"Good afternoon, Sir. It's 10:30AM, May 15th, 2011. It's currently 63 degrees Celsius outside. If you go outside, I suggest you wear a warm sweatshirt or coat. It's a lovely day to go shopping in Malibu or Santa Monica. Would you like me to read you the newspaper?" JARVIS announced.
His words rang through Tony's ears, making him flutter his eyes open in confusion. He quickly sat up straight, eyes wide and crusty, as he wondered where he was. Underneath his palm, he felt the silky and soft sheets. He looked down, and then around himself before coming to the conclusion that he was sleeping in his bed.
10AM, did I literally sleep for a day?... Wait, was it all a dream? He questioned himself and tried to lift his right arm but only felt pain shoot up. He hissed and winced in pain. When he looked over at his arm, it was still in its blue sling. It hit him like a bullet train. "JARVIS, is Pepper here?"
He remembered bits and pieces of their conversation last night, just before sleep overcame him. He remembered asking her if she would be here when he woke up, and she told him that she would. If she's not here, then it was all a dream, right?
"Miss Potts is downstairs. She's preparing your meal." The AI responded.
"Thanks…" Tony breathed. Okay, so it wasn't a dream? Only one way to find out.
He swung his legs out from under the sheets and off the bed. He stood up and noticed the change in his attire. He was wearing a white cotton t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. I don't remember…
He furrowed his eyebrows and decided to ignore. Tony walked down the stairs and stopped at the foot of the stairs. Before his very eyes was a beautiful red headed woman that was making trips back and forth in the kitchen. His lips formed a small smile when he noticed her change in attire as well.
She was wearing a spaghetti strapped blue tank top and a pair of navy blue sweat pants. Her hair was tied up in a pony tail, as usual.
Tony carefully walked towards her and eventually stopped at the threshold of the kitchen. She glanced over at him and began to smile.
"Morning." She greeted him, pouring a cup of orange juice. She handed it to him and he gladly took it.
"Thanks." He took a sip of the bright orange liquid. He watched her fry a few eggs before hesitantly asking her about last night. "Hey… um…"
"Hm?" She hummed, carefully watching the eggs sizzle.
"Um… thanks… for last night." He looked down at his cup before looking back up at her.
She turned her head and smiled. "No problem."
"I'm sorry about—"
"You need to stop apologizing, Tony." She breathed a laugh. "We both did some stupid stuff. Let's just admit that we're both the dumb ones in this relationship, okay?"
Tony widened his smile and didn't protest. "Okay." He walked towards her and carefully wrapped his good arm around her waist. He pressed her against his body and rested his chin in the crook of her neck. He inhaled her scent and thought of how thankful he was to have her by his side. She widened her smile at his endearing displays of affection before preparing the eggs that were in the frying pan. He pressed a light and tender kiss against her cheek before releasing his hold on her.
"Fury wanted to talk to us today, by the way." He practically blurted.
Pepper furrowed her eyebrows for a few seconds. "… What about?"
"About Hardman and whatever that pirate found out. He said he got some useful information out of him." Tony reached up into a cabinet and reached for two plates. He placed them on the counter and closed the cabinet door. Pepper turned off the stove and brought the pan full of eggs over to the counter.
"Can you go get the bacon? They're in the microwave." She nudged him with her elbow. "Useful information?"
"Yeah." Tony nodded. He walked over to the microwave and took the plate of greasy and delicious bacon out. He handed it to Pepper before closing the microwave door. He leaned against the counter with his back pressing against the cool grey marble granite. "Um, I know I shouldn't be asking this since it's usually a question after a drunken mess…"
Pepper carefully glanced over at him in confusion and worry.
"But… what happened yesterday?" He looked over at her and eventually caught her gaze.
"You don't remember?" She asked, placing two pieces of bacon on each plate.
"I remember lying down on the couch with my head on your lap. After that…" He shrugged.
"Do you remember our conversation?"
"Last thing I remember was asking you if you'd still be there when I woke up." He widened his smile. "And thank god you are. I don't know what I'd do without you."
So, he doesn't remember that he almost said he loved me? I don't know whether I should be happy or sad… A frown spread on Pepper's face for a split second. She caught herself and immediately faked a smile. "It's good to know my presence is appreciated."
Tony breathed a laugh before pressing another kiss on her cheek. He rounded her waist with his arm and took his plate of food before pulling away. Blush spread across her face as she spread the last portion of eggs on her own plate. He always had a way of charming her.
