Requested by pepperony addict on Twitter - enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or Iron Man, or any of their characters. This story is for pure fan enjoyment only.
"A martini, please," Pepper Potts ordered from the bar over the welcoming music of the party. "Dry. Three olives."
The bar tender took the order and quickly scrambled to create the drink for the lady in the blue chiffon evening gown. She was the highlight of the room, and easily got first dibs on ordering no matter what the line at the line looked like. She didn't like it, but that's what she got for someone who almost died by setting herself on fire...and who was Tony Stark's girlfriend.
News spread quickly of the incident on the oil rig. The paper's were crawling with paparazzi photos of she and Tony returning to New York after their house was destroyed in Malibu. They even had articles speculating on Tony's new life without the arc reactor, and how he had manged to cure her of Extremis. Tony had, of course, twisted the story, with Rhodey's help; no one was ever going to find out the real truth, or the threat of Extremis or something similar would reappear...she was sure of it. They did give the media the info on the Mandarin, which finally allowed the country to sleep at night for the first time in a while after Trevor made his television debut on the news. As Tony had described, it was...embarrassing, to say the least.
"Miss Potts, your drink," the bar tender spoke, pulling Pepper from her daze as he slid it across the smooth surface to her.
"Thank you."
Pepper took it with a smile and rose the glass to her lips for a sip as she turned back towards the charity event she and Tony had thrown together as a last minute Valentine's Day party. Leave it to Tony to make a big deal out of a Hallmark holiday...neither one of them were too fancy on Valentine's Day; sure, she thought the day had potential to be romantic, but she never had time for a relationship after taking the job working for Tony, and Tony, himself, was Tony Stark. Regardless, he had pestered her about it, feeling bad about everything that had happened before Christmas; he wanted to give back, now that Iron Man wouldn't be protecting them from harm. So, Pepper arranged a charity dinner back in Los Angeles, sending all profits to the law enforcement and crew that had cleaned up their home after the missile launch. Stark Industries Date Night, they decided to call it. It wasn't much, but it was a step in the right direction, and she appreciated the thought.
Pepper scanned the room for Tony, seeing him being crowded by a group of three women wearing revealing, red dresses to celebrate the day. She sighed in amusement and watched as he shrugged them off; she would never get tired of seeing Tony Stark try to escape the crowding girls...not after the many, many years she watched him work for their attention.
She gulped down the rest of the martini in her hand and set the glass down as Tony ran a hand through his hair and tore off his sunglasses. Then, his white suit and light pink dress shirt disappeared toward the stairwell, alerting her.
Tony hadn't been sleeping, especially after New York. Now, the added bonus of nightmares of her dropping to her early death on the oil rig and the panic attacks he got when he couldn't feel the arc in his chest weren't helping. In all honesty, something seemed off with him, but she knew he had gone through a lot.
Pepper quickly made his way to the stairwell to take after Stark.
"Tony?" she called when the door shut behind her.
Her voice echoed off the walls but earned no reply. Instead, Pepper lifted her dress so her heels wouldn't step on it as she climbed the stairs and made her way up until she realized she never ran into him; he must have gone to the roof for some air.
When she made it to the top of the stairs, she kicked off her heels and shoved them between the door and the frame, making sure it didn't close and lock behind her. Then, she tiptoed out onto the roof, immediately met with a view that made her shoulders drop. There stood Tony, his hands in his pockets as he looked out over the city and breathed in the chilly February air. He faced away from her, but she could tell he heard her followed him up.
Carefully, Pepper padded over to where he stood at the edge, placing her hand on his arm as she stopped next to him.
"Breathtaking, isn't it?" she asked quietly, enjoying the city lights and the quietness of the rooftop.
He grunted something in response, then shuffled his feet and looked down.
"The party's gonna miss you," she added softly. "How about we head back down?"
He glanced up at her, shooting her his infamous puppy dog eyes she couldn't refuse. "Have I told you you look stunning tonight?"
"Only a few times," she chuckled.
Tony sniffled in the cold air but finally turned toward her.
"You look very festive, might I add," Pepper continued, fixing his shirt's collar with both hands.
He smirked and decided to take her hands in his, earning another smile from her.
