Who: Tony Stark and Shawn Spencer When: During the snow? Where: Outside a toy shop What: Random Encounter Rating/Warnings: Low/None Status: Complete when posted
There was a mom-and-pop toy shop that Tony Stark wanted to support as well as buying toys for the toy drive. He loved going to this shop every year and seeing all the new gadgets that they came out for kids to play with. Still, Legos were his favorite. They were super expensive, which was why he loved to buy them for the drive. Most of the toys that were donated to the toy drive were cheap things. Tony figured kids who came from families that needed a little extra help around the holidays deserved good toys, too.
He stopped in front of the shop, looking into the window at the display. But something was a little strange. There was some guy in there moving the toys around.
Shawn loved Christmas. He also loved toy stores. So it only stood to reason that he would frequent the local toy stores during the holiday season. Twinkle Twinkle Trinkets was one such store. Apart from the irresistible alliteration, the store was also next door to Colonel Custard’s Creamery, home of the fried pineapple and caramel swirl ice cream, making it the perfect place for him to spend his fifty-three minute lunch.
Today he had been minding his double scoop cone when the window display caught his eye. The gasp of horrified surprise was as genuine as the fresh double cream caramel dripping on his thumb. “Oh. Oh no. This just won’t do.” Shawn stopped a passing store clerk, pressing the cone into her hands. His eyes dipped to her nametag and back to her eyes, giving her an earnest, serious look. “Jennifer. Jenny. I am trusting you with this. Keep this secret. Keep this safe. I shall return once my mission is complete.” He stepped away from the pretty clerk and toward the window…
…and stepped back again. He gave her an easy grin, taking her free hand again with his. “Shawn, by the way. Shawn Spencer.”
A few minutes later, his dessert safe in the hands of Jenny the Store Clerk, Shawn set to work. The various action figures had been arranged as if they had been plopped from their boxes at random and placed in haphazard rows. Wolverine was nestled between BB-8 and Batman, while Darth Vader looked to be using his lightsaber as a giant pen against Captain America’s shield. This was a cry for help and while he may not be the Display Organizer that Twinkle Twinkle Trinkets deserved, by god, they needed him badly and that was enough for now.
Unaware that he was being watched, Shawn set about arranging the various figurines by universe. The Marvel figurines were engaged in a to-scale version of the Battle of New York against the Galactic Empire, while Batman battled Superman for the hand of Presidential Candidate Barbie.
Tony watched with amusement as the man behind the glass organized the toys in the window. A light snow had begun to fall, and Tony lifted the collar of his jacket, then tightened his scarf around his neck. Of course, he’d had much colder. In his Dreams and in this world. Experienced traveler that he was… but he didn’t like it. He’d grown used to the southern California sunshine. Maybe it’d made him soft? Thankfully there was only one month out of the year when they had snow and ice, usually, and Tony could handle it.
He watched as the man behind the glass started moving around Marvel figurines, and frowned slightly. Those were way out of place. Sure it looked better when he had them positioned that way, but Tony knew that Natasha wasn’t near him when they were battling the… well, he supposed the Galactic Empire was taking the place of the Chitauri.
Tony knocked on the glass.
Shawn had nearly finished organizing the storm troopers when he heard the knock on the window. He had been aware that he had been watched (every good actor knew where his audience was at all times). Was this the audience participation part? Eh. Might as well please the fans. Looking up, he finally came eye-to-eye with… Hans Gruber? Seriously? People actually dressed like that?! He wondered if there was an older man who was a seventh-generation tailor who had actually set up shop in L.A., (having fled the Empire for palm tries, warm beaches, and doting young granddaughters), or if Gruber had flown his helicopter across the Great Pond to the tailor instead. He’d have to ask later.
“Yes?” Shawn asked as patiently as he could. Which meant that it likely came across as patient as a toddler being interrupted from his crayon masterpiece.
Oh, where to start. Of course, Tony knew about being distracted from crayon masterpieces. He knew that look, he looked that look more often than not. Tony was a pretty much one-track-mind kind of guy. When the man behind the glass gave him that look, though, it pretty much rolled off Tony’s shoulder like rainwater on an umbrella. He lifted a gloved hand and pointed.
“You’ve got that wrong.” Tony said, only raising his voice just slightly. It was possible the guy on the other end wouldn’t be able to hear him through the glass.
