Prompt 1: Secrets


I have too many tests to study for to be writing this much in one day. Regardless, here's Chapter 1, a bit earlier than planned. I have to admit, I'm underwhelmed by myself. I wanted Tony to be a bit fluffier than usual, but he seems too lovey-gushy, not how I usually do him.

This takes place immediately after Iron Man 2, so I guess I can say he's just all gooey because it's the very early days of him and Pepper being together...

Anyway, enjoy!


Tony Stark is a very talented man. He is an expert in many fields of study, namely a handful of types of engineering, he created an Artificial Intelligence before the age most people graduate college, he created a suit of armor that can 'fly and shoot laser beams,' as his fans liked to say, and most recently, he achieved cold fusion in his basement to create a new element. For the longest time, though, one of his favorite talents was his uncanny ability to get women into bed with him. He hardly had to breathe in the vicinity of a woman, and suddenly he had a date for the night. Now, this skill of his barely mattered to him, and he all but ignored the woman throwing themselves at his feet. A week ago, he kissed a woman for the first time, and a deeper part of him acknowledged that he would never want to be with anyone else ever again.

Pepper.

He played it cool with her, didn't let her see just how much she meant to him, but he could never live without her (especially now, since he escaped the palladium poisoning and he actually was going to live).

However, such personal epiphanies couldn't be explained to the press without gossip and rumors and obnoxious paparazzi, so they decided (Pepper decided) to keep their relationship from the press, at least until it was on more solid ground.

Yet, with all Tony Stark's many talents, keeping secrets was not one of them. Rhodey already knew, which didn't make much of a difference because regardless of Pepper's executive decision, Tony would have ended up spilling to his best friend within minutes of talking to him. Nick Fury and Natashalie knew, which was fine by him. Being able to say the words, 'I'm in a stable relationship,' sort of made his day, even if he could only say them to Captain Eye Patch (and even if the words actually came out as 'stable-ish relationship.' No need to jinx it).

Even with the handful of people who knew, the secret was eating at him, as secrets always do. This one was the worst, though, because when he was in public, he actually had to pretend that there was nothing between him and Pepper. He couldn't even put his arm around her, or hold her hand, or dip her down and kiss her like a madman in front of a room of reporters with flashing cameras (ok, even if their relationship was common knowledge, he still doubted he could get away with that last one). When they were in meetings together, usually dealing with Pepper's stepping down or cleanup at the Expo, Tony's foot would tap restlessly on the floor as he stared at her, wanting to yell to the entire room that Pepper Potts was his girlfriend! God, he needed to say the word girlfriend to someone so badly it hurt, even if the word made him think of zitty teenagers and their prom dates.

Unfortunately, it was in this state of near implosion from frustration that Tony found himself on a late night talk show. He hated talk shows. Who even booked this thing? He was wondering. He knew it wasn't Pepper. She hadn't booked him a talk show since the Ellen DeGeneres Disaster.

Regardless, welcoming music started playing, and Tony was soon ushered onto the stage and seated on a sofa. He had to keep reminding himself to 'play nice,' as Pepper had warned, as the host asked him about Iron Man and the hearing he'd had a few weeks ago over the armor, about Justin Hammer and the Hammer Drone ('Hammeroid,' Tony corrected) attack on the expo, and about Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes apparently holding on to Tony's stolen suit. Finally, when his time was almost up, the host pulled out his last topic:

"For all the interested ladies out there, Tony, we want to know: Is Iron Man looking for an Iron Woman?" The host wiggled his eyebrows suggestively (which looked stupid) and Tony faked a good-natured laugh.

"I can't say I am," he admitted, and before he could stop himself, more followed. "I've actually got a girlfriend." Sweet relief. "A serious girlfriend, for the first time."

"Oh do you now!" he host asked. "Well come on then, who is she?"

Now he'd done it. He was mentally kicking himself. Why why did he have to say it? Why did he have to say anything?! Because you feel amazing and you want to tell the whole world, he reminded himself. Well don't give Pepper up, at least. Tell them it's a secret. Leave it a mystery.

"Pepper Potts." Damn it.

He went home that night expecting Pepper to be livid. He felt like an idiot, like a jackass. But a part of him was just so glad to have done it, which just made him feel worse, made him feel selfish in the one instance he cared.

Pepper was sitting at the dining room table in his Malibu home when he got there, papers spread out and her computer set up. She was working. She didn't even look up when Tony came into the house.

"Pepper, I'm… Well, I'm sorry," he said. It occurred to him that he didn't even remember the last time he directly apologized to anyone, and he made a mental note to make sure he didn't fall behind again, at least when it came to Pepper.

She sighed, turned off her laptop, and gathered up her papers. The silence was killing him. Couldn't she say something!

"It's alright," she finally conceded. She packed all her things into her bag and made to leave.

"Stay here tonight," he offered, grabbing one of her hands to stop her from getting past him. "It's late."

"The tabloids will have a field day," she argued, though she didn't move to pull her hand from him.

"They'll get over it." He shrugged. "Besides, at least it's true this time."

She smiled. Smiling was good. "I guess it is."

"I'm really sorry," he repeated.

"I know you are, and I know you can't keep secrets."

"This one lasted longer than the Iron Man one did, at least."

She laughed. Laughing was even better than smiling. "I suppose it did." She planted a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for trying. I'm just dreading dealing with people tomorrow," she admitted.

He grinned and squeezed her hand. "We can do it together."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Sleep over?" he asked hopefully.

She rolled her eyes, but laughed. "Alright then."

He grabbed her hips with his free hand and pulled her in for a kiss. She dropped her bag and kissed him back, and he was so happy this wasn't a secret anymore.


So there we go. Hopefully Tony wasn't horribly Love and Sprinkles and Unicorns, though I think I was pushing it...


Thank you to everyone who submitted prompts! I had two set up before I started writing, so I won't be choosing one of yours until the third installment, but I look forward to it! I would like to point out, however, that a lot of people are sending me scenarios instead of prompts. Just to clear it up, prompts are like, vague words or phrases, or a sentence or two that makes you want to build a story around it. Scenarios are actual story ideas.

For example, a prompt could be "dancing," or "he wouldn't have traded that dance for the world." From either of these, a hundred stories could pop forward. It could be a Tony POV of the fireman's gala in the first Iron Man movie, or it could be Clint and Natasha working undercover at some formal event.

On the other hand, saying "Thor invites Jane to Asgard for a festival of fine dining and dancing" is a scenario. It doesn't actually say what goes down in the story, I'll admit, but it already sets up the scene.

Moral of the story: Prompts, not scenarios!

And again, thank you to everyone who sent in ideas! :)

(God, now I want to go write all of those stories about dancing!)