Yes, Virginia, There Really Is An Iron Man: Chapter Thirty-Eight
TITLE: Yes, Virginia, There Really Is An Iron Man
AUTHOR: Quicksilvermad
SUMMARY: (Movie-verse) Pepper deals with Tony’s newfound lease on life and ends up making a mountain out of her molehill of emotion where her boss is concerned.
GENRE: Humor/Romance
RATING: PG13
PAIRING: Tony/Pepper
DISCLAIMER: Iron Man etc. belong to Marvel Comics et. al.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
At eight AM on Wednesday morning Natasha Romanoff walked into the Malibu mansion with a stack of files balanced under one arm and a briefcase and coffee (just hers). She was greeted by Tony Stark’s AI and directed to the kitchen. The man himself was curled over a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and still in his pajama pants with the beginnings of some epic bed head. She spied a pillow crease indented in his cheek.
“Good morning, Mr. Stark,” she greeted.
“Ms. Romanoff,” he returned. “What’s on my agenda for the day?”
“You need to make a perfunctory appearance at the office to ‘pass the torch’ on to Miss Potts, then Colonel Fury needs to speak with you regarding the information you and Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes gathered in your last impromptu mission. He thought you’d like meeting at a diner up the road around lunch time.”
He straightened his spine and looked up from his Cocoa Puffs.
“You mean he’s not breaking into my house again?”
Natasha smirked and handed him the stack of files. “I made him swear on the Bible not to do that.”
“I appreciate that-what are you handing me?”
“Jennifer showed these to you yesterday. I thought you’d like your own copies to study.”
“You thought correctly. Is yours in here?” he asked.
Natasha propped the briefcase on the center island and unlocked it. “I wrote some personal notes along with your recruitment specifications. My file is sealed, but I felt the need to inform you of some of my personal history and position within SHIELD,” she smiled and handed him some handwritten notes on a yellow legal pad. “But at the moment your focus is stopping by the office.”
She hadn’t counted on Tony being a speed reader. “Advanced combat and espionage training, huh?”
“Yes. Get dressed or I’ll beat you up.”
*
Dressed in a suit without a tie (he couldn’t be bothered to pick one out), Tony accepted Natasha’s offer to drive him to both “appointments” mostly for the chance to read through her notes on her own history in more detail.
She scribbled in the margins of the legal pad about things she’d had done to her when she was working as a Soviet spy during the Cold War. Slowed aging and an enhanced immune system were part of the biotechnology the Soviets tested on her and several other “Black Widows” that she knew of. The only other bit of personal information she gave was her childhood rescue from Nazis by Captain America and some guy named Logan and the fact that her parents died in a fire in Stalingrad. Natasha’s notes were a bit vague on how she defected to the States and started working for SHIELD.
Her handwriting was almost worse than his.
“So, what do I call you? Miss Romanoff, Natasha, Tasha, Nat? Black Widow?” he finally asked.
“I go by ‘Tasha’ sometimes. You aren’t going to ask how old I am, are you?”
“I know not to ask a woman that question, Natasha,” Tony said to her reflection in the rear view mirror.
“Smart man,” she said.
“Most of the time,” Tony grumbled.
Natasha eased the Phantom into the parking lane at the front office of Stark Indusries and was surprised when Tony exited the vehicle before she could open his door.
Happy was chatting with Janine as Stark and Natasha entered the building. Tony immediately smiled and clapped the older man on the shoulder. “How was driving the new boss, Happy?”
Hogan grinned. “It’s a shorter drive, sir.”
Janine popped up over Hogan’s shoulder. “Pepper’s in Sta-I mean-her office at the moment, Mr. Stark. Should I page her?” she asked.
“Nah, I’ll go see her. Happy, this is Natasha Romanoff. Natasha, this is Harold Hogan. Have fun getting acquainted.”
With that loose introduction, Tony loped up the stairs to Stane’s old office in search of the new CEO. The doors-always closed when Obadiah Stane had the room-were wide open and the sunlight of mid-morning lit up the back of Pepper’s head with that glow that turned her hair into strands of gold. She wore her hair down entirely and had on a dress he’d never seen her wear before-a light grey sheath with cap sleeves finished off with another pair of ridiculously tall heels.
Tony cleared his throat and jammed his hands in his pockets. “Nice office, huh?”
Her face perked up at the sight of him. “There’s almost too much room. And I only had time to grab a couple of photos this morning.”
“Really? I’ve got a Pollock in storage that would look great in here.”
Pepper cast her mind back to her last birthday and smiled. In the silence of the moment she felt the need to ask him something that had bothered her from the night before when they’d parted at the airfield and he had Natasha drive her home. “Tony, did you sleep okay?”
