9488/Words that start with L

Words that start with L
Date of Scene:	06 January 2022
Location:	Stark Tower: Penthouse
Synopsis:	Pepper and Tony are mushy.
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Tony Stark

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Pepper Potts has posed:
In the early morning hours, the skies still cloaked in darkness, the bedroom holds a glow from the lights of NYC, as seen 93 stories into the air. Pepper lies upon her left side, the blankets pulled up to her chest, though a bare arm is outside the covers. Her head still rests upon a folded pillow, giving her a comfortable angle. Green eyes are half open, and within the dim lights, she can see the form and figure of Tony.

He, too, is lying on his left side, so at some point she?d curled up behind him, pressed into his warmth. Now, she?s not too far, but enough to see just a little more. Bare-chested, the glow of the arc does add to the gentle light of the room.

//He loves me,// was the waking thought, and is the dominant thought that now keeps her awake. He?s smart, he?s shrewd, and he?s never used those words, even to bed all those models, starlets, and whomever he?d picked up over the years. She?d known she loved him, recognized that she had when Amanda pointed it out, many, many times. It?s just that she couldn?t linger on it, couldn?t think about it when work demanded otherwise. Her heart sank so many times over the years that there was simply no chance, in her eyes, that he?d ever really see her.

And why should he, when he had, literally, the pick of the world? Dubai, France, Japan, California, New York City. All teeming with possibilities.

But now? Pepper reaches out to snake an arm under his right arm, curling up a little closer for contact, kissing his shoulder gently. The fear of what the media would say, well, the outlets have been kind. Perhaps they?d seen it as an inevitability as she?d always been present at all his gatherings, all his press conferences, all his Expos; the constant in the tidal wave that was Tony Stark.

?I didn?t propose to you?, he?d said. Is that something she wants? Is that something that he?d been thinking about? It?s taken years for him to actually //see// her, to realize that what she does comes out of a deep expression of love, of affection, fondness; she likes him as well as loves him. What are the chances that he?d actually take that next step?

Probably none. And that?s okay. It?s not something she //needs//, even if her mother keeps asking about grandchildren. Of course, that?s not the only thing her mother talks about; every time Tony makes the news, she can expect a phone call from home, either from her mother or father. ?Your mother is worried?, her father usually starts off with, the moment Iron Man hits the papers. And always, a place to stay is offered, her parents remind her that her room is still there, still available, if she ever wants to leave the City for a little while. To get away from the commotion, the ?excitement? that never seems to cease there. And every time, she tells them 'no' and that she's safe and happy.

Safe and happy. Another light kiss is pressed against the nape of his neck. Even in the scariest of times, with him, there's always been the feeling of safety. That Tony would indeed save the day. It's probably unfair of her, to put so much upon him, and she tries. She does try to keep him from worrying about her, but there are times when it's simply impossible to take all the danger out of the equation. After all, even if one ignores the 'super humans' that have populated the human psyche, there is still the business of business.

Happy? He does that with a look, a smile, a thought; usually when she doesn't think he's paying attention, it ends up that he is. He shows his affection in so many ways, and while he didn't really have to use that word, that 'L' word because of all the little kindnesses, all the moments of thoughtfulness, he did.

And she loves him for it, even if it's keeping her awake into the morning's dark hours before dawn.

Tony Stark has posed:
Tony lifts one hand and loosely fumbles up across his nose and face, scratching absently at the zone along between his eyes, and making a huffed grunting sound. He yawns partially, eyes opening just a little, but enough to latch into that Pepper's awake and looking at him.

Sleepily eyebrows lift at her, a question in them, but he stretches his shoulders and pushes his arm more fully over her, to drag her in overly snugly. "Staying up to keep watch? Is it my shift yet? Hope not," Tony quips tiredly, his voice thick and deepened from the relaxation of restful sleep in his vocal chords. "I was having good dreams. Though I'm glad some of it wasn't true; I don't know why you had yellow yoga pants on, or why Banner gave them to you in the first place. The option of 'no pants' is generally preferred... except maybe for him, so maybe that's logical ...."

