He made some bad investments.

[letmetakeaselfie]

After working with her at the Battle of New York, Tony had come to respect Rescue -- and the woman behind the suit, of course. But to say they were friends was a gross overshot. Pepper and he could get along. They both had tough shells and were ready equipped with all sorts of sarcasm and wit to deflect any unwanted attention. Because they were essentially Iron Man and Iron Woman, however, the press had their own ideas about the relationship between the pair.

Nick had phoned earlier to tell them about a recent threat, and words came out of his mouth that Tony was pretty sure he misheard. So he made the other man repeat them like, three times. But they didn't change. SHIELD wanted Rescue and Iron Man to shack up, publically. "Officially" so that when the bad guys came they'd have two heroes to contend with, but also so they'd think they were each other's weakness. Since they were only teammates, what could be the harm?

Before he knew it, a press release was set for the morning and Pepper Potts was on her way over to the Tower to move in. He had about a thousand rooms in the place, but if Dr. Doom did find his way inside they should be together just in case. It's all very -- sudden for a man who's never even had a girlfriend. And he still doesn't, but he has to convince the world he does. #Awkward.

"Welcome to Stark Tower, Ms. Potts. And please..."

"Wipe your feet," Tony interrupts JARVIS and his big, sweeping introduction, lifting his eyebrows as he watches her arrival. Should he help her with her stuff...? Probably. After a beat's hesitation, he moves to grab the larger of her two bags.

"Enjoy your stay," JARVIS corrects steadfastly, much to Tony's chagrin. But he offers up a meek little smile for her all the same.

Comments

[efficacy]

She lets out a throaty little moan at the way his fingers tend to her nipple, pebbling into a tighter peak at the attention. Heat travels down her body, arching gently into him in that hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, head tipping back on the pillows to expose more of her neck to soft sensation of his trailing lips. She pulls in a deep breath, consciousness emerging with everything going on, finally coming to with a gasp -- startled and aroused in equal measures when her eyes open, cheeks flushing deep pink and heart hammering rapidly.

"Tony..." she stammers a little, tensing up some; her knees clamp down around his thigh to keep it from venturing higher still, one dainty hand clasping his wrist; but she doesn't pull his hand off her breast yet, her whole body going still as she waits, breath shuddering past her parted lips in soft pants.

[letmetakeaselfie]

The way she moves back against him is glorious, but he too feels the shift, eyes popping open at her sharp intake of breath. He's frozen there, hopelessly entwined and with her hand being the practical one of course. His name from her lips in such an unshielded, emotional way has his abdomen tightening up, somehow aroused even further though Tony is trying to get it all stop.

"Pepper," he utters huskily against her ear, though it was meant to be a greeting. His first instinct is to unwind himself and run away but that doesn't really seem to be an option. His heart too is hammering doubletime, though the reactor continues its steady and unchanging whir next door. His knee drops first, delicately angling himself away from her so the weight of his erection isn't pressed against her anymore. He unhands her chest next, albeit slowly and in stages so as not to dislodge her hand from his. "Oh my god, I am so sorry." And mortified, and... turned on. Looks like it's another cold shower for him today.

[efficacy]

Pepper breathes sharply at the husky utterance of her name into her sensitive ear, biting back a whimper though a tiny, thready sound still escapes. Wetting her lips, she swallows thickly and lets go of his wrist, albeit slowly. Her head is spinning from their closeness and aching from the alcohol, making it abundantly clear that perhaps drinking hadn't been the best plan; seeing as how it's lead them to these... oversights. Dear god, did she really agree to drunken make outs under the guise of "practicing"? What must he be thinking of her now?

"No, it's... it's okay," she manages after a moment, a little unsteadily from their encounter, memories of how his lips had felt on hers intruding most awkwardly. "No harm done."

