Tony crouched down to Whitney's level in front of the gate to the plane she was about to board. "Remember to call me when you get there, alright? Don't leave me hanging."

"I remember!"

"Good," he smiled. "And don't share my number with strangers."

The five year old nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm gonna miss you," Tony mumbled. He felt her squeeze harder as he took a quick glance at Pepper, who was standing next to him.

"I'm gonna miss you more!"

"Not possible," he told the girl as they broke.

Whitney crossed her arms and pouted, in the process dropping one of her many stuffed animals.

"Hey, that's mean. You dropped Tony the Tiger." He picked up the plush to hand back to her. "He's hurt."

"He's a boy, he's fine," she told him.

Tony hummed in response and watched as Whitney's social worker approached. It was time for her to go. "If you don't like it there, tell me immediately. Don't be scared to tell me you wanna come back."

"I promise." She gave him one last hug and turned to Pepper, telling her goodbye, too.

Pepper waved back to the little girl as she came closer to Tony, and in the process of that, she swore she heard him sniff. No matter how hard he was trying to hide it, she knew he was getting emotional.

"You're sad Whitney's moving, aren't you," she asked. It was close to noon and they were walking down the streets of LA towards a restaurant for brunch.

He led them to the right. "What makes you think that?"

She huffed under her breath as she tried to catch up to him. When Tony told her he wanted to walk the rest of the way, she thought it'd be side by side, together, not her ten steps behind. "I don't know, I just think she means a lot to you."

"I guess," Tony simply replied, the simplicity of his statement frustrating Pepper a little. He must had caught on because he continued talking. "She came up to me at the mall and I picked her up to bring her back, but she wouldn't let go of my shirt and I got angry with her so I sorta pried her hands off me."

Pepper got a feeling of what happened next. "She cried."

"More like screamed off the top of her lungs, but, yeah, sure, that's what she did."

"So Whitney does mean a lot to you." Pepper figured so.

He came to a sudden stop. "Is that jealously in the air?"

She slapped his arm and tried to walk forward.

He didn't let her. "Hold up, you don't smell it?"

"Come on," Pepper urged, pulling him forward the best she could before refocusing her eyes to the road. "You're the one who said she's up here." She held her free hand that wasn't holding his in the air.

"I was kidding! And you know that." He smiled at her just to make sure she was indeed joking. "But...yeah," he sighed. He didn't like it, but life was life. What could he do? It was out of his control.

She wished he could had elaborated a bit more. It seemed as though he and Whitney had a close relationship and she was curious as to why that is. She had assumptions, but she'd rather have facts. He grew up feeling alone, like it was him against the world, and that must be how kids who'd been put up for adoption felt as well. She couldn't even begin to comprehend what that felt like, but she wanted to be informed, be educated with that part of his life.

"We're here." He snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up to see he had taken her to an Italian restaurant.

"I hope this is alright," spoke the hostess, gesturing to the table. "Given your last minute reservation, it was all we had. If you're willing to wait fifteen minutes, Mr. Stark, we can offer you a better view."

"No, it's fine." It wasn't that bad of a spot and it wasn't particularly cold today. He put his hand on Pepper's back and gently nudged her forward.

"I'm glad it worked out. Brunch is still in service, but if you would like to order for lunch, that's fine. Have a nice meal."

"Whatcha getting," he asked.

"I don't know yet."

He sighed. They'd just spent a period of silence going over the menu and he had always had this problem with Pepper whenever they ate out. She could never decide what to get.

Pepper smiled when his lips formed a tiny pout. "Besides, it's only been a minute."

"Which is more than enough time to decide," he argued.

She merely shrugged and proceeded to leave him alone in his bubble of boredom. Tony frowned the left corner of his lips and reached for a piece of bread. He had spent half the day on an empty stomach.

"So anything new?"

"No, why would you ask that," Tony asked, a little too quickly and suspiciously. The waiter had just left with their order and he was in the midst of finishing another piece of bread.

