mk robinson wants to be a star. (hitjackpot) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2013-02-08 16:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | door: marvel comics, mary jane watson, pepper potts |
who pepper and mj
what talking over new positions
when recently!
where stark tower
warning some redheaded sads
The days all started to blend together honestly. Justine had her time in Vegas of course, which Pepper took advantage of to just tune out and let herself disappear into the ether. She was trying to focus on keeping her head above water by staying as busy as possible when Justine gave her time through the door. It wasn’t that she wasn’t grateful for the time being herself. She was. Pepper just didn’t know where to start. There was so much to do that she honestly found herself drifting from one thing to the next. Her door would sometimes open up to the house in Malibu or the personal floors at Stark Industries, but never to her own personal apartments. It was for the better really, considering how much she needed to get through. She still hadn’t decided where she was going to stay during her six month sabbatical, but Pepper was convinced she could put it off a little while longer.
She was dressed in the same clothes she’d been wearing since JARVIS broke the bad news to her. She hadn’t showered, barely slept, and everything seemed half finished or barely even started. This particular afternoon, she was in the living room of one of Tony’s personal floors, sitting cross-legged, surrounded by piles and piles of things. There was paperwork in one pile, photos in another, press clippings, watches, technological devices in others. It was just a mess and Pepper was just sad. She didn’t know which way was up and if it wasn’t for JARVIS, she might’ve forgotten to eat. As it was, she was barely aware of anything else because she was completely cut off from the company, as per the papers she’d drawn up for Tony. God, she wished it was a year. It seemed like the pain would never ease. While sorting through a pile of things, she came across the casing she’d had made for him of his first arc reactor. Pepper just sat there, holding the glass in her hands, eyes watering, when JARVIS indicated that someone was requesting access to the floor.
“It’s Ms Watson, ma’am. I believe the matter is urgent.”
Pepper just nodded, half paying attention to the AI. The elevator dinged a moment later before the doors opened.
Mary Jane didn’t like going through the door lately, but MK was an absolute wreck, so any time away from Las Vegas was time both girls were sober. Still, being in New York now was rough. She was living back at home with her family, there was limited power for over a month, and worst of all, her best friend had simply blinked out of existence. Peter Parker disappeared off the face of the Earth, and the young redhead was more of a mess about it than she liked to admit. What if Peter never actually returned? What would they do? What would she do? It made her heart ache more and more and made her acutely aware of what feelings she could potentially have for her best friend. Maybe. Regardless, Peter was gone, and she had no idea what to do with herself. There was nothing she could think of to make it easier, and nothing anyone said would ease her panic. But, she had to be strong, strong for Gwen and Flash. Strong for Ms. Potts, too.
Tony Stark was gone, too, but, he didn’t disappear, which was better and worse for everyone. No, he was dead, and MJ was very concerned for her boss (or former boss, if Potts still wanted to claim that).So, after Tony’s death, and after she settled in with the new head of Stark Industries, and after she could finally feel safe leaving Queens, she didn’t go into the office. No, she asked JARVIS where Ms. Potts was, and she pressed the AI to give her access to one of the personal floors of Stark Tower. After being allowed upstairs, she stepped out of the elevator and into that massive, beautiful space. She couldn’t help looking around for a minute to soak it up, but quickly recovered.
“Ms. Potts?” she called out softly, seeing the other woman on the floor. MJ stepped forward a little closer and held out the two cups of Starbucks coffee in her hands. The little redhead was bundled up against the cold, gloves, hat, and coat keeping her warm over her skinny jeans and riding boots. “I thought I’d come by and say hi.”
The reactor was all she was focused on. There was no light, no flicker, no sign of life. Just like Tony, she thought to herself. She honestly hadn’t give any thought to someone wanting Silver’s body. She’d just gone ahead and arranged for Tony to be buried alongside his parents. She’d hoped that would have been what he’d wanted. It’s certainly what she would have suggested to him. Maybe they should have talked about that. She should have been more realistic about their situation instead of hopeful. She was smarter than that. Wasn’t she?
Pepper was stirred from her musings at the sound of Ms Watson’s voice. She looked up, a bit startled, not really expecting the younger redhead even though JARVIS had just asked for permission. She really needed to start paying attention. “Is that...you brought me coffee?” The concept was so completely and utterly foreign to her. Someone had brought her coffee. Why? Pepper accepted it, mostly because it smelled really good and she found herself wanting it. “Thank you,” she said after a moment. It was evident in the scratchy, hoarse sound of her voice that she’d been crying a lot recently, though the red rimmed watery eyes were probably a dead give away. Pepper was mildly embarrassed that MJ was seeing her this way. “I’m sorry. I’m not very...put together at the moment. I wasn’t really expecting anyone.” She set the casing aside and got to her feet, looking around as she did so. Oh. “I’m sorry this place isn’t in order. I’ve just been...sorting.” Yes, that was a good word. Sorting.
