This is one of the fics I posted for the 3rd Challenge, the Valentine's Day Challenge at it's_always_been over at LiveJournal. I'm pretty happy with this one. :)

Tony Stark is not my boyfriend. I have never discovered a new element in my basement. I did not build a high-tech suit out in a cave with a box of scraps. Basically, I don't own Iron Man.

No One Else

She awakens slowly, enjoying the way the soft cotton sheets feel against her fair skin. She doesn't want to get out of bed yet, so she rolls over, snuggling closer to the other side of the bed, the side that Tony normally occupies.

By this time, Jarvis has already noticed the change in her breathing and heart rate. Sunlight pours in as the windows are lightened, and he calls out in greeting. "Good morning, Miss Potts. It is currently 7:06 a.m. on February 14th, 2011. The temperature in Malibu is–"

"Shush, Jarvis," Pepper whispers anxiously. "You'll wake Tony." She rolls over, checking to see if he has stirred at the noise, and sees nothing. He's not there.

"Miss Potts, I regret to inform you that Mr. Stark is currently on a mission for SHIELD. He received a call from Director Fury early this morning and left soon afterwards."

She covers her face with her hands and sighs. "Fury called him with a mission? On Valentine's Day?"

"Unfortunately, yes. Director Fury did not seem to be concerned that today is, as humans call it, 'Valentine's Day'. But I assure you that Mr. Stark attempted very cunningly to evade his assignment." Despite it all, Pepper smiles. Tony can be very charismatic and persuasive when he wants to be. Goodness knows how many times he has turned his charm on her. And nearly every time he does, she gives in to him.

It's their first official Valentine's Day as a couple, and Pepper has been looking forward to it for a while now. Knowing Tony, he had probably planned something elegant and sweet, like a walk on the beach, or a self-composed song played on his old acoustic guitar, or a picnic under the stars followed by a midnight swim. He never fails to surprise her with his thoughtfulness or creativity. Pepper is a bit of a romantic, and, as it turns out, so is Tony. He always knows just what to do to make her practically squeal in delight.

But now, those plans are put on hold for Iron Man.

Pepper recognizes that it was Iron Man that changed Tony into the man she loves, but she wishes that he wasn't always called away on missions. It always seems that at the worst possible time, duty calls and Tony has to fly off into some huge catastrophe or battle.

It's rough being the girlfriend of a superhero. Both of them sacrifice a lot to be with each other, but it's more than worth it. Tony makes her feel different, unlike anything she's ever felt before. It must be the way he looks at her when his carefully constructed façade is torn away, and his big brown eyes are so deep and vulnerable. There, in their depths, Pepper sees everything she has ever wanted from another person.

Sometimes she wonders how in the world she did it, how she got Tony Stark to fall in love with her. After all those years of polygamy, it had seemed that Tony never would have settled down, much less with his assistant. Yet here they are, nearly 8 months into their relationship, and there's no doubt that what they feel for each other is genuine and immeasurable.

Pepper spends most of the day sitting on the couch, watching romantic movies, a pint of Häagen-Dazs clutched between her petite hands. She is upset that Tony is away, even if he doesn't have a choice in the matter. Pepper knows that he would rather be here, with her. It's not his fault and she knows that, but she is still disappointed. Disappointed that Nick Fury had to call Tony with a mission today, of all days. And now, he won't be here on Valentine's Day.

Around one, a ping comes through onto the glass touch-table next to her, informing her of a visitor at the gate. "Jarvis," she calls, "Who is it?"

"I'm sorry, Miss Potts, but Mr. Stark has informed me to withhold this information."

She raises an eyebrow. What could he be up to now? She is suspicious, but plays along with his silly game. "Let them in the gate, then." She spoons a few more mouthfuls of ice cream into her mouth, savoring the rich chocolate. When the doorbell rings, she rises from the couch and makes her way to the front door, brushing her strawberry blond hair from her face.

Pepper opens the door to find a man dressed gaudily in a bright uniform, a huge bouquet of flowers cradled in his arms. He smiles at her, tilting his head a bit. "Are you Virginia Potts?" When she returns the smile and nods, he gently hands her the flowers. Two dozen roses, each the deepest hue of red and pristinely beautiful, are held together by red and gold satin ribbons, the colors reminiscent of Tony's armor. Pepper's grin widens, her body filling with warmth.

Even though she knows the roses are from Tony, she asks anyway. "Who are they from?"

The man's eyes widen. "The order said 'Iron Man'."

