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.
Many thanks to
Cincoflex, who knows why Pepper wanted the weekend alone!
*********
He could hardly wait for Pepper to arrive the next morning.
In
fact, Tony was tempted to go and fetch her, but her words about time to
process kept coming back to him, and he finally decided that pissing
her off first thing was probably not a good way to start their real
engagement.
So he lay in wait instead, realizing as he watched Pepper’s
car
come up the drive that one of the first changes that had to be made was
having her park in the garage instead of out front. If she’s moving in,
she gets her own space.
There was really no reason why she didn’t
have a space in the garage; the habit dated from her first weeks as his
PA, before she was authorized to enter his workshop, and somehow it had
never changed. Tony mentally rearranged his cars to provide
space
for hers, and then his mind leaped to making copies of his various key
sets. Pepper liked speed almost as much as he did, and while
she’d driven one or another of his treasures on occasion,
Tony
had every intention of making her completely free with them
now.
He wanted to give her that; he wanted to give her everything.
Starting with a kiss when she walked in the door. It had
barely
closed behind her when he strode in from the living room and wrapped
her up in a welcoming hug, cutting off her “Tony!”
midword
with his lips.
She kissed him back after an instant of surprise, vibrating against him
with what he realized was stifled laughter. He drew out the
kiss
anyway, not sure what she was finding so amusing but too enraptured to
care.
Her eyes were sparkling when he finally let her lips go, and she smiled
at him without pulling her arms from around him.
“Good
morning, Mr. Stark.”
Her demure tone made him grin back. “Good morning,
Ms. Potts. Glad to see you prompt as
always.”
Pepper snickered. “I’m
sure.” Her smile softened.
“Tony...”
“Hmm?” The curve of her throat, so close,
was calling
him, but Tony made himself concentrate on her face.
She opened her mouth, then closed it, shaking her head
minutely. “Never mind.”
That got his attention. “What? Come on,
you can tell me.”
Pepper shook her head again, a hint of color dusting her cheeks, and
started to step back, but Tony tightened his embrace.
“Give, Potts, or I’ll tickle it out of
you.”
One elegant brow shot up, and her look was amused.
“I’m not ticklish.”
That was
a challenge
if he’d ever heard one. “Oh
yeah? Prove
it.” Tony slid his hands quickly from the small of
Pepper’s back to her ribs, fingers dancing over the crisp
cotton
of her blouse, but she didn’t flinch, merely giving him a
curling
and superior smile. “Dammit.”
“Told you.” Then her hand shot forward,
and Tony,
startled, squirmed away from her fingers as they teased along his
stomach.
“Hey! If you’re going to do that...do it
a little
harder.” He made a snatch at her hand and missed as
she
pulled it back. The color was back in her cheeks, and he
grinned
wider.
Pepper cleared her throat, still smiling but obviously a touch
embarrassed. “I...we should probably get to
work.”
Tony could think of better things to do, but she had a point, and while
they would have to negotiate work eventually, it was probably a good
idea to stick to their usual routine for the moment.
So he grabbed for her hand again and got it this time.
“Fine, but you’re having lunch with me so we can
discuss
the most important thing on the agenda.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
Pepper’s free
hand quivered towards her hip, where her BlackBerry was holstered, as
if preparing to take notes.
Tony lifted the one he held and kissed it. “Setting
a wedding date.”
Pepper blinked, and then blushed, this time a full vivid
pink. “Tony--”
He pulled her hand through the curve of his elbow and started walking,
heading towards her little office in the east wing.
“In the
meantime, though, let’s get started on whatever endless list
of
chores you have for me--I need to see which ones I’m going to
blow off.”
That made her laugh, and he smirked, content.
As it turned out, lunch was late, because he got involved in
programming and totally forgot about it. But eventually Tony
looked up from his terminal to see Pepper coming through the door with
a laden tray. “I hope you brought enough for
two,” he
said, saving his work and swinging around in his chair.
Pepper’s mouth curved up. “Are you that
hungry?”
Tony snorted, and stood to take the tray as she brought it
over.
Despite her tease, there were two plates and two sets of silverware,
and Tony cleared a place on the closest workbench and set down the food
while Pepper went over to the kitchen area for drinks.
