Chapter 4: Hammer To Fall
The club they entered was packed with people. Different sorts of people seemed to crawl around the place and there wasn't an inch to spare between two people. Steve watched as Clint and Tony moved their way through this sea of drugged out people and they got close to the small stage.
All of the noise and bodies suffocated Steve. He wanted OUT. He tried to swallow but his throat was too dry. He felt like a sardine in a can. Tony was so vulnerable in the night club. He wondered what in the hell was Obadiah's thought process?
They made their way to the mezzanine part of the small club and the two began to watch Clint and Tony from above. Steve stopped all movement and he turned toward the other man.
"Are you actually protecting him?" he asked loudly as he stood in front of Obadiah.
"What was that?" The older man turned Steve's way. Steve had doubts about Obadiah but he couldn't act upon them. It didn't make any sense for Obidiah to let Tony enter the club.
"I SAID are you actually protecting him? Letting him do as he pleases doesn't really keep him safe!" It was hard to talk over all the noise.
Steve hated the eighties. He had hardly been exposed to it, but at that point the blonde hated it.
It was loud, dirty, and ugly. He actually wanted to go back to his home. He wanted to go back to the present and back to where the adult Tony was. It took a while, but Steve considered that to be his home.
"LISTEN UP Bruce is it? Yankee Bruce? the instant Tony doesn't get his way he takes off. You'll see for yourself at some point I'm sure. The kid can't control himself." Obidiah yelled in Steve's direction and the soldier held a look of disgust.
Obidiah was too close to him. Steve was bothered.
He looked toward the stage and winced. Steve heard loud repetitive beep sounds that were created by the instruments on the small stage. It irritated Steve's ears. He looked down at Clint and Tony.
The two obviously enjoyed themselves. Steve hoped that Clint was focused.
He thought it was good that the archer bonded quickly with Tony because he knew that it would be hard for him to communicate with him.
Steve took the moment to ask Obadiah questions.
"How long has he been staying with you?" Steve asked but he realized that his voice was too soft for the atmosphere.
Obidiah couldn't hear him.
"WHAT?"
"HOW LONG HAS HE BEEN STAYING WITH YOU!?" Steve raised his voice and he looked over the crowd.
Obidiah looked at Steve with a shocked expression. In his opinion, the bodyguards Howard hired were just "the help" and they had no reason to question him. He noticed a tension within the "Yankee" and he found his behavior to be odd.
Obidiah studied the person Howard brought into the fold a bit longer before he responded.
"His father brought him to my place around, six months ago? The little shit has run away at least fifty times. The police have picked him up countless times too and we've even found him strung out in some guys condo. He's getting worse."
"Did you say six months?" That was a lot longer than he thought.
"Yeah. Maybe seven. It feels like it's been an eternity. Tony's become this conniving, manipulative, hyper-sexual little junkie. His dad is totally freaked out."
Steve thought that was an odd description of Tony. Steve's jaw tensed up and he resisted the urge to shove the man.
"Well, why is he behaving that way? Have you ever thought about finding out?!" Steve's hands were firmly placed on his hips. Tony's elders had obviously failed to determine what the problem was.
For Steve that was the obvious thing to do.
Obidiah studied Steve's body language some more.
"You're pretty upset about the situation. Normally, you bodyguards keep your mouths shut and just follow orders." Obidiah commented and Steve stared right at his face.
"I don't work that way."
He did not just follow orders. Steve Rogers did only what he felt was right. Obidiah continued his study and he decided to change the subject back to Steve's question.
"Good to know. The kid is behaving that way because he's a Stark. His father was the same way until he wised up. That, or Tony just really enjoys pressing my buttons."
Obidiah turned away from Steve and he looked down at the crowd. They got carried away in conversation and he locked his eyes on Tony.
Steve still stared at Obidiah.
The blonde thought that Obadiah's response was bullshit. He watched Obadiah as he leaned over the flimsy railing that was supposed to prevent injuries. It wasn't durable enough to hold up a fly.
On the bottom floor Tony and Clint were moved around as the crowd of people swayed with the music that pounded through the club.
Tony actually danced to the song while Clint simply moved with the people.
He watched Tony as his body moved with the beat.
