I feel your heartbeat ♥ All the time

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It's been a year since... everything. Since their house blew up, since Extremis. Since Toni had officially lost her mind. She likes to think she's doing better, but there's no true litmus for something like that. She goes to her therapist once a week, as promised. It's still a struggle, but it's getting easier. Sometimes Pepper sits in with her and sometimes she's alone. Depending on the week, one or the other could be harder. Sometimes she doesn't talk the whole hour. Sometimes she doesn't let the doctor have a word in edgewise. Sometimes she cries -- that's the hardest for her, showing weakness in front of an authority figure; allowing herself to be helped. Maybe it's not making any difference, but she knows Pepper appreciates the effort.

There are two shiny suits in the lab, as promised, too. One that she's repairing now as the other stands idly by. She's working with the Avengers again, sort of. It's kind of on-again-off-again. And her remodeling efforts had been for naught, of course none of them wanted to stay here, what was she thinking? Except Bruce, when he bothers to come back from whatever third-world shithole he's in at any given time. Sometimes she gets along with Steve, but usually not. Things are tumultuous, but it's her version of normal and she feels like her head is at least above water again.

Pepper is back to work, solving world hunger and light fare like that. He does so much better at the helm than Toni ever did. It makes her proud, but with the tiniest bit of niggling jealousy she can't ever seem to shake. He seems happy -- fulfilled. She hears his oh-so familiar footfalls predictably right on time. Or really, five minutes early. It's their scheduled "reconnection" time, and she feels her heart speed up from his proximity alone, finding a stopping point as soon as she can so she can give him a look over. Handsome as ever, of course. And her in a threadbare Pinkfloyd tanktop and holey jeans, grease smeared across her cheek and safety goggles pinning her hair back that had fallen out of her bun. What a pair they make, as ever. Yin and yang.

Comments

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Yeah, he's a total pushover for her when it comes to innocent things like these. It was bound to happen. "Uh-huh. Sure, that's totally different. My mistake," he says wryly, taking the steps one at a time. Once on the main floor, he carefully sets Toni to her feet.

"Off you go, princess." Relieving her off the wine bottle, he swats Toni playfully on the butt with his free hand, grinning. "Dinner in thirty. Mush, mush."

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She bites into her lips against a grin at the petname, letting out an indignant squeak anyway when he swats at her. "Wow, don't rush me. To think, I was going to get pretty for you." Toni rolls her eyes good-naturedly and spins on her heel to leave him to it. That familiar nervous/exhilirated combo is starting to beat under her chest in the way of her own racing heart. Slipping away from him and up the stairs as quickly as possible is almost a relief so she can try and rein herself in.

When she gets to the master bedroom, JARVIS has already started the shower and she drops her wrecked clothes in a trail to the ensuite bathroom, pulling out her hairtye and letting it bounce across the tile before climbing inside. It's a sweet relief, being enveloped in slightly too hot water, just enough to make her flesh pink from it. She rushes through cursorily washing so she can take a bit of time to shave her legs, feeling strangely self-conscious all of the sudden. She hisses in pain as she accidentally nicks a spot on her knee, sighing as red washes down the drain.

Moving right along and having no time to wash her hair, she sweeps some conditioner through it instead, not bothering to rinse it all the way out so it might tame her wild curls some. She slams the control to turn the showerhead off and leaves a wet trail on her way to her towel, wishing she could stave off the anxiety pulling up under her skin. It's very distracting, and she's already wasted enough time -- she has no idea what to wear.

Rubbing herself dry enough to safely reenter the bedroom, she shivers a bit at the sudden blast of cold air, but braves through it to the walk-in closet. To her appreciative surprise, she finds an outfit already hung up for her behind the door. "Bless you, Pepper Potts," she murmurs to herself as she grabs the clothes, dumping them on the bed before tearing into her lingerie drawer. Even though she's usually not one to go for this stuff, she could honestly use the confidence booster tonight, and she finds it in the form of black lace bootie shorts and a black cotton bra with lace inserts and silk red ribbon joining the two. There's also a tiny red bow on the front of the panties. In a way she can't explain, it makes her feel instantly better to don them and she takes a moment to appreciate herself in the mirror before rushing to don the rest of her clothes.

She runs back into the bathroom and wipes a spot off in the mirror there to get a closer look at her face. The dark troughs under her eyes are a dead giveaway, and she sighs again, quickly washing her face and brushing her teeth; and somehow getting even more water on the floor. Could she be any more of a mess? Toni towels off her face and wraps her still drying hair so it falls over one shoulder, out of her way for the moment as she searches through drawers for her tiny makeup stash. She's bringing out the big guns tonight, in the way of undereye concealer and mascara anyway. Deciding that didn't do enough, she puts on a bit of blush and instantly regrets it. Was that too much? She tries to tone it down with powder and ends up letting out a noise in frustration. She's probably already so late.

Not wanting to leave Pepper waiting any longer, she tears down the stairs as-is, forgetting to do anything with her hair and with her tunic hanging mostly off of one shoulder. Frazzled and wide-eyed as always, she makes her haphazard, clumsy entrance, regretting the heels on these boots too.

