A/N: I LOVE PEPPERONY SO I NEEDED TO JUMP ON THE PEPPERONY WEEK BAND WAGON OK,,, but apparently I missed the memo for day 5 because everyone's been using cool and cute romantic-y quotes for pepperony while I used a fucking mother teresa quote lmao
ALSO GUYS JUSTANOTHERDRAMAGIRL ON TUMBLR MADE FANART FOR THIS ONESHOT SO CHECK MY BIO FOR THE LINK IT'S LITERALLY THE BEST THING EVER
Pepperony Week 2016, Day 5: [something with] a quote that fits Pepperony
"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa
Tony is a target for violence for many reasons. Pepper, meanwhile, isn't sure which makes her more of a target: being the C.E.O. of Stark Industries or somebody who is close to Tony Stark himself, something of an "emotional attachment" or "Achilles' heel." Tony has described her as the "one thing he couldn't live without" in the past, but Pepper isn't sure how many other people are aware of this fact.
But it doesn't matter, because next thing she knows there are two explosions slicing through her chest, the reporters around her are screeching and scrambling to get down on the ground, Tony's screaming her name, and she can feel his hands on her body. She's very familiar with his touch; it has matured in the years since their initial meeting, from the firm, professional handshake she introduced herself with to the gentle brush of fingertips against her cheek during stolen moments away from the prying eyes of the public.
This touch isn't anything that peaceful, though. Tony's hands are trembling and applying pressure to the holes in her, just a ghost of the usual confidence with which he touches her. It's still soothing, though, despite everything, because it's Tony. Tony is by her side. She's not alone.
They're matching now.
Tony is forever marked by his traumatic trip to Afghanistan and Iron Man's subsequent rise to fame in the form of a scar on his chest, where the arc reactor once guarded his heart from the impending doom of metal shrapnel embedded in his blood. After the events of Christmas the year prior, he saw this as only a halfway solution for his problem and decided to cross the finish line of recovery once and for all after five years of tinkering.
She shifts in the stiff bed, keeping her eyes closed as she registers the sounds of machines beeping and whirring around her. She can feel the scar of a hole burning in her own chest. Just like Tony.
So they're matching now.
She feels his hand on hers, a wave of warmth washing over her as she recognizes his touch as the careful brush of his thumb over her knuckles, just as when they were home and everything was fine. But now they aren't home and everything is hell. She opens her eyes, sliding her unfocused gaze away from the bland ceiling to the source of her brief reassurance.
He's already looking at her when their eyes meet, but Pepper can hardly see her own reflection in his pupils; they are dark and expanded, as if to reflect a sort of inner turmoil. She tries to offer him a smile, but she can feel her treacherous lips trembling.
"Hi," Tony says shortly, his voice quieter than Pepper can ever recall it being. "You're awake."
Tony isn't usually one to state the obvious; he seems to enjoy traveling leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else, which spares him no time to acknowledge basic observations such as these. But there is a first for everything.
Pepper opens her mouth to reply, but no words come out. She bites her lip and Tony shakes his head.
"It's okay. You're still on the mend," he murmurs, holding her hand a little more tightly, almost possessively. "You don't have to say anything. You're supposed to rest."
She nods, but her movement is limited by the state of her body. There is a dull ache everywhere, especially emphasized in her chest area, where she recalls feeling the flames of pain licking her skin. It's hard to focus on anything else. Her eyes slip closed.
It had been an assassination attempt, Tony finally manages to explain sometime later. The pain is still there, but the fog around her mind seems to have cleared and she can actually stay awake long enough to talk to Tony.
And he explains what happened in a very roundabout way, dropping a new piece of the puzzle of that day every few words or so. Pepper runs after his verbal stumblings, gathering each piece in her arms and trying to reconstruct them. By the time Tony finishes recounting the story from his point of view, she's assembled all of the missing pieces and completed the image of her memories in her mind.