"Are you high right now?" Clint asked him as Tony laughed happily.
"EXTREMELY!" The younger Tony was bumped closer to Clint and the archer held him at a distance.
"Well great! You look like you're enjoying yourself." Tony's face beamed. Clint didn't like drugs but in the current situation he was glad to see Tony show some joy.
The sad thing about it was the fact that it was a chemically induced happiness.
The archer could see that Tony was miserable. He looked at him and it began to shine a different light on the future Tony that he knew.
The Tony he knew was even more damaged than he thought.
Clint took a moment to look for Steve. He spotted him instantly up on the top level and he gave him a wave. Steve and Obadiah were the only ones that did not move.
Clint felt very protective of Tony and he wanted Steve to know that he was very much in the game.
Tony looked in same the direction as Clint. He saw Steve watching him and he tried to prevent the smile that shaped. Tony couldn't ignore the warm and fuzzy feeling that washed over him.
The way Steve stared at him intrigued Tony and he bit his lip. He had to confess what he felt.
"I like your friend." Tony said against Clint's ear. The archer's face lit up with an intense excitement.
HAHAHA He knew that would happen. He looked up at Steve with a shocked expression and he turned back in Tony's direction. The news startled him a bit.
"LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT? Did you have this instant soul mate attraction to him?" He asked over the music as the Tony laughed and stepped back.
"I dunno."
"NO I'm really curious! What do you see in him?" Clint was overly excited to see that even through time travel Tony and Steve had a connection. Clint had never seen it before in his life.
He was convinced they were soul mates. The archer didn't want to see them struggle with their emotions. None of the Avengers wanted Steve and Tony to struggle or feel like they needed to hide.
THE ENTIRE TEAM SAW HOW THEY FELT ABOUT EACH OTHER. !
It frustrated them. That was why they questioned Tony. Yeah, it was probably a bad idea but they wanted to help. Clint got lost in thought and he repeated his question.
"Seriously, why do feel like that?" The question provided insight.
Tony found the questions to be odd but he glanced over at the Yankee and answered anyway.
"He's very simple. I think. Maybe? that's it. I dunno." Tony couldn't say what he wanted to say. Because, IT WAS THE WAY THE GUY STARED AT TONY.
He didn't want to mention that part so Tony looked back at Clint and ran his hand through his hair. He thought his hair was gross. He knew his body was all sweaty and he felt like he was on fire. The brunette started to feel dizzy.
Tony took a deep breath and he ripped off his jean jacket. The jacket dropped to the floor. Tony was left with his black shirt. Tony grabbed the small bag of cocaine that he had crammed in the front pocket of his pants.
He grabbed Clint's shoulders and moved him a little. He tried to position him so he couldn't be seen.
"What are you doing?" Clint asked as Tony dipped down a bit.
He put some cocaine on the top of his knuckle. He snorted the drug quickly and then rubbed his face as if it would massage it further into his brain.
"HOLY SHIT! did you just do what I think you just did?" Clint's jaw fell wide open. Tony put his stash back in his pocket and he roughly wiped at his nose and face. His eyes were strained and they started to water.
Tony looked around for his jacket.
When he looked back up to catch a glimpse of Steve his eyes only saw Obadiah. An instant rage flew through his body when the two made eye contact.
Tony looked back at Clint.
"Sorry ok? It's been fun, please don't hate me." He said to Clint as the archer looked back at him with a confused expression.
"DID YOU JUST SNORT COKE?" A surge of energy rushed to Tony's leg. He grabbed Clint's shoulders and kneed him hard right in the groin. He shoved Clint down as he toppled over.
Obadiah yelled loudly when he saw what Tony did.
"HE'S TAKING OFF! That little shit." Steve saw Tony's brown hair as he maneuvered his way through the crowd. Steve jumped over the railing. He landed on the bottom floor and took off after him. He worked his way through all the people.
Tony ran through the emergency exit. He caused the alarm to go off and everyone started to panic. Steve plowed through and slammed into the open emergency door.
He could hear Tony as he ran down the street and the soldier quickly followed.
Obadiah made his way to Clint.
"GREAT JOB ASSHOLE." Clint was in pain. He remained on the floor. So much painnnnnn he winced and tried to get rid of the intense pain that he felt.
