"That feels so good," he groaned out as Pepper continued to grind against him. He closed his eyes once again and put his hands atop her thighs, letting her take control for a moment before he wrapped his arm around her waist and spun them around, putting her down onto the mattress. She yelped at the sudden change and giggled soon after when she felt his mouth kiss the ticklish spot of her ears.

"Tony!" She felt his hand graze the side of her breast before sliding further to the right and southward. She tried to stop him, but her neurons betrayed her. She was still sensitive from earlier and a tiny moan escaped her lips at his soft touch.

"Why? You look like you're enjoying it." He smirked as their eyes met and he watched as Pepper forced herself to stay adamant on her decision.

"I told you we can't. There isn't enough time."

"I'll be fast," he said as he leaned in for a kiss.

"Oh, you mean fast like it'll only be ten minutes or fast like how you were the first time we did it?"

"Hey!" He sat up and stared at her pointedly. "You promised me you were never gonna bring that up again!" Tony could tell by the tone of her voice it was all just playful teasing and he had fallen for it.

"I know." She smiled as an adorable pout crossed his lips. "I was just kidding." To be fair, he had warned her beforehand, and he did make it up to her right after and she would never forget how he had made her feel that night.

After having cracked so many jokes at her expense, he was due to be the victim. "Alright, back to what we were doing." He towered over her and leaned down. She propped herself up on her elbow and met him halfway. Their kisses were slow and they varied in length and pressure as time passed. He leaned his body forward and she wrapped both her arms around his neck to bring him down on to the bed. His hand gently grazed the inner portions of her thigh. It was an erogenous zone of hers that never seemed to fail to get her in the mood and it was a lovely bit of information he kept tucked away.

Pepper kissed him once more before putting a hand to his chest and pushing him back. "We can't."

"One more." He snuck another one in and couldn't help but smile as he unconsciously tightened his arms around her when she moved in to snuggle up against his side, her leg draped over his torso as she buried herself into his chest. He was grateful this happened, grateful she still trusted him to allow this to happen. Sex brought out an unspoken bond, a sort of closeness kissing and cuddling lacked.

She shook her head, hiding her smile. Tony was such a different person after sex; it reminded her of the time she found him nearly passed out outside her house. "I like when you're like this. It's cute."

He feigned innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about." His eyes closed and he turned to face her as one of her hands moved up to toy with the back of his hair at the nape of his neck. "Mmm, that feels good," Tony said once again as her fingers traced up and down his hairline.

Pepper smiled and raked down the side of his neck. "You really do like that," she observed.

"I love it," he corrected. "Don't stop." He brought her hand back up to his hair and smiled, his eyes beaming with happiness. He captured her lips again, but as soon as he had, the kiss was over. He felt her eyelashes flutter against his skin and her body being pulled away from him. "No," he whined, not letting her go. "Later," he simply added.

"You need to tell me what happened." She didn't say it like a demand, but like a reminder.

"Oh, right." He frowned. Leave it to Pepper to kill the mood. He watched as she propped herself up on her elbows in the small space between his body and his arms. "I went downstairs this morning and my dad was there and I thought I was going to be glad to see him, but I don't know, when I did, I felt nothing but rage." He averted his gaze and replayed the event in his head. "I said I hated him and would never forgive him for what he did. Part of me knows I shouldn't had done that and the more I think about it, the more I think he purposely provoked me into saying all of that stuff so I would tell him off. Maybe that way he feels less shit about it."

"You probably don't want to hear this, but you two are exactly alike. You'd both rather someone get mad at you than risk telling that person what you're thinking cause for some reason it's a crime to."

"I guess," he muttered.

She could see his mood changing and there was only one thing she could think of to make him feel better. She leaned down and pressed her lips against his to turn his attention back on them. Her little kiss got Tony to instantly respond and he eagerly consumed her lips. Despite her insistence to get out of bed, she allowed him into her mouth and felt his tongue clash with hers. Her hand moved up his arm and traveled to the back of his hair. Parting, he opened his eyes and set his nose against hers, their foreheads touching.

"Come on, let's get up."

"But I'm comfy. There's also a nice view." Tony smirked as Pepper got out of bed, admiring her backside and frontside as she turned around. How she could get out of bed so easily was a mystery to him.

"Fine, then stay there."

His ears perked up. She had said that as if she was daring him to, which made him all the more suspicious.

"I promise we'll stay in bed one day."

"And we'll watch movies and eat tons of junk food?"

She laughed after a momentary pause. He was such a kid sometimes. "Yes."

He grinned, excited.

"But right now you need to get dressed, Tony, and be on your best behavior."

"Alright." He let out a long dejected sigh before getting out of bed. He quickly put on his clothes and fixed his hair before going downstairs to wait for Pepper. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels until something caught his attention. He was a bit hungry, but he thought it'd be best to wait. Once the commercials aired, he frowned. He was just about to call her when the front door knob twisted and turned.