He rounded the corner and sat down at the living room table. He placed his plate on the wooden surface while Pepper handed him a fork and a napkin. She sat down next to him and scooped up a fork full of eggs.
"So, how did I end up in my own bed after I knocked out on the couch yesterday?" He asked her while stuffing his face with the delicious food in front of him. "Please don't tell me you hauled me upstairs."
"Rhodey helped." She blatantly said.
Tony stopped eating and slowly looked at her. "Rhodey was here?"
"Yeah." She nodded. "He stopped by a few minutes after you knocked out. He wanted to make sure we were okay."
"Did he make any snide remarks about me sleeping?" Tony grimaced. It sounds like something Rhodey would do…
"He asked why you were sleeping on my lap, and why your eyes were puffy and red." She took a bite out of the bacon in front of her. "I had to explain him what happened."
"What'd you tell him?"
"That you were getting frustrated and started to feel useless. I spared him the kissing part since he had already greeted us as 'the seals'." She glanced over at him and saw his lips form a small smile. "He asked if I needed help lugging you upstairs. I was going to let you sleep on the couch but Rhodey's offer deemed more appropriate."
"And my clothes?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrow, trying to infer something sexual.
"After Rhodey left, I changed your shirt and pants because the clothes you had on had grease stains all over it." She was frank with her explanation, and ignored his signs of innuendo.
"Wait—did you sleep over?"
"Yeah. I was taking care of some e-mails. JARVIS came online a few hours after you fell asleep. He helped me take care most of them—and in case you were wondering, I did sleep in the same bed as you last night. I didn't sleep in the guestroom." She shot down any innuendos he had saved up.
"I wasn't—" He tried to tell her.
"By the way, you talk a lot in your sleep." Her lips formed a devilish smile.
"What?" His mouth gapped. "What did I say?"
"Sir, Director Fury is on line one—"
"No!" Tony shouted at the ceiling before looking back down at Pepper. "What did I say?"
"You don't want to keep Fury waiting, do you?" Pepper scooted her chair out and stood up to go put her empty plate in the sink. Tony sat there grumbling like an angry troll.
"If it's about that time I pants'd Rhodey in the ladies room, it was because we were both drunk." He shouted across the room.
Pepper poked her head out and started to chuckle. "I assure you, it wasn't about that."
Crap. "Was it about the time I hired strippers to tee-pee Rhodey's house?" He stood up from his chair and walked towards the kitchen.
"Rhodey and you have the weirdest adventures." She raised her eyebrow at him and proceeded to widen her smile. She was standing in front of the sink, scrubbing the plates with a soap soaked sponge. He handed her his plate before smirking.
"That's because you weren't there, yet." He nudged her with his good arm.
"Please tell me these things happened out of sheer boredom." She pressed her lips together in curiosity.
"Oh, they happened out of boredom alright. We were both, well, I was mainly bored in college. Rhodey just happened to be there in the crossfire." He widened his smile and glanced over at Pepper. "So, what did I say in my sleep? Was I having a wet dream?"
Pepper closed her eyes in disgust. "Tony, you should go and answer Director Fury's call before Agent Romanoff comes in here and makes you answer him."
"But… I'm in my pajamas." He frowned at her, pushing his bottom lip out, and using his deep brown eyes to charm her.
"Tony…" She angrily grumbled.
"Fine…" He muttered, walking out the kitchen and towards the staircase that led to his workshop. He stopped midway and looked behind him. "You're coming, right?"
"Yeah, after I get dressed." She responded with a sly smile.
"Hey!" He shouted back. "If you get to change, then I get to change!"
"It's not polite for a woman of my sorts to attend a conference call in a tank top and sweatpants." She told him before widening her smile.
"Well then," He pressed his lips together and began to mock her. "It's not polite for a man of my sorts to attend a conference call in a t-shirt and sweatpants."
"Oh, can it, Stark. You're in no shape to move your arm, so you have an excuse to answer his conference call in sweatpants." She shouted from the top of the stairs.
"Jeeze," Tony began to grumble. "I can't even change my clothes in my own house." He walked down the staircase and made his way towards the glass door. Once he punched in his access code, the workshop lights lit up, and highlighted his way towards his desk, suits, tools, and cars. "Daddy's back." He announced.
