Klaus knows too well that the little circle of conversationalists eye him when he approaches. He enjoys dipping his toes in the waters he doesn't belong in, he always has. In fact, that he started attending parties like this, that he started to endear himself to the gentrified wealthy, well. That had never really been in the plans. He'd only wanted to go to a party with Allison, and one thing lead to another.
So when Tony asks about the drinks, he shrugs a shoulder, holding one glass out to the man. "You're far more optimistic than I am, considering grandpa's asleep in the corner over there." He tilts his head to one older celebrity, asleep with his head back in one of the booths. "But I thought I would offer you a life raft in the form of something strong and hard, so you could avoid that most terrible fate."
He sips from his own drink after, shaking the glass for Tony just enough to let the ice cubs clink together for added effect.
"Should I get your assistant? I can't promise it's not laced with something fun."
This isn’t the first time that he has seen Klaus Hargreeves at these places - he’s hard to not notice, after all, with his fashion statements - but it is the first time that he’s having the pleasure of seeing him up close. As he speaks, especially with the quips that sound so much like something he’d say, he finds himself wondering why they haven’t bumped into each other sooner.
“So thoughtful of you,” he says with a chuckle, stepping closer to him which ends up almost cutting out the rest of the group in the process so that it’s more obvious this is now a two people conversation. There are mutters around them as they disperse, but Tony couldn’t care less.
Pretending to consider his options, he pauses for a moment before he shrugs and reaches for the glass. “I mean, what’s life without a little fun. I like to take my chances.”
He offers his hand to formally introduce himself. “I don’t believe we’ve met yet?”
"I can't let a man die of thirst, especially with such a tough crowd."
Klaus wiggles his fingers at the grumbling crowd, sure to present the palm that has goodbye inked across it. He looks back at Tony once the coast is clear and reaches for Tony's hand, giving it a shake.
"Klaus Hargreeves. Enchantée. You're that Stark guy, right?"
Of course Klaus knows who he is— Tony Stark isn't a man who shows up unnoticed at a party. But there's always a bit of fun in playing ignorant, no less when it seems everyone all but falls at Tony's feet when he arrives. Klaus isn't here for anything but entertainment, where as he's sure other guests might see Tony as a rung on a social ladder, or a pocket full of dollar signs.
"My sister was the star of the movie, if you saw it. She's the bombshell in blue over there, looking like she might rip the eyes out of the old man talking to her. Isn't she charming?"
“I’m glad someone was attentive to my plight. Thanks for the drink.”
It’s not new for someone to try to get him a drink, but he’s hardly this appreciative of the company because he has come to know when someone is trying to schmooze him for something. Ideas, funding, a picture - the list is endless. It becomes a charade that’s ultimately annoying, but as always he plays the part to a certain degree. Although, even when he tries to slink away or be flippant about it, people don’t mind it because that’s so Tony.
Klaus doesn’t feel like that, and while some part of him is still waiting for the other shoe to drop just out of habit, he just chuckles when he asks if he’s ‘that Stark guy.’
“I am. People call me Tony, so you know. Sounds better than ‘that Stark guy.’”
He takes a sip of his drink as he glances over to Allison Hargreeves, looking regal in her gown. And lethal, based on that look in her eyes, so he makes a note to not necessarily use his usual lines on her.
“She was great in it. I caught the last half - can’t be on time to save my life - but the accolades are definitely deserving.” He motions to Klaus’ outfit. “And I’ve got to say, you’re both quite the fashionable pair. I think I’ve read somewhere you’re to thank for that, yeah?”
"Hmm, Tony. It doesn't quite roll off the tongue the same way, but if you insist."
Klaus does a little twirl, careful of the short train on his skirt, before he dips into a low curtsy, all the while keeping his drink upright. The hidden perks of yoga. He rights himself and sips from his drink.
"Hmm, maybe. She had a stylist try and put her in two year old Chanel and I couldn't let such a travesty fall upon my sister. This little getup is just leftovers. Her closet is to die for, and there isn't anything I won't try on. Though you'd think I'd shown up naked for all the head turning. Poor little Edna over there almost had a coronary because she could see my navel. The horror."
