He had poured his heart out to her and she had shot him down; broke it into pieces. And now here she was upset at him for not telling her he was alright? She had no right. If anything, he should be the one questioning her. She had told him he wasn't good enough. To a certain extent, he understood. But she just said something about still having a chance. What changed? He couldn't help but wonder.

"I already told you," Tony said instead.

Pepper shook her head. "No. You only told me you liked me."

"But I kissed you." Did it not tell her how he felt about her? He had never kissed a girl like that. Ever. And to have it all be for nothing? It hurt.

"That isn't enough for me."

"That isn't enough?" Now he was getting upset. "Why not?"

It was a simple question, but to her, it had the weight of the world on it. "You're avoiding my question."

"And you're avoiding mine."

Could it really be that she wanted him? She thought she had it all figured out, but then this happened, and it left her questioning her decision for the last three days. He told her how he felt and she rejected him, but at the same time he got what he wanted. Part of her wanted to give him a chance, but she wasn't sure it was worth pursuing. She needed to hear an extra something from him.

"Pepper, if you're gonna be difficult, forget it. I don't want to fight again."

She didn't either, so what about a compromise? "I'll answer yours if you answer mine?"

"Are you gonna bail out like last time," he asked her. He did not want a repeat of the locker room. He held up his end of the bargain. She hadn't.

"I won't." She had to sort things out. Was determined to sort things out.

Tony nodded. This was his chance. He tried to find the words, but came up short handed. He was an 'actions speak louder than words' kind of guy. "I think, uh..." He paused and cast his gaze down with furrowed brows. God, he was bad at this.

"Take your time," she softly spoke. "Don't want you to feel like you're being pressured."

He turned his head to look at her, and she reassured him with a smile, which turned out to be what he needed. "I just think you're worth it. I mean, I look at all these other girls and I just see them as hookups. And I did think that about you at first, but then something changed. I don't know why, but it did and it really scared the hell out of me. I told myself I'd get over it, but when I found out you had a boyfriend, I realized I didn't want to. It hurt. A lot. You remember, right? I lied. I ignored you. Then he showed up and I got jealous. I saw how you looked at him and I wanted that. With you. I know he's a good guy, better than me, but I..." He paused, clearing his throat. "I think I could be, too."

She looked down and smiled. It was all she could do. What he said was sweet. She didn't expect that from him. And for him to admit that, she couldn't help but think it. He was asking her to accept him as is, flaws and all, for the time being. He was going to try and be someone she deserved. It was touching. "I, I don't," she began, looking at him. She didn't know how to respond.

Tony looked into her sparkling blue eyes and finally saw a sense of hope in them. His shoulders finally relax and he even smiled back. "You're really cute, too." At that, her cheeks turned a slight pink. "You know that thing about kindergarten crushes? How a kid pulls on the pigtails of the girl he likes?" She nodded. "That's how I feel about you," he finished. Sure, it seemed silly, but the concept worked. It said what he wanted.

"I think you meant playground crushes," Pepper amended. Her tone was light, airy.

"Yeah," he simply replied, a small grin tugging the corner of his lips. "I just like everything about you. Your laugh. Your hair. Your smile. Your freckles." Then he smirked. "Your butt."

"You had to ruin it, didn't you?" Even so, she chuckled. See, that was the thing. His comment wasn't supposed to be funny, it was actually degrading to a certain extent, but it didn't bother her in the slightest bit. If she had asked Robert what he liked about her and if he said 'butt,' she wouldn't be singing the same tune.

"I know what I want," he said, pointing at her. "It's you."

She hated how he could turn this conversation from how it just was to what it is now. It infuriated her. They were back to being serious again. "Tony, I'll...I," she stuttered. "It's not that easy." He was talking about this like he was ordering a burger off a menu, but his eyes told a different story. They were serious, pleading, dark. "I'm practical, responsible. You're not." That wasn't anything he hadn't heard before. "But I do like you." She liked him, that sealed the deal in his mind. "A lot more than I'll admit, but I'm still-"

"Why are you thinking about this," he interrupted. "You don't need to. You're here, aren't you? Isn't that enough?"

She didn't know what to do. She expected him to answer her question, not say all these things, and now that he had, her mind was having trouble processing it all. But she knew one thing. Morgan was right. If she didn't make a decision soon, he'd be gone. Tony wouldn't wait around forever.

