Fandom:
Iron Man (movieverse)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Summary: It
will not be long, love...
Disclaimer: Most of the characters and situations in this story belong
to Marvel Comics, Fairview Entertainment, Dark Blades Films, NBC, and
other
entities, and I do not have permission to borrow them. No infringement
is intended in any way, and this story is not for profit. All others
belong to me, especially Cedric, and if you want to borrow them, you
have to ask me first.
Any errors are mine, all mine, no you can't have any.
Well, I'm back. Real life decided I had other things to do,
including dealing with some health issues (none truly serious, just distracting). After waiting
so long, you deserve to have the whole story, so I'm finishing it up
with three more chapters and an epilogue. Thank you for your
patience, your encouragement while I've been on hiatus, and your
feedback.
Especial thanks to Laura27md for last-minute reassurance, and Cincoflex, as ever, for editing,
support, and telling me that yes, getting my appendix removed did take
precedence over that last chapter. *snerk* Much, much love
to you both.
All that and I didn't even pop the rating. Huh.
Gorgeous banner by Cincoflex, of course!
*********
She was asleep again.
Tony propped his head on his hand, elbow denting the mattress, and just
watched, all his wistfulness replaced with a wondering satisfaction
that filled him to the brim. Pepper lay facing him, her hair
mussed, her throat pink where his beard had scratched her; she had one
arm tucked under her head and a tiny smile on her lips, and he wanted
to gather her up and kiss her awake, make that smile widen and make her
laugh.
He contented himself with brushing the tumbled hair from her eyelids,
lingering with the lightest of touches along her temple and her
cheek. He could touch
now. The thought alone was worth savoring.
Waking to find her beside him had felt like a dream, and for a moment
Tony hadn’t been sure that it wasn’t one, but no dream
could be so solid, or so sweet. No dream could fill him to
overflowing with stunned, awed delight, with the crazy delirious
knowledge that at last she’d said yes.
No dream could ever make him feel this safe. This proud.
This, as cliché as it was, complete.
Nor, he had to admit, this horny, but that was a separate issue and one
he could put off for the moment. It was pretty much a default
state around Pepper anyway. Right now just basking in her
presence, asleep or not, was more important. Time enough later to
do everything he wanted to do...and there was a lot he wanted to do.
Mouth quirking, Tony let his gaze travel over all that he could see of
her, taking in the tiny details greedily. Her freckles went a
good deal lower than he’d imagined, for instance; there were even
a few on her tummy, and he carefully kept back a hand that wanted to
play connect-the-dots. The creamy shoulder uppermost had a faint
old scar, a thin white line; he immediately wondered what had caused
it, and how long ago.
Her breasts, on the other hand, were pretty much exactly as he’d
imagined them, though he suspected she thought them too small; perfect,
in his eyes. Her face was softer in sleep than he remembered,
more relaxed.
It hurt, this new happiness, putting an ache behind his arc implant and
a tightness in his throat, but it was all of a piece, and he
didn’t try to push it away. Tony was used to pain; if joy
came freighted with it, he would not refuse.
He couldn’t resist any longer. Slowly, slowly, he leaned
closer, needing to satisfy more than his eyes. Don’t wake her, his inner
voice warned, and he held back, just closing his eyes and inhaling the
scent that rose from her skin, soap and sex and Pepper--
Her voice was soft and slightly raspy, and amused. “Are you
sniffing
me?”
Tony rolled back enough to meet her eyes, grinning without shame.
“Yep.” With ease, he scooped Pepper into his arms,
falling onto his back and carrying her with him. She laughed down
at him, letting her leg slip between his as if they’d done it a
thousand times before, and Tony filled his hands with the velvet
firmness of her backside, completely unabashed by his body’s
enthusiasm. “You smell good.”
She shook her head, arms braced carefully on his chest just below his
arc implant. “I’m not sure I want to think about that
too hard.” Before Tony could argue, she bent to place a
soft kiss on his lips. “But as long as we’re on the
subject,” she murmured, a scant inch away, “so do
you.”
“Obsession,” he joked, and returned the kiss with interest,
almost protesting when Pepper lifted her head again. Her
expression was thoughtful, and she looked down at the casing embedded
in his chest, touching it with careful fingers.
