( ICE CREAM HEATHENS )

CHERRY WAS ACTUALLY SUPER NERVOUS TO BE ATTENDING THE GALA WITH TONY. She sat typing at her desk, trying not to think about what she was going to wear and if it was some weird themed party-type-thing. Cherry had never actually been to a Gala or anything like it. Sure, there was some Stark Industries employee get together things, but probably nothing to the scale that this Gala was. If we were talking about the most sophisticated party that Cherry had ever been to, this would take the top.

She was glad that Pepper had asked her to help with some things, just little, mundane tasks like typing up an email to some of the researchers to see if there was any developments with any of the firearms. Cherry had already sent three or four of those, and a couple others that were different questions to some of the lead scientists that where in different divisions. 

She was about to pick up the phone to call for their maintenance guy, the plumbing in one of the male washrooms not quite working the way it should be, when someone knocked on her desk. Cherry turned to tell the person one moment, before she blinked at the man that was her boss, Tony Stark. She froze for all of one second, gaping at him, then promptly hung up the phone she could hear the dial tone blaring from. There was also a moment when she felt like she should stand up, like Tony was somehow the King or something, but decided that it would be better to stay sitting. Even if a lot of magazines were coming up with stupid nicknames about him and his business. 

She somehow felt dressed down in her own pantsuit, staring at Tony's clothes. They probably cost more than most of Cherry's wardrobe, which made her feel slightly intimidated as she stared up at the man. Cherry swallowed, blinked, then put on her best smile, "What can I do for you, Mr. Stark?"

He looked at her for a moment, before he was giving her a smirk. "You're Cheryl, right? The one Pepper said was going to be my date?" Cherry found herself nodding, casting a glance at Renee, who was trying not to make it seem like she was staring, but she obviously was. "Great. Come on."

He started to walk away as Cherry stood up, "But, sir, I don't have my break for another hour and forty minutes!" 

Tony sent a look over his shoulder, eyebrow raised, but he didn't seem to stop. Cherry sent an apologetic look at Renee, asking quickly if she could call maintenance. The blonde then scooped up her purse and found herself rushing after Tony, who was exiting the building now. When she got out of the building, her heels clacking on the floor, she smiled as she saw Happy holding the door open. She gave him a quick smile and let her hand pat his arm before she was getting into the car beside Tony. He looked relaxed, leaning slightly against the opposite door as the other closed. Cherry put her purse by her feet, not quite sure what the etiquette was for being in this kind of situation, so she sat up straight and had her hands folded on her lap. 

The ride was only quiet for about a minute, which Cherry spent looking out at the city-scape before Tony was clearing his throat. Cherry looked over to him, blue eyes meeting her own blue, noticing that Tony had turned his body towards her. She blinked a couple times, waiting for him to speak. "So, what makes you so special?" 

Cherry furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?" 

"Well, I told Pepper the day before yesterday to get me a date and if I'm going to be completely honestly, I thought it was going to be a Maxim calendar model. So, what makes you so special?" 

Cherry found herself shrugging, but noticed that Happy did look back in the rear view mirror at the two of them. She sent him a smile, not really knowing if he saw it or not. His eyes had returned to the road only a second after his look. She turned back to Tony, who was looking at her quizzically. "I'm not special, I just know that Pepper said something about Mr. Stane approving and I'm hoping that I live up to that."

Plus, it helps that Obadiah has asked her to a couple galas as arm candy. The only reason she wants to be Tony's arm candy was because he was more her age. And her stupid crush. 

He just looked at her for too more seconds before the car was coming to a stop in front of some extremely fancy looking place. Cherry wasn't sure if he was taking her here as a blatant show of wealth or if he was craving it. Though, she herself knows that Pepper has ran to twenty four hour diners to get him cheeseburgers at three A.M. because he has wanted them while working in his shop. Those days, whenever Pepper talks to her, she complains once about being tired, then the two of them talk about anything they can before Tony calls Pepper back. 

"Thanks, Happy," Cherry says when she steps out of the open car door. He had been quick to get out and open it for her and Tony. So quick, that when Cherry had reached for the handle to open it, it had been yanked out of her reach. 

"It's no problem, Cherry," Happy told her with a smile. She stepped out of the way of Tony exiting, and was surprised when the man put his hand on the small of her back to lead her into the restaurant. When they got inside the door, the hostess took one look at the two of them and was suddenly scrambling to get menus and calling to people in the actually restaurant to get a table ready. 

