章 56: Meet the Parents?
-Stark's Mansion, Malibu, Los Angeles-
-May 27, 2008, 1030h local-
Pepper rushed towards Tony's workshop/garage. He had been missing ever since the Firefighter gala, and she was worried that he got himself into trouble again. She pushed Naruto for information, but he kept his mouth shut. He just said that Tony was not dead.
That's why when Jarvis informed Pepper that Tony had finally arrived and was holding himself up in the garage, she dropped everything in the office and ran back home. She barged through the door and ran down the stairs, although she was not expecting the scene in front of her. She entered the security code and walked inside.
"Tony?" Pepper whispered in shock, pulling Tony's attention.
Tony looked towards Pepper, while still suspended mid-air with metal contraptions on each limb, trying to remove the red and gold armor that he was wearing. He sputtered a few moments before giving up on defending himself.
"Be honest. We've done a whole lot worst than this." Tony deadpanned.
Pepper's face immediately turned as red as her hair. She was about to reprimand Tony when she heard something that made the situation a whole lot worse.
"Uhm. I don't need to know what nasty things you do in your private time." Pepper heard from somewhere in the computer lab. She slowly turned her head towards the source of the voice and saw Naruto leaning back on a chair with his feet up on the table and eating ramen.
"Naruto. I didn't see you there." Pepper replied, trying to brush off her embarrassment.
"Obviously..." Naruto said as he placed down the ramen bowl. "We can forget everything that was said if you do me a favor."
"Oh, thank god, yes..." Pepper replied, a lot more relaxed. "What do you need?"
"Well, one is for me, and one is for Tony, really," Naruto said sheepishly, which is immediately mirrored by Tony. This immediately sent warning bells up Pepper's mind.
"What did you two do this time?" Pepper questioned, preparing herself for the inevitable headache.
"Oh. You really don't want to know..." Naruto answered with a chuckle. He also noticed that after 25 minutes, Tony finally got out of his suit. "Tony needs one F22 with all the bells and whistles, and I need two of them. Just send them to Rhodey."
"What!?" Pepper exclaimed before turning towards Tony. "Where the hell did you go!?"
"Afghanistan..." Tony said quietly. He expected Pepper to blow up again, but she just stood there with her arms crossed while tapping her foot, urging him to continue. "The ten rings somehow got three Jerichos, tanks, and a lot more stuff. They holed up in Gulmira, so I took my new suit and went there myself."
"And how did you get involved in this?" Pepper asked Naruto, still using her 'mom' look.
"I was there first! It's your husband's fault that he decided to take my job!" Naruto retorted. "If anything, you should thank me. I just pulled Tony out of the crosshairs of four F22."
"Hey! It's not my fault that a tank shot me down and banged up the hardware!" Tony defended himself automatically, but Naruto's grin informed him that he just made the wrong move, and it wouldn't be long before he figured out why.
"You got shot down by a tank!? When were you going to tell me this." Pepper exclaimed, causing Tony to try to take a step back before stopping himself. He slowly walked towards Pepper, took her hands, and hugged her.
"Look, Pep. I'm okay. I'm not hurt though I can say that I'm shaken up by the fall." Tony whispered to Pepper
Pepper hugged Tony tighter. This was so she can subtly pat Tony's body for injuries and, at the same time, hide her teary eyes. When she was satisfied that Tony was indeed okay, she let go of him and wiped her eyes.
"I still don't know why you need 3 raptors." Pepper stated.
"Tony flew over restricted air space, which is why the military tagged him. I was going to teleport us here, but they already had a visual on us, so we scrammed..." Naruto interjected before Tony could explain. "Tony accidentally hit one of the planes. Me, not so much an accident, but more of a... controlled explosion." He added while making a fire dragon appear in his hands and making it dance around him just to emphasize his point.
This fire show left Pepper and Tony a little dazed. Ever since Naruto revealed to the couple about his origins and skills, he had been using his skills more and more in private, and they still couldn't believe it. Although the pair had two wildly different reactions.
Tony had tried to interrogate Naruto for how he does it and what else can he do. His academic and scientific mind wouldn't allow him to rest until he figured out how Naruto did everything. The chakra explanation just wouldn't cut it. Tony even set a subprotocol for JARVIS to record every "unnatural" thing Naruto did inside the house.
Pepper, on the other hand, accepted the explanation a little more readily. Looking back at everything Naruto had done in the past, being an alien god just makes everything a little more acceptable, even though it would be a lot better if he just said he was some James Bond type of thing. There was just one thing she didn't expect, though. Placing house rules about things that probably no one had ever done before. No fireballs, no teleportation, no x-ray eyes, no lightning balls, no sharp objects, no water balls... Basically, no balls of any kind... and dragons too. Never forget the dragons. Of course, there were always exceptions to the rule. Like he can use his x-ray eyes and teleportation for emergencies. In the end, Pepper, with the help of Jarvis, was able to make a three-inch-thick binder filled with comprehensive rules.
