I'm prepared for this ✫ I never shoot to miss

[letmetakeaselfie]

I've been here before
But always hit the floor
I've spent a lifetime running
And I always get away
But with you I'm feeling something
That makes me want to stay

Tony's heart is still beating fast, though it's been nearly an hour since his house was destroyed (yet again) by supervillains. Why his house? Why is it always him? He's not really feeling sorry for himself though, because for as much as he criticizes Fury, his plan really worked this time. His face-plate flips up as he pries off the left arm of his suit, indented dangerously close by one of those feisty Doom-bots. He flashes a wan smile over at Pepper, similarly battleworn. They really do work extraordinarily well together, he can't believe how he'd ever dismissed being partners before.

"Thanks for saving me - again." She really was good at that, and without her he'd most certainly not be standing right now. Though, yes, he is still lamenting his poor house. Oh well, easier repaired than he would be, probably.

Comments

[efficacy]

"Come inside me," she whines in encouragement amidst her own orgasm, squealing pitchily at the exquisitely sexy feeling of him spilling hotly against her deepest parts, something almost primitively appealing in the sensation. "Yes, yes...! Tony!" Her whole body is still thrumming from head to toe in the wake of her orgasm, quivering at the rush of endorphins, pleasure tingling along every nook and cranny of her. She pants heavily as she tries to catch her breath, hips finally at rest against his but nudging him convulsively every now and then when her flesh clenches lightly around his softening length, the sweet aftershocks working their way through her system. Breathing a soft moan made of relief and satisfaction, she slumps pliantly against his front, rubbing her face gently against his and stroking his hair, sealing a gentle, brief kiss to his lips.

[letmetakeaselfie]

He's grateful for the verbal confirmation that he'd done what she wanted, even if it is seconds too late to take it back. Whimpers push through his lips softly each time her body clenches around his gradually softening member inside her, and he has just enough presence of mind to push into her touches and soft kiss. His bones are heavy, body pliant and pleasantly sated as his hands roam featherlight across her back, drawing patterns in her flesh as his eyes slowly come open again. His breath catches in his throat when those bright blue eyes spear through his, a soft smile tugging up one side of his mouth. That really just happened; it wasn't a fantasy or a dream. Thankfully the fear of what comes next is still waiting patiently to drown him, allowing him to fully enjoy their post-coital bliss.

[efficacy]

She shivers lightly at the softness of his touch upon her back, smiling softly back when he meets her eyes. Bracing her upper arms on his shoulders, she leans in further and lets her body go completely pliant against his front, the reactor nestling between her breasts as she sinks her fingers into his hair, combing gently through and rubbing her nose against his. This moment is too perfect to disrupt with words; Pepper feels like the hotel room around them -- along with everything else -- disappears, leaving just the two of them. She presses her lips gently to his forehead, before dipping down slowly to find his mouth with hers, drawing him into a slow, deep kiss.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Loving the way she fits against him, he hums against her mouth before slowly returning the involved kiss. Now that there's no rush, it's even more enjoyable to get to know her in this way, eyes blinking closed again as she overtakes his senses. The slight stick of their sweaty flesh and the quiet stillness of the room around them is comforting somehow. He kisses her until his lungs burn, breaking away to gulp in air only out of necessity. His lips brush against hers a few times in farewell, coiling both arms around her waist in support before nudging her over onto her side next to him on the soft bedspread. Tangling their legs, he keeps his face back so he can study her now, fingers tracing her ribs while he gazes into her eyes as if there's still something for him to see that he hasn't before.

[efficacy]

She pulls back on a soft hum of pleasure, a small smile playing about her lips as she catches her breath, leaning her forehead to his briefly even as she brushes her mouth back against his softly. Though she gives a tiny noise regret when his softened length slips out of her body, she can't complain about this new position, relaxing easily against the soft bedding as she enjoys his hold, one leg snuggling up to his while the other hooks lazily over his knee. She gives a soft sigh at the way his fingers travel over her side, bringing one hand up to cup the side of his neck, her thumb stroking along his jawline. "Hi," she murmurs with a purely affectionate smile, blue eyes shining with happiness.

[letmetakeaselfie]

She looks so perfect this way: happy, radiant. He rubs his nose back against her and lets out an involuntary sigh of his own. "Hey," he responds a few seconds late, unable to fully prevent the goofy smile that's sneaking its way across his lips.

