"Could feel the sun about to rise when I realized we had nothing to fear."
-Home by Marc Broussard
Tony looked around the basement silently, letting the overwhelming feel of nostalgia wash over him in waves as he moved further into the room. Three months he had been away from home, away from everything he knew. It looked no different than how he had left it, but it felt different. Now it was more… Tony couldn't name it, exactly, but he was sure it hadn't felt this way before. Maybe he was just more appreciative of it now.
"Jarvis, lights please," he said quietly as he walked out of the doorway and up the stairs. As he passed through the living room, he spotted Pepper's laptop on the coffee table in front of the couch. Slightly surprised that she would be here, he walked into the kitchen to find her putting groceries in the refrigerator. She turned at the sound of his footsteps and smiled slightly at him.
"Hey," she said softly, returning to her task of putting a container of orange juice on the shelf inside the door.
"Hey," he said back, cursing in his head at the sound of his weak, scratchy voice. "What are you still doing here?" he inquired gently. "I mean, not that I don't want you here, I just didn't expect…" he trailed off, stopping his rambling. She shrugged lightly, rolling up the paper bag and throwing it in the trash.
"It's late," she replied. "I didn't feel up to the drive home, so…" she smiled gently again, "I thought I'd just stay here. Is that alright?"
"Yeah, of course."
He stared at her, taking in the whole of her face. She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered. Just like in the shop, looking at her felt familiar, but it also felt different. When he walked off of the plane earlier, the first thing he had seen was her. She looked so radiant in the glaring sun, her red hair even more fiery as it reflected the sun's rays. Nothing could stop the pang in his chest when he saw the tears in her eyes, and resisted the urge to hold her in his arms and tell her that she was all he thought about back in that cave.
He was jerked from his memories as she spoke.
"Well, it is late," she said quietly. "I'm gonna go to bed."
He nodded, but stood in the same place as she turned away from him. When she was halfway down the hall, she turned back to him.
"And Tony?" she addressed him, and he raised his head to let her know he was listening.
"I'm so glad…" she took a deep, shuddery breath before continuing. "I'm so glad you're okay."
And with that, she disappeared into the guest bedroom and closed the door lightly.
"Me too," he whispered, turning to make his way up to his own bedroom.
The bedroom was exactly like he remembered it, although he hadn't even used it the night before he was taken. The bed was crisply made, the comforter completely free of wrinkles. He turned away from it, stripping out of his clothes and changing into an old pair of cotton pants. Taking off his shirt, he looked down at the glow emanating from his chest. Tracing around the circle lightly with his fingers, he shivered at the contact with the skin that was still raw.
Getting beneath the sheets, he closed his eyes. He had forgotten how comfortable it was to have an actual bed. He turned his head into the pillow, and it hit him. His pillow had not smelled like that before he had left. It had never smelled like that. He buried his nose into it, taking in the comforting scent. It was warm, like vanilla but spicier. It smelled like Christmas, it smelled like… Pepper.
He went rigid as he realized it. Why did his bed smell like Pepper? It couldn't possibly be…
"Jarvis, pull up the video feeds of this room for the past three months," he said, jumping out of the bed and running over to the windows on the other side of the room. The computer complied, a large list of dates scrolling onto the glass in front of Tony.
"Is there a certain time period that you would like to view, sir?" the AI asked its creator. Tony chose one of the dates randomly.
"Probably around the evening, Jarvis," he said, and then thought of a better idea. "Hold that thought. Jarvis, did Pepper come into this room at all while I was gone?" If it was possible, the AI seemed to hesitate.
"Yes, sir," Jarvis said. "Miss Potts visited this room quite frequently during your disappearance."
"I…" Tony didn't know what to say. "Could you pull up the feeds from one of the nights she was here?"
