Well… Here it is. This story is something that I put together within like a day or two. If you know me, I absolutely hate to write a little by little of writing and spend days editing one piece of writing. So… I like to write all at once and put it together with (hopefully) no errors and something that you guys will enjoy reading!

So as you know I am participating in SilverPedal1402's awesome possum contest! It is her summer contest which is by far my most favorite season EVER! I mean the warmth of the sun and the somewhat cool breeze and beaches and EVERYTHING!

And since I am participating in this wonderful contest… I have decided to present to you the story of the summer!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my story!

Tony's eyes raked through the endless amount of information that stretched out before him. The computer hummed in a wild frenzy as the downloaded data was becoming uploaded into the hard drive. Tony normally wasn't too excited about downloads and uploads, but this was something different. It was his new program "JARVIS". This newly modified computer was faster and smarter than his usual female voiced program. Jarvis was acronym for (Tony was pretty proud of it too) "Just a Rather Very Intelligent System."

"90 percent downloaded." The computer chirped out. Tony chuckled.

"Oh really? Well I won't have to deal with your voice for the rest of my life in about ten minutes." Tony shot back. Almost instantly he added, "Don't respond!"

The armor doors swished open. A cold blast of outdoor air wafted through the armory throwing up Tony's hair. He glanced back and smiled. "Hey guys!"

Rhodey and Pepper walked in with huge grins on their faces. They were all excited, of course, because summer had finally arrived. Tomorrow Academy's last day had been yesterday, and at long last, the teen's deserved break was here.

Pepper ran up to him and gave him a huge hug. Rhodey gave a quick fist bump before flopping down on the couches spread out around the room. "Oh it's summer at last!" Rhodey said as he pulled his arms behind his head. "How much I have missed thee." The trio laughed and went about their business.

As Tony's download reached 95 percent, Pepper piped up. "Guys? Can you believe that we are going to be seniors next year? We actually are finishing high school and then… and then our lives begin!" Tony looked back at her, a smirk already playing on his lips.

He noticed many things that had changed from the years of going through Tomorrow Academy. Pepper had gotten much skinner, showing off her hidden curves. Her flaming red hair had grown out to actually be put up in a rather sexy ponytail. Every inch of her body had changed making her more likeable, and definitely more beautiful.

Of course, he wouldn't admit that to her. Out loud that is.

"Time flies when you are having fun." Rhodey quoted. "What do you guys want to do? You know? After high school? I already know that I'm going to enroll into the Air Force."

"Wow, that early? No college first?" Tony asked genuinely surprised. Rhodey shrugged and sat up to rest his arms on his legs.

"You don't need education to serve your country, Tony. And I just—I just want to show my dad that I am his son, you know? That I am a Rhodes, a child that wants to continue his life through his dad's footsteps." Rhodey said with a small sigh. Tony observed his best friend too.

Rhodey had also changed. From a scrawny nerd, he had become a lot leaner and built than he had before. The months spent in War Machine got his muscles toned and even. Tony had to admit that with the way Rhodey was showing himself, he was definitely a chick magnet.

So these were his friends; his true friends. A beautiful young woman that had captured his eyes from the start, and a to-be solider chick magnet nerd that had been his friend since elementary. Tony couldn't be more proud.

"Well look at you Mr. I-Want-To-Serve-My-Country!" Pepper said with a laugh. "You know, now that you mention it, I want to be part of SHIELD. Ever since Nick Fury showed up to help Tony that was the day I was sure to be part of the Strategic Homeland-" Pepper was cut short by Tony's hand covering her mouth.

"I think we get that already." He chuckled. "And to continue our future, I already know I'll be CEO of Stark Industries. But I hope to get a degree, some degree, from MIT. It is competitive but it's made for technology." The teens looked at each other.

Pepper's eyes began to well up. "Gosh, guys. I—I don't even know where the years went."

"Touché." Rhodey said standing up. "We should spend each moment with each other. Sure, we still have next year to go, but I believe that we should start our memories from today." The trio held hands, forming a small circle. They all nodded and took a moment to think of each other and the years past. From the day Tony started to go to Tomorrow Academy, to the day he met Pepper to the day they became the protectors of Manhattan.

Pepper's eyes twinkled. "Oh! I heard that there is a cool beach party today! Tonight actually! WE should all go to that! That way we can really hang out and also be part of the community in some way." She looked at all of them, her eyes gleaming in hope and her smile widening.

Tony shrugged. "I don't see why not. I don't have anything else to do. And, besides, it's the beach! It will totally start off our memory album with a grand kick!" They looked at Rhodey who was yet to say anything.

"What? You should know that I would've been the first to say yes." Rhodey said with a big grin. The trio whooped and set off to start the day with packing and prepping for the evening's celebration.

…

About three hours later, Tony, Pepper, and Rhodey were on their way towards the beach. They decided, since it was a lovely New York summer evening, which they would walk together and talk about their memories as they went there. When they reached the beach, they would be too busy mingling and having fun to actually talk to each other about personal memories.

"Wait." Tony said interrupting their conversation. "When is this party supposed to start?" He turned to Pepper who was swinging her beach bag in one arm.

