Inspiration for this fan fiction came when I was watching the film Iron Man, and when Pepper says to Tony "you couldn't even tie your shoelaces without me." It made me wonder what would happen if Pepper wasn't there to help him with the little tasks in life…

HOME ALONE

It was 7am. The glossy, modern mansion was gloomy inside because the sun had only just begun to rise. It appeared as a blazing red line on the horizon, a smudge of intense light that steadily burned brighter, chasing away the grey of pre-dawn. The dark waves of the warm, Californian sea sighed and moaned as it pounded away at the cliff where the huge, sprawling mansion crouched precariously.

Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, billionaire, genius, play-boy and superhero, yawned as he entered the luxury lounge. He rubbed the sleep from his tired eyes and ran a hand through his dark, tousled hair. His footsteps echoed off the pure white walls, his bare feet slapping against the cool floor. The only light inside came from the glowing devices in the walls and the soft, pale blue sheen cast from the arc reactor on his muscular chest.

"Good morning, sir" came the articulate voice of JARVIS, the mansion's AI.

"Morning, Jarvis," Tony replied. He stood and gazed out at the sunrise for a while, the floor to ceiling window giving him a panoramic view. He stretched, then winced as he felt pain along the side of his torso. He looked down and saw the dark purple bruises along his ribs he received yesterday. Being a superhero was hard work.

He frowned, noticing something. Something that wasn't there to be noticed.

It was quiet. Eerily so. Tony tensed, expecting someone to leap out of the shadows.

"Are you alright, sir?" asked JARVIS, the tiniest hint of concern in his robotic voice.

Tony didn't answer.

Something was wrong.

Something was missing.

"Pepper!" he called out. The sound reverberated off the walls, heard by no one. He felt panic in his veins, and frantically began searching the house for his assistant.

Pepper Potts was usually here for 6am, ready to go about her daily duties. There was a possibility she had slept in, but that didn't sound like Pepper. Maybe she had been hurt last night, but he would have been informed about it.

He was just about to go to the basement when JARVIS cleared his throat to get Tony's attention, even though he had no throat to clear.

"Sir, I think you are missing one crucial issue about the whereabouts of your assistant."

"And that is?" said Stark impatiently and distractedly.

"She is on vacation."

Tony froze, silent. Then he chuckled, which eventually developed into laughter so bad that tears leaked form his eyes.

How could he be so stupid?! He must be losing his wits. Earlier that week, he had invited Pepper down to his basement and they had talked for a while, surrounded by mind-baffling technology and pieces of his alias's suit.

"What do you want, Tony?" his ginger-haired, glamorous assistant had asked.

"I want you to go on vacation" he answered, leaning back in his chair, feet on the cluttered desk.

"I'm sorry, what?" she said with a slight frown.

"I want you to go on vacation" he repeated, this time slower.

"Why?"

"You deserve one," he replied with a small shrug. "After all that's been going on, you're bound to be as stressed as I am. Besides, these past few months, you've always been there for me, and I think you need some time to yourself."

"Really?" said Pepper softly, her admiration for her boss swelling in her heart. Then she frowned. "You're not just doing this to get me out of the way, are you?"

"Excuse me?" he said, eyebrow raised.

"I think the real reason you want me to go is so you can have the place to yourself," she said, folding her arms. "You're probably doing something secretive, or having a party or… I don't know but that would make more sense."

"No no no," Tony said, getting up from the chair. "I'm being serious here." He smiled at her, and Pepper's heart rate increased. "Choose a place. I'll get Hogan to drive you to the airport. Go on, have fun."

Pepper smiled. "Are you sure you're being serious? Honestly?"

"Cross my heart" he replied sketching an X over his arc reactor.

"Thank you, Mr Stark" said Pepper, turning to go out of the room.

"You're welcome, Miss Potts" he said, eyeing her intently as she left.

That was two days ago. Yesterday he hadn't even been here, so this was the first time he had been here alone.

Alone.

He was not usually accustomed to that word. There was nearly always someone here; Pepper, Happy Hogan, Rhodey, colleagues from work, the occasional girl he'd picked up from somewhere. Now it was just him and JARVIS.

Where to begin? He stood there for a while, thinking.

"Coffee," he murmured. Yes, that would wake him up.

He walked into the kitchen, lights turning on automatically at his appearance. This room was as sleek and opulent as all the other rooms in the mansion, as well as enormous and extremely expensive to furbish. He walked over to the cupboards, searching for the coffee jar. Then, he went to the kettle, knowing he to use it for something. For all of his intelligence in the most high-tech machinery, a simple appliance like a kettle was alien to him. When was the last time he used one?

He poured cold water into the kettle, plugged it in and waited for it to heat up. He took out a spoon and unscrewed the coffee jar.

He paused. How much did he need? He didn't like it too strong, so he though it best not to add too much. He put a few spoonfuls of it into the mug just as the kettle gurgled and spewed steam.

Pouring the hot water into the mug, he pondered on what else he needed.

"Sugar" he said to himself. He took out some sugar from the cupboards and added some of that, stirring it slightly.

His fingers touched the edge of the mug, the boiling water also heating up the china cup. The heat seared his finger tips, and he yelped and withdrew his finger. He frowned. This was harder and more painful than he first anticipated.

"What's next?" he said, looking into the dark depths of the coffee. "Ah, milk!"

He strode over to the huge, metallic fridge, a cold breeze caressing his face when he opened the doors. He took out a carton of milk, and opened it, giving it a tentative sniff. He recoiled as the disgusting smell tickled his nostrils.

He dumped it in the bin, hoping there was more milk. There was another carton, but the results were the same as before. Now what?

"I suppose I'll have to do without it" he sighed.

He sipped the coffee, and wrinkled his nose at the taste. No where as good as Pepper's, but it was a start. He didn't need her!

"Yeah," he said to himself, smugly.

His stomach groaned. Food, that was the next step. He braced himself, ready to make breakfast.

After about two hours, Tony finally managed to make a decent meal. Several times, he had actually considered calling Pepper and asking her for tips. But that would have ruined her vacation, and make him look like a total idiot. He asked some assistance from JARVIS, but there was no luck with that.

"Any help, JARVIS?" he asked when he was unsure about the settings on the oven.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you did not build me with the knowledge of operating household appliances." Tony thought he could sense that the AI held back a snigger. "Besides, I am not sure that I would want to intervene."

"And why's that?"

"Because, sir, you are amusing to watch."

Tony was stunned by the answer. He could have sworn that Jarvis was growing more human emotions every day.

In the end, Tony had settled for plain old cereal, but not with any milk, of course. As he munched on the cereal next to his abandoned, self-brewed coffee, he looked around the kitchen. Practically all the cutlery had been used, as were the saucepans. There were stains on the kitchen surfaces and a blackened hole in the tea towel which he had accidently set fire to. Most interesting of all were the squashed pancakes stuck to the ceiling, a few slowly peeling off like old plasters.

He now realised how difficult an ordinary life was. When Pepper got back, he would cut her some slack. Right now, he had to plan how he would survive the rest of the week. Pizza delivery was his main food option, maybe throw in a couple of cheeseburgers.

As he set about trying to tidy up the mess he'd caused, he promised himself not to tell anyone about this. Especially Pepper. She'd never let him forget this.