MJ shrugged. “Please, it’s the least I can do.” She wished she could do more, could have done more, both for Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark. Though she saw him infrequently, she felt a hollow in her world, too. Though, sure, the one left in Peter’s absence was gaping and raw and new and far larger, Mr. Stark still left his mark in death. Mary Jane had never been around death before, and it seemed strange to think of someone simply being blinked out of existence like that. Just poof, like someone blowing out a candle -- one second here, and the next just gone.
So, she felt horrible for Ms. Potts, and when she spied the bloodshot, watery eyes, her lips dipped down, head tilted to the side. “Don’t worry about it, Ms. Potts.” The place was a wreck, sure, but people mourned differently, MJ guessed. She took a quick sip of her coffee before stepping forward to survey all the papers strewn about. “Can I help with anything?” Then, she offered Ms. Potts a smile. “I decided you need me more than the new bossman. You’re a way better boss, Ms. Potts. Just so you know.”
The coffee was strong and hot, burning her tongue a little, but Pepper didn’t even feel it as she took a long sip. It kind of woke her up a little bit and she was grateful for it. “I appreciate it, Ms Watson,” she said kindly, mustering up a smile that was honest but small. It was the best she could do. “I’m grateful for all the work you’ve done for us. You’re a brilliant young woman,” she complimented sincerely. She never thought anyone could live up to what she did, but Mary Jane had certainly done an amazing job given her background and what she was working with. There was no doubt in Pepper’s mind that Mary Jane would get what she wanted no matter what it was.
Her smile got a bit wider when the young redhead said she was the better boss. “Just between you and I, I’m not too fond of him either,” Pepper replied, relaxing a bit more. She hadn’t spoken with anyone really, save for text messages and journal conversations. It was nice to be in the company of another individual. “I would like some help if you’re not too busy? I’m sure you must be busy with school after the blackout,” she added, not wanting to take the younger woman from her schoolwork when it was her senior year. “I’m just trying to juggle so many different decisions. I’m not sure where to start, honestly.” It wasn’t Mary Jane’s problem and it certainly wasn’t how Pepper was presenting the information. It was just her way of trying to explain where she was at and what she was trying to achieve.
MJ beamed at Ms. Potts over her steaming cup of vanilla latte (with whipped cream, thank you) when the older woman agreed with her sentiment. He wasn’t a bad person, per se, the new head of Stark Industries. He just wasn’t Tony Stark or Pepper Potts, and those two people were the ones who knew the company the best. “He’s boring. I’m just doing busy work right now.” And MJ hated busy work, especially when she was in a building full of geniuses cracking the newest advances in technology. “I’m totally here to help, Ms. Potts,” MJ said quickly, shrugging off the idea of school work. Senioritis, hello. Besides, staying here for a few hours was a good excuse to stay away from home and to also distract herself from missing Peter so much. “Let’s start with the easiest stuff first, okay? How about that?”
Pepper made a face. “Busy work? There’s so much to be done though and you’re competent. I wouldn’t have hired you otherwise.” She was less than thrilled with that development, but her hands were tied. She wasn’t allowed anywhere near Stark Industries on a business level and interfering with Mary Jane’s work assignments could be considered part of the business level. She wouldn’t lose the company over it, but it wouldn’t look good. The company was in a holding pattern and she knew she needed to get herself together sooner rather than later. “I apologize on his behalf, Ms Watson. It’s a good thing I’ve already written those recommendation letters, isn’t it?” This was easy. She could do this, she could be a normal person again. Pepper sighed and looked around when Mary Jane asked about the easy stuff. “I’m not so sure if it’s that simple. Everything needs to be packed up of course, so I’m just trying to sort to make that process easier. Movers have already been arranged to transport everything, I just need to decide where I’d like for all his things to be.” She paused. “I think...I think I’d like to go back to Malibu for the time being.” New York was starting to feel small and sad. Pepper gave Mary Jane a smile. “That wasn’t as complicated as I was making it out to be in my head,” she explained.
“Interns are always doing the bitch work at other places, Ms. Potts,” MJ said, rolling her eyes and completely unphased by the fact that she swore in front of her boss. The little redhead was hardly the type of girl to hold back in certain regards. At times, she was brutally honest with how she felt and wonderfully exposed. It was why she rode her friends so hard, but didn’t let any of them really help her. In certain ways, it was all about everyone else and never about her. Ergo, why she was in Stark Tower trying to console Ms. Potts instead of crying her eyes out now that Peter was likely gone for good. “Yeah, thanks for those,” she said of the recommendation letters with a grin. Though, lately, college had been the last thing on her mind. No, she had a superhero best friend and an ex/it’s complicated guy friend with black angry goop. Not to mention a fucked up Las Vegas person. College didn’t seem that important at the moment. “Go back to Malibu,” MJ said with a reassuring smile. “It’ll be good to get out of the city, y’know. Leave all this to someone else. Or, at least, leave it until you come back.”
