Entering the mansion a few days later, Pepper still felt uneasy. Tony had secluded himself away, which wasn't exactly unusual for him, but this time it felt different, and Pepper didn't know how to fix it. She felt like she needed to apologise for hurting him, but at the same time they'd both signed up to the same deal. It was all just too much, and for that reason Pepper felt like she should end things completely, but then that would absolutely ruin their working relationship. She could give in, but it was a daunting prospect when she'd seen him throw away girls like old fruit when he got bored.
As it was, she was concentrating on work for now. She'd let Tony simmer down, and then broach the subject with him to see where they were. They were grown ups, they could do this.
"Jarvis? Where's Mr Stark?" She asked the AI as she shut the front door behind her.
"Mr Stark is not on the premise, Miss Potts." Jarvis supplied. "He left last night around 9pm and has not returned."
Pepper frowned. It wasn't unusual for Tony to vanish, especially with Iron Man, however she thought he might have informed her where he was going. "Mission brief please, Jarvis." She said, settling down on the couch and taking off her shoes.
"No mission has been logged. The suit is still docked." Jarvis said. "I believe Mr Stark was heading to one of his favourite clubs when he left."
This actually shocked Pepper. Tony hadn't been the goig out type for over a year. "Where is he, Jarvis? Can you track his phone?"
"I'm afraid Mr Stark has specifically denied me access to his phone on this occasion." The AI replied. "However I can tell you that Mr Hogan was called at around 8am to a residential address and is now on his way back." Jarvis paused for a moment. "He confirms that he has picked up Mr Stark from the address."
Pepper sighed and pulled out her phone to start cancelling his meetings for the day. He was likely hungover and memory served that hungover Tony was worse than manic Tony, there would be no persuading him to do anything today. Thirty minutes later, the front door opened and shut, telling Pepper that Tony had returned. She heard him shuffle down the hall towards where she sat in the living room and then his footsteps paused.
"Hey." He mumbled. "Uh…I didn't think you'd be here this morning." He walked slowly over to the couch and sat down next to her. "I'll be honest Pepper, I've got a headache from hell so-"
"Don't worry, I've cancelled your day." She said, smiling up at him. He looked dishevelled, like he hadn't slept. "I'm just finishing this report up for- is that a hickey?"
Tony slapped a hand against his neck, blushing profusely like a naughty child who'd been caught out. There was a red mark just below his jaw line, barely hidden by his shirt collar.
"Uh, yeah, it is." He cleared his throat and straightened his collar to try and hide it, unable to look her in the eyes.
Pepper's mind had gone blank, a strange feeling coming over her, which could almost be jealousy. She turned her head away and back to her laptop, clicking the mouse a few times on absolutely nothing. "Well…like I was saying, I'll be out of your hair once I've done this…actually I'll just finish it up at the office." She shut the laptop with a bit more force than intended and stood up. Tony stood with her.
"You don't have to…I'm really confused here Pepper." He let out a bewildered laugh. "I've done nothing wrong."
"I didn't say you had." She smiled at him but it didn't meet her eyes. "You can do whatever you want."
"Except love you apparently." He said shortly.
Silence. It stretched for what felt like hours. Pepper put her laptop down and rubbed her forehead in stress. "You don't love me, Tony."
"I love you." He said again, swallowing hard. "I love you, Pepper, and you can try and convince yourself that you don't believe it, but it doesn't matter." He shrugged. "It's not gonna change."
Pepper's mind was reeling. He was hungover, sure, but he seemed sober enough, he wasn't under the influence of anything illicit, and he was conscious. This wasn't an exhausted confession like last time. He meant it.
"I don't know what to do with that." She said eventually, shrugging pathetically. It was true, it was a lot to take in and she honestly didn't know how she felt.
Tony shook his head and looked away, sighing heavily. "You don't have to do anything, Pepper." He mumbled, and leant in to kiss her cheek. "That's the beauty of it." He smiled sadly and turned away towards the stairs, sloping up two at a time.
She stood there, rooted to the spot for a short while, trying to figure out what had just happened. Eventually she realised she still had work to do and this, frankly, was too much to deal with on top of deadlines. She bent to pick up her laptop and was surprised when she realised she was crying, tears splashing the milled aluminium case. She wiped her eyes quickly and rushed out of the mansion. It was too much.
The night of the charity even rolled round and Tony did not want to go. But needs must, and it was for charity, so he donned his nicest suit, chose one of the lesser flashy cars he owned, and set off. A small gaggle of reporters ambushed him as he pulled up to the venue, all vying for his attention, but he eventually managed to escape and ducked into the building.
The event was for a global warming foundation, something Tony was quite passionate about given his industrialism, and he was due to make a speech about how Stark Industries was officially carbon negative. He meandered through the crowds, making small talk here and there - it had been a long time since he'd properly socialised and he was enjoying himself for the most part, but ultimately he was bored. He wasn't used to doing these things without someone on his arm, but after his last dalliance, he'd realised that wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want meaningless sex any more, even with Pepper, even if it meant he lost her.
His speech went down a treat, and after he was done he was back to mingling again. Doing this sober was basically torture, and he could feel his smile slipping as he spoke, but he ploughed on and managed to make conversation. Eventually though, he couldn't take the mundane chit chat any longer and excused himself, heading to the bar, ordering himself a whisky.
"Flying solo, Mr Stark?" A woman approached him at the bar with a smile, standing a little too close. "That's not like you. We should change that."
Tony took a sip of his drink and shook his head. "I'm just dandy by myself this evening." He said.
The woman stepped closer and laid a hand on his arm. "Oh, are you sure I can't change your mind?"
He was about to reply when he felt a hand slip into his on his other side. He whipped his head round so fast he nearly got whiplash. Pepper was standing next to him, her usual suit swapped out for a gorgeous floor length black dress, one shoulder uncovered.
"Sorry, he's taken this evening." She said with a smile to the other woman, tugging Tony's hand to pull him away. Tony went with her, bewildered as to what was happening as she dragged him through the crowd and out to the garden area at the back of the building. Once she was satisfied that they weren't going to be eavesdropped on, she let go of his hand and turned to him.
"I didn't think you wanted to come." He said after a moment, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Neither did I." Pepper replied, nervously clasping and unclasping her hands. "But I needed to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me." Tony nodded and Pepper took a deep breath. "Do you want to get married? Have kids?"
Tony's eyes widened and he opened and closed his mouth a few times. "Well…I hadn't really thought about it…I don't know."
Pepper nodded. "Okay, well, I do. I always saw myself settling down with someone and having a family one day."
"And I'm not family material? Is that it?" He asked defensively.
"No, Tony, that's not what I'm saying." She took his hand again. "I'm trying to tell you what I want, and that it might not be what you want." She locked eyes with him. "I don't want you to rush into something and then we both get hurt later. I don't want to waste your time."
"You could never waste my time." He said, stepping closer. "Pepper…I've never felt like this about anyone or anything. If you want to have a family and settle down, we can do that. I can do that." He squeezed her fingers gently. "Just give me a chance and I'll prove it every day." He reached up and cupped her cheek. "I love you, let me prove it."
Pepper let out a shuddery breath and nodded, letting go of his hand to grab him by the lapels of his suit and kiss him soundly. Tony responded to the kiss, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her closer. Things started getting a little heated and Pepper eventually pulled away, smiling and her eyes shining.
"Want a drink?" He asked.
"Absolutely." She replied.