Description: Tony devlops a sudden intrest in karaoke, Pepper bears witness. Songfic, kinda.

Parings: Anthony E. Stark & Virgina "Pepper" Potts

Author: Gwyn27

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING, AT ALL. EVER.

The song is Real World by Matchbox Twenty

UPDATE: So I had fun doing this, and it would be super helpfull if people reviewed! It was my first story and I want to know what people think!


Real World

Pepper Potts looked down and her watch and sighed. It was one-thirty, an hour and a half past the time Tony was supposed to be on a plane to London. He had meeting about his "sudden" change in direction with Stark Industries with shareholders over seas. Honestly she knew he wouldn't go, the suit had suffered some damages in the last mission and for some deranged reasons she would never understand, he had to be with it through the "healing process". Feeling annoyed she took out her crackberry and called the secretary for the building in London.

"Marie? Hello, it's Pepper."

"Oh hi Pepper!" said the cheery voice on the other line, "How are you?"

Usually Pepper liked Marie, even admired her chipper attitude while answering phones. Pepper had developed somewhat of a deadpan, firm telephone voice, as she was most often calling people to tell them that she was going to have to reschedule an important meeting. Today though, she was in no mood for cheerfulness, Tony had been especially difficult to handle this week. He hadn't made any of the appointments she had scheduled and every comment she made was thrown back at her with some sort of sexual connotation. These were difficult to bat off right now, their relationship had gone from professional to friends to… god knows what quickly. Frankly it was scaring her, she found herself stealing looks at him more often, and when he got to close to her all her blood would run straight to her cheeks and her body would buzz. Even thinking of him pulled a few heartstrings. She found herself thinking these types of thoughts often, but in her head they were stated as facts, nothing more. She would not explore them further, that was far too dangerous.

"I'm fine thank you. I was just calling to inform you that Mr. Stark will not be arriving in England today."

"Come down with a case of pile-of-crap-o-itis? Poor man."

Pepper laughed awkwardly, "Something like that."

"Thank you Pepper, I'll call you to re-schedule tomorrow? Elevnish your time?"

"Sounds great, thank you Marie." With that she set about an apology letter to all of the board members who no-doubt were on their way to meet Tony presently.

Suddenly, her blackberry rang. Tony was calling, from downstairs in the workshop.

"Is there any reason you couldn't yell for me? Or get Jarvis to inform me of your endless needs?"

"Yes, it's a brilliant one."

Pepper waited, nothing.

"Well are you going to tell me what it is Mr. Stark? Or should I continue mopping up the mess that is your life?"

"I sense some aggression in you today Ms. Potts, specifically aggression directed towards me. Now we could use this in a positive, constructive way…"

"That was inappropriate Mr. Stark"

"Ms. Potts, if you examine everything I say, carefully that is, you will find that everything, in some way or another, is inappropriate."

"It may shock you to realize I've noticed."

"Why don't you head downstairs so we can resolve this issue face to face?"

"Must I?"

"Uh huh. Hop to it, quick like a bunny."

Pepper hung up her phone without answering. She raised herself off the couch and walked downstairs. When she punched in her code and entered the workshop she didn't see him at first. She surveyed the room carefully, with suspicion.

"Pep, come look at this."

She saw him beside the flat screen he had mounted on the wall. He had a microphone in his hand and was staring at the screen intently.

"Please tell me you did not skip a meeting with your shareholders to sing karaoke."

"I did not skip a meeting with my shareholders to sing karaoke. I skipped it to serenade you." His face was perfectly serious. "Some would call it romantic."

"Some being the keyword. Me, what I would find romantic is if you would actually do what I told you to do for just one day. That would leave me weak at the knees." She remarked sarcastically.

"Aggressive and caustic. Pepper, you really need this. Sit back and enjoy. I've been working on it for and entire half hour."

I wonder what it's like to be the rainmaker
I wonder what it's like to know that I make the rain

Pepper had taken a seat, inside her head she was laughing hysterically. But outside she was as calm and collected as always. She had one eyebrow raised and was studying him with an annoyed expression.

