Shout out to GuestfromFrance: Where are you? I miss your comments :( I hope your new job is not tiring you out
Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
- "Unchained Melody"
Pepper skipped through the courtyard towards the back gate. She was horribly excited because today she would train with the new Mithril armor that Tony had made for her.
She reached the gate, then looked back to see Tony trudging along behind her.
"Come on Tony!", she said excitedly, "Let's go! We need to start!"
He yawned loudly and rubbed his hair. Tony was not a morning person, so today's training was particularly painful for him, since it was 6 am. But they could only train when it wasn't snowing and it was a chilly but clear morning. It had not snowed last night, so the snow was thin on the ground.
She ran back to him and took the sack containing the Mithril armor from him. "Here I will help, let's go."
As they walked to the clearing, Pepper ahead of him, Tony chuckled. "Alright Pep, we are finally here. Now I need to warm up."
He started to take off his coat and his shirt. She stared at him askance. "Tony, what are you doing?"
He stood there in his vest and rubbed his arms. "I need to warm up, a small jog will do... good lord, it is brisk today!"
Then Tony began to jog in a circle around the clearing, lifting his legs high. She watched him for a moment, admiring the attractive view he provided while jogging.
Then Pepper decided to join him mid-way. She ran to his side and matched his pace. He glanced at her as they jogged side by side and Tony said teasingly, "Now why do you need a warm up, you are excited as it is!"
She laughed and they took one more lap together before stopping.
Tony shivered as he pulled on his shirt haphazardly and Pepper giggled and moved closer to help him. "Tony! Look at your collar!" she said, adjusting it as he quickly pulled the ends of the shirt together to button them.
As he buttoned his shirt, she gently adjusted his cuffs and held up his coat for him to slide his arms into it. Then he buttoned the coat as well and she rubbed his arms to give him warmth.
Tony caught her hands before she could let him go and pulled her into his arms. She sighed with happiness as he softly kissed her cheek.
"Good morning, Pepper, my love..." he nuzzled her and she giggled as his prickly beard tickled her.
"I hope you are finally awake, my lord." she said, stroking his beard.
"I think I am...so are you ready to try on your new armor?"
"Yes!" She exclaimed loudly, the sound echoing lightly and Tony laughed as Pepper ran to the sack containing the armor.
He walked to her and dug around in the sack. "Okay, stand still and give me one hand."
He lifted up a wrist guard and fitted it on her hand. Pepper fidgeted impatiently because Tony was studying her wrist intently, muttering to himself about the fitting.
"Could be a little tighter, but then it would chafe the skin... maybe be little looser, perhaps..."
She tried to reach the sack with her other hand, so she could pull out the other guard. Tony saw what she was doing and grinned widely.
"Alright, my impatient one... let's put everything on." He fitted the other wrist guard, then the arm guards.
Pepper stood, arms outstretched, bending and moving her arms, marveling anew at the feel of the metal on her body.
"Tony, they are so light! And so delicate! They feel as if they are made of the softest cloth!"
Tony was kneeling before her and fitting the knee guards. She felt his hands linger over her knee.
"You have always liked my legs, haven't you Tony?" She said with a smile, touching his bent head lightly.
Then Pepper trembled as Tony gently caressed the back of her thigh before moving his hand upwards. He said slowly, looking up at her, "How can I not admire them? Sinfully soft and endlessly long, fair columns of smooth flesh." He moved his hand over her backside, making her breathless.
Tony stood up suddenly, a gleam in his eyes. He winked at her sexily and said, "Should we skip training today and... do something else, just as energetic?"
For a minute, Pepper was tempted but she looked down at the Mithril gauntlets and stepped back firmly.
He nodded wryly but she whispered slowly, "Later Anthony, later."
Tony smirked at her and cleared his throat. "So knees, arms and wrists are covered... thoughts, complaints, feedback about the armor?" He asked, suddenly all business -like.
Pepper said musingly, "It feels very light yet firm."
"Can you move your limbs easily?"
"Yes, I can."
"Good. Any particular guard is tight or pinching?"
"No, Tony."
"Well then," he dug around in the sack and pulled on his own gauntlets. "Time to try them out in the field."
Tony once again rummaged in the sack and pulled out a number of bottles.
"Okay Pepper, first target practice. Horizontal range of motion. Take your position and wait for the count down."
He walked away from her and counted to ten. She concentrated and fired at the bottle flying in the distance.
Pepper managed to clip it but she was pleased to see that the gauntlet had not hindered her flame in any way.
"Once again now..." Tony said and he threw another one.
This time she hit the bottle, bursting it. Pepper shrieked with glee.
They kept at it for at least fifteen minutes until Tony stopped to inspect the gauntlets. He caught her hands in his and looked them over critically.
