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Pepper was going to kill Jan. Her roommate had dragged her to a party, only to abandon her at the first sight of her boyfriend, Hank. She loved Jan, she really did, but she was absolutely going to murder her.
Because Pepper Potts was not a party person. It was one of the universal truths; the sky was blue, the grass was green, and Pepper didn’t thrive in party situations. She had vehemently protested against going, but Jan had all but bodily dragged her out of the dorm.
“It’ll be fun!” Jan had promised.
Pepper snorted to herself. Fun for Jan, maybe, but she was already bored.
She staked out a somewhat silent corner, contenting herself with waiting until her friend was ready to go home. If she left without Jan, Pepper knew she’d never hear the end of it. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, mentally reviewing for her Economics class, just to relieve the boredom.
“Is the party that bad?” a voice shook her out of her thoughts of supply and demand. “I mean, if you’re sleeping in the corner, it must be.”
Pepper cracked her eyes open. The voice came from a boy, probably about her age, with curly brown hair and eyes that spoke of mischief. His lips were quirked in a smirk and his hand was loosely curled around a cup of what she could only assume was alcohol.
“I’m not big on parties,” she explained tiredly. “I’m only here because my roommate dragged me.”
The boy winced, taking a sip of his drink. “I feel that,” he said. “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Sure,” Pepper shrugged. “I won’t tell anyone.”
“I don’t like parties, either,” he leaned against the wall next to her. His eyes fell shut and Pepper noted that his eyelashes were almost long enough to drag against his cheekbone. He looked young, young and sad. Then he opened his eyes again and the spark of trouble was back. “What, specifically, do you not like about this one?”
“Everyone’s drunk or on their way there, anywhere good to sit is taken by couples sticking their tongues down each other’s throats, and it smells like Axe body spray,” she said critically. “Not to mention the punch tastes like shit.”
“Ah,” the boy nodded sagely. “That would be because at least fifteen different people have spiked in with various types of alcohol. While I’m all for mixing drinks, this was a little excessive.”
Pepper arched an eyebrow. “And the rest of it?”
“Hedonism is part and parcel of the human condition,” he offered with a small smile.
“How much have you had to drink?” she snorted. “You sound like a Philosophy major.”
They boy placed an offended hand over his heart. “How dare you!” he hissed. “Philosophy is all bullshit. I study actual science.”
“Biology?” she asked innocently. She could tell from the calluses on his fingers that it was probably engineering, and she knew from her friend Bruce that Biology and Engineering majors had a rivalry.
“Also bullshit,” he looked a little like a wet cat, at that moment. It was the eyes, she decided. “Engineering is the only valid science and I’ll fight this until I die.”
Pepper laughed out loud at the look on his face. “I don’t know,” she teased. “Chemistry is pretty cool.”
“You didn’t strike me as an idiot,” he glared at her, but she could see the undercurrent of humor in his expressive eyes. “Alas, first impressions lie. What’s your major, then? Art history?”
“Business,” she answered. “Not quite the caliber of Art History, but not too shabby, either.”
The boy barked out a laugh, as if startled by her sarcasm. “Not too shabby,” he agreed. He looked at her for a moment, eyes piercing. “So, why are you here, Miss Business Major?”
“Honestly?” Pepper said. “My friend dragged me. I don’t want to be here. I hate parties, I hate this party, and I really just want to go back to my dorm and sleep.”
“Why don’t you, then?” there was a smirk playing on his lips.
“Has anyone ever told you you ask a lot of questions?” she huffed. “If I leave without Jan- that’s my friend- she gets pissed off. Trust me, you don’t want to meet a pissed off Jan.”
The boy whistled. “Guess you’re stuck here, then.”
“Guess I am.”
They lapsed into silence. Strangely, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Pepper liked the stranger, despite not even knowing his name. If she were bolder, she might’ve kissed him. She settled for leaning against him, letting their arms touch.
He finished his drink and threw the cup with stunning accuracy into the trash can. She made to say something sassy, but a flash of gold and black caught her eyes. Jan was making her way through the crowd, waving like an idiot to get Pepper’s attention.
“Pepper!” Jan called, drawing closer.
“Interesting name,” the stranger remarked mildly. Pepper shot him a glare.
“I see you’ve met Tony,” said Jan, greeting the boy with a hug. “Has he irritated you into smacking him yet? It’s a talent of his.”
“As always, Jan, you say the sweetest things,” Tony rolled his eyes. “Why are we friends, again?”
“Because I bring the good vodka to your parties,” she answered promptly. “Pepper, did you know that this is Tony’s party? He’ll deny it, but he throws the best ones.”
Pepper paled and clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my god,” she breathed, horrified. “Oh my god!”
Tony grinned at her. “No hard feelings?”
“Oh my god,” she repeated. “I said-”
“Yep.”
“And you said-”
“Yep.”
“Oh my god,” Pepper knew her cheeks were on fire. “I’m such an idiot.”
Jan looked between the two of them, confused. “I’m missing something,” she said bluntly.
“Pepper here just isn’t a party person,” Tony shrugged casually. “Why’d you drag her here?”
“The same reason I drag you out of your troll cave at least once a week,” she said, saccharine sweet. “There is a life outside of your academics and both of you need to learn that.”
“I’m throwing this party, aren’t I?” he spread his hands demonstratively. “Socialization at its finest; people getting drunk and sticking their tongues down each other’s throats, all with the aroma of Axe body spray in the background.”
Pepper couldn’t contain her giggles at Tony’s deadpan recitation of her earlier complaints. “Don’t forget the punch,” she reminded him.
“The punch might be the best part of this party. No, second best,” he corrected smoothly. “First best was definitely talking to you.”
“Does that work with the other girls?” her embarrassment was forgotten as she fell back into their earlier rhythm.
Tony smiled at her. “Depends what I’m going for. What’s it doing for you?”
Jan, who Pepper had honestly forgotten existed, gagged next to her. “Your flirting is gross,” she said. “Seriously, it’s making me throw up in my mouth a little.”
“That would be the punch,” Tony said cheerfully. He was lucky, Pepper thought ruefully, that his tan skin barely betrayed his blush. Her own pale cheeks were flaming again.
“Nope, definitely you two,” said Jan. Pepper could tell from her loose tongue that she was definitely drunk. “Get out of here with that. Go get dinner, or something.”
“I’m the host,” Tony shook his head. “I can’t just leave.”
Jan snorted. “You’ve been doing a lot of hosting hiding in the corner here with Pepper,” she raised an eyebrow. “Right?”
“Point,” Tony conceded. He turned to Pepper. “Fancy getting out of here? I know a great 24-hour diner. As long as you don’t think too hard about what’s in the food, it tastes delicious.”
Pepper took Tony’s offered hand. “Sounds like a party.”