Written for the avenger kinkmeme.

There was a feather.

Tony stared at it as it hovered a few centimeters above his desk. He didn't dare to reach for it; almost afraid of the message it could... it would contain. The bigger question at the moment was why was it here?

It was a snap realization.

Like the proverbial light bulb turning on, the remembrance flooded through his memory. Tony pulled out his Starkphone, flicking through apps before finally arriving at the calendar. He was right. The Game was approaching.

Closing the app, Tony pressed the dialer and two buttons later was speed-dialing Pepper's number.

"Yes Tony?" Pepper answered. Her tone was light, Tony noted, but tired.

The Chitauri's invasion on New York had only happened a week ago. The city was repairing, recovering, and mourning as it tried to repair the pieces. It was the only reason why the Game had slipped Tony's mind. Pepper had been inconsolable the first two nights between the news footage of Tony guiding the nuke through the portal to the one missed phone call. She didn't stop crying until the third day and wouldn't, -couldn't- let Tony out her sight until the fourth.

Tony hated to have caused her so much torment. Pepper didn't deserve that. There have been many people Tony had met throughout his life. Pepper by far was one of his favorites. Regardless of what would have happened with the portal, he would have walked out alive. It was merely a question of "who" would walk out of the portal alive.

He stomped down on the tiny voice in his head that whispered that a part of him wanted "Tony Stark" not to survive the flight through the portal just so he wouldn't have to lie to Pepper, wouldn't have to play his double life anymore.

"I'm going Japan. Today most likely," he announced to her, turning his thoughts away from his musing and focusing back on her. He waited for the message to sink in, hoping she wouldn't burst into tears and demand otherwise. Tony couldn't deal with Pepper's tears, but this was something that needed to be done; a duty he cannot ignore.

"Oh," she answered. Her voice was quiet and tight. Tony fervently hoped she wasn't upset. She didn't sound upset, not yet.

"Well," she finally continued. "It is that time again isn't it?"

Tony let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. She understood. "Yeah," he said, reaching for the feather. He might as well read the message now. He touched the feather, allowing it to morph into a scroll. Unrolling it, a frown began to appear on his face as his eyes scanned the message.

"Tony?" Pepper interrupted, breaking his thought cycle. "Is everything alright? You went silent."

Tony grinned, even though he knew she couldn't see it. "Of course!" he reassured her. "I wanted to let you know I might be there longer than a week." The orders… were strange. There was growing sinking feeling something was very wrong. No, it was not going to be a normal Game. Not at all.

"What?!"

Tony winced, hearing the panic beginning to leak into Pepper's voice. "It's nothing," he said. "It's just, you know, they saw the news and want to make sure I'm alright. I think I might have given my aunty a scare," he added with a nervous chuckle. Guilt twisted in his stomach as the lies spilled from his mouth.

To his surprise Pepper began to laugh as well. It was an odd mixture of hysteria and amusement, as if she couldn't decide whether it was really funny or if it cut too close to home. "I can't blame her," Pepper said. "Alright. What about the Avengers?"

"They can always call me if they need me. They'll probably miss my basking awesomeness," Tony said.

"More like enjoying the quiet without your science-y talk," Pepper joked out.

Tony beamed. There was the Pepper he knew and loved. Things weren't right yet but they were moving forward. "Bruce would miss that!" he protested.

"He doesn't count! He's your 'science bro' as you keep telling me."

They bought burst out laughing over the phone. "Do you need me to book your ticket?" Pepper offered, once the laughter died down.

"Nah," Tony said. "I already booked it."

"Alright, have a safe trip," Pepper said.

"I always do," Tony answered. He ended the call, tossing his phone onto the desk. Lending back, letting the chair tip backwards, Tony ran a hand through his hair. He glanced over the message once more before letting out a groan.

"What the hell are you up to Josh?!"

xXxXx

Tony waved goodbye to Happy as his driver pulled away with the limo. Under normal circumstances, he would have taken his private jet and flown to his destination. This time though he would be boarding an airplane with three hundred other passengers. Simply, Tony needed to become one in the crowd. At least, he'll have the comforts of first class instead of the claustrophobic mess of economy.

As he passed through the crowds of people, he upped his frequency little by little. One notch would make people realize someone was there but wouldn't be able to remember his features. Another notch would make people not even realize he was there. One more and he'll be on a completely different plane than those around him.

If anyone had been following him, they would have assumed Tony Stark moved on through security and toward his plane ride. In reality, he had just stepped into the bathroom to change. He changed out of the expensive suit, replacing it with black slacks, a cheap white collar shirt and black vest. Shoes come off, replaced with comfortable sandals. If only the fashion police could see him now.

Stepping out of the stall and approaching the sink, he looked himself over. Tony Stark no longer reflected back in the mirror. Asian features were more prominent. He was skinnier, leaner. Gone was Tony Stark and Sanae Hanekoma stood in his place.

Tossing his carry on bag over his shoulder, Sanae grinned. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and perched them on his nose. "Let's get this show on the road."