Five Things About Tony Stark (that Pepper...) - II. Smell
Title: Five Things About Tony Stark (that Pepper…) - II. Smell (3/6)
Author: patriot_jackie
Rating & Genre: PG Fluff
Pairing: Tony/Pepper - Spoilers for Iron Man 1&2
Summary: The human mind reaches out to experience life through five separate senses. It’s little wonder then that Pepper Potts is so attuned to the many stimuli of her tantalizing employer.
Word Count: 1,198/3,919 Current Words
AN: This meanders a lot like the last one… Any confusion herein might be attributable to more insight than anyone would like as to how my mind works, but the threads that connect things in our minds are rarely concrete enough to explain to others.
THANKS: A big thanks goes to the ladies of the_rightwriter who helped me tremendously with the opening of this chapter a while back. Their insight spread through the rest of the fic, as well.
Prologue
I. Sight
II. Smell
Stillness was unnatural; it gave way to contemplation, allowed her to notice the little things and question established truths. As such, Pepper usually didn’t pay any thought to breathing; the constant hustle and bustle in which she existed didn’t give her time to pause.
Nevertheless, she was without fail vaguely aware of every breath when she entered his room. It was as though she had to be sure she capitalized on the opportunity to be surrounded by his scent without the odor of oil, chemicals, or soldered metal. The thing was Pepper never actually paid attention to her focus on this pattern in the grand scheme of things; it simply was.
Of all the places in his house, the only room in which she felt uncomfortable was his bedroom. Even so, she was no stranger to it, and despite being a perfect stranger to the room’s centerpiece, she was also no stranger her boss’s scantily clad body, wrapped in a towel or less. - In fact, in a towel was how she had run into him upon arrival on her third day: he’d had an idea while in the shower and was rushing down to the workshop to jot it down.
Of course, the towel had only been resting on his shoulders, and she’d caught a wide-eyed glimpse of two firm cheeks before hurriedly covering her eyes and shouting his name.
“Oh, Miss Potts.” From the direction and volume of his voice, she was well aware that he had just turned to face her. “Right on time. What on earth are you doing?”
Here she was, in her employer’s house with her employer standing before her… well… stark naked. Pun intended, because she had to believe that she’d one day look back on this moment and find it hysterical.
“Mr. Stark!” she repeated, imagining that her face was quite red. “I realize this is your home, but when I’m here, I would please entreat you to be decent!”
He was indignant: “Miss Potts! I’m more than decent! Go on. Take a peek.”
“Put. On. Some. Clothes!” she ground out between clenched teeth. It was the first time she aggressively, angrily ordered him; she would be used to it by Friday.
“No can do, Pepper.”
“That’s not my name.”
But he ignored her as he had since bestowing the nickname on her last week - part of the contract, he’d insisted. “I would, except I’ve just come up with the most brilliant prototype-”
“If you don’t at least put on some pants, I will walk out the door right now-”
“If you do, could you bring me back a cheeseburger? A cheeseburger sounds really good right now.” His voice turned toward the stairwell, toward his workshop. “Just grab something from my closet and leave it on the top step. I promise to be fully clothed when you see me next.”
It was her turn to be indignant. As soon as she heard the last of his clapping barefoot steps retreating below, she stalked to his bedroom muttering to herself the entire way. Had he timed that stunt to sync with her arrival? She certainly had expected eccentricities and improper behavior from Tony Stark, but she hadn’t- He’d left the shower running. Why was she surprised?
When she stepped into the thick fog that was his bathroom, she caught whiff of his shampoo, and coming closer to the shower itself, his soap. - She reached in to turn off the faucet. - Correction: Body wash, not soap. Well, well, well. Tony Stark used a loufa.
On the counter neatly arranged was a variety of aftershaves, colognes, and hair care products, all of which she would eventually learn to recognize. His closet was arranged neatly, as were his drawers, (She couldn’t believe she was handling her boss’s underwear; she’d had half a mind to make him go commando, except she hadn’t been sure how that would have turned out seeing as how they were still becoming acquainted to each other.) both smelling of fresh, clean detergent and Downey softener.
He was not married to any particular brand and changed somewhat frequently throughout the years. There was a common thread through each fragrance, though she never allowed herself to consider it long enough to put a finger on it.
Despite his philanderer remarks, Tony respected Pepper enough to avoid Day #3 scenarios as much as possible. But sometimes, it just couldn’t be helped.
