If I made YouTube videos too, I would so do one for Tony and Pepper to 'Waiting Outside The Lines' by Greyson Chance. Just a random thought I felt I'd share.

Pepper was having trouble.

It wasn't that she was inexperienced. She had been down this road many times. Nothing attached and just fun. Pepper knew where everything went and how it all was supposed to go. It was just that her latest play thing, Joe, was an interesting character. He liked to experiment and try new things and Pepper didn't know how to go about it. She had tried all her stuff, all her tricks, but he wanted weirder. She had tried, but Joseph was still not happy. In the end Pepper had to tell him no because she thought she was being strange and exciting enough already. If she wasn't careful she was going to get hurt. But he was satisfying her for the while so she didn't want him to get bored.

She knew what she had to do.

She didn't want to. She didn't think anyone would want to be in her situation, but she needed to come up with something. And Tony was the only 'something' she could think of. He had been with so many girls, he must have at least some useful knowledge to pass along. He was a man, therefore he knew what men wanted. It shouldn't have been that hard. But Joe was great looking, and Pepper didn't feel their relationship had quite run its course yet.

She didn't want to talk to Tony really. Pepper had tried alternative people. Her sister had gone all weird when Pepper had started to mention it. Saying she found it creepy enough when he friends wanted to talk about sex let alone her sister. So Pepper looked for someone else, but she didn't really have that much faith in Happy's advice. Bless him. And Rhodey would just tell Tony anyway, so her thinking led her to believe she might as well ask the pro.

They had just got back from the office. Tony was a little grumpy the first few hours of that morning because Pepper made him go to the meeting. He had no excuse as Iron Man hadn't been called for any missions recently. But he seemed to perk up when Steve gave him a new invention to fiddle with so he was genuinely cheery and not at all sarcastic. Pepper thought if any, now was the time to jump in with her query. Tony was briskly striding towards the shop, throwing his suit jacket off as he walked, but before he ran off downstairs she called after him.

"Tony I need help." that sort of comment would have made Tony stop whatever mood he was in, especially if it was Pepper who needed him. He whipped back around and looked expectedly at Pepper.

"What with?" Tony dug his hands into his pockets, holding his breath expecting something bad. Pepper never usually needed his help. She needed him to cooperate and do something for the company. But never something for her personally, so Tony wasn't exactly expecting a request to sign a form.

"Well, err," Pepper took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Preparing herself for the jokes. "There's this guy Joe who likes me to do weird sex stuff, but he says i'm not doing weird enough so I just need to keep him interested so he doesn't leave."

She said it all in one quick go, hoping it would mean he missed what she said and just forget about it. Pepper bit down on her lip and opened one eye slowly. Tony had one eyebrow raised and a small smile gracing his lips, at least he wasn't rolling with laughter, that was a start. "Right, you said that all a bit quickly, but what I got from it was that some creepy guy likes you to do strange sex things to him, but you just don't want him to get bored?"

Pepper breathed in slowly and nodded her head, "Pretty much."

Tony nodded slowly himself and took a few steps closer. "Bored."

Pepper nodded again.

"Of you?"

"Yes Tony," Pepper fidgeted and sighed.

Tony took a few more steps closer to her. "Well who would ever get bored of you?"

Pepper had been embarrassed enough. She didn't know how to tell Tony she was serious without him taking the piss. Either he already was or he was being genuinely sweet and flirty. Pepper shuffled her feet, "Without making you any vainer, you've had a lot of experience and I would like to find a way to keep this guy interested."

To Tony, it seemed Pepper was touchy about asking him and went to him for honest help so he didn't think joking about it would be the best idea. He leant up to unconsciously pull at his ear lobe, "Pepper if i'm honest there's nothing a guy especially wants. They know women aren't up for other stuff so you're a saint for doing-" he grimaced at the thought of Pepper with another guy. "-whatever you have done already. But with me, personally, I just like to know the girls hot for me."

Pepper rolled her eyes and Tony laughed whilst clasping his hands together. "I know it sounds really shallow, and I get that might be a turn off hearing it, but if the girl isn't into it, then what's the point? A guy needs to feel some passion."

Pepper's eyes travelled up and down Tony's figure whilst biting the inside of her mouth. She didn't know she was doing that, but it's just something she did when she was thinking. Her eyes wondered. The biting of her mouth was simply control of herself from the delectable man standing in front of her telling her he wanted passion. "Passion?"

"Yeah, well I know it helps me get in the mood." Tony replied straight faced.

"Right," Pepper elongated and thought. "And how exactly do I show i'm passionate?"

