Warning: contains smut at the end. Please skip once you hit the elevator if you don't want to read it.
So, uh, let's start with New York. The tesseract. The portal. The fucking alien invasion. God, if I redo the details I'll panic myself to death right here. I mean, you know what happened, right? I carried the nuke into the wormhole, and...
Yup, here it comes. Shit. I just uh, I just gotta...okay. I'm good. I think. Yeah. I'm fine... Moving on...
After they kissed me awake, I think, we got reindeer games packaged up all nice for eyepatch to babysit, and then...shawarma! Will they tell you they were hungry? No. But they were.
So there we sat, eating this heavenly convection in this run down, destroyed shawarma joint that somehow survived an alien invasion as if it were nothing, and she's there.
"Natasha...?" I hear her ask quietly.
Then, my eyes settles on her. She's in white. A skirt and heels. Not battle attire. I should make her a suit. Right? Right. Mental note for Jarvis for later.
"Tony..." she whispers, and I catch her blue eyes on mine - they're so heavy with relief it shuts down my mind.
"Pepper," I answer simply.
Fuck, I'm a mess. I probably have food all over my damn face and this napkin is so far past greasy and... Nevermind, I'm sure that's the least of her worries after thinking I died along with a nuclear bomb. So, I drop the napkin I'm fussing with back on the plate.
I don't know what to do in this kind of situation. Do I stand? Do I run? Do I just hug her or do I kiss her, too?
Widow says her name quietly and stands to greet her at the door, but it doesn't seem like Pepper cares; her eyes are still on me. Honestly, it's freaking me out a little. Am I in trouble? Is it the good kind of trouble or the bad kind of trouble? I could go for the good kind right now. And now, Pepper lets her shoulders drop and I know it's the good kind.
So here's the situation: I can either, A, try to remain emotionless and not let Tony Stark look like a pansy, B, tell her what I wanted to tell on that call and forget they're here, or C, take her right here on this table like my mind is trying to convince me is appropriate. That oughta show Cap to stop fucking with me, figuratively, right?
Anyway, I don't think I have time to decide because now she is urgently racing around the table towards me, her fiery red hair that I love so much hanging loosely from her shoulders.
"Tony!" she breathes and it forces me out of my seat.
I'm immediately met with the weight of her body as she flings it at me, sending the chair further behind me from the impact against the back of my knees - and before you mention it, the whole 'tiny Tony' thing is gettin' old. I can make up for it elsewhere, if you're wondering.
And that's when her arms wrap around my neck and I cave. I almost said goodbye to this woman...without even a second thought. What the hell is wrong with me?
Before I know it, my hands are tangled in her hair, tugging, gripping, holding onto her and not letting her go. A kiss goes to the side of her head and I can feel her shudder against me. Her eyes are probably closed and she's trembling, but so am I. I didn't even think about...well, that's a lie. I did. I did that for her. For the future, even if I wasn't in it. But I'm gonna be damned if I let her go now - not when it took me so long to man up and realize it's always been her from the start.
Suddenly, I'm pushed back and she has both of her hands on my face. Then...yup, those are Pepper's lips. Andddd, that's her tongue. Shit. She doesn't even understand how much I want her right now, and this is not going to help. Okay, Stark, don't let them see you soften up, don't...
She gasps when I reciprocate, and I'm clinging onto her for dear life as I kiss her back. I can't keep it out of my head anymore. The torpedo. The portal. The...darkness. Her face on the screen even after Jarvis backs out...
Then she's gone just as fast, and she's peppering kisses on me, frantic and needy. It's kinda hot, to be honest. But the stupid humming of this damn piece of metal in my chest is preventing it from being anything more. Oh, and the fact that the rest of the super boy band are still here.
"I thought you were dead!" she manages to get out, and the words hurt.
Her eyes on me as she holds my face and makes me look at her hurts even more.
"How could you do that?! How could you just throw your life away like that?! Did you even think about the consequences?! About..."
Okay, so now she's mad.
"I'm so sorry, Tony. I didn't hear my phone, and..."
