Billionare Bum (Pepper/Tony) Rated G
Title: Billionare Bum
Rating: G
Genre: Drama and Hurt and Comfort
Pairing: Pepper/Tony
Synopsis: Industrialist, visionary, hero, lover, Tony Stark used to be all these things and now thanks to alcoholism, he lost everything, even Pepper. Now, Pepper is reunited with Tony to see him changed. Can she help him find his way out of the darkness?
It was cold and dark as Pepper made her way to the diner. She wrapped her coat tight around her as she studied her surroundings. The neighborhood looked deserted with only a bum sleeping in front of one of the windows. It was a sad sight really. He was huddled up in a blanket and is nearly in the entrance. Slowly, she tiptoed past him and walked in. The diner was much warmer and looked just as sad. She glanced at her watch. She was early and Tony wasn't here.
"I will wait." She vowed. Hopefully, Tony will be here on time. If he wasn't here, she would leave; a little sadder, a little more disappointed, and just about out of hope. Ever since she got that phone call for her birthday, yesterday, she was excited. Tony was still alive and he sounded sober, more sober than the last time she saw him.
"What do you want, sweetheart?" A middle aged waitress asked.
"Just coffee, please." Pepper said as she glanced up to see the bum walking in. A shadow covered his face, he looked crazy. She didn't need him to be around to scare Tony away. Or he might fight Tony.
"Hi, Ed." The waitress greeted the bum and went into the kitchen for the coffee.
Pepper did her best to try to become invisible. The bum just walked closer. She shifted to the edge of the booth seat, she didn't want to be close to him. The bum paused. "You know, if you want to stay away from me, you should have stayed in California."
Pepper's face paled and she spun around to see the bum completely. "Tony?" She could not believe it. How could she not recognize her old boyfriend? She had seen Tony in all sorts of disguises, he had his hair dyed in many different colors, he had even spent a couple of days posing as a black guy with an Australian accent. In all those changes, she knew it was him. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't..." She felt ashamed. How could she dismiss him so easily? Did she really expect him to be dressed in his Armani suit and looked like nothing happened? "I'm sorry."
"I'm used to it. I saw you come in but I was scared that you might... I'm not at my best here."
"No kidding." Pepper watched Tony sit down across from her, keeping a respectable distance away. She studied him. He looked fairly thin, with long streaks of gray in his hair. Life on the streets aged him more than being held captive in Afghanistan. His eyes are sharp, not fogged up by alcohol and he seemed to be doing better. "You look..."
"Sober?"
"Healthy. And yes, sober."
"Yeah, I've been sober for about a month. It was Hell and a half. But I made it so far." Tony closed his eyes. "I... didn't think you would come. I called you just to let you know that I'm alive and that I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you again and yet..."
She took his hand. "I'm glad you called. How did you get sober?"
"I stopped drinking." Tony shrugged.
"It's not that easy and you know it. I did research on alcoholism. Alcoholics who withdraw could suffer all sorts of things: shakes, hallucinations, confusion and even seizures. They often have to detox under medical supervision."
Tony looked down. "Okay, after I decided to stop drinking I went to a guy who helped me. He runs a center for homeless alcoholics. He didn't ask questions when he saw my chest. He helped me detox and then sent me to an AA meeting place. They really helped me. I never told them who I was, just generalities like that I had problems with my dad and women liking me for what I am, not who I am. Well... most women." He winked at her.
Pepper just shook her head and smirked slightly. "Nice to see that you haven't completely changed."
"Here's your coffee." The waitress said as she handed the two coffees. "Your girl?" She asked Tony.
"Someone from a past life." Tony answered.
"Good. Nice to see things are looking up for you, Ed." The waitress smiled at him and then left.
"Ed?"
"I go by that to help hide from everyone. Besides, I feel like an 'Ed'."
"Oh." Pepper knew that Tony had never liked his middle name. He said that 'Edward' was a stupid middle name even if it's not embarrassing. To hear him go by that must mean that he really hated himself. "Is she a friend of yours?"
