Guest Review Responses
Thank you for the favorite/follow: abrilmillet, Northwestern, Noiruna, and alexhanhk188.
MarieLecter: "You're the best wife I've ever had." "I'm the only wife you've ever had" I LOOOOOOVE IT! it's just great! Can't wait for the next chap! – Those dorks are just too cute, aren't they?
Pepperonylove: I am always happy whenever I see you have an update. Yey! Thanks for another great chapter. I have a new most hated character- Yolandi. I wanted to pull her hair and scratch her face while I was reading the part from the shuttle to the guest room. Hahaha. Anyway,hats off again my dear. Hope we could have more kisses like that. Hahaha. But I hope all is well with you and your family. Keep writing! You make a lot of Pepperony fans out there happy. :) – LOL! I think everyone's gonna hate Yolandi even more here. It seems we can't rid ourselves of her. She popped here out of nowhere, even for me. And we will get some steamy scenes soon. I'll make sure they appeal to our Pepperony hearts :)
kate: Lovely chapter as always! I love that they're opening up and ahh kissing each other now! :) don't push yourself to update it, I hope your husband and mom are ok. X – Hi! Opening up is definitely the theme of the story. I mean, I also aim for getting them back together, but I see it happening through honesty and communication, little by little. Something I don't think we had in the MCU. Or at least not as much as we would've liked. My mom is doing a lot better (she's taking her meds and going to therapy). And my hubby is doing great. Thank you so much for your concern ^_^
Stark13: Really loved this chapter, still so HAPPY when I see a new update ! Can't wait to read more. This chapter was really interesting with the flashback. Read you soon ; ) – Another flashback here for us. This was supposed to go in the previous chapter, but Yolandi's actions got away from me. We have two captivating locations coming up. I think you're gonna love Moscow :D
Guest: :Your story is really interesting. I never write a review but your story urge me to so you can update soon. :) – YAY! I AM SO FLATTERED! Hope you're still interested. Here's the new chappie for you.
ptitemel: What an awesome story! I think my heart is breaking for them THEY ARE SO IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER DAMMIT! Seriously if Marvel doesn't start to see the light I will light something on fire! Probably them lol – I WILL HELP YOU LIGHT IT! AND HOLD THEM DOWN XDDDD
missblack188: I just freakin love this, it show how much pepper means to tony, especially during the civil war and it just added the depth to their relationship, and thats why i love pepperoni so much. They always meant so much more to each other. Also big fan of your writing, look forward about the new chapter~ - They do! They're the example of 'relationship goals' for sure. Thank you so much for your review and for taking the time to read this slowly-updating story :D Think you're gonna like this one, too ^_^
A/N: I can't thank you all enough for your get-well wishes, good vibes and prayers. Every single one of you, in your own way, has kept me from throwing in the towel on writing. I thought the worst thing in the world for a fanfic writer was a flame or a scathing review. And I've gotten those. I was wrong. The worst thing that can ever happen is not only losing your muse, but seeing fanfic writing as an obligation and a chore. Apparently, depression and hormonal imbalances can fuck you up like that. But we're getting better, a tiny bit at a time :D
Special thanks to dallasroarke who hit me up on tumblr. Had a great chat!
BTW, apparently, there are some spoilers with Spider-Man: Homecoming – PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THEM WITH ME! I wanna remain spoiler-free :) Thanks, y'all! Hope you love this ^_^
Chapter 7: Dubai
The incessant buzzing of his phone woke him up. He opened one eye and aimed its unfocused gaze towards his nightstand to see the device's screen light up as it danced on the table. The big block numbers on the phone told him that it was just shortly after midnight and the thought of losing sleep made him groan. They still had a few hours until they reached Pretoria, and God knew he and Pepper needed the rest. Their last full day in London had been taxing for them, both physically, mentally and emotionally, even if it had been the good kind of taxing. The last thing he wanted was to wake up the slumbering redhead next to him. Second to that, he did not want to get up from the bed himself.
Tony seriously considered turning off his phone and getting back to sleep. His long and heartfelt talk with Jarvis was still fresh in his mind. The kinks in his neck were still present after the tense yet successful meeting with Jack Dobson. And he was sure as hell that Pepper was still exhausted from the empowering talk she had had with Melanie. All in all, their London stop had gone well, which made him wonder and fear that the other shoe was about to drop. Especially when he remembered who their next person to visit was.
Maybe, if he did not answer the phone and just went back to sleep, nothing bad would happen to either of them. Maybe, if he just threw the phone out the plane, all bad luck would go along with it.
Nevertheless, when the phone buzzed yet again, this time with an incoming phone call, and he read that it was Happy Hogan who was trying to reach him, Tony knew he had to get up and tend to the matter at hand. Happy was well aware of the time zone difference between New York and their current location, which made the man's insistence to find him that much more concerning for him. This had to be something important – important enough to leave several voicemails, send dozens of text messages and e-mails, and attempt many missed calls.
Silencing the buzzing phone, Tony looked towards his right to make sure Pepper remained undisturbed. When it was clear to him that she was still out like a light, he then slowly rolled out of bed and picked up his cell phone from the nightstand. For good measure, he also grabbed Pepper's phone from her side and then silently made his way out of their private room at the back of the Stark jet. He tiptoed into the main cabin area, picked up his wireless receiver, and then connected to the incoming call.
