Chapter 1: BFF

Ever since kindergarten, Tony Stark and Virginia Potts had been the best of friends. The strangely-articulate-for-his-age brown haired boy, and the quiet but clever redhead stood no chance with becoming anything but on on that fateful day where they met in Mrs.B's class. The two of them not only came to enjoy playing together during recess, but also found themselves being labelled as the "gifted" children, as they excelled in their reading and math much further than the other kids their age. Being the "gifted" children included spending incredible amounts of time together, and might have just been the building blocks to their very, long lasting friendship. They were often secluded from the other children as they worked on their advanced papers, and quickly found that working together was nothing but fun. With the time they spent in school together, they were beginning to spend outside of school too. Maria Stark soon became close friends with Virginia's mother, Samantha Potts, and soon enough the two little geniuses were having play dates together, slaying dragons in Tony's ridiculously large backyard while their mothers discussed the trivial subjects of the world inside over a coffee.

As time grew on, slaying dragons in Tony's backyard, turned into slaying dragons on Tony's computer. The two kids, now just under ten years old, soon found quite the interest in video games (despite their mothers protests). Tony would build the computers and Pepper would do all the playing. Still only being two kids in elementary school, it was increasingly obvious that Tony was excelling far past regular expectations of any gifted kid his age. His classmates quickly took notice, although didn't seem to bother anyone but his teachers who insisted he skipped a few grades to challenge himself. Even though Tony's parents considered it, and his father almost insisted it, his mother said no. She thought it was important for a child to grow up alongside peers of his own age, and perhaps Tony coming to her one night and almost beginning to cry over the fact he wouldn't be able to see Virginia everyday if he skipped a grade, worked in his favour.

As grade seven came along, so did the drama. Girls began to notice Tony, and the boys Virginia. The word got out that Pepper was into video games, and gave her even more attention than her bright red hair already did. Tony wasn't sure how he felt about that. Pepper and him always played games together, ever since they were younger. He didn't find it that spectacular until he realized she was the only girl in the class who would even consider picking up an xbox controller. At the age they were at, it was inevitable that things were going to change. Tony began to become a little possessive of Pepper, almost to the fact of his peers accusing him of being her boyfriend, which he would scrunch up his face and dismiss. "We're just friends." He would deny, and look to Pepper for agreement, which she would give with a simple nod.

Apparently it seemed as though other boys wanted to be "just friends" with Pepper too, and soon enough their twosome had expanded. A boy named Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, and a new kid named Bruce Banner had all come to know Pepper as the coolest girl in school, and wanted to hang with her almost as frequently as Tony did. Pepper wasn't the only one getting attention though. All the girls in their class had recognized Tony as the hottest boy in school, which Pepper would never agree to, no matter how hard they tried to convince her.

Over the next few years, Tony and Pepper continued their friendship. Through high school, they stayed close… but weren't seeing each other as often as they used to. Tony had his first girlfriend in his junior year, and was more than surprised when Cindy, the captain of the cheer team had a problem when she saw him hanging out with Pepper (her new found nickname) after school. "What? We're just friends." he'd say, lifting up his sunglasses and staring at Cindy in distaste, wondering how she could ever assume Pepper was anything more than just his pal.

Things stayed like that for quite a while between the two in high school. Even Pepper's boyfriend of a few weeks became skeptical of their relationship once he spotted her hugging Tony one day after school. He even broke up with her over it, not believing that two friends would hug for that long.

The truth was that Tony had told Pepper about something his dad had done again last night, and Pepper gave him a comforting hug. He didn't talk about his dad much, but when he did Pepper was sure to try her best and cheer him up. Of course, her boyfriend would never believe that. To them it was just a hug, but to their friends it was a hug between Pepper and Tony, the couple that everyone was beginning to notice. The couple that became famous for not being a couple.