[letmetakeaselfie]

His hand slowly and reluctantly moves back to his side, attempting to extract his limbs from her as gently as possible. His fingers still brush along her tummy though, and his foot over her calf. "How was your nap?" Tony asks softly, flopping over to lay on his back, features bathed in blue LED as he stares up at the ceiling. All he wants is to roll back over; to kiss her again, and to... Down, boy. He needs to try and calm down, Pepper must think he's every bit the lewd playboy he was once made out to be. Or at least really, tragically lonely. How embarrassing.

[efficacy]

"Good," she answers a bit belatedly, her gaze tracking the ceiling as she tries to center herself. Bringing a hand up to her forehead, she rubs at her temple, suddenly realizing her mouth is terribly dry. "Uhm-- yours?" she remembers to ask after a second, slowly sitting up and looking for the waters Tony had brought with him earlier.

[letmetakeaselfie]

They're both on his side because he hadn't thought that far ahead, sorry about it. "Good. Great. Great and good." He offers a brief, if shaky, smile over at her.

[efficacy]

"Good," she echoes, hoping that didn't come out as awkward as it felt. Spotting the bottles, she realizes she'd have to lean over him to grab one -- a precarious situation she's not sure she wants to risk just now after the way they'd woken up all entangled, which she is determined not to think about right now. "Could I have some water?" she asks him instead, nodding a little toward the bottles.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"Oh... good call," he says, eyes tracking to the bottles slowly. He leans up with a particularly loud creak, grimacing though he doesn't let him slow him down. He gives her the completely untouched bottle, unable to keep from getting in her space a little to do so. The way the pillows shift puts him close, though not overbearingly so he hopes. He props himself up on an elbow and takes a generous sip from his bottle too.

[efficacy]

"Thanks," Pepper murmurs with a tiny, shy smile as she takes the offered bottle, a light quiver lancing through her belly when he leans close. Drinking deeply, she wipes her mouth with her free hand before pushing some hair behind her ear and rubbing her forehead idly with the back of her hand.

"I think I have a slight hangover," she confesses in a soft, quiet voice, breathing a faintest laugh. She didn't even drink a lot, maybe three glasses of the wine? And some vodka. How sad.

[letmetakeaselfie]

He nods, empathy playing behind his eyes. He isn't feeling amazing himself either, but maybe after a bit more lounging around... He has no idea what time it is even, and he realizes he really doesn't care. "I think me too," Tony admits, his arm brushing hers as he shifts again. "That's sad, isn't it? We're old people." But then it's sinking in how bad this could have been. Makeouts and potential dream-sex aside-- If he had been drinking alone he'd still be drinking. This is an acceptable alternative honestly.

[efficacy]

"Hey. Speak for yourself," Pepper returns wryly, but it's 100% teasing, lips quirking into a small smile. Though it is kind of true.... she takes another sip of water, trying to ignore the tiny fluttering of her heart at their arms brushing.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"You're the one who argued that we're like, practically the same age." He wrinkles his nose, sighing after a long swig. He puts the cap back on his bottle and sets it on his other side so he doesn't have to move. Though one particular extremity is flagging, he doesn't see the benefit in moving away now. This is warm and nice. He doesn't dare say anything else even as he leans back against the pillows so they're eye to eye once more, afraid he'll say something totally stupid again. ("Wanna make out?" Who even says that outside of shitty John Hughes movies.)

[efficacy]

"Wow, I don't... remember anything of the sort," Pepper stammers out her objection, amused. "Nope, not at all."

Fiddling with the cork of her bottle, she raises her gaze from it and gives him a look under her lashes, smiling slightly. This feels intimate in a whole another way than what they'd been (unknowingly) doing earlier, presenting something of a problem. It would be all too simple to let the moment take them wherever it may. Preferably closer still. Which is her cue to back down, setting her bottle upright against the pillows and beginning to get up, intent on the medicine cabinet.

"You want aspirin or something? My head really is starting to kill me."

[letmetakeaselfie]

It's hard to hide the instant disappointment he feels, but he recovers quickly, nodding. "Sure, why not?" His eyes run idly across her back as she turns away, shifting until he's comfortable once more. She'll have to pry him out of this bed when she gets back, if that's even her intention. She's not an easy read, though it only serves to intrigue him more.

