I do not own any of the characters used in this fic, only the ideas.

Hello! This fic is Movie – based (I have no clue about the comics so sorry if I get something horribly wrong)… Its set after Iron Man 2 (before the whole avengers part) so there's some spoilers afoot… enjoy :)

Chapter 1 – Quiet Before the Storm

Tony Stark landed (carefully) on the roof of his large home; his suit was missing the helmet and one of the hydraulics in his left boot was failing, spluttering as it struggled to allow him to move. He was exhausted and glad to be home. He'd offered Pepper a ride, or rather a flight, but she'd opted for a ride in Happy's new car. As Tony limped into his home he began to think about what had just happened. Not just the whole mega-battle with the crazy Russian dude and his army but the kiss he had shared with Pepper. He'd known how much he cared for her for a long time now and he'd had an idea that she felt the same way, but now everything was out in the open. They'd kissed. And it had been wonderful. But where did they go from here? He shook his head and tried to concentrate on manoeuvring his way through the wreckage that had once been his lounge; he tapped a clear panel on the wall and a few lights flickered on as JARVIS got to work:

"Good evening Sir".

"Hey JARVIS, prep the basement for suit removal will you? I wanna get out of this thing before it short circuits".

"Certainly Sir. The Suit Removal Platform is fully operational and prepared to perform the required task".

"Great".

Tony shuffled awkwardly down the stairs towards his garage/workspace, trying to keep upright as his left boot jerked and twitched sporadically. He punched in the pass code and pushed open the glass door before walking over to the platform to remove his suit, or what was left of it. Several robotic arms appeared and began to dismantle various parts of his metallic extended anatomy. One began to pull at his hair before realising that the helmet was not actually on his head. JARVIS spoke up,

"There appears to be several components missing from the suit, Sir".

Tony rolled his eyes and winced as one of the robotic arms attempted to yank off the broken boot, "Yeah, I er, lost a couple of pieces".

"Should I begin creating a copy of the missing parts?"

"Sure, go ahead", he staggered on one leg as he battled with the robotic arm as it tried to separate him from the broken boot. Finally it pulled free and Tony stumbled backwards into his desk. He steadied himself against the metal surface with his hand but pulled away quickly as an electric shock shot through his fingers,

"Ow!" he sucked the end of his finger which stung slightly, "Must have been the short circuit in the suit".

JARVIS flicked into life once more, "There appears to be an increased level of an unknown element in the house, Sir. I am detecting a strong electromagnetic field in the immediate area".

"It's probably just the damaged suit setting off some alarm bells in your system, I'll check it in the morning, night JARVIS", with that Tony made his way upstairs towards a hopefully undamaged bed. He took off his shirt and flopped down on the dusty sheets and brushed away a few loose pieces of ceiling debris; his arms and legs ached and his ribs felt bruised. He lay back and ran his fingers over the new element in his chest piece; it felt cold ad tingly, like the static on a television screen.

He chuckled to himself, "Toy Stark, you cold hearted basta-"

"-Mr Stark", Pepper Potts stood in what remained of the doorway to Tony's bedroom; she'd changed into a pale grey trouser suit and was holding a dark green folder.

Tony sat up and raised an eyebrow in Pepper's direction, "Miss Potts?"

A smirk pulled at the corners of Pepper's mouth but she remained professional, "The minister of defence wants you to sign over the other suit to the military, permanently".

Tony sighed dramatically and patted the bed beside him, "Sit".

Pepper shifted on her feet but stood firm, "I really think-"

"Pep, please sit".

Pepper sighed and sat down awkwardly on the bed beside the half naked Mr Stark, her cheeks flushed crimson as she brushed shoulders with him. Tony smirked,

"So…"

"So", replied Pepper.

"Is this awkward? I mean, I don't want it to be. But if you're uncomfortable…"

Pepper smiled, "No, its fine", she pressed her lips into a thin line, "I'm glad we, um, I'm glad we're-"

"Me too", Tony smiled and placed a gentle hand under Pepper's chin before he gently pressed his lips to hers. She closed her eyes and they embraced passionately. When Tony finally let her breathe, Pepper got up and flattened her hair down,

"I'll see you tomorrow".

Tony pouted, "You're not staying?" He patted his chest, "I can go all night".

Pepper smiled and waved as she headed out the door, "I'm tired, and you need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow".

Tony sighed and leaned back on the bed; he smiled up at the ceiling, completely content. That was until his chest began to burn…

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More chapter soon :)