The Hamptons' House

1997: Part 1

Staying in DC had been good for you. Your internship had turned into an actual job. You'd found a group of friends and you'd started to feel much more comfortable in your own skin. You knew you wanted all the standard things society told you were normal. The partner. The kids. You were open to that partner one day potentially being Tony Stark even but you weren't waiting for him. You'd been dating and experimenting with your own sexuality. That included doing things you knew your family would panic about, like swingers' parties and similar events. The orgies with Tony had really woken up that part of you and you wanted to explore it. You'd become open to different kinds of people and lifestyles. The idea that it only be man and woman had gone long ago and now the idea that it only be two people had gone too. You felt free and happy and willing to just be who you wanted to be and not what everyone expected of you. The person you were now was so different from the one you were at eighteen when you first met Tony Stark.

Speaking of Tony, you'd been keeping up with what he was doing through the news and tabloids. The company seemed to be going well, though the whole 'weapons manufacturing' thing had always been something you didn't love, it was the company he'd inherited, and who were you to question it? His personal life seemed to be carrying on as it always did. The parties. The drinking. They all featured front and center every month. You worried about him, but with your new phone you were able to text and it was easy to get the picture that he was still where he thought he was supposed to be.

This year you were bringing a guest to Tony's house. You had been dating Kurt for four months after your friend had said he needed a date to one of the swingers' parties you'd attended. While the two of you hadn't slept together that night, you'd ended up going out to get breakfast with him the next day. He was soft-spoken, fun to be with, gentle-natured, and exciting in bed. You knew Tony would like him and you were excited to introduce them.

Kurt pulled the car up at the house. The driveway was full and music blasted out from inside. "Damn," Kurt said. "This place is huge."

"Yeah, it's really nice too," you said, unbuckling.

You both got out of the car and Kurt grabbed your bag from the trunk. "You seriously come here once every three years?" he asked.

"Yep," you said as you led him inside. "This is the fourth time."

"Why three years? Why not just every year?" he asked as he followed you through the kitchen. There were more people here this year than in the past and you had to wind your way through people in the kitchen to get to the secret door to Tony's room.

"The first gap was just about college. We wanted to see where we were in our lives. But three is good. What Tony and I have is its own thing. It can't be explained. But it's ours," you said. You approached the secret door and a large dark-haired man in a black suit stepped in your way.

"That's out of bounds," he said.

"Oh," you said, a little startled. "I'm staying here... with Tony. We do it regularly."

"You got ID?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," you replied and began to dig around in your purse. Kurt raised his eyebrow at you and you shrugged as you handed both your driver's license and the invitation Tony had sent you. The guy compared them to a list he had on a clipboard before handing them back and hitting the panel that opened the door.

"Oh my god," Kurt said, excitedly as he followed you through and closed the door behind him. "He has a secret room?"

"Cool, huh?" you said as you went upstairs. The room looked like it had been updated a little since the last time. The bed was new. A little bigger and a little more modern. There was new equipment on the desk but the view was the same. Looking out over the ocean the stars reflected on the dark surface.