AN: Unbelievable. This is actually chapter 10! Hope you enjoy it!
Pepper loved mornings. The quiet moments before everyone else woke up. She would make a coffee for herself, sit down with the newspaper and just enjoy the silence.
Quite often, Bruce would join her. They hardly ever talked in this moments. Both drank their coffee, both read their newspaper. It was a silent companionship both of them enjoyed.
Sometimes, one of them would comment an article from the newspaper. The other would replie something, and then they would go back to their comfortable silence.
This were the only hours the tower was really quiet. Pepper and Bruce always got up around six am, then they had an hour before Steve would come. Steve never showed much interest in the politics of the day, for him it was enough when Bruce gave him a quick summary. Half an hour later, when Pepper had finished her newspaper, Clint and Natasha would show up. None of them read the newspaper, they had to do enough with politics at work. Pepper got quite skilled in finding out which news they created on their various missions. About another half hour later, just before Pepper was about to leave, Tony would show up. He never cared for politics as long as nobody bothered him. An hour later, when Pepper was already in the office, Thor and Jane would come down. That was the way every morning, and so it had ended that Pepper and Bruce were the only ones reading the newspapers.
Just like today. Pepper just went through the economy part when Bruce spoke up.
„Looks like the newspapers finally got the news about your engagment."
Pepper smiled down to the ring on her finger and replied:
„Took them only three month."
„How did you manage to hide it from them for so long?"
„Actually, the trick is to try not to hard. If you do, they'll know something is off. I often wore rings in the past, so nobody thought there was something special about this one. How did they find out?"
„Obviously one of your assistants spilled it. Your doing?"
„The art of PR." Pepper smiled again. Of course she had told the assistant to go to the reporter. Her assistants were far to loyal to tell anyone without her permission.
„Looks like much work for you."
„Not really. Press statements and everything is prepared. I wanted to have control over the time they get it to not be overwhelmed."
„And once again, your plan worked."
„I dealed with the PR for Tony for over a decade now. This was a piece of cake."
Bruce just smiled and both of them went back to their newspapers and read on in silence.
Yes, Pepper loved mornings.
AN: A Bruce/Pepper moment, as requested. Hope you liked it. Any other ideas? And Mysterygal5 and Mushroomking98: I have not forgotten, I already work on it!