Chapter Text
“I am not bloody doing this!” Dr. Leopold Fitz shouted with his back turned to his audience. His focus was on the deconstructed non-lethal gun on the bench in front of him. “I’m perfectly capable of doing this on my own, Mr. Stark!”
“Fitz, this will be good for you. You’ll wine and dine on someone else’s dime and meet some eligible bachelorettes. And, it’ll be great press for the company. Think about it, Stark Industries’s Boy Wonder, Dr. Leo Fitz, showing the world that he’s more than just a genius. If I wasn’t with Pepper, I’d do it myself,” Tony Stark smirked, looking over at the CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts.
Pepper rolled her eyes. “Tony, you were on the show. Season 2, remember? A colossal mistake, if you ask me. And you did ask me. And you did it anyway.”
Tony cleared his throat and walked over towards Fitz. “Let’s not get off subject. Fitz, this would be good for you. You only leave the lab to go home or when I make you attend a fundraising event. I’m worried about you. Well, your social life. You’re good, but I think you should go out and play with kids your own age.”
Fitz sighed and turned around, still wearing his magnifying glasses. “Mr. Stark, I do have a social life. I just love the work we do. It gives me a sense of purpose knowing we’re helping people, making the world a safer place.”
“See, that’s what the world needs to see. That passion you have for your work and what we do here. Plus, the ladies are going to go crazy over that accent. Isn’t it adorable, Pepper?” Tony half-turned towards Pepper who rolled her eyes again.
“Fitz, I do agree with Tony that we are a little worried about your social life. You’re great with the investors and philanthropists…” Pepper started.
“And the lab techs when they doing screw up!” Tony interrupted.
Pepper ignored Tony’s quip, “but we just want to see you with someone.”
“You two sound like my mum! Has she been calling you again?” Fitz asked, and as he didn’t want to know the answer to his own question knowing that his mum often speaks with Pepper and Tony, quickly continued, “Just fantastic… I just haven’t met anyone that interests me. My roommate keeps setting me up with friends of friends, but they’re just so boring.”
“The perfect answer to boring dates would be a series of televised dates with bachelorette handpicked by producers handpicked by me,” Tony said, wrapping an arm around Fitz’s shoulders and guiding him towards the door.
Fitz sighed again and accepted his fate. “Are they at least sending me to an exotic location? Like Peru? Or the Seychelles?”
Tony hesitated before answering, “Um, I think they’re sending you to Omaha? Or Kalamazoo?”
“What. The. Hell?!” Fitz shouted.
Pepper slapped Tony’s arm with the back of her hand. “Stop messing around, Tony. Fitz, they’re filming the show in Boston. We convinced the producers to shoot there so you’ll be near a Stark lab. We know you can’t keep focused unless you had time to tinker with your projects.”
Fitz gave Pepper a grateful smile before the realization set in that his dating life would be broadcast around the world for the next 12 weeks. “Help,” he said to no one in particular as Tony led them towards the elevators.
”You’ll do great, Fitz. This is why I hired you,” Tony reassured Fitz.
Fitz looked at his boss, friend, and mentor. “To embarrass myself on television?”
Tony chuckled, “Of course not. Because you’ve overcome every challenge thrown your way. Which is why I know you’ll let the world see your true self. And embarrass yourself along the way.”
“Thanks, Mr. Stark… I think?”