It's All in How You Frame It
Apr. 13th, 2017 11:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Iron Man Crossover (Self-Made Hero)
Summary: She'd wonder if she was a unique case, but no, Xander (when he bothers to pay attention) is the ultimate mother hen with all of his employees. It's alternatively disturbing and sweet and she wouldn't trade it for the world.
Word Count: 1042
Rating: Gen
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Iron Man Crossover (Self-Made Hero)
Summary: She'd wonder if she was a unique case, but no, Xander (when he bothers to pay attention) is the ultimate mother hen with all of his employees. It's alternatively disturbing and sweet and she wouldn't trade it for the world.
Word Count: 1042
Rating: Gen
Krista knows that she’s getting dust all over her lovely pantsuit. She’s aware that she woke up late. Not that Xan—Mr. Knight, she needs to remember to call him Mr. Knight—cares about employees being on time, and he’d probably be utterly fine with her taking the day off if it’s being awful, but she has standards of her own. She’s aware that she’s fairly new at this whole having a job thing, and that this is the most amazing thing in her life despite the fact that she had to move across the ocean and leave behind everything she knew.
She realizes it’s probably an abuse of her new power but she’s really, really tempted to see if she can’t get Allie on staff, just so she’ll have a friend around. She knows that Xander’s oh-so-generous with people he cares about, would likely give all of The Tomboys’ Club jobs, never mind that not all of them are scientists. He could probably even find a way to make it all work, because he’s an engineer with situations, not just physical objects. But that would definitely be an abuse, and a lot of them already have lives. She’s still trying to figure out whether or not she’s okay with it, personally, because she knows the minute she says the words there’s no going back.
But that’s a question for another day, and she needs to get back on track. Point is, she expects herself to be responsible. So even if it’s a—when in Rome—bloody awful day, she’ll still drag herself out of her flat to work.
She doesn’t want to leave without finding what she’s looking for, but she’s already really late, so she mutters a geeky curse under her breath and heads out.
She’s at her desk trying to concentrate on the work in front of her and having trouble actually working when she realizes there’s something moving in the periphery of her vision. She looks up to see her boss circling her desk like a shark.
“Can I help you?” she asks politely.
“Are you an evil alternate self?”
It takes her a moment to realize what his blunt seeming non-sequitur has to do with anything, and when she figures it out she fights the urge to just crawl under her desk. Work optional. It’s half joking, half serious. His caution is probably justified, knowing his life.
“Will you take it as a confirmation of my alter-dimensional status if I throw a pen at you?” It’s meant to be just a part of their joking banter, but it’s brittle like glass, and he takes another look at her, at the red in her eyes, and shakes his head.
“Nope,” he says firmly, but she knows that it has nothing to do with what she’d just said, and she can almost hear Tony’s voice in the words.
“What?” she asks, but he just shakes his head and motions her up.
“I said ‘nope’. Unacceptable. Come on, Chase, shake those shapely legs. You’re coming with me. Laptop, save that work. Up.” He continues to gesture at her impatiently.
It’s rare that she sees Tony so blatantly. Usually it’s a comment here and there, or more integral things that are so much a part of Knight that they don’t even stand out anymore. But this, here and now…
“Can I…?” she begins hesitantly, and he shakes his head abruptly.
“Nope. I mean, complaint registered. And rejected. I’m doing this for you, dear, up.” It’s probably the first time any of them have actually told her outright how they feel, which makes her blush just a little. It’s one thing to know that one’s not-boyfriend-but-interested-superhero-boss is sort of schizophrenic, in the way of the magically changed, and another thing to actually see it. And know that they approve, even like her, and…and how does any of that work…?
She should ignore him. Should just get some work done. Especially if that’s Stark.
She rolls her eyes and gets up and follows him. To his office.
“I can’t just…”
He pulls open the doors in his office which look kind of like a closet and…and she would swear that’s bigger on the inside.
“I got it, I’m not using it. Have fun. I’ve got an extra rolly chair, use the rolly chair. And a lap-desk. If you’re not ready to face the world, then I’ll keep you safe until you’re ready. Or, well, the closet will. I might make ‘coming out of the closet’ jokes, but don’t worry, I’ll keep them to myself. And I’ve got a battery lamp, uhm, just give me a minute, I’m sure I left it somewhere around here. Unless I pulled it apart for parts.”
She can’t help the smile that crosses her face. “It’s in here, actually.”
“Oh.” A pause for a second. “Well, that would make sense. That would be a good place to put things I’m not using. Not that that phrase has anything to do with you, and I’m going to shut up now and let you work.”
She giggles quietly. “…Now I understand why Xander doesn’t let you out much.” She knows without looking that he’s pouting.
