Once a month, the faculty rotated through who would handle detentions for the month, and it was now Pepper's turn. She didn't mind too much, most of the time she would just get some reading done while the students caught up on homework, or shoot some ideas at them while she planned her upcoming lessons. She approached her classroom, glancing at the sheet attached to the pinboard next to the door indicating who was attending that afternoon, and did a double take.
It said Tony Stark, and nothing else.
She'd been avoiding him since they got back from the gallery, only talking to him inside of a classroom setting and ensuring she wasn't alone with him, and now she had an hour of awkwardness ahead of her. She sighed heavily and stepped into the room, grateful that he wasn't already there, she would need some time to prepare herself. Their brief interaction at the gallery has confused her to no end, the look he'd given her sent shivers down her spine when she thought about it and she shook the thoughts away, ruffling some papers on her desk and sitting down.
A knock at the door ten minutes later startled her, but she calmed herself and told whoever it was to come in. Tony opened the door and slipped inside the room, closing it behind him and looking around, smiling as he saw they were alone.
"Hello Tony." Pepper greeted him, lips pursed as she actively avoided looking at him. "Come take a seat."
Tony did so, slinging his bag underneath his normal desk and slouching down in the chair after shucking off his jacket. "I didn't know you were doing detention today." He said, leaning back on two chair legs.
"Drew the short straw." She sighed in response, flicking her gaze up to him briefly. "Don't lean on your chair like that."
"I'm the short straw?" He asked, but acquiesced and dropped back onto four legs.
"Is there something you need to be getting on with?" She asked, ignoring his question. Tony simply smirked in response, irritating her further. "If you don't have any homework I've got some worksheets you can do." She stood up and went to the cabinet by the window, routing around for a moment. She pulled out a stack of worksheets and turned back around, spilling them over the floor when she found Tony standing right behind her. "Wh-what are you doing?"
"You've been avoiding me, Pepper." He said, voice low, eyes hooded. "Why?"
Pepper swallowed and tried to level her breathing, but every breath drew in more of his scent. "How the hell- never mind, Tony, go back to your seat." She hissed, very aware of the wobble in her voice.
In defiance, Tony stepped closer, causing Pepper to retreat back into the cabinet shelving with a small thud. "Tell me why."
She shook her head and let out a nervous laugh. "You need to stop." She insisted, forcing herself to believe it. "This needs to stop. I'm your teacher."
"For another four months." He argued, eyes flitting between her eyes and her lips.
"You're seventeen."
"It's my birthday in April."
Pepper swallowed hard and floundered around for another excuse but couldn't find one. "Tony…"
He dipped his head and kissed her softly, the movement so quick it barely registered. A gentle brush of his lips against hers to test the waters. It left her reeling, her cheeks burning and pulse going a mile a minute, pounding in her ears. When he pulled back, she leaned into him and had to catch herself on his arm to prevent stumbling. His skin was hot. Her fingers tightened on his arm and he kissed her again, slower this time, feeling her respond cautiously. He pressed her gently against the shelving and deepened the kiss, sliding his arms around her waist. Pepper's fingers skimmed up along his arms and into his hair, letting out a sigh as his tongue entered her mouth.
A knock on the door startled both of them and Pepper pulled away in shock, staring at he door over Tony's shoulder. The door rattled as someone tried to open it. "Ms Potts?"
"I locked the door." Tony assured her, panting against her cheek. Pepper pulled back and gazed up at him. His lips were red and puffy, and she imagined hers weren't any different. The door rattled again and he pulled away, bending down to pick up the worksheets she'd dropped while she went to answer the door, wiping her mouth as she went.
"Sorry, force of habit." She greeted the student on the other side of the door, praying her lipstick wasn't that smudged. "What's up?"
"Mr Clarke told me to come down here. Pissed him off last period." The boy sloped into the room, looking like his entire day had been ruined. "Hey Tony." He greeted Tony who was shuffling the papers back together on the desk, breathing hard. He jerked his head in response, glancing over at Pepper as she closed the door again.
The rest of the hour was tense. Pepper couldn't concentrate on her book, Tony was tapping his foot against the floor in silent fury, and the other lad Pepper recognised as Dominic was completely oblivious, scribbling away on his algebra homework. When it reached ten minutes before they were due to leave, Pepper had finally had enough and snapped her book closed. "Okay, home time." She sighed, grabbing her bag and stuffing her book into it. "You're both free to go."
Dominic didn't waste any time, hurriedly packing his bag away and fleeing before Pepper changed her mind about letting them leave early. Once he was gone, Pepper glanced at Tony and took a breath.
