The painting described is this one: https/en.m./wiki/Silvio_Allason#/media/File%3ASilvio_Allason_Il_bacio.jpg


The morning of Pepper's first ever lesson as a full time teacher started with her running late. She'd fallen asleep watching a documentary on her phone and the battery had died, meaning her alarm didn't go off. She'd dressed hurriedly, throwing her hair up in a low ponytail, and dashed out the door without even grabbing a coffee. Then, of course, there was traffic, and when she finally burst through the classroom door, some of her students were already taking their seats.

"Morning." She mumbled, trying to calm her breathing from the mad rush down the corridor. A couple of girls snickered at her haphazard appearance and turned to gossip with each other while the rest of the class filed in. Pepper began pulling out documents from her bag and turned to the whiteboard, pen in hand, writing her name and the course title on it. She let the students chat amongst themselves until the bell rang, at which point, thankfully, they had enough respect to locate their seats and wait for her to start the class. "Okay, good morning everyone." She greeted the class with a smile and leant against the front of her desk, register in hand. "I'm Ms Potts, and together we'll be studying the history of art together. I realise that for some of you this is a required class, so I'll try to keep it interesting, but please try and remember that some people here genuinely want to learn what a flying buttress really is." She smiled a little as a couple of people laughed. "And we will also be covering some architecture in this class, so my engineers need to take note."

As she stopped talking, the door opened again and Tony walked in through it. Pepper sighed and glanced at her watch. He was only a few minutes late, but the tardy bell hadn't rung out yet. Even so…

"Mr Stark, my class starts at 9am. All of these fine people made it here on time." She wafted the register at the other students. "What's your excuse?"

Tony, to his credit, seemed at least on the face of it genuinely guilty. He tugged his bag a little tighter over his shoulder and shrugged. "Sorry, late start." He walked over to the remaining empty sit and slouched down into it, just as the bell rang a second time. Pepper watched him with a critical stare.

"Well, perhaps you need to invest in a better alarm clock." She retorted, knowing full well that was the reason for her own tardiness. "Next time I won't wait for the bell, please don't be late again." Tony gave her a mock salute and the kid next to him snorted softly before covering his mouth. Pepper chose to ignore it and started taking her register. Satisfied that everyone was present, she began the class.

Forty-five minutes later, she had most of the class in the palm of her hand. She'd managed to convince them all that the Romanesque style was something they all really needed to learn about, especially since their own school reflected it somewhat, and by the time the bell rang they were all eager to go out and see it for themselves.

"So, for next week I want an essay on the importance of Romanesque and how it differs from the Byzantine period." She called out as the class began to pack their belongings away. "Bonus points if you include accurate dates and examples!" She smiled, thrilled with how the class had gone and excited to see what they'd write. She started flicking through her notes, but looked up as Tony approached her desk. He'd been quiet the entire lesson, she'd noted. He was listening, sure, but she wasn't sure that he was actually taking anything in. "Mr Stark, you're an engineering major, right?"

He nodded, hands shoved in his pockets. "This is more civil engineering, not really my bag."

Pepper sighed, but smiled kindly at him. "You say that, but there is an element of designing a building for the eye, rather than what makes the most sense to keep it standing." Tony hummed and shrugged one shoulder, making Pepper laugh. "Is a shrug your answer to everything, Tony?"

"I very nearly shrugged in response to that." He said, a sideways grin playing at his lips. "For what it's worth, I am sorry I was late. I'm not making excuses but it won't happen again."

He seemed genuine, and Pepper decided to trust him this once. "I appreciate that. To be honest, you're not the only one who got a late start." She chuckled and leant against the side of her desk. "I was watching the new Unsolved series and my phone died while I was asleep. Didn't even have time for coffee." She lamented with a small laugh.

Tony winced and laughed with her. "Brutal, I don't think I could function without caffeine." He glanced at the clock hanging above the door and tutted. "Man, I'm on a streak this morning. Gotta go." He crammed his hat backwards onto his head and gave her another mock salute before dashing out of the door. Pepper watched him go and shook her head. She was sure she could win him over to her way of thinking, and the similarities in architecture might be the way to do it.


Having bought herself an alarm clock and ensuring that her phone was plugged in before she started the next Unsolved episode, Pepper arrived early to her next class the following day. The school was empty, save for a few faculty members starting their days, and she politely said hello to the few teachers she'd met over the course of the last few days before heading to her own classroom to set up. As she approached, she spotted something small and white on the floor by her door, and as she got closer she realised it was a styrofoam cup. Puzzled, she bent to pick it up and saw it had 'Ms Potts' scrawled in Sharpie around the side. It was still warm, and so couldn't have been placed there too long ago. Smiling to herself, Pepper unlocked her door and sidled inside, sipping the strong, bitter liquid as she went. It was black, no sugar, but tasted fantastic and she could already feel herself waking up. She sat down at her desk and pulled out her class notes, ready to start the day.