Dummy rolled over with a cup of coffee in his robotic claws.
Tony looked down at him and smiled. "Aw, Dummy, you shouldn't have. Usually Pepper is the one that makes me coffee—"
"I wouldn't drink it, Sir." JARVIS suddenly sprang in. "Dummy couldn't find the coffee can, so he used whatever he could find that could resemble coffee."
"And he used…?" Tony curiously looked down at the cup of brown liquid that he held in his grasp.
"Oil grease."
Tony looked down at Dummy and then at the cup. He faked a smile and patted Dummy on the claw. "Um… thanks, Dummy. But I think Pepper's delicious breakfast did me in." He walked over to his desk while carefully handling the cup of 'coffee'. He set it down on the desk before snapping his fingers together.
"C'mon, boys. Wake up, wake up. Just because I only have one arm doesn't mean you get a break." He said solemnly. The glass monitors lit up like Christmas lights. Each screen showed separate current events. The news was on one chunk of the monitors while the stock market was on another chuck of the monitors. He glanced at them both and noticed the drop in Stark Industries' stocks.
"The recent attacks at Stark Industries caused the stocks to drop, Sir. Miss Potts was informed yesterday."
"Is Fury still on line one?" He asked sternly, ignoring the stock report.
"Yes." The AI responded.
"Patch me through."
One of the monitors blinked before showcasing Fury and Agent Romanoff in, what looked like, a conference meeting room.
"Ah, well if it ain't Mr. Stark. The hero who went, alone, guns uh blazin', into a room where a psychotic and angry CEO was, and not to mention holding Miss Potts hostage." The director greeted him.
Tony faked a wide smile. What Fury said actually hit a nerve. He shouldn't have talked about his personal assistance like that. Fury knew how he felt about her, and he knew how much her life meant to him. He shouldn't have said that. "What did you want, Fury?"
"Where's your girlfriend?" He blatantly asked.
"Here." Pepper strolled in, in a black business suit and black high heels. Tony ogled her, up and down, before smiling up at her.
"Do you feel more appropriate now that you're attending this conference call in a business suit?" He taunted her.
Pepper smacked his head with her hand and angrily smiled down at him. "Do you seriously want to poke fun of me right now, Stark?"
"You're cute when you're angry and abusive." He giggled.
She rolled her eyes at him before looking up at the monitors. "Okay, I'm here. What did you want to tell us?"
"First thing's first." Fury started out, eyeing the pair. Natasha stood by his side, carefully glancing Tony and then at Fury. "Do you think that you killed Hardman's brother?"
"Yeah." Tony responded, almost hesitantly. Pepper glanced down at him with a small compassionate frown. "Hardman said he was caught in an explosion that emanated from two saw factories in—"
"So, you take full responsibility for what happened to him?" Fury cut him off.
"Of course I do. I even checked with JARVIS, and asked him if there were any civilians on the ground." He responded rather quickly.
"Agent Romanoff did a full extensive research report on Jones Hardman's brother, Elias Hardman." He glanced over at Natalie.
"Right." She nodded. "Research and reports indicate that Elias Hardman died a year ago from two factories that blew up in Pakistan. The factories weren't saw factories, they were factories that created metal casings for bullets. The factory had horrible fumes running through it almost twenty four-seven. A drunk driver rammed through one of the factories but ended up taking both out. His brother was covering a report on it."
"A year ago?" Tony widened his eyes, almost in relief.
"Approximately three months before Iron Man even existed." She pressed her lips together before looking at Director Fury.
Fury stood there, unfazed. "Now that we've cleared your conscious – we have more pressing matters to discuss." He paused. "Matters that involve Greg Leon."
Tony and Pepper perked up, giving Fury and Natalie a surprised look.
Natalie handed Fury a manila folder that contained various papers. He rummaged through them before reading a section. "For starters," He looked up at the pair, "Greg Leon is dead."
"What?" Pepper furrowed her eyebrows, almost in shock and fear. "That's not possible—"
"Oh, it's possible alright." Fury cut her off. He gave the manila folder back to Natalie before continuing. "Agent Coulson and his men found him lying in his own pool of blood, in an apartment not far from his home."
"What does this mean?" Tony crossed his arms over his chest.
"It means that Greg Leon is dead. Were you not paying attention a second ago?" Fury angrily asked him, almost jokingly.
"It means something, Fury. It always means something." He spat back.
