Tony came back from the robbery feeling victorious but worn out. The two masked men had used a surprising amount of firepower, but in the end it was no match for iron man. Tony knocked them out and handed them to the police, then flew back home.
As Jarvis and the robots pulled the armor off him, he could feel where the bruises would be forming thanks to the piercing bullets. As Tony felt the last piece pulled off, he stepped down from the platform and nearly collapsed. "Sir, are you all right?", Jarvis asked. Tony just groaned in response. "Should I call Ms. Potts?" Tony shook his head, his teeth gritted in pain as he tried to put weight on his ankle. "That wont be necessary, Jarvis. I will see her in a moment. I just have to ignore the blinding pain."
Slowly the pain subsided and Tony got back on his feet, limping only slightly. He made it up the stairs and called out to Jarvis. "Jarvis where is pepper?" His answer came not from Jarvis but from the sound of a door opening and out came pepper, dressed in only one of Tony's shirts. "Sir I think you found her." Jarvis's sarcastic remark twisted Tony's mouth into a smile, but it was soon switched into one of joy when pepper walked up to him and kissed him lightly on the lips. She began to pull away, but Tony was hungry for her. He reached out and pulled her close. She laughed softly as his mouth smoothed over hers and his arms enclosed her. The kiss ended only when oxygen loss became a problem.
They drew away gasping, but Tony kept his grasp on her. Pepper reached up a hand to the new cut above his eyebrow. Her brows knitted together in worry, but before she could say anything, Tony covered her mouth with his own. She pulled away, determined to talk. "Ok first, how did it go, where did you go, and are you in any pain?" Tony laughed at her questions, but humored her all the same. "It went well. Bad guys lost, good guys won. It was a bank robbery in downtown LA and yes I am in pain." Pepper's eyes grew wide at this answer.
Before she could call an ambulance, Tony spoke. "I am in pain from having been away from you for so long. And my foot hurts a bit, but the other pain is overriding it." Pepper smiled and blushed at the first remark, but looked down at his feet, trying to figure out which one was hurt. Tony laughed and drew her close again. "Pepper, please don't worry too much. All I want right now is to sleep. Preferably with you by my side." Pepper looked up at him in surprise. "Of course", was all she said.
With her arm around his waist, pepper walked them back to the room. She sat Tony down on the bed and helped him pull off his shirt. She kissed him softly before laying him down and moving to the other side of the bed. She got in and snuggled against his side. He chuckled softly at her motherly antics and raised one arm so she could shift closer. Tony leaned down and kissed the top of her head softly and then promptly closed his eyes and fell asleep. Pepper looked up at his sleeping form and tried to calm herself. He came back in one piece she kept telling herself. Finally she believed it and fell asleep.
To Be Continued….