“What?” Shawn squinted at the guy, trying to figure out what he was saying. He got something wrong? Him? Looking down at his masterpiece-in-progress, he tried to figure out where Moneybags was pointing. He couldn’t be… nahhhh. There couldn’t be an error in his BoNY scene. That movie was a classic and he’d seen it at least twice. The man obviously had no idea what he was talking about. Shrugging his shoulders in an ‘I don’t get it’ motion, Shawn called back through the glass. “What do you mean ‘wrong’? What...What’s wrong with it?”
Tony didn’t bother saying anything. He simply pointed to where a couple of the toys were standing, then motioned for the man behind the glass to swap the two.
Shawn looked down to the figures Gruber was pointing at. He pointed to them as well, raising an eyebrow. “These two?”
Tony nodded, making the motion again. Switch those two, dude. Then, just to be snarky, Tony spoke aloud again. “I was there.” And motioned toward the Iron Man toy.
Frowning, Shawn looked from the Iron Man figurine to Gruber and back again. No way. He couldn’t be. This was real life, not a comic book. Right? Right. Because if this were a real life comic book, that would mean that Gruber was actually... Holy pineapple upside down cake, Batman. “Tony Stark?!”
Tony’s smile spread quite a bit as the young man behind the glass finally put two and two together. He nodded, slipping his hands back into his pockets. (That is, if he’d lip-read correctly. It was hard to hear through the glass, wasn’t it?)
“He was… but you’re…” Shawn’s brain reeled. Did he take a wrong turn at Albuquerque and end up on Earth 616? His mouth spread in a wide, child-like grin. Iron man was real. This was the best Christmas gift ever. Of all time. And when faced with an iconic comic book hero come to life, there was really only one question that could ever follow such a revelation: “Can I get your autograph?”
Tony loved that moment. The moment where people realized who he was. His eyes sparkled in that perfect, Tony Stark way, and then he nodded. “You got a pen?” he asked, lifting a gloved hand as if scribbling in mid-air.
Shawn’s hands immediately went to his pockets, trying to find one. He came up with seventeen cents and a half-eaten bag of ranch corn nuts. Huh. That’s where those got off to. Ranch dust wasn’t the best for autographs, however. He held up one finger, already thinking back to whether Jenny had a pen in her hair. “One second. Don’t- don’t move.” He was off and away before the second word had left his mouth.
He found Jenny behind the counter, casting a surreptitious glance at the delicious ice cream that lay sadly melting over beside the register. In a matter of moments he had collected pen, paper, and ice cream (for it’s own safety) and was dodging back through the aisles to one of his childhood heroes. “Here! Here!” Shawn cried, brandishing the pen and paper like a sword and shield.
Tony was starting to wish he’d picked up a coffee along the way. At least then he’d have something to do while he stood and waited on the street outside the toy shop. Actually, this was one of the stranger things he’d done lately… and that was really saying something. He pulled out his phone and took a picture of the display in the window, thinking Clint, Natasha and/or Steve would get a kick out of it, and then glanced up as the spunky, young man came back into view.
There was still a display and a glass window between them. Tony raised an eyebrow.
It took Shawn only a moment to realize his mistake. He held up one finger on the hand holding the pen before ducking back out of the display window. Moments later he was opening the main door to the store and out into the cold. And boy was it cold. Wow. Maybe ice cream hadn’t been the best choice of snack on the way home, but he couldn’t help it. It had just looked so good and pineapple-y.
Anyway.
“Here.” Shawn half-handed, half-bowed the pen and paper to his childhood idol come to life. Who wouldn’t want to be a billionaire-playboy-philanthropist? Especially if you got to fly around in a suit that played only the best music.
Tony accepted the pen and paper with a little smirk, and then signed his typical autograph with the silly phrase attached. Anything from “go get ‘em” to “you’re a star” or something else silly. Today it was “great window decor.” Seemed fitting.
“Here you go.” He said, holding out the paper back to the other man. “To a big fan.”
Shawn was practically dancing from foot to foot as he took back the autographed paper. “Thank you! Sir!” Oh man, Gus was never going to believe this. It was totally. Completely. Made. Of. Awesome. “I am a big fan!” Was he grinning? Probably. He couldn’t feel his face anymore.
“I can tell.” Tony said, the smirk seriously tugging at his lips now. He nodded. “You’re doing a good job in there. On the… battle… reenactment.” He motioned to the window. “I’ll leave you to it. Merry Christmas.” He added, then turned to head off down the street.