Day 24 – Part 2

R (just to be safe)

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"Missed me?"

Whatwhatwhatwhat. I glance around myself, again, but it's hopeless. Jarvis isn't responding and my suit is across the workshop. I try to cling to the last piece of my faltering control. I know that if I would try to attack her I'll most probably end up with a twisted dick. Or a broken one, if I'm lucky enough.

"How couldn't I?" I whisper, barely audible. I risk a brief look at her, but she's smirking, knowing maybe that those words are just lies.

"Do you wanna play with me?" Play with her? God. Bad idea.

I'm staring unbashedly at her, my eyes wide as onions. She laughs.

"Promise you," She starts suddenly when she sees me so unresponsive. "- that if you play along a little bit, I'll let anything else slip. Including your so-called romantic relationship with that woman of yours, Virginia, is it?"

"You're crazy! I- I'm not doing anything, least of all with you!" I mutter harshly and take in her rufled appearance. "I'm not even into a relationship!"

"Oh." Her brows shoot up and her eyes are a darker shade than usual. "You dare lying to me, Anthony?"

We're standing in the middle of the workshop – how the hell did we end up there? I don't remember moving a step from her. It gives me an idea, though.

A week after the battle I installed an emergency panel beneath my desk, if only I could reach there without her suspecting a thing.

"Gee, I dunno. Usually, it's – you know, helpful."

"Don't fool yourself, Tony Stark. You don't really know what I can do to you," She pauses while her face lightens up. Shit. "Or…" She continues devilishly. "To Virginia. If you prefer that way."

Great. Fantastic. Excellent. Marvelous.

Thrilling, though.

"I must say," I acknowledge softly, as my eyes drift down to the panel. "You're really tricky, sometimes. Just my luck."

She grins, exposing her white, perfect teeth.

"You wouldn't like it any other way." She says and eyes me with a hunger in her eyes I've never seen before.

"But," My hand is resting over the red button there, waiting patiently. "I must ask you to leave, or else I'll have to call the cops or tie you myself, which, don't get me wrong, it's not going to be kinky. Na-ah!" I almost yell as she starts walking towards me.

"I'll leave you, Iron Man." She says with a hint of sadness in her voice. Her hand, though, somehow sneakes in my pants and finds no impediment as her slender fingers encircle my cock and squeezes with a precise amount of pressure for me to writhe and fall down to my knees.

"… pleaseplease don't." I slur out, the words oddly constricted. I know there are cameras in here, mounted for security and uh… other things, but I also know that Jarvis has them all stored safely onto my private server. I'd better delete the feed, because I don't want Pepper to find out this whole – stupidity.

"Don't what? Beg me."

Hell. I can't breathe when she's doing these things to me. Things like what she's currently doing between my legs and the fact that her lips bite mine so roughly that it only becomes a pain. And not long after I can taste my own blood in my mouth.

Before reaching that point, her hand stops moving and she retracts it immediately. My vision is blurry and I still can't breathe very well.

"You're a big boy." She whispers finally when she's five feet away from me. "You can handle it by yourself."

Am I? That's the real question.

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I don't know why I just can't simply jerk off. It's not like I haven't done it before, but thinking about what happened just a few minutes ago simply makes my hand stop.

It's the same fifteen minutes after when Pepper arrives, her face dropping when she actually sees me. I can feel a drop of blood dripping from my mouth, down my chin and fall down, soaking into the carpet.

She takes in my appearance with wide, unblinking eyes, and when her eyes spot my erection they linger there a little bit longer, and then they totally stop over my face. I can't breathe now.

"She did this to me." I mutter in an unrecognizable, hoarse voice.

I can feel my eyes start watering when she doesn't say or do anything. She keeps staring at me, until she hears my chocked sob. It's only then when she strides the last steps towards me and looks better at me.

She asks me calmly what happened. I can barely open my mouth so she asks Jarvis. He shows the video feed to her and my chest hurts when she watches it. After it's over she lays one hand on her mouth and stares at the blank screen.

"I think I might need some time, alone."

My heart breaks and the hurt grows even more, and I open my mouth before I think.

"Don't leave me, Pepper."

She stops but keeps her back towards me. I can see her shoulders rise and fall and I think she's crying, but her voice is steady when she tells me.

"I'm not leaving you. I don't have any where else to go. Go take a shower. I'll be waiting."

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Slowly, but reluctantly I get out of the shower and head to my bedroom, my hair dripping wet.

I look down to the towel encircling my waist and sigh. The full has turned into a semi, which is a good thing, after all.

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After I dress up, I head down the stairs and into the kitchen. Pepper is sitting on a stool, and she's drinking a cup of tea. There are some traces of tears on her face and her voice is raspy and slow when she whispers it's nothing. Nothing bullshit. I don't know how many more chances is she willing to give me now…

I can't touch her and it hurts. It hurts because I love her so much and I want to tell her so. I know I'm a loser when it's something about her, but I want to try.

"You don-don't know how hard it is for me to make things right." I whisper sometime after I finished my second cup of English tea.

She's not saying anything, though. I can't go on much longer.

"She meant nothing. You do." I say and look down at the small tea cup. "Because I love you."

The small gasp that rushes past her lips gives me hope. When I turn to her she's frozen.

"I think I'll see you in the morning. I had Jarvis secure the mansion. It's safe and you can, uh choose a room, I don't care. Just stay here for at least a few days until I can find a safe place for you." I lean and brush my lips on her forehead, briefly. "Goodnight."

Before I exit the kitchen I stop by the fridge and fish out two cans of Red Bull, but I can't stop the slight tremor in my body and the way my entire body seemed to chill after my admission of love.

That night I fall asleep, my neck in an awkward position and one of my leg falling down on the floor. The couch is better than the desk, though.

In the morning I can feel her cool hands stroking my hair as a warm blanket replaced the coolness of loneliness.

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I want your opinion, guys. Together/not together just yet?