It was another Friday, and miraculously, Tony and Pepper had managed to synchronize their work schedules, a rare feat for two renowned surgeons. The hospital, with its fluorescent lights and always busy corridors, seemed to breathe a little easier as the weekend approached. The clocks marked the passage of hours with an unusual calm, as if even time knew something out of the ordinary was happening. The frenetic day-to-day surgeries and emergencies gave way to a peaceful atmosphere. For the couple, this coincidence was very welcome, as they had hardly been having joint breaks, and considering that romance had been put on the back burner due to all the professional and personal demands of the past few weeks, it was an opportunity to finally dedicate exclusive time to each other.

It was still early, around 5 PM, and on normal days, Pepper would go straight home to relieve the nanny of the children and spend some time with them. But on that particular date, the twins had a pajama party to celebrate Ivy's birthday, and as Donna had made very clear, their absence was completely out of the question. So, knowing she would find an empty house, the redhead accepted Tony's proposal to spend the night at his apartment. And, well, if they were finally going to have a date, it should at least be worthy. With a craving for pasta, and knowing that Italian food was both of their favorites, she took advantage of the time while the neurosurgeon was in a last-minute meeting to prepare something special. She pondered whether fettuccine would be better than pizza, and a check in the fridge confirmed it as the best option.

Before starting the preparation, she carefully cleaned the counter and got ready for some fun by tying her hair into a bun. She mixed flour and salt in a bowl and added the eggs. She beat them with some ease and, with the dough still soft, sprinkled a bit more flour on the counter and began to use her strength to homogenize the dough. Once finished, she set it to rest. She searched the kitchen and found the rolling pin. She would have to use force to roll out the dough. Great, another process to keep her occupied. When the resting time was over, she took the dough from the fridge and, throwing a handful of flour once again on the surface she was going to work on, sighed and used her hands to apply pressure to open the ball a bit before using the rolling pin.

And that was exactly how Tony found her. At first, he watched her intrigued; the woman had flour on her arms, blouse, and some parts of her face. And well, he couldn't miss the opportunity to tease her.

"Are we out of pasta for dinner?"

"No, we have some; I just wanted to do something different."

"Did you realize you're covered in flour? Is this a special dinner?" He approached her without touching her yet.

"So what? Is there a problem?" She questioned defensively, because in a way, they would always be them, but she was far from truly irritated.

"None at all; actually, I find it quite interesting seeing you covered in flour making a special dinner for me." The brunet approached and hugged her by the waist, slyly using one hand to reach for the flour sack.

"It's not for you."

"Oh, no? What a pity… I was finding it very sexy. Extremely sexy. Are you sure you know how to make pasta? Want some help? I can use my strength with you." The redhead felt him press her against the counter, then he threw a bit of flour on the dough and took the rolling pin from her hands, all a pretext. "You know, you have more flour on you than on the counter."

"You think I don't know what you're doing? Forget it." Tony laughed and threw flour on her blouse, pretending it was an accident. "Anthony!" She turned to look at him.

"Oops?!" And he didn't waste time using his flour-covered hand on her face. "I think you need a good bath, honey" The woman tried to push him away, but was caught off guard by a stolen kiss. The neurosurgeon lifted her, sitting her on the counter and deepened the kiss. Pepper reached for the flour and threw a handful into his hair. "Do you want a war, missy?" She laughed. The boredom seemed to have disappeared. Tony shook his head, letting a good amount of powder fall on the floor or onto the redhead's lap. His agile hands took off her blouse, his lips already devouring her neck down to her collarbone. He used his mouth to play with her breasts still in her bra. He moved one of the cups aside and sucked it into his lips, making the surgeon arch her back, her hands knocking over the bowl.

"Babe… the dough…"

"Forget it, darling…" He pulled down the shorts she was wearing along with her panties. He spread her legs and made her lie across the counter. He held one of her legs on his shoulders and tasted her. He used his tongue, lips, and fingers to massage her clitoris, which began to elicit babbling words and incoherent moans. He insisted, repeating the movements until he felt her body tremble. Then, the brunet kissed her intensely and used his fingers to penetrate her. In less than 10 minutes, she climaxed, and he let her rest a bit, experiencing the sensations of the orgasm. As much as he wanted to have her at that moment, he needed to give her time to recover. Not to mention he loved seeing her post-climax expressions.

Moments later, Pepper slowly got up from the counter; there was flour all over her body.

"This is the best way to make pasta, don't you think?" The brunet asked.

"It's the best way to ruin dinner," she teased. "I need a bath."

"And of course, that's an invitation for me to join you."

"Of course, that was me saying you have a kitchen to clean while I take a bath."

"And I prefer the first option."

"Too bad, because now you owe me dinner."

"You're mean, you know that?"

"It's not the first time you've told me that." She laughed because he made a disappointed face just like a child when they can't get their favorite flavor of ice cream.

"But you're at a disadvantage with your argument, babe. Because thanks to your idea of exotic hair care, I need a bath too." Proving his point, Tony ran his fingers through his hair, making another good amount of flour fly into the air.

And not that it was her intention to deny him the company of sharing the shower, but the redhead needed to stay firm, to play hard to get, so she continued presenting her points as to why he shouldn't join her. But the end was inevitable; the shower, far from innocent, ended up lasting much longer than planned. When they finally returned to the kitchen and finished cleaning up the mess they had created, it was too late to produce something from scratch. The neurosurgeon ended up ordering dinner from a nearby restaurant, and they shared a bottle of wine during the meal while watching a random movie on TV.

