Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in this story, believe me-if I did-I'd be chilling in the Caymans right now and not writing fanfiction.

"So Potts, do the curtains match the drapes?" Tony asks, that smug smirk on his face as they sit across from each other in the library. He laughs when she throws a highlighter at him, the little yellow stick bouncing off his forehead to land flat in front of him, rolling on his empty notebook before coming to a stop. "I'll take that as a yes?"

"Take that as a 'you'll never find out,' Tony," she says smartly, giving him her best glare, which only seems to encourage him.

"Oh, so it's a no?" He leans forward on a closed fist, eyeing her suggestively. "What are you, then? Blonde? There's no shame in being blonde, you know, I have a thing for them, too, but-"

"You know what I have a thing for, Stark?" She asks, putting her pencil down. "Guys who can last five minutes without making some sexual innuendo or degrading remark."

"You're with Killian, of course you have a thing for guys who can only last five minutes," he quips, jumping slightly when she picks up her pencil and points it at him threateningly. "Too far?" He asks lightly, that innocent boyish grin making it impossible for her to stay angry with him.

"You went too far about ten minutes ago," she snaps, referring to the fact that-in the midst of an educated conversation about different economic theories-he'd asked her if she likes getting her hair pulled during sex.

Everything about the man-kid, really-was infuriating.

She'd met Tony Stark, the forever-hungover twenty year old genius who already had doubled majored at MIT by the time she entered a year early at seventeen, in their world economics class when Professor Grogan assigned them as partners for the year long project that would count as their final. Since then, between late night study sessions and what felt like a constant babysitting gig, she'd been dodging his come-ons and sly touches. And when he found out, about two weeks into their...acquaintanceship or whatever one would call the odd relationship they shared, that she was dating Aldrich Killian, everything was made only so much worse.

Killian and Stark were as close to nemeses as you could get in college; both entered on full rides way too young for their own good and both thought they were the most intelligent men to ever walk the earth. In fact, when Tony found out his freshman year that there was another fourteen year old kid who was taking the same Genius Kid Two Years To Get a Bachelors Program as him, he had double majored in mechanical engineering and biological sciences out of pure spite.

"It was a genuine question, Pepper," he says defensively. "I'm trying to see what you like."

"It is none of your concern what I like."

"You do, don't you?" He asks scandalously, a devilish grin appearing on his lips as he points a finger at her. "I knew it. You're too...put together to not have a kinky side. Gotta release all that tension somehow."

"What does-"

"And Killian? What's he like?"

"Why are you so obsessed with-"

"I just can't imagine being with a guy named Aldrich-I mean, moaning that name?"

"Well, the fact that you imagine being with a guy at all suggests to me your very public sex life is just out there to cover something up," she responds dryly, having long become numb to his dirty remarks about her and Killian.

"Oh please, Potts, give me a minute between those sexy legs of yours and you'll never doubt a single thing about me," he says, sounding so incredibly serious that she sits back in her chair a bit, not liking how close they were. They did that sometimes-a lot of times, actually-get so close that they were breathing the same air and ignoring all concepts of personal space.

"What a shame," she glances down at her watch with mock-disappointment, "I don't seem to have a minute to spare today."

"You will at some point," he says, sounding so sure of himself that she wants to slap him.

"Maybe the same day you do your share of the work in Grogan's class," she responds, leaning forward to pick her highlighter off his notebook, Tony grabbing her hand. "Let go of me."

"I like the view," he teases and she realizes that with her arm out, he can see right down her dark blouse. "Black lace? I always thought you were more of a...hotrod red type," he meets her eyes before glancing up, taking his time, showing absolutely no remorse at all in the fact that he's so blatantly checking her out. "Or does that clash with the hair?" Pepper doesn't even know where to begin with that; him looking down her top, judging her for her bra choice, telling her that he imagines her in different colored lingerie, and then asking if it all is chosen to match her hair-the man's impossible. "Oh my God, is that a hickey?" He asks with childlike glee, his other hand pulling the collar of her top out of the way, eyeing what is most definitely a bruise right above her breast.

"Tony-" she begins, pulling back from him, smacking his hand away.

"That looks new, was-that's why you were late today, huh?" He asks, his eyes dark as he looks at her. "Had to get a quickie in with Killian before you came here? Or-"

"If you don't stop talking right now," she threatens, "I will throw this book at you."

"Is that why you're so snippy? He didn't get you off?" His voice is low and he's looking at her too intensely-she has to look away.

"I'm snippy because you're a pig," she spits, closing her notebook, getting ready to go.

Tony looks at her with that handsome, arrogant grin, raising his shoulder in a shrug as he winks at her coyly. "Oink."

"I'm leaving," she says, standing with her books in her arms.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he says, hands up in surrender, finally seeming to get that he's really getting under her skin-and no longer in the playful, bantering way he often does. "No more mentions of Killian-or that hickey-I promise-really, I'll be good. Truce?" He offers his hand in a sign of peace and when she's actually dumb enough to take it, he pulls her forward so that they're close enough that she can see every shade of brown in his dark eyes. He inches closer and her heart pounds in her chest because it really seems like he's going to kiss her but at the last possible second, he turns slightly so that his lips land on her cheek instead. "Thanks, Pep."

She can't tell if she's relieved or disappointed.

