Prompt: (set before they are together) Pepper falls asleep on the couch, out come up to writer
A.N. Hey Guys, so I recently found this absolutely amazing website on Tumblr [ ] and I am going to attempt to do some. If any of you have read my other Iron Man fic, I have actually started to write the next chapter, it's just gotten away from me. I'm not too sure about my other stories but I'll see if I get around to them. As you may have noticed I'm much better at one-shots. Anyways, Please R&R! And Enjoy!
Tony Stark was tired. He was tired and he wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep until Pepper came to wake him at some ungodly hour tomorrow morning. As he made his way up the stairs his hand went unconsciously to the arc reactor in the centre of his chest. His fingers traced the rim as he thought about the last couple of months. Kidnapped, tortured, and betrayed by a father figure… no wonder he was tired! He sighed, as he reached the top of his stairs that lead into his living room. He wondered if Pepper was still here, she practically lived her anyways. She was always here when he needed her, and even when he didn't. He'd been so bad to her too, for years he's used her as a slave. Making her do whatever he wanted, having her get rid of women in the morning, and taking care of the press when he's done something stupid. It made him wonder why she had stuck around for as long as she had.
The sound of soft snoring brought him out of his thoughts and turned his head towards the couch. A slow grin spread its way across his face. The ever infamous Pepper Potts was sleeping, and not on that, she was sleeping in his living room. On his Couch. He watched her for a moment, not sure what he should do. Waking her wasn't an option but neither was letting her sleep on his couch. He quietly made his was over to the couch, settling on the chair next to the couch and leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. She was beautiful when she was sleeping; her whole body seemed to relax. It gave him time to really look at her, to study her features even though he had done so many times before. He would never admit it, but he absolutely loved her freckles. He thought they were beyond adorable. They stood out when she blushed and made her sexy as hell. He loved the way she bit her lip and tilted her head down when she was nervous, and how she believed that he forgot her birthday every year when really it was top on his calendar.
He loved the way she was always there for him on the anniversary of his parents' death, even though it was not obligatory. He loved when her hair was tied back in a bun and a stray curl would fall out and have to be tucked behind her ear. He loved her arms and her hands and how they looked touchable and he wondered if her hands would fit in his like he imagined they would. He loved her eyes, the beautiful brown colour that showed so much yet hid so much more. He loved Pepper Potts. The thought made him still. Did he? Could he? Could he really do that to her? She had seen so much of him, too much of him. She stood by his side for years as he reaped the benefits of death and destruction, and she was still standing next to him. He looked again to her sleeping form on the couch, watching her for a moment before he got a blanket to cover her with. He refused to let her sleep on the couch and knowing Pepper, as soon as the blanket touched her she would be awake and alert, all business.
He gently laid the blanket over her and to his surprise, she didn't jolt awake like he expected her to, she awoke slowly. He watched her blink awake, not realizing where she was and yawn.
"Sleepin' on the job Potts?" He drawled a smirk on his lips.
He laughed when Pepper finally got with the program and sat up abruptly, trying to make herself look presentable. Or professional at the least.
"Wasn't sleeping." She mumbled.
"What was that Potts? Didn't quite catch that." He was making her blush and enjoying every minute of it.
"I wasn't sleeping!" She was frustrated and he knew it.
"Whatever you say Pepper. You snore by the way."
"I do not!"
"Do too"
"Do not!"
"Do too, do too, do too!"
"Tony…"
"Pepper."
"Ugh!"
"I win."
"Tony! I am going to kill you one of these days if you're not careful."
Tony chuckled as he watched Pepper become more and more flustered. Deciding to end the banter he settled down on the couch next to her. "I don't mind you sleeping here you know Pepper. I mean, I have so many spare rooms you may as well become privy to one. If only on a once in a while basis."
He watched her slowly think over the proposition; he could tell she was thinking of a way out. His poor professional Pepper didn't know what to make of the invitation and probably felt it inappropriate.
"I don't know Tony… what would people say if they found out that I had a room here?"
"How would anyone know?"
"Because it's you! Tony. You're infamous with women and I don't want to be a part of that. I don't want people to see me as a notch on your bedpost."
That made a frown spread over his face. He guessed he deserved it; it wasn't exactly like it was uncalled for. The whole world knew what he was like with women, and he couldn't blame her for having the concerns that she did. While he was thinking he felt the weight on the couch shift and he looked up to see Pepper getting all her things as she prepared to leave.
"I'm sorry Tony; I just don't think it's a good idea. Will that be all Mr. Stark?"
He grinned, "That will be all, Ms. Potts."
He watched as Pepper reached the door on the far side of the room before he called out to her.
"Pepper?"
"Yes Tony?"
He smiled and he couldn't help but feel the sadness behind it, "If we did ever… you know. You wouldn't be just another notch. You could never be, just another anything."
Tony felt his heart lift a little when she returned his smile before she slipped out the door into the night air. Maybe there was hope after all.
A.N. Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! I don't mind criticism, especially as I'm prone to typos when I'm typing. If you want to leave a prompt, I would love to do more one shots! Have an awesome day/night!