Affairs of the Heart
Tony & Pepper, Ironman
July 5th 2018
Tony and Pepper have finally admitted to and acted on their feelings for one another. Their ensuing pursuit of happiness is filled with the twists and turns one would expect for a couple as prolific as they are. The in-between story we missed as they built their relationship together from IM2 to The Avengers.
Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Ironman and/or Marvel. I just enjoy playing with them.
Chapter Five
"We should get out of the city, do something fun." Tony said, watching Pepper step carefully down the stairs after her shower.
"I guess that depends on what you consider fun today. Usually we have differing opinions on that."
"There are different levels of fun and I just happen to enjoy physical fun more than the rest. But... It would be a little weird to do that out in the open." The gleam in his eyes told her he didn't really mean that last sentence. "Just real, couple fun. You do know what fun is, right?"
She shot him a dry glare. "Ha ha."
"I really appreciate the casual dress code you've adopted in your time off. Maybe you should never go back to work." His gaze raked over her, trying to commit her shorts and fitted t-shirt look to memory and he was pleased to see her blush under his scrutiny. He liked that; to be the one to make her feel something. "We could go shopping for more casual wear, fill up the wardrobe here..."
She shrugged. "Okay."
"Uh... Okay?" He tried to conceal the elation in his voice, but judging by her expression he had failed. "As in yes?"
"I do not think there is any other interpretation, sir." Jarvis suddenly spoke up and Tony scowled.
"Nobody asked you!" Tony snarked back, folding his arms across his chest.
"Only if we stop for coffee. And I get to pick the music."
Tony pouted at her last demand, but quickly agreed and she watched in amusement as he practically threw himself down the stairs to the workshop. She liked this animated, attentive version of Tony. She ran upstairs to grab her purse before following him down, not surprised to find him in one of his too-luxurious vehicles, idling and waiting for her.
"Jarv! Lock up." He commanded.
"Sir." The AI acknowledged.
Pepper slid into the passenger seat and before she'd even fastened her seatbelt, he was taking off with a screech of tires into the Malibu sun. She scowled at him, merely receiving a grin in response. Before she knew it, his hand was on her thigh and she was acutely aware of the little squeeze he gave it. She felt frozen. His big, warm, very rough and manly hand was on her very naked thigh and the feelings that she was becoming very well acquainted with these days was back. She knew she was staring too long, but it was hard to look away. And to breathe.
"It's not a bomb." She swallowed past the lump in her throat, looking over at him. "My hand, I mean." He continued in the face of her silence.
She looked away again, out the window, trying to get the butterflies threatening to fly out of her mouth under some kind of control. "It's so easy for you," she stated, almost accusingly. "I feel like it might just be autopilot for you and-" She cut herself off, knowing that she would regret her next words, knowing it was unfair and a very typical heat-of-the-moment response.
"You know, ever since I came home from Afghanistan I've been trying to be better. For me and Rhodey and the company, but mostly for you." He didn't look at her, keeping his eyes strictly on the road. "I don't do this with anybody. I take them to bed – sorry, by the way – and then I bail. I'm really trying here, Pepper. I know I'm not so good at emotions and I love being selfish... And I'd still like to take you to bed, but it's only easy for me because I've known what I want since I came back. You don't know what you want."
"I do," she protested, finally covering his hand with hers. She sighed. "Your history scares me."
"I know." He admitted solemnly. "I'm not only trying to sleep with you, even if that's number one on my list. You've gotta give me a chance." They both stayed quiet for a minute, before he added, "of course, once you have me you'll know exactly what you want one hundred percent of the time."
She laughed and the tension between them dissolved.
The rest of the drive was easy silence or their usual back and forth banter. Once they'd made it to Santa Monica, he eased the car off the highway towards the shopping centre. They spent the better part of two hours wandering around, Tony showing her all of the very inappropriate clothing he could find while begging her to model it for him. Pepper largely ignored him, picking up only what she wanted and presenting her own plastic card for payment, much to Tony's displeasure.
"Really? Do you know how much you pay me!" She snapped at him on his fourth attempt, snatching his card from him and shoving it in her purse so he couldn't thrust it into her face again.
"You should get used to it." He replied, but he wasn't looking at her anymore, instead focused on the crowd that had gathered at the front of the store. He was tapping his reactor again, which she was beginning to recognize as a nervous tic. "We've acquired some stragglers."
"At least it's just people; I don't see any mic's or cameras." She joked, but his frown remained. "Tony, it's fine. I think I'm done anyways." She held up her multiple bags to prove her point.
"People are unpredictable. Reporters, at least, are not." His hand grasped her elbow as they moved to leave. "I would take your bags, but I might need these." He wiggled his fingers in front of them.
"You're being paranoid, Tony."
"That's my new middle name."
They made it to his car in one piece, though he was still tense even after he slid in and shut the door. She smiled softly and held his hand, willing him to speak.
"So maybe from now on, we always take Happy." He said finally and she could tell he was forcing his tone to stay light.
"I've never seen you like that in a crowd of people before. Usually you eat up the attention."
He sighed, glancing sideways at her. "Attention... Might not always be a good thing anymore, Pep."
It hit her then, that he was worried about her. Another new development to file away. Of course Tony cared about people, especially his inner circle which was really just Rhodey, Happy and herself, but his obsession with himself typically relegated them all to a niggling afterthought. She certainly had never actually seen with her eyes any evidence of his feelings quite like this. Though, she admitted to herself, that wasn't exactly true. He'd been showing a lot of himself to her lately, throughout the Palladium poisoning and the last couple of days. Still, he loved to hear his own voice, to be celebrated and sought after; this careful, wary version of him was just... Well, weird.
"Tony, don't start hiding from the world," she soothed. "I'm a big girl and I know what I'm getting myself into."
"I have a very big, neon-flashing target the size of China on my back now."
"You've always had that," she deadpanned, "it was just hit with bras and panties before."
"I'm not used to people wanting to get up in your space like this." He clarified, ignoring her jab at his playboy antics. "It makes me nervous. And now that we're – you know – what if-?" He blustered, pressing his foot on the gas without thought for the speed he was already driving at. He'd yanked away the hand she'd been holding to wildly gesticulate as he rambled.
"Take me home." She interrupted.
"What!?" He practically shouted, gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles whitened. "You're not the best at following a conversation lately."
She laughed, trying to stifle it when he looked even more lost. "I just need to grab some things," she reassured him.
"Couldn't resist me anymore, just like I thought," he fired back, relief permeating his voice.
"I just really like Jarvis," she quipped. "And your house. And your money. And a warm body."
"A warm body? I'm hurt. I never knew how superficial you were, but I'm glad to be seeing your true colours after so many years."
"My boss has rubbed off on me over the years."
He raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "What a dick. Please, point me in the direction of the man who has managed to 'rub off' on you," he said, his voice changing from mock outrage to suggestive, "so I can kill him and take his place."
"Maybe I'll just let you." She said it as seriously as she could muster, which was no small feat when they were playing around like this.
He was silent for the rest of the drive.
AN: Told ya I'd be quicker.