Catch your dreams before they slip away ☄︎

[billionaires]

"Ms. Potts is clear of the structure," comes through his earpiece and Tony holds out his arm to summon the suit back to himself. One gauntlet flies through the air and attaches smoothly (if a bit painful, like his adrenaline isn't canceling that out anyway.) Only half of the suit comes to him before the second impact comes and he's falling fast for the ocean. Not ideal. What is taking the rest of the suit so long? A different model's helmet falls after him and he just barely gets it on and sealed before he breaches the water. He's never been a praying man, but he says a tiny one then and it's the last thing he remembers before JARVIS finally gets his act together and blasts them off for the sky. What he has no way of knowing is that Pepper is still wearing the rest of his suit at takeoff...

Tony barely comes to long enough for a completely unavoidable crash-landing into the snow. He yells right before impact without knowing that Pepper can hear him too through his helmet on her head as she dents the snow nearby. Thankfully, the suit still takes the most of the hit even though they aren't wearing the whole thing properly.

"That's... brisk," he commentates, groaning at the way the nav systems keep blinking out. NOT GOOD. All of this is very not great. "Where are we - upstate? J?"

"Rose Hill, Tennessee, sir."

Tony argues with the AI for a full minute before JARVIS decides he needs a nap. That's when Tony regains his peripheral vision and sees her, forgetting about the snow and the cold as he sprints over to her and falls at her side. This is his biggest screw-up to date, no question.

"Pepper? Pepper! Wake up. Wake up, Pep. I'm sorry... no! Wake up." Tears are gathered in his eyes as he shakes her approaching violently, pausing in between to check her heartbeat though it's impossible to distinguish from the pounding he already hears in his own head.

Comments

[efficacy]

Pepper doesn't remember a whole lot of the impromptu trip, perhaps thankfully. The whole thing is a panic-laced jumble from the moment their house was actively being bombed down to the half-assembled suit stuck on her suddenly taking her to the skies, JARVIS's voice in her ear saying something about malfunctions and emergency protocols and perhaps attempting to be soothing in a way that an AI was capable of. Pepper hadn't felt very soothed. She must have lost consciousness at some point out of sheer terror, but maybe that was also a blessing in disguise. Coming to is less gentle, Tony's scream in her ears and darkness all around her, pale ground rushing up to meet her. She doesn't fully comprehend what's happening before she's crashing, air struck from her lungs and pain blooming across her side, even if the parts of the suit clinging to her take the brunt of the impact. She manages a pitiful whimper before her body goes slack in the snow and all goes black, her mind shutting down in self-preservation.

Tony. It's her last coherent thought, and fittingly the first one too when she regains consciousness some undetermined time later -- how could it, not when he's screaming at her and shaking her like a ragdoll. Distantly, she thinks she should let him know you never shake someone with impact trauma. All she gets out at first is a low cry of pain, feeling like someone punched her in the ribs. Hard. The other aches and pain catch up to her more sluggishly.

"Stop that," she manages weakly, meaning the manhandling, one hand scrabbling at the helmet still on her as her breathing picks up in a way that borders on panicky. They get the helmet off together, though Pepper doesn't appear any less frazzled, wide eyes zigzagging this way and that as she attempts to catch her wheezing breath and figure out what the hell just happened. "What...? Tony--"

[billionaires]

He immediately stops though a big tremble goes through both hands before he can let go. Here it comes again, UGH. Tony slumps backwards into the snow with his legs splayed out under him, looking up at the snowy sky as he tries to calm down. Tears gather in his eyes, but she's alive so that has to count for something. His fingers claw at her thigh as he finally gets himself back from that brink New York takes him to over and over again, seemingly endlessly.

"Thank God, honey. You know I don't ask that guy for much, but... should've tapped Him for a pony too." His other hand alights on her cheek gently, though he gathers his wits about himself to get them both up a minute later. "Can you stand? Come on, I've got you."

[efficacy]

Pepper coughs, a painful spasm going through her side as her ribs contract, still dazed and confused as she struggles to sit up properly and shrug off the pieces of dead suit from her. Tony's hand on her cheek grounds her through the pain and fright, watery blue eyes finding his in the darkness.

"What happened? Tony, where are we, there's nothing here, and it's--" She pauses, face scrunching up in distaste and disbelief both, voice pitched like it's a personal affront as she spits out, "It's freezing."

