Tony collapsed on top of her, the aftershocks still fading, his warm breath hitting her skin as he nuzzled himself closer to her. "I love you," he heavily panted into the crook of her neck.

She turned her head at his comment and a chuckle escaped her lips. "You're just saying that because I finally let you have sex with me."

"Hey," he huffed, lifting his head up.

"What? Did you honestly mean it?" Pepper waited for his answer, but he smirked instead, making the smile on her face grow wider with each passing second. "That's what I thought."

There was a mischievous glint in his eyes as he spoke his next words. "Let's do it again."

"Tony, I am not your personal machine. You can't just use me whenever you feel like it."

"But you're so great at it."

Pepper dropped her head to his shoulder, blushing. Did he really mean that? Because his words felt good, right.

He finally managed enough strength to get off her, planting a kiss on her collarbone before rolling onto the unoccupied space of the bed with a content sigh.

"What are you thinking," she hesitantly asked, an insecure moment slipping past her mind.

He shook his head, grinned, and covered his face with his hands. "I can't believe I did that."

Pepper sat up and chuckled. She echoed his statement. She never felt so happy or alive and it was all Tony's doing.

"How do you feel," he asked, bringing her out of her reverie.

"Huh," she asked. Tony had sat up and was next to her, and in that moment, she realized just how naked she was. She clutched the sheets and covered her body, hiding herself from his very apparent wandering eyes. It felt like the heat had just been cranked up 1000 degrees.

"You know I've seen you naked already, right," he asked in a teasing tone as he watched the color of her cheeks deepen in color.

She swatted his hand away with a smile as he tried to pull the sheets off her. "Shut up."

"You're adorable," Tony chuckled, leaning up to kiss her on the cheek as he settled himself against the headboard, his laughter increasing as Pepper tossed part of the sheets over his lower half.

She wasn't used to this - having someone in her bed or having someone see her naked.

"Hey," he called out softly, nudging her with his foot to grab her attention. "Come here."

"I didn't peg you as the cuddling, affectionate type," Pepper teased.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "But you love it."

"I can get used to it."

"Do you know what you could do to make me like this more often?"

"Gee, I can't help but wonder," Pepper responded with a sigh for dramatic effect. It was all just playful teasing.

The comforting smile on his face warmed her heart.

Her cheeks blush. "This feels weird." A bit awkward.

"Kinda, but we're still the same. Nothing's changed other than the fact that I can finally picture you naked." He smirked, causing Pepper to roll her eyes and give him a small shove. "See? Told ya. You still hit me for saying stupid things."

"That's because you deserve it." She felt him squeeze her waist lightly before his hand started rubbing up and down her side. "Sometimes I think you do it on purpose."

"I plead the fifth."

"You do know what pleading the fifth implies, right?"

"Nope, don't think I do," he lied.

"Really," Pepper asked, deciding to play along. "You-"

"Shut up." He took her by surprise when he quickly changed their positions, him on top of her. He kissed her and parted her lips with his tongue so he could enter her mouth. His weight shifted, one of his knees settling between her thighs as his mouth kissed its way towards her pulse point, taking a nip of the flushed skin.

"Do you know how much concealer I'm gonna have to put on to hide all these marks you gave me," Pepper asked, placing her hands on his cheeks to get his attention.

"Do you know how much it hurt when you bit my ear?"

"Wait, I did not bite your ear," she replied incredulously.

"Uh, yeah, you did. You were nibbling on it and then...you know what? I'll act it out."

"Don't you dare bite me."

Tony glanced back up at her. "So you're saying you did."

She quickly gave both his ears an once over and noted the fact that one did seem slightly redder than the other, but, still, she wouldn't admit to it. He'd just start bragging. "If I did, I don't remember."

"Right." He'd let her have this one. Plus, he liked it. Pepper has a wild side. I knew it.

"What are you smiling about?"

