Most of the characters and situations in this story belong to Marvel Comics, Fairview Entertainment, Dark Blades Films, and other entities, and I do not have permission to borrow them. No infringement is intended in any way, and this story is not for profit. All others belong to me, particularly Cedric, and if you want to borrow them, you have to ask me first. Any errors are mine, all mine, no you can't have any.
Couldn't have done this without Cincoflex!
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In the interests of furthering their scheme, they'd begun to go out to eat once a week or so, putting up with the media attention that was really the main purpose of such outings. They'd dined together in public before, though not anywhere near as often, but now Pepper gravely scheduled in dinners at Malibu's most popular restaurants, and they made no effort to dodge the paparazzi. Tony, used to their scrutiny, enjoyed the meals, but Pepper took a while to loosen up. Tony figured she was just too used to being in the background.
The proprietors of the new local sushi restaurant, Tony found, were smart people--he and Pepper were escorted to a good table in a quiet alcove, and their server was attentive but not slavish. Four weeks into the deception things were going smoothly--at least, in his opinion; Pepper was still muttering about unsolicited wedding advice from all and sundry. He watched her across the table as they placed their orders, and sighed when she immediately became absorbed in her BlackBerry.
He let her text two messages before reaching over and plucking the thing from her hands. Pepper squawked, and Tony evaded her grab and thumbed the device off, stuffing it into his coat pocket. "You're off the clock, Ms. Potts. Time for dinner and conversation, not e-mail."
She inhaled, and Tony braced himself for an argument, but then Pepper's lips tightened and she subsided. "You're right."
Tony relaxed and gave her his most charming smile, though he didn't miss the annoyance that gleamed in her eyes. She would not be forgetting his move quickly. "Thank you. So where do you want to go for our honeymoon?"
The corner of her mouth quirked, a move he recognized as a stand-in for rolling her eyes. "The Moon."
She's in a mood. "Low blood sugar, Potts?" he asked softly, smiling, and then leaned back with a shrug. "We might be able to manage that, but it'll take me a while to set it up."
Pepper's petulance faded as she regarded him. "You're actually serious, aren't you?"
Only about half, but part of his mind was already playing with the idea. Propulsion wouldn't be a problem, and that gave him an idea for a whole new branch of Stark Industries, but the life support issues... Tony made a number of mental notes and pulled his brain back on track. Meeting her eyes, he told the truth. "If that's where you want to go, Pepper, I'll make it work."
She blinked, and dropped her gaze to the table. Tony frowned to himself. This was becoming a problem--they kept to their personas in public, but he at least found himself making statements that were true for the real him as well, and the lines were definitely getting blurred.
Pepper shook out her napkin, and laughed politely, glancing back up. "No, that's okay, Tony. Why don't you just surprise me?"
No, he wanted to say. No, tell me what you want, the place you've always wanted to go. I want it to be special. "If you want," he said lightly instead. "Someplace...warm. With beaches. Nude beaches, possibly."
Pepper snorted at that, and Tony relaxed, the odd tension ebbing. He grinned at her. "What? You've got nothing to be ashamed of in that department." He gave what he could see of her a blatant ogle, though it only reminded him that he actually didn't know exactly what she looked like under her clothes. "You ever been to Ulavuta?"
Before Pepper could answer, another voice cut in. "Pepper, Tony, if I'd known you were coming here tonight I would have called you." Rhodey came up to the table smiling, and leaned down to kiss Pepper's cheek as she smiled back. "We could have carpooled."
"You mean you could have bummed a ride," Tony said cheerfully, scooting out of the booth and elbowing Rhodes genially as he passed. "Sit down, we haven't ordered yet."
He slid onto the opposite bench next to Pepper, secretly pleased at an excuse to get into her personal space but also genuinely glad to see Rhodes--busy schedules had kept them from seeing much of each other lately.
Rhodey hesitated. "Am I interrupting?"
Tony glanced at Pepper, but she shook her head. "No, Tony's just putting up with the fact that I haven't eaten since breakfast." Her smile was truly apologetic as she looked back at Tony, and as Rhodes dropped into the seat Tony picked up her hand, lacing their fingers together.
"Given what you put up with from me on a daily basis, Pepper, I can deal with a bit of whininess." Her eyes narrowed at the mingled compliment and insult, but Tony raised their joined hands to his mouth and pressed a quick kiss to the back of hers, half showmanship and half affection.
