A/N: I have no excuses. Words cannot express how sorry i am. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man but i do own the wish that pertains to wanting to own Iron Man. :)
Pepper bit the edge of her thumb nail. Her eyes rested upon a beaten up Tony Stark that was quietly being disassembled by yellow and grey mechanical arms that extended from the ceiling. As the dented and black spotted case of the suit disappeared into the ceiling, the man in front of her almost stumbled forward. Pepper reached forward, expecting to catch him in her arms, but he stood up, almost slowly, and waved her support off.
"Are you okay? What happened out there?" She immediately asked him. Tony slowly looked her in the eye. Pepper could see his eyes turn a deep dark shade of brown. When he didn't answer her, she assumed that he just didn't want to talk about it, but his gaze wasn't turned at her. He was gazing at the person behind her.
Pepper turned around and saw Agent Romanoff standing a few feet away from her. Her arms were crossed against her chest, and her gaze was almost piercing. Her tight black outfit made her gaze even more death threatening.
"What happened?" Natalie asked him in an angry and low voice.
Tony glanced over at his Personal Assistant, almost hesitantly. "Can you—"
"I'm not leaving, Tony." Pepper crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him with a stone cold stare. "I want to know what happened, too."
He knows he failed miserably. It wasn't about saving Cheyenne, the city of Wyoming, at that point. It wasn't about how heroic he looked on camera or how many lives he had saved. What kept on trucking through his mind and gnawing at his heart was how he had failed miserably to defeat the one person he basically created.
He didn't see it as a mission or just another villain. He saw Khris Jorg as his responsibility. It was his responsibility to stop him from destroying the world. It was his responsibility to keep the Arc Reactor technology from spreading. Vanko was his responsibility, and so was Khris. He just hoped to god that Khris didn't pass his technology on to someone else, too.
"I…" He looked away, unable to make eye contact with either of them. He felt ashamed. "…I couldn't defeat him."
"Him?" Pepper furrowed her eyebrows.
"Who?" Natalie asked him, carefully reading his facial expressions.
"This guy named Khris Jorg." He pressed his lips together in frustration. "He… He could've—He could've killed me."
"But he didn't." Natalie stared at him, expecting to hear more than just the ending result.
"He's not out for revenge." Tony looked up at Pepper and realized her worried expression. She could probably already make out the bruises that were already starting to bloom.
"He wants to prove how powerful he is." Natalie nodded to herself.
"He's giving me a week." He looked away and then again at Pepper. "If I don't appear in Cheyenne by that time…" He paused. "…He'll kill Pepper."
Pepper wasn't surprised. She knew what she signed up for when he became Iron Man, and she definitely knew the consequences of being his personal assistant. She wasn't scared to get death threats – well she was – but she wasn't going to get as far away as possible just because some guy wants to use their relationship as leverage.
"We can keep her at the Avengers headquarters." Natalie suggested in confidence. "She'll be safe there."
"No." Pepper shook her head. "I'm staying here."
He looked at her in sorrow. He didn't want her to get hurt, and her safety was very important to him. There was no reason to stay behind in the range of danger with him. "Pepper…" he breathed.
"I have a say in what I want to do, and I want to stay here."
"If you stay here, you're at risk." Natalie furrowed her eyebrows at her. "You'll only be a burden."
Pepper cringed at that word; burden. She knew she was a liability. She didn't deny it one bit. She clenched her fists and pressed her lips together in frustration. "I've stood by Tony's side since the beginning. I'm not about ready to abandon him just because some guy says he'll kill me."
Tony's eyes widened as his gaze turned to his personal assistant. He read her form and noticed her posture. She was poised; she held her ground like The Great Wall of China. He was sure he'd have a damsel-in-distress girlfriend since the beginning of his Iron Man chapter, but to see his girlfriend stand her ground against a SHEILD agent, much less Natalie, was beyond him. He absolutely adored that side of her.
"Pepper, you don't—"
She turned to him, almost calmly. "I'm not the type to instantly cower under a rock when the going gets tough."
Natalie turned to Tony with a disappointed facial expression. Pepper stood next to Tony with her arms crossed against her chest in fortification. He rose is eyebrows at the presence of his personal assistant and immediately turned to look at Natalie.
"I can't seem to ever win an argument against her." He quickly and sweetly smiled.
"Director Fury won't be pleased about your decision." Natalie informed them.
"When is he ever pleased about anything?" Tony mumbled, looking away.
"Fine." The SHIELD agent pressed her lips together. "I'll see what I can dig up on Khris Jorg. Director Fury will want to know about what happened. We probably should contact everyone, including Hulk, and see if we could—"
"No." Tony quickly snapped. "They shouldn't be involved in this."
"What?" Natalie furrowed her eyebrows in complete shock. "We're a team. If one problem arises, everyone collapses in the center. This isn't a one man glory hole. You don't get to act like god just because you have powers that other people don't have."
"I'm not saying I'm god." Tony said loudly, almost in anger. His eyes turned a darker shade of brown, the kind of shade that terrified Pepper when she found him in his workshop, frustrated and upset, right after a tough mission. "I'm saying that this is my responsibility. I caused this, so I should be the one to fix it."
Natalie clenched her fists, and leaned forward, trying to take the initiative; trying to control her territory. "This isn't some Disney fairytale where the hero always wins and the villain always loses, Tony. This is life or death; millions of lives are at stake here."
"Which is exactly why it's my responsibility to take control of my actions and my technology." He argued. "I'm responsible, so I'm going to fix it."
"Director Fury—"
"Fury can piss on my grave for all I care." Tony shook his head. "There's no way I'm letting something I basically created hurt innocent people. If I die, you can call all the back up you want. I just want to fight for what created Iron Man in the first place."
Natalie looked at him as if she were about to tear his face apart. Tony looked up at her, forgetting the fact that the only thing that kept him decent was the sweaty and sticky neoprene suit. Natalie licked her lips and angrily glanced away.
