Who: Pepper Potts pottsp & Tony Stark tony What: A nice dinner and better conversation When: Saturday, April 25, 7pm Where: Bello’s Italian Restaurant Rating: Audience Discretion is Advised Warnings: Lovebirds, outrageous flirters, major life decisions Status: Closed/Completed GDoc
~*~
Things were going pretty well in Test City, and while Pepper didn’t want to jinx it, she did want to start moving on with her life. Even if crazy things started to happen, she and Tony had good jobs, a circle of friends, and enough of an advantage if push came to shove. Things were as steady as they were ever going to be, and she wanted to take advantage of it. They’d been engaged for a while now, and dealing with their issues the way they knew how. Pepper felt like they were really doing well, that they were ready to take the next step. Direct communication was the only way to go, now that she’d really settled on what she wanted.
She arranged with Elijah to have a booth in one of the more private corners of the restaurant, so that they could have a romantic evening. It didn’t take too long for her to get ready after putting in her hours for the day at the auto shop. For something special like this, Pepper was glad that they weren’t sharing an apartment together, so that she could surprise him with a new outfit on date night. She very carefully arranged her hair in an elegant updo, artfully applied minimal makeup, and made sure there wasn’t the slightest thing out of place with her knee length black dress, with a decent v-neck and deeper v-back, the material of it hugging her in all the right places. Her black satin slingbacks had a little bow on the toes, dressing it all up a bit, and she finished off the look with a bronze colored clutch, which held her mobile device, ID, keys, and lipstick. Pepper checked over her appearance once more before making her way to Bello’s, eager to work out the finer details.
She wanted to get married. She wanted to get married to Tony Stark, to keep working through their respective issues and grow stronger together as a couple. One day, she wanted to have kids with him. Pepper didn’t know if the latter was going to happen anytime soon, but the former could. The only people truly missing if they were to get married were Bruce and Phil, but even if Skye had been telling the truth back in Fake Vegas, the man in question hadn’t shown up. Bruce was very much alive and well back home, and although she knew he’d be there on the day they did get married in New York, his presence would be sorely missed here.
Arriving promptly at 7pm, she was led to their reserved table, pleased to see that Tony was already there and had dressed for the occasion. He really had come a long way. Pepper’s face lit up, truly happy in a way they’d been missing a bit, the past few months. She gave him a kiss, deep enough to convey she was every bit as in love with him as she said, but not so deep as to cause a scene. “Hey,” she greeted, as they broke apart. “You know, I’m beginning to think I like Test City more than Fake Vegas, even though I had my full and extensive closet there.” She slid into the corner booth, enjoying that they could sit next to each other instead of across from one another.
“Things are good here, right?”
~*~
Timing was everything for Pepper. Tony had been made aware of that shortly after hiring her when she'd been prompt to express her displeasure at his late arrival to work. Who knew he had an arrival time anyway? It was his company. No one could fire him. What would they do? Fire him to hire someone else to run the industries named for his family of which he was the only one left.
No one had to tell him to show up on time and by 'on time' it was meant he should be a minimum of twenty minutes early. Tony had worn a tux for Pepper. She liked him in the decked-out look. He'd had to rent one which was the strangest thing in the entire world for him. Who rented clothes? People rented cars. They didn't rent underwear. The guy who'd rented him the tux had tried and failed to stifle his laughter as Tony groused about the whole process, his indignity out there for everyone to hear.
He kissed her back as if he were already her husband. If her father had been watching? Tony imagined he'd have been decked for taking advantage. It was obvious they were sleeping together. Who would be surprised considering they were chasing each others tongues in public? It wasn't as if this was an era in which people waited. Still. Tony didn't want anyone thinking less of Pepper.
Gesturing her into the booth, Tony murmured, "Things are more than good with the way you look. To what do I owe this extra effort? Don't tell me I'm getting lucky tonight. I already feel lucky. I don't need any more luck with the way you look. I'm already the envy of everyone in this place. As long as I keep you? I don't care where we land. We could wake up on the moon. I'd learn to moonwalk."
Tony wasn't even joking either. He'd do anything for Pepper. If she needed him to live on another planet? That was fine. They'd live on another planet. Maybe he'd meet a race who could keep up with him on a scientific level. He could invite Bruce along. They'd all have a great time: Tony, Pepper, Bruce, and The Other Guy. It'd all work out. Things had to work out for them now because they'd been through so much, surely they deserved to have it work out now.
~*~
Pepper didn’t often enjoy public displays of affection, but life was a lot different in these pocket universes. She’d leave the science of it to Tony, Bruce, and Dr Foster, but the realities of it were easy to comprehend. Kissing Tony made her happy, just like being in the same space as him did. Particularly when he did something he knew she’d like, like rent a tux. Just imagining that process had her smiling. All of his suits were custom made, had been for as long as she’d been working for him.
“I’m quite certain I’m the one getting lucky tonight,” she countered with a sly smile, letting her hand settle on his knee as she angled her body toward his in the booth. “It’s a bit of an occasion, I agree. I was doing a bit of thinking...” Pepper trailed off, teasing him more than usual as a result of how good her mood was.
The waiter came by to pour them water, explain the specials, and collect their drink orders. She asked for a Sprite and the fried calamari appetizer, waiting for Tony to order and the waiter to leave before continuing her thought. “You know, since things seem fairly quiet here, floating hand notwithstanding, what would you say to taking advantage of it and getting married?” Pepper caught his hand in her’s, her tone light despite the gravity of what she was suggesting.
