billionaires | #inbox

[ linking part 1 for easy access. ]

It's been a few months since the beatdown, and things have more or less gone back to normal. Their version of it anyway. Save for a few small details, that is. They now sleep in the same room, six nights out of seven, it's reasonable with how often Eduardo checks in on them. Though maybe it all stems back to that one night they stayed together when he had his concussion, he tries not to think about it. Especially when analyzing it might mean it stops.

Professionally, things have gone really well for them, too. Pepper seems to be making progress with Nadine and Eduardo is eternally indebted to him for figuring out that whole ear problem. What's more than that is ever since, Tony seems to have a new lease on life and while he's still frustrated by being under Stane's thumb, he finally sees a way out. A way forward.

His sunny outlook isn't all that's different about him, however. The visions didn't stop with the concussion's passing, something he still hasn't quite worked up to telling Pepper. They're doing so well and he's afraid she'll think it's medical and force him back to the doctor's. But he knows what he's seeing is real — Eduardo's son was only the beginning. He's no longer scamming his clients, but really helping them. When he takes their money, he feels secure in the knowledge that he's earned it for the first time in his life.

Tony bids his last customer of the day goodbye and starts poking around the house to see if Pepper's home, he thinks he heard her car pull up an hour or so ago, but she could have easily left again without his notice. Sure enough, though, he finds her in what's now more a "guest room" than hers, though she still has all of her office in here for the most part. He sneaks up on her while she's still deep in the numbers and leans over her shoulder to impulsively kiss her cheek. It's warm and familiar, though it's not a gesture he's ever extended to her before. It felt natural and so he went for it, but now his throat flushes a little from the move, hoping she won't find it offputting.

"I was thinking about ordering something for dinner. You in? Thought I could save you the trouble." Of slaving over the stove, he means, not like he wouldn't help her with the cooking if she asked, too, but this way they can just chill for a change.

Pepper doesn't hear Tony enter the room, too preoccupied with the books; staring down at the pages with a slight frown of concentration, tapping the end of her ballpoint pen distractedly against her bottom lip and chin. She jumps just a little in surprise at the kiss to her cheek, startled out of her tunnel vision and sitting up straight, blinking up at Tony a few times. The spot he'd kissed tingles, a hint of color dusting her cheekbones.

That was new-- another thing they didn't used to do, but now (apparently) did. She's noticed the change in Tony, these past couple of months. Of course she has. And it isn't just the fact that they share a room and a bed now, if only to keep up more appearances with Eduardo stopping by so often. It's something deeper, something Pepper can't quite put her finger on. She hasn't pressed Tony about it yet, remembering how forthcoming he'd been about the details when that meathead had beat him up, but she knows he knows she suspects something is up.

It's not that it's bad, really; it seems to Pepper as if Tony has shed some invisible weight off his shoulders-- he's happier, that's the only conclusion that feels even halfway correct to her. And though he hadn't been drinking as heavily as he used to back in their Vegas days in a long while now, he'd cut back on that even more, too. All in all, she should be satisfied, and she is -- but she also knows there's a reason to it all, and he has not yet come forth with it to her. Try as she might to let it go, she still can't help but wonder why, when they already share everything else with each other.

"Uh... sure. Sounds nice." She recovers after a brief moment, shaking her head a little as if to clear it as she starts to stow everything away onto their proper places. "Not pizza though. How about Thai or Nepalese? Indian?"

The little jump has him shifting backward out of reach - okay, too far. He won't do that again.

"Ohh," he says, unable to mask his interest when she brings up his favorite, leaning on her desk now to stay in her orbit. "Indian."

Reluctantly, he straightens up, pointing to her as he slowly backs out of the room.

"You want your usual?" Of course, he knows her order. For every restaurant she just listed and more.

"Yes-- please," Pepper nods in the midst of meticulously replacing every pen, paper and book, blowing out a breath and ruffling her bangs our of her eyes. "And remind them not to skimp on the naan, this time."

She had a Complaint, last time... Tony leaves, and Pepper takes a few more moments to tidy up. Compulsive maybe, but she can't stand to leave her desk in anything but tip top shape. Finishing, she smiles slightly to herself; out of satisfaction from completing this simple task, but also in anticipation. It's been a while since they last ordered in and just spent time together, nice and simple. Maybe it's also a chance to get to the bottom of some of the things that have been bothering her, lately.

Pepper beelines for the fridge while Tony wraps up their order, studying their options. She already has a bottle of water in one hand when she calls over her shoulder once Tony's off the phone, "Wanna share a beer?" She rarely drinks a whole one by herself, so.

When she takes a moment to follow, he knows exactly why and it makes him smile. They're such opposites in so many ways, but he loves these quirks she has that if anyone else did them might be annoying. He finds himself smiling all the way through his phone call, haing some nonsense smalltalk with their usual Indian restaurant before setting them up for delivery.

"What? Oh... yeah. Sure." He pushes a hand back through his hair and messes it up even more than it was already, all without noticing of course. "Sounds good."

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