He didn’t want to lie to her. But he also didn’t want her to worry. Since his face was an open book to Pepper, she knew exactly how poorly Tony’s night went. “Why didn’t you call me?” she asked and stepped in closer to him.
Tony shrugged and leaned his face into her hand. Lips pursed, he reached up and smoothed her hair behind one ear. “I wanted you to have a good first day as the Big Kahuna here at Stark Industries. Not worrying. Stuff like that.”
“You’re a dope. I always worry about you.”
She said it as such a matter of fact that Tony couldn’t suppress a laugh. His mirth was interrupted by a surprise kiss from Pepper that lasted no more than a few seconds but brought him back to the real world. He briefly pressed his lips harder against hers and pulled away.
“I’ll be okay.”
Pepper’s eyes moved from his towards the doorway and her smile tightened ever so much. “Hello, Natasha,” she greeted.
“Good morning, Pepper,” the other redhead greeted. She eased her way into the room, aware of ruining a tender moment but needing to keep Stark on schedule. “Mr. Stark, the press is gathered in the atrium and security has cleared everyone so when you’re ready...”
Tony brightened just a bit more and winked at Pepper. “You’ll like this. I got you your first CEO stuff,” he held out his elbow and waited for her to link arms with him. Pepper shot a curious glance at Natasha and was surprised to see that the other woman was wearing a charcoal pantsuit and had her hair tugged back in a severe bun. She looked a bit like a librarian. Yesterday she’d been an absolute knockout in her tight black skirt and red blouse.
As Tony guided her down the hall toward the sound of murmuring reporters and cameramen, Pepper felt a little bit surreal. Before he opened the door, Tony leaned sideways and kissed her cheek.
“For luck. Shall we?”
Her smile returned. “Absolutely, partner.”
Tony grinned-teeth and creased eyes with real happiness in the expression-and opened the doors.
His speech was succinct and to the point and Pepper graciously accepted the palladium nameplate he made for her with “Virginia Potts, CEO” carved into one side and “Pepper Potts, CEO” carved into the other. Tony said it was for days when she felt like being formal or informal and the reporters ate it up. Pepper tried not to get misty eyed about the whole thing and recited her little acceptance speech.
They posed for a photo op and Tony helped her excuse the room.
Before he left for his lunch with Colonel Fury, Pepper made sure he saw her straighten her new desk with the nameplate displaying “Pepper Potts, CEO” to the room.
TBC
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AUTHOR: Quicksilvermad
SUMMARY: (Movie-verse) Pepper deals with Tony’s newfound lease on life and ends up making a mountain out of her molehill of emotion where her boss is concerned.
GENRE: Humor/Romance
RATING: PG13
PAIRING: Tony/Pepper
DISCLAIMER: Iron Man etc. belong to Marvel Comics et. al.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
At eight AM on Wednesday morning Natasha Romanoff walked into the Malibu mansion with a stack of files balanced under one arm and a briefcase and coffee (just hers). She was greeted by Tony Stark’s AI and directed to the kitchen. The man himself was curled over a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and still in his pajama pants with the beginnings of some epic bed head. She spied a pillow crease indented in his cheek.
“Good morning, Mr. Stark,” she greeted.
“Ms. Romanoff,” he returned. “What’s on my agenda for the day?”
“You need to make a perfunctory appearance at the office to ‘pass the torch’ on to Miss Potts, then Colonel Fury needs to speak with you regarding the information you and Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes gathered in your last impromptu mission. He thought you’d like meeting at a diner up the road around lunch time.”
He straightened his spine and looked up from his Cocoa Puffs.
“You mean he’s not breaking into my house again?”
Natasha smirked and handed him the stack of files. “I made him swear on the Bible not to do that.”
“I appreciate that-what are you handing me?”
“Jennifer showed these to you yesterday. I thought you’d like your own copies to study.”
“You thought correctly. Is yours in here?” he asked.
Natasha propped the briefcase on the center island and unlocked it. “I wrote some personal notes along with your recruitment specifications. My file is sealed, but I felt the need to inform you of some of my personal history and position within SHIELD,” she smiled and handed him some handwritten notes on a yellow legal pad. “But at the moment your focus is stopping by the office.”
She hadn’t counted on Tony being a speed reader. “Advanced combat and espionage training, huh?”
“Yes. Get dressed or I’ll beat you up.”
*
Dressed in a suit without a tie (he couldn’t be bothered to pick one out), Tony accepted Natasha’s offer to drive him to both “appointments” mostly for the chance to read through her notes on her own history in more detail.
