So this one isn't as long. But it's cute and funny, I think, so yeah. Please enjoy! Also be forewarned - not all of these will be cute and fluffy. I don't think they're always a cute and fluffy couple. So there will be upcoming stories in which things are not happy, or do not end well. Please don't hate me. Just enjoy the feels.

Summary: Tony is bored. Pepper is dragged down to his level.

Immaturity (Wherein Tony Behaves Like a Child)

"Pepper…"

Pepper Potts suppressed a sigh at the whine in Tony's voice. As he walked into the room, she kept her focus on the mountain of papers she still had to sort through.

"Pepper." He repeated, taking the seat across from her. Why had she thought it would be such a good idea to have an officer at home? Something about getting more done? Worst idea ever. "Pepper. Pepper. Pepper. Pepper. Pepper. Pe-"

"Yes, Tony?" She glanced at him in irritation. Honestly, she deserved an award for her composure.

"I'm bored." The billionaire sighed dramatically. He ran a filthy hand through his already disheveled hair, and offered her a melodramatic frown. She found it was difficult to take him seriously with a streak of motor oil across his forehead. "Jarvis locked me out of the workshop. Something about sustenance… sleep… human interaction…"

"I'm busy, Tony." She brought her right hand to her temple. "What's Bruce doing?"

"Bruce is still allowed in his lab." He pouted. "Which isn't fair at all. He has to spend at least as much time as me working, why doesn't he get punished?"

"Because Bruce can take a break." She flipped through her papers to find the correct contract and began to read it over. "It's what normal people do. They tend to eat on these breaks. When was the last time you ate, Tony?"

"Don't know, don't care." He grabbed the contract out of her hands, smearing black oil on the white pages. "Pepper, I'm bored."

"And I am trying to run your company." She raised an eyebrow. "Have you talked to Steve?"

"He's at SHIELD." He frowned. "I can't go there. Do you want me to literally die of boredom?"

"I want you to leave me alone so I can work." She snatched the contract back with a sigh.

"You, Pep, are a workaholic."

Pepper stared at him incredulously. His expression was earnest as he blinked at her. "Did you really just say that?"

"If you're questioning that, you haven't had a break in far too long. Come play." He grinned.

"I haven't had a break? Tony, you spent nine and a half hours in the lab today. Without break." She shook her head.

"I did take a break." He said cheerfully, leaning back in the chair. "I played fetch with Dummy for at least half an hour."

"You played fetch with your robot." She deadpanned.

"I did. He's getting better, he brought back the right thing like forty-two percent of the time." Tony grinned. "Last week, it was more like twenty-seven. He's learning, Pep, I'm really almost proud, except that he's still entirely useless. You can totally tell I made him when I was seventeen, he doesn't do anything right, and what kind of stupid bot doesn't even follow its main protocol?"

"You're rambling."

"You're beautiful."

"And you're very sleep deprived."

"And your eyes are pretty."

"And you haven't eaten all day."

"And your hair is shiny."

"Tony."

"Pepper."

She suppressed the urge to either sigh or strangle him – around Tony, it was hard to tell the difference.

"I'm still bored. Entertain me, Pepper." He blinked at her in earnest.

"No."

"Don't you love me?"

"Yes, Tony. Very much." She tidied her papers and grabbed the next memo.

"If you loved me, you would entertain me."

"That's a phrase often used to pressure teenage girls into having sex." Pepper signed off on the memo and reached for the next.

"We could have sex. That counts as entertainment." He grinned wickedly.

"Tony, go eat something."

"Pepper, eating is boring. I'm not even hungry." He made a face. "Come play."

"You're not hungry because you've gone too long without eating." She rolled her eyes. "I have to finish this tonight, Tony, I'm so far behind and-"

"CEOs deserve breaks. Come take a break." He caught her hand as she reached for the next paper from the pile. "I promise to eat like a good boy if you come with me."

"You are incorrigible." She glared at him.

"You're so cute when you're mad."

She glanced at the ridiculous mountain of work. The same work that had been hanging over her head every day for the past two weeks. And she knew she was going to abandon it and spend her evening with Tony Stark.

Damn it to hell.

"Excellent." He read her expression and offered her a smug smile. She hated it that he always won.

How did he always win?

Grudgingly, she followed him out of the office and towards the kitchen. He paused before they walked in.

