"Music is a language that doesn't speak in particular words. It speaks in emotions, and if it's in the bones, it's in the bones." ― Keith Richards
Tony looked up at the dusky sky. It was early afternoon but seemed like evening. The day had been cold, the afternoon colder still. He blew onto his palms and shuddered slightly.
Then he saw Pepper walk onto the meadow behind the Keep and felt warmth flow through him. Her beautiful hair was open and floating gently with the light breeze. She was dressed in a long coat and trousers.
He watched her run lightly down the slope and walk towards him. She met his eyes with her sapphire blue ones, sparkling with happiness.
Somehow this woman gives me peace... I am not scared of death as long as I can give the same peace to Pepper by giving her back her kingdom... giving her back her people's respect...
The Dragon huffed softly and said, A noble sentiment, Anthony but... if you die, I fear Virginia will die a slow death mourning your passing, till she can join you in the grave.
Tony gaped, then he shook his head hard to clear it of the dark words. That is horribly macabre, Dragon!
Yes but do you honestly think Virginia will ever love another man after you are gone? Tell me, Anthony, would you love another woman if she dies?
"No!" He said loudly, startling a few birds and Pepper who stopped in her tracks.
Tony smiled to reassure her and whispered tensely to the Dragon, "Do not speak of Pepper dying!"
The Dragon hissed, No one is going to die, Anthony and you are the one who started this macabre conversation!
"We are going to discuss this later!"
Pepper said softly as she approached him, "Tony, what is the matter? I heard you exclaim as I came towards you. Are you alright?"
"Leg cramp, Pep. Just startled me, that's all. Shall we train?" he said brightly.
"Sure, I am ready, let's go."
Tony raised an eyebrow at her. "Pep, you need to put your new armor on. To test it out. If it needs adjusting, tightening etc. Put it on and come back."
She grinned widely at him. "That's just it, Tony, I have it on!"
Pepper pulled off her coat and Tony whistled in appreciation as he saw she was wearing the Mithril chest plate. It shone on her brightly, purplish silver in the dimming light.
Pepper had a long-sleeved shirt under the chest plate. She rolled up her coat sleeves and he saw she was wearing her gauntlets and arm guards as well. She flexed her arms and whispered hotly, narrowing her eyes at him, "I am ready for battle, Sir Knight... where be our foe?"
Tony pointed at himself. "I am afraid, Pepper, today I am going to be your foe."
"What?!"
"Yup..." he gently led her to the middle of the field and put on his gauntlets. "Today, my dear, you and me are going to have a fire equipment test."
Pepper narrowed her eyes at him and Tony braced himself for an argument.
"Tony, are you going to ask me to fire on you? I wont! I won't do it!" She crossed her arms and glared at him mulishly.
"Pep..." he said jokingly, "what if I fire on you first?"
She just stared at him angrily and he said softly, "Pepper, we spar with each other right? That time you do not hesitate to hit me with your sword. In fact you seem to delight in thwacking me. So why should using our firepower on each other be different?"
"Because I know how to control my swing and slash of the sword, so as not to hurt you!" Pepper said angrily. "But fire? No Tony!"
He caught her hands in his. "I want to see if your armor can stand up to anything. What if it can't?" Tony looked at her pleadingly. "I also need to check my armor. What if Stane has a fire like yours and uses it on me and it burns me to a crisp because my armor can't stand it?"
Then he grimaced because Pepper had bitten her lip so hard that she left teeth marks on it.
He cupped her cheek. "You want to be safe, how about this? Let me put my chest plate on Dummy and you blast it first. To check for weak spots."
She nodded grudgingly and he quickly fastened his chest plate to the straw dummy. The plate was heavily tilted because the dummy was unevenly stuffed with hay and the plate wouldn't fit completely around it.
Then Tony walked back to Pepper.
She raised her hand and he saw her mentally gird herself. Then Pepper fired a straight powerful bolt. It struck the dummy straight on the plate.
