Update as of February 2019 - this story has been revamped (and chapters that have been fixed will say so at the top)! The main plot will stay the same. I'm just fixing up some details and making the story better.

Disclaimer - I do not own these characters.

Mark I: Bullshitting, Bluffing

"The idea that you have to meet someone in an adorable way for it to be significant is nonsensical.

For me, it all started with the touch of her hand when I welcomed her aboard my team.

That's it. There were no fireworks, no love at first sight, just a handshake that came after a pepper spray threat.

I can't tell you exactly what I thought I knew at the time, but whatever it was, I was hooked by her assertiveness. My life from that point forward had become about making her happy whether that would be doing what she told me or attending my meetings only thirty minutes late rather than not showing up at all. When I was a bit younger, too young to know any better, I did it by trying to scare her to death and making her cry for me. It was the only way I knew to get her attention.

Her tears only meant she cared for me. And I cared for her too.

I know I've been in love before - or at least, I think I've been in love before - but it doesn't feel that way with her. Being in love with her is better than those times I've been drowning in my infatuation over women who only liked my fame, wealth, and name. With her, it feels like a genuine first time, last time, and the only time all at once."

-o-

Surrounded by hundreds of reporters stands Tony Stark: in the center behind a podium, wearing his best blazer with his hair styled just right. He smiles boldly at the crowd as he answers their questions at lightning speed. Cameras flash, pens scribble down notes, videos record, people scream - and yet, he only sees his Pepper Potts sitting in the front row. She contrasts the crowd with her calm composure in her seat. She looks at him with a small smile and supportive stare as she crosses one leg over the other. She studies him, making sure he doesn't screw this up.

"Mr. Stark," someone calls. Tony looks over at the reporter who asked. "Would you say that Stark Industries is still an independent corporation from SHIELD despite the emergence of The Avengers following the alien attack on New York?"

Tony holds the sides of the podium, opening his mouth to answer without actually thinking of a response. Just before he could possibly say something stupid, he makes eye contact with Pepper. His eyes alone resemble a stranded islander waving arms chaotically at a ship passing by. In response, Pepper nods her head, answering the question for him.

"Yes," Tony responds confidently, "I am not a SHIELD agent, just a contact and an Avenger."

The questions go on for hours. Eventually, they come to an end.

Tony runs to catch up with Pepper who, surprisingly, walks faster than him in her high heels. She holds her clipboard against her chest and her purse in the crook of her elbow. She glances over her shoulder where she gives Tony a brighter smile than before.

"You should've done that," Tony tells her about the press conference. "You're the CEO of Stark Industries. I'm just the name."

"We made a deal," Pepper responds. "I handle the logistical paperwork and you handle showing your pretty face. It's already more than what's supposed to be my 12% but I'm not complaining. Besides, after New York, they want to see you and your new best friends more than me."

Tony beams in that compliment, already forgetting everything else that was in that sentence. "But you're better at bullshitting than me."

Pepper scoffs. "I am not."

"They know I'm doing a bullshit bluff whenever I open my mouth. It's the reputation I've built over time. You and your sharp heels look professional and are killing me right now."

"At least you now have a superhero boy band."

Pepper quickly gives him a small peck before getting in the car. Tony laughs a little as he nods his head. Of course, she would ignore his attempts at seducing her but he hopes he isn't losing his game with her. Other than that, he loves it when The Avengers are considered as a super secret boy band (and he's the only one who likes it. Thor and Clint don't mind as much). He bites down on his bottom lip excitedly as he gets in the car on the other side.

-o-

"Things changed when we got a little older and we had to balance our relationship with the expanding company and everchanging world. I went from being pointlessly loud to being loud to show off my wit and physical prowess, proving that I was still too young to know any better. She, on-the-other-hand, stayed mature and professional which is what we both needed to stay afloat. But I learned slowly. It was a case of us both needing to evolve. If I was strutting like a peacock, it was because that's what impressed the peahens.

And if sometimes, I chased other girls, it was so she'd see that maybe she wasn't the only fish in the sea. Soon though, it was time to commit to the promise I'd made before I'd understood what I was commuting to.

Our relationship, as abstract as it became, is the best of any relationship.

It became my promise to make her happy. And that made me happy too.

Forever and ever..."

(This chapter secretly doubles as an entry for My "Failed" Love Life series. For those of you who came for that: Yes, a boy once told me that I was a better bullshitter than him and it was one of the best compliments I've ever received).