“Red
Bull please,” he called after her, and she returned with the
specified can and a Perrier for herself.
It wasn’t out of the ordinary for them to eat together,
though it
wasn’t that frequent outside of the last few
months’
masquerading. Tony found a chair for Pepper underneath a
bird’s-nest of cable, and even remembered to check it for
grease
and dust before wheeling it over. Pepper sat with a murmur of
thanks, and Tony rounded the workbench to reclaim his own
place.
One of their small unspoken habits was that they didn’t
discuss
business during these quiet meals, unless something was particularly
urgent. Pepper settled her napkin on her lap and picked up
her
fork. “How’s it
going?”
Absently Tony opened her bottle for her before starting on his own
food. “Not bad. Next time I mention
weather
algorithms, though, just shoot me. And here I thought Jarvis was
complicated.”
Pepper snickered as Jarvis spoke. “I am,
sir. A
better descriptor for the wind patterns of the North Atlantic would be
‘intricate’.”
Tony rolled his eyes, which only made Pepper laugh out loud.
“I’ll keep the pistol handy. Why
weather?”
Tony swallowed his mouthful of pasta salad.
“Repurposing
the Seraphim satellite design if I can. In the end
we’ll
want an entirely new design, but with as many as we’ve got in
storage, why waste ‘em?”
Pepper nodded, chasing a cherry tomato with her fork.
“What’s involved?”
That gave him license to ramble a bit, so in between bites Tony
did. He knew that a large part of what he was talking about
was
over Pepper’s head, at least as far as the technical details
went, but that was no reflection on her; it would be over the head of
just about anyone else, too. But she could easily grasp his
overall idea, and even if not she would encourage him to talk, because
it helped him both focus and brainstorm.
It was yet another of the many reasons he needed her.
Certainly
Jarvis could perform a similar function, and often did, but the AI
could not ask the unexpected question, nor see with quite as broad a
view. Pepper served as sounding board and occasionally
devil’s advocate, and for that alone Tony thought he would
have
kept her around.
When he ran down, he got up to get another drink, glancing back at
Pepper as he reached the kitchen area. She shook her head, so
he
only grabbed a can and took it back with him.
“Wedding
date,” he said, cracking open the Red Bull and collapsing
into
his chair.
Pepper set down her fork and began folding her napkin, very
precisely. “Do we need to do this now? I
mean,
there’s time--”
Cold seized his gut, and Tony felt his hand tightening on the
can. “Have you changed your
mind?”
His words were low, but Pepper’s head snapped up, her
expression
startled. “Oh--no! I just--Tony, we only
decided this
yesterday.”
“Six weeks ago,” Tony corrected, setting down the
can, his
sudden fear subsiding only slightly. Rising, he came around
to
her side and shoved her plate over, hitching a hip up on the workbench
and taking the napkin from her hands. “Are you
sure,
Pepper? Because I don’t think I could deal with it
if you
backed out later.”
He tried to keep his voice calm, but it wavered just slightly on the
last word. Pepper’s hands wrapped around his and
she looked
up at him; her eyes were clear and warm, and the knot of chill eased
further.
“I’m sure,” she told him
softly. To his utter
surprise, she turned his hand in hers and pressed a kiss to his palm, a
light delicate touch. “I’m sure,
Tony.”
Tony didn’t how to name the emotion flooding through him, but
whatever it was, it felt incredible. His hand closed over the
imprint of Pepper’s kiss as if to keep it forever, and then
he
was lifting her to her feet, wanting that seal on his lips as
well.
He’d only meant to take one kiss, or maybe two, but the
little
happy sounds that Pepper was making kept him going, reeling her in
until she leaned against him, one of her arms around his waist and the
other hand tangling in his hair. So he kissed her blissfully,
forgetting time and work and all else until she pulled back a
fraction.
“Six weeks?”
Tony blinked, trying to get his synapses back on track.
“Huh? Oh.” He grinned at
her.
“Potts, I’ve been taking this seriously since Day
One.”
Pepper’s cheeks, already pink, darkened further, but her
expression was bordering on angry. “You mean--but
you--all
that was for real?”
