Author's Note:
I may not have gotten the ten reviews I wanted but I couldn't resist these two! Thank you to those who did review however, and I love all five of you for it! I do not own Marvel Comics or the characters they design. As always stay happy and review!
Chapter Two: Rock and Roll Hearts
The last time Pepper heard rock and roll blaring from speakers was in a particularly dark period of her high school years. A period which involved bouffant hair styles, the classic "black phase", and dancing and writhing madly to rock music. It was a guilty pleasure of hers to save those classic tunes on her Black Berry and drown out the world to the crooning of The Eagles. However, her boss, Tony "The Flirt" Stark, insisted to crank up his favorite jams while he worked on who knew what. Pepper was not permitted into his inner sanctum, as he clearly laid out on his preferences page. But now, as she sat, knees demurely crossed, reading over a PDF file on the newest Stark Industries weapons design, the echoing guitar solo from "Carry On My Wayward Son" rattled her skull.
Pepper moaned and put her head in her hands. If she had known working with Mr. Stark would be a flashback from her less glorious years, she would have refused the job outright. But after listening to rock and roll for ten solid hours on full blast was enough to raise the She-Demon emotions inside her. She rose from her perch on the stool near his kitchen counter. She followed the pulsing drums and wailing guitar to the top of his elegantly crafted stairs that led to his basement. Who knew what deranged things he practiced down there? Pepper often envisioned that the broody Tony Stark nursed a crippling drug and alcohol addiction down in the basement. If this were true, Tony would have the shakes incessantly and a man who lives for his mind and hands would certainly avoid crippling them. No, Stark most likely avoided humanity in the basement because humanity could never truly satisfy him.
Pepper once watched on Youtube Tony Stark's valedictorian speech at MIT University. He wore many cords, and looked every bit the brilliant young man everyone knew him to be. However, his words echoed a distance, a forlornness, a disgust. His smile was brilliant but very fake, and every person present shrugged it off as he was plastered from a crazy night of partying. Pepper couldn't sit through the whole speech, it all felt forced. It felt as though Tony Stark did not care about people, people were not worth his precious time. Machines however, steel and gears, grinding cogs and humming electricity, that was Stark. So she marched down those stairs and strutted to his glass enclosure. It was almost like visiting the animals at the zoo, look but most definitely don't touch. She gasped at the sheer vastness of his sanctum. Row upon row of gorgeous cars and the most advanced technology in the world before her appraising eyes. Her gaze fell on Tony, covered in car grease and inaudibly muttering under the raucous tune. His hair fell into his face, brows twisted in a pensive frown. He licked his bottom lip in thought and rose to assess the hot rod before him. Pepper noticed a dial on her side of the glass with the word "VOLUME" beckoning at her. She bit her knuckle apprehensively and pointed a delicate finger at it. Involuntarily she let her finger fall, resulting in a drastic turn down of Tony Stark's music.
Tony jolted from his scientific stupor and glared at Pepper.
"I thought I made it clear that you're not allowed down here. Or does typing stutter now?" He typed rapidly a pass code on his side of the glass and opened the door. Pepper stepped in cautiously and it felt like being sealed in a tomb. "Even if you were allowed in here, you sure as hell can't turn down my music." Listening to Tony Stark snarl over music was almost laughable. So Pepper giggled and pointed a joking finger in her boss' direction. "What is so freaking funny!? Listen Potts, there are few things that I don't allow you to do, I even gave you valuable pass codes to access PDF files!" Tony Stark wore a disgruntled look and sighed heavily. He ran his greasy fingers through his hair and plopped himself down in front of the hot rod.
"You know what's funny?" Pepper intoned "You! With all of your 'greater than thou' nonsense! And in all of that labyrinthine mind of yours you never once considered that maybe your personal assistant does not want to be deaf by the time she's fifty!" Pepper huffed. Tony smacked the hood of the hot rod and was rewarded by a gurgle and a splatter of fresh car oil on his face.
"Damn it." He hissed and searched frantically for a towel. Pepper offered him one next to the bench she was sitting on. He snatched it from her hand and roughly dried his face. "What? No thank you?" Pepper questioned innocently. Tony shot her a bleary-eyed look and mumbled "Thanks". Pepper moved towards him and took the towel from his shoulders and raised her brow at his questioning stare.
"What's your name? Because I'm not going to call my PA 'Miss Potts' all the live-long day." Pepper eyed Tony for an ulterior motive and found none.
"Virginia. But everyone calls me Pepper because of my red hair and freckles."
"Well that's a..." Pepper watched him search for the word "lovely name. Both." He glared at the hot rod and Pepper began walking towards the door. "I'll give you pass codes for that too, since you appear determined to stay." He smirked in her direction as Pepper left for the night.
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading and don't worry Rhodey is coming soon! Please review!