"Stev-UH BRUCE will catch him. Trust me. Ahh fuck, god damn it alllll my penis hurts." Clint wanted to cry. The alarm rang and Obadiah covered his ears. He yelled at Clint.
"WE NEED TO GET TO MY VEHICLE. We can pick Tony up on the street if he can't catch up with him."
"Ok. Let's go."
He knew without a doubt that Steve would be able to catch him. Duh, it's Steve Rogers. Clint limped his way after Obadiah. The two got to the car and took off in search of Tony.
Tony ran his little heart out. He ran so fast and he was afraid his legs were going to give out. He cut from one alley to another. He stopped for one moment to catch his breath.
The instant all the oxygen started to hit his brain the effects from all the drugs he had taken that night washed over him.
He felt dizzy. Tony held his head in his hands and tried to stop the spinning. Steve was right behind him. The soldier followed the sounds of Tony's breathing. Tony gasped when he saw him and he began to run again.
Tony ran across the street just as a car whirled between them. It was a busy Los Angeles street and Tony didn't think Steve would be able to get across. Tony took the distance between them as a chance for him to catch his breath.
Steve remained on his side of the street and he watched Tony. He was exhausted and he couldn't even stand up straight. The cars flew between them but that would not stop Steve from getting to him.
Steve didn't want to scare Tony. He wanted to cross the street in a normal way but he realized that wasn't going to happen.
"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! Stop coming after me, I don't want any of you arou-"
Tony couldn't catch his breath. That was all his body managed to say. He grabbed at his side and looked for his next place to go.
Steve took a few steps back. He jogged up to the street and simply jumped over the traffic that was supposed to be a wall between them.
Tony backed up against the wall and stood in complete shock. He had never seen anyone jump like that before and he thought it was the craziest thing he'd ever seen.
Steve walked up to him slowly.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Tony backed further down the wall of the alley. He wanted to get away.
"GET AWAY FROM ME. How the fuck did you jump like that?!" Tony clenched his sides and almost fell into a group of trash cans.
Steve grabbed him and gently pulled him into a hug.
"Tony, it's ok. I've got you." Steve didn't mean to do it. He hugged the younger Tony to his chest and nothing stopped him from doing it.
He needed Tony to know that he was safe with him. Steve was not going to yell at him and throw him angrily over his shoulder. He would never do that.
It was the only way he thought he could get through to him.
Tony froze. The way Steve said his name caused a stir within Tony. The guy was so nice to him. The way he said his name and the way he was hugged made Tony stop all movement.
Why was he so nice to him? Tony felt like the Yankee knew him or something, Tony didn't know what to think.
His face was pressed against Steve's shirt. His mind spun and the brunette still tried to catch his breath.
Tony began to feel like a freak. He thought that the guy smelled good. He gulped and pressed his face into that shirt. He slowly brought his tired arms up and he gripped the back of Steve's crisp clean shirt.
He gripped it tight and returned the hug. Tony started to shiver against Steve's warm chest.
UH, Why did he hug a complete stranger? Tony couldn't wrap his head around any of it. The man smelled friggen good and Tony wanted to fall asleep.
Steve turned his head so he could see Tony's face. Tony stared off into space. He was lost in thought but when Steve looked at him Tony glanced up.
He focused on his eyes. The two studied each other's expressions and Tony's breathing started to mellow out.
"Is everything alright over there?" A voice rang in their direction. Tony and Steve ended their embrace and looked in the direction of the voice. A bright light shined into Tony's eyes and he winced. He tried to shield himself from the light.
A police officer pointed his flashlight at Tony's face. A rush of heat trickled all over Tony's body as an idea molded in his head.
"Everything is fine officer thank you." Steve said to the man as Tony spoke up.
"NO OFFICER! THIS GUY WON'T LEAVE ME ALONE. MY DAD DUMPED ME OFF WITH PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW." Tony's tears flooded his eyes and he backed away from Steve.
That was something that Steve did not expect.
"No officer I'm actually-"
"THEY WON'T STOP CHASING ME. MY DAD'S FRIEND DOES WHATEVER THE HELL HE WANTS WITH ME. YOU GOTTA GET ME AWAY FROM THEM PLEASE!" Tony's little act convinced the officer to pull a gun out on Steve.