"Cherry?" Tony inquired, taking off his sunglasses and tucking them into the front pocket of his suit jacket. His eyebrow was raised and Cherry thought about how he had pretty good eyebrow structure. Then she couldn't believe she had thought that Tony had good eyebrow structure. 

"It's a nickname," she explained, shifting from foot-to-foot. "Happy would spend his time waiting for you by my desk and we would talk. He's a pretty great guy." 

Tony looked at her for a long moment, before saying, "I know," and then they were being shown to their table by an out of breath hostess. Tony was gentlemen enough to pull Cherry's chair out for her, which she thought distantly has never happened to her. So, either Tony was trying to make a good impression or he was just like that with everyone. Cherry tried to think of the times Pepper has told her about Tony and his table manners, but could only think of the times when Pepper complained about accidentally sitting in grease while sharing pizza in Tony's workshop. 

The waiter came almost as soon as they were situated at the table, handing out menus before asking what they would like to drink. Tony ordered a scotch for himself, stared at Cherry for a second with narrowed eyes before ordering her some fancy sounding martini. Before the waiter could get too far, she gave him a smile and switched the martini to a coffee. She bet this place could beat a good cup from Starbucks on their worst day and her caffeine addiction was singing sweetly in her ear about it.

Tony was giving her a weird look over the table, which made Cherry look up and raise her eyebrow at him. "Every one that I have taken here has loved that martini," Tony told her, his voice not cocky or anything like that. It was more like he was stating a fact, the easy confidence making Cherry envious. 

She looked down at the menu again, flipping the pages and glancing at the list of food there. "I'm sure I would have liked it if I actually drank alcohol," Cherry told him, before she was looking at the summary to one of the dishes the restaurant had deemed chef's choice. 

Their drinks were there only a moment later, Tony picking up his scotch to sip while Cherry added the smallest amount of cream before she was taking a sip of her almost black coffee. Tony watched her, obviously trying to figure out why she didn't drink alcohol, before he was putting his glass down, leaning forward slightly to say, "You've got to be shitting me." 

Cherry blinked at him twice. "No, I'm quite serious. Didn't even drink when I was a rebellious teenager or whatever," she shrugged, picking out a particular pasta dish that would send her to the gym for the calorie intake but Cherry knew it would be worth. When she set the menu down, Tony was still looking out her expectantly, obviously waiting for the story she was in no way ready to tell. 

"So, you order all your dinner companions their drinks?" Cherry asked, in way to change the subject. Tony gave her a calculated look, because Cherry had not tried to be smooth about it, before he was taking another sip of his scotch. 

"Generally," Tony told her when the scotch glass was firmly on the table again. "I hope you haven't found anything you like in the menu. I know the chef and she'll be making us whatever she thinks is good." 

Cherry glanced down at the menu, blinking, before taking a sip of her coffee. "Mr. Stark-" 

"Tony," the man interrupted with ease, as if he had been waiting for her to call him that.

"Tony," Cherry repeated, fidgeting slightly in her seat. As much as she had a crush on Tony, she knew as an employee, she wouldn't be allowed to date him. So, she hoped this wasn't a date. God, she hoped this wasn't supposed to be a date before he took her to the gala. "This is us just trying to get to know each other, right?" 

Tony raised his eyebrow at the question. "Yeah," he stated slowly. It took a second for him to realize what she was implying, surprisingly. "If this was a date, you'd know it, sugar," Tony winked at her. "Besides, tomorrow evening is supposed to be the date." 

Cherry found herself nodding, feeling a blush creeping up her cheeks. She hoped it wasn't visible, but knowing her slightly pale complexion, Tony had a front row seat to her being as red as a fire truck. Thankfully, the waiter came back, saving Cherry from Tony's smirking look as the man plucked the menu out of her hand, telling him to tell the chef that it was Tony, and they'll be ordering whatever she thinks is best. Cherry watched the waiter take the menus Tony was holding out for him with a smile, before he was darting away efficiently between tables to get to the kitchen the quickest. 

"So, you must come here often?" Cherry asked, hands around her mug to seep in the heat from it. Her fingers ran over the ceramic, trying not to stare too much as Tony's attractive face. His hair probably would have been soothed back if it didn't look like he ran his hands through it and mussed it up. Cherry had the distant thought of what it would feel like if she did run her hands through the probably silky curls and had to shove the urge down. How weird would that be?

