Warning: Smut ahead
Pepper watched the dark heavy clouds gather on the horizon, from her bedroom window. It was just 9 at night and was dark with nightfall but the moon had disappeared and the sky had darkened so ominously, that she knew a storm was coming. A storm with thunder and lighting. She could feel it in her bones. The air was hot and heavy and all was quiet.
The quiet before the storm.
She sighed and closed the window, rubbing her arms to comfort herself.
Of all the days for a storm, it had to come today when Janice is not there and Tony is busy.
Indeed, Janice had been called away to a neighboring town on a temporary job, helping out that town's milliner for a wedding. And Tony was secretively spending his evenings, working on a secret project. At least, that was what he told her.
Oh, he's very being cute about it. We spend the morning together, eat lunch together, disappear for our... she flushed here, the thought of what she and Tony did together in their little interludes, filling her with warmth. He was an excellent teacher of the art of passion, patient and very thorough.
She shook her head firmly, to clear all arousing thoughts of Tony's eyes dark with passion and his wicked mouth on her willing flesh.
What frustrated her was that they would spend all this time together but the minute the clock struck five in the evening, he would politely but firmly shoo her home. Jarvis and Magdalene were in on whatever he was doing because they were being amazingly tight-lipped about it.
Pepper sighed and then jumped with fright as a loud clap of thunder broke the extreme stillness of the night.
With a morbid fascination, knowing that the sight would frighten her, she opened her window again and looked outside. A streak of lightning burst through the sky, white hot light against an angry purple background.
Pepper closed the window so hard, the glass nearly broke. She pressed herself to the wall, feeling her heart start to pound painfully. Fear sank its dark, sharp claws into her and at the next clap of thunder, she cried out.
Tony was busy fixing the wooden panel of the last broken window. He hammered the nails into place and then stepped back with satisfaction.
"All done!" He exclaimed. "All the windows are now fixed!"
"That is good, my lord, now we just have to repair the chandelier." Jarvis intoned tiredly.
Tony smacked his forehead. "I forgot about the damn chandelier. Jarvis, do we really need the chandelier?"
Jarvis shrugged simply but Magdalene, dictator that she was, said rudely, "Yes my lord, you do need the chandelier unless you want your guest to fall down in the dark."
Tony grumbled under his breath. Suddenly he remembered the note he had written for Luna. "Maggie, you have got to remind me in two days, to go to Dale and pick up Pepper's surprise."
Just then a loud clap of thunder was heard. It echoed in the long, silent room and he looked at the black sky, heavy with clouds.
"Storm's nearly upon us", muttered Magdalene. But Tony had only one name echoing loudly in his head, "Pepper...", he whispered.
Then he bolted from the salon because he had to reach her. Jarvis shouted with worry after him but he yelled, "I've got to go see Pepper, she is afraid of storms!"
He ran back to the Main Hall, shrugged on his shirt halfway and then ran out into the Courtyard. Swearing at the rolling storm, the claps of thunder getting louder, Tony whistled for Balthazar, who trotted out of the stables.
He swung himself onto the horse, uncaring that he would be riding bareback and nudged the horse with his knees. Man and beast rode through the open gate, as the storm broke and rain started to pour heavily.
Balthazar was used to storms and fast, so they galloped down the hill, around the lake and through the eerily, empty Village, in record time. Tony stopped his horse in front of the Milliner's house and dismounted. He needed to put his horse in the shed around the back, where he knew Pepper stabled Aurora. But first, he wanted to see Pepper.
He led Balthazar as he walked to the front door quickly. A loud clap of thunder rumbled and Tony jumped slightly. He knocked quickly on the door and waited.
No one came to the door. He laid his ear against it. There was no sound from the house. Tony knocked again, this time harder. "Pepper", he called out. "Pepper! Janice! Anyone home?!"
"Where can she be?" he muttered in worry. "Where would she go on a night like this?"
Another clap of thunder rolled through and then a streak of lightning. Balthazar whinnied loudly and Tony realized he had to get some cover.
He led Balthazar to the shed. I wonder if Aurora is still there...
The shed was a small, tiled building, that was large enough to just house two horses, without separate stalls. Tony took one step towards the shed and opened its door, only to have a pitch-fork shoved in his face. He gulped at the sharp prongs so close to his face and raised his hands above his head.