"I'm sure you could invent ways to make rain if you wanted sir."

He smiled at her between words. She tried to ignore how charming she found it.

I'd store it in boxes with little yellow tags on everyone
And you can come see them when I'm...done, when I'm
Done

He actually had a pretty good, voice. Not one that he could pursue a career out of, but it was sort of… sexy. Jeez, she wanted to smack herself for thinking such things.

"So you would give me rain? But you can't remember to buy me a birthday present?" She was using a joking tone now.

I wonder what it's like to be a super hero

Pepper laughed out loud at this.

I wonder where I'd go if I could fly around downtown

"To bother me I assume."

"Probably" he answered.

From some other planet, I get this funky high on yellow
Sun
Boy I bet my friends will all be...stunned, they're stunned

"Rhodey? Probably. Me? I never am stunned anymore. One of the perks of practically living with you."

Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here
If I were someone else, would this all fall apart

This was getting more serious, the song lyrics were getting deeper. Forcing her to look at feelings left all over the floor.

"Without a doubt things would fall apart." Pepper answered softly.

Strange, where were you, when we started this gig,
I wish the real world, would just stop hassling me

Pepper let herself ponder what her life would be like if she didn't have reality to worry about, just for a moment. Maybe she and Tony could release and fall towards whatever direction the universe was pulling them. She had growing apprehensions this was into each other. Maybe they could stay in the mansion all day and all night. Tony wouldn't have to worry about being Iron Man, and Pepper wouldn't have to worry about remaining professional. She could brush that piece of hair that always falls in front of his eyes behind his ear. She could let down her guard, let the words she wants to say flow out filter free. She could kiss him…

This was all thought in around two seconds, she mentally slapped herself. Again.

She jolted back into reality to find Tony staring at her, passionately. It startled her so much she jumped.

"Listen to this part, it's important." He said evenly.

Please don't change, please don't break
The only thing that seems to work at all is you
Please don't change, at all from me
To you, and you to me

The song ended and Pepper found she was having issues breathing. Tony stared at her bewildered face for a few seconds then set about putting away the karaoke machine to give her a few seconds to collect herself. Then he turned to examine her again. He sat down on the table in front of her. She was staring at the floor but she looked up and met his eyes.

"Stick to your day job Mr. Stark." She said it playfully, but let a minute amount of what she was feeling seep into her gaze.

He laughed, "I slaved over that proclamation for you. And now you mock it?"

"Well I suppose that depends on what type of proclamation it is. It it's a proclamation of your love of karaoke. Then yes I am mocking it openly."

"What if it's a different type of proclamation?"

"Such as?"

"Love? Tenderness? Honesty? Dedication?" He said it as if he was talking about what he was choosing what to eat for lunch.

"That would be different." She was almost 100% sure she was no longer breathing. What sort of silly school girl had she been made into?

"Huh"

They looked at each other for a few seconds.

"Well, if I am correct, I have a plane to catch?"

She nodded.

He sighed and stood up. She followed his queue, almost following over with the amount of dizziness that had washed upon her. He caught her easily.

"Would you look at that? You didn't lie Pep, doing what you want me to do does make you weak at the knees." His voice was back to their usual banter. Pepper automatically felt more comfortable. But the conversation/epic song they had just shared weighed heavily in her mind.

"I never lie Mr. Stark. Except on behalf of you. That doesn't count."

On the way to the airport Pepper mused how much longer they were going to be able to keep this false façade up. They bantered with each other to mask real feeling, emotions. Lately the emotions had started crawling out of the depths, and no matter what she did she couldn't make them go back to where they were before. Even if she wanted to, it was new territory.

There were reasons she stayed up worrying at the mansion whenever Tony was on a mission. There were reasons she never stayed mad, there were reasons she couldn't meet his eyes for very long. But she wasn't quite ready to name those reasons yet, and neither was he.

But between them there was an unacknowledged mutual understanding. Neither of them was going anywhere, and something was happening she didn't understand.

I wish the real world would just stop hassling me


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