Rhodes snickered. "You two are sickening," he said easily, the gleam in his eyes betraying his enjoyment of their playacting.
Pepper pursed her lips, but didn't draw her hand away, instead letting it lie relaxed in Tony's. He kept his hold, looking back to Rhodes. "Make up your mind fast, platypus. We're both starving."
Dining on sushi was the only time Tony ever saw Pepper eat what seemed to him to be a reasonable amount. He wasn't sure if she was concerned about her weight or just didn't have a large appetite, but sushi was the exception either way, and he had to admit he rather enjoyed watching her devour her selections with an expression that bordered on bliss.
He'd kind of been hoping for an intimate evening, but instead the meal turned merry, the three of them laughing and teasing one another, and Tony found pleasure in that too. Pepper gradually loosened up, and by the time she was stealing scraps off his plate he had his arm behind her, Rhodey grinning at them over his sake.
"So how's this thing going?" He waved one hand back and forth, eyes gleaming with amusement at the double meaning.
Tony let his thumb stroke Pepper's far shoulder. "So far so good. We're still arguing about where to have the ceremony, though." This was camouflage; Pepper had refused to book something that they would only cancel later, and Tony had decided it wasn't a battle worth fighting. Part of the point of not declaring an actual date was avoiding the pressure to begin preparations.
Rhodes snickered again. "I always figured you'd just run off to Vegas if you ever did get hitched."
"Hitched? Seriously, what century are you living in?" Tony sneered genially at his friend.
"Better than 'parson's mousetrap'," Pepper interjected, and both men looked at her with some puzzlement. She was a little flushed from the sake, and that and her smile made her extremely kissable to Tony's eyes. She laughed, and he was thrilled to feel her arm slip behind his back in turn. "It's a nineteenth-century term."
Tony shook his head. "You're worse than Jarvis. What do you say, Pepper, how does Vegas sound?"
"A lot more practical than St. Paul's Cathedral," Pepper sighed.
Tony blinked. "Who suggested that? Is it even possible?" London hadn't been his first choice of possible venues, but if Pepper liked the idea...
She groaned. "One of the board members, and I refuse to find out."
All right, so much for that one. "Not that fond of England?" Tony knew she'd been there at least twice in his company, but she hadn't had much time to sightsee.
"Not at this time of year." She grimaced. "And as much as I'd love to make Tony get married by Elvis, Jimmy, I'm not up for Vegas."
Rhodes bellowed with laughter, and Tony couldn't help joining in, inexpressibly tickled by the idea. Pepper leaned against his side and smirked at them both.
"Oh come on," Rhodey finally choked out. "I'm begging you, Pepper. That would be priceless."
"Not worth it." Pepper shook her head. "For one thing, no one would take us seriously afterwards."
"You're right," Tony agreed, sobering slightly. "I'm afraid we're going to need more than the minimum number of witnesses to make this stick."
"You make it sound like you're setting up a frame," Rhodes commented, still laughing. "Or an alibi."
"The great wedding caper?" Tony suggested.
"Plenty of people won't believe it anyway." Rhodes shrugged. "Sorry, man, but you do have kind of a rep."
That too stung, but again Rhodes was right. Tony's lips tightened, but he kept his voice level. "I'll just have to prove them wrong."
Rhodey lifted his cup. "Here's to you both, then."
They parted with him outside the restaurant, Rhodes loping off to the parking lot while Happy pulled the limo up just down the street. Pepper hooked her arm through Tony's as they strolled towards the vehicle, and he snugged her in close. The foot traffic was light, and if anyone recognized them it wasn't obvious.
As they reached the limo, however, Tony spotted a semi-familiar figure a little ways up the block. He swung her gently around so that her back was pressed to the car door. "Paparazzi at nine o'clock."
She raised her brows, and Tony planted one hand on either side of her and leaned in. The kiss was sweet and hot, and he found it easy to forget that they were putting on a show despite the flash going off. Pepper's mouth tasted of sake, and she slid her hands up his chest to the back of his neck, pulling him closer with an eagerness that Tony dared to hope wasn't entirely feigned.
No, not entirely. He edged closer, feeling that live-wire tension between them, the way her breathing was speeding up, and bit back his smile lest it break the kiss.
Finally their lips parted, and Pepper wasn't the only one breathing hard. Tony let the smile out. "I think we should do this every time we get in the car."