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"You don't need half hour to be pretty," he calls sweetly after her, smiling to himself as he wanders into the kitchen to open the wine and set it to breathe. Pulling out a few items in preparation for dinner and setting the oven on to preheat, he gets to work.

Toni does run late, but he'd expected that. It's actually a good thing today, because it gives him time to make a slight, impromptu adjustment to their dinner plans, setting it up before returning to cooking. He loves cooking from the scratch, though he doesn't always have time for it; tonight, he's enjoying pulling out all the stops. By the time Toni clomps downstairs, he's standing over the sink draining the pasta, glancing over his shoulder with a warm smile. He's discarded his jacket and loosened his tie a little, the sleeves of his blue dress shirt rolled up to his elbows.

"Hey, there," he greets, setting the pasta pot aside on the stove and turning off the oven before coming over. "Beautiful as always," he smiles with a sigh, trailing his palms down her arms and leaning in to kiss her forehead. "Hungry?"

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A stubborn flush climbs up her throat and over her face, and she thinks with the blush she'd overapplied she probably looks like a tomato about now. Still, she leans into his embrace for the moment she has it, taking a deep breath of his scent.

"Depends... what's for dinner?" Toni pulls back enough to look up through her eyelashes at him, completely oblivious to what's going on in the kitchen at large -- she can scarcely see past him. Can they just skip food right to the making out? Her thoughts are written all over her face, as usual.

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"Chicken parmesan. Come on, you need to eat." He grabs her hand to tug her along, giving her a playfully stern look -- he knows what she's doing and he isn't going to fall for it!! But he tugs her gently out of the kitchen and into the cavernous lounge, where he's set them a table by the enormous picture windows overlooking the ocean. A lone candle is lit on the table, the gentle light glinting off the silverware and the crystal glasses that keep company to the wine.

"Ta da. Here, sit," he urges, pulling out Toni's chair for her. When she does, Pepper drops another kiss into her sweet-smelling hair. "Have some wine. I'll bring our plates over."

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She pouts a little at his nag, though it's unserious. Chicken parmesan does sound great actually. Toni nods and follows him easily into the next room, taking in a little breath at the candlelit scene. It's such a simple thing, but it still warms her heart, and the way he pulls out her chair is very princely. Her heart is pounding all over again, though she can't explain why. Something just feels... different tonight.

Not needing his suggestion in the least to go for the wine, she's already reaching for it before he's left the room, swirling it in her glass and taking a long appreciative sip and closing her eyes. Damn, that's good.

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Pepper returns to the kitchen to assemble their meals, taking only a couple of minutes before toting over a plate in each hand. He sets Toni's plate in front of her, first; breaded and cheese-covered chicken cutlet over wholegrain spaghetti and tomato sauce, with a side of steamed veggies.

"Bon appetit," he smirks, taking his seat across the small table and spreading his napkin across his lap. "I hope you like it," he goes on a bit more bashfully. Cooking for Toni was not just something he loved to do, but another way to take care of her. She deserves every good thing he can offer her, especially after this last year.

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"Thanks," she says, so softly it almost can't be heard. She sets her wine down and lays her own napkin in her lap, offering him a nervous little smile as she goes for her fork. This feels like a first date, her stomach is full of butterflies and she's so anxious she feels like her skin is buzzing off.

"Of course I'll like it." She always likes his cooking, no matter how simple or how complicated. In this case, comfort food is just what the doctor ordered. Before getting onto the good stuff, she takes a few bites of her greens to appease Pepper and then swiftly begins forking apart her chicken. The second it hits her tongue she can't help the small noise of appreciation that slips out.

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It does feel like a first date, a little. Pepper pours himself a glass of the wine too; surely that will help the odd nerves. He can't help but smile, pleased, at how evidently Toni seems to enjoy the food. Happily, he tucks into his own meal, realizing suddenly how hungry he is. It had been another busy day, he'd barely managed a few protein bars and coffee for lunch.

"Damn. That is good wine," he comments with amusement after taking his first sip. "Totally worth being unethical."

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She nearly chokes on her food at his comment, gently tapping his ankle with the toe of her bootie under the table. "Don't ruin it for me," she warns, taking back up her own wine and easily finishing the glass. It might be the best wine she's ever had, no matter how it was acquired.

"I missed you today," she says suddenly as she pours another glass for herself and immediately takes a sip. "...Not that I don't always miss you. But, extra." She shrugs her bare shoulder before reaching over to drag up that side of her shirt, only just now noticing it had been like that the whole time.

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"You brought it up in the first place," Pepper accuses on a little laugh, nudging her foot right back. Her sudden changes of tacs no longer surprises him, but this particular one brings a small smile to his lips. "Did you?"

His eyes are drawn over to her bare shoulder with the shrug, his throat going a little dry just watching that patch of skin over the rim of his glass. He sips some wine to rectify the matter, feeling a small pang of disappointment when Toni fixes her shirt. Setting down his glass, he rolls some pasta around his fork and spears a bit of chicken with it.

