A/N: Hi, sorry I wasn't user friendly in the first chapter. :) I'm not a robot, I swear! Anyways, sorry for all the grammar and spelling mistakes. I'm not much a proof reader. I have to go play Call of Duty Black Ops because it's mandatory daily clan practice. I'm such a tom boy :[. Anyways, Happy Holidays! Be safe and have fun! :D
Pepper picked up her purse and her blackberry before swinging her legs out of her car. She stood up, locked her car with a press of a button and continued to walk towards the front door of the Tony's house. She felt absolutely awful. She already had the knowledge of Tony's lack of relationship knowledge. I really shouldn't have lectured him like that.
She took out her keys and opened the front door with ease. As she shut the door behind herself, she heard JARVIS greet her.
"Good morning, Miss Potts. I admire your choice of business attire, today." The AI said.
"Thank you, JARVIS, and a good morning to you too." Pepper's lips started to curl upwards. "Is Mr. Stark still sleeping?"
"Mr. Stark woke up early today and insisted on working on the suit." He informed her.
"So, he's in the workshop?" She asked the house's program, adjusting her purse.
"Indeed."
"Thanks." She breathed. I should apologize… or at least tell him I was wrong. Well I wasn't exactly wrong. I should've used the driving analogy. Pepper threw her purse onto the couch before walking down the stairs. She peered through the glass windows, and saw him hunched over in a light blue cotton t-shirt and a pair of jeans, clearly working on a device of some sort. She inhaled briefly before punching in her access code. She heard the door unlock and proceeded to walk inside.
Tony turned his head slightly and saw her walking towards him through the corner of his eye.
"Tony." She called.
"Hm?" he hummed, not moving an inch. He twisted the screwdriver left and right, trying to find the right adjustment.
Her voice sounded a little calm. "I need to talk to you." Pepper breathed, mindlessly letting her hands play with themselves, as if she was nervous.
"I…I actually need to talk to you, too." He admitted. Tony put the device he was working on down, letting the screwdriver fall onto the desk. He turned around in his chair and stood up. He started gesturing towards the couch.
Pepper slightly shook her head. "I actually have quite a lot of work to do. I was going to go back to the office… after." Her fingers twisted with each other.
"Oh." He muttered.
Complete silence. Both of them looked at each other with painful glances.
"I—I came down here to apologize." Why are my palms so sweaty? Am I really that nervous? It's just Tony! Pepper breathed.
"Apologize for what?" his eyebrows slightly furrowed. "You were right, Pepper."
"Right about—?"
"About everything." He confessed, leaning against his desk with his hands gripped around the edges. "I kind of feel weird for admitting it, but you were right about how I acted."
"Tony…" Pepper sighed. She didn't really want to be right.
"I should've just gone home after the first mission." His eyes briefly admired the floor of the workshop. Pepper felt her heart ache when his eyes finally locked onto hers. "If I had just talked to you about it, I wouldn't have been blaming you for my injuries – not that I initially was."
She started to move her feet towards him. Without saying a word, she found herself next to him, leaning against the desk, hands gripping the edges of the table.
"I'm new at this, Pepper."
"I know." She muttered, briefly looking up at him.
"I—I really don't have a record… for uh… having a standing relationship… with someone – other than my parents." He pressed his lips together. "And Rhodey."
"Well…" She placed her hand gently on top of his and brushed his fingers with her thumb. "…We can always take things slow."
Tony breathed a laugh and looked down at her with a smile. "Hopefully not too slow." Pepper smiled back up at him. "So, what did you want to apologize for?"
"I felt horrible when I woke up. I shouldn't have lectured you like that. I shouldn't have made you felt like it was your entire fault." She admitted. "I should've been more open to your feelings and—"
"You shouldn't apologize for that." He cut her off. "I shouldn't have brought Iron Man into this in the first place. I didn't even think about talking to anyone about it."
"I'm still apologizing." She assured him, practically ignoring what he had just said.
"Well…" he thought about it, smiling down at her. "…then I accept your apology."
Pepper moved her hands and carefully wrapped them around his arm before resting her head on his shoulder.
"Ahh." Tony hissed. "Shoulder – Peps – shoulder."
She retracted her head, feeling completely stupid. "Oh god – Tony – I'm sorry. I forgot—"
"It's okay." He stopped her from apologizing again.
"Is the pain getting worse?" She asked in a worried tone.
"The pain is equal from last night."
"Did you take care of your leg after I left?" She curiously glanced down at his leg.