"Only when I get a hankering for the ice cream. They make it fresh," Tony said, Cherry watching as he tongue darted out to wet his lips. She blinked, lifted her coffee up to take a sip, trying not to think anything inappropriate about the man. He was technically her boss. Which she doesn't know how many times she's told herself since she got into the car. 

The two of them chatted as they waited for their food. Tony didn't talk about all the parties and models and other stuff he did while drinking and partaking in that lifestyle. He actually talked about some of his robot Dum-E and the fact that he was rebuilding a car engine from scratch and that he was looking forward the Charity Gala because it was for the Maria Stark Foundation that Tony had stared when he was in his twenties. Cherry got to talk a little bit about herself and her cat Scottie. Her Ragdoll boy had unfortunately lost his front left leg to an accident, but he was happy and healthy and Cherry wasn't ashamed to show Tony a picture she had on hand in her purse. 

The food was delicious. Tony had been right to trust the judgement of the chef. Cherry's pretty sure that if she wasn't in public, she would have moaned and made a huge deal about how good the food was, like she did whenever Pepper and her decided to grab take out and watched some stupid show. This food was better than any Thai takeout that she ever had, which is honestly completely unfair. Her life would be forever changed due to that of Tony Stark. 

Damn him. 

They were half-way through the second course when Cherry watched her phone start buzzing on the table, where she had set it after trying to find a good picture of Scottie. Her eyes widened a little at the contact for Obadiah, scrambling to put her fork down and swallow her food so that she could answer it. However, Tony had grabbed it from its place, smiled at her cheekily, answering the phone. 

"Obie!" He greeted enthusiastically, making Cherry just stare at him, blinking, a little speechless. There was a pause, Obadiah obviously asking a question, before Tony was smirking, winking at her as he answered, "Oh, she's sitting right in front of me. We went out for lunch. I didn't want to take a stranger to the Foundation's Gala tomorrow." Another pause as Obadiah said something, Cherry finally being able to move and holding her hand out for her cellphone. Tony smacked her fingers away, waving her off. "She will get right to that once she is back in Stark Industries. But, for right now, she is sharing an early lunch with her boss... I understand some people actually have work hours, Obie, but I took her out, so it's okay. It's not like we don't have two receptionists anyway... Yeah, I'll get her back after some ice cream... Yes, we have to get some ice cream, what am I, a heathen?"

They talked for a moment more, before Tony was saying good bye and hanging up. With the impending knowledge that Obadiah was needing her, Tony waved the waiter down and asked for the ice cream. Cherry, as embarrassing as it was, did moan due to the milky goodness of the dessert, much to Tony's amusement. 

The bill landed on the table soon after that, Cherry making a grab for it but not quite quick enough. She watched as Tony didn't even look at the amount, just threw his credit card on the table and waited. Cherry didn't even bother telling the man that she'd pay him back. She'd find a way to get Pepper to slip some bigger bills into Tony's jacket or something and make it seem like its his spare change. 

The ride back to Stark Industries was spent in a comfortable silence, both Tony and her digesting the food they had just spent eating. Happy was happy to provide chatter, talking about something random that Cherry was only half invested in. She hummed in acknowledgement, saying a few words here or there. When they pulled up to the building, she thanked him and was fast enough to open the door on her own, sticking her tongue out at the driver. 

What surprised her was Tony getting out and wrapping her in a hug. He was warm and smelt amazing, and Cherry found herself wrapping her arms around his waist and digging her face into his chest. She felt his shoulders rumble from laughter, making her pull back wit a raised eyebrow. "I was a little nervous," Tony chuckled, Cherry feeling his hand run down her spine, "I thought I was overstepping with the hug but I guess not." 

"I like hugs," Cherry simply said, which seemed to cause Tony to grin down at her. 

No other words were exchanged, Cherry going back to her desk, Tony making his way to the private elevator. Cherry waved at him before the elevator door closed, before she was turning to Renee. The woman simply pushed a sheet of paper towards her, Cherry spying the instructions Obadiah had for her when she came back. Cherry sighed, but got to work. 

She made sure to work through her lunch break. 

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hi, i'm kim, i like to make people's relatonships develop pretty fast lmao. but this was only a hug for my touch starved boy. and that's all they'll get (as well as some hands on shoulders or an arm around the waist) but nothing too couple-y. they ain't at that stage yet! 

next chapter will have some pepper/cherry bonding and the gala!