Frequently, his states of undress during which she was present were when she helped him get dressed. She became a make-up artist to hide scrapes and bruises he received while working below, hovering just beside his face, accidentally catching the trail of his latest shampoo. She often tied his ties, and if she sometimes performed the loops and knots more slowly than others, it never crossed her mind to attribute her sluggishness to a particular cologne. When he was running later than usual, she occasionally stood in his room, back to him, and briefed him on what he needed to know, surrounded by the unique blend of aromas that were distinctly Tony Stark.
Inhale, exhale. Aware, always aware in the back of her mind, of each and every breath.
Considering her relative ignorance to this accidental habit, she was mildly surprised to learn that she had become so accustomed to it. When she dreamed of him in her most vivid nighttime reveries, her mind conjured his scent to impress his being so much more acutely, to make it that much more wrenching when she awoke to the cruel reality of his absence. She was a glutton for punishment, adamantly insisting upon his return and maintaining the status quo all the while attempting to ignore her guilty conscience of still taking a paycheck.
She was, after all, doing it for Tony and not the paycheck. But the paycheck was the only one present whereas the person she was being paid to assist was kidnapped, missing, tortured, and possibly (or so the military insisted) dead. Rumors ran amok, her reputation, and by extension Happy Hogan’s whom she had refused to let go, tarnished and contaminated by suspicion of corruption, breach of contract and trust, and general indolence. She ignored them: the board and Obadiah Stane were running a corporation without its CEO and prized prodigy, so she would continue to run the life of her abducted employer. If only to maintain a level of professional propriety, if not to continue paying her own bills, she continued to take her paycheck, because Mr. Stark was her employer, and therefore the work she did were the ends of a loyal and dutiful employee.
Really, it didn’t matter that she would keep his affairs in order while he was away without any compensation out of simple concern for his well-being. That’s all it was: concern.
So she passed by his room, once and then twice. Always there was the hesitation. Then she’d clutch the knob, press inside, and stand in the doorway.
Pepper breathed. She stared blankly ahead into the room she’d personally made up two and a half months ago, inhaled deeply.
In the still silence, she considered again that she might be in love with him.
TBC...
AN: The implication being here, if not clearly defined, that while he’s been gone, she’s been pondering the possibilities of her attachment to him rather than running away from it like in the last chapter.
Next Chapter Teaser: After his return from Afghanistan, Tony’s flirtations with Pepper became increasingly personal. It wasn’t so much that his previous advances hadn’t been beforehand, but they could be resembled to a shotgun approach. Upon his return, he was preoccupied with a different goal of response from Pepper.
Author: patriot_jackie
Rating & Genre: PG Fluff
Pairing: Tony/Pepper - Spoilers for Iron Man 1&2
Summary: The human mind reaches out to experience life through five separate senses. It’s little wonder then that Pepper Potts is so attuned to the many stimuli of her tantalizing employer.
Word Count: 1,198/3,919 Current Words
AN: This meanders a lot like the last one… Any confusion herein might be attributable to more insight than anyone would like as to how my mind works, but the threads that connect things in our minds are rarely concrete enough to explain to others.
THANKS: A big thanks goes to the ladies of the_rightwriter who helped me tremendously with the opening of this chapter a while back. Their insight spread through the rest of the fic, as well.
Prologue
I. Sight
II. Smell
Stillness was unnatural; it gave way to contemplation, allowed her to notice the little things and question established truths. As such, Pepper usually didn’t pay any thought to breathing; the constant hustle and bustle in which she existed didn’t give her time to pause.
Nevertheless, she was without fail vaguely aware of every breath when she entered his room. It was as though she had to be sure she capitalized on the opportunity to be surrounded by his scent without the odor of oil, chemicals, or soldered metal. The thing was Pepper never actually paid attention to her focus on this pattern in the grand scheme of things; it simply was.
Of all the places in his house, the only room in which she felt uncomfortable was his bedroom. Even so, she was no stranger to it, and despite being a perfect stranger to the room’s centerpiece, she was also no stranger her boss’s scantily clad body, wrapped in a towel or less. - In fact, in a towel was how she had run into him upon arrival on her third day: he’d had an idea while in the shower and was rushing down to the workshop to jot it down.
Of course, the towel had only been resting on his shoulders, and she’d caught a wide-eyed glimpse of two firm cheeks before hurriedly covering her eyes and shouting his name.
“Oh, Miss Potts.” From the direction and volume of his voice, she was well aware that he had just turned to face her. “Right on time. What on earth are you doing?”
Here she was, in her employer’s house with her employer standing before her… well… stark naked. Pun intended, because she had to believe that she’d one day look back on this moment and find it hysterical.
“Mr. Stark!” she repeated, imagining that her face was quite red. “I realize this is your home, but when I’m here, I would please entreat you to be decent!”