"Yeah." He slightly nodded. "I kind of missed your gentle touch though."
Pepper breathed a laugh and carefully leaned against his arm. They stood there, absorbing each other's memorable and comfortable company. He had to admit, he missed her presence, especially after their fight yesterday. He hated being separated from her because Pepper was basically his better half. Without her, he felt empty inside. Tony slowly slid his arm out of her grasp and wrapped it around her waist. He carefully pulled her to his side and immediately felt her arms wrap around his waist. She let her head gently lean against his side, feeling his fingers rub calm circles in her hip.
They stood there, at that exact position, for a few minutes before one of them broke the romantic moment.
"I still think you should talk to someone about these 'thoughts' you've been having about our relationship." She glanced up at him.
Tony's mouth went crooked. "Did you happen to minor in psychology when you were in—"
"I'm being serious, Tony." Pepper spat back at him.
"But…" He pouted. "…who would want to listen to be babble about my thoughts and feelings? It's like making Fury cuddle with a care bear. It's awkward and uncanny."
She rolled her eyes at him. "You have me." She started suggesting. "You have Fury, Natasha, Rhodey, and Happy."
Tony looked in the distance and made a sour face.
"You have JARVIS." She said dryly, obviously hinting of JARVIS' lack of care and dedication for feelings.
"I could integrate some kind of therapist program in JARVIS…" He thought for a moment.
"At least talk to someone about it." She intimately squeezed him, arms still around his waist. "Even a lamp post would work."
Tony stifled a laugh and thought about tomorrow's front page headlines. "Billionaire Tony Stark Finally Goes Insane."
She started giggling, making her snuggle into his side even more, whilst being careful of his injuries. She slid her hand up to his chest, outlined the arc reactor and patted his chest lightly.
"I…" Pepper started out. "…have to go get some work done." She tried to slip from his grasp but immediately felt pulled back by his hands that were grasping her waist. She turned around and positioned herself between his legs, molding into his chest. Tony couldn't help but smile frivolously down at her.
"You don't have to go right now, do you?" He practically pouted like a puppy.
"I have to work, Tony. It's what you pay me for." She gave him a serious glare, equipped with a light smile.
"You don't have to work." He breathed. "I can pay you for making out with me."
"I wouldn't be your P.A then." Pepper began flashing a playful grin. "I'd be your prostitute."
Their faces were so close to each other's. Pepper could feel his breath tickle her neck and Tony could feel her scent engulf his body. God, she smelled so amazing.
"No." He breathed, captivated by her beauty. "You'd be my PA with benefits."
He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers, searching for her approval. Pepper leaned a bit forward and felt his lips slightly capture her bottom lip. They met half way and started reliving the kiss on the rooftop. He felt the glossy feeling of her soft lips capture his own.
Pepper's arms slid up from his chest and wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her; deepening the kiss. A moan came from the back of Tony's throat and Pepper couldn't help but grin. After a few more seconds of swapping saliva, she pulled away.
"Wait-wait-wait." Tony pleaded, opening his eyes. "What about the make-up sex?" He began to pout.
"I need to go to work." She told him, rolling her eyes at his last comment, and taking his hands off her waist; holding them in the empty space between their bodies.
"Right now?" He sniffed, hoping she'd give into his irresistible charm. Tony squeezed her hands with affection.
"Yes, right now. Paperwork don't do themselves, you know." Pepper's grin widened.
"I could've sworn I heard them moaning in the filing cabinet a couple days ago." He joked, faking a puzzled face.
"Ha ha." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes again.
"When are you going to be done?" Tony swung their hands back and forth.
"I'll probably swing by around three to check up on you." She squeezed his hands, briefly, before letting go. "We have a meeting in thirty minutes. I assume you don't want to go."
"I don't necessarily want to go… but if you want me to go, I'll go." He warmly smiled.
"I…" she thought about it. "…I think you should stay home."
"Oh—What?" Tony furrowed his eyebrows.
"You should stay home and recover from last night's mission. Or at least try to get some rest until I get back."
"I'm definitely not complaining." He widened his grin. "If you get bored during the meetings, feel free to text me."
"I'm not you, Tony. I pay attention during the meetings… for your sake." She shot back at him equipped with a smile of her own.
"Then pay attention while texting. Think of it as multitasking in a car."
"You're not supposed to 'multitask' when you're driving." She muffled a playful laugh. She walked towards the glass door with a grin spread across her face. Only he could pull off that cute, clueless and irresistible charm.