With his smithing gloves, Tony pulled the plate off. Then he and Pepper assessed it critically.
"Not a scratch or a burn." he said proudly. He wiped the soot coveted Arc with his sleeve to clean it. "Phew, the new Arc is intact as well. The silver stood up to the heat as I calculated."
Pepper watched him as he gingerly put the plate back on. Then she said firmly, "Tony, I know how to test my armor. Without you firing at me. I place my armor on dummy."
Tony opened his mouth to argue but then he looked into her wide blue eyes and saw fear.
The Dragon hissed softly at him. She does not want to do this, Anthony. It is dangerous and you know Virginia already has bad memories associated with her fire. Do not tax her. It will traumatize her further and she may not want to use her power after that.
Tony agreed silently and said out loud, "Actually you are right, Pep. We do not need to fire at each other."
The relief in her eyes made him feel like a right idiot, for being so cruel to suggest that they fire on each other in the first place.
Pepper took off her coat and unclasped her Mithril shirt. She then made the dummy wear it.
As they stepped back, Tony chuckled at the sight of the dummy wearing the magnificent purple shirt. "You look great, Dummy. But do not get attached, it is my lady's armor..."
Pepper smiled at him. Then she raised her hand and fired at the dummy. They both gasped as the flame roared off the armor, setting the dummy on fire.
Tony calmly put out the fire with the bucket of water nearby. Pepper stared at the shining mail shirt, completely unscathed by the blast.
"There isn't even a mark of soot on it! How is this possible!" She exclaimed, wide eyed.
"The power of Mithril, my love..." he said kissing her forehead sideways. She looped her arms around his waist and leaned against him.
"Tony... thank you for this... and thank you for understanding my fears and not pushing me...", Pepper whispered.
"You do not need to thank me, Pep. It was an honor to make your armor. And..." He held her to him, whispering, "I do not mean to push you... I was just being cautious but... I do not want to make you sad, by forcing you to fire upon me."
She sighed happily and held him tighter.
Tony said, "But I must thank you for seducing me in my workshop. It is a memory, I shall treasure every time I turn the Smithy on."
She smirked and murmured, "If you liked that, my lord, you will love what I have planned for tonight."
He furrowed his brow at her and she smiled mysteriously.
Then Pepper took his hand. "It is time for your lesson now. Stand in front of me."
"My lesson?" he asked in confusion.
"Yes, that day, before those creatures came, we were working on the intensity of your fire. Remember?"
"Oh yes!"
Tony stood in front of the dummy and raised his gauntlet.
Pepper had pulled off one of her gauntlets. She raised her bare hand and placed it on his Arc. "Fire at the dummy as long as you can."
He did so and Tony felt Pepper's fingers move on his fire. He braced himself for the surge in power, just like last time.
Instead, Pepper rested her head right next to his Arc and began to hum.
Tony gave her a sideways glance and she stopped humming, to whisper to him, "Tony, look ahead and let me do what I have to do."
He obeyed her and as she kept humming, he noticed the tune was very familiar.
Then he was astonished as the Dragon began to hum the same tune loudly in his head, in a deep growly tone. The tune filled his senses, Pepper and the Dragon matching musically. It drowned out the roar of his Fire.
Then Tony realized that his Fire's roar had stopped. The only sound was the tune. And he glanced at his firing hand, to see that his flame had reduced to a tiny stream, like a candle's flame.
"How did that happen?" He whispered in wonder.
The humming stopped and Pepper smiled up at him.
"Pep, how did you-"
"Let's try that again." She whispered happily.
He nodded. Again he lifted his hand, Pepper placed her hand on his Arc. His fire burst forth but the minute she started humming, the tune seemed to echo in his very being.
Then Pepper began to sing softly. He strained to make out the words.
"Oh, my love
My darling..."
He felt his Fire begin to slow down like a surging wave, slowly turning into a gentle stream.
"I've hungered for your touch
A long, lonely time..."
