152/Work shouldn't be hazardous

Work shouldn't be hazardous
Date of Scene:	25 April 2017
Location:	New York City
Synopsis:	Summary needed.
Cast of Characters:	Iron Man, Pepper Potts

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Iron Man has posed:
Tony's been absent since leaving the restaurant last night. Not in his bed, not in his office; so the chances are better than even that he'd holed up in the Bunker for the night working on something. If it's not women and booze that pulls Tony Stark away, it's something of his own makings, the voices in his head that call him to task and make him work until either whatever it is has been completed, or he's exhausted.

Victory and exhaustion.

Tony trudges up the back stairs towards the hidden door, and opening it, steps into the Penthouse proper dressed in sweats. He doesn't have a t-shirt on, which is strange for him, and his movements are slow, his expression pained. Crossing the room slowly, he reaches one of the more 'open' areas, out by the balcony before he calls up, "Okay, Jarvis, let me have the bad news. Gimme a scan. Pretty sure nothing's bad, but if it is, I want you to lie to Pe-" On his back are bits of shallowly embedded (some more than others) exploded laser parts of all different sizes. Second degree burns in the form of blisters are also present where there are no remnants, and, well, he's going to be sore for a bit.

Pepper Potts has posed:
"...Lie to Pepper about *what*?" Pepper hasn't been living in the Penthouse full time again, not since he came back, but there are times she still uses it as a second home. Especially when she plans to work late and wants to reheat some food away from the general cafeteria or other workers. So, she was upstairs, heating dinner, just in time to hear Tony's attempt at ducking her presence and lying to her.

The woman comes out of the kitchen, expression a mix of darkness with worry, a touch of anger from last night, anger that he was going to lie to her, and something more. Fretting about why he'd lie to her. Her pale green eyes flicker over his bared chest, the burns there, the slight scratches on his face. As soon as he settles into her head that he is actually hurt, she double times in his direction. "God, Tony, what happened?!"

Iron Man has posed:
"Me--" Tony quickly amends, "Lie to me.. uh.." Okay, that didn't sound any better. "I thought you were still downstairs..." An audible exhale exits the man, and he shakes his head, "It's nothing. Honest. I swear. Just had a little bit of a feedback, blowback issue with the laser is all. I'll build a new one." Blowback issue because alien tech decided it didn't want to be lasered anymore!

"Just.. I'm okay. Really." There's a moment of consideration; his jaw shifts and he looks away, down and looks back. "It's in spots I can't reach, though. I mean, I could use some of my little guys," the little robotic hands he's got dotted around the Penthouse, "But..." and he's watching her expression before he finishes, "Probably not the best choice."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"...JARVIS. Can you tell me Tony's exact condition, since he's already proven that he plans to lie to me tonight and is only digging his grave further where this is concerned?" Pepper's voice is still angry, but the worry is helping temper that as she looks him up and down, fingertips coming to his bare shoulder, touching him somewhere she can find uninjured skin. Her touch betrays her heart, so gentle, genuinely concerned, trying to be tender yet firm with him, so she can get him into laying down.

Gently as possible, she guides him over towards the hallway, so they can head into the large master bathroom where she keeps a small medical kit and anything she'd need to clean out those wounds. She isn't letting go of his shoulder or giving him an option in this, so he better come. "And Tony... more lies isn't making this better. Tell me what the HELL actually happened. It's the least you can do after standing me up at dinner."

Iron Man has posed:
"Of course, ma'am. Mr. Stark has 23 separate injuries, 17 of which are puncture wounds ranging from 1 centimeter to a depth of three. His blood pressure currently is at 157 over 90, his heartrate is.."

"Okay, Jarvis. I think you've answered her questions," Tony chimes in. It's the warmth of her touch, fingers against his shoulder, and he's very, very aware of her. And of the fact he's got no shirt on. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, necessarily. And, at least they've all stopped bleeding, for the moment.