"You complete me." He mumbled loud enough for her to hear him.
Pepper backed against the glass door and blushed. He watched as her cute smile grew, surrounded by the ever growing red color that suddenly blossomed on her face. "I'll see you later." And with that, the glass door closed, leaving Tony in his workshop.
"JARVIS." He breathed.
"Yes, sir?"
"Call speed dial 2, please."
"Calling Colonel James Rhodes." JARVIS responded after a few seconds.
Tony turned around to face his desk while still keeping that silly grin on his face; one that only the woman that meant the world to him could conjure up.
Rhodey walked into a Starbucks coffee shop with a leather jacket, a grey cotton t-shirt and a pair of jeans on. He stood at the entrance for a few seconds before seeing a hand waving in the distance. He lifted his palm upward and made his way towards the table. He slid into the booth, facing his best friend.
"Hey." Rhodey pressed his lips together, adjusting himself into a comfortable position.
"Took you long enough." Tony slightly smiled.
"You only called me twenty minutes ago and traffic was horrendous." Rhodey rolled his eyes and noticed Tony's odd position. "I take it the mission didn't go so well."
"Huh?" Tony furrowed his eyebrows; he looked at his shoulder and then down at his chest. He wasn't bleeding or anything… "How can you tell?"
"I can tell when it looks like you look like you've just gotten steamrolled by tank." Rhodey saw a puzzled look wash over his face. "You tilt to the right."
"Oh…" Tony breathed.
"So…" Rhodey linked his hands together in a very business like fashion. "Why'd you call me here? Do we have some kind of mission to go on?"
"I—"
"Does Fury want me to bust up some bad guys or-or take care of some super villain?" He started getting excited. "Just say the word and I'm—"
"I'm having woman troubles." Tony blurted out.
"Gone." Rhodey motioned to get up. "I'll see you later, Tony."
"Oh c'mon, Rhodey." Tony reached for his hand in attempt to yank him back down but his shoulder gave out. "You're already here. You might as well stick around."
He was already half way out of the booth. He rolled his eyes and heavily sighed before sitting back down. Rhodey looked at Tony with an annoyed expression.
"Okay, point taken. Now, why in the hell do you have girl problems?" His eyes suddenly started rolling again. "Oh, dear lord, please don't tell me you screwed up with Pepper."
"I didn't." Tony attempted to reassure him. "Well… I did, but everything's okay now. Although…" He made a disappointed face. "…there was not make-up sex."
Rhodey looked up at him and shook his head. "If you called me down here to get in her pants—"
"I swear I didn't." Tony suddenly smirked. "It's not like I need your help to romance Pepper."
"And suddenly, I feel sick." Rhodey mumbled. He looked up at him. "What exactly can I do to help you with your… 'woman troubles'?" he air quoted.
"Listen to me babble and give me some pointers." Tony shrugged. "That's all."
"Babble about what?"
Tony raised his arms to rest on the table and leaned forward. "I kind of screwed up… last night."
"Screwed up?"
He began scratching the back of his head. "I got angry at Pepper. She tried to get me to sign some papers and… at the time I was thinking about our relationship so—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold it right there." Rhodey interrupted.
"What?" Tony asked in confusion. "What did I do?"
"You—you're not supposed think about your relationship and let those thoughts get in the way of it."
"Why?" He furrowed his eyebrows.
"Because—" Rhodey couldn't help but smile. "Because it's a tell."
"A tell?" Tony furrowed his eyebrows.
"Just—just tell me the rest of the story."
"So… um…" Tony's mouth went crooked. "…We got into a fight and then we went our separate ways. I desperately asked Fury for a mission and Pepper went home. I came back from my first mission but then I asked Fury for another. And Pepper didn't actually go home. She was waiting for me… but I was too chicken to face her… so I went on the second mission."
Rhodey shook his head at him in disappointment.
"Next thing I knew, I was being sliced by saw blades that zipped every which way because of an exploding saw factory—who the hell has a saw factory these days? It's a pretty pointless place to keep my weapons." Tony saw Rhodey's impatient facial expression and immediately carried on. "Um… I got home and I called Pepper to help me patch me up. I told her I went on two missions and I explained to her why I didn't come home after the first one."
"She got pissed?" Rhodey guessed.
"Yep." Tony popped the 'p'. "Royally pissed. She lectured me and told me to think about what she said."
"What did she tell you to think about?"
"A lot of stuff. She basically wants me to talk to someone about my feelings about our relationship. And that someone is you." Tony added a playful smile. "So Platypus, prepare to be Iron Man's therapist."
