Ok, so I had this all written out, and when I say all, I mean ALL. As in roughly 2,000 words, and then I read it while inebriated and in a fit of drunken rage deleted it. Looking back though, I think this one turned out better than the last, cos this only took me two days to write and I started writing the deleted one about ten minutes after I finished the last chapter and I was struggling, so yeah. Me likey this one, hope you do too (Y).

Also, Daughtry rule everything. Ever.

Song of the Day: Daughtry – Every Time You Turn Around


Tony was nervous. Way nervous. Like first date nervous. It was probably something to do with tonight being his first official date with Pepper. Yeah, that could be it. Usually he wouldn't be fazed. Usually he wouldn't be silently cursing whoever the hell had invented the bow tie as he furiously remembered how to tie his around his neck. Usually he wouldn't have even bothered with the date. He didn't know how to date! He was less wine and dine and more wine and screw.

"Fuck!" he whipped the satin tie from around his neck and straightened it out again. He considered calling Pepper in to help him tie the damn thing, before he remembered she wasn't there. She had stayed for two days and gone home, much to Tony's disappointment. He told her as much, and after a long and emotional discussion which lasted over an hour, they had decided to have a non-do-over. Tony had suggested a straight out veto of what had happened between them, but Pepper had reassured him, saying she was more than comfortable with where they had ended up, but she worried they had nose dived straight into the 'relationship' part of the relationship. So, after a lot more talking, they decided that Pepper would move back to her apartment and they would date. He had agreed to pick her up from her apartment that very evening, and the only reason he had compromised to that, preferring her to have stayed at his house, was that he got to solely pick the date. That was the only thing he wasn't nervous about, because he knew as soon as the date properly started, there was no way she'd be able to get away. Sounded kind of sinister, he admitted, but it'd be worth it.

"Christ on a cracker!" he scrunched the tie into a ball and launched it at the mirror he had been standing in front of.

"Perhaps we should ignore the bow tie, sir?" Jarvis suggested.

"Excellent idea Jarvis." Tony agreed and flipped his collar down. "Ugh." He winced as the image of his shirt buttoned all the way up, sans tie, disturbed the hell out of him. To solve this issue, he undid the very top button. "There, smart casual." He smirked to himself in the mirror and span around, clasping his hands together. "Ok, where are we on the schedule Jarvis?"

"It appears all you have left to do is to pick Miss Potts up-"

"Fantastic!" he headed for the door but Jarvis continued.

"-in two hours."

"Oh." He stopped. "I knew that." He changed course and went to sit down on the couch. Boredom began to set in almost immediately. He glanced around the room to try and find something to do. Nothing. He sighed and got up again, heading for the workshop. "I've been meaning to try an upgrade…"


Many different emotions were flitting around Pepper's mind. Annoyance, impatience, and a slight tinge of sadness, all at once. Tony was only an hour late, and it's not like he hadn't been late before. But still, could have made an effort for their first date.

Pepper sighed. She'd already called him twice and been kicked straight to voicemail, which meant he'd selected not to be disturbed, which meant he was in his workshop, which meant it was time to get out of the uncomfortable fancy get up she had donned.

Once changed, she decided it was Ben & Jerry's time. Grabbing a tub of Phish Food out of her freezer, she flopped down onto her couch and skimmed through her DVD collection, finally settling on a soppy rom-com. 'Someone should get some' she thought, pulling off the lid of the carton and tucking in. "Mmm, better than dinner at the Ritz any day."


"Ok, so that goes up there, increase that, and boom!" Tony grinned widely as the upgrade he had been attempting with his helmet worked perfectly. "I'm brilliant." He snapped the faceplate down and put the helmet back on its resting place on top of the suit. He glanced at his watch, and then did a double take. "Jarvis, time please."

"The time is nine-oh-seven, sir." Jarvis informed him.

"God damn it!" Tony yelled. "I'm over an hour late Jarvis! Why didn't you tell me the time?!"

"You requested not to be disturbed."

Tony winced. "From now on, that command applies to everything but Pepper, understand?" he practically threw himself into his Audi and revved up the engine immediately, grabbing his blazer as he went.

"Noted, sir." The AI's voice was drowned out by the screeching of tyres on the polished floor as Tony peeled out of the workshop exit.