Then the figure holding the fork, stepped out from the shadows and he smiled with relief. "Pepper, I've been searching for you all over!" He shouted, trying to be heard over the rain.
"Tony", she said and lowered the fork, "What are you doing here?"
He could see Pepper was scared out of her wits. She was jumpy, her eyes were bright, too bright and she kept clenching her fists tightly around the handle of the pitch fork. Thunder roared around them and Pepper glanced fearfully at the sky and then back at Tony.
He shouted, "I came to see if you were okay."
Pepper startled him by suddenly catching by his collar and shouting at the same time. "Tony, are you crazy riding through a storm like this?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
He was puzzled by her anger, when suddenly he remembered. Her father died on a night like this. They found him the next day. No wonder she is angry... and scared.
He said slowly, "Pepper, I am sorry I didn't-"
She didn't let him finish, she just stormed on. "Tony, you madman! You could have been hit by lightning! You shouldn't have come! I-"
A streak of lighting lit up the sky powerfully and with a muffled shriek, Pepper flung herself at him abruptly, burying her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around him. "Tony! Tony, make it stop! Please!"
He held her to him and muttered soothingly. "It is alright, I am here now. Let us go inside the house."
Pepper nodded against him and he led Balthazar inside the shed and closed the door.
Then he ran, pulling Pepper along with him, back to the front door. She used her keys to open the door just in time as another streak of lighting burst in the background.
They tumbled in and Pepper shut the door with force and bolted it hard, as if trying to lock out the storm.
They stood there in the pitch dark and Tony opened his mouth to ask for a light when Pepper helplessly said, "It got too dark and I couldn't find any candles. That's why I went to the shed."
He grinned and said, "Don't worry, I generate my own light." He pulled out the moonstone from his pocket and Pepper gasped in pleasure, taking the stone from him.
"The little stone! Oh, it has been so long, since I've seen it last! Oh Tony! You refilled it!" She launched herself at him, nearly knocking him over and he hugged her back tightly.
Then she pulled back in alarm. "Tony! You are soaked to the bone! Let's get you changed quickly, else you will catch a chill!"
Before he could object, Pepper dragged him upstairs, using the moonstone's light for guidance. She led him somewhere in the darkness, to a room and made him sit on a stool. Then she disappeared, taking the light with her. Tony waited patiently, shivering now in his wet clothes.
Pepper came back with a lone candle and some towels. She placed the moonstone on one side of him, the candle on the other and took his hand to pull him to his feet. Then Tony stood quietly with bemusement, as Pepper began to unbutton his wet shirt briskly, tugging it out of his trousers and pushing it off him.
She started with his head, using the towel to rub his hair firmly, almost painfully and he winced slightly at the pressure. Then she moved to his chest, with a fresh towel.
"Tony, you idiot," she muttered darkly, "look at you, you are so wet! Why didn't you get a anorak or a leatherskin or something?"
He just stayed quiet because truth be told, he was enjoying her warm hands on his chest, moving over his skin through the towel. She raised his one hand to towel it off and the way she rubbed his arm, his elbow and his fingers, with care and firmness, made him hum slightly.
"You take such good care of me, Pepper..." he murmured, feeling very mellow and soft with her ministrations. His pants were wet too but the warmth in his chest from her patient rubbing, helped get rid of the cold.
Pepper was busy concentrating on her task. She finished one hand, then the other. She redid his hair, taking care to rub his ears and his beard. He tried to kiss her but he got a face full of towel as Pepper placed the towel on his face.
"Tony, keep toweling your hair. It must not remain wet. I'm going to start with your pants."
He tucked his tongue in his cheek at her remark and waited eagerly, to see if Pepper would do what he felt she would do next. His instinct was right because, Pepper absently placed her hands on his belt and began to unbuckle it.
Tony realized he had to stop her because her toweling, her hands in his hair and now her soft fingers tugging on his belt, had awoken his libido. He caught her hands in his and raised them to his face, so she had to look at him.
"Pepper, sweetheart, I think I can handle my pants on my own." He said softly, trying not to laugh because Pepper had gone a bright red with the realization of where her hands had been.
She stammered out, "I, I, I am...am sorry, Tony, I did not realize..."
He cupped her cheek lovingly and asked, "Do you have anything to eat? I am rather hungry."
