted and she quickly moved out of the shot as he snapped away.
“Having fun?” Tony murmured.
“It’s…. different than what I was expecting,” she admitted.
He smiled. “Come here,” he said, tightening his hold on her waist and lifting her up into the air.
She laughed as he twirled her around, her hands tightening their grip on his forearms even though she knew there was no way he was going to drop her.
The camera clicked enthusiastically to the squeals of approval from both the director and the photographer, but Pepper shushed them as she leaned over in her seat.
“Just let them do their thing,” she hissed. “Trust me, it will be a lot easier for you.”
He gently set her back down on the ground, pulling her close into his body and she rested her head against his shoulder as they embraced.
She closed her eyes as they held the pose for a moment, then he placed a hand under her chin and tilted her face back to look up at him as he held her, leaning his head down close as if he was about to kiss her and she automatically parted her lips, almost forgetting that there was a room full of people surrounding them.
Once the director called for a timeout so Jeff could reset the camera, he did kiss her and she eagerly returned the kiss.
“I love you,” he whispered, never taking his eyes off of her. “And I don’t care how many people are in this room right now, the only one that matters is you.”
“Tony,” she breathed, leaning into him.
“All set,” the photographer said. “Can we start rolling again?”
Tony gave him a thumbs up and the camera started flashing again. He tickled her waist playfully before he remembered that he’d promised to be on his best behavior and they took a minute to regroup, dutifully posing for the signature close ups of the ring and the cheesy pretend you’re dancing poses before the director called for one last set.
“Would you mind hopping up here for a minute, Mr. Stark?” the director asked, tapping on the base.
He used his hands to push himself up.
“This is going to be an overhead shot, so you can lean all the way back, if you don’t mind,” she said, nodding to the photographer, who moved swiftly to another camera.
A makeup artist dabbed at his face as he lay back, and a hair person came up behind her to pat her loose curls back into place before they guided her over to him.
“Uh, can we get her a stepstool, or something?” Tony asked, and it appeared in no time.
“Nice and easy, take your time,” Jeff assured her while he adjusted the lens from his perch on the lift above them.
Two assistants came over to hold both her hands as she took the two steps up to the platform.
The director patted the place where she was going to sit and she tugged her dress down as she obeyed.
“Now, just lean back against him, you’re still facing the camera,” she urged as Natasha slowly reclined.
She leaned until her back was pressed against his front as she adjusted herself between his legs and he moved to wrap his arm around her waist, placing a comforting hand on her hip and a soft kiss to her temple.
“Ms. Romanoff, can we get your right hand up to his chin? That’s lovely, now turn your eyes to look at each other without moving your head too much, “ Jeff called from above.
“May I?” the director asked Tony, and he nodded his consent as she tilted his chin with her hand, placing Natasha’s hand where they wanted it.
“You can hold the hand that’s on your face, nice and light, keep your elbow down low so we can still see her face, there you go.” The director moved his other hand lower on Natasha’s hip.
“Now, just look at each other. Pretend we’re not here,” Jeff instructed as the camera zoomed in on them.
She turned her eyes to look up at him, her body relaxing into him as he locked his gaze on hers, despite the uncomfortable choreographed position.
“Hi,” he whispered softly, his dimples appearing on his cheeks as he smiled an adoring smile.
“Hi,” she whispered back, unable to contain her own soft smile.
“Aaaaaaand that’s perfect!” Jeff shouted.
“That’s a wrap!” the director said, nodding approvingly when he showed her the camera. “Looks like we got our cover shot.”
“Let me see,” Natasha said, slowly sitting up.
Tony hopped down from the base and placed his hands on either side of her waist, gently pulling her back down to the floor.
“Oh, it’s gorgeous,” Pepper said, motioning for them to come over and check.
Natasha gasped when she saw it, her hand going to her chest and Tony’s eyes sparkled.
“And that’s even before editing,” the director said, grinning proudly at their approval.
“Come on,” Tony said, nudging her lightly. “I gotta get out of this thing. Where do you girls want to go for lunch?”
Pepper bent down to gather up their belongings while the assistants followed them to their dressing rooms.
“Thanks for everything, Jeff,” she said, shaking his hand. “And you know Mr. Stark has agreed to pay for all of the unedited shots from the shoot?”
Jeff nodded. “I’ll send the whole package to your assistant in less than a week,” he promised.
Pepper smiled gratefully.
“You sure weren’t kidding, Ms. Potts,” he told her. “He really is protective of her. It’s kind of sweet.”