A/N: This chapter contains some adult scenes, but not at all explicit. Also, I would like to thank everyone that has left a review! You rock!
His muscles ached, his throat was dry and his skin burned feverishly.
As soon as the suit was off him, Jarvis was kind enough to let him know that the tests for the new element were ready.
"Sir, it appears that the new element is the viable solution for your problem. Future poisoning will be completely avoidable."
"Thanks, J." Tony exhaled happily and made his way upstairs and into the master bathroom, where he pulled out a towel and slid down his neoprene suit which was oozing with sweat and blood.
Grimacing slightly, Tony threw the clothes into the hamper and slid into the shower. As much as his mind was still processing the revolutionary experiment he'd made in his workshop earlier that day, his body was still basking in the warm feeling of love and lust that overcame him as soon as he'd kissed Pepper.
Letting his head fall back against the shower tiles, Tony closed his eyes and grabbed the soap, lathering it in his hands before scrubbing it against his skin. The hot water ran down his back and managed to relax him a little bit. Smoothing down his hands against his chest, Tony let out a heavy breath and imagined Pepper's hands on his skin, soft and petite, yet so warm and perfect.
Perfect, his mind kept on echoing as he slid his hand lower and closed his eyes, his legs trembling slightly as he enclosed his hand around his hardened member. He knew it wasn't probably the best time to be taking matters in his own hands, as they say, but honestly, it had been such a long time since he'd felt even remotely turned on as he was at the moment.
"Pepper." He breathed out loud, too engrossed in picturing pale skin and countless freckles. He rested one hand against the shower tiles, using it as leverage as he worked himself quicker, almost forgetting how to breathe. The only thing he could think of was her and how much joy he was feeling at the fact that they'd both crossed that line and finally, finally, admitted what they'd been denying for years.
It was the perfect feeling. It rivaled even the first flight test in the suit. Actually, nothing could be compared to this sudden blossomed happiness that encompassed his entire being. Groaning through gritted teeth, Tony bit down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood and squeezed himself harder, feeling his thighs tremble as he reached his climax, panting harshly as the water continued to pour down onto his sore body.
Sore, my ass, he thought as he cleaned himself up and washed his hair.
Blissfully sated, Tony turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, grabbing the towel. He began to scrub at his hair when suddenly, Jarvis spoke up.
"Sir, Nick Fury is on the line. Also, the Secretary of Defense has left a voicemail while you were in the shower. Shall I put him through?"
Tony groaned and fished out a pair of clean boxers out of the closet.
"Tell him I'm busy." He said and padded downstairs, where he crashed on the couch, planning to stay up until Pepper returned.
"I'm afraid he's insisting."
"I won't hear it, Jarvis." Tony muttered and closed his eyes, realizing that he hadn't cleaned up his cuts and bruises. "Dim the lights a bit and tell Giorgio to grab something fresh to eat. We're all out of food here."
"On it, Sir." The AI replied quickly and dimmed the lights, leaving Tony alone in the darkened room.
What seemed like an eternity later, there was a soft knock at the door. The first to react was Jarvis, who opened it automatically. Tony pried his eyes open and stared at Happy who was looking a bit roughened up.
"Still calling that dirty boxing?" Tony asked amusingly and sat up from the couch before lazily walking up to him. "Who'd you fight?"
In that moment, Pepper made her way inside the penthouse, eyeing him warily.
"Enough with jokes for tonight, guys." Pepper deadpanned as she sat down on an armchair in order to take off her shoes. "Thank you Happy for staying up so late. You'll take tomorrow off."
The chauffeur looked at his boss with a smile and nodded quickly.
"If there's anything else you need me to do, boss, give me a call." Happy said and quietly closed the door behind him as he left.
The redhead stretched lightly and looked Tony over with concerned eyes.
"Is that…" She asked as she looked at the new arc reactor intently. Tony looked down at his chest and saw that the lines that had been there previously had magically disappeared. Silently thanking God, he shrugged and licked his lips.
"Yep. It's a new prototype and it's working. No need to worry over something that's happened in the past." He stated and watched her eyebrows furrow in that typical 'I'm getting angry' Potts face. "Or, you know, we could sleep on it?"
Tony's heart started beating faster the moment that Pepper got up and snorted, brushing past him.
"Typical Tony." She muttered and turned towards him, her nostrils flaring. "Why do I even bother, right? Cause that's what you do. You're always hiding things from me and then you'll brush them off as if they didn't matter in the first place. How can I trust you, Tony? Tell me!"
