A/N: So I have no clue where this one came from but here it is… I realize Tony seems slightly OOC and a little like he's more Pepper than himself but I kinda feel like that's how it would play out because all he really has to go on is how Pepper treats him when he's sick… so yeah I hope you enjoy regardless!
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Under the Weather
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Pepper sighed as she blew her nose for the 5th time in half an hour. She felt horrible and even though she knew she could take care of herself the irrational part of her brain wanted Tony. The only problem was Fury had called Tony out on a mission before she was even out of bed. She had taken some cold and flu meds and pushed through the day but she was starting to feel worse than when she woke up. She pulled her hair into a messy ponytail so it was out of her face then wandered into their bedroom to find something warm to wear. She settled for one of Tony's hoodies pulling it over her head and taking in the warmth and the lingering smell of expensive cologne and motor oil before heading back down to the kitchen to make herself some tea.
Once her tea was done and she settled herself on the couch Pepper started to realize just how tired she was. She tried to finish as much of her tea as she could before giving in and deciding to rest her eyes for a couple minutes. As soon as her head was settled on one of the throw pillows she was out, snoring as softly as she could with how congested she was.
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It was late when Tony finally came home. He expected Pepper to already be asleep in bed but was surprised when he walked into the living room and heard her breathing. As he turned around and caught a glimpse of her his brows furrowed. Her cheeks were flushed and she was pale and shivering a little, wearing nothing but a thin pair of pj pants and one of his hoodies. He sat on the edge of the couch and gently brushed her bangs away from her damp forehead before replacing them with a hand. He was surprised when a moment later he was met with a pair of glazed blue eyes.
"Hey," Tony hummed softly, moving his hand from her forehead to gently run it down her cheek.
"Hey," Pepper rasped before trying to clear her throat.
"Were you this sick this morning?" Tony asked softly, frowning at how sick she sounded.
"It wasn't this bad at the office," Pepper said, in a slightly less raspy tone, "but I think the medicine I took is wearing off."
"You should have stayed home and gotten some rest," Tony said, taking on the tone she often took with him when he pushed himself too hard, "The company would have survived without you for a day."
"I didn't feel that bad," Pepper said, trying to defend her decision as she slowly pushed herself up to a sitting position, "And I would have been here all alone, doing nothing."
"That's usually my line," Tony said with a small half smile.
"I know but it's true," Pepper said around a yawn.
"Well I'm here now and it's time for bed for you," Tony said, not waiting for her reply before scooping her up and heading up to their room.
Pepper didn't protest just took the opportunity to bury her face in the side of his neck. Tony gently set her on the bed then pulled the covers over her and tucked her in before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
"You try to get some sleep while I shower," Tony said while moving to adjust the lights so they were low enough to not keep her awake, "I'll be quick."
With that Tony headed off to the en suite bathroom to wash away all the sweat and grime from his mission. He silently thanked whatever God might be listening that is wasn't an overly difficult mission and that he had managed to finish it without many scrapes and such to show for it. He turned on the shower nice and hot before stripping down and sliding in, making quick work of washing up.
When he walked back into the bedroom no more than 10 minutes later Pepper was already asleep again, snoring into the pillow she had held tight to her chest. Tony got dressed in the softest pair of pj pants he could find and an old MIT shirt before carefully crawling into bed behind her and placing a soft kiss on her temple then gently pulling her close. Once he was settled he quietly asked JARVIS to turn off the lights. Pepper leaned back into his chest for a moment before rolling over and snuggling close to him and throwing an arm over his waist. Tony let her reposition and get comfortable before he adjusted his hold on her then let himself drift off, content that she was comfortable.
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End