"It's nothing important," he said, laying down next to her and pulling her closer. They laid in each other's arms, their legs tangled under the comforter he had pulled over them in case she got cold. He would rather her seek warmth from him, but he understood she needed time to process this. Still, her back was exposed, so he trailed his fingers down its expanse, which made her giggle slightly. And it wasn't just her that needed time to process this, too. Normally, he'd jet off to prevent everything that happened after sex, but with her, he didn't want to. He wanted more; he wanted to be close to her, share this experience with her.

Neither said a word, both of them enjoying each other's company.

It was only when she started dozing off that she realized it wasn't the best idea.

She opened her eyes, her eyelashes brushing against his skin. The sun had set, her room was dark, and the only noise she could hear was of him breathing. "Tony," she called out, lifting her head from where'd it been resting on his chest. She shifted in his embrace and paused for a second when she saw the sight in front of her. Tony had fallen asleep, and if she looked closely, there was a small smile on his lips. "Tony," she whispered, shaking his arm slightly. She knew he was exhausted, knew he needed rest, and it took all her strength to do this to him. "Tony." She called louder this time.

"Mmm," he mumbled, twitching his nose. "I'm sleeping."

"No, you're not." She pressed her lips against his neck and smiled when she noticed him opening one of his eyes to peer at her.

"I was."

"We need to get up."

Tony was puzzled. Why did he have to go? "I can't spend the night?"

"It's not that you can't. My parents are coming back soon; it's nine."

"So I'll put clothes on." He wasn't ready or willing to leave the comfort that was her bed. "Problem solved."

She shook his head at his logic and watched as he closed his eyes once again. "Come on," she prompted, crawling out of his embrace, to which he whimpered, and kissing the corner of his mouth. "I'm serious." She erupted in a fit of giggles when he pulled her on top of him, his hands settling on her butt, squeezing it. "Tony," she laughed, trying to escape, but all it did was make him hold her tighter.

He took a moment to glance at the clock. "It's 8:32. Why are you trying to get rid of me? I'm beginning to feel used," he frowned, mocking hurt.

"Stop staring at my chest," Pepper yelled, covering herself up with the duvet again, it having dropped due to Tony's impromptu attack. "You act like this is the first time you've ever seen boobs."

"Your boobs," he corrected. "Which I love, so if you'd just..." His fingers grab the hand that was holding the cotton material and he smiled at her, thinking just maybe if he did, she would let go.

"I thought you could picture me naked," she challenged.

"I can," Tony smirked, his hands on her thighs as she made herself comfortable in a straddling position, her legs to either side of him. "But it isn't the same thing. You need to help me out, Pep. I think the withdrawals are getting the best of me. Which is a compliment, by the way, if you didn't catch that. You know what? I don't think I give you enough of them. I liked what you had on today. I think you should wear it more often because it highlights your eye color. And, speaking of eyes, have I ever mentioned that they're really pretty? It's like an ocean in there." His hand gestures became more prevalent with every passing second, as did his rambling.

She finally had enough and silenced him by covering his mouth with her hands. With a suspicious tone, she spoke. "You're not saying all that stuff so I'll surrender and give you what you want, right?"

"Of course I'm not," he yelled, though the words came out muffled.

She could feel his smile under her fingers and decided to leave it be.

"And I resent that," Tony continued once she withdrew her fingers. "I try to be romantic and this is what I get? Remind me to never do it again."

"Okay, fine. Thanks for saying my eyes look like the ocean. No one has ever said that before."

"I'm original, Pepper. Get with it."

She started laughing uncontrollably, and at one point, choked on air.

Even he knew how ridiculous that comment was and she had him fighting back his own grin. He had to admit, he was a little more than scared taking their relationship to the next level, but it was fun and amazing. When her giggles finally settled, he sat up the best he could, his hands on the mattress to support himself, as she was still on him.

"You're okay, right," he asked softly, seriously, in hopes of transitioning their conversation into a different route.

"Yeah," she nodded, extricating herself from him and sitting off to the side next to him. "I don't regret it, Tony."

There was a smug smile on his face, an invisible patting of his own back, and she wanted to smack him, but it had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"I didn't hurt you," he asked lightly.