As if on cue, a shiver wracks her frame even as Tony helps up on her feet, a tiny groan escaping her and her free hand cradling the sore spot on her side. Neither of them are particularly dressed for cold and snow-- they need to come up with some plan here before they start losing fingers and toes to frostbite.

[billionaires]

He pulls her in against his chest as gently as he can, trying to lend her some warmth before they have to take off.

"Tennessee. ...Don't ask, I'll explain later. Right now I have to get the suit together so we can get out of here. You lead the way back to civilization alright? Can you do that, Pepper?"

Tony's hand cups her cheek, trying to keep her as calm as possible and in the moment.

[efficacy]

Pepper huddles close to him, shivering as the cold bites easily through her flimsy shirt and thin pants, toes prickling already in the strappy heels she's wearing that are definitely not winter-appropriate. She meets Tony's eyes, fully in the moment but visibly despairing.

"We're literally in the middle of nowhere, Tony. And I was not a girl scout." But staying here and arguing about it isn't going to be any better. They might as well just pick a direction and start walking before they freeze. Shaking her head, she goes on, "Just do what you have to and let's go."

Gingerly, she wraps her arms around herself and slips her fingers under her armpits in effort to keep them warm, every muscle (it feels like) protesting at the movement.

[billionaires]

"I don't have my phone on me and JARVIS is asleep so we're counting on you." He touches his fingers to her cheek before reluctantly pulling himself away. Tony gathers up every last piece of the suit he can find, dragging it behind him as he follows her prints in the snow. If they weren't equally soaked, he'd give her his sneakers. They just have to find somewhere to get out of the elements ASAP. Some warmer clothes wouldn't hurt either, though the more Tony focuses on getting them to safety the less he feels the snowstorm. It's like the opposite of Afghanistan in a really ridiculously annoying way. "The second we get home I'm writing this place a one-star review on TripAdvisor."

[efficacy]

Shivering and hugging herself in a feeble attempt to generate some warmth (any warmth), Pepper presses on in the dark and the snow, toes numb as she staggers some with every second step. These shoes are really not made for conditions like these.

"I knew we sh-should've spent Christmas in Hawaii. Maui sounds amazing right now." She tries to picture the sun warming her skin, but it's not much use. Her teeth are chattering, despair prickling in the back of her mind again as the snowy ground seems to stretch on and on. Just let them find some shelter soon, some sign of civilization.

[billionaires]

"Oh, good call... or St. Lucia? You know how much I miss the Caribbean." Tony hums just to think of it even as the suit starts to weigh him down. That's when he feels his foot and hears the metal hit asphalt at the same time. He tries to squint through the weather and way up ahead he can barely make out a sign. "Up there."

[efficacy]

"Anyplace with at least eighty degrees in December would do," Pepper returns, managing a shaky laugh that soon fades away under the onslaught of the inclement elements. Suppose it could be worse, like an actual snowstorm, but right now? Pepper thinks this is bad enough.

"Oh, thank god. Thank god." That lone building is like a beacon of salvation-- Pepper doesn't care what it is, they just need to get to asap. It turns out to be some kind of tacky shop-- there's a wooden Indian out front, for god's sake. It's also dark and locked up, because who even knows what time it is. Doesn't stop Pepper from banging on the door in feeble hope someone might be inside.

"Hello? Oh, come on." Huffing in frustration, she gives the door one last yank, which of course doesn't budge. Wrapping her arms back around herself, she glowers. "I'm starting to really dislike Tennessee."

[billionaires]

"Yeah, maybe the Big Guy is looking out for us this once," he concurs as he looks around for anything useful. He snatches the poncho off of the wooden Indian guy and drapes it over Pepper. "Do you want my shoes? They're soggy, but probably better to walk in than what you've got."

Tony chuckles at her assessment of Tennessee and it's not like he feels much better about the place. But there is a specific reason he came here even if the timing isn't ideal and Pepper was never supposed to be a tagalong.

"It's not on my top ten either, but... maybe it's best if no one knows we're around for a while." His eyes suddenly go wide as he fixes on the pay phone, not that he has anyone to call at the moment, but it's still a novelty and he distractedly wanders over to it. "It's still 2013, right?"

[efficacy]

"No." Pepper shakes her head even as she happily accepts the poncho, despite the fact that it smells musty and is kind of damp from exposure to the elements. Yet she wraps it around herself like it's the most pristine blanket, still shivering. "No, Tony, you can't go without any shoes at all. I'll manage."

Her toes are numb but she'll grit her teeth and bear it. Tony might be agog over the payphone (which is a blast from the past, no denying) but Pepper is more concerned with what he said just before.

"You mean... because of those people? You think they might still be out to..." What, to finish them off? Something like that. Whatever, they have more critical problems right at this moment, like being stranded in Tennessee. "You know what, it doesn't matter now. What are we gonna do now, break into this place? Shouldn't we contact the police?"

[billionaires]

He touches the receiver while looking over at his suit as an idea pops into his head. It's probably a bad one, but when has that ever stopped him.

"We don't know who to trust right now, Potts... And we probably shouldn't break in anyplace with security cameras." Even if the ones outside appear to be fake, that doesn't mean there aren't real ones inside. "I'm going to leave Sugarbear a message, then we can try to find a garage or shed to hole up in until morning. At least we know this place is here if nothing else is close by."

So her thing can be Plan B in other words. He picks up the phone and pulls a little screwdriver out of his pocket to start his magic. It goes without saying he doesn't trust anyone in their government who might be privy to War Machine's programming.

"Hey, pal. Surprise! Still alive... again. Just wanted to say if you get curious about that hot rod we talked about... look under the hood... License plate number..."

It's the access code to the Mark 42's GPS for whenever he gets it back online. Tony sighs as he looks at it, but finishes off the message with a reminder to check on Happy before disconnecting to pick back up his tether to the suit. He finally turns back towards Pepper and holds out his frozen hand for hers.

"Come on."

[efficacy]

Pepper supposes that makes sense, up to a point at least, even if it doesn't make her feel any better. She doesn't entirely share Tony's paranoia about trusting nobody, but until they solve more immediate concerns, she's willing to go along with it. The people that attacked them are still out there, she's very aware. But they can argue about all that after they first find shelter.

She remains perhaps uncharacteristically silent through Tony's phone call to Rhodey (she really hopes he gets the message soon), but she's too cold and exhausted and sore for anything but simply trying to make it from one moment to the next. The mention about Happy pricks at her heart. What mess have they landed into this time? Suddenly everything that happened just the night before feels so far away. Forcing her limbs to move, Pepper grabs Tony's hand in her equally cold one and holds on tight, sticking as close as she can in the dark without hindering Tony.

"Over there. Are those houses?" she posits, squinting at the shapes in the distance.

[billionaires]

Tony appreciates her not fighting him on this even if it's likely because she's too cold to yell at him right now. He'll take the victory while he can, especially as their frozen fingers interlace while they walk. What a sight they must make, not that it seems like anyone in the Tri-State Area is still awake. He narrows his eyes to try and bring the far-off structures she points out into focus.

"I think so," he admits, trying not to get his hopes up, but he's getting excited about them not dying in this wasteland. "Just follow my lead. Everything's gonna be... fine." Like she hasn't heard that a million times before.

[efficacy]

"Yes. Fine," she bites off through slightly chattering teeth, tugging the damp poncho closer about her throat with her free hand as they forge on toward the structures that might provide their salvation.

"Everything's been so fine up until now. This is why you don't give out your -- our! -- home address to a terrorist on live TV, for god's sake."

She's not fit to fully get angry just then, per se, but the flickering embers of annoyance she can muster up do still quicken her stride a little and at least give her the illusion of feeling slightly warmer. Or slightly less icy, might be more accurate.

[billionaires]

He has to be the Iron Man right now and not the squishier Tony he allows himself to be with her. They already fought about this, he just allows her anger to sit in the pit at the base of his stomach for later analysis. Or maybe he'll just forget it there forever with so much of everything else because that definitely won't come back to bite him, right?

"I know, I should've never put you in danger. Ever." Tony's hand tightens as he tugs them towards the little neighborhood swiftly coming into view. There's no room for failure here or he really has ruined everything. Around the third house, he spots the shed and swaps the tether for his hand in hers, giving her a serious look. She has no reason to trust his judgment, and he's about to do something insane, but it's what he needs to do and deep down he knows she knows that too. "I'll never risk it again. Not you."

Everything else he can burn down and rebuild. Pepper is precious and irreplaceable. He gently knocks his temple into hers, holding for a few seconds before he reluctantly leaves her behind. He glances around for anyone to witness him breaking and entering and comes up empty, picking the padlock after a few attempts and sighing aloud when the door swings open. He tests it and finds that it's at least above freezing out here and there's somewhere to sit. He turns around to wave her in and goes to her side to pick up the other side of the suit so it doesn't make noise dragging along. Once they're safely inside, all he can do is drop the thing and pull her into his arms fiercely.

[efficacy]

Pepper's anger effectively melts away in the face of Tony's regret, these glimpses of human vulnerability he battles with always hitting her where it hurts. She doesn't want to be upset with him, but she doesn't know how to help him, either. Maybe she'd been fooling herself, thinking things would magically get better with some time. This isn't exactly how she pictured everything coming to head, though. Something's gotta give if they manage to survive this ordeal, first. Deflated and shivering all over again, she follows him wordlessly, holding the tether of the suit like it's a dog on a leash while Tony breaks into someone's shed.

She can't believe this is what their lives have come to, eyeing the darkened little house a bit further away with chagrin. Breaking and entering isn't ideal, but it's still probably the least upsetting thing that's happened in the last 24 hours. It's dry and not freezing inside the shed, there's even a couch, and the slight relief Pepper feels at all that threatens to get overshadowed by a new wave of despair as Tony sweeps her up in a fierce hug and knocks down her already shaky defenses. Burying her face in his chest, she clings to him just as tight and tries to swallow back the helpless dread rearing its ugly head.

"I can't believe this," she laments, voice muffled. "What are we supposed to do now?"

[billionaires]

"Why don't you let me do the worrying this once?" he offers magnanimously, stroking a hand over her hair and holding on for as long as it seems welcome. Tony knows she's still upset with him, but they need to focus on surviving right now and that's something he's actually pretty good at. "This can't be the worst situation we've ever been in, can it?"

Of course, it isn't, but that only makes it that much more ridiculous. He starts looking around the space behind her and thinks he actually may have stumbled onto a goldmine here.

"This kid has some cool stuff."

[efficacy]

"It's pretty bad, Tony," she sighs wearily, still not moving from her spot while Tony strokes her hair. Maybe it's not Afghanistan or alien invasion levels of bad, but still pretty bad as far as Pepper's concerned. "And I can't not worry."

She finally lifts her head and smiles at the quip, albeit wanly. She's trying, at least. Furrowing her brow, she asks a bit belatedly, "How do you know it's a--" She cuts herself off as she glances about and takes in the ratty couch and the different knick-knacks and unfinished projects, posters on the back walls-- it looks like an old tool shed taken over by a teen as their hang-out slash workshop. "Yeah, okay. A kid."

A beat later, and her thoughts circle back to their current predicament. "What about SHIELD? Couldn't they help us?"

super old tags incoming

[billionaires]

"I told you, Pep. We can't trust anyone right now. I'm not even totally convinced the message I left for Rhodey is secure, but we'll find out soon enough."

He looks around until he finds a sherpa blanket and pulls it around her shoulders so he can meet her eyes seriously.

"Just... let me take the lead on this. I know I haven't earned it, but this is Iron Man territory. I've got this, yeah? We've got this." He gestures to himself and the broken down suit, offering her a disarming smile as he attempts to get her to sit down with him on the old sofa.

my favorite kind

[efficacy]

"Tony..." The syllables fading away into a sigh, Pepper's shoulders slump a little beneath the blissfully warm blanket even as she allows Tony to tug her down next to him on the couch, the old springs creaking quietly. She squeezes his hand, unable to keep the concern from showing on her face.

"I just really don't like the idea of you taking on those lunatics on your own." Wow, it almost feels like they've had this conversation before, doesn't it? Or at least some version of it.

💖

[billionaires]

He holds her hand tightly while wrapping his other arm around her shoulders to keep her close, kissing the side of her face sweetly.

"I'm not crazy about it either, but who else is there?" That's always the problem, isn't it?

[efficacy]

"Isn't that why there was supposed to be a team? Back-up, support?" she counters a bit dully, even as she leans against him without hesitation. Not just the Avengers, currently scattered to the winds. But SHIELD, too. "So you wouldn't have to take everything on yourself?"

No, this definitely feels familiar as far as topics go. With another small sigh, she drops her head on Tony's shoulder.

"That concerned girlfriend is not some grand romantic ideal, you know. I actually really hate it." She pauses, before adding, "And I'm talking about the concerned part-- before you freak out."