He was indignant: “Miss Potts! I’m more than decent! Go on. Take a peek.”
“Put. On. Some. Clothes!” she ground out between clenched teeth. It was the first time she aggressively, angrily ordered him; she would be used to it by Friday.
“No can do, Pepper.”
“That’s not my name.”
But he ignored her as he had since bestowing the nickname on her last week - part of the contract, he’d insisted. “I would, except I’ve just come up with the most brilliant prototype-”
“If you don’t at least put on some pants, I will walk out the door right now-”
“If you do, could you bring me back a cheeseburger? A cheeseburger sounds really good right now.” His voice turned toward the stairwell, toward his workshop. “Just grab something from my closet and leave it on the top step. I promise to be fully clothed when you see me next.”
It was her turn to be indignant. As soon as she heard the last of his clapping barefoot steps retreating below, she stalked to his bedroom muttering to herself the entire way. Had he timed that stunt to sync with her arrival? She certainly had expected eccentricities and improper behavior from Tony Stark, but she hadn’t- He’d left the shower running. Why was she surprised?
When she stepped into the thick fog that was his bathroom, she caught whiff of his shampoo, and coming closer to the shower itself, his soap. - She reached in to turn off the faucet. - Correction: Body wash, not soap. Well, well, well. Tony Stark used a loufa.
On the counter neatly arranged was a variety of aftershaves, colognes, and hair care products, all of which she would eventually learn to recognize. His closet was arranged neatly, as were his drawers, (She couldn’t believe she was handling her boss’s underwear; she’d had half a mind to make him go commando, except she hadn’t been sure how that would have turned out seeing as how they were still becoming acquainted to each other.) both smelling of fresh, clean detergent and Downey softener.
He was not married to any particular brand and changed somewhat frequently throughout the years. There was a common thread through each fragrance, though she never allowed herself to consider it long enough to put a finger on it.
Despite his philanderer remarks, Tony respected Pepper enough to avoid Day #3 scenarios as much as possible. But sometimes, it just couldn’t be helped.
Frequently, his states of undress during which she was present were when she helped him get dressed. She became a make-up artist to hide scrapes and bruises he received while working below, hovering just beside his face, accidentally catching the trail of his latest shampoo. She often tied his ties, and if she sometimes performed the loops and knots more slowly than others, it never crossed her mind to attribute her sluggishness to a particular cologne. When he was running later than usual, she occasionally stood in his room, back to him, and briefed him on what he needed to know, surrounded by the unique blend of aromas that were distinctly Tony Stark.
Inhale, exhale. Aware, always aware in the back of her mind, of each and every breath.
Considering her relative ignorance to this accidental habit, she was mildly surprised to learn that she had become so accustomed to it. When she dreamed of him in her most vivid nighttime reveries, her mind conjured his scent to impress his being so much more acutely, to make it that much more wrenching when she awoke to the cruel reality of his absence. She was a glutton for punishment, adamantly insisting upon his return and maintaining the status quo all the while attempting to ignore her guilty conscience of still taking a paycheck.
She was, after all, doing it for Tony and not the paycheck. But the paycheck was the only one present whereas the person she was being paid to assist was kidnapped, missing, tortured, and possibly (or so the military insisted) dead. Rumors ran amok, her reputation, and by extension Happy Hogan’s whom she had refused to let go, tarnished and contaminated by suspicion of corruption, breach of contract and trust, and general indolence. She ignored them: the board and Obadiah Stane were running a corporation without its CEO and prized prodigy, so she would continue to run the life of her abducted employer. If only to maintain a level of professional propriety, if not to continue paying her own bills, she continued to take her paycheck, because Mr. Stark was her employer, and therefore the work she did were the ends of a loyal and dutiful employee.
Really, it didn’t matter that she would keep his affairs in order while he was away without any compensation out of simple concern for his well-being. That’s all it was: concern.
So she passed by his room, once and then twice. Always there was the hesitation. Then she’d clutch the knob, press inside, and stand in the doorway.
Pepper breathed. She stared blankly ahead into the room she’d personally made up two and a half months ago, inhaled deeply.
In the still silence, she considered again that she might be in love with him.
TBC...
AN: The implication being here, if not clearly defined, that while he’s been gone, she’s been pondering the possibilities of her attachment to him rather than running away from it like in the last chapter.
Next Chapter Teaser: After his return from Afghanistan, Tony’s flirtations with Pepper became increasingly personal. It wasn’t so much that his previous advances hadn’t been beforehand, but they could be resembled to a shotgun approach. Upon his return, he was preoccupied with a different goal of response from Pepper.