At his nod, she frowned deeply. “Tony, why
didn’t you say
something?”
Tony tightened his arms, not letting her step back.
“Would you have listened?”
She opened her mouth, paused, and then sighed.
“You’re right.” The anger
faded, though her
mouth quirked in annoyance. “I guess I’m
still
adjusting.”
Idiot.
Tony gave himself a mental smack.
You’re pushing again.
“Hey, Pepper, don’t. Take all the time
you need, I
can wait.” He ignored the small whine inside his
skull, the
irrational fear that she would somehow slip away before those promises
were spoken.
Pepper bit her lip, regarding him thoughtfully, then shook her
head. “Three months,” she said.
“Unless
you want something really elaborate.”
For an instant ideas pinwheeled through Tony’s head,
extravaganzas of celebration, hundreds of guests, all the magnificent
gestures he could make to glory in the fact that Pepper would be marrying
him--
--And then he looked at the woman in his arms, who preferred the
background to the spotlight and whose elegance was quiet, and let them
go with scarcely a qualm.
“Whatever you want, I’ll be happy with.
Even if it is Elvis.”
Tony kissed her nose, which made her blink and laugh.
“If
it were up to me, Potts, I’d haul you off to Las Vegas
tonight,
but like you pointed out, no one would believe it.”
Her smile was mischievous. “Don’t tempt
me. This will take time to set up.”
Tony relaxed, and Pepper continued. “Well, as I
said,
we’ll need something more than that to be taken
seriously.
But twelve weeks should be enough time, unless you want a location that
needs to be booked well in advance.”
“Whatever you want,” Tony repeated.
“Wherever
you want. Do you want to hire one of those wedding planning
people?”
Pepper grimaced. “Tony, a planner would take one
look at
your reputation, not to mention your budget, and the next thing you
know we’d be having the ceremony on Mount Everest or
something.”
He had to laugh at that. “Not into high-altitude
climbing? Okay. Pepper.” Tony
let her go and
took her hands again. “I’m serious about
this.
Anything you want, and nothing you don’t, as long as we come
out
of it married.”
She shook her head again, her smile bemused. “I
believe
you, but it’s still going to take a little time for me to get
used to the idea.”
“What, of us actually getting married?”
Her skin was soft under his caressing thumbs.
“Not exactly...of you wanting
to. Never mind.”
Pepper leaned in and kissed him gently.
Tony savored the press of her lips, licking his own when she ended the
kiss. “Mmm...I’ve always wanted you, you
know.”
Her gaze was amused, and tender. “I
know.”
She tugged free of his grip and moved to stack the dishes neatly on the
tray to carry back upstairs. Tony tossed the napkins on top
and
picked up his can, sipping as Pepper walked back to the stairwell
door. As she pulled it open, she glanced back at him
mischievously, one corner of her mouth tucking in.
“Me
too.”
Tony choked on his drink, and by the time he’d cleared his
airway
she was halfway up the stairs, the faint sound of her laughter drifting
back. Tony wiped his face with his shirt, amused that
she’d
got him again.
And stunned. Eight
years. She’s wanted me for eight years--
Wow.
The week was blissful. Pepper made sure the work still got
done,
but Tony took deep delight in making her close her computer and come
eat dinner--not for show, but for real.
And after dinner, she would linger. Tony generally helped her
clean up the kitchen just to speed up the process, because as soon as
they were done it was necking time. Half the time the kissing
devolved into just holding one another and talking, but he
wasn’t
inclined to complain either way.
It was fascinating to learn more of Pepper, and not just
physically. His life had pretty much been an open book to her
for
years, but Tony hadn’t bothered to find out much about her in
return--something he was a little ashamed of now, though he had to
admit that Pepper probably wouldn’t have told him much about
herself prior to his recent changes anyway.
But now, between kisses, he found out she liked gardens and drawing,
wanted a cat but was allergic, and couldn’t tell one
constellation from another. He’d known she had been
raised
in foster homes from the age of twelve, but not that she’d
been
lucky in her placements, to the point where her last set of foster
parents had paid for her first year of college.