"Pepper?" Richard dropped his keys in a bowl and glanced around. "We're going out for dinner tonight." He'd just gotten back from work and was taking off his shoes. He strolled into the living room and prepared himself for the conversation about to come. It wasn't that he didn't like Tony, because he did. Deep down, the kid was good. He just needed to mature a bit. Besides with him, he didn't have to worry about his daughter's future. Of course he wanted her to go to college, get a degree, find a job she liked, but Tony gave her security. Surname aside, the boy could go places - with or without Stark Industries.

"Tony," he greeted.

"Hi, Mr. Potts." He stood up and greeted him. Honestly, when Pepper told him to be on his best behavior, this was not what he expected.

"Oh, now it's Mr. Potts?"

He nervously looked down at his shoes for a second. "Look, I'm sorry. Really."

"Water under the bridge," Richard replied. "I'm not going to meddle, it is not my business, but there is one thing I need to be clear about. Do not get my daughter pregnant. I will kill you in your sleep."

He nearly choked on his own spit and nodded despite the sheer panic coursing through his veins. The thought never even once crossed his mind to use protection the three times they've had sex.

"Dad," Pepper called out as she walked down the stairs.

"Hey, I was just asking your boyfriend here if he wanted to go out to dinner with us."

"I can't," Tony spoke up. "I need to go home. Do stuff."

Pepper glanced over at him curiously and told her dad she'd be in the car waiting for him as he went upstairs to change. The second they made it out the house she asked, "Okay, what just happened?"

Anyone could tell he was agitated. "We didn't...look, I don't doubt our babies will be adorable, but they should be planned and I...we didn't or ever-" He was stammering and he couldn't believe the smile on her face as she listened to him ramble.

"Our babies," she asked.

"Pepper, seriously." His heart was still on the floor. He was not in the mood for games.

"Tony, calm down," she softly said. "You really think I'd be that careless? I've been on the pill since middle school."

"Really," he asked.

Pepper nodded and elaborated. "For my period. It's 99% effective."

"You can still get pregnant!"

"Why are you freaking out?"

"Because-" He couldn't finish the sentence. Why was he freaking out? One percent was close to nonexistent. Besides, condoms weren't 100% effective either, and given the amount of girls he has been with, they worked.

"We're fine," she said, reaching out to grab his hand in an attempt to calm him down. "I mean, if you want to use extra protection, I'm alright with that, Tony."

"Sorry," he mumbled, a bashful look on his face.

"No problem." She beamed a smile back at him and pushed herself up off the ground to give him a kiss. "Do you still want to go with us to dinner? It'll be fun."

"Nah, I'll do the dinner with your parents thing another night. I got too much on my mind and I don't need people at the restaurant staring at me. It'll ruin it."

"That's true." He had a point. The press was already inching for an interview and he was fair game to the media.

"I'll see you at school." He turned to open his car door and turned back to tell her goodbye. He was about to lean in and kiss her when he saw her dad walk out. She noticed his predicament and smiled.

Despite the circumstances, he proceeded and captured her lips in an innocent kiss. As soon as they pulled apart, he planted one on her cheek and told her goodnight before reversing out into the street.

"Good boy." He was teaching Snickers how to play fetch and after half an hour the puppy was finally getting the hang of it. He was in his room with his door closed and did not want to be bothered.

There was a soft knock on the door and he could guess who it was.

"I cooked dinner." Maria made her way inside her son's room and sat down next to him on his bed, extending the plate of food out to him. "Like it or not, this is going down your throat."

He looked at the plate of pasta in her hands and couldn't pass it up. He silently took it from her and began eating.

"You remember my rule about pets?"

Tony nodded to acknowledge the fact he did, but other than that, remained quiet.

"You keep it only if you look after it. That means picking up after him, making sure he gets fed and walked, taking him to the vet, all that stuff. You're responsible for him. Not the staff."

"Yeah," he mumbled, his mouth full.

Maria smiled despite the mood in the room. "But I like him, he's adorable." She was trying to get him to talk to her, but it wasn't working. She took a deep breath and watched as Tony ate. "Honey, just yell at me. I can't stand the silence."

He could feel his breathing start to become heavy. He couldn't even if he wanted. He sat his plate down and stared at the pattern on his comforter. The tension was increasing, but it was fine, she would patiently wait until he was ready to talk about what had happened.

"I don't want you to give up your charities for me," Tony finally said, his voice just above a whisper as if telling her this would lead to repercussions. As much as he'd like it to happen, he couldn't let her. She'd be miserable spending the rest of her life at home.

"I'm not giving them up completely, just scaling it down a bit." Being at SHIELD opened her eyes. She had ample time to reflect on her life. Decisions. Regrets. She was grateful second chances existed. "I'll still be involved in everything Stark Industries does, just not so much, okay?"

"But you'll be bored."

Maria smiled sadly and her heart almost broke when he finally lifted his head up to look at her. It was amazing how considerate he was giving how inconsiderate Howard and her had been. "Don't worry, I'll be alright. I'm looking forward to it already. Being home, making dinner. Do you remember when I used to be in the bleachers cheering you on at your games when you were little? I miss that. A lot. You have always been my number one priority and it's about time I did something to prove it."

"I guess," Tony replied quietly, giving his dog more attention than their conversation. It sounded good on paper, but he learned long ago to not to get his hopes up over things like this.

