Work Text:
“What-- are you eating? In my workshop? No, oh no--”
“But Mr. Stark, you eat in here all the time--” Peter Parker protested and then shoved at least half of what looked like a super greasy grilled cheese into his mouth, making his cheeks bulge out obscenely.
“Yes, and I see you eating,” Tony said, holding out an empty hand, “and there’s nothing for me? That’s so inconsiderate of you, Peter. Haven’t I taught you better than that?”
“Cheesy pick up is literally outside in the parking lot,” Peter said, mouth full of sandwich and licking his fingers.
“Was that even supposed to be comprehensible?” Tony wondered. “What are you talking about?”
The last of the sandwich disappeared. “Cheesy Pick Up,” Peter said, enunciating like he thought Tony was an idiot. “It’s a food truck.”
“Friday, call Pepper,” Tony snapped. “We have a food truck in our parking lot? Did I authorize that?”
“Tony,” Pepper sighed, like he was giving her a headache just for breathing. “We have at least one food truck in the parking lot every day of the week, and three or four on weekends. There are a lot of people who work here. Normal people eat lunch. Daily.”
She hung up on him, while Peter tried to pretend he wasn’t hiding a smile.
“Huh.”
“Look, come on down with me, I’m still a little hungry,” Peter said.
Which was how Tony found himself standing in line like a plebe. He tried to cut-- it was his parking lot and his building after all, but Peter grabbed his arm and yanked him to the back. The kid was stronger than he looked.
“A lot of people want this sandwich, I guess?” Tony said. People were looking at him, a few of them holding up phones to snap pictures. That was normal, every day sort of stuff. One of the reasons that Tony wore sunglasses all the time. People forgot to turn off their flashes, and after twenty minutes of being outside in public, Tony would get a terrible headache.
“There’s always a cheesy pickup line,” someone piped up a few people ahead of them, and then snickered at their own bad joke.
Tony’s eyebrows went up. “Really?”
“Despite your best efforts, you have not cornered the market on puns, Mr. Stark,” Peter said.
Tony’s mouth twitched as he tried not to smile. Peter was a lot braver than he’d been when they first started working together, and Tony liked being sassed, even if he would never admit to it.
One of the women -- Tony thought he knew her from the chem lab, maybe a tech -- moaned as she took a bite of her sandwich. Her name was Beth, maybe? Becky? Janet? Tony wasn’t sure, but he’d definitely seen her before.
“Is that for the sandwich or the sex-on-legs,” her friend asked her as they walked back toward the building.
“Both,” Beth-or-maybe-Janet said. “I mean, did you see him? Oh, my goooood. Even if they were terrible sandwiches, I’d stand in line to look at that for five minutes, wouldn’t you?”
“Didn’t I just?” The other woman said, and they both laughed.
“What guy?” Tony said, leaning around to look up the line-- oh. That guy.
That. Guy.
Oh, good lord.
That guy.
He was like the epitome of that guy. The male equivalent of a woman in a red dress, posing over the subway grate. Bette Davis and Clark Gable and Greta Garbo and James Dean. Well, more James Dean than anything else, all sultry pout and cascade of gorgeous, thick hair.
“Huh,” Tony said again.
They moved a little closer and Tony looked at the chalkboard with the various lunches written on them. They were all named after Cheesy Pick Up lines…
The “come here often” which was a cheddar and tomato on rye. There was a “pants on my floor” that was swiss, grilled chicken and caramelized onions. “Checking You Out” was gruyere and fig jelly, which sounded amazing. And the “Love at First Bite” which was goat cheese, avocado, tomato, and bacon.
Among other options. But Tony’s gaze kept flicking from the sign to the guy making the sandwiches, and he couldn't concentrate enough to pick a sandwich.
“What can I get ya?” the guy asked, when it was finally Tony’s turn.
“Do you have a ‘you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen’ with a side of ‘can I ask you on a date’?” Tony wondered.
“I’ll put it on the list,” the guy said. “For now, can I interest you in a ‘falling for you’ with ‘I want a piece of that’ for dessert?”
“Sounds great,” Tony agreed, having no idea what kind of sandwich he was getting. He paid, waited, and the guy handed him two wrapped packages. And a napkin.
“My name’s Bucky,” the guy said. He tapped the napkin, which had a phone number written on the side. “I get off at six.”
“I’m Tony,” Tony said. “I’ll uh… see you later, then?”
“Yeah, I think I’d like that,” Bucky said. “Now, go on, get outta here, you’re holdin’ up the line.”
“I’ve heard there’s always a cheesy pickup line around here,” Tony mentioned.