"Someone better be dying," Tony whispered into the receiver but then immediately regretted his words when images of Rhodey came to mind. He knew that his condition was no longer life-threatening, but the callousness of his greeting still made him flinch. "Or not," the inventor added after a pause.
xxxXXXxxx
If Tony and Pepper were not living this moment; seeing it with their own eyes and hearing it with their very own ears, they would have not believed it to be true. Not after the realities of their trip. Not after barely escaping the claws of each investor they had seen since leaving Venice. Not after adding yet another problem to their already rupturing baggage of issues that threatened to spill all over the place.
But it was.
It was true.
It was oh, so very true.
Abd al Jabbar Sayegh, their investor in Dubai, was a kind and sweet, young man. One who had not forced them to spend their visit at his place. One that had not tried to belittle either of them or their genders as-a-whole. One that was not cheating on his wife. One that was not trying to get into either of their pants. One that had been nothing but present, on time, accommodating, polite, and professional to a fault, that the couple had had to pinch each other on their arms to make sure that they were not both caught in a Twilight Zone-induced alternate reality.
Had Yolandi Venter invented a time machine AND a virtual reality device? Were they trapped in it right now while Yolandi feasted on their innards in revenge for the humiliation they had put her through? Would they never see the real world again? For God's sake, they hoped not.
Tony knew his mind was exaggerating with said ideas, but he also felt incredibly justified in his hyperbolic musings. He could only assume Pepper had similar thoughts, especially after what Yolandi had tried to do to him to get what she had wanted from Tony Stark. The memories of Yolandi's final trap on their last night in Pretoria sent a shiver down his spine. At the very least, it had gotten them twice the investment she had originally committed to, all in exchange for them keeping their mouths shut about it all to their lawyers and the press.
Nevertheless, and despite the Law of Averages possibly having a hand in this, the situation before them seemed too good to be true. How could they not be expected to be wary of what they had just heard Abd say? How could they just accept, smile, shake hands and be on their merry way? It was extremely possible that this was just the tip of the iceberg. It was very possible that this was all just a trick.
Then again, not everyone was out to get them. Not everyone could be the source of all evil in the world.
Perhaps, it was simply the fact that Abd was new to the role – he had just inherited from his late father, earlier in the year – and this reality kept the businessman from being ruthless just yet. Or maybe, a more plausible reason, it was just in his nature to be open-minded and gentle. The Abbiati were nice people too, and perhaps the younger Starks were just due to encounter a normal investor after the trio of human kidney stones they had mingled with in the past few weeks. This was the first time that Pepper and Tony met their new investor, after all. They simply had not known what to expect from the man.
"Was it something I said?" Abd asked with a hint of worry. This was, after all, his first major business deal. He had not been expecting to send into utter silence the most powerful couple in the business world.
"Uhm, no, of course not," Pepper was the first one to react and put a friendly smile on her face. "We just… well… negotiations involving the magnitude of your investment tend to be a little more… lengthy than this."
"Oh, I see," Abd visibly relaxed. "I don't know what to say to convince you that this is all there is to it – that I can sign the documents right now, other than saying that my father trusted and respected Mr. Stark. And I trust my father knew who to trust."
"Fair enough," Tony said after clearing his throat. "But, even so, I'd… we'd both, Pepper and I, would feel more comfortable if you took the paperwork with you and let your lawyers give it a look. We have two more days here, anyway. Not in a hurry to leave, either. We've got nothing to hide and we want to make sure that you are one-hundred percent happy with what you're about to commit to."
Abd swallowed hard and then looked slightly embarrassed. "Are you kindly letting me know that I may be committing a rookie mistake by just blindly agreeing to what you offer?"
"Of course not," Pepper began, "We just want to extend the same courtesy to you that our investors have extended to us: a fair chance to see if this agreement aligns with your goals. We wouldn't feel worthy of your contribution if we're not transparent about what we'd like to do with your funds."
"Besides," Tony interjected, "Your father was excellent at seeing beyond what I could when it came to agreements like these. He always found something we could do better than what was already set up. I heard that the apple didn't fall far from the tree."
Abd smiled brightly at them before giving them a sharp nod.
"I appreciate your feedback. I shall return these documents to you in two days' time."
"That sounds great," Tony smiled. "Pepper and I greatly appreciate that."
After another handshake and a promise to meet again in forty-eight ours, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were left with plenty of time on their hands
xxxXXXxxx
"No one's dying," Happy immediately clarified. "But someone's gonna get in big trouble if you don't fucking answer your phone after a third try!"
"Been busy," Tony defended himself. "And asleep. Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Time for you to answer your phone?"
"Clearly," Tony rolled his eyes. "What's the matter, Hap? What's so urgent you couldn't wait until the sun had risen and shone 'round these parts?"
"Your marriage is fake."
Before he could control himself, Tony smacked his face with his left hand.
"Are you serious? This is what you're calling about? I already know my marriage to Pepper is a sham. Did you just figure that out?"
"No, dumbass," Happy's tone of voice showed no remorse for the insult he had just spat at his former immediate boss. "The paperwork fell through. Your fake marriage is really fake. Illegal. We need a signature from Pepper to make it legit."
Oh. That was what he had meant.
"Shit!" Tony looked over his shoulder to make sure the door to the bedroom was still closed. "How? How did this happen? I thought you had it covered?"
"I thought I did, too. But then I got a letter from the county saying that one of the documents had already expired by the time of filing. We need a recently dated signature of hers on it to make sure the marriage stands."
