penistower | Recent Entries

The Tower is a frenzy, the way it has been every year since Steve Rogers returned to the land of the living on July the 4th. No matter how much and how often the man insists that Tony and everyone else just celebrate as usual and leave his birthday out of it... well. He's ignored. Loudly. And with many, many fireworks.

Tony had always loved the holiday and gone all out with lavish parties all as an excuse to show off his pyrotechnics, but even he took it to a whole other level when the element of Steve's birthday came into play. Pepper and Rhodey are hard at work in the kitchen and there are people absolutely everywhere. All with garish red, white and blue clothes of course.

He mills about the party making sure everyone is well hydrated and well fed, all while carrying around a beer he doesn't seem to be drinking but rather nursing all night long. There's also a stage he's set up so everyone can tell their favorite Captain America stories, which hands down, Bucky is winning. He's putting in a good effort though.

And they all end on the rooftop with apple pie and the stupidest fireworks ever. Ones that flash in LED lights and spell USA and form Cap's shield. Any ludicrous thing you could think of.

letmetakeaselfie

On some level, he knows Sam must have known he was coming back. In every sense of the word, it feels like homecoming, but it's bittersweet of course. There is a part of him that only wants to see Vision -- to hear Jarvis' voice again and withdraw. There's always that urge within him to shut everyone else out, which was why his friends had been robots and computers. Rhodey had been the first one to break that. It's a tearful hello to his best friend, but he can't dally here when there's so much to do. James has always understood him like no other and he tells Tony to stop fucking around, Sam's waiting to talk to him.

It's ominous in many ways; and it feels like that first time meeting with Fury. His 'evaluation.' Tony can't help but wonder how much Sam even knows about that. He makes his way through the compound slowly, stalling for time because he can't be sure what will happen here. Good or bad, he's fully committed. And maybe it's silly to be scared of a girl who's more scared than all of them. Given what she did to him and his friends... it's probably apt, but Tony still blames himself.

"You don't have any rings I need to kiss, do you?" As always, a joke to break the tension. Or at least saw through it a little. Tony pulls off red-paned glasses, wearing a sharp black suit and a bright red tie Pepper had chosen for him. She said politicians choose red because it's confident, and she always likes him in red anyway. Tony obviously has a thing for the color himself without any of that. He doesn't waste any time, tucking his shades away and offering a handshake for a man he's genuinely happy to see. It's been a long time since Sam and Tony had a one-on-one. They're due.

relicta

This is it -- the house of cards she constructed come tumbling down. She knew it would happen, really she did, but somehow she'd convinced herself it wouldn't be for a long time. That they had all the time in the world to just play house. This is her fault and she's letting Tony take the rap for it. She's always been a coward when it came to feelings, but she can't imagine how Steve must be feeling now.

She watches him go by in a blur of color, and she makes her choice, following him into the room though she stops herself at the doorway. She's probably the last person he wants to see, but they had become connected so long ago it would be impossible for her to turn her back on him now.

"I feel like Mom and Dad are fighting," she jokes ineffectually, her face falling even as she moves to sit on the edge of his bed, green eyes watching him like a hawk for any tiny move he makes.

cheeseburgerfirst

When Toni allows herself to be consumed by her thoughts, it's rarely a good thing. And since date nights had become an established thing, she couldn't get her mind to quit. She was always suspicious of Pepper and those damn diamond commercials. He plays the fool, but maybe he'd really forgotten. She can't be sure, but it had been a long time since she first brought up the "M" word. It makes her heart pound faster just thinking of it now too, but they're not getting any younger. This is important to Pepper, even if he pretends it isn't; and by extension that means it's important for Toni, too. She's sick of walking on eggshells.

She isn't home for the first time in years when Pepper gets home from the conference. He only had the one meeting so she knew she had to work quickly, but when she sets her mind to something it's like a stack of dominoes falling, she'd set something into motion and not even she has the power to stop it now. She leaves him a note on the counter, hastily written. Meet me at the park. -T

Central Park is a big place, but hopefully he remembers their conversation. Horse and buggies... Quakers... She has the horse driver do a figure eight around the entire park so eventually she'll cross paths with Pepper no matter what. She hopes he's here soon, she already can't stand waiting for him. She sits on the very edge of her seat in a sparkly dress that's so very unlike her, so that if the buggy took a sharp turn she'd be dumped to the ground no question. Her dark hair is swept up into a gauzy bonnet, feeling stupid yet elated all at once when she spots a familiar silhouette. "There," she points out the redheaded man to her chauffeur, who's quite happy she paid him for a full day's work already so there could be no interruptions.