She can see the media reporters swarming around her and Tony, trying to get their input on this and that. Their questions are still a haze in her mind, the only thing she can clearly recall from the moments before it happened being Tony's hand on her back, trying to guide her (though she doesn't need it, she's told him before) through the storm. Then the two bullets assault her body and she's falling and people are crying out and Tony's screaming and he catches her and she thinks that maybe everything will be okay.
Apparently, this is what okay looks like.
Tony's practically become her doctor. He may act aloof around medically-involved things normally, but once it's Pepper's life on the line, he's basically administering his own PhD to himself by learning everything about everything, hanging onto every word of the nurses and doctors who come in to check on Pepper, asking questions to fill in the holes. It's a little overwhelming to Pepper who can barely voice her own thoughts above a pained mumble.
He blames himself. Pepper knows it not only because she knows him, the him that he doesn't let anyone else see, but also because his usual energy is being channeled into these gestures that Pepper believes everyone else has to see. Tony's loud and grand in everything he does, of course, but there's a different volume to his actions while Pepper's recovering.
It's deafening.
He feeds her when her attempt to eat jell-o results in a red splat on her lackluster hospital gown. It lands just a few inches away from one of her scars and Pepper knows Tony notices.
"Let me do it," Tony offers, prying her fingers off of the spoon. He picks up the cup of jell-o from the tray they've set up over Pepper's reclined body, scooting his chair impossibly closer to the bed. "I have steady hands from working in the lab all these years, after all."
Normally, she'd laugh, but that hurts, so she settles for a smile. Tony leans toward her with a careful amount of jell-o sitting on the black, plastic spoon, gently inserting it through her quivering, opened lips. She swallows and feels just short of disgusting, and yet, strangely enough, she can't recall jell-o ever tasting so good.
"Recovery milestone achieved!" Tony cheers softly, grinning at her with only a fraction of the confidence he usually displayed, as Pepper knows this situation is taking its toll on Tony just as much as it is on her. But he still smiles. "At this rate, you'll be up and out of here in no time."
Pepper wishes that were true, but settles for accepting another spoonful of jell-o instead. It hurts a little less.
"Is it good?" Tony asks after administering her third bite. She nods. He looks down at the cup, scrutinizing it, before taking a small amount for himself - the smallest amount Pepper's seen him scoop up so far, though she's not sure if it's because he dislikes jell-o or because he wants her to eat most of it - and sliding it in his mouth with a frown. He makes a noise of nope, grumbling as Pepper watches him swallow. She can't help the breathy giggle that escapes her mouth at the sight. "This is awful. Are you sure you like this? I bet I can get something else for you, like pudding or yogurt, or maybe even ice cream."
But she shakes her head gently, lifting her hand to his wrist. Her fingers curl around his skin slowly, lacking the usual strength she grasps him with. His eyes flit between the contact and her eyes. She smiles again. "It's good."
Her voice still sounds like a frog's croak, so exhausted and quiet, but Tony focuses intently on her every time she speaks. This moment is no exception.
Tony shrugs, carefully gathering another spoonful for her. "You just appreciate the small things in life, I guess."
She reflects on his words as she accepts the jell-o in her mouth.
"I'm breaking you out of here!"
Pepper blinks in surprise as Tony enters the room with a wheelchair. She rubs the area on the back of her right hand where the IV had been connected to her, picking at the taped cotton ball with her chipped nails. According to her doctors, she'd have to stay at least another night, as they'd just performed a follow up surgery the day prior to finish fixing up all of the damage caused by the two bullets.
"The doctors said tomorrow," she manages to say. Her voice has finally come back to her within the last day.
"I know, I know," Tony says, parking the wheelchair next to her bed. He takes her hands in his, pressing a kiss to her forehead. When he pulls back, he looks into her eyes with an intensity that Pepper recognizes as excitement, akin to when he's completed successful experiments. He grins. "I asked the doctors if you could get some fresh air. Opening the window over there doesn't count. What better way to treat a collapsed lung?"