She nodded eagerly. "Yes, we have some venison. I can heat it up for you while you..." she flushed again and he chuckled.
"You do that, Pep, I shall see you downstairs in ten minutes, will that do?"
She nodded and said, "I shall leave the candlestick for you as I want the moonstone. And oh, here are some of your old clothes, that you can wear, while your wet clothes dry." She picked up the bright blue rock and before walking out of the door, she turned back and said softly, "Thank you, Tony, thank you for coming down here for me." Then she walked out of the door.
Tony shucked off his pants and quickly dried his legs. He raised the candle and stood there, looking around the room.
So this is the room of Pepper Pott's... it is very her. Neat, tidy, not a cloth out of place. He saw his handkerchief on her bedside table and grinned like an idiot. She still has it, so she does think of me...
He heard Pepper calling his name and hurriedly pulled on his pants. And then grimaced. He tried the shirt and then grimaced again. Oh well, nothing to do but wear it.
He walked down to the dining room, bracing himself for Pepper's reaction. She took one look at him, even in the blue light of the moonstone, and burst out laughing.
"Tony, I am sorry, I had forgotten that I had taken in your shirt and trousers, so that they would fit me better." She held her hand over her mouth, muffling her giggle. His pants were shorter than usual, with the hem of their legs coming to above his ankles. The shirt however, was really tight for him and he felt as if it was going to burst open any minute.
He shrugged as best he could and she, still smiling, set the table. They sat next to each other, Pepper silently watching Tony gobble down her venison stew with bread. He would steal glances at her from time to time. She had titled her head slightly and was sort of smiling at him, her mouth relaxed. In the middle, she pushed his hair from his brow very tenderly.
He muttered to himself, "I need to get a hair cut.
She muttered so softly, that he felt she was talking to herself, "I like your hair all long and soft but then when you cut it, it is equally soft and you look so smart, so handsome."
They just looked quietly at each other, both unwilling to break the silence and the magical spell of coziness around them, thanks to the semi-dark kitchen and the rain falling down outside.
Then they both came to their senses at the same time, Pepper taking his empty dish and getting up quickly, Tony standing up and moving towards the fireplace. Both spoke at the same time.
"Let me put this away..."
"I thinking of starting a fire, what do you say?"
She smiled at him and said, "Please do, Tony, thank you."
While she cleared away the plates and washed them, Tony set up the logs and lit a fire, watching with satisfaction as the room was now bathed in a gentle orange glow and a soft warmth. Pepper came around and lay a thick rug on the floor. She brought two big pillows as well and sat down on the rug, pulling one pillow to her.
He was kneeling to arrange the fire, so Tony just crawled backwards to the rug and lay on it, propping his head up on the pillow. He waggled his eyebrows at Pepper, who was looking down at him, smiling softly, sitting next to him.
"Are you comfortable, Tony?"
He nodded and she stood up. "Hey..." he objected softly and she giggled. "Tony, I thought I would get some wine, do you want some?"
He shook his head and watched her pour herself a glass and come back to him. She also had a dish of grapes.
She sat back down and Tony, determined to be touched, placed his head in her lap, on her soft warm thighs. Pepper gasped and he waited tensely for her to push him off, his eyes wide and looking up at hers. She gazed down at him and then he relaxed as she stroked his forehead.
Pepper took a sip of her wine and then Tony saw her break off a grape from the cluster on the plate and bring it to his lips. She fed him the grape and he ate it, feeling very content and warm. They sat there in companionable silence, Pepper feeling him grapes slowly with one hand, stroking his hair with the other.
When he was next offered a grape, Tony swiped his tongue across her fingers as he took the grape in his mouth, smiling as he felt Pepper shudder. He did it again, two grapes later. He decided to be bolder and for the next three grapes, he let her be. Then when he felt she was unaware, he took her finger as she offered the grape. He sucked her soft finger into his mouth, licking the digit, gently nipping at it with his teeth and finally let it go, slick with his saliva. He looked upwards at her. Pepper was breathing deeply, her eyes had gone a dark blue, her lips were moist and parted. Then she turned the tables on him by taking his hand and kissing his fingers softly.