"Yeah. She actually owns the place but she loves to be a waitress late at night. We have an arrangement. I fix the appliances and they give me free food. And I just fix them, I don't make any unnecessary upgrades."
Pepper smiled slightly as she took a sip of her coffee. Tony would think of something like that. If he's one thing, it's creative. "This coffee's good."
"I might have upgraded the coffee maker..." Tony admitted as he put in his usual sugar. "But it's a necessary upgrade."
"I believe you." Pepper sighed as she took another sip. She could tell that he was holding something back but she was just content with him being here and alive and sober.
"What about you? What happened to you after..." Tony trailed off. Pepper nodded. She had left Tony when she gave him an ultimatum, her or the bottle. He had chosen the bottle. She handed him her resignation. If only she had stayed, she could have kept Tony from losing his company, his fortune, and they would not be here.
"I... I worked for the Rand Corporation as Danny Rand's PA. It's a good company."
"I see. He treats you well?" Tony looked down and tried to hide the look of jealousy in his face.
"He's okay." Danny Rand was nothing like Tony and yet has the same job. He was a superhero like Tony was only he relied solely on martial arts which he learned as a child. He meditates and never drinks or does drugs. He had even taught her a few moves to defend herself.
"Good. I'm... glad. Really." Tony fidgeted with the coffee mug in front of him.
"He has a girlfriend, her name is Misty. Danny and I are friends. That's it." Pepper clarified. The last thing she wanted was to drive Tony back to the bottle.
"Oh... of course. Yeah... I didn't mean to sound jealous. You are your own woman, you can do whatever you want. I... I... just want you to be happy. I didn't know what I was thinking. I-I mean... I don't want to drive you away again. We don't have to be the way we were before. I get that. All I want... is to just to be with you. We don't have to..." Tony was fumbling. The last time he acted like this in front of her was the day before the Hammer Incident. He promptly buried his face in his hands."Who am I kidding? I'm a bum! I have no money. I have no place to stay. I haven't had a bath in days. I have nothing. I-"
Pepper promptly grabbed Tony and kissed him. Despite the fact that he looked so thin, he still weighed a lot. After a long minute, she let go and Tony took a deep breath. "You make a good point, Miss Potts." Tony admitted.
"I didn't say anything."
"You didn't have to."
"Tony... I know that things are bad. Really bad. But you are not alone. You have friends who are really worried about you: Rhodey, Happy, Natasha, Steve, Hank, Bruce, Clint, Janet, even Jarvis and Dummy. They are all waiting for you to come back."
Tony blinked. "Jarvis and Dummy? They're okay?"
"Well... Fury had confiscated them after you disappeared and had them working at the Avengers Mansion. Hank is fascinated by them. Although, Dummy is constantly looking out the front door."
"I can never predict what that robot will do." Tony ran his hand through his longish hair. "I was afraid that he had ended up in a junkyard."
"Nope. He's still waiting for you."
"I want to be Iron Man again. Being Iron Man made me feel invincible, powerful, like I had a purpose. But, it might drive me back to drinking and I don't want that."
"Since when is Tony Stark afraid of taking a chance? You built new technology with only a box of scraps. You fought real gods. You taught Captain America how to use a Blackberry! If you can handle all of that, you can handle your drinking problem!" Pepper let loose a speech that she had mentally prepared for this.
"You're right. Besides, I can't really stay away from being Iron Man." Tony opened his coat to reveal a gray armor underneath. "I started building this to keep my mind off things. It can't take on a tank but it could protect me from a knife or a gun."
Pepper had to chuckle. "How did you get the materials?"
"It's amazing what you can find in dumpsters and the sewers." Tony sounding more like his old self.
"See? You can't resist being Iron Man, it's part of who you are."
"I guess. I want to set up a new company. I'm going to need some seed money and some business know how." Tony pondered.
"I can help you. Maybe, we can set up our own company."
"Sounds good but that means that you have to quit working for Danny and deal with me and my issues again. I can't stop being an alcoholic, I can only stop drinking."
"I think I can handle it." Pepper smirked. "Danny's a little boring anyway."
"With my brains and your business knowledge, we can rock this world."