"Um," Pepper spoke, taken aback by his response. She furrowed her brows and looked at him. "It's just that I didn't hear from you all weekend."

"Oh."

"Why did you sound so guilty?"

"Nothing." He averted his gaze to the table cloth.

"Tony?" She called his name suspiciously, wanting an explanation.

"Nothing," he exclaimed. "This bread is amazing."

"Tony," Pepper repeated, this time stern.

"I just thought you were insinuating something."

"Alright," she replied hesitantly, her eyes still on him. He wasn't hiding anything from her, was he? He'd been so much more open to her recently that'd it be upsetting just to see him close off again. She noticed Tony had been acting a little different. It wasn't anything serious, just things from time to time where she noticed how certain subjects would shut him down; some subjects triggering angst. She would have guessed in the past it was him retreating because of personal reasons, but she knew this time it was more like he was hiding something specific. Something he wasn't ready to tell her or was afraid to. She would wait to see which it was.

Brunch flew by, though it was relatively quieter than usual. Tony was relatively quieter than usual. Ever since his parents came back, he'd been like that. Not that she minded the quietness, it was always something rare from him.

"Is something wrong," Pepper asked as the two of them walked up to her door.

He shifted his stance so he was facing her. "Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Tony, I have asked once."

"Yeah, but you've been silently asking me for like days. I feel you staring, Pep." Being blunt was the best way to throw someone off guard, and today that someone happened to be his girlfriend. He didn't want to discuss what'd been on his mind. Why did they need to move anyway? His dad was in New York most of the year and it didn't make sense for him to uproot his life for mistakes his father made. A part of him was glad of the move because it meant being closer to his parents, but if it meant leaving Pepper, well, it wasn't worth it.

Plus he was afraid of what would happen. It occurred to him if a relationship of two years could be so easily torn apart with distance in a span of two months, the same could happen to theirs, and quicker too. Not that he didn't trust her, but let's face it, she could do better than him.

"Tony?" She grabbed his arm and shook it to get his attention.

He snapped out of his thoughts. "What?"

"See? You're doing it again." Pepper sighed and placed her hand on her side and stared at him. "You've been spacing out a lot lately."

"It's nothing," Tony replied.

"It's always nothing; I'm beginning to not believe you," she retorted.

"Just thinking about stuff."

"Like?"

Tony exasperated. "Really?"

"I don't think it's too much to ask. I mean, something's clearly bothering you."

"It's nothing," he responded, more agitation in his voice.

"Fine."

"Fine."

Pepper sighed. She did not want to leave things like this. Not with Valentine's Day being tomorrow. "Look, Tony, I'm not trying to be difficult. It's just that I've noticed you're acting a bit distant lately and I don't know if it's something I did or said, but if it's not-"

"I just need time to sort out some crap."

"And can you tell me what kind of crap?"

"Just things with my parents. That's all."

"You're stressed?"

"It's just, I don't know. I feel kinda lost."

"You want to talk about it," Pepper softly asked.

"It's nothing I can't figure out," he said.

"Yeah, but maybe talking about it will help out."

Tony smiled at her. "I'll be okay."

"Sure." There was no use in pushing further. She learned her lesson weeks ago. Don't force something out of him. "Please don't be late."

"Pep, I promised you I wouldn't."

"So we'll see if you hold on to it."

"Then let's make a wager. Loser has to do whatever the winner chooses."

"I don't like this."

"Pepper's a chicken," he taunted.

"Okay, fine." She was never one to back out of a challenge, especially if Tony was involved.

"So what will happen if I'm late?"

"Hmm, if you're late, you're going to have to..." She sat down on the porch swing and thought about it. He quirked his brow in amusement and stared at her as she weighed out her ideas. "If you're late, even a second, I get to wax both your legs, and you have to show them off during school."

"That's all?" His voice was void of fear.

"From your thighs down to the ankles."

"I'm not afraid."

"Good, because I don't care if you are."