Er...just kidding? Jesus, women are confusing. Thus why I preferred to not do this relationship thing for so long...but, Pepper is different, and let's face it...no one else will accept me, especially after the arc. So, what do I do? I laugh. I'm confused as hell by the sudden mood swings, but her tears aren't hidden anymore and I can't take her crying. The shit this woman does to me, I swear...
"Pepper," I whisper without realizing, and now I'm holding her against me again.
"I promise I'll answer every single call from now on. I'll even have Jarvis program an auto pick up...just in case..." she tells me.
That's a stretch. She says that now, but wait until I take this challenge and she gets sick of it.
"Hey. Pepper, relax. I'm here. I'm okay. I'm alive," I go with, realizing I'm too tired to joke - too tired to think, or care what thunder hands or Robin Hood over there think.
"You're..." I hear, before I flinch at her tone; yup, wrong choice of words. "Relax?"
"Banner had my back."
Should I look at him? Yeah, I'll look at him. Not in a creepy way, but in a 'can you say something so I stop digging myself into a bigger hole' kind of way. She looks, briefly, but now she's back to putting me under fire...didn't I just deal with that when I was being attacked by aliens?!
"We can talk about it later," I decide as my body starts to ache. "Trust me. I don't think I'm gonna want to move for days. We have all the time in the world."
"I-"
Damnit, Stark, you made her cry again.
Silently kicking myself, I do what I do best and shut her up with another kiss, but not the kind she's used to. Sure, most of our encounters have been stupid, drunken stumbles or sexually influenced need which left me clawing her clothes off - mostly on my part, I admit - but that's not the way I need her right now. This is something new. I don't even get it, but I'm not good with feelings and all this emotional shit... Ugh. Help. Jarvis? Jarvis, where are you when I need you, buddy?!
Anyway, so while I'm freaking myself out and all of this is processing, I forget I'm, oh wait, still kissing my girlfriend! And it's the most calm I think I've ever felt. She wraps her arms around my neck again, and then I let go and let her hug me again. I'm just thinking of taking her home and...no, not here. Stop thinking about that!
I resort to kissing her neck lightly a few times, and then I close my eyes. The adrenaline is slowly disappearing and the damage to my body and mind from the battle is replacing it with pain and weakness. Just like what was left with the suit when I dropped it off at the remains of the tower, I can feel myself slowly falling apart. And it isn't just the fatigue. It's the realization that we're safe...for now, but for who knows how long, really. The city is...sort of still standing. The team is here. Pepper is here. Everything is okay, I think. Health wise, it's okay, anyway. But it may not have been. I could've been stuck in that portal. Or in a destroyed mess in the concrete outside if Banner didn't catch me. And now I'm looking at her gorgeous blue eyes, watery still, and - shit, is the arc still working? What's that annoying tug down there?
"I love you, Pep," I'm telling her absentmindedly, and as I wait for a response, it settles in that I finally said it and I inhale sharply, holding it.
She doesn't speak. Fuck. What now? Uh, do I apologize? Or just keep holding her against me like this? Or...or, can I figure out a way to go back and just die right there? I screwed this up. I can feel it. This is worse than before. This is...panic. Yup, the same word that I wanted to use when that blond was harassing me at the benefit for a statement. Panic. Until...
She's shaking. Pepper's...crying? Pepper doesn't cry. She's too strong for that, right? Wrong. She's clinging onto my tighter now, and it's killing me even more than the aliens ever could. She doesn't deserve this...I don't deserve her. No matter what I do, it'll never end well for her.
"Pepper?" I finally mange to ask, not wanting this to keep going on. "Honey?"
And then I hear it.
"I love you too..."
Her head lifts and it warms my heart, and suddenly the great Tony Stark is wiping away her tears - I'll never live this one down. I gotta change this before it goes too far.
"So. You'll answer every call?" I ask, thinking of the possibilities and the many, many times in just the last few days that she's told me to leave her out of my arguments with the star spangled super soldier. "Even the ones you usually ignore when I'm bored in a meeting? Or when Capsicle over here-"
Speaking of, Steve generously clears his throat right when things begin to get fun, reminding me again that they're still there.