She smiled back, her cheeks pink. "Did you arrange for that reporter to be here?"
"No, but make a note to leak our itinerary to the press," Tony shot back, amused and nettled. He straightened, and Pepper stepped out of the way so he could open the door for her.
She slid inside with practiced grace. Tony dropped down next to her and glanced up at Happy. "Pepper's place, then home," he instructed, and his imperturbable driver nodded and raised the divider.
Pepper stretched and yawned, then covered her mouth with an expression of surprise. "Oh! Excuse me."
Tony chuckled. "Long day, Potts?"
Her expression was less sardonic than usual. "You might notice, Mr. Stark, that you don't exactly do short days."
He leaned back, letting his arm fall across the back of the seat. Pepper didn't seem to notice. "You sure you don't want to stay at my place? It would save you time in the morning."
Pepper shook her head, and smothered another yawn. Her eyes were closing, and Tony didn't know if it was the sake, the protein, or just the long day, but it was obvious that she was falling asleep.
He could count on one hand the number of times he'd seen her sleep. Curious, Tony watched.
It took less than three minutes for Pepper to slump against the back of the seat, her head lolling, and Tony inched closer, holding his breath and hoping that the discomfort wouldn't wake her back up. But when he slipped his arms around her and tugged, Pepper merely sighed.
She was limp and warm and molded nicely to him when Tony gathered her in. He settled her head against his shoulder and let himself relax and enjoy the rare sight of Ms. Potts completely unguarded.
As he half-expected, his libido was enthusiastic about this unscheduled cuddle, but Tony ignored it. Somehow it was more important to savor the moment, to examine the protective feeling that was welling in him. Tony brushed a strand of hair out of Pepper's face and bent his neck to inhale the faint vanilla that rose from her skin; unlike many women of his past acquaintance, she didn't douse herself in perfume, but somehow her scent persisted, until he knew he would know it anywhere.
It had been one of the things he'd dreamed of, in the cave. A ghost of smell that vanished on waking, leaving him baffled and yearning...
The ride to her apartment wasn't long, and Tony was tempted to tell Happy to drive around the block a few times, but decided in the end that delay wouldn't make it easier. But when the limo stopped and he looked down at the woman sleeping in his arms, he couldn't resist.
Her lips were softer still against his, unresisting, warm. He kept it gentle, a tender caress that woke her slowly. When she stirred and whimpered, Tony lifted his head.
"Wakey-wakey, Potts," he said softly, watching her eyes open and blink up at him sleepily. "We're here."
"Okay," she said obediently, and Tony smirked. She's still out of it.
Pepper sat up, apparently not noticing that she was leaving his embrace, and Tony reluctantly opened the door and got out.
As the cooler night air reached her, Pepper seemed to wake a bit more, and she followed him out, straightening without a wobble. But her eyes were still blurry, and Tony pulled her arm through his again. "Come on, I'll walk you up."
"I'm sorry," she said as they entered her building. "I don't know why I'm so tired."
"You work too hard," Tony told her cheerfully, nodding to the guard at the front desk. "Maybe you should take tomorrow off."
Pepper straightened. "No, not this week--"
Tony was badly tempted to kiss her again in the elevator, but she was too awake, he decided ruefully. He'd gotten more than he'd expected that evening, and despite his generally pushy nature, he didn't want to ruin everything. Courting someone, he was discovering, required a certain amount of restraint as well as enthusiasm.
Pepper fished her keys out as they neared her door, and had no trouble slipping them into the locks. Tony braced a hand on the doorframe next to her head as she turned the knob. "Going to invite me in?" he teased.
She muffled another yawn. "Not tonight..."
He took pity on her sleepiness, and just pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. If anyone was watching, they'd just have to make up their own interpretations. "Get some sleep, Potts. I'll see you in the morning."
She nodded, and opened the door, slipping inside and closing it before he could get a real glimpse of her apartment. Tony waited until he heard the locks click into place, and then pushed off the wall, heading back downstairs and humming thoughtfully.
Was that progress? I think it was.
Pepper was her usual efficient self in the morning, greeting him serenely when she arrived at the mansion, and Tony couldn't tell whether she didn't really remember the end of the evening, or if she was choosing to ignore it. Hell, maybe she just doesn't care.