Pepper shook her head and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You were careful and you went out of your way to make me comfortable. I'm fine. Really," she insisted as she put her hand on his. "Don't worry about it. You don't need to."

"You're telling me the truth, right?" The last thing he wanted was for her to keep something like this to herself.

"I always tell you like it is," she replied. "It felt great."

He smiled. "Great?" His gaze warm; his eyes adoring.

It felt more than great, but he didn't need to know it. Let there be an air of mystery. "How about-"

"Haven't you been following along?"

"Alright, I get it. You loved it. A lot."

"And you didn't? Cause the noises-"

"Tony," Pepper exclaimed. "Could you quit embarrassing me?"

"What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't," Tony inquired.

"The perfect-"

"Careful. You don't wanna finish that sentence, Pep."

He was right. He'd never let her live it down.

"I need you to do something for me though," she said, her voice low and, to an extent, seductive.

He watched as Pepper scooted closer to him. "Yeah?"

"Something no other boyfriend has ever done for me before."

That caught his attention. His jaw unhinged.

"I need you..." She pulled Tony into the beginnings of a slow, sexy kiss. With her arms around his neck, she dragged him down onto the mattress with her. As soon as their kiss intensified, she stopped abruptly and pulled away. He made a dissatisfied noise and tried to close the distance between their lips, but ultimately failed.

"...to get your butt naked self out of my bed."

I can't believe I feel for that. He tried to reach out, stop her from leaving, but she was too quick. Before he knew it, she had gathered his clothes from the floor and had threw it at him. "You're mean."

Pepper stopped at the doorway and laughed. "What did you expect? Another round? Get dressed and then we'll talk about it."

"You know, if this is how you're like after sex, I don't know if I want another round."

"Fine with me," he heard her yell as she closed the door to the bathroom.

"Like I could ever refuse sex," Tony said to himself as he put his briefs on.

Pepper was right. This felt a bit weird, but it was a good kind of weird, because underneath it all, like he had told her earlier, they were still Pepper and Tony. Nothing changed. Everything was still there as it had been an hour ago. They were still a couple, they still bantered, and they still cared about each other.

He looked around the room and sighed upon hearing the shower being turned on. I'm gonna be here for awhile. And, all of a sudden, ideas came into his mind. To his credit, he did try to keep his mind off snooping. He did everything he possibly could, but, eventually, he couldn't stand it anymore. He was, by nature, a curious person, and Pepper's bedroom proved to be the perfect vehicle for it.

He got off the bed with a spring in his step and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. Nothing in her desk drawers was worth pursuing. He opened her closet and looked through several outfits only to get bored. Nothing too provocative caught his eye, not that he was expecting it to; Pepper was a modest girl. He got on his knees and dragged out a box off the corner floor labeled 'sophomore year.' Bingo. He pulled out a yearbook - taking a good look through it - books, CDs to artists he'd never heard of before, and then something surprising caught his eyes. No fucking way. In blue and silver was a cheerleading outfit. Pepper a cheerleader? Really? She was going to have to put it on for him. She didn't have a choice. He'd bother her until she did.

Knowing nothing left in the box would top this, he got up and went over to the dresser nearest her closet. He could hear the shower still running. Smiling, he opened it. To his surprise, it was messy. It wasn't in the usual pristine style all her other stuff were, and it had him thinking she had something hidden underneath. He swift through socks, pajama shorts, and millions of camisoles only to come up short. "Aw," he pouted.

He continued onto the next drawer and was excited but freaked out at the same time. He was never comfortable around feminine products. "Gross." He opened the previous drawer and grabbed a pair of shorts to sweep them off to the side. "There we go," he told himself. "Ah," he said excitedly, raiding through the different types of bra and panties, noticing how every one had its own matching set.

"I knew I should have gave you a book or something."

Tony slammed the drawer shut at the sound of her voice and yelped. "This isn't what it looks like." It was exactly what it looked like...but he figured he could deny it still.

"And you're still not dressed." At least he was awake. She half expected him to have fallen asleep.

"Neither are you." He pointed at the towel she had on and walked up to her. "And you should know better than to leave me alone and unattended. I'm a little kid inside."