"I don't care," Pepper giggles. "Every call, Stark. I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
Her laugh is toxic and I can't help the smirk that crawls onto my face and I can feel my entire body soften up. Oh how I want to tease Pepper...so badly. That's what I'm good at. But hearing her laugh again, I just want nothing more than to have her back in bed, under the sheets, and...well, honestly? Just keep her safely in my arms. Tame, right? Weird. Very weird. Doesn't matter; the wave of relief that's hitting me is too overpowering for anything else.
Pepper glances around the room and wipes away the last of her tears, apparently realizing how fragile she presented herself in front of everyone that probably only knew her as CEO. Little does she know I filled them in on most of it...it's hard not to want to show her off. She knows the group by face and names on paper, I think, but she hasn't met any of them outside of Widow. She blushes fiercely, and I can feel her discomfort, so I introduce her instead.
"So, uh..." I scratch my head and gesture to the group at the table - it's a nervous tick, I guess; believe it or not, I'm not good with social situations...unless they end in the bedroom. "You know Nat...and I'm sure you've heard of Cap over there."
Cap shakes her hand and suddenly I'm fuming, but I can't show it. So I give their hands a tight stare, waiting for it to end, and subconsciously dig my nails into her hip. Am I jealous? No. Yes. Maybe. Stop asking.
"Pleasure to meet you," he says.
She smiles kindly in return before I snap out of it.
"This...ungodly electrifying being here is Thor..."
Wow, that was terrible. Moving on...
"This is Bruce Banner...and that's..."
Fuck, who is bow and arrow again?
"Clint," he answers for me, and shoots fire my way.
I shrug with a sheepish grin; gotta give 'em hell somehow, right? He's the easiest too; it drives him nuts every time.
"Everyone, this is my girlfriend...Pepper Potts," I answer.
Yeah, that doesn't sound weird.
"The man of iron has successfully courted a woman?" Thor teases.
Why does he insist on calling me that?! Iron Man doesn't need nicknames!
"Tony, did you make these poor people cook for you?" Pepper asks softly after waving hello.
"Well, uh..." I sit back down. "They didn't exactly have any other customers, so..."
There's no chairs left that haven't been destroyed, so guess this is gonna get uncomfortable for me really fast. Good thing the Tower is just a block down.
"Sit."
She hesitates for a moment, but then realizes the same, I think, and she wraps an arm around my neck. And like that, things are perfect. She's picking at what's left of our food, and I can feel her heart beating as I lay my chin on her shoulder. Widow raises an eyebrow at me, challenging me from across the table, but fuck it, I don't care anymore. This...this is why I did it. This is why I saved the city. This is why I saved her.
And, I'm sure, as you can imagine, as soon as I plant another kiss on her neck, I'm lost. Her legs drape over my lap and her heels are very, very present. She licks her fingers instead of using the napkin I tossed there before, and my chest is suddenly tightening. She doesn't realize it when she does it, but damn can she be seductive. I shift uncomfortably, and she notices. Then, I watch as she smirks, hiding it from everyone but me, and I suck in another breath as the already tight jeans I put on this morning are suddenly tighter.
Cap mentions Loki - I guess they're dispersing tomorrow morning. I'm not really listening; I know Pepper will, so I'm glad she's back. Right now, I'm trying too hard to tame the fight between my desire for her and for my shower and the bed and some sleep.
"Tony?"
There it is; her soft voice, suddenly making me jump a little in my seat. How long had I zoned out? Her hand is on my cheek and I glance at her softly, smiling a genuinely sleepy smile.
"We should get you back home," she decides, standing and reminding me of the situation in my pants.
Uh, think, Tony, think. Banner, as the big green naked dude. Rhodey, the time I walked in on him in the shower. The first time I woke up in the cave with the car battery. Obie ripping my metal heart out. Um... my father. Yup, that was good enough. Anything about my father...just focus on that. But don't panic! Don't think about it too hard!
I breathe out and then I'm good enough to stand as she invites them over, adjusting slightly before I do so.
"There's spare rooms on the middle floors. You're all welcome...at least for tonight."
Generous Pepper. And cock blocking Cap. Of course.
"Tony, are you coming?"
Oh, we're going now? Okay. Cool. I got this. Just a short walk back over into the war zone. Sure, I've done this a thousand times.
