Okay, This is the one shot I mentioned in Sins of Insanity, I finished it today and i'm hoping you guys will like it. Since, i'm only really good at doing chapter stories...but I'll keep trying to get better.
This is just something i thought up in the middle of class, when i was brainstorming ideas for a word problem i was supposed to answer and something that popped up was a dunk tank. Also, i remembered how fun, but COLD it was to actually be the person being dunked. And YES i have been there, it's SUPER fun, but FREEZING cold, at lease the one i was in. It was freezing.
Disclaimer: IMAA is not mine, so i don't own it, but i would like to tell you to, ENJOY!
"Come on! Pleeeeeeaaaasssee!?" Pepper begged. "It'll be fun! I promise! I already signed you up! Don't make me take you off. Please!?"
Tony rolled his eyes and against his better judgment he couldn't help but comply with her pleads. She squealed with pure joy and jumped up and down with her hands clasped together. Rhodey smiled as he watched the two. They've been arguing over the subject all after noon. Though, he already knew who would win. Pepper. It was obvious that if Pepper resorted to begging, Tony wouldn't have any other choice than to give in.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Pepper cheered. "You're the best! You will have lots of fun! I promise! I've done it before with my cousins, and I loved it! It's been so long, and I thought I'd never get to do it again! I'm so excited, I promise you'll-"
"Pepper!" Tony spoke up as he placed his hand over her mouth. "Okay, I agreed to do it, but please don't me change my mind."
She blinked as he took his hand off. Then she smiled widely and jumped up again. "I gotta go home, but tomorrow, we're going to have so much fun!"
…(The next day)...
Howard searched through the last area of the armory that he hasn't checked. He just couldn't find Tony. He had noticed earlier that Tony had left much earlier than he usually did when it was the summer, and he didn't even bother to tell his dad where he was off to. Though, when Howard need to ask him for his opinion of something, yes, Howard Stark was looking for someone else to help with something he was working on, but when he tried calling Tony, it seemed that his phone was dead.
He tried Rhodey's phone, but it went on through to voice mail. Then he got suspicious and dialed up Pepper's number. Which for him was a bit awkward, because he had ended up thinking that it was best to call her father instead of her herself, but it was too late when he realized the ringing had already switched off to voice mail.
Then he called the next reasonable person. Roberta. "Hello?" Her voice sounded as he walked out of the armory.
"Good morning, Roberta. I called wondering if you've seen my son." He asked.
"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Her surprised voice responded.
"Tell me what?"
Roberta laughed lightly. "He left this morning with Pepper to some carnival. Rhodey left just about an hour ago I think to join them."
"Are the two on a date?" Howard questioned, a bit unsure how he should react.
"I don't think so, I remember Rhodey last night telling me that Pepper insisted that Tony try something at the carnival. I actually think they volunteered for some of the games. I'm going to go check it out in a little bit, because Rhodey forgot his phone, and I have to give it to him so he can call me if he needs something." Roberta said.
"Oh, well, now I'm going. I need to talk to Tony, and he didn't even tell me where he was going."
They finished up their conversation and almost instantly after he hung up, he was on his way to the carnival he knew was going on.
…(That morning)
"Ahh!" Tony yelped as he fell in to the cold. "That's COLD!"
He rushed to set the chair so he could get out of the cold water. He couldn't believe that Pepper enjoyed this. It was freezing! Even though it was the middle of the summer, it didn't mean that they didn't use cold water. He hadn't felt just how cold it was until he ended up dunked in it.
"Lighten up!" Pepper teased. "You'll get used to it. I did."
She sat in another dunk tank that was next to his. Her's was smaller and wasn't nearly as deep, but she still enjoyed it. Plus, she didn't have to get her hair wet unless she fell weirdly. Tony's was deeper and it had a bottom that was more slippy than hers. Just because it was bigger and looked nicer, doesn't mean it was better.
"You don't even get all that wet. Look at the line to this one!" Tony complained.
He really didn't like that he accepted this. It was cold, unpleasant, and embarrassing. The only good thing was, was that he was given a free pair of red swim trunks. Other than that, he really wished he could switch with someone. Like Rhodey who was still laughing at him from the spot many feet away from the dunk tanks where he was running a balloon dart game.
He was also right when he mentioned a bigger line. Apparently everyone didn't care who he was and just wanted to torment him. They didn't care that it was the famous Tony Stark, or their hero Iron Man. They only cared that they got to dunk him in that dreadfully cold water. The dunk tanks just opened like five minutes earlier. So, so far, only one person successfully dunked him.
At first for a little while, while the dunk tanks were still being set up, they helped set up somethings. He remembers when they were setting up the dunk tank he was currently sitting in, the workers had insisted on making signs. So they did just that. One was reading something along the lines of "Dunk teen genius, super hero, Tony Stark/Iron Man!" The other one, despite their protests read something like, "Dunk, Iron Man's girlfriend, Pepper Potts, AKA Rescue."
He remembers just how excited other teens helping them got. They wouldn't leave him alone, because they didn't even know he was there until it was brought up that the cities heroes, were about to something so normal and fun, that they had to see it. So they had already promised that they would come for their breaks to watch him get dunked in the ever so cold water.
"Well, good for you!" Pepper said smiling. "Though, I dislike how all those girls are drooling over you. They're not even old enough...or they're too old..."
He knew she liked him and he knew he liked her, but he was never able to respond because all of a sudden he was submerged in freezing cold water. "WHOA!"
He jumped up and hurried to set up the seat so he could get out of the water as quick as he could. When he did he looked to see that another kid had successfully dunked their hero. He had a giant smile on his face and he could hear the little kid laugh. "Daddy, did you see that!? I got him, I dunked Iron Man!"
