Notes: Huge thanks to ardvari for the beta work. :)

Title: Of Cuts, Scrapes and Bruises

Theme #88: Nurse

Summary: He watched as she moved, her fingers working with the same skill and comfort of a nurse. And really, he supposed Pepper was his nurse.

Tony sat on the toilet, elbows balanced on his knees and his head cradled in his hands, staring at the bathroom floor as if it held all the answers of the universe. In fact, he hoped it did. Maybe somewhere within the cool, sienna colored tiles and white caulking the answers of Life would float up and smack him in the face.

Surprise!

He snorted. Right, the answers of Life.

So, Tony, where'd you get the idea for your latest Stark invention?

Well, I found the idea deep within the cracks of my bathroom tile. Surprisingly, they're very knowledgeable.

People would think he was crazier than they already painted him to be. Apparently, surviving three months in a cave, held hostage by the very weapons you helped create and then coming home and wanting to rid the world of those weapons made you a lunatic. Although, Tony figured it was more the revelation that he flew around the world in a shiny, computer powered suit that made him look crazy.

And maybe he was. He was a man-child living out every five-year-old's fantasy of being a superhero. He could fly, shoot up the bad guys with repulser rays that came out of his palms and save the day. But he wasn't doing it because it was cool (although, it was pretty damn cool), but because he felt what he was doing was right. And he hadn't felt right about anything in a long time.

Cocking his head to the left, the continuity of the tiles was broken by one Manolo Blahnik clad foot. Tony risked a look up at Pepper's face and the look painted across her beautiful features was like a punch in the gut. Under a thin veneer of professionalism were worry, fear and the flicker of anger.

As she bent to kneel in front of him, Tony half expected her to slap him and scream at him for acting like a complete idiot. Except, her hands never reached his face, but traced the white bandages he'd managed to slap on himself and the only thing that escaped her lips was a disapproving sigh.

Pepper stood and Tony watched her, wincing at the shooting stabs of pain in his temples caused by the overhead lights, as she looked for the first aid kit. Her voice was calm and controlled as she said, "Jarvis, dim the lights, please."

The lights dimmed enough so Tony didn't have to squint, but not so much that Pepper could no longer see. She resumed her position in front of him and Tony stared at her sadly as she tracked his injuries with her eyes. A deep cut ran across from under his left eye to the edge of his eyebrow and a host of other tiny cuts marred his face. But the worst of his injuries lay under the white bandages decorating his arms, torso and back.

Sighing heavily, Pepper carefully pulled aside one of the bandages that lied just to the right of the reactor. She gasped, revealing the nasty red gash, pieces of the suit still imbedded into his skin. Keeping quiet, Pepper opened the first aid kit and pulled out the tweezers and looked up at Tony for permission to continue.

Tony stared at her sadly and nodded, remaining still as Pepper worked in front of him. He winced as she pulled the indented piece from his skin and he could feel the warm trickle of blood run down his chest.

Pepper worked effortlessly, removing the old bandages, extracting the metal pieces, stopping the blood flow and reapplying fresh bandages. He watched as she moved, her fingers working with the same skill and comfort of a nurse. And really, he supposed Pepper was his nurse.

How unfair.

She wasn't getting paid enough.

"Are you mad?" he finally asked, staring down at the top of her head.

Pepper didn't answer. Her eyes remained on his bicep, concentrating on removing the last of the metal from his skin.

Tony sighed. "You're mad."

She looked up at him, defeat written across her face. Her bangs hung limply in her face, sweat beaded across her brow, and despite how careful she'd been, his blood stained her white shirt. Tony stared at the offensive stain, no bigger than the pad of his thumb; it seemed to weave itself into the very fabric of her shirt.

Sitting up straight, he ignored the pain that rippled through the muscles on his back and leaned forward and grasped the edge of her shirt between his fingers. Tony could feel her gaze and with sudden clarity, realized he had woven himself in the very fabric of her life and that she had been woven into his.

Before Pepper, there had been other personal assistants. Three, in fact, but none of them lasted more than a month. He figured it was because he slept with each of them after the first day, made outlandish requests and was difficult to work with. Pepper started the first day knowing about his reputation and not giving a damn. She mowed down all of his ill-attempted innuendos and got straight to work.

For ten years, Pepper stuck by his side, playing every role he needed: nurse, mother, teacher, assistant, maid, and friend. She'd been keeping him in line ever since.

Tony slumped his shoulders and released his hold on her shirt. Pepper blinked up at him and started cleaning the cut on his face.

"Do you ever think about what your life would be if you hadn't worked for me?"

"What?"

"You know," Tony sighed, "Like married with kids or something?"

Pepper shrugged. "Sometimes," she said, cleaning the cut with Neosporin. "I love my job and have no regrets, Tony."

Tony stared at her for a moment. Her eyes were focused on her task and her brow furrowed in concentration. Her hand came up and tilted his chin to the right, angling his face more into the light and shivers shot down his spine.

"I'm sorry I got blood on you," he said, his breath fanning across her cheek.

"If it means you're alive, I don't care." Pepper rocked back on her heels and stood up, packing away the first aid kit. "I'm afraid one day you're going to kill yourself and I don't want to be the one to find you," she said softly, bracing her hands on the counter.

"Pepper, you kept me alive." Wincing slightly, he stood and placed himself between Pepper and the counter. "I won't die on you. At least not voluntarily."

She stared up at him and brought one hand up to the reactor in the middle of his chest. Tony's breathing hitched as she traced one slender finger around the outer edge and over the white scar tissue. "How can I be stronger than this?" she asked, tapping the reactor.

Tony shrugged. "Because you're you."

Pepper slipped her hands into his and pulled him forward. Smiling, she leaned into him and pressed her lips to his, watching as Tony's eyes fluttered close. It was simple, chaste and lovely, yet electric. Pulling away, she bit her lip to keep her smile from floating off her face and quickly kissed him again.

He watched her turn to leave. "Pepper?" At the sound of his voice, she paused and turned around. "Have dinner with me."

"Only if you let Jarvis update me when you're on missions."

Pepper smiled and as she left the room, Tony looked up at the ceiling. "Jarvis? Override protocol beta-7."