She looked back down at him with a small frown. "Director Fury will most likely call you in the next twenty-four hours. I suggest you pick up or else get dropped on." She threatened before heading towards the front door. Her shoes clicked against the tile flooring with loud pulses and before the sound of a slamming door boomed throughout the house, thus leaving Tony and Pepper alone to repair the damages.
"She certainly likes to make an exit." Tony dryly joked, turning his head to look at his personal assistant.
Pepper, however, was looking in the other direction; searching for the right questions to ask him or the right words to say. He noticed how silent she had gotten. Of all the years that she has worked for him, he'd always see Pepper take immediate action. When she was out witted in the boardroom, she would counter back with something more whimsical and with slightly more force. When his missions got in the way of some serious business matters, Pepper would rectify the problem immediately with a few phone calls and some swift e-mails.
And yet here she stood in front of him, unable to form the necessary words, phrases, or questions.
"You didn't have to stay here with me, Pepper." He spoke up, tilting his head to the side to get a better look of her face. "You should have gone to the headquarters. You're better protected there."
"Are you okay?" She simply asked, ignoring is recent words. She looked up at him with a similar frown that of Natalie's.
He stares at her, still trying to read her facial expression. He began to ponder on his answer. Of course he wasn't okay, mentally and physically, but he didn't want to tell her that. He had this fortified wall that kept his tough exterior from breaking, or getting damaged. But it always seemed to crumble under the surveillance of his personal assistant.
"I'll live." He answers her flatly.
Pepper scooped up a pile of clothes that were sitting on his desk and gently handed it to him. He looked down at it in remorse before looking back up at her. "Here are some clothes for you. I figured you'd want to change when you got back."
"Thanks." His lips graced a small smile.
She smiled back at him for a split second before she turned around to walk back upstairs. Tony stood there, unable to process what he should tell her, or what he shouldn't tell her. Should he keep her locked up in his house until things blew over, or should he let her go back and forth to work when a lethal weapon is threatening him with her life?
"Pepper." He muttered under his breath, loud enough for her to hear. She turned around, making the heels of her shoes click twice against the concrete flooring. She looked at him with a flat and somewhat dull expression, as if she wasn't sure what to ask him.
"Hm?" She hummed.
"I know things are getting crazy around here." He started out as he began to shuffle the clothes that were in his hands. "I just want to make sure that you're positive you want to stay here, because—"
She cut him short. "—Of course I'm positive." She paused, trying to keep him calm through their locked gaze. "You're all I have, remember?"
A wide and pleasant smile grew on his lips. "Yeah, I remember." He nodded slightly. Before she turned around again, "Do you think you could stay here until everything blows over?"
"Yeah, sure." She said softly.
"And work from here." He added, making sure he covered her safety.
"You don't have a lot of food here, Tony. That might be an issue." She reminded him with a small smile.
"We can get Happy to pick some up." He chimed in.
"I'll get him on that then." She opened the glass door. "Let me know if you need me."
Once her legs disappeared from his sight, the small smile he once held quickly crumbled into a guilty frown. He looked around his workshop and then at his battered Iron Man suit. He glanced back at the stairs and muttered to himself, "I need you now more than ever, Pep."
Khris walked towards the repair platform that was encased in their warehouse base. "How long will it take for you guys to fix it?" He asked one of the men.
The man turned around with the schematics in his hand. "We're trying to repair it as quick as possible, but Leon's device will take some time to replace. Three days at the most. There was a crack on one of the sides when we examined it."
"Mm." Khris hummed, looking over at the exoskeleton of the suit that was being worked on by five other men. No doubt, they were puzzled about the damage.
"What happened to it?" The man spoke up after a few seconds.
"Stark did more damage than I thought." Khris grumbled. "I didn't think his weapon of last resort would cause Leon's device to crack."
"Weapon of last resort?" The man standing next to him raised his eyebrow in confusion.
Khris tried to replay their fight in his head. He brought his hand up to his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was frustrated; he was unable to grasp how close the device was to being destroyed. "He called it the Photon Cannon. If my calculations were correct, that weapon probably used at least fifty percent of his Arc Reactor. If he used any more power, it would've most definitely caused the device to short circuit."
"We should enhance the capacity then." The man suggested. "Fixing the crack will only be temporary. It isn't a permanent solution."
"I know." Khris angrily spat. "We can't enhance the capacity when it's already been increased to its full potential. Leon's blueprints and calculations are too scattered." He rubbed his forehead.
"We can try and combine two of them – maybe even more." The man rambled.
"Leon's device doesn't work that way. It's supposed to be a single element. A lone device that's powerful enough to store tons of energy." Khris pressed his lips together, taking a glance at the suit that was a few meters away from him.
"We… could…" The man sighed a bit. "We could try and enhance the walls of the device. We could give it more fortification."
Khris glanced at him for a second and nodded in approval. "That seems like the only solution. Fortify it. You have less than five days."
"Yes, sir." The man nodded, and immediately ran back to the repair platform to inform the others of their new task.
Tony rubbed the back of his neck and began to feel pain spread across his lower back. "Ahh, JARVIS, how long until the repairs are done?"
"Six hours, three minutes, and fifty-two seconds, sir." The AI responded quickly.
Tony took a moment to stand up from his desk chair in hopes of stretching out his back. He knew the Photon Cannon would put pressure on his spine, but he didn't think it would cause this much pain.
Feeling most of the pain overwhelm him in a short burst, he hunched over on his desk, laying both of his palms on the desk in front of him, and grunted in pain. "God, that hurt." He muttered to himself.
"As we suspected, the Arc Reactor's power was reduced to forty-seven percent after the Photon Cannon was activated." JARVIS announced.
"The side effects definitely weren't very keen on my back." Tony sarcastically commented before wincing in pain.
"A full night of rest should allow the Arc Reactor to regenerate energy on its own." The AI suggested.
"No." Tony quickly spat. "We're not resting until we find a suitable solution to beat this guy, JARVIS."
"There's plenty of ti—"
"Shut up and finish the repairs on the suit. And while you're at it, begin a medical scan. I need to know how much damage the Photon Cannon did if I'm going to use it again." Tony looked at the monitors in front of him, carefully observing the repairs and damage reports.