"I see," Tony rubbed his chin. "Who else knows? Has the word gotten out?"
"No. Have it under control for now. They gave me an extension after I explained that you two are traveling the world. A few weeks extension, actually. But I don't think we should wait that long to fix this. I trust my buddy there, but you never know who might spill the beans on you."
Tony bit back a groan, the truth in Happy's words making him want to hurl. This information, in the wrong hands, could undo all of the work they had completed so far; cause even more damage than the news of their fake secret wedding coming out could have ever hope to make. Particularly so since many people had been happy and quite pleased with the development. It appeared to be easily solvable, though. Just one signature on a piece of paper and it would all be behind them again. He was sure Pepper would sign the paper, too, without question, as she wanted to make this trip work as much as he did.
Then again…
xxxXXXxxx
The view from the top of the Burj Khalifa was breathtaking. Right at the 148th level of the tallest structure in the world, even the most stoic person on the planet would be visibly overwhelmed by the view of Dubai and beyond from the observatory deck of the luxurious hotel. The closest Pepper Potts had been to experiencing something similar were her constant treks on the Stark jet. The closest Tony Stark had been to experiencing this feeling of insignificance in comparison to the world around him had been when going through the wormhole.
Tony felt a shiver run down his spine at the haunting memory, but he pushed it away by surrounding Pepper's waist from behind. They were both standing by one of the many glass walls, silently admiring the view from the top, having found themselves with nothing else to do with their time. Abd had been true to his word and had not required further face-to-face meetings with the couple until his final decision was made in two days, so the duo was happy to enjoy the unexpected break for all it was worth.
A few people had recognized them upon arrival, reminding them of the part they had to play, and they had immediately fallen into their roles. It was so much easier to get into gear when their investors were neither obnoxious nor out to get them. It was almost second-nature to act as if they were a married couple in love, if just for the fact that the love was still there; burning brightly and growing larger and stronger with every breath that passed through their lips. Love had never been the issue between them. It was all the other shit that pushed against them that had been to blame. Like the fact that their fake marriage was also now an illegal marriage that would probably be annulled in a few weeks' time.
Remembering his conversation with Happy made the inventor's body tense up.
"I can hear you thinking, Tony," Pepper pressed the back of her head against his chest, prompting him to rest his chin atop of it to compensate for the closeness. "Your super genius brainwaves are gonna break this glass."
"I'm not thinking."
Pepper scoffed. "Tony Stark, not thinking? Then I'm not Pepper Potts."
"You're not?" Tony feigned surprise, his head tilting to the side so that he could stare at her profile. "Then who is this smart and gorgeous lady I have in my arms?"
Pepper shook her head from side to side, smirking at his words and feeling slightly embarrassed by his compliments.
"I'm serious, Tony," she turned in place and grabbed the lapels of his blazer to pull him closer to her. "What's got you all worked up?"
He closed his eyes briefly, inhaling and exhaling loudly through his nose before he partly opened his orbs again. He stole quick glances to their sides a couple of times to make sure no one was paying too much attention to them. Then, as he felt confident that people were giving them their space due to the obvious PDA they were engaging in, Tony pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before pressing them against each other.
"I wanna tell you, but how about you ask me again later, when we're alone?"
"What?" Pepper pulled away from his face to lock eyes with him, worry spilling from every pore.
"It's nothing bad, I promise. Just… you never know who is listening in. Did you know paparazzi now hire lip-readers?"
"They do?"
"Yup."
"Well, that's… shitty of them."
The random curse word made Tony laugh aloud.
"I know. Anything for a good story."
"Or a bad one made worse," the redhead sighed.
"Yeah. I can almost hear the headlines for the pictures of us here right now: Exclusive pictures of Tony Stark cheating on Pepper Potts."
Pepper's head snapped back. "What? How? I'm right here!"
"But you said you weren't Pepper Potts."
"When did I…"
Pepper groaned when she realized what he had just done and then playfully smacked him on the chest. "Whatever, Tony."
"What?" he chuckled and tightened his grip around her waist. "I'm bored, all right? What do you expect me to do with free time on my hands?"
"I don't know… normal stuff?"
"This is my normal, Pepper."
"Don't I know that," the ginger jested, unable to contain the smile that graced her face.
"Speaking of normal," Tony began, "I heard they have an Olympic-sized ice rink around here. Wanna go look like idiots?"
"You mean: your normal?"
"Ouch!" Tony moved his right hand to land atop his heart, pinning hers between his chest and his hand. "I guess the honeymoon period is over. Right in the feels, Potts. Is this what domestic violence feels like?"
Pepper shook her head and rolled her eyes at Tony's dramatic display.
"Fine. Would me toppling over in front of dozens of people take your mind off whatever it is that has you thinking too hard?"
"Oh, come on! You don't have to go to the extreme," Tony shrugged. "Toppling over onto something hard of mine can also do the trick."
This time, it took Pepper nearly five seconds to catch Tony's lewd meaning. Once she did, her jaw dropped and she pushed him away with both hands.
"Jesus, Tony! The lip-readers are gonna have a field day with that!"
"Or Playboy Magazine."
"Oh, God!"
"Hey! I'm getting a preview!"
"Tony!"
"That's two previews!"