The computer didn't reply as the feed appeared on the window. It showed Pepper walking into the room hesitantly, and if he recognized the date in the corner correctly, it was the day he had been kidnapped. Closing the door behind her, she approached the bed slowly. After staring at it for about five minutes, she sat down on it. Slipping her shoes onto the floor beside the bed, she slid beneath the covers and sat with her back against the headboard. Tony watched painfully as she put her head in her hands and stayed that way for quite some time.
"Turn it off, Jarvis," he said quietly after he had viewed a few more feeds that showed Pepper sleeping in his room; in his bed. As he crawled back under the covers, he thought of what he had just seen. It baffled him; he had thought about Pepper so much it hurt when he was gone, and if the video feeds were anything to go by, it was the same vice versa. Before he knew it, sleep consumed him and took him away from the puzzling thoughts of his assistant.
He woke with a start, clawing at his chest as it throbbed with pain. His muscles were tight, and he was breathing erratically. His eyes scanned the darkness that surrounded him and his mind acknowledged that he was home, but his body couldn't seem to grasp the concept. The darkness was choking him, and he could feel paranoia creeping up on him. His eyes darted around the room as he jumped at every little noise.
This was ridiculous. He was home, and by God, he was finally safe. So why did it not feel that way?
He remembered delightfully that he wasn't alone in the house. Pepper was in the guest bedroom. His pulse still racing a little above normal, he stealthily escaped his room and walked briskly to Pepper's. With several fleeting looks over his shoulder, he made it to the door and it opened it slightly. To his surprise, Pepper sat awake with her laptop in her lap. As she looked up at him, her eyes were slightly red. Has she been crying?
"Hey," she said softly, repeating the same line she had used in the kitchen. As he entered the room fully and closed the door, her eyes flickered to the reactor in his chest.
"I couldn't sleep," he admitted quietly, looking sheepish. She smiled and patted the space next to her on the bed.
"I had a similar problem," she said, laughing lightly. He slid into the space next to her, placing his legs beneath the covers. He peered at the screen on her laptop and laughed.
"Speed Racer?" he asked incredulously.
"Hey! It was my favorite show, okay?" she said defensively, but laughing along with him. "Shut up."
He looked at her quietly, observing how the combined light from the laptop and his chest draped over her face pleasantly. Behind her, the sky was getting lighter as the sun began to rise. He sighed, content, as the earlier paranoia left his body.
"Is it okay if I…?" he looked into her eyes, and his heart lifted as she smiled again.
"Sure, Tony," she said, closing the laptop and placing it on the ground. She put her head on the pillow and snuggled into the covers. "Jarvis, shades please," she said sweetly then closed her eyes. The room darkened slightly, but Tony felt safe with Pepper there. He lay facing her, and she opened her eyes slightly.
"You're bright," she said, laughing a little. He was confused at first, then looked down at his chest.
"Oh, sorry," he said, turning onto his stomach, effectively blocking the light. He closed his eyes, and was surprised when he felt Pepper shift closer to him and place her arm around his waist. He opened his eyes, and was met with her blue ones.
"It's okay," she said softly, and he knew she meant it as more than an acceptance of his apology. He smiled gently, and hesitantly brought her closer to him. He shuddered as she put her back against his chest, allowing him to spoon with her. The pressure of her body felt nice, and his eyes slipped closed.
When he woke, it was late afternoon and Pepper was gone. Jarvis let him know that she was still in the mansion, doing work as usual in the living room. He grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat down with her, and they talked as they watched the news together. They said nothing as a segment about Tony's rescue was shown. He told her he was going down into the shop, and she nodded. Before leaving, he turned to her one last time.
"Thanks," he said, knowing she would understand. She just smiled.
"Don't mention it," she said sweetly.
And they didn't.
A/N: Second IM fic, weehoo! This is gonna be a series of one-shots, all having something to do with home (whether it's Tony's physical or metaphorical one). This one came to me after I was completely freaked out and paranoid this morning after I had a dream about zombies. Weird, I know. Hope you like it, leave a review and tell me how I did!