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"Well, you’re certainly in a mood," Pepper remarks as she watches Tony wrestle with his tie. His movements are jerky, his natural grace absent as he aggressively tries to subdue the piece of silk at his throat. Pepper idly wonders who has pissed him off this time as she sets her purse on the table next to her.
She doesn't bother to make a guess, not without more information. Over the years she has learned that the oddest, sometimes even the smallest things, could set Tony off. Tony’s reply is barely more than a grunt and Pepper squares her shoulder and quickly walks over to her boss before he can jerk the tie off and throw it into the fireplace next to him in a fit of pique.
Swatting his hands away as if he were a recalcitrant child and ignoring the scowl on his face, Pepper takes hold of the tie and efficiently ties it properly. She steps back to briefly admire her work before she reaches for Tony’s collar and folds it down, smoothing any creases out with her palms while Tony stands still, his hands seemingly relaxed at his side, resolutely glaring over her shoulder. She gives one final tug to the tie until she deems it fit.
In her high heels she is taller than Tony and it never ceases to surprise her. Tony fills the space he inhabits in such a way that he always seems larger than what he physically actually is. This close she can also see the tension around his eyes and Pepper mentally sighs. It’s her job to push Tony so that he fulfills his social as well as professional obligations but sometimes it also included knowing when to give him an out.
"Do you want to cancel?" she asks quietly while she brushes away a non-existent lint from his lapel.
That brings Tony's attention back square on her. She can feel the weight of his gaze so she keeps her face relaxed and open, no judgment to be found anywhere. Tony huffs a quiet laugh, "After all the effort you put into arranging this? No."
"It doesn't matter," Pepper replies even though it does, but it wouldn't be the first time that she has had to make up an excuse on the fly, at least this time she would be slightly forewarned. Putting her hands on his shoulders, she shakes him gently until he looks up into her eyes.
"You have plenty of valid reasons to bow out, and no one would take offense. You're Ironman after all." She smiles to take the edge off her words, and at the sight of his lips quirking in amusement she feels the tension leave her shoulders.
“Maybe,” Tony admits. “But I made you a promise.”
“You did,” Pepper acknowledges.
“And as I am trying to keep them these days, let's do this thing.” Pepper lets her hands fall as Tony takes a step back and watches as he tugs at his sleeves, making sure his cuff links are present.
Knowing when to push and when to let it be, Pepper keeps her silence and goes to grab her purse. She can smell his cologne and she knows that he is walking behind her, following her out the door.
As they make their way down Tony´s private elevator to the garage, where Happy is waiting with the car even though he technically isn't their driver anymore, Pepper reads out aloud from the mental list she’s compiled of the people Tony can expect to meet tonight. One of her main goal with the event is to establish that Tony Stark has come to stay. New York City will be their home, and all the bigwigs that insist on making themselves a part of Tony Stark's life can be put at ease.
Pepper sees their current circumstances as another opportunity to establish the new and improved Tony Stark, a man anyone would want to make business with, and the socialite and the shot callers of the city should view it like that as well. They will if she has anything to say about it.
They reach the garage and Pepper tucks her purse under her arm as she gets out of the elevator. Tony wastes no time getting into the car and soon disappears into the dark interior. Having noticed the dark mood his longtime employer and friend is in Happy turns to Pepper and subtly tilts his head in the direction of the limousine door. Pepper mutely shakes her head at Happy's silent question and squeezes Happy's hand in reassurance as he helps her into the car. She reflects the smile he gives her.
By the time Pepper turns to face Tony his mood hasn't improved any and the look on Tony's face makes her suppress another sigh. As Happy pulls out of the garage and makes his way to the event she looks out the window, giving Tony his space for now. She won't pursue whatever is troubling her boss, not tonight, she doesn't have the time nor the patience to dig deeper and find out what and who had happened, but she knows Tony is aware she isn't going to leave this alone. She never has.
Forcing her worry to the back of her mind, she makes a conscious decision to focuses on the event. Hopefully, SHIELD will stay away and if not, not be obtrusive enough to cause any problems. As she waits to arrive she mentally tallies up what she expects to happen and what her course of action will be if some of the guests don’t appear; that would send a clear message as to their stance to Stark and Stark Industries.
Seeing the grand hotel that was housing the event she sits up and nudges Tony's knee, rousing him from his thoughts. Seeing that they had arrived he smooths down his lapels and makes sure that the square in his pocket is as it should.
Giving a nod as he tilts his head questioningly, Pepper scoots forwards as the door opens and Happy's hand appears. Grabbing it, she steps out looking around momentarily blinded by the flashes of the cameras.
Looking back down into the dark interior she steps back to let Tony out, slipping her arm around his as he slips his glasses with the colored lenses on. He must have taken the ones Happy keeps for him in the hidden compartment of the armrest. With the flashes in her eyes she wishes she had a pair herself.
Feeling Happy squeeze her arm in farewell she lets her smile grow wider as she follows Tony up the carpeted stairs, ignoring the shouted calls from the reporters and paparazzi. The ones that are not to be ignored are already waiting inside of the hotel.
As they pass the large doors Pepper steers Tony to the waiting line of reporters and allows them a few minutes of their time before moving on.
