specification | Heart In a Knot

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Heart In a Knot - PREQUEL for Stark

As far as Arthur saw it, being home for two weeks was a week too long. He had caught up with the friends and family members he cared to see and catch up with. He ran. He slept. But now, that itch was creeping up again - wanting to get out and do something, travel somewhere.

It was with a grain of hope that Arthur picked up the phone when Mal called. He hoped she would have a job or have heard something. Besides, it was wonderful talking to her, as always. "Good evening, Mal," he smiled, looking in the fridge for something before taking out a bottle of water.

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"Well, I wouldn't say everything," Arthur teased her with a soft grin.

He raised an eyebrow. "This isn't one of your, 'oh I'm going to tell Arthur about a job and it's really a blind date' set ups is it?" She had only done it once but still, it was something he thought he'd ask about. "Militarization, hm?"

Arthur nodded. He figured it would be the latter more than the former.

"If you speak of yourself," she snapped, though her tones were light and playful. "Then that is not for lack of trying, you naughty boy." Oh but she loved the banter between them. And then he asked that and she laughed.

"Arthur, you have such little faith in me. I have only done that once. Besides, he is rather infamous for being a womanizer and a player. Would I risk your heart with a man such as that?" That Mallorie herself knew that so many other layers existed beneath that facade was neither here nor there.

"If I speak for the majority of the country," Arthur retorted with a chuckle. His tone was playful and light; this was normal when it came to them and it amused the both of them.

He was silent for a good long minute as he made his way into the living room and took a seat on the couch. "No, you wouldn't," he admitted. "Who is it and why would he need militarization?"

"Hush. I'm adored," she said, considering her answer to this. She knew he wasn't going to jump right on it without details. And then he went straight for the heart of it.

"Arthur, you will have to play this close to the vest. Not only for his sake but my own. Dominick is not fond of me speaking to him as we were friends previously," she said, playful on the word friends.

"His name is Anthony. Anthony Stark."

Arthur chuckled and rest his feet atop the coffee table. He grew silent however when she started talking about the job. "Anthony Stark? Where do I know that name from," he asked. He never read the gossip magazines but the Stark last name did ring a bell. "Does he have anything to do with Stark Industries?"

She remained quiet until he asked that question. Then Mal chuckled. "Arthur, he is Stark Industries. Tony took over after his father's death and now runs the company with an iron fist," she said with a laugh. "Or merely as Iron Man, whom you may or not heard of after his incident in Afghanistan. I knew him before that incident," she admitted.

"So that Tony Stark." He had heard about about the incident in Afghanistan of course. He had heard of Iron Man and heard the gossip surrounding his playboy and womanizer ways. In that case, there was no worry that this was just a set up on Mal's behalf. Just a job.

"When does he want it? Have any more information for me?" He would do his research of course, know everything that he could before hand but still, having information that she had would be helpful.

"Oh how often he's refered to that way," she said with a laugh. "That. The. Oh him," she said. "Or as my darling husband likes to refer to him: That bastard's on teevee again," she said, chuckling.

"He's a multibillionaire with a lot of enemies. Currently arguing with the government about his suit and fighting to keep things on his level. He's worried that the government, or others, looking to steal the technology for the acr reactor might use dream share to get the information so he asked me to reccomend someone to help him protect against that."

Arthur chuckled softly. "He does seem to be on TV quite a bit," he mused. It didn't surprise him nearly as much as he thought it would that Mal knew Iron Man. Course she knew Iron Man.

"Makes sense," he said. "So you recommended me? I'm surprised you didn't take that up," he teased her. "When does he want it?"

He was already making plans, figuring out how soon he could be out there to start.

"He is an attention whore of the highest calibre," she said, still a bit of a chuckle in her voice and definitely amused. Both for him and in general.

"I'm not allowed to take that up. Dominick isn't fond of my past liason with a man like Tony," she said, a hint of a pout in her words. "He is up for this as soon as possible, so I told him your schedule would be the determining factor. He was fine with that, so long as it was sooner than later."

Arthur chuckled and relaxed into the cushions of the couch. "I see - well you did say he was a womanizer," he teased. Still, he knew Mal loved Dom more than anything else and knew the extractor didn't have anything to worry about.

