Fandom:
Iron Man (movieverse)
Rating: PG-13
Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Summary: Tony takes advantage of serendipity.
Disclaimer: Most of the characters and situations in this story belong
to Marvel Comics, Fairview Entertainment, Dark Blades Films, 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, particularly 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.
Cincoflex
must have
slogged through three or four versions of this chapter, and she still
talks to me anyway. ;) Thank you, dearest.
And props to Black.b3rry for figuring out the joke in the yacht's name!
Yes, flip "Y
Not?" around and you get "Tony".
*********
He dressed with especial care on Monday morning, retrieving his
father’s watch from his dresser and slipping it into his vest
pocket. Cleaned and refurbished, it gleamed richly at the end
of
the heavy chain, a satisfying weight in his hand and then against his
torso. Tony shrugged into a coat and set his cuffs, and went
out
to find coffee and wait for his fiancée.
She was, of course, early, and Tony watched her step out of her car via
the window screen in the living room. Pepper too was
impeccably
dressed, and he wondered idly if her clothes felt like armor to
her.
He shut off the screen and waited by the window as she came
in.
Pepper’s expression as she caught sight of him across the
room
was cool, professionally calm, but the way she raised her chin told
Tony that she was nervous, and that gave him an odd little thrill of
hope.
She came to a halt in the middle of the room, close enough that she
didn’t have to raise her voice, and folded her hands in front
of
her. “Do you want my
resignation?”
Tony started. He’d expected anger, embarrassment,
maybe a
genuine effort to ignore what had happened, but not that.
“Hell no.
Bite your tongue, Potts, you know I can’t survive without
you.”
Her tense fingers relaxed a fraction, but her expression
didn’t
change. “Then I suppose we need to
talk.”
She was still wearing the ring, he noticed with a rush of
relief.
He’d been afraid that she might decide to give up on the
whole
thing, but the wide band was still in place on her third
finger.
“Yeah, we do.”
He stepped forward, gesturing her towards the couch.
“Sit
down, Pepper, please. Do you want some
coffee?”
Pepper shook her head politely and seated herself on the edge of the
cushions, feet tucked neatly together as if she were ready to stand up
again at any moment. Tony scowled at her in genuine
exasperation. “Will you relax?
Did you think I was going to fire you or
something?”
Her mouth crimped, possibly in equal exasperation.
“I don’t know
what to think, Mr. Stark.”
He closed his eyes briefly, blowing out a breath.
“Don’t
call
me that, Pepper.” Forgetting formal, he sat down
next to
her, not missing her twitch but choosing to ignore it, and reached over
to take her left hand and run his thumb over the band.
“I’m glad you didn’t take this
off.”
“I probably should,” she said, her voice
low.
“But not without preparing a press release
first.”
Tony folded his fingers around hers.
“No.”
Pepper stirred restlessly. “Tony...you know as well
as I do that this isn’t working.”
“You mean it’s working too
well.” He
didn’t let her hand go when she tugged.
“Saturday--”
“It was a mistake.” Her voice was tight,
and she
turned her head away. “I’m sorry
that--”
“Don’t
apologize.”
Tony squeezed her hand, probably too hard, but he really
didn’t
want to hear the rest of her sentence. In fact, what he
wanted to
do was kiss her again, but he knew he had to straighten out a few
things first.
Pepper turned back to stare at him, her eyes wide.
“But--”
He covered her mouth with his free hand, which made her jerk back in
shock. “You don’t have a damned thing to
apologize
for. I suppose I
should be apologizing, except I meant what I
said.”
Her skin, what he could see of it, paled, and she reached up to pull
his hand down. “So did I.”
Her voice was cold, and Tony sighed, twisting his wrist so that he held
both her hands now. “Yeah, but you’re
making the
wrong assumption here.” Her pulse was running high
under
his fingers, and he met her eyes. “I
don’t want
to go back to my old habits, and frankly I think you should have
figured that out already.”
Pepper frowned, and Tony swallowed and went on. “I
want to
make this real, Pepper. I want to marry you. For
real.”
Her lips parted, and her fingers tightened, but then she looked
away. “Tony--”
“I’m serious,” he insisted, trying to
find the right
words. “You’re what I want,
and--”
“Stop.” She shook free of his grip and
stood in one
swift motion, walking a few steps away. “Just--give
me a
minute.”