He watched as his fire slowly reduced its strength to a mere flickering flame.
Then he felt Pepper move her fingers and the flame sparked up again, burning a little brighter.
"And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much
Are you still mine?"
It ebbed and burned bright blue and then the roar pounded in his ears so hard, he gasped out loud.
Once again, the tune had stopped. Tony looked at Pepper, mouth open in shock.
"Okay.. somebody explain this to me... please..."
Pepper smiled softly at him. "The last time we tried to do this, Tony, I realized that I was just trying to force your flame. Instead I should have been trying to calm it. The Dragon was humming this tune, the day it explained its story to us. It seemed to calm itself down with the tune. The melody seems to soothe it. So I thought... since Dragon's fire burns within you... this may work..."
The Dragon huffed softly. A tune from my childhood. It never fails to soothe me when I hum it.
Tony nodded. "I heard the Dragon humming as well but it was just a tune. From where did you get the words?"
Pepper whispered, "I wrote them."
Tony exclaimed in awe, "You wrote those amazing words... and they march the tune... wow Pepper!"
She flushed as he expected and buried her face in his neck.
He chuckled against her skin. "Why so shy, oh great singing one?"
"Tony!" she said with a giggle and raised her head.
Then he said softly, "Please teach me how to calm my flame."
"Sure Tony. Let us do this together."
She moved in front of him and placed her hand on his Arc. Then Pepper said softly, "I am going to sing slowly and you need to hum along with me, helping me with the tune. Is that okay?"
He nodded and raised his hand.
Tony started to fire and then instead of looking at the dummy, he looked at Pepper, leaning on him slightly, one arm around his waist, the other raised, fingers tenderly moving over his Arc.
She raised her head and looked at him as she began to sing. He began to hum the tune, hesitantly at first and then loudly as Pepper nodded at him.
He could hear the tune in his head, musical and sweet and Tony closed his eyes, to see the blue curtains of fire in his mind's eye, turn into a light, wispy blue ribbon, drifting gently in the darkness.
He felt the roar become silent as the tune grew even louder. Then he opened his eyes, to gaze straight into Pepper's eyes.
The intensity in the shimmering azure depths gazing into his, made his heart beat painfully slow.
The sky shining over the deep blue sea... my Queen, Pepper, what would I be without you?
She smiled slowly at him and Tony lowered his head and kissed her gently. The tune was still echoing in his head as he explored her soft lips tenderly with his, very slowly as if he was learning their every curve and dip, their plump softness and the intoxicating taste of them.
She sighed into his mouth and he gently touched his tongue to hers. He felt her fingers tenderly moving over the hair at his neck, feeling the strands between her fingers.
He left her lips and kissed the corner of her mouth. "Pepper, I love you..."
She whispered, "Tony, I love you too... with all my heart..."
Then Tony looked back at the dummy. His fire had completely stopped. He held Pepper to him and said, "I have got this, watch."
He fired two sharp strong bolts at the dummy, hitting it hard, nearly toppling it.
Then Tony began to hum the tune, feeling his fire slow and ebb within him. He concentrated on his fire, humming louder and stronger, seeing the difference in the strength of his fire with the change in tune.
It is slower with the tune but if the tune gets louder, its strength increases. What if I...
He hummed a little softer and slower, slowing down over the tune and his fire turned to a mere candlelight flame, flickering in his hand.
"Tony, I think you have got it..." whispered Pepper in awe.
He nodded and stopped firing. "I think I have, the tune does slow my Fire down but the louder it gets, the stronger the intensity of the flame. If I hum softly and slowly, it reduces in strength."
Well done, Anthony and Virginia... you have figured out a secret that I was never even aware of. hissed the Dragon.
He was sweating lightly, so he tried to rub the sweat off his brow with his arm. Pepper reached up and rubbed his brow with her sleeve.
He hugged her against him and sighed loudly.
"Tired?" She asked with concern.
"A little..." he said, exhaling hard.