"Together."
"Together."
The End
Rating: G
Genre: Drama and Hurt and Comfort
Pairing: Pepper/Tony
Synopsis: Industrialist, visionary, hero, lover, Tony Stark used to be all these things and now thanks to alcoholism, he lost everything, even Pepper. Now, Pepper is reunited with Tony to see him changed. Can she help him find his way out of the darkness?
It was cold and dark as Pepper made her way to the diner. She wrapped her coat tight around her as she studied her surroundings. The neighborhood looked deserted with only a bum sleeping in front of one of the windows. It was a sad sight really. He was huddled up in a blanket and is nearly in the entrance. Slowly, she tiptoed past him and walked in. The diner was much warmer and looked just as sad. She glanced at her watch. She was early and Tony wasn't here.
"I will wait." She vowed. Hopefully, Tony will be here on time. If he wasn't here, she would leave; a little sadder, a little more disappointed, and just about out of hope. Ever since she got that phone call for her birthday, yesterday, she was excited. Tony was still alive and he sounded sober, more sober than the last time she saw him.
"What do you want, sweetheart?" A middle aged waitress asked.
"Just coffee, please." Pepper said as she glanced up to see the bum walking in. A shadow covered his face, he looked crazy. She didn't need him to be around to scare Tony away. Or he might fight Tony.
"Hi, Ed." The waitress greeted the bum and went into the kitchen for the coffee.
Pepper did her best to try to become invisible. The bum just walked closer. She shifted to the edge of the booth seat, she didn't want to be close to him. The bum paused. "You know, if you want to stay away from me, you should have stayed in California."
Pepper's face paled and she spun around to see the bum completely. "Tony?" She could not believe it. How could she not recognize her old boyfriend? She had seen Tony in all sorts of disguises, he had his hair dyed in many different colors, he had even spent a couple of days posing as a black guy with an Australian accent. In all those changes, she knew it was him. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry. I didn't..." She felt ashamed. How could she dismiss him so easily? Did she really expect him to be dressed in his Armani suit and looked like nothing happened? "I'm sorry."
"I'm used to it. I saw you come in but I was scared that you might... I'm not at my best here."
"No kidding." Pepper watched Tony sit down across from her, keeping a respectable distance away. She studied him. He looked fairly thin, with long streaks of gray in his hair. Life on the streets aged him more than being held captive in Afghanistan. His eyes are sharp, not fogged up by alcohol and he seemed to be doing better. "You look..."
"Sober?"
"Healthy. And yes, sober."
"Yeah, I've been sober for about a month. It was Hell and a half. But I made it so far." Tony closed his eyes. "I... didn't think you would come. I called you just to let you know that I'm alive and that I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you again and yet..."
She took his hand. "I'm glad you called. How did you get sober?"
"I stopped drinking." Tony shrugged.
"It's not that easy and you know it. I did research on alcoholism. Alcoholics who withdraw could suffer all sorts of things: shakes, hallucinations, confusion and even seizures. They often have to detox under medical supervision."
Tony looked down. "Okay, after I decided to stop drinking I went to a guy who helped me. He runs a center for homeless alcoholics. He didn't ask questions when he saw my chest. He helped me detox and then sent me to an AA meeting place. They really helped me. I never told them who I was, just generalities like that I had problems with my dad and women liking me for what I am, not who I am. Well... most women." He winked at her.
Pepper just shook her head and smirked slightly. "Nice to see that you haven't completely changed."
"Here's your coffee." The waitress said as she handed the two coffees. "Your girl?" She asked Tony.
"Someone from a past life." Tony answered.
"Good. Nice to see things are looking up for you, Ed." The waitress smiled at him and then left.
"Ed?"
"I go by that to help hide from everyone. Besides, I feel like an 'Ed'."
"Oh." Pepper knew that Tony had never liked his middle name. He said that 'Edward' was a stupid middle name even if it's not embarrassing. To hear him go by that must mean that he really hated himself. "Is she a friend of yours?"
"Yeah. She actually owns the place but she loves to be a waitress late at night. We have an arrangement. I fix the appliances and they give me free food. And I just fix them, I don't make any unnecessary upgrades."