"Why're you still in your work clothes?" He raised an eyebrow.

"I was working." She crossed her arms. "You tend to wear work clothes while you're working."

"That is one of the many reasons work sucks." He decided with a faint grin. "Go change. I'll cook."

"No, Tony. You will not cook. I am not dealing with another kitchen fire." She shook her head.

"I do not always make kitchen fires." He frowned slightly at the accusation. "Sometimes, things come out undercooked. Honestly, Pepper, you have no faith in me."

"With good reason, Mr. Stark." She couldn't help but grin at him. However annoying he was – and Tony was very, very annoying – that petulant expression had a way of melting her heart. "Make a sandwich. I'll be back."

Ten minutes later, dressed in a comfortable pair of sweats and one of his T-shirts, Pepper returned to the kitchen to see Tony flicking potato chips at his modified blender, which was chirping in irritation. His sandwich lay nearly untouched on a plate at his elbow. He chuckled as a chip landed in the blender, causing the little machine to whir in irritation.

"Next time you ask why I treat you like a child, remember this." Pepper grinned at him.

"I'm not behaving like a child." He said guiltily. "I'm doing an experiment. For science."

"You've been banned from science for the evening. Back me up, Jarvis."

"Miss Potts is correct, sir." Jarvis intoned smugly. Tony hated it when his AIs acted smugly. "You are not to perform experiments until you have slept."

"I am donating you to a science fair. A dinky, second-rate, elementary school science fair." He crossed his arms in a pout. "And then I will build a better AI. That listens to me."

"Very good, sir."

"Pepper, I think I'm a masochist." Tony shot her a frustrated glance. "I build machines that make fun of me. This is a new level of codependency. Should I seek treatment?"

"The entire world would benefit if you got some therapy." Pepper grinned at the look of outrage on her boyfriend's face.

"That is entirely false, Pep, I can't believe-"

"Eat your sandwich, Tony." She interrupted him.

"I am." He insisted, grabbing the nearly untouched food to shove an inhumanly large bite in his mouth. "See?" The words were garbled by food.

"Yes, very good." She nodded encouragingly. He swallowed with some difficulty and narrowed his eyes at her.

"Are you patronizing me?"

"Me? Never."

"That was sarcasm! Verbal abuse!" He gasped.

"Tony-"

"I will not accept this treatment, Pepper!" He pointed at her. "You have to treat me with love and respect! Cosmo says so."

"… You're reading Cosmo now?"

"Natasha left an issue around the tower. Or was it Thor?" He paused. "Now that I think about it, it might've been Thor. I did tell him that Cosmo and Seventeen were the best examples of the female mind. He's trying to understand Jane, it's cute really."

"And you told him to read Cosmo? Have you met Jane?" She couldn't suppress the twitch of her lips into a smile.

"Yeah. I'm gonna try to get a video of the resulting interaction." He grinned. "For science, of course."

"Science isn't an excuse for everything, Tony."

"Yes it is."

"Why?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Because science." He rolled his eyes, as if the answer were obvious. "Honestly, it's so hard being a genius sometimes. No one else is on your level."

"If you're referring to your level of immaturity, you are entirely correct." Pepper grinned.

"I would hate you if I didn't love you." He paused. "Did that make sense? I think it made sense."

"It didn't." She replied. "When was the last time you slept?"

"Last night." Tony answered immediately.

"You last slept thirty-two hours and six minutes ago, sir." Jarvis interrupted.

"Huh. Well, the more you learn." He shrugged. "Okay, I might be a bit tired. A bit."

"You're going to die prematurely and I am going to have to arrange your funeral." She sighed. "And of all the things to kill you… Sleep deprivation?"

"My mortality is not a funny joke, Pepper." He frowned at her. "I'm on a team with people that are literally impossible to kill. How is it that I'm always the one that dies? It really isn't fair. It's Steve's turn."

"People don't take turns dying, Tony."

"Why not? It seems so much more fair."

"Finish your sandwich." He took another bite and made a face at her. She couldn't help but grin at him. Whatever his faults, he could always bring a smile to her lips.

That smile dropped from her face when he flung a potato chip at her.

"Tony…."

"What?" He shot her an innocent look.

"Don't throw your food."

"I didn't." He insisted.

"I watched you throw a potato chip at me."