"Running medical scan." JARVIS paused. "I suggest the Photon Cannon be taken out of the scenario immediately, Sir. It could cause more damage to your spine, thus leading to the possibility of permanent immobilization."
"Sounds a lot better than world domination."
"Medical scan complete." JARVIS announced. "The Photon Cannon, along with several contacts with fortified concrete walls, has left your lower back in an inflammatory state."
"Meaning…?" Tony slightly raised his eyebrow whilst trying to steadily lower himself into his chair.
"Your lower back muscles are strained and are in need of proper care. I suggest placing cool substances along your lower back to release the tension. After a while, the inflammation should be reduced."
Tony leaned against the back end of his chair with a short grunt. He looked over at the monitors, reminding him that there was plenty of time to give his back a rest and brainstorm some weaponry ideas.
"Can you call Pepper down here? Tell her to bring the frozen peas." He looked around his desk for a pencil. He already had a few ideas in mind, but they wouldn't last long if Pepper was going to be around.
"Surely peas alone aren't a suitable meal, Sir." The AI responded to his command.
Feeling a bit frustrated, and rather annoyed, Tony snapped back at him. "Just tell Pepper to bring bags of ice."
"As you wish." The AI responded.
Tony slowly got up from his chair, being careful enough to ease his back into the right positions. He walked around the workshop and found a single regular pencil sitting on a tray next to his hot rod. He grabbed the pad of paper off his desk and gingerly walked over to the sofa.
He laid down, back side up, and began to scribble his ideas down. His brain was working diligently. It must've been the sheer thought of losing to something he was responsible for in the first place that got his brain working, or it might've been the thought of losing Pepper. Both factors floated around his head like flies. After five minutes, he went through ten pages of notes, using both the front and back sides. Before he knew it, the sound of clicking heels snapped him out of his trance, making him pop his head up to look where the sound originated from.
Pepper opened the glass door with one hand while her other hand was busy fumbling with the bags of ice he requested. Looking a bit worried and confused, she walked across the concrete flooring of his workshop, searching for him.
"Tony…?" She called him.
"Polo!" He responded.
She furrowed her eyebrows and looked in the direction of the kitchen. His head popped up from the couch, and attached was a small smile.
"…You wanted bags of ice?" She slowly walked towards him.
"Yeah, my back is having issues." He told her while her legs rounded the corner of the couch. He licked his lips while the image of her long sexy legs stopped in front of his face. He slowly looked up at her in curiosity. "This position definitely has its perks." He joked.
Pepper rolled her eyes at him and kneeled in front of the couch. "What's wrong with your back?"
"The new weapon did a number on it. No worries, though. I'm sure it'll be in tip-top shape after this week." He told her, eyeing her carefully.
Pepper noticed the pad of paper and pencil in his hand, and flashed a small smile. It was amazing to see so many calculations and ideas on a piece of paper that was slightly bigger than a folded napkin. His ideas were scattered, yet he could easily remember which calculations paired with what design. Only he could tell what he was writing. He had a unique personality that was quipped with his own mysterious ways of working.
"Are you sure you want to treat it this way? I'm sure there better ways—" She started suggesting but was abruptly cut off.
"You mean you'll give me a massage? Excellent." He nodded in approval, glancing up at her. "I am having some discomfort in the upper thigh region."
Pepper smiled incoherently, pressed her lips together, and immediately smacked his shoulder. She should have known he would try to pull that line on her. There were times when he was actually sweet to her, and then there were times when he just wanted to slap her with all the innuendo he had. His personality was, at times, bittersweet.
"I meant physical therapy."
"Don't need it." He instantly responded, glancing back down at his pad of calculations.
"You still have that appointment with SHEILD's physical therapist. We could put it to good use. The doctor can check your shoulder and then—" Pepper got cut off, again.
"I'd rather have a chiropractor look at it than some physical therapist." Tony rolled his eyes at her. He honestly didn't think that he needed a physical therapist. His shoulder didn't feel that bad since he's been focusing on his back.
Pepper sighed at him and eventually pressed her lips together. She could see where he was coming from. He only mentioned a chiropractor because they both knew that a SHIELD issued chiropractor was increasingly busy at the SHIELD headquarters in New York. There was no possible way that he would be able to make it to California in a short notice.
"Fine." She simply responded. "Take your shirt off." She tugged the hem of his shirt, gently brushing the skin of his hip with her hand.
"Whoa, Potts." He turned his head, darting his deep brown eyes in her direction. "I didn't know forceful stripping and inappropriate touching was your thing." He grinned.
"Do you want me to ice your back or not?" She raised her eyebrows at him, already feeling fully annoyed by his antics.
"Okay, okay." He gave up, and gingerly sat up. He threw his pad of paper and the pencil near the armrest of the couch. He moved arms slightly above his heard and stayed there. With a small wince, he looked at her. "Can… Can you uh… help me a bit, Pep?"
Pepper heavily sighed and plopped the bags of ice onto the spot next to her on the floor. She grabbed the hem of his shirt with both of her hands and slowly lifted up. Undoubtedly, Tony was probably smiling like a Cheshire cat at that exact moment. Instead of hearing a plethora of his sexual implications, Pepper's ears were filled with small gasps of pain.
"Ow—ow, ow, ow." He muttered.
When his shirt finally passed his arms, Tony gasped in relief and quickly lowered them. He winced in pain and carefully stared at his personal assistant while she bundled up his shirt, and tossed it aside.
"Lay down." She ordered him.
Tony slowly dipped to his right and flipped himself over. His stomach hit the soft cushions with a thud. He folded his arms and tucked them in front of him. He laid his head softly on his arms while he gazed at his personal assistant. He carefully followed her eyes and noticed her stare borrowing into his back. Tony knew she was staring at the soft purple color along his spine.
He shivered under her gentle touch that spanned across his back. "Pepper…" He silently breathed, wishing she would stop staring at his wounds as if they were her fault.
Pepper snapped out of her own world and forced herself to ignore his skin's change of color as well as the various scars, including the faint one that ran across his upper back from a recent patch up. She gently laid the bags of ice on top of the purple spots. Once all of them were scattered along his back, she motioned to get up, but Tony's hand whipped out to catch her wrist.