Tony stood there, confused as to why she was acting that way. He shook his head slightly and opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. His throat closed up and he looked at his feet, shoulders sagging in defeat. She was right, even though he hated to admit that. Deep down, he knew that he'd been the worst coward by not telling her that he was dying. He didn't think it would matter that much to her. That's why he'd chosen to keep that piece of information classified.
"Well?" Pepper prompted and stared at him.
"I was… I was just—" He choked out, suddenly feeling extremely exposed to her, both physically and emotionally.
Pepper seemed to notice this, so she nodded and went upstairs, ignoring the quick throbbing of her heart. When she reached her spare bedroom, she threw aside her purse and sat down on the bed, weaving her fingers through her hair. God, how much she hated him right now! He was an infuriating asshole whose sole purpose was to drive her crazy!
Unable to fight off tears anymore, Pepper stood up and began to cry silently, feeling the weight of the world resting on her shoulders. She felt helpless and more alone than ever. She had always put him first, ahead of her own needs. How selfless of her! How could she care about him that much when all he did was to risk his life and joke around? She was absolutely certain that what happened between them, a mere hour ago, was something that he did just out of being adrenaline fueled.
Pepper knew, she just knew that he was playing with her. To him, nothing really matters, she reasoned, trying to find comfort in the hot water that fell over her in the shower.
Meanwhile, Tony was pacing back and forth in his bedroom, having thrown on a sweater and some pants. He passed a hand through his hair and sat down on his bed, exhaustion finally creeping up on him. He closed his eyes and managed to get in the king sized bed. Pulling the comforter around him, he let out a loud sigh and tried to fall asleep. But the more he tried to fall asleep, the more his eyes began to sting. He hated himself for acting like that around Pepper. She deserved an explanation for his reckless behavior!
You're a fucking asshole, that's what you are, he chided himself as he turned on his other side, trying to ignore the dull pain in his chest – a pain that didn't have anything to do with the palladium poisoning.
"Hey, Jarvis?" He called out towards the ceiling.
"How may I be of assistance, Sir?" The AI calmly replied.
"Did Pepper go to sleep?" He asked, contemplating about going over to her and ending this fight his way.
"No, Sir. She's on the phone with the President right now. Shall I give her a message?"
Tony sighed and arranged his pillow beneath his head more comfortably.
"Nope. Thanks, though."
"You're welcome. Good night, Sir."
Tony wasn't capable of staying awake anymore. Instead of barging into Pepper's room, he chose to fall asleep and hoped that the next day would bring him a chance to apologize and to explain everything to her.
When he woke up the next morning, Tony slid out of the bed with a small groan of pain and walked into the bathroom to freshen up. He washed his face and brushed his teeth before casually exiting the bedroom, expecting to find Pepper in the kitchen, talking on the phone over breakfast, but when he reached the kitchen, she was nowhere in sight.
"Where's Pepper?" Tony called out to his faithful AI, who was prompt as usual.
"Miss Potts has left the premises an hour and twenty seven minutes ago."
Tony was dumbstruck. He stood in the doorway and tapped his arc reactor.
"Did she say where she was going?" Dumb question. She was obviously going into the office to sort out the mess he'd created. "Nevermind. I'll be out for a couple of hours. Lock down the place."
Half an hour later, Tony was casually strolling down the SI's corridors, smirking at everyone that paid attention to him. Ignoring Pepper's secretary, who was trying to keep him out of her office, Tony barged in and watched in horror as the Director of the Board turned his head and saw him. Fuck.
"Um, I'll be back later." Tony mumbled quickly and tried to exit Pepper's office, when her voice stopped him dead in his tracks.
"What a pleasure, Mr. Stark. Please be kind and join us." Tony's blood ran cold at her tone and he turned around, face totally transfixed.
"I have some pressing matters to attend, Miss Potts." Tony played along, irked about the fact that she was using his first name. "I'm sorry for interrupting you."
The Director of the Board glared at him and the way that Pepper refused to look at him made things even worse. Well, great, he thought. I officially screwed things up before apologizing, actually.
"Yikes." He breathed out once he was out of the office, feigning a smile to Pepper's secretary, who was giving him the same look that the director gave him. "Well, back to work, missy." He told her as he went by her desk, heading out towards the cafeteria.
Two can play this game, he whispered to himself as he pulled out his phone and called Fury.