Chapter Text
Again WARNINGS: There are themes/issues of alcoholism, mental health/mental illness, and a few swear words throughout this work. If you think this could be triggering to you please stop reading now.
Chapter 1: Malibu
The first time, while it is Tony who needs to move, Pepper is the one to make it happen.
She’d been working for Tony barely three months. It was 2001, and, until Pepper came along, Tony had practically given up any development in R&D, let alone official CEO duties, preferring to get drunk out of his mind for three months straight.
That way, he couldn’t think about the ten-year anniversary that was approaching. Ten years since he turned twenty-one. Ten years since he inherited the company. Ten years since his parents drove out on a cold December night, and never came back.
Yeah, being this drunk was waaaay better. Who cares if he got drunk enough to mess up some basic math and almost cost his company a billion dollars? He could afford it.
As for who cares, it turned out Virginia Potts, junior accountant at Stark Industries, did.
After an overheard shrill argument with his bodyguard, a defiantly waved bottle of pepper spray, and a stack of papers shoved in front of his face, Tony found a personal assistant.
He simultaneously found a reason to be sober—well, somewhat sober—much more of the time.
Then, December came around.
Pepper walked into 890 Fifth Avenue, New York City, otherwise known as Tony Stark’s home address.
She could feel the back of her neck tighten with stress while her shoulders slumped at the sight of the empty liquor bottles scattered practically everywhere.
She’d thought they’d really made progress, some sort of rapport; a kind of give-and-take working relationship by this point.
But since December 1st, Tony had completely shut her out. He’d ignored any meetings, not developed any new inventions, and not even stayed in the same place long enough for her to complain about it to him.
Obadiah was criticizing her night and day, asking where Tony was, asking why she couldn’t even do the most basic facets of her job, and pressuring her to quit.
Naturally, at first she’d been furious, but at this point… maybe she should quit, like everyone’s been telling her to all along.
She’s only twenty-two, and she in over her head.
Maybe someone one else would have better luck getting through to him.
He’s slumped on a white-cushioned couch with a brown wooden frame, trying to drink a bottle of scotch but apparently struggling to bring it up to his face.
After a second’s delay, he looked up with an almost feral grin, “Pepp…er. Pep. Peps. Pepster. Pepper-y Pepper. What are you doing here? Haven’t you quit already?”
Pepper merely crossed her arms and looked at him quietly, “Not quite yet Mr. Stark.”
Tony put the bottle down and instead appeared to be wholly engrossed in sounding out her name in the unnatural silence of the Manhattan mansion.
“Peeeeeppeerrrrr. Pepper Potts. Pooooott-t-t-sssss.”
Pepper didn’t say anything.
“You should quit, you know,” he said.
Pepper wasn’t sure what to say, so she still said nothing.
“Everyone leaves eventually, and they’re better off for it. I bet my parents are better off, wherever they are. Can’t see the fuck up their son is making of the company. My dad probably wouldn’t be surprised, actually. Mom might be sad though. Just a little.”
Pepper sighed, took the bottle of scotch out of his hands, lifted it to her mouth, and took three large gulps.
Frustrated, she banged it down on the side table, “You’re parents would be proud of you, Tony Stark. I don’t care what you think. You’ve done amazing things for this company, raised it to international status, brought the technology to levels other people couldn’t even dream of! It’s just the past month that’s been, well…”
She sighed and sat down on the small part of the couch left open. She put her face in her hands.
“I don’t want to leave, Tony. I don’t think I’d be better for it. But maybe you’d be better off with someone who, I don’t know, has more experience? I’m obviously no good for this position. Everything’s falling apart, and I’m clearly not able to do the job you need.”
Tony looked at her, gaped, closed his mouth, and then attempted to sit up to look her in the face.
He then continued to open and close his mouth like a goldfish, and the outrage on his face was almost comical.
It also appeared her words had actually sobered him up a little.
He struggled to get the words out, but eventually, he spoke, “Pepper, do you have any idea how long any PA has lasted before you?”
Pepper didn’t see how that had to do with anything, but shook her head, and took another sip of the scotch.
“Three days.”
Pepper turned to look at him, shocked, but then thought about it, and decided she wasn’t surprised after all. Tony continued, not giving her a chance to say anything.
“Three days. You’ve worked for me three months. That should, like, go in the Guinness Book of Records or something. You’re the best PA anyone could wish for, honestly. You’re so efficient, it’s scary.”
Pepper felt a blush tint her cheeks, and found herself once more lost for words.
Tony tried to get up, but immediately fell down on the couch again clutching his head.
“Not… not a good idea. Just gonna… staying right here for a minute.”
Pepper waited.
Tony groaned, “It’s just… damn… Pepper I can’t take this. You know this was the last room I saw them both alive? They’re everywhere I look. They’re in the company, in the media, in every corner of this, this… house.”
He spat out the last word like a curse and clenched his fists.
“I just… I want to be free of Howard’s shadow for just one damn minute and I can’t… it’s never…”
He stopped, unable to find the words, and gestured helplessly.
Pepper, on the other hand, finally knew what to say.
“Then move,” she said.
Tony looked at her uncomprehendingly, “Move… like… off the couch?”
Pepper shook her head, feeling her confidence coming back, and an almost childish grin appearing on her face, “No. Move house. Get out of here. Move out from under your father’s shadow. The company has offices all over the country. It can be based wherever you want it to be.”
Tony looked at her with such an aghast look on his face that Pepper laughed outright.
“But, but… Stark Industries has always been based in New York! And Starks have lived in this house since… well…”
Pepper stood up, tucking her hair behind her ears and internally blaming the scotch for the almost giddy feeling that she felt running through her.
“It’s your company. And since when have you ever respected tradition? Where do you want to go?”
Tony looked at her as if trying to figure out where this smiling, spontaneous person in front of him had come from.
He stuttered, “Well, I mean, I’ve always liked the West Coast… California’s always a good time…”
Pepper nodded slowly, thinking it through, “Not to mention the tech scene’s really beginning to pick up over there.”
Tony smirked, “And there’s plenty of other scenes to be seen. You know what they say about California girls and the beach….”
Pepper stifled a groan, “I’m sure there’s nothing of that you haven’t seen already on the East Coast Mr. Stark.”
Tony waggled his eyebrows, “Shocking Miss Potts. I’m talking about the ocean scenic views, of course.”
Pepper rolled her eyes, “Of course.”
She grabbed her Blackberry out of her bag and began typing notes, a faraway look in her eyes, “The West Coast has some beautiful beaches though, not to mention the resources in both San Francisco and L.A…”
Tony grinned, “Well, Miss Potts, it appears I have a new job for my personal assistant. Think you’re up for the job?”
Pepper smiled, feeling their usual banter and relationship snapping back into place, “Not a problem Mr. Stark. Will that be all?”
Tony grinned even wider, “That’ll be all, Miss Potts.”
Not long after, Tony approached her with plans for the construction of a Malibu house, with the outer walls made entirely from high-tech glass, “For the full appreciation of those ocean scenic views, Miss Potts.”
Miss Virginia “Pepper” Potts, P.A. extraordinaire, was back on the job.
And if it brought her and Tony a little distance from a certain Obadiah Stane in the New York offices while pissing him off at the same time…
Well, hey. That was just an added bonus.