"Great." Rhodey sighed. "Okay, first thing's first."
"Hm?" He hummed.
"What's wrong with your relationship with Pepper?"
"Nothing's wrong." Tony quickly answered.
"First stage, denial." Rhodey half smiled and sarcastically added, "Congratulations, we're making progress."
"No, I'm serious. Nothing is wrong." Tony pressed his lips together.
"So, you got owned by an exploding saw factory and pissed off your girlfriend for nothing."
"I—I just don't know—" Tony bit his lip and heavily sighed. "You know how many girls I've seen after the first date, right?"
"Yeah." Rhodey nodded. "Zero. Zip. Zilch. Nada. None—"
"I'm a newbie at this." Tony admitted, cutting Rhodey off. "I don't know how to treat Pepper like a girlfriend."
"Welcome to the world of dating. Would you like your book, 'Dating for Dummies?' now, or later?" Rhodey smiled. He enjoyed toying with him, but he had to give him props for telling someone about his problems.
"Rhodey…" Tony whined. "Will you quit it? This is a first for me and I'd appreciate it if you saved the jokes for later."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry." His laughter slowly stopped. "Okay." He leaned forward and pressed his lips together. "I need to see what I'm dealing with."
"Are you blind? I'm right here." Tony joked.
"Question one." Rhodey started.
"Wait—what?" He widened his eyes.
"What place to do take a girl on a first date?"
"Um…" Tony looked up at the ceiling in thought. Within a few seconds, he looked back at Rhodey. "Easy. First date would be at a romantically mood lit five star restaurant."
"Oh my lord." He muttered.
"What?" Tony asked back; obviously befuddled.
"You don't take her to a five star restaurant with the hopes of getting her in your pants on a first date." He suddenly felt a headache blossom in his head.
"You obviously don't know me then." Tony widened his grin.
"And that's another thing. You don't aim to get in her pants on the first date." Before Tony could even counter that statement, Rhodey intervened. "And you don't talk about your previous dates. Never talk about your exes unless she asks. And if she asks, don't make it seem like you miss her because that would mean you're single again."
"But Pepper already knows about my exes… or bed exes…"
Rhodey ignored him. "The first date consists of coffee and getting to know each other."
"Pepper has gotten me coffee for ten years plus. We've already bonded on numerous occasions."
"Then what's the problem?" Rhodey felt like strangling him. He wasn't particularly mad. It was just the process of making Tony admit that he has trouble with women that was making him pissed.
"I don't know what Pepper wants or doesn't want." He looked up at Rhodey and then, slowly, back down at the table. His elbow rested on the table, and he leaned his head into his palm. "We kiss, we make-out, we flirt, we get intimate but we don't have sex—"
"TMI." Rhodey muttered, tying to get the mental images out of his head.
"I'm just afraid…" He started drawing invisible circles on the table. "…I'm afraid I'm going to lose interest in her – or that I'll hurt her in some way." Tony started to mumble. "I don't want her to hate me."
"Have you had this talk with her?"
"Like I said earlier, you're the person I chose to talk to. I'm not necessarily the type that likes to spit my feelings on a note card and announce it to the world." Tony heavily sighed.
"Well…" Rhodey thought long and hard about his next few words. "Do you love her?"
"Of course I do." Tony responded in a matter of milliseconds.
"Have you told her that?"
"In those exact words... not necessarily…"
Just as Rhodey was about to say something, his pager went off. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the number. He heavily sighed and tucked it back into his pants pocket.
"Another client, mister therapist, James Rhodes?" Tony joked with a half smile.
"Commander wants me back at the base to run some tests on the new weapons we're putting on War Machine." Rhodey breathed. "I swear, they're too addicted to this suit."
"I can easily take it apart – if you want me to."
"I appreciate the offer." Rhodey slid out of the booth and got up. He stopped next to Tony and placed an arm on his shoulder. "When the time comes, you'll tell her. And when you get the courage, you'll talk to her about it."
"Easier said than done." Tony widened his smile, looking up at his best friend.
"Just don't do anything stupid." Rhodey mumbled in his direction with a small smile. "I'll see you later, Tony."
"Bye." Tony said, watching him walk towards the door. He looked down at his watched and noticed the time. It was almost eleven o'clock, which meant that Pepper had just gotten out of her nine o'clock meeting. "It's only stupid if it creates chaos." With a grin across his face and a destination in mind, he was out of the coffee shop in a matter of seconds.