Happy Pepperony Reunion Eve to all! Ma'GOD, it's been a long haul, hasn't it?! (Last warning! What I am about to discuss has LOADS of spoilers in it! If there are those that have stayed away from watching Tony and Pepper's scene together until the official release date, I bid you! TURN BACK NOW! All others, proceed...)
NOW then...
After seeing our beloved couple's first scene together since IM3, I HAD to write this, as some very thought-provoking questions came to mind:
1) What could cause these two to reconcile so quickly without need for explanation to the audience (therefore allowing Marvel the ability to do the "explaining" at a later date?) And in such a short amount of time, given the assumed timeline between Civil War and Spidey?
2) What's the "something better" Pepper could be speaking of when she and Tony are trying to come up with what to announce to the press?
3) Does it strike anyone else odd that Pepper is more struck by the fact that Happy carried the ring around for NINE DAMN YEARS in his pocket than the idea that Tony is about to propose to her? Leads me to believe they MIGHT'VE discussed the idea of marriage prior to, doesn't it you? Like, QUITE RECENTLY, perhaps? As a result of discovering her "something better", maybe?
4) And what's with all of these "fatherly" scenarios Tony's been put in all those times over the years, ANYWAY?! ;) It couldn't POSSIBLY be that they're leading us down a trail of breadcrumbs directly toward a..."bun", could they?
Hmmmm...leaves quite a quandry, doesn't it? ;)
Welp. Here's MY guess. (And it IS just a guess! I honestly know NOTHING at this point in time!) Only time will tell if I'm right. And if I'm not- who cares! It was still fun to write!
Happy reading. May true love conquer ALL.
He'd spotted her the minute he entered the room. The soft, lazy melody of the hired jazz band mixed with the buzz and hum of the other attendees that filled the space provided cover for him in which to easily mix in, and go unnoticed by her. He was back on the West Coast for only a few days, and got word of this event he knew she'd be attending. It was a formal affair, and was the reason why he was dressed in his Armani tux this night. He saw she was in a one shoulder-strapped, fitted black sequined evening gown, with her hair piled high on her head in curls, a few loose locks pulled free to frame her face, looking as stunning and regal as he expected she would. She was chatting with two other women he didn't readily recognize, smiling and laughing, oblivious to his arrival as he moved between the other patrons. And that's the way he wanted it- for the moment.
It had been so long since he'd been able to just watch her. Like he used to, in all of those fond instances, when, if only for a few seconds, she wasn't yet aware of his eyes on her. Admiring her. Adoring her.
But, predictably, as she had in those times before, she suddenly felt his presence, and glanced upward in his direction, her gaze acknowledging him. Without a smile. He saw her jaw go tight at the realization that they were now occupying the same space, and it appeared to him that she was trying to decide if this was going to be acceptable to her for the duration.
They held each others gaze for several moments as he made his way across the room, weaving in between people, finally turning his eyes away from hers once he'd reached the bar. And without having to even look back at her, he now knew it was he who was being watched.
He spoke quietly to the bartender, who nodded and soon put a tumbler of clear liquid in front of him. He took it graciously, brought it to his lips and took a pull from it, instantly noticing she turned away with a look of disapproval when he did it. He smirked knowingly to himself at this, turned outward toward the room, drew another sip of what he was holding in the glass, and casually took in the scene.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her break away from the two women she'd been talking with to make her way through the crowd toward the open french doors leading out to the balcony. So he quickly swallowed the rest of the contents of his glass in one gulp, set the glass on the bar, and followed after her.
Outside, he found her alone, gazing at the city skyline, the chilled nighttime breeze gently blowing through the loose strands of her hair, making each one glint in the moonlight shining down around them. He didn't think she knew he was there at first, but then she spoke, keeping her back turned to him.
"Why are you here, Tony?" she asked, her tone heavy-laden.
He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets, shrugging. "Didn't know we couldn't attend the same parties anymore, Pep. Is that like a rule, now, or something? I guess I wasn't aware," he replied.
She continued to keep her back to him, her hands on the railing in front of her. "It's a free country. You can go where you like," she remarked, matter-of-fact.
He chuckled. "Apparently not. You just asked me why I..."
Pepper huffed in exasperation. "Oh, cut the crap. We both know this wasn't an accident," she responded pointedly, swiveling around to finally face him, her arms crossed in defense.
He took a step closer to her, his narrowed eyes staring daggers into hers. "Yeah? Well, don't flatter yourself, Pepper," he snarked sharply.
