A/N: Requested by Tonys_Iron_Girl on Twitter. Set post Iron Man 1.
What a day.
It was late, the Expo was starting soon...and Rhodey had insisted Pepper let him set her up with an old friend of his cousin. The two of them had been talking a lot lately, since Tony's been focused on his suits. It was crazy...the whole idea of Iron Man. And she definitely did not approve. It was unsafe, it was egotistical, it was a cry for attention, as usual...
Ever since he announced himself as Iron Man, the media had been insane. He had stopped going into the office...as if he did on a normal basis already... He wasn't the most effective CEO to begin with, but now, she was basically running Stark Industries herself, with the help of Happy every now and then. It was her...and Tony's signature on any paper she shoved into his face without question. The rest was up to her, and as much as she liked keeping busy, she hated having to go back and forth to the house every day to get things approved by him.
Which is exactly why she agrees to Rhodey's blind date. It would be a good reason to get away from the office, away from Tony's erratic behaviors that she had to babysit on a daily basis...
But it wasn't. To her dismay, the man was too self centered. Too talkative about himself, bragging about what degrees he had and where his house resided on the cliffs of California. Honestly, she wasn't even sure he knew who she was, because if he did, he'd know those things wouldn't impress her. Not because she knew Tony, but because she didn't care about those material things.
Regardless, she politely said goodnight and then took a short walk down the coastal streets of Santa Monica to the garage where she left her car. It was a warm night, especially for early spring, and she enjoyed the breeze that ruffled her hair after that long dinner. They'd exchanged numbers, but she had no intention on answering him if he contacted her; right now, she just wanted a warm shower to wash the night off of her and refresh for the morning.
As she neared the garage, she passed a small seating area along the sidewalk; a wooden bench and a trashcan, and a man, sitting with his head in his hands, aggressively rubbing his hair. It didn't bother her; LA was full of addicts and the mentally ill on the streets. It was sad, but it was normal. So she kept walking, flashing a small smile when he lifted his head and his eyes met hers. It was brief, but then she was past and forgot about it.
Her heels clicked as she entered the garage and took the elevator to the fourth and open top floor. She clicked the lock on her keys to locate her parking spot as she fumbled with them in her pocket, and when she finally made it to the drivers side, she pulled them from her pocket. But they dropped before she could unlock the car, and with a heavy sigh, she knelt down to retrieve them from the floor.
When she stood back up, she realized for the first time since entering the garage that she wasn't alone; a man had followed her up. In fact, the same man she had made eye contact with on the bench, the one she thought was a junkie, was approaching her, a hood over his head and his hands in his pockets. He was jittery, from the looks of it, and definitely drugged, and she panicked.
Her keys jiggled in her hands as she tried to hit the unlock button and get herself safely into the drivers seat, but he was quick, and only a few seconds later, she felt the chill of someone else's breath on the nape of her neck under her bun.
"Potts, right?" he asked, his voice deep and dark and it made her shiver.
He smelled like smoke, and she swallowed nervously as he pressed her against the car. Lips grazed her neck, but she was frozen, her hands open and dropping the keys again to the ground, this time without realizing it. Her mother had always told her to hold them between her fingers, just in case something like this happened, and she stupidly forgot. This was her fault...
"Where's that hot shot boyfriend of yours?" he questioned, and she barely found her voice to answer.
"My boss," she corrected, trying to sound confident, "is at home. I was at dinner. Nothing to do with Stark. So whatever you want from him-"
"I don't want him," he hummed, and she felt her body chill and her blood run cold, realizing he had recognized her and now wanted to make her his, claim a prize, whatever they want to call it.
Silently, she cursed Tony and his name and everything that came with working for him. There was nothing she could do at this point; he had her in a compromising position, and she was too terrified to defend herself, and the fact that she was wearing a high cut dress didn't help things, either. Worse? She was alone...or so she thought.
As if on queue, the one and only Stark himself made a superhero landing behind them somewhere - the only reason she knew is because of how used to the sound of the jets and metal she had become since Tony had returned from Afghanistan. That, and the metallic voice that followed from inside of the helmet. All of it made her sigh with relief, even if the man didn't let up right away.
"Let her go, snowflake," the suit spoke, and with it came the loud charge of one of his hand repulsors that made her smirk. "I'm not gonna ask twice."
And he wasn't kidding. The second the man opened his mouth to speak, he shoved Pepper against the car, making her gasp at the sudden contact that nearly winded her. He tried to run, not expecting Iron Man to make an appearance, she guessed, and she heard Tony fire a warning shot, probably at his feet to scare him.