Tony leans his head down and forward, with an intention to rest forehead to hers, and sort of allow eyes to sleepily fall shut again, though his breathing makes it clear he's not asleep.

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper falls into the warmth a little more closely, letting it envelop her, letting it all enwrap her with those strong arms, the overwhelming feeling of safety and love washing over her again. It's obvious that she's awake, yes, and when she hears his sleep-laden words, she can't help but smile, teeth tugging at her bottom lip to keep from laughing, even softly. "Generally preferred," is repeated softly, and she takes one of his hands to lay it upon her thigh, and holds it there. "I don't think I have a pair of yellow yoga pants, though. Maybe we'll talk about that in the morning."

Curling in even more, if it was possible, she meets his forehead, and whispers, "Go back to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow. One of us needs to be awake for it, and it'll be a pleasant surprise for all involved if it's you."

Tony Stark has posed:
"I am asleep. This is me, asleep," Tony negates clearly, but does keep his eyes closed. Well, for the moment.

He squints and opens one to check to see if she bought his statement about slumber or not, and doesn't bother stopping the sly smirk that slips out when he's clearly caught by her. "Resting, anyway. Resting qualifies." Tony shifts his body up with a grunt to set his chin on top of her head instead, and draws in a deep, very slow breath. The close hug mutes the light from the arc reactor in his chest, darkening the room just a few shades.

"What's on your mind that's got you up, Pep?" Tony asks, then, while his breathing remains steady, slow, easy.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Mmhmm.." is a soft, amused sound. "Not fooling me."

Pepper exhales a soft, happy breath, however, and tucks her head as if to burrow deeper into his arms. She shakes her head ever so slightly but noticably, and remains quiet for a couple of heartbeats longer. "Just thinking about you." She tries to keep it light, even if it's softly laden with her own bit of sleepiness. "It's like a dream, my thoughts, though I'm pretty sure yellow yoga pants don't play a role anywhere." Pepper exhales in a happy sigh, "At the end of it, though, it all keeps coming back to you." She smiles in the darkness, "What we have, I wouldn't trade this for the world."

Tony Stark has posed:
"No yoga pants at /all/? Yeah.... That's probably for the best," Tony agrees in his usual amused deadpan, wry chuckle quiet in the undertone of his voice. "Thoughts about me? Also acceptable. I will approve this direction, so long as it stays positive. Each positive thought gets a kiss," Tony teases her, adding the kiss he threatened, but then stretching a little further, through his frame, and just settling in comfort.

"Continue to go ahead and run further ideas that may need approval by me, though. I enjoy our brainstorming sessions," Tony quips then, but makes a little quiet sound, that suggests he's near to drifting back off into real sleep. Lots of trust there, no attempts to front to impress her: she's getting the raw Tony, for good or bad.

Pepper Potts has posed:
For good or bad, she has him. Pepper can see it in the little things; the glances across the room for feedback and approval, the quirk of a smile when its acknowledged with the barest of nods. Tony laid bare, but it's taken years for her to see it, to read him. To understand him.

"See, I knew you'd say that," is murmured with soft amusement. "How does it feel to know that I think of you a lot?" Each positive thought gets a kiss, right? The kiss brings another content, happy smile with that soft exhaled sigh. As he settles, she shifts so she's fully beside him, wrapped around as if she'd never dream of letting him go. Such is her own comfort, her protection of his sometimes difficult sleep.

"Oh, I will. And when I do, I'll remind you that you said that." She's not about to go any further than those words. No recording for posterity; she'll remember them. She reaches up, finally, to stroke his head, his face gently, running her fingers down the lines of his face, tracing his beard.

"Sleep. The sun will be up in a few hours." And this, too, will be a dream.