The buggy crosses right in front of an unsuspecting Pepper Potts, one slim hand reaching down to help him inside as those giant horse hooves come to an eventual stop. "Hi," she says lamely once he's inside, the car around them lurching ahead the second they're seated.

letmetakeaselfie

Tony hasn't been lost in the lab like this for a long time. Since before Ultron, definitely. It's been a rough year, for all of them. For Pepper by extension. He hates that, but she's off on business again. He can't help thinking like maybe it's best she's away from him for a while. Because of that, he doesn't keep correspondence as well as usual while she's on her trip. He doesn't keep up very well with when she's coming home either, which will prove to be a big mistake.

Since hearing of Thanos and the disruptions in the galaxy, he's quietly been working on a suit that will get him to the action. Since Iron Man Mach II he's been trying to get to space; his own personal Sputnik race, but he's gotten more than a little sidetracked. And lost more than a few friends. He hates that too. It keeps him up more than his own trauma. Why is he still alive, while people more deserving fall? If he had been sucked up by that blackhole on their first mission maybe none of them would have to deal with his bullshit. Maybe that's why he works so hard on fixing things. Something that's never worked out for him in the past. It won't stop him from diving headfirst now, or being completely obsessed with this project.

He hasn't answered a text in days, his phone is buried on his desk and probably dead. He hasn't slept in roughly that amount of time save brief moments lost where he isn't even sure if he's sleeping or just losing time altogether. The last thing he ate was ramen noodles, though when that was is anyone's guess. He could ask FRIDAY, but she's not as willing to indulge him as JARVIS was. Actually, he muted her yesterday and forgot, the voices in his head loud enough that he doesn't notice her absence.

Which is why when Pepper does come home, he's none the wiser, the garish red and gold suit with sharp starburst patterning [mostly] done at last. He's trying it on for the first time, and testing out the anti-gravity function, when the dull echo of Pepper's heels click-clacking on tile filters through the noise. At first, he thinks he's dreamt her up. It wouldn't be the first time this week, or even today, but her brusque pace and unmistakable body language as she comes down the stairs proves her realness. Damn. He hits a surface button on his abdomen to decompress the suit, but in typical fashion something goes wrong and it does it far too fast. Tony whips around like a deflating balloon until eventually crashing in the opposite corner of the lab.

"...Ow?" He's too exhausted to even feel pain, but he assumes that left a bruise. He throws the helmet down and takes in greedy gulps of air, looking up at Pepper's disapproving face with wavy vision.

relicta

Natasha is exhausted. So much more than the bone-tiredness and broken-heartedness of her return from Sokovia. No, this is much, much worse.

She's been in front of every security council all the way up to the top, private and public courts both. Just when she thinks it's over they have one more question, they stretch things on one more day. She thinks of Steve often; always, but they took away her phone on day one. She has no idea what's changed, though she told herself she wouldn't go back to their little shack. He has to decide to come out of the shadows for himself -- she's done all she can.

They finally release her, and she can't put this black site behind her quickly enough. Fury is in the pick-up car. His silence is worse than all the interrogations combined so she looks out the window and tries to shut her brain off.

She's essentially dumped out onto the curb in front of her shitty little apartment and it's all she can do not to lose it right there. If it weren't for Liho she wouldn't even go up, but she needs to know if he's still there.

The first thing she hears is a piercing meow and she sighs a breath of relief even as she pushes open the door that was already ajar, lock hanging off the frame. Natasha puts a hand on her sidearm and wades into what she's sure is a mess. All of her cabinets and drawers are off the hinges, the contents poured out on the floor like much care was taken to categorically destroy her every belonging. She feels nothing for this place, but anger stews somewhere below the surface anyway. Because she knows what they're looking for -- who. It makes her stomach tie itself in knots even as she plucks a tuna can off the tile and opens it for her poor cat.

