"I thought I was your best friend," he jabs, not serious in the least. The gentle attentions make it impossible to keep his eyes open, hand slacking in Steve's shirt some as he becomes more or less a lump against him. He hadn't really given himself much time to recover, but after a few hefty lectures he was trying to lay off a little more. Which still wasn't to the satisfaction of his doctors and Pepper, but he's still healing fast. Imagine that.

The nasty scar gives him something else to be self-conscious about in the wake of the reactor, so at least he doesn't have to lose this rough self-flagellating exterior he's built up. Small victories, and all that. "We both have issues, yep. Think we covered that one during our first session, Captain."