So this is something I wrote for OpheliusRex's birthday last Sunday. It was meant to be a lot shorter than this, but it just flowed so easily. Enjoy!
It had been the birthday from hell.
Her family had turned up, and of course her Dad had to bring that bimbo with him, which of course meant than her Mom had started an argument, which of course meant that her brother had gotten involved.
So now here she was, sitting on the railing running around her porch, leaning against the tree by the side of it and smoking a cigarette for the first time in ten years while her family practically screamed her house down.
She was jarred from her thoughts when a car pulled up. A very familiar, Audi R8 Spyder, with an equally familiar driver. She watched him as he debated actually getting out of the car, and when he did she laughed to herself at the look on his face before her eyes were drawn to the rest of him. He was wearing a slim fitting black shirt with like for like jeans, his hair doing that 'just-rolled-out-of-bed' thing (which nine times out of ten was legitimately that) and, to her immense surprise, something suspiciously resembling a gift, if the purple wrapping paper and black bow were anything to go by.
Tony walked slowly up to her front door, completely oblivious to the woman herself watching him, and as he jogged up the stairs, he faltered, hearing the yells. He stopped in front of her door and bent his head so better to hear what was going on. After a moment he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled her number, jumping out of his skin when the sharp trill of Pepper's ringtone came from his left. Pepper grinned at him as he ended the call and walked over.
"What are you doing out here?" he asked.
Pepper took a drag on her cigarette, something that caused Tony's eyebrows to rise slightly, and she nodded to the door where the screaming had risen a few decibels. "I thought lung cancer sounded a lot more peaceful."
Tony snorted and sat next to her on the railing. "Any particular reason they're having World War Three in there?"
She took one last drag on her cigarette and flicked it into the street. "Dad brought his new girlfriend - the one he left Mom for." she shrugged and then looked at him. "Is that a birthday present or am I seeing things?"
Tony blinked and smirked at her. "I remembered all by myself. I even bought and wrapped it myself."
Pepper laughed softly, fingering the bow. "Thank you. I can't believe you actually remembered."
"Yeah, well..." Tony cleared his throat. "More than once every ten years and I'm spoiling you."
She laughed again and looked at him. "Yeah, I don't want to get too above my station do I?"
Tony's lips twitched and after a moment he sighed softly. "Seriously though, I'm...I'm going to try and start making it up to you. And I know I've got eleven years to make up with, and I know buying you like a billion expensive gifts won't cover it, but-"
He didn't get to finish his sentence because Pepper grabbed his chin, turned his head, and planted a kiss on his lips. Tony's eyebrows nearly shot straight off his head, but after a minute he responded, cupping her cheek and shifting a little closer. A few, long minutes later, Pepper pulled back and smiled at him.
"Evacuate me from World War Three and we're even."
And as sucky as her birthday had started, Pepper was pretty sure the rest of it, and more than likely her next few were going to be spectacular.
End.