Tony sobered, though he didn’t release her. Pepper had
never really had a chance to examine the thing; sure, she’d
plugged him in a couple of times, but neither time had been conducive
to exploration, and he felt a sudden rush of doubt. Would the
damn thing turn her off? It wasn’t as though she
didn’t know it was there,
but when you got down to it, having a power source stuck through the
breastbone wasn’t in any way natural, and--
But her face didn’t change; she just studied it for a long
moment, as if familiarizing herself with the curve of the metal and the
glow of the lights, and then sighed. “Most people just get
a tattoo, you know.”
His eyes widened, and then the laugh burst out of him, incredulous and
relieved. Pepper grinned at him, downright wicked, and he hugged
her hard, running one hand up into her hair to press her closer.
She giggled against his shoulder, and Tony stared up at the ceiling,
feeling his eyes sting. “Pepper--”
She kissed his neck, quick and hot, and pushed up again.
“Ready to get up and face the day?”
He snorted, humor returning, and lifted his hips a fraction under
hers. “I’m already up. And I gave you the day
off, remember?”
Pepper smirked at him. “Oh, so I should just go
home?”
It was easy to pull her head gently down to his once more.
“Not a chance,” he mumbled against her lips. His
hands began relearning all the delectable surfaces he’d mapped
earlier, but Pepper wriggled, which made his eyes cross.
“I believe you made me a promise, Mr. Stark.” She
lifted an admonitory brow.
“I did? Oh, yeah, I did.” He cocked a brow, and
let his arms fall back to the mattress, palms up next to his
head. “There you go, Potts. I’m at your
mercy. Which, come to think of it, is different from every day,
how?”
Pepper pursed her lips, her eyes crinkling. “I’ll
demonstrate.”
Surrender, Tony thought as she did, could be a very, very good thing.
It was surprising how easily they made the transition into lovers, Tony
thought over the next few days--but then, this was Pepper, who
specialized in making things smooth. Her apartment doors were
repaired, and she moved back home, but half the time Tony found himself
spending the night there with her, biding his time until he could talk
her into moving back in with him. It was a first for him, staying
in someone else's territory once the lovemaking was over, but it seemed
natural; he had no desire to slip away and get back to his own
business.
Part of it was that lingering need to know she was safe; part of it was
a hunger for Pepper's presence that was only partly fed by their usual
working day. It made him feel vulnerable, which was
uncomfortable, but Tony didn't fight it. He'd never been in love
before, and something in him wanted to experience every part of it,
even the less pleasant bits.
It was worth savoring, as much as hearing Pepper tell him she loved
him.
Things slowed down gradually. Tony set a private detective on the
track of the migrant workers who had cared for Happy after Pepper's
kidnapping, and it didn't take long for the woman to come back with a
list of names and addresses. Tony went alone to visit each one;
his Spanish wasn't as good as his Japanese, but he could make himself
understood, and while the rewards weren't as large as the one he'd
given the Franklins, they were generous. It's necessary.
With Pepper's permission, he put the same detective on the track of the
camper whose abandoned site had saved his assistant, but results were
slower in coming. Whoever had left behind the tent and supplies
had apparently been camping without a permit, and it would take time to
find out the facts.
Happy returned to work, limping slightly for a couple of weeks but
standing straight. Tony made sure the bonus attached to his next
paycheck was as fat as Happy would accept, and nobody said anything,
but it was clear that things were back to normal. Rhodey blew
back into town, and was equal parts horrified at the near-disaster he'd
missed and smug at the news that Tony and Pepper were in a
relationship. Tony rolled his eyes and snarked back; Pepper gave
Rhodey her usual serene smile and threatened to set him up on a blind
date with the dumbest woman she knew if he didn’t stop teasing
them.
And they waited for Justice's slow progress.
In the end, Virginia did make an appointment with a counselor.
She went about it carefully, mentioning it to Tony in a tone that told
him comment was not welcome; and he, paying attention for once, merely
nodded and went on to the next subject, though she saw relief flicker
swiftly across his face.
Dr. Choi was actually Virginia's second choice, after her first proved
to be a personality mismatch. The counselor was a small elderly
woman with the clear, nonjudgmental gaze of the professional listener,
and it really was a relief to tell the whole story to someone who had
no emotional investment in it, who placed no demands. She let
Virginia jump from topic to topic, occasionally inserting a guiding
question, and assured her that the mood swings were normal and would
pass off in time.