"Five? I mean it starts at five but goes on till sometime in the morning. So, we have plenty of time to actually party and have a great time." Pepper responded. They all dressed in their casual clothes. The boys wore their swimming trunks and a light shirt while Pepper carried hers in the bag she brought along. When asked why she didn't just wear it now, she just said that she didn't want the hassle of bringing spare clothes; she just wore what she did that morning.

As the teens turned the next corner, they were instantly hit by loud music and hundreds of voices. "Well would you look at that. It looks like all of Manhattan is here!" Rhodey said in shock.

The New York beach was packed with kids, teens, adults, elderly, and any other living thing. On one side of the beach, there were kids and teens playing around either with beach volleyball, sand castles, and even diving into the cool turquoise ocean.

Pepper grinned widely. She spotted a changing tent and pointed at it. "I'm going to change, and I'll be right back." She was walking towards it when Tony quickly latched onto her wrist.

"How about I walk with you?" He suggested. Tony looked back at Rhodey who was already making his way over to a lone girl drinking something from a plastic cup. So with Rhodey busy, Tony lightly pushed Pepper ahead so that she would keep walking.

She looked back confused. "You don't have to Tony. I'll be right out."

Tony shook his head and laughed. "Well I insist on walking you down." And with that the two teens made their way towards the changing tent. In actuality, Tony had noticed a few unnecessary stares at the redhead. And if she were to disappear inside those tents, Tony wouldn't be able to stop anyone that decided to venture in as well. So it was better to make it look as though he was with her rather than her walking by herself.

Once they reached the colorful tent, Pepper gave a quick thumbs up. "I'll be right back." And she ducked inside the covers. Tony absentmindedly stood guard, watching the scene unravel ahead of him.

Tens upon tens of girls walked passed him flicking their hair, or giving a quick wink his way. He had to look down at himself to see what made him so attractive to women. Was it the messy hair? The strange outfit he chose?

Another smile and a wink.

He decided to turn away and keep his eyes focused on the skyscrapers and other tall buildings littering the streets behind the beach. Hard to believe most people walked right past the glorious ocean and the orange setting sun.

"Tony? What are you doing?" Tony whirled around and nearly collapsed into a heap right there. Pepper wore a red and pink striped bikini. She had her top on but had shorts on top of her bikini bottoms. He just couldn't stop looking at the soft pale flesh in front of him.

"I… I, uh, didn't want you to be looking for me so I just stood. Here. Right here." Tony said, stumbling on his words. Pepper blushed a little and took his hand.

"Well thanks! Shall we start this party?" She started to pull him towards a bare patch of sand towards the ocean. When they finally dominated a spot, she pulled out two towels from her beach bag. She draped one down and did the same the other right next to the first one. She sat down on the pink one and patted for Tony to sit on the red one.

He plopped down and glanced at her. "Is this what we'll be doing the rest of the night? Sitting here?" Pepper shook her head.

"Heck no! I'm just dominating our spot so no one will get ideas to take it." She looked up and faced him. Her eyes darted to his white shirt and she tilted her head. "Why don't you take your shirt off?" She asked.

Tony gapped. "What?" He didn't really fully comprehend what she said.

Pepper pointed to his shirt. "Take it off. I'll put it in my bag. We're at a beach! You don't need to wear a shirt!" She said with a quick giggle. Tony shrugged and yanked his shirt off with one quick tug. As he handed it over to Pepper, he was glad to see her blush at what he did. He didn't know why, but he thought it looked really cute.

"Okay so what now?" Tony asked quickly changing the subject.

"Oh! Well before we go anywhere help me with my sunscreen. I can't reach my back." Pepper quickly dug around her bag and pulled out an orange tube. Pepper saw him look shocked and contained her laughter. He was doing exactly what she wanted. If not now, she'll get him to confess.

Lying on her stomach, she glanced up at him. "Well go on. I can't spread it well." Pepper almost broke out laughing when he gulped and deposited some of the sunscreen to his hand. He seemed to have paled as he slowly applied the cream on her back and began rubbing it into her skin.

"Just—just tell me where to spread it to." He said, trying to maintain a straight voice. He saw Pepper nod and so he continued. After finishing it off, he allowed Pepper to finish up her application.

"Well, what do you want to do now? Wait, where's Rhodey?" Pepper asked looking around. Her eyes widened when he saw him walking with a skinny dark girl. He was laughing and smiling with her, making Pepper smile. She pushed Tony's head towards the two and saw him smiling as well.

"What do you know? Rhodey… Rhodey… Rhodey that little rascal. Looks like it's just you and me Pepper." But when Tony looked back he saw that a teenage boy was talking to her. He had a hand on his hip and was laughing at anything she said.

"Tony! Want to play some volleyball? Mike was wondering if we wanted to." Pepper said.

"Actually, I would prefer it more if she came, but hey more the merrier!" Mike said with a smirk in Tony's direction. Tony felt his anger flare, so he stood and smiled.

Giving a hand to Pepper, he faced the short lean teenager. "Sure Mike." He said glaring down at him. "I would love to play. And I'm sure Pepper would too."

