Pepper X Tony Proposal Headcanon

pepper x tony proposal headcanon

Tony doesn’t propose at the end of Homecoming

Because Pepper won’t let him

And it feels too invasive anyway

He’s messed up with her too many times, he has to get this right

But he ends up getting in his own head

Because if he screws this up she might leave again, for good

And he can’t live without her

In the end, Pepper is the one who proposes

It happens in a fancy restaurant

It happens on the balcony at the compound

She comes up behind him, resting her head against his shoulder

And Tony’s looking out into the distance

But Pepper is only looking at him

And she muses into his ear

“So, are you going to marry me or what?”

Tony has to laugh, because he’s been planning the perfect proposal for weeks

It’s been consuming him, eating into his sleep

In reality, nine little words on a balcony in upstate New York were all he ever needed

He’s not sure if she’s being serious at first, though

“Are you sure about this? Because I’ve got baggage, and a side gig that drives me crazy, and a best friend who isn’t going anywhere, and there’s that kid who won’t seem to leave me alone and… are you sure you want to cash all your chips in?”

Now Pepper is the one laughing

“I’m pretty sure I cashed my chips in ten years ago.”

And in a split second, the gravity of everything sets in

“We’re really going to do this, huh? God, there’s so much to do. Rhodey will kill me if he’s not my best man, of course, but that’s fine because I’m sure Happy will be more than content with terrorizing any potential wedding crashers. I’ll make Pete do the flower thing, because he’d lose those rings the second I made him a ring bearer–,”

Pepper puts a hand over his mouth

Pepper effectively shuts him up by stopping his mouth with her own

When she pulls away, he’s beaming at her

Even after all these years, she’s still not completely used to the intensity behind his gaze

Because some people wear their heart on their sleeve, but his has always been just past his eyes

“You’re a hopeless romantic, you know. A balcony, really? Don’t think I didn’t catch that reference.”

She wraps her arms around him, and his stubble on his chin bristles against her neck

“I barely even remember that night.”

Even though he can’t see her face, he knows she’s blushing

“You don’t remember almost kissing me on that balcony? And then trying to drink away the tension with a vodka martini, extra dry, extra olives? That ridiculous black dress with no back will be seared into my memory forever.”

Pepper doesn’t say anything for a second

And then, softly:

“My dress was blue.”

He moves back to look in her eyes, and the corner of his mouth tugs into a smile

“I know. I just needed you to admit that you are disgustingly sentimental.”

Pepper moves to smack him, but he catches her hand and holds it against him

His chest rises, stretching against the scar where his arc reactor used to rest

The thing that proved he had a heart

He didn’t need it anymore, though, because all the proof he ever needed was standing right there in front of him

Tony stayed out there on that balcony with her, watching the sky turn dark, not daring to leave until she did

Because he made that mistake once

And he was never, ever going to make it again.