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There must be a rule, you thought when you woke up in bed the next day, wrapped in your blankets and a thin sense of anxiousness, about how long you should wait before you visit someone you just saw, so how come nobody has ever told it to me?!?

Your adventure at Stark Tower had been beyond great, but now you had a new problem: you’d already visited once (kind of at his request??) and you didn’t know when or if another visit was appropriate. You were torn between the awkwardness of showing up at Stark Tower randomly and really, really wanting to see that Tony again. Fortunately for you, however, you didn’t have to make that decision.

Because Tony did.

A couple of days had passed and you had already resigned yourself to the fact The Tony Experience (as you now called it) was over now; a one-time thing you would probably treasure in your memories until you died. So now it was a Friday morning, and you were making a cup of tea and relaxing at your window seat, enjoying the sunlight that streamed over the streets. Or, at least, you would have been, if the wild pounding at the door hadn’t forced you to retreat from your cozy nest to the cold tile of the entryway.

“Seriously, Amb?” You muttered, heading for the door. “I know you have a key.”

With a frustrated grunt you swung the door open. Simultaneously, it seemed, your eyes popped out of your head. There was a man behind the door, dressed in a sharp suit and a sharper glare.

"Um, where have you been??" Tony Stark stood outside your apartment, arms crossed over his arc reactor and a look of over-exaggerated distress in his widened eyes.

Your jaw went slack as you took in the sight before you—you thought the hectic knocking at your door was your roommate begging to be let in from a late night of partying. But to your surprise (and, secretly, overwhelming joy) it was Tony Stark standing at your doorstep instead.

And you had absolutely no idea why.

You tried to collect yourself, but none of the smart words in your mind would tumble onto your tongue, so instead you whimpered a small "Heeeere?" with your voice lifted in confusion.

“No surprise there,” he snarked, pushing into the kitchen. "Well, now we have a problem. Because while you've been hoarding your time in here like a depressed Boo Radley, I haven't been able to see you in three days." He pulled out a chair and sat, cocking his head in that cheeky way only a Stark could manage.

What was going on? "Why...why would-"

"So now, I don't know if you have any plans that you need to cancel today." That sarcastic eyebrow shot up again.

This conversation was hard for you to keep up with. "Wellll, Amber and I were going to go out for lunch-"

"See?” He threw up his arms, exasperated. “If you had come over to the Tower like you were supposed to, you never would have made that lunch date, which you're going to have to skip out on now."

You shook your head, hands flying to your face in an expression of confusion. "Ok, ok...first of all, thanks for, like, warning me you were going to come over. Really appreciate it. Second what’s so important that I have to cancel all of my plans? Today's kind of an important day for me..."

He laughed. "That's the whole point."

"Huh?"

"Well, (Name)," he leaned back on your chair, "I happen to know that today is your birthday."

You almost dropped your cup. It was true, but… "How...how did you know that?"

"Um," he pointed to his temple, "genius? Also, Jarvis looked up your record and told me. But also…” the finger went back to his temple, “genius. Really though, you should have told me before.”

You shrugged. "I never really make a big deal of my birthday...I'm not really a party-planner type person."

Tony smiled mischievously. "Fortunately for you, I am. And I already have your birthday evening all planned out and saved to my headset. So we—"

Something made him abruptly pause. "Well, when you insist on talking in my ear like that you're going to have to deal with some unflattering labeling."

You cocked your head. "Is, is that Jarvis in there?"

Tony crossed his legs and leaned back. "Yes, (Name) and no, Jarvis, you were the one who wanted to come along." a pause. "I don't always need you. Wait. No. I take it back; I do always need you. Anyway, (Name)," he cut short his one sided conversation and turned back to you-still standing there in your kitchen with an expression of perplexed shock, "are you ready to go?"

"Go?” you felt like laughing from the pure absurdity of everything going on right now. “Go where? I wasn't even planning on leaving the house ‘til 1, I'm not even dressed...!"

He checked his watch. "Well you'd better hurry, because the boat leaves in an hour."

"Boat?! What-what-" You were stuttering now.

"Yep. We start Phase One on the yacht.”

"The yacht?" you were dizzy. "Phase One?"

Tony jumped out of his seat with a grin. “Well you seem to have 20/20 hearing. Good to know. Now,” he grabbed the mug from your hand and shoved you towards your room, “go change: we have a busy day ahead birthday girl, and I can’t have a tatterdemalion as my date!”