Disclaimer: I don't own Ironman or characters.
AN: Hello all. So I haven't wrote any fan fiction in a very long time, but today somehow I find myself sitting at the computer staring at an empty word doc. I really have no idea where this is going, I'm actually making it up as I go, might not even post it. If I do, I guess it means it turned into something that can remotely be described as literature.
- o –
Pepper Potts entered Tony's house around 10 pm, after what can only be described as a day in hell. She wearily followed Tony, as he literally swaggered into the living room and dropped onto the couch, smiling broadly the whole time.
"That went well," he said with a grin.
Pepper calmly sat down on the chair across from him and glared. "You couldn't stick to the cards, could you Mr. Stark? Just like S.H.I.E.L.D asked? Why couldn't you say the story about you being on a yacht, and that Ironman is your body guard?"
"Oh come on. Can you really seeing me doing that? I just think that-"
"You thought? Did you really think at all, Mr. Stark?" Pepper cut him off, quite unlike her usual self. She sighed as Tony continued to look like a five year old boy on Christmas Eve. Today at the press conference Tony announced to the world that he was in fact Ironman, without so much as a heads up in Peppers direction. For the next eight hours they were stuck in that room, as more and more reporters arrived and continually bombarded not only Tony, but Pepper with questions. In her opinion it was emotionally and physically draining. Tony on the other hand, seemed to live off the attention; he was practically glowing with glee.
Tony smirked, "It's not so bad. It might actually be better this way."
"How on earth, is the world knowing that you are a metal flying superhero a good thing?"
"Well think about it. I can now fly to pick up groceries, think about all the traffic I'll miss," Tony quipped.
Pepper smiled in spit herself, and relaxed a little bit. "You don't pick up your own groceries," she sighed.
Tony laughed in response and got to his feet. "Anyways I'm going down to the shop," he informed.
Pepper nodded and stood up as well. "I'm going home. See you tomorrow Mr. Stark."
"Oh no you're not, you look exhausted. Sleep here tonight, in one of the spare rooms so you don't have to drive," he offered.
Pepper considered this carefully. She would love to be in bed in under ten minutes, but she didn't know what he was up to, especially lately, with his more then obvious hitting on her to get their relationship past boss/employee.
"Don't worry, I am not going to do anything fishy, I'm just being nice. Unless of course you want me to," Tony wiggled his eyebrows while saying this.
Pepper held back a laugh, he looked ridicules. She started walking up the stairs and called over her shoulder, "Goodnight Mr. Stark."
"Good night, Miss. Potts."
- o –
A beam of light fell onto Peppers face, causing her to slowly wake up. Checking the time, she was shocked to see she was asleep for almost eleven hours, it was nine in the morning. Yawning and stretching, she quickly climbed out of the spare bed, and wandered into the spare washroom to take a quick shower. Afterwards she picked out fresh clothes (thank goodness she kept extra clothes here, in case of over nighters like this), and brusquely went downstairs to start making coffee before Tony woke up. When she got to the kitchen however, she was shocked to find a very dishevelled Tony leaning against the counter with a brown paper bag in his hands.
"You're up early," Pepper commented.
Tony handed Pepper a muffin out of the bag. "I decided to get us breakfast today. It's blueberry, your favourite."
Pepper sat down at the table where he joined her, and started to pick the muffin apart, setting the blueberries in one pile, and the rest of the muffin in the other. "You went out looking like that?" she teased, but with a fair point.
Tony scratched his head making his hair stand up even more then it was before. "Yeah, well I had to basically run for my life, the whole city was following me, asking me questions," Tony paused. "And advice. Can you believe that? Random strangers that I have never talked to before, were asking me advice. Me. Since when did I become the latest Dr, Phil?"
Pepper looked at him, and saw him sipped his coffee, looking honestly confused and bewildered. "Well, you are a new shiny superhero. To them, you are Superman. Can't do any wrong, and who knows all. Not to be pessimistic, but you brought this on yourself," she explained. When Tony remained quiet she added, "Thanks for the muffin and coffee."