Pepper silently looked down at his hand. Her eyes trailed up his arm and stopped at his soft brown eyes. Her lips mindlessly curled up to form a small smile. "Will that be all?"
He didn't understand why she was acting this way. She normally scolded him for being so reckless in his Iron Man suit. After a minute of scolding, they would continue to argue until they were too tired to argue any longer. Her eyes were so soft and luscious. They looked like they could easily separate a crowded room. He adored them so much; it was almost painful to look away.
"Stay." He told her, his voice almost made it a question. "Please."
"I have a ton of work to catch up on, Tony, and—"
"Then bring your stuff down here." He shrugged her excuse off.
Pepper tilted her head to the side with a heavy sigh and looked at him for a few seconds, wondering what the advantages of her staying down in the workshop were.
"It helps me concentrate." He simply added. "And, I don't have to call you down here to take the ice off because you'll be sitting here – next to me."
"Dummy could easily do that." Pepper raised her eyebrow at him.
"Please." He muttered, rolling his eyes. "Dummy will most likely make it worse. He has his ways."
"If I stay down here, will you at least rest a bit?" She asked him, practically giving him an ultimatum.
"Pep…" He sighed, loosening his grip on her wrist.
"Tony, I know you're exhausted." She finally told him, hoping to persuade him to sleep. Once she saw his eyes roll again, she tried to give him the guilt trip. "I know you've been working hard down here. I understand you're doing your best to find a way to beat this guy, but you're over extending yourself. If you don't rest you'll—"
"If I rest, I'll be behind." He cut her off. His hand slipped off her wrist; he tucked it back under his head. Pepper couldn't possibly understand Tony's way of thinking. To her, sleep was the only way to calm him down.
"Please, at least rest until JARVIS is done repairing the suit." She tried to persuade him.
"It's almost midnight, Pepper." He turned his head to face the couch's backside. He knew if he continued to look at her while he went against her wishes, he would eventually lose it; guilt would have over come him and he would eventually have to succumb to the idea of forcefully ushering her out of his workshop. "If you're feeling tired, you should go to bed."
Pepper pressed her lips together and solemnly looked down at his tensed form. She shook her head to herself and began to stand. She almost wished she hadn't. She wished she had the courage to force him to go to sleep, but he was always stubborn against the idea; that and the idea of eating. "I'll be upstairs."
Her legs moved towards the glass door. Once Tony couldn't hear the click of her heels, he turned his head towards the door and heavily sighed. Even though he hated how worried she got over his health, he increasingly missed her presence.
After ten minutes, JARVIS had alerted Pepper of Tony's state. "It would seem that Mr. Stark's breathing patterns have calmed down."
Pepper curiously walked down to Tony's workshop to see what his AI was talking about. When she punched in her access code, she carefully approached a calm and sleepy Tony Stark. He was still in the same position from when she left earlier, only his notepad was resting next to the side of his head, one arm was dangling off the side of the couch, and the other arm was tucked under his head as if it were a pillow.
Pepper carefully removed the notepad from underneath his head before he drooled all over his calculations. The bags of ice were now half melted. She took them off of his back and threw them into a nearby garbage can. She took out a soft black blanket from underneath the couch and unfolded it before laying it across his half naked body. She tucked some of the blanket between the couch's backrest and his body, and then tucked the rest underneath the couch cushions. She stood in front of his sleeping form with a small smile spread across her face. He looked so peaceful and gentle when he slept. She took a few seconds to savor this sight. She took Tony's slight stir as a sign that she should give him his space. Before she exited his workshop, she planted a gentle kiss on the corner of his mouth, almost thankful that he fell asleep.
"Good Morning, Sir. The time is currently 11:23 AM. The weather outside is quite warm. If you are planning to go outside, I suggest you wear something comfortable." JARVIS announced.
Tony's eyes fluttered open in confusion. His arms were in front of him, on top of the blanket, while his legs were sprawled about the couch. He slowly sat up and tasted the awful morning breath in his mouth. He looked down in curiosity, almost forgetting why he wasn't wearing a shirt, until he remembered that Pepper had iced his back. But that didn't quite explain the soft blanket draped across his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed his notepad on the end table; it was filled with his various calculations from the previous night. He sat there for a few seconds, pondering about what happened last night, before he rubbed his eyes clean with his hands.
"Miss Potts requested that I wake you up. She also asked if you were hungry for lunch." His AI said.
"I'm not hungry." He sternly said. He turned his head towards the center of the workshop and noticed his Iron Man suit. The different parts were throughout the entire workshop. Wires were oozing out of the openings, waiting to be connected, or modified. "Why didn't you wake me up when the repairs were done?"
"Miss Potts denied my request and demanded that you get your rest." JARVIS responded.
Tony found his shirt from yesterday bundled up near the side of the couch. His back felt somewhat better, but it still felt like it was strained. After taking a couple minutes to put his shirt on, he flipped the blanket off of him, got up from the couch, and snatched his notepad from the table.
"No more sleeping on the job, JARVIS. We've got work to do." Tony announced.
"Of course, Sir." JARVIS said quickly.
He rummaged around his workshop and scanned all of the parts of Iron Man, whilst flipping through his notepad. He knew all of his calculations and equations were correct; he had no doubt about them, but what he was really concerned about was the level of damage he would do to Khris, as well as what kind of damage it would do to himself.
"JARVIS, I want you to scan all of my ideas and calculations in this notepad. Every single equation and calculation should be correct."
"If they are correct, Sir, then what is it you wish I do with them?" His AI responded back.
Tony folded his arms across his chest and raised his knuckles to his lips. The various ideas that accumulated on his notepad were brought to life. Holograms of the suit with each idea surrounded him. Tony looked at them one by one, and acknowledged their use and existence, but as his ideas grew with power, his health was deemed vulnerable.
"Calculate the possible injuries of each idea and spew them out to me." He ordered; he began to tap his knuckles against his bottom lip in strenuous thought.