Pepper covered her face with her hands, mortified by his rather public, unashamed and over-the-top flirting, but then began laughing along with him when memories of similar fun times came to her mind. A second later, Pepper fanned her flushed face with her hands, slightly embarrassed by her noticeable thoughts, which incited the inventor to meekly approach her space one more time, sudden regret at his actions written all over his demeanor. Yes, they were friends and they were pretending to be married, but there was no need for practically disrespecting her like that.
"Sorry, Pep," he gave her an apologetic smile, hoping she would understand that he was not intending to reduce her or what they had to the low value or lackluster quality of just one of his many one-night stands. They had often joked around like this in the past, even before they had started dating, but he knew that his pre-Pepper conquest track record and hook-up methods left much to be desired.
She deserved better than that.
Tony sighed. "I… that was… I'm sorry."
"No," she ran a hand across her forehead, as if trying to remove invisible strands of hair from it, but he knew it to be just a nervous tick of hers that popped up when she was bracing herself for something big. "No, it's OK. I just… It's OK. I promise. It's alright. I… I actually…"
The redhead lowered her head once more, her eyes glued to his chest and then to his feet. She was not sure why she was struggling to say the next words, or why she felt compelled to put them out in the open in the first place, especially if she knew the possible consequences they could bring. Then again, maybe she wanted her words to bring other repercussions, as long as they were the ones she was hoping to get.
What are you doing? The redhead reprimanded herself at her yo-yoing thoughts, but be damned if she had not felt pulled by the spark of attraction that had been ever present between them. This was why she had left him to live on his own. This was why she had kept her distance from him until they had been forced to socialize. Because it would only take a good bantering session to make her question every decision she had made about them on her own, as if she was not already questioning herself every time she was with him.
"Pep?"
She glanced at him one more time. Once again, she was unable to hold his stare. There was nothing libidinous about the way he was watching her now – he was simply growing worried by her inability to form words or stare him in the eye. Knowing him, she believed him to probably be thinking the worst of the situation. Perhaps even already scolding himself internally for letting his mouth run faster than he could think. Yet, if he knew what was actually crossing her mind – if he became aware of the moment of weakness she was currently struggling with, he would surely push all bad thoughts aside.
"I…" Pepper bit her lower lip, chanced a look around themselves, and then returned her attention to the genius, her voice still refusing to work as expected.
"Hey," Tony's tone suddenly turned serious, his brow furrowing in response and the back of his hand briefly touching her forehead. "Are you feeling ill again? Or was it because… Did I… did I cross the line? I did, didn't I? Dammit! Dammit, Pep, I'm so sorry. I–"
"I liked it!" she finally blurted out, although it was just a barely loud whisper, wanting nothing more than to put a stop to him going further down the rabbit hole of remorse he was already in when there was no need to do so. He had done nothing wrong, and she had incited part of it, too. He did not have to feel as if he had overstepped his boundaries somehow. He had nothing to apologize for.
Thankfully for her, her reply got the exact reaction out of him that she hoped it would have, even if she was not entirely ready for the whole weight of it all.
"You… you-you, what?"
"I kinda…" Pepper shuddered and crossed her arms over her stomach, suddenly feeling extremely exposed by expressing her thoughts. "I… I-I've… missed that."
The inventor's eyes widened, undoubtedly in disbelief at what he had just heard, but then returned to their normal size.
"Oh," he cleared his throat and nervously scratched at his goatee, evidently shocked by the unexpected confession of hers, and then frowned. "Wait, which that? The tease talking that or the… other that? Because, well… if it's… and… and we… Ugh! You know what? It doesn't matter which one. Whichever it is, I've missed it, too. A whole fucking lot. Pep… Pep, you know that I–"
"I know," the redhead pressed her fingertips to his mouth to halt the rest of his spiel. She knew what he had been about to say. His feelings for her and in the matter at hand were no mystery to her – or to anyone with working eyes – but an abrupt flash of light near them had suddenly reminded her that they had all eyes on them while trying to discuss a very private in a rather public place. Besides, she was not supposed to be making this harder for him. Yet, this was difficult to achieve if she could not even make it easier on herself.
"Not here. Not now," Pepper added after a pause before removing her hand from his lips. "Later, alright?"
All Tony could do was nod.
"So," the ginger busied herself straightening out his blazer and tie, mostly out of habit than of need. "Ice rink, you said?"
"Yeah," Tony smiled wide and brightly. "Ice rink."
xxxXXXxxx
"Hey, Tony? Are you still there?"
"Yeah," the billionaire slowly sat down. "Just… thinking."
"Thinking? Thinking about what? There's no time for thinking! I did all the thinking for you. Just wake Pepper up and have her sign the paper. Send it to me and I'll stop by the courthouse first thing tomorrow."
"Just, give me a moment, please."
"A moment for what, Tony? We need to do this now!"
"Please, Hap," Tony cleared his throat. "Just, a minute OK?"
"OK," Happy grudgingly accepted the request, noticing Tony's serious tone of voice, but was taken aback by it either way.
Tony tapped his fingers against the armrests of the seat and pressed his back firmly against it. His eyes then drifted over towards the window to his left and down at the darkness of wherever they were flying above at the moment. He knew that he was probably making Happy anxious about his apparent reluctance to quickly get on board with the plan, but the inventor could not make himself go forward with it just like that. Something just did not feel right about it at all. Something made him feel as if he was taking a choice away from Pepper that should have been hers and hers alone to make. He had already done that once when he had blurted out the news of their non-existent wedding. He did not want to do it again, if he could help it.