Given that he was half-expecting some sharp words for that kiss in the car, Tony was somewhat relieved, but her reaction--or lack thereof--also left him a little confused. Pepper angry he could deal with, Pepper pleased was his goal--but Pepper unchanged left him feeling like he'd set a charge to explode and seen it do nothing more than puff a little cloud of smoke.
Time to tap the fuse.
He went along to work with no protest, and by mid-morning he had the beginnings of a plan. By the time he finished lunch, he had worked out the details, and all he had to do was wait until the proper time to implement it.
He had a late afternoon meeting with R&D that ran over time, and rather than make Pepper wait around, Tony sent her a text telling her to go home and let him play with the boys in peace. He knew Happy would get her safely there, and in the meantime he had reactor specs to discuss.
But after the meeting, Tony gave his chauffeur very specific instructions, and put his plan into motion.
There was one advantage to being notorious, Tony thought as he politely held the building door for an elderly lady and slipped in behind her. The security guard at the desk recognized him, asking for ID but not calling up. Which was a good thing, because Pepper didn't actually know he was coming.
He rode the elevator up with his hands in his pockets, wondering if he should make enough noise to attract an observer, but as it happened when he stepped into the hall there were two women talking just a couple of doors down. He smiled cheerfully at them, and knew by the sudden buzz behind him that they too knew how he was.
He grinned to himself. Perfect.
His sharp rap on Pepper's door brought a muffled "Just a minute," and Tony waited, rocking on his heels. He could feel her gaze on him through the peephole, and then the locks clicked and she pulled the door open, frowning at him. "What--"
"Hi honey, I'm home," he said cheerily, and pulled her into a kiss.
Since they had watchers, he felt justified in making it a good one, and Pepper let him, though the muscles under the hands he laid on her waist were tense. Still, her mouth was sweet, and he chased the hint of lemon he found there until she pulled back, breathless. Tony felt more than a bit breathless himself, but he gave her his most charming smile. "Sorry I'm late."
Pepper lifted her chin, and he braced himself for a scolding, but then her eyes flicked right and she stifled it. "You'd better come in," she said in a low voice.
Tony didn't look back at their observers as he stepped into Pepper's apartment. She closed the door behind him. "Tony, what the hell are you doing here?"
He didn't answer, too busy looking around. Her place was large, which was only right given the quality of the building she lived in, and it was open and airy and filled with light, or would be if the sun were still up. Tony loved it instantly; the décor was much softer than his own home, but it had a lot of the same feeling, room to move and think without feeling lost. The carpet was light-colored and thick, the furniture low and inviting, and artwork made for glowing spots of color along the walls.
"Nice place," Tony said admiringly. He walked over to look more closely at one print. "I didn't know you were a fan of Matisse. You know, I think I have one of his in storage--"
"You have three," Pepper said in the measured tone that meant she was annoyed. "Tony--"
He turned back to her, raising his arms in a helpless gesture and admiring the loose cotton pants and fitted t-shirt she wore. "You won't spend the night with me, so I figured I'd better spend one or two with you. People will start to wonder when we're getting the sex in, you know."
Pepper blushed, red creeping up her throat to her cheeks and hairline, though her severe expression didn't change. "And you couldn't discuss this with me first?"
Heartened by the fact that she hadn't immediately kicked him back out, Tony smirked. "And give you a chance to veto it? No way, Potts." He softened. "Look, seriously, we need to be seen spending more time in each other's company, and the separation looks weird. I promise I'll stay snug in your guest room, Pepper, no hanky panky." He winked. "No matter how much I want to sneak in and snuggle up to you."
Pepper growled something he couldn't make out, though it sounded like snuggling was part of it. "I don't have a guest room, Tony. I have a library with an armchair, and I have a couch. If you're really determined to do this, then you pick which one you want."
She stalked off into her kitchen. "Give yourself a tour," was tossed back over her shoulder.
Curious, Tony did. The living room was clearly the largest space, and held plants and books and actually looked lived in, with a sweater draped over a chair and a coffee mug sitting on a low round table. There was a small TV hung on one wall and an antique lady's desk placed in one corner, somehow not rendered incongruous by the ultramodern laptop sitting on top.
The library turned out to be the smaller bedroom, fitted with shelves that not only lined the walls but half-filled the room, leaving just enough space for a cushy chair and a reading lamp. Tony glanced over the titles; the collection was eclectic, ranging from accounting texts and mystery novels to computer manuals, children's books, and the occasional romance novel. He had no doubt that they were organized within an inch of their papery lives--this was Pepper, after all--but the pattern eluded him for the moment.
