Tony/Pepper cliche challenge
Title: Good and Bad Ideas
Characters: Tony/Pepper
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1220
Warning: Crack! And angst! Yeah, I know...
Disclaimer: Marvel and Paramount(?) own.
AN: for its_always_been's Cliche Challenge, prompts #8, sorta 12, and though I misread 17 (Lookalike sex substitute- only I would miss the "sex" in there! *headdesk*), so that one, too, maybe? Takes place sometime during Iron Man.
Pepper blinked a few times. Maybe his louder-than-necessary music was messing with her hearing. Or maybe the acoustics in his workshop had changed since he redesigned it. Again. Either way, she couldn't have heard right.
"Who?" Pepper asked, turning down the music.
Tony paused, looked over his shoulder at her, and grimaced. He didn't like his music so low.
"The actress."
Blue eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I know who she is, Tony." She'd read about the woman married to Coldplay's frontman often enough. "Do you?"
He gave her a strange look. "What's there to know?"
"She's married, for one!" Pepper tried to keep her voice casual, not sure she managed it.
Tony forgot all about his car and spun in his work stool to face her. When Happy had casually mentioned in passing that the Academy Award winning actress looked an awful like Pepper, Tony wondered why he had never noticed before because really, they could be sisters. But two things stood out most: one was blonde while the other was a redhead and the actress was ten times more likely to go out with him than his PA. Still, when Happy brought it to his attention, Tony had one of his more brilliant ideas.
"Pepper," he fought the grin threatening to overtake his face, "Something's bothering you."
She did not look up from the many papers in her arms requiring his signature. "Bothering me?" she forced a smile, "Nothing's bothering me."
Tony knew a lie when he heard one. Well, sometimes. But he knew Pepper was lying now. He stood and made his way over to her standing near the door.
"She has two kids," Pepper added absently while typing something into her blackberry.
Tony stopped mid-stride.
"Does she?" He sounded impressed. "She looks great."
She did, Pepper couldn't argue with that.
"We're presenting together," he explained, amused at her attempts to seem disinterested. "It's one of those awards shows. Just seemed...easier...to show up together." Pepper still wouldn't look at him. "Tell me something, Potts," he said standing unnecessarily close to her. Finally, she glanced at him with the most bored expression she could muster. He leaned in closer, so that his chest brushed against the side of her arm and he whispered, "Are you...jealous?"
That had been his plan all along, hadn't it? Since the moment Happy made him aware of the similarities between the two women. Use one to get the other. He wasn't proud of himself...okay, maybe a little.
"What?" her jaw nearly hit the floor as she scoffed. Quickly she collected herself. "Why would I be jealous?" she asked as if it was the most absurd thing ever.
"That's an excellent question, Potts," Tony smiled. "Yes, why exactly, would you be?"
Sure that...actress was attractive, Pepper thought, in great shape (despite the two kids), had an Academy Award, legs for days (and did she really need to wear five inch heels with those legs?), but Pepper was not too bad to look at, and she did workout...sometimes, and her only experience acting consisted of a tiny part in a high school play, so she wasn't going to get an award for that, but if they gave out awards for best personal assistant, she'd be a shoo-in every year! And weren't her legs just fine?
"Pepper?"
"My legs are fine!" she exclaimed and regretted it instantly. It was a moment of insanity she wish she could take back.
No, Pepper wasn't jealous of the actress, but if she searched deep inside herself and forced herself to be completely honest, did it bother her a little, tiny bit that Tony was going out with her?
Maybe.
As if reading her thoughts, Tony's wolfish grin nearly made her blush and it was only because she'd worked for him so long that she could remain indifferent to his reaction.
"Your legs..." he crossed his arms over his chest, "Are more than fine."
"Thank you," she replied, tucking an errant strand of red hair behind her ear, and not smiling like she wanted to.
"I could take a closer look," he offered, "Just to make sure."
"That won't be necessary."
He shrugged and watched her in silence until Pepper held out two forms for him to sign. He did so while keeping his eyes glued to her face.
"Got anything else for me?" he asked before she took her pen back. "You've got my full attention."