He grins around the lip of his drink as he sips again. "But my sister is happily married, could kick your ass to next Sunday, and is very talented, thank you so much for saying so."
“Hm, give it time. I’m sure once you use it enough it’ll roll off the tongue just fine.”
He winks, as if implying he’ll give him plenty of reasons to use his name tonight.
At the curtsy, Tony chuckles and raises his glass slightly to him. “Very nice. Yeah, well, I’m sure Edna is wearing ten-year old Chanel. You’d figure with as much money as these people spend, they’d be a bit more fashion forward.”
Without missing a beat at the comment about his sister, he just grins and tilts his head slightly, curious. “Yeah? And what about you, what’s your situation? I don’t see a ring, so is it safe to assume no spouse?”
"Is that so? I'll have to work on that. If I say your name three times, do you magically appear, Tony?"
He teases, drawing the man's name out in a near purr, all teasing and easy. Klaus flirts with anything and everything and sometimes he doesn't even catch himself doing it.
"Alas I am married to my work," he sighs dramatically, waving a hand at the thought. "That and marriage is such an ugly thing sometimes. I'd rather be miserably alone the rest of my long, beautiful life than end up attending parties and worrying if my dear, sweet husband remembered his depends or not."
He huffs a laugh, shifting a little to look out over the room, but the move only brings him a little closer to Tony. He reaches for the man's free hand shamelessly, plucking it up and turning it this way and that. "Looks like we're in the same boat. Consider me surprised, Mr. Rich and Famous Tony Stark."
“Yep, like Beetlejuice, but hotter. Just don’t tell anyone my secret, please. Can’t have Edna summoning me out of nowhere.”
Tony laughs at his response about marriage, and nods slightly as if to say ‘fair enough.’ As he stands closer to him, he grins, enjoying this more than he probably should. It’s nice, though, to have someone be bold enough to do this considering there’s always some degree of something (he hates calling it intimidation, he’s allergic to it) in most interactions he deals with.
“I’m chronically single, I’m afraid. For similar reasons you have; it’s easier to just enjoy life like this and enjoy it one night at a time.”
He smiles. “I’ve gotta say, it’s nice to meet likeminded individuals on this. I tend to get the opposite.”
Klaus leans in and makes a motion to zip his lips, keeping his voice low, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Though I think much of society has long determined that you are, in fact, hot."
He shrugs a shoulder and leans back out, drinking deeply from his glass. "Or at least hoter than Beetlejuice."
Scanning the room, he notices a few people glancing their way, but Klaus knows too well that a man like Tony Stark brings that level of attention. He and Allison turn heads, Tony draws stares.
"Chronically single is the way to go. No messy attachments or breakups and you get to do all the crazy stuff on the first night." He laughs easily. "No point in building up all the heat for tomorrow when you've got all of tonight at your feet. What's the point of life if you aren't having any fun?"
Tony laughs; not the feigned, polite laugh he has perfected through the years for social situations, but one that is sincere and actually looks like it reaches his eyes. It’s so rare to actually do it in public, like a slip of the mask he’s so used to wearing, that it takes him by surprise but he’s careful not to show it.
“Well thank god for that, then. I don’t think I can pull off that hair. Or that suit.”
If he notices the glances they’re getting, Tony doesn’t show it. His attention is on Klaus and Klaus alone.
“Right, exactly. And, well. I think some people are built for relationships - like your sister, you say she’s happily married. I think that’s admirable. But I’m not built for it, so at least I’m self aware enough to not trick anyone into anything. What you see is what you get.”
He downs the rest of his drink before motioning to the bar. “Want to join me for another drink?”
"Oh I think you could with a little help. I know a guy," Klaus winks at the man and finishes off his drink with a pleased hum.
"Another drink would be excellent, so long as you aren't thinking of tricking me into marriage along the way. Then we might need to have words."
He waves a hand flippantly at Tony before he starts toward the bar, moving easily in a skirt that might seem cumbersome to others. But he picks a spot off to one side of the bar he'd been at before, choosing a stool far from the others waiting for the bartender's attention. He leans his elbows on the top and settles his chin in his hands.
"I'm surprised you haven't bailed," he admits, "I know that I've had those thoughts but unfortunately I'm here as my sister's plus one. It would be incredibly tacky if I left before the maid of honor herself."