She was still in the kitchen when he emerged, so Tony kept going, trying doors. Bathroom--very feminine in a restrained way, though he liked the ferns--linen closet, and finally-- Jackpot.
Unlike her living room, which was mostly cream-colored, Pepper's bedroom was done in jewel tones, mainly greens and deep blues. It was dominated by a canopy bed that lacked a canopy; instead, Pepper had trained some kind of climbing plant to wind over the frame, so that the bed looked like it belonged in a fairy-tale garden. In fact, he instantly pictured her sleeping there, one hand under her cheek and the dark blue comforter drawn over her shoulders, all sweet innocence waiting for a prince's kiss to wake her--
Not sure I'm the princely type.
The doubt was sudden, and Tony stuffed his hands back into his pockets, looking over the rest of the room with melancholy eyes. It too was feminine, but without being frilly--just a warm and welcoming space that was at the same time private. The dresser and bedside table were dark smooth wood, solid and uncomplicated, and a pair of fuzzy slippers lay discarded by the bed.
"I might have known you'd end up here," Pepper said behind him, without much rancor, and Tony turned. She handed him a glass of lemonade, presumably the source of the flavor that still lingered on his tongue.
"I really like your home," he told her sincerely, and took a sip. The stuff wasn't as sweet as he was expecting, and tasted somehow fresh.
"I'd offer you something stronger," Pepper said with a nod at the glass, "but I don't have anything."
Tony shook his head, and took another sip. "This is fine. It's really good," he said after letting it slide down his throat.
Pepper made a small negating gesture. "Have you eaten?"
"Didn't get that far," he replied. "May I take you out to dinner?"
She sighed. "It's late, and I have stuff here. Come on back out to the living room and I'll fix something."
He followed her back up the hallway. Her posture was still stiff, and Tony wondered if he should just excuse himself and go, but then he discarded the idea. No. I'm right, and besides, it's time she got more used to the idea of us being a couple.
So when they reached the living room, he took off his jacket and tie and draped them over the back of the couch, then rolled up his sleeves and sought Pepper out in the kitchen. It was a good-sized room for an apartment, with a breakfast nook that held a table and two benches, and the window over the sink probably had a nice view during the day.
Pepper had her back to him and was rummaging in the freezer. Tony waited until she closed the door, then cleared his throat. "Can I help?" he asked humbly when she turned.
For a moment he thought she would refuse, but then her mouth quirked. "You can chop the green onions if you want. Cutting board's there--" She pointed at a cabinet. "--and knives are in the block."
The onions were lying on the island, already rinsed to judge by the droplets on the green stems, and he scooped them up and assembled his tools before beginning his assigned task. In between stalks he watched Pepper, who was moving around the kitchen with the assurance of someone who knew her space absolutely, pulling together eggs and cheese and other ingredients. When he'd finished chopping, Pepper swept up his efforts and added them to her ongoing concoction, and Tony returned to the living room for his glass of lemonade.
Pepper was just putting the dish into the oven when he came back, so Tony sat down on one of the benches and waited. Pepper closed the oven, set the timer on her microwave, and sighed again.
Her face was closed when she looked over at him, but then her lips twisted, a wry, sad look. "I'm sorry I'm being such a bitch," she said, picking up a half-filled glass from a counter and walking over to slide onto the opposite bench. "I'm not used to having other people in my space."
Tony considered her across the little table, the weariness that lay in the corners of her mouth, and wanted to gather her up and soothe it all away. All the more so because he knew that he, or at least working for him, was a large part of the reason why she didn't have many visitors. He lifted his glass. "If this is how you treat unwelcome guests, Potts, then I'm going to wangle an actual invitation."
She sniffed, but smiled, if reluctantly. He grinned at her and went on. "It's odd to think how long we've known each other, and yet this is the first time I've been inside your place."
"There's never been any reason for you to be here," Pepper pointed out with dry logic as he drank more lemonade. "I manage your life, Tony, not the other way around."
"Yeah, I know." He couldn't quite articulate why it still seemed unbalanced to him. We're friends, aren't we? he wanted to ask, but even that didn't quite cover it. "I like it, though."