"Um, Pep," I manage, remembering she hasn't seen it since the battle started. "The suite might be...a little trashed."
"I know," she answers. "We'll take the spares for now."
That stuns me. Pepper isn't normally that nonchalant. But of course, Pepper doesn't usually have to worry that aliens killed her lover, either.
Either way, she somehow manages to lead me back, and my hand is tightly holding onto hers as I try not to look at the remains of those...things in the streets. The memories are flooding back, like it never ended, even though it was at least over an hour ago.
Then, we're in the elevator, and we're silent as the team gets off on the floor Pepper instructs them to. She knows Nat has been there - she's had her over before. She leaves her to find them towels and linens, and then we're off, up another few floors to our spare room. Not as nice as the suite, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest right now.
As soon as the elevator doors close us from the super friends, I feel a weight lifted off of my shoulders, and I'm slumping against her. She's cradling my head, and I'm just breathing in her scent. My body feels weak, but the arc is still glowing, so that's a good sign. I close my eyes after inspecting it, feeling her comb through my dusty hair.
"I can't believe you," she finally speaks, but it isn't yelling...it is softly scolding, still heartfelt and relieved, and I can't blame her. "I thought I lost you Tony. I thought you killed yourself in front of the entire world. And for what? For pride? For-"
"For you," I answer, feeling the need to correct her as I lift my head from her hug and rest my eyes on her sad face. "For us. I love you, Virginia Potts. Probably too much, but I do. I love you."
And we sit there like that, staring at each other, before she suddenly throws herself at me for the second time that day. I grin against her kiss, knowing the name set her off; I haven't used her name like that since I nicknamed her after that hair and those freckles, and she likes it.
My energy is back, swift as could be, and so is the problem in my jeans. I grab her, hands in her hair, and push her back until her back hits the wall of the elevator. Usually, she doesn't like the roughness, since we haven't actually...taken it anywhere. Surprised? Yeah, me too, but it makes sense, I guess. But she wasn't about to be like one of the other girls I brought home, so we were...waiting. Were. Keyword.
Not anymore. Now, her hands are pulling my hair just as rough, and it's sending electricity through my battered body as I slide my tongue into her mouth and pull her hips against mine, shocking her, but not scaring her off. She pulls away to breathe, and I take advantage of that, kissing and biting at her neck. Eagerly, she shrugs out of her light jacket and leaves it lie on the floor as the doors ding open and I pull her, rather aggressively, out of the lift with me.
We hit the wall, and suddenly the tables have turned. I release my hands as I feel a little winded from the impact and find the wall behind me, and hers are already roaming down to the zipper on my jeans. Jesus Christ, Pepper - jumping straight to the goods? Fuck. Without realizing it, that thought comes out in the form of a groan and she's sucking on my ear as I help her tug my pants down and step out of them.
"Christ, Pepper," I breathe, not knowing what to do.
For once, I'm dumbfounded. Sure, we've done...stuff, but never this...disrespectful. Never this needy, or urgent. All the other women I've brought home are just one and done and it's the same thing after same thing, unless one of them happens to be one of the strippers I used to frequent from Vegas. Then, they had some experience with -
Shit. Her hand grazes me through my boxers before heading under my shirt and that snaps me back to reality. This is Pepper. My Pepper. My assistant, my CEO, my girlfriend... Pepper Potts and I are going to have sex. Finally. And it's not weird. Should it be? I don't know. Do I keep this up, or go slow, or...
She grabs my hair again and pulls my head back so she can go at my neck and that answers that question. A growl escapes me from somewhere below my arc reactor, and then I'm grabbing her, my hands searching under her blouse for her breasts. She pulls back before I can find them, tearing it off at the same time I pull the zipper on her skirt, and shit, is she breathtaking.
"You're beautiful, Pepper."
I realize I said it. Whispered it, really. And that worries me for a second. Will she change her mind?
Nope.
Two petite hands are grabbing my dirty collar and dragging me through the doorway at the other end of the hall, her eyes locked on mine.
"I love you, Tony, but for once, can you just shut up," she demands, and damn, is it hot.