"Sorry I'm so shitty," she sighs, turning on her heel to find a bag for her clothes, knowing none of her weapons will be here. She doesn't even bother to look. Nat stuffs essentials into a duffle bag and pulls out a simple outfit of jeans and a striped hoodie jacket from under the rubble of her former life. After taking the coldest, most efficient shower ever, she combs her hair into a low-hanging ponytail and puts on some lipstick. That always inexplicably makes her feel better, even at her lowest.

Locating the cat carrier somewhere at the bottom of a closet, she carefully sneaks up on the still-somewhat-feral cat and slips the bag over his head before scooping him up and zipping it shut without an incident. She pops her duffle over one shoulder and carries Liho in her other arm like precious cargo, ready for anything even as she boards the subway in a beeline for Stark...no. Avengers Tower. It's the only place they can't get to her, even if the last person she wants to rely on is Tony now. She's still mad at Clint even if it's dumb. She can't go back to the farm and risk his family anyway.

After fielding a really long conversation with a homeless guy and putting up with more than her fair share of staring, Natasha makes it to Manhattan. She all but runs to a place she never thought she'd call home, but right now it's about the closest thing she's got. Gently setting Liho down, she begins hacking whatever new system Tony's put in place. A woman's voice startles her even as the door unlocks for her entry, swinging open a few inches so she can catch the door in one hand. "You could have just used your code, Agent Romanoff. He hasn't changed it."

This must be JARVIS' replacement. She picks the cat carrier back up and ducks inside before she can be noticed from the street, trying to ignore the rising tide of far too many emotions now. Tony didn't change her code. JARVIS is gone. Where is Steve? Is he safe? It's too much to worry for now, but if she's welcome here then she can at least sleep. She wants to sleep for days. She doesn't want to talk to or see anyone, least of all Tony and Pepper, who always have so many questions.

When the doors to the car spring open to the penthouse at last, she can't believe her eyes. Is she so sleep-deprived she's hallucinating? Her jaw falls slack, the clothes dropping like a stone to the floor when she loosens her grip on the bag. Liho of course, is stubbornly clenched in the other, and he lets out a loud mrrrrrow as if in greeting to Steve himself.

cheeseburgerfirst

It's been a year since... everything. Since their house blew up, since Extremis. Since Toni had officially lost her mind. She likes to think she's doing better, but there's no true litmus for something like that. She goes to her therapist once a week, as promised. It's still a struggle, but it's getting easier. Sometimes Pepper sits in with her and sometimes she's alone. Depending on the week, one or the other could be harder. Sometimes she doesn't talk the whole hour. Sometimes she doesn't let the doctor have a word in edgewise. Sometimes she cries -- that's the hardest for her, showing weakness in front of an authority figure; allowing herself to be helped. Maybe it's not making any difference, but she knows Pepper appreciates the effort.

There are two shiny suits in the lab, as promised, too. One that she's repairing now as the other stands idly by. She's working with the Avengers again, sort of. It's kind of on-again-off-again. And her remodeling efforts had been for naught, of course none of them wanted to stay here, what was she thinking? Except Bruce, when he bothers to come back from whatever third-world shithole he's in at any given time. Sometimes she gets along with Steve, but usually not. Things are tumultuous, but it's her version of normal and she feels like her head is at least above water again.

Pepper is back to work, solving world hunger and light fare like that. He does so much better at the helm than Toni ever did. It makes her proud, but with the tiniest bit of niggling jealousy she can't ever seem to shake. He seems happy -- fulfilled. She hears his oh-so familiar footfalls predictably right on time. Or really, five minutes early. It's their scheduled "reconnection" time, and she feels her heart speed up from his proximity alone, finding a stopping point as soon as she can so she can give him a look over. Handsome as ever, of course. And her in a threadbare Pinkfloyd tanktop and holey jeans, grease smeared across her cheek and safety goggles pinning her hair back that had fallen out of her bun. What a pair they make, as ever. Yin and yang.

letmetakeaselfie

It surprises him how easy it is to flip the script, but it's just automatic. When Pepper is freaking out, it's his turn to be the steady one. It helps that he's beyond exhausted, too. Tony smiles a bit hazily and touches Pepper's cheek, perservering when the other man tries to pull away. "It's okay," he assures. "Not hot. See?" He touches him again and leans in close, staring at his lips before common sense takes over and Tony wraps him in a warm hug instead. What a long fucking week.