And he learned that she was as generous with her kisses as with her
time and energy, moving past a slightly shy hesitancy into an
enthusiasm that was as deep as his own, if quieter. Tony made
an
effort and let Pepper take the lead on things physical, keeping a tight
check on his own libido. He knew she was aware of the effect
she
had on him, but aside from a few fairly tame caresses they went no
further than kissing.
To Tony’s surprise, he found that while his body was
impatient to
move things along, he himself was content to wait and take things at
Pepper’s pace. He’d spent so much of his
life
rushing, especially when he was only planning on a single night, but
this he wanted to savor.
Though he knew they had to discuss the issue eventually.
But before it came up, the weekend arrived, and Pepper told him
cheerfully that she wouldn’t be back until Monday.
“Monday?” Tony frowned,
distressed. “I
thought you’d be back tomorrow. Or I could come
over to
your place.”
Pepper smiled and shook her head. “I’d
like that,
Tony, but I have a project I need to handle this weekend, and
I’ll need all the time I can muster.”
“I can help,”
he
began, feeling a touch panicky. Normally Pepper worked at
least
one weekend day at his house, and the thought of two whole days without
her was not something he liked.
She patted his arm. “Thank you, but no.
This is something I need to do by myself.”
Tony pouted at her. “Oh, come on, Pepper,
don’t leave
me by my lonesome, you don’t know what trouble I’ll
get
into...”
Her look was admonitory as well as amused.
“Actually, I do,
and I’ll thank you to avoid it.” She
leaned in and
kissed him briefly. “Be good and let me get this
done, and
I guarantee you’ll like the results.”
“Hmm.” Tony narrowed his eyes,
intrigued. “Do I get to guess?”
“Feel free.” Pepper’s smile was
a touch
smug. “But I’m not going to tell you
whether
you’re right.”
It was a long, quiet weekend. Tony spent a couple of hours
cleaning out his bedroom closet--more of a small room--in preparation
for Pepper’s eventual residence. He divided the
space
precisely down the middle, moving his suits and other items to the left
side, then considered the empty side, frowning.
A few hours later he had removed half the built-in drawers on the right
and replaced them with a shoe rack of his own design and
Jarvis’
manufacture. It occurred to him as he worked that he really
didn’t know how much clothing Pepper actually possessed, but
he
figured it was better to have too much space than too little.
And anyway the
closet in that apartment can’t be this big.
By Sunday morning Tony was hoping for a mission just as a distraction,
but despite an hour’s conversation with Pepper on the phone
the
night before, he was forced to find his own diversions.
Feeling
that someone else should suffer if he was going to, he called his
attorney.
“Tony, why are you calling me on a Sunday? I
thought
you’d given up on the wild escapades, what kind of bail money
are
we talking?” Josh Squire’s amused voice
echoed
slightly over the workshop speakers, and Tony smirked at the
air.
“Given the size of your retainer, Josh, I can call you any
damn
time I please.” He tilted back in his chair,
knowing that
Squire was hardly as annoyed as he was trying to make himself
sound.
“And you do. And I will bill you
accordingly.”
“You do that. In the meantime, get your ass over
here,
I’m ready to do the prenup you’ve been nagging me
about.”
“Oh?” Squire’s tone sharpened
with
interest. “Good. I’ll be right
there.”
He was as good as his word, driving in the gates a little less than
forty-five minutes later, and Tony waved him into the living
room. He trusted Squire a good deal, but there were only
three
people who were allowed down to his workshop, and the attorney
wasn’t one of them.
Josh Squire was tall, blond, and almost stereotypically handsome, but
Tony liked the man because he possessed a sincerity that Tony
didn’t often see. Normally a sharp dresser, today
Squire
was wearing a polo shirt and shoes with no socks, presumably having
been called away from whatever his Sunday usually held. He
set
his briefcase down on the low table in front of the long couch and
raised his brows.
“Glad to see you’re dealing with this at last,
Tony--Ms.
Potts is a lovely woman but with your assets it’s always good
to
have this sort of thing firmly in place.”
Tony dropped onto the couch and waved Squire to sit as well, reflecting
with some amusement that the attorney was about to get an unwelcome
surprise. “She is that, yes.”