Her back was rigid, and Tony almost followed her over, but he made
himself stay still. Even though he had the feeling he
wasn’t going to like the next words that came out of her
mouth.
Finally Pepper turned, her expression carefully calm.
“Tony. I’m very flattered, but I really
don’t
think actually getting married is a good idea.”
That
hurt, much more
than he was expecting, but Tony matched her calm.
“Why
not?” He already had a number of arguments lined
up, but he
wanted to shoot hers down first.
“You don’t do long-term
relationships.” Pepper folded her arms.
“There’s a first time for
everything.” He stood
up to meet her eyes on a level. “I’m not
pretending
it’ll be easy, but I’m a pretty determined guy when
I want
something.”
Her cheeks pinkened slightly, and again that small rush of hope made
itself felt. “Why me?
There’s any number of more suitable women out
there. Ones
who would have no qualms about marrying a
superhero.”
“I don’t trust them. I trust
you.” It was
the truth, but for some reason it made Pepper flinch.
“Tony--” She unfolded her arms, and
stepped forward
to lay one on his chest, right over his arc implant.
“I’m convenient.
I know you already, and yes, you trust me. But if you
didn’t have this, would you even be considering getting
married,
let alone to me?”
The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind, because it simply
didn’t apply. Tony blinked, trying to marshal an
answer,
but Pepper kept going. “I understand that you...are
attracted to me.” Her blush deepened
slightly.
“But that’s not enough to build a marriage
on. This
happened by accident, and it sounds like a good idea to you, but what
if someone else comes along who’s more than just
convenient?”
She let her hand fall. Tony stood very still, because he
wanted to refute her arguments, wanted to point out that he loved her, and when did that happen?
his brain asked quietly, but her reasoning was damnably
logical.
Because the idea of marriage hadn’t really entered his head
until
it had been put there by a ring a fraction too small. Even
his
ideas about a long-term relationship had been hazy; he hadn’t
thought much beyond the bliss of finally becoming Pepper’s
lover,
of--hopefully--discovering that she felt the same way about
him.
“I can’t imagine wanting anyone but you,”
he said at last, barely audible, and Pepper shrugged sadly.
“A year ago, could you have imagined any
of this?” The wave of her hand took in all the
impossible
changes. When he didn’t reply, she smiled, small
and
equally sad. “Think about it, Tony. Be
honest with
yourself.”
She turned to walk away, and he caught her arm.
“What if I
do?” he said roughly. “What if I do and I
still want
you?”
Pepper looked back at him, but she’d tucked her emotions away
and
he couldn’t tell what she was feeling.
“If you do,
then we’ll talk again.”
It was clear that she didn’t think he would, and that hurt
too. And made him angry again, but Tony tightened his jaw and
kept himself calm. “All right.”
Pepper nodded once, and slipped the ring from her finger with the same
ease with which he’d put it on. “Do you
want this
back? I could say it was in for
cleaning.”
She held it out to him, and Tony let her arm go and took it, but only
to pick up her left hand and put it back on. “Keep
it. We can decide...anything
else...later.”
“Very well.” Her beringed hand closed in
a fist, and
her lips quirked. “I have a busy day.
I’d
better get to work.”
He watched her head back towards the front hall, but just before she
would vanish from view he spoke.
“Pepper.”
She turned halfway, listening, and Tony folded his arms.
“What happened on the boat...I would never, ever take you
that
lightly.”
It was true. He had always made it clear to his past lovers
that
he wanted no more than a night, or a week; some of them thought they
could change his mind, but that was another issue. One of the
reasons he’d never pushed past flirting with Pepper, ever,
was
because he had always known that with her, it would have to be
more.
She blinked, he could see the flicker of her eyelid in profile, and
then dipped her chin in austere acknowledgment. And then she
was
gone.
Tony waited until he heard the door close behind her, and then peeled
off his jacket and half-ran downstairs.
The day was long, and as promised Tony spent a large part of it
thinking--sometimes in silence, sometimes straining the speakers with
heavy metal. He tinkered and fiddled, letting his hands
occupy
themselves while his brain wrestled with the problem Pepper had handed
him.