Lunchtime rolled around fast and Pepper decided to take a walk around the grounds instead of sitting in a stuffy cafeteria. The snow was still falling but it was too cold, her outfit of slacks, blouse and her trusty knee length coat proving enough to battle the elements, with a small addition of a red scarf and upturned collar to protect against the wind. She found a bench under a tree and settled down to eat her sandwich there, gazing around at the Christmas card surroundings. After a while, a gust of wind brought the sound of cheering and drew her attention to the sports fields not far away. Trudging across the snowy ground, she spotted a group of boys clearly training for the start of baseball season, swinging bats in sync with each other around their heads as they warmed up. Pepper found herself heading over to the bleachers and sitting down to watch for a short while, impressed at a few of their pitches and swings. One of the boys was hitting every ball thrown at him, until finally he hit a foul ball and was caught out. As he made his way back over to the dugout, he caught sight of Pepper and started making his way over. It was then that she realised it was Tony and she smiled as he approached.

"Looking good out there." She called by way of greeting. "You've got quite the swing."

"Didn't realise you were watching." Tony replied with a smirk. "Did you manage to get your coffee this morning?"

Pepper bit her lip through a smile and nodded. "I did, actually. Some kind soul left me a cup by my classroom door." She tilted her head. "Although I did have to add my own sugar."

Tony laughed softly and slung the bat he was carrying over his shoulder, holding it there with one hand. "Sugar. Got it." He said with a nod. Behind him, someone hollered his name and he turned his head, waving in acknowledgement. "I'll see you later, Ms Potts." He said and winked at her before heading back to the dugouts. Pepper watched him go, her eyes slipping down to his ass as he walked away, his breeches clinging tightly-

Nope. What the hell? She shook her head to clear the thoughts away and admonished herself, quickly getting up and heading back down the bleachers to walk back to the main school buildings. Risky, Virginia, don't be an idiot. He's your student, those thoughts need to be kept in check immediately. She made her way back to her classroom just in time for the bell to ring, indicating her next class was due any moment. Removing her coat as she entered, she hung it over the back of her chair, spotting the now empty coffee cup on her desk from that morning. Quickly, as if it meant something the longer it stayed there, she threw it in the trash and dusted off her hands. Her next class started to file in and she was quickly distracted from thoughts of baseball and coffee.


Weeks turned into months, and Pepper had fast become one of the most popular teachers on campus. She had a way of talking to her students, probably because she was closer to their age than most of her colleagues, that made them feel like they were merely having a conversation rather than stuck in a room learning about composition and architecture. Pepper enjoyed that about their lessons, often she would take them on a trip around the campus and point out paintings and sculptures that went along with the lesson plan. By the end of the semester, she'd got them creating works that they never would have dreamed of, and she'd even put a couple of students forward for competition spots in the local art gallery.

She'd managed to shake her thought about Tony free from her mind, even if he had now made it a weekly ritual to bring her a coffee at the start of their class together. But hey, if it got him to class on time, what could it hurt? Sure, her eyes lingered on him a little longer than was entirely appropriate when he wasn't looking, and sure she'd never had an interest in baseball but now found herself going to every game, but she was supporting a student.

As the new year ticked over into January, Greg had some surprising news for her, calling her into his office on one of the set up days before semester started again.

"Well, Pepper, I had every faith in you but you've exceeded it in spades." He said, beaming at her as she sat down. "The school board has decided to offer funding for a class trip. Not enough to get to Paris, I fear, but I'm sure you'll be able to think up somewhere appropriate." He slid a small folder across the desk towards her.

Pepper grasped it eagerly, pride etched across her face as she flipped the folder open and found a cheque along with some paperwork - formalities regarding her responsibilities for a trip, along with guidelines. The money was more than enough to cover a trip to any one of several galleries that immediately sprung to Pepper's mind, maybe even a private tour, maybe-

She was getting ahead of herself and hadn't taken in much of what Greg had carried on saying. "Sorry, Greg, I didn't hear a word of that." She apologised with a giggle.

"I said you must have done a number on Stark, seeing as his father donated the money." He beamed at her. "The only other thing he's ever shown interest in is the baseball team."

Pepper was blushing and she could feel it, her mind working overdrive. "Well, he's very creative." She supplied, which wasn't exactly a lie. The pieces he'd created in class weren't anything to write home about, but she'd caught glimpses of the notebook he was always scribbling in, and some of those sketches were truly breathtaking, she just wished he'd turn one of those in. Shaking her head, she smiled at Greg, gripping the folder tightly. "I've already got ideas in mind for this, thank you for trusting me with it."

Greg wafted a hand at her, waving her thanks away. "You earned it, Pepper. We haven't had a teacher with your passion in quite some time." He held his hand out and shook hers tightly. "If anything I should thank you, not the other way around."

Blushing again, Pepper thanked him once more out of habit and left the office, practically skipping back to her class to finish setting up.


The new semester started and the weather wasn't a lot different in January than it was in September. It had snowed over Christmas, and some of it still lingered in the school grounds, but it was a lot colder than it had been. Pepper found herself relying more on her duffel coat and sacrificing style for warmth. She wasn't a fan of how it drowned her, but it did at least keep her warm.

