Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel and its characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. I do not make any profits from it.

The first proposal Pepper Potts had was a drunken one.

She was at a wedding of one of the clients of Stark Industries and was seated talking to the other guests at their assigned table. Her boss, Tony Stark, was by the bar downing Scotch and entertaining the bridesmaids. How he manages to do both is a mystery to Pepper.

He half-sauntered over to where she was and pouted.

"I want one."

"Want what?" Pepper could never keep track these days. Yesterday he wanted Bambi's grandkid's toy Nerf gun. Last night he wanted a robot dog, and just earlier he wanted the made of honor's boobs.

"That." The boss pointed to the newlyweds.

Pepper's eyebrows furrowed. "Mr. Stark, I don't think you can buy the newly wedded couple."

Tony shook his head. "Not them. I want what they have."

It took Pepper a moment to figure out what he was saying.

So he wanted a marriage. Tony Stark? Settled down? It doesn't match.

She studied him. He looked pretty serious – motivated even.

"What are you-" Pepper never got to ask because Tony quickly took her hand and leaned in closer.

"Marry me, Miss Potts."

"I- what?" This wasn't what Pepper expected. Why is that so far everything in her job description turned out to be bull? Babysitting wasn't in there. Neither was cleaning out his house of his one night stands. Were proposals something she should get used to?

"I'm serious!"

Pepper was at a loss. She was suddenly nervous about the possibility of the truth behind her boss' words.

"Marry me," he repeated.

Finally regaining all sense that the question knocked out of her, the personal assistant put her other hand on his. "Ask me again when your intentions are clear."

Tony's eyes widened with delight. "So, you'll marry me!"

"I never said that," she said as she stood up and escorted him to the dance floor.

"C'mon. It'll be fun," Tony insisted.

Very typical of him to call a serious step into a relationship 'fun.'

"Listen, boss. The atmosphere of this party is making you say rash things."

"They're not r-"

"They are when you've had 7 glasses of scotch." Pepper gave him a stern look. "Or is it 10 now?"

Tony suddenly stopped dancing and he had a look in his eye that made Pepper shiver. She had no idea why, though.

"Pepper, I-"

Pepper shut her eyes and sighed. "You're really serious about this?"

He nodded.

A Tony Stark with a fixation is easy to handle. A Tony Stark who's drunk, give him a day and he'll be passed out. A Tony Stark who's focused while intoxicated… this is hard to get out of.

Tony and Pepper weren't even together! Pepper has only been working for him for 2 years. It has always been just flirtation and banter.

And now he wants to marry me? Not to mention I have a boyfriend, she thought.

Pepper decided to turn the conversation to the kind they were both comfortable with. She grinned and gave him a teasing look. "Tony,"

Tony's eyes sparkled at being called by his first name. He's been trying to have his Girl Friday call him that since day 1. This is the first time she's ever done so.

"Tony, are you asking me to marry you because you want to marry me? Or are you asking me to marry you because you'd like to marry someone and I'm at the top of the list in convenience?" She folded her arms and stopped dancing.

Tony smirked. "Would you marry me if I said number 1?"

Pepper cocked her head to the side and gave a sort of yes that could still be a no. "Hmm."

"Well then, I'm asking because I want to marry you. Just you. Only you."

Pepper bit her lip. She hated it when his words can make her feel squirmy and warm. She had to remind herself that he has this effect on all women and she had Nick. She shouldn't succumb.

She took his hand back and started the dance again. She rested her chin on his shoulder and whispered, "Well then. You grab the two witnesses and I'll grab the priest. We'll be married by midnight."

She felt him stiffen. Figures that he actually wouldn't do it once faced with the reality of marriage. Tony liked the idea of being faithful to one woman but actually being faithful? Nope. This is Tony Stark. Billionaire. Genius. Playboy. Philanthropist.

Without another word, Pepper left him and headed for the direction of the priest. He was seated near her assigned table.

"Good evening, Father Dan!"

The good natured priest smiled and held out his hand.

"Miss Potts! A pleasure to meet you. I hear Stark Industries is doing well. No thanks to you, of course."

"It is! Oh, no! It's all Mr. Stark, really! He's been working really hard." Pepper glanced back at Tony and giggled at his expression. He was contemplating how to get out of the situation.

"Father, why don't I introduce you to him?"

"Why I'd like that!" And so the two walked towards Tony who was expertly slipping on a mask of nonchalance and suave, as if this wasn't making him nervous at all.

Tony extended his hand the moment the two arrived and then exchanged civilities.

"Father, a wonderful ceremony you did today. Simply beautiful!"

"Why thank you! Now, Miss Potts and I were talking over there and she told me-"

"Ah. Miss Potts. I do believe I told you to stop drinking." He turned to the priest. "Poor girl. Had 7 glasses of wine already. What would she do without me? Well, gotta drive my girl home. Nice meeting you, Father. Good evening!"

Fighting a smile from forming, Pepper let herself get half-dragged out to the lobby.

Once there, she gave the boss an I-told-you-so look.

Tony scrunched up his face, and said, "I may be a bit drunk."

Happy Hogan drove the two of them home that night and Tony insisted Pepper stay with him at his house but she refused. She had made a promise not to sleep over at any of his places unless it was absolutely necessary. And after what happened tonight, Pepper felt that she really needed to get to her own house and snuggle up with her boyfriend, Nick.

The following day, Tony had no idea of what had happened the previous night. And so for the years that followed, Pepper never brought it up.

Except for that one time in Stark Industries.

It was a few months after the wedding. She had just celebrated her 2nd year as a Stark Industries employee. She was in the CEO's office, doing the CEO's paperwork when she heard the said CEO enter.

Pepper didn't bother looking up from the papers. She knew it was Tony. He was the only person who didn't knock.