Squire opened his briefcase and pulled out a digital recorder and a
thick sheaf of printout. “I brought the most recent
inventory. You okay with a recording?”
“Sure.” Tony watched as Squire clicked
the little
device on--the attorney preferred audio to note-taking--and took the
printout when Squire handed it to him.
“Pen?”
Squire found him one of those as well, and Tony flipped to the end of
the inventory and scribbled in an addition.
“Have you got a structure in mind?
There’s several
different ways of doing this, different
divisions--”
“All of it,” Tony interrupted, capping the pen and
handing back the printout.
Squire blinked. “You want to exclude
everything?”
“No, I want to include
it.” Tony sat back, anticipating trouble, and he
was not disappointed.
“Tony, are you sure?
I mean, Ms. Potts seems modest, but people do
change--”
Tony held back his irritation at the implied slur on Pepper; Squire
was, after all, doing his job of looking out for Tony’s
interests. “Everything, Josh.
All-inclusive.”
Squire’s mouth twisted doubtfully. “All
right.
If you’re sure.” He paged through the
inventory to
Tony’s note, and read aloud. “All
unspecified
workshop projects, to include Marks One through Three and power
sources.”
“Yep.” Tony sat back.
He’d designed the
Iron Man armor to be damn near invulnerable, but there was always the
chance that something would get through it, and if he were
incapacitated he wanted Pepper’s good sense controlling his
assets, as it were.
I trust
Rhodey--but
he’s military, and I know him. He
wouldn’t be able to
keep himself from turning the armor over to the Air Force.
And while Tony might eventually release some of his designs to the
military, he didn’t want all
his plans in their hands. Not now, and maybe not
ever.
“I want it on record that this is against legal
advice,”
Squire grumbled, but he put the inventory back into his
briefcase. “Now, about
settlements--”
They hashed that out too; the lawyer’s lips tightened at the
amounts Tony named, but he’d seen the futility of
arguing.
Tony didn’t want to imagine the circumstances in which
he’d
actually be paying, but he had to acknowledge the possibility; it
wasn’t the money that worried him, but the mere idea of
separation from Pepper made him slightly queasy.
It was a feeling he’d begun experiencing some time before
Afghanistan, and one that had only increased with time.
But once Pepper
makes her mind up, she sticks with it.
The thought was reassuring. Tony knew he would screw up at
some
point, probably more than once, but Pepper wasn’t the type to
walk away because of it. Hell,
if she were, she’d be long gone.
“I need to update my will, too,” he added when
Squire had finished.
“Very good,” the lawyer approved.
“I brought a copy, just in case.”
He extracted the sheaf of papers and handed it over. Tony
took it
and the pen, appreciating the man’s efficiency, and scanned
quickly through the document, scribbling in changes here and there
before returning it.
“Nothing elaborate,” he said as Squire looked it
over. He’d made Pepper his main heir, both of his
personal
assets and his company, rather than leaving most of the latter to the
board of directors and the former to various charities.
“Now this, I approve of,” Squire said, relaxing
somewhat. “Ms. Potts would be an excellent
caretaker of
your estate.”
If
she’s not divorcing me and trying to take me for anything she
can get? Tony
didn’t say. He reminded himself that Squire only
knew
Pepper professionally, not personally, and that her unshakeable
integrity wasn’t obvious to a man used to
subterfuge.
“Add the unspecified projects I noted on the inventory--I
know
it’s imprecise, but I’m sure you can
manage.”
Squire snorted genially and put the papers away.
“You’ll have to decide what to do if she
predeceases
you.”
Tony shrugged. “Revert to the old version, I guess,
minus the specific bequests to Pepper herself.”
Squire raised his eyes to Tony’s. “And if
you die at the same time?”
That...sounded good, actually. Tony wasn’t sure he
wanted
to think about it, unless they both happened to be ninety-six and
decrepit. “Ditto.”
“Very good.” The lawyer nodded and
snapped the
briefcase shut. “I’ll get these written
up and back
to you within the week. When you’ve approved them,
make an
appointment so Ms. Potts can look the prenup
over.”