He dropped his gaze to her mouth as she held one of his fingers to her lips. Then her little, pink tongue darted out and licked the tip slowly, then twirled itself around his finger. She then took the finger into her mouth, sucking on it deeply and let it go to kiss his palm.
When she was done, now he was breathing heavily and she was smiling sexily at him, still holding his now moist finger to her lips.
Tony swallowed hard and growled out, "I see the student has become the master now..."
She smiled and cradled his hand against her cheek. "I still have so much to learn, Tony...but..." she whispered slowly, "I enjoy your instruction."
He was going to pull her down for a kiss, when Pepper looked forward, towards the window. "The storm is over, the rain has stopped," she said softly. Then she looked down at him before continuing, "You can go back to the Keep, Tony, you do not need to stay for my sake. I am not scared anymore."
Tony looked up at her, searching her blue eyes. "Pepper, do you mind if I stay and keep you company, especially since Janice isn't here tonight? I would feel so much better."
Pepper gave him one of her slow, sweet smiles, the ones that started from one corner of her mouth. She pushed back his hair and kissed his forehead softly. "Of course, my lord, I do not want you to worry."
She gently moved his head back to the pillow and he pouted impudently at her. Pepper giggled and said, "You are such a baby, Tony, I am just getting up to put the dishes away."
She stood up and he lay there, now feeling very drowsy with the warmth from the fire.
Tony closed his eyes and felt Pepper return to the rug and sit down. She lay down beside him and rested her head on the other pillow. He was dozing lightly when he saw the faint imprint of blue behind his closed eyelids. At first Tony ignored the blueness. Then as he heard Pepper's breathing quicken and the blue color increase in intensity, he opened one eye cautiously and was astounded.
Pepper was lying right next to him, the moonstone on her chest. Except the stone was empty, a dull grey in color. The flame within it, his flame, was floating ethereally in the air above them, gently like a bright, glowing cloud of blue.
Well, that explains the blueness!
He glanced sideways at Pepper, who was lying on her back, hands slightly raised. She was staring with deep concentration at the flame cloud.
"Pepper," he whispered, not wanting to break her concentration, "please say that you are moving the flame and not a spirit."
She giggled and the cloud shimmered as if it were laughing too. Tony was fascinated as she moved her hands and the cloud moved too, gently floating to and fro.
"Tony," she said gently, "I am controlling the flame."
"Try to do something with it."
She furrowed her brow and the cloud seemed to darken. "Like what?"
"Can you form it into a shape?"
She closed her eyes tightly and he watched in wonder as the blueness took on a faint indistinct shape. It began to pulse and separate, then swirl in place and he realized Pepper was touching it with her mind.
Tony gasped in awe as he saw the cloud take the shape of a delicate wreath. Pepper opened her eyes, looked at her creation and then turned to him. She said softly, "Do you like it?"
He nodded and she closed her eyes again, this time, she formed a square block with the flame.
Tony started to feel his own flame, his own Arc within his chest, pulse and surge through his body. As if it wanted to be handled by Pepper as well.
The Dragon snorted. Let your flame out, Anthony, give Virginia more flame.
He opened his shirt and slowly slid the steel lid of his Arc open. Then he concentrated, willing his flame to leave his chest. Pepper was so busy with the moonstone's flame that she did not notice the stream of fire leaving his chest.
When she did, she gasped in horror and said urgently, "Tony, what are you doing?! Put it back!"
He knew what she had to do. Tony took her hand and placed it on his chest, right near his Arc. He whispered to her, looking deep into her eyes, "Move my flame, Pepper, you can control it."
She shook her head, eyes huge in her face and he pleaded with her. "Try Pepper, just try... You have done this once before. Just use your power and control my flame."
She stared at him and then exhaled harshly. But she placed her hand right over his Arc and Tony felt his heart start to pound as the Flame of Ryunn moved through him like a blast of blue light.
I have never felt this powerful before!
He could feel raw energy coursing through his veins and he saw Pepper move her fingers, concentrating on his Arc. "Tony," she whispered, "Tony, it is so alive. It..."
"Is it fighting you?"
"No! Quite the opposite! It wants me to touch it!"
He saw Pepper's eyes light up with a familiar orange glow and for a minute, Tony was scared she would lose control.