"I don't want to do this back and forth stuff." Again, he broke her out of her thoughts. "You told me I didn't have a chance, but then you say I do. Just pick, Pep. Me or him?" He wanted her to say the first name that came to mind because, in reality, that was who she wanted.

"What if I pick you," she finally spoke, which immediately got his attention. "What happens after?" He could see the vast array of emotions in her eyes, and if he had to pick the most prevalent one, it was fear. "What if you get tired of me a couple weeks later?"

He couldn't answer that. He couldn't predict the future. But knowing how he felt, he wouldn't. "If I do, you can push me into the ocean or something. Or call me an idiot for the rest of my life."

"I'll be calling you worse things than idiot if that happens," Pepper retorted.

"Right," Tony agreed. "Then just call me that when I complicate things, forget important dates, and screw stuff up." Which he would. He wouldn't deny it. "I'll try not to though." He realized it was better for them to talk about this now than later. If she had doubts, he wanted to know. They could sort things out, talk about what they could do fix it. He didn't know a thing about relationships, but figured this was the one of the steps to a healthy one.

"I guess I need to talk to Robert then." They were content, but they weren't happy. They were just in different places in their lives. He was working on becoming a doctor and she was still going through the drama associated with high school. She wanted someone on the same page and that someone happened to be Tony. It wasn't the wisest choice, but she'd regret it if she didn't take the chance. Wasn't that what life was all about? Taking risks? Doing things we aren't comfortable with? If he was willing to, she could too. In the grand scheme of it all, she really had nothing to lose. Robert and her would break up. There was no use salvaging something neither considered worth fighting for.

She hadn't expected to be this relieved after saying that. She guessed it had been weighing down on her more than she realized. It was only now she knew she had made the right decision. She waited, holding her breath, hoping he'd say something. A full minute probably passed. "Tony?"

"Really," he finally asked. He couldn't believe it. If he wasn't confined to a hospital room right now, he'd start running down the halls. "I won? Not that it was a contest or anything." Pepper tried her best to not look amused as he tried to back himself out of the corner he'd just put himself in. "Because it wasn't. At all. I think I'm gonna stop talking now." He figured that was the best thing to do.

Pepper chuckled. "You're rambling." He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. It was surprisingly adorable.

"Yeah, I do that sometimes," Tony smiled. "Come here," he quietly said to her, grabbing hold of her hand so he could pull her closer to him. His eyes flicker to her lips as he leaned forward to kiss her.

She angled her head so he kissed her hair instead. With her hands placed gently on his chest, she pushed him back and tried not to wince when she saw a flash of hurt cross his face. She had no reason to feel guilty about what she'd just done, but that didn't help matters. "You have to buy me dinner first."

"Really," he asked, the second time today. The frown on his face was now replaced with a smile, one that matched hers. He repositioned himself so he could face her, never once letting go of her hand while doing so. "Does food from the vending machine count?"

"Are you serious?" From the look on his face, Pepper could tell he was. He was definitely going to be a handful.

"What," Tony asked. He still didn't see anything wrong with it. "I was being considerate. Food from the cafeteria sucks. You should be thanking me." She stayed silent, staring at him; daring him to continue on with his train of thought. He thinned his lips, thinking about it. Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea, but it wasn't the worst either. He finally surrendered and looked at her with defeat. "Fine." But it didn't mean he agreed, now evident by his pouting expression.

She couldn't help but laugh. "You're such a child."

"No comment," he just said.

"Alright. How about this," Pepper began. She waited until she had his full attention. "If you can get me a bottled ice cold water, I'll let you kiss me."

"Deal." It couldn't be that hard, could it? He could talk his way out of several guards. The reward was worth it. With a smug smile, he got out of bed and walked to the door. Opening it slowly, he peeked out. Good. No one was there. As he predicted.

He got caught a couple steps after. "Hey, back inside! We're not doing this again."

"Don't bother," said someone from behind. "I got it." After a 'yes sir,' the guard left. Gulping, Tony turned and faced his father. "Where were you going?"

"Just getting a drink."

"You have water in your room."

"Yeah, I know. But Pepper wanted something to drink and I said I'd get her one."

"Right." He still wasn't sure about this 'Pepper' girl. "Get back in there and close things up. We need to talk."

Tony knew where this conversation was headed. "I already told the cops what I remember."

"Well, it's not enough."

"Nothing ever is," he mumbled.

"What," Howard asked, daring him to repeat it again.