"Just trying to play the part," he tossed back, his eyes smoldering into hers. "I never really did Valentine's Day...I wanted to make sure I did it right."
"Well," she teased, "you're doing a very good job, Mr Stark."
"How?" he asked, puzzled. "I had girls all over me and ditched you to come to the roof."
She grimaced at how blunt he was, but knew he was being dramatic. "You pushed them off, and needing air is understandable."
"Why, because I'm damaged?" he responded without missing a beat.
Pepper frowned, looking down at their entwined hands swinging below them. She hated when he referred to himself as damaged or broken or whatever other word he wanted to toss in there. He had been so hard on himself, and it killed her.
"Stop that," she scolded.
"I'm nothing without the arc...without the suits... You know that, Pep."
"You couldn't be further from the truth," she insisted, tilting her head as she inspected his sad eyes. "You are Tony Stark. You are Iron Man. Arc reactor or not, nothing will change that."
"Was Iron Man," he corrected. "But even he couldn't save you..."
Tony looked out over the city again, avoiding her eyes until he felt her drop his hands and run hers up to his chest, circling around where the arc used to be.
"Tony," she said sincerely, "I don't care if there's a hole here or not, you and I are both alive and that's all that matters."
He faked a slight smile and focused on her hands on him. "How will you prove I have a heart now?" he teased, trying to lighten the mood.
"Is that what this is about?"
"Sort of," he admitted. "I mean...now I just go back to being Tony Stark, the genius playboy who can't keep his hands to himself, right?"
She almost snorted in laughter at his remark, but refrained and shook her head in amusement instead. "Tony, the arc didn't change you, you changed you. Shrapnel or not, you've always had a heart in there somewhere." She paused to think for a moment, then added, "and no one ever said you had to stop being Iron Man completely, though I do appreciate the thought...just, don't forget there are other people here to help you besides Jarvis and the Avengers."
She poked him slightly, earning a genuine grin from the man. He toyed with his hair again, a nervous gesture. Then, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long, black velvet box and held it up to her.
"Speaking of the shrapnel..." he responded cautiously.
"Tony, what is that?" she gasped, eyeing the mystery in his hands.
He let out a small chuckle of his own and opened the box, revealing a silver necklace with small, triangle shaped pieces added as charms, all pointing to a blue heart at the center.
"I had them save the pieces..." he managed, now realizing how silly of an idea it was.
"Are these...what was left..."
"In my body?" he finished her question for her. "Yes."
Her eyes sparkled as she focused on the way the necklace glittered in the city lights. "Tony, it's..."
"Stupid, I know."
"No! No, not at all. It's perfect." Pepper traced the piece with her fingertips, admiring it. "Did you have this planned all night?"
"I thought...it's the closest I can do to give you what's left of my heart..."
Pepper grinned at how shy he was being; he obviously hadn't done anything like this before, and she loved the hell out of him for it. She looked back up at him, the happiness clear in her gaze.
"Here, uh..." he muttered, picking up the piece and closing the box. "Turn around."
Pepper did so, lifting her hair around her shoulder to give him access to the back of her neck, and blushed as she felt the cool metal touch her skin. She smiled again as she heard him clasp the hook, and then let her hair lie before spinning back around to face her deviously handsome boyfriend. Her hand cupped his cheek as he rested his forehead on hers, looking directly at her to savor the moment. Everything he wanted to say was burning into her from his chocolate eyes - every little bit of regret, sorrow, happiness, and comfort they had ever gone through was displayed all at once.
Then, Pepper let her hand drop down back to his chest, lying it over where the arc once was. Her movement triggered him, making him look down to follow it, and he swallowed hard before saying anything else.
"I'm gonna marry you one day, Pepper Potts," he whispered, placing his own hand over hers and clutching it tightly.
She froze, then pulled her head back but didn't remove her hand from his. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Relax," he grinned softly. "I just mean...this, us...Pepper, it's you, and it always will be."
She let a smile creep back to her lips and let herself calm down, leaning in to place a loving kiss on his lips. She giggled into him, realizing what he said was exactly how she felt. She completed him and he completed her.
"I love you, Anthony Stark," she murmured.
He pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek, glad to hear those words despite the craziness of the night. "Happy Valentine's Day, honey."
She always had a way of making everything better.