"So you keep saying." But she was relaxing. "I don't suppose I can convince you to sneak off into the night, can I? If you leave through the parking garage you can probably avoid any prying eyes."
Her tone was half-teasing, and Tony slumped a little, relieved. "Not a chance. Besides, I sent Happy off--how would I get back home?"
Pepper rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Tony, I doubt the couch is very comfortable. And before you ask, no, I'm not going to trade with you."
He wrinkled his nose in pretend hurt that held a touch of genuine emotion. "I wasn't going to, even if you offered. What kind of gentleman do you take me for?"
She snickered. "So many possible answers...I think I'll just let it go." Pepper drained her glass and rose. "Do you want salad with your casserole?"
He watched her go and savored his lemonade. It really was tasty--he didn't normally drink the stuff to begin with, but it somehow had an extra flavor he wouldn't expect in what amounted to diluted juice with sugar in it.
When he finished the glass, though, and Pepper refilled it silently from a pitcher she took from the refrigerator, Tony saw the lemon slices floating in the liquid. Oh. She makes it herself.
Just as she started making the salad, Pepper's phone rang, and judging from the resultant conversation it was an old friend. Pepper glanced over at him apologetically early on, but Tony just wiggled his fingers at her and went on sipping, sitting back against the wall with one leg propped on the bench. She was interesting to watch as she moved around the kitchen, the handset trapped between her shoulder and her ear, her hands free to tear lettuce and slice tomatoes. Tony eavesdropped shamelessly, figuring that if Pepper wanted privacy she could leave the room, or make him go, and amused himself trying to figure out what she and her friend were discussing from only Pepper's side of the conversation.
She didn't mention him, which disappointed Tony a tiny bit, but she kept laughing, merry and warm, and it warmed him even though he had no idea what was so funny. A savory smell gradually filled the kitchen, and he felt his stomach start rumbling.
Finally Pepper said goodbye and clicked off the phone. "Who was that?" Tony asked.
She smiled, pulling salad tongs from a drawer and sliding them into the wooden bowl now filled with greens. "My college roommate. She's back from overseas for the weekend, otherwise I would have told her I'd call her back, sorry..."
Tony waved off the apology. "Contrary to popular opinion, I don't need to be constantly amused." That made her laugh again, and he smirked. "What does she do?"
That led to conversations about college, and they got through supper trading tales of impossible professors and terrible classes. Tony had more stories, he thought, given that the engineering section at MIT was never a group to let mischief lie idle; but Pepper had apparently gotten up to a fair bit herself, and her retelling of how she and five of her dormmates had stolen the hands off their university clocktower had him shouting with laughter.
"I never would have guessed you for a practical joker," he said at last, still chuckling.
Pepper's smile was demure and just a touch wicked. "Only when the situation calls for it. Ask Philip in Accounting some time why no one down there ever pulled a prank on me after the first time."
"Scared of you." Tony leaned across to snag her empty plate and stack it on top of his own. "You cooked, I wash." Which was not something he did on pizza night at Rhodey's, but here it just seemed fair somehow. Besides, at his place we just eat it straight from the box.
"Most of it can go in the dishwasher," Pepper said, rising. "But if you want to do the rest, I won't object."
Cleanup took very little time. Tony made sure to get all the eggy residue off the casserole dish, knowing that on some level he was being tested, and Pepper dried each utensil as he finished it and put them all away. As she was hanging up the dishtowel, she glanced back at him. "Tony...you do realize you didn't even bring a change of clothes, right?"
"Hey, I'm a genius," he informed her. "Be right back." At her front door he turned. "No fair locking me out."
Pepper shook her head, and Tony winked again and closed the door. The hallway was empty as he trotted down to the elevator, and the security guard--a different man than when Tony had come in--was the only one in the lobby. Tony walked over to the desk. "There should be a package waiting for me."
The guard reached under the desk and hoisted a decent-sized cardboard box onto the counter. "ID, please."
Amused and approving--alert security was what he wanted to see in Pepper's building--Tony produced his driver's license. The guard looked at it, nodded, and handed it back, and Tony picked up the box. Decades of dealing with servicepeople told him that a tip would not be welcome in this case, so he merely thanked the man and took his parcel back upstairs.
The door was unlocked, and Tony stepped inside and balanced the box on one hip so he could throw the locks, then walked into the living room to deposit it on the couch. "Potts, you need lessons in security, leaving the door open like that. Anyone could have walked in."
