Chapter Text
The air is alight with magic, the kind that only comes with unyielding happiness.
Tony pulls Pepper close, fingers spreading wide against her lower back as he takes one of her hands in his. He lifts his gaze to hers and feels the tempo of his heart become a staccato rhythm in the way that he loves, because it only happens whenever he looks at her.
The music is a gorgeous swell around them, rising over the hushed voices of their friends standing close by. Tony hears the soft chatter of Peter and the bright, delighted giggles of Morgan, and somewhere in the background he can hear Rhodey and Happy, their words indecipherable but warm.
It’s the third time they’ve done this and still Tony’s heart soars as the words of their song wash over him. His breath hitches as he looks at Pepper’s face and sees her smile that impish little smile at him. Her smile for him, the one that he believes to have saved him so many times in the past, long before the days of iron and mad titans and fracturing grief.
Those days are so far away now though. Here, in a twilight world of twinkling fairy lights and peaceful laughter, in a place where there’s nothing but proof of the life they live, Tony knows nothing but joy and the feel of his wife in his arms.
''Looking beautiful as ever, Miss Potts,'' Tony murmurs in her ear, brushing his nose against the loose tendrils of her hair. ''Fancy coming on a date with me later this evening?''
''Oh, I couldn’t possibly, Mister Stark,'' Pepper sighs, tipping her head back to look at him, ''I have a prior engagement.''
''Well, that just won’t do, Miss Potts,'' Tony tells her, lips quirking. ''I’m afraid I must insist.''
''Oh, well,'' Pepper leans in to brush her lips against his cheek, ''if you insist, Mister Stark.''
Tony turns his head and kisses her, moving the hand on her back to cup her cheek. All the teasing banter that has threaded them together all these years instantly winds together into a bloom of love so fierce that they have to cling to one another for balance, heads spinning from the rush of it all. That’s the way it always is these days, the way it’s been for what feels like a lifetime, and Tony still wishes for more.
He owes her everything. From that very first day that she stepped into his office, Tony knew somewhere deep inside himself that he could never have a day without her.
Love hadn’t existed to him before then. At least, not in the romantic sense. It was no exaggeration to say that Pepper was the love of his life, because he’d only ever had one.
Her.
Just her.
For too long Tony had made Happy carry the ring in his pocket. It had no place in a sock drawer, but the thought of it being on Pepper’s finger had terrified him for years, even though loving her was the most natural thing he’d ever done, next to loving his children.
And now, so many years later, three years after the world was born anew, on another wedding day that feels just as special as the very first, Tony wonders how he ever managed to deny himself such happiness for so long.
Pepper slowly breaks their kiss but doesn’t step back. She moves her lips up to his nose, up to his forehead before coming back down so they’re eye to eye. She smirks at him and he grins, because it’s perfect, so perfect.
Life isn’t a romance novel. Their ride has always been a series of twists and turns with snatches of heartbreak and so many dalliances with fear. But through it all, love has grown, flourished, never fading even in the face of total devastation.
It’s real. So very, very real. All those ridiculous notions and tales of heart-shaped boxes and whistling love songs without realising and feeling like the only explanation is madness started to make sense to Tony a long time ago, but that was only the beginning.
Now, it’s the comfort of those familiar arms curling around him, the thrill that still sparks a blazing passion whenever they tumble into bed together, the early morning smiles and goodnight kisses, the knowing gazes and the age old teasing that gives Tony that rush, the kind that can’t be described in a way that would ever do it justice.
Pepper knows though. Like she knows everything, because she’s Pepper Potts. Smart, powerful, brave, beautiful –
And she loves him.
From that love came Morgan and that, combined with all that comes as their reward for saving the world, is a treasure that Tony will never, ever stop cherishing.
''You’re crying again,'' Pepper murmurs gently, kissing away a tear. ''Thinking about the kids?''
''Yeah,'' he rasps, ducking to capture her lips. ''And you,'' he whispers against them. ''Always you.''
As close together as possible is how they stay for the rest of the night; for the rest of the beautiful night where the stars are bright and the breeze is sweet and nothing matters more than the feel of their fingers lacing together and the sounds of their happy family all around them.