“Jarvis, take care of it,” Tony said, waving a
hand, and
Squire jumped at the AI’s calm “Will do,
sir.”
“Damn, I always forget about that thing.”
He shook
his head and stood. “Again, congratulations,
Tony--Virginia’s a lucky woman.”
Tony walked with him to the door. “Funny, usually
people say I’m the lucky one.”
Pepper was early the next morning; Tony was just finishing in the
shower when Jarvis announced that she had arrived. Tony
toweled
hastily and pulled on a pair of shorts, grateful that he’d
already brushed his teeth, and went to find her.
She was in the kitchen, every hair in place, leaning against the
counter as she sipped from a mug of coffee. Tony barely gave
her
time to set the cup aside before pulling her into his arms and kissing
her enthusiastically.
Her hands slid up over his chest to the nape of his neck, and Tony
moaned happily into her mouth, wondering if there were some way to talk
her into canceling the day and just spending it within his
arms’
reach.
“I’m glad to see you too,” Pepper managed
when he
finally let her up for air. Her eyes were twinkling, and Tony
grinned, not bothering to hide his body’s welcome.
He’d never made a secret of his lust anyway.
“You were gone too long, Potts,” he informed
her.
“I nearly wasted away from loneliness over the
weekend.”
“Yes, I can tell.” Her tease was softened
by the feel
of her fingers rubbing the tendons of his neck, and Tony let his eyes
slide shut, leaning back into the pressure.
“Uh. Don’t stop.”
“Do I need to schedule Tim for you
again?” Her
question was practical, and Tony opened his eyes again
reluctantly.
“Not yet. But if you want to trade backrubs
I’m
totally there.” He leaned forward and kissed her
again. “What brings you by so early? Not
that
I’m not all for it--”
“I need to talk to you.” Pepper stepped
back a little, and Tony let her go with some reluctance.
“What about?” He picked up her mug and
stole a sip
from it, and Pepper rolled her eyes and took it back.
“I took you seriously when you said you wanted me to move
in--“
“I hope the hell you did,” Tony interrupted, giving
her a slightly stern look.
Her lips twitched. “--And you may have been
considering
this a real engagement all along, but as far as I’m concerned
we’re just...starting.”
She was turning a delicious shade of pink, and Tony raised his brows,
waiting for her to continue.
“I’m...willing to start
spending some nights here. But I’m not ready
to...well...sleep with you. Just yet.”
Pepper’s eyes were wide and unflinching, and Tony absorbed
the
mild blow to his ego and his libido without a wince, letting a small
smile out. “Come on, Potts, you think I
hadn’t
figured that out by now?”
Her blush deepened, and he laughed, lifting a hand to tap her nose
gently. “Pepper, it’s up to you to set
the pace
here. I can wait until you’re
ready.” He let
his finger trail down over her lips, not missing the way her breath
drew in. “Though I might try to change your
mind.”
He made himself lower his arm, and slowly Pepper smiled back.
Tony knew he could be overwhelming at times--he’d used it to
his
advantage occasionally--and despite the fact that just being around
Pepper now made him want to carry her off to his bedroom and not come
out for days,
the desire for her to be comfortable was stronger still.
You’ve
had plenty of practice being celibate lately, he reminded
himself. You
can manage a little while longer. Pepper’s
trust was more important than sex, much as he hated to wait.
Her hand on his cheek was soft. “Thank you for
understanding,” Pepper told him, and the look in her eyes
made up
for her hesitancy. “I’ll take the white
guest room
for the moment.”
She nodded at the corner of the kitchen, and Tony spotted the small
suitcase there. The pulse of joy at the thought of having her
staying
made him grin. “We’ll have a pajama
party.”
Pepper laughed.
Her good mood lasted until they met with Josh Squire that afternoon in
his big, tastefully plush office. The three of them sat in
the
comfortable chairs in front of Squire’s wide desk, and the
attorney handed Pepper the prenuptial agreement.
She read through the document, and raised shocked eyes to
Tony’s. “You can’t possibly be
serious.”
“I assure you, he is,” Squire said ruefully, but
Pepper ignored him.