She swallowed, unable to read his expression, or rather unwilling to. She'd seen it before, it made her think of things she shouldn't be thinking about. The way he was looking at her, the way his warm, brown eyes seemed to smile at her, made her insides flutter about and her perhaps-not-as-long-as-Gwyneth-Paltrow-legs feel weak at the knees.
How many times had she wanted, asked for, not been given Tony's undivided attention to remind him of upcoming events, possible mergers, important buys, or hundreds of other things she could not remember at the moment. If she kept this up, her Best Personal Assistant Award would be going to someone else.
Pepper cleared her throat.
"Your grey suit is up in your room and Happy will be arriving with the car at seven to take you to-what are you doing?"
He was standing closer now, smiling wider, making her throat suddenly go dry.
"Nothing. Yet." He took the stack of papers in her hand and tossed them over his shoulder. "How about tonight...we stay in?" Pepper shook her head, watching those very important documents fall to the floor. He had that...that...awards thing to go to. Tony continued, "And tomorrow we, I don't know, pretend to have amnesia?"
"Tony, no," she placed her hands on his chest to stop him. She felt his arc reactor under her fingertips and it became that much harder to resist, but she was a professional. "I don't think-"
"That's the spirit," he grinned. All she had to do was lean the teeny, tiniest bit forward and... "Don't think."
And suddenly Pepper was kissing him. Then, parting her lips, deepening the kiss, moaning. Well, there went her award, she thought briefly, but really she didn't care because kissing Tony was better than anything she could have imagined.
...
Pepper awoke before the sun was up and made her escape from Tony's bedroom. She ended up in her own small one on the first floor, berating herself for being so damn foolish. Looking at herself in the mirror she decided there was no other choice but to play the amnesia card.
She showered, dressed, and was in the living room within half an hour ready to go on as if nothing had happened. Tony came down the stairs, smiling as if he'd slept better than he had in years, she nearly decided to forget about pretending and running up to kiss him again. But, it was too big a risk.
When Tony heard her polite, but decidedly cold, "Good Morning, Mr. Stark," he knew exactly what she was doing.
It took him a few tries to finally be able to reply, "Good Morning, Ms. Potts." But, he was unable to keep the small frown from his face. The whole amnesia thing had been his idea and it was quite possibly the worst idea he'd ever had.
Characters: Tony/Pepper
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1220
Warning: Crack! And angst! Yeah, I know...
Disclaimer: Marvel and Paramount(?) own.
AN: for its_always_been's Cliche Challenge, prompts #8, sorta 12, and though I misread 17 (Lookalike sex substitute- only I would miss the "sex" in there! *headdesk*), so that one, too, maybe? Takes place sometime during Iron Man.
Pepper blinked a few times. Maybe his louder-than-necessary music was messing with her hearing. Or maybe the acoustics in his workshop had changed since he redesigned it. Again. Either way, she couldn't have heard right.
"Who?" Pepper asked, turning down the music.
Tony paused, looked over his shoulder at her, and grimaced. He didn't like his music so low.
"The actress."
Blue eyes narrowed dangerously.
"I know who she is, Tony." She'd read about the woman married to Coldplay's frontman often enough. "Do you?"
He gave her a strange look. "What's there to know?"
"She's married, for one!" Pepper tried to keep her voice casual, not sure she managed it.
Tony forgot all about his car and spun in his work stool to face her. When Happy had casually mentioned in passing that the Academy Award winning actress looked an awful like Pepper, Tony wondered why he had never noticed before because really, they could be sisters. But two things stood out most: one was blonde while the other was a redhead and the actress was ten times more likely to go out with him than his PA. Still, when Happy brought it to his attention, Tony had one of his more brilliant ideas.
"Pepper," he fought the grin threatening to overtake his face, "Something's bothering you."
She did not look up from the many papers in her arms requiring his signature. "Bothering me?" she forced a smile, "Nothing's bothering me."
Tony knew a lie when he heard one. Well, sometimes. But he knew Pepper was lying now. He stood and made his way over to her standing near the door.
"She has two kids," Pepper added absently while typing something into her blackberry.
Tony stopped mid-stride.
"Does she?" He sounded impressed. "She looks great."
She did, Pepper couldn't argue with that.
