The characters belong to Marvel/Disney and I don't get any profit of this writting :)

TOUCH

2014

Pepper Potts wriggled her hands nervously for the umpteenth time this morning. As the doctors kindly told her as soon as Tony left the operating room, the open heart surgery had been a great success. She tried to reassure herself that everything was going to be okay and sighed again. Seeing Tony lying so helpless in that hospital bed was slowly killing her.

It had been an entire week that he'd been fighting between consciousness and unconsciousness, but he never ended up staying with her more than a few seconds. Pepper hadn't left his side since he was moved to his own room and away from the ICU.

Today, like every day, she was bent over him again, taking his big hand in her own, caressing it softly, hoping that her gentle touch will awaken him. Her golden red hair gently brushed his beard like a protective balm, but the intravenous painkillers were strong and Tony hadn't been able to recognize her yet, or to remain conscious long enough to speak to her or let her know that he's okay. To think about it was so disheartening that Pepper collapsed against his bed and hot tears rolled down her cheeks, so she raised her other hand to her face in order to clean them with the sleeve of her pristine indigo shirt. She didn't want Tony to see her cry, even when he's unconscious.

That's what Tony Stark would have found in front of him had he possessed the strength to open his eyes. A mess of a Pepper Potts. But it's not the case. He's going to sleep for some more hours.

When he finally tried to open his eyes slowly, tentatively, the midday sunshine was excessively annoying for his contracted pupil, so he tried to take a hand to his face to protect himself from the damned rays of light, but he couldn't because someone was holding it. And it smelled like lavender hand wash, that special smell that only one person he knew uses…

"Ummmm Pep… Is that you?" He whispered quietly.

An inexplicable joy ran through Pepper's body as she heard his familiar voice, the voice she would recognize anywhere in the world, under any circumstances. That precious voice.

"Tony?" She asked tentatively pulling her arm away from her face so she could see him.

"Yeah, I, Ummm… I'm thirsty…" He mumbled, his voice hoarse because of all the time he hadn't been able to use it.

Pepper quickly brought him a plastic cup of water and put the straw on the nightstand over the drink.

"There you are… Drink slowly, honey…"

Tony drank with gratitude, and more quickly than would be advisable in his delicate situation, so soon began to cough.

"Easy there…" Pepper said withdrawing the cup firmly as soon as he started coughing. "Oh Tony I'm so glad you're awake…" When he began breathing normally again she gave him more water until he was sated. Then left the cup on the nightstand.

Pepper looked at him exultant with happiness, caressing his brown soft hair with tenderness. Almost without being able to believe what she was seeing. He's awake, and good, and talking.

"Welcome, back Tony… How are you?" She asked sweetly.

"As if I just had a bus rolling over me..." Tony made the gesture of touching his chest with his free hand, and immediately roams over bandages and tape. He immediately pushed her away and made his second attempt to get up from the bed. "Tell me I don't have a car battery attached to my body..."

His girlfriend raised her eyebrows, worried, but the impish smile he displayed over his lips gave him away. He's kidding. So she immediately pushed him onto the bed again, exerting pressure on his hips, so as not to hurt him in the chest.

"Ha ha so funny Tony… You already know you don't. They took the ARK away and now you only have that naughty heart of yours and your sternum in that hole, and they are still healing, by the way. The wound is still fresh, so please try not to get up."

"Yeah, yeah Nurse Potts. Got it" He said then, trying to get comfortable back to bed. He made a face.

"Are you hurting a lot?" She worriedly asked seeing his pain.

"No, no it's not so horrible as it seems, Pep…" He stammered quickly seeing her worried face. "Besides, everything will be better from now on. You' ll see."

Pepper's blue eyes sparkle merrily at once, matching the huge grin on her face.

"I'm so glad to see you awake and joking, I started to believe that..."

"Did you think I wasn't going to wake up? You weren't going to get rid of me so easily, Potts."

"Haha... Does open heart surgery seem so easy to you Mr. Stark?"

"It is for the surgeon who did it. Dr. Wu has a lot of practice…" He said smiling back.

Pepper hit his left shoulder with much less force than usual for her, but Tony picked up the message. Stop teasing your poor and suffering girlfriend.

"Don't mistreat a poor recovering patient, woman. I was only stating the truth here, Pep. I wouldn't have left my heart in his hands if otherwise. He's top of his game. And I trust him entirely… By the way, do you have the package?"

The redhead loosened the grip on his hand only for a brief moment, then rummaged in the first drawer of the hospital cabinet next to them and showed him a transparent container. Inside of it is the everglowing ARK reactor and all the small pieces of shrapnel that have been extracted from his body.

"Here they are. Just as you asked, they gave them to me. I still don't know what you intend to do with this." Pepper sighed, pointing to one of the smaller metal pieces. "I understand you wouldn't want your ARK reactor technology to get in the wrong hands again… We already had our fair share of wrongdoing with that… But the shrapnel? Unfortunately, all the bombs in the world carry these damn things inside… It's not Stark exclusive tech… At all…"

Tony simply threw a small, enigmatic smile in her direction and Pepper could swear that his tired eyes lit up for a brief moment.

"Just keep them safe." He briefly clarified. "And now come here and give me a good welcome kiss. I don't know how long I've been unconscious, but it must have been a lot."

Pepper looked at him tenderly, putting the transparent container away, and walked to his bed, sitting down beside him. She caressed his forehead and cheek with sweetness.

"A whole week, my bold hero" Then she leaned in and kissed his lips gently, then broke away from him.

"That's it?" Her bewildered boyfriend glanced back at her. "This is what you call a proper kiss? Pep, what happened to us in these seven days?" He teased.

"You're weak, you idiot. I don't want to hurt you" She immediately retorted in a sweet tone. "Get better soon, and you'll have more."

"Whatever you say, honey" He answered before yawning loudly. "Speaking of idiots, where the hell is Rhodey?"

"He had to go back to the United States. Orders of the highest instances. That means the president. He did what he could, but he had to leave, left two days ago for Washington D.C."

"Is this his way of accomplishing the express order I gave him about taking care of you? Then he leaves you alone in a foreign country with an unconcious boyfriend? Have friends for this…"

"Tony, be reasonable. He was with me until you were out of danger... He wanted to stay. He delayed his departure all he honestly could…"

"He didn't wait for me to wake up from this narcotic cloud…" He continued sulking. "He goes away and changes me for the president at the very first opportunity and sure he will still want me to make him a new suit of armor in order to take care of that jerk…"

"It's his job, honey… He's the president's bodyguard, and that goes for obeying orders."

"Yeah, I get it… But he'll repay me for this… Greatly…"

Pepper stroked his hair affectionately, trying to calm him down.

"Come on, don't fret, rest. I know you were hoping to find him here and that you miss him..."

"I don't miss him..." He was lying and Pepper knew it. She knows him too well. "I was just hoping he would be here... Taking care of you. That's all. Auahhh..."

Tony yawned again. He directed a solemn look of boredom towards the intravenous medication and the iv in his left arm. Then he noticeed how his eyelids began to become heavy again.

"Pep, the damn narcotics are stunting me again, come here…" He said drawing her close to his face to whisper in her ear. "I want to get out of this hospital as soon as possible." He succeeded in asking before his strength failed him. "As soon as I'm able to walk. Have the jet ready. Start getting ready for our return home."

The redhead sighed deeply and nodded affirmativaly to him as her boyfriend hit the pillow and fell back asleep.

"Okay," She whispered into his ear, unsure of whether he heard her or not.

Her man has such a blatant hate for hospitals she thinks amused.

When Pepper looks at his face again, he is already fast asleep. She smiled to herself and relaxed on the nearby chair, much calmer. She immediately took out her Stark Tablet from her purse and started to work. Now that she knew that Tony was doing well and that he is going to recover, she can go back to putting their business affairs in order. It's been awhile since she has been recovering from Extremis herself. She didn't miss the burning heat igniting her insides. It's been gone for a month and all is well in her world.

Three months later

The night is hot for New York. Tony knows it's the city where he was born but he can't help feeling like a stranger here tonight. He missed his Malibu house, badly. All the moments he shared with Pepper there now rested under the sea and their new home is the tower. It was a sad thought but, after all they went through, the mechanic had decided to look into their future. He won't have a better occassion than tonight to go through with his plan, Tony thinks as he plays with the engagement ring between his fingers. It's date night again, the first one in a long time.

They had just had dinner alone in the attic because he booked the entire rooftop of the Hilton for the two of them to celebrate they are alive after enduring procedures and surgery. Before Pepper came back from the bathroom, Tony puts back the engagement ring in its black velvet case to keep it secure in his jacket pocket. Then pulled out the other box, this one is blue velvet and without a doubt, giving her the pendant was going to be much easier. He held it in his hands, trying to take a deep breath and calm down.

The view is perfect. The skyscrapers rise to the sky like giants made of colors and to Tony it seems that they give him subtle winks. It is chill out here, and yet his hands are still sweaty. Pepper must have guessed that something strange was happening, the woman of his life is not stupid, she is too clever, she must be figuring out what is he hiding since she crossed the door of the restaurant and found it empty waiting for them, but she has had the good taste not to mention anything to him during the evening.

Familiar gentle arms wrap around his waist pulling him out of his reverie. He decided not to move for a while, resting together like that, while soft strands of golden red hair caress his neck.

"Staring at the stunning view, Mr. Stark?" Pepper asked after a few seconds.

"What's with us and rooftops Ms. Potts?" Tony answered trying not to sound anxious.

He turned slowly in order to look at her and in doing so the blue velvet box between his hands comes into her line of sight. Pepper stared briefly at it, then looked at him. Before the charm breaks, Tony opened it to show her the pendant.

"A heart shapped ruby?" His Pepper asked, feeling somewhere between surprised and flattered. Her slender fingers roamed over it carefully, as if she's afraid to break it. Then she stared intently at it, realization owerhelming her with feelings "This is... Tony... No, do not tell me the chain is made of... Is it what I think it is?" Her gaze focussed on the tiny, bright bits of shrapnel.

"Yes" He answered, his voice deep and nearly trembling "It is yours and I want you to keep it. I mean… You've had it for a long time… It's just… I… Pep…"

Pepper wanted to hug the hell out of him until he realized the wonderful man he's always been. Even when the world still didn't know. Oh but she did. She always KNEW.

Now they are gazing intently into each other's eyes. Their expressions full of tenderness and love.

"Your heart" she finally gets the courage to say out loud, fighting back tears of emotion.

Tony nodded not looking away. Suddenly he swallowed hard and let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding. She loves it and doesn't find it weird or inappropiate. Two hearts beating as one.

"Come here, baby. Turn around. I'm going to put it on" He finally managed to say.

Pepper was so moved that she felt her eyes get wet with tears and suddenly she couldn't breathe, despite the cool breeze that surrounds them. She did what he asked. Pulls her hair back gracefully and lets him wrap the beautiful pendant around her neck. The velvet box lays forgotten at a nearby cocktail table. Something melts inside her as she feels the weight of the precious gift on her skin. Pepper couldn't help but think that not so long ago it was herself who tried to convince him with a special gift of her own that he did have a heart, a big one in fact... And now Tony was giving it to her...

When he finished closing the clasp, Tony caressed her shoulders and arms softly, inviting her to turn and look back at him. In doing so, Pepper became lost in his dark gaze full of love. Her right hand slid up, caressing his cheek with affection, and Tony closed his eyes shut, losing himself in the warm sensation. Their foreheads touched intimately. Tony's big warm hands didn't let go of the small shoulders of his girl, in that unique and special way he has always cherised only to her. That one gesture that has always meant so much between them, even before they were romantically involved.

Then they kissed slowly and sweetly in the moonlight, pouring all their emotions of happiness, belonging and love into it.

"I love you, Pep"

"I love you too"

Her eyes are sparkling, Tony noticed. He then kissed her on the forehead and without any warning grabbed her by the hand and started walking back inside the magnificent restaurant.

"Let's dance, baby. I asked for a very special song."

Pepper smiled, and her smile at this moment would be able to illuminate the universe with the force of a supernova. The pianist is playing her favourite song. The very same song that was playing all those years ago when they danced together for the first time at the Firefighters Family Fund Gala.

His hand is on her back, warm and steady. They'd only been dancing a few minutes in gentle cadence when Tony's playful voice whispered in her ear:

"That dress fits you so perfectly, Pep. Do you know where it would look even better?"

"Let me guess… On your bedroom's floor?" she retorted arching an inquisitive brow.

"That's right. You know me too well" Tony whispered back. And then shook his head.

She smiled devilishly at him. Her eyes bright.

"Just wait some more minutes, love. I'm enjoying myself so much. It's been awhile since we danced together to this song…"

"I love this too, Pep… Not in a hurry at all" He reassured her.

She made him close his mouth with a quick kiss on the lips.

"But later tonight… We are going to have lots of sexy fun. I want to celebrate that you are finally recovered. Thank you my love for an unforgettable evening, and for the precious gift."

"You are the best, baby" He smiled at her broadly. "It's me who is celebrating being in love with the most gorgeous woman in the world."

Tony drew her towards him, closing the gap between their bodies, his chin resting over her shoulder. They kept moving with the music as a bit of sadness lingers in his eyes as he thinks about the other box he kept buried in his jacket pocket. He didn't have the courage to ask her to marry him. He felt like such a coward. He kissed Pepper on the forehead out of the blue, silently apologizing to her for being so afraid. Afraid of commitment. Afraid of her refusal. Afraid of not being good enough for her.

Afraid of losing her.

Special Thanks to my awesome beta: a-citizen-of-asgard because she's the reason my inner writer voice sounds right in English. Thank You Shannon for helping me when I needed you. You are THE BEST.