The conflict brewing within him was visible from miles away. His mind was asking him why the hell he was not already doing what Happy had told him to do, while his heart replied that this was more complex than it appeared to be. It was not as if he was trying to make a mountain out of a molehill, but he could not deny that there was a nagging voice in the back of his head, telling him to slow the fuck down and think things through, not only with his mind or just his heart, but with both.
The answer should have been easy. But it was not.
From the start of this trip to this very moment, too many things had happened and changed. What had promised to be hell on Earth for him and Pepper was turning out to be quite the interesting trip. They had gone from hardly being able to be in the same room without feeling uncomfortable, to happily joking about the most mundane of things while brushing their teeth. The awkwardness of sharing a large room had been replaced with an amicable sense of ease at sharing a small bed. There had no longer been any conversations about their accommodations and the boundaries they were to keep in mind while being at hotels. The process of checking into a penthouse, making themselves relaxed, and then falling asleep together was so natural by now that he did not even have to think about making a mistake.
It was as if they were no longer pretending to be a married couple. It was as if they actually were.
It had been a long time since Tony and Pepper had been carefree enough to truly and wholeheartedly enjoy their relationship. There had been a time, between their first get-together after the Stark Expo and the night Phil Coulson had shown up at Stark Tower to leave Iron Man his homework, that things between them had been great. He had still been Iron Man and she had still been his CEO, making them both busy as heck, but there had always been the time to work on their relationship. Whether it was over the phone, via webcam, text message, or in person, Tony Stark and Pepper Potts had worked hard at helping their bond solidify and grow.
But then, New York had happened and everything had gone downhill after that. For a brief period of time, Tony had thought that things would get better again – that he would regain that refreshing sense of purpose in his life and what he did with his time – after he had blown up his suits. But reality had shortly thereafter pointed at his face and had laughed, leaving him even more broken than he had been after aliens had made themselves known.
"You experience things and then they're over, and you still can't explain them? Gods, aliens, other dimensions. I'm just a man in a can."
Being a man in a can had been his pride and joy once, but it had then become a major issue; no longer a solution to the woes of life. He had become Iron Man to do something with himself and with his life – to leave behind a legacy of greatness and establishment of the greater good. And then that answer had just served to take away everything good he had had in his life in the past few years. His answer had become his curse. And the curse had rubbed off on everyone he knew.
"The only reason I haven't cracked up is probably because you moved in," he had told Pepper. "Which is great. I love you. I'm lucky. But, Honey, I can't sleep."
Ironically enough, sleep had just left him yet again, thinking about how his issues had become theirs when he had opened up to her then, that night.
This was why telling Happy to fix the issue was so hard for him. Because it made him realize that the only reason why he and Pepper were having such a great time together during this trip was because he was not an Avenger right now. But then, once the trip ended, he would have to go back to do what he had signed up to do, and the true weight of their marriage and inevitable divorce would bring down the castle he had built in the sky for the past two weeks. He did not want her to yet again have to put out fires he had caused. He did not want their dream vacation to end in more heartbreak and disaster for her.
However, if their marriage was not yet official and could be allowed to expire so that it became null, then he would save Pepper the trouble of a long and tedious separation and divorce. He could always spin it to the media that they had not known that their marriage paperwork had been rejected, and that they had thought, all this time, that everything was as it should have been. The situation could work in their favor, opening the possibility for ending the farce in a much easier fashion than what had been anticipated before. They could say that the trip had opened their eyes to the reality of their relationship, and that a friendship between them was much stronger than any marriage in the world.
That would get people talking for a little while, sure, but not as cruelly or as long as it would if they were to announce an actual divorce after only a few months of marriage. Tony Stark did not believe in karma or serendipity, but perhaps this was one of the occasions where he should take what had just been handed to him at face value instead of trying to bend reality to his beck and call.
The genius opened up Pepper's phone and was glad to see that Happy had not made any attempts to contact Pepper about the information he had just learned about. She did not need this aggravation or the extra weight on her shoulders. This was what he was here for, anyway – to make the burdens of the business easier on her. He had promised her, at the start of this tour, that he was going to make sure she was free of the problems imposed on them by taking this trip. He was doing a much better job of it now, and life had just handed him a golden opportunity on a silver platter that he simply could not overlook or refuse.
That was it: the correct answer – the right thing to do.
He snapped closed her phone and returned his attention to the call, shocking Happy with his final response.
xxxXXXxxx
What the hell had they been thinking?
Clearly, nothing smart. And if they had, they would have not been in this predicament.
"Honey, you know I don't plan this shit to happen to you, right?"
Pepper's response was to tighten her embrace around his shoulders and press the side of her head against his back, biting down her tongue as she did so. She was not afraid that Tony would suddenly drop her from the piggyback ride he was giving her towards their hotel room – they were almost there, anyway. But she did not trust herself not to scream in pain if he shifted her position on his back one more time. In fact, they had started this trek with him carrying her in his arms, but a quick turn at a corner had sent her injured foot flinging against the wall, earning her yet another wave of pain.
His new strategy after that accident? Loading her onto his back.
"Are you sure you don't want me to call a doctor? Or an ambulance?"
"I'm sure," she replied through her teeth, sighing in relief when he finally got the door unlocked with minimal impact to her injured left ankle.
