Clothes Make The Man
"You know...I could really go for some pancakes."
Pepper couldn't stop the giggle that escaped. "Pancakes? We ate at the highest-rated restaurant in Los Angeles and you want pancakes?"
"That was a long time ago," Tony defended.
"It was dinner."
"Early dinner," he corrected. "It's been hours."
"What time do you think it is?"
Tony ventured a guess. "Two...something?"
"Try eleven-thirty."
"Geez. Really? Hmm...Well, I lost track of time during the ride home and quit caring about time completely once we got home." He placed soft kisses on Pepper's neck. "Not that I'm complaining."
"You? Complain? Never." She allowed him a few more kisses before mussing his hair and rolling away.
"Hey! Where ya going?" Tony called after her as Pepper slipped out of bed.
"You want pancakes don't you?"
"Yeah, but..."
"They won't make themselves." Pepper picked her way around the clothes that littered the floor, both his and hers, marking the path they had taken to the bed.
Tony watched curiously as Pepper pulled on a pair of shorts she took from one of her dresser drawers and a "Stark Industries R&D Department" t-shirt she took from one of his. "Hey, Pep? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Why didn't you just put on my dress shirt?" When she didn't answer, he continued. "It was laying right there. You had to step over it."
"I just didn't," she replied slowly.
Tony sat up in bed. "In all this time, you never have. Why?"
Pepper closed the drawer carefully, her back still to Tony. She stared at the clothes in her hands. "Do you know how many times over the years I saw some woman traipsing around the house in one of your dress shirts? It was like the unofficial uniform of your conquests."
"I never paid it any..."
"You weren't here," she said honestly. "You would be down in the workshop consumed by the hot rod and blaring music."
"The shirt you're wearing now is mine," he countered.
"That's different."
"How?"
"It just is."
"Are you afraid I would think of you like...like one of them?"
Pepper sighed and turned around. This wasn't a subject that she would have ever brought up herself. She saw the look on Tony's face. It pained her to know she put it there. "No. That's not it." She leaned against the dresser and thought hard for a minute, trying to think of the best explanation. "I didn't want to treat you like they did."
Tony went from dejected to curious. "How they treated me?"
"Maybe it's a woman thing, I don't know."
"Tell me," Tony urged.
Pepper pointed to the white Armani shirt lying discarded in the middle of the floor. "That shirt belonged to Anthony Stark, Billionaire, the guy who saw what he wanted and went after it and only surrounded himself with the best. It meant parties and champagne and continual good times." She looked to see if he was still listening or if she had lost him. She hadn't, so she continued. "This is Tony's shirt," she said. "It's worn and faded and stained with God-knows-what from all the hours of work. It's for the guy who took being kidnapped and turned it into becoming Iron Man." Pepper tugged at the tail of the shirt she wore. "This belongs to the man I fell in love with who those people will never know. "
A smile crept onto Tony's face. "Thanks."
"It's true." Pepper didn't want this conversation to ruin the mood of the night. A mischievous light shone in her eye. "Besides, that shirt probably wouldn't even cover my backside if I tried it on."
"Not that it's a bad thing," Tony said, "but how do you get that?"
"Well, seeing that I'm taller than you..."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Taller? In those incredibly sexy heels...maybe. If anything, it's more like same height."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she shot back.
"I know one thing that helps really well," Tony said in the bedroom voice he knew gave her chills. He saw it had the desired effect. Proud of himself, he put his hands behind his head and reclined against the headboard.
"Uh uh, not just yet." Pepper threw the boxer shorts she'd been holding and hit him in the face.
"Hey!"
"I had to get dressed," she informed him. "Pancakes first."
"Technically, no one said you had to get dressed."
Pepper laughed. "Put those on and come to the kitchen. You're helping."
"I don't get a shirt?"
"Nope. Get your own," she informed him. "By the way, I'm keeping this one."
Tony watched her leave. Tossing back the covers, he slid on the boxers Pepper gave him and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He looked at the clothes scattered around the room. He wouldn't look at dress shirts or t-shirts the same way again. Tony had heard for years that "clothes make the man." This may be true. However, for Tony Stark, Pepper Potts made him a better man.
Author's note: I have the world's greatest Best Friend! To help get my mind of the pain an 8-hour car trip caused my recent surgery incisions, she sent a text saying, "Okay. You know the story idea you told me yesterday? We are gonna plan it out from start to finish to where all you have to do when you get home is type it up." This story is the result of the 700 or so texts (seriously...no joke) we exchanged. I was amazed at how quickly it all came together. I hope that doesn't mean it will stink. So...here it is. What do you think? I'm a sucker for Pepperony "couple moments." Reviews appreciated. I hope you like it. PEPPERONY FOREVER!