A soft gasp left her lips at how jagged his tone was, and he could see his words had effected her, as a wounded look ghosted over her face. He instantly regretted popping off at her, and pursed his lips in frustration at the tension between them causing him to say things he didn't mean. Even now, after being apart for what felt like an eon.
But then her eyes flashed angrily, and she fired back at him. "Why would I? And, I saw you at the bar," she sneered.
Tony frowned, feigning confusion. "So what?" he said defensively. "I can't even stand at a bar, now?"
She gave him a snide smile. "All I can say is- old habits die hard, don't they?" she jabbed, her tone righteous.
Tony scoffed and smirked at her. "Joke's on you. That was club soda," he replied smugly.
Pepper gave him a skeptical look, but kept silent.
His eyebrows shot up. "What? Don't believe me? Feel free to smell my breath. Better yet, kiss me and find out for sure. Whadya' say, Potts? Kill two birds with one stone, and give me a little smooch for old time's sake?" he jabbed back, with a cocky smirk.
Pepper scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, please," she rebutted in defeat, turning away from him to focus her eyes back out toward the city lights.
"No? Well, suit yourself, then," he said, circling around to her other side to get back into her eye line. "And for your information, I'm proud to say I'm still sober. I guess I'm good for keeping at least one promise to you, huh?" he replied snidely, as he stepped up to the railing to stand beside her.
Pepper huffed in defeat. "I can't say I'm not glad to hear it, so congratulations," she offered, her voice formal and virtually monotone. "Both for the sobriety, and the promise."
Tony held his tongue in an attempt to quell the impulse to continue to goad her in some sarcastic way, and muttered a polite, "Thank you" instead, before he leaned over to prop his upper body on his elbows on the railing, and let out a heavy exhale. After a moment, he turned his head in her direction. "Look, I know you don't like my being here. I don't expect you to. But how long are you and I gonna do this, huh?" he asked.
"Do what?" she asked flatly, still keeping her gaze from him.
He turned his body to rest on one elbow and gestured between them. "This," he reiterated. "The...dance we keep doing around each other. We act like there's not enough oxygen to share if we occupy even the same five foot space. Why is it like this? It was never this way with us before. It's only really been since...well,..."
"I'm well aware of when things changed between us, Tony. I don't need a reminder," Pepper interjected defensively.
Tony put his hands up in surrender. "Fine. Whatever. I'm just saying that we..."
"What? We were together, and now we're not," she stated. Tony detected a hint of regret in her eyes before she let out a sharp exhale, then went on. "It's pretty simple. Happens to people all the time. I don't see the point in..."
"Come on, Pepper. Don't do this," he urged. "This sterilizing, overly-glib...thing you do. Stop trying to back away, and just relax, would'ja? We're only..."
"I'm not being glib, Tony. In fact, I'm just telling it like it is," she argued, interrupting him.
"Yeah. Only it's not that simple, and you know it," he countered.
"Isn't it?!" she huffed, her temper flaring. "You made your choice! And now you're living with the consequences," she said, her voice faltering on the last word. "We're living with the consequences. Seems pretty cut and dried to me!"
Tony frowned at how upset she'd become. Pepper sniffed defiantly, and tried to blink back oncoming tears. She pursed her lips, and looked at him in annoyance. "Damn you! This isn't how I pictured this night going," she informed him. "All I wanted was a chance to forget everything for a few hours, and have a good time. Because, God, it had been ages since I've been able to do that! But, now, thanks to you, I see that's not an option. Shame on me for thinking otherwise," she said, turning to brush past him and walk inside.
Tony had been working his jaw as she spoke, and, at the last instance, reached out, lightly grasping her arm as she passed him. Pepper stopped in her tracks, her breath catching in her chest. Oddly, she didn't object to him reaching for her. It was almost as if she expected him to. But, none the less, she kept her gaze straight forward, refusing to make eye contact with him.
He was first to turn his eyes, watching her for a moment, internally willing her to look at him. But, he quickly realized she was just going to continue to stubbornly avoid his gaze, so he decided to speak instead. "Pepper, wait," he murmured. "I didn't come here to ruin your night, okay?"
Finally, she turned her eyes to him, her expression soaked with heartache. "Then I'll ask again," she said. "Why are you here, Tony?"
He turned his body to face her, looking even more intently into the eyes he'd so achingly missed.
Pepper watched as his expression told her the answer to her question more than any words could say. The loneliness in his eyes pierced her with a thousand ice-tipped arrows, and her breath caught in her chest. She felt paralyzed, helpless.
She felt him pull her closer to him from around the waist, and, as if under its own volition, her body followed in obedience.
Soon, he touched his forehead to hers, their lips millimeters apart, their chests heaving as they continued to stare into each others eyes.