"And extra, even?" he picks up the line of questioning a bit belatedly, smiling playfully. "Don't I feel special, now." He takes a beat to chew and swallow before supplying, "Probably a good thing then that I missed you, too. Extra."

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"Yeah, but this wine is really good." It doesn't even make sense as a rebuttal, but that's never stopped her before.

She starts digging into her meal again, focusing on the pasta now and trying to stave off another flush threatening to take over her face. She wants to hate it when he puts her on the spot like that, but in this case she really did start it so she can't even be (fake) mad.

"What did you miss about me?" she implores innocently, chewing while she watches him, her belly tingling in a way that has nothing to do with the food -- though it really is delicious.

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Pepper focuses on his plate, cutting what's left of his chicken neatly with his knife and fork. Ostensibly his attention is on the task, but his lips pull into a sideways smile at the question and its supposedly innocent nature, feeling her eyes on him.

"There isn't a single thing about you that I don't miss. Ever," he replies sweetly, matching Toni's innocent tone, finally glancing up with a playful gleam in his eyes as he pops a piece of chicken in his mouth.

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"Cop-out," she accuses with a tiny smirk of her own, shaking her head in mock-disapproval. "There's no way you miss everything about me all the time." She can be like, super annoying and she's well aware of it. But then she's thnking about it further and... even some of Pepper's more obnoxious traits are attractive to her. Maybe that's why they're so good for each other, in the end. She rubs her ankle experimentally against his, another little thrill zinging through her midsection.

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Pepper humphs, mock-offended, at the accusation. "Yes, way." Yes, even when she's being super annoying. They're all part of what make Toni Toni and as such, he loves every single trait. He grabs his glass and grins dorkily over the rim, pushing his foot forward a little to rub back.

"And you liked that answer enough to start playing footsie with me, so it's definitely a winner."

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This time she really does flush beet red, the liberal amount of wine she's already ingested only aiding the cause further. Her foot stills a moment, almost in defiance, shaking her head and assessing how much of her meal she's put away vs. how much more she can eat. She wants to eat it all just because it's so good, but her stomach is already so full of deliciousness and it forces her to ease back a bit, mostly pushing the rest around her plate now.

"You are such a dork."

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"I know. You love it," he retorts with a smile, nudging her ankle gently with his. He notices she's done eating, but he didn't expect her to finish it all. She has a small appetite; he's glad she put away as much as she did. He polishes off the last of his own meal and takes the final sip of wine in his glass before getting up. "Let me take these away. Pour me another glass, would you?"

Pepper totes their plates back in the kitchen and rinses them out, popping them in the dishwasher. He doubts Toni's up for dessert, so he only plates one slice of the cheesecake he'd brought home; though he brings two forks with him to the table. "You can help me with this if you're up to it."

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"Yes, dear," she parrots, tipping her head and watching him leave deliberately before moving to do as he asked. Toni gets up and moves around the table to pour his glass, her vision already pleasantly hazy from the drinking she's been doing herself. It feels good to let go after so long being so careful. Her shirt slips down again, unnoticed, revealing one lacy strap of her bra as she pulls her chair closer to his and plops down to wait for him, her own refilled wine glass in hand.

"When did you have time to make this?" she asks, a bit incredulous. What's he doing? Something feels off, and she can't decide if she likes it or not. "You're making me nervous." It's blurted as he retakes his seat, leveling him with a surprisingly steady gaze.

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Pepper breathes a little laugh, shaking his head wryly. "I'm making you nervous? Because of cheesecake?"

He breaks off a piece of the cake with his fork and pops in into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. It's excellent, but he can't focus properly on just how good it is, suddenly concerned about Toni's mood. "I didn't make it, if that makes you feel any better. I picked it up on my way home."

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"It does, actually." Make her feel better, that is. She sips her wine and watches him eat it, undecided if she wants any yet. "You're acting funny."

Her eyes narrow. It's probably nothing, she's overthinking things as always. "Funnier than usual," she amends a moment later, setting down her glass and picking up the second fork experimentally.

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"How am I acting funnier than usual?" he shoots back as he picks on the cake, still mostly amused but a little baffled, too. "I've made you dinner before."

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She reaches out to stab a tiny piece of the cheesecake for herself, shaking her head. Maybe she's just being paranoid. "I just feel like you're up to something." A baseless accusation and she knows it, but it's still this niggling feeling she can't shake. Toni leans forward to take her bite, brushing her knee against his under the table in the process.

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Pepper takes a sip from his glass, setting it down and giving her a look under his lashes. "I'm always up to something," he quips with a smile. He rubs his knee against hers, arching a brow and pointing his fork at her. "Maybe I should be the one to accuse you of being up to something, instead."

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That response so doesn't ease her mind, but she can't help but return his smirk with one of her own, chewing and swallowing her cake before responding. "Who, me?" She bats her eyelashes and smiles sweetly as she goes for another forkful.

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"Yes, you," he confirms, nodding at her once again bare shoulder. "Distracting me with peeks of your lacy underthings." He shakes his head and tsks in mock-reproach. "Sly tactics, mademoiselle."