Breezing into her first class of the new semester, she was surprised to find Tony already in his seat. Glancing instinctively at her desk, she found a steaming cardboard cup of coffee, and she instantly smiled, reaching for it and settling into her chair with a shudder of warmth.

"Thank you." She breathed and took a sip, eyes closed. "And happy new year." She smiled at him.

"Happy new year." He mumbled back. He'd let his peach fuzz grow out over the holidays, a smattering of short, black hairs adorning his mouth and cheeks. "You look cute in that jacket, by the way."

Pepper cleared her throat and huddled down a little further into the offending item. "Are we going to have the conversation about appropriate subjects again?" She asked, ignoring the heat in her cheeks that she couldn't attribute to the coffee.

Tony held up his hands in surrender, smirking at her. "Sorry, I haven't seen you for two weeks so I did a factory reset. Behaving now." He tilted his head. "How was your Christmas, Ms Potts?"

They exchanged small talk for a little while until the rest of her students started filing in. It had warmed up enough for Pepper to remove her giant coat, hanging it on the coat rack behind her desk and starting the lesson with an announcement.

"Alright everyone, I've got some good news!" She said, clapping her hands once to get their attention. "The school has allocated us funding to go on a small trip, so I want some suggestions - go!"

The students started calling out names of places, some serious, some less so, and she wrote them down on the whiteboard so they could vote on them.

"Where do you want to go?" Tony's voice raised above others while she had her back turned to them and she paused for a moment before spinning on her heel to lock eyes with him.

"Um…well it's not about me…" she excused and bit her lip. "But personally I think we'd all have a great time, both socially and academically at the National Gallery." She shrugged. "There's a lot of pieces that would stir up some unique ideas to go along with your coursework, and help with exam season." A couple of students mumbled assent at her suggestion and she smiled as someone else called out in favour for it. "You all okay with that?" She asked them, wanting to make sure. The class shouted out a 'yes' and she grinned, nodding. "Alright then, I'll get the ball rolling. We could even maybe get a private tour, I'll look into it. Now, on with the lesson!"


Little over a month later, forms had been signed, arrangements made and a bus rented to take them all the thirty or so miles to the National Gallery. Pepper was buzzing with excitement, both at the opportunity to show all of her students around and the chance to see it herself. She knew there were a lot of exhibits that tied in nicely with her syllabus, and they'd learn a lot. She split them up into groups once they arrived, handing out some worksheets that involved them truly studying the artwork, and told them to report back to the main staircase by one o'clock, just in time for lunch.

Sighing with satisfaction as the groups split off, Pepper decided to take the time to indulge a little, knowing she could trust the majority of them not to cause any issues, and the ones that might would be reigned in by the more responsible students. Confident in her decision, she strode away to admire the gallery's offerings.

A half hour passed before she found herself in a small room dedicated to some Romantic pieces. She strode slowly through the room, taking her time with each painting and admiring each individual brush stroke. She stood in front of one, a large piece, depicting a couple embracing with an iron gate between them. Their arms went through the gaps in the gate and twined around each other's bodies as they kissed, the woman's bonnet lying forgotten on the floor.

"What's this one about?" Tony's voice startled her out of her reverie as he appeared at her side. He was staring up at the painting.

"You tell me." She retorted, eyes remaining fixed on the two figures in front of them.

Tony swallowed and tilted his head as he studied the painting. "Lovers separated by something…class maybe? Not just the gate. Can't really see what's under his cloak, but she seems like she's well off, given her clothes and hat." He reached up to point at something. "He also looks like he's standing in an entryway whereas she's in a garden or something." He shrugged. "It was painted in 1910 so that was the kind of thing dudes would be worried about in those days." He snorted softly. "Things haven't changed all that much."

Pepper nodded, agreeing with him silently. They stood there, side by side for a moment, neither one saying anything, until Pepper felt the brush of Tony's fingers against hers by her side. She jumped a little and turned her head, finding his chest rising and falling deeply as he gazed down at her. She took a shaky breath and moved her hand to tentatively slip against his, almost holding but not quite…

"Hey, Ms Potts!" A yell from behind them made them both jump, Pepper snapping her hands into her coat pockets quickly and turning to face the student who was calling her from the entrance to the room. "Can we ask you about something?"

"Coming!" She called back, blush rising in her cheeks as she shot a glance at Tony and then hurriedly left him with the blasted painting. She could feel his eyes burning into her back as she walked away and cursed herself for indulging in some stupid fantasy in broad daylight.

The rest of the trip went without issue, and all too soon she was piling them all back onto the bus. They handed her their worksheets as they got on, talking excitedly about everything they'd seen that day, and it filled Pepper with joy to hear how enthusiastic they all were. She'd purposefully avoided Tony for the rest of the day, which slightly dulled her experience of the gallery, but she'd enjoyed it none the less. He was last in line to board the bus, and her smile dropped slightly as he approached with his worksheet. She took it from him, and shivered a little as his fingers purposefully lingered against hers for longer than was necessary to hand it over.

"Thank you for today, Ms Potts." He said softly, before boarding the bus and sitting next to one of his classmates, and in the back of her mind Pepper didn't think he meant the trip