"Anyways, I have to meet my girlfriend..." Naruto said before picking up his ramen bowl. "I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. I want to watch Rhodey's press conference tomorrow with you guys." He added with a small laugh before suddenly disappearing.
"Let me tell you something, Pep. I'm going to figure out how he does that." Tony declared.
"He already told you how he does it. Why can't you just take that answer?" Pepper asked while cleaning up Tony's workspace.
"Because chakra is not real! There's got to be another explanation." Tony insisted.
"Ugh. Just let it go, for now, Tony..." Pepper reacted. "Anyways, I contacted the wedding planner. She's coming on Saturday."
Tony walked towards Pepper from behind and placed his arms around her waist. He gave an exploratory kiss to her neck and whispered.
"Good. I really don't want to extend this engagement period. It's so... boring."
"I may have a way to pass the time." Pepper sexily replied before turning around and kissing Tony deeply.
-Jaun, Switzerland-
-May 28, 2009, 0830h local-
"Thanks for bringing me. I really needed the break." Jessica said as soon as they arrived. She had already decided not to go in for the next two days, which was why she carried an overnight bag.
"I couldn't just leave you there. You've been studying too hard these last few months. You can say you took a long weekend in Switzerland." Naruto replied with a chuckle before giving Jess a peck on the lips, but she had other plans. She grabbed onto Naruto's face and kissed him deeper before he could pull back.
When Naruto returned to the apartment in New York after Nat and Jess's 'misunderstanding,' he was immediately pulled inside and forced into a weird conversation. By the end of the day, he was 'forced' into something he didn't expect, an official relationship with another woman.
Naruto still had no idea what transpired for both of them to pursue something so unorthodox for this world. He was reasonably sure there was an agreement between the two women. Still, his self-preservation instincts stopped him from asking. Although, if he was honest with himself, it felt a whole lot better to be romantic with both Nat and Jess rather than just with Nat.
"Ehem..." The kissing couple heard from somewhere near the house entrance, which caused them to separate. The pair turned their head towards the door, and they saw a smiling Natasha leaning on the door frame. "Enjoying yourselves?"
Jessica didn't even look a little sheepish. She just smiled sweetly while wiping her lips and sauntering towards Natasha and giving her a deep kiss of her own.
"Still jealous?" Jessica asked with a sexy tone.
"Well, I'm still waiting on Naruto." Natasha answered, gesturing towards Naruto.
Jessica turned around and saw what Natasha was referring too. Naruto was looking at the two of them with lust clearly visible in his expression.
"It's good to know we can still get that reaction out of him." Jessica commented.
Natasha sauntered towards Naruto and gave him a kiss, which snapped Naruto out of his stupor. He shook his head before focusing back on Natasha.
"Where are we again?" Naruto asked seriously.
"We're in Jaun, Solntse." Natasha answered with a giggle.
"Okay." Naruto absentmindedly replied before Natasha pulled him inside.
"How are you doing anyway?" Naruto asked Natasha as soon as they got into the house. Jessica, on the other hand, immediately went upstairs. Presumably, towards Natasha's room to place her stuff away.
"Still not a hundred percent, but I'm getting there..." Natasha replied, emphasizing her point by doing some light calisthenics. "Already got my next mission from Fury."
"What are the parameters?" Naruto asked.
"I have to go undercover for Hammer Industries. Fury believes that Justin Hammer has some shady deals. He wants me to look into it. I think there's more to it, though." Natasha explained.
"Come on. Don't leave me hanging." Naruto urged.
"Well. I think it's just something to put on my resume, for background purposes. He probably wants to put me inside Stark Industries somewhere in the future."
"Well, that's stupid. I can just put you inside the company any time without Stark and Pepper knowing. I'm still technically on the board of directors, you know." Naruto told Natasha.
"Just let Fury do what he wants. I get paid either way." Natasha replied. Right on time, too, since Jessica decided to walk down the stairs.
"Where's Peggy?" Jessica asked Natasha
"On her run. She should be back in maybe an hour or two. It's taking her longer to get tired." Natasha answered.
The trio made the best of their alone time. They were telling stories, laughing, and a whole lot of other things. It took another two hours before the door opened.
Peggy walked inside the house, only a little winded. Her typical exercise routine just doesn't work anymore, and it didn't sit well with her former military side. This train of thought distracted her enough not to notice the trio in the living room.
"Oh. Didn't know you guys were coming..." Peggy said with her usual British accent. "But this is perfect. Naruto, how do you exercise?"
"I don't exercise. It does nothing for me..." Naruto answered quickly. "But I could give you somethings to make your workout harder."
"Oh. That would be lovely." Peggy said, a lot more relieved compared a few seconds ago.
Naruto stood up and retrieved something from behind him. He walked towards Peggy and handed over the item. As she took it, she saw that it was an ornate metallic bracelet.
"I'm not saying I don't appreciate the gift, but I don't typically wear jewelry." Peggy commented jokingly.