The appointments unknotted much of the tension that had remained after
Yarbro's capture, and let Virginia look at the entire kidnapping with a
more dispassionate gaze. Dr. Choi reiterated Tony's assertion
that none of what had happened was Virginia's fault; some guilt
remained, but she could deal with it. The fact that Happy's
recovery was rapid and complete helped.
She didn't heal, exactly, not all at once. But she was strong
enough to go on.
It was weeks before Donovan called to say that Yarbro was being
arraigned. Virginia didn’t know why it had taken so long,
but she didn’t much care, either; the thought of him safely
incarcerated and under the supervision of the special agent was
enough.
But when she closed her phone she decided that she wanted to
observe. Maybe it was closure, maybe it was just the petty desire
to emphasize her victory; but she wanted to be there to see the man in
defeat. And Tony, who had never been the self-effacing type,
insisted on coming along.
They made a strange solemn party, Virginia thought as they climbed the
courthouse steps--three of them, she and Tony and Happy. Tristan
had stopped by to handle the driving one more time, and Happy had
loomed large and uncomfortable in the back of the limo with them, but
he had as much right as she to be there, Virginia thought.
There were reporters outside the courthouse, of course; Iron
Man’s kidnapped personal assistant wasn’t at the top of the
news any longer, but the incident hadn’t faded from the memory of
the Fourth Estate. But all three of them were old hands at
shouldering through a press mob without turning a hair or making a
comment, and if Tony’s arm was curved around the small of her
back, it could be seen as nothing more than courtesy.
Inside, the building was busy, normal for a weekday. They
threaded their way to the designated courtroom, Happy automatically
slipping into his bodyguard’s habit, but aside from a few stares
no one paid too much attention to them.
The big room beyond the double doors was half-full; there were more
arraignments than Yarbro’s taking place, and he wasn’t even
in the room as yet. The three of them settled into seats near the
front--Virginia found herself maneuvered less than subtly into the
middle spot--and they set themselves to wait.
The arraignments seemed to go fairly quickly. There were a few
longer ones where one attorney or the other would ask some complicating
question of the judge, but on the whole each one took only a few
minutes, a smooth-worn ceremony where everyone knew the steps. At
one point Virginia looked around and was not surprised to spot Agent
Cross sitting across the aisle, though she didn’t see
Donovan.
Yarbro was brought out with no more ceremony than any other accused,
though Virginia saw the judge--a man almost as wide as he was
tall--glance their way. Tony stiffened beside her, and Happy was
very still; Virginia raised her chin a fraction and watched.
But as before, whatever power her kidnapper had held was gone. He
looked shrunken somehow, his shoulders bowed and his hands cuffed in
front of him; the black eye she’d given him was gone, but two of
his fingers were splinted.
She studied him for a moment, seeing him for the first time in a space
free of emotional turmoil. He was perhaps ten years older than
she, his expression sullen; there was nothing showing to indicate the
obsession that had driven him to try to kill her. It seemed
unfair, somehow; part of her wanted to see the mark of a monster in his
face.
The charges were many, ranging from assault to kidnapping to attempted
murder to conspiracy, and Yarbro stared into space as they were listed,
impassive and still. His lawyer, a tall slender man whose age
Virginia couldn’t pin down, looked utterly professional,
unemotional without being bored, and Virginia wondered if he was hired,
or a public defender. It seemed odd, now, that she knew so little
about the man who’d done so much to her.
She was utterly surprised when he pled guilty.
Tony whistled softly as the plea was accepted and Yarbro was marched
off to await sentencing. Virginia blinked at her
kidnapper’s disappearing back, floored. She’d
expected him to fight the charges as fiercely as he’d struggled
to take her down, but…he hadn’t. It was almost
disappointing, though the idea immediately made her impatient with
herself.
But as the door closed behind Yarbro she heard Happy let out a long
sigh, barely audible, and without looking she reached over and squeezed
his hand. He returned the pressure, big fingers gentle, and she
felt something in her relax at last.
“Agent Cross,” Tony said, very respectfully, and Virginia
turned back to see Alex standing in the aisle next to their seats,
looking as composed as always. Virginia smiled, and Alex smiled
back, the slightly puckish look that made her seem just a touch
fey.
“Donovan says hello,” she said, which made Tony snort; her
smile deepened. “He thought you should know that Yarbro
decided to plead guilty for a lighter sentence.”