"Miss Potts is approaching."
Tony's ears began to perk up. A split second after JARVIS told him, he heard the glass door pop open, followed by heels clicking towards him. He turned around to see his personal assistant slash girlfriend approach him with a clean set of clothes, a bagged sandwich, and a cup of freshly brewed coffee. She wore a white t-shirt that hugged her body comfortably, along with a pair of denim jeans, and black heels. Her luscious orange hair was tied up into a pony tail, as usual.
"Here." She simply told him. She stopped inches away from him; the items in her hands brushed up against his stomach. "Clean clothes, a sandwich—"
"I told JARVIS I wasn't hungry." He quickly cut her off. He glanced down at the items and then at her.
"—In case if you get hungry." She finished her sentence rather sternly. "And a cup of coffee."
He pressed his lips together and nodded slightly. He slid the items out from her hands using his right hand.
Tony noticed the changing color of her cheeks when his fingers brushed against hers. It was truly an adorable sight, especially when she unknowingly scratched her head and glanced away.
"If you need anything, just say so." She said, almost abruptly.
Before she could turn her back to him, he muttered her name. "Pepper." He breathed. She turned around slightly, allowing her to catch his gaze through her left eye. "Thanks…" He paused, unsure of what to say. "…um, for last night." He nodded nervously. "The ice… and the…"
"Blanket?" She finished his sentence whilst turning around to fully face him.
Tony smiled endearingly. "Yeah."
"You don't need to thank me, Tony." She smiled back. In the past, when the moment arose, she would tuck him in after one of his crazy parties, only because he was too drunk to even walk. It didn't occur to her once that he should thank her, only because she had gotten so used to the task.
"But… I do." He muttered. "I don't thank you enough for your efforts. Without you, I'd probably be starving and wearing unwashed month old clothes."
Pepper smiled at this – only because it was true.
"Even during my sex, booze, and partying phase, I don't remember if I ever thanked you for taking care of the unfortunate aftermaths." He paused for a few seconds and began to glance around. He wasn't very keen with these types of speeches, which is probably why Pepper writes them for him. He nodded slightly to end the silence. "So, yeah… uh, thanks… for everything."
Pepper absolutely grinned from ear to ear at this sight. And here I thought I wouldn't live the day to witness such a rare moment from him, she thought to herself. "I hope this isn't one of those speeches where the person knows something bad is about to happen." Her lips formed an endearingly smile.
Tony didn't know what to say to her. He could've said it wasn't, and that everything was fine, but then he would be lying to her, and he already knew the consequences of doing that. Instead, he pressed his lips together, formed a small smile, and fiddled with the items in his hands.
Feeling the sorrowing pressure that rained down on the both of them, Pepper quietly nodded. "I'll be upstairs."
"Okay." He nodded back, and watched her open the glass door. After he watched her body disappear up the stairs, he turned back to his workshop and let out a strained sigh. He could already tell the next few days were going to be hell.
It had been five whole days since Tony Stark was crushed by Khris Jorg. The media had gotten selfish when it came to the topic of Tony Stark, only because he hadn't been publically seen in almost a week. When the moment arose, every journalist, writer, news broadcasting company, talk show host, etc, would flood Pepper's e-mail inbox with questions and comments. It took Pepper more than a few hours to delete all of them. After the third day of deleting e-mails, Pepper grew tired of them and eventually turned off her phone until she felt less compelled to throw it across the room.
She occasionally checked up on Tony in his workshop, but only got two sentences out of him each time. Every morning, she would leave him a change of clothes, something to eat, and a cup of coffee on his desk. Every night, she would leave him something to eat, a bottle of water, and a note. The note never contained more than a couple sentences.
Pepper occasionally thought that he didn't read her notes, but he did. After she dropped off a few things on his desk, morning or night, he would quickly check it to see if she left him a note. The note usually said, 'Hope you're doing okay. I brought you…' or 'Please remember to go to the bathroom and drink water'. And they always ended with 'Love, Pepper'. Her little notes always brightened up his day.
On the fifth day, everything took a toll on Tony. He started becoming more frustrated than usual, and the stress wore him down even more. He had two days left to create some kind of weapon, powerful enough to defeat Khris, but they were either too dangerous for his health, or not powerful enough.
Tony sat in front of his desk. His palms were forcefully rubbing his eyes, his elbows were planted on top of his desk, and his will to keep trying was dwindling. He didn't want to give up; for Pepper's sake, he didn't want to give up. But every single time JARVIS shot down one of his ideas due to the lack of power, or the resulting damage to his body, his motivation to keep trying decreased.
He removed his hands from his face, unaware of the bags under his eyes, and stared at the pad of paper in front of him.
It was blank.
Tony glanced over at the severed Iron Man suit that was separated into five parts. He honestly couldn't think of anything that would prove to be effective against Khris' 'ultimate defense'. True, they had the specs of Leon's device, but he had no idea how Khris modified it.
"Shit…" Tony cursed under his breath. He closed his eyes in frustration and unexpectedly slid his arm across his desk in anger. The pad of paper flew across the room, and crashed into the wall, almost hitting the displayed Mark I.
"Are you alright, Sir?" JARVIS curiously asked him.
"No." Tony abruptly said. "I'm not alright." He angrily spat. "I honestly have no idea what I'm doing right now. I can't think of anything."
"Maybe you should rest. You are running on exactly six hours and thirty-two minutes of sleep for the past four days." His AI suggested.
"I have two days left…" Tony started out, angrily. "I have no time for sleep."
"Have you tried modifying Leon's device yourself? You could create your own ultimate def—"
"That's impossible, JARVIS. I've already asked Fury for the resources, and he's denied me… twice." Tony ran his hand through his hair in a frustrated manner. "The only thing he's allowing me to have is the antidote, which proves to be pretty much useless right now…"
"Have you consulted Director Fury on your options?"
Tony glanced down at his computer monitors and pressed his lips together. He, almost calmly, replied, "He'd only suspend me, and make Cap and Thor take care of the rest."
"Then, what shall be our next course of action, Sir?" His AI asked him calmly.
