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Sometimes she really wishes that she had picked another job. Right now is sort of one of these “sometimes”, Pepper thinks. She smacks her dark red lips together and straightens the black dress she’s wearing before she turns away from the bathroom mirror. “C’mon Pep, it’ll be fun!”, Tony had pleaded with her, and then given her those stupid puppy eyes of his, before he’d reached into the pocket of his coat and flashed two bright orange tickets at her, with so much of his bravado that it was actually quite ridiculous. He’d also added the name of some fashion designer somewhere in the explanation why they had to go (“And it’s Halloween!”), but Pepper forgot who it was about ten minutes after he left with a triumphant smile on his face.
And Virginia Potts never forgets anything.
So that’s why she’s currently standing in the bathroom of Tony’s bedroom, putting on make-up to match the classiest vamp-outfit she’d been able to find while she’s listening to Tony blasting his rock music out in the bigger room because he has to make a show out of everything.
When she opens the door, she’s not quite sure if she should laugh or scold him or just roll her eyes and leave, because Tony’s standing in front of the huge mirror, the black shirt he wears under his leather jacket half undone while his fingers play the rather spectacular guitar solo blasting from the speakers on his- without doubt- very expensive air guitar. Of course, he’s nowhere near what she would consider “ready”.
“Tony!” Pepper decides to go with the easiest option and just tell him that she’s there. “Tony!” She actually needs to go over and tap him on the shoulder to make him open his eyes. For a moment he blinks, as if he’d been expecting the 10’000 people that he’s probably just played for in his head. “We’re gonna be late.” She states with a raised eyebrow, even though she’s still fighting back a smile when she casually reaches for the remote and turns the music down.
It’s easiest to pretend that she doesn’t notice how Tony’s eyes rake over her in that (yes, pretty short) black dress, the tight, high pony tail and the dramatic make-up.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that, Miss Potts.” His voice has that annoyingly low tone to it when he steps closer to her, tries to grip her sides to keep her there and brings his face down to hers. “Hands off, Mr. Hendrix.” Pepper whispers and can’t quite help that smirk on her face when she presses her hands to Tony’s chest and pushes him away. “You wanted to go to that party, after all.” She blows him a kiss and snatches the tickets from the nightstand when he grumbles about how he could very well organize his own schedule if he wanted to.
The lobby of the hotel is crowded with people in costumes, and she sort of wants to ask Tony to take off his sunglasses because people would probably recognize him less without them, but he just grins at her and proclaims that they belong to the outfit. Even Pepper has to admit that that rocker look isn’t the worst thing on him.
Still, there are at least ten people who follow them with their eyes when they are led in a wide room with a glass front facing the huge garden of the hotel. It doesn’t really help that Tony is still wearing his shades when he pushes the double doors open with both hands and takes his time to take in the room to make sure that everyone has noticed him before he hooks Pepper’s arm though his. It’s not that she’s ashamed to be seen with him in public- he is Tony Stark, after all- but she could do with a little less… bragging on Tony’s side. But that would be like asking the sun not to rise in the morning.
So she just smiles and nods and pats Tony’s arm a little when he tries to chat up a blonde woman who is several inches taller than him in her heels after about ten minutes. It takes her another five to lure him away with the promise of champagne. Tony frowns at her.
“You do know that that was Kirsten Dunst, right?”
Oh. “She’s married, I think.”
“Are you jealous, Miss Potts?”
Pepper snatches two flutes with cold, sparkly liquid from a tray and hands one of them to Tony. “You wish.” He just raises his eyebrows before he clinks his glass against hers.
“Cheers.”
It’s not that she doesn’t like parties, really. There are a lot of people who think that she is some stuck-up secretary who never leaves her office, Pepper knows that. But just because she has control over most things when it comes to Tony and his extravagant “And please cover the strawberries in chocolate”-life, those things don’t necessarily control her. It’s more that Tony turns into a five years old who likes showing off his toys when there’s a lot of people around. Sometimes she just enjoys the Tony show until he comes over to her with his tipsy bedroom-eyes and tells her that they should go home. And sometimes she needs to switch on what Tony calls her “scary mom-face”, gently take his arm and make them leave herself.
Tonight, it’s neither of these scenarios. Tonight, he saunters over to where she’s having a conversation about Stark Industries with a successful lawyer and puts a hand on her shoulder. “Terribly sorry to interrupt.” Tony’s voice is very unapologetic after he barely lets Mr. Carter finish his sentence. Pepper glances at him with that professional smile that is a tiny bit threatening. “You’ll have to excuse Miss Potts.” “Tony-“ Pepper hisses in his ear and ignores the lawyer’s amused look. “Rude.” She still gets that word in before the other man nods his bald head and smiles jovially. “Of course. Don’t want to keep her from her boyfriend.”
The term brings such a cocky grin to Tony’s face that she could just slap him right in front of all these people, but instead, her smile grows a little wider. “Don’t worry, Mr. Carter. I’m sure Mr. Stark’s been keeping himself busy.” The smile she flashes Tony has just enough bite in it to let him know that she’s not happy about this. “Come on, honey.” The last word of his sentence is just provoking her more when he takes her elbow and leads her away from the table and towards- Towards the dance floor?
“Do you know anything about proper etiquette in these th- I thought you wanted to leave?” Pepper stops and puts her hands in her hips. “Never said that, dear.” Tony shakes his head and takes her arm again. “Please?” Oh, there are the goddamn puppy eyes again. “No.” Pepper gives him the “sorry honey, you don’t get candy today”-smile she knows he hates, and she tells herself that she doesn’t know what that would do to him when he’s already pulling her in, making it seem more like a reaction of protest than anything else. “Just one song”, she sighs when she puts her hand on his hips.
“Right.” Tony’s expression is still too cocky, even though now she can see actual emotion behind that smirk, and for a moment, her smile is easy and real and her heart does that thing where it leaps into her throat. She knows that she’s being harsh with him. And that he acts like an ass most of the time. But his smile right now is still just a breathless as hers. Peppers hand grips him a little tighter. And then a little tighter again when she can feel him slide his hand on the back of her dress to press her closer to him. “Tony, no-“ She is hissing again, but Tony just laughs against her cheek. “Have I told you how fantastic you look in this dress?” Pepper rolls her eyes and smiles at the same time. The idiot. “Public.” The slap on his wrists is only a little bit teasing.
“Don’t pretend that it doesn’t turn you on.” Tony grins just as teasingly, and Pepper opens her mouth to object, but then suddenly his stubble scratches her chin and his lips tug on hers, and Pepper tells himself that the ten seconds she lets him kiss her like that in public are already too much when he pulls away. But all she does is rest her hand on his shoulder and put the other one on his chin so he has to look at her. Damn him. And his… Attractiveness. There.
“Are you drunk?” He furrows his brows at her sharp tone.
“Tipsy. A little. There’s a difference, Potts.” “Right.” Pepper sighs and pats his chest a couple of times before she turns on her heels and runs a hand through her hair. If he ever finds out how flustered he gets her, she’ll probably not survive the day.
“Where are you going?” He calls after her, and when she’s at the small tables again, he’s already caught up. “Getting the limo.” Tony grins and puts his hand on her waist again to make her face him.
“You’re just still jealous because of Kirsten What’s-her-face.”
“Dunst.”
“Yes darling, whatever you say.”
“I’m getting the limo, Tony.”
They’re still bickering when the car door closes behind Pepper’s black heel.