"Tony is right. His death should mean something." Pepper chimed in.
"What could it possibly mean then?" Fury shifted his gaze between the couple. "Please, humor me. What could it possibly mean?"
"Whoever murdered Leon is obviously after something." Tony grumbled, trying to think to himself.
"Something that doesn't concern you until you're back on duty." Fury pointed at him. "You're suspended from SHIELD and missions until your arm heals, you got that?"
"What?" Tony practically shouted. "I can still help!—"
"You are not getting in the crossfire of this." Fury reprimanded him. "Until we figure out who murdered Leon and for what reason, the both of you are under strict SHIELD surveillance."
Pepper looked at Fury suspiciously. "We don't even know if the murderer is a threat—"
"He is a threat." Natalie immediately cut her off.
Fury angrily glanced at Natalie. Natalie looked away, almost in shame. "You and Tony are strictly prohibited to get involved until further notice."
"What—but—" Pepper tried to convince him otherwise but it didn't work.
"If I see a suit in the air while you're on suspension, you'll see a side of me that doesn't come out often." Fury threatened Tony before ending the conference call. The screen went pitch black. The glossy monitor showcased Tony and Pepper's reflection. Pepper stared at the screen with her mouth gapped, while Tony stood there with his arm crossed over his chest and lying on top of his right arm. They were both quite angry at the unsuspecting orders.
"How could he just suspend you like that?" Pepper almost angrily shouted.
"That's Fury for you." Tony pressed his lips together and sweetly looked at her.
"Aren't you angry?"
"I can't even fix the suit properly with one arm. He's right to suspend me." He said, looking behind him, and watching Pepper angrily look away. "Besides, when Fury says we're under strict surveillance, he really means it."
"What do you mean by that?" She eyed him carefully.
Tony turned around to face her and flashed a small smile. "Trust me; he's put me under surveillance before. I was testing out the suit's repulsions and before I knew it, a swarm of SHIELD soldiers strolled in with their assault rifles."
Pepper furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Why did they put you under surveillance?"
"Long story short, I ignored Fury's calls for a while." A sly smirk appeared on his face. He walked over to the wall that showcased his past suits and glanced up at them in astonishment.
"Well, I can't say that's not the smartest thing you've done." She dryly added.
"We should take advantage of this opportunity." He turned around and walked towards her with that sly smile still on his face.
"To…?" She looked at him suspiciously.
"To catch up."
"Catch up on…?"
"On dates." He widened his smile. "I'm pretty sure we've only been on two. I still have eighteen more to go."
Pepper rolled her eyes at him and walked towards the glass door in annoyance. "I can't believe you actually remembered about that, even after what happened a couple days ago."
"How can you ignore your girlfriend's promise to dress up in Iron Man lingerie on the twentieth date?" He stood there with a devious smile, watching her walk away.
"Hey – I never said I promised." She teased him, turning around, and leaning against the glass door.
He whipped his head around to face her and immediately gave her a pouting look. "B-but… I'm injured." He gestured towards his right arm that was still in its blue sling.
"I'll see you later, Tony." She deadpanned, flashing him a small smile before opening the glass door.
"Do you want to see a movie tonight?" He asked her, right before she was about to exit his workshop.
She turned around and saw him standing there, completely nonchalant and content. She looked up and him and widened her smile. "Maybe."
"Please?" He almost begged with those puppy dog eyes of his. Pepper had to look away when he pouted. He always got what he wanted because of that adorable face of his. She eyed him carefully, eventually nodding.
"Okay." She huffed. "But, I won't be back from the office until after 7PM."
"That's fine." He grinned, walking towards her. "It'll give me ample time to burn the kitchen more than once in attempt to make some popcorn." He stopped in front of the door and leaned against the frame. Pepper's wide grin made him feel warm inside. He loved it when she smiled. He loved it when she was happy, period. It was like fighting a dragon with only your fists whenever she was angry. But an angry Pepper was still cute.
"Only you could burn the kitchen down more than once in a single hour." She leaned against the door frame and gently pressed her lips against his. He used his good arm and gripped her hip, pressing her against his body. She giggled against his lips and slowly pulled away. She looked up at him and saw a charming smile form on his face.
"You can't work here?" He was beginning to frown.
"Kelly says I have a lot of files in my inbox." She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a chaste kiss in the lips.
"Then tell her to dump them in your outbox." He whispered jokingly.