Tony chuckled, "Sorry. I thought you liked blueberry, but from the looks of it I got it wrong." Still laughing, he pointed at Peppers now disassembled muffin, all the blueberries picked off.
"Oh, it is my favourite. I always do this. This way I can save the blueberries for last, to enjoy it more," she tried to explain rationally.
He gave her a strange look, and continued to sip his coffee, while Pepper began to blush. Hurriedly eating her muffin now, to escape his gaze, Pepper stood up, thanked him for the breakfast one last time, and sped walked to her office.
- o –
Today was almost a tiring as yesterday. It was only noon, and
already she hung up on over one hundred reporters calling, and got
over an astonishing three hundred emails. Tony was a popular guy,
but this was a whole new level. The phone starting ringing again,
and Pepper sighed. This was getting out of hand. She stood up and
followed the phone cord, looking for where it plugged into the wall. It led her under the desk, so Pepper, really wanted to silence the
ringing, got on her hands and knees and crawled under the desk,
finally find the outlet. Laughing evilly to herself, she unplugged
it.
"Well this is a spectacular view," came a voice from
behind her, causing her to jump and hit her head on the table. Still
on the ground she turned to she Tony leaning against the wall,
looking at her, or rather where her bottom was a few minutes before. She glared at him rubbing her head. How did he do that? He
could be so quiet when he wanted to be. "Ouch, that looked like it
hurt," Tony held out his hand to Pepper, which she took with as
much dignity as possible.
"No thanks to you, Mr. Stark," Pepper righted herself back onto her chair hand still on her head.
Tony laughed, "So what were you doing down there anyways?"
"Unplugging the phone, I'm tired of picking it up, and I decided if you needed me you could call my cell."
He nodded, and then his gaze shifted over to her still open laptop. "Wow. That's a lot of emails," he commented looking at the screen. "All asking about life as Ironman, I'm assuming?"
"Some of them," Pepper hesitated. "Actually most are asking for your opinions on things."
Tony snorted and rolled his eyes, "What things?"
"Oh you know. If the neighbour hood they live in is safe, if they should up their security system… If they are raising their child well."
"What? Seriously? Gosh, how am I suppose to know? That's totally outrageous! That's as ridiculous as it gets, right?" he asking worryingly.
"Well, some of them are quite crazy. Asking things that you would never know."
"Such as?" he pressed.
"If their significant other will get over a disease, who they should marry, should the quit their job… Totally crazy."
Tony looked positively freaked out.
"Mr. Stark, sit down," Pepper requested.
Tony sat.
"So far, I have not answered any of these emails, but I just wanted to double check with you that's what you wanted."
"Of course that's what I want! Ignore all of them! I can't possibly know this! I'm not a god! Just some guy in a suit… Just trying to fix what he messed up…" Tony trailed off, his anger gone as quickly as it came.
"Okay, Mr. Stark. I'll keep doing that."
Silence.
Finally Tony looked around, cleared his throat quietly, and stood up. "Clear my schedule for today, Pepper. I'm going to the shop." With that, he turned around and walked out of the room.
Pepper sighed and felt sorry for her boss. He has every right to be stressed. People asking him things like that, when all he is, when you come down to it, is an engineer. She noticed that every since he has got back from his captivity, he spent a larger amount of time then necessary in his shop. Sure, at first it made sense, he was building a suit. And then once he was done, he was learning how to use it, and work out any problems. And she might even be willing to believe he was updating it, making it better. But now? He was always there. Before he would almost be annoying, constantly buzzing around her (in a charming way she will admit), and now, she gave him his coffee in the morning, and that was all she would see of Tony Stark.
And as much as she didn't want to say it, she missed him. Missed everything about him, even his usually awkward sexual innuendos. Still it was better that he was keeping himself preoccupied in the shop then his old habits. Pepper definitely didn't miss the days when he was home every night with a different girl, and smelling like alcohol.
Pepper looked up at the computer to see five new emails already. She sighed, and read them, all of them utterly insane, asking his advice on god knows what. Thinking about Tony, she deleted them, and thought how long this phase was going to last.