"Happy New Year." It's soft, gently turning the other man so he can see the light show he had set up for him, suits self-destructing over their heads. It's kind of strangely beautiful. "Enjoy it while it lasts, there goes our ride." At least until Air Force Two gets here :')

letmetakeaselfie

It isn't that he doesn't trust Natasha, it really isn't. Even the whole Natalie Rushman thing couldn't deter him from thinking of her basically as a little sister. Tony being who he is, he's been worried about her. Bruce leaving hasn't been easy on any of them, maybe most of all him, but they had something going on he still doesn't totally understand. And now she's MIA, which isn't that unusual actually, but again; Tony being Tony he can't just accept that. Clint and Laura don't want to talk to him except to say to leave Nat alone, but what if she's getting herself in danger? He can't judge her state of mind if he can't talk to her. That's where the stalking comes in.

J.A.R.V.I.S. probably wouldn't have helped him hack her phone, but F.R.I.D.A.Y. doesn't seem to have a problem with it. Maybe he's just imagining that -- but maybe they really do have their own artifical intelligence brand moral compasses. Now that JARVIS has merged with Vision, though, he thinks he has to be right. He used to relish in being right, now not so much.

There's one address that keeps coming through her GPS. He doesn't recognize it, and it's not that far. She isn't there now, according to her phone anyway, but there has to be something important there if she keeps going. He's no spy by trade, but that seems logical. Anyway, that's how he ends up in the middle of bumfuck (Binghamton) looking down at a ramshackle shack in the woods. It's like a horror movie except like usually with his life, it's real. So that's fun.

It's just about dusk and he drops down some distance away so he hopefully won't be detected. He puts the suit in sentry mode and creeps through the clearing like a cartoon character. His subtlety has never been very subtle, alright, but he tries. His curiousity is running rampant at this point, and he pops his head up to try and get a glimpse through the window. The curtains are drawn and there's barely a sliver of light from the waning sun that bounces off, creating a glare. Tony nearly jumps out of his skin when a large shadow moves across the window. There's someone in there. A big someone, by the sound of him. He and the suit move as quickly and softly as possible to the other side of the house in hopes that he can still get a good look at him somehow, or at least figure out what this place is.

letmetakeaselfie

He slips into her chamber late at night, unnoticed. He knows how to move without being detected, and he suspects it could even be hours yet before his act reaches the rest of the palace. Sitting in the chair at the edge of her bed, a place he's been wont to linger far after is appropriate, he waits for her to sense his presence and wake on her own. He knows her well enough by now to know that she will without any prompting on his end.

There's a bright red splatter across his tunic, his armors nowhere in sight. His hair too is ruffled as if there had been some type of struggle. He hopes he doesn't frighten her straight away, but there's no time. If she hears this news from anyone else she might assume the worst. He owes her one last truth before he leaves her side for good. Something he's so reluctant to do, but he knows she will rule this land with impunity and grace, and be far happier now besides.

"Sorry to wake you," he murmurs, his tone gravelly as he meets her eyes across the darkened room. There's so little time -- he wishes it could be different. Then again, maybe she already knows what's happened. He'll just have to wait for her to come around and hope that she doesn't fear him or see this as betrayal.

letmetakeaselfie

Tony is nervous. Tony is always nervous, but tonight is compounded by all his paranoid fear brought to life by none other than SHIELD's meddling. After chance (if you can really believe that) running into Steve Rogers on the street, Tony had refused to do anything less than become fast friends with the other man, hellbent on unwinding this insane tapestry they're all tied up in, even if he has to do it thread by thread. He had been shocked when it was so easy to get Steve to agree to come to dinner at his house with his cobbled together family, at least at first. The more he spends time with the other man, the more he understands just how lonely he is.

Without Pepper he would have lost his mind several times over by now (and that's just tonight.) He's dressed casually in a linen shirt and jeans, seeming unbothered by the way the reactor shines brightly through the thin fabric. JARVIS announces Steve's arrival and he nearly jumps out of his skin, running a hand through his already hopelessly unruly hair as his gaze flashes to Pepper for one last nudge in silent guidance. Swallowing his nerves, he goes to the door, assured that JARVIS had brought Steve up to the penthouse as per Tony's earlier instructions (that the AI had chided him for repeating too many times. I'm a machine, sir. I'm not capable of forgetting.) He doesn't think he is either, anymore.