[efficacy]

Her smile twitches a little further in response to his. He's so cute like this. Her hand slides from his neck down to his chest, rubbing slow circles there indulgently. She feels like she could stay here forever, just like this, fighting the pleasant drowsiness brought on by comfort and post-orgasmic bliss creeping in, eyelids drooping a little but not closing. "So..." Her lips curve slowly in a happy, sated smile, voice low and soft. "Let's just stay here for good."

[letmetakeaselfie]

He laughs, even while his skin goose-pimples under her ministrations. Because everything is vaguely numb and prickly near the reactor, his chest is a more sensitive area than it used to be. "I could get behind that," he agrees predictably, leaning a little closer so their noses touch even when it makes him go cross-eyed as a result.

[efficacy]

Pepper breathes a soft chuckle, fingertips brushing against his nipple as their noses touch, closing her eyes for a moment and sighing. "We can order room service and keep sending the bill to Fury," she murmurs with a smile, a hint of drowsiness edging her tone now. "The maids can just tidy up around us every now and then."

[letmetakeaselfie]

He shivers, but leans in even closer, nosing into her throat and closing his eyes, eyelashes tickling her skin. "I think you're onto something... Though I'm pretty sure you'd get sick of me." Tony doesn't want to delude himself into thinking this is going to last. As far as he knows, his feelings for her run far deeper than hers for him, and though he intends to enjoy this while he has it he expects her to get bored before long.

[efficacy]

She draws in a deep breath and lets it out slowly through her nose, her hand lifting up to stroke his hair. It's so perfect being here like this with him, but she can't ignore his comment. Getting an elbow under her on the pillow, she props her head up with her hand so she can gaze down at him, fingers still combing slowly through his hair.

"Why do you think that?" she asks gently in a whisper, fingertips slipping down to brush against his cheek.

[letmetakeaselfie]

His eyes flutter again as she keeps up her gentle ministrations, but then she's asking something more serious of him. He should have known he couldn't sneak a comment like that by her. "Uh," Tony forges uncertainly, trying to focus on her though his body wants sleep. "Well. You've already been stuck with me for weeks. I just thought... you'd want space." Not that what just transpired would lend to that theory, nor how she in her own words had seemed so keen on staying here, with him, forever. Maybe he's just overthinking things, it's not like that would be out of character in the least.

[efficacy]

Pepper's lips curve a little at the corner into a tiny smile, watching him under her lashes in silence for a beat. "No," she finally deems with a small shake of her head. "I'm good right here."

Dropping her arm across the pillows over their heads, she settles easily back down close to him, closing her eyes on a content sigh. Of course it's more complicated than that, but she's too drowsy and satisfied to get into such a serious matter right now. But basically, she's had enough space these past handful of years to last a lifetime. She doesn't want more of it; not from him. "Nap time?" she murmurs, the hand in his hair sliding down to his chest and stilling there.

[letmetakeaselfie]

His heart pounds as her words sink in, rising to meet her fingers as they still over his chest. "I thought you'd never ask," Tony confirms softly, already drifting off as his arm loops loosely around her waist.

[efficacy]

She nods off nearly as soon as Tony. It's entirely predictable, the way they're tangled up in each other as close as can be when she next comes around sometime later, just like they have been doing every morning they've woken up together since this charade started. She's not sure what time it is, some daylight still seeping through the thick curtains drawn across the windows of the room as she peers up under heavy lids to take stock of the situation. To be honest, she's not particularly interested about that now, as always slow to wake up and still completely groggy; and way too comfortable pressed up against Tony's warm, naked body under the covers, happily closing her eyes again on a sigh and dozing some more.

[letmetakeaselfie]

Tony is stuck between waking and sleep, his brow creased and twitching in distress. As with most of his nightmare episodes, he is aware on some level that it isn't real, but it's never enough to break through to reality without outside help. It makes it that much more frustrating, like being caught in a giant web and aware of each agonizing moment. He turns away from her suddenly and makes a soft whimpering sound, aware too on some level that he probably just woke her up and feeling terrible about it.

