The Other Stark

World's Fair of 1943, New York

Elaine stands backstage, buttoning her knee-length cream coat to ward off the slight chill in the evening air. She's been carted off to too many more temperate climates in her life in her brother's pursuit of pleasures to be overly accustomed to such an early chill. She's passed through New York a number of times, but she's never spent enough time to know the city. It still feels like a stranger to her.

The low musical hum of the orchestra tuning their stringed instruments seems to resonate with her trembling limbs and she closes her eyes for a moment in an attempt to block out the excess stimulation. But even with her eyes closed, it's all so overwhelming. The heavy murmur of an eager crowd and the scent of roasted peanuts wafts back to her, overpowering the less pleasant odors the city has to offer.

She won't even be the one who'll be going out on stage in front of the throng of people out there but still her knees quake beneath her so that she's not sure how she'll manage to stand through the entirety of the show.

From her spot tucked back in the wings of the stage, she's out of sight of the noisy crowd, but she can still see the full production. Before her eyes, the gaggle of showgirls stir up the crowd in a frenzy of excitement with an expert touch. The anticipation for the show to begin is palpable even from the safety of Elaine's hiding place.

Further backstage, Howard breaks away from his latest assistant, a dithering blonde in an outfit that is brighter than she is who is obviously all a flutter at the attention. He stops beside Elaine and fiddles with his bowtie in what someone who knew him less might construe as a nervous gesture, leaving it as a crooked finishing touch on an otherwise immaculate ensemble.

"Mr. Stark, what would you do without me?" Elaine chides as she straightens his bowtie.

"Be exposed as a total fraud and drive myself straight off the nearest cliff, no doubt, Miss Stark." Her older brother teases with the cheekiest of grins which he has all but trademarked.

Elaine can't help but wonder if he dishevels his tie on purpose, to give her something to do to calm her frazzled nerves. He's always poised and collected and ready to charm even the most skeptical crowd, but she prefers the anonymity afforded to her in a lab. Half hidden behind a microscope and up to her delicately arched dark eyebrows in research.

She desperately needs the distraction too. After all, she hasn't slept for most of a week doing everything she can to perfect the prototype now waiting on stage for the demonstration. And if she weren't absolutely done in, she'd crawl out of her skin waiting for the moment of proof to come.

"Would you believe that I'm actually nervous?" Howard says, flashing a wink and a showman's smile.

Elaine smooths down his lapels, and picks off an almost invisible speck of lint.

"Not for a second." She says, smiling despite the nerves buzzing through her like a static charge. "Now get out there and show everyone what we Starks are made of."

Howard leans in and kisses her on the cheek, giving her a rather impertinent: "Yes, Ma'am."

Before Elaine can say another word, he dashes out onto the stage, sweeping off his top hat in a dramatic flourish before passing it to one of the showgirls and kissing her soundly, much to the delight of the audience who whoops in admiration.

Elaine is quite certain that every woman watching wants to be his girl and every man wishes to be him. After all, he is Howard Stark, founder of Stark Industries. He's brilliant, rich, and handsome and everyone in the world knows it.

She raises a gloved hand to her lips, unable to hold back a bubble of laughter at his wild antics. This... This right here is what he was born for. The spotlight. The adoration of everyone who is lucky enough to lay eyes on him. And as she watches, tucked away in the wings, she realizes this is also what she was born for... to watch from the shadows. Smiling and cheering and, though she'd never voice it, green with envy. She knows Howard does it all for her, does it because she can't.