penistower | I'm prepared for this ✫ I never shoot to miss

His breath stutters at her suggestion, blinking a few times before he finally gives up a nod. "Okay. Room service?" It's a bit hopeful, he's not exactly looking to be in a crowd of people right now. While he waits for her reply, he finds himself yet again falling into her eyes like some cheesy 90s love interest.

"Sounds good," Pepper answers belatedly with a gentle smile, seeming as distracted staring into his eyes as he is hers. A long moment passes before she realizes this probably means she needs to move -- breathing a slight sigh, she reluctantly begins pulling back from Tony's warmth, rolling on her back and further to lean over the edge of the bed, looking for something.

"What would you like?" she asks, reaching out a hand and just about managing to drag the room service menu off the side table she'd left it last night with her fingertips, snatching it up with a triumphant little noise before flopping back on the bed next to him to peruse it.

He notes how reluctant she is to pull away and immediately feels validated, though once she does break away somehow his issue becomes that much more prominent. He rolls off to the other side of the bed, giving up a little groan as he sits up with his feet dangling over the edge. "Waffles. And bacon. Lots of bacon."

"Okay," she says softly, glancing at his back at the groan and biting her lip. A beat later, she suggests, "You can have the shower first if you want it. I'll call our order in." Maybe that will calm down his... problem.

He flushes all over again, turning to catch her gaze over his shoulder though it's tempting to just run for the bathroom. "Hey thanks," he replies, getting up and shuffling his way across the room as fast as his body will allow anyway. He doesn't think about his robe or a change of clothes on his way past his suitcase, and in his hurry the door doesn't quite click shut behind him, still floating in the door frame. Tony throws his boxers and t-shirt in he vague direction of the hamper and hops into the shower stall without waiting for the water to heat up first. The initial blast of cold water gets a whimper from him, but his erection does wane a tiny bit.

By the time the water is warm, he realizes there will only be one way out of this, as had been the case too many mornings with Pepper before. He really can't in his life ever remember being so consumed by a woman. Not that his previous exploits have any bearing on the real world to be fair. He grasps his cock once he can put it off no longer, leaning back against the tile to keep himself up while images conjure themselves behind his eyelids. He feels bad thinking these things with her right in the other room, but surely she has to know how he's taking care of it.

Tony tries not to linger overmuch, but it's so tempting to let the fantasy drag on. Even if she says she wants to spend real time with him; even for how close they've gotten, he doesn't know what that means really. Is he being friend-zoned? Would he even know what that felt like if he were? All he knows is how much he doesn't want to go back to the way things were, and thinking back to making out on his couch he's not sure if he could just be friends either. Even though admittedly she had been a good one to him this past couple of weeks. The best, even.

He comes violently and almost catches himself by surprise, coating his hand and the tile in sticky evidence before it's stolen by the spray. "Pepper," he cries in relief, forgetting about volume control or echoing tiles in his moment of need. He makes quick work of pulling himself together after that, delighted to rid himself of the encumberance once and for all. (Until next time)

Cursorily washing himself and running some conditioner through his hair, he fjords out into the steamy fog of the room to find a towel. He rubs himself almost dry for a change, though he doesn't really bother with his hair which does drip almost enough to make up for it. It's gotten too long and he isn't great at dealing with it. He rushes through his morning routine, ending with brushing his teeth and securing the towel around his waist before making his way back out into the room. Running a hand back over his hair, he stops dead in his tracks when he sees her, realizing his mistake. He knows it shouldn't be a big deal, they've been living in close quarters for so long he forgets, but the towel doesn't cover much and now that he's locked eyes with her he feels frozen in place.

Pepper gives a quick, small smile in return as Tony begins making his way toward the shower before sitting up, eyeing the menu in her hand cursorily before sitting up and picking up the phone on the bedside table, letting her legs dangle off the bed. It isn't until a moment after room service picks up that Pepper realizes the splash of water against tile comes through a little too clearly from the bathroom, glancing over her shoulder to see the door ajar-- not enough to give her a view to the shower, but definitely enough to hear the way the water hits the tile haphazardly as he moves about in the stall. She blinks at the door a few times, losing track of her thoughts for a couple of seconds before turning her head back quickly as if she'd been caught doing something naughty, picking up the conversation with room service.

She gets through most of their order when she catches a noise through the rainfall of water; a soft one, and she thinks she imagined it. But then it happens again, and this time she definitely recognizes it for what it is. Caught off guard, she glances back toward the bathroom, wide-eyed and lips shaped into a circle. Oh god. Is Tony...? No really, is he in there, doing...? Yes, yes he is. She realizes the poor room service person is practically yelling to get her attention again and she stammers an apology, snapping her head back forward as a fierce blush overtakes her face, blundering her way through the rest of the order. It's not that she minds or is uncomfortable or anything, it's a reasonable solution to his issue. It's just--

"Pepper." She sucks in a sharp breath and squeaks out a hasty thanks and goodbye to room service, clumsily throwing down the receiver. Her cheeks are flaming now as that cry echoes in her ears, a quiver rippling across her belly. The realization hits home in a hot wave of undeniable excitement; Tony was in the shower touching himself while thinking about her. Just as she thinks she's calmed down and the flush on her cheeks receded, Tony returns and she flushes all over again, spying an errant droplet dropping from his hair and sliding down his chest. Oh, no, this is too unreal. She swallows thickly, throat suddenly dry. God, he's gorgeous.

