It hadn't been the same since New York, I hadn't slept since then either. JARVIS kept a count of the hours I've been awake...over 72 hours ago I last closes my eyes only to witness the horror that was the chitari and the wormhole. I nearly died that day and pepper who was my PA at the time didn't pick up her phone when I needed her to.
Pepper is now my girlfriend and we live together, we used to live in Malibu but since the mandarin destroyed my house and almost me with it I didn't want to be near the site.
We had been couch hopping and living in hotels for over a month now and we even snuck into a department store to sleep. We were constantly moving and it was taking its toll on pepper. She was so desperate to settle down and live life normally but with me being iron man that was near impossible.
I'm not the best boyfriend in the world and I know that. And I know that nothing in the world can change the love for that woman that I possess. I just wish I could be the one for her, a normal life you know?
Pepper had unfortunately been infected with extremis in the previous weeks, and there was very little I could do for her. I wasn't a biologist but I was good at tinkering with things, I promised I'd find a way to make her better, so far nothing. I had to behave, the slightest thing could set her off and if she got too hot...well she wouldn't be here which is one thing I can't let happen.
It was the middle of January and I'd only thought of one way we could be with each other again...properly. The equation I left one of my ex's was to fix the glitch in extremis, I don't remember what had to be done but I would find out. I'd gone back to Stark towers to tinker in my lab again, I was getting more and more desperate. I just wanted to hold my girlfriend close to me and tell her it was alright, of course that was a lie but the thought is there.
"Come on tony think!" A spanner went clattering across the floor, there were a billon combinations this equation could be applied to...but which one would stop the blowing up. "You stupid idiot! There must be an alternative...I have only one option but that's life threatening..." I ran my hands through my hair again, this was the 80th time today I'd come close to finding a solution.
The door at the end of the lab swung open and Pepper walked in, small and dressed in new clothes. "You look lovely pep." My voice echoed across the hollow space, she daren't not get near me since extremis...it was the worst feeling I couldn't even comfort her.
"They're new" she twirled around, "do you like them?" She closed the gap between us a little, patting DUM-E, I'd rebuilt him after my house was destroyed by the mandarin. He was heat proof to 5000 degrees so pepper could have him, he was my substitute for now. In fact I'd heat proofed the whole building over the past few weeks so it was a safe place for pepper to stay while I worked.
I had to take the company back into my own hands as it stressed pepper out too much. "I do, you look beautiful" I smiled at her, DUM-E gave her a little hug, or whatever robots do to comfort you. I just wanted to scoop pepper up in my arms and hold her close.
I could see her face blush as she cuddles up to dum-e, "I've been so close to finding a cure pep..." I looked at her willingly...I didn't want her to have to suffer because I couldn't find a cure stable enough. "There is only one thing I can do...but...only as a last resort." I held up the little inhaler.
"No tony..." That was it, she started glowing again and she backed off, "you can't...I won't let you" her eyes started tearing up, I looked away. My perfect little angel was in pain and it hurt to look at her, I just wanted everything to be normal again. "I have to go...ah..." She ran back upstairs clutching her abdomen, how much pain was she really in.
I had to do it...whether I told her or not I wanted to hold her in my arms again.