"No singeing or blackness. So this is a clean flame. The material is intact as it should be. Any hindrances while firing?"
"None whatsoever."
"Okay, now for some vertical firing. I want to see if there is any interference or drag caused by the gauntlets."
The next hour passed by in a blur as Tony put Pepper's fire power through multiple tests, all in an effort to ensure the gauntlets were fine.
He saw she was tired and they took a break. Tony emptied the sack, then spread it on the ground and urged Pepper to sit down. He wrapped his coat around her and pulled on his chest plate and helmet.
"Tony," she asked, "what are you doing?"
"I'm just going through my sword exercises. You rest for a while. Here." he handed her his flask. "Have a sip."
She raised her brows at him and gave him a stern look. "Tony Stark! It is very early in the morning to have a drink!"
He grinned at her naughtily. "Have a sip and see what it is."
Pepper took a curious sip and sighed with pleasure as she realized it was mulled cider, still warm, thanks to the metal flask.
She sat there, sipping as Tony performed his sword drills.
The way he moves his sword and body in tandem, so mighty yet so elegant... and the focus in his gaze... the concentration...
Then she flushed as she recalled their time together after she smashed the Bloodstone, when Tony made her the object of his focus.
And two nights ago, when he told me exactly what to do...
"Pepper," Tony's voice brought her back to the present. He came over to her and she suppressed a giggle as she saw he was struggling to take off his helmet. Pepper stood up and helped him.
"Pep, I have an idea. And I want to discuss it, so I can find a solution."
Pepper said gently, "Why don't we sit down and talk?"
They both sat back down on the sack. Pepper made Tony place his head in her lap, so she could play with his hair while he talked.
"Pep... I just realized something. I need to find a way to reflect light. Off my armor. The Bloodstone did not have a physical power over me, it had a magical one. So if I could reflect such dangerous waves off my armor, but how does one reflect magic? It has to be through light! And that's why..."
Tony went on and on about light deflection but Pepper wasn't paying him any attention because she was too busy smoothing down his hair. It was all mussed up from his helmet. She patted the wavy tufts down and then gently pushed them up again.
So soft and fine... look how dark they are against my fingers... is his hair black or dark brown... it seems black here... but no... here it is clearly dark brown. So wavy too... compared to this hair, his beard is so prickly with an undergrowth of softness... like a dog... I don't think Tony would like me comparing his beard to a dog's coat!
She focused again when Tony suddenly asked, "What do you think, Pepper?" and turned towards her, lifting his head.
Pepper was caught off guard but she thought quickly and said, "You should try it out, Tony. It wouldn't hurt to try."
He grinned at her and asked, "Should we spar now?"
This excited her, she stood up and offered him her hand. "Yes! Tony, let's!"
"Alright, you have your armor. I will take off my chest plate."
"No! Why!"
"Because Pepper," he explained patiently, "it simply wouldn't do for me to spar with my armor on. Fairness, my sweet."
Tony took off his plate and looked around for his sword, while she picked up hers. At least Pepper thought he was looking for his sword. He came towards her, holding two long twigs.
"Anthony Stark, what is that for?"
"Why for sparring of course. Here's yours and this is mine." He handed a twig, which she stared at.
"Why can't we spar with our swords!?"
"Because I have seen you on the battlefield and I am scared you might slice my head off." He smiled at her so sweetly, that she couldn't help but smile back.
"You are right, my lord, who knows..." Pepper assumed an attack position, raising her stick high. "I might miss your head and cut off the Stark jewels by mistake. What a loss that would be..." she smirked mischievously at the look of horror on Tony's face.
He swallowed hard, assuming the defensive pose and looked at her wide eyed. "Good lord Pepper..."
As Pepper lunged forward, he said, "Wait a minute! You are trying to intimidate me before the fight!"
She struck at him but he deflected her blow. Pepper grinned widely at him and Tony said in mock horror, "For shame, woman, I taught you that trick!"
He blocked her other blow as well and she stepped back, trying to find a weak spot.
"What can I say?" She raised her twig high, feigning an attack and as he raised his twig to counter her, she kicked him lightly in the chest.
Tony fell over on his ass and Pepper stood over him triumphantly, pointing her twig at his throat. "I learned from the best. Do you yield, my lord?"
He lay back panting lightly, brown eyes twinkling at her. "I'm afraid, my lady, you will find ... I am not such an easy lay!"
Pepper giggled as Tony quickly rolled away, scrambling to his feet and picking up his twig.
He waggled his eyebrows at her as they once again circled each other. "Get it Pep, easy lay?"
She huffed at him. "Tony Stark, your head is seriously in the gutter."
He struck at her but she moved out of the way and then their twigs clashed, bringing them close.
Pepper bit her lip with mirth as Tony leaned into the clash, giving her a heavy lidded sensual look or what she called his 'bedroom' eyes.
