fic: Happiness Comes With Sacrifices - Ch. 2
Malibu, CA
Tony stood in the front of the fireplace holding an old image in his left hand and a glass of scotch in the other one, though he wasn't looking at the photo. His eyes were distant and he looked absorbed in his own scientific thoughts.
Pepper had called a few minutes before saying that she couldn't make it to dinner at his place because an old friend of hers just arrived from New York. At first, Tony was disappointed, but then he told himself they could have dinner any other time. Pity that he had gone through three cooking books that belonged to his mother in order to cook Pepper a decent meal. He had wasted two hours on decorating the kitchen with all sorts of perfumed candles and rose petals and with the help of Jarvis, he had dimmed the lights so that the atmosphere was as romantic as it could get.
You really couldn't blame him. It was his first time trying to organize a romantic dinner.
Waking up from his thoughts, Tony realized it was getting late. He checked his watch and saw that it was half past ten. With a visible effort, he set down the glass of scotch which was full. He couldn't bring himself to drink more than one sip because he could remember pretty vividly what had happened at his birthday party.
Without even knowing that he had made a step he found himself standing in the newly repaired kitchen. It took him a minute for his eyes to adjust to the low dimmed lights. He glanced over the table and he swallowed in disappointment. He should have known she won't come. Maybe she thought he was just joking when he told her he was making her dinner. Or maybe not…
It was an internal battle with himself and he wasn't in the mood to care. He set down the image he had been holding and walked over to the windows that overlooked over the Pacific. He laid his forearm on the glass and leaned his forehead against it. He kept his eyes closed as he pressed his thumbs to his eyes, feeling suddenly tired. What he didn't notice, or whom he didn't notice was Pepper walking in hurriedly.
"There you are. I thought you had to go on a mission." She said and gasped when she saw the entire atmosphere around her. Tony turned around, his face flushed. "Um… What are you doing here? I mean… it's not like I don't want you here, it's just that you said a friend of yours came in visit and I thought you weren't coming." He babbled uselessly.
"Tony…" Pepper voice was trembling and she had tears in her eyes. Her eyes found his and she smiled when she saw concern in his. She noticed that he was wearing dark slacks, a white shirt and a gray blazer and it finally dawned on her that he must have been really serious about the whole dinner thing. "Are you okay?" Tony inquired and rushed towards her, hands grasping her wrists.
Pepper shrugged her hands out of his before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her face into his neck. "Whoa. Okay…" Tony gasped and cleared his throat nervously. He put his hands on her hips and breathed in her scent which made him dizzy after a couple of minutes. "Pepper…"
The redhead broke the embrace to look him in the eyes. "I'm really sorry that I missed this." She whispered and looked over at the carefully arranged table. Tony seemed to flush even more. "Um… that." Pepper narrowed her eyes and touched a small cut on his cheek with her fingertips. "You cut yourself." She noticed.
Tony seemed to flinch a little. "Did you cut yourself while you were shaving?" Pepper inquired with a gentle look that skimmed all over her face. Tony looked down at his shoes and shrugged. "You know, Tony… I worry for you every time you leave on a mission, but this small cut makes me think that I don't worry enough."
"It's not what you think." Tony said and decided to lean in and flush her a little as well. When she saw him leaning in, Pepper closed her eyes and completed the last inch between their lips and gave him a chaste kiss before pulling away. "I'm hungry."
Tony grinned. "Is that so?" When he saw Pepper nod, he took her hand in his and led her to the table before pulling a chair out for her to sit down. "Good thing I haven't eaten what I made for you." Pepper's eyes widened. "You cooked?"
"You could say that." Tony said and left the table to take out something from the fridge. "This is just something I found out in my mother's old cooking book." Tony explained and uncovered the plate to reveal a culinary orgasm waiting to be tasted.
"Are you sure you made that?" Pepper asked, sounding skeptic. Tony nodded. "Taste it."
Pepper grabbed her fork and took a bite out of the pudding. "Mmm… Tony."
Tony's mouth went dry at her response. "Um… do you like it?" Pepper nodded in delight and looked at him. "This is fantastic, Tony. What is it?"
"It's Ricotta Almond Pudding." Tony responded and sat down next to her, revealing a small cup of honey. "Put some honey on it if you'd like to make it sweeter." He held up the cup. "The version in my mum's book was with strawberries. We can't have that now, can we?"
Pepper giggled and took the extended cup from him only to pour some honey on top of the dessert. "Tony it's magnificent." She whispered and continued on eating while Tony's eyes checked her out. She was wearing a pair of simple gray sweats and a dark blue tank top.
"I feel a little too overdressed in this moment." He said and gave her a shy smile. "I wanted to get changed but then you came along and…" Tony's words were cut off by Pepper who decided to tell him the news.
"I have a surprise for you." She said and laid her fork on the napkin. Tony's eyes widened in expectation and he motioned for her to continue. "The friend who came to visit me earlier this evening was an old college roommate. She's moving to Los Angeles this summer and wanted an opinion about a place she was intending to buy." She smiled a little and continued. "She's a tennis instructor and I asked her if she wanted to give us a few lessons."
Tony was half shocked, half excited by Pepper's surprise. "You did what?" He asked, wanting to hear it again. Pepper stood back, her smile fading. "I thought you said-"
"So you're agreeing with me on the tennis thing? I could have taught you how to hit the ball." Tony joked. "Seriously, Pepper."
"She agreed to see us the first Saturday of May." Pepper explained and looked up just in time before Tony planted a big kiss on her cheek. "You're a saint." He whispered excitedly and decided to get rid of his blazer.