First he thought about the device in the middle of his chest.
Implicit in Pepper’s questions had been--was he choosing her
because she already knew about his arc implant? Because he
wouldn’t have to trust his secret to anyone else?
The idea irritated him, but Tony had to admit that she had the right to
know whether she was really
his choice, or just the one fate had presented to
him.
But
I’ve wanted her for a long time, before this.
He tapped the reactor thoughtfully, pondering. I just
wasn’t--ready.
And in retrospect, Tony was grateful that Pepper had never given into
his flirting, because sex would have meant the end of their
relationship, professional or otherwise. And he would be lost
without her.
Of course, if
she had,
she wouldn’t be Pepper...
When did I fall for
her?
He did love her. That was not in question. Tony
knew it as
deeply as he knew he was doing the right thing in becoming Iron Man;
the knowledge came from the same place inside him, an unshakeable
certainty.
The real
question, genius, is does she love you?
He’d been trying to woo her for weeks now, but obviously with
much less success than he’d thought. Or perhaps
she’d
just taken it all as part of their masquerade, as false a front as
their public kisses. Tony frowned at the tiny servomotor he
was
adjusting, and sighed. I
didn’t think this would be easy...but...
Setting the device down, he leaned back in his chair, staring at the
ceiling. The memories rose in his mind’s
eye--opening the
plain package to find a gentle tease beneath, still glowing
blue.
The sight of Pepper nerving herself up to put her hand into his
chest. The blurry remembrance of her doing the same as he lay
helpless in a hospital bed...
...The weight of a blanket tucked carefully around him when he woke to
a sea morning.
In that moment, he knew. Rhodey had found him, but Pepper had
saved him--three times and counting. By her reddened eyes, by
a
sentimental gift, by her furious, terrified efficiency in the aftermath
of Stane’s death, she had given herself away.
By the simple care of a warm cover to keep him from the cold.
She does love
me.
It was a very humbling thought. Humbling and exalting
both.
Tony shivered, letting the strange delightful feeling sink in, and
smiled in wonder.
And then frowned.
So why the hell
is she arguing?
It hadn’t escaped his notice that Pepper had never once said
that she didn’t want
to marry him. Her doubt still angered him, but Tony was
starting to wonder if it was herself
Pepper
doubted, not just his fidelity. Her statement about
convenience
left a bad taste in his mouth; it implied thoughtlessness on his part
and unworthiness on hers.
That just made him angrier, because while he’d dated more
beautiful women, few of them could match her in intelligence, acumen,
or ability. Or
patience, or humor for that matter...
And
it’s not like she’s not quite the package herself.
Tony closed her eyes to indulge in a minute of appreciative lust,
feeling his body stir at the thought. Her endless legs, her
slim
form, that lower lip he was falling in love with all by itself, the
wide-spaced eyes that he ached to see darken with equal lust when he
kissed her...
I want
her. I want all
of her--brains, body...heart.
Tony knew he could trust Pepper. He knew he could depend on
her. All he had to do was convince her that she could do the
same
when it came to him.
Okay.
How?
He didn’t know. But that in itself gave him an
idea.
Slowly, Tony smiled.
It wasn’t even hard to arrange. Tony had Jarvis
call Pepper
and politely request her time after the workday was over, just as if it
were an ordinary Monday and he had need of her, and she acquiesced with
equal politeness. Tony sent Happy to pick her up, and spent
the
waiting time taking a shower and putting on clean clothes;
he’d
gotten fairly greasy over the course of the day.
He went for semi-formal again--not because he felt he needed the armor,
but because Pepper deserved no less. He dug up a bottle of
the
pinot grigio she liked and took it and two glasses out to the patio
overlooking the ocean, and waited, watching the sun sink and trying to
quell the flutter in his stomach.
Because he knew the truth, but he also knew that it might not be
enough.
Jarvis’ voice coming from the living room let him know that
Pepper had arrived; the AI was directing her to Tony, and she appeared
at the sliding door, composed and unruffled and completely
closed.
That alone told him that she was nervous, and Tony bit back a smile and
waved. “Hey Potts, come on
out.”
