She raised a hand and stroked his cheek, her voice full of quiet calm. "And sometimes it's the most amazing thing that makes me feel ten feet tall and like nothing could ever touch me. It's not a smooth ride, Tony, but it's a ride I couldn't imagine not being on. I love you, it's as simple and as complicated as that. I'm ready to take the good with the bad, that's how a relationship works. I didn't rush into this decision to be with you and it's not a decision I regret."
It was like a balm to his soul to hear Pepper say those words to him. "I don't deserve you."
Pepper snorted in amusement. "Like that doesn't go without saying."
"You know, you're no day at the beach either," he countered. "You're stubborn-"
Pepper was unfazed. "You wouldn't want anything to do with me if I wasn't."
"You're unreasonable."
"Says the man who recalled a billion dollars worth of air carriers because you didn't like the shade of green they'd been painted."
"It made me nauseous," Tony protested.
"The fallout from that little creative insanity had everyone a little nauseous," she said dryly.
"And you know far too much about me," he said huskily. "It's entirely unacceptable."
Pepper gave him an unconcerned look and had some advice for him. "Toughen up, Princess."
Tony smiled at her sass and pressed his lips against hers, lingering in the sweetness of the simple act of intimacy. He finally found the strength to end the kiss and took the opportunity of being so close to hold her gaze determinedly. "Pepper, we have to talk about your day to day safety. We can't pretend this didn't happen. Justin Hammer maybe an incompetent idiot, but he's not the only one out there and even idiots can end up having one good day."
Pepper put her hand on his chest, next to the arc reactor keeping him alive. "I know," she said quietly, "and I will organise a security detail for myself." She saw the look on Tony's face. "What?"
"I feel like this situation needs more than a couple of guys in suits," he said unevenly.
"So, what are we talking here, Tony? You planning on putting me in some kind of giant hamster ball to protect me from all evil?"
Tony's mind immediately filled with possibility, his eyes lighting up.
Pepper's eyes went wide and she held up a warning finger to him. "Oh no you don't, don't you dare even think about it, Tony Stark."
"Too late," he said quickly, his brain whirring at a furious pace. "I could whip something completely functional for you, Pepper, trust me, it'd have internet access, a way to exercise, even a bathroom facility."
She looked at him in horror. "Are you insane? I'm not going to the bathroom in a giant, see-through hamster ball!"
"I'd have a cloaking function to it," said Tony, becoming more animated as he considered the possibilities, "for when you needed some privacy. It could even have a transport function. I could rig it with all kinds of offensive and defensive equipment-"
Pepper's mouth was hanging open. "You want to put me in an exploding hamster ball now?"
Tony waved a dismissive hand at her. "That would defeat the purpose of the whole exercise. Obviously the ball isn't going to explode, but I could fit it with explosive drone orbs which could seek out any hostiles."
Pepper glared at him. "Tony, stop talking."
Tony was too excited to stop now. "No, no, hear me out, Potts, it'll be great."
"I am NOT going to let you shove me in a giant hamster ball!"
"It'll be great," he promised her. "You'll be the envy of all the other hamsters."
Pepper stopped talking and just fixed him with the nuclear version of her disapproving look.
Tony's shoulders sagged. "No hamster ball?"
Pepper just continued to stare at him.
Tony sighed heavily. "Okay, no hamster ball."
"It concerns me sometimes how long it takes for you to come to your senses," Pepper noted wryly. "Could we please go to sleep now?"
Tony nodded. "Of course."
The two of them lay down on the bed again, Tony looking up at the ceiling as Pepper gingerly settled in beside him. They lay in silence for a few minutes, Tony tapping on the glowing arc reactor in his chest, a habit he had when he was thinking.
Pepper reached out and put her hand over his, making him stop. "Tony, I promise I'll get my security sorted straight away and I'll be careful until I do."
He turned to look at her, a hopeful expression on his face. "And just to be absolutely clear, the giant hamster ball idea, definitely off the table?"
Pepper pulled the sheet up and covered herself. "If you don't stop talking now, I'm going to smother you in your sleep, drag your body into the bathroom, cut it up into a thousand pieces using your no.4 laser and feed your body down the garbage disposal."
Tony pursed his lips. "That was oddly specific and detailed," he noted.
"You're point being?"
Tony smiled up at the ceiling, settling in next to her. "I love our pillow talk."
"Oh please."
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‼️🎈hello everyone thank you so much for reading this chapter! 🙏 If you'd like to read the full novel "The Price of Legacy", you can find it on my Ko-fi page: ko-fi.com in the store section in PDF format. This fanfic will consist of 30 chapters .
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