“Not all of our friends are here, I know, but it’ll take a little while to plan everything.” She was optimistic that their family would continue to trickle in.
~*~
Mentioning marriage erased whatever he had ordered right from Tony's mind as if he'd done a hard drive wipe on a system to reboot it to factory default settings. He could remember his name, her name, the basics, but all the details were gone. If someone had told him he'd just been infected with a virus, Tony would have believed them. The suddenness of Pepper's suggestion was so startling, Tony felt lucky he hadn't forgotten his basic motor skills.
He blinked for a while. Breathed for a while. Opened and closed his mouth.
Finally his brain rebooted enough for him to say, "Yes."
A Vegas wedding had always sounded spectacular to Tony. Not that he didn't think Pepper deserved the wedding of the century, but only he was tired of every personal moment in his life being out there for public consumption. Why should the world at large get to see all his secrets? What gave them the right to bear witness to every important event he got in his life?
Howard Stark had wanted to be a showman for a circus, not a businessman.
Tony had taken his father's wishes to the moon and back before realizing all he wanted was a life with the woman he loved. He liked attention. He loved being recognized for his gifts because no one ever given him the time of day before he'd put SI on the map. All the chorus girls, fireworks, and wild parties for a hundred years couldn't make up for a dinner with only his real friends at the table.
"I wanted Bruce for my best man. I wanted Coulson there to criticize my sense of taste. I wanted you to wear my mother's veil. I'll settle for a shotgun wedding with Barton at my side, Tasha at yours, and we'll let America's First Boy Scout officiate if you want. It's not like he's not pious enough to be a priest, y'know?"
It sounded as if he were joking, but Tony wasn't, not remotely, not at all. He wanted to get married. He was ready. He'd do it right then if Pepper wanted. Immediately wasn't soon enough. He was tired of waiting.
"Let's do it. Tonight. Tomorrow. A week from Thursday. You name the date and time. I'll be there early. Possibly with bells on."
~*~
Pepper smiled warmly, allowing him the time he needed to process. Marriage was a big step for the both of them, but she’d always known she would tie the knot one day. Tony Stark had not, to the best of her knowledge, ever given marriage much thought before the past few years - and that was being generous on the estimate. That didn’t bother her in the slightest, because it meant she was worth it. He told her often enough, and showed her in his actions that he loved her. Even just comparing the way he’d treated his one night stands, Pepper knew where she ranked in his life. After the cave, he was a different man and she loved him all the more for it.
Of course, hearing him say yes sent her over the moon. He was a wonderful man who deserved to be happy in life. Pepper wanted nothing more than to be part of that happiness, since he was integral to hers. Her grip tightened around his hand, listened to him as he shared his visions for their wedding. They would have that, or at least part of it, and more media attention than they’d like if she wasn’t careful, but it would be their wedding entirely and that was what mattered to her. That they’d have to make do with what they had, but it would be theirs and that appealed to Pepper.
“Not quite so shotgun,” she replied, amused at his response. “But I agree with your choices. Maybe we’ll word it a bit more delicately, too,” she teased. In this, Pepper would let him be as unrestrained as he wanted, trusting him to know her limits. He was allowed to be a bit of a peacock every now and again. She stole another kiss, her appetite an entirely different story now. Waiting always did make the payoff all the better, and she had the patience of a saint as Tony reminded her frequently.
“I love you.” Three simple words, but they meant a lot. “We’ll have privacy here, even though not all of our friends are here. This’ll be just for us.” That meant a lot to them.
~*~
Life offered few experiences to Tony Stark which were just for him. He'd been center stage of a play not of his own choosing since birth. His father's choices had fallen onto his shoulders before he was even born; all he'd been able to do was decide to sink or swim in the media hurricane which made up his life. Tony loved the idea of sticking it to the media magnates to have a private ceremony with the woman he loved.
Pepper deserved to feel as if she were the most important person present on their wedding day.
Not Tony Stark.
Not Iron Man.
Not even Stark Industries.
Their wedding day was meant to be about Pepper getting married since it was always the bride's day. That tradition even Tony Stark wanted to uphold. He wanted her to have the experience of getting the dress, the veil, the ring, people throwing birdseed, anything she wanted. If she wanted a hundred butterflies to be released after they said their vows, he'd find a way to make it happen.
"What do you want? Butterflies? Birdseed? Do you have a preference on venue? I'd like something outdoors, but I'm willing to go wherever you want. This is your day. You deserve to have one day where you make every choice and you get every choice you make. I'll try to have it be as special as I can here even without the funds we've got at home. I'm sure it'll be harder. That won't matter though. I won't let it matter. Money? It's not what we are. We're more than money, even my money."
Tony wanted her to have everything.
"You start making plans and I'll start finding a way to make those plans happen. We'll have to tell our people. The ones who're here. I'll not even say a word if Rogers brings Serial Killer Double-Oh-Seven with him as his plus one. He'll just look funny in a dress, but who cares? As long as he's happy. We'll all be happy. This? It'll be good. I'll make it good. I will be good for you, Pepper. I'll be the best I can be."
Better even. Tony could be better for Pepper. He had to be because he wanted to be worthy of her. She shouldn't regret being with him. Tony wanted to ensure she never had a reason to regret giving him her heart. Her trust meant more to him than anything else. It was worth more than everything else he had combined. He'd make this happen the right way for her.