Fic: Decorum 7/? (R) Pepper/Phil
Title: Decroum
Fandom: Iron Man
Rating: R
Character/Pairing: Pepper/Phil
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: A swear word, some violence.
Summery: Pepper misses Phil, and Phil misses Pepper, while on mission with Barton and Romanov.
Notes: 1177 words. Still going.
Pepper missed Phil.
They had been together a month and a half, a little longer perhaps and she really felt his absence. More than she had realised she would. More than she wanted to. Not only were there no dates, there were no phone calls, no emails, no short sweet texts during the day. She had gotten used to the regular communication from him as well as his company. Now it was just Pepper and Tony again and it was a little surreal.
Especially when Tony left too, a streak of red and gold through the half fixed hole in his roof.
“Sorry, Pep,” he had said, “it’s, it’s who I am now.”
“I didn’t say anything,” she replied.
“You have a look.”
She hadn’t said anything for a moment as the bots as dressed him up from top to bottom.
“Phil’s gone.”
“You broke up?”
She hated how hopeful he had sounded just then.
“No, no, he just went on assignment,” she had said quickly.
“Ah. Well he’ll be fine. We’ll both be fine.”
“I hope so,” she’d said. “I….I couldn’t bare to lose either of you.”
He smiled and then had stepped away from the bots.
“I can’t speak for Coulson, but I’ll be back soon okay.”
She had nodded and watched him go, before sitting on the tatty sofa in his workshop for half an hour, just watching the sky change colour through the hole in the ceiling.
x
The first day was easy, it was Monday and back to work, filling in for Tony and picking up the extra work that had built up over a rare weekend off and she didn’t really have time to think about Phil or Tony. She did think about them, whenever she wasn’t reading a report, or writing, or talking to someone, the idea of Phil or Tony (or both) in danger popped in her head.
The longer they were gone, the worse it got. Jarvis was able to update her on Tony’s progress now and then, but Phil….she was completely cut off from her boyfriend.
Boyfriend, she smiled at the word. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a boyfriend, one she cared this much about. She’d never had one that could put up with Tony and his dependence on her, but Phil took it all in his stride without blaming her or threatening him. It was nice. It was perfect. Phil was perfect. Good looking and smart and sensible and the way he looked at her made her insides jump and something warm settle low.
Pepper wasn’t sure how she felt about him, she was still trying to work it out, the warmth, the happiness that spread through her every time she saw him. The way every hair on the back of her neck stood on end whenever she heard his voice. The low level arousal that started to build whenever she touched his skin. It was serious. Had gotten too serious, too quickly perhaps, but she was too far in already to turn back.
When he was back, they would talk, they would be together and she could figure out how she felt. Until then she was just waiting.
Waiting.
x
“Miss your girlfriend?”
He ignored Barton’s voice crackling in his ear, hitting a guy on the back of the head and moving forward through the warehouse, trying to listen for more guards or Romanov’s light footsteps. He heard neither, just the childish taunts of Barton in his ear piece. Normally he would be in control, the two agents could handle pretty much anything together, but Fury had asked for a favour.
He didn’t mind, he liked being in the field.
“A little,” he admitted quietly.
Barton jumped down from the pipes above him, landing deftly next to him, grinning.
“Is she hot?”
“She’s Pepper Potts,” he said.
“What?” Romanov said, appearing ahead of them, sitting on a box, her feet resting on an unconscious guard.
He hadn’t told any of them yet, any of these spies and assassins he considered friends. He was surprised they didn’t already know, he wasn’t hiding it, he was only hiding his feelings. Badly apparently.
“You’re dating Stark’s PA?”
“Yes.”
“I thought they were fucking?” Romanov jumped down from her box, pulling a knife from her belt and thrusting it into the throat of a guard the two men hadn’t noticed coming into the room.
“That’s just a rumour,” Phil said tersely. “Let’s just get this done okay?”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Barton said.
“No we won’t.”
“We will.” Romanov said, smiling at him with that evil glint in her eye that reminded him that she could make him do anything she wanted, and make him like it. Later the three of them would be talking about his girlfriend.
His girlfriend, who was on the other side of the world, and had no idea how he felt about her. He was more sure than ever though - being out of complete contact with her for three days now, he missed her terribly and it gave him a clarity he had been looking for. He loved her. Plain and simple. And he was pretty sure he could tell her so the moment he got back.
Whether he should, he supposed, was where Barton and Romanov came in. Despite their rough edges they wanted the best for him. He was the normal one, they told him, the one who should have a life even if they didn’t.
Which was sweet and sad.
Like the smile on Pepper’s face when he left, honest and pained but loving.
He wondered if she loved him too.
There was the crack of wood right behind him, and he whirled around in time to avoid being shot in the face, the bullet grazing his cheek. He yelled, but got a couple of ill-aimed shots off himself. Enough to make the guard stagger and swear - Phil punched him square in the jaw with a sickening crack, flooring him before he could step over him and head into room the next room, wiping at the blood trickling down his cheek.
“Found it,” he said, into his radio, Barton and Romanov appearing in moments like ghosts.
The bank of computers was old, but everything was lit up, he recognised the logos though, recognised the configuration of the machines.
“Did Fury say anything about this being a Hydra base to you?” Barton said.
“It’s an old one,” Phil said, sitting down at one of the consoles. “I’ll pull up what we came for.”
“Just be quick.”
“These units were built before you born Romanov, nothing is going to be quick.”
She laughed, and headed back to the door to keep watch.
He was quick though, because he’d worked with this stuff before, back when he was still a green agent with a little bit more hair and a little less experience.
“I don’t like it,” Barton said over his shoulder.
Phil didn’t answer and when all hell broke lose, he didn’t really have time to agree.