So sorry for the delayed update; I went on vacation and thought that I would be able to upload chapters, but no :/

Thanks a lot for the kind comments! I will try to be more regular and to update once a week!

Tony had spent the weekend repairing the suit and coming up with improvements. Using the innovative part of his brain was the only occupation that could take his mind off his current frustration. Blasting music in the workshop ensured that he would not dwell on intrusive thoughts. If it had been a year ago, he would have used the additional help of a bottle of Macallan. However, due to Iron Man, he could no longer incapacitate himself in that manner. So he had settled for coffee, downing one shot of espresso after another, the only beverage DUM-E could prepare without supervision.

He had quickly lost track of time, and it was only when JARVIS reminded him that forty-eight hours had passed since he last slept that he realized it should be somewhere around Monday.

A quick glance at one of the monitors confirmed that it was past 1pm. He should have seen his assistant by now, unless they were not on speaking terms, which was out of character for her. Unlike him, she always took the high road. Perhaps he had finally pushed past Pepper's limits.

"I feel the need to inform you that Miss Potts is coming downstairs with lunch, Sir," JARVIS interrupted.

"Since when can you read a room, JARV'?" Tony asked, half surprised and half proud.

"Since my third update in 1993. I can also anticipate that Miss Potts will not be pleased by the number of espresso cups currently visible."

"Well, let her be. And do not let her interrupt my music, or you might end up on a flash drive."

In the corner of his eyes, he saw her typing her code on the pad with her right hand, while her left one was balancing her clipboard and what looked like a plate of sandwiches. From where he was standing, he could not get a look at her engagement ring.

He ditched the hologram he was manipulating, and went to sit at his desk where JARVIS was running a new model of inertial dampeners on the multiple screens. On Friday night, Rhodey had listed every fault the suit had, including aspects of the pilot's safety that Tony had never taken the time to correct since it would only benefit him and not the people he tried to save. After a solid hour of lecture, he ended up promising his friend to rectify that as soon as he could because he knew that Rhodey actually had the means to keep him on the ground. He needed the US Military with him, not against him.

The voice of Metallica's frontman stopped in the middle of "Shadows Follow" as soon as Pepper entered.

"Good afternoon," he heard behind him.

"Where were you this morning? I needed you."

"That's not true, otherwise you would have called," Pepper answered with a sigh. "I left you a text; I went by the office."

"JARVIS, resume the music."

The AI complied, and Tony started typing on his keyboard, pulling up the latest specs of the suit.

"Okay, that's rude," Pepper said, dropping the plate of food with force next to her boss.

Tony quickly glanced at her left hand and still saw no engagement ring. That could only mean one thing: on top of hiding her relationship, she had also decided to keep this major event a secret from him. Tony felt like a stranger. After a decade of working together, getting through the good and the bad, she did not even remotely considered him a friend. Instead, she felt the need to protect her personal life. "But from what?" Tony asked himself. Was it from him? Despite all the efforts he had recently made and all the growth he had gone through, he hadn't gotten closer to her in the end.

"Tony, I have about a million things I need to go over with you. I really need your attention for the next… thirty minutes, at least. " Pepper said over the sound of the music.

"I'm already in the middle of something; you will have to come back later."

"You're paying me to do a job, and I can only do it if you allow me to."

"And since I am paying you, I'm actually allowed to tell you that now is not the right time. Take some time off, go home."

"Is there something wrong? Did I…"

"Why are you still here?" Tony interrupted her.

He did not bring himself to look at Pepper; it was easier being a jerk if he did not meet her eyes. Having the one person he really desired being this close every day but yet inaccessible was the worst torture. There was no long term solution unless he were decent enough to be happy for her. But Tony Stark was no gentleman. She would inevitably give up on him, either after he had pushed her away for too long or after he had lost his self-control and shown Pepper his feelings for her, whichever would come first.

"JARVIS, mute!" Pepper said, raising her voice for probably the first time since she had been working for him.

That surprised him enough to switch his attention to her. Even the AI obeyed and stopped the music.

"You've been nothing but rude to me over the past few days. You've avoided me, removed me as your emergency contact, and now you're shutting me out. I deserve to at least know the reason why!"

Pepper had listed each of her points on her fingers. She had gotten closer to him, and she was looking at him with worry and anger. But all Tony could think about was how visible her freckles were today, how redder her lips were, how tense she was, and how her breast was pushed against her blouse as a result. Now was definitely not the right time for his libido to play tricks with his body.

Over his lack of an answer, Pepper dropped her shoulders and took a step back.

"Fine, if you don't want to talk…"

"Did he propose?" Tony blurted out before she could turn back.

She looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"I'm sorry?"

"Joshua, did he propose?" he asked again, with a grave look on his face.

"What the… You've been spying on me?!"

She was even angrier than before. Tony knew that he should have stopped the words from coming out of his mouth, but it was too late now.

"I heard your conversation with the Head of HR at the office."

"There's no way you would think Joshua proposed if that was the whole truth."

"But did he?" he insisted once again.

She looked at him with defiance, and folded her arms.

"Yes. Yes, he did."

Tony's face went white, and he definitely felt a pain in his chest, behind the arc. Right before walking away, she continued:

"Matt proposed to my friend Alex last Friday. Joshua and I parted ways a few weeks ago. I don't belong to you, Tony. You don't get to treat me this way because you think that someone proposed to me."

Tony watched her leave the workshop and climb the stairs without moving an inch of his body. It took him a couple of minutes to replay everything that had been said, between Wednesday and this moment. It slowly sank in that he had been the biggest dumbass and had jumped to the wrong conclusion, voluntarily behaving like a perfect jerk along the way.

Tony leaned back in his chair and let out a laugh of relief. Pepper was still single, and he still had a chance to get the girl. He knew that one big challenge was standing in his way, and that was getting Pepper to forgive him for this major screw-up. But he could work with that; he was back in the game.