The night ended between the sheets of his bed, and they quickly fell asleep, exhausted but happy and at peace. The next day arrived with the soft morning light filtering through the curtains, and as planned, right after lunch, Pepper went to pick up the children from Donna's house because she and Tony had finally come to an agreement: it was time to tell the twins that they were together. They were sure of their feelings and had no intention of diminishing their presence in each other's lives; quite the opposite. For the brunet, it was a natural step; he already loved the kids and had a great relationship with them even before they started their romance. He was almost 100% sure this wouldn't be a problem for Eleanor and Theodore. For the redhead, however, it was a huge and extremely significant step. She had never introduced any man to her children. She had fears and concerns, always making sure the little ones were not affected by her affairs, keeping them secret. Having that conversation with the children was so important that it became a symbol of her commitment. It was yet another proof of how much she was trying to break her barriers and fully commit to what she was building with Tony.

The four of them spent the afternoon at the park, the adults mostly chasing after the children. For Pepper, already used to this routine, it was just another normal day. However, for the neurosurgeon, it was a relatively new and very significant experience. Watching how he reacted to each moment was endearing and comforting for her. It was enchanting to see the relationship he developed with the twins, how Theo looked to the brunet to play ball, fully trusting his skills, or how Ellie listened attentively when he told her she might get hurt during some mischief, without even questioning him. And it wasn't new to the woman how well the three of them got along, but whenever she could closely observe the dynamics, she felt something special.

Hours later, after some ice cream, flushed cheeks, and many bottles of water, they headed to the cardiac surgeon's house, the journey marked by the children's incessant chatter. Eleanor, even though six months away from the date, was completely decided on the theme for her next birthday party: Harry Potter. Having watched the movie a few weeks earlier, the protagonist had become her fixation, especially because of the scar on his forehead, which she believed was just like the one she had after getting stitches due to a small accident at school, even though it was almost imperceptible thanks to Tony's excellent work. Meanwhile, Theo, who was in the phase of wanting to differentiate himself from his sister, took every opportunity to tease her. He confidently asserted, with the unwavering certainty of an almost six-year-old, that the theme of the party would be Jurassic Park. Knowing that Ellie was afraid of dinosaurs, he insisted on this idea, which inevitably led to arguments and, as on that occasion, to the girl's tears.

Pepper, already accustomed to this, and with the surprising skill of the neurosurgeon, managed to calm the situation and establish a truce between the siblings. Thus, they completed the journey peacefully. Upon arriving home, the redhead took charge of helping the children with their baths, while the brunet prepared their dinner, as, according to the twins, Uncle Tony's pasta was much better than Mom's. A few hours later, after a satisfying meal, they were in the living room with several board game boxes scattered on the floor and something fun playing on TV. The younger ones were almost asleep between the adults on the sofa, Ellie with her head on her mother's lap and Theo leaning against Tony. The moment seemed perfect for the important conversation the couple had decided to have.

"So, babies, there's something that Uncle Tony and I wanted to talk to you about," the redhead began, stroking her daughter's hair. The boy lifted his head, blinking to shake off sleep, while the little girl looked curiously at her mother. "Something very important."

"Is it because we fought?" Theodore, now more awake, asked. "But we already made up," he added, noticing the serious tone in his mother's voice.

"Yeah, Mommy, we already did. We said sorry and even hugged," Eleanor continued, still a bit drowsy.

"It's not about that," the woman denied with a smile. "Do you remember when we promised to always tell each other everything? So, it's because of that promise that Uncle Tony and I wanted to talk to you. We want to share something very special and important to us."

"Do you know what happens when two people love each other?" the neurosurgeon asked the little ones.

"They have kids," Ellie said, making him lose his breath for a moment.

"Before that," he hinted.

"They get married?" Theo guessed.

"What have you been talking to them about?" Tony looked directly at the redhead, making her blush.

"Before all that you mentioned, they date," Pepper quickly returned to the focus of the conversation. It was too early for any other topic.

"Ohhh," the twins said in unison.

"So, it happens that I love your mom," the brunet said directly to her, completing, "A lot."

"And I also love Uncle Tony, a lot," the surgeon repeated his gesture.

"And we wanted to know... What would you say if we dated?"

"Does that mean you're going to be kissing Mommy all the time?" Eleanor asked. To the girl, kissing was synonymous with dating.

"That's one point," he winked at the eldest.

"YUCK!" the twins quickly shouted, making the two adults laugh.

"Guys, Mommy and Uncle Tony dating means we'll be together," perhaps she was doing a terrible job of explaining.

"If you're going to be together, does that mean we'll live together?" Theodore asked excitedly.

"And have another baby?" Ellie continued.

"And get married?" the boy went on, almost making his mother drop the wine glass she was holding.

"That's a lot of questions and no answers," Tony said, amused by the reaction of the three Potts. "I understand that you're excited about all these possibilities, but things are a bit more complicated. For now, we'll just see each other more often, which means we'll spend more time together. Whenever I can, I'll be here to play, cook, and simply be with you. And well, you can come over to my apartment more often too, and we can go out together like we did today," he explained calmly. "But that doesn't mean that one day all those things you mentioned before might not end up happening."

Upon hearing the brunet's last sentence, Pepper swallowed hard and looked at him, raising an eyebrow, unsure of what to say. Did he really think that way? That they would end up getting married and having another child?

"So, what do you say? Is it okay with you if Mommy and I date?" the neurosurgeon repeated.

"I think so," Theo said.

"Yeah, I think so too. I'd like us to be together," the little girl added.

"Does that mean we have your approval?" the redhead asked the twins, wanting to be sure.

The little ones looked at each other for a few seconds as if communicating with their eyes, then they got up and jumped against the adults while shouting yes.

What did the future hold for them, after all?