Fall Out
Chapter Sixteen: What it Takes
Disclaimer: I own nothing…
Chapter Song: Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore by Bon Jovi feat. Leanne Rimes
Author Notes: Not a fan of Leanne, but this song says what needs to be said about this chapter, also technically this chapter has two songs, the title is taken from the song "If That's What it Takes" also by Bon Jovi.
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The landing was rough, but at least he had remained on his feet. Two weeks had passed and every other day Fury wanted his ass in that Danger Room, training room… whatever it is working on getting better. Better? What was there to improve? A lot apparently. To begin with the gold titanium alloy wasn't cutting it, so Fury had gotten him something stronger, two kinds of metal he had thought didn't truly exist. Apparently they did indeed, Vibranium and Adamantium. He now had a compound of the two metals to make a new suit, a Mark IV. He wasn't looking forward to it and yet he was.
Slowly he trudged over to the platform and stood still as the robots began working on removing the damaged armor from his body. A few hisses of pain fell from his lips but nothing more. The room remained silent except for the robotic arms and then something else joined it, the delicate clicks of stiletto heels on the stairs, "Now is not a good time Potts."
"The last two weeks now have never been a good time." Pepper stood in front of him as the robots worked on the boots and gloves, "Now is perfect." Blue eyes traveled up and down him slowly, "You can't run away."
"Ha ha. Hilarious." Tony rolled his eyes and sighed, "Fine what is of such great importance?"
A small smiled pressed it's self onto Pepper Potts' lips, "I need to run the menu by you for the gala this Friday."
Tony blinked a moment, let out a gasp as his arms were freed and then frowned, "Gala? What… oh, right, that gala." The robots moved onto the chest piece, "Aah." A grunt of pain escaped him, "You are still…go—going with me right?"
Pepper looked down almost too quickly at her Blackberry, "No. I'm not."
"And just why the hell not?" Stark gritted his teeth as the suit's back was removed.
"Because." She glanced up and sighed at the look on his face, "Do you really need a full explanation why?"
"I would think that I am entitled, Miss Potts." And then he was fully free from the damaged suit, "Aaah, much better." He took a few steps until he was right before her, arms folded and eyes trying to capture hers, "Well?"
She would not look at him; she glanced up briefly but continued to do something important on her handheld, "I just don't think it's a good idea."
Tony took a deep breath, his chest rose and fell beneath the black under suit, "That's just an excuse. A poor one I might add." He's finally got her eyes locked.
She tries to look away and then thinks better of it, why give him the satisfaction? None of that here, "Well it's the best one I have." She turns on one of her dangerous and yet fragile slender heels and moves towards the multiple computer screens, "Jarvis. Please pull up the menu for Friday's gala."
"Certainly Miss Potts."
Pepper waits and watches as the AI does as asked, the menu coming up large and easy for Tony to glance at on one of his many computer screens. With her back turned and her attention centered she doesn't hear him come up behind her and stop to stand directly behind her, very close behind her.
"It looks good Miss Potts." His large hands glide down over her shoulders, they pause on her upper arms and he grips them just enough to turn her around to face him, "You're not going at all are you."
"I really don't see why this needs to be discussed any further." She tries to pull away, but he won't let her go, "Now if you don't mind I have a few things to finish up before I call it a day."
"I do mind actually." He searches her eyes but finds nothing, she always had been a hard one to read decently, "I will take your answer as a yes to my question and as your boss I demand your presence there."
Her jaw sets, blue eyes growing dark with fire, "No."
He pulls her closer, their noses almost touching, "What if I fire you for not going Miss Potts?" Why is she being so difficult about this? He looked her in the eyes again admiring her gusto, her nerve not to look away but to instead stare right back at him.
"Then fire me." She can smell him, she's too close, much to close to him for comfort. She doesn't want to smell the blood, the sweat and the metal. It's distracting.
He lets her go then and turns his back. He breathes deeply, angrily, frustrated. Why must she do this? Why? He waits to hear the sound of her shoes letting him know she's leaving, but the sound never comes and he knows she's just standing there waiting for him to say something, anything. He sighs silently and almost glances over his shoulder, but doesn't. No satisfaction here.
The air is suddenly thick with tension, but what sort of tension Pepper is unsure. She waits for him to say something, to tell her to just leave, or even to turn around to face her. He doesn't. Instead he stands there, his back to her and all she can think is that he's acting childish and it frustrates her to no end. After what seems like an hour she finally breaks the uncomfortable silence, "Well?"
"Never." He turns now; Tony turns and faces her, his eyes burning not with anger but something else, something carnal. He walks towards her, he doesn't give her a chance to react as his lips crush against hers for a moment and then he pulls back, "Never." His hands slide down her arms again and then come to rest on her narrow hips, "Never, ever."
Her mind races, she gasps as his lips come against hers, the single word echoes in her mind. Never. She stares at him, a part of her scared, the rest of her unsure and then she does the only thing she can think of, she kisses him back, her long petite fingers coming to tangle in his damp hair. The tension in the room dissipates and is replaced by something else, desire.
He's almost shocked that she kisses him back, but he welcomes it and drives it from tender to passionate. His hands slip around her back as he presses her body against his, the black under suit doing little to hide his intentions. But he notes she doesn't seem to mind or doesn't care. Her well trimmed nails digging into his scalp is maddening, he almost has half a mind to shove her back against the glass security walls and take her. But he doesn't, he holds back those carnal urges and begins to lead them towards the stairs, his hands gliding up her arms as they move, taking her hands from his head and leading them towards the side zipper of the suit.
