Pepper Potts tied her long red hair into a high pony tail and sighed. It was a dreary Monday morning and it was damp, which was murder on her bangs as she attempted to straighten them into submission. One of the perks of being Tony Stark's personal assistant was that she was paid a pretty decent salary, and that meant her straightener was of a higher quality and could be turned up to 450 degrees. Pepper turned it up in frustration and did her makeup while she waited for it to heat. Today was none other than her boss Tony Stark's birthday and he had invited her out for the evening, though where was to be a complete surprise. She blushed as she thought about the possibilities, she'd been in love with him long before he had ever given her the time of day, but ever since the night they had spent dancing during the height of his conflict with Obadiah, Tony had been pursuing her heavily. She had yet to give in, because she liked to give him a hard time about leaving her up on the roof, but tonight might be the night, she thought. The night she would let Tony in and maybe even become his girlfriend if he still wanted her.
Pepper looked long and hard at herself in the mirror after finishing her makeup. She was wearing a white dress with subtle black polka dots with a white lace cardigan and a pair of black heels. She would look lovely if she could only wrangle those bangs. She figured the straightener should be hot enough now and ran it through her hair, sighing in relief as the curl disappeared and her hair laid gently against her forehead. She was finishing with the last strand when Tony popped up behind her, frightening her slightly and causing the flat iron to clip her index finger.
"Ouch!" She dropped the utensil onto the counter and Tony quickly grabbed hold of her hand, bringing her burnt finger to his lips and pressing in a gentle kiss.
"I'm sorry, Pep. I didn't mean to scare you." She smiled gently at him, a little surprised by the sweet gesture as she pulled her finger back. Her blue-grey eyes looked him up and down, his brown button down tight against his muscles and opened just enough to show off his bright and shinning arc reactor. His black slacks clung to his toned thighs and his obsidian locks were tousled to perfection. Her breath caught in her throat as he softly reached around to run his long fingers through her ponytail, a lopsided smirk curling at the corner of his lips.
"You didn't get all dressed up just for my birthday, did you Miss Potts?" She couldn't help returning his smile, closing the distance between them as she buttoned his shirt up for him.
"Forget your tie, Mr. Stark?" Tony practically purred, is hands snaking around her waist.
"You didn't answer my question."
"And you haven't answered mine." Tony's chocolate eyes would have been grinning if they were able, burning with an intensity that matched his attentive and even affectionate expression. He wanted to kiss her, though he figured he would save that for their special day together, threading his fingers between her own.
"How about we take this to my bedroom and you can help me with that tie, hmm?" Pepper didn't reply, but walked out of the bathroom with him and grabbed her purse off of her bed before they made their way to the master bedroom, which of course belonged to Stark. She grabbed his black tie and wrapped it around his collar, trying to focus on tying it, though she could feel his chocolaty eyes staring intensely at her. When she was finished she opened her mouth to ask if they could go now when she suddenly felt his lips press gently against her forehead.
"Thank you, Pepper." She turned redder than her hair in a matter of seconds, unsure of how she should respond. This was like the charity ball all over again, something about Tony just made her lose every ounce of air in her lungs when he looked at her like that and…did things like this; unexpectedly romantic things that she knew held so much more meaning to her than they did to him. She simply nodded and smiled.
"You're welcome, Tony." Today Tony turned 39, and it was an age that most definitely suited him. Pepper couldn't stop her eyes from staring at him, and he was doing an awful lot of staring himself. The tension could have been cut with a knife, but it was the best kind. The kind of tension that made you feel like you were drowning in the sheer presence of the person that you loved. Pepper had been in love with Tony for longer than she cared to admit and Tony…well, he was falling harder and faster every day. Not one second had gone by since they defeated Obadiah that Tony didn't wonder why Pepper wasn't his girl. That was his current mission.