Though it's a lighthearted comment regarding one item on Pepper's running list of complications from her encounter with the wrong end of a gun, pain flickers over Tony's eyes for a moment. Pepper tries to heal the broken moment with a smile, wider than the ones she'd been able to make days ago, and nods.
"I'd love to go for a walk."
That seems to do it as Tony regains some of the energy he'd brought into the room moments ago. He eagerly pushes the blanket off of Pepper's legs, revealing her wiggling toes. She pushes herself away from where she'd leaned against the back of the bed, gritting her teeth as she feels her chest ache in protest. Tony's hands are on her instantaneously, carefully guiding and holding her as she manages to rotate her body so that her legs hang off the edge of the bed.
"Ready?" Tony asks as he always does when he's helped her out of the bed in the past few days, usually just to use the restroom. Pepper nods, taking a cautious breath. She begins her descent, pushing away from the mattress with her hands and feeling her bottom slide over the cornered edge.
Tony's holding onto her the entire time. Her feet meet the cold, tiled ground, and the sensation of collapsing fills her mind for a moment as her legs quiver under her weight. But Tony doesn't let go; he keeps one arm (gently and carefully, minding her injuries) around her torso while properly positioning the wheelchair with the other. Pepper grasps the fabric of his shirt for added support.
Within a few moments, he's turning her and guiding her down into the black, leather seat, sighing once they've finished the transition. Pepper leans against the back of the seat, her tensed muscles relaxing as she feels secure once more. Then Tony snaps his fingers.
"I totally forgot!" he says, stepping around the wheelchair to grab a bag from one of the other chairs in the room. It's an old gift bag Pepper can't recall receiving, but she recognizes the red and yellow fleece blanket Tony pulls out.
"The Iron Man blanket?" she questions. It's a joke, really; she'd actually purchased it to give to Tony after his surgery in which his arc reactor had been removed. She had draped it over him while he stayed in the hospital to recover for a few days, and it has since acted as an added layer of warmth to their bed during the winter months following Tony's surgery.
It's May now, but Tony's carefully unfolding it and placing it over her legs, tucking it in around her lap and waist. Pepper watches his slow, methodical movements, feeling as overwhelmed as she had when he'd fed her jell-o. It's such a small gesture, yet so calculated, mindful, and loving...why?
She voices the same question of why to Tony before she realizes she's speaking. He looks up to her from his finished job of carefully placing the blanket, offering her a smile.
"You gave me this blanket while I was recovering," Tony reminds her. He scratches the back of his neck thoughtfully, standing up straight. "Though it's not really a medical treatment, I swear it made me feel better, and it's also pretty damn warm, so, I figured, maybe it could do the same for you...I had Happy bring it here earlier while you were sleeping."
Tony's right; the blanket is warm. She grasps the soft fleece with her hands, feeling it rub against her fingers.
"But, uh, if you don't want it, that's okay-"
"I want it," Pepper quickly interrupts him, looking up to Tony with a sudden sense of urgency. He loves her. It's nothing new, but...the blanket is just so warm. The jell-o he fed her tasted so good. He loves her. "I love it."
Tony's still looking at her uncertainly. Pepper shakes her head.
"I mean, it's making me feel better already, too," she admits, averting her eyes down to the red and yellow-patterned fleece. "I just...I love you, Tony. Thank you."
That seems to do the trick. Tony steps around the wheelchair, flipping the brake and grabbing the handlebars. Pepper doesn't notice until she feels herself moving forward. She tilts her chin up, watching him from below.
He's smiling. "Yeah. I love you, too."
It's lukewarm outside, but the thin hospital gown leaves Pepper feeling chilly. She pulls the blanket up over her torso and arms more, sighing as it shields her from the slight breeze pushing against her as they travel forward. Tony pushes her through the courtyard behind the hospital. Pepper hadn't realized how much she missed by being cooped up inside for so long, as her senses are immediately assaulted by the familiar sounds of birds chirping and sunlight shining brightly in her eyes. She sighs, feeling content.
"Enjoying the fresh air?" Tony inquires after pushing her in silence for a few minutes. His pace slows, as if to allow Pepper as much time as possible outside. She nods.