She doesn’t pull the doors completely closed, and thus notices when he rolls into view. “Oh, and Chase? I just took a poll, and pretty much everyone agrees—you look amazing in glasses. You should wear them more often. I mean, you shouldn’t wear them if you’re going to react like this, because making a beautiful woman like you insecure is just a crime, but it’s nearly unanimous, especially Prime. There’s definitely appeal there. The only thing we got from the Primal is some sort of possessive growl that we couldn’t really interpret any further, and then there’s the robot Tony and he doesn’t really say much. So, in other words, by overwhelming majority vote, you look great in glasses and anyone that made you feel otherwise should go half a round with the Primal. Because they wouldn’t last one round and I think they should think about their life choices.” He looks a teensy bit nervous and rolls back to his desk. She smiles to herself and looks back and suddenly the motivation’s back.
She realizes it’s probably an abuse of her new power but she’s really, really tempted to see if she can’t get Allie on staff, just so she’ll have a friend around. She knows that Xander’s oh-so-generous with people he cares about, would likely give all of The Tomboys’ Club jobs, never mind that not all of them are scientists. He could probably even find a way to make it all work, because he’s an engineer with situations, not just physical objects. But that would definitely be an abuse, and a lot of them already have lives. She’s still trying to figure out whether or not she’s okay with it, personally, because she knows the minute she says the words there’s no going back.
But that’s a question for another day, and she needs to get back on track. Point is, she expects herself to be responsible. So even if it’s a—when in Rome—bloody awful day, she’ll still drag herself out of her flat to work.
She doesn’t want to leave without finding what she’s looking for, but she’s already really late, so she mutters a geeky curse under her breath and heads out.
She’s at her desk trying to concentrate on the work in front of her and having trouble actually working when she realizes there’s something moving in the periphery of her vision. She looks up to see her boss circling her desk like a shark.
“Can I help you?” she asks politely.
“Are you an evil alternate self?”
It takes her a moment to realize what his blunt seeming non-sequitur has to do with anything, and when she figures it out she fights the urge to just crawl under her desk. Work optional. It’s half joking, half serious. His caution is probably justified, knowing his life.
“Will you take it as a confirmation of my alter-dimensional status if I throw a pen at you?” It’s meant to be just a part of their joking banter, but it’s brittle like glass, and he takes another look at her, at the red in her eyes, and shakes his head.
“Nope,” he says firmly, but she knows that it has nothing to do with what she’d just said, and she can almost hear Tony’s voice in the words.
“What?” she asks, but he just shakes his head and motions her up.
“I said ‘nope’. Unacceptable. Come on, Chase, shake those shapely legs. You’re coming with me. Laptop, save that work. Up.” He continues to gesture at her impatiently.
It’s rare that she sees Tony so blatantly. Usually it’s a comment here and there, or more integral things that are so much a part of Knight that they don’t even stand out anymore. But this, here and now…
“Can I…?” she begins hesitantly, and he shakes his head abruptly.
“Nope. I mean, complaint registered. And rejected. I’m doing this for you, dear, up.” It’s probably the first time any of them have actually told her outright how they feel, which makes her blush just a little. It’s one thing to know that one’s not-boyfriend-but-interested-superhero-boss is sort of schizophrenic, in the way of the magically changed, and another thing to actually see it. And know that they approve, even like her, and…and how does any of that work…?
She should ignore him. Should just get some work done. Especially if that’s Stark.
She rolls her eyes and gets up and follows him. To his office.
“I can’t just…”
He pulls open the doors in his office which look kind of like a closet and…and she would swear that’s bigger on the inside.
“I got it, I’m not using it. Have fun. I’ve got an extra rolly chair, use the rolly chair. And a lap-desk. If you’re not ready to face the world, then I’ll keep you safe until you’re ready. Or, well, the closet will. I might make ‘coming out of the closet’ jokes, but don’t worry, I’ll keep them to myself. And I’ve got a battery lamp, uhm, just give me a minute, I’m sure I left it somewhere around here. Unless I pulled it apart for parts.”
She can’t help the smile that crosses her face. “It’s in here, actually.”
“Oh.” A pause for a second. “Well, that would make sense. That would be a good place to put things I’m not using. Not that that phrase has anything to do with you, and I’m going to shut up now and let you work.”
She giggles quietly. “…Now I understand why Xander doesn’t let you out much.” She knows without looking that he’s pouting.
She doesn’t pull the doors completely closed, and thus notices when he rolls into view. “Oh, and Chase? I just took a poll, and pretty much everyone agrees—you look amazing in glasses. You should wear them more often. I mean, you shouldn’t wear them if you’re going to react like this, because making a beautiful woman like you insecure is just a crime, but it’s nearly unanimous, especially Prime. There’s definitely appeal there. The only thing we got from the Primal is some sort of possessive growl that we couldn’t really interpret any further, and then there’s the robot Tony and he doesn’t really say much. So, in other words, by overwhelming majority vote, you look great in glasses and anyone that made you feel otherwise should go half a round with the Primal. Because they wouldn’t last one round and I think they should think about their life choices.” He looks a teensy bit nervous and rolls back to his desk. She smiles to herself and looks back and suddenly the motivation’s back.