"Come on, we're taking the dark green car that's parked in the lab. I know how much you like that one." Pepper smiled and took him by the hand, allowing him to lead her down the stairs and to the sports car convertible that she liked to admire. Pepper had Tony's birthday present securely in her purse, nervous about whether or not he would like it. It was hard to shop for a man that had everything, which was on her mind as they drove down the highway in silence. Tony was blaring some eighties shock rock that she vaguely recognized and not paying her a bit of attention as he sang to it loudly, which she was grateful for. She didn't want to be pulled from her train of thought, analyzing the gift in her bag with scrutiny. She had gotten him a 2nd gen iPod Touch, which had just come out in September, though she was frightful that he already had one…or two…or twelve, he was Tony Stark. She was still thinking about this when they reached their destination and the car rolled to a stop.
"Ready?" Tony got out and opened her door for her, threading their fingers together and watching her reaction closely as she realized where they were. It was the building where Tony, or rather his company had held the third annual benefit for the firefighters family fund charity gala, though it was empty as a ghost town now. She raised an eyebrow at him and he smirked, though he remained silent as he excitedly took her inside. A broad smile brightened Pepper's face as she realized he was taking her up onto the roof…that roof.
"Tada!" Tony looked mighty proud of himself, eating up the happiness that was plastered on his assistants face. Tony might not have been a sentimental man, but he knew what it meant to Pepper and making her smile seemed to be all he was living for these days.
"So, let me get this straight. Tony Stark wants to spend his birthday with me on an empty roof when he could be living it up with strippers and alcohol right now?" He chuckled loudly and stepped closer to her, cupping her chin and flashing a sexy grin.
"I don't want strippers, that's not me anymore. Alcohol on the other hand…" He walked to a cooler and pulled out a bottle of champagne, sitting it on a silky towel that had been preplaced on the roofs floor and sitting down; he patted the spot beside him, eyes beckoning at her. Pepper sat delicately at Tony's side, her skin becoming riddled with goose-bumps as their bodies touched gently. He handed her a glass and took a sip of his own quietly. She thought this was the most opportune moment, rummaging around in her bag until she found the small, neatly wrapped package and handed it to him nervously. Tony's eyes softened and he almost didn't know what to say as he held the package in his hands.
"You didn't have to get me anything, Pepper you know that." She braved a reach to run her fingers through Tony's hair and sighed.
"I did it because I wanted to." He smirked in typical Stark fashion and cracked a silly comment.
"Well if you insist." He peeled the wrapping paper back in curiosity, intrigued to be seeing what Pepper could possibly have thought to get him. A loving smile graced his lips, a true smile. He couldn't put his finger on it but something about receiving an iPod from the woman he loved was cute. He actually didn't have one, as a matter of fact, even though this iPod had come out about seven or so months ago. Tony preferred to blast his radio, he had never had the need for a music player. He slid the screen to open it up and see if she had put anything on it…she had. Everything from Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" to Ed Sheeran's "Kiss Me" was loaded onto the device. He raised an eyebrow and she blushed hard, looking down at her hands in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry about the content…I didn't have much you would like, but I didn't want to give it to you empty. You can delete all of that, I just―"
"Pepper." He cut off her rambling and leaned in close, brushing her hair behind her ears tenderly and stopping just inches away from her face.
"I love it. Thank you. Actually, it's the perfect gift to play into what I wanted to do today." Pepper was more than curious, but there was something she wanted him to see first.
"Okay, but first I want you to check something for me. Go under settings and look for the name of your iPod. Just do it." Tony's eyebrows knitted together in slight confusion but he obeyed, looking around for a little while in the general settings until he came across a small section titled "Your iPod:" followed by what Pepper had entered in for the devices name. iLoveYou. That was the name. Tony had thought he wanted to kiss her before but now…now he had to kiss her. Their lips met softly, he did not kiss her with the passion or ferocity that perhaps he wanted to, out of respect for her and for the moment. Rough wasn't right, not right now. Just you wait, Pepper Potts. Our time will come. He thought to himself, wishing he could have her right then and there. He pulled away abruptly, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet.