"Re-install the Photon Cannon…" Tony quietly mumbled. "…It's the only choice I have."
"Using the Photon Cannon a second time will—"
"I know, JARVIS." Tony gloomily looked down at his monitors. They showcased the Photon Cannon. It visualized its mechanisms and the parts that put it together. At the bottom right hand corner of the right monitor was a skeletal representation of the aftermath the Cannon would have on the user. The skeletal representation's spine was highlighted in red. "Sixty percent chance it'll immobilize me…" He paused, in thought. "…permanently."
"Knowing the repercussions of this device, I suggest you tell Miss Potts. She may want to know this knowledge beforehand." His AI suggested.
Telling Pepper was something he didn't want to do. Of course, the same idea didn't go too well for him in the past. Instead of thinking of ways to lie to Pepper's face, he silently nodded to himself. He was going to tell Pepper everything, not because he felt like he had to, not because his AI reminded him to, but because he felt, deep down inside, that this might very well be the last time he'll be able to be with her. He wasn't giving up. He was merely going to say good-bye before he lost the chance to. It was his way of coping with circumstances that didn't seem high in his favor.
The first Photon Cannon had to be scrapped when Tony got home. It nearly made a dent in the back of the suit when Khris slammed him against the wall and onto the ground. Thankfully, the cannon wasn't a complete waste since some of the parts could be reused for a new one.
"Start the preparations for the second Photon Cannon. I'll review them in the morning and then start on the hardware process." Tony chipped to his AI. He walked over to the sink in the kitchen and began to rid his hands of the grease.
"Of course, Sir. They will be ready for you in the morning. Is there a specific time to wake you?" JARVIS responded back.
Tony had almost never asked JARVIS to wake him up at a specific time. It was always Pepper than had to tell JARVIS to wake him up at a certain time. Hearing JARVIS ask him the impossible question sent Tony's stomach flipping; changes were happening at an uneasy and fast pace.
"What do you think, JARVIS?" He almost smiles.
"It is almost eleven o'clock. Preparations will be done in exactly twenty three minutes and fifty two seconds. The effective amount of time for the building process of the Photon Cannon to prosper should be at approximately five hours and ten minutes." His AI calculated.
"Time is money. In this case, time is life or death." Tony glanced up at the ceiling. He reached for a nearby towel to wipe his hands on.
"Nine o'clock ante meridiem."
He nodded to himself and set the towel down on the counter. He looked back at his suits that were on display and then back down at his desk. Tucked underneath and between the two monitors on his desk sat all of the notes Pepper had left him on his bundle of items. He remembered thumbing through them late last night after ordering Dummy to organize his tool tray. He felt like a teenage boy that just got passed a love letter from an admirer in the back of the classroom. It sent him tiny jolts of motivation. Even reminiscing about that event made his lips curl upwards unconsciously. The uneasy feeling in his stomach brought him back to reality. The thoughts of saying good-bye to Pepper flooded his mind in a matter of seconds. His small smile quickly turned into a drowned frown.
He made his way towards the stairs at a slow pace, and even tapped on the arc reactor to settle his sudden erratic breathing.
When he got to the top of the stairs, he found his personal assistant typing away on her laptop. She sat on top of the couch in front of the projected television. Her fingers were flying across the keyboard. Her eyes were glued to the screen, and every now and then, she'd lift her right hand to her mouth to bite her thumb nail in thought. This made Tony absolutely grin like an idiot, but his face fell once he remembered why he sought her presence.
When Pepper saw something move out of the corner of her eye, her typing paused. She looked up from her laptop in slight confusion. "Tony." She breathed.
When he didn't answer, she assumed he was exhausted, so she didn't rush to question his health. She didn't grow any concern until he placed his right hand behind the screen of her laptop and gently pushed it shut. Her mouth gapped, unable to process a composed and reasonable reaction to what he just did. Her mouth finally closed when her fists balled up. She was about to sternly question him about his recent actions until her eyes locked with his. He was sitting down next to her; facing her body.
She didn't see the same immature and impulsive Tony Stark that she had to pick up after for the last ten years. She noticed how much his eyes had softened, and how they yearned for her gaze. She only saw this from him at certain occasions; trailing its existence was usually a mess of bad news.
"What's wrong?" She quickly asked him, her breath hitching.
"I…" He started out, unsure of what to say. "I don't regret… kissing you that night… on top of the roof."
Pepper grinned, remembering that mind blowing and unexpected kiss. "Why are you telling me this?"
Tony turned his head to avoid looking at her. Telling her he failed and that he wanted to spend one last night with her was the hardest thing he had to do, thus far. She was his will to fight and survive. Without her, he wouldn't have gotten this far. The thought of not being able to see her face, be in her presence, or hear her yell at him made it that much harder.
"A while back, before Hammer and Vanko… I booked a meeting with my lawyer and changed my will. Well, mainly because I was dying and… well… you get the rest." He pressed his lips together in worry that he might babble.
"Tony…" She gasped; she wasn't sure where he was going with this conversation.
His gaze slowly went back to hers. Her heart pounded in her chest; the sudden fright in his words that spiraled into their conversation made her shudder.
"I'm giving everything to you." He simply told her with a small fake smile. "Well… minus some of the cars, for Happy and Rhodey."
"Wh-Why are you—" Her heart pounded even more. It was an unbearable feeling.
He grasped one of her hands in his and laid his other hand over it. He sandwiched it affectionately and quickly smiled. "You mean everything to me, so you deserve everything. The only thing I regret… is that I didn't realize my feelings for you sooner…"
He dipped his head down, unable to contain their gaze. It was the last straw when he looked away again. Pepper felt every nerve move on its own. She didn't think about it; her body seemingly moved on its own. What isn't he telling me? Her hands gently cupped his cheeks and made him face her.
"Tony, what's wrong?" She quietly asked him, almost endearingly. When his eyes drifted away, her head immediately followed.
"I…" He started off again. "I don't have anything."
