Title:
Twist of Fate
Author:
Liz
(leau08)
Theme:
#9
– Gold
Rating:
PG/K
Length:
1500
Summary:
Pepper
stops at Tony's mansion after an unfortunate date.
A/N: I don't own anything.
Pepper limped up the few steps to the Stark mansion, wincing every time she put weight on her left foot. She'd been rushing about town, trying to escape the failure that had become her life. She'd become so involved with Tony, and Stark industries that she'd forgotten to carry on her own life. Everything that mattered to her, and her personally, screeched to a halt as soon as she signed the contract with Stark Industries; especially any hope of romance. On many occasions she wished she'd made different choices, but now that she was where she was…it didn't matter so much. Finally… she muttered to herself, typing in the security code, after inserting her key into the front door. Managing to enter the house somewhat gracefully in the darkness, she stopped suddenly, realizing what she had on. Groaning inwardly she cursed that his house was so much closer than her own to where this… man…if he deserved that title, had wanted to meet. She had on a chocolate brown dress, it's hemline touching just above the knee, and stupid and dangerously high stilettos, painted a metallic gold color. She could almost see his smirk already. Her ankle was persistently throbbing confined in the buckles of the shoes, forcing her, in spite of the discomfort, to limp to the couch, instead of the freezer for ice.
"Ms. Potts?" She heard his voice and nearly jumped out of her skin. Luckily she was already sitting down, so she could attempt to hide her genuine shock.
"Easy…didn't mean to scare you…" Tony said, a hint of a smile lingering in his tone.
"God, Tony…you know I hate it when you sneak up on me," Pepper responded.
"What seems to be the problem?" he asked, now leaning on the wall next to her, his normal grin dancing across his features. She looked up at him, shocked he'd noticed her limp so quickly.
"It's these damn shoes," she said, gesturing to the shoe with a four inch heel attached, "they're killing my feet….and I think my ankle might be sprained."
He moved to sit down on the couch next to her, and let out a soft, short whistle, "Wow…Ms. Potts, I'm surprised to see you with color in your wardrobe…what's the occasion?"
"I was on…" she began, holding her breath slightly, "a date, if you must know."
She swore his features tightened and softened at the same time, and for the first time in a while, she had no idea what he was thinking. She knew he'd grown protective of her over the last couple years, and the thought of how much she meant to him gave her a familiar feeling in her gut, known as butterflies to most.
"Here…gimme your foot..." he said, completely ignoring what she'd just said, when she hesitated, he insisted, "come on…I won't bite."
"Oh…" she said, pausing, trying to figure out exactly what he was up to, "alright." She shifted her weight, leaning into the couch and carefully lifted her left ankle so it rested on his knee. She watched his hands work to unfasten the clasp of her shoe, and with minimal trouble, her foot was free. She sighed softly at the new found release, and immediately felt herself flush as Tony shot her a lop-sided grin. She desperately tried to keep her cool as his hands started massaging her foot, and willed herself to focus on anything but the delightful sensations flowing through her body; however, whether it was from his touch or the relief from the injury, she failed miserably at ignoring them.
"So…" he began, his voice cutting into her thoughts and concentration, "What happened on this date?"
She looked at him, surprised he asked, "Uh…well…"
"Come on Pepper, we're friends, right? I'm just curious what the guy did that had you bolting away so fast that you sprained your ankle," he said, his eyes focusing on hers for the first time that night.
Pepper laughed in spite of herself, "I'm not so sure the sprain is his fault…"
"His..?" He asked, feigning injury, "I don't even get a name? That hurts…I thought you trusted me."
"Oh…I trust you…" she began, sarcasm lingering in her tone, "it's your super-hero alter ego that bothers me."
Now he laughed, the vibrations traveling through her as his knee bounced with the rhythm of his laugh. It was a sound that made her feel indescribably happy, and as much as it troubled her to admit that he'd become such an important part of her life, it was true.
"Ouch!" he said, once he gained control of his laughter, "So who was it? Who'd you see?"
She sighed, looking at him again, noticing he'd stopped massaging her ankle, "You really want to know?"
"Desperately," he said, accentuating the syllables of the word, a hint of flirtatious energy now evident in his tone.
She looked at him now, not sure how he'd react if she told him exactly who she'd seen. She didn't need things to be awkward between them, in fact, that was the last thing she'd want. With a shaky breath she said the name.
"Jake…" she muttered, and immediately she noticed a flicker of recognition across his face.
"Jake…" he repeated quietly, "the prick from accounting?"
With her silent nod, he began howling with laughter. She wasn't sure if she should be relieved or insulted by his outburst, but it sure as hell was funny.
"No wonder you're home at a decent hour," he said, gasping for air, now that he'd found control again, "it's not surprising that the guy isn't good enough for you."
She felt her muscles tighten at his statement.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked through her teeth, "who, would you say, is good enough then?"
"Well, I'm just saying that guy can't hold an interesting conversation for more than five minutes."
She opened her mouth to counter his statement, but a smile spread across her features instead.
"Then…who would you put me with, Tony?" she asked, relaxing again.
She felt her face flush as his eyes locked on hers again, and somehow she knew his answer to that question. Almost immediately she wished she could take the question back, and she almost did, until he spoke.
"Well…" he began, pausing as if to pick his words carefully, "I'd set you up with someone witty, charming, charismatic, intelligent…"
Unable to stop the smile from breaking her effort to maintain a stern expression, she said, "Don't we have quite the ego?"
She laughed when he looked shocked at her sudden insinuations, "I'm offended, Ms. Potts. That was an honest answer."
"Goodnight…Mr. Stark…" she said, moving to leave. However, when she put pressure on her left foot, she immediately fell backwards, her head nearly hitting Tony's nose.
"You know, Pepper," he said, letting the informality of her nickname hang in the air, "if you wanted to repay me for the care tonight, you just needed to say so."
It took all her control to not slap him, and she didn't even want to look at him. She knew he was smirking at her, she could feel his eyes on her.
"I…I need to get home," she whispered, moving to get up, again, ignoring the fact that his hands hadn't left her sides, in fear of her falling back into him.
"You're not going anywhere, not like this," he said, smiling.
"But…" she tried to insist, turning to leave, "I can't possibly stay here!"
She looked down at her feet, seriously debating whether she'd meant that. Was it the fact that it was her work environment? That if she did indeed, spend the night, it'd be exactly the thing she needed to prove she was entirely married to her work.
"So what really happened?" Tony asked, breaking her train of thought, his normal grin surprisingly absent.
"Nothing…really…" Pepper said, dreading what he'd do to the guy if he found out exactly what happened.
"Come on, Pepper," he began, "I've known you far too long for you to get away with a lie."
"Tony, really," She said, pausing for emphasis, "nothing happened, ok?"
"Are you sure..?" he asked.
"Positive…just clumsiness, I swear," She said, "those shoes were nuts."
"Ok…good… I didn't want to have to kick Jake's ass for hurting you," he responded, "…if he did."
Pepper punched him in the shoulder playfully, "Tony…"
"I know he didn't…but the offer always stands."
In spite of herself, Pepper laughed.
"One last thing…" he asked, playfulness returning to his tone.
"Hm?"
"Why gold?" he asked, honestly curious but trying to pick a fight at the same time.
Pepper rolled her eyes; she could literally hear the grin in his voice and opted to not dignify the question with a response.
"Goodnight Mr. Stark," she said, limping the few feet to the guest room.
"Goodnight, Ms. Potts."
