Here's a new one. I realized after I wrote it that it has no Pepperony, but it is happy. I like it. I like fics that discuss the arc reactor. Yeah, my updates might be a little more spread out for a bit. My muse has slowed down and real life is super busy.

I own nothing. But I did buy those Iron Man 2 valentines from Walmart, complete with temporary tattoos. And yes, I did wear one.


Change

Tony leans back in the chair, nervous as Yinsen hovers over him. "Careful with that," he mutters, rubbing his chronically tired eyes.

Yinsen smiles. "This is quite an impressive machine you have here, Stark." He flips the miniature arc reactor over in his hands, examining and analyzing with a scientist's eye.

Tony grunts appreciatively, too preoccupied with the idea of what they are about to do to say much of anything. He is worried, concerned that the arc reactor will be unable to keep the shrapnel from his heart, or, even worse, the power will overwhelm his heart and kill him instantly.

He has checked and rechecked his math hundreds of times and he rarely makes a mistake, but he is still troubled. He doesn't want to die, not yet. Not when he has finally realized who he is and what he must do with his life. Tony is tired of being a reckless, careless man who puts himself above everyone else. Seeing his weapons in the hands of enemies and villains has sparked something within him. He realizes that he is manufacturing weapons primarily for the money, and it makes him sick. He hates who he is.

But he wants to change, to make up for all of his past mistakes. At heart, Tony isn't a bad person, he has merely lost sight of what is right, of how to be accountable.

"Are you ready?" YInsen's calm voice pulls him from his deep, worried contemplation.

Looking him in the eye, Tony answers. "Ready as I'll ever be."

He holds his breath as he unhooks himself from the life-sustaining car battery, fully exposing the deep metal tube implanted in his chest. With careful hands, Yinsen places the arc reactor inside, connecting the wire to the base plate, and then–

The shock of the energy hits his system, and he gasps. The blue light of the reactor glows furiously as his heart rate speeds and his breathing picks up, accented by short, quick pants. His back arches as the fire blazes in his heart, and his vision spins as his body fights to adapt to the new power. He thinks this is it, that he won't be able to take it much longer. He braces himself for the coming darkness.

But then his breathing evens out and his heart rate slowly returns to normal. The fire remains, but it is no longer an uncomfortable feeling. It burns there in his chest, a warm sensation that begins near the RT and slowly spreads through his veins, the feeling remaining throughout his entire body.

There's a slight pulsing, a reassuring vibration emanating from the arc reactor, like a second heart beat. Closing his eyes, he concentrates on the slight tremor it creates within himself. The vibrating is comforting, the quiet hum of it low in his ears. He basks in the new feeling, the warm, rejuvenating sensation that remains and will always remain.

It's a feeling he will never get used to, unlike anything he has experienced before. The warm and pulsating energy courses through his body, filling him with new power and awareness. His mind feels like it's moving a million miles a second, producing thoughts at an astonishing rate. He wonders if it's a product of the new energy flowing through his bloodstream and to his brain or if he is just so overwhelmed by it all that his brilliant mind is working quickly to keep up.

The glow of the arc reactor fills the cave with a strange blue tint. Tony likes it. A new light, a new hope for his life.


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