Pepper had honestly never thought of Tony than more than just her friend. Tony was the guy that would make fun of her freckles in the summer and steal the fries off her plate at restaurants. He was the guy who could make her laugh in the worst of times, and he was the one that she could trust with anything. He was Tony Stark, and he was her best friend.

Although, it only took one summer vacation without each other for everything to change.

Tony and his family had gone to Venice, and Pepper had to stay the summer back in Malibu without him. This would be their first summer apart, and Pepper was a little more than upset by it. Sure she had many other friends, and still enjoyed herself, but she missed the summer nights where they'd stay up too late bickering over movies they hadn't even seen, and sneaking out to just to meet up with each other at the park across from their old elementary school.

To put it bluntly, she couldn't wait for her summer without him to end.

And end it did.

The first day of grade 12 came much slower than expected, and Pepper was more excited to see Tony than to start her senior year. With a quick text conversation with him the night prior, she learned he was flying in late but would be there for their last first day of high school.

Pepper was organizing her new locker when she heard the familiar thud of someones shoulder hitting the locker beside hers. With an excited smile, she turned away from her books and got her first look at him in the past few months.

And that's when something hit her.

When she looked up to him this morning, something was strange. He looked different.

…He looked great.

It may have only taken her five years, but staring at him now, with his hair perfectly spiked in his unperfected fashion, that charming little grin of his, and his damn sunglasses hanging off the collar of his shirt making much more of his chest visible than was intended, Pepper could finally agree with her grade seven classmates.

It suddenly became very apparent to her, that Tony Stark very well could be the hottest guy in school.

She had to take a moment and asses the situation. Did he always look like that, and she only noticed it now? Or did something in Venice happen that somehow… caused this look. Maybe it was the tan, except he was always pretty tan… Was he doing something different with his hair? No, not that she could see. She felt like hitting herself in the head. Had Tony always looked like this? And she'd only noticed now?

"Pepper?"

His voice broke her out of her thoughts. "Ah, oh hey Tony!" she smiled, quickly closing her locker. "How was Venice?" she asked, smoothly keeping her cool and her revelation on the down low.

"Hot." He replied simply, raising his brows.

She swallowed and had to agree. "Mm I bet. Sporting quite the tan, aren't you?" she said with a little friendly chuckle. "Are you trying to make me look paler than I already am?"

"I don't need to tan to make you look pale, Pep." he teased right back, giving her a smile to ease the jab as he opened his arms for her. "Come here, I haven't seen you all summer."

Hugs from Tony were something rather rare. They didn't hug every time they left each other, like some friends had gotten into the habit of doing. When he hugged her, it was usually for a reason. To cheer her up, or celebrate. In this case, it was because he hadn't seen her in over two months, yet why did it feel so different?

She walked into his embrace with ease, and smiled as his arms came around her. He gave her a squeeze and she absently wondered if perhaps he started working out… or maybe, he was always just that strong.

"So, have fun holding down the fort while I was away?" he asked, sliding his arms out from around her and coming to her side as they began walking down the hall together.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Definitely. I'm sure kicking Steve and Clint's ass in Halo every night was way better than partying in Italy." she said sarcastically.

"How'd you know I'd gone partying?" he asked with a little grin.

"How'd you know I didn't have any fun without you?"

"Touché."

They walked like that together, teasing each other about their summer apart and just catching up with everything. He told her about the food in Italy, and how he wasn't sure if he could ever have american pizza again and Pepper informed him about all the drama that had happened between their group of friends while he was gone. They talked like that until Pepper reached her homeroom class at the far end of the hallway, which just happened to be in the complete opposite of Tony's homeroom, yet that didn't stop him from walking her there every morning.

"…Alright, later Potts. I missed you this summer." Tony smiled, throwing her a wink before he flooded back into the hallway of busy kids.

Pepper laughed good naturedly and waved him off, heart fluttering happily at the thought of him missing her "Bye Tony." she smiled, and took her seat inside her class, finally having time to mull over her new thoughts towards her best friend, Tony Stark.

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