Tony goes where he's directed, and he exhales in a sigh. "SHIELD had a shipment coming through they asked me to keep an eye on. Other people had their eye on it too, apparently. So, Iron Man had to show up. You know that never ends well, and it ended up that the shipment was some sort of alien tech. And it subsumed a kid. 16 years old. Sucked him right in, right before my eyes." He turns around to look at Pepper, and there's just that //look// there; the silent admission that he couldn't help the kid. "Well.. took the tech with the kid inside him back here. No way was I gonna let SHIELD have it. No way. So, I spent the rest of the night and a good portion of today trying to get the kid free." He's not down there now, so... maybe there's a good ending to it?

Pepper Potts has posed:
The woman listens to JARVIS' explanation, eyes going a bit more wide, but at least Tony's blood pressure was halfway decent. It meant he wasn't bleeding internally anywhere or going to pass out on her. He might be aware of just how close she is, smelling so much like Pepper after the day's work, a touch of her expensive perfume, but also feminine sweat and skin. SOmething very real and intimate about that, so few people this close to her at this time of the day.

She leads him into the bathroom and nods towards the toilet, "Sit, turn away from me, let me... start with your back." She guides gently. She then is carefully pulling off her suit jacket, which leaves her in nothing but a lace chemise and her suit skirt. She's all bare limbs and collarbones now, her perfume a bit more apparent. She moves to the sink, starting to scrub up her hands as fiercely as possible, the same way a nurse would. "...I wish you'd called. I... I understand, if you were helping a kid. You...did get him free, right? I do understand. I just...wish I knew..." Instead of feeling like Tony went off to flirt with more women at a more fun bar than be with them at the theater.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony allows to be lead into the bathroom, and he exhales as he settles down on the commode. It's a rather spacious setup, almost the size of a city apartment. His hands go out to rest on the back, and his head lowers. "You know I couldn't, Pep. You'd have wanted to come out there, or Steve. Then he would have given me an arguement about where the thing should have gone. I didn't need that. I made the call and I brought him here. As it is, SHIELD's probably pretty pissed with me right now, leaving them the bill to clean up the city's street. And to account for their trucks."

His head lifts and his offers a tight smile, "Kid's okay, but not because anything I did. The tech bonded with him. It's sentient. Took the kid's memories, dreams and then formed a figure from that. Apparently the kid, his name is John, apparently John really likes dragons, because right now, we have a sentient bit of blob in the form of a dragon." He pauses as he hisses a breath and straightens his back, "The dragon and Jarvis are getting along well."

Pepper Potts has posed:
The news about the kid lives Pepper utterly speechless for a few heartbeats. She just *stares* at Tony, trying to figure out if he's joking or not, but she doesn't see joking anywhere in his demeanor. He's probably serious. "...the... Dragon." SHe finally repeats, super waiting for the punchline that is not coming. She just blinks, giving a ragged little laugh and a small shake of her head. "...you can't make this shit up, can you?" Pepper dead pans, still a bit too shocked, but his back is still slightly bleeding and he needed that shrapnel out of him, so she had to get to work.

Hands clean, Pepper pulls on a fresh set of gloves and out the tiny little medical tray/kit she has. After the initial incident replacing that arc reactor, she kept magnetized trays, pliars and everything she might need to do it again on hand. This wasn't exactly that, but it was close, and the tiny little magentic needle nosed medical instrument was going to work great here. So, she fills a small basin with antibacterial solution and dabs gauze in it, so she can start cleaning out each wound. "This is going to sting like hell..."

Iron Man has posed:
"Yeah, dragon." Tony chuckles before he hisses, "Okay, but don't be surprised if I yell. It's the little things..."

"Dragon's name is 'Cyber', of all things. That's what he told me. The kid is John. The way I see it, the kid isn't ever gonna get laid, seeing as his buddy is basically his childhood dream of being a dragon. I mean, seriously."

His eyes raise to the ceiling and he nods, "Ready.. and I would have much rathered have stayed put. I figured you were in good hands, though. Steve thinks highly of you, though probably thinks you're crazy." Tony chuckles before his hands ball into fists, "I bet he's dying to ask you to some ice cream social."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Crazy? How am *I* the crazy one? I'm the sanest person in this tower, and out of all you Avengers. I'm the only one that KEEPS you all sane." Pepper huffs out firmly, a deep smirk on her thin, delicately pink mouth. She finishes setting up the tray and then she, as gently as she possibly can, is starting to clean out the deepest looking wound so she can get to the shrapnel and pull it out. It's definitely going to sting, but Pepper is trying to be gentle. She's not taking her anger out on his wounds, at least.