Pepper stepped through the door and made her way to the low wall where
he sat, the same one where Vralia had posed them. Tony poured
the
wine and offered her a glass, and she hesitated but took it.
“You were right,” he started, and Pepper went
pale. Oops.
He hurried on. “I did need to think about
this.”
She swallowed, and her fingers clenched on the stem of the glass; then
she set it down and reached for the ring still on her finger.
Tony tightened his lips and grabbed her hand.
“Will you stop
that? And let me finish?”
Her eyes narrowed, the first sign of temper he’d seen since
Saturday and something of a relief. “Then finish,
Tony.”
He kept her hand, turning it over in his and rubbing his thumb across
her palm. “I spent the day thinking, and you made
some good
points, but my mind’s made up. I want to marry
you. I
want it all, Pepper.”
Pepper closed her eyes briefly, taking a deep breath and clearly
reaching for control. “Tony...I’m
not...”
“Not what? Not everything I want?
Everything I
need? In love with me?” That made her
flinch, but
Tony moved closer, narrowing the gap between them.
“I know
you are, Pepper, and while I’d love to know how long
it’s
been, that can wait.”
The pulse in her throat was beating madly; he wanted to taste
it.
But Pepper shook her head, pulling her hand free of his grip.
“Tony, don’t. I can’t do this,
I can’t be
this impulsive. What you say may be
true--”
He raised a brow. “Try is.”
She swallowed again and went on. “--But I think you
can do
better than marrying your personal assistant just because an accident
put the idea into your head.”
“Bullshit.” She winced, and Tony inhaled,
frustrated
at her stubbornness but ready to play his ace. “I know what I want,
Pepper, and I’ve wanted it for a long time now. You
just weren’t ready to hear it.”
He took another step forward, crowding her, and Pepper moved
back. “Here’s the question I want an
answer
for. What do I have to do to convince you that I want you?”
He watched as she jerked in reaction, her cheeks pinkening.
Pepper opened her mouth, but then closed it, apparently at a loss for
words, and Tony grinned. I
guessed right.
“Exactly. There isn’t anything, is
there?” He edged her back towards the wall of the
house. “I think I’m
insulted.”
Pepper’s chin firmed. “You
haven’t exactly been
a model of fidelity, Tony.” The asperity in her
voice was
at odds with the way her eyes wouldn’t quite meet
his.
“Maybe--” Her voice wobbled.
“Maybe I do
love you, but can you blame me for not wanting to risk my heart any
more than I already have?”
“You know, before the day’s over I intend to get
you to say
that without the qualifier,” Tony said thoughtfully, taking
one
more step forward so that Pepper bumped into the brick behind
her. It was easy to plant his hands on either side of her, so
that she was caged between the house and his body. Tony
leaned
in, feeling her rapid breath rush over his face.
“I want you. I love you,” he said softly,
holding her
gaze with his own. “I want that ring to stay on
your
finger, and I want yours on mine, so everybody can see it. I
trust you, and maybe that’s why I can love you, but either
way I
need you to believe me, because it’s true. It
has been for a long time and it’s not
changing.”
Pepper was absolutely still, tension humming through her, and Tony kept
going. Speaking the truth was unexpectedly terrifying, but he
knew that sometimes to win you had to risk it all.
“If you
really don’t want to marry me,
that’s another thing, but Pepper, I think you
do.”
And he stopped, out of words. The moment seemed endless,
poised
on the edge of something unnameable, waiting on the woman he held
captive. Those lovely eyes were wide, and they searched his
with
an intensity he rarely saw in her, a need that was as deep as his
own. Tony didn’t flinch; for the first time that he
could
remember, he let someone--Pepper--look
into him without reservation.
It was almost as frightening as telling her the truth. His
heart
seemed to squeeze, tightness sharpening towards pain as he waited for
her word. But whatever she was searching for she seemed to
find,
because she sighed.
And closed the gap between them, meeting his lips with hers.
He’d kissed Pepper often enough by now to know her taste, but
this time was different, because he didn’t have to hold back
anything. Tony pulled her to him, reveling in the way her
mouth
opened to him, the way her hands were sliding under his jacket to
clutch at the fabric of his shirt. Yes, yes, yes was
all he could think, stunned triumph mixing with relief and the
indescribable bliss of Pepper, willing,
in his arms.