"Pick a song on the iPod. Any song you like." Pepper thought carefully for a moment, scrolling through Tony's device for a few seconds before her fingers lingered over "All I Need" by Within Temptation. It was slow but not too slow, and just romantic enough for the atmosphere of the moment. The moment the song started and the device was out of her hand, Tony pulled Pepper tightly against his chest and laced their fingers together, swaying slowly to the song. It was then that it all clicked for Pepper…why they were there, why they were dancing; he was trying to make up for that night. Pepper happily lay her head against Tony's chest, feeling his arms tighten around her protectively as they continued to dance.
I'm dying to catch my breath. Oh why don't I ever learn? I've lost all my trust now I'll surely try to turn it around. Can you still see the heart of me? All my agony fades away, when you hold me in your embrace.
"You sing beautifully." Tony whispered into Pepper's neck, who laughed very gently and nuzzled into his firm chest.
"I was humming, Tony." He snorted.
"You hum beautifully, then." Pepper rolled her eyes, but she thought his banter was cute and didn't reply. His scent was one of whiskey and rosewood, the infatuating smell toying with her senses as they danced intimately with one another. It wasn't fair, she felt like her whole heart might explode, she was falling deeper in love than she already was, which she hadn't known was possible.
"Is it weird?" Pepper almost didn't want to answer, everything was so perfect she almost felt like she was in a trance.
"Is what weird?" Pepper felt Tony smile into her hair, kissing the top of her head very gently before replying.
"That I've fallen for you." She looked up suddenly, taking Tony's face within her hands and pulling him down to meet her lips roughly. Their tongues collided passionately, fighting for dominance as they explored the new territory. Tony won, of course, kissing Pepper long and hard until the couple was forced to come up for air.
I tried many times but nothing was real, make it fade away. Don't break me down! I want to believe that this is for real, save me from my fear. Don't tear me down! Don't tear me down for all I need…make my heart a better place.
"Does that answer your question?" She asked breathlessly, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She couldn't believe this was happening…had Tony just basically told her he was in love with her? That hair, those eyes…that smell…she couldn't take it. Tony noticed that she was looking a little overwhelmed, and thankfully the song was coming to an end, so he dipped her back for one final go and kissed her neck chastely, lovingly. Once the song was officially over he gave her some space, backing up a little bit and allowing her some air.
"I told you once before that Iron Man would have this girlfriend who was wildly conflicted…crazy about me, worried all the time. You shot me down, and I realized that our one big moment hadn't really been so great on your end. So Pepper, if you will, there was only one thing I wanted for my birthday this year. That was you. That's kind of what I was hoping to accomplish here…" He trailed off, as if he were struggling to find the right words and Pepper smirked broadly.
"Well well, for once in your life Tony, you're speechless." She teased, earning a sigh from her boss as he attempted to say the right thing, though they both knew that wasn't going to happen.
"Could you not? I'm trying to be romantic here, you're ruining the moment." He quipped playfully, a sweet giggle ringing out from Pepper that did funny things to his heart. He didn't need to say anything else, watching with simmering and impassioned eyes as she reached for his hands.
"Tony you've had me, all this time. You just didn't know it. So if being my boyfriend is what you want, just say so." Tony cleared his throat but no words came out, opting to just nod. He had been with more woman than he could count on his fingers but he hadn't given a damn about any of them. It was hard to be so smooth when you look at a girl with all the love in the world, it just wasn't the same.
"Okay." She whispered, leaning her head against his softly and shivering as the wind blew hard against the rooftop. He rubbed her arms and took his jacket off, wrapping it around her shoulders and guiding her back toward where they had come.
"You're cold, let's go back inside." She looked up at him from underneath her eyelashes, determined to say one last thing before they went home for the day.
"Mr. Stark?" Tony's lips curled into a grin, loving the way his name sounded on her lips.
"Yes, Miss Potts?" She reached up to kiss his cheek as they walked to the sliding glass door to make their exit back into the building.
"Happy birthday."