A/N: So Iron Man 3 made me happy :-) So I rewatched the others and I was kind of struck by the obvious contrast in the relationship between Tony and Pepper, which inspired this small description of the way they regarded each other before. The timing of this vignette could probably be right at the beginning of the first movie, before Afghanistan ... Just a small insight into each of their minds regarding the other. Hope you like it!

Bits and Pieces

Pepper Potts had been Tony Stark's personal assistant for somewhere around a decade. That was a long time to keep a job that may on the surface sound as though it had no future. But it was her life. Taking care of Tony Stark was one hell of a skill, and she had perfected it.

She knew everything there was to know about her boss, and he knew it. In fact, he encouraged it. Secrets did not exist between them. She knew what meals gave him a stomach ache, his favourite brand of coffee, the people he detested shaking hands with, his favourite songs, the fact that he had created an AI out of intellectual loneliness. She knew where he was at any time. She knew what he was working on. She knew what parties he crashed. She knew every woman he slept with. She knew how much he was worth to the last dollar each day. She probably knew more about the inner workings of his company than he did.

She was the famous Pepper Potts.

It was difficult to pinpoint the moment she and Mr Anthony Edward Stark had become friends, but she supposed it had been almost inevitable. She was with him all day every day. They were of similar ages. They got along. But either way, she would never be able to say when it had happened.

Maybe there had been a moment where they had shared a secret smile at something funny. Maybe one of those times where Tony ate only in her company while teasingly asking her inappropriately personal questions. Maybe she had been expressing admiration towards one of the contraptions he had shown her. Maybe during a bickering session where she entirely lost her temper. Maybe it was all of those things. But as the years went by, it became clear that a bond had formed between them. A bond that remained as professional as it did indestructible.

Similarly, she wouldn't be able to voice when they had started to refer to each other by their first names. She couldn't remember. It had been that way for a long time now. If she'd had to guess, she would have said that he must have done it first, because she was the one who maintained their professional relationship. She wasn't sure when she had caved and done it too. He can't have asked her to ... That she would have remembered. It must have simply happened.

Not that it was the norm. They would fluctuate between formal and informal in their own rhythm. One that neither of them questioned or really thought about. There was a feeling that called for formal. There was an altogether different feeling that called for informal. She would never be able to give an indication of what those feelings were.

But one thing that had always been clear was that that was private. At no point in front of others (except perhaps Obadiah or Rhodey) did they refer to each other as anything other than "Mr Stark" and "Ms Potts". It was almost as though they had two separate relationships. One of the boss and the personal assistant, and one of friendship. And the friendship was personal.

So no matter how any interaction between them went, they had to return to the professional as their default. Which was why Pepper would always call him Mr Stark at the end of a conversation, and he would always call her Ms Potts when she did. He took her lead, and she was grateful.

"Will that be all, Mr Stark?"

"That will be all, Ms Potts."

Never forget who we are. You are the billionaire CEO of Stark Industries, and I am the personal assistant.

x x x

Life without Pepper Potts was not a conceivable one for Tony Stark. Not that it was something he ever considered, because she was such an integral part of his existence. He hadn't gone a day without seeing her or talking to her in ten years (or something like that). She was always there, efficient, capable, loyal. A friend.

He would have hated to admit how much he relied on her if not for the fact that he was proud to have her. He could brag to anybody who asked. Your personal assistant worked for the president? That's great. I have Pepper Potts. The best PA in existence. I wouldn't survive without her. Because I'm Tony Stark, and I have so much going on in my life that I need the best. And you'll never have her, because she's mine. Ha.

Pepper Potts could appear at his side at any place or any time of day (which she did), and he never didn't want her there. She was usually yammering on about his schedule, or whatever, which was fine. But it was that sense of having her around that made him feel secure. Taken care of. He liked it. And he liked her, too. The affection and trust he felt for the ever present Ms Potts had grown steadily over the years, and was unmatched by a single soul in his life.

She was one of the precious few people he considered a friend. And considering he trusted her far above any of the others, he could probably openly admit that she was his best friend if it weren't an inappropriate sentiment. It was an odd kind of relationship, it was true, but Tony didn't care. He wasn't exactly mainstream. So if his best friend happened to be his personal assistant, then that was his business.

And if he and his best friend had to act as though they were not in fact friends at all, then so be it. It worked for them. Even the formal way they addressed each other. Even if she insisted on ending every conversation with quiet professionalism.

"Will that be all, Mr Stark?"

"That will be all, Ms Potts."

He liked it that way. He liked Pepper Potts, and she liked him too. It was a quiet unspoken agreement between them that they accepted.

And if he sometimes suspected he might be falling in love with her, he could keep that to himself too.

x x x

A/N: Thanks for reading :-) Let me know if you liked it ... I could probably write a couple more like this for different points in the movies if people are interested.