"We have got to stop meeting like this, my lady..." he drawled, batting his eyes at her coyly.
She was struggling to control her laughter at his antics, when Tony's twig snapped into two. He balanced himself, looking at his twig in confusion. Pepper stepped back and laughed loudly.
"Huh... today is not my day." He threw his twig away, shrugging.
Then Tony raised his hands up in a gesture of surrender as she pointed her twig at him.
"Your sword is broken, knight. Do you finally yield?" Pepper said, smiling sweetly.
Tony closed his eyes and she thought she had won. Then like a flash of lightning, he charged at her, head lowered like a bull, catching her around the waist and pushing her to the ground. He turned last minute, so that he fell on his back and she fell on him, facing away.
Pepper lay there on top of him, shocked at how quickly he had moved. Tony wound his hands around hers and entwined his fingers with hers, effectively holding her in place.
He tightened his grip gently and drawled against her ear, "My, my, how the tables have turned... the conqueror becomes the conquered."
But Pepper still had one trick up her sleeve. She moved herself slightly downwards until her hips were in line with his. Then she wriggled, pressing her backside against him firmly and he groaned loudly.
"Pepper! That is a low blow! You fight dirty, woman!" He growled in her ear. She laughed and said, "Who is the conqueror now?"
Pepper wriggled again and Tony exhaled loudly. He let go of her hands and she turned, now facing him. She moved up his body, making sure that Tony could feel every inch of her and leaned over his face.
Tony lay absolutely still, brown eyes staring into hers and Pepper softly whispered, "Do you yield, knight?"
He shook his head firmly and then she kissed his jaw, moving her lips over his beard, her hand holding his face still. He groaned again and pushed upwards at her and Pepper giggled.
"Yes, my lady, I yield... I yield, now please torture me some more..."
Tony kissed her hard and they lay there, kissing each other passionately, arms wrapped around each other. Then a slight tremor passed through Tony and Pepper remembered that he was lying right on the cold ground.
She quickly pushed herself off him and stood up. Tony make a small irritated noise and she told him sternly, "Tony Stark, have a care! The ground is freezing! You will catch your death of cold!"
He made a face at her and stood up slowly. "Alright, Pepper, alright... now since you so deviously," He cleared his throat loudly and she smirked at him, "won the sparring contest, you get to decide what we do next."
"Ooooo", Pepper squealed in happiness, "I have just the thing in mind."
"What's that, Pep?" Tony asked good-naturedly, "Do you want to ride Balthazar?"
"No, my lord," she said smugly, "I have already mastered that challenge. I want you to show me how to use your curved sword."
She struggled to keep a straight face as Tony gasped and turned slightly pale. "Good lord, Pepper! That! Oh!" he sputtered comically.
"Please, Tony, please! I just want to try it out, I do not want your sword... I just want to take a few swings with it and experience what it feels like to strike with such a sword... please..." she said softly, catching his hand in hers.
He sighed and shook his head at her. "Pepper Potts, you really fight dirty... alright, I shall teach you how to use my scimitar. But we need to be careful because it is a different type of sword. I do not want you to get hurt."
Tony had left his sword by the start of the clearing, so he quickly picked it up and came back to her. "And we are going to need... Dummy, where are you? Wait, there it is."
Pepper smiled as they walked over to the tattered straw dummy.
"Poor Dummy. It has been through so much sparring and training with you and me, hasn't it, Tony?"
Tony examined the dummy critically. "It needs more stuffing. Especially after you are done with today's session. Remind me to get some hay from the stables the next time, alright Pep?"
She nodded and Tony unsheathed his sword. Pepper stared in wonder at the short sword with its wickedly sharp curved edge, gleaming in the sunlight. Its hilt was made from intricately crafted black and dark blue leather, arranged in bands across its width.
"What is this type of sword called, Tony? Sci maa ter?"
"You've nearly got it right, it is a sci miii tar." She mouthed the letters after him as Tony lovingly ran his thumb along its curved edge.
"She's small but deadly, very useful for cleaving and tearing. This sort of sword is effective against lightly armored foes because it is not strong enough to dent heavy knight armor. For those foes, I prefer to use my old broadsword or battle axe. But my scimitar," he raised it upwards and then brought it down lightly, "lets me swish my way through a horde in no time."
He stood in front of her and held the sword flat in his palms. "Here, Pepper, hold the sword by its hilt, pointing it downwards."
She gingerly caught the hilt and took it off his hands. Pepper caught the sword with both hands because it felt heavy to her.
She stood there, sword pointing downward, nearly touching the ground, trying to find the strength to lift it up. "Tony, it is very hefty, I do not think I can lift it."
Tony came around behind her and supported her from behind, placing his hands over hers. "You just need to get used to the feel of the sword, wait, let us lift it together."
