609/Worried and Loyal

Worried and Loyal
Date of Scene:	25 May 2017
Location:	Unknown
Synopsis:	Summary needed
Cast of Characters:	Pepper Potts, Iron Man

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Pepper Potts has posed:
It was late. So late it was early. But Pepper's mind didn't know that. She probably worked until a little after midnight, having intended on dragging Tony out of the workshop at some point and putting him to bed before she went back to her own condo... and then the fact she's been pulling 70 hour weeks finally caught up to her. She has no clue how long ago that was, but her tablet is now dead of battery on the table in front of her. A handwritten notebook slipped out of her hand and onto the floor. Her mug of coffee half filled and ice cold on the coffee table. At least she managed not to slide off the couch. She's slumped to the side, in a position that will hurt when she wakes up, her lips slightly open with the deep breath of sleep, strawberry hair a mess across her cheek and shoulder. THe only consession to comfort she's made was slipping out of her shoes and suit jacket, so she's sitting in just her silk blouse and slacks. She looks like the perfect little corporate wind up doll who has simply run out of steam.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony has the stamina of ten men. *cough* He, too, is like the Energizer bunny who just keeps going and going and going. Particularly when he's got a project in his head, or something that keeps his attention fixed. But, even as one of 'the best of them', he's woken himself up a couple of times downstairs in the Bunker, and now it's time to give up. The next 12 hours will be devoted to sleep. It's the least he can do after the last 48 has been spent up, hopped up on caffeine and whatever other toxins he's put into his body.

Up the stairs and into his penthouse, Tony's crossing the great divide of the rather large open living room space when he catches things awry. Things out of place, he always notices, and the form of Pepper asleep on his couch is most decidedly 'out of place'. Changing course, he makes his way towards the couch but before he comes too close, he finds himself just staring... watching the breaths, in and out... she looks so peaceful.

Once again, Tony takes a couple of steps and crouches before her, shifting the heavy coffee table out of the way. "Hey, Pepper," he whispers. He's not trying to wake her up, certainly not. "I... um... you are one of the most beautiful women I've ever met, and I guess.." He looks down at his hands as they rest on his thighs and he takes a deep breath before he continues, still so very softly, "I'm the luckiest guy in the world, even if I'm the biggest coward."

Tony reaches out finally to set a wisp of hair that's gone awry, his touch gentle. "I should let you sleep."

Pepper Potts has posed:
If Pepper had gotten more than four or five hours sleep a night in the last month, maybe she'd be more awake. But she always sticks around to try and coax him into bed, or make certain he gets home safely from a party, or that he's at least eaten dinner before midnight. And then she commutes back up to her condo in Midtown and, somehow, is still back in the office before 7 am the next day. Every day. Even most weekends. Loyal like an addiction, but she's always there. Her body just has thrown in the towel so, while something in the back of her head distantly hears his words, she doesn't quite wake yet. Not enough to fully stir. Maybe she didn't hear them at all.

It's not until his hand brushes back that wisp of hair that she moves at all and it's the faintest stir, just enough for her head to turn into his touch, following his fingeritps instinctively. Almost hungrily. A ghost of a smile crosses her pale pink lips, a contentment he's almost never seen on her face before, and it's come in response to his simple touch...

Iron Man has posed:
Ooooh, okay, she moved. Tony leans back, touching the newly moved and repositioned coffee table. Licking suddenly dry lips, he looks around (as if someone else could possibly be there?) before a decision is made. He reaches as if to touch her again, but his hand stops short of doing just that. Biggest coward.

Instead, Tony gets into a better position in order to put one arm under her knees, the other digging between her shoulders and the couch, pushing deeper against the couch so as not to jar the sleeping beauty. If she doesn't wake, or at least rise a little more from her slumber, he's going to simply lift her in a cradle-carry.

Pepper Potts has posed:
As his touch disappears, that smile follows it. Confusion, a touch of sadness. Maybe it was just another dream. She stirs half restlessly, something in her body telling her something is off. SHe's not alone. But it's not a presence that scares her. Not in the least. It's the most familiar thing in the world, like he's meant to be there, so her mind isn't yet doing the panic wake up. It just feels quite alone in compare to that moment of his fingertips brushing her face.

Then he's shifting to move arms beneath her and she stirs just enough to make it easier for him. Instinctively leaning into his touch, still mostly asleep, she practically pours herself into his arms. Doing things her conscious self would never allow, but mostly asleep it comes second nature. She's so light against him, much lighter than most of his armor, her body folding up neatly into his chest, head pressing near that quietly humming reactor, almost protectively. "..mm...Tony...?" She half moans, still mostly asleep.