"Sir, get away from the kid! Get away from him and we will sort this entire thing out." The gun was pointed at Steve and he didn't know what to say in his defense. Tony painted a very good picture and his tears looked genuine.
"Officer he's just trying to get away I'm supposed to be watching him. He's Howard Stark's son do you know who that is?" Steve didn't know if the Stark name would get him anywhere but he tried.
"I don't care whose son he is. Get your hands behind your head!"
"He's heavily intoxicated and I need to take him home."
Steve looked at Tony.
"Tony, why are you doing this?! Why are you so desperate to run away?!" Tony backed away as Steve barked questions his way. He took the opportunity to run the instant he knew he could.
Tony ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Officer, I'm sorry but I have to catch him." Steve walked up to the officer and he knocked him out. Steve headed down the same alley that Tony ran down.
Elsewhere, Clint and Obadiah drove down each street and tried to find Tony.
"I cannot fucking believe you guys lost him." Obadiah had bitched the entire car ride and it drove Clint insane.
"Bruce will find him ok? How about you shut up in the meantime." Clint did not want to hear his voice. It made him sick.
It was clear to the archer that THE ASSBAG beside him was the reason why Tony wanted to run away. Clint wasn't sure how that was going to blow over once Steve caught on.
He decided to keep his mouth shut for the time being.
Tony crossed someone's front yard and started to run across another street. Clint saw Tony plain as day.
"Holy shit THERE HE IS!" he yelled as Obadiah stepped on the gas. He saw Tony as well and immediately headed in his direction. The tires screeched as he pulled up to the sidewalk that Tony just stepped onto.
Obadiah rolled the window down and screamed at him.
"TONY GET YOUR CRAZY ASS IN THIS CAR." He demanded as Tony turned in their direction. Tony summoned up his last ounce of strength and stomped a fat dent in the passenger door.
"You can go FUCK yourself."
He said as he turned around and Tony walked right into Steve. That crisp clean shirt was right in front of him yet again.
Tony was out of breath and his body gave out.
"You, you're superhuman or something." he whispered to Steve as he started to fall to the ground. Steve caught him and he held him up. Tony passed out in his arms.
Steve checked his pulse because he looked like he dropped dead from exhaustion.
Obadiah was out of the car. He looked over the gigantic dent that Tony kicked into his vehicle. Clint walked up to Steve and tried to help him with Tony in any way he could.
"Holy shit." Clint said as he stared down at Tony. Clint tried to support his head. Steve noticed that Obadiah was more concerned about his car and it really irritated him.
"Yeah, no kidding. Help me get him into the car." Steve said as he gently lifted Tony off the ground. Tony was out cold and his body was weakly coiled against Steve's.
Steve got into the back seat of the bulky Mercedes and he held Tony close. Tony Stark had a small frame. He wasn't petite, but his older self was only a little bigger than his current state.
Tony was small enough for Steve to keep him secure on his lap. Steve was beyond protective at that point. He glared out the window at Obidiah.
He heard Tony breathe against his chest and he tried to control himself. Clint got in on the passenger side and they waited for Obadiah to get in.
"I officially hate that man." Clint said to Steve as he grit his teeth.
"Same here." Steve was on the same page as Clint. He didn't hate too many people but when he hated someone, they really gave him a reason too.
~MEANWHILE IN MIAMI WITH THE PRESENT DAY TONY STARK~
Tony could not last an hour by himself. He was on the phone and he called anyone he could in order to have some company.
Rhodey was busy, Bruce didn't answer, Happy Hogan was working, and of course Steve was MIA.
That left one person for Tony to call.
Pepper arrived in Miami several hours after Tony called her. She needed some downtime herself so for her it was perfect timing.
Tony spent the day soaking up the sun. He made himself a dozen or so fruity drinks as he waited for her. She met him at his beach house.
Jarvis let her in and she smiled when she saw Tony and all his umbrella drinks scattered about.
"Well? Where's my cocktail?" She asked as she took her heels off and set down some of her things. Tony turned her way and buzzed over. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and took her hand.
"Drink is this way." He said as he pulled her towards the massive kitchen.
