Author's Note: hi all! I am a free woman. I had my last final today, and summer has begun! (A summer where I'll be working close to full time to pay rent and save up, but summer nonetheless.) I thought an appropriate way to celebrate was to post the latest movement in this little story. (That's right, I said movement, not chapter. Know why? Because this reminds me of a song or piece of classical music for some reason. Possibly rock opera. Tony would like that.)

Anyway, enjoy, and let me know what you're all thinking. You've already blown me away by your response to this. You guys are the best.

"Will you think less of me if I ask what offer that was?" Tony asked after a long, silent moment. Really, he thought he deserved at least a moment to process her words, because any and all rules of logic precluded them actually coming out of her mouth. "Not to stress the point or anything, but I'm kinda a recovering bastard and I've made more offers than I could ever remember, and those are just the completely indecent ones… Feel free to stop me any time."

"No. I think you've covered all the bases."

"If you have such a high opinion of me, I'm surprised you're entertaining any sort of offer from me at all."

Her eyes narrowed and she muttered something that sounded very much like "I knew you were going to be difficult about this." But her mouth was set in a resolute line – the same look she usually reserved for kicking his ass out of his garage for a few hours of sleep – and he knew her mind was searching for the right angle of attack.

"Just because I agree that you're a recovering bastard, as you put it, doesn't mean I hold a low opinion of you." Her words were paced, deliberate; it reminded him of a teacher he'd had years and years ago, one of the high school ones. The man had spoken every word as if it had the weight of thousands of years of truth behind it. That was the tone Pepper used now, only she was far more convincing and Tony found himself just a little ashamed that he'd suggested that she didn't respect him. Because he knew…no, he knew her better. Her reputation meant too much to her for her not to care about other people's reputations on some level.

Of course, before becoming Iron Man, that had baffled the hell out of him. He hadn't done much that was worthy of respect then. Sure, he'd had a hell of a reputation as a businessman and an engineer, but not much of one when it came to "upstanding member of the community" criteria. He'd always just assumed that even Pepper had a price that she was eventually willing to accept for some things.

"You're all I have too, you know."

Oh. Right. He was the price. Even when completely shit-faced, Tony's mind was able to put one and one together to get two.

"Pepper Potts. Are you asking me to go steady?" He sounded just a little freaked out to his own ears. Understandably so, or at least he thought it was understandable. It'd been almost a year ago when he'd opened himself up to her ("If I were Iron Man, I'd have this girlfriend…) and she'd shut him down. Almost an entire year with no signs of weakening on her part. The night they'd danced had become "The Night That Shall Not Be Discussed" à la Harry Potter, and he'd started to think…

" – you, Tony?"

"What?" Really, he needed to stop drinking so much. It shot his concentration straight to hell, even if was able to still do basic math.

God, he hadn't just missed her declaring her undying love or anything like that, had he?

"You're very drunk, aren't you?"

"Absolutely, and I don't see how that has any bearing on our conversation. Are you propositioning me?"

"Not in so many words, no."

"Pity, but that's alright. You really don't need many words to get the point across. Three words, tops, if you're willing to sacrifice deep, meaningful emotion for crudity."

"Tony?"

"Yes."

"Shut up." And she was back, her hand a gentle warmth against his cheek as she kissed the corner of his mouth, delicately tasted his bottom lip. But this time Tony had seen her coming. This time he wasn't thinking about her dress, or her confounding behavior. This time he had enough of his wits about him to at least sink his fingers into her hair and hold her, for the love of God, so that he was at least participating instead of sitting there like the world's biggest ass.

He could feel her pause against his lips, could feel the hot, moist rush of her breath against his jaw. The moment stretched on, vibrating with the kind of intensity that he thought was usually reserved for centrifuges. The heat, the tension, were becoming distilled into something stronger than they'd been. When her tongue darted out to moisten her lip, he felt it, and something imploded inside his chest. The shockwaves had his arms tightening convulsively around her. The slide of her body against his set him back in familiar territory.

For one too-short moment that lasted forever, Pepper was so damned alive in his arms that he could feel something that he'd always considered a part of himself going up in smoke. She was heat and presence and scent and taste and the only thing in his entire world worth devouring because if he tasted and touched enough of her then…then…

He was on the verge of solving what amounted to one the mysteries of the universe when suddenly Pepper was pushing away from him.

"No thinking," he automatically protested, trying to pull her back. He already missed her warmth. "You and I are through with thinking."

"Tony?"

"Yes?" He tightened his hand around hers. He was still drunk, still off balance from the fact that she was here, still reeling from that last kiss and whatever fundamental element of him that it'd changed. If he let her go, if he released that physical tether, he didn't know what would happen. And he wasn't sure he wanted to find out.

"No."

"No?"

"No," she said firmly.

"Why?"

"Because you're drunk."

"Yeah, well, that's never stopped me before."

"I know." She gently freed her hand from the tight grip he had on it and reached for the door handle. For the first time Tony noticed that the car was stopped and that the buildings outside looked familiar. They were at her apartment. "But I'm more than a quick fuck, Mr. Stark. And so are you."