fic: Right Now
Chapter 2: Crisis
Two weeks after
The first work-day of the year had officially started thirteen minutes ago.
Before coming to his mansion, she dropped by her office to take some extra files she always received at the start of a year.
The week at her parents wasn’t that bad as she more likely presumed it would be after they heard the news that she was almost killed by mistake. But yet here she stood alive or not Pepper was still Tony Stark’s PA and nothing would change that. Only of course, he’ll kill himself one of those missions and she’ll have to go job hunting.
She was fine with that, though she avoided the subject every time Tony went on a mission.
---
After she signed the last pile of papers she turned around to see a rather slutty-looking blonde woman standing in the middle of her office.
“Excuse me,” The blonde addressed to her.
“I’m Tony Stark’s new secretary and I was wondering that you must be his PA, right?”
Pepper kept on looking at those papers not exactly wanting to hear or see more from the good-looking bitch.
“Yes I am.” She muttered under her breath.
“Can you please give me his cell-phone number?” She asked with an utterly fake tone in her voice.
“No.” She told her barely keeping a straight face as she exited the large office, anger boiling through all her pores.
---
She closed the front door of her boss’s extra big mansion and walked past the living room, towards the place she knew she’ll find him.
“Good morning, Miss.” Jarvis told her in a polite manner.
“It is. Thank you.” She replied almost sarcastically.
“And welcome to a new year.” Jarvis added.
“Always good to know it’ll be another year.”
Pepper quickly descended the stairs and looked through the glass but she couldn’t find him. She typed the code and stepped into a man’s territory. It smelled like grease, a tinge of sweat and even some cigarette smoke floating in the thick air.
Wait. Since when Tony did actually smoke?
“Mr. Stark?” She asked looking after her boss.
She didn’t quite know what she was searching for. She may be looking after Tony’s sleeping body onto the dark-colored couch or maybe on the workbench, where she would find him every morning.
Pepper walked towards the Iron Man suit and huffed slightly when she didn’t find him there.
When she looked all over the damn shop and didn’t spot him she gave up and made her way upstairs.
She walked into Tony’s eccentric kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Do you have any idea where Mr. Stark would happen to be?” Pepper asked Jarvis.
“Of course, Miss Potts.”
Pepper opened the counter and looked after a spoon and after the sugar.
“He’s in the attic. Do you want me to tell him you’ve just arrived?”
“What’s he doing in the attic?” She asked confused.
“No, wait; I want to find myself.”
She took a sip from her coffee and picked today’s newspaper. She skipped through the Star Watch section and headed towards the attic, not knowing exactly what Tony was up to.
It’s been a while she was in the attic but it didn’t mind her so she tapped her code and entered in the well lightened room.
She looked once, twice and then she spotted her boss’s body sprawled onto the cold floor.
Pepper sighed and started walking until she reached and put her small hand on his shoulder. He stirred a bit and mumbled something in his sleep. She gently shook him a bit because the floor was cold and she wasn’t going to take care of him if he’d catch a bad cold. Who do you think you’re kidding, you silly? You’re going to take care of him even if you would shoot him for making you work so hard for nothing.
Suddenly Tony’s eyes opened and Pepper gasped and backed a bit. She was entirely fascinated by his sleepy eyes and she looked quickly away, not wanting to blush in front of him.
He got up on his elbow and looked at her as he passed one hand through his damp hair.
“I thought I should wake you to move in your bedroom because it seems a bit uncomfortable to sleep onto the floor of your attic.”
He didn’t even smile at her as he usually did when she did such a comment. He simply looked at her and covered his face with both of his hands.
“Are you okay, Mr. Stark?” She asked, easily panicking herself.
He usually made a comment about the whole bedroom thing but now he was more silent than ever. She wondered if this meant something: sleeping in the attic and not replying.
“Yes,” Tony managed to tell her between clenched teeth.
“-yes, I am. Thank you for worrying Miss Potts.” He said, letting his hands back to their usual position.
He stood up ignoring the strange look his assistant was giving him. He stuck his hands in his pockets again, like he did when she left him that night, two weeks ago.
