Affairs of the Heart
Tony & Pepper, Ironman
August 8th 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 Seven
Waking up was not pleasant in some ways; mostly the splitting headache, coupled with the embarrassment curling in her chest. But, the warmth of Tony's body was soothing so she tried to push the negatives away. He hadn't run after the very ridiculous show she'd put on and she figured that was a good thing, not that he had any right to judge. Gingerly, she turned in his embrace to face him, taking advantage of the rare moment to watch him sleep, utterly relaxed and peaceful. She sighed after a minute and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck and shoulder, not wanting to get up, but knowing she had to.
Stark Industries never stopped, especially not for her – their – personal lives.
She managed to slide out of bed without without waking him and she gathered her discarded clothing littering the floor from the night before as she made her way to the bathroom. Closing the door quietly, she turned to see her exhausted face staring back at her in the mirror and she frowned. Definitely not what she thought the morning after would be like. She snorted as the thought ran through her mind, feeling disappointment blooming in her chest.
Of course, I would be the one woman he turns down for sex.
Nevermind that his reasons were entirely perfect.
She got ready quickly, not wanting to test her luck with this changed version of Tony, thinking about all of the propositions to help her shower over the years. Once she was satisfied with her appearance, she peeked her head out of the bathroom and was surprised to see the bed empty, covers strewn about. It took only a moment for the smell of fresh coffee to hit her and she smiled softly, tip-toeing into her closet to get dressed.
"I have something to show you later. The house. Top secret." Tony chirped the second she set foot in the kitchen and she glanced at him curiously, trying her best not to stare at the expanse of his shirtless chest. "Top secret," he reiterated, flashing her his trademark grin with a mischevious wink.
"O-kay... Do I need to be worried? If it's another suit, Tony, I really think you should take a break and focus on the company for a little-"
"Not a suit," he interrupted, scowling at the thought of taking a break from his most prized possessions. "You'll like it, I promise."
"Am I going to be honoured with your presence at work today?" She asked, tone dry enough to let him know she thought she already knew the answer. She held his shirt out to him and he took it, but didn't dress himself immediately.
He shrugged in response. "Sure. Why not? That place needs a little excitement from time to time."
She watched him closely as she sipped at the coffee he made her, marvelling at the fact that he hadn't once mentioned the events of last night yet. It was starting to get more and more difficult to reconcile the change in him and she wondered if he was close to imploding from the stress of trying to keep it all together. Surely it wasn't that easy for him? After all these years? He'd certainly built an impressive repertoire of habits and routines and she was having trouble beliving he'd just left it all behind so quickly.
Her thoughts raced as she tried to decide how to start what she wanted to say next, knowing she had to say something. "Tony... About last night..."
He locked eyes with her, but said nothing, allowing her to continue. She could feel the heat in her cheeks as they flushed pink and she looked away self consciously, annoyed with the lack of control over her own body. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry. It was... Well, you know-"
"I believe the word you're looking for is adorable."
She gaped at him, sure she was hearing things. "Um-"
"Pepper, if I needed any reassurance that you feel the same way about me as I do you, then last night was the answer." He said, serious and without a hint of jest in his eyes. "I tried to remember the last time I'd ever seen you drunk and I actually don't think I ever have. Until last night."
She remained quiet, picking her coffee mug up again to give her fidgetting hands something to do. She wasn't sure what else to say to him – did she tell him she was embarrassed? Probably not, because isn't this what she wanted? To break down the walls between them for something more?
"I wanted to, you know." She finally confessed, ignoring the nervousness trying to clog her throat. "A lot."
He was in front of her before she could blink, guiding the hand clutching the coffee mug down to the counter, so close that she could breathe in his scent. "Me too. But Pepper," he eyed her closely, running his fingers lightly up and down her arms, making her shiver, "I don't want you to have to be inebriated to get into bed with me."
"I know."
She stared at him for a minute and he stared right back until she broke the gaze, slipping around him to get into her kitchen. "Put your shirt on. We should get going, we have a lot to do today." She dumped both their coffee's into the sink, rinsing the cups out and putting them into the dishwasher hurriedly.
"But we haven't even had breakfast," he whined, following her despite his protests. "And you just dumped my barely enjoyed coffee."
"Listen, today might be the only day you come into work so I need to take advantage of all the time I've got. Let's go." She ordered, grabbing her purse and swinging the front door open, holding it for him pointedly. "Starbucks was invented for a reason."
He rolled his eyes, bounding into her bedroom to grab his phone before sauntering out the door with her. "Now this is how I want you to be when you get into bed with me. Taking charge and bossy."
The day passed as slowly as a day ever could and Pepper found herself sighing more times than she could count. It seemed like everything thrown her way today was made deliberately more difficult than normal and she could feel her mood start to sour. When her office door started to swing inward, she caught herself just in time to stop from screaming at the intruder – she was sure it would be Tony, back for the fifteenth time that day to give her a 'morale boost' as he called it, though it was really just annoying and the constant interruptions were throwing her off her game – but it was just Happy and she schooled her features into the calmest expression she could muster.
