Tony and Pepper sat on the green summer grass in the backyard of the Rhodes home, talking about random things when it got quiet.
In the silence, Tony listened to the gentle breeze rattling the trees and picked a daisy from the grass beside him and tucked it away in Pepper's hair, over her ear. Pepper smiled at the gesture and grabbed Tony's hand. Tony looked at her with a curious gaze as Pepper placed his hand on her chest, over her heart.
"Do you feel my heart beating?" She asked. Tony was still for a moment; then he nodded.
"It's beating for you." She finished. Tony smiled, wrapped his arm around her, and laid back in the grass and began to gaze at the clouds; Pepper went down with him and rested her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his calm heartbeat and snuggled into him. The motion brought a warm smile to Tony's lips.
"I love you," Pepper whispered as she closed her eyes and slipped into a peaceful dream; at the same time, Tony kissed the top of her head softly.
~...~
"Oh, Tony, why can't we be more like that?" Pepper sighed as she admired the back of Tony's head during class.
"Maybe if you told him how you felt, you would be," Rhodey whispered with a smirk. Pepper hit his arm gently.
"You know I can't do that!" Pepper said.
"And why not?" Rhodey prodded. Pepper sighed.
"I-I just can't, okay?" Pepper said, trying not to sound depressed about it, but slightly failed; unfortunately for her, Rhodey picked up on it.
"Well, just to point it out, you can't be 'more like that' if you and him aren't even dating." Rhodey teased. Pepper elbowed him as the bell rang, signaling the end of the period.