Tony laughs again, shaking his head. “No marriage. Got it. I think I can manage that, just don’t be surprised if a tabloid says otherwise in the morning.”
He knows how these things go, after all. Klaus probably knows, too, if he pays attention to the articles he’s tied to from time to time.
Tony follows him to the corner of the bar, and unbuttons the jacket of his suit as he sits down. The bartender immediately notices them (or him, whatever) and lets Klaus order his drink before he asks for a refill of his.
Turning to Klaus as he speaks, he smiles with a quiet ‘ah’ before nodding. “You caught me at a good time, actually. I was already trying to think of an exit strategy.” Not that it would have been hard; he’s headed to Vegas tomorrow for an awards ceremony, before he leaves for Afghanistan the next day. His itinerary is always busy, filled to the gills with things to do and, when it isn’t, he spends whatever extra time he gets in the lab. These are just distractions in the grand scheme of things.
But, man, what pretty distractions they are sometimes.
“Is this your last party or do you still have a few more rounds to make?”
"I can't believe a man like you has to even think about an exit strategy," he teases, settling into his stool once the bartender takes their orders and walks off.
"But this is our last hoorah for the night, thankfully. I don't think I could stomach smiling and playing nice for another. The one before this was as dry as the Sahara if you can imagine it. I thought I was going to need to be oiled up and down before coming to this one. I could have aged twenty years from the boredom."
But they're surrounded by investors and producers and all manner of famous people who are important to know, if you're in the business like Allison is. Thankfully, he teaches a few private yoga lessons now, offers some styling advice when needed, but otherwise lives an easy, low-key life.
"And where is it you're escaping to? Dear god, take me with you when you go else I might turn into old Edna over there, asleep. My god why hast thou forsaken me, and the like. You know."
"Depends on the event," he admits. "Sometimes I just slink away, other times I make exit strategies. Depends on the host and all those pesky details."
Like who he has connections with, who he couldn't care less if they saw him disappearing from their parties. It's never a one-size-fits-all.
He chuckles, leaning in slightly towards him. "I thought you had to wait for your sister? If you don't, then you're welcome to follow me home. Just as a warning, though, I'm headed to Vegas for the day tomorrow. Not for fun," he clarifies before he could give the wrong idea, even if he's already planning on skipping the ceremony, anyway. A few rounds of roulette won't hurt. "I have some back-to-back work things coming up, so. This is my last hoorah until work winds down next week."
"Oh, you have far more consideration than I do, but heavy is the head that wears the crown and all. I'm happy to be a stylish nobody where Hollywood is concerned."
He's pleased to see the bartender has returned with their drinks, even if the implication is they won't be staying long enough to finish. He sips at his all the same, leaning closer to Tony.
"I can always text her, she won't mind." She might fuss at him, though. How long has it been since he's wandered home with a stranger from one of these parties? And the fact that this stranger just so happens to be Tony Stark? His sister can yell at him later for it.
"Bold of you to assume I'd be interested in anything more than one fun night. Or does that Stark charm leave everyone wanting more?" He snorts a little. "A pity Vegas won't be fun, but that makes me job easy, doesn't it? I can be a great last hoorah to get you through the work week." He winks at the man, unable to help the smirk that works its way across his lips.
He shrugs as if it's no big deal, as if he's bored of it. And, well, that part isn't a lie; he's getting tired of the pomp and circumstance that always has to happen whenever he goes somewhere. The acting, the fake smiles, the niceties. He has considerably less patience now than he used to do when he was younger, and the majority of the time he throws caution to the wind and does whatever the hell he wants, anyway. But, he also knows what his company can handle. The scandals it can absorb, the ones that would give Obadiah an ulcer as he tried to get Public Relations to smooth things over. It's all a balancing act, one that he is far too good at playing.
He casually gives the bartender a very generous tip, one that passes without anything more than a handshake, before he turns back to his drink as Klaus speaks. "If you don't think the star of tonight's event will be upset, then who am I to argue."
This, he tells himself, is why he ventures out sometimes. Because, despite all the crap that he finds the majority of the time, there are occasionally moments like these. People like Klaus that are actually refreshing to talk to.