"What do you mean? You have me." She paused, trying to search his face for hidden emotions. "You have Rhodey, and Happy—and JARVIS—"
"I mean… I don't have any more ideas." He finally raised his head to look at her. "I've ran out of ideas to beat this guy." His hands reached up to encircle her wrists. He slowly slid her hands down, as if apologetically. He held her hands in the middle of their bodies. "If I fail—"
"You're not going to fail, Tony." She tried to reassure him, but his facial expression said otherwise. She almost thought he was about to cry.
"If I do…" he paused to breathe. "…I don't want you to think that I didn't try hard enough."
"Why would I ever think that?" She quickly responded back.
He didn't deserve her words; he hardly thought he deserved her. For ten plus years, he had the privilege of being in her presence. She worked hard to keep his company under order, and yet all he did was goof around with women, and show up late to every event that she planned. He hardly thought being Iron Man and actually winning her heart equaled the amount of gratitude she had given him, and the amount of work she had put in. It didn't make sense. She could get any guy she wanted, yet she settled for him.
"I love you." He muttered. All those thoughts, and all those words flew through his mind like flies flying around light bulb.
"Tony…" She said breathed, unable to detect if he was saying it in the heat of the moment, or if he really meant it.
"No." He squeezed his hands around hers and held them up to his lips. "I really love you." Pepper felt his lips brush against the back of her thumbs. "I don't deserve you. You had to put up with my crap for so long, I-I don't even understand why you fell for me."
At this moment, Pepper didn't know what to say. She didn't quite understand it herself; why would she fall for a guy that had been a dick to her for ten odd years? She knew her reasons, but he didn't give her time to explain.
He released her hands and gave way to her hips. He now sat closer to her, almost leaning in. The smell of grease and metal erupted from his body. It wasn't a pleasant scent, but after ten plus years, she'd gotten used to it; the smell of Tony Stark was undeniably irresistible. She mindlessly rested her hands against his chest, nearest to his shoulders.
When he leaned in, she nearly gasped for air. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched. She didn't know what to say; she had never seen him like this. He looked hungry – yearning for her touch, her presence, and her love.
He stopped, centimeters from her face. His eyes glanced down at her lips – noticing its lusciousness – and then trailed up to lock gazes with her one last time. "I love you, Pepper." He endearingly muttered before he softly brushed his lips against hers.
Once they started kissing, it was impossible to stop. Tony's hold on her body tightened in a possessive way. At the same time, Pepper's arms around his neck constricted. Their passion erupted from their bodies in unison. The daily stress was nonexistent that night. The questions and problems Tony had with his suit and his weapon ideas were forgotten. All he wanted – all they wanted was each other that night.
Tony dropped one of his hands from around her waist and snaked it up the side of her thigh. Feeling his rough hands find their way to the waistband of her skirt made her gasp for air. She abruptly stopped kissing him; instead, she buried her nose in between his shoulder and neck. Her senses tingled once her nose got a whiff of that undeniable smell. It was a smell that made her knees buckle and her body go limp. It was something she always looked forward to at the end of a stressful day.
He planted heavy and possessive kisses along her jaw line and then along her neck. After his name escaped her lips, he picked her up and tried to lead her to the bedroom. The first try was unsuccessful as she felt her back bump into a nearby wall, but that didn't stop them. Pepper kept her legs wrapped around his waist as they both proceeded to sloppily kiss each other. Both of their backs bumped into unknown objects as they tried to guide each other to the bedroom. Upon entering the bedroom, Pepper fell back first onto the bed with Tony right on top of her. Her breathing deepened when she opened her eyes. His hands were at either side of her head, just above her shoulders. His eyes were locked with hers, as if searching for her answer.
The only thing Pepper felt like her body could conjure up was a wide grin. Her lips curled, her lipstick stretched, and her hands tugged at his shirt. It was enough of an answer for Tony, because right after he saw her award winning smile, he grinned like an idiot, planted light kisses on her neck, and told her loved her.
The rest of the night was blissfully spent together, tangled in their own bed sheets. It was an unforgettable moment for the both of them. After they were both spent and tired, Pepper turned over with her back to him and backed up until he spooned her. Tony grinned at this sight and placed one last kiss on her bare shoulder. He slipped his hand from her shoulder to her naked waist and gently squeezed it.
"Tony?" She muttered, unsure if she was dreaming.
"Hm?" He hummed lowly while nuzzling his nose against the side of her neck.
She paused; her mind wasn't quite ready to think of words. "That was—"
"Amazing?" He chimed in immediately with a small smirk.
She smirked back, almost nervously. Her arm covered his when his arm moved to wrap around her middle. Her hand mindlessly played with his. She traced his fingers noticing the size, the shape, the texture, and every other detail. Of course, it was the happiest moment in her life – lying in bed with the one person she loved, but one thing played in the back of her head. That one single thought that hovered around her for the past few hours was the fact that there was a force that could easily take him away from her. It was her duty to help him back up whenever he fell, and so she had to remind him of his duty – his obligation to the world, not just to her.
Pepper slowly closed her eyes while she felt butterfly kisses along her shoulder blade. She displayed a frown and bit her lip, regretting the action she was about to undergo. She turned around in his arms and was greeted with a friendly endearing smile. Her insides immediately warmed up at this sight. I must be dreaming. She thought to herself.
"You okay?" He asked her in almost a whisper that nearly broke her out her trance.
"Yeah." She nodded but within a split second, she shook her head. "No."
He widened his eyes in shock. Did I do something wrong? "Wh—What? Did I do—did I upset you—…" He paused for a second as his lips drew a frown. "Was it bad?"
"No—Not that, Tony." She tried to reassure him. "Why are you still here in bed with me?"
"Because you're—" He got cut off, almost immediately.
"I know, I know. Because I'm not a one night stand." She finished his sentence for him. Tony drew back, unsure of the territory he was about to cross. His furrowed eyebrows gave away his confusion. "You should be downstairs, in your workshop, figuring out a way to beat that guy."
"Pepper…" He pressed his lips together and looked away. The truth was that he was truly ashamed. When he told her that he really couldn't think of a way to defeat Khris, he really meant it. The schematics of all of his ideas were instantly shot down whenever he ran them through JARVIS.
