Ok so this is a multi-chapter fic I've been working on and after the reviews I got for the previous two IM stories I put up I started writing this. Reviews welcome.
IM*IM*IM*
He had pondered over his options mercilessly for the past three hours and kept finding himself back at his first idea.
It made the most sense, it was the one that he was most comfortable with and it was the one that might let him prove something.
Tony Stark was not deliberating over a new element or a more efficient arc reactor.
No, Tony Stark was trying to find a date.
He was trying to find a date for a Children's Hospital Benefit Dinner. And his mind kept coming back to one person.
Pepper Potts. His PA and, though he dare not admit it to her, object of his undying affection, for want of a better phrase. He didn't know if she was already going or, if she was, if she already had a date. What was he thinking? Of course she had a date, just look at her.
A voice in his head reminded him that he didn't even know if she was going yet and there was only one way to find that out.
Sighing he pushed the button on his phone.
"Pepper, can you come here a second?"
IM * IM * IM * IM * IM *
Pepper started at the sound of his voice through the speaker. She had been wrapped up in organising his schedule for the coming days knowing that he hated abiding by any kind of punctual time scale.
She wondered what he could possibly need or want as she stood and made her way into his office.
He stood nervously, leaning against his desk facing the door. He smiled briefly at her when she entered.
"What's up?" she asked cheerily. He took a deep breath and her face fell, "Tony, what is it? What's wrong?" He shook his head and said nothing was wrong. He took another deep breath as she watched him suspiciously.
"I, uh, Friday night." he said eventually and she nodded.
"Hospital Benefit. I confirmed your appearance months ago Tony..."
He shook his head and assured her that he had no intention of cancelling which she thanked him for. He knew projects like this were very close to his PA's heart.
"Are you going?" he asked quickly, thinking of it as a ripping off a bandaid move. She tilted her head at the question and said no, asking why would she be.
"Do you want to?"
"Do I want to what?" she asked, confused.
"Do you want to go to the benefit? Come to the benefit. With me?"
She opened her mouth as if to reply but no words came out. Finally she uttered one word, "Me?" He chuckled and nodded his head.
"Yes Pepper, you. I know how much you enjoy supporting these charities, I just thought..." he caught her staring at him and he shrugged.
"Ok it's not an entirely unselfish offer. I hate going to these things on my own because I get stuck with boring old farts and I know that with you there it will be immensely more bearable."
She chuckled and said that that sounded much more like him.
"Plus I need you to bid on me at the charity auction because as it turns out the people who have money at these things are the craziest people in the room."
That made her laugh even louder and inform him that she didn't have the kind of money to bid against those people. In response he promised her his personal chequebook.
"Why me?" she finally asked, "I'm sure you've got some numbers in your little black book. You could bring anyone."
He smirked and replied "Except, it seems, the person I want to bring. Hmm?"
She went red at that, realising that she had been putting herself down as his last resort. Of course she wasn't his last resort because if he'd asked anyone before her they wouldn't be having this conversation. No one said no to Tony Start except her.
But on this occasion she simply couldn't.
"What time?"