Tony straightened, and Virginia pulled in a breath, a little alarmed,
but Alex shook her head. “Fifty to seventy-five years
rather than life. Even with good behavior, you don’t have
anything to worry about for at least a few decades.”
Behind Virginia, Happy sighed again, but Tony frowned.
“Should have been--”
Virginia laid a hand on his arm. “I’m glad to hear
it,” she said firmly, and met the agent’s eyes squarely,
putting into her gaze the words that didn’t belong in the
courtroom. “Thank you, Alex.”
Cross tilted her head, acknowledging. Virginia let Tony go.
“Do you know how he figured you out?”
The agent’s lips tightened. “Random human
error. He overheard one of your neighbors talking about how
‘different’ you looked and put two and two
together.” She looked more exasperated than upset with the
slip-up. “The decoy was a test; I don’t think he
expected to actually be right.”
Tony snorted again, but didn’t comment. Virginia smiled at
Alex. “I’m glad it’s over,
frankly.”
Alex smiled once more. “Me too. Take care,” she
told all three of them, and was gone.
Virginia let out her breath. I
guess I’ll never know why.
What about her had obsessed the man to the point that he had destroyed
his own life in an effort to bring her down? She couldn’t
see a good reason for it.
But she didn’t have to. It was one of the things
she’d discussed with Dr. Choi, rationality and hate and the need
to have all the answers. And while why might always be an itch in the
back of her mind, Virginia was willing to let the question go
now.
He can’t hurt us any
more. Any of us.
Once again, it was enough.
“What do you think?” Tony asked his companions as they came
out of the courthouse, sliding on his sunglasses. “Lunch
out to celebrate? There’s that new sushi
place…”
Happy looked horrified. Pepper pursed her lips thoughtfully, then
shook her head. “You know what? I don’t think
we should give him that much credit.”
“I agree,” Tony said instantly. “He’s
forgotten, business as usual--as soon as we make it to the car, that
is…” As the reporters descended, or rather ascended
the stairs, he cocked a brow at Happy, who immediately stepped in front
of them. But Pepper reached out to lay a hand on the big
man’s arm.
“Do you mind if I make a statement now?” she asked Tony
quickly, keeping her voice low. “I’d rather get it
out of the way--”
“By all means.” Tony shifted back half a step,
letting Pepper take point, but placing himself close enough behind her
that no one would be able to get too near. Happy flanked her on
the other side, and the reporters, recognizing the stance, foamed to a
halt in front of them, waving mikes and asking for comment.
Pepper, veteran of a thousand such even if she was rarely the one
speaking, didn’t bother raising a hand for silence; she just
waited, and after a few seconds the reporters fell silent. Tony
watched her from behind the shelter of his shades, admiring, because
while he could play the press like a virtuoso, her quiet firmness could
be just as effective. Her voice didn’t seem loud in the
warm air, but it carried well.
“Speaking as a victim of Mr. Yarbro’s crimes, I am
satisfied to see him remanded to custody for sentencing,” she
told the cameras and the eager faces. “The police and the
FBI have done an excellent job in capturing him--” Her
lashes flicked down, a tiny tease only Tony could interpret.
“--With, of course, the help of Iron Man.”
She glanced at Happy, and apparently received a signal Tony
didn’t catch. “Mr. Hogan and I are ready to put this
behind us, and we trust that the public and the press will respect our
wishes in this matter. Thank you.”
Of course, no one did; they were all three instantly deluged with
questions ranging from relevant requests for more detail to provocative
queries about the relationship between Tony and Pepper. The
latter was nothing they hadn’t heard before, but as Happy cleared
a path for them towards the limo waiting at the bottom of the stairs,
Tony was a little surprised to hear a suggestive question or two
concerning the relationship between his personal assistant and his chauffeur.
Those startled him, and as they escaped into the limousine Tony saw the
scarlet rimming Happy’s ears and realized that if Pepper
wasn’t already in a relationship with himself, he might actually
have wondered--
He shook off the thought. She was, and while neither of them had
spoken of anything long-term, as far as Tony was concerned it was going
to be as permanent a relationship as he could make it. He
wasn’t quite sure how, but he was determined. Need you, Pepper. Always.
His train of thought was interrupted, though, as the limo pulled away
into traffic and Pepper sighed, fastening her seatbelt before sliding
over to lean against him. Surprised again--she was chary of
affectionate gestures where anyone else could see--Tony put an arm
around her shoulders and pulled her closer, savoring the sensation of
her relaxing weight. Opposite them, Happy gazed out the side
window, his expression tired but relieved.