"So, let's get back to the debate-Taiwan: is it independent or a part of China?" He asks as if nothing happened, letting go of her and sitting back in his chair nonchalantly. "I say they're independent; they don't pay taxes to China's communist government, they have their own government and economic system, and-"

"I agree with you, but you have to be prepared for the opposition's argument that China's constitution-"

"Our constitution said 'We the People' when it meant 'We the White, Land-Owning Men'-those documents are just…" he makes a flippant motion with his hand "ideals-symbols of a nation."

"That's a fallacy," she says, sitting down across from him. "You can't just redefine concepts and use misleading metaphors when someone presents you with a valid counterargument."

"Got me this far," he shrugs, playing with a pen he'd brought but not clicked once.

"There's-" she cuts herself off, not wanting to make another snarky remark to restart their entire argument "-that's irrelevant."

"No what's irrelevant is the fact that China's constitution somehow makes Taiwan a part of its country. It is a sovereign, self-governing, economically independent, autonomous nation that happens to have its relations very closely intertwined in China-that is all," he says, obviously frustrated. "If it walks and talks like a country, it's a country."

"Well if you apply that logic to everything-"

"I do apply logic to everything, Pepper-that's why I hate this damn class. Math and science, they're black and white, but the world is just...grey," he grins cheekily at her through his exasperation, adding, "And your hair is red."

"How poetic, Tony, really." She rolls her eyes with passion. "Now that we've established you're colorblind and my hair is red, get back to the issue; saying Taiwan is independent because you don't think the Chinese constitution is relevant is hardly an adequate-"

"Do you always talk like this?" He asks, making her stop, looking at him confused. "This-this 'hardly an adequate/now that we've established' eighteenth century poet bullshit-do you-" he laughs at something he's thinking of before, in a horrible high-pitched impersonation of her, begins, "Aldy, darling, are you well aware of the possible repercussions of engaging in coitus prior to obtaining a marriage license in-"

"Tony-" she points a finger at him "-one more remark about me or any of my relationships and I'm out of here."

"Yes ma'am," he mock salutes. "How's all this Taiwan stuff relevant to the paper, again?"

"Does a nation need to have a uniform economic system to be functional, Tony?" He gives her a blank look and she sighs, "In other words, is China a country that allows for some capitalism within its socialistic economic system, or is it and Taiwan two separate entities?"

"Two separate entities," he quotes, his lips barely quirking in a smirk. "It's a shame you're not going to be a lawyer, Potts."

"It's a shame I'm having to do this project with you, Stark," she responds flatly as she begins writing down notes about their main argument points for the essay.

"You're the one choosing to do all the work with me, we just have the final together-which I could easily knock out and pass the class with one week before it's due."

"Excuse me?" She says, voice rising in disbelief. "I think it was you who said you were failing first semester and wanted a partner for the midterm assignment."

"You could've said no."

"I'm not an asshole."

"Ooh, dirty word, Pep, I don't think I've ever heard you cuss before. How'd it feel? Bad? Exhilarating? The-"

"Shut up, Tony," she says, tempted to throw her pen at him again. "You-"

"Virginia!" She hears Aldrich's voice across the library and looks up in shock, not expecting to see him again today. "There you are, honey, I was looking all over the place for you."

"Well now that you, and anyone who has ears within a five mile radius, knows where she is, you can leave," Tony says sweetly, giving him a little wave.

"I'm sorry, isn't there a liquor bottle out there with your name on it, Stark?" Aldrich answers, now at their table, looking down at Pepper.

"Oh, you're funny," Tony hits his knee humorlessly. "Really, Potts, how can you stand being around someone so funny?"

"Would you two stop?" She glares at both of them, giving Tony an almost pleading please-behave look, before turning to Aldrich. "What do you-I thought you had plans tonight?"

"I did but…" he trails off, giving Tony a smug smirk as he takes Pepper's hand, "I changed them-I wanted to be with you instead."

"Listen, as much as I'm loving the Shakespeare, Killian, really-have you been studying literature? you should, a man with your lack of talents-we have a paper we need to write," Tony motions between him and Pepper. "So, hello, thanks for stopping by, but-"

"Ginny," Aldrich starts, giving her a look that seemed more fatherly than boyfriend like. "Come on, let's go."

"I-"

"Paper. Due date. Work," Tony says, giving her an odd look as he watches her with her boyfriend. For as much as he teased and tormented her about Killian, he didn't often see them together up close and personal.

"Boyfriend. Dinner. Date," Aldrich mocks Tony's tone and Pepper watches as both size each other up, weighs her options quickly, and decides to get out of there-Tony could always go find something, or someone, to do, but she's stuck with Killian.

"Okay, I'm coming," she smiles at Aldrich, who gives Tony the most unbelievably triumphant look. "Don't even look at each other, guys, it's embarrassing."

"Eyes are on you, baby, don't worry," Aldrich assures with a flirty wink, his hand finding the small of her back as she gets up from the table, giving Tony a "goodbye" and a pat on the shoulder, her manicured fingers lingering for a second on his soft shirt.

Killian picks her books up for her and as they walk out, she glances back at Tony, her heart panging at the sight of him sitting by himself.

If she didn't already know that Tony Stark was incapable of feeling any emotions other than arrogance and lust, she might've said he looked lonely-or even sad-lounging back in his chair, all alone at their table in the large, dim library.

Disclaimer 2: I don't know anything too extensive about China and Taiwan or world economics, I just needed a semi-mature topic that could be debated in a college class and that was the one I felt like I could cover with the least amount of research