[efficacy]

She grunts a little when he rolls over, shoving her a little in the process. Blinking groggily, Pepper tries to shake off the haziness of lingering sleep enough to function properly. The tiny noise of distress Tony makes helps with that, and she reaches for his shoulder while rubbing sleep from her eyes with her free hand.

"Tony?" she calls drowsily at first, shaking his shoulder gently as she sits up with effort, brow knitting with concern now. "Tony? Tony, wake up. You're having a bad dream."

[letmetakeaselfie]

He starts when she reaches out for him, but thankfully no boogeyman is there to greet him when he finally opens his eyes. Turning towards her suddenly, he buries his face in her chest and immediately begins to weep. As much as he hates being vulnerable, he can't deny how comforting it is to have her there. "Sorry," he chokes out eventually, trying to get a handle on himself.

[efficacy]

"Tony..." she whispers, empathy and sorrow mingling in her quiet voice as she embraces him without hesitation, wrapping slim arms around him and holding onto him tightly, one hand stroking his hair in hopes of comforting him. She remains silent as he weeps against her skin, her heart breaking for him. "Shh. Don't be," she dismisses just as softly when he apologizes, fingers still combing gently through his hair.

[letmetakeaselfie]

He curls around her again comfortably, once again intertwining their limbs and securing an arm around her waist as his breathing finally comes back under his control. He tries not to think about what might have happened if she hadn't been here to snap him out of it. "Sometimes... it's just like I'm back there. In the desert. I know it's over but I can't get myself out. I get... stuck." Tony pushes out a breath and leans back a bit to catch her eyes, his still glassy from crying.

[efficacy]

Pepper relaxes back into the bedding, sighing a little at the sweet feeling of being wrapped and tangled up with him. She listens to his explanation with a light frown, though her slim fingers never cease to run gently through his thick hair. She had thought his nightmares were about more recent events, but that it's Afghanistan... yet, who could blame him? Her heart goes out for him. "The mind is a complicated thing," she sighs, her brows knitting lightly again. "Does it happen often?"

[letmetakeaselfie]

Her cliched words hit home and he has to take a second to regroup all over again. One might think he'd be 'over' Afghanistan by now. He certainly wanted people to think that. This isn't exactly how he'd pictured their first time together, but he knows on some level it's good to get everything out in the open. Maybe she'll wise up and move on, but maybe... maybe they have a shot too.

"Yes," he admits after a long pause, voice filled to the brim with shame and guilt. "When I'm not being swallowed by the blackness of space, over and over." He regrets tacking it on, but he can't take the words back. Not when they're true. He has heinous nightmares every night, because he's lived them. But for every horror he's lived his subconscious makes him suffer a hundred fold.

[efficacy]

"There's no shame or weakness in that," she utters quietly after a moment of silence, fingers sliding slowly through his hair and stroking along his scalp. "You've been through so much. Things that would have completely incapacitated most people."

She bites her lip to stifle another sigh. She doesn't think people give him enough credit, but that's partly due to the mask Tony dons in public. He doesn't want people to see how badly his experiences have affected him and continue to haunt him. A soft, small smile made of sympathy and sadness both touches her lips, her hand sliding down from his hair to cradle his cheek. "You're so much stronger than you think."

[letmetakeaselfie]

This woman saved his life multiple times in the past twenty-four hours, woke him up from terrible nightmares and let him cry on her shoulder, and now she's telling him how strong he is. It isn't that he doesn't believe she thinks that, it just blows past all Tony's logic receptors and full boar into the intricacies of humans he just doesn't comprehend. There's actual admiration in her voice, he knows he hears it, but that doesn't mean he gets it.

"If you say so," he manages softly, serving her up a wan smile before closing his eyes and leaning into her hand. He wants to say if she keeps petting his hair she can say whatever she wants to and he'll agree, but sometimes he does actually have the capability to read the mood of a room. "Is it time for more room service yet?" His stomach growls audibly as if driving the point home. He also totally wouldn't mind polishing off their bottle of wine from last night.

[efficacy]

"I do say so," she returns just as softly, but firmly -- with a hint of that playfulness that makes an appearance habitually. That doesn't mean she's joking in the least, of course, but she can tell Tony is having trouble processing her words and she doesn't want to get all actually insistent right now. Her lips curve into a somewhat sly smile when he poses his question, running her fingers once more through his ruffled hair. "I guess we did work up an appetite earlier. I could eat, too."