But she couldn't move, despite being free from her short capture, and next thing she knew, the metal hand of the suit was on her shoulder, trying to spin her around. The face plate lifted as she faced him, and trying to keep her composure, she took a deep breath and let her eyes settle on her boss's.
"Are you okay?" he asks simply, and that set her off; this was embarrassing, being saved by her employer, this was...
"I'm fine," she promised shortly. "Why are you here?"
"You were in trouble," he answered with a shrug.
"How did you know that?" she asked next through narrowed eyes. "Were you following me?"
"Not exactly," he tried, and that's when she let loose.
"Tony!" she growled in annoyance, hands out at her sides.
"What?!" he asks, the gears shifting in the suit's arms as he lifted them out horizontally at his sides. "I was trying to help you!"
"I was on a date!" Pepper gasped instead.
"I had Jarvis keep tabs on you!" he informed her, sounding upset, himself, until the AI chimed in from inside the suit, recognizing Pepper's presence as a form of his security protocol that he was allowed to speak within.
"Apologies, miss Potts," the British voice spoke with hesitation. "A tracker has been put on your cellular device to ensure your safety at all times. I had alerted Mr Stark of the potential outcomes of this situation, but-"
"Off," Tony instructed, cutting off the AI on the speaker system. "Pep, he was following you, he could've-"
"Could've what?!" she groaned. "I had it under control."
"Did you?!" he asked, tearing off the helmet and tossing it aside. "Because it looked a lot like you were letting him-"
"It was only a second," she grumbled, eyes falling to the ground to try and search out her keys for a second time. "I could've handled it myself."
"Really?" he grunted, "because I don't think so."
"You're right," she snapped, eyes back on his. "You weren't thinking, or you wouldn't have put a tracker on me to spy on my date!"
But Tony didn't get mad, he just continued to tell her she was wrong indirectly. "Wait, you were on a date?"
"Not with him!" she sighed. "It doesn't matter!"
"It does matter!" Tony insisted, and she exhaled loudly, hand to her forehead as he eyes closed in frustration.
"I appreciate your concern, Mr Stark, but this was a personal night. This has nothing to do with work, and as my boss, you need to respect that line between the two!"
"I don't want there to be a line," he answered swiftly, his voice quiet and level, dropping all side tones it carried before as he stepped into her personal space and left her nearly breathless at how close he now was.
"What?" Pepper asked, blinking. "You can't tell me who to date!"
Had she heard him right? No. There was a line. She worked for him. When she was with him, it was work. When she had a night off, it was her personal life. There were two separate lives, and he only existed in one, and that was how it was supposed to be. He was too much of a playboy, too much of a child to handle anything more.
"I'm not trying to," he argued.
"You're watching me to see what I'm doing!"
"I'm keeping tabs on you to make sure you're safe!"
"Because you're jealous!"
"Because I love you."
And that's when she shut up. The moment Anthony Edward Stark admitted he loved someone, she was at a loss for words. And it was her. Not some random chick off the streets, not some unknown name that she was sure would simmer out after a few weeks. Her.
Did she...why did she have butterflies? He was her boss. She hadn't thought about him as anything else...lately. Sure, maybe...maybe when he came back from Afghanistan. Maybe while he was gone and she didn't know if she'd ever see him again. But the suits had changed him, and maybe it ended some of his childish behavior, but this was still Tony Stark they were talking about.
"You...you what?" she finally whispered, finding her voice over her thumping heart, which only accelerated as she watched him swallow and his jaw line tighten.
His dark eyes flickered to hers, and without answering, he closed the distance and pressed his lips against hers in a first, delicate kiss. They were soft, and his beard tickled a little, but she didn't say no. In fact, she welcomed it, letting it linger until he pulled back and waited for her reaction.
"I..." she managed, breathing heavy as she let her open mouth try to form words that wouldn't come. "I don't know what to say, I-"
"It's okay," he answered softly, reassuringly...as though he genuinely cared, and that was new.
She'd never heard him like this, never seen him as emotional as he was right now, and she liked it. She wanted to try it again, taste him, feel him... So she advanced, trying to kiss him a second time, but he flinched away, confused.
"Pep-"
"It's okay," she whispered, repeating his words.
And then he let her kiss him again, this time with more confidence, more want, and when she shifted into his hold with her hands meeting his cheeks, he let his metal gloves find her hips and hold onto her. They parted once, and then he grazed her lower lip with his tongue, asking politely for more, and she eagerly granted his request.
Weird. Who would've thought she'd end her blind date kissing her boss? Kissing Tony Stark of all people. But he had saved her, even if she wouldn't admit to that, and it felt...normal. It felt right, and she wanted more, regardless of how messed up their future might be because of it. He was right...she didn't want there to be a line, either.