"Do you want to go back inside? I have something to show you."
He raised his eyebrows at her and Pepper smiled up at him happily. "Yes! Lets!"
Tony picked up his armor pieces and put out the smoking fires on the Dummy. Then he turned towards Pepper, who said with a giggle, "Race you inside!"
She dashed off and he ran after her, shouting, "Let me be very clear, no bet was placed on the outcome of this race, Pepper Potts!"
Tony followed Pepper into the Keep and into the main house, trying to keep up with her. She reached the library and stopped, turning to face him.
He ran into her and caught her lightly, pulling her into his arms. Pepper giggled as he twirled his mustache with one hand. "Aha, fair maiden, I have caught you!"
Tony nuzzled her neck and she sighed but then gently pushed him away, saying, "Tony, I want to show you the portrait I made of you... would you like-"
He didn't let her finish, he was so excited. Tony caught her hands in his, exclaiming loudly, "Portrait! Pepper, of course I do!"
Pepper caught his chin in her hand and shook him gently. "Let me get my sketch book then. Wait here."
He paced about impatiently as Pepper went to her room. She returned finally.
Tony stood behind Pepper as she placed her sketch book on the table. "How many are there, Pep? Have you painted any? Are they all in pencil?"
'Tony!" she said with a laugh. "Let me open the book! I am trying to be careful, so I do not jostle the pictures. They might smudge."
He leaned into her, resting his head on her shoulder and she rubbed her cheek against his, saying, "For someone who was very reluctant to be sketched, you seem very excited, my lord."
He growled back, "I want to see if you have captured my likeness." Then Tony gasped as she opened the book and he looked over her shoulder, at the first page of sketches.
As he stared, Pepper explained gently, "These are rough pencil sketches of you and Balthazar, bare enough to help me with later sketches."
Tony was stunned by her talent. Some sketches had him roughly etched, one was an extreme close up of his eyes, shaded exquisitely with pencil, another was of Balthazar's noble head in profile.
"Pepper, these are beautiful..." he whispered in awe.
She smiled and turned the page. "Now these are all body sketches."
Tony flushed because these sketches were of him naked and Pepper had managed to sketch nearly every part of his body from his arms and torso to his ankles and feet, in great detail. A large sketch was of him standing straight with his arms behind his back. There was a sketch of his old Arc from the front and the sides and he smiled at that. Then the next sketch made him flush again because it was of his erect cock.
"Pepper..." he whined, "did you have to... come on, Pep..."
He met her eyes and she burst into cute girlish giggles, shaking with mirth. "Tony!" She exclaimed when she had finally stopped giggling. "What are you so embarrassed about?"
"You wouldn't... you won't show these to anyone, will you?" He asked nervously and she shook her head firmly.
Pepper turned back to him and caught his chin. She kissed him softly and whispered, "These are for my eyes only, Tony... do not worry... I will not share glimpses of my knight's beautiful body with anyone."
He smiled and laid his head back on her shoulder. "I like the Arc ones."
She nodded. "Me too. I am going to separate them from this page and make a proper drawing, which I can paint."
He whispered against her ear, "I am learning so much about myself from your sketches, Pep. For example, I knew I was blessed with good organs but don't you think I am exceptionally well endowed?"
Pepper snorted loudly and then broke into wild laughter and Tony said dryly, "My lady, you are the painter here, you have made me seem like Samson, broad, muscular and a god in the nether region."
Pepper just kept laughing and Tony shrugged. Then he scowled at one particular sketch. That of his backside.
"Pepper Potts," he said slowly, "was it necessary to sketch this part of me? Why do you need my backside? I am going to be facing the viewer in the final portrait."
She bit her lip and said quietly, "That's just it, Tony Stark, for your final portrait, I painted you from the behind, so that cute bubble butt of yours will be in full display."
Tony raised his eyebrows to his hairline and felt his heart race. "Pepper!" he squeaked out in horror. "I don't believe you!"