[billionaires]

Tony squeezes her against his side tighter, hoping his body heat is helping her in any small way even while she lectures him for the millionth time on the same topic. It isn't that he thinks she's wrong, if he did it would be a much easier pill to swallow.

"I don't know how," he admits, the words sticking to his throat on the way up unpleasantly. "To not step in. To not be... concerning."

He lifts his eyebrows, wanting to take comfort in her constant refusal to leave his side even when he almost gets her killed time and time again. But the truth is he doesn't want her to fulfill this role any more than she does.

[efficacy]

Pepper sighs again, something sad and weary in the small sound as she closes her eyes for a moment, happy to take what comfort she can from his closeness and touch-- even when this conversation is far from comforting. Quietly, she answers after a moment.

"I know you don't. That's the issue, isn't it?" She isn't expecting an answer, not when they both know it is.

"This is too much, Tony. You can't go on like this, it's tearing you apart." And it's breaking her heart to watch. She knows she hasn't been as proactive about supporting him through this as she possibly should have been, mired in her own work after Loki's attack on Manhattan. But even if she had, she's not sure it would have been enough. "I really think you need help. Like, you need to talk to someone, a professional."

This is so not the time and place to have this conversation, most likely, but when have they ever had much luck with timing? With another tiny huff of breath, she adds dully, "If we get through this mess in one piece, first."

[billionaires]

He's about to open his mouth to say as much - that it's not exactly therapy time - when she follows it up and he laughs, a hollow thing that betrays his own fear. Tears sting in his eyes as he bows his head, knowing he's been piling up the screw-ups lately.

"Don't say that," he finally spits up gruffly, swiveling his head to fix on her the full brunt of his bright gaze in this dark and gloomy place. "Don't say 'if' like that. I would never..." Let her get hurt? That's all he's done since he became Iron Man and the weight of it sits on his chest as he has to pull away, feeling that icy-hot fire pouring through his veins no matter how much he tries to calm himself down.

His knees pull up onto the couch and his forehead smashes into them hard as he wraps his arms around himself in a neat little ball, eyes darting all around the room but never settling on anything long enough to really see it. His breathing is quickening at an alarming rate and suddenly, he wishes he could scuttle farther away from her. This isn't exactly what either of them dreamed of for their future, and he knows that's on him.

"Happy was right, I've been ignoring you. I've been... God, the worst." That tightness starts to knot and he knows he can't come back from it now, instead leaning into the panic like that might cause it to wind down sooner somehow while he hyperventilates and tries desperately not to cry.

[efficacy]

"It's..." Pepper's would-be retort dies on the vine when she clues in on what's happening, a quick sting of hurt at the sudden lack of contact between them replaced with a dawning sense of dread once she begins to recognize the signs of an oncoming panic attack. Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Not now.

"Tony, focus-- please. Don't leave me alone right now," she pleads and her voice cracks slightly as fear of her own crawls up her throat, suddenly worried Tony will disappear into the black void of panic and anxiety when she really needs him to pull it together. She isn't being helpful, she realizes well enough, struggling not to give in to despair so she can support him instead-- but it's so difficult, and the more Tony spirals, the more she feels the last threads of her own strength fraying. Her heart pounds and cold sweat breaks out across her brow and down her spine, clammy hand searching out Tony's wrist in a desperate grab as she attempts to break through to him somehow.

"Come on, honey-- count your breaths. Slowly, in and out. Count with me, one, two..." Jesus Christ, she doesn't know if this will help at all, but she's so close to hyperventilating herself that it probably can't hurt either, desperately vying for strength when all she wants to do is follow Tony's example and curl up in a ball to cry.

[billionaires]

There's nothing more he wants than to come back from the brink and be her rock, but the foundation is cracking and crumbling beneath him before he can get a foothold - just like their house had on the cliff. He swallows thickly to think of it, mere hours ago, but it somehow feels like ages. Her hold cuts through him like a knife, skin searing hot where she touches, but he manages not to flinch as glassy eyes slowly latch back onto her as he regains lucidity.

"...three," he manages, voice croaking hoarsely as his other hand wraps around her shoulder and he starts to breathe again. "You're like my oxygen tank, Pepper Potts? How do you do that?" It's as demanding as it is a tease, but the whole spiral seems to have gone up in a puff of smoke just from her reaching out for him in the dark.

"I can only do this with you by my side, you know that right?" Whether he means this mission or just living in general doesn't seem to matter. It's sad with painful sincerity as he finally starts to calm, bit by bit.