Tony would have been a bit mad, if the kid wasn't so darn cute and innocent. He wouldn't blame the little kid for wanting to dunk him, if he was that age and was at a carnival, he'd probably do the same to who was the victim to this cold water.
"Gotta pay attention." Happy said.
Happy was also a volunteer and he helped with getting the money collected for the dunk tank. Some other teen was working with Pepper, her name was Tammy, a junior in high school.
"Okay, Happy." Tony said now paying close attention to the kid who was not attempting to dunk him. He heard an excited squeal then a splash as Pepper was dunked next to him.
He sat there shivering until he was dunked countless amounts of times. Rhodey on his own break, came and payed the money to dunk Tony, which really got on Tony's nerves. Rhodey got him each try he got, which was three. Now Tony sat shaking with chills, soaked to the bone. Pepper laughed ever time she saw his face. It was a deep pout.
Later, after Tony and Pepper's break, he was dry and ready for more. Not really, ready, but forced to sit above that tauntingly cold water. He just sighed and tried to ignore just how cold that water was.
…
The instant Howard got to the carnival, he was lucky and found Roberta buying her ticket. She waited while he got his own and together they went to look for their kids. They ended up stopping to get something to eat or to look at something they found interesting but after a little bit, they found Rhodey at the balloon dart game.
"Rhodey!" Roberta called.
The two adults walked up the boy and after Roberta gave him his phone, Howard was quick to ask him if he knew where Tony was. And Roberta, curious, asked where Pepper was as well. Before he could answer there was a shout and tons of laughs coming from behind them, but still at a distance.
"That would be them." Rhodey said trying to hold in his laughter.
They made their way over to where they saw a large crowd at where the shout and laughter was coming from.
…
"Tony?" The two voices were loud and clear to his ears. "Pepper?"
He was about to reply to them, when Happy suddenly got the urge to chuck a ball at the target and Tony was sent plummeting down to the ice water. He splashed around, not expecting to be dunked, because really there was not many people dunking him, since it was about time a car show, or tractor derby, thing started so the crowds were getting pretty small.
He finally got up out of the water and was now dripping cold on the chair. His arms were crossed to try to keep himself warm.
"Happy!?" He almost shouted. "What was that for?"
The muscled teen shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not the genius! I just felt like it, don't be such a loser."
"Happy, be nice." Pepper called out just before she was dunked.
Tony ignored Happy and looked around to see his dad and Roberta looking at him with equally shocked faces. Though, the instant he met eyes with them, they burst out laughing. He went red to the face and shivered.
"What are you guys doing here?" He asked, in a chatter.
"I needed to see Rhodey with his phone, and Howard has to talk to you." Roberta explained.
"Did I do something wrong?" Tony asked. "I forgot to tell you didn't I?"
Howard chuckled. "Yes, you did, but you didn't do anything wrong." He went to continue, but Tony got dunked.
"COLD!" His son shouted desperately trying to get out of the water. "Cold, cold, cold, cold, COLD! Jeez, Pepper, why is it so COLD?"
"To give the participants motivation to pay to dunk you. Plus, it's extra money to get warm water." She replied easily.
Tony grumbled something under his breath, and looked to his dad with a shiver. "You needed to talk?"
"It can wait." Howard said. "I'll be leaving, but I need to talk to you when you get home, so don't be too late."
Tony nodded not really sure how to answer, Though even if he did, he wouldn't have had the chance for he was dunked again.
…
"I am NEVER doing that again." Tony said seriously.
"Are you kidding!? That was so much fun! I still can't believe you didn't like it!" Pepper said unknowingly grabbing his hand.
They were walking home as they ended the day. Tony was walking her home though now he was dressed and dry as was she. They each had a small bag of stuff that they bought during their breaks, and they were almost there.
"The water was freezing and Happy wouldn't stop dunking me." Tony replied hardly noticing Peppers hand. "How am I supposed to like that?"
"I don't know, I thought it was very fun." Pepper said.
There was a pause as they reached her front door. Then they realized that they were holding hands. Then they really were standing in an awkward moment. Pepper and Tony were both blushing.
"Well, I uh..." Tony started. "I guess it wasn't all too bad..."
"See?" She said a bit weirdly. "I told you so."
Tony laughed nervously and scratched his neck. "Hey Pep?"
"Yes, Tony?"
"I was thinking, that maybe...maybe we could, you know...hang out together sometime. You know, since we both know we... uh like each other..." Tony said refering to the night after the invasion, where Tony and Pepper both confessed to liking each other. This was only a few weeks later, a little after graduation.
"Are you asking me out?"
Tony blushed even more and sheepishly nodded.
Pepper almost leaped into his arms. Surprised he hugged her back. "Thanks."
She was inside her house before he could ask what for. Then he just shook his head and walked home. Now he knew to make sure he knew what it was she was talking about exactly before excepting to do something she called 'fun'. So now, he would know better. Cause this time, he was just lucky it wasn't something dangerous.
Then he smiled. He really did love Pepper. If he was daring enough to do something she thought was fun, since she thinks almost dying is fun.
What was he going to do with her?
Horrible ending, i know. But i couldn't find a way to end it without having to put on so much more, and that would make me want to split it into two chapters. Which i on't really want to do, so i tried my best to shorten up the ending.
Next, i'll be trying to post a new chapter to Day at a Bank. Its been too long, and i admit that i actually forgot about that story until, someone posted a new review on it. THANK YOU FOR THE REMINDER! I just need to get it off my kindle and onto my computer since it's on the other one and not mine...but that'll take only a minute.
Bye!