Pepper smiled widely and said, "I am just teasing you, Tony. That one is also for my private collection."
He relaxed against her and she turned the page. Now there were a lot of sketches of Balthazar in the stables and Tigliath, on his bed, bouncing around in the snow and slumbering in a ball of fur.
"These are some random sketches I made," she said softly.
"I admire your ability to capture the many moods of Tigliath, his relaxed state, his slumbering pose, his playful manner..." he said with wonder.
"Would you..." he asked hesitantly, "would you make a formal portrait of him? I want a piece of art that depicts my cat, so that people will remember that the Iron Knight had a beast of tooth and claw, that fought with him in battle."
Pepper exclaimed with happiness, "Of course, Tony! It would my pleasure! I will start it as soon as I can."
Then she turned the page and said, "These are some more of my random sketches."
Tony saw that Pepper had managed to sketch nearly everyone they knew, from Jarvis and Happy to the shy baker. He chuckled at a sketch of Magdalene crooning to a spoon.
"You should make this a portrait as well! Except, instead of a spoon, it should be a knife! A knife suits Maggie more."
She smacked him lightly. "Behave my lord."
A pose of him sleeping, caught his eye. Tony leaned around her, looking at it with admiration. Pepper had sketched him fast asleep on a pillow, his bare chest and face facing her, eyes closed lightly, relaxed in slumber.
"Pep, when did you do this? I do not remember posing like this!"
She smiled serenely and whispered, "The afternoon after our pillow fight. You were so exhausted from our love making, that I couldn't resist."
Then Pepper closed her sketch book and turned around. "Now are you ready to see your completed portrait?"
"Yes, please, Pep!" he said with excitement. From his library shelf, she brought out a single sheaf of rough parchment and Tony gaped at it.
It was an exquisitely detailed black-and-white sketch of him and Balthazar in charcoal. He was wearing clothes and holding his horse by the bridle.
Tony whispered, "I look so regal and noble... an amazing accomplishment..."
Pepper snorted and then whispered softly, "But this is not your formal portrait. This is just a charcoal sketch of your likeness."
She went back to the shelf and brought out a large glass frame. Then she placed it on the table. Tony stared down at the colored portrait in awe.
It was one of the poses Pepper had made him do, completely naked. He was turned towards Balthazar, one hand on his horse's muzzle. Pepper had rendered him bronzed and muscular, the visible side of his body, arm and leg drawn to give an impression of contained strength and power.
The color scheme was rich and bold, the fleshy tones making him and his horse seem extremely life-like. Now Tony had seen many formal portraits of knights and what set this one apart was the lush sensuality in the portrait.
His crotch was in shadow, so it was not due to his nudity. No, what astounded Tony, was the way Pepper had drawn his face and eyes. She had drawn him looking towards her, his gaze passionate and aroused, his eyes staring out of the portrait with smoldering intensity, his body taut and tense.
He said in hushed tones, "Pepper, I ... I did not know I could look like this..."
Pepper said softly, "I love it when you look at me this way, my lord, I feel so protected, so cherished and yet so free."
She leaned back and nuzzled him. "This is how I want history to remember you, not just a knight of iron but also a man of flesh and bone, who loved as powerfully as he fought. You conquered my heart and soul, Lord Stark."
He gulped hard, feeling rather overcome by the depth of emotion in the way she had depicted him.
Pepper turned and hugged him, whispering, "This portrait will also preserve the legend of the sexy Lord Stark, don't you think?"
He laughed at that and said, "More like Lord Stark naked, if anything..."
She smacked him lightly but grinned. He was so busy teasing her, that Tony forgot all about her promised surprise in the later half of the day.
This is going to sound damn funny, it sounds ridiculous to my own ears but... whenever I write a chapter where Tony and Pepper train together, I use "Unchained Melody" as an inspirational soundtrack. I do not know why but somehow the music inspires these sort of chapters.
There will be a smutty chapter tomorrow and its continuation on Sunday.