[efficacy]

Oh, thank god. Pepper feels like crying all over again, but this time it would be out of sheer relief. Still rattled, she exhales a big huff of breath that's just shy of being an actual sob, eyes bright with moisture even though she doesn't actually shed a single tear. A tremulous wisp of a smile tugs at her lips, the relief of having Tony present once more sliding along her bones and warming her from within, fingers still grasping his wrist like she's physically unable to let go as she never looks away from him while he catches his breath.

"I could say the same thing to you," she insists, voice quavering just a little but it's similarly one hundred percent sincere. "In case you'd forgotten." That has never been in doubt, not even once during these past handful of months. Her throat tightens, a ghostly memory of you're all I have too, you know floating back to her.

[billionaires]

He can't let go of her either and he stares for too long into those bright eyes in the dark of the room. He hates everything about himself in this moment, but now isn't the right time to feel it. This is like Afghanistan all over again.

"I do like a reminder... every now and then," he admits, trying desperately to find some levity in this moment. Once he feels capable of it, he does wrest out of her hold and drops his hand to instead wind both of his arms around her tightly. "Don't cry, Pepper. Whatever you do, please don't cry."

[efficacy]

The quip pulls a small, shaky smile out of Pepper, if only for a moment. She's only too happy to return the embrace, hugging Tony close eagerly, cheek pressing against his as she closes her eyes.

"I'm not crying," she returns insistently, though the words are capped off immediately with a slightly wet sniff. "I'm okay. I'm okay, you're okay-- we're gonna be okay." It's not entirely clear which one of them she's trying to reassure more, but it probably doesn't matter, the point stands. They had each other, right? They'd figure this out together. "...By the way? I wanna go somewhere really warm after this."

[billionaires]

"I know you're not," he assures her pointlessly while patting her back like he wasn't just the one spiraling out a second ago. He is selfishly grateful that he's with her now, even if it paints a huge target on her back. Once he fixes up Jarvis that will stop being such an issue and hopefully they can end this, one way or another. "Done and done... We can be okay in Aruba? No, Jamaica. Roatán?"

He speaks softly against her skin as he slowly starts to carve out a space for them on one end of the old, ratty couch. Somehow, it seems so quintessentially them that Tony finds it almost charming.

"As long as the sand meets up to ocean at some point, you know I'm game."

[efficacy]

"Either. All of them. We could use a long vacation," Pepper returns through a laugh of her own, a relieved huff of breath against his neck that he's coming back to himself in this less than ideal (understatement of the century) situation. Leaning against him, she takes comfort in his presence for a moment, warmth finally leeching back into her limbs after their trek in the snow and cold. They're hardly out of the woods yet, but she still feels more optimistic by these small steps alone.

"I haven't been there for you, lately. I've been so busy, but it's not an excuse." It's not just Tony's fault, this tension and distance that's risen between them these past couple of months. He has his issues, but she hasn't done what she could to support him. Pepper pulls back enough to meet Tony's eyes. "Once this is done... we have to do better, both of us."

[billionaires]

He reaches out with the back of his hand to place his wrist against her forehead as he jokingly (well, mostly) checks for a fever. It's always him trying to get her to take a break, and he opens his mouth to say as much when she's basically apologizing in the middle of this nightmarish dystopia he's created for them between past and more present actions.

"Pep..." His hand shifts so he can tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, lingering there a moment. "I'm the one who dumped CEO in your lap in the first place. You can give me more responsibility, you know, I do technically work under you."

His eyes twinkle in the dim lighting as he nods to agree to her terms.

"We will. Just let me Iron Man us out of here, then I'll give you anything you want." It's a dangerous proposition, he knows he's giving her the power to take away Iron Man altogether. The thing is, maybe on some level, he wants her to. At least for a while. Superheroes need vacations too, right? He sighs while stroking the side of her face absently, clearly still too deep in thought for the moment.

[efficacy]

"Mm, that's what you say now," Pepper retorts to the issue of giving him more responsibility at SI, but it's visibly a playful tease, lips curving into a wry smile in spite of the situation at that. "Don't think I won't remind you of this later when I take you up on it."

She'd wanted to give him space to focus on Iron Man and R&D -- it's never been an issue or picking her or the suits, and she still isn't interested in ultimatums like that. Of course she would feel better if he wasn't in semi-constant danger, but she also knows how important Iron Man is to him. "Okay," she agrees quietly, aware that this is Tony's forte now and she must trust him. As always.