She scribbled in the margins of the legal pad about things she’d had done to her when she was working as a Soviet spy during the Cold War. Slowed aging and an enhanced immune system were part of the biotechnology the Soviets tested on her and several other “Black Widows” that she knew of. The only other bit of personal information she gave was her childhood rescue from Nazis by Captain America and some guy named Logan and the fact that her parents died in a fire in Stalingrad. Natasha’s notes were a bit vague on how she defected to the States and started working for SHIELD.
Her handwriting was almost worse than his.
“So, what do I call you? Miss Romanoff, Natasha, Tasha, Nat? Black Widow?” he finally asked.
“I go by ‘Tasha’ sometimes. You aren’t going to ask how old I am, are you?”
“I know not to ask a woman that question, Natasha,” Tony said to her reflection in the rear view mirror.
“Smart man,” she said.
“Most of the time,” Tony grumbled.
Natasha eased the Phantom into the parking lane at the front office of Stark Indusries and was surprised when Tony exited the vehicle before she could open his door.
Happy was chatting with Janine as Stark and Natasha entered the building. Tony immediately smiled and clapped the older man on the shoulder. “How was driving the new boss, Happy?”
Hogan grinned. “It’s a shorter drive, sir.”
Janine popped up over Hogan’s shoulder. “Pepper’s in Sta-I mean-her office at the moment, Mr. Stark. Should I page her?” she asked.
“Nah, I’ll go see her. Happy, this is Natasha Romanoff. Natasha, this is Harold Hogan. Have fun getting acquainted.”
With that loose introduction, Tony loped up the stairs to Stane’s old office in search of the new CEO. The doors-always closed when Obadiah Stane had the room-were wide open and the sunlight of mid-morning lit up the back of Pepper’s head with that glow that turned her hair into strands of gold. She wore her hair down entirely and had on a dress he’d never seen her wear before-a light grey sheath with cap sleeves finished off with another pair of ridiculously tall heels.
Tony cleared his throat and jammed his hands in his pockets. “Nice office, huh?”
Her face perked up at the sight of him. “There’s almost too much room. And I only had time to grab a couple of photos this morning.”
“Really? I’ve got a Pollock in storage that would look great in here.”
Pepper cast her mind back to her last birthday and smiled. In the silence of the moment she felt the need to ask him something that had bothered her from the night before when they’d parted at the airfield and he had Natasha drive her home. “Tony, did you sleep okay?”
He didn’t want to lie to her. But he also didn’t want her to worry. Since his face was an open book to Pepper, she knew exactly how poorly Tony’s night went. “Why didn’t you call me?” she asked and stepped in closer to him.
Tony shrugged and leaned his face into her hand. Lips pursed, he reached up and smoothed her hair behind one ear. “I wanted you to have a good first day as the Big Kahuna here at Stark Industries. Not worrying. Stuff like that.”
“You’re a dope. I always worry about you.”
She said it as such a matter of fact that Tony couldn’t suppress a laugh. His mirth was interrupted by a surprise kiss from Pepper that lasted no more than a few seconds but brought him back to the real world. He briefly pressed his lips harder against hers and pulled away.
“I’ll be okay.”
Pepper’s eyes moved from his towards the doorway and her smile tightened ever so much. “Hello, Natasha,” she greeted.
“Good morning, Pepper,” the other redhead greeted. She eased her way into the room, aware of ruining a tender moment but needing to keep Stark on schedule. “Mr. Stark, the press is gathered in the atrium and security has cleared everyone so when you’re ready...”
Tony brightened just a bit more and winked at Pepper. “You’ll like this. I got you your first CEO stuff,” he held out his elbow and waited for her to link arms with him. Pepper shot a curious glance at Natasha and was surprised to see that the other woman was wearing a charcoal pantsuit and had her hair tugged back in a severe bun. She looked a bit like a librarian. Yesterday she’d been an absolute knockout in her tight black skirt and red blouse.
As Tony guided her down the hall toward the sound of murmuring reporters and cameramen, Pepper felt a little bit surreal. Before he opened the door, Tony leaned sideways and kissed her cheek.
“For luck. Shall we?”
Her smile returned. “Absolutely, partner.”
Tony grinned-teeth and creased eyes with real happiness in the expression-and opened the doors.
His speech was succinct and to the point and Pepper graciously accepted the palladium nameplate he made for her with “Virginia Potts, CEO” carved into one side and “Pepper Potts, CEO” carved into the other. Tony said it was for days when she felt like being formal or informal and the reporters ate it up. Pepper tried not to get misty eyed about the whole thing and recited her little acceptance speech.
They posed for a photo op and Tony helped her excuse the room.
Before he left for his lunch with Colonel Fury, Pepper made sure he saw her straighten her new desk with the nameplate displaying “Pepper Potts, CEO” to the room.
TBC
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