"Hand to hand first, I should think."
"Alright then." Tony isn't wearing any armor himself, but he does take off his outer shirt so he only has the undershirt and his pants on. Soon enough, the two of them stand across from one another, with Pepper watching from the sidelines. The red head doesn' t look overly worried or concerned, but she does call out to them as they size one another up.
"Let's not test this room's actual limits, please. Because if you're doing that, it means you're trying to seriously harm each other, and I'd rather not see my husband or new friend spilling too much of one another ' s blood tonight. Am I understood?"
Sif scoffs but also gives Pepper a smile and a nod, recognizing the voice that the other woman is using as her authoritative voice. Tony chuckles and flashes Pepper a grin.
"Your word is my command, Mrs. Stark." Pepper flushes a little bit but then grins back.
"And don't you forget it, Mr. Stark."
Sif is jealous of the relationship the two have. She's woman enough to admit that. Not only are they clearly deeply in love, they're also so secure in their relationship that they routinely invite other women into it as well. Sif has caught them with these other women a couple times now, though of course she's never stayed to watch. She's not some pervert. Still, she only wishes she had love like the love they share.
Tony brings his hands up into fists, a classic stance that keeps his arms in close to protect his face and upper body. Sif also brings her hands up, even as the two of them begin to circle one another, looking for openings.
After a moment, Sif lunges forward, only for Tony to snake out around her strike and launch one of his own. From there, they exchange blows rapidly. Most don't land of course, or they land on arms or are deflected by palm strikes. Either way, they're soon falling into a comfortable rhythm.
Once they're sparring in earnest, Sif finally speaks.
" I have been approached by what feels like dozens of Midgardians about spying on you, Tony Stark."
Tony blinks at that, and then offers an apologetic smile.
"Sorry. Comes with the territory, I'm afraid."
Sif narrows her eyes. He's not even remotely surprised.
"I have also been approached by those who wish to poison me against you. Who have nothing but ill things to lay at your feet." "Yeah, that's pretty par for the course as well."
"Some have even tried to tempt me away from you with promises of wealth, power, and fortune. Some have told me that I could do better than whore myself out to 'Tony Stark and his vulture wife'."
That gets a wince from Tony and a hiss from Pepper, who of course is listening in from the sidelines. Sif offers a content smile as she tilts her head to the side.
"Do not fret. The one who said that last bit is missing quite a few teeth now. I would not let anyone impugn the honor of my new friend."
Tony grunts, while Pepper nods appreciatively. Sif and Tony's spar continues apace. For a moment, silence reigns and then Tony sighs. "We know about all of those attempts, of course."
Sif hums, having thought as much. She starts to nod her head, only to freeze up when Tony continues on.
"And of course, there have been the efforts to procure you through less kind means as well."
What? Sif stiffens and would have taken a blow across the jaw for her inattention if Tony hadn't pulled his punch at the last second. They pull apart for a moment, with Tony sighing again when he sees her reaction.
" As far as the movers and shakers of this world are concerned, you're the first alien to stay on Earth for an extended period of time in quite a while now. They want to study you. Hell, if they could I suspect they'd try to dissect you. Stark Industries has been holding them off. Even the nicer ones would still lock you in a cell so they could scan you and test you and experiment on you to their heart's content. The only real difference between them and the 'bad guys' would be the invasiveness of their procedures."
Sif would be lying if she said she understood everything Tony was saying. But she understands enough to pick up the rest through context clues alone.
"… There are truly that many snakes here on Midgard? And you have been keeping me in the dark about these threats?"
Tony just shrugs again.
"It's par for the course, really. Look, even I'm not informed about the majority of the attempts on our lives or freedom at this point. JARVIS has gotten very good at nipping the worst of them in the bud at this point without me or Pepper having to ever know."
That was… Sif's eyes glance at the ceiling, where she knows the Starks' ever present servitor undoubtedly lurks.
"I see. You have my thanks, JARVIS of House Stark."
"It is my duty, my privilege, and my honor Lady Sif. A friend of Mrs. Stark is a friend of the house."
Turning her gaze back to a grinning Tony, Sif frowns.
"Is that what you are, Stark? Are you not of this world and the Midgardians just don't know it?"
Tony pauses at that for a moment before shaking his head.
"No. Though I could see how you got that idea. Pepper and I were both born completely human. Or Midgardian, rather." Narrowing her eyes at that, Sif grunts.
"Prince Thor referred to you as a hidden king. He said that you were in hiding because the majority of Midgard has adopted a new government system known as 'democracy' and would hunt and kill you if they knew you for what you really were."
Sif tilts her head to the side. She had thought Thor rather silly at first, but now after all she's seen… it's strange, she can almost picture it. Tony Stark and Pepper Stark reminded her quite a bit of King Odin and Queen Frigga. Not in the sense that they were equal to Asgard's Monarchs in any way, shape or form… but rather, the similarities lay in the amount of power Tony and Pepper wielded in a number of different manners.
Ultimately, at the end of the day, to be Asgardian was to be strong. But everyone knew that the Royal Family of Asgard were even stronger than the average Asgardian. Perhaps that was where Thor had gotten this idea that Tony Stark was a 'hidden king'. Because even though he and Pepper were still 'human', they were far stronger than most other humans.
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