Finally getting to the ballroom where the main event is being housed, she’s pleased to see that the place looks exactly as she planned. She can't help the smile that spreads over her face as she takes in the details. There is a good buzz by the guests that has already arrived, the waiters smoothly moving in and out in the growing crowd.
The turnout looks like it was going to be as good as she hoped even though the likes of Bruce Wayne had sent a last-minute decline due to unforeseen complications on the home front.
She quickly spots a familiar face which confirms to Pepper that Mr. Wayne had been as good as his word and sent a representative is none other than Lucius Fox, his CFO. Hopefully talking with the older gentleman Tony will come out of his dark mood.
Though Tony was smiling and greeting people as they move deeper into the decked out ballroom Pepper can still feel the tension that seems to run through him. She knows she’s the only one that can see the moodiness behind his smile and though he has spotted the other businessman and waved at him Pepper notice that the shadows don't leave.
She isn't really surprised as Tony hates these events no matter who is throwing them or for what cause even in his best of moods.
Subtly guiding him around the floor to mingle with the guests dressed to the nines, she lets the small talk wash over her as she looks around and ticks off in her mental guest list who came and who didn't. People are still filing in through the doors though, so she reserves the decision on whom she’ll put on her shit list until the event is officially starting.
It was the laugh that drew her attention to the bar, and Pepper can feel a smirk wanting to sneak out as she spots Justine Hammer. She is surprised to see her as Justine had not RSVP´ed one way or the other, but on the other hand, she isn't. This is an event for networking and she finds it hard to believe that Ms. Hammer would pass up something like that.
Subtly turning around as Tony continues to pretend to listen to someone who counted himself as one of the elite, Pepper takes the blond woman in. She must have recently cut her hair as it was artfully done in soft curls around her narrow face and the last time Pepper had seen her she'd had it longer than hers.
It isn't a bad look on her as it buys her a few years, making her features softer, though that could have been done by the discrete makeup she wears that complements her strapless light blue gown that shimmers if the light hit it just so when she moves.
Like Pepper she wore minimal jewelry, a bracelet in colored gemstones to compliment the gown, and what can only be diamond earrings adorning her earlobes.
Justine was drinking from a champagne glass while being entertained by a man Pepper can’t recognize as his back is towards her, but by his stance, she knows he’s expecting to get something out of the sandy-blond haired woman. Even from where she stands, Pepper can tell he will fail for even though Justine is laughing at something he said there is something about her pose that tells Pepper all she needs to know.
Pepper knows the moment Tony discovers Justine as he stills next to her. She has to fight to keep the smirk from appearing on her face and just to be safe she takes a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and sips from it.
One look at Tony's face and Pepper relaxes. There is a sharpness to his eyes as he looks towards the bar, a focus she recognizes and Pepper knows then that things were going to be just fine.
Letting go of his arm Pepper draws the attention of the man Tony had been speaking with as Tony himself mumbles something she pretends to be an apology.
As Pepper continues to mingle with the rich and powerful of the great eastern city, she is not at all surprised when she looks around the ballroom to discover neither of them in the room.
Normally, knowing what Tony is up to she would have been annoyed and irritated but for once neither of the emotions is present as she knows Tony will actually return. Hopefully, he will be in a better mood and do what she needs him to do tonight.
She has come to terms with the somewhat complicated relationship Tony has with the other CEO years ago and as long as both are consenting to it and more importantly, won’t affect the companies, she doesn't care what happens between them.
And to be crude, if all Tony needs is a good fuck to take him out of the mood that he's been so that he can be what she needs him to be, then Pepper is all for it as long as there is enough of the night left for him to work his magic.
*
It is a while later and Pepper is talking with Mr. Fox when Tony returns. Pepper sees it immediately because, sure enough, when he strolls into the ballroom, he´s more relaxed. The tension is gone and his grins are more genuine. Lifting her glass so that Tony can see her she turns back to the older gentleman seeing in the peripheral as Tony snatches a glass as he makes his way towards them.
It appears that Tony has worked through his issues, just as she had hoped. Pepper wants to snort at the thought. She must have made some sound because when she turns around she's met with Tony staring at her, his brow quirked inquisitively. She wordlessly reaches out and straightens his tie. His smile turns rueful and he shrugs.
She shakes her head and smoothly moves to his side, slipping her arm around his as she quietly apologies to Mr. Fox and steers him towards the governor for a few words as it had appeared he was about to leave.
*
The night wasn't as much of a disaster as she had feared it would be. Stark Industries ends up with some lucrative possibilities in the future as they continue to do their networking and although she spotted some SHIELD personnel during the course of the evening they were discreet enough that she wasn't bothered by it. She knows better than to expect that they would leave Tony without some eyes on him really.
Tony may hate these kinds of get-together but once he is in the element and in the right frame of mind she doesn't know anyone that can work it better than him. It never fails to amaze her how easily he can turn on the charm and own the people he meets with them none the wiser with the possible exception of Mr. Wayne who luckily isn't present this night.
It isn't until the event is drawing to a close that Pepper sees Justine again. The woman is talking to Fox and appears to be in a good mood and Pepper feels charitable enough tonight that she hopes the other CEO has had some good opportunities thrown her way as well.
The End.