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"I can and will design a tech-free cabin," Tony replied. "I accept this challenge." He smirked back. "I can have it done soon."
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"We'll see about that." Lea smirked right back at him, setting Darling down so the bot could go zooming off again.
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Tony grinned, just short of breaking out into a full-on cackle, and sat down at one of his screens, promptly opening a new design file. He glanced over at her.
"Well?" he said. "You coming or what?" |
"Of course. I have to watch you struggle to remember to put no tech in this one." Lea grinned and pulled over her own chair, plopping down next to him.
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"No higher tech," Tony corrected. "I'm not about to leave you in the middle of nowhere without lights and running water, that's just barbaric." But he could stop himself there, really.
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"Okay, fine, lights and plumbling," Lea agreed. "And keep in mind I don't need a ton of space. You're designing a cabin in the woods, not a twelve-story condo on top of an internationally famous business."
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"Right, cabin," Tony replied promptly, already drawing up some preliminary specs. It was taking the shape of something more along the scale of a hunting lodge, but it was also being designed by Tony Stark. For him, that was a cabin in the woods.
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Lea tried to scale it down some, pulling it in some. "I don't need that much space," she said with a snort. "I don't have a secret man-harem stored away somewhere that I take with me, you know."
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"I would hope not," Tony replied as he let her scale it down a little. "That's your sister's job, right? From what I hear, at least."
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"It would be her job but neither of us really like it." Lea shrugged. And then grinned. "Although, you know, there is definitely enough room for a few extra people in here, I'll just have to ask them to check their cell phones at the door."
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"I refuse to let you pack yourselves into the cabin like it's a sardine can," Tony replied. "The design has plenty of space, and minimal technology."
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Lea snickered. "Meaning you'd go crazy after a day," she said with a little grin. "Since you can't stand to be without technology."
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Tony just glanced at her before looking back at the screens.
"I lasted more than two months," he said quietly. |
It took Lea a few moments to figure out what he was talking about. She did know about that incident, after all. But she didn't comment immediately.
"Hey, you did better than most would have," she said, reaching over to tap his Arc reactor. |
Tony shifted a bit to the side so her fingers just missed the reactor. It wasn't a conscious movement.
"Anyways," he said, changing the subject, "the cabin should have everything you need, I'll make sure of it." |
"Yes, heaven forbid I have to do anything like fend for myself now," Lea said, rolling her eyes. But she didn't pull her hand back immediately, instead setting it on his knee.
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"Why should you have to when we can help you now?" Tony pointed out as he kept building on the specs. He barely noticed her hand on his knee.
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"Because I am fully capable of fending for myself," Lea pointed out. "Just not in a fight. And really that hasn't been much of an issue." She tweaked a few things as he went along.
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"Can't you just accept it for once, jesus, I'm just trying to help," Tony said. "You shouldn't have to fend for yourself when I can do it for you."
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"I wasn't actually objecting," Lea pointed out. "Just stating that I can. Besides, I haven't really said 'no' yet, have I?"
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"You keep trying," Tony pointed out in return. "Just let me do this."
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"I am, I'm just not letting you go overboard." Lea looked at the design and tweaked it a bit more, staying quiet for a few moments.
"You know, there's more than enough room here for two people." |
"I do know this, I'm designing the thing, where are you going with this train of thought?" Tony replied, barely glancing up at her.
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"Well, you do occasionally feel the need to drag me across the country to get away from here," Lea pointed out. "Seems like this place will be closer, once it's built."
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"Closer, yes, but it doesn't have my lab in it, or my bots," Tony pointed out as he enlarged the specs. He nodded a bit. "Right, okay, Jarvis? Find a good place to build this and send it off to my preferred contractors."
"Of course, sir," Jarvis replied. |
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