Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers.
Rachel and Pepper finds out that Tony was dying. Aftermath.
"Here you are." Rachel stepped out into the roof and sat herself next to him, her feet dangling in the air. Tony didn't glance her way. He took a sip of his drink. "I didn't even know you were aware there was a roof."
Tony shrugged. "Thought it was best to stay away from the lab now that you and Pepper are upset with me."
Rachel stared at him. He refused to look her way. "That's a smart move." She said lightly, "How long do you plan on staying away from your suits?"
He shrugged again. She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tony…"
"Don't lie to me and say you're not upset. I saw your face." He snapped, meeting her gaze. "I heard it in your voice. You're upset and you have every right to be. Don't you dare say you're not."
I wasn't going to." She said slowly, staring at him in surprised. "I'm angry."
"As you should be." He mumbled.
"Furious really." Rachel continued, watching him say an 'Amen' before gulping his drink. "but even bigger than that, I'm really hurt."
He winced and fell silent. The blue-haired girl mentally sighed in relief and moved closer. She inclined her head to catch his eyes. "Tony, you were dying. Dying. And didn't bother to tell anyone. How are we suppose to feel?"
He finally met her gaze. "I know."
"You deliberately kept that information away from us." She continued, her fist shaking and her eyes tearing as the feelings she originally had resurfaced. "You didn't feel like it was important to tell us. Did you think you could just ignore it and simply wish it to go away?"
"No, I didn't. " He said calmly. "I was searching for a cure. I was hoping to find one before…"
Rachel scrambled up, her chest heaving. Tony followed quickly, placing his hands on her arms. "How close were you?"
"Blues…"
"Tell me Tony. You owe me this." She said. He searched her face for a moment, before backing away.
"I burned out my last arch reactor." He said quietly. She stared at him. She shook her head slowly and turned for the door. "Blues…"
She raised her hand. "I need time to process this. Go to Pepper and apologize. At this point, she doesn't care what you did, all she wants is to be near you."
She stepped out, never once looking back at him.
Rachel found him, two week later, sitting on her building's doorstep, a bunch of sunflowers across his lap and a crate filled with books at his side. He shot up, taking off his sunglasses with a swift movement, and shoved the sunflowers in her arms. She raised an eyebrow at him.
"Pepper says they're your favorite." He said quickly. She smiled down at her gift, before glancing at him.
"Well, come on then. People need to use that stoop." She said, stepping around him to type in a code and the door buzzed open. She chuckled quietly as she heard him scrambling behind her to bring the crate. Rachel had never seen him so flustered in her life.
The elevator stopped at the fifth floor. She opened the door and allowed him to go first. She dropped her purse on the coffee table and headed for the kitchen.
"Drink?" She called over her shoulder. Tony plopped himself on the couch and immediately grabbed his favorite red pillow.
"Yes please." He replied, squeezing it against his chest. Rachel returned with two wine glasses. She sat across him, crossed-legged on the coffee table, her red toenails peeking out from under her long skirt.
"What website did you read that said a crate full of books would be a good apology?" she said, glancing at the crate with a sparkle in her eye. He shrugged and took a long sip of his drink. His shoulders relaxed.
"Happy thought it was a good idea. Most of them are signed copies." He said offhandedly. She stared at him and then threw her head back,laughing. He watched her with a fond smile.
"Tony, dear, I didn't need sign copies." She said gently, traces of her mirth still noticeable across her left cheek and the crinkles on her eyes. "I forgave you by the second day."
Tony jolted in his seat, his eyes wide. She smiled at him.
"I tried looking for you, but Jarvis and Pepper said you were busy either in the labs or traveling to another city for a meeting." She said, running a finger across the rim of her glass. She glanced up at him slyly. "Were you avoiding me?"
"I was just trying to give you space." He said. Rachel raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, fine, I didn't want to be around my house because it just reminded me how royally I screwed up with you and Pepper."
Rachel got off the table and threw herself next to him, wrapping him in a hug. "You really are forgiven Tony." She whispered. He sighed and buried his face on her shoulder. "Just promise that we won't lie to each other anymore."
Tony nodded. "Promise."
She smiled widely, squeezing him tightly before turning to the crate at their feet. He watched her.
"You know-Oh Dan Brown!- for future reference, if you want me to happy, you should just buy me canolis." She said, winking over her shoulder at him. He wrinkled his nose.
The ending was much cuter than this, but I accidentally deleted it... The Universe could be so cruel sometimes. Enjoy!