Disclaimer: You know how these work by now.
When Tony opened the door and went in he wasn't really surprised to see the bags packed waiting by the door. He knew this was coming. He knew it had been coming for weeks. If he wanted to, he probably could have tried to stop it, but these days he really couldn't fight with her anymore.
He stood there and watched as Pepper walked out another bag in hand and stopped as she saw him. He smiled lowly at her and she sent him a small smile in return. "So you're going to head back to Malibu?" He asked trying not to look at her and make it all worse, and Pepper put her bag down and took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'll get some work done out there for a few weeks." She said softly and Tony slipped his hands into his pocket and hung his head. Keeping his voice to himself.
"I'll call you every day." She promised and Tony nodded his head as he bit his lip, to stop himself saying anything. She notices his reaction and takes a few steps towards him and puts her hands either side of his face and lifted his head to hers. "I'm not doing this because I don't love you anymore. I need to do this for both of us. We need the space." She says softly and Tony avoids looking her in the eyes. Just nods in agreement, he always agrees with her.
"Tony please. Look at me." She begs as she moves her hands from his face to gently run them through his hair and gently join on the back of his neck. He does lift his head and Pepper struggles with the look in his eyes. "I still love you." She urges taking a hand and resting it against his cheek. He tilts his head slightly and closes his eyes. Swallowing in all these feelings, wanting to hold on for as long as possible.
"I want to fix this, to fix us." He admits in a whisper, gentler than anything she's heard him speak before. "I know." She replies taking her hands back to interlock with his. "That's why you've got to let us take this break. We need this, I don't want us to hate each other, because we can't get along. We need space to figure out what we need from each other." She says and Tony lets out a heavy emotional sigh.
"You'll ring me every day?" He asks and Pepper knows this is harder on him than her. She fills the space between them, "I swear. You'll be sick of hearing my voice." She says and gets a smile from Tony for her effort. "That's not going to happen." He says looking at her with so much hope in his eyes. She lifts her lips in a small smile. "If you need anything, you call me. If you can't sleep, ring me. If you need to rant, you ring me. I'm not abandoning you." She says softly and Tony nods and watches as she puts her bags into the elevator and then turns to Tony.
"I'll see you in a couple of weeks." She says gently and kisses him softly, letting him hold on for as long as he needs. When he pulls away, he holds her hand for a couple minutes longer and then nods his head and lets her go. She steps into the elevator and turns around to watch him before the doors shut. Blocking them off from each other for a couple of weeks.
Peppers on the way to the airport when her phone chimes. Knowing it's Tony, she checks it, I miss you already. She shakes her head at his message but replies in kind. Love you too.
In a few weeks they'll eventually be back together, but those few weeks are both difficult for them, but also very enlightening. They realise what the other means to them and do their best to change their lives just enough, to make sure neither loses the short breaks would continue to happen. Even when they end up marrying. They're both so volatile that a break once in a while is good for them. It makes them both better for it.
AN - Thanks for reading. Comments much appreciated.
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