Tony faltered for a moment. He wasn't sure if Pepper was having him on. Was there even another guy? Pepper was sounding undeniably flirtatious and Tony wondered if this was her way of getting inside information on what he liked. Or maybe that was just Tony wishfully thinking, but Pepper didn't seem to backing down. He composed himself and decided to take it seriously still, in fear of pissing Pepper off.

"Well, if I can," he stood with his hands reached out towards her. Pepper looked at him questionably for a moment. She wasn't sure what he was up to, but nodded to him innocently. Tony instinctively pulled Pepper's body to his with his hands on her hips. He studied what he was doing and tried to concentrate on giving her advice instead the shot of thrill that ran through him. He lifted her arms up gently and urged her to rest her hands on his shoulders. "I know the girl wants me if she can't let go of me."

"If she can't let go of you?" Pepper took Tony's actions in her stride and moved her hands so they were around his neck. Although the proximity was doing funny things to her. A heavy sensation made itself known in the bottom of her stomach. "How exactly would that show passion?"

"Like I said, I know the girl wants me," Tony looked her dead in the eye. "That's passion in itself. I've always felt passionate towards the women i've been attracted too. Especially the ones I let get close."

Way to make the situation awkward.

Pepper cleared her throat. "Okay, so my hands are around your neck, that enough passion for you?"

Tony shrugged, and in the process put his arms around her waist to rest his hands on her lower back. He was being hesitant in his moves because he didn't want to scare her off. "Well you get what I mean right? You need to not stop touching him, run your hands all over him. Act like you can't get enough of him. He'll be way too distracted by the sudden interest and too caught up in it to bother with any of that weird crap."

Pepper nodded. She felt like she was being taught in school again. Although Tony's lessons were showing to be a lot more exciting than her ones in her old high school. Run her hands all over him? If she must. Wait. Pepper's hands had started wandering on their own accord and had started to slowly run down his chest. Pepper's eyes bulged, her heart jumped, she had to act natural. Like she was just testing his theory. She had to give him credit for his advice. Tony was holding his breath and his eyes were trained on where her hands rested on his belt buckle.

"Okay," Pepper's voice was croaky. "I'll give you that. Don't stop touching him."

Tony nodded slightly. He wasn't really moving much at all anymore. Pepper saw him take a deep swallow as his Adam's apple bounced. Tony shifted from one foot to the other before he felt he could talk again. "It will also help if he knows he's in control. Not in a forceful way, but if he makes you nervous he'll feel like a God." Tony smiled weakly, trying to joke.

"Men don't usually make me nervous," it was Pepper's turn to take a deep swallow this time. Her eyes trained on his. "Not Joe anyway."

Subtle Pepper.

Tony saw straight through her double meaning. "But if he thinks he does. He'll feel powerful. He won't feel like he needs to spice anything up anymore. Not if he knows he's already got you."

Pepper got what Tony was saying. She could understand, but the thing that was stopping her was because these were all Tony's opinions. Joe was obviously not the average guy when it came to sex. But she was feeling nervous. It was Tony Stark, the guy she had been flirting with for eight years now and she was wrapped up in him.

"What would be a sign that i'm nervous if I had to pretend?" Pepper's voice wavered as she felt Tony's hand circle her waist and slide down to rest on her hip. His grip was strong, evidently to keep her where she was. And his breaths had become a lot deeper.

"There's no obvious way of telling, but she'll probably be breathing heavily." Tony gave her a pointed look as he said that making Pepper immediately suck in her breath. She was giving him everything he was saying, making it obvious his tips were working.

"And her voice will be shaky," Tony said ironically. Pepper making a mental note to sound more assertive when she spoke from now on. "Giving me the impression I make her anxious."

Pepper nodded slightly, her breaths getting heavier again unconsciously. She had seemed to miss the moment when Tony moved his head closer still so their foreheads were practically touching. Meaning their lips were mere inches from each other. One of Pepper's hands on his bicep while the one was cupping his neck again.

"Is that it?" Pepper asked after a moment's silence.

"That's all I got." Tony answered in a hushed voice. "Reckon you could distract him enough?"

"Hopefully," Pepper slid both her hands down Tony's arms. Ending at his hands on her hips and holding them. Tony in turn linked his hands with Peppers and looked at her intensely. "I'll try them on Joe."

Pepper gave him a look as if to say back off, because she knew she wouldn't be able to bring herself to do it. Not that she wanted to, but she didn't need any of the hassle right now. She had to write up a report from the meeting they'd just been to and- well she didn't really have an excuse, but she was using all of her willpower to not lean in.

"Thanks Tony."

He let out a long breath before nodding, "No problem."

And with that, Pepper left.

Sorry for the lack of content, i've had this story saved forever and couldn't think of any more. Let me know. Love you're trusty ficitonetter AnnaTW.