"We're presenting together," he explained, amused at her attempts to seem disinterested. "It's one of those awards shows. Just seemed...easier...to show up together." Pepper still wouldn't look at him. "Tell me something, Potts," he said standing unnecessarily close to her. Finally, she glanced at him with the most bored expression she could muster. He leaned in closer, so that his chest brushed against the side of her arm and he whispered, "Are you...jealous?"
That had been his plan all along, hadn't it? Since the moment Happy made him aware of the similarities between the two women. Use one to get the other. He wasn't proud of himself...okay, maybe a little.
"What?" her jaw nearly hit the floor as she scoffed. Quickly she collected herself. "Why would I be jealous?" she asked as if it was the most absurd thing ever.
"That's an excellent question, Potts," Tony smiled. "Yes, why exactly, would you be?"
Sure that...actress was attractive, Pepper thought, in great shape (despite the two kids), had an Academy Award, legs for days (and did she really need to wear five inch heels with those legs?), but Pepper was not too bad to look at, and she did workout...sometimes, and her only experience acting consisted of a tiny part in a high school play, so she wasn't going to get an award for that, but if they gave out awards for best personal assistant, she'd be a shoo-in every year! And weren't her legs just fine?
"Pepper?"
"My legs are fine!" she exclaimed and regretted it instantly. It was a moment of insanity she wish she could take back.
No, Pepper wasn't jealous of the actress, but if she searched deep inside herself and forced herself to be completely honest, did it bother her a little, tiny bit that Tony was going out with her?
Maybe.
As if reading her thoughts, Tony's wolfish grin nearly made her blush and it was only because she'd worked for him so long that she could remain indifferent to his reaction.
"Your legs..." he crossed his arms over his chest, "Are more than fine."
"Thank you," she replied, tucking an errant strand of red hair behind her ear, and not smiling like she wanted to.
"I could take a closer look," he offered, "Just to make sure."
"That won't be necessary."
He shrugged and watched her in silence until Pepper held out two forms for him to sign. He did so while keeping his eyes glued to her face.
"Got anything else for me?" he asked before she took her pen back. "You've got my full attention."
She swallowed, unable to read his expression, or rather unwilling to. She'd seen it before, it made her think of things she shouldn't be thinking about. The way he was looking at her, the way his warm, brown eyes seemed to smile at her, made her insides flutter about and her perhaps-not-as-long-as-Gwyneth-Paltrow-legs feel weak at the knees.
How many times had she wanted, asked for, not been given Tony's undivided attention to remind him of upcoming events, possible mergers, important buys, or hundreds of other things she could not remember at the moment. If she kept this up, her Best Personal Assistant Award would be going to someone else.
Pepper cleared her throat.
"Your grey suit is up in your room and Happy will be arriving with the car at seven to take you to-what are you doing?"
He was standing closer now, smiling wider, making her throat suddenly go dry.
"Nothing. Yet." He took the stack of papers in her hand and tossed them over his shoulder. "How about tonight...we stay in?" Pepper shook her head, watching those very important documents fall to the floor. He had that...that...awards thing to go to. Tony continued, "And tomorrow we, I don't know, pretend to have amnesia?"
"Tony, no," she placed her hands on his chest to stop him. She felt his arc reactor under her fingertips and it became that much harder to resist, but she was a professional. "I don't think-"
"That's the spirit," he grinned. All she had to do was lean the teeny, tiniest bit forward and... "Don't think."
And suddenly Pepper was kissing him. Then, parting her lips, deepening the kiss, moaning. Well, there went her award, she thought briefly, but really she didn't care because kissing Tony was better than anything she could have imagined.
...
Pepper awoke before the sun was up and made her escape from Tony's bedroom. She ended up in her own small one on the first floor, berating herself for being so damn foolish. Looking at herself in the mirror she decided there was no other choice but to play the amnesia card.
She showered, dressed, and was in the living room within half an hour ready to go on as if nothing had happened. Tony came down the stairs, smiling as if he'd slept better than he had in years, she nearly decided to forget about pretending and running up to kiss him again. But, it was too big a risk.
When Tony heard her polite, but decidedly cold, "Good Morning, Mr. Stark," he knew exactly what she was doing.
It took him a few tries to finally be able to reply, "Good Morning, Ms. Potts." But, he was unable to keep the small frown from his face. The whole amnesia thing had been his idea and it was quite possibly the worst idea he'd ever had.