Fine, he was a little scared. What he did know about waxing was that it hurt like hell and it was all the more reason to prove Pepper wrong. "And if I'm on time, I get to dye your hair whatever I choose."

"Deal." She was so confident she was going to win that she wasn't fazed.

"I mean, he does have a lot going on. I don't think you should be so hard on him. It's probably nothing."

Pepper glanced up from where she sat on her desk and put down her curling iron. "You don't know him." She looked at the mirror and loosened up her curls and sighed before focusing her attention back to the laptop. It was 6:30 and she had 30 minutes left. "Trust me, something's different. He gets worked up whenever I ask if something's wrong. What do you think? Should I tie it up or keep it down?"

Morgan watched as her best friend demonstrated the two options. "Up. And wear it high. Loosen up the curls until they're soft waves. Maybe Tony hooked up with some chick-" She stopped herself before she finished. "Yeah, I don't see that happening. Say whatever you want about him being a bad boyfriend, but at least he won't cheat. You can't say that for about 80% of the guys in relationships. You're lucky. Maybe it's what you mentioned last time," she teased, giving Pepper's halfway finished hair her seal of approval.

"He's not about to tell me he loves me. Believe me with that one."

"You're sweating over the small things. Look, test this out. Don't put your seatbelt on and see if he mentions it. If he does, it's one of those things that sort of means I love you without actually saying it. I read about it in Seventeen. It's got couples quotes to back it up."

"Sure." It wasn't that she didn't believe that sort of thing, it was just that she wouldn't put all her money on it. Still, she guessed she could test it out.

"Well, just remember to tell me about your night since mine was a complete bust."

"It's not his fault."

"It's kinda sweet that he's so attached to his grandma. I don't even think mine likes me now that I think about it. It's probably because she thinks my mom is a slut. Which, I mean, I could understand."

"I'm glad mine likes me," Pepper smiled. "How does my hair look?"

"Perfect. You're welcome for the suggestion, too," Morgan smugly responded. "What's the plan tonight?"

"I don't know what he's up to," she said as she put on her bracelet and matching earrings. "But I told him before he started thinking about it that it doesn't have to be over the top."

"Maybe you should had said that about the gifts."

"I did, but I think Tony knows."

"If I had a boyfriend that rich, I'd keep my mouth shut and cash in the diamonds."

Pepper chuckled. She had a point, but she didn't need that sort of stuff. She wasn't materialistic. "Sure."

"Was that your doorbell," Morgan asked curiously.

"How did you hear that?"

"God, Tony's really early."

"I don't think that's him. It's probably the pizza," Pepper told her as she got up to look out her window. And it was. Peter's to be exact. "Jill broke up with him. He's been moody ever since." She sat down and shrugged. "He's been complaining about how Valentine's the most stupidest holiday ever invented. He's locked himself in his room and has break up songs blasting."

"That's hilarious. I wish I was there," she replied.

"You're not missing out on anything. I just really want to grab a bat, walk into his room, and smash the crap out of his speakers." She gave herself one last look in the mirror and grinned. Getting up, she smoothed out the creases to her dress and went to get her heels off the side of her bed. They were strappy and white with a rounded open toe. "So you really think it's nothing," Pepper asked once again to calm the worries that'd just come back up to the surface.

"I don't think you should jump the gun. If it's serious, I'm sure he'll tell you. I mean, nothing has changed in your relationship, right? He's not acting different," Morgan inquired.

"Like what?"

"Like is he being shady."

"No, I don't think he is."

"He doesn't ignore your texts or calls?"

"No."

"He doesn't keep his phone with him?"

"No."

"And the sex? It's not different, right?"

Pepper hesitated.

"Is it," Morgan asked seriously.

"Well, the last time he was mad at his dad, so I don't know if that counts."

"Wasn't that like a week ago?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay," Pepper asked. "What?"

"I just thought you guys slept with each other since."