"Don't say a word." She said, voice quavering, roughly zipping her bag shut and throwing it over her shoulder. She was incredibly upset with herself for having let it get this far, more so for indulging. "Just leave and we can forget-" her words were swallowed by his mouth on hers and she squeaked softly, her treacherous body responding to his touch. She let her bag fall to the floor and circled her arms around his neck as he pressed her against her desk while Tony's hands rested on her waist. He was strong and solid and for a moment Pepper forgot why she'd been so upset, ignoring the alarms going off in her brain. Long moments passed and Pepper was almost letting herself get away with it until Tony pressed her against her desk and something on it fell to the floor with a clatter. She pulled away with a jerk and shoved him away, panting heavily. "Tony, this needs to stop, right now."
"I don't think you mean that." He replied, breathing heavy.
"That's not your decision." She huffed, picking up her bag again and turning for the door. "Just…just leave me alone." And with that she left, hurrying down the hallway to her car and fleeing home.
Tony seemed to understand that he'd pressed against a boundary she wasn't prepared to cross, and so he was on his best behavior for the following weeks leading up to spring break. Pepper concentrated on trying to make the lessons more involved, so they all had something else to focus on, specifically so she didn't feel a burning sensation in the pit of her stomach every time she looked at him. Their final pieces for their coursework were due before they went on break, so most lessons Pepper had them studiously scribbling or painting to make sure only their best work was put forward. A couple had already been handed in, and Pepper knew they'd be getting good grades, which gave her a sense of pride.
As the bell rang for their final lesson signalling the start of spring break, Pepper called out to the class to remind them to turn in their portfolios if they hadn't already.
"I'll be grading them over my break so do try and think of me while you're off enjoying your vacations." She said through a smile as she accepted the last few and her students filed out. Tony was holding back, taking his time putting his belongings in his bag, eventually stepping forward with a substantial black folder in his hands. "Thank you, Tony." Pepper held her hand out to take it from him but he paused before handing it over.
"These mean a lot to me." He said, knuckles white where he gripped the folder. "And I'd appreciate it if you look past everything to give me a fair grade."
Pepper let her hand drop, frowning at his words. "Of course, I wouldn't let anything that happened interfere with your grading."
Tony sighed and handed the folder over. "That's not what I meant." He said.
Puzzled, Pepper flipped open the folder. Her breath caught in her throat as she studied the various drawings and paintings. Tony was a true artist, he'd used every technique she could think of to produce some truly beautiful artworks, but as she turned towards the middle, his motif changed. Suddenly there were dark and stormy pencil and charcoal pieces, mostly of landscapes and buildings, but the occasional portrait of-
"Me." She mumbled, staring down at the hyper realistic drawing of herself, sat under the tree she usually took her breaks when she wanted some privacy, reading a book. She turned the page and was confronted with a startling colourful abstract portrait of a woman, fiery hair blowing in the wind. Her again. The next was of a couple embracing, the man's face obscured by the woman's who had her eyes closed, clinging to him as if her life depended on it.
Pepper was in shock. She stared down at the final drawing, fingers trembling at the corner of the page. "They're of me." She whispered, finally looking up at him.
"Yeah." Tony sighed, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"They're beautiful, Tony."
Tony blinked, his mouthing turning down at the corners. "Well…yeah." He said simply. "You are."
Pepper inhaled shakily and looked back down at the folder, closing it slowly. She stood up, rounded the desk, grabbed his open jacket in both hands and pulled him to her, kissing him soundly. Tony grunted against her mouth but was keeping up with her an instant later, hands landing on her hips and matching her eager kiss. Pepper turned them and pressed him against the desk, completely enveloped by him. It was no use, he was going to keep knocking her off her feet every time she thought she had a grip on this, and she was tired.
"Pepper." Tony mumbled between kisses, gently pulling away from her. "Pepper, the door's open." He smiled against her mouth and cupped her cheek. "Not that I mind but I don't think it's in our best interests to let everyone see."
Pepper blushed and stifled a laugh, stepping back from him and raking a hand through her hair awkwardly. "Sorry. I don't know what came over me." She cleared her throat and reached up to wipe his lips with her thumb, smudging the lipstick marks she'd left. "Are you sure? Are you certain this is what you want?"
"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Tony replied solemnly before she'd finished speaking. He shot a sideways glance at the door and when he was sure no-one was about to walk past, he bent his head and kissed her again. "I want you, I'm not gonna stop wanting you. Let me."
Letting out a shallow breath, Pepper wiped her hands over her face and took a moment to pull herself together. It was only a few months, and then it wouldn't be so sordid…right?
"Okay." She whispered, peering up at him through her fingers and then, with more certainty. "Okay."
Tony beamed at her, kissing her again and resting his forehead against hers.
"Okay."