Pepper was sitting at her desk, and the dry look she sent over her shoulder told him what she thought of his tease. "What's that?"
Tony fished his microlaser from his pocket and cut through the neat tape job. "I got Happy to pack me some stuff."
Pepper twisted enough to rest her arm on the back of her chair. "You had Happy pack you a box? Tony, you have enough luggage to stock a store."
"Yeah, but we've been lovers for six months, remember?" he pointed out with what he felt was irrefutable logic, opening the flaps. "I'd have stuff here already."
The container held a selection of clothing, neatly folded, and the toiletries kit Tony expected. He kept an emergency overnight bag on hand just in case--there had been times when he'd taken off at a moment's notice, and he did like to be presentable sometimes--and he'd told Happy to just dump the contents into a box and have it delivered to the apartment building.
But as he dug into it Tony felt the hard corners of a smaller box, and looked down to see a package of condoms under the dress shirt. Since he hadn't bought any since getting back from Afghanistan, they had to be an addition.
Tony felt his cheeks heating--not because his chauffeur had bought him condoms, though it was interesting to note that Happy seemed to be on his side, but because it felt...wrong. He wanted Pepper with every fiber of his body, but he wasn't about to try to seduce her in her own home, not when he'd come uninvited.
"What's the matter?" Pepper asked, and he looked up quickly to see her frowning at him in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," Tony said brightly, and buried the packet at the bottom of the box. "Just fine. Um, what do you do at night?" Ouch. "Before going to bed, I mean--"
Pepper's lips were curling up. "Your ears are bright red," she observed.
Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Sorry," he managed, and opened them again, giving her a confident smile. "I'm just trying to figure out how to fit into your routine."
Pepper sniffed. "Tony, you don't fit people's routines, you crash in and let them sort things out in your wake." But she was smiling again. "Usually I check e-mail, do personal stuff online, a few chores, that kind of thing. Read, maybe."
"Personal stuff, or personal?" Tony asked, raising his brows in mock hope.
"Bill paying," Pepper said primly, though the screen behind her seemed to be showing a page full of shoes. "But if you're bored there's some DVDs in the cabinet under the TV."
"Actually, can I raid your library?" Tony slipped the box flaps under one another and put the box on the floor next to the couch. "What?" he asked at Pepper's look of surprise. "I do read."
"Yeah, but I don't have any technical journals. Sure, go ahead." Pepper waved one hand and turned back to her computer.
Tony took a while to study the shelves, trying to work out her system of organization. Fiction shelved by title, he decided at last, except for certain authors, and series by title of the first book. Non-fiction by subject, then author. It seemed both convoluted and logical.
When he returned to the living room, he was carrying a book on forensic accounting, one about the race to the Moon, a thick paperback on Asian economics, and two Heinlein juveniles. Pepper was still at her desk, tapping away and muttering under her breath, with slightly tinny jazz flowing out of the laptop's speakers. Tony settled himself on the couch and began reading.
He was almost halfway through Have Spacesuit, Will Travel--a first edition, he'd noted with some surprise--when Pepper rose and disappeared into the kitchen. A few minutes later she came back with two bowls, one of which she handed down to him before taking her laptop to the easy chair across from the couch.
It took Tony a moment to surface--it had been a long time since he'd read that one--but when he looked in the bowl he discovered it held vanilla ice cream studded with small, sugar-dusted gummy fish.
Not quite his favorite dessert, but close.
He looked up at Pepper, whose own bowl contained vanilla with hot fudge sauce, to judge by the spoonful she was lifting to her lips. "Thanks," he said.
Pepper smiled at him around the stem of the spoon. Sighing contentedly, Tony dug in.
The ice cream was long gone, and Tony was working his way through the forensic accounting manual, when Pepper closed her laptop and stretched absently. Tony didn't turn his head, but he did pay attention; Pepper at full extension was worth observing.
She let her arms fall and sighed. "I'm going to call it a night, Tony. I'll find you some sheets and a pillow, and you know where the bathroom is."
"Okay." Tony closed the book and stood, picking up his bowl and taking hers from her hand. "I'll take care of these."
She shrugged. "All right."
It was a moment's work to put the bowls and spoons in the dishwasher. Tony returned to the living room to find two sheets, a blanket, and two towels folded neatly on the couch, a pillow in its case leaning against the stack. "Hey, no good-night kiss?" he called in the direction of the hallway.