…

Tony and Pepper were put on the same team, and Mike and some other teen guy were on the other side. So far, Tony and Pepper were leading with only one point. Tony got the front line since he was taller, and he gave Pepper the back.

"Heads up!" Mike called. He punched the ball straight over the net. Tony, thinking he could get the ball, stumbled back. Pepper yelped and quickly side stepped, but her foot caught around Tony's making the two of them tumble to the ground.

Pepper happened to land on the bottom and Tony happened to fall on top of her. The two blushed when they noticed the close proximity of their faces. Tony quickly pulled back and offered a hand to Pepper.

"Ha! Yes! We tied!" Mike thrust his fists in the air and high fived his friend. Tony and Pepper exchanged looks.

"I bet Pepper and I can beat you guys this last round." Tony said. Mike and his friend fell silent and looked at him.

"Is that so?" He asked with a smirk. "What do you bet?"

Tony shrugged. "Name the price."

Mike tapped a finger on his chin to emphasis his contemplation. "A kiss. A kiss from your redhead friend." He said at last. Mike's friend gave a quick high five and smiled goofily.

Tony noticed that Pepper stiffened. But before he could say anything she said, "You know what loser? You want my lips? Game on. And if we win, you have to put two handfuls of sand down your trunks." She folded her arms across her chest.

Mike was already raising the ball. "Alright. Game on."

Mike spiked the ball high and it was overwhelmingly fast. Tony instantly felt that it was over and that the girl he liked so much would be kissing a 4 foot moron. But surprisingly Pepper quickly dove and drove the ball skyward. Tony instantly grinned and gave a quick wink to Mike before jumping and driving the ball straight down the net.

The ball failed to rise again.

"WE WON!" Pepper screamed. She jumped up and down and started yelling. Tony whooped too. He turned around and lifted Pepper off the ground by locking his hands tightly around her thighs. Pepper laughed, holding onto his shoulders and cheering as well.

Once she was put down, Pepper looked at Mike and smirked. "Alright player, sand down your pants. A bet is a bet." Mike and his friend exchanged looks before scooping handful of sand. They looked at each other one more time before pouring the sand right down their pants.

Mike's eyes widened as the uncomfortable graduals settled in the most uncomfortable places. Mike's friend looked just about ready to cry.

"Don't even try to beat us. We will cream any team, anytime." Pepper slipped her hand into Tony's and led them off the sandy volleyball pit.

…

Couple more hours passed, and the sun slowly started to dip beneath the horizon. Tony and Pepper decided to abandon the lost trio to the group when they noticed that he was kissing the girl he had met earlier that day.

Tony and Pepper were licking ice cream and watching the orange fiery gas sink into the horizon. The waves rippled and spread the orange color out across the ocean, bringing the entire beach to a standstill. Hundreds of couple leaned into their partners and placed heated, or simple, kisses onto each other.

Tony glanced over to Pepper who had just finished her ice cream. She dusted off the cone crumbs from her fingers and pulled her knees close to her chest. "It's beautiful isn't it?" She asked.

Tony kept looking at her. "I think I know something a little more beautiful than that." He said without thinking. Pepper looked over to him, resting her cheek on her drawn up knees.

"And what would that be?" She asked, her face already flushing a bright red. Thankfully the setting sun helped minimize the blushing.

Tony scooted closer to her, no longer caring about what she thought of him. He loved her, he really did. And he knew that he knew that ever since he had met her. Pepper was with him during the worst and best moments of his life. And being able to spend the rest of his life with her would mean everything to him.

"Close your eyes." Tony said. "I'll tell you." Pepper closed her eyes and focused her attention on the warmth of the sun radiating against her flushed cheeks. Suddenly she felt a soft pair of lips on hers. Her eyes snapped open only to see Tony's eyes closed with his long lashes gently brushing the top of his cheeks.

This was it. This is exactly what she wanted. And she got it. Tony kissing her. After so long she was finally getting him to admit his true feelings to her. All it took was a simple spreading of sunscreen on her back.

Tony pulled back and gave one quick peck on her forehead. "I'm sorry for making you wait this long. I should've told you long ago. I just didn't know if you felt the same way about me. I love you Pepper. I really truly do."

Pepper blushed and felt at the verge of tears. Throwing her arms around him, she pushed him down onto the sand. Landing neatly on top of him, she gave him a kiss. Her hair fell to her side and she couldn't be anymore happy than she was now.

If anyone was taking a picture they would've seen two teens kissing on the sandy ground. One teen holding the girl's waist, pulling her closer, and the girl on top with her hair swept out to the side facing the sun. And of course, the setting sun cast a halo around them, making the first day of summer even more memorable.

Two souls meant to be.

Ah! There it is! So sorry I took forever to actually write this. And I'm also sorry if the ending seemed cliché and too straight forward. This was an idea I wanted to write for a long time, but when SilverPedals1402 introduced this I was like, "OH AT LAST!" So this is it! This is my entry!

Hope you guys like it along with the judge, SilverPedals1402!

PLEASE REVIEW!

P.S. I just got a Watt pad account! If anyone wants to check me out or also have a watt pad find me by my username: IronWoman14. I originally was going to have the username as my Fan Fiction but well… it didn't happen!