She sighed and relaxed back against him, as she felt his hands supporting her, while she lifted the sword up. Pepper straightened her arms, to point the sword away from her and Tony did the same. Thanks to his hands, the sword did not feel so heavy.
"What next?" she asked.
She could feel his breath on her ear, as he spoke, "Swing it, like this." She followed his lead, moving her hands with his as he moved his hands towards the right and then quickly towards the left.
"See, that's a sideways slice. Now the other side. Shift the hilt slightly to your left hand, still keeping your right hand closed over it. You are just shifting control from one sword hand to the other."
Again they moved together, this time swinging from left to right.
Pepper felt a gentle warmth flow through her, coming from behind her. She realized it was from Tony's Arc, because her back was pressed to his chest. She could feel his fire roar and pulse in her own body and widened her eyes with the realization.
Tony chuckled slowly, his hands still with hers on the scimitar, pointing it straight. "Pepper, let me guess, you can feel my Fire moving through you as well?"
"Yes Tony," she whispered, not wanting to disturb the moment. "I can hear a soft roaring... how is that possible?"
She felt him smile against her hair and then he kissed the side of her face. "I do not know how or why, but my Fire... just wants your touch, my lady. It reacts very powerfully whenever you are close by."
She smiled widely as he softly murmured, "You have a gift, Pepper, do not ever let anyone tell you otherwise. If your ancestor who saved Summac, could see you now... she would be so proud of how you have excelled in your power."
Pepper flushed and said demurely, "Tony Stark, you flatter me too much for my own good."
"Nope, not as much as you need... now you can control my scimitar too. Close your eyes, focus on your strength, your inner strength. Channel it through you. Move the sword with your strength, I am right here, supporting you."
She did as he said and felt Tony move their joined hands backwards, raising the sword high.
"Now, Pepper, raise it up and cleave left, with force!" He said and they moved the scimitar together. She heard its faint whistle as it sliced through the air.
"Again! Up and cleave right!" Again they moved the scimitar through the air.
"Okay, Pepper, now for something difficult. Strike left, then turn it quickly to slice at the right, in one motion."
Pepper bit her lip and focused all her energy on the sword in her hands. She felt Tony firm his grip on her hands, giving her support. Then they lifted it lightly, then swung it hard towards the left. She shifted the weight of it from one hand to the other, Tony holding back and then made a neat slice to the right.
She lowered the sword and opened her eyes happily. She turned around, only to see Tony was not there behind her. He was standing a safe distance away, grinning at her.
"Come on, Pepper, you got this!" He cheered her on. "Try out the moves on dummy!"
She smiled and lifted the sword. It was heavy but Pepper knew she could handle the weight on her own. She swung the sword at dummy in a downwards slash and then turned direction mid-way, to strike the dummy upwards.
Pepper lowered the sword panting as the dummy bled hay from all sides, leaving a largish pile of straw on the ground. Tony came by her side and placed his hand on her shoulders.
He kissed the side of her head lightly. "Well done Pepper, looks like you have learnt another weapon."
She smiled up at him and handed him the sword, using the exact way he had given it to her.
"Tony, how did you get such a blade?" She asked curiously as he sheathed it. She widened her eyes as Tony stared away from her, sadness clouding his face.
He exhaled sharply and said, "A warrior from the East gave it to me as a gift because he felt I would use it better than he could." Then he tapped his Arc lightly. "It was not the first gift he had given me."
He looked at Pepper with a wistful smile around his mouth. "I wish you could have met Yin Sen, Pepper." Tony smiled to himself as he looked at his Arc. "He would have loved your enthusiasm to train and how you can get up on time. I am afraid I vexed him with my tardiness."
They both laughed at that and Pepper hugged Tony impulsively. She burrowed her face in his neck and placed her hand on his Arc, enjoying the surge of power as his Fire rose to her fingertips.
"You do his memory proud, Tony. And you are a good teacher." She whispered softly to him. "I am honored to be your first student."
He tightened his arms around her and said, "And I am humbled that you attribute your talent to my teaching."
They stood quietly like that, hugging each other until Pepper felt a soft moist mass on her cheek. She looked up to see snow flakes falling gently from the sky.
"Tony, it is snowing..." Then she laughed as he stuck his tongue out to catch a stray snowflake.
"Tony!"
He moved his lips and said, "Tastes wet." Then he bent his head to hers and kissed her softly. "Now you..." he whispered against her lips, "you taste like heaven."
She deepened the kiss and as lovers are wont to do, Tony and Pepper ignored the falling snow and enjoyed a few stolen moments in each others arms.
So for this chapter, I went with the whole Ghost trope of Patrick Swayze standing behind Demi Moore and guiding her with the pottery wheel :P