He chuckles, a sly smirk settling on his face. "I guess you'll get a chance to find out, won't you." He tilts his head slightly, his smirk widening. "But hey, if I get a hoorah that will get me through the week, then I guess we're both winning tonight."
"Oh dear, I guess I will," Klaus teases, sipping from his drink and leaning against the bar easily. He'll need to text Allison soon, find a way to phrase it so he doesn't worry her when he pops in at home late.
While Klaus hasn't turned down one night trysts like this, he doesn't seek them out like he might have back home. Instead, he entertains himself with a little flirting (which sometimes lands him a client), a little schmoozing, and walks out as nothing more than a pretty thing decorating Allison's arm on the way to the car.
So the fact that Tony seems to have taken him up on his little escape joke? Well, he can't be mad about it. The man's fine in a way that excites him. A little sharp, witty, mysterious. He's heard a lot about Tony Stark and wouldn't it be fun to have a peek at what the man is like behind a bedroom door?
"I don't make promises I can't keep," he muses around the mouth of his glass, smirking over at Tony. "I could give you a hoorah to last you the month, but where's the fun in that? Maybe my own charm will leave you wanting more." He winks, teasing.
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no subject
So when Tony asks about the drinks, he shrugs a shoulder, holding one glass out to the man. "You're far more optimistic than I am, considering grandpa's asleep in the corner over there." He tilts his head to one older celebrity, asleep with his head back in one of the booths. "But I thought I would offer you a life raft in the form of something strong and hard, so you could avoid that most terrible fate."
He sips from his own drink after, shaking the glass for Tony just enough to let the ice cubs clink together for added effect.
"Should I get your assistant? I can't promise it's not laced with something fun."
no subject
“So thoughtful of you,” he says with a chuckle, stepping closer to him which ends up almost cutting out the rest of the group in the process so that it’s more obvious this is now a two people conversation. There are mutters around them as they disperse, but Tony couldn’t care less.
Pretending to consider his options, he pauses for a moment before he shrugs and reaches for the glass. “I mean, what’s life without a little fun. I like to take my chances.”
He offers his hand to formally introduce himself. “I don’t believe we’ve met yet?”
no subject
Klaus wiggles his fingers at the grumbling crowd, sure to present the palm that has goodbye inked across it. He looks back at Tony once the coast is clear and reaches for Tony's hand, giving it a shake.
"Klaus Hargreeves. Enchantée. You're that Stark guy, right?"
Of course Klaus knows who he is— Tony Stark isn't a man who shows up unnoticed at a party. But there's always a bit of fun in playing ignorant, no less when it seems everyone all but falls at Tony's feet when he arrives. Klaus isn't here for anything but entertainment, where as he's sure other guests might see Tony as a rung on a social ladder, or a pocket full of dollar signs.
"My sister was the star of the movie, if you saw it. She's the bombshell in blue over there, looking like she might rip the eyes out of the old man talking to her. Isn't she charming?"
no subject
It’s not new for someone to try to get him a drink, but he’s hardly this appreciative of the company because he has come to know when someone is trying to schmooze him for something. Ideas, funding, a picture - the list is endless. It becomes a charade that’s ultimately annoying, but as always he plays the part to a certain degree. Although, even when he tries to slink away or be flippant about it, people don’t mind it because that’s so Tony.
Klaus doesn’t feel like that, and while some part of him is still waiting for the other shoe to drop just out of habit, he just chuckles when he asks if he’s ‘that Stark guy.’
“I am. People call me Tony, so you know. Sounds better than ‘that Stark guy.’”
He takes a sip of his drink as he glances over to Allison Hargreeves, looking regal in her gown. And lethal, based on that look in her eyes, so he makes a note to not necessarily use his usual lines on her.
“She was great in it. I caught the last half - can’t be on time to save my life - but the accolades are definitely deserving.” He motions to Klaus’ outfit. “And I’ve got to say, you’re both quite the fashionable pair. I think I’ve read somewhere you’re to thank for that, yeah?”
no subject
Klaus does a little twirl, careful of the short train on his skirt, before he dips into a low curtsy, all the while keeping his drink upright. The hidden perks of yoga. He rights himself and sips from his drink.