Her shoulders jump up and down as she inhales deep, exhaling slowly. Mimicking him unconsciously, she lifts a hand to gently sweep a thumb across his cheek. "I just want you to feel better. All this anxiety, the mania, sleeplessness, nightmares... it breaks my heart to see what it's doing to you."

[billionaires]

"It is and I'll most definitely try to take it back, so don't hesitate to cash it in." He really does have every intention of carrying through his promises to her, he knows Pepper knows that or she wouldn't have stuck by him this long. Still, he could use her help on the follow-through sometimes. It's part of what makes them such a good team, he likes to think. Tony tries to shut his eyes, but even with her body heat and the way she touches gently at his face, there's no peace to be found in the dark for him. Not tonight. And especially not when she starts listing all his many challenges. "I think that's why... I put up a wall between me and you. I didn't mean for it to happen, Pep, but I just... hate the idea of hurting you like that again."

[efficacy]

Pepper breathes a sad sigh into the silence between them, threading her fingers gently into his hair to keep up the affectionate contact even when her words might be more no-nonsense.

"Tony... you never have to protect me from you. I'm your partner and we're in this together, on good days and the bad. It's not gonna work, otherwise." With a wan smile on her lips, she points out, "It's the palladium thing all over again. Keeping me out of the loop because you think it'll spare my feelings."

She understands the logic, but that's not the way it works. It just ends up hurting her more.

[billionaires]

He nods somberly at her rightful admonishment, allowing her to see his regret-stricken features if she can make them out through the black of the garage.

"I know, I get it. It just feels like... I'm always putting so much on you, as it is. Adding to the pile seems untenable."

[efficacy]

Pepper inches closer still on the couch even though she's already practically in his lap, cradling his face now so he doesn't miss a single word she's saying.

"It's not too much, though. It could never be. I'm here for you, always-- if you'd just let me."

[billionaires]

It could never be. Her words trigger something inside him as he leans into the frame of her hands around his face. Had she ever given him a reason to doubt that? Or had he let his insecurities fully take over the driving seat?

"Ever since I came back from the desert, I've lived in perpetual fear of losing you." Whether it was by his own death or his own relationship snafu really didn't seem to matter. Yet the closest he came to it was when he was hiding he was dying from her, ironically enough. "I'm a stupid, stupid man, Pepper. Can you forgive me?"

[efficacy]

Devastation flickers briefly across Pepper's face as she listens, even though it's not (entirely) new information to her. Her expression gives way to something gentler and more affectionate at the apology.

"The stupidest genius alive," she agrees, teasing, eyes warm even in the darkness of the room. "You don't have to apologize, Tony. But, I suppose I'll forgive you anyway." Thumbs rubbing his skin again, she smiles oh-so softly and whispers, "I love you."

[billionaires]

He nods his agreement easily, dropping his head against her shoulder in a final display of surrender.

"Love you, Pepper Potts." He whispers against her ear, smiling to himself at the way her teeth glint in the dark. If only this was the end of their mission rather than the beginning. "Hardware store, first thing in the morning..."

[efficacy]

One hand drops to his shoulder while the other delves into his hair, cradling him close for a moment. She kind of wishes this was a neat resolution to their problems, too, but she fears they're only just beginning.

"We need clothes, too," she murmurs pensively. "Wonder if there's any here we could... borrow."

[billionaires]

"Right, we should probably make friends with whoever owns this place so we don't get arrested first. Then ask them for their clothes, then money for the Home Depot." He's not even really kidding. Pepper knows he has a way with people.

[efficacy]

"Oh, is that all?" she teases wryly, though she knows he's right. "Right, you'll get to break the charm out on this one. Let's hope they ask questions first instead of shooting."

[billionaires]

"I think our chances are pretty good. This isn't the workshop of a supervillain. Speaking from experience here." He kisses her cheek with cool lips, wondering for the millionth time what he's done to deserve her steadfast presence in his life. "But if it comes to that, you know who's taking all the bullets." He taps the suit with his foot even while his voice starts to take on a somniferous quality.

[efficacy]

"Your optimism is uplifting," Pepper sasses dryly, but with a hint of amusement in there as well as she tips her head a little into the kiss to her cheek. Her lips twitch just a bit when he goes on, not missing that tinge in his tone. "Sure. If the Man of Iron doesn't fall asleep first."