Chapter Text
Megan Stark wandered leisurely into her older brother Tony’s gym, which he had paid millions of dollars to add into his house. They were both insanely rich but whilst Megan shared her brother’s confidence, she didn’t share his ego. The gym was Tony’s next level flare that he added to everything that was his, with realistic palm trees and sandy beach projected walls that made it appear as though the gym was actually on a tropical island. However, the gym equipment was sparse and lacking in Megan’s opinion. Having only been a recent addition to Tony’s house, along with his newfound heroism as Iron Man.
Tony had been bringing her down here to help him train. Fitness was something Megan was passionate about and something Tony had previously actively despised. However, after coming out as the Iron Man and fighting to keep this title, he decided to get fit and into fighting shape. With the aid of his bodyguard Happy and his sister Megan.
Megan noticed Pepper Potts, who was previously Tony’s personal assistant and now was becoming the CEO of Stark enterprises. This had been Tony’s idea, but Megan couldn’t agree more as she adored Pepper. She was secretly glad that Pepper and her brother somewhat had a romantic thing going at the moment. She was just waiting to see how long it would take for her brother to ruin it. His track record with women wasn’t something to be proud of.
Currently Pepper and Tony huddled together on a small little seat for one. Megan ignored the commotion going on in the boxing ring and headed straight for the couple.
“Hey, what important discussion am I missing now?” Megan joked as she reached the pair.
“Oh nothing.” Tony brushed her off as if nothing was happening, so obviously something was, “Just my new assistant.”
“She is not your assistant” Pepper immediately argued before Megan could ask any questions and Megan thought it best to stay silent for the time being, “I have three very good candidates lined up.”
While Pepper was talking, Megan looked into the boxing ring and could immediately see why Tony wanted this girl as his new assistant. She was stunning. With fiery red hair and a little smirk. Dressed to impress in a posh and no doubt expensive shirt and skirt combo.
“I see you have a thing for redheads.” Megan joked upon seeing the girl, as Pepper was also a redhead. Pepper just scowled at the comment, but Tony chuckled. Megan internally sighed in relief. Once that comment had slipped out she expected the wrath of Pepper Potts to rain down on her.
“As do you it appears.” Tony grinned, noticing the look on Megan’s face as she stared of the woman in the ring.
“Who wouldn’t for her.” Megan smirked at the girl as they made eye contact, enamoured by her. If Tony wasn’t allowed her as his assistant, then she wanted her. She felt inexplicably drawn to the other woman.
“How do you spell your name Natalie.” Tony shouted. Megan noted the girls name down in her mind and also noted that Natalie hadn’t removed eye contact the whole time. A small shiver ran down her spine at the thought.
“R-U-S-H-M-A-N” Natalie replied calmly, finally looking away from Megan. Leaving Megan to feel a mixture of relief and disappointment at the loss of eye contact. There was something about those deep green eyes that were just pulling her in. Like there was a whole other side to them.
“What are you googling her now.” Pepper snarked causing Megan to stifle a laugh. Pepper and Tony never failed to amuse her. Honestly right now she was glad for the distraction. Her thoughts about Natalie were disturbing her. You have to know a person to crush on them, Megan didn’t want to be with someone just because they looked nice.
Tony just rolled his eyes, scrolling through the screen on the glass coffee table. He swiped until he came across what appeared to be a modelling shoot, “Wow. She is a very very impressive individual.”
“You are so predictable, do you know that?” Pepper responded. Megan was beginning to become uncomfortable with the seriousness of this little argument. What had once been playful banter was more feeling like a lovers spat.
Tony continued, either ignoring the vibe or not picking up on it, “She’s fluent in French, Italian, Russian, Latin. Who speaks Latin?”
“No one speaks Latin. Pretty cool though.” Megan agreed, hoping to disperse some of the tension and maybe change the conversation.
“It’s a dead language.” Pepper added with a deadpan expression, injecting the tension back in regardless of Megan’s efforts.