"I know you can think of something, Tony." She whispered. Tony's eyes longed for hers, and as he looked down to gaze at her beautiful ocean blue eyes, he found every ounce of courage – every single ounce of motivation he could've hoped for. Her hands found his, and gently grasped them. She lifted them up in front of her face and gently kissed his knuckles.
"I love you, Pepper." He endearingly smiled at this sight. As he lay his eyes on the one person that could easily dissolve any problem he had, he wondered – was this the feeling of true happiness?
"I love you too, Tony." She whispered back, leaning towards him for a single kiss.
"It'll work?" Tony's eyes were wide as he looked up at the ceiling of his workshop.
A pause of silence was given. "It's a plausible idea, but there are many repercussions." JARVIS told him.
"I know." Tony nodded to himself with a small frown. "But, the pros weigh out the cons."
"Agreed." His AI responded rather quickly.
"It's better than an empty shot at defeating him." Tony half smiled.
"Shall I make the necessary preparations for this weapon, Sir?"
Just as JARVIS asked him about the preparations, Tony heard something behind him click open. He turned his head just enough to get a glance at the figure that walked through the glass door. Romanoff walked through the glass door with her heels clicking against the concrete of his workshop. It wasn't as familiar as Pepper's, but it was a familiar distraction.
"And to what do I owe the pleasure, Agent Romanoff?" He flashes a fake smile.
Natalie wore a white blouse and a black medium length skirt. Her hair was in curls, as always. Covering her chest was a manila folder that, what looked like from Tony's prospective, contained more than ten pages of god knows what. She walked through his workshop with a purpose, and her facial expression showed no implications of happiness.
"Director Fury asked me to give you this." She simply said, handing him the manila folder.
Tony eyed her suspiciously and then at the manila folder. It had his name next to a pair of parenthesis surrounding "Iron Man". He breathed a laugh at this and continued to open the folder. He skimmed the first page and then the second. In Agent Romanoff's eyes, it looked like he wasn't amused at all.
"What is this?" Tony asked in a solemn tone as he skimmed the third page.
"Your termination contract." She simply stated, with a slight tilt of her head.
"That's not good." He quickly stated, looking back up at her.
She took in a deep breath before speaking again. When she looked at him, it was direct and serious, as if she were just a messenger. "Director Fury wants you to sign this contract—"
"—I knew you guys hated me." He tried to cut her off with a quick laugh.
"—THAT states, and I quote, 'if said human being with an unattainable grip on certain aspects of science, whose methods is unbeknownst to the general society, cannot perform his, or her, duty, then said person will be terminated as an act of precaution'." She pressed her lips together.
When Tony looked up at her with his dark brown eyes of pure shock, he saw a glimmer of sorrow in her pupils. He looked away from her, stunned and befuddled. He didn't know what to say. His mind drew a long blank as he looked in the distance of his workshop; his suits, his creations, and his atmosphere. His eyes fell upon a picture of Pepper and him that stood upright, in all its glory, on his desk.
"What about Pepper?" He asked flatly, as his eyes fell upon the messenger in front of him.
"She will be taken care of." Natalie responded, almost as if on cue.
In a mighty wave, anger quickly took over his emotions. "This is bullshit." He angrily closed the manila folder. "How can Fury do this to me?"
"Directory Fury has no choice—"
"No – Fury always has a god damn choice in the matter. It's how he handles things that pisses me off!" He angrily spat at her.
"—He's trying his best to keep order in society." She calmly told him while glaring straight at him.
Tony's fists immediately turned into balls; his knuckles soon turned white. "He's trying to control everybody! He's already controlled you!"
"Director Fury is doing what he can. You don't like it, and neither does he, but who else will take his place and do what is right for all of us." Natalie quickly told him with a stern look.
Tony looked down at the manila folder and then at her. Anger boiled throughout his body, and his control over his emotions was about to burst. He pressed his lips together and was about to shout again at her, but she beat him to the punch.
"The fine print on the last page gives you an ultimatum." She told him calmly, almost as if she were going against orders. "If you can properly control the situation regarding Khris Jorg, then all acts of termination will be—"
"—terminated." He finished her sentence with a flat expression. "So, if I fail tomorrow, that's it. It's all over."
"Indeed." She nodded with a concerned look.
"Do you believe that I can do this?" He asked her nonchalantly, as if looking for some sort of motivation, or at least a start of motivation.
"We all believe you can do this." She responded before a small smile appeared on her face. "We're counting on you."
"Thanks." He nodded before he felt an uncomfortable feeling washed over him. He had never been in a serious and friendly conversation with her. It was more odd than unbelievable. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "Are you always secretly nice to people?"
Her small smile abruptly turned into a flat line. "You're an ass." She quickly spat at him whilst grabbing the manila folder that was in his hand. She immediately walked towards the glass door that led to the stairs.
When she opened the door, Pepper quickly stepped to the side to avoid bumping into her. Pepper furrowed her eyebrows at the speed at which Natalie left, and then looked over at Tony as he passed the threshold.
"What was that about?" She asked; her eyebrows were still furrowed.
"Nothing." He said with a small smile, and quickly took in Pepper's presence. She wore a pair of shorts and a blouse, completed with a pair of high heels that were particularly fascinating to Tony's interests. "What's up?"
"I was just wondering how things were down here." She simply responded with a slight smile. "I barely saw you yesterday."
"Sorry." He politely apologized and proceeded to rest his hands on her waist. "To my defense, I was highly engrossed in something that I think will knock this guy out of the park."
"Really?" She asked with an arched eyebrow.
He took her reaction in and immediately frowned. "What, didn't think I could do it?"
She knew he was joking but instead crooked the side of her mouth and playfully hit his arm. "You know I knew you could do it, Tony."
He noticed her expression of annoyance and quickly pecked at her neck. He smiled endearingly against her face and buried his head in the crook of her neck whilst embracing her. "I love you, Pepper."
Pepper hugged him back and rested her head against his shoulder. A wide smile spread across her face as the following words escaped her lips, "I love you too, Tony."