"H-hey," he greets, a little wild-eyed and more than starstruck (still) though he tries desperately to rein that part in. "Uh. Come in." He steps back and gestures vaguely, almost vibrating for how much this is affecting him.

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.

relicta

They only bring her out when they need extra insurance, but never one to look a gifthorse in the mouth, Natalia is all too happy with the prospect of helping to keep S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most valuable asset in line. She's afraid to be too cheerful however, as though her own keepers didn't already know she preferred to be outside the facility, at least every now and then. She ties her hair into a tight bun with a red ribbon and gets in her little black car.

By the time she shows up at his apartment it's mid-evening, maybe 7 o'clock. She doesn't greet him at the door but rather barges in in that very Prussian way. She has thick black winged eyeliner on but no other makeup and under her calf-skin jacket are light barre clothes, her point shoes in one hand and plain white keds on her feet. When she speaks she speaks in a heavy Russian accent, though her annunciation makes her fairly easy to follow.

"Your agent told you I was coming for a sitting, yes?" A confirmation she doesn't seem to need as she turns away from him and moves to sit on his couch presumptuously, flicking off her sneakers and beginning to lace up her shoes.

letmetakeaselfie

Days had passed since Pepper's admission, seemingly tiny words that when strung together had shattered his whole world. Though they've remained close save for his jaunt to the Natchios manor, the current is far from smooth. He knows John has noticed, and even Harry seems uncertain now that he and Tony have pledged their sobriety together. Tony hasn't found a way to tell them yet and he can't help but feel like he's doing that fucked up 'stay together for the kids' thing that he's almost positive his own parents did for him.

Pepper is due for her check-in today and Tony is nervous; on her behalf more than his own actually. What if they see through her? Or even with their carefulness maybe they already somehow know everything? More than having to trust her is this overwhelming sense of dread that if he lets her go to SHIELD she'll never come back to him. They'll disappear her for untold horrors and that simply would not do.

In these few days he's, again, spent most of it in the workshop. And as a result has an actual working prototype for the suit. He paints it a much stealthier black and gold and plots to follow her to HQ tonight, in hopes that all will be fine anyway. He hasn't told her his plan though he knows they should share everything now, if only for strategy. Tony's fearful that SHIELD will overhear, not convinced in the least that the four bugs Pepper knows about are all that exist in the Tower. So he stays quiet, to her and to the others, and waits for the cover of night to break out in the suit.

It brings up so much for him, sense memory bursting up as surely as the wind whizzing past his helmet. He remembers Yensen in that moment, and is nearly too overtaken to continue. There's also a memory of the Hulk; of Captain America, blurry but there -- Tony caught in the wake of so much destruction. Even that SHIELD couldn't cover up, the mysterious heroes who had saved New York City from an alien invasion. But he wasn't himself, and neither were the rest. They were conditioned to be of service, their bodies used for the mission at hand. It's so frustrating to know in this context, when Tony would have gladly been conscious for the whole ride, even if he can't quite make sense of the spiraling blackness of space he's envisioning now.

Grateful that this time, the suit holds, Tony pushes everything else out of his mind and waits in the shadows for Pepper to emerge, holding far enough back so that the sensors he know surround the place won't pick him up. He flutters with an angelic sort of ease to the ground by her car, gratefulness for her wellbeing welling up again in his chest. And that she doesn't have any goofy escorts -- that does a lot to abate his fears. Before she can say anything the face plate snaps up and he smiles softly, still hovering a few inches off the ground. "Hey."

letmetakeaselfie

Tony just barely makes it home alive, another suicide mission to further self-flagellate in the wake of Ultron. He's bleeding more than usual, bruised and battered as Dum-e pries the suit away in heavily damaged pieces. He made it home, which should bring relief... It should bring solace in at least some part. It doesn't; and he feels hollow. Empty and alone, he sits with his head in his hands and hopes (for once) that Pepper won't be home now for a little while. He needs time to reconcile what just happened, again. Not even what he'd let happen but that he'd sought out. Maybe he's too unwell to be working alone and maybe he even knows that, but he doesn't want to think about that now.