"I think you were onto something when you mentioned it helping my collapsed lung," she jokes, eying the bush of pink flowers to her right as they passed it. "I almost forgot there were other colors in the world besides the shades of gray in that room."
Tony laughs. "Glad I managed to get you out here, then."
She is, too. Though the pathway is a little bumpy, Pepper feels herself absorbed by the warmth of the moment. Tony normally drives cars a bit haphazardly, so Pepper hadn't been sure what to expect of his wheelchair driving skills, but he's taking it slowly and easily. It's another gesture that leaves Pepper's chest aching with something else beside the scars of her close encounter with death.
"Let's stop by that fountain for a sec," Tony says after two more minutes of silence.
They approach a light brown fountain where water is spilling over from the top level to the bottom, collecting in a pool. Birds land along the edge, dipping into the water as if it were a bird bath. Pepper continues watching as Tony pulls the wheelchair up to a stop beside a bench. He flips the brake to ensure she won't roll away (that would be quite the sight, Pepper thinks) and sits down on the bench next to her.
"Gotta admit, I'm a little winded from that," Tony says.
"And here I thought you were just going slow because you didn't want me to fall out," Pepper teases, leaning toward him and lightly bumping her shoulder to his. Tony turns to her with a smirk.
"You got me."
The group of three birds Pepper was watching at the fountain suddenly fly away, beads of water falling from their wings and sparkling as the sun shines through them. A part of Pepper envies them as they travel together, wishing she would heal faster so she could properly stand by Tony's side again. But she can't blame herself for that, she reminds herself; the only person left to blame is the one who caused this mess.
"Whatever happened to the shooter?" Pepper asks softly, fingering the hem of the blanket in her lap. Tony seems to tense a bit at the question as his eyes darken and frown deepens. He won't look at her.
"Arrested. Happy got him, even though he's still supposed to be taking it easy," Tony answers, anger lacing his voice. Though Happy has been doing well, as Tony said, he's been on doctor's orders to not engage in anything too strenuous, as his injuries from the Mandarin crisis five months prior were nearly enough to kill him.
Pepper nods, grateful that Happy made it out okay. Really, she's just happy that only she was hurt, because there had been a lot of other people around. Someone else could have easily gotten just as hurt as her, or even worse. "I'm just glad everyone's okay."
Her words seem to light a fire under Tony as he clenches his fists and exhales sharply. "You aren't okay."
"I'm getting there," Pepper reminds him.
But Tony's dragging a hand down his face, suddenly stressed. She's hardly seen such an expression on him, only when he's troubled with Iron Man and Avengers-related business. It's daunting. "This never should have happened," he says quietly. "It shouldn't have been you."
"Tony…"
"Why did you push me out of the way?"
His question stills her. She's confused at first, she doesn't understand what he's asking, she examines the memories she'd pieced together days prior from Tony's vague explanations, there hadn't been any pieces missing-
Then she remembers.
Her eyes locking with the man standing at the edge of the crowd. The gun he raised in her direction, but not quite aimed at her; he'd pointed it a little to the side, the side Tony was standing on beside her. She understood what was about to happen and knew what she had to do. Then the sound had filled her ears and the pain had filled her chest and the blood had fled her wounds and everything hurt.
A breathy exhale from beside Pepper grounds her. She turns, eyes wide from the newly recovered memory, and notices Tony hunched over, his head in his hands. His shoulders tremble as he shakes his head.
"Why, Pepper? Goddammit, why would you…?"
Pepper's struggling to form words as Tony continues to cry in front of her. Why had she done it? The answer is easy: it's Tony. Tony is Tony, the one she loves and has stood by for years and years and years now. Tony is already more selfless than he needs to be, fighting back against cruelty in the world and sacrificing much of his own stability and safety for it. He didn't deserve to be gunned down at a peaceful moment. Pepper doesn't believe she deserved it, either, but Tony had spent so much time protecting others, protecting her, it was only fair she returned the gesture.