He tried calling Pepper but all he got was the voicemail. Cursing his unconscious need to fuck everything up, he swerved through traffic at breakneck speed. When he turned off the freeway, he had a brilliant idea.


A knock on the door brought Pepper out of her deep film concentration mode. Typical, the film was nearly done and now she gets a visitor. She paused the film just as Faith was fighting with the Italian flight attendants, and heaved herself off the couch.

"Who is it?" she called as she got to the door.

"Tony Stark, the fleshy insides of the dashing super-hero Iron Man, come to grovel and beg for forgiveness." Tony's voice came through he door. Pepper pulled the door open and leaned against the jam.

"Stark…Stark…I'm sure I had a date with him once." She said, looking him up and down. She had been right in thinking he had been in the workshop, there were smears of grease on his forearms and his left cheek. He was looking extremely guilty, his blazer hooked over his shoulder. "Never amounted to anything though."

"I heard about that, what a douche." He snorted and looked at his shoes.

"Well, he has his moments." Pepper said. She wasn't mad at him, but that didn't mean she was going to let him off easily.

He looked back up at her and smiled weakly. "Look, I'm sorry I'm late. I was early and I started tinkering with the suit and then Jarvis didn't tell me I was late, and I know I should have checked the time myself but…" he shrugged pathetically. "Have you eaten?"

"I had an entire carton of Phish Food all to myself, but I don't think that counts as food." She smiled at Tony's baffled look, which he quickly shook off.

"Well, on my way here, I stopped off at a nice little Italian place and got us take-out…if you're still interested?" he brandished a bag at her. A whiff of the food inside sped up her nostrils and her stomach rumbled. "I'll take that as a yes?"

Pepper backed away from the door and let him in. "Kitchen?" he asked.

"Through there." She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder and Tony walked towards it.

"Ok, you sit down and I'll get this ready." He stopped as he passed the TV and studied the image on the screen, then glanced the DVD cover. "Dear God, Pepper, could you have worse movie taste?"

"Shut up and get me food, Stark." She shoved him in the back and sat back down on the couch, pressing play on the remote and finishing off her film. Tony brought the food in as the credits began to roll, so she switched off the TV. "God, that smells delicious." She said as she took the plate from him.

"Nothing will ever beat your curry though." Tony said around a mouthful of pasta he'd already crammed into his mouth.

"I know." She smirked at him and tucked in. They ate in comfortable silence for a while before Tony spoke again.

"You didn't seem surprised."

Pepper looked confused. "When?"

"When you answered the door. I was expecting you to be pissed off or something, but you were kinda…nonplussed, I guess." He shrugged and poked his food around the plate.

"Truth be told, I wasn't really holding my breath for tonight. Don't take that the wrong way." She tried to soften the blow but Tony was looking like a kicked puppy. "Tony, I've worked for you long enough to know that your brain doesn't always give you a choice in matters, especially when you're bored, so don't worry about it, ok?" she brought her hand up to his cheek and stroked it softly, he really looked genuinely sorry.

Tony caught her hand as she pulled it away and kissed her knuckles. "Pepper, I know you keep waiting for me to screw up again. Wait." He stopped her before she could interrupt him. "Let me finish. I know you expect me to screw up. Hell, half the time so do I, and I'm not saying I never will, but…" he sighed as he cast around for the best way to explain. "There are many things I may not have a choice in, and I can't promise I'll always make the right choice, but when it comes down to me, just me, when I do have the choice, I will always choose you. That much I can promise you."

Pepper was blown away. "Wow…I uh, wow." She laughed weakly before leaning forward to kiss him, long and slow. "That is possibly the soppiest thing I have ever heard you say." She grinned, putting both their plates on the coffee table in front of the couch and wrapping her arms around his neck. "But thank you." She kissed him again and he hugged her tightly to him. "I promise I'll be a bit more open minded in future."

"Thank you too." He pecked her on the cheek and pulled her down on top of him so she was laying on his chest. He reached over to the coffee table and picked up the remote, turning the DVD back on. Pepper raised her head to look at him.

"I thought you said this movie sucks?" Tony shrugged.

"Maybe I lied about that." She smirked at him and turned her attention back to the TV. "Although, to be fair, the leading man is a fantastic actor…"


Yeah, the endy bit sucked. Cookies to those who can guess the film though. I heart it. And major apologies for the late update. My internet at home only just got fixed today and I had literally no other internet access. s