As if I didn't know that. Tony had as much of an attention span as a two year old did. "I need a change of clothes." Knowing better, he quickly stepped aside so Pepper could pass.

"Here," Pepper told him, grabbing a Cosmopolitan from the basket near her desk. That should keep him preoccupied for ten more minutes.

He walked over and glanced at the magazine before her. "I'll be good and stop snooping. Not that I was," he quickly added.

She acknowledged his statement with a hum and left.

"You can't tell me what to do," he mumbled, taking a seat at her desk and frowning. "I know this is a magazine for girls," he yelled out, to which he heard her chuckling.

He slid down in the seat and stretched his legs out with a groan. He tapped his fingers against the wooden furniture and pulled the magazine in front of him, absentmindedly flipping through the pages until a certain quiz caught his attention: Is He A Good Boyfriend? Where Does Your Guy Rank On The BF Meter?

Like the meter has a chance of touching me, he thought egotistically. Grabbing a pen, he did the first question. "When you're having a bad day, your boyfriend..." He read through the options. "Yeah, I would probably listen, but interrupt her with my stories." He did, after all, have a short attention span. "Your friends think your boyfriend is..." He circled C. "When studying for chemistry, you...I guess B?" She had always told him she only studied with him because he was helpful. "Your celeb crush on Channing Tatum is a little too much, but he's in a new movie...would he take you and let you gush every so often, take you but doesn't like you talking about him, or get upset? A. You wanna go somewhere for your date and he wants to go elsewhere, what happens? I'll go where Pepper wants," he smiled. It was seeing her happy that counted.

"What is the worst thing he's ever done?" He cringed at the first option. Not calling you for days after a fight. Yeah, that was the worst thing he'd ever done, but there were extenuating circumstances involved. Still, he chose it. "You have a big game coming up and you're nervous. Your boyfriend...shows up to support her. Best quality about your boyfriend?" He thinned his lips.

"What are you doing talking to yourself?"

"What's my best quality," he asked instead, ignoring Pepper's comical expression once she figured out what he was doing. "My good looks and sense of humor or my caring attitude and always knowing what to say? Be serious here, Pep. I need to see if I'm a good boyfriend or not."

"Are you sure I'd pick A for Question 4? You flipped out when you found out I had a crush on Zac Efron."

"Please, Channing Tatum is old. Like I'm threatened."

"I don't know, he's kinda hot for his age."

He pretended not to hear that. "Need an answer, Pep."

"A." Pepper gave him a quick ruffle of his hair and left.

He circled it and compared his choices with the results available.

"I knew it." If his ego wasn't big enough, this inflated it ten fold. Your boyfriend ranks high on our scale! Maybe it's because you've taught him well, but part of it could be because he's just a great guy overall. Take time out to tell him or show him it, he will definitely appreciate it.

He knew the quiz didn't mean anything, but it gave him confidence that he was doing right by Pepper and their relationship.

His ears perked at the sound of a car door slamming. His eyes went wide and he shot up in the chair, rushing to the window.

"Shit," he mumbled. It was Pepper's father. That's what he looks like. Seriously, you're thinking about that now?! He chastised himself and put on his jeans, his shirt in his hands.

He ran to the bathroom and knocked on it. "Pepper!"

"I'll be out in a minute!"

"Pepper, seriously, your dad just pulled up. What do-"

"Tony, I can't hear you!"

What is she doing in there? Once again, the water was running.

Panicking, and without thinking, he rushed down the stairs hoping to sneak out the back door. He tried to undo his inside-out shirt as he raced down the steps, but a clearing of the throat stopped him.

Richard had always looked forward to this day, ever since Victoria and him were expecting a girl. And, fortunately for him, that day was today. He sat his grocery bags down and chuckled in disbelief. He looked the kid in front of him dead in the eyes and spoke. "I can't wait to hear you explain this."

Dun...dun...dun. Someone's gotten himself into trouble.

Do review! I'm thinking if I reach 10, I'll upload the next chapter instead of the usual 2-3 weeks? Do we have a deal? :)