"Is this a celebration vacation? Or are you just, being you." Pepper didn't really know what to expect. Tony always had something insane going on.
He started to change after he became a part of the Avengers. She thought about how much he had changed since they first met.
He was still crazy, eccentric, and a lush. But Tony had grown so much.
"Pep I bought a shit ton of fruit and basically destroyed my kitchen. But take your pick." He showed off all the different drinks he had displayed for her.
She noticed that Tony ignored the question. She tried not to smile as she asked him again.
"Tony, what are we celebrating?"
"Not celebrating! Just enjoying the fruits of Miami. How have you been Pep? Are you doing ok even after we split the sheets?" He had a drunk dizzying grin. Pepper had to laugh at him because he looked so cute.
"I'm doing well. Not as well as you apparently but I'm doing well."
"You, think I'm doing well?" Tony handed her a drink. She accepted it and started to drink. It was delicious gahhh damn it she knew she was going to get drunk.
Tony realized at that moment that he made it through an entire minute without a single Steve thought or a SATAN thought so, did that mean he was "well" ? Tony thought about that as he busied himself.
"I know you're doing well and I'm glad." Tony had a playful roll to his eyes as he grabbed another drink for himself.
"Sure I am. I'm glad you came Pep."
Pepper studied and smiled. Now was the perfect time. Pepper knew she was going to get Tony to admit his relationship with Steve.
She knew it when he called her that he was already drunk.
"I'm going to go change out of my suit." She said as she grabbed her bag and she headed to Tony's bedroom. She quickly changed from her Chanel suit to some jean shorts and one of the shirts she stole from Tony years ago.
Pepper told herself that she had to be victorious. Thor was the closest one to get Tony to talk at that point. Pepper knew she'd be the one to seal the deal.
She decided to play her cards right and not bring up Steve as quickly as she did before. She decided to let Tony get a bit more liquored up.
She finished changing her clothes and she walked back into the room where she left Tony. He had loud music on and was in the process of building another army of fruity drinks.
"Why'd you call?" she asked Tony as she drank the rest of her first drink.
He kept busy with the drinks.
"Tony, Why did you call?" She studied the artist over there.
"I needed some companionship. I got lonely." Tony admitted with a playful frown. Pepper held her smile and gave Tony a light kiss on the cheek.
"Ok then. I'm here, do you want to play a game?" She asked as she picked up another drink. She watched as Tony finished his drink and he nodded his head a few times.
Tony Stark got another drink with an umbrella stuck out the side of it.
Unfortunately, she had no sodium pentathol with her. But Pepper knew she would get what she wanted out of Tony.
"Games are good." He said as she pulled Tony over to a chair. She sat him down and she pulled a chair up and sat down in front of him.
She delicately took a seat and stared at him. Their knees were touched and Tony tried not to get turned on by her behavior.
He laughed and swayed a bit in the seat.
"The object of this game is for us to NOT break eye contact. I know you're a little drunk but with your level of intellect I'm sure you can handle a little eye contact. Right?" She asked as she sipped her drink.
Tony took a second to answer.
"YES. I can handle eye contact." He laughed and leaned in her direction a bit. He fucking loved Pepper Potts. He absolutely loved the woman before him.
She was one of his ultimate companions. That was why it didn't break his heart when they ended their relationship.
She would always be there for him. Relationship or not.
Tony shook his thoughts and tried to stay still.
"Ok look into my eyes. The rules of this game is just like truth or dare. But, if you break eye contact that means you're trying to mask a lie. Do you understand the rules?"
"I totally understand. Totally." He didn't care about the stupid rules. He was on vacation. The object was for Pepper to read Tony's expressions as she asked him questions.
She had him keep eye contact as a way to have Tony focus more.
Pepper stood up and went back to the kitchen. She scanned his alcohol and smiled when she saw some tequila on the counter. She grabbed some shot glasses and headed back to her seat.
Yeah, she planned to get him black out drunk hahaaa
"Tony if you break eye contact you have to take a shot."
"Wow! Pep, you're really winning in the awesomeness category today I have to say. You never spoon fed me shots while we were going out." Tony wanted to point that out. He sipped at his drink through the umbrella straw then set his drink back down.
