Lunch was a lavish spread, and with the weight off his mind, Tony thoroughly enjoyed his meal.
"Mmm, seriously, Alfred, your cooking just keeps getting better. Are you sure you won't consider coming to New York with me?" Tony said between bites. "New York is a much better place to retire than Gotham... Wait, I didn't notice earlier. Alfred, have you been sneaking off for beauty treatments behind my back? You look years younger... No, make that a decade or more. Which salon do you have a membership at? Do they have a branch in New York?"
Though he was naturally good-looking and confident that his face was handsome enough, he had never paid much attention to skincare beyond keeping his little mustache neatly trimmed. But after realizing he had truly fallen in love with Little Chili Pepper Pepper, Tony had started acting a little less like a "Stark."
As a top-tier professional woman and the current CEO of Stark Industries, Little Chili Pepper naturally held herself to extremely high standards in every respect: her work, her ongoing education, and, of course, her appearance.
And Tony...
At least he was already the most stylish of the ultra-rich, wasn't he?
After all, there was a full seven-year age gap between them.
He recalled going out with Little Chili Pepper Pepper a while ago, when a child had called her a "pretty big sister," only to turn around and call him "Uncle Iron Man." Pepper had laughed happily enough, but Tony's face had gone green.
Tony touched his face. Perhaps he really should take Natasha's advice and start looking after his skin?
Alfred smiled. "Available in limited quantities, Mr. Stark."
"Oh, come on, we're not at some public function. Just call me Tony." Tony refused to give up. "Can I really not