"But, Pep, what if it is broken?" Tony asked, the front door to the penthouse slamming close behind them, before taking her directly to their bed.
"It's not. It's probably just a sprain. Some ice and elevation will make it better overnight."
"Good thing we're already inside the tallest building in the world, then."
Despite the pain she was in, she laughed.
"Here," Tony said as he carefully placed her on her side of the mattress, "I'm going to get ice, water and pain killers. Don't go anywhere."
"Yeah, I think one joke was enough."
"Had to try," he added, kissed the crown of her head, and then sped out towards the hall.
Not a minute later, Tony returned to the bedroom with all the items he had gone off to find. He gave her the bottle of water and two pills, leaving her to swallow them down while he began rearranging pillows to raise her left leg. Then, with the care that someone would not expect from a man who owned a suit of armor so that he could beat people to a pulp, he placed the bag of ice over her ankle, shifting it until it cascaded on both sides of her foot. The initial weight of the ice made her flinch, but the numbness the cold then brought to her made her sigh in relief at the immediate diminishing of pain.
Once he was happy that the bag of ice was doing its job, Tony took off her other shoe and it joined its twin under the bed. Pepper had felt ridiculous falling down at the ice rink, but she had felt even worse with being carried by Tony Stark while wearing only one shoe, and him placing the other one inside his pants pocket by the heel so that neither of them had to carry it around. The entire incident had been quite the scene: Pepper momentarily losing control of her lousy ice skating attempts only to end up twisting her ankle while trying to stop herself from hitting a kid. Needless to say, camera phones had been recording the play-by-play. The whole world probably already knew about their little predicament by now. Perhaps even before they had left the rink.
"Bottle said they were pain relievers and inflammation reducers," Tony rubbed his face with his hands. "If they're not strong enough, let me know."
Pepper forced herself to smile for his sake, knowing that he was already blaming himself for something he had not caused.
"They'll be enough. I used to get this kind of injury all the time while learning how to use heels. I got this."
Tony smirked at her confidence and slid closer to her on the bed, grabbing her left hand as he did so.
"And it was worth it. You can rock them heels, Potts. Run circles around Iron Monger while wearing them, too."
"Or run away from him," Pepper recalled her mad dash away from their mechanized former business partner, barely outrunning the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. that had attempted to stop the madman.
"Prick didn't know what hit him. Underestimated you, that's for sure."
"Most people do," she half shrugged.
"That's because they don't know how strong you are," he absentmindedly ran his fingers through her hair, his eyes following the path of his hand down her red tresses.
"Or they think me weaker than I am."
"Idiots," Tony scoffed before locking eyes with her, a look of pure determination on his face. "There's nothing weak about you, Pepper."
"Except my ankles," she eyed her feet with disdain, if just to look away from him and will away the knots that were forming in her stomach with the way he was staring at her. "Or my left one, at least."
Having nothing else to add on the matter, Tony rearranged his position on the bed so that he was sitting next to her, shoulder-to-shoulder, their backs against the headboard. The redhead then slowly shifted her head to rest against his right side, sealing the comfortable pose by surrounding his right arm with both of hers before speaking again.
"Do you think Abd will change his mind about the terms of the contract?"
"Hard to say. He looked pretty confident that he liked what he saw on it."
"His lawyers and accountants might change his mind."
"Maybe. But as long as he doesn't go below the minimum requirements, it should be alright."
"And even then, we're doing pretty good so far, especially with the additional donations from Yolandi," Pepper smirked.
"Yeah. That was very generous of her."
"It was the least she could do after giving us barbiturates and then tying you to her bed while you slept."
"Ugh, let's not talk about that. That's the least fun I've ever had being tied up."
"Really? Was that really less fun than the time you pulled on the bed restraints so hard that you dislocated your shoulder?"
"Of course it was! First of all, I was with you… under you, actually, when that happened," he smirked when he felt her nudge him. "And, second of all, I pulled on the restraint because someone was giving me an excellent… final act. Only felt the pain after I was done."
Pepper closed her eyes at the memory of it. It had been a great night.
"Still, I can't believe her. Drugging us. Having her house servants drag you to her room. Restraining you. I can't believe she tried to…" Pepper shook her head, unable to finish verbalizing her train of thought.
"I can," Tony sighed. "What I can't believe is that she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that I didn't like her that way, anymore. Hell! I didn't even like her like that, ever. I was just having fun."
"Yeah, well, you know her. It's only fun if she's having fun."
Tony shuddered at the memory of it all.
"How she can think that trying to force herself on someone in that way is fun is beyond me. But at least we got her where it hurts: her pride, her ego, and her money."
"And her teeth. Don't forget the teeth."
"Her teeth?" Tony laughed, remembering the chipped teeth, the swollen cheek, and the shut eye they had left Yolandi with. "Her FACE, Pepper. You totally marked her face."
"I didn't mean to."
"Good thing for her you didn't. Can't imagine what you would've done to her if you had meant it."
"Hey!" she swatted at his thigh. "In my defense, I didn't realize the pipe was made of metal – I was still kinda drugged. To be honest, I don't even know how I found my way to her room in that state. I just knew she was up to something when you weren't in bed with me, and I had to help you. And secondly, I, uhm… she… Well… Ugh! You know what? Screw it! I enjoyed hitting her. Bitch had it coming."
