"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Pepper answered by default. It was Monday. Another school day. The bell had just rung for lunch, but she couldn't move an inch from her seat, or rather didn't want to move an inch from her seat. "I think I'll pass. Don't feel like eating at the moment."
"Text me if you want anything."
"Thanks." She waited a couple seconds after Kristin left before getting up herself. She heard from one of Tony's friends that he was back at school. She had been too busy over the weekend to check on him, but she did do one thing - she called Robert.
She hadn't expected it to go smoothly, and it hadn't. Robert refused to believe they were done and told her if they were, she'd break up with him in person and not over the phone. There wasn't a road that'd lead them back to how they once were and she had to make sure he was aware of that.
"I can't believe you came here. You have a lot of work to catch up on."
"Don't worry about that."
"I am," Pepper responded with a matter of fact tone. "I don't want your grades slipping because of me."
"I'm not gonna let you throw away everything we have for someone like him."
"For the last time," she said with nearly gritted teeth. "I'm not breaking up with you for anyone. I'm breaking up with you because I want to."
"Where is this coming from? When I left, we were fine. We even made plans for Thanksgiving."
"I know." Her voice softened. "It's just that I've been thinking a lot about us. Believe it all you want, but we're not fine."
"Okay, so we're not fine," Robert admitted. "But that doesn't mean we have to break up. I know we've been fighting more than usual, but what couple doesn't? It's just a brick in the road. Let's talk things over before we decide anything. I haven't been there for you, I know that, but I'm honestly working on it. This long distance thing's just as hard on me as it is on you." He sighed, calming himself down. "You wanted me to stand up to my dad, I did. You wanted space, I backed off. You wanted to hold off sex, I understood. You wanted to stay friends with him, I kept quiet about it. If all that doesn't tell you how much I'm invested in our relationship, I don't know what will."
"I know you are. I'd never question that. What I'm saying is that it isn't enough." She was tired of fighting, but something told her their fight had just started. "We're at different places in our lives. It's too hard to make things work."
"That's because you've already given up," he shot back, disdain in his voice. "I overheard Morgan and Emma talking the other day. You kissed him."
"No, he kissed me," she corrected.
"It doesn't matter! You should had pushed him away the instant he did! What else have you done with him?"
"Nothing," Pepper shouted. He could yell at her all he wanted, but she drew the line on insinuations. She was angry, but most of all, hurt. She'd never cheat and he knew that. She wasn't that kind of girl.
"You don't have to lie to me. I know everything." Robert straightened up and walked towards her until he was in her personal space. "I knew something was up when I came over."
"You mean the weekend of my birthday? He was sleeping! He-" She cut herself off. She wasn't going to explain herself to him. "If you think that, fine." It was all the more reason their split was inevitable. "I don't care. Just go. You're getting really good at it."
"So you can go running to him," he asked, his voice raised. He couldn't help it. His fears concerning just how close the two of them had gotten were rising to the surface. "I don't think so. I saw him once I got here. You know what he was doing? Flirting. He left with her."
"And why would I care?" She kept her voice stern, as if his comment hadn't affected her...but it did. Had Tony really gone out with some other girl? She thought they reached an understanding. What was he doing?
"Because that's who you're throwing this away for: a guy who will never give a fuck about you. He might say all the right things, but it's an act. Don't fall for it."
"See? This is what I'm talking about! You don't trust me."
"I do trust you. I don't trust him."
"You wouldn't had came all the way down here if you did."
"What happened to him was horrible, but I'm not going to let him twist his situation into an advantage. He needs to know when to back off. I'll make sure of it."
"Robert, we're over." She was going to stand firm on her decision. "It's my choice. Not yours. Not his. It's mine. And it's final."
"Not his." He let out a nervous chuckle. "Right."
Pepper crossed her arms and stared at him pointedly. "It's not," she repeated, even more blunt this time. It was her choice to give Tony a chance. He didn't guilt, bully, or manipulate her into it...but Robert would never see it that way.
When Tony heard Pepper's voice in the parking lot, he glanced around to see where she was. However, when he saw her, a smile didn't cross his face. He noticed Robert standing there. He looked back at Pepper and saw how uncomfortable she looked, how much she wanted to leave.
"Let her go."
"Great," Robert scoffed, seeing Tony in front of him. "Just mind your own business."
Pepper looked around and saw Tony and a couple other students staring at them. She didn't want to cause a scene, especially now that he was involved. "I don't like this side of you." Jealously brought out the worst in people. Robert had never treated her this way in the three years she'd known him.
"Yeah, well, I don't like this side of you either. You're taking his side on everything."