She lays a hand on his shoulder, rubbing circles on his upper back. "Tony, it's okay. I'm fine, see? I'm right here. Everything is going to be okay."
Tony takes a shuddering breath, turning his head to the side to look up at Pepper. "It should have been me."
"No," she insists, swatting the back of his head with the hand she'd used to rub his back. "Don't you ever say that."
"He was aiming at me!"
"I wanted to protect you!"
Now Pepper's crying, the outrage in her voice leaving her a bubbling mess of tears.
"Pepper…"
"I wanted to protect you, just once," Pepper continues. "It's not fair for you to have to protect everyone all the time. Tell me, Tony," she challenges him, "if things had been the other way around, and the maniac with the gun was pointing at me, what would you have done?"
"I know what you're doing!" Tony protests instead of answering, pointing an accusing finger at her. "This is a trick!"
"Because it proves my point," Pepper says.
"Alright, fine, I would have assessed the situation first-"
"There would almost definitely not be enough time for that."
"-I would have gotten the suit-"
"How would you have enough time for that?"
"-I would have said something instead of reacting physically-"
"Pow, it's too late, you took too long, Pepper Potts, C.E.O. of Stark Industries, has been assassinated, 'I'm so sorry for your loss.'"
A staring contest ensues. They engage in a silent contest of wills for all of ten seconds.
Tony breaks first, wiping at his eyes. "Look at us, we can't even make it through a peaceful stroll around the hospital premises without arguing. We've disturbed the peace of everything living around here. This one's on you."
Pepper rolls her eyes with a sniffle. "It doesn't matter. I don't regret what I did."
"You're crazy."
"For loving you? Yes, we've already established that. Who's the hot mess now?"
"Still debatable."
They sit in silence once more for about thirty seconds, this time not looking at each other. Pepper disrupts this one.
"Thank you for taking care of me," she murmurs, fumbling with the blanket again. "Really."
"You know I love you, honey," Tony says, turning back to her. "Of course I'll take care of you when you need me to."
Pepper feels her eyes watering again. "You even took me out on this nice walk, but now we're fighting."
"It's us," Tony reassures her, taking one of her hands in his. "That's just how we roll. Natasha said it makes us like an old married couple. Cute, even. Her words, not mine." He leans closer to her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "For the record, I'm still mad. But...you're also my hero. Don't forget that, okay?"
He stands up with a stretch, moving around her wheelchair to resume pushing her. She laughs at his words as he flips the brake.
"I think you've got the two of us mixed up." She holds the ends of the blanket up. "This blanket proves who the hero between the two of us is. Your face is on it."
"But you did a pretty big hero thing, saving a person," Tony points out, grabbing the handlebars and pushing her around the fountain. "All I've done since then is help you recover. Think of it in the words of Mother Teresa: not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love."
The quoted words weigh on Pepper's mind for a moment. She thinks of sacrificing herself to save Tony, and Tony patiently flipping through each channel on the TV in the hospital room for her until she deemed something was entertaining enough to watch.
Mother Teresa has a point there.
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed! I drew inspiration for this, strangely enough, from my recent experience of getting my wisdom teeth removed. I felt like shittttt afterward, but my dad stayed by my side the entire time and nursed me back to health. It was the small things, like putting a new movie in the DVD player for me to watch or changing the ice packs in the ice wrap for face or even replacing the fucking disgusting bloody gauze in my mouth every hour for the entire first day, that really stuck with me. And my school used the Mother Teresa quote as the "theme" for my sophomore year, so, together, these things created this oneshot! Haha.
I hope you all got the contrast I was going for; since Tony's an Avenger, usually he's the one doing big things, but this time, things have switched up, and while Pepper's doing big things, Tony can best help her by doing small things with the great love he has for her. ;) Happy Pepperony Week to all! I hope to write more for the last few days. :)
ALSO DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE FANART DONE BY THE WONDERFUL JUSTANOTHERDRAMAGIRL ON TUMBLR IN MY BIO! GO SUPPORT HER AND I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER