"What?" Tony widened his eyes at Natalie.
Natalie pressed her lips together. "His secretary called the police a few hours ago and reported a missing persons report."
He shifted his eyes from her face to the gravel beneath his feet. "W-wha-what does—"
"His secretary called Leon's wife asking if he was feeling okay. Apparently, the wife thought he was staying over at the building to clean up some of the mess the attacker left. The secretary said he had left for home two days ago. Leon never called in or returned. They're both assuming he was kidnapped."
"But what does it mean?" Tony asked again.
"Fury is assuming that the attacker kidnapped him for further information about the technology the attacker stole." Natalie informed him.
"Shit." He cursed under his breath. He rubbed both of his eyes with his hands in frustration and exhaustion.
Natalie examined his worried expression and pressed her lips together. "Fury wanted us to spend the rest of the night hacking into Leon Industries' terminals and system. If we find out what the attacker took, assuming JARVIS can get us in, then we can figure out the reason behind Leon's assumed kidnapping."
Tony nodded and retracted his hands from his face. "I'll inform JARVIS and hopefully—"
"We'll do this later." Natalie interrupted him.
He furrowed his eyebrows at her. "What?"
"I can tell how excited you were about tonight and… I'd hate to ruin the mood."
"Thanks… I think." Tony said with a confused tone.
"Just behave like mature adults and don't do anything stupid." Natalie told him before slowly walking backwards.
"Thanks, Natalie." His lips formed a sincere smile.
"Tell Pepper I said good-night." Natalie walked towards her car that was parked in the woods. Her car raced off, leaving Tony standing in the drive way. He smirked to himself before walking towards the front door of his house.
Finally, some alone time with Pepper.
He opened the door to his house and saw Pepper reaching for a glass in the cabinets in the kitchen. Tony closed the door behind him and strode towards his girlfriend. He was about to surprise her with a hug from behind but—
"Sir, would you like me to begin diagnostics on the upgrades you've recently been working on?" JARVIS asked.
Once Pepper turned around and ruined his surprise attack, Tony rolled his eyes at the ceiling and heavily sighed.
"Always got to be the party pooper, huh, JARVIS?" He looked up, resting his hands on his waist.
"You realize, if you had snuck up on me again, I would've kicked your butt." She told him with a challenging tone. Tony glanced down at her and smiled.
"Really, now?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes." She walked towards him and snaked her arms around his waist and up towards his shoulder blades. She rested her head on his chest, right next to the arc reactor, and smiled deeply.
Tony moved his hands from his waist to hers. "Weren't you thirsty?"
"I can get a drink later." She breathed, closing her eyes, basking in his presence. "So, what did Natasha want?"
"You mean, Natalie?"
"I meant Natasha." She opened her eyes and looked up at him.
"Natalie, Natasha, Nicaragua. They all start with an 'N'." He said with a smirk.
"Have you even asked her what she prefers to be called?"
"Mm, no." Tony hummed.
"Okay, fine." Pepper huffed in slight frustration. "What did Natalie want to talk to you about?"
"Nothing that should concern you." He grumbled back. He pushed his hands against her waist and held her at arms length. She moved her hands on his chest with her lips forming a small smile. "Do you want to watch a movie, or something?" He tried changing the subject. "We could go to bed early and skip to date twenty." Tony leaned in to kiss her but she pressed a finger to his lips.
"Stop trying to change the subject, Tony." She told him. Her voice had a mix of anger and sadness in it. "I've stuck by your side for years. I've pulled your ass out of many mistakes and tabloid issues, literally. I've replaced your arc reactor and I've gotten my hands dirty under your commands. If this is something to do with your health, Tony, please… just tell me." Sadness mixed into her last sentence. She looked up at him with pain in her eyes. Her finger slipped off his lips, hoping he would tell her the truth.
"Pepper…" Tony groaned and looked away. "…I…I can't tell you."
"What can't you tell me?" She tilted her head to the side, trying to make him catch her gaze.
"Everything." He breathed, glancing at her.
"Tony, I said I trust you, and I do. I trust you with my life." Pepper reminded him. "But, do you even trust me?"
His eyes snapped to her gaze. He noticed how soft her eyes were. They looked like soft blue clouds floating in the sky, waiting for someone to gaze up at them so they change shape.
"I trust you." He slightly nodded.
"But…?" She asked him, almost anticipating it.
"But…" He heavily sighed. "…I just can't tell you…"
Pepper looked away with a painful expression and closed her eyes. Tony saw a tear slowly trail down her cheek.
"Pepper…" He breathed, squeezing her hip.
"I'm going to bed." She sternly said. She moved out of his grasp, clearly showing how angry she was.
"Please, Pepper, you have to understand—" He pleaded.
"Understand what?" She swiftly turned around to look at him. Her cheek was damp and her eyes were beginning to turn red. "I've kept my ass on the line for you, Stark. I've taken out your trash that you used to love to bring home."
"Pepper—" He frowned.
"I've done things I never thought I'd do in my entire life." She spat at him. "So, really, tell me what I have to understand. Tell me what there even is to understand?"
Tony looked at her with his puppy dog eyes and deepened his frown. He saw a tear in the corner of her eye that was ready to slip down her cheek. He walked closer to her and lifted his hand up to her face. With his thumb, he slid it across her cheek and removed the tear.
Pepper looked away in torment.
"I…" Shit, I'm ditching it again. Why can't I just say I love you? Is it really that hard for me to say to her? "I want to tell you, Pepper. I really do, but… I'm trying to protect you by not telling you."
She looked up at him in confusion. "So, you're lying to me to protect me?"
"In a way, yes…" He pressed his lips together.
"You're some piece of work, Tony." She snapped at him. Pepper walked out of his grasp and past him, purposefully bumping into his shoulder with her own. Tony heavily sighed and whipped around.
"What do you want me to say, Pepper?" He practically shouted.
Pepper's hand was on the wall nearest to the stair case. She was about to walk upstairs but his words hit her like a train. She turned her head to face him.
"I want you to tell me the truth. I'm tired of you sneaking around me. I'm tired of being the last to know about everything." She angrily grounded out. Tony stood there for a few seconds before frowning down at the ceramic tiled floor. She heavily sighed and pressed her lips together. "It really hurt, Tony."
He looked up at her in awe and confusion. She removed her hand from the wall and pressed it against the spot where her heart was.
"Right here." A few more tears slipped down from the corners of her eyes to her jaw line. "When I was the last person to know that you were dying of palladium poisoning, it felt like my heart was being stabbed with a needle."
Tony's mouth gapped at her confession.
"You could've died without me knowing. Your own damn P.A would've never known about your health until your body was found." She slightly nodded, gasping for air. "If you never found a replacement, I would've been the one to literally clean up your mess."
Tony slightly shook his head and began to walk towards her. He never knew how she felt about that night when he told her through the intercom about his health. He had told her about the palladium poisoning when he was fighting off dozens of Hammeroids. Of course, he heard her desperate and painful plea for an explanation but he never realized exactly how much pain he had caused her.
"Every day, Tony." She breathed. Her eyes were puffy and red. "Every day, I think about what you're not telling me. Every day, I asked my self if you were still dying. And every day when I finally see your smile, and feel the warmth from your body, I command myself that you're not."
"Pepper…" He gasped. He walked towards her with a worried expression. He hated to see her cry, especially when it was about him.
"I don't want to lose you, Tony." Her hand clutched the purple cloth that hid her skin, and her heart. Her head dipped forward. Some of hear tears fell to the floor from her jaw line, and some continued down her neck.
Once Tony was close enough, he protectively wrapped one arm around her body and one around her shoulder. He pushed her body to rest against hers. Pepper's hand that once gripped her blouse mindlessly made its way towards his back. Her other hand did the same. Her hands clutched the back of his dress shirt while her ear was pressed to his chest. She heard the vibrations from his arc reactor, the beating of his heart and the soft sobs that escaped from her mouth.
Tony pressed her head against chest with a hand on the top of her head. He closed his eyes and planted a long kiss on her head, allowing her to cry against his body.
"I'm sorry, Pepper." He breathed and closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry."
A/N: :( Poor Pepper. It's a short chapter, I know. I just wanted to let you guys get some… er… fluff (?) on a Monday morning. Mondays are the days where you say "FML" all day. :) Stay frosty!