"When have I ever done that?" She waited for his response, but when he kept silent she looked at him with righteous indignation. "That's what I thought."
"You might not have actually done it while I'm around, but don't lie and tell me you haven't." He turned to look at Tony, his eyes cold. "Why are you still here? Is sleeping with my girlfriend not enough?"
"What the hell is wrong with you," Pepper yelled. Then she kept her voice steady and glared at him. "I didn't sleep with him and you know it."
Robert let out another humorless laugh. "I don't believe you."
"Yeah, I lied about that," Tony spoke up. "Felt like it, I guess. And Pepper's my girlfriend now, so get the hell out of here."
Pepper's HIS girlfriend? Did he just hear him right? "What are you talking about?"
"Tony," Pepper warned.
She wanted to say something else, but he beat her to it. "Yeah, we worked things out." He walked closer to Robert and smirked. "She's mine now."
"You can't be serious," Robert said. He turned to look at Pepper. "Tell me he's joking."
"He's not," Tony answered instead.
Pepper looked over at him, silently urging him to stop.
"Did you get a brain injury in that explosion or something? Because there's no way Pepper would agree to be your girlfriend. She's not interested in the playboy, cheating type."
Tony caught her stare, then many others too. He didn't care about them. "You didn't break things off with him," he asked, his voice calm. "You said you would."
Robert looked at her, shocked at what he just heard. "Pepper," he started.
"I said we're over," Pepper repeated. "All you're doing is making it worse."
"I, I...I don't even know what to say." He stared at her, biting his tongue.
"Just go, okay?" Her tone had softened and she was staring at him pleadingly. "I can't do this right now. Everyone's staring at us," she told him, looking around.
"Fine," Robert relented. If he had any shot of her staying with him, he'd have to know when to give up. "I'll be at your house. My flight's at seven."
Pepper watched him leave, a mixture of anger, sympathy, and hurt in her eyes.
She closed her eyes and rid her thoughts before looking at Tony. "He shouldn't had said those things to you."
Tony shrugged.
Silence fell before them, neither knowing what to say. Should she apologize for not visiting him? Should he apologize for intruding in on their conversation?
Maybe she wants some time alone. "I'm gonna go."
Pepper thought for a moment before she nodded in disagreement. "How about we talk things over instead?" She smiled, hoping to lower the seriousness of the conversation about to come. She had to make sure they were on the same page in terms of a potential relationship.
He nodded back. "Just let me get my drinks." He went back to his Audi and returned with two smoothies. "It's Rhodey's, but..." He shrugged. "No strawberries. You're allergic, right?"
He remembered. That made her smile.
"See," he asked, handing the drink to her. "I can be a good boyfriend."
Pepper scoffed.
"So what did you want to talk about," Tony asked as they came to a stop in the middle of a quad. This one was more deserted than others since it was furthest away from campus and that made this the perfect place for them to talk privately and without any interruptions.
He was nervous. He had no idea what she was going to talk to him about. Had she changed her mind? The walk here took forever. It felt like hours. But again, he was nervous. He wanted this conversation over with as soon as possible. He thought about saying something to her, but couldn't find the words. I'm sorry? No. He had no reason to. He didn't say anything wrong. They agreed to a relationship, so he had every right to call her his girlfriend. Girlfriend. A smirk crossed his lips. He liked the sound of that.
"Where were you?"
Tony furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What?" The question caught him off guard. "Uh, I went out to lunch."
"With?"
"A friend."
"Robert said he saw you guys flirting." Part of her wanted to believe Robert lied, but it was so Tony's M.O. that she let the notion cross her mind.
"Pepper, I didn't." Everything clicked. "She was just being nice...which was the wrong thing to say," he pointed out, seeing the look on her face. "She's not even like that. I tried a long time ago. Michelle is straight up Christian."
"Really," Pepper asked, looking at him expectantly.
"Really." Tony grabbed her hand and smiled at her. "Jealous, Pep?"
She tugged her hand back. She did not find his comment amusing.
"Sorry," he apologized. She was serious about this and he had to be too. He pressed his lips together as he tried to get himself out of the pit he had put himself in. "She was boring and I wanted her to be this other girl I know."
Pepper tried not to smile, but did.
"So you're not mad," Tony asked, stepping closer to her. "I don't like it when you're mad."
She looked at him and thought about it. Her immediate thought was that this was how it was going to be like. Girls followed him wherever he went and any girl that dared to be in a relationship with him would have to put up with it. Would she? Maybe until the jealously, anger, and frustration caught up to her. And then there was the fact that he could be tempted with one of them. What would she do then?
"This thing we're doing," Pepper began, her voice quiet, afraid to an extent. "How serious are you about it? I want to be sure."