The bots fuss over him like his proper family, dabbing at him with alcohol swabs and whirring anxiously when he waves them off. Even FRIDAY enters the discussion, though it's a bit dry compared to the way JARVIS would run down the damage to the Mark 44. It only makes everything hurt more and he mutes her, getting up too quickly. The room spins and down he goes, blackness encompassing him like an old friend.

letmetakeaselfie

[ tony gets to go home today. he couldn't be more relieved. more amazing is that steve is still around. he's still not over him showing up, bring him pie. captain america brought him pie. even his wildest fantasy dreams didn't compare to reality right now. they sent him home with vicodin that he's reluctant to take, but he has a tupperware of half a pie and steve is with him for the ride back to the tower with happy driving dutifully.

impulsively he reaches over and squeezes steve's bicep, offering up a soft smile behind his sunglasses, his head canted against the leather. he's never been so tired in his life, which is so totally stupid because he's been in that bed for so damn long. ] You don't have to stick around. I'm fine. [ even if pepper had to surprise fly to la today. she wouldn't have if it weren't important, he knows, but she'd also fly right back if she knew cap abandoned him. still, he can't help offering the man yet another out. ]

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. ]

letmetakeaselfie

[ it's late by the time he catches up with steve, pepper finally sleeping peacefully in their treehouse. their treehouse. it feels surreal. wanda texted him earlier to tell him ~the news~ and here he is, one golden retriever in tow, afraid if he didn't bring digby with him that he might wake pepper. ]

I'm glad Prince--Wanda showed you your digs... [ oh yeah they're like biffles here. he knows that's weird. also that he built this treehouse for bucky actually. but then was going to give it to the other cap. this is already the third iteration of the man he's seen in as many months, not including that flame-on douchebag who seemed to share his face. this place was so weird. ]

Um, if it's missing anything. Let me know? I'll put it on the list. [ of the many many terrible things he has to do for this camp. he hadn't actually spoken to wanda yet so he wasn't sure what cap knew or when (where?) he was even from. he supposes it's time to find that out. ]

letmetakeaselfie

[ tony can always be found scavenging for parts and anything unclaimed by the new arrivals that may have gathered in the wreckage. occasionally, he helps people out of the ship, though mostly that seems to be handled by others decently well. his face is dirty, clothes torn, but he seems absolutely the opposite of broken up about it. he's in problem-solving mode 100% and getting too close to the newbies tends to make these weird psychic powers he's developed go off the rails. why couldn't he get cool powers like wanda?

still, he has to stay close, hawking each person as they stumble up from the hull. if cap or bucky is back, he'll be the first to know. natasha too would be a welcome sight, he knows she's been here before. but nothing in this world could prepare him for the familiar bob of orange hair as pepper potts climbs up to the surface. his heart stops in his chest, digby is barking. tony's like a deer in headlights at first, but then he's running, sprinting until he actually bodily collides with her. that was too rough, he knows it, but soon his arms are winding around her, fingers digging in wherever they can. an uncontrollable upwelling of fear, anger, relief and love permeates the hug, knowing she'll be able to feel what he feels. she'll probably even get vague inklings of what's happened previous to her arrival, like deja vu or a dream that was vivid until you woke up from it. ]

Pepper. [ digby keeps his distance, but he's watching her carefully, head canted as he sits down nearby. ] Give me like ten to twelve seconds and I'll let you breathe again.

letmetakeaselfie

After everything, they're good. At least, Tony thinks so. They're still not "out" in any official capacity, though people know. Nat and Rhodey and Happy know. SHIELD knows. He's reading that classified file he knows Pepper has seen stamped AVENGERS INITIATIVE. He hasn't bothered to hide it from him, but they haven't spoken about it either. He knows the other man wouldn't approve of him joining on after what Nick did to him. But he can't help but be intrigued, and not least of all because he finally gets to meet the Hulk.

The video he'd recovered from that little horror show is playing on repeat in the background; he's distracted and easy to sneak up on. Though he shares everything with Pepper, he's kept this secreted away still despite all his allusions to it. Something about it still doesn't feel like his to share.