Pepper smiled slightly as she took a sip of her coffee. Tony would think of something like that. If he's one thing, it's creative. "This coffee's good."
"I might have upgraded the coffee maker..." Tony admitted as he put in his usual sugar. "But it's a necessary upgrade."
"I believe you." Pepper sighed as she took another sip. She could tell that he was holding something back but she was just content with him being here and alive and sober.
"What about you? What happened to you after..." Tony trailed off. Pepper nodded. She had left Tony when she gave him an ultimatum, her or the bottle. He had chosen the bottle. She handed him her resignation. If only she had stayed, she could have kept Tony from losing his company, his fortune, and they would not be here.
"I... I worked for the Rand Corporation as Danny Rand's PA. It's a good company."
"I see. He treats you well?" Tony looked down and tried to hide the look of jealousy in his face.
"He's okay." Danny Rand was nothing like Tony and yet has the same job. He was a superhero like Tony was only he relied solely on martial arts which he learned as a child. He meditates and never drinks or does drugs. He had even taught her a few moves to defend herself.
"Good. I'm... glad. Really." Tony fidgeted with the coffee mug in front of him.
"He has a girlfriend, her name is Misty. Danny and I are friends. That's it." Pepper clarified. The last thing she wanted was to drive Tony back to the bottle.
"Oh... of course. Yeah... I didn't mean to sound jealous. You are your own woman, you can do whatever you want. I... I... just want you to be happy. I didn't know what I was thinking. I-I mean... I don't want to drive you away again. We don't have to be the way we were before. I get that. All I want... is to just to be with you. We don't have to..." Tony was fumbling. The last time he acted like this in front of her was the day before the Hammer Incident. He promptly buried his face in his hands."Who am I kidding? I'm a bum! I have no money. I have no place to stay. I haven't had a bath in days. I have nothing. I-"
Pepper promptly grabbed Tony and kissed him. Despite the fact that he looked so thin, he still weighed a lot. After a long minute, she let go and Tony took a deep breath. "You make a good point, Miss Potts." Tony admitted.
"I didn't say anything."
"You didn't have to."
"Tony... I know that things are bad. Really bad. But you are not alone. You have friends who are really worried about you: Rhodey, Happy, Natasha, Steve, Hank, Bruce, Clint, Janet, even Jarvis and Dummy. They are all waiting for you to come back."
Tony blinked. "Jarvis and Dummy? They're okay?"
"Well... Fury had confiscated them after you disappeared and had them working at the Avengers Mansion. Hank is fascinated by them. Although, Dummy is constantly looking out the front door."
"I can never predict what that robot will do." Tony ran his hand through his longish hair. "I was afraid that he had ended up in a junkyard."
"Nope. He's still waiting for you."
"I want to be Iron Man again. Being Iron Man made me feel invincible, powerful, like I had a purpose. But, it might drive me back to drinking and I don't want that."
"Since when is Tony Stark afraid of taking a chance? You built new technology with only a box of scraps. You fought real gods. You taught Captain America how to use a Blackberry! If you can handle all of that, you can handle your drinking problem!" Pepper let loose a speech that she had mentally prepared for this.
"You're right. Besides, I can't really stay away from being Iron Man." Tony opened his coat to reveal a gray armor underneath. "I started building this to keep my mind off things. It can't take on a tank but it could protect me from a knife or a gun."
Pepper had to chuckle. "How did you get the materials?"
"It's amazing what you can find in dumpsters and the sewers." Tony sounding more like his old self.
"See? You can't resist being Iron Man, it's part of who you are."
"I guess. I want to set up a new company. I'm going to need some seed money and some business know how." Tony pondered.
"I can help you. Maybe, we can set up our own company."
"Sounds good but that means that you have to quit working for Danny and deal with me and my issues again. I can't stop being an alcoholic, I can only stop drinking."
"I think I can handle it." Pepper smirked. "Danny's a little boring anyway."
"With my brains and your business knowledge, we can rock this world."
"Together."
"Together."
The End