"You're seeing things. You work too hard. It's giving you hallucinations." He paused. "And probably an ulcer. I don't want my girlfriend to have an ulcer. Take the weekend off. We can go to Venice."

"No."

"Last time you said no, Stark Expo was destroyed. It means you should stop saying no." He flung another chip at her.

"Stop it."

"I'm not doing anything." He insisted. This time, he tossed a piece of his crust at her.

"You do not want to go there, Mr. Stark." She grinned despite herself.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm locked out of the workshop, where else do I go?" He smirked and flicked another chip at her. "Honestly, Pepper, are we even having the same conversation?"

Pepper Potts was generally the epitome of composition and grace. She did not stoop to Tony's level, even when he was driving her up the wall. She was mature, she was professional, she was the responsible one in their relationship.

She had also been in far too many food fights as a child to take this lying down. Before she could reason with herself, she pulled open the fridge. Another chip flew, landing in her hair.

It. Was. On.

Before Tony could lease the rest of his crust (and possibly the rest of his sandwich – he was eyeing it with a bit too much curiosity), an egg splattered against his shoulder.

He stared at her, mouth agape.

She stared back, shocked at herself.

"Pep, these are my nice work clothes!" He whined, gesturing to the filthy Black Sabbath t-shirt and even dirtier jeans. "This means war!"

"No, it does no-"

Tony was already on his feet, throwing potato chips in quick succession as he pushed past her into the kitchen. He grabbed the half-empty bag of powdered sugar from Steve's earlier baking attempts (the verdict: surprisingly delicious) and threw a handful at her.

And, well, from there, Pepper couldn't be held responsible for her actions. She threw another egg at him, crowing in victory when it cracked on his chest.

"No fair! You have all the wet ingredients!" He whined as he threw handfuls of powdered sugar at her, attempting to maneuver past her to the fridge.

"All's fair in love and war, Stark." She smirked, throwing the last egg at him.

"That isn't true, or people wouldn't be charged with war crimes!" He charged at her, catching her below the waist to spin her out of the way. She snatched the bag of powdered sugar from his hand, dumping the entire bag over his head as she rummaged in the fridge. He grabbed the closest object – a container of orange juice – and jerked the lid off, dumping the entire carton on her head.

"T-Tony!" She shrieked.

"It matches your hair, Pep!"

She reached into the fridge behind him, grasping for something as he tried to push her away. She came away with a Tupperware of leftover spaghetti and a tub of cream cheese before he poured the milk over her as well. She jerked out of his grasp, and ducked behind the counter.

Tony shouldn't have been surprised when the first handful of spaghetti was launched over the counter, landing in his hair. Somehow, he was. It was quickly followed by several more, and he found himself wondering how angry Clint would be if he retaliated with the archer's leftover lo mein.

Another glob of noodles landed on his shoulder and he decided he didn't care. With a battle cry worthy of Thor, he launched himself around the corner to throw the Asian concoction at his girlfriend. She let out a noise that was between a shriek and a giggle, throwing her hands up. She was out of spaghetti, and the cream cheese was clearly useless in a food fight.

"Surrender, Miss Potts!" He said dramatically, another handful of noodles hanging threateningly in his right hand.

"…. The fuck?" Clint's voice interrupted them.

Both Tony and Pepper looked up to see Clint, Thor, and Natasha staring at them with expressions ranging from confusion to outright amusement.

"She started it." Tony dropped his ammo and offered them his most innocent expression. "I had to defend myself. Do you see the eggs? The spaghetti?"

"Is this some sort of Midgardian mating ritual?" Thor frowned. "The Cosmopolitan did not inform me of this. Does Jane expect such courtship?"

"Yes. She totally does." Tony informed him with a straight face.

"I... This was not intentional. You… You know how Tony is." Pepper flushed, though it was hard to see from the layer of food covering her face.

"Unfortunately, we do." Natasha seemed to be fighting a tiny grin.

"Right. I'm just… going to… clean up now."

"Shower time?" Tony perked up. "Let's take a shower Pep!"

"Tony. No."

"You are no fun." He pouted.

"I do not understand the mating ritual." Thor complained loudly. "Why would one waste food in such a manner?"

"Well, Thor-" Tony began.

"Upstairs. Now. Bedtime." Pepper grabbed his arm in frustration. "For future reference, Jarvis – don't lock Tony out of the workshop anymore. It's not worth it."