"This is an invention of mine. I call it the Resistance Band..." Naruto proudly said, but it looked like the girls didn't appreciate his naming sense judging from the stifled laughter. "Shut up..." He mumbled towards his girls before bringing his attention back to Peggy. "That band will make every movement harder. It can be anywhere from two times up to a hundred times. It will automatically adjust the level while absorbing the latent chakra that you're emanating to keep the effect up. Just keep it on at all times, even if you're just relaxing."
"This is perfect. Thank you..." Peggy replied gratefully before putting it on. She immediately felt the effect. It was like walking through water. "I'll just clean myself up." She said before walking up the stairs to take a bath.
"Wow. You made a bracelet for her, huh." Natasha told Naruto with a contemplative tone. This caused Naruto to sweat involuntarily.
"I have one for you." Naruto quickly said.
"Hmmm. Don't worry. I believe you."
-Stark Mansion, Malibu, Los Angeles-
-May 28, 2009, 1300h local-
"Knock, Knock." Naruto shouted at the entrance. He usually would've just teleported right inside his room, but reckoned that he should at least go through the front door since he brought a guest. He made sure to tell Jarvis that it was a surprise, though.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to come?" Jessica asked just slightly behind him, a bit of nervous energy coming off of her.
The whole scenario feels surreal. It might be because Naruto teleported her just as she started taking a nap or because of the massive mansion in front of her. Either way, she felt like she was being introduced to the parents.
"Yeah. No problem. We're just going to watch the news and maybe have some snacks before going back." Naruto answered confidently.
It didn't take long for the front door to open, revealing Pepper in her 'stay at home' clothes. She must've decided not to go in and just have a relaxation day.
"Naruto. Why are you using the front door?" Pepper asked before noticing another person beside him. "Well, hello there..." She said while extending her hand towards the leather jacket-wearing woman beside Naruto. "I'm Virginia Potts, but you can call me Pepper."
"Sorry for just showing up. Naruto didn't even wake me up before jumping..." Jessica explained while holding onto Pepper's hand and shaking it. before introducing herself. "I'm Jessica Jones. Jessica for short." All of this was said with as much politeness as she can muster.
Pepper just nodded with a smile, guessing that she was one of Naruto's girlfriends.
"Come on in. Tony and Morgan are already set up in the living room even though there's another hour before the presscon..." Pepper said before turning towards Naruto. "I have no idea why you want to watch the press release about your mess, though."
Naruto nonchalantly walked straight inside the mansion with Jessica sticking closed behind him.
"We just want to see how Rhodey will lie on live TV..." Naruto answered while walking towards the living room. He immediately dashed towards Morgan the moment he saw her and carried her around, making her laugh. "Hi, Morgan! How are you, princess?" Naruto's antics just made her laugh harder, which also made Naruto laugh.
While Naruto and Morgan are making each other laugh, Tony noticed Jessica at the living room entrance, standing uncomfortably. So he decided to make it worse. He stood up and walked over towards the unexpected guess.
"Hey, I'm Tony Stark, but you should know that. Billionaire, ex-playboy, genius, philanthropist, but you should know that since your in my home..." Tony said in the most Starkish way possible. Basically, just himself dialed to a hundred, and he was thoroughly enjoying the reaction that he was getting. "And you are?"
Jessica took a minute to compose herself after THE Tony Stark basically just harangued her. Still, Naruto's stories about the billionaire helped her calm down.
"Jessica Jones. I'm Naruto's girlfriend." Jessica replied.
"You mean one of Naruto's girlfriends..." Tony retorted with a smile bur Jessica just took that in stride. He checked her out up and down, which caused both Pepper and Jessica to raise their eyebrow. "Wow. Look at you. Naruto must have been a God or something. Wait... He really is a God. Well, let's just say he's really lucky." He rambled, only to stop when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Naruto still carrying Morgan.
"It's not like I appreciate you complimenting my girlfriend here, but you should stop before your engagement falls through." Naruto whispered while gesturing towards Pepper.
Tony turned his head towards Pepper and saw her staring straight towards him while standing cross-armed. He then turned his head back towards Naruto.
"Help me." Tony whispered back in a desperate tone.
Jessica slowly moved towards Pepper, trying to get away from the childish friends.
"Are they always like this?" Jessica asked quietly.
"No. They're usually much worse, involving millions of dollars worth of damages and a whole bottle of aspirin..." Pepper replied before pulling Jessica towards the kitchen, leaving the friends in their impromptu skit. "So tell me about yourself, Jessica."
Jessica expected some form of questioning from the Stark's when she figured out where Naruto took her, so she was able to formulate an answer even before she was even asked.
"There's nothing much to learn about me. I'm 23 years old and currently taking criminology. That's about it." Jessica replied, making sure to give only as little information as possible.
"Hah. Just like Naruto. You probably have some huge secrets, too, like being an immortal god or female super spy." Pepper nonchalantly commented.
Jessica was taken off guard by Pepper's assertion. She expected the questioning. What she didn't expect was for Pepper to know a whole lot more than she thought. She was about to defend herself when a voice suddenly blared through the speakers, which surprised Jessica.
"Miss Potts. We have a guest" JARVIS informed Pepper.
"Who is it?" Pepper asked.
"Mr. Stane."
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