“Tony, this is--it’s way
too much. And the inclusions--” She paged
back
through the document. “It’s
insane!”
Squire was eyeing Pepper thoughtfully, but Tony wasn’t
interested
in the man’s reactions at the moment.
“Josh, can you
give us a moment?”
“Of course.” The attorney stood, slipping
past the
chairs and heading out the door to the outer office. Tony
didn’t take his eyes from Pepper, and as soon as he heard the
latch click he leaned forward.
“Pepper, it’s what I want, and it’s what
you
deserve.” He reached over and took her left hand in
his,
the feel of the ring against his palm a subtle reassurance.
“Not that I expect it ever to come into play, but
still.”
Her face was set in the familiar stubborn expression, though her
fingers were curving against his wrist. “The point
of a
prenup for someone with your assets is to protect them. This
gives up your power, Tony.”
“So? You have power over me
already.” Her mouth
tightened, and he tried to explain. “I
don’t want you
to doubt
me, Pepper. As
for the settlements--” He shrugged.
“No
biggie. Remember, you said I was
generous.”
Pepper shook her head minutely, her lips softening towards a
smile. “You really trust me to not walk off with
nearly
everything you own? Not to mention enough money for me to
live
off for twice my expected lifespan?”
Tony held her gaze. “Yes.”
Her breath escaped in a small huff, and then she bit her lip, her eyes
reddening. Before Tony could panic, she leaned in and kissed
him,
a firm touch of lips that felt like...like a promise.
And then she sat back. “No.”
He blinked. “What?”
“No. Tony, I can’t imagine wanting to do
anything
like that, and I appreciate your trust in me more than I can say, but
one of my responsibilities is to make sure you don’t do
anything
stupid--at least, that I can prevent. And
this--“ She
tapped the papers still in her lap. “--Is
stupid.”
Tony drew in a breath to argue, anger rising, but she twisted her hand
around to clasp his fingers. “It is
exactly the generosity I’d expect from you, and I’m
not
rejecting it out of hand, but I’m not going to sign this as
it
stands.”
He wanted
to argue. He
wanted to insist, to yell at her until she accepted what was her due,
but looking at her steady eyes Tony knew he wouldn’t
win.
And it dawned on him between one thought and the next that there was
more than one way to be generous.
“Okay,” he said abruptly, and saw Pepper relax a
little. “But I want it on record that I’m
giving in
under protest, Ms. Potts.”
“Noted, Mr. Stark,” she said serenely, and rose to
call Squire back in.
He watched her go, and considered the notion.
Generous.
Huh.
He got absorbed in a project after work, and almost forgot that Pepper
was not actually going home, remembering when she brought him down
dinner and he looked up to see her dressed in a soft blue cardigan over
a white t-shirt and a pair of loose yoga pants. She smiled at
him
a bit shyly, and he straightened from his microwelding and shot her a
grin. “So much for imagining that you lounge around
in
lingerie after hours.”
“Too chilly down here,” Pepper responded promptly,
setting
down the tray on the edge of the nearest workbench.
“I could change that. Jarvis, what’s the
optimal
temperature for a woman dressed in nothin’
much?”
“Approximately eighty-eight degrees, sir,” the AI
answered.
Pepper snickered. “Thank you, Jarvis, I’m
perfectly capable of adjusting the thermostat
myself.”
Tony gave a dramatic sigh.
“Damn.”
Pepper smirked and found herself a stool, and Tony wiped his hands on a
rag and went to collect drinks for them both.
They ate. Tony couldn’t help the smile that kept
returning
as they talked about the day and Tony’s latest ideas for
improving the arc reactor; the warm sense of wonder nestled behind his
chest implant kept reminding him that Pepper would not be leaving after
they finished the day, but instead would settle down in the white guest
room to sleep.
And still be there in the morning.
“Is there anything you want to change?” he asked,
making her blink.
“Sorry?”
“Here.” Tony waved a hand.
“Not here
here, I mean I’ve got the workshop pretty much like I like
it,
except we need to set you up a parking space down here, but the
house. Do you want to redecorate, or get new furniture, or
anything? It’s your home too now, or it’s
going to
be, and--“
“Tony.” Pepper leaned across the
workbench and laid a
gentle hand on his arm, stopping his babble. “Thank
you.” She smiled. “I
don’t know
yet.”