Pepper begins to chuckle, the tremors shaking her small frame as she thanks the delivery man and closes the door. How characteristically Tony.

Moving into the kitchen, she retrieves a vase, the crystal one that belonged to Tony's mother, fills it with water, and deposits the flowers into it. Her Blackberry is sitting on the counter; she grabs it, presses a few buttons, then holds the phone to her ear. After a few seconds, she hears the deep voice she is so familiar with, the voice that never fails to send small shivers of desire through her body.

"Hey, Pep." He sounds a little breathless, but his tone is light and playful.

She smiles. "Hello, Tony," she pauses for a minute. "Iron Man sent me some flowers today."

"Oh, did he? Looks like I have some serious competition. I'd better step up my game." She can practically hear him smiling through the phone.

She laughs, then lowers her voice a bit, now serious. "You have no competition, Tony. You know that."

There's a bit of static in the line, and the connection crackles a bit as he responds. "I love you, Pepper." There's a loud thump in the background, followed by a low grunt. "Pep, I've gotta go. I'm sorry. By the way things are going here, I probably won't be home until tomorrow."

Pepper closes her eyes and rests her forehead onto her palm. "It's fine, Tony. Please, just be safe. I want you home in one piece."

"I'll be fine. Don't you worry about m–" And then, in a fit of static, the connection is lost. Pepper tosses her Blackberry back onto the granite counter and returns to her ice cream on the couch, a melancholy sentiment dominating her thoughts. A few tears roll down her face and she quickly brushes them away with the back of her hand. When did she become so selfish? It's not Tony's fault that he can't be with her on Valentine's Day. She should be proud of him, out there risking his life to save strangers.

Around 11 p.m., she falls asleep on the small couch in Tony's workshop. It's here that she always waits for him to arrive home. No matter how many times Tony lectures and begs her to sleep in their bed while he's gone, she still prefers sleeping on the couch. It just doesn't seem right, sleeping in the big bed without him. When he's gone, the entire house seems empty.

Tony always teases her, says that if a train went crashing through the house, she would sleep right through it. Most would assume that Tony would be the heavy sleeper, but it's the other way around. So naturally, Pepper doesn't awake when he enters, metal boots clanging against the concrete. She's still asleep as he steps onto the platform and the bots begin to strip him of the armor.

She finally stirs when Tony kneels beside her on the couch, taking her hand into his and gently rubbing small circles on her palm. Pepper opens her eyes to see him there, brown eyes wide and exhausted, hair matted and wild. He has unzipped the undersuit to his waist and for a second, her eyes are drawn to his muscled chest, noticing how the arc reactor rests there comfortably, how the blue light outlines his jaw. She reaches a hand up to trace the hard line of it.

"I thought you weren't going to be home until tomorrow."

He smiles in the darkness. "We finished early. I even had time to make a special stop." Tony reaches behind him for a second, and turns back to Pepper with a box in his hand, a silver insignia etched onto the brown packaging. Pepper thinks that the dark color matches his eyes perfectly. She takes the box from his outstretched hand and opens it, gazing at the little chocolates it contains. She looks up at him and smiles as he continues. "Thank goodness for the time difference, otherwise all the shops would have been closed for the night. There's this little place in Brussels that makes the best dark chocolate." He brushes her hair back from her face and leans close to whisper in her ear. "Belgium is beautiful this time of year. We should go sometime."

Pepper shudders a bit and takes advantage of his close proximity to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him forward onto her. His weight is heavy on top of her and he is grimy from hours in the suit, but she doesn't care. Right now, she just needs to be close to him.

His lips are at her neck, gentle and sweet. She draws him closer, straining her neck to allow him better access. One of his hands is wound through her hair and the other on her back, drawing intricate patterns as he explores her, studies how she works. It used to bother her, how he would look at her like one of his machines, but that was Tony. She knows that he loves her, in his own strange way.

She makes a satisfied humming noise deep in her throat and pulls his face up to look at her. "I love you." she whispers. And then she captures his lips with hers, pouring all of her love and affection into him through the simple contact.

The kiss is long and powerful and when they finally pull away, both are panting for breath. Tony rests his forehead against hers, their noses touching slightly. "Happy Valentine's Day, Pepper." He pauses for a minute, his eyes burning with intensity. "My Pepper." He reaches up to rest his hand on her cheek. His fingers are rough against her fair skin, but she doesn't mind.

Pepper smiles and nods, leaning into his touch. "Your Pepper." She agrees.

As I participate in more of the challenges, I will be posting the fics in here.

Anyway, read and review, if you liked it. :)