Chapter Text
Pepper had never been late to work a day in her life. Not once.
Which is why, as she stood in front of her mirror, wrapped in a satin robe, staring at herself with a distinct lack of urgency, she knew something had changed.
She wasn’t rushing.
She wasn’t methodically going through her routine, mind already occupied with the day’s schedule.
Instead, she was hyper-aware of the man behind her, lounging against the bathroom doorway, shirt half-buttoned, tie draped lazily around his neck, sipping her coffee as if he had all the time in the world.
It was unnerving.
Because Tony Stark did not do mornings. At least, not unless they were preceded by a sleepless night spent in his lab with JARVIS force-feeding him caffeine. And yet, there he was—awake, alert, watching her.
She tried to ignore it, picking up a moisturizer from her vanity, dabbing it onto her skin with practiced ease.
“Since when do you just… stand around in the morning?” she muttered, eyeing him through the mirror.
Tony grinned against the rim of the mug. “Since when do you look this good this early?”
Pepper rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. “Since always.”
“I mean, yeah, but I was usually too busy dodging a missile or signing away another chunk of my soul to the government to really appreciate it.”
She reached for her foundation, deliberately ignoring him, but the heat of his gaze didn’t waver. If anything, it intensified as she moved to her closet, dropping her robe to pull on a blouse, then stepping into a pencil skirt that hugged her hips just so.
When she turned back around, buttoning her cuffs, Tony was leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, eyes dark.
She huffed. “If you keep looking at me like that, we’re never going to make it to work.”
Tony exhaled through his nose, raking a hand through his hair. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Pepper shook her head, smirking, before stepping to her shoe rack—her sacred collection of heels, all neatly lined up in an absurdly organized display. She ran her fingers over a few choices before settling on a sleek, patent-leather pair with a sharp point and a taller-than-necessary heel.
The moment she slipped them on, she felt her again.
CEO.
Boss.
The woman who kept Stark Industries from falling into complete disarray on a daily basis.
And then, as she straightened, Tony was there, holding out a fresh cup of coffee—black, no sugar, exactly how she liked it.
She raised an eyebrow. “You made me coffee?”
He shrugged, nonchalant. “I do know how to use a coffee machine, you know.”
“Do you?” she mused, taking a sip. It was perfect.
Tony smirked, tapping his mug against hers. “Don’t get used to it.”
She snorted, finishing the last few touches—earrings, a delicate watch, a last glance in the mirror.
And then they were off.
The Drive to Work: Small Touches, Big Implications
It was different.
Pepper had been in Tony’s car before. Too many times to count. But this time, there was no pretense, no careful distance.
There was just this.
His fingers drumming on the steering wheel, his free hand resting on her knee like it belonged there, the way his eyes flicked to her every few minutes, like he still couldn’t quite believe she was there.
Pepper, for her part, pretended not to notice.
Mostly.
“Okay, so,” Tony said, shifting gears, his grip tightening briefly on her leg. “Are we walking into the office like nothing happened, or are we doing the whole power couple reveal?”
Pepper gave him a look. “There is no reveal. Nothing changes.”
Tony scoffed. “Right, except for the small detail where I’m totally allowed to kiss you now.”
She almost choked on her coffee. “You are not kissing me at work.”
“I could, though.”
“You won’t.”
“Yet.”
Pepper shook her head, taking another sip to hide her smile.
The Office: Stark’s Shenanigans Begin
She should’ve known.
She should’ve known Tony Stark would not—could not—leave well enough alone.
The first sign of trouble was when she walked into her office and found a note on her desk.
Good morning, boss.
Hope you had a fantastic night.
P.S. You left your necklace at my place. I’ll return it… eventually.
Pepper stared at the note, pressing her lips together, already feeling the headache forming.
Then, exactly fifteen minutes into her first meeting, her phone buzzed with a text.
TONY: Quick question, what’s the office policy on PDA? Asking for a friend.
She ignored it.
Five minutes later.
TONY: Hypothetically speaking, if someone were to sneak into your office and kiss you, what are the consequences?
She ignored that too.
Three minutes after that.
TONY: I miss you.
Pepper almost sighed out loud.
Then, because she was still human, she typed out a single-word reply.
PEPPER: Work.
And yet, when she walked back into her office for lunch, there he was, leaning against her desk, a grin on his face and a takeout bag in his hands.
“You’re relentless,” she muttered, setting her files down.
“Thank you,” he said brightly, handing her a coffee. “Lunch?”
She rolled her eyes but accepted the drink, and for a while, they actually ate like normal people. But then, right as she was reaching for her fork, he leaned in—just enough for her to feel his breath on her cheek.
“Can I kiss you now?” he murmured.
Pepper froze.
Then, very, very slowly, she turned to him, too calm.
“If you even think about it,” she said sweetly, “I will have Happy remove you from the building.”
Tony smirked. “Kinky.”
She threw a crumpled napkin at his face.
And that was how their first day as a couple went—him pushing, her pretending not to indulge him, and both of them enjoying every second of it.