"Hmm, maybe. She had a stylist try and put her in two year old Chanel and I couldn't let such a travesty fall upon my sister. This little getup is just leftovers. Her closet is to die for, and there isn't anything I won't try on. Though you'd think I'd shown up naked for all the head turning. Poor little Edna over there almost had a coronary because she could see my navel. The horror."
He grins around the lip of his drink as he sips again. "But my sister is happily married, could kick your ass to next Sunday, and is very talented, thank you so much for saying so."
no subject
He winks, as if implying he’ll give him plenty of reasons to use his name tonight.
At the curtsy, Tony chuckles and raises his glass slightly to him. “Very nice. Yeah, well, I’m sure Edna is wearing ten-year old Chanel. You’d figure with as much money as these people spend, they’d be a bit more fashion forward.”
Without missing a beat at the comment about his sister, he just grins and tilts his head slightly, curious. “Yeah? And what about you, what’s your situation? I don’t see a ring, so is it safe to assume no spouse?”
no subject
He teases, drawing the man's name out in a near purr, all teasing and easy. Klaus flirts with anything and everything and sometimes he doesn't even catch himself doing it.
"Alas I am married to my work," he sighs dramatically, waving a hand at the thought. "That and marriage is such an ugly thing sometimes. I'd rather be miserably alone the rest of my long, beautiful life than end up attending parties and worrying if my dear, sweet husband remembered his depends or not."
He huffs a laugh, shifting a little to look out over the room, but the move only brings him a little closer to Tony. He reaches for the man's free hand shamelessly, plucking it up and turning it this way and that. "Looks like we're in the same boat. Consider me surprised, Mr. Rich and Famous Tony Stark."
no subject
Tony laughs at his response about marriage, and nods slightly as if to say ‘fair enough.’ As he stands closer to him, he grins, enjoying this more than he probably should. It’s nice, though, to have someone be bold enough to do this considering there’s always some degree of something (he hates calling it intimidation, he’s allergic to it) in most interactions he deals with.
“I’m chronically single, I’m afraid. For similar reasons you have; it’s easier to just enjoy life like this and enjoy it one night at a time.”
He smiles. “I’ve gotta say, it’s nice to meet likeminded individuals on this. I tend to get the opposite.”
no subject
He shrugs a shoulder and leans back out, drinking deeply from his glass. "Or at least hoter than Beetlejuice."
Scanning the room, he notices a few people glancing their way, but Klaus knows too well that a man like Tony Stark brings that level of attention. He and Allison turn heads, Tony draws stares.
"Chronically single is the way to go. No messy attachments or breakups and you get to do all the crazy stuff on the first night." He laughs easily. "No point in building up all the heat for tomorrow when you've got all of tonight at your feet. What's the point of life if you aren't having any fun?"
no subject
“Well thank god for that, then. I don’t think I can pull off that hair. Or that suit.”
If he notices the glances they’re getting, Tony doesn’t show it. His attention is on Klaus and Klaus alone.
“Right, exactly. And, well. I think some people are built for relationships - like your sister, you say she’s happily married. I think that’s admirable. But I’m not built for it, so at least I’m self aware enough to not trick anyone into anything. What you see is what you get.”
He downs the rest of his drink before motioning to the bar. “Want to join me for another drink?”
no subject
"Another drink would be excellent, so long as you aren't thinking of tricking me into marriage along the way. Then we might need to have words."
He waves a hand flippantly at Tony before he starts toward the bar, moving easily in a skirt that might seem cumbersome to others. But he picks a spot off to one side of the bar he'd been at before, choosing a stool far from the others waiting for the bartender's attention. He leans his elbows on the top and settles his chin in his hands.
"I'm surprised you haven't bailed," he admits, "I know that I've had those thoughts but unfortunately I'm here as my sister's plus one. It would be incredibly tacky if I left before the maid of honor herself."
no subject
He knows how these things go, after all. Klaus probably knows, too, if he pays attention to the articles he’s tied to from time to time.
Tony follows him to the corner of the bar, and unbuttons the jacket of his suit as he sits down. The bartender immediately notices them (or him, whatever) and lets Klaus order his drink before he asks for a refill of his.