Something deep in Tony’s brain relaxed too, and he let himself
smile.
Still, the problem preyed, until he had to give up on his usual
projects that afternoon in the basement and putter around with the
Shelby, still half-disassembled. It seemed like a simple matter,
just open his mouth and ask--Hey,
Pepper, will you move in with me? Permanently, this
time?
But something about it didn’t feel right. Somehow
they’d managed to stumble into a relationship without actually
discussing it in so many words, and the bald, almost flippant request
felt…trivial. And whether he admitted it out loud or not,
Tony took Pepper’s love for him very seriously indeed.
He worked steadily on the car, trying to feel his way through the
puzzle. How do I get her to
take me seriously?
Propose?
The idea appealed, more than he had anticipated, but Tony wasn’t
sure that was the answer either. He frowned and pried loose
another fragment, unsure. Pepper…
The beep of the door opening pulled him from reverie, and Tony rose
from his crouch, reaching for a rag and wiping his hands as he watched
Pepper cross the garage towards him. She was still dressed for
the working day, at heels that brought them about eye to eye, and as
she neared he screwed up his courage and spoke.
His “We need to talk” ran right into her “Tony, I
think we--” and mingled, and they both laughed, and it gave him
an odd pang to realize she was as nervous as he. “Ladies
first,” he managed, turning one palm up.
“No, you first,” she demurred, shifting her weight to one
leg, which made her hip tilt in a very distracting manner.
“Is it work?” Tony asked, and Pepper shook her head.
“No, I’m finished, I was just going to ask if you wanted to
do dinner before I head home, but--”
“I want you to stay,” fell out of his mouth before he could
stop it. Pepper blinked.
“I have some stuff I need to do at home, but you’re welcome
to come along if you want...” She broke off as Tony reached
for her hand.
“That’s not what I meant. I want you to stay,” he repeated, holding
her fingers tightly, as if she might slip away before giving him an
answer.
“You mean move in.” It was somewhere between a
statement and a question, and he looked down at her slender fingers,
realizing abruptly that he was leaving greasy prints on her
knuckles.
Irritated at himself, Tony loosened his grip and dabbed at the smears
with the rag. “Yeah. That’s what I
mean.”
Her other hand moved into his field of vision and took the rag
gently. Her fingers slipped free and she cleaned the grease off
with a few efficient swipes, then took his hand in hers and did the same
for him. “Is that what you really want?”
He flexed his fingers carefully, then dared to look up at her.
“Yes.”
Pepper gave him half a smile, a soft expression, and let his hand
go. “Then I’ll move in.”
It should have been a relief, but it wasn’t. Tony drew his
brows together, trying to understand. “What do you want?”
She turned away, rag in hand, and moved toward one of the trash cans
that populated his workshop. “Moving in sounds fine,
Tony. Do you want to take bets on how long it takes the press to
notice?”
Her voice was light as she dropped the rag into the trash, but the fact
that she was facing away from him made Tony suspicious. With a
few long strides he was behind her, cupping her shoulders in his hands
without regard for her pristine suit. “That’s not an
answer.”
Pepper hesitated so long that fear started to coil in his belly like a
worm. Then she turned in his grip, her face serious, though her
hands came up to rest on either side of his arc reactor in the familiar
touch. “I know. That’s what I wanted to talk to
you about.”
He let his hands slide down to her hips, pulling her just a bit closer
and ignoring the usual response to such proximity.
“And?”
“I take my cues from you, Tony. Which isn’t really
healthy in a relationship, not all the time. I have to
ask…what do you have in mind for--for us?”
Mesmerized, he watched Pepper’s throat move as she swallowed, and
realized that she was as scared as he was. And that there was
room for nothing but the truth. “I want you to never leave
me again.”
On the heels of that came another clarity, one so huge he wanted to hit
himself for being just that oblivious. “I love
you.”
He’d never said it. Never told her. Somehow
he’d managed to completely leave that out, and he was going to
have to kill himself for it, but later, because the brush of her long
exhale against his skin and the way her lips were curling up, shy and
sure and sweet, was far more important at the moment.
He had to kiss her, like he had to breathe. After that, it was
all like flying, a starlit sky with Pepper in his arms once more, and
he was content.
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