He knew what she was thinking and he couldn't blame her for it. He was a playboy. Plain and simple. He tried not to sound too offended. "I meant everything I said but...I get it. From the outside, it sounds stupid, right? A guy that's avoided relationships his entire life suddenly wants one? Is he serious?" He cleared his throat and grabbed her hand again, rubbing it gently before looking back up. "I am. This means a lot to me."
She needed to hear that. She felt better; more sure of her decision. She let Tony pull her into a hug and smiled into his chest.
"Not to ruin the moment or anything," Tony tread lightly.
"Then don't," Pepper mumbled.
He closed his mouth and smiled. He could get used to having her in his arms. He tightened his grip on her and waited until she was ready to let go.
"So now that you're officially my girlfriend, does that mean I get to kiss you?"
Pepper shook her head and walked off to hide the smile on her face. She wanted to kiss him, badly, but there was just something about waiting until their first date that got her heart fluttering. "I remember saying you had to buy me dinner first."
"Right. Dinner." He twisted his lips, thinking about it. He wanted that kiss and he wanted it now...so he picked up his pace and stopped in front of her, making her stop dead in her tracks too. "I don't wanna wait that long."
Without another word, Tony closed the gap between them. She looked up at him with a raised brow, amused by the situation. As much as she didn't want him kissing her, she couldn't bring herself to stop him. "Kissing on the first date is for losers."
"Well, at least that loser would get a second date," she shot back.
He looked Pepper in the eyes as his lips smiled gently. "I'll risk it."
"You could kiss me on the cheek."
"Second graders do that."
"And you're not a second grader?"
Tony smirked. He liked when she teased him. "Well, not physically." His lips met hers in a gentle kiss. It was all he wanted from her until instinct took over. Her gasp muffled into the kiss and her initial shock turned into one of pure happiness. His head tilted to the side to deepen the kiss. She smiled against his lips and swung her arm around his neck, returning his kiss with similar force. The grip he had on her tightened until he had to break apart for air.
"That was so hot," he told her, pulling his head back as far as she would allow him.
Pepper ducked her head to hide the flush of pink rising to her cheeks, but he stopped her. "What," she heard him say. He traced his hands from where they sat to her shoulders. "Oh, that's cute." There was a sparkle in his eyes as a sly smile crossed his lips.
"What," she asked, looking at him.
"You're embarrassed."
"Shut up."
Tony smirked. "I like it."
Without hesitation, she stepped back to hit him lightly on the chest.
"That hurt," he cried.
"Then don't make fun of me."
His fingers reached up and falsely rubbed the point of impact. "You're mean."
Pepper shrugged innocently. "You deserved it." She extracted herself from his arms. "Come on. The bell rang."
"Already?"
She nodded, then chuckled when she saw a disappointed look cross his face.
"That was 50 minutes?"
"Yep. You're not upset, right?"
"No," he lied. Truth was, he was. Not that he was even hiding it. He hadn't spoken to Pepper in days and lunch was over? This wasn't fair. He wanted to spend more time with her. "Let's go out tonight."
"You mean like a date," Pepper asked, glancing at him with a quirked brow as they made their way to campus.
"Yeah." He hadn't actually thought of it like that, but sure. He could do this.
"Then ask."
"Whoa, what?"
Pepper couldn't help but laugh at his sudden state of confusion. "If you want to go on a date, you're gonna have to ask me."
He stopped in his tracks. "But didn't we-"
She shook her head. "Not until you ask."
"Fine," he blurted out. He was Tony Stark. He could do this. Then why did it feel so hard? "This is stupid," he said instead.
"Fine. See you in seventh period."
"Okay, wait!" He grabbed her hand. "Just let me..." He sighed. He couldn't believe he was this nervous about asking her out. His heart was beating faster than possible and stalling was making it worse. "Will you go on a date with me," he quickly asked.
Pepper, who had been amused the entire duration, smiled. A bit of sweating, stammering, and flustering would do him good. "Of course. Was that so hard?"
"It's not funny."
"It is to me," Pepper teased, starting towards campus again.
Tony frowned, then changed the subject. "Anything particular you wanna do tonight?"
They came to a stop in front of her classroom and Pepper shook her head. "I don't care what we do." And she didn't. "Just be yourself." Dating was new to him; she didn't want him to think expectations were involved. "Whatever you think of, it'll be fine. I'm spending it with you. That's all I care about."
"You might regret saying that." Nonetheless, he smiled. She knew him too well. "I'll pick you up at eight then." He didn't know where he was going to take her or what they were going to do...but he did know one thing. He was going to give her the best date she ever went on.