The genius could no longer hold back a loud guffaw as he pulled his arm away from her grip to throw it over her shoulders. He pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead, finished completing the embrace by bringing his left arm into it, and then rested the bottom half of his face against her forehead.
"I can't believe you're laughing this off, Tony," she returned the embrace by surrounding his waist with her left arm, afraid to do more than that and risking moving her injured foot. "You were at the mercy of a potential rapist. What that woman did to you and then tried to do to you is horrible! Illegal. Immoral. Just plain wrong!"
"Yeah, it is. It was. But she couldn't finish it. It backfired and it got her in a pickle. And not the pickle she was looking for."
"Tony…"
"I'm serious."
"So am I. What she put you through – what she almost did… I can't imagine… If I'd been in your situation… if some man had tried to–"
"I'd fucking kill him."
And just like that, with an unfinished and highly hypothetical thought, all lightheartedness left the billionaire's soul.
The smile that had been beaming on his face turned into a deep scowl. His loving grip around her increased, turning overly protective in nature instead. His eyes, which had just a second ago shone with mirth and cheerfulness, turned distant and cold. In the literal blink of an eye, Tony Stark had switched gears; going from displaying a frolicking, playful attitude to one that promised some miserable asshole a slow and painful end.
Pepper could almost imagine the unspeakable scenarios his mind was concocting for him; each new one no doubt twice as terrible as the last. He was terribly good at coming up with the worst-case scenarios, and even better at worrying himself about things that would probably never come to pass. He was quickly losing himself in something that had never even happened. His almost-crippling hold on her was enough proof of that.
She needed to pull him right back to reality and fast.
Taking advantage of their closeness, Pepper slowly slid the bridge of her nose up his neck, stopping just below his jaw to press her lips against the skin there. She heard him swallow hard and felt him twitch a little, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down with the move. As mindful of her injury as possible, she then extended her right arm so that she could use her free hand to pull his face towards hers, stroking his cheekbone with her thumb as she whispered to him.
"Hey, look at me, Tony. It didn't happen. It didn't. Not to me and not that way. I'm fine."
He did not respond for a moment, opting for quietly looking her face up and down her instead. Nearly a minute of heavy silence passed between them, which was just enough time for Tony to find his voice again to finally ask his redhead something that had been gnawing at him for years.
"Did he… did he try to hurt you like that?"
Pepper knitted her brow. "Who?"
"Aldrich. When he took you. Did he–"
"No," she immediately replied, not only because it was true, but because she knew that any hesitation on her part would keep him from believing anything else she might have said.
"Are you–"
"Yes. I'm sure. He… he was more concerned about me taking onto Extremis than anything else. Besides, it was a long time ago. What happened to you… what almost happened–"
"Didn't hurt me," Tony replied with confidence. "Just pissed me off."
"Are you–"
"Yes. I'm sure," he echoed her earlier retort. "I'm more concerned about what she could've done to you. Me? I'd been through much worse than that."
"When? Battles?"
"No. Afghanistan."
He regretted the words as soon as they had left him, but it was too late to take them back. He had never spoken to anyone about everything that had happened to him during his time in captivity in the Middle East – he had hardly told her about Yinsen, at that. He had shared with her, Happy, and Rhodey only the bare minimum, if just to have a means to justify to them what many people had labeled of him as post-traumatic stress disorder displayed as highly erratic behavior.
"I'm not crazy, Pepper," he had once told her. And he had spent every second of his life since then proving to the world that he was not.
The nitty gritty details of the ordeal that had made him turn his life around were still only his to know. His burden to bear, after all these years. The final terms of the rite of passage towards the responsibility he now carried with him everywhere he went were still undisclosed. However, if anyone was worthy of learning from the horse's mouth how he had freed himself from imprisonment and at what cost, it was Pepper Potts, no doubt. At the same time, it was her, too, who he had always wanted to keep at the sidelines about the darkest time of his life. Not because he was afraid that she might judge him for it, but because he knew what it would do to her to find out.
The look on her face, however, said it all: she wanted him to open up to her, once and for all; to trust her with it – with the truth. She wanted to share the weight with him, however heavy it was. She wanted to sooth him and be there for him in his moment of need. Just as he had always done for her.
Months ago, before they had split up, he would have never considered sharing the worst of his kidnapping tribulation with her. Up until recently, he had kept to himself a lot of important minutiae of many of his close encounters with death – kept his fears from her. It had taken him months to admit to her that he had been crumbling into pieces after the events of New York, and had done so only after she had been clearly upset. It had turned into a pattern for him: breaking down only when he was pushed against the wall.
It was the easiest thing to do, he knew. And that was why he had done it so many times. But, in the end, it had cost him what he cherished the most.
They were here now, like this, because he had kept too many secrets from her. Because he had told her too many half-truths. Because he had not fully brought her into the loop of the strong and dedicated partnership they claimed to have. Because he had taken the high road when she had been practically begging him to let it all out.
And yet, here she was again, silently pleading with him to tell her what she wanted to know; what he had almost accidentally blurted out, even after every previous similar effort on her part to achieve the same result had lead them nowhere, fast. It was as if he had unintentionally placed himself at the edge of a precipice, having no intention to die from the fall, but needing to take the plunge either way.
He could have kept his mouth shut. He could have made a half-assed attempt at a joke, detract her from the conversation, and then moved on. He could have thought of many ways to derail the conversation. He was good at deflecting what he did not want to talk about.
