While studying for the most important test of my life, I suddenly had the urge to write this. So yes, I´m easily distracted by fanfiction. hehehe
It basically starts at the end of IM2 and will follow Tony and Pepper as they figure things out. This is my second attempt at writing so any advise is welcome.
disclaimer: don´t own anything.
"You lose" said Vanko from where he was laying defeated on the floor. They both looked at him with confused expressions until they saw what he meant.
Beep…. beep …beep…beep..beep.. .beep.
All around them, every single defeated drone was flashing a red light which could only mean one thing. They had to get the hell out of here.
"All these drones are rigged to blow, we gotta get out of here man!" Rhodey sounded alarmed. Tony agreed whole heartily.
Then with dread he remembered that Pepper had not left. Scanning his equipment he saw something that made him freeze.
"Pepper!" he said softly, too scared to even raise his voice. She was standing with a drone not 5 feet from where she was. Springing to action, he took off into the air. In the back of his mind, Tony registered that Rhodey also left but everything else was a blur. His heart was beating faster than ever before. He had to get there on time, there was just no way was he going to lose her.
He was swerving, dodging and getting dangerously close to some of the buildings. But he didn't care. All he cared about was getting there on time. His throat was closing up. He had to try to stay calm but nothing was working.
Getting closer to her position, he could faintly see her standing there with the drone flashing ominously.
Why isn't she running? he thought desperately.
Finally getting there and thanking whatever deity was out there, he dropped down beside her and in a second they were airborne again. Five seconds later everything exploded. Thankfully they had already gone far enough to be safe from the blast.
It took Tony a while to get over his overwhelming relief to notice that Pepper was screaming her head off but there was nothing he could do about that. He was too busy concentrating on not letting her fall.
He had to find a safe place to land. Seeing a building up ahead with a clear roof he decided that it would have to do. Carefully decelerating, tony landed a little bit unsteadily.
"Ahhhhh" Pepper pushed him away once the hit solid ground. His helmet was shooting sparks of electricity all over, so he took it off.
"OH MY GOD! I can't take this anymore!" Pepper look on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
"You can't?" Tony looked at her with skepticism.
"I can't take this!" Ok, this was scaring him. She´s panicking and is about say something which he really won't like.
"What about… Look at me!" Tony tries to distract her.
"My body literally cannot handle the stress. I never know if you´re going to kill yourself or,…or… or, wreck the whole company…" She was looking at him with scared eyes. Pepper had never been so scared. Not knowing if Tony was ok and then almost blowing up. It was just too much.
"I just.., I think I did ok!"
"I..I..I quit, I´m resigning. That's it." Pepper was standing there still looking flushed and windswept but all that passed through his mind was that she was going to leave him.
Ever since coming from Afghanistan, he had changed but it was only after finding out that he was going to die of palladium poisoning that he realized how much he needed her. Once he discovered, or really, rediscovered the element that saved his life, he promised himself that he was going to tell her how he felt. And now she was telling him that she can't take this anymore.
"What did you just say? You are done? That's surprising!" said Tony, while looking at her intently.
"Ah no, it's not surprising" he said, changing his mind. "I get it. You don't have to make any excuses". He was walking towards Pepper. With everything that had just happen he just needed to be close to her.
"I..I´m..I´m not making any excuses" she said stuttering. Pepper couldn't take her eyes off of him. She was panicking, yes, but she was also extremely relieved that he was alive and well.
"Well you actually where just making excuses, I was saying that you don't have to." Tony can't help teasing her, it's in his nature. There is something about Pepper mad that he can't resist.
"No I wasn't making any excuses because I'm actually very justified… I…" she was saying when tony decided to cut her off.
"Hey,hey, hey" getting serious he takes her hand "You deserve better"
He can see that she is really upset and now is not the time to be teasing her. She is so amazing and he really doesn't deserve her.
"Well" Pepper is surprised by his change in tone. He has a look on his face which she can't decipher.
"You've taken such good care of me. Been in a tough spot and you got me through it so…. Right?" he is not making too much sense but Pepper understands. She always has.
"Thank you" Pepper sighs in a quiet voice.
"Yeah" Tony is not really sure what else to say. He is losing the one person that he can't and doesn't want to live without but it is her decision.
It's not like we won't see each other anymore, right? He tries to reason with himself.
"Thank you for understanding" says Pepper looking into his eyes.
"Yeah,yeah." "Let's, uh, let's talk, let's talk cleanup.." he is trying to distract himself from her closeness. She looks so beautiful to him in that moment. Her hair is coming loose from her ponytail, her eyes are gleaming with emotion and the way her hand feels so right in his. Tony feels a pull to her, a pull he has never felt before with anyone else.
"I´ll handle the transition, it will be soon" Pepper is trying really hard to stay on topic. She is finding it difficult to concentrate in anything other than Tony. He´s looking at her in a way she had never seen before. She is almost too scared to hope.
"What about the press, because you only had the job for a week, that's going to make it seem.." he trails off. Talking about work is not helping. She is so close he can clearly see her freckles even in the darkness of the roof. It's really distracting.
"Well with you it's like dog years" she countered.
Getting even closer, Tony sighs "I know" He can´t take it anymore. Looking at her lips Tony makes up his mind. He almost lost her so he wasn't going to waste more time.
"I mean it's like the presiden…" not letting her finish, he grabs her waist and finally kisses her.
So that's the first chapter. How did I do?
This chapter is really just what happens in the movie. The real story begins in the second chapter.
I probably won´t have time to write until next month because of the test I mentioned earlier.
Review if you like! and even if you did not ;)