"...And the kid is a kid. Let's not worry about getting him laid until he's 18, okay?" Pepper warns gently, only slightly teasing there. "...Is he staying with us? Did you set him up with a condo? I can get him settled in, make sure he's enrolled in a proper school... Shit, Tony, did you just ... adopt a teenager?" Pepper asks with a bit more exasperation. She doesn't comment about Steve and dates, it being the furthest thing from her mind right now.

Iron Man has posed:
"Well, the dragon is living in the Bunker. John, he's got a room on the residential floor. Little place. And no, I didn't adopt a teenager. I didn't think to ask about school, or university. We didn't get quite that fa-- ouch.. that far." Tony is trying to be still, but each time Pepper digs, his back tenses in anticipation.

"You're the crazy one because out of all of us, you're the only one who could actually walk away. Run away. But you don't." He twists around a little to look at her and offers a pained smile before looking away again, and front. "It's nice, knowing there's someone there."

Pepper Potts has posed:
And, as ever, she is there. Leaning so close he could, no doubt, feel her breath on the back of his neck as she worked over those wounds. Careful hands, delicate touch, but completely detailed, getting every little piece out she could find and then double cleansing the wounds with that antiseptic. She was still worried about infection, but it was the best she could do. She hadn't even bothered asking him about a hospital -- she's learning.

"...If I walked away... Ran away... what would happen to all of you? You certainly couldn't pull this out of your back yourself. Rhodey would never know when you were home. Steve would be stuck watching TMZ every night... You all need me here. I'm not going anywhere." Pepper promises, her voice a bit more gentle as she works down to another, deeper gash. "...and you did just adopt a teenager. If he's staying here, for good... we need to think about those things. He has to have school."

Iron Man has posed:
"Ow.. Pep... owowow..." and he's tensing up as if he's about to spin up onto his feet, ready to hang up the towel and just let rest drop out of their own accord or his body heal over them.. or whatever. It's the fact that she's just so close, close enough he can feel her warmth, feel her breath on him, and smell the perfume mixed in with the day that keeps him from actually doing it. For now.

"We do." He does. "And I did not adopt a teenager. I'm not going downstairs to tell him to go to bed. I will talk to him about school... later. When he and his pet dragon have worked out how to deal with their separation issues." He doesn't know how far of a 'leash' either of them have. "Frankly, there's a lot I still don't know--oww... Pepper.."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Tony, he's a TEENAGER! He's a KID. He needs responsible adults in his life. If we don't adopt him, he'll need a foster parent or... Something. That's how this works. And while he's under this roof, we are legally AND MORALLY responsible for his education. Didn't you think that through at all? Teenagers aren't adults. They can't take care of themselves." Pepper is still doing her best to be gentle about it, but she's a touch more rough than before, just for her anger over what he's doing.

Another two pieces are drawn out of his back, the little bits clicking into the metallic dish below her hand, and then she's grabbing for the gauze one more time to clean out those wounds, "JARVIS, how many other pieces are there. Can you shine a... lazer, or lights, or something, at the things I'm missing? I'm worried they are too small for me to see." Pepper calls into the air, still working on Tony despite her impatience.

Iron Man has posed:
"Yeah, I know he's a kid. That's why he's here and he's not with SHIELD, miles below the groun--ow!" Tony is trying to stay calm, but as Pepper's voice rises, he can't help himself. "Pep.. he's okay. Yeah, I didn't get there yet with him. He's still in the 'I could really use some food' stage. We came up here, he cooked because he wanted to. I think he said something about wanting to go to culinary school or something. But, I get it. It'll be okay, I swear." As Pepper lets up a little, he's swivelling around a little so he can see her, look up at her. "It's gonna be okay. I got this, okay? Promise."

"There is one more, ma'am, just to the left of T4. It's small, and it's one of the deeper ones. I am afraid there is nothing for it but to find it. There is no danger of injury."

"Wait, what? Yeah, injury no. But it's gonna hurt like hell, isn't it." A statement of truth.

"I can give you a grid, ma'am, and.." even as Jarvis says it, there's something of a grid that appears on Tony's back, giving Pepper a guide.

"You know, you don't have to go digging for it now. Just, maybe a little rest, a glass of scotch, and we'll be fine."

Pepper Potts has posed:
"Tony, turn around and take a breath. Now." Pepper orders him, rather firmly, trying to get this over with as quickly as she can, "It's better if we just finish it now. Get it over with, like ripping off a bandaid." She states flatly, hand coming up to firmly press on his shoulder, gently guiding him back down into sitting. She really wasn't letting him get out of this. "Thank you for the grid, JARVIS. That helps." Pepper reassures both of them, picking up the little medical pliers again and carefully reaching for Tony's back.

"Well, fine. Getting him food was smart. And it's a good start. They are just...matters we will have to address sooner rather than later. Especially if you expect him to stay with us. Then we will have to adopt him." We. Not him. Not her. Them. That sort of implies they are in this long term together, but Pepper doesn't focus on it now. Instead, she's very carefully reaching in deep under Tony's skin to get that last little bit of melt out as quickly as she can.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony lowers himself back down onto the commode, and shakes his head. A deep breath is taken through his nose, and he holds it for a three-count, ready to feel the metal meet partial skin and laser part. "I always hated ripping off bandaids. Hair and skin always came off. Then I'd have this red welt with me for the next couple of days."

When the conversation returns to John, Tony just sighs and he drops his head between his arms. "I really don't think he needs to be adopted, Pep. He's 16. By law, he doesn't even have to go to school anymore. He could easily petition the courts, assuming his parents aren't around anywhere. I don't even know that much." We. For a moment, Tony didn't even hear that 'we'. But, as he considers it more, his eyes widen a little and he looks up just as those little hemostats are going into his flesh to pull out that last bit of annoyance...

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper doesn't even have time to dwell on the we. She is trying to get that last bit out as smooth and quickly as possible. It doesn't take her too long to find it, thanks to JARVIS, and then she's ever so carefully guiding that bit of metal out, the reassuring ping in the tray of it dropping says it's all over. SHe's then carefully pressing a fresh piece of cleansing guaze over it, catching the fresh blood that is flowing. Then she is cleaning it out a bit more, before her pale eyes flicker across his back, considering if any of this needs stitches.

"...I think you can get away without stitches, thoughts, JARVIS? If I just butterfly bandage most of these... then we need to clean out the burns..." Pepper murmurs softly, but her tender fingertips are already working at sealing up the wounds she knows won't need stitched. She's trying to be as gentle as possible, her breath and warmth practically tangible against his back.

Iron Man has posed:
When it's out, there's a relieved sigh that exits the man. Tony's head is forward again, looking down, his chest rising and falling as he works on the annoyances of pain. Nothing makes one feel it quite as much as fussing on it. And, he'll be sleeping on his stomach tonight!

"No, no stitches. I'll be fine. Just... just tape it closed and I'll go grab a shirt." He can feel her breath, and she really is close. Uncomfortably close, but.. there is most of him that really doesn't want her to be too far from him either. Catch-22. "Just.. cover the burns. I swear, I'll be fine. If I'm not, you can repeat 'I told you so'. Promise." Tony pauses a moment before he calls out, "Jarvis, did you catch that? Pepper's allowed to say 'I told you so' if I'm not fine after this. And I'm gonna clarify.. it has to be from complications from this. Not anything else that I might have done that was really stupid." Because, well... he knows better.

"Okay?"

Pepper Potts has posed:
A little groan from Pepper and she shakes her head, "Fine. Turn around. Let me dress them and then you'll be done." Pepper explains gently, reaching back for larger, more light gauze, and the burn cream that also comes in the kit. She has all sort of things on hand to take care of Tony, it's almost like she EXPECTS these kinds of wounds. Because, these days? She does.

As he turns around, she gives him a tired, reassuring sort of smile, but she's still there. Caring for him. Even after he ran out on dinner, even with all the insanity between them. She kneels down so she can get a better look at the burn wounds on his side, before she gingerly begins to smooth the burn cream across the skin and those burns. "All done, Tony...go...Do what you need."