"H-hey," she squeezes out after a prolonged moment of staring, pitchy and strangely breathless, heart thudding furiously in her chest. That relief-drenched shout comes back to haunt her, her pulse fluttering wildly at her throat. "Good... shower?"

She seems nervous, which is making him nervous, pushing a hand back through his hair though it does nothing -- the thick strands falling back forward over his forehead. "Sure," he says uncertainly, glancing from the phone and back to her face. Maybe her unease has nothing to do with him, he always was too quick to put things in his own orbit, something he knew could definitely be a flaw. "Everything okay on your end?" Concern mixed with self-consciousness here as he tilts his head and keeps a hand on the fold of his towel to prevent a wardrobe malfunction. That's just what he needs on a morning such as this.

Thinking that he should probably remedy that, he reluctantly breaks eye contact to turn away and stoop over his luggage, searching for clothes to wear for the day. He didn't pack much so it takes him a while to put something together, trying to keep in mind that they may not actually leave the room today. Which suits him fine, really. He's not looking forward to returning to reality and rebuilding his house yet again.

"Yeah. Sure," Pepper's quick to reassure though her voice is still slightly off in pitch, clearing her throat gently to get rid of that and trying to snap herself out of it. She blows out a silent breath of relief when he turns to look for something to wear; maybe once he's no longer half-naked, her heart will stop trying to bust through her ribs. She glances away, realizing she's still staring at all that bare skin. "Food should be here soon, I ordered a bit of everything. I'll just, uh..." She turns her back to him and slips her legs off the side of the bed, slowly getting to her feet. "Get cleaned up myself."

His skin prickles, feeling her eyes on his back. It doesn't bother him -- quite the opposite really. He's grateful that he took care of his issue already, in fact, pulling out a casual buttondown and some linen trousers.

"Miss you already," he quips, flashing her a bright smile over his shoulder before stepping into a pair of boxers and letting his towel fall to the ground in one graceful motion. It's meant as a joke, but he really will miss her, it's become impossible to ignore the way his chest constricts each time she leaves a room.

It's clearly a joke -- one of those glib quips Tony is so fond of -- but it still gets her somewhere behind her breastbone all the same, a persistent blush pinking her cheeks once more much to her mild chagrin. She barely has the presence of mind to smile back, somewhat shyly-- this whole situation has thrown her off worse than she thought could ever happen, which should be a clear indicator of something. She shuffles into the bathroom as swiftly as she can without making it seem like she's hurrying, careful not to even glance over as Tony pulls on his boxers. The bathroom door closes with a click as the towel drops to the floor.

Minutes later, Pepper steps out of the shower stall, skin pink from hot water and her hair pulled up into a loose bun on the back of her head to keep it from getting wet -- and realizes something as she pulls down the last clean towel they have. She'd been so flustered she didn't bring anything to change into with her into the bathroom.

"Damn it," she hisses under her breath as she rubs herself down quickly with the towel before wrapping it around her tightly. She smacks her lips in displeasure at the sight; these towels really aren't very big, the white terry cloth barely hiding her backside. Well, she doesn't have any other choice. Apparently it's half-naked day at their temporary residence. Inhaling a steadying breath, she presses a hand to the knot of the towel, just in case, and pushes the door open, the cooler air of the room proper feeling nice on her damp skin.

"I forgot my..." she trails off, beelining for her bag and extremely carefully bending at the knees to avoid flashing him anything while rifling through the options with her free hand.

He watches after her longingly as he pulls on his undershirt next, her hasty retreat allowing him to do so openly. The food comes as she's wrapping up and Tony collects the food from the bellboy, again giving him a hefty tip before opting to turn on the TV and once again crawl into bed to eat. It feels good to be lazy -- but not to watch his ruined house star in the morning news. He grimaces through a bite of pancake, not even noticing when she comes back into the room. At least, not until he hears her voice.

Turning his head before he processes the words, Tony's eyes catch on every open patch of skin involuntarily, his throat going dry and his gaze darkening in a telltale way. In times like these, it really would be handy not to wear every expression so plainly on his face. "...Don't mind me. I'm watching myself on the news." In a gentlemanly fashion he turns back to the screen though it's the last place he wants to look right now. Playfully, he even cups one hand over the eye nearest her so he can't see through his periphery.

Butterflies take flight in her belly at that dark look he gives her before evading his gaze, a light shiver rippling down her spine. She casts a furtive glance over, smiling slightly when he covers his eye, using his palm like a blinder. Refocusing on the clothes, she pulls out what she needs with her free hand, setting each item on her knee one by one; hiding the lacy panties quickly under the blouse despite Tony's gentlemanly discretion.