Instead, the stream of flame from his chest, grew thicker and stronger and Pepper made it rise upwards like a bolt of blueness. It lit up the entire room with its intensity. He watched awe-struck as she closed her eyes and made the blue bolt circle above them, like a giant ring of blue throbbing fire. The moonstone's fire was a smaller circle in the ring.
"Pepper," he whispered, "use the fire from the fireplace, can you control it too?"
She just nodded, eyes open now and staring at the two concentric rings of blue. She kept one hand on his chest and the other, she moved behind her, to extract a stream of fire from the fireplace. Tony watched, smiling widely, as Pepper moved the orange flame to form a third circle of fire, circling between the two blue flames.
"Pepper, sweetheart, this is beautiful... look at what you can do, just with your mind."
He could see her insecurity in her eyes, the way she nibbled her lip and the way the orange flame was slightly feathery in strength. He covered her hand on his chest, with his own hand and squeezed her tightly. Pepper looked down into his eyes, deep blue lights with a faint tinge of orange, visible in the shadows because of the faint glow from the rings of fire above them.
I have got to make her see... just how wondrous her gift is, how magical it is.
He caressed her petal soft cheek and said softly, "In the hands of evil, even purity dies. That monster, Stane, has only shown you what your power can destroy. See for yourself, how gentle, how beautiful it is, when you use it to create. And ..." he moved her hand over his Arc slowly, "see how wonderfully it works with my flame. Don't you see, my love, we truly are partners, not just with the sword but with the fire as well..."
The rings seemed to surge with power and light, they began to rotate faster as Pepper moved her hand under his, over his chest, feeling his flesh. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, nuzzling him gently.
"Tony, your faith in me is very humbling. I... I don't know what I've done to deserve you, my lord."
He felt moistness on his flesh and stroked her hair gently with his other hand. "Pepper, I believe in you...like you believe in me... And I won't stop believing in you, sweetheart," he whispered fiercely to her forehead. "You are more than what you think you are..."
She raised her head and he kissed the tear streaks from her cheeks. Then she whispered shyly, "Do you want to see one more shape?"
He nodded, propping himself on his elbows as she sat up. She did not close her eyes, she just stared up at the rings and they began to merge into one single ring, twirling and scattering. Tony watched with wonder as the three rings joined to form a tri-colored wreath of flame, orange, bright blue and dark blue. A faint roaring noise came from the wreath and she rotated it along its horizontal and vertical axis.
"And now I am going to separate them." She said softly and did just that. First she separated the orange flame, still keeping the wreath afloat and moved the orange flame back to the fireplace.
Then she separated the bright blue flame, which Tony noticed, was less that the dark blue one. She carefully guided it to the moonstone, which was lying on the floor. Pepper filled the stone with the little blue flame.
At last the dark blue one remained, swirling powerfully on its own. She placed her hand on the Arc and patted it gently. "Come back, my friend, come back." The thick stream of blue fire obeyed her easily and returned back to his Arc. He huffed with the feeling of light entering him.
Tony sat up, the overpowering effect of the flame reentering his chest, making his heart pound riotously. Pepper rubbed his back as he exhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down. He felt as if he had run a thousand miles in a minute.
She whispered worriedly, "Tony, are you alright? Did it hurt you?"
He caught her hand and gasped out, "It packs a real punch when it comes back."
"What does it feel like?"
He said slowly, trying to describe it..
"It feels like a wave of energy, of light, moving into me, filling my flesh, my veins, my sight, my senses. I feel so powerful and overwhelmed. But it is okay now, Pepper."
Tony gently nuzzled her face and she sighed and kissed him softly, just pressing her lips to his. He waited, willing her to take the lead and Pepper slowly touched her tongue to his lips and then took his lips in hers, her tongue dancing with his. They kissed, bodies hovering close to each other but not really touching. She raised her hand to caress the side of his face and stroke his beard.
He stopped kissing her and gently lowered her and himself to the rug. They lay on their sides, kissing slowly and he rubbed her arm with his hand. Pepper rolled onto her back and Tony raised himself above her, taking care not to crush her with his weight.
He kept kissing her as he slowly pressed himself to her soft body. She gasped as he broke off the kiss to move downward, kissing her chin, her long, slender throat and the pulse beating wildly at its base. Pepper sighed and tilted her neck, so he could easily reach her sensitive collarbones and shoulders. She unbuttoned her dress slowly and he slid it open, pleasantly surprised to see she was not wearing anything underneath.