"Well, he probably wants to, but doesn't want to push it because we're still trying to patch things up."

"Alright, that makes more sense. I forgot about that."

"So nothing?"

"No, think you're fine," Morgan assured with a smile.

"I guess that's sort of a relief."

"But, seriously, if he doesn't try to have sex with you tonight-"

"Something is wrong. I know."

"But don't let your thoughts keep you away from a nice time."

"I'm pretty sure I won't be thinking about it during the night."

"Good, because you shouldn't." Morgan heard the doorbell again and that's when the both of them said their goodbyes and hung up. "Have fun, bestie."

Tony took a deep breath as he got out of the car, flowers in toll.

He straightened his tie and knocked on the door. Please don't let it be Pepper's dad. Please don't let it be Pepper's dad. Please don't let it be Pepper's dad.

"Those are nice," Victoria answered with a smile.

"Thanks." He was certain she liked him more than Pepper's father did at the moment. "Are you about to leave," he asked, noticing she was dressed up.

"Once Richard's home," she confirmed.

"Pepper's not ready yet," Tony asked, looking around the kitchen and seeing no sign of her.

"Just a couple more minutes," she responded. "I'll put those in a vase for you if you'd like."

"Oh, flowers." It had taken Tony a moment to find his words. "Right." He handed her the bouquet.

Victoria chuckled. "Relax. Pepper told me this is your first Valentine's Day. No need to be nervous."

That's when he heard it, the familiar sound of high heels clacking against the kitchen floor.

He glanced at Pepper and they locked eyes for a brief second. She had on a contrast dress, which featured a fitted waist, cut-away shoulders, and a rounded neckline. It hugged her body perfectly.

She eyed the roses her mom had just mentioned and smiled before turning around, albeit slowly, and on purpose.

Which worked. His eyes did a double take before becoming permanently fixated on the back of her dress. Its black neckline rounded into trouser straps that also closed in length until it met with the black of her skirt. The white body portion took on a stretched out v-shape, the point of intersection on the small of her back. A zip back closure held the dress together in between the two straps, but, really, he didn't care about all this. What he cared about was that her skin was exposed and it gave his girlfriend a layer of sex appeal that currently left him speechless. He swallowed at the sight in front of him. All he wanted was to jump her, like a predator would its prey in the wild.

Pepper turned and looked at Tony in amused interest, not oblivious to what'd been going on. He might be a complicated individual, but he was still a guy, and all guys operated in a similiar fashion.

She walked up to him and he refused to look up when she came a little too close to him at the kitchen island, which worked for about a second. "New dress," he asked after skimming her over from head to toe.

"Did you see the back," she inquired, knowing for a fact he did.

He gulped when Pepper turned around.

She gave him a couple seconds before craning her head so she could look over her shoulder. "I thought you would like it."

He tore his eyes off her and cleared his throat. "We should go," he decided to say instead. "Reservations at 7:30, Pepper."

"Yeah, because you care about that," Pepper mumbled as she led them out the front door.

She could feel his eyes on her as they got to his car and smiled to herself.

And then, as if on cue, he spoke. "Shouldn't you grab a jacket? It's chilly."

"You have a jacket in the car. If I need it, I'll use it."

"Still..." He trailed off when Pepper abruptly stopped walking. "You have nothing but a dress on," he told her, waving in her general direction. He wasn't about to let the perverts at the restaurant ogle her like he'd been doing.

"Come on, like you just said, reservations at 7:30." She couldn't help it, messing with his brain was great entertainment.

"Wait." Tony grabbed her hand and stopped her from opening his car door. He waited until Pepper turned around. "Did you look at the time?"

She let out a small smile, indicating she did.

"So are you happy? Or disappointed," Tony inquired.

"I..."

I know, I know, I haven't updated in forever and I haven't forgotten! I've got some time on my hands again, so that's good news, right?! So what do you guys think? Who won the bet? I'm leaning more towards one than the other, but I'm wondering who'd you guys want to win!