It wasn't terribly difficult; Happy was definitely in her top five favourite people.
"Happy," she sighed, "I'm so glad it's you this time."
He raised an eyebrow in question, sliding himself into one of the empty chairs across from her. "This time?"
"Tony keeps coming in here to 'boost my morale'. He's making me regret asking him if he was coming in today," she complained, shuffling stacks of haphazard papers and setting them into straightened piles absently.
"Oh. Well. That's awkward."
Pepper frowned at his aloof reply, knowing immediately what was happening. "Did he send you in here!?"
"Uh..." Happy avoided her gaze, looking everywhere else except at her. "He pays my bills, you know."
She growled unhappily and stood, straightening her dress and walking out of the room without a glance back. It was completely ridiculous. She'd never needed to be checked up on in the previous decade, so she wasn't quite sure what the problem was now. She decided against taking an elevator to the ground floor, deciding instead that the quiet sanctuary of the stairwell sounded fantastic. If she couldn't make it, well, lucky for her there were elevators on every floor.
The rythmic click of her heels soothed her as she slowly descended the stairs.
It's clearly time to have a talk about boundaries with the man who thinks he can do whatever he wants.
She'd needed a coffee anyways, she reasoned with herself, trying not to think about everything she hadn't finished yet today.
After about fifteen floors of stairs, she'd decided she'd had enough exercise for the day and made her way to an elevator. At the sight of the Starbucks on the ground floor, she nearly cried with happiness; she needed it more than she realized. After ordering, she patiently waited, leaning against the wall until someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned her head to see a very familiar face smiling back at her.
"Matthew! It's so nice to see you, how are you?" They'd worked together for a long time in accounting before she'd become Tony's personal assistant and she felt a twinge of guilt, knowing she hadn't gone back to see anyone there in a very long time. She was just so busy. He looked much the same as he had back then, lanky and tall, unruly brown hair falling into his face, obscuring bright green eyes.
"Pepper. I'm great, how are you doing? Mr. Stark's letting you take a break?" He joked and Pepper smiled back good naturedly.
"I'm really good. I just really needed some coffee. It's been a long day."
"Wanna grab a seat and catch up? You deserve a break like anyone else."
The thought of all the work she had to do had her hesitating, but he was right, wasn't he? She wasn't a workhorse. It would still be there when she returned and it wasn't as if she didn't take work home with her on a daily basis. "I would love to."
An hour later, that's where Tony found her. Laughing at something Matthew said, she didn't even realize he was there until he was clearing his throat behind her friend, lips pressed into a line, looking as stiff as a board.
"I've been looking for you. Don't you both have work to do? What do I even pay anyone for!"
Pepper rolled her eyes. "Oh please, I do more than I'm paid for every single day. If I started earning just my paycheck you would need to hire five more of me to make up the difference."
Tony's eyes settled on Matthew and she recognized the emotions in them; jealousy, annoyance... She stood, putting a hand on Matthew's shoulder and thanking him for the break. "It was exactly what I needed." She called over her shoulder as she dragged Tony away.
"He's just what you needed, huh." Tony grunted at her, glaring at the man's back from the elevator as the doors slid shut. She was glad that for once that nobody else had stepped in with them. It made having the discussion they were about to have so much easier.
"Yep." He went silent and she tried hard to keep her expression blank. "Tony, you're not jealous are you?"
"Of what? That?" His cockiness and the pointed mockery of her friend ticked her off a bit and she shrugged. Her silence must have unnerved him, because not a minute later he spoke up. "Should I be?"
She sighed. "No, Tony. He's just a friend and I needed a break. We haven't talked since I left the accounting department. Listen." She turned to face him, leaning her hip against the elevator's railing. "I needed a break because you're being infuriating today."
"Me? Infuriating?" He repeated, playing dumb.
"Yes, you are infuriating me. If you keep interrupting me like you have been all day I'm never going to get anything done."
"Pepper, you work too hard."
"I've barely worked at all! If you don't leave me alone for the rest of the day, I'm not going to be able to come see this top secret thing you were talking about earlier."
He scowled, crossing his arms as he stepped out of the elevator.
"You promised."
"I feel like we're remembering things differently."
"I distinctly remember you promised me with your eyes."
"It didn't happen, but I'll be sure to take it into account when I'm eyeballs deep in paperwork."
"I feel like you need to destress and I can think of a few things I could do to help." He winked for good measure, stepping into her personal space as they reached her office door. She side stepped him and narrowed her eyes.
"Tony. Go home. Work on a suit. Play with Jarvis. Take half of my paperwork."
He watched her carefully, mulling his options. "Give me paperwork. God, it hurt just to say it." He quipped, holding a hand out.
"Are you really going to do it? Or am I going to find it later with you claiming it slipped your mind?" That had happened on various occasions.
"Ye of little faith. I solemnly," he said, very solemnly, "swear that I, Tony Stark, will complete the paperwork you give me if you swear you will come home tonight."
Her heart jumped with thrill at the notion of Tony calling his house her home and she felt herself soften a little bit. She smiled and nodded. "Okay."
"Okay." He smiled back.
She should have known better.