He proceeded to throw himself unceremoniously onto the couch as if he's had one helluva day. But knowing Tony, he was probably just bored.

Pepper waited for him to make a sound, to do something so characteristic of Tony. But he didn't.

Why was he just sitting there? Why wasn't he bothering her?

Excitement began to build. Is this the first time that he had actually learned to sit and behave? Pepper found it rather refreshing!

"What's that?"

She groaned inwardly. She knew it was too good to be true. When did Tony ever just leave a person in solitude?

She looked up from the papers and saw him pointing to the magazine Lydia from accounting gave her.

"Oh. It's just a stupid list about who the hottest man is," she told him going back to her work.

Tony stood up and grabbed the magazine. "Well, it's not so stupid with me in it, is it?"

Well. This is going to be interesting, Pepper thought. She decided to play with him a bit. PAs were allowed to have fun once in a while even if it is at the expense of their bosses.

"You're not in it," she said, trying to keep her voice from betraying her true intentions.

"WHAT?"

Pepper gave a start as Tony grabbed the magazine and flipped frantically.

"But I'm always in the top! I've been number 1 for 5 years straight!"

Pepper released the grin she was holding. "Yeah. In the billionaire category."

"And in intelligence too. Don't forget that."

"How could I?" She winked. "You were smart enough to hire me." He was.

"And inventors category"

"And single too."

Tony pressed his face to the list, almost as if he was trying to look for some fine print. "Why the hell am I not part of this list? I didn't even make it into the list! Who decided this? I want to talk to the editor."

The typical Tony-ness of the situation made Pepper laugh.

"Tony, you'll never be a part of that list!"

"And why not?"

"Because I doubt you'll ever get married."

The look on Tony's face was priceless. "Excuse me?"

"That list only applies to married men. Last I checked every drunken marriage you've had has been dissolved."

And drunken proposals have also been avoided. Thank God, she added silently.

"I- I- well, this is stupid!"

Pepper grinned then went back to the papers. "It is."

"You can't discriminate based on civil status!"

"I totally agree with you."

"Not part of the list because I'm single. I should be honored for being single! I give every woman out there hope that they can still have me!"

"You're such a saint."

Tony scowled. "Stop mocking me."

Pepper let out another laugh. A bruised Stark ego was just the thing to make the day more interesting.

But before she could even enjoy the moment, Tony had moved to her side.

"Come on." He pulled Pepper up from the chair and ushered her out of the office.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

"City hall."

City hall?

"What? Why? Tony, you have a meeting in 30 minutes."

Tony failed to answer the question as he tugged her arm further.

If Tony decided to sue the magazine, there goes the Stark-headline-free month. "Why are you going to city hall? If you're planning on suing them you can't-"

"I'm not suing them."

That's new. "Then, what are you going to do?"

"We're going to get married."

What?

Pepper stopped walking. Marriage? Again? How many times was he going to escort me to wife-hood? She pulled her hand away from his grasp. They had stopped right in front of the elevator.

"We're getting married? If I recall correctly, you don't want to get married. Remember that drunken proposal?"

"What drunken proposal?"

Oops.

"Never mind that. My point is you don't want to get married and you never even proposed to me."

"You make a good point," said Tony, pressing the elevator button.

"Thank you."

"Let's fix that, shall we?" The next thing Pepper knew was that Tony was kneeling before her in a hallway. She looked around. Thankfully, no employees were around... Yet.

"Pepper, I do want to get married. To you. Because... Because you're the only constant woman in my life. And I.. I would like very much to make that forever. So, I was thinking if you would maybe want to become my wife."

Figures Tony would make a proposal sound like he was just asking a woman if she wanted coffee.

"That's not a question."

"If I asked you the question would you say yes?"

The elevator door opened revealing people. Pepper's face flushed a shade of red as her colleagues stared at Tony and her. Nick, her boyfriend, was in the crowd. She mentally promised to make it up to him when she got home tonight.

"No." Pepper told Tony then turned back to the direction of his office

"Why not?!" cried Tony, before rushing up after his personal assistant.

"Because you want to get married for the wrong reasons!" The situation reminded Pepper of the last time he had proposed to her.

"This is a good enough reason!"

The two halted right across Bambi's work station. Pepper gave him a deadpan look. "You want to get married so you can get into a stupid ranking."

"Just because you add the word stupid does not make the list a stupid reason."

"Tony!"

He crossed his arms resembling a toddler. "Fine! I'll just grab another girl."

Pepper gave him an incredulous look. "Give me a girl whose name you actually remember!"

Tony looked around hoping to find a name amidst the familiar faces. His eyes landed on his secretary.

"Bambi."

Bambi didn't look up when her name was mentioned. She was too used to Mr. Stark and Miss Potts arguing that she had developed selective hearing, a skill she was most proud of.

"So, you're going to ask Bambi who's already married, by the way, to marry you."

"Stacy."

"You just made that up."

"What? I probably know a Stacy. Lord knows there are plenty of them in California."

Pepper sighed. "Is the list that important to you?"

"Yes."

"More important than the lives of people we'll be saving by approving of the weapons proposal in our meeting in 30 minutes?"

Tony grumbled. "I hate it when you're the voice of reason."

"That's why I'm your PA."

"That's why I proposed to you."

Pepper laughed. "Come in to your office and put that magazine in the shredder."

"You know I'm going to propose to you again," said Tony as they entered the room.

"Mm hmm."

"Or I'll just slip in a marriage contract among those papers you sign."

Pepper pointed to the shredding machine at the corner of the room. "Come on, you bachelor."

"You'll wake up one day with a ring on your finger."

"Tell me more about in the meeting."

A/N: Tell me what you think! More proposals to come!