“So…how was your vacation?”
She kept on staring at him because she didn’t seem to notice the black marks under his eyes and the growth of his goatee until now.
“It was good.” She managed to say, a giant lump installing in her throat.
“How was the party?”
His eyes instantly meet hers and after a moment he passed his fingers through his hair once again.
“Party? What party?”
She grinned at him knowing fair to well that he didn’t went at that super party she planned once again.
“The one at Stark Industries.” She replied, smiling.
He scratched the top of his head and then his gaze turned to meet hers.
“Aha!” He exclaimed.
“That one. Yes, it was great, indeed. Wonderful party, Potts.”
“But I can’t remember too much of it because there were so many parties I went to when you were away.” Tony said casually and smirked a bit.
“I didn’t hear anything bad at the radio back in the UK so I suppose you were a good boy and didn’t do anything bad…”
“Sure.”
And then he exited the door, running from her sight.
---
Later that evening Pepper found a little note through some important papers, took it and read it.
I had a very good time last night. What do you say of a dinner, a movie and then maybe some fun till the morning?
Jennifer
P.S: Thank you for not firing me after; like you did with the others. And by the way, thank god your assistant was out of town. Don’t know why you’re still keeping her.
Pepper gasped and suddenly she felt dizzy. She put her hand over her mouth to keep her from sobbing loudly, hot tears falling down her cheeks. The laptop felt down from her knees with a loud bang, making Tony wake up from his reverie down the workshop.
“Jarvis, what was that sound?”
“I think Miss Potts may need a bit of assistance.” The AI told him serenely.
He rushed upstairs to find his assistant moving around the table in his living room almost frantically.
When she noticed him, she wiped the tears from her face and shook her head disappointingly.
A sudden urge to ask her what happened washed past Tony as he hurried himself to her.
“What the hell happened, Potts?”
She walked past him, ignoring the man she loved the most in the world and the pain he caused to her. Pepper took her coat and left him there speechless.
---
Any hard she tried, she couldn’t stop crying. And she didn’t feel the worst yet.
Two weeks after
The first work-day of the year had officially started thirteen minutes ago.
Before coming to his mansion, she dropped by her office to take some extra files she always received at the start of a year.
The week at her parents wasn’t that bad as she more likely presumed it would be after they heard the news that she was almost killed by mistake. But yet here she stood alive or not Pepper was still Tony Stark’s PA and nothing would change that. Only of course, he’ll kill himself one of those missions and she’ll have to go job hunting.
She was fine with that, though she avoided the subject every time Tony went on a mission.
---
After she signed the last pile of papers she turned around to see a rather slutty-looking blonde woman standing in the middle of her office.
“Excuse me,” The blonde addressed to her.
“I’m Tony Stark’s new secretary and I was wondering that you must be his PA, right?”
Pepper kept on looking at those papers not exactly wanting to hear or see more from the good-looking bitch.
“Yes I am.” She muttered under her breath.
“Can you please give me his cell-phone number?” She asked with an utterly fake tone in her voice.
“No.” She told her barely keeping a straight face as she exited the large office, anger boiling through all her pores.
---
She closed the front door of her boss’s extra big mansion and walked past the living room, towards the place she knew she’ll find him.
“Good morning, Miss.” Jarvis told her in a polite manner.
“It is. Thank you.” She replied almost sarcastically.
“And welcome to a new year.” Jarvis added.
“Always good to know it’ll be another year.”
Pepper quickly descended the stairs and looked through the glass but she couldn’t find him. She typed the code and stepped into a man’s territory. It smelled like grease, a tinge of sweat and even some cigarette smoke floating in the thick air.
Wait. Since when Tony did actually smoke?
“Mr. Stark?” She asked looking after her boss.
She didn’t quite know what she was searching for. She may be looking after Tony’s sleeping body onto the dark-colored couch or maybe on the workbench, where she would find him every morning.
Pepper walked towards the Iron Man suit and huffed slightly when she didn’t find him there.
When she looked all over the damn shop and didn’t spot him she gave up and made her way upstairs.
She walked into Tony’s eccentric kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee.
“Do you have any idea where Mr. Stark would happen to be?” Pepper asked Jarvis.
“Of course, Miss Potts.”
Pepper opened the counter and looked after a spoon and after the sugar.
“He’s in the attic. Do you want me to tell him you’ve just arrived?”
“What’s he doing in the attic?” She asked confused.
“No, wait; I want to find myself.”
She took a sip from her coffee and picked today’s newspaper. She skipped through the Star Watch section and headed towards the attic, not knowing exactly what Tony was up to.
It’s been a while she was in the attic but it didn’t mind her so she tapped her code and entered in the well lightened room.
She looked once, twice and then she spotted her boss’s body sprawled onto the cold floor.
Pepper sighed and started walking until she reached and put her small hand on his shoulder. He stirred a bit and mumbled something in his sleep. She gently shook him a bit because the floor was cold and she wasn’t going to take care of him if he’d catch a bad cold. Who do you think you’re kidding, you silly? You’re going to take care of him even if you would shoot him for making you work so hard for nothing.
Suddenly Tony’s eyes opened and Pepper gasped and backed a bit. She was entirely fascinated by his sleepy eyes and she looked quickly away, not wanting to blush in front of him.
He got up on his elbow and looked at her as he passed one hand through his damp hair.
“I thought I should wake you to move in your bedroom because it seems a bit uncomfortable to sleep onto the floor of your attic.”
He didn’t even smile at her as he usually did when she did such a comment. He simply looked at her and covered his face with both of his hands.
“Are you okay, Mr. Stark?” She asked, easily panicking herself.
He usually made a comment about the whole bedroom thing but now he was more silent than ever. She wondered if this meant something: sleeping in the attic and not replying.
“Yes,” Tony managed to tell her between clenched teeth.
“-yes, I am. Thank you for worrying Miss Potts.” He said, letting his hands back to their usual position.
He stood up ignoring the strange look his assistant was giving him. He stuck his hands in his pockets again, like he did when she left him that night, two weeks ago.
“So…how was your vacation?”
She kept on staring at him because she didn’t seem to notice the black marks under his eyes and the growth of his goatee until now.
“It was good.” She managed to say, a giant lump installing in her throat.
“How was the party?”
His eyes instantly meet hers and after a moment he passed his fingers through his hair once again.
“Party? What party?”
She grinned at him knowing fair to well that he didn’t went at that super party she planned once again.
“The one at Stark Industries.” She replied, smiling.
He scratched the top of his head and then his gaze turned to meet hers.
“Aha!” He exclaimed.
“That one. Yes, it was great, indeed. Wonderful party, Potts.”
“But I can’t remember too much of it because there were so many parties I went to when you were away.” Tony said casually and smirked a bit.
“I didn’t hear anything bad at the radio back in the UK so I suppose you were a good boy and didn’t do anything bad…”
“Sure.”
And then he exited the door, running from her sight.
---
Later that evening Pepper found a little note through some important papers, took it and read it.
I had a very good time last night. What do you say of a dinner, a movie and then maybe some fun till the morning?
Jennifer
P.S: Thank you for not firing me after; like you did with the others. And by the way, thank god your assistant was out of town. Don’t know why you’re still keeping her.
Pepper gasped and suddenly she felt dizzy. She put her hand over her mouth to keep her from sobbing loudly, hot tears falling down her cheeks. The laptop felt down from her knees with a loud bang, making Tony wake up from his reverie down the workshop.
“Jarvis, what was that sound?”
“I think Miss Potts may need a bit of assistance.” The AI told him serenely.
He rushed upstairs to find his assistant moving around the table in his living room almost frantically.
When she noticed him, she wiped the tears from her face and shook her head disappointingly.
A sudden urge to ask her what happened washed past Tony as he hurried himself to her.
“What the hell happened, Potts?”
She walked past him, ignoring the man she loved the most in the world and the pain he caused to her. Pepper took her coat and left him there speechless.
---
Any hard she tried, she couldn’t stop crying. And she didn’t feel the worst yet.