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

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)

"A feeling." Her lips curve a little further when she spies a hint of color on his face. He's cute when he's slipping towards flustered. And any other time, too, admittedly. She's starting to have certain feelings herself, the longer they stare each other in the eyes like this, the cartoon merely muted background noise by now. As before, the circumstances of their recent co-habitation slip away, as do reasons why any further closeness might perhaps not be such a good idea. All that's left is how right this feels, how natural and comfortable-- like she's known him forever like this, unable to help the way her gaze briefly dips down to his mouth before flicking up again.

"Yep. I have those, despite popular opinion." He swallows, his heart beating faster and faster the longer she stares back. He wants to move his plate back to the cart but he can't look away. His eyes travel up and down her face, mouth going dry when he feels her gaze settle there. Unconsciously, he leans in another fraction of an inch.

"I never thought you didn't," she whispers back, serious now, eyes snapping back up to his as he leans just a bit closer, her lips parting unconsciously as if in invitation -- they're only a handful of inches apart as it is, it would be so easy to close the remaining distance between them. She doesn't know what happens; can't justify it with reason. For once she doesn't think, just acts according to the yearning that overwhelms her, leaning slowly in the rest of the way and pressing her lips softly against his.

Warmth spreads across his chest at her admittance, the simplicity of it getting to him. He's so distracted that when she kisses him he can't help the tiny noise of surprise he makes against her lips before gently kissing back. His eyes are already closed, but his free hand comes up, bracing himself by getting a light grip around one slim arm. Questions are exploding against the back of his head in a way he can't slow or stop despite how nice this feels. Why did she kiss him? What does it mean? Is he right to kiss her back or should he stop it?

Her eyes slide shut the moment their mouths meet, one hand still gripping her plate tightly and the other coming up to cup his cheek. She keeps the kiss soft and affectionate, but lingering. But she does capture his bottom lip between hers and sucking on it lightly before slowly pulling away, breaking the kiss and opening her eyes, swallowing a little as the full weight of her careless action bores down on her. Her slim fingers against his cheek tremble faintly with sudden nerves, watching him for his reaction; he did return the kiss, but what if...?

He makes another soft noise at her treatment of his lip, squeezing her shoulder as the kiss breaks, his eyes coming open suddenly and almost owlishly. He feels her shake and wonders if she regrets what just happened, his brows furrowing slightly as he tries to suss out what's going on here. His fork clatters loudly against his plate then, he had forgotten himself and dropped it, and as a result he jumps a bit. His heart can't take this, and he makes a grab for his plate and hers, setting them on the cart before he can be even further frustrated by the logistics of this moment.

But when he turns back to look at her all of his nervousness just comes back full-force. He feels like he's done something wrong, however illogical that may be. The conflict shows clearly on his face, and he knows he has to push some words, any words out before he loses the ability altogether. "...What was that for?"

Pepper flinches at the clatter too, nearly dropping her own plate before Tony relieves her of it. Just the same, she's lost her appetite anyway. Swallowing thickly when Tony's attention returns on her, she opens and closes her mouth several times like a fish caught on land, groping for words that have all seemed to desert her.

"I..." she stammers, flushing again guiltily though it's silly, probably. He kissed her back, surely he must feel this attraction, too? But suppose she can't blame him for his confusion. It's not like they've acknowledged it in any way -- drunken make-outs didn't count. She thinks. Licking her dry lips, she lifts her chin a bit, feeling a small surge of defiance all of the sudden. "Because I felt like it."

"Oh." It's stupid and he immediately regrets it coming out of his mouth. Why can he charm an entire room with ease but one-on-one it dissolves into mush? Especially when it's important. He hates it. Emotions flicker across his eyes too quickly to pick up individually and he has a strong urge to run away right now. He glances towards the door -- there's nowhere for him to go, even if he truly wanted to. Which he doesn't, the last thing he wants is to leave her. But facing that is scarier than outside right now. Which is pretty damn scary.

He's still on the edge of the bed, one leg dangling off as he turns to face her again. This is the part where they talk, isn't it? It feels like that, but he's rubbish at starting any type of real conversation. "Well, let me know if you feel like it again." Coming from someone else, or even him in another context, would seem like a cheesy line, but he's so genuinely lost and it shows and can be heard plainly in his voice. He needs to just ask her what's on his mind, but his pulse is racing and no matter how he moves his lips he can't get the words to pass through.

Edited 2016-09-10 21:40 (UTC)

He looks like he's about to bolt. Pepper bites her lip, her earlier defiance and certainty dwindling as quickly as it ignited. Is she really misreading the situation so badly? She doesn't think so. His glib-sounding response causes a flare of frustration to leap in the back of her mind. Is he really this thick? But no-- she needs to remember he doesn't have much experience with these things, as Pepper had learned during this charade. His demeanor only confirms it.

Pepper heaves a sigh, deflating a little. For god's sake, they were both adults, not shy school kids. This really shouldn't be so difficult. "Look. I don't know if it's a good idea because we're teammates and there's such a thing as professionalism and keeping work and personal life separate, which I'm normally all for, but..." She takes a breath to keep herself from spiraling into a rambling tangent like she has a habit of doing when nervous. "But, I... like you. I mean, I'm-- attracted to you."

Best to be clear about it. Her heart hammers furiously in her chest; he could fold or raise, but at least her cards are on the table now.

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