It felt right, it felt perfect--Tony
felt as though he’d been hungry for this forever, and his
heart
beat hard, the pain subsumed by joy as that hunger was finally
fed. Pepper--
She was shaking, but then so was he, and Tony pressed her back against
the wall, aligning them more closely. He wanted close--he
wanted
no more doubt, no more pretending. Nothing but the two of
them,
as they should
be.
Pepper pulled away enough to suck in a breath, and Tony switched to the
elegant line of her jaw and throat, finally able to press his lips to
her thrumming pulse. “So?” he muttered in
between
kisses. “Yes or no?”
She laughed, and one of her hands tangled in his hair, tugging until he
lifted his head. “Tony--”
He met her eyes again, and her lips curled up in that marvelous
smile. “All right. Yes,” she
said
faintly.
Tony blinked, almost unable to take in her words, an unstoppable grin
stretching his mouth. “Really?”
Pepper laughed again, her hand slipping down to his shoulder.
“Yes--”
He cut off her next words with another kiss, long and sweet and this
time definitely possessive. They were both out of breath when
it
was over, and he kept grinning. “Really
truly?
Forever and a day? Till death do us
part?”
She sobered a bit at that, and reached up to touch his lips with two
fingers. “Yes.”
Tony freed one hand to press hers to his mouth.
“Good,” he said against her skin, delighted as she
shivered. He kissed her fingertips and then wrapped her hand
in
his. “And believe me, it will be, Potts,
there’s no way I’m letting you go. Now
will you move the hell in?”
Pepper blinked, and Tony lifted her arm a little to kiss her wrist
pulse too. “You can have your own room, I
don’t want
to push you, Pepper--hell, you can have a whole wing if you want, but
please don’t go away
any more--“
The words tumbled out as if her acquiescence had unlocked him, and he
realized he sounded a bit desperate, but-- Fuck it. I am
desperate.
Pepper leaned in and kissed him, stopping his babble, and Tony hummed
happily and let her hand go to gather her close again.
He’d
suspected she would be a perfect fit long before he’d danced
with
her, and he’d been right.
When she had him dizzy, Pepper broke the kiss and met his gaze
again. “I’ll move in eventually, Tony,
but not right
this minute.” She shook her head, looking a little
dizzy
herself. “You...I...I need time to process
this.”
He wanted to know how
much
time, but Tony knew better than to ask. Instead he swung her
away
from the wall, then around again in two more turns, half-dancing for
sheer joy before collapsing onto one of the chaises and pulling her
down on top of him. Pepper squeaked, eyes wide, but before
she
could argue Tony wrapped his arms around her again and settled her
against him. “Can we just stay like this for a
little
while? The next decade maybe?”
He meant the words to be lighthearted, but they came out a little more
serious than he was intending. Pepper gave him another long
look,
then leaned forward to press a gentler kiss on his lips.
“Sure.”
Tony was half-afraid she was humoring him, but the sigh she gave as she
let her head rest on his shoulder told him otherwise. She was
warm and light and soft, and he swallowed hard, the elation of a moment
before distilling into something quieter but no less intense.
He
couldn’t remember ever feeling like this with any woman,
wanting
to just hold her close as if to make sure she was still there, but this
wasn’t just any woman. It was Pepper, and she was
so far beyond his past conquests as to be in a different category
entirely.
So he pressed his nose into her hair and let his muscles unwind,
savoring the weight of her and the knowledge that she really did want
him--with all his flaws and quirks. And realizing that while
she
might have given him the gift of her love, he had to keep it.
One of the reasons he’d avoided relationships was that they
were work, and
he always had more important things to do. But he’d
reworked his priorities after Afghanistan, and this one fit right in
next to removing his weapons from the wrong hands.
He didn’t just want a lover, or a wife, he wanted a
partner. Lucky
for me, I already have one. And she’s just agreed
to be all three.
“You know, Jimmy’s going to laugh at us,”
Pepper said
eventually, sounding amused and equally relaxed. Tony
smirked,
and rubbed his cheek against the top of her head.
“Let him. Platypus is probably
jealous.”