Iron Man has posed:
Pepper Potts. The one woman that has been with him, has put up with him, who has managed to not only keep up with him, but if he was to be honest with himself, surpassed him in a couple of areas. She'd started with less than he, and has ended up with more. More or less.

She deserves better than this.

Tony Stark, multi-billionaire, and he's holding the one thing he simply doesn't deserve. Could never deserve. He doesn't put her down, though. At least give her that much; the stability and feeling that he'd never, ever drop her. Not in a million years. Not if he could help it.

"Just me, Pep.." Tony can smell all that which is her; her perfume lingers even if she hadn't put any on or refreshed it for hours upon hours. "Gonna put you to bed. You'll be more comfortable."

Pepper Potts has posed:
As he speaks, her arm shifts. Just one, wrapping up around his neck, pulling him just a bit closer to her as she tucks the rest of herself and other hand against his chest. No hesitation, still most of her asleep and stuck with subconscious needs and wants. He wasn't the only coward here. But sleep gives a lot of permission consciousness doesn't. Her breath comes slow and deep against his chest, that ghost of a smile returning to her lips now that she's tucked in safely against his heart. She smells like strawberries in her hair (her shampoo) and some expensive vanilla oil. And a touch of sweat from the day. SHe smells achingly like *Pepper*.

"...bed?...you... coming?" She asks, probably not really awake at all. Words are just spilling out of her lips in dream like drowsiness, eyes not yet open. But she's holding on close and has no fear of being dropped. If anything, he can actually feel a few inches of tension leaving her body.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony's heart aches but for so many different reasons. The closeness now will be replaced with awkward distances, and stuttered dances around everything; saying things but wanting to say others. All he can do right now is hold her, not drop her as she tuckes in close, her head so close to that glow-plug in the center of his chest... that reminder that his days truly are numbered.

"Bed?" His voice is low and tending towards slightly hoarse as he begins to walk slowly towards his room. "I.. uh.." //would love to.// "I still have a few things to do." Never above a whisper. "You need your sleep. You've been burning that candle for me, and.. well, I need you to get rest. Okay?" As much as he'd love to join her and just.. just lay beside her, even. He wouldn't get any sleep, but...

Pepper Potts has posed:
His insistence that he won't join her is the first thing that encourages her closer to being more awake. Uncomfortable. He's going to disappear, and they'll go back to pretending this didn't happen, and Pepper will sleep alone again. She frowns, tucking a bit closer into his chest, but it's the motion of someone who is half conscious now. "Tony... you need sleep too." Pepper whispers against his throat. And it's not that half dreaming tone. There is actual substance behind her voice. She is waking up, almost entirely, and she hasn't pulled back yet. She felt warm and safe in his arms. He smelled so good, so much like Tony, even with a touch of oil and grease behind it.

Iron Man has posed:
Tony's noticing that with every deflection, Pepper's returning to some wakefulness and she's not happy. She's holding on a little tighter, acting a touch more insistent... much more than if she were completely awake. And it's not as if he doesn't need her. He wasn't lying when he'd told her she was the best thing that had ever happened to him. But after that admission, everything just fell in on itself and soon the awkward dance began once more.

The Penthouse is large, but it doesn't take Tony too long to bring her into his room, ready to set her gently down on the bed. His bed. "I know I do," is whispered hoarsely. He's got to take a couple of tries to get it out such that he can actually form words that could be understood. "You need to too, and you're the more important one here."

Pepper Potts has posed:
Pepper's shirt is silk. Her pants are bespoke tailored. If she sleeps in them, the whole outfit is going to be wrinkled to hell and back, but Tony might not realize that as he's stretching her out on his bed. She immediatley knows where she is, the whole place smells like him. Hell, she ORDERED him these sheets. It was the most comfortable place she could ever imagine and half of her body is tempted to just drop back into sleep. They could talk in the morning. Her eyes are half lidded and still not fully awake, but she's watching him in her drowsing state and his words are enough to force herself to rouse a bit more.

"...I...dunno what... idiot juice you're drinking, Tony Stark..." Oh, half asleep Pepper is almost like drunk Pepper. Only a bit more amusing! "...but...'syour name on the building, mister. You are important.. too. The most important... to me." Her hand that was round his neck trails lightly down his shoulder, to his chest, over that arc reactor. "...come to bed...?"