[efficacy]

Pepper steps into the bathroom to wash her face before locating the tablets, slipping one in her mouth and taking another with her. Padding back into the bedroom, she hands the tablet in her hand to Tony before rounding the bed and climbing back on, grabbing her bottle. She's not really any more inclined on being up and about than Tony seems to be, not when her head is still pounding. Setting the bottle on the night stand on her side of the bed once she's washed the pill down, Pepper flops down on her side with a sigh, facing him, hands tucked under her cheek.

"If anyone comes knocking in the next few hours, I'm gonna let you handle them on your own," she says, closing her eyes for a moment.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Tony takes the pill with a grateful little nod, unconsciously mimicking her by swallowing it with a sip of water then depositing the bottle on the bed. And furthermore when he stretches out on his side facing her. He chuckles faintly, rubbing his cheek against the pillow in a drowsy, contented way.

"JARVIS can take this one." God she's cute. Without thinking, he reaches out, sweeping some errant hair off her face and tucking it behind her ear.

[efficacy]

Her eyes open slowly at the tender gesture, a little shiver running down her spine when his fingers brush against the shell of her ear. Their previous nap ended with them at perhaps a bit too close quarters, but she'd really like to drowse a bit longer. Sliding one hand across the space in between them, she brushes her fingers against his a bit experimentally, smiling softly.

"I'd really like to just..." Her eyes close before fluttering open partway again after a few seconds, an extremely extended blink. "Sleep a bit longer and then maybe order some pizza."

That's the thing to do with hangovers, right? It's been a while since she'd had to think about that, but she's pretty sure that's the common practice.

[letmetakeaselfie]

His heart picks up when her hand touches his, and yet... Carefully and deliberately, he laces their fingers, letting their hands rest between them on the bed. His thumb strokes the back of her hand and he too shuts his eyes. "You read my mind." Though he's worried for how they might wake up, he can't be bothered to change anything about the scene. After two awkward boners in one day, what's one more?

[efficacy]

With a small smile, Pepper squeezes his hand gently before drifting off easily. Predictably, they do not stay where they fell asleep -- at least she doesn't. A few hours (probably) later, she wakes slowly to find herself on her side tucked against Tony, their still joined hands sandwiched a bit awkwardly in between their fronts, legs tangled. She's slid down enough for Tony's chin to rest on top of her head, her cheek in turn pressed against Tony's chest, the quiet whir of the arc reactor humming in her ear. Somehow, in all its intimacy and affection, this is almost worse than the sleepy groping they'd done previously.

But Pepper is still groggy enough not to think on it too closely, shutting her eyes again and drowsing while waiting for Tony to wake.

[letmetakeaselfie]

He wakes all at once, as normal, this time, moments before he feels Pepper begin to rouse. After waking next to her three times, he has a feel for her slow waking process and he finds it quite pleasant to stay as still as he can and wait for her to come around. His fingers tighten in hers though they're long numb, hoping she doesn't notice his heart pick up speed under her ear.

[efficacy]

Pepper draws in a deep breath as she starts waking up properly, squeezing his hand back as she stretches just a little. Humming, she pulls back somewhat to rub her eyes with her free hand, a smile audible in her still slightly sleepy voice when she murmurs, "Pizza time?"

Best to just act like there was nothing out of the ordinary in waking up entangled like this for the third time in a fairly short time.

[letmetakeaselfie]

His heart stutters anew, but he finds himself nodding before he's processed the words, leaning in a little unconsciously. "Always."

[efficacy]

She shifts a little on the pillows so they're on eye level again, fingers still laced with his. "That's good, because I'm... starving," she smiles, a bit drowsy still in that sweet, warm way.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Oh are they just, not talking about this? He can't exactly complain, eyes sparkling as they gaze deeply into hers. "Okay, but very important: what kind of pizza?"

[efficacy]

That's exactly what they're going to do. Or not do. She arches a brow slightly at the question, lips pursing briefly to hold a smirk of amusement at bay. Not very successfully. "Pepperoni... and pineapple." That's right, fight her.