"Please," he begged in a whisper. "Tell me you still think about us. Even if it's a lie. I don't care. I just need to hear you say it."
Pepper squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her lips together in resistance to the oncoming emotion she found was instantly welling up inside of her from his words. But Tony bent to nuzzle her hair right above her ear. "Come on, Baby. I know you need me, too," he prodded, his low, rumbly murmur sinking itself deep into her skin. "Because I need you."
A sob involuntarily escaped her throat in response, causing her to rush the back of a hand to her mouth as tears began to streak down her cheeks. She swallowed hard, and nodded. "Of course, I do. Don't be ridiculous," she rattled off in breathless reply, before she could stop herself.
Tony gave her a soft, satisfied smile, and nodded as he raised his head to look at her. Pepper instantly regretted revealing this to him, and pulled back, searching his face for any sign he would gloat. But all she could see was a comforted warmth that had replaced the loneliness. It was a familiar look. She'd seen it a thousand times in the past in the moments between them when he'd pulled her close, holding her to him in an act of desperation to find a sense of sanctuary from the world he'd fought so hard to defend, even after it had chewed him up yet again into a million tiny pieces, and cruelly spit him out.
And it was impossible for her to resist.
What remained of her guard immediately crumbled, and she found herself, her lips, gravitating to his, their collective breath hot and wanting as they neared each other. On a seemingly molecular level, she detected the prickling brush of his goatee against her face, and the smooth sensation of his lips touching hers.
"We can't," she protested in a breathless murmur, though failing to pull herself from the moment. "We shouldn't."
Tony gave her a weak smile, and a nod, his eyes flicking from hers to her lips and back again. "I know," he agreed, his own voice hoarse, and breathy. "So say the word, and we'll stop."
But neither of them budged. They just continued to hold this position, their collective resistance hanging in this anguished, self-imposed limbo.
They watched each other, the tips of their noses brushing delicately, affectionately against one another as a preemptive display of intention before Tony caved into his desire first and swiftly ducked his head, taking the plunge and crashing their lips together, his tongue flicking between Pepper's lips as he devoured her mouth. Pepper squeaked hoarsely when he did this, and reached to grip the lapels of his jacket, forcefully yanking him to her to deepen the kiss in return.
They hungrily, desperately clung to each other, unable to squelch the reignited fire between them. It only roared, the flames growing hotter and hotter, minute by minute. Tony's mouth soon moved from Pepper's down to her neck, to which she responded by lolling her head back in invitation and closing her eyes, as she curled herself around him. He cupped the back of her neck, moving his tongue and lips up and down her goose-pimpled skin. Her hand ran up his chest and around the back of his head, her fingers intertwining his hair, pulling him further into her body.
This threatened to drive him to the brink, and he moaned in approval, his hands running up and down her sides and around her back eagerly to feel every inch of her warmth. He brought his lips back up to her ear, nuzzling the space just beneath her ear lobe, and planting a kiss there before murmuring, "I want you, Pepper," in low, raspy growl. "God, do I want you."
She pulled back to look into his eyes, and bit her lower lip. She gave him a weak nod. "I want you, too," she admitted. Then she swallowed hard. "But what happens if we...can't stop?"
Tony thought about the meaning of her words for a moment, and then lowered his head to gaze intently into her eyes. "Then we don't," he answered, with a sure smile.
Pepper sighed, and closed her eyes, pushing back from him in reluctance and slipping from his grasp. He frowned, looking at her in apprehension.
"Then we can't do this," she told him, her voice heavy with regret. "Because nothing will have changed. There's too much that needs to be settled. We'd be right back where we started."
Tony sighed in defeat, and shoved his hands in his pockets. He cast his eyes downward in thought, wondering why it was so difficult for them to just simply love each other- as they'd always expected to be able to do. Why did the world always have to get in their way? Why couldn't their love just be enough?
Finally, he raised his eyes to look at her in resolution. "Then I'll go," he said. "You're right. This was your night out. I had no right coming here."
Pepper frowned, but then relented and nodded in agreement. "Thank you," she said softly in appreciation.
Tony gave her a weak smile, and turned to go. "You look stunning, by the way," he told her. "I wanted to tell you before."
She gave him a regretful smile, her cheeks blushing at his compliment. "Thank you, again," she said coyly.
Tony nodded in acknowledgement, and then swiveled around on his heels. But he took one step, and stopped. "Wait," he said, turning back around. "Can I, uh...just ask one favor before I go?" he asked her.
Pepper shrugged. "Sure?" she replied.
