Take Three Steps

Tony had never technically kissed Pepper; sure a friendly peck on the cheek at parties or a motherly smooch was occasionally placed on his forehead, but a full on ravishing kiss on the lips had never happened, and with his luck it probably never would. The constant years of shameless flirting had become nothing but a part of their daily routine while she constantly circled him around the workshop. His heart skipped a beat each and every time his music got shut off, anxiously awaiting the glorious sound of her clacking heels as she greeted him with a fresh cup of coffee and a impossibly huge stack of papers that needed signing.

But this was New Years Eve damnit; and Tony was going to do everything in his power to get the kiss he had wanted; no, needed, for a very long time now.

"Come on Pep," Tony pleaded as she stood arms crossed and tapping her foot before him, waiting for him finish scribbling his name for what had to be the thousandth time in the last hour.

"No," Pepper said firmly.

"Is one night out really going to kill you Potts?"

"If it's a night out with you, more than likely," she replied flatly, pointing to a blank line in the middle of the current sheet of paper. "Missed one."

"There is nothing dangerous about sparklers and a few drinks," Tony smirked.

"Sparklers are for children Tony."

"What's your point? It'll be fun Pepper; everyone needs to have a little fun once in a while." Tony clicked the pen closed and placed it down upon the defeated mountain of business mumbo jumbo. "Besides," he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I'd hate to bring in the New Year alone," he murmured with a slight amount sadness lurking in his deep brown eyes.

Peppers look softened; he knew he had her then, he had been gifted with those amazingly expressive eyes and he knew how to use them.

"All right Tony," Pepper said softly turning to leave. "But as soon as that clock strikes twelve we're gone, you have a meeting at eight in the morning that you are not going to reschedule. Understand?"

"We'll see about that," Tony said under his breath.

"What did you say?" Pepper asked glaring at him over her shoulder.

"I'll show up, sharp as a tack!" Tony replied with a wink.

Step one complete he thought to himself, beaming with pride.

As soon as Pepper left Tony spent the remaining hours preparing himself for the evening to come. He had told her to be back at the house by eight and assured her he would be ready to go. Of course he hadn't really planned on going anywhere; he wanted Pepper all to himself.

Was that selfish?

Maybe, but he didn't give a damn, he'd been waiting over ten years for a night like this and he wasn't about to share it with a bunch of strangers at some sort of party.

After taking his time perfecting his hair, casually dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, he stood satisfied in front of the mirror for a moment or two before he heard the door open, smiling as the wonderful sound of clacking rang out and traveled up the stairwell.

"Tony?" Pepper's voice called, he could listen to her call his name for all eternity, and he would do just that if she let him.

"Be right down Pep!" he answered, slipping on a pair of sneakers, resisting the urge to take the stairs two at a time.

She looked amazing, which was no surprise, Pepper could have shown up in her damned pajamas and he still would have found her out of control gorgeous. Her little black dress tied behind the neck with a very appealing plunging neckline and a slightly ruffled bottom that stopped just above her knees. Her copper waves tumbled down her elegant bare back and she stood on those famous Pepper Potts heels.

She greeted him with a shy smile, tucking her lower lip behind her teeth.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself," Tony replied, gently taking her hand in his and placing a kiss to her knuckles. "You look great Pepper."

"Thank you Tony." Pepper looked him up and down, arching an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to be ready?"

"I am ready," Tony smiled.

"You don't look ready."

"I figured we'd stay in, no need to ruin Happy's New Years by making him drive through traffic half the night."

Tony led her out onto the balcony, where he had already set up a small table and chairs complete with a single rose in a vase in the center.

"Does this mean you cooked?" Pepper asked in disbelief.

"Indeed it does. My mother made sure I knew how to cook at least one thing to impress a girl," Tony chuckled, revealing two serving trays prepared with surprisingly appetizing looking chicken parmesan beneath the dome.

"Are you trying to impress me Mr. Stark?" Pepper asked with a spark behind her stunning blue eyes.

"Is it working Ms. Potts?" Tony countered, leaning in dangerously close to her perfect pair of lips.

"A girl never tells," Pepper whispered, smiling playfully.

Step two complete.

Tony took her hand as they strolled along the beach, the pair of them now shoeless leaving her just a few inches shorter than him; perfect height for his planned kiss. She laughed when he pulled out the box of sparklers and proceeded to light the ends of the sticks.

"Why am I not surprised?" Pepper giggled as the red and gold sparks fell around them. They twirled, spun, and waved the wands as if they were both ten years old again, laughing until it they were out of breath and eventually tumbling to the sandy floor into each others arms.

As they sat on the beach sipping from their glasses, Pepper leaned into Tony's side and he was quick to snake an arm around her small waist.

"I guess I did need some fun tonight. Thank you, Tony."

"The night's not over yet Pep," Tony said quietly, taking a moment to check his watch. "Look," he smiled, nodding his head towards the sky. Pepper watched in awe as the fireworks lit up the night sky in an impressive array of colors. Each one bigger than the next and perfectly placed above them at just the right height, ending with countless noise makers and fountains expanding from the barge that sat in the ocean. Pepper smiled as the wind caused a few of the ashes to fall and land in both of their laps. Pepper caught one in her hand and rubbed it with her finger tip before sitting up on her knees and placing a dark streak on Tony's nose.

"Happy New Year Tony," she whispered, letting her hands rest on his shoulders.

This was it; Tony sucked it up, took a breath and bravely cradled her back. Pepper's breath hitched as his skin made contact with hers. He watched as her eyes widened and changed to a darker shade of blue, her lips parted slightly and her breath quickened. Slowly, Tony lowered his lips down onto hers, expecting her to pull back, but was instead quickly rewarded by Pepper's hands sliding around his neck and pulling him further into her as she opened up her mouth to him.

"Happy New Year Pepper," he murmured against her skin, moving again to claim her lips with his own.

Step three complete.