"Sure, if you're up for it. As long as it's something I can eat with one hand." Yeah, Gene, you should probably send him down a sandwich so he doesn't eat five hot pockets instead.
Gene smiles very slightly, and Tony, heartened, smiles back. "Well, if I don't see you sooner, I'll see you for breakfast."
---
It's odd having someone else knocking around in his absurdly gigantic penthouse, but Gene is unobtrusive, and Tony quickly adjusts. He adjusts too well, almost - the more comfortable he gets around Gene, the more often he's reminded of how attractive Gene is. And how... accessible. Every time that thought rears its head, Tony's skin crawls. He likes Gene, even if he is only a slave, and he doesn't want to be just the next in a long line of masters to use him like that.
So he distracts himself the same way he distracts himself from his hopelessly on-again-off-again relationship with Pepper: he sleeps around.
And it is nice, he admits, to be able to bring his dates back to his place for a private meal rather than making a scene at a fancy restaurant. (There's always a scene. Because everyone wants to catch a glimpse of Tony Stark, and none of them are ever as subtle about it as they think.) Gene may not be world-class master chef like Howard's personal chef, but his food is always perfectly delicious. Some of his dates find the home-cooked experience quite charming.
His roster of partners is endlessly rotating: mostly women, sometimes men, but none of them lasting very long. They're just flings. Gene handles it with grace, expertly fading into the background whenever Tony brings someone home. His dates, for the most part, ignore Gene completely. He is only a slave, after all.
Very rarely, they will take an interest in him, but for reasons other than his cooking.
"He's lovely. Is he part of the package?" The redhead watches Gene collect the empty plates and wine glasses, and the glint in her eyes is predatory.
Tony chuckles indulgently and kisses her neck. His arm slides around her waist, trying to subtly steer them out of the dining room. "Only if he volunteers. He's just the cook."
"That's no fun," she pouts.
"It's no fun if I have to share," Tony purrs. "Come on. I don't like dividing my attention."
She laughs, and lets Tony lead her out.
He doesn't call her back.
...
Shockingly (or not: he is kind of an asshole), not all his conquests are successful.
He'd been making some progress mending things with Pepper recently, and when he and his plus-one at a charity gala hadn't hit it off, he'd made the mistake of going to hang out with Pepper instead. His neglected date had gotten territorial and thrown an ugly tantrum, resulting in two of them being embarrassed, all three of them being angry, and none of them going home together. The whole evening had fallen apart into a miserable, humiliating mess.
Now the gala's over, and Tony knows he's drunk way too much. He doesn't really care. He'll probably have an awful hangover tomorrow. Still doesn't care. He lurches out of the elevator and tromps up the stairs, hoping that it's late enough that Gene will be in his rooms for the night. The last thing he needs is to see someone else he's pining after and can't have.
time for a timeskip textwall
Gene smiles very slightly, and Tony, heartened, smiles back. "Well, if I don't see you sooner, I'll see you for breakfast."
---
It's odd having someone else knocking around in his absurdly gigantic penthouse, but Gene is unobtrusive, and Tony quickly adjusts. He adjusts too well, almost - the more comfortable he gets around Gene, the more often he's reminded of how attractive Gene is. And how... accessible. Every time that thought rears its head, Tony's skin crawls. He likes Gene, even if he is only a slave, and he doesn't want to be just the next in a long line of masters to use him like that.
So he distracts himself the same way he distracts himself from his hopelessly on-again-off-again relationship with Pepper: he sleeps around.
And it is nice, he admits, to be able to bring his dates back to his place for a private meal rather than making a scene at a fancy restaurant. (There's always a scene. Because everyone wants to catch a glimpse of Tony Stark, and none of them are ever as subtle about it as they think.) Gene may not be world-class master chef like Howard's personal chef, but his food is always perfectly delicious. Some of his dates find the home-cooked experience quite charming.
His roster of partners is endlessly rotating: mostly women, sometimes men, but none of them lasting very long. They're just flings. Gene handles it with grace, expertly fading into the background whenever Tony brings someone home. His dates, for the most part, ignore Gene completely. He is only a slave, after all.
Very rarely, they will take an interest in him, but for reasons other than his cooking.
"He's lovely. Is he part of the package?" The redhead watches Gene collect the empty plates and wine glasses, and the glint in her eyes is predatory.
Tony chuckles indulgently and kisses her neck. His arm slides around her waist, trying to subtly steer them out of the dining room. "Only if he volunteers. He's just the cook."
"That's no fun," she pouts.
"It's no fun if I have to share," Tony purrs. "Come on. I don't like dividing my attention."
She laughs, and lets Tony lead her out.
He doesn't call her back.
...
Shockingly (or not: he is kind of an asshole), not all his conquests are successful.
He'd been making some progress mending things with Pepper recently, and when he and his plus-one at a charity gala hadn't hit it off, he'd made the mistake of going to hang out with Pepper instead. His neglected date had gotten territorial and thrown an ugly tantrum, resulting in two of them being embarrassed, all three of them being angry, and none of them going home together. The whole evening had fallen apart into a miserable, humiliating mess.
Now the gala's over, and Tony knows he's drunk way too much. He doesn't really care. He'll probably have an awful hangover tomorrow. Still doesn't care. He lurches out of the elevator and tromps up the stairs, hoping that it's late enough that Gene will be in his rooms for the night. The last thing he needs is to see someone else he's pining after and can't have.