"Ok, let's begin our game. Look into my eyes. Tony, you can ask me a question first if you want BUT DON'T BREAK EYE CONTACT." She said as she leaned towards him a little. Tony leaned her way too and they looked into each others eyes.
Tony tried to think of a question.
He thought hard because it was difficult to form words in his head at the moment. Well, he did have that intellect that Pepper mentioned. Tony didn't want to disappoint.
"Have you slept with anyone since we broke up?" Tony started the questions in that direction and Pepper was glad.
Tony had been curious. So, of course he asked. Pepper smiled but answered quickly.
"Yes. Have you?" Tony didn't break eye contact but his face lit up with shock. PEPPER HAD SLEPT WITH SOMEONE?
"Who have you slept with?" Tony asked with a lively grin.
"YOU can't ask me that! You have to answer first! I said YES. Have you?" Tony sat back and broke eye contact immediately. He cleared his throat and Pepper gasped.
He drank some of his drink while Pepper got his shot ready. Tony had an uneasy feeling wash over him. He didn't catch on that he was being conned by Pepper but it didn't matter to him at that point.
"Take your shot." She handed him the small glass. Tony quickly downed the tequila and he coughed a little.
The two went back to the eye contact game.
"WHO HAVE YOU SLEPT WITH." Tony asked immediately. Pepper laughed at him and shook her head.
"You didn't answer TONY."
"OK! Yes. Yes, I've slept with someone. Who have you slept with?" Tony was territorial. He loved Pepper so he immediately needed to know.
"It was Happy."
"No fucking way." OH WOW Tony covered his mouth with disbelief. His two friends right under his nose hahaha.
"Yes."
"YOU AND HAPPY? Ahahaha."
"YES. Shut up about it. I'll let that eye contact break between us slide since I can see your shock." Pepper poured herself a shot and she drank the tequila.
Tony was just ecstatic. He was glad that it was Happy. He felt that Happy was a much better guy than he was. Pepper decided not to ask Tony who he had slept with just yet. She decided to play the game a little longer.
"Next question. Tony look at me." The two stared at each other and Tony tried not to laugh.
"Who is better in bed? Me? or this new person?" She asked as Tony's face flushed red. He didn't break his eye contact. Tony stayed strong. But, he got tense and obviously struggled with the question.
Pepper snickered and waited for him to figure out an answer.
Tony flinched and spit out his response.
"The new person. Ahhh shit, that's not good to say." Tony shook his hands around and Pepper started to laugh.
"OK! who's better me or Happy?!" He quickly threw that question out there.
Pepper didn't have a problem admitting anything.
"You of course. Happy is too shy at the moment. Who are you sleeping with?" she finally asked as Tony's face went a deep deep shade of red.
His eye contact was completely gone. Tony turned away and Pepper would not accept it.
She grabbed his hands and pulled him close.
"ANSWER. WHO IS IT." She demanded even though she laughed at him.
He was rosy. His face just bloomed with warmth and it could not be hidden anymore.
Nope. Sorry Tony Stark.
"It's Steve. I've been sleeping with Steve." He admitted as Pepper stood up in triumph. Her arms jumped up. She was overjoyed. Tony finally gave up the fight.
"I would like to thank the inventors of alcohol. Thank you so much." She laughed again and gave Tony a hug.
"Calm down PEP caaaaalllllmmmm down. We're not."
She cut him off and handed him another shot.
"Don't give me that we're not together crap. If STEVE is sleeping with you then you two are definitely together." She refused to listen to any of Tony's negativity.
She boomed with joy.
"He told me that he loves me." Tony admitted as he hid his face in his hands. He was drunk and he smirked against his hand. Saaaaaa…
Pepper was too excited about this.
"HE SAID HE LOVED YOU? Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" She already drank a bit too much. Tony finally realized.
Oh yeah, Pepper was a lightweight. Tony was embarrassed on her behalf.
The two continued to drink and they talked about Steve the entire night. Tony had two months of material to explain. He could finally speak his mind about him. He even complained to her about Mr. Captain America.
Steve wasn't perfect. Some of the shit he did BUGGED and Tony let her know all about it. Tony ranted about him, explained his favorite things about Steve, and he even told her how it all happened.
"Wait, wait. Hold up hold up. Steve made the first move?"