TBC
Tony stood in the front of the fireplace holding an old image in his left hand and a glass of scotch in the other one, though he wasn't looking at the photo. His eyes were distant and he looked absorbed in his own scientific thoughts.
Pepper had called a few minutes before saying that she couldn't make it to dinner at his place because an old friend of hers just arrived from New York. At first, Tony was disappointed, but then he told himself they could have dinner any other time. Pity that he had gone through three cooking books that belonged to his mother in order to cook Pepper a decent meal. He had wasted two hours on decorating the kitchen with all sorts of perfumed candles and rose petals and with the help of Jarvis, he had dimmed the lights so that the atmosphere was as romantic as it could get.
You really couldn't blame him. It was his first time trying to organize a romantic dinner.
Waking up from his thoughts, Tony realized it was getting late. He checked his watch and saw that it was half past ten. With a visible effort, he set down the glass of scotch which was full. He couldn't bring himself to drink more than one sip because he could remember pretty vividly what had happened at his birthday party.
Without even knowing that he had made a step he found himself standing in the newly repaired kitchen. It took him a minute for his eyes to adjust to the low dimmed lights. He glanced over the table and he swallowed in disappointment. He should have known she won't come. Maybe she thought he was just joking when he told her he was making her dinner. Or maybe not…
It was an internal battle with himself and he wasn't in the mood to care. He set down the image he had been holding and walked over to the windows that overlooked over the Pacific. He laid his forearm on the glass and leaned his forehead against it. He kept his eyes closed as he pressed his thumbs to his eyes, feeling suddenly tired. What he didn't notice, or whom he didn't notice was Pepper walking in hurriedly.
"There you are. I thought you had to go on a mission." She said and gasped when she saw the entire atmosphere around her. Tony turned around, his face flushed. "Um… What are you doing here? I mean… it's not like I don't want you here, it's just that you said a friend of yours came in visit and I thought you weren't coming." He babbled uselessly.
"Tony…" Pepper voice was trembling and she had tears in her eyes. Her eyes found his and she smiled when she saw concern in his. She noticed that he was wearing dark slacks, a white shirt and a gray blazer and it finally dawned on her that he must have been really serious about the whole dinner thing. "Are you okay?" Tony inquired and rushed towards her, hands grasping her wrists.
Pepper shrugged her hands out of his before wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her face into his neck. "Whoa. Okay…" Tony gasped and cleared his throat nervously. He put his hands on her hips and breathed in her scent which made him dizzy after a couple of minutes. "Pepper…"
The redhead broke the embrace to look him in the eyes. "I'm really sorry that I missed this." She whispered and looked over at the carefully arranged table. Tony seemed to flush even more. "Um… that." Pepper narrowed her eyes and touched a small cut on his cheek with her fingertips. "You cut yourself." She noticed.
Tony seemed to flinch a little. "Did you cut yourself while you were shaving?" Pepper inquired with a gentle look that skimmed all over her face. Tony looked down at his shoes and shrugged. "You know, Tony… I worry for you every time you leave on a mission, but this small cut makes me think that I don't worry enough."
"It's not what you think." Tony said and decided to lean in and flush her a little as well. When she saw him leaning in, Pepper closed her eyes and completed the last inch between their lips and gave him a chaste kiss before pulling away. "I'm hungry."
Tony grinned. "Is that so?" When he saw Pepper nod, he took her hand in his and led her to the table before pulling a chair out for her to sit down. "Good thing I haven't eaten what I made for you." Pepper's eyes widened. "You cooked?"
"You could say that." Tony said and left the table to take out something from the fridge. "This is just something I found out in my mother's old cooking book." Tony explained and uncovered the plate to reveal a culinary orgasm waiting to be tasted.
"Are you sure you made that?" Pepper asked, sounding skeptic. Tony nodded. "Taste it."
Pepper grabbed her fork and took a bite out of the pudding. "Mmm… Tony."
Tony's mouth went dry at her response. "Um… do you like it?" Pepper nodded in delight and looked at him. "This is fantastic, Tony. What is it?"
"It's Ricotta Almond Pudding." Tony responded and sat down next to her, revealing a small cup of honey. "Put some honey on it if you'd like to make it sweeter." He held up the cup. "The version in my mum's book was with strawberries. We can't have that now, can we?"
Pepper giggled and took the extended cup from him only to pour some honey on top of the dessert. "Tony it's magnificent." She whispered and continued on eating while Tony's eyes checked her out. She was wearing a pair of simple gray sweats and a dark blue tank top.
"I feel a little too overdressed in this moment." He said and gave her a shy smile. "I wanted to get changed but then you came along and…" Tony's words were cut off by Pepper who decided to tell him the news.
"I have a surprise for you." She said and laid her fork on the napkin. Tony's eyes widened in expectation and he motioned for her to continue. "The friend who came to visit me earlier this evening was an old college roommate. She's moving to Los Angeles this summer and wanted an opinion about a place she was intending to buy." She smiled a little and continued. "She's a tennis instructor and I asked her if she wanted to give us a few lessons."
Tony was half shocked, half excited by Pepper's surprise. "You did what?" He asked, wanting to hear it again. Pepper stood back, her smile fading. "I thought you said-"
"So you're agreeing with me on the tennis thing? I could have taught you how to hit the ball." Tony joked. "Seriously, Pepper."
"She agreed to see us the first Saturday of May." Pepper explained and looked up just in time before Tony planted a big kiss on her cheek. "You're a saint." He whispered excitedly and decided to get rid of his blazer.
TBC