so you want to die young ✔

[letmetakeaselfie]

[ tony is curled around pepper as seems to be his wont since she started sleeping in his bed. it doesn't matter what measures he takes to avoid it really when he just ends up this way again. they've both accepted their fate in this instance and pepper is an equally cuddly partner in return, something he appreciates even unconscious. in fact, he's so warm and comfortable that at first the alarm doesn't register as anything but a strangely pervasive dream.

his senses are in overdrive not a moment later, however, when doom bots burst through the window, tempered glass raining down. the prototype suit is called in his panic, but when the pieces come for him he sends them to pepper instead. ] Potts! Look alive. [ she's a light sleeper and he knows she'll catch on, hopefully in time to save them both. he never would have trusted someone else to get him through this before, so maybe this little team-building exercise has been good for something after all. ]

Comments

[efficacy]

Pepper startles awake and pulls away from their cozy cuddlepile at the blaring alarms, but the shock and lingering grogginess render her inactive for several precious seconds. It's not until the doombots crash through the glass that she's finally jolted into action, crying out slightly at the scare. Her heart hammers and adrenaline floods her veins as she struggles to untangle herself from the sheets, knowing she needs to make it to her suit asap. Then Tony is calling out her name and pieces of metal are flying at her; not just any metal, pieces of his new suit.

She doesn't argue or hesitate, kicking off the sheet just as the pieces begin to fold around her, encasing her within. She's still missing the helmet and a piece here and there when she extends one hand, not even thinking; just acting, the whine of the repulsor echoing in the room as she blasts down the closest of the three robots. The rest of the suit slams into her, the faceplate plunging her world into darkness for one fraction of a second before the HUD lights up, the remaining two doombots targeted with red circles, alarms flashing. Pepper kicks on the thrusters, steadying her ascent with her hands -- it's slightly inelegant, this suit bulkier and a bit heavier than hers, made to Tony's specs and it's throwing her estimations off a little but not deterring her.

Level with the remaining bots, she evades the blasts they send her way and returns fire, both repulsors singing as she hits them with close to full force. The bots collide into one another, short-circuiting, one of them hurtling fast toward the wall above the bed. Pepper sucks in a sharp breath and pushes the thrusters hard, leaping over to tackle Tony to the ground as gently as she can manage, behind the bed, shielding him as the bots explode riotously and rain bits and pieces down, pinging harmlessly off the suit.

For a moment, it's quiet. Pepper flips the faceplate open, panting slightly as she stares down at Tony. "There'll be more. I need my own suit. Come on-- quick!"

[letmetakeaselfie]

For whole seconds he's frozen, transfixed by how she takes charge of the situation. It doesn't take him long to spur into action himself, however, yelping as Pepper hits the bot that was heading right for him and he has to tuck and roll behind the bed to take cover. He definitely doesn't need any more shrapnel in or on his person tyvm. Tony is so thoroughly impressed by her, as he always is during their missions, especially solo team-ups, that he doesn't even have time to panic properly.

He's panting harshly too by the time the smoke clears, sure he'll be bruised from the fall, but he's not worried about that now. His gaze spells his fear all too baldly, grateful for his own quick thinking and her unrelentant badassery. "Okay, but..." He might be a little turned on. Sorry not sorry. "You have to get off me first."

[efficacy]

She rolls her eyes but is already moving off him, the joints of the suit whirring softly as she grabs his hand to help him up. "Hurry. I doubt we have much time." And she feels uncomfortable with the idea of leaving either one of them without their suit when reinforcements arrive. "You'll have to redecorate after this..."

[letmetakeaselfie]

"You know I like it when you're bossy," he warns, getting to his feet and starting to jog towards the workshop. "Wouldn't be the first time." For whatever reason, people liked to blow up his house a lot. Welcome to his life, Pepper.

[efficacy]

"Maybe a little too much, I think," she volleys back with a quick grin, but clanks after him in the suit as fast as she can, keeping an eye on the windows. "I guess this means the ruse worked?" If that was the endgame behind the whole plan Fury had concocted. She can't even really remember what the whole point even was.

[letmetakeaselfie]

"You do not. You love it." Tony too is trying to remember which 'ruse' she means and only so much of it can be blamed on just waking up a second ago. Speaking of, he would really like to pee. He'll try to hold it til after they aren't in peril though, maybe. "Score one for Nick?" No, he has no idea. It had been pretty contrived from the start, admittedly. And now he's practically dreading the moment it ends. Not that he's ready to admit that.

[efficacy]

Her comeback dies on her lips when another doombot busts through one of the windowpanes in a shower of glass. Pepper blasts it with quick repulsor shots, one after the other. The bot is flung back toward the windows at the impact, its circuitry going haywire already as it veritably bursts into flame and makes a small explosion against the glass. "How's this for bossy? Less talking, more running!"

[letmetakeaselfie]

He nods though even that is unnecessary, pounding quick steps down the stairs once they reach the workshop. Tony trusts her to take care of any more assailants that might come their way, focused on putting in the access code and getting to the rescue suit. His heart is absolutely pounding out of his chest by the time the suit is released from the glass, and only then does he start calling his suit back to him so they can trade. "All we're missing is the Japanese school uniforms." Seriously, this belongs in an anime montage.

[efficacy]

"I'm sure you'd look perfectly dashing in a skirt," she manages to quip a little breathlessly, still jarred from the pieces of the suit flying off her, nearly pitching her off balance. But nearly doesn't count, and she's already moving again, rushing to her own suit. It folds around her neatly, and she breathes a sigh of relief at being back in its familiar embrace, feeling much more confident with the situation. "That's better," she murmurs as the HUD lights up. "Ready?"