He looked at Pepper then and she smiled shyly at him.
The peekaboo sight of bare, pink soft flesh, trembling under his gaze made Tony want to slake his lust in her roughly but he tamped down on the feeling. He was determined to be slow and loving.
So he pushed the halves of the dress away gently, revealing her perfect breasts and her beautiful skin. He lowered his mouth to above her right breast, only to feel Pepper's hands at his shoulders, restlessly trying to shove his opened shirt off him. He settled back on his knees and tugged his shirt off and threw it aside, then went back to what he was doing before.
Once again, he lowered his head, licking and nipping at her soft flesh, the aroma of lilies all around him. She had her hands in his hair, caressing his scalp, saying his name over and over again.
He dragged his beard along the flesh above her breast and her fingers tightened in his hair.
Then Tony moved downwards to her breast, the nipple already semi-erect. He touched it lightly with the tip of this tongue and Pepper growled at him. "Tony... you... stop teasing me and bite it please!"
He smiled but did not listen to her. Instead, Tony began to tease her nipples with his teeth and his tongue, alternating between licks and bites until he heard Pepper pant desperately beneath him. He trailed his hand down her soft stomach and then slowly dragged his finger along the soft vee of flesh that covered her hip bones.
Pepper bucked under his finger and grabbed his shoulders roughly. She desperately tried to clutch him to her, so he gently took her wrists in his large hand and held them above her head, pressing them into the pillow. As she stared at him wide eyed, he said softly, "You need to keep these to yourself, my queen, so that I can give you true pleasure." Pepper nodded and licked her lips.
Then he moved his fingers through the soft, reddish -gold curls right above her womanhood. Tony took his time as Pepper writhed desperately under his hold, gasping and mewling softly. He stroked the length of her honeyed warmth with his finger, tracing the delicate slit and she groaned out, "Tony! Tony! What are you doing?"
He looked at her then and felt a rush of possessiveness. Pepper lay there, completely bare to his gaze, blue eyes dark with passion, lips moist and her delicate hands above her head, held by his large ones. Her nipples were tightly erect and he pushed her hands down further into the pillow. Then he raised himself slightly, his mouth at her breast, one hand holding her hands, the other feeling her womanhood slowly. He spoke against her skin, "Relax my sweet, you are going to like what I am going to do..."
He felt shivers pass through Pepper as he kissed one breast and then the other, all the while, touching her intimately. He had not penetrated her yet with his finger but he could feel moisture seeping from her as he passed his finger slowly over her core. Tony glanced up at Pepper, who had closed her eyes tightly and was nibbling on her bottom lip fervently. He slowly let go of her hands and was very pleased to see she still held them above her head, wrists pressed together.
Now his other hand was free as well, so he used both hands to softly, slowly, feel the shape of her, passing his fingers through her curls, stroking her slit up and down, not penetrating her. He teased her like that and knew Pepper was going to come as she had started breathing harshly, her chest heaving with each breath she took. Tony leaned over her, gently pressing himself to her, his mouth at her breasts, kissing and licking them. Finally he kissed his way down her stomach, nipping gently at her firm abdomen, licking her belly button. Then he lowered his mouth to the vee of satiny flesh and licked it along its curve. Pepper bucked her hips violently at the touch of his tongue and Tony laid his palm flat against the top of her mound and pressed it firmly into her.
She cried out as the pressure of his palm hit her sensitive arousal and she pushed against his palm briefly before her body spasmed wildly. He kept feeling her gently as she rode out the orgasm. Slowly her breathing slowed and he lay down beside her. He held her to him, rocking her gently, knowing that Pepper would drift off to sleep. He ignored his throbbing erection and lay there, content to hold Pepper as she closed her eyes and relaxed, breathing softly against him.
She murmured something and he strained to understand what she was saying. Then she tightened her grip on him and said softly, "Please stay with me, Tony... please stay..."
"Of course, Pepper, I won't leave you."
He held her tenderly as she went to sleep and Tony started to count backwards from 100, trying to go to sleep himself.
I know what you are thinking: This is such a trope, bad storm, girl distressed, hero comes to her rescue but... I couldn't resist.
Besides, sometimes good things happen during bad times and look what Pepper does with the fire.