Turning to Klaus as he speaks, he smiles with a quiet ‘ah’ before nodding. “You caught me at a good time, actually. I was already trying to think of an exit strategy.” Not that it would have been hard; he’s headed to Vegas tomorrow for an awards ceremony, before he leaves for Afghanistan the next day. His itinerary is always busy, filled to the gills with things to do and, when it isn’t, he spends whatever extra time he gets in the lab. These are just distractions in the grand scheme of things.
But, man, what pretty distractions they are sometimes.
“Is this your last party or do you still have a few more rounds to make?”
no subject
"But this is our last hoorah for the night, thankfully. I don't think I could stomach smiling and playing nice for another. The one before this was as dry as the Sahara if you can imagine it. I thought I was going to need to be oiled up and down before coming to this one. I could have aged twenty years from the boredom."
But they're surrounded by investors and producers and all manner of famous people who are important to know, if you're in the business like Allison is. Thankfully, he teaches a few private yoga lessons now, offers some styling advice when needed, but otherwise lives an easy, low-key life.
"And where is it you're escaping to? Dear god, take me with you when you go else I might turn into old Edna over there, asleep. My god why hast thou forsaken me, and the like. You know."
no subject
Like who he has connections with, who he couldn't care less if they saw him disappearing from their parties. It's never a one-size-fits-all.
He chuckles, leaning in slightly towards him. "I thought you had to wait for your sister? If you don't, then you're welcome to follow me home. Just as a warning, though, I'm headed to Vegas for the day tomorrow. Not for fun," he clarifies before he could give the wrong idea, even if he's already planning on skipping the ceremony, anyway. A few rounds of roulette won't hurt. "I have some back-to-back work things coming up, so. This is my last hoorah until work winds down next week."
no subject
He's pleased to see the bartender has returned with their drinks, even if the implication is they won't be staying long enough to finish. He sips at his all the same, leaning closer to Tony.
"I can always text her, she won't mind." She might fuss at him, though. How long has it been since he's wandered home with a stranger from one of these parties? And the fact that this stranger just so happens to be Tony Stark? His sister can yell at him later for it.
"Bold of you to assume I'd be interested in anything more than one fun night. Or does that Stark charm leave everyone wanting more?" He snorts a little. "A pity Vegas won't be fun, but that makes me job easy, doesn't it? I can be a great last hoorah to get you through the work week." He winks at the man, unable to help the smirk that works its way across his lips.
no subject
He shrugs as if it's no big deal, as if he's bored of it. And, well, that part isn't a lie; he's getting tired of the pomp and circumstance that always has to happen whenever he goes somewhere. The acting, the fake smiles, the niceties. He has considerably less patience now than he used to do when he was younger, and the majority of the time he throws caution to the wind and does whatever the hell he wants, anyway. But, he also knows what his company can handle. The scandals it can absorb, the ones that would give Obadiah an ulcer as he tried to get Public Relations to smooth things over. It's all a balancing act, one that he is far too good at playing.
He casually gives the bartender a very generous tip, one that passes without anything more than a handshake, before he turns back to his drink as Klaus speaks. "If you don't think the star of tonight's event will be upset, then who am I to argue."
This, he tells himself, is why he ventures out sometimes. Because, despite all the crap that he finds the majority of the time, there are occasionally moments like these. People like Klaus that are actually refreshing to talk to.
He chuckles, a sly smirk settling on his face. "I guess you'll get a chance to find out, won't you." He tilts his head slightly, his smirk widening. "But hey, if I get a hoorah that will get me through the week, then I guess we're both winning tonight."
no subject
While Klaus hasn't turned down one night trysts like this, he doesn't seek them out like he might have back home. Instead, he entertains himself with a little flirting (which sometimes lands him a client), a little schmoozing, and walks out as nothing more than a pretty thing decorating Allison's arm on the way to the car.
So the fact that Tony seems to have taken him up on his little escape joke? Well, he can't be mad about it. The man's fine in a way that excites him. A little sharp, witty, mysterious. He's heard a lot about Tony Stark and wouldn't it be fun to have a peek at what the man is like behind a bedroom door?
"I don't make promises I can't keep," he muses around the mouth of his glass, smirking over at Tony. "I could give you a hoorah to last you the month, but where's the fun in that? Maybe my own charm will leave you wanting more." He winks, teasing.