All of a sudden something inside snapped. "I said nothing ever is," Tony repeated, only this time he wasn't scared. "It's been like this my entire life. Nothing I do is ever good enough, and when I come close, you ride my ass about something else. I almost died." He paused, seeing if his father would speak. "You know that, right? But if finding whoever torched your fucking building is what's important...fine. Cause you know what? I've learned a long time ago to not expect anything from you. I don't know why I thought me nearly dying would change your mind. You haven't even asked me how I'm doing, let alone step foot in my room. You can't possibly hate me that much, right? Because I don't deserve it. I might be a screw up, but there's worse kids out there; you know it."

"Calm down."

"Calm down? Seriously?!" All the pent up anger he had for his father was finally going somewhere; to someone well deserved. "What the hell is wrong with you? Maybe you should have died in that building. I'd be ecstatic to never have to see your face again."

"Anthony, stop." He turned his head to the left, seeing his mother. And Pepper. Great. The last thing he wanted is for her to be subject to his family drama. "This isn't home, and you do not talk to your dad like that."

Tony glanced at Howard one last time before relenting.

"If your father says he wants to talk to you, he will."

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Alright. Walk your friend to her car?"

Pepper took that as her cue to move. "Bye, Mrs. Stark." She looked at Howard. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Stark."

"Sorry you had to see that," Tony said, finally turning to look at her. They had walked down the hall, taken the elevator, and were now walking out of the hospital to the parking lot. It had been nothing but silence until now. "I hate him."

"Don't say that," she told him, facing him. She had no idea how strained their relationship was. For Tony to say his father was better off dead, that kind of feeling ran deep. And what he just said? Hating him? He meant it. But she knew what she overheard in the hall. Howard Stark might had only cared about his business, but it wasn't true anymore. Maybe this incident put everything in perspective, like it had her.

"You know there's this saying that the people who are most hardest on you in your life are the ones that care about you the most."

"Pepper, he's not gonna change. Who you saw back there? That's who he is."

"Maybe what happened changed that." She wasn't going to give up. She saw something there. Something that could be fixed.

"Maybe." He did notice Howard's presence almost every day at the hospital, but one honest deed didn't erase fifteen years of nonexistent ones. "I don't want to talk about this anymore." Then he changed the subject. "Sorry I couldn't get you that bottle of water."

She shrugged. "Too bad."

"Yeah, you don't sound that broken up about it," Tony observed. "We'll try again tomorrow?"

Pepper quirked her brow. "Tomorrow?" He smiled and nodded. "I don't know," she pondered. "My schedule looks pretty packed."

"Oh, so coming to see me is a burden," he shot back. "Fine. Don't come. I don't need you. I've got a hot nurse."

"Mhm, right. Have fun then." She wasn't going to be the one to break. If he wanted to hang around hot nurses, he could go ahead. She wasn't going to tell him he couldn't. She wasn't that kind of girl. "Don't forget to ask for a sponge bath."

"Remember you said it." He smiled before looking at her with hopeful eyes. "You weren't serious about not visiting me, right?"

Of course she wasn't. "You really are an idiot." She put her backpack in the car before turning to look at him. "But I think I really am busy tomorrow, so I'll see."

"Busy? Like busy breaking up with Robert?"

"Right. Like busy breaking up with Robert," she confirmed.

He smiled. "Good." It felt like a ton had been lifted off his shoulders. "Text me when that happens, alright? Rhodey needs to streak down the next football game in a thong."

"What," Pepper asked, chuckling.

"Yeah. He said I'd never get you. I told him I could and we bet on it."

"Really?" She couldn't pass up another offer to back Tony into a corner. "I thought you said something about getting me not being a competition."

"It isn't. But, come on, you'd totally go to the game just to watch it."

"I'll definitely be there. I should get going though. Got a dinner party to attend."

"Alright." He didn't know what to do. Should he hug her? He sure as hell couldn't kiss her. Like an idiot, he smiled and waved.

"I'll text you." Pepper unlocked her car door, then hesitated just before getting in. She turned around and walked up to him. "Come here." She gripped his t-shirt and pushed herself up so she could place a soft kiss against his cheek.

"Not where I wanted, but I guess I'll take it."

"Like I said, you have to buy me dinner first." With a wink, she got in her car and drove off.

Tony chuckled as she drove out the parking lot. Besides the argument he had with his father, today was a good day. In fact, one of his best. He finally had Pepper.