“Okay.” He grimaced.
“Would you rather have a new
place? I--we could do that too, but it’d take a
little time.”
“What? No!” Pepper looked
startled. “I’ll admit that you kind of permeate the house,
but it’s yours,
after all. I’ll find a space, don’t
worry.”
Ours
was his immediate
thought, but Tony didn’t voice it. Time enough to
adjust
the legalities as they went along. He reminded himself for
the nth
time to be patient. Just like engineering, some things had to
be
taken step by careful step if you didn’t want them to blow up
in
your face.
After supper Pepper carried the dishes back upstairs, and Tony went
back to his work, becoming instantly absorbed in the intricacies of
circuitry and not looking up until the door beeped open once
more.
Pepper’s sweater was gone, but she looked the same--slightly
shorter than usual in what looked like ballet slippers. She
smiled at him, a little shyly, stopping short of his
workbench.
“I just came down to say goodnight.”
Tony blinked and glanced at the clock on the nearest
terminal.
“Damn, when did it get so late? I promised you a
pajama
party.”
She snickered, her posture softening. “Save it for
some
other time. And remember you have a ten o’clock
meeting in
the morning, so don’t stay up all night.”
The chide was affectionate and just about useless, as they both
knew. But Tony frowned, wiping his hands on his
pants.
“Party schmarty--I want a good-night kiss,
Potts.”
She pinkened slightly, but came closer, and slid her hands over his
shoulders, leaning up to press her lips to his. It was odd to
feel her shorter,
but Tony
didn’t hesitate, stepping right into her and deepening the
kiss,
letting his hands find her spine and stroke it.
Pepper’s
slight gasp disappeared into his mouth, but she didn’t
protest at
all, instead standing on her tiptoes to bring them into better
alignment. The move rubbed her pleasantly against him, and
Tony
tightened his grip and lifted her off her feet.
It wasn’t the first time he’d carried a woman
towards a
horizontal surface without breaking his concentration on more important
things, though he’d never done it in his workshop
before.
But Pepper acceded to his hand sliding along her thigh, and lifted her
legs to wrap around his waist, bringing her head higher than his and
ending the kiss.
Tony left one hand splayed on her ass, reasoning virtuously that it was
the safest way to carry her, and kept going. Pepper laughed,
her
grip tight on his shoulders. “Tony,
aren’t I a little
heavy for this?”
“Nope.” He resisted the impulse to move
his head
forward an inch or two, and instead glanced up at her smiling
face. “I bench-press more than you on a regular
basis.”
His former modus operandi would have called for him to tumble her
gently to the couch and follow her down, but instead Tony turned and
sat, bringing Pepper with him and settling her on his lap--not
straddling, but sideways. Before she could get uncomfortable,
he
cupped her cheek with one hand and kissed her again.
And she relaxed against him with a soft sound that made his heart
swell. Because this was the most important thing--making
Pepper comfortable.
Content. If she were content, she would stay, was his hazy,
half-conscious reasoning, stay until she’d promised, and then
she’d stay forever and he’d never be alone
again....
They kissed for a long time in the cool of the workshop, slow lazy
kisses, simmering with pleasure but without urgency. Tony
kept
rubbing her hair through his fingers, fascinated with the soft,
cool-warm texture of it; Pepper’s hand rested on the juncture
of
his neck and shoulder, her thumb stroking the hollow of his throat just
above the collar of his shirt. Her other arm was tucked
between
them, pressed between his abdomen and her side, and eventually she
pulled her mouth from his and rested her head under his chin.
Tony immediately felt the loss, but the trusting weight of her against
him more than made up for it, and he cradled her close, eyes shutting
at the sheer quiet bliss of it.
When the weight moved, he muttered in protest, reaching for her
vanishing warmth, but was answered only by a chuckle. Hands
on
his shoulders guided him down to rest, and he felt a blanket settle
down over him, tucked in and smoothed by those same gentle
hands.
A kiss brushed his cheek, and then sleep took him once more.
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