"Yeah. He did."
"On you? Steve made a move on you, not the other way around?" Pepper asked as she sipped her drink. TONY NODDED HIS HEAD A MILLION TIMES.
"YES. The golden boy orchestrated this entire symphony. I was really shocked, you know?" Tony began to chew on the umbrella stick as he thought about the situation.
"He came into my lab all pissed off at me. I ignored one of his stupid commands and I kinda got Barton physically launched off into oblivion. Ahaaahahaa it's all funny now but, Steve was super pissed and he came down there to yell at me and WELL he yelled yeah but his mood flipped on me. I didn't see it coming. Weeeoh." Tony made a strange robot noise after he described the encounter.
Pepper was all ears. She relaxed and hugged the couch cushion. She was so drunkkkkk at that point. It was bliss for her.
"His mood flipped? Flipped how?"
"Well, I dunno really. I guess he realized we were all alone in there. First, he lectured me. Then, he changed his mood. I dunno!" Tony tossed his arms up like a salad.
He had no idea what went on in Steve's mind. Steve was the one that took the leap. Tony just reacted and at that point he was still in process mode.
Pepper took another sip of her fruity bliss and waited to hear more of the story.
"I said something to Steve that either made him mad or turned him on? I guess, because before I could even think the guy friggen kissed me."
Pepper spit that fruity bliss out and she covered her mouth. Tony couldn't believe his own words and he just stared off into that Miami view.
He didn't even notice pepper ruin his couch.
"He just kissed me. It was a really good kiss too and I have no idea why he did it. To this day, I just have no idea why. I remember thinking wait huh? This guy? And of course, I kissed him back because he's..." Tony looked down at his drink.
He scratched the back of his head and he thought about the kiss he received from Steve.
"Tony, I've never actually seen him in person. I've always wanted to but work and yadda yaddda." Pepper wanted to meet Steve. She was bound and determined to make it happen.
She wiped some of the drink off her chin.
Tony was crazy about him and Pepper knew that Tony hadn't realized it. Tony couldn't see how much he cared about Steve.
Tony didn't even hear Pepper's comment. He continued to explain Steve's behavior and Pepper tried not to laugh.
"He apologized afterwords. He left all Steve-like. But, that evening he asked Jarvis if he could have access to my floor and I gave him access. Then he came up. He just came up and I slept with him. I can't tell you WHY I did it, I just wanted to and he was very, he was a change of pace? Very different from some other encounters that I've had. Is that the thought that I have in my head?"
Tony's mind wandered far off to a distant time and place. Pepper composed herself and tried to understand where Tony was headed. He looked conflicted and somewhat sad and Pepper had no idea why that was.
"Was I too much for you? I know, everything was always crazy and sporadic when we were together. Is that what you mean by a change of pace?"
Say what? She went to the kitchen to grab a towel. She poured warm water on it so she could clean up her mess.
Tony looked at her and he rubbed his face. Satan made his way back in again and Tony wanted him OUT of his head.
"No, Pep it's not about us. I don't really want to talk about it anymore. Steve was just different. That's all." Tony did not want to go down that road again. His brain was unable to handle the stress of it.
Pepper took all the information in she received and she loved every minute of it. Her objective at that point was to pull Tony back into a happier mood like he was in before.
"Isn't he super human or something? How did you handle him?" Pepper piped a question that made Tony laugh. Actually he blushed and chomped on that umbrella again.
"He is, yes. I handled him just fine hahaha don't even ask, I'm not telling you another friggen thing about it."
Tony launched a pillow at her as she stumbled over to his other couch.
He really had a difficult time before Pepper arrived. Tony couldn't process his feelings for Steve. So, for him to have a drunk Pepper to talk to was what he needed the most.
It also helped him forget about Satan for the rest of the evening. Satan did not enter his brain again the entire night.
The conversation they had helped him make room in his mind for the new feelings that he wanted to feel.
Notes: Hey guys! another chapter up for you to read! This one took me a bit. It's got a lot of stuff going on. I hope it's easy to follow I apologize if it's not. There are plenty of Tony feels in this chapter and it ends on a light note! Hope you like it. More to come thanks for reading!
Feedback is very much appreciated.