“Mmm.” She squirmed, and reluctantly Tony
loosened
his arms, afraid that she wanted to leave him. But instead
Pepper
sat up a little, turning to face him, and kissed him with slow,
delicious care.
It was a little odd, he thought under a haze of bliss, to just share
kisses with a woman with no other immediate goal in mind. In
the
past, he would have been bored within moments, wanting either to be
hurrying towards sex or to be up and doing. But it was
enough,
more than enough, to do just this, leisurely tasting and caressing,
twining his fingers in Pepper’s hair and feeling her hand cup
gently over his arc implant through his shirt.
She wasn’t a diversion. She was his
center. She was what he needed.
Tony didn’t know if Pepper needed him,
not the same way. But as their breaths mingled and he heard
her
purr of pleasure, he vowed silently that if ever she did, he would meet
that need.
Eventually, his stomach interrupted them, growling loudly.
Tony
grinned ruefully at Pepper’s chuckle, and she sat up slowly,
her
hair in lovely disarray and her face a little pink where his beard had
scraped her. Tony made a mental note to dig up the
conditioner
he’d stopped using in recent months, and stretched.
“Dinner’s on me, Potts--go out or stay
in?”
She stood, and held out a hand. “Stay in,
definitely.”
He took it and let her pull him up. “Your wish is
my command. Let me check the freezer.”
Pepper looked surprised. “You’re not
going to order in?”
He wanted to kiss her again, but if he started that they’d be
distracted for another half-hour at least, and he was hungry.
“On rare occasions I do cook. Mostly to win bets
with Rhodey.”
That made her laugh out loud, and she tucked a strand of hair behind
her ear and waved him towards the sliding door.
“This I
have to see.”
They ended up using the big grill on the patio, barbecuing chicken and
vegetables on skewers, and Tony refused to let Pepper help with
anything but slicing some of the vegetables. It felt very
domestic when they sat down at the table in the luminous evening,
Pepper delicately pulling her skewer apart but getting sauce on her
mouth anyway, and Tony only spared a moment to wonder that the
sensation wasn’t sending him screaming away.
I guess
it’s true--when you have the right person, it
doesn’t matter.
After dinner, Pepper helped him clear the table, but when he opened his
mouth to suggest retiring to the couch for more necking, she spoke
first. “I should be getting home, I
think.”
Tony wiped his hands on a dishtowel and tossed it onto the counter,
then stepped forward to pull her into his arms. Pepper went
willingly, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders, but her
expression told him she was not going to be coaxed out of her
decision.
He had to try, though. “Are you sure you
don’t want
to stay? I was serious about the room, you know. If
you
like I’ll promise not to cross the
threshold.”
Yeah, Rhodey was definitely going to laugh himself sick, but Tony
really didn’t care.
Pepper’s lips firmed. “Process, Tony,
remember? I think you could use a little time
too.”
“I hate it when you’re right,” he sighed,
and reached
up to take her left hand and press a kiss to the ring.
Pepper smiled with a touch of wonder. “I
didn’t--” She bit her lip and stopped,
and Tony
raised his brows inquiringly.
“What? I promise I won’t bite,
Potts. Unless you want me to.”
That made her dimple, and she took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry I didn’t believe you,
earlier,” she
told him quietly. “I just--”
“Don’t,” Tony broke in, aching a little
at the
apology. “Pepper, you had every right to ask, and
as you
said I’m not exactly the poster boy for
relationships.”
Pepper’s eyes shimmered with amusement and exasperation, and
the dimple deepened. “Will you let me finish?”
she asked sweetly.
Tony snapped his jaw shut and tried to look compliant. Pepper
reached up to touch his mouth again. “As I was
saying...it’s sometimes hard to believe when something you
want
with all your heart suddenly comes true. Especially when you
never thought you’d actually get it.”
His own heart swelled, the sweetest pain he’d ever
felt.
Pepper lowered her hand and brushed his lips with her own.
“I do love you,” she murmured, the words whispering
across
his skin. “And if you have the courage to say it, I
can’t do any less.”
That did it. Tony lifted her off her feet, until her head was
above his, and leaned up to kiss her hard, sealing the truth between
them. The joy of earlier was eclipsed by this ecstacy, and he
knew that whatever else happened, he had this one perfect
moment.
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