Tony being Tony just had to make it worse, enlarging one of the more revealing lingerie model photoshoots Natalie had starred in. Megan definitely admired her looks but it felt wrong. She wasn’t the same as Tony was with women, the exception for him so far being Pepper. She couldn’t just sleep with them and discard them. Unless it was a mutual agreement. It also seemed wrong to Megan that Natalie be an assistant now she knew how incredibly intelligent the woman must be. Surely the woman was talented enough to be a CEO? She spoke four languages!
“Did you model in Tokyo? Cause she modelled in Tokyo.” Tony prodded further. Megan couldn’t help but picture somebody poking a bear with a stick, because that is exactly what Tony was doing right now, “I need her. She has everything that I need.”
Suddenly all attention was turned to the boxing ring as Natalie flung Happy onto the floor and held him in an impressive head lock with her feet whilst pinning his arm down. Megan was too shocked to move. The smirk from earlier making sense as the woman was clearly comfortable in a fight.
“Oh my God!” Pepper screamed as both her and Tony leapt out of the seat, “Happy!”
Happy tapped her leg and Natalie released him from the headlock, standing up as though nothing had happened at all. Megan’s initial interest with her had only deepened now. Why would she speak so many languages, be a model and be able to fight like that?
“See that’s what I’m talking about.” Tony continued, pointing towards the boxing ring. Acting as though this alone proved his point. Which clearly in Pepper’s eyes, it did not.
“It’s fine. I just tripped.” Happy announced to no one in particular.
“Oh, really?” Tony asked sarcastically before ringing the bell, “Seems like a TKO to me.”
Natalie bent down to exit between the ropes of the boxing ring and Megan couldn’t help but check her out. She wasn’t like her brother, but she also wasn’t blind.
Natalie stood facing Tony, her face returned to business mode, “I need your impression.”
Tony squinted at her, “You have a quiet reserve. I don’t know, you have an old soul.”
Natalie cut him off before he could continue and suppressed a smile, Megan couldn’t help but think she really wanted to see her actually smile, “I meant your fingerprint.”
Pulling out a file, Tony cleared his throat and promptly put his fingerprint onto the paper as Pepper and Megan approached.
“So how are we doing?” Pepper asked through a smile that barely hid her jealously.
“Great. Just wrapping up.” Tony answered as he held his fingerprint on the paper form that Natalie was holding, “You’re the boss.”
Suddenly Natalie turned to Megan which left her speechless. Usually, women didn’t quite paralyse her. Hearing her brother subtly chuckling behind her snapped her out of it.
“Miss Stark?” Natalie softly prompted, “It needs your fingerprint to.”
“Ah right yes, no problem.” Megan awkwardly put her finger on the paper that the redhead held out. Ignoring both Pepper and Tony’s gaze.
“Will that be all?” Natalie asked, though she hadn’t yet broken away from looking at Megan.
“No.” Tony muttered under his breath.
However, Pepper quickly spoke over him, “Yes that will be all Miss Rushman. Thank you very much.”
All three stared at her as she made her exit.
As soon as she left Tony spoke, “I want one.”
“No.” Pepper responded immediately.
“Can I have one instead then?” Megan asked playfully.
Pepper paused for a minute in fake consideration, “Also no…”
Though the redhead was grinning at Megan as she also left the room.
“She’s no fun.” Tony groaned, though it was obvious he didn’t mean it. Megan had never seen Tony act the way he acts with Pepper, “But what’re you here for M.”
“Well I heard you’re going to Monaco?” Megan inquired.
“Yep.” Tony answered, “We have a sponsored car in the race. Why you gonna tag along?”
“Might do…” Megan replied vaguely. Though he knew she would tag along. Whilst they lived totally different lifestyles in terms of partying and spending money, Megan did love to travel and see new things.
“Come on. It’ll be fun getting to hang out with your cool older brother.” Tony grinned. There was ten years between them but it never felt like it. the two were inseparable and Tony had always looked out for her and made time for her in amongst his partying.
“Ugh fine.” Megan agreed with a jokey roll of her eyes, “If I must.”