Scared To Be Lonely

Chapter 2: Senate Stunts

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The next morning, after Pepper had to call the school to tell them Nicolette was sick, the girl was sat down next to the strawberry blonde woman. Nick still had her glasses on and her uniform, besides her blazer, which was over the back of the chair along with her backpack.

Even though the very serious meeting had already started, Tony was turned in his seat, having what seemed like a mini mouthed argument with Pepper, before Nick began making faces at him, which made him begin making faces back at her, as Pepper then tried to get him to turn around and face forward.

The Senator bangs the gavel, "Mr. Stark! Please."

"Yes, dear?" Tony finally turns around, the crowd finding it funny, but because Pepper was shaking her head, Nick turned her laugh into a cough. Senator Stern didn't look pleased either, "Can I have your attention?"

"Absolutely."

"Do you or do you not possess a specialized weapon?" Stern questions, and Tony leans forward onto the table to speak into the microphone. "I do not."

"You do not?" Stern repeats, obviously not believing him.

"I do not." Tony nods, before adding. "Well, it depends on how you define the word weapon."

"The Iron Man weapon."

"My device does not fit that description."

"Well, how would you describe it?"

"I would describe it by defining it as what it is, Senator." Tony states, and Stern shrugs for him to continue. "As?"

"It's a... It's a high-tech prosthesis." Tony says, the crowd laughing, but Nick was just confused, as Tony adds. "That is- That's actually the most apt description I can make of it."

"It's a weapon," Stern interrupts. "It's a weapon, Mr. Stark."

But Tony talks over him, "Please, if your priority was actually the well being of the American citizens-"

"My priority is to get the Iron Man weapon turned over to the people of the United States of America."

"Well, you can forget it." Tony says, and even though Nick hardly understood half of what was being said, she did understand what it all meant. She realized that this guy, the Senator, was trying to say that Iron Man was a weapon and trying to take the suit away from Tony. And when Tony began saying this part, Nick found herself smiling. "I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. To turn over the Iron Man suit would be to turn over myself, which is tantamount to indentured servitude, or prostitution, depending on what state you're in. You can't have it."

"Look, I'm no expert-"

Tony, once again, cut him off. "In prostitution? Of course not! You're a senator. Come on!" Everyone laughed as Tony turned to wave at the crowd, but then he saw Pepper's unimpressed expression and Nick's confused one as she turned to Pepper and whispered. "What's prostitution?"