"Mom promises you." And she would do everything she could to hold up to it. She cleared her throat, a signal for her husband to enter the room. "And your dad has something to say."

"I don't want to talk to him," he said, just as Howard came in. He was sure his father heard him, but he didn't care in the slightest.

"Then listen," Maria counterpointed. She shot her husband a look as she got up to leave the two of them alone. She had finished her part, it was time for him to live up to his.

Howard cleared his throat and looked around the room. So much had changed since he last stepped foot in this room. He walked over and picked up the black model train sitting on top his son's dresser. He remembered building it with him. He remembered because an exact replica of it sat on his desk at the office, the only difference was that his had a fully functional engine inside it. Tony crept into his workshop one morning and had came out hours later with a flawless motor. He was incredibly proud and got it encased in a glass box. Once in awhile he'd mention it to his business partners, brag about how brilliant his son was.

Tony stared as Howard stared at the model train. He wasn't sure why he was so fascinated with it. It was just a toy.

"I could list a million reasons to excuse what we did, and they'd all make perfect sense, but the truth is they're just excuses," Howard began, his back facing him. He wasn't expecting him to say a word and he hadn't. He was in control of his voice, but his posture spoke defeat as he turned around to look at his son. "I might not be the greatest person or greatest father, but I would do anything for you. It has always been like that and it will always be like that. You and your mom might not always be on my mind, but you're what's important. I wouldn't be where I am today without your mother and if not for you, my desire to be a somewhat decent person wouldn't exist. You just refuse to see it. I've done a lot of great things since you came into this world, things I wouldn't think twice about doing if it weren't for you." It was true. There was an entire hospital wing in Manhattan he funded and any child born with an undiagnosed pre-existing condition was given free treatment the rest of their lives. He donated to education, technological advancement. That is millions worth of dollars he'll never get to see, but it was fine because it was going to places well deserved. Places whose goals is to brighten the future more than he could.

"I don't believe you." It wasn't that Tony didn't believe Howard didn't do those things, it was that he used him as his excuse for it, which was ridiculous. "Because your words don't mean a thing to me." At some point he realized enough was enough and the only possible step to take is stop. Walk away. He wasn't giving up, wasn't saying he shouldn't keep trying, he was saying a line had to be drawn. If he was to truly have a relationship with his father, he would get it in due time, but if he wasn't it didn't matter how hard he tried because it wasn't meant to be.

"What do you want from me," Howard inquired, his reserve breaking, his frustration building.

"Nothing. You can leave now."

"You can't ignore me forever."

"Yeah," he dared. "Just wait."

"We did what was necessary."

"And that makes everything alright, right? I get that you had no choice, but you had the choice of opening your mouth and telling me what was going on and you chose not to. You and mom sat there at the benefit and you lied to my face and told me the both of you would be back tomorrow morning and that's what pisses me off. And here you are expecting me to pretend like it's just some horrible dream. Do you understand what you put me through? You let me think you died, and you dump Stark Industries on me, which doesn't even make sense. Obie-"

"Hey," he snapped, the loudness of his voice scaring him stiff. "We will not bring up that name again. Understand?"

"He did it, didn't he?" He had his suspicions.

The cold hard stare Howard gave him said all that was needed.

It was a good thing he never liked the man.

"He's a piranha and couldn't stand for second best."

"He never made it to the Mid. East, did he?"

"That's your opinion." That was enough for him to assume Obadiah was dead.

"And you let him around me."

"Please, the guy wouldn't hurt a hair on head. You were fine."

"I'm still not forgiving you," he responded, holding his ground.

"I don't expect you to," Howard said, putting the model train back on the dresser and taking a step forward. "Look, you're right. What we did was inexcusable, but I didn't give you anything you couldn't handle. Someone tells you 'you can't do something' and you'll work a thousand times harder to prove them wrong. That's the kind of person you are and it's a quality a lot of people want but don't have in their pocket. You exceeded my expectations, Tony, and I'm proud that you did. So as an early birthday gift, I hereby dismiss you from all Stark Industries duties. Be a teenager. Have fun while it lasts."

Suddenly he became speechless.

"Well, I still need you to come in and show me who I need to hand resignation letters to."

"Can I fire them?"

Howard chuckled a little. "I don't see why not." He was telling the truth when he said Tony exceeded his expectations. He expected Stark Industries to take a hit and people to question his son's abilities to handle the company, but this little test allowed him to figure out just how far people were willing to go to establish dominance and their own ulterior motives. Those were the people that had to be rid of immediately and there was no reason Tony couldn't do that.

"Yes," he said excitedly.

"Don't get too excited. I still have something to tell you. Stane has done some irreversible damage to SI headquarters and it needs to be dealt with immediately."

"Okay...what does that have to do with anything," he inquired.

"Your mom and I have decided that we're going to move to New York once school is over."

Yep, more trouble, but that's down the road :)

I totally meant to post this, but wasn't too satisfied with the latter portion of this chapter so I decided to work on it a bit more! Sorry for the wait (I didn't forget DestinyRDJ)! In the meantime, gear up for Valentine's Day! Also, I will be incredibly busy these next few months so chapters will be infrequent. As always, I would love reviews!