He stepped back to where she stood, and extended out a hand in invitation. "Can I get...just one last dance? As friends?" he asked. "Please? You know what it would mean to me."
Pepper frowned, hesitant. She only now noticed the sounds of the live jazz band from inside that had been drifting out to where they were. They were playing a familiar tune, one she was sure they'd danced to before. In fact, she was almost inclined to say Tony had some how arranged this song to be played at some point in the evening. To which she figured he would have asked her to dance anyway. Regardless of the circumstances.
"No, I really don't think we should..." she began.
"Come on, Potts, it's just a dance," he insisted, gently pulling her to him. She stared at him, still wearing the frown, but Tony only smiled softly, his eyes sparkling. And, after a moment, despite her reservation, she couldn't help but relent as he took her into his arms, and they began to sway. He cocked an eyebrow at her, and gave her a knowing smirk.
Pepper tried to stifle a smile in return, and averted her eyes. She cleared her throat, and spoke. "This, um, song sounds familiar," she remarked, as he brought her hand in his to his chest. "Where do I know it from?" she asked.
"It's an old favorite," he replied simply.
Pepper looked at him skeptically. "Was it also a request?" she inquired.
Tony scoffed and looked at her with a frown. "What? No. You think that, besides the fact that I showed up to this thing as an uninvited guest, I also arranged for the band to play this song at this particular moment?"
Pepper gave a droll chuckle. "Well, you've orchestrated cheesier moves to try to impress a woman, Tony. So, just answer the question," she insisted.
He looked into her eyes, and studied her face. She gave him a wry, expectant smirk.
Tony cleared his throat, and shook his head. "As much as I'd love to say yes, Potts," he began. "And take credit for an incredibly romantic gesture," he added, making Pepper scoff and roll her eyes. "The answer's no. I did not. So just chalk this one up to sheer, dumb luck."
Pepper surveyed his expression to see he was actually telling her the truth, then slowly nodded in acceptance. "Okay, I believe you," she said.
Tony nodded. "Good," he said. "You should." They fell silent for a moment, as they swayed back and forth to the rhythm. Tony began to work his jaw in thought, and then spoke again. "You...could call it kismet, though. If you were so inclined," he offered.
"What do you mean? What should I call kismet?" she asked.
"The song? Playing while we just happened to be out here alone? Dancing? Why am I the one noticing the romantic..." Tony said, frowning as he paused to find the words. "Parallels the universe has..."
"It's a old favorite, Tony. As you said. Which is another term for a standard in the jazz world. So, I'm sure it's on every hired jazz band's set list," she reasoned. "Hardly serendipitous."
"But in all the gin joints in all the world," Tony began, feebly trying to recite the line from Casablanca. "Why'd they have to play it at this one?" he teased, reverting back to his regular voice.
Pepper giggled. "If that's your idea of a Humphrey Bogart impression, I'd say don't quit your day job," she teased back. Tony spluttered at her teasing him, and chuckled, his eyes glittering in delight.
She laughed again, happy to see him in good spirits. It had been so long since they'd laughed together, and it made her realize how much she missed these kinds of moments with him.
Soon after, they'd gone quiet, and found each other gazing into each others eyes as they continued to steadily sway to the music. "Well, I don't care what's playing," Tony murmured softly. "I'm just glad I'm here with you right now."
A coy smile spread across Pepper's mouth, and her cheeks reddened at his words. She bashfully averted her eyes again, and he smiled at making her blush.
He watched as she eventually brought her eyes back up to meet his. But he noticed they were a little glassy, and he looked at her curiously. "What? What'd I say?" he asked with trepidation.
Pepper bit her lips together, and took a step back, and out of his grasp. "Nothing. I just...I...should go," she murmured.
He frowned. "What?" he asked. "Why? I thought we were..."
"I can't, Tony," she explained, waving her hands back and forth in dismissal. "I promised myself that I wouldn't...allow us to...not unless..." she stammered, backing away. A sob escaped her throat, and she brought a hand to her chest.
He reached for her, but, again, she stepped out of his grasp. "Pepper, please," he begged. "I know this is sudden, and not at all what you were expecting, but..."
"I love you, Tony," she told him. "That won't change."
He smiled, in spite of the gravitas of the situation. "I love you, too, Pepper. More than anything in the world," he assured, his voice hushed and eyes gazing deeply into hers.
But she shook her head. "Maybe not more than anything, Tony," she countered. She took the rest of the steps backwards to reach the doors, keeping her eyes on his for a moment longer, before swiveling around on her heels and disappearing back inside, leaving him stung and reeling on the balcony. Alone.
