<div class="floatleft">(http://bradwarthen.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Tony-Stark.jpg)</div><hr/><br/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: arial;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;"><strong>  Name:</strong> Tony Stark<br/>  <strong>Title:</strong> Iron Man<br/>  <strong>Location:</strong> Approaching the SHIELD Heli-carrier.<br/>  <strong>Time:</strong> 5:31pm EST Thursday<br/>  <strong>Tags:</strong> <strong>Maria Hill</strong></span></span><br/><br/><br/><hr/><br/><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: times new roman;"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 12pt;">     Stark heard her demand that he look away, and so he would oblige her this small taste of power - though his compliance came with no small delay. Long enough, even, for her to reiterate the command and jab back at him. He just grinned and turned his head to look towards one of the offices many windows as she stormed towards the bathroom. He really enjoyed it when she fought back, it did more to get him fired up than seeing her scantly clad ever would. It's not to say that she didn't have an appealing look and attractive body... It was that very attractive women had been chasing him for years. He'd gotten used to it. It was a fiery personality and a high spirit that kept him entertained and interested. That is how Pepper always kept him enticed, and why Natasha was such a temptation. Tony couldn't stand boring women. Perhaps that's why he loved making these visits to Maria. <br/><br/>     Despite being in a complete disagreement to her methods, her leadership, and her overall view of how things should be run - she was fun. It was as much a game to Tony as it was business. That crucial part of judgment that helped most people separate business from play just didn't exist in Tony's brain. It was all one and the same, it was life. There was no point in living if you weren't going to enjoy it. Responsibilities could be fun if you made them fun. Not everyone sees things that way, however; and clearly Maria definitely didn't.<br/><br/>     As she charged towards the bathroom - in what appeared to be a mixture of rage, embarrassment, and annoyance - Maria fired off another shot. To which Tony replied, <strong>"Once you grow up, they don't let you into never-neverland anymore."</strong> It was a silly comment, and the immaturity in it was placed precisely the way he'd wanted it to be. Part of the kick Tony enjoyed about being Tony was how much of his personality was intentional that most people never caught on to. It was comments like these that Stark used to test the wit and intellect of those he was talking to. However, his comment had only walked himself right into Maria's major problem with his personality right now - and added more fuel to the fire she was about to unleash.<br/><br/>      Maria returned wearing not much more clothing than she had been when he'd walked in - leaving the wheels of his mind to turn curiously and try and recall the shapes and look of her body below the shrouded contours. He was drawn away from such thoughts though as she began her tirade. Honestly, he'd wanted to cut in immediately after he first comment. All he recalled doing in this room was shooting-the-shit with Fury and sharing drinks; and now, from the way she was dressed he couldn't deny the fact that it felt pretty close to a business meeting at a strip joint. Which would make him <em>her</em> boss, since he had the money. She didn't really leave him any time to make that comment though - and that was probably a good thing.<br/><br/>     He just smiled at her as she ranted on about Jesse James and Custer's last stand, or something to that effect. Tony didn't really pay much attention in history class anyways. He devoted all of his acumen to his science and mathematics classes. After a short time, she'd finally come to a stop, and he thought she'd finally finished making her point. A point that - whatever it was - Tony had ignored. He already understood how she felt about him, and <em>why</em> she felt that way about him. Part of him wondered if there was a way the two of them could come to a common ground... a very small part. If that was ever going to happen, it would have to be Maria that took the initiative on it. Tony wasn't big on relationships - even business ones - so he usually let the other party do the work and he would meet them halfway. <em>Okay, maybe it was more 60-40... or 70-30?</em> Doesn't matter. The point Tony was making to himself is that if she tried, he would try kind-of as well. Hey, it wasn't much... but it was something.<br/><br/>     In response to her final question, Tony's face changed from that irritatingly confident smile to a slightly more serious look. <strong>"I didn't come here to get your help. Remember, the Avengers don't work for SHIELD anymore? Pretty sure I went over that the last time we talked. Anyways... I came to help <em>you</em> out actually."</strong> That same smile began to creep back into his face in that split second that she was processing his words before he resumed talking. <strong>"From making the same mistake that our buddy Loki made with Dr. Banner. You can't control him Maria, not even with Betty. And don't you think that hiring her to work at SHIELD is a pretty selfish reason to bring the two of them back together?"</strong> He was firing back at her now, much more subtly though. <br/><br/>    <strong> "Betty is on her way to Stark Tower. I offered her a position where she could work closer to Bruce. Give them the chance to patch things up on their own terms."</strong> Really Stark's alternative wasn't too much better. They would get more time together - without as much pressure, but Stark still had motives of Betty as Hulk insurance. Though, unlike agents of SHIELD. Tony had developed a friendship with Bruce over the last few months. As professional colleagues working together, and Stark honestly cared about Bruce's well-being to some extent.<br/><br/>     <strong>"So you don't need to worry about that situation. Bruce has been doing quite well over at Stark Industries. You did see what the Hulk did to Loki the last time he realized someone was trying to control him right? Now he's off rotting in an Asgardian prison."</strong> Tony clearly had no idea that Loki had, in fact, escaped. If he had, then he might have understood why Maria had taken over both his job and his party lounge... err... office. Tony's face settle back down to something slightly more serious, his appetite for fun and games obviously sated for the time being.<br/></span></span></div>