But he did not. He was not. Enough was enough. He would not make her beg anymore. He owed to their friendship the most honest reply.
So he did. After a pause. With as much coolness as he could muster. He finally opened up about his time in the Middle East.
And by the time it was all said and done, she had tears cascading down her face.
And by the time she was done physically and verbally comforting him, it was already dawn.
xxxXXXxxx
"Let it run its course, Happy. Send me the form, but don't expect it back before the deadline. Maybe not at all."
"What?"
"You heard me. Send me the form. Forget about it for now. Worry about other things."
"Worry about… what? Did you not hear me, Tony? This is serious! We can keep it from being even MORE serious. What is the matter with you?"
"I want her, Hap," Tony began, trusting his friend to such a high degree that he felt willing to be as open and exposed as he was about to be. "But I want her to want me, too. It's easier this way and you know it. She… she had already said it was over between us. I forced her hand to be here right now, doing what she's doing for me. If she has a chance to walk away unscathed… If she can avoid having a divorce on her records, well… you know what I'd do."
"Tony, this is bigger than that. This is a company's future we're talking about. Your company, by the way. She has put so much work into keeping it afloat, too. You owe it to her to help the company stay open, and I'm not just saying that because I work there, too."
"I know. But the company will always bounce back, no matter what. People love Iron Man and they love all the shit I come up with. What Pepper and I have… what we could have… I'm not risking that for anything."
Tony could almost hear Happy rub his face with his hands and roll his eyes in frustration.
"OK. Fine. I get where you're coming from and all. You're so noble and thoughtful and selfless and blah-blah-blah. But, Tony, if you really wanna do something for her, then let HER make the choice. Tell her about it. Talk to her. Let her decide if she wants to let the paper expire or if she wants to stay married to you."
Well! At least Happy and he shared an important thought.
"Telling her about it right now is not giving her a choice. She'll sign it. You know she will."
"Then pick another time, soon. Hint at it. Something! Don't make this worse but don't take the option from her, either. She'll resent you if you do."
"She already resents me for many things…"
"Then don't add one more to the list."
This time, it was Happy who could almost hear Tony releasing his frustration by rubbing his eyes raw.
"Fine," Tony finally said, if only to give the appearance of putting up a fight. He had already decided to leave the final decision up to her. "I'll tell her. I'll give her the choice. Just… not now."
"Sometime during this lifetime is all I ask."
"Smartass."
"Better than a dumbass."
"Shut up."
"Fly over here and make me."
Tony chuckled. "I miss you, Hap."
Happy laughed on the other end of the line. "I have a feeling we'd already had this conversation before. Feeling the déjà vu?"
"Maybe. Maybe not," Tony sighed. "How's Rhodey? Any news?"
"None. Still in therapy. Hanging in there. You know how he is."
"Stubborn as some people I know."
"But not more stubborn than some people I have on the line right now."
"Have you been taking courses in wit? I feel like I need to catch up."
"What you need is to find a way to tell Pepper that your marriage is not finalized. Then, take a step back and let her make a choice. How about that?"
"Stubborn."
"Just care about you and her, that's all."
"I know, Happy. I know. But don't worry about it. I told ya. Go watch some re-runs of Downton Abby or something. I got this covered."
"Funny," Happy said with some bitterness in his voice, "That's what I'm afraid of."
"That I don't got it covered?"
"Nah. That you do."
"Win some, lose some."
"And you are due for a win, dude."
Tony closed his eyes again and exhaled deeply, not wanting to get into this conversation at one in the morning, and much less when he had to meet with none other than Yolandi Venter in just a few hours, too. He knew that Happy was just extremely worried about him and his mental state, as he had seen first-hand what his breakup with Pepper had done to the billionaire. The man was probably imagining the worst-case scenario about the inventor if the temporary yet fake marriage ended as badly as the dating had.
"Tell Rhodey we miss him. That I'll go see him as soon as we're done with this."
"I will. Say hi to Pepper for me."
"I will. Bye, Happy. Thanks for calling."
"Bye, Tony. Thanks for answering on the millionth call."
After a brief chuckle and more playfully name-calling from both their ends, Tony finally disconnected the call, wanting nothing more than to go back to bed to get ready for the day. He was aware, however, that he was not going to get what he wanted anymore, until perhaps the day after today – and definitely not after this call. He probably had to resign himself to walking around the plane like a crazy person for the rest of the night, if that was all he managed to do with himself and his unwanted free time.
Then again, he could always go lay down with Pepper in the bed, if for no other reason than to lull himself into a sense of peace with the sound of her breathing and of temporary relaxation with the feel of her warmth; taking whatever he could get from her while there was still a chance. He was going to tell Pepper about the paperwork expiring and how it impacted their now not-possible divorce, no doubt about that, but he was just not sure when it would be the right time.
Perhaps, if he was very lucky about it and wished upon a star, the right time would fall into his lap in an obvious way. Maybe, if he was as patient as he had been so far, the world would cut him some slack and would be kind enough to show him the way. Or maybe, the third option that would more likely be executed before he could stop it, would be that Pepper would find out about it before she was ready, and the entire point would become moot.
Which option he preferred was quite obvious – as obvious as the one he knew would make itself known, no matter what.
At least I'll see it coming, Tony sighed in resignation as he crawled back into bed. Better than being surprised.
Surprises were never good, anyway.
Or so he had thought.
Only time would show them both how wrong he had been.