“Stark Industries isn’t like that, at least not this far up the chain of command,” Pepper replied with a bit of an annoyed tone, though it wasn’t with her. “Well, you don’t have to stay working for him. I’ll need things taken care of in New York while I’m in Malibu. You’ll have access to the penthouse and a driver, of course. JARVIS is installed at the penthouse as well so there’s that. It’s not that far from Midtown, now that I think about it,” she added, referring to the high school and speaking as if it were a done deal. That really would just be perfect. “What do you say?” Because really, she should ask first.
MJ blinked a few times, a little startled by the sudden swerve in conversation. She hadn’t been complaining about the work, not really, even if it did annoy her. She wasn’t looking for a different job because she was happy with anything. Still. She looked at the woman for a moment with flabbergasted eyes and furrowed eyebrows. “What?” she asked suddenly, then caught herself. It was a little daunting to think about, what Ms. Potts was asking, but MJ could handle it. She could handle anything. Clearing her throat, she shifted on her feet and glanced around. Why not, right? “Sure,” MJ said with a smile. “As long as it doesn’t like, mess with school and stuff. What kind of work would you need done?”
Pepper smiled. “First off, I want you to start calling me Pepper, Mary Jane,” she replied, setting her coffee down before leading the younger redhead over to the couch. “I’ll be conscious of your school schedule. It shouldn’t be too extensive, honestly. The biggest thing would be sorting through Mr Stark’s things and shipping them to Malibu for me, or donate or sell anything provided we’ve talked about it. It would be helpful if you could field some calls and emails occasionally, reminding contacts that I’m on a leave of absence from the company. You’re welcome to stay at the penthouse, that was what I was offering, particularly with how winters can get.” She didn’t think anything of it. “It’s certainly practical,” she added. “I might need you to come to Malibu for a weekend or two, but we can plan those for when it best suits your schedule.”
Mary Jane followed the older woman over to the couch, still a little uncertain about all of this, but not enough to bolt right out of the penthouse then and there. “Pepper,” she said with a smile and a nod. She would stay Ms. Potts the same way Aunt May stayed Mrs. Parker even with all her insistence, but she would try to make it a little less formal with her boss. She listened to the list of her new obligations and ticked them off in her mind. Nothing difficult at all, and trips to Malibu would never be frowned on. Staying at the penthouse, however, that had her raising her eyebrows high. “I’ll have to think about that. The penthouse,” she said. Being home was hard, but she also missed her mom. And, her dad was trying to be better. “But everything else sounds great. I’m game.”
“Wonderful. JARVIS?” Pepper looked up, primarily out of habit. The AI was truly wonderful though, because his response was simply, “Ms Watson has already been given access to the penthouse suite and Mr Williams has been notified of his new client.” Pepper was beaming, already getting better and back in the swing of things. “Wonderful! Now, here’s the number you’ll need for Joe. Feel free to use him whenever you need. He’s contracted exclusively for myself and Mr Stark’s use,” she explained, texting Mary Jane the phone number for the car service, as well as the address to the penthouse. “He’s there to fit your schedule,” she added, trying to reassure her of any reservations she might have. Pepper had taken a while to get used to the lifestyle, but now it was second nature. “The penthouse takes your personal identification number that we set up when you first started working here,” she explained. “You can work there when you’re doing things for me.” It seemed like a good compromise. Even if she did throw a party or something, Pepper was sure it wouldn’t be as bad as the ones Tony would throw.
“Okay, okay,” MJ said, waving her hand to make Pepper slow down so the younger redhead could catch up. She pulled out her phone and began typing up the details in her notes and storing the numbers and addresses as well. “Okay, yeah, this is all great.” MJ beamed over at the other woman, and she didn’t even let Pepper see that she was thinking of the rager she could throw at a Stark-owned penthouse in New York City. It would be her own, personal little memorial, of course, and the perfect way to distract herself from the hole burning in her chest now that Peter was missing. She pocketed the phone again. “Should I still go in and work for the other guy?” She thumbed at the elevator, where her boss was waiting downstairs to pile her with more filing.
Pepper grinned. “It’s entirely up to you how you’d like to handle it, Mary Jane, but you’ll be at Stark Industries when I return, regardless of which position you choose, or if you choose to do both,” the older redhead replied. Personally, she thought Ms Watson should tell the old fool to shove his busy work up his ass, but she would never blatantly suggest such a thing. Particularly not to impressionable young redheads.