"You're so pathetic." A woman once told me. What was her name? That's right… Kathy. Why do I actually remember her name unlike all the other women I've banged in the past? Well… "You collect girls like you collect hot cars and all you do is have sex with them. Do you know what it's even like to love somebody?" No. "Have you even tried connecting with someone of the opposite sex, or do you just stare at their legs until they're wrapped around your waist?" Yes, to both. "You're a miserable human being, Tony Stark." She was the first person to berate me for who I was, and she didn't hold back.

She was about to have sex with me, and boy was she perfect—the legs, I mean. She looked gorgeous, too. I was about to literally have her in the palms of my hands, until the very last moment when she saw another woman's underwear.

She asked me whose they were.

And I asked her if she wanted to have sex with 'the Tony Stark' or not… and that's when she went off on me, granted I deserved it. I always deserved it.

"You're a fucking sick person." She told me. Of course I was. All I wanted was booze, sex, and drugs. "You're going to die alone in this miserable place, and you're going to look back, and see nothing. No one will ever love you, and your fame and fortune will be nothing but a bad joke."

And yet I was staring up at Pepper; she was sitting on my lap, talking to Jane Foster about something relating to women. Various words made my ears perk up, like 'bra', 'dress', and 'coffee'.

I was playing with the hem of Pepper's jean shorts when I felt her hand play with the hairs on the back of my head. She always did that, and for some reason, low purring would slip out of my mouth. I hated it and I loved it; hated it, because it always got me to calm down and show my soft side, and loved it, because Pepper was the one that was doing it.

"I'm sure there's more in the cabinet." Pepper was about to hop off my lap, but I kept my hold on her, silently asking her—or demanding… both work—to not leave. She glanced at me with a small smirk, and I returned a loving grin. There was no way she was going to leave my lap without my permission. She moved her hand back onto the back of my head and proceeded to point out to Jane where the coffee should be.

I loved her—love her. I still love her. I remembered Kathy's words with Pepper in mind; Pepper was one of the few people that stuck by my side and cared about me, and I thought she was too good to be true. How can someone like her put up with someone like me for ten years, and still consider being in a relationship with me? I don't get it. Maybe she's doing it because she knows how lost I'd be without her—which is mildly true, I'll admit. She always gets me with that social security bit. God, she was perfect—no, stop, I do not want a boner right now! No, I didn't ask for you to speak up!

"Do we have any more filters?" Jane asked, looking around the kitchen.

Pepper turned her attention to Jane and moved her hand away from my head. "Hey…" I frowned and pouted; I did not give her permission to stop.

"There should be some next to the coffee machine." Pepper replied. I nudged her with my head until she put her hand back.

"Oh, found it!" Jane announced, working on the coffee machine. Thor walked in moments later with nothing but sweats on. I swear, the guy had no sense of decency. He didn't have to show off his body like a trophy, especially around Pepper.

"Good morning." Thor greeted Jane with a warm smile. Jane looked at Thor up and down, admiring his muscular physique.

"Morning. Coffee?" Jane looked flustered.

"This rejuvenating liquid. I hope to learn its secrets one day."

I raised my eyebrow. "It's coffee, Thor. There's nothing secretive about it."

"Oh, don't be so mean." Pepper scolded me.

I looked up at her with an unamusing frown. "You better not be checking him out."

"I'm not, and besides," I felt her lips against my ears. "I think yours is so much hotter."

My ears perked up. "Baby," I cooed lovingly. "We already had sex this morning."

"Not what I needed to hear first thing in the morning." Steve came through the threshold. "Morning everyone."

"Morning, Steve." Pepper said with a cute chuckle. Natasha, Clint, and Bruce all came into the kitchen after.

Natasha stole Pepper from me; I had her first, but Nat kept talking to her about a girl's night out with Maria. And now I'm sitting on the couch with Thor and Bruce; my lap is bare and cold, and I secretly want to call Pepper, and ask her if she wants to go back to the room and cuddle.

Maria came in minutes later, grabbed a cup of coffee, and joined Natasha and Pepper. Jane joined in minutes later, and they all planned a girl's night out together. Meanwhile, Steve and Clint were having a discussion about recommended television shows and movies to watch, and Bruce was talking to Thor about Asgardian culture.

Kathy was wrong. I wasn't miserable, but maybe a little pathetic at times, and I wasn't going to die alone; I have a great girl and a wonderful family of superheroes. For the first time in a long time, I felt happy. Not the kind of happiness that you experience when you get a new toy and end up growing tired of it moments later, but the kind of happiness that grows on you and makes your stomach feel all warm for the rest of your life. Yeah, that kind of happiness.

"You okay?" Pepper walked up to me and asked softly.

I looked up at her and smiled widely. This was my life, and every bit of it was worth the wait. The slow mornings with Pepper, and the exhausting team bonding activities—all of it was worth it. "Yeah. I love you."

She bent over and kissed me. "I love you, too."

Thanks, Kathy.