encompass | ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴘᴏsᴛ 2019-2020 ( ɢᴇɴ + sᴍᴜᴛ )

Oh come on, kid loves Elsa and Elsa's basically you, independent, way too stressed, narrow waist, awesome hair.

[ he lists all those qualities while walking to the holo-table, swiping left to show her a rough sketch of what he has in mind. ]

We could have the whole thing on the roof - snow machines - some of that weird snow man dolls, themed food, disney princesses. Kid could perform Let it Go with Elsa.

[ he points his finger at her. ]

She knows all the lyrics, hun.

[ Pepper snorts as she turns the oven off, returning dryly, ] Thanks a lot.

[ A long-suffering sigh escapes her at Tony's sketch; he's really been planning this to the T. Not that it surprises her in the least, but it is making it harder for her to turn down without making the Grinch out of herself. She pours them each a mug of warmed, spiced cider and hums in wry amusement. ]

Oh, I know she does. Trust me.

[ They've both been subjected to Frozen directly or indirectly too many times to count. Hell, Pepper knows the lyrics by now, too. Joining Tony by the holotable, she hands him one of the mugs. ]

What happened to good old Santa?

Uh, come on sweetheart.

[ he takes a sip of cider and looks at the flurry little scene on the holotable. ]

what's better - a fat old geezer shoving himself through the chimney without consent or an independent, strong woman with killer hair, a beautiful dress and ice powers? you're the one who said to encourage her to have female idols. Elsa's not even married.

[ just saying. ]

Just so you know, preying on my feminist beliefs especially in regards with our daughter to get your way is absolutely ruthless.

[ Just saying. She hates it when he's right. Sometimes. Pepper heaves a sigh, shoulders jumping up and down. Morgan does love Frozen and Elsa. There's no way to turn this down without looking like the mean parent. ]

Fine, but this is not going to become a habit, okay? She's not going to grow up expecting her rich parents to just give her what she wants on a silver platter. And you'll better make sure Disney doesn't get wind of this-- they are rich enough without bleeding us for copyright infringement.

[ The Mouse is the worst cutthroat of all. ]

I'm going to take it as a compliment.

[ he presses a soft kiss to her cheek. he knows he's right and he knows when he's about to get his way. ]

I promise. You know I know what's up. I got given everything except for what I wanted.

[ toys, computers, cars but never a hug, never 'I love you'. He made a tentative peace with who his father was and still he aims to do better, to be better for Morgan. ]

And don't diss the mouse, you know I love the mouse.

You really shouldn't,

[ she retorts without missing a beat, even as she tips her head a little into the kiss and slings her free arm around him, idly rubbing the small of his back through his sweater. A wordless acknowledgement, along with a fleeting sad smile, in response to his words. He's the best dad in the world for Morgan and his extravagances stem from love, but sometimes he does need a little reining back. ]

Oh, I diss the mouse. In less than ten years they'll have bought out every single rival in the entertainment field and every new feature will be just another take on Frozen or re-imagined Star Wars.

[ She smiles sweetly, sipping on her cider. ]

You were joking about the Disneyland guys, right? [ He'd better have. ]

Ah --- sure??

[ which means that no, no he wasn't kidding at all. Though hear him out, Pepper: ]

Honey, they're aspiring actors, some of them would really love the overtime. We'll be doing a good deed. Think about it.

[ Yeah, she catches on in like 0,2 seconds; giving him that dead-eyed stare, head tipping just a fraction to the side and lips pressed in a thin line of disapproval. ]

Tony...

[ These are those precious few moments where she, although disapproving in general, hasn't yet completely settled on a full-on absolutely not and might still be persuaded. Tony ought to make good use of them. ]

I mean, how much money do you think these people make? some of them aren't even understudies and I'll be paying them extra. Think of how much help we'll be giving them, a month's pay for half an hour.

[ it's purely altruistic, see? ]

And she'll have a field day. Come on, I gave in and agreed to the whole postponed Disney trip - only when she's twelve, like you said. Throw me a bone. Let's get her Elsa. Think of her face.

[ irresistible, right? ]

[ Pepper's expression cycles through several stages in a matter of moments along with Tony's explanation: from utter frustration to disbelief at being emotionally extorted like this to reluctant amusement and fondness. She inhales a deep breath and lets it out just as slowly, all the while staring into Tony's eyes with that I can't believe you roped me into this look of hers. God damn it. ]

This is emotional blackmail, you understand. You're extorting me with our daughter's happiness. I hope you're at last a little ashamed.

[ Though she absolutely knows he is not. ]

ᴏᴘᴇɴ ᴘᴏsᴛ 2019-2020 ( ɢᴇɴ + sᴍᴜᴛ )

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