The bells and whistles of warning are going off inside her head; if this was a bad idea so why did it feel so right? She lets him lead her, she tries to ignore the warnings, but it doesn't work and she pulls back as her fingers fall from the zipper of the suit which is now open enough to expose his chest, somewhat covered in bruises, "I… I can't do this." She tries to catch her breath, "We can't do this…"
"Ah, but Miss Potts-- Pepper, it seems as though we are." He brushes his mouth across hers, grinning as she shivers. He nuzzles his chin against her neck, again gaining the same results, "And I think if you're honest you can do this. You want to do this." He kisses her neck, his hands pulling her shirt from being tucked into the waist band of her suit pants, his fingers skimming her sides, touching finally a piece of her bare skin, "I know I do."
"But…"
"No. You are not going to rationalize this. Analyze it or anything else." He kisses her, this time roughly, hard, his lower body pressing against hers, hands gripping her tiny waist.
Against her will she moans into his mouth, she wraps her arms around his neck, his hands leaving her waist and moving down as their lips disengage. She feels him grip her thighs and then he lifts her, she gasps and then locks her legs around his middle, "I don't think…"
"Yes. Don't think." And his lips bruise against hers again as they travel up the stairs. He makes sure her arms are wrapped securely around his neck; his hands travel between them and then rips her shirt open, the buttons flying everywhere. He'd buy her a new one.
(Down town Malibu)
His fingers lovingly caressed the picture, she smiled at him and soon she'd smile at him like that every day. His eyes travel to the invitation to the gala Stark is holding Friday, there he'd make his move. He'd even bought a tux, one that made him look dapper and better than Stark. Much better.
(Stark Mansion)
Her back is against the wall, his lips are everywhere. Her head falls back and she arches against him. Already her skin is flushed, some of it from the excitement, the heat and also from his facial hair. She works to help him remove the suit from his upper body as his mouth attacks her neck and her legs feel like jello and she's having a hard time holding on to him, "Bed…" She breathes as she feels him become frustrated with the button of her pants and just rips them open.
He never thought he'd ever want a woman this badly. And it wasn't just to finally get in her pants, no… it was to make her belong to him. It was to whisper over and over in her ear how much he loves her with a tone that spoke how long he truly had, he just really hasn't known it or realized it. He's always loved her, he just didn't realize how much until now, now that she's in his arms and he plans to never let her go. Ever.
Grinning a bit he shifts enough so his arms can support her, "Bed?" He kisses her slowly, torturously, "Don't have to ask me twice."
He carries her to the bed, his eyes locked with hers unable to look away. He kisses her slowly; eyes open still as are hers. And soon he realizes there is nothing between them, nothing but hesitation. And he hesitates for a moment, he searches her eyes and when she pulls him to her, he knows. He watches her eyes widen and then grow lazy with something akin to satisfaction. He finds he adores the sounds she makes, that it drives him crazy. He likes the way she clings to him as though she's afraid to let go… for this one night he'd let her be, but he wanted to see this woman let go at some point.
She holds on, afraid to close her eyes, afraid to look away from his. She likes that he's taking his time and yet not. He's hungry, passionate and caring. She feels like she's on fire that any second she might burst into flames. She wonders how she denied this for so long, why she did. And then it all comes crashing down and he gently shifts to the right, he pulls her to him, his arms closing around her and she lets him. She lets him love her.
Something was different; the sheets were too smooth, too soft. Pepper's eyes shoot open, the world around her is still bathed in darkness. She wonders for a moment where she is and then she remembers and questions spring to mind, but she forgets them for the moment as she realizes that he… her boss… Tony is right next to her, staring at her, the look in his eyes frightening in a way, "Hi…" Pepper doesn't know what else to say, and she feels a little silly for saying anything.
Tony smiled lazily, contently. He hadn't slept, instead he had watched her, watched amusedly as the blush on her pale skin faded slowly but not completely, "Hey." He answers back, his lips brushing across hers briefly, "You don't snore." He remarks not knowing what to say or not to.
Pepper had to laugh, "I can talk though…" She shook her head slowly, "Although why I just admitted to that I don't know."
"I knew that." He pulled her closer, shifting so her head would rest on his sort of on his chest.
"What do you mean you know that?" Pepper sat up, gripping the sheets to her naked frame, "How do you know I talk in my sleep?"
A sheepish grin slowly crosses Tony's face, it grows in light of the slight fury in Pepper's eyes, "You fall asleep on my sofa a lot. And how else do you think that blanket covers you when you do? I can guarantee it isn't Jarvis." He runs a hand down her arm slowly, the grin darkening as she shivers at his touch.
"You are a sneak." She frowns slightly and lies back down, but not before punching him lightly in the arm.
"I aim to please." He chuckles and wraps his arms tight around her, "So. Now are you going to go with me?"
She moves to sit up again but is stopped by his arms, "Tony Stark. If you slept with me just to get me to go to the gala with you…" She bites her lower lip and smiles, she shifts so she can wrap her leg over his lower body beneath the sheet, "Yes." She stretches up and kisses him, smiling as his arms loosen their hold and she shifts some more until she's laying a top him and continues the kiss, driving it deeper, her fingers tracing the skin around the arc reactor.
A groan leaves his lips, muffled by hers. His hands slide up her body and come to rest on her hips, for a moment he breaks the kiss and grips her tighter, with purpose, "It's time you learn Miss Potts that I…" His lips worked at her slender milky white neck, "am…" His hands slide further up, brushing passed her breasts and stopping beneath her arms, "always on top." Without warning he flips them over, and swallows her gasp of surprise with a deep kiss.
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Okay so there's the chapter you've all been waiting for, I hope it delivered. And I hope that all the prior build up to this was worth the wait.
Thanks to all my readers, those who give comments and those who favorite. This chapter is for all of you.