I shrug mentally, and then her mouth is on mine again and a moan escapes her small frame as I bite her lower lip. I smirk, thinking about everything that's about to come, but before I can think too hard, she's pulling me down on top of her on the spare room's mattress, and she's frantically trying to pull my shirt over my head. I know she's successful when the light from the arc lights up the room, making me second guess myself for a moment.
"Maybe we should keep the shirt on," I suggest, it killing my ego a little bit.
But she shakes her head. "I want you. All of you."
God, why is she so perfect and why didn't I realize that sooner?! All those wasted years...
"Tony!" she snaps, her nails suddenly digging into my ass, and it jerks me back.
"Sorry," I mutter, and then I'm back to her neck.
She giggles a little, from my goatee, I'm assuming, but her death grip on me doesn't loosen. My hands are roaming her from underneath, desperately searching for the release of her bra, and you should know where it goes from there... Breasts, stomach, legs... Her hands are wildly tugging at my boxers, but I stop her and pin them above her head.
Her eyes ignite, and it chills me for a second, but then I remember how much my name has been passed around and she probably expected as much. I grin as my kisses wind up going down her body, making her shiver as she tosses her head back. And then I'm there, right where she wants me. Waiting, blowing softly, teasing...
"Fuck, Tony," she curses and I blink the shock from my face.
"Whoa there, Pep," I tease, and I know it's driving her wild. "I didn't know you swore."
She doesn't miss a beat. "There's a lot of things you don't know yet, Mr Stark."
Yup. Something about that drives me over the edge and before she can react, I'm tearing her panties down and she's nervously watching for my next move. God, the things I want to do to her. The many, many things. But I can't even process them, because the ultimate need to take her and make her mine and show her I love her is more than any of the others, and I meet her eyes as I think it over and release her hands.
"Please..." she whimpers, and they immediately bolt for my remaining clothing, shoving them down over what she wants.
I groan, pulling her hips roughly up to meet mine, and then my mouth is back on hers, muting her as I pull her legs around my waist and push into her. She squeaks softly, biting my tongue by accident, and then the tension disappears and her hands find my shoulders, her nails pulling my closer.
I pause my kiss as I start moving, my mind frozen. This. Her. God. I'm fucking Pepper. Everything, all of it, brought us here, and now she's..I'm...we're...
"Fuck," I mutter, pulling myself from her lips as I grab onto her hip, granting me a deeper access to her body.
Her moans are enough to send me over right there, but I try to hold out. Try to wait. Try to live up to everything she's heard, but I don't think I can. The pressure builds up in my gut and I bury my face in her neck instead, sucking there to distract myself.
I feel her move her hands down, desperately clutching at my ass again, and it pushes me to the edge.
"Shit, Pep, I don't think-" I manage, and out of concern for her, my free hand finds its way between us and to her sweet spot, helping out a little bit.
Her hands are then on my face and she's forcing me to look at her as I get less rhythmic and start to slow myself down.
"I love you, Anthony Stark," she whispers to me, and I know she's struggling, too.
Her eyes close next, and she arches her back and all it takes it one, two, three more, and...
Then I'm catching my breathing, and she hers, and my glistening forehead is now on hers as we lay there in silence for a few minutes until I suck in a deep breath and separate myself from her, rolling onto my back. Sleep is calling, and hard, and the last thing I see is her hand run along the arc as she snuggles into my side.
"Love you..." I mumble, and then I'm out.
And that, I'm sure, has made you blush as red as your hair, Pep. But I promise that's not why I went that in detail. Maybe it's more for me, I don't know, but that, miss Potts, was the first time I told you I love you. The first time I told anyone I love them, and that was the first time we made love. And fuck, I'm just a ruined mess, aren't I? Who says these words? Not me. I don't even know what half of them mean. Kidding, I'm a genius, of course I get the idea. Just didn't think I'd ever use them, you know? Tony Stark, committed to someone special? Hell must have frozen over.
Okay, no, don't roll your eyes at me. The point is...that night, that's how I wanted everything to be. Minus the aliens and the destruction and the...okay, nevermind, bad analogy. You, me, silence...happy. Ugh. Just know that I've never felt any differently, even if I have fucked things up since then.
Despite what you think...I've never stopped loving you since, Pepper.