"Making sure they caught your good side?" she teases wryly, smirking a little; this more usual banter is working wonders with her composure, her equilibrium starting to return with it.

His eyes wander towards her voice out of habit, though his hand is a reminder to snap back on the television screen. "Are you saying I have a bad side?" It's instant, though maybe it cuts too close given how the morning is going. He doesn't have anything better to dismiss it with, so he lets it hang in the air.

Change of clothes held against her chest with her free hand, Pepper rises from her perch with an almost impish smirk, padding back to the bathroom to get dressed.

"I'm sure you don't. That towel was only so big," she quips over her shoulder before disappearing inside and closing the door behind her softly, though she can feel her cheeks heating up again at her own impudence. Still, she can't quite stop smiling as she discards the towel and begins pulling on her clothes.

He doesn't drop his hand until the door clicks shut behind her, his mouth held open in disbelief -- an expression that's lost on her now. That was definitely flirting... right? He has the sinking suspicion that today is only going to get more confusing and not less. Sighing, he turns the news over in favor of cartoons and pours himself a cup of coffee out of the carafe they brought. Folding one leg under himself, he props himself up against the pillows and tries to wait patiently for her return.

He doesn't have to wait long, the door opening again soon enough. She's brushed her hair but left it down, clad comfortably in black yoga pants and a blue, flowy shirt with a little pocket over one breast. Smiling as if that flirty little coda never took place, she comes over to inspect the breakfast cart, pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"What're you watching now?" she asks idly as she grabs her plate -- a fluffy omelette with mushrooms and peppers -- and climbs carefully on the bed to eat, setting her coffee on the bedside table.

"Adventure time," he answers instantly before he can remember to feign ignorance. Oh well, he's got a soft spot for this crazy kid and his alien dog. Now you know. He shrugs a shoulder and takes a half-hearted bite of his rapidly cooling waffles, afraid to look over at her lest he get caught up all over again.

"Oh." She takes a bite of her omelet, chewing slowly and following the show in silence for a beat before reaching for her coffee cup. "I've never seen this before. What's it about?" Of course she hasn't. She hasn’t seen anything even mildly recent, it seems.

"It's about a kid who was raised by dogs and all the wacky adventures he has. Basically." So you can see how it would appeal to him??? It's a little grimdark but hey, he's pretty for that too. Tony chances to look over at her, his gaze filling up with warmth instantly. He finds it pretty endearing that she's so out of touch -- especially since coming from him that's saying something. "Wait for Princess Bubblegum, she's the best part."

She can indeed see, humming a little in amusement and understanding. Feeling his eyes on her, she tips her head a little and meets his gaze, smiling warmly in return. "Why's that?" she asks softly, taking a small bite of her omelet and following up with, realizing she has plenty, "Want some eggs?"

"You'll see." It's cryptic, but he has a feeling she'll empathize with Bubblegum the way he does Finn. But then he's nodding and scooting over a little so he can scoop some egg off her plate and onto his. He put a pretty good dent in his waffles and he's working his way through bacon now. He didn't eat much last night and now he's feeling it. "There she is!" he announces, a little too enthusiastic maybe for a tiny pink character on a kid's show. But hey, she's immediately bossing Finn around and shapeshifting and being badass like she do.

"Trade you," she trills sweetly, snatching one of the smaller strips of bacon from his plate and onto hers in exchange, wagging her brows slightly on a little smirk. Yes that's right, she just did that. Her shoulder presses comfortably against his as she nibbles on her bit of bacon; this is already so familiar in a way she can't completely rationalize, pushing aside any deeper connotations and meanings behind sharing food.

She gives an attentive little Oh! at Tony's exclamation, sitting up a tiny bit straighter as if that helps following the show more closely somehow. His enthusiasm about this is completely endearing, garnering a smile from her though she never takes her eyes off the TV screen. Princess Bubblegum proves to be every bit as awesome as advertised, and it's really no brainer that Pepper ends up deeply admiring her. "I like her," she sighs appreciatively.

He feels a warm little trill go through his middle at the way she presses against him, like it's second nature. And really, it is by now. It takes him a second to pick up on what she did, in fact, so distracted by her proximity and just -- her. He breathes a tiny laugh and looks back down at his plate.

But then his eyes bounce back up to the screen, glancing sideways to watch her watch the show, too. "I knew you would," he points out, making quick work of the corner he'd stolen off her omelette.

Pepper breathes a little laugh at that, pursing her lips and glancing over at him with a knowing glint in her blue eyes. "Oh, you did, did you?" she prods wryly, teasing. It's not like she missed the obvious parallels, there.

"...I had a feeling," he amends, biting into his lip and hoping the heat on his face doesn't equate to a visible flush. Once again he's finding himself falling into her eyes, and he really should be watching the show he put on, but she's so much more interesting.

Edited 2016-09-09 21:28 (UTC)

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