Friends With Benefits

Chapter 9

 Tears fell down her cheeks and the faint color of black from her mascara running along with it. There she was, running for her life in hopes that she wouldn't lose her life in the process. 'The phone..' the redhead thought to herself, desperately wanting for him to answer her call. She couldn't do this alone,: he had to know. He was her only hope at ending this and making things right.

"Hello?"

Earlier that day...

"And that will be all for today, class. Be sure to study for-" and before the teacher was able to finish his sentence, the bell had rung to continue on to the next class. Pepper was too distracted to be paying attention to the lecture and instead had her head down, hoodie over her head sitting in the last row of the class. Her eyes were puffy from all of the crying that had happened the night before. She was utterly heartbroken and couldn't do anything about it.. she knew she had lost her chance. Tony on the other hand, was a complete and utter mess without Pepper, but he had to believe that there was a future without her since he couldn't wait around forever for her to make up her mind. He desperately wanted to hold Pepper in his arms and show her how much he cares, but he couldn't shake the feeling of doubt that was weighing on him. Even though this was a tense situation for them two, she was still his friend. Tony walked up to her and put a soft but masculine hand on her shoulder.

"Pepper..? Are you alright..?" the tone in his voice was soft and sincere. She just nodded got up, disregarding him and walking out of the class, making sure he wasn't able to see her face. Tony just sighed and got his books, going to the last class of the day.

After the day was over, she got into her car and got home as quick as possible, wanting to lay down on her bed and cry until she couldn't anymore. As soon as she walked into her room, her eyes widened, seeing someone she had hoped to never see again.

"Hello.. Pepper? Is that what he calls you?"

"Michael.. wh-.. how did you get in?" her voice was shaky and it was obvious she was scared. Very scared. The last thing she needed was to be alone with the man that raped her in a room.. where it had the potential to happen all over again. Pepper didn't dare move and looked down, not wanting to make eye contact.

"I had a little help." Michael began to wave a gun in the air, pointing it at Pepper a few seconds later.

"Sit." At first his tone was somewhat calm but he began to grow angry in his voice when she wasn't moving.

"I SAID SIT, DAMMIT!" Pepper quickly sat down on the bed, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to come out of her eyes.

"You betrayed me Virginia. You lied to me. You ran away from me. I had what I had to do for a reason. I needed to help you understand my needs too. How do you think I felt when you went around fucking that scumbag and me, your boyfriend, didn't get any of the love or respect I was asking for? I have every reason to hate you right now, Virginia." he was pacing the room as he said this, still pointing the gun at her.

"Michael.. I'm so sorry.. I promise that it wasn't my intention.." before Pepper was able to finish her sentence, he slammed his fist on the table and gave her a nasty look.

"BUT IT WAS! I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING AND YOU DECIDE TO BE FUCKBUDDIES WITH TONY STARK!" Pepper flinched when he screamed, trying not to show her vulnerability. Michael grabbed her hand and tried to tie them together, but before he was able to do so, she knocked the gun from his hands and kicked him in the crotch, sending him to the ground. Pepper quickly grabbed the gun, pointing it at him shakily. He got up angry, grabbing her and throwing her against the wall before she was able to react. She fell to the ground in pain but ignored it and cocked the gun, shooting at his chest. He fell and she screamed, the gun still shakily pointed at him. Before he was able to say another word, he looked at his chest and back at her, falling on the bed and dead within seconds. The shock caused her not to move for a minute but snapped out of it and stood up, running out of her house for dear life. Tears fell down her cheeks and the faint color of black from her mascara running along with it. There she was, running for her life in hopes that she wouldn't lose her life in the process. 'The phone..' the redhead thought to herself, desperately wanting for him to answer her call. She couldn't do this alone; he had to know. He was her only hope at ending this and making things right.

"Hello?"

T-Tony? I n-need your h-help!" she said in between sobs, still running and not stopping. wanting to get as far away as possible from where her once boyfriend's body was lying dead.

"Woah Pepper what's wrong? Are you okay? Where are you and why are you crying?" he asked worriedly.

"C-can you pick m-me up..? I'm a few blocks f-from your house..by the p-park.."

"I'm on my way alright? Stay where you are and stay on the phone with me. I'll be there in two minutes." And so he sped to Pepper's location, helping her get in the car. His eyes widened when he saw blood splattered on her jeans.

"Pepper I need you to tell me what happened.." She tried to take a breather, not looking away from her shaking hands and the gun that was in her possession.

"M-Michael.. tried t-to k-kill me.. a-and then,, I killed h-him.." Tony was furious right now, secretly thankful the bastard was dead but focused on the situation that mattered most and that was in front of him at the moment. He took her hand in his and drove back to his house, making sure to get Pepper cleaned up and disposing of the gun so she wouldn't have a constant reminder within arm's length.

There she was, sitting on the couch with a mug of hot tea and Tony's warm embrace allowing her to feel safe.

"Thank you for this..and I'm sorry for everything.." she said softly, her grip on his shirt tightening.

"No Pepper. I'm sorry about all of this. I pushed you away when you needed me and I feel like a jerk. But I need you to know that what you did today.. wasn't wrong. It was self defense and you need to stand your ground in case the cops question you. Your parents know where you are and that you're safe.. they're taking care of the situation back at your house.. But they asked if you would spend the night here, and I said I was fine with it."

It took Pepper a moment to process the overwhelming information and nodded a bit, still shaken up about what had happened but understood what Tony was trying to do. She just laced her fingers with his and looked up at him with sad eyes, wanting to feel her lips on his. It was like as if he had read her mind; Tony leaned forward a bit and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, not wanting to pull away.The amount of love they each poured into the kiss was unfathomable. She pulled away and pressed her head to his chest, not wanting any space between them. Tony felt the same way, just wanting her to feel a sense of comfort and somewhat relaxed. They knew it was going to be a long and hard journey, but they were up for anything life threw at them.. as long as they were together. 

HI GUYS. I'M BACK AND YOU'RE STUCK WITH ME.

I know this chapter was a bit slow but I just need to get into the rhythm of writing again. Anyway, feel free to comment. I'd love some input after being gone for so long. Thanks babies, new update coming soon!