"Don't push your luck," was the answer, and Tony snickered and set about making up his bed for the night.
When he hadn't heard anything from Pepper's bedroom for thirty minutes, Tony closed his book again and got up to rummage in the box for the equivalent to pajamas. Normally he slept in the buff when he slept in a bed, but obviously that wouldn't work at the moment, so he pulled out an old sleeveless tee and a pair of boxers, and went to investigate Pepper's bathroom in greater depth.
It too was tidy--of course--and scrupulously clean, though it carried a hint of her perfume. The walls and tub were white, but there were touches of lavender everywhere, and two huge ferns in ceramic pots on the shelf over the toilet. Tony found space for his kit and undressed for a shower.
Pulling back the shower curtain, he found a neat array of bottles and a sponge, but not the razor he expected. A safety mat hung on a bar at the far end, and he dropped it into the tub, pressing it down with his feet. It felt odd to be so deeply in Pepper's personal space, and he was absorbing every detail, hungry for information.
Turning on the water, he soaked himself for a moment under the spray, and then couldn't resist investigating those bottles. One was shampoo; one was something called "creme rinse", and carried the same faintly peachy fragrance he associated with her hair.
The third was soap of some kind, and when Tony flipped open the cap the delicate vanilla scent wound straight into his nervous system. He breathed deep, suddenly and vividly imagining Pepper in this very space, long limbs and slender body bare and sleek and wet, smoothing suds over her pearly skin.
And then he was there as well, reaching around her to take the sponge and handle the job himself, and she leaned back against him and gave him all the access he wanted--
Fuck. A singularly appropriate epithet. Tony looked down at his eager body, and sighed. "You have two choices, Stark," he murmured under the rush of water. "Deal with this now, or..."
...Or try to explain to Pepper that he'd had a wet dream all over her couch. It wasn't really a choice.
Well, he already had the bottle open. And a vision ready to hand, as it were...
Afterwards, he washed up quickly with his own soap, putting everything back exactly where he'd found it and rehanging the mat as soon as he stepped out of the tub. Pepper had even left him space on the towel racks, and Tony brushed his teeth and hung up the damp towels and padded back to the living room, ruefully aware that he wasn't sleepy at all.
The remaining books held little appeal, and Tony didn't want to watch a DVD and risk disturbing Pepper. Half-heartedly he opened her laptop, back in its place on the desk, and then remembered the music she'd been listening to. Why the hell doesn't she run it through her stereo?
Three hours later he'd adjusted her stereo system to pick up a wireless broadcast from her laptop, and between the junk he had in his pockets and the toolkit he found in the front closet, Tony figured he had a pretty good start on doing the same with her TV. And he was starting to wonder how hard it would be to rig up a better security system--remote locks, maybe--and if he wasn't trying so hard to get her to move in with him he could copy Jarvis and set her up with her own AI.
For starters.
"Tony, what are you doing?"
He looked up, startled. The room was lighter than he remembered, and Pepper was standing behind the couch, looking adorably tousled and sleepy...and baffled. Tony looked back down at the screwdriver in his hand. "Uh...upgrading."
"Upgrading what?" Pepper walked around the couch and approached him; she was wrapped in a very worn flannel robe that hung almost to her toes, and from his seat on the floor Tony realized that he really wanted to lean over and slip his hands into the gap near her ankles, and run his hands up those long, long legs hiding beneath the prosaic fabric.
"Right now? Your laptop."
Pepper blinked down at the computer in his lap. Half of its innards were distributed across her coffee table, and the hard drive was next to his right foot. Tony could see various responses flickering behind Pepper's eyes, but he had a point in his favor--he knew all her data was backed up nightly to a private server, because he'd set it up for her himself.
Nonetheless, her lips parted in what looked like dismay, and he smirked up at her. "What's the matter, Potts, don't you trust me?"
Her nose wrinkled, and then she laughed, suddenly cheerful. "Demonstrably. Did you sleep at all?"
"Nope," he replied, equally cheerful.
She shook her head. "I'm going to go make breakfast. Please tell me you didn't 'upgrade' my coffee machine too."
"Not yet." At her arched brow, Tony looked hurriedly back down to his project. "I'll just...put this back together, okay?"
"You do that." The hand that tousled his hair was unexpected, sending a thrill through him as she walked away. Grinning to himself, Tony began the reassembly.