"I can be there by the end of the week." That was a few days away and could start by the beginning of the next week. "Then I can start when it works for him," he said. He could see, in hindsight, why a man of Tony's influence, power and status in the country would need something like militarization. It wouldn't do for others to try and put Iron Man under and steal what information they could get their hands on. As it was rumored, Tony had a lot of valuable information.

"I can give you his number and you can call and arrange things with him," she offered. "Just so that I do not upset Dominick more than I have to." Which likely meant he hadn't known about the recent contact and she was trying to keep it to a minimum to stop things from becoming ugly.

"I appreciate you handling this, Arthur. There are few men I would trust this job to."

"I wouldn't want that to happen," he said and leaned over for a pad of paper and a pen. "What's his number," he asked once he had that in his hands.

Arthur smiled. "It's no problem, Mal. Needed something challenging to work on - what better than militarizing Iron Man?"

"That's my darling, Arthur," she purred. "I knew I could count on you." She gave him the number, repeating it twice for him.

"It does sound amazing. Shame you can't ever use it on your resume," she teased, as if they had one.

On the second time around, he made sure he had written down the correct number before setting the pad aside and chuckled. "Shame but I know I'm good at what I do," he teased. "Thanks, Mal. I'll give you a call when I get in and settled, alright?" He figured he'd stay at a hotel - it might make things a little weird at the Cobb's if he was working with Mal's ex -- 'friend'. "We'll all have to get together for dinner."

"You're not good at what you do," she corrected. "You are amazing, Arthr. Don't you let anyone tell you otherwise."

She smiled. "Well, I might note how close Malibu is to here, so you had better visit and soon."

She paused. "All? Wicked thing. Unless you don't mean Anthony."

"Then in that case, I will visit soon," he grinned. He missed them, missed her. She was really something special.

"No, I don't mean Anthony," he said with a laugh. "I just mean, you, Dom, Pippa, James and myself." He wasn't going to speak for the billionaire just yet, he didn't know the man.

"I'll give him a call and sort something out."

"Good. I can't wait to see you," she admitted, chuckling. "We shall plan something for us all after your work is done then."

"I can't wait to see you either," he said with a smile. "Give everyone my love, and I'll see you soon."

He hung up soon after and looked at the number sitting on the coffee table. He had heard stories of course - gossip about the man behind the Iron Man suit but he was sure nothing would prepare him for the real thing. Still, it was better to get started than to wait. He dialed the phone number he had been given and held the phone up to his ear as it rang.

It took three rings before someone answered. A male, almost distracted voice came through.

"You've reached Tony Stark. If you've gotten this message in error, go away. If you're the government, go away. If you're ... what's her name, go away. If this is Pepper, I'll be there in ten minutes, wherever there is," he said, speaking as if he was the answering machine.

"Everyone else leave a message after the beep." He waited two seconds. "Is someone actually still there?"

Arthur was silent for a minute, severely torn as to whether or not he should go with it. In the end, this was a job and that was that. "None of those options apply to me, Mr. Stark. I was asked to complete a job with you (read: on you) by a Mallorie Cobb."

Despite himself, he could feel a smile tug on his lips. That had been unusual.

Tony was quiet a long moment, considering that. "She told me you would be calling. Of course, she told me to stop calling Ms Miles too and I refuse. Might be why she foisted me off on you and didn't take the job herself. Dom can't stand me," he said cheerfully, settling back on his stool in the lab.

"She tells me you're the best at this."

Despite himself, Arthur found himself chuckling. "I'd say it had more to do with Dom above all else," he said and stood from the couch to walk over to the balcony window. "I am the best at what I do, I can assure you. I can be in town by the end of the week, Mr. Stark. When would work for you to meet and get started?"

He looked over the New York City skyline as he awaited for the answer.

"Yes, he's horribly possessive. I have utter respect for Mallorie." At least as much so if not more that he had for a handful of women in his life. By handful, of course, meaning one. Pepper.

"I have a small get together on Friday night. Why don't you attend."

Arthur didn't mention that Mal had told him about their past 'friendship' but he could see why the two had had their fling. His eyebrows rose at the invitation, not having expected that.

The traditional phrasing of 'small get togethers' usually included close friends, spouses etc. They didn't exactly include men you don't know who will be delving into your subconscious. Besides, he was a professional. "In that case, Mr. Stark - let's start on Monday."

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