The less I say about finals, the better. Um. Distract me, please? I want to write Pepper/Tony, but I don't know what to write, exactly. So, uh... prompts, I guess? Give me a
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Pepper snatches her hand back to her chest. Her fingers curl at her throat. She says, "Mr Stark--"
Tony rolls over or tries to, but as he shifts his weight to his left hip a muscle in his jaw spasms; his entire body clenches. "Oh," he says, in a voice rough with pain and sleep. "Yeah. Ow."
"Tony, your back--"
He waves her off. "It's nothing."
"It doesn't look like--"
"Well, it is. Nothing. It's nothing. Just very - very painful." Tony sucks in a breath and sits up. The muscles in his abdomen flutter and spasm, and when he exhales, he groans.
"Tony," Pepper says, trying to be calm, trying not to immediately accuse him of being reckless and foolhardy and, and silly, what was he thinking just going to bed like this--
"I know what you're going to say," he says before she can say anything at all. "So I'm going to stop you right there. I had--" He grunts. "--Jarvis monitor me. If anything was broken or punctured, he'd tell me, and as he has yet to do so I am forced to conclude that I am, in fact, perfectly fine."
Tony smiles up at her with something very near to grace. The effect is ruined somewhat by the muscle ticking at his jaw.
Pepper bites off her first retort. Instead she says, "I can see," and resorts to fluffing one of the pillows. Tony leans forward with aching slowness, grimacing as she slides the pillow behind his back. "Would you like some ice, Mr Stark?" she says, painfully polite.
"Yes, please, Miss Potts," he says. He settles back on the pillow and sighs once, the breath rising up as though from his gut. His eyes flutter shut. "And a Long Island Iced Tea, if you'd be so kind."
"I'm afraid we're all out," she says. "You'll have to make do with orange juice." Pepper tings her fingernail against the glass on the tray.
Tony rolls his shoulder and tips his head to one side. "Breakfast in bed," he says. "Special day. What's the occasion? It's not Mother's Day, is it?"
"You have a meeting with the board of directors at noon," she tells him.
He sips at the juice. "Mm. And what time is it now?"
"Eleven-thirty," she says, very sweetly.
Tony gags.
Pepper straightens the pillow at his back. "I'll have Happy pull the car around front."
"See that you do, Miss Potts."
Pepper bites down her smile. When she leaves, she leaves the door open: on Tony, on the suit, on the bright, bright blue of the ocean.
"Ice, Jarvis," she says, and when at last she arrives the ice is waiting for her in the alcove inside the fridge.
Man, that was a sad, bittersweet look at a daily routine Pepper probably never expected to find herself in.
Tony smiles up at her with something very near to grace.
Um. That line sort of broke me, I don't know what it is about Tony struggling to find equilibrium that I enjoy so much, but that certainly hit the spot.
Oh, thank you. I cannot describe to my own satisfaction exactly how happy each of your comments has made me, nor can I thank you enough (and this is going to sound kind of lame, so please forgive me) for the confidence you've given me.
I felt kinda creepy leaving all the comments but you seriously DO write them pretty much perfectly (as in their relationship is NOT perfect, and that's what makes their delicate professional/emotional dance so damn interesting in the FIRST place) and I just figured you deserved it, so I risked the creepy factor in the name of awesomeness :D
Tony rolls over or tries to, but as he shifts his weight to his left hip a muscle in his jaw spasms; his entire body clenches. "Oh," he says, in a voice rough with pain and sleep. "Yeah. Ow."
"Tony, your back--"
He waves her off. "It's nothing."
"It doesn't look like--"
"Well, it is. Nothing. It's nothing. Just very - very painful." Tony sucks in a breath and sits up. The muscles in his abdomen flutter and spasm, and when he exhales, he groans.
"Tony," Pepper says, trying to be calm, trying not to immediately accuse him of being reckless and foolhardy and, and silly, what was he thinking just going to bed like this--
"I know what you're going to say," he says before she can say anything at all. "So I'm going to stop you right there. I had--" He grunts. "--Jarvis monitor me. If anything was broken or punctured, he'd tell me, and as he has yet to do so I am forced to conclude that I am, in fact, perfectly fine."
Tony smiles up at her with something very near to grace. The effect is ruined somewhat by the muscle ticking at his jaw.
Pepper bites off her first retort. Instead she says, "I can see," and resorts to fluffing one of the pillows. Tony leans forward with aching slowness, grimacing as she slides the pillow behind his back. "Would you like some ice, Mr Stark?" she says, painfully polite.
"Yes, please, Miss Potts," he says. He settles back on the pillow and sighs once, the breath rising up as though from his gut. His eyes flutter shut. "And a Long Island Iced Tea, if you'd be so kind."
"I'm afraid we're all out," she says. "You'll have to make do with orange juice." Pepper tings her fingernail against the glass on the tray.
Tony rolls his shoulder and tips his head to one side. "Breakfast in bed," he says. "Special day. What's the occasion? It's not Mother's Day, is it?"
"You have a meeting with the board of directors at noon," she tells him.
He sips at the juice. "Mm. And what time is it now?"
"Eleven-thirty," she says, very sweetly.
Tony gags.
Pepper straightens the pillow at his back. "I'll have Happy pull the car around front."
"See that you do, Miss Potts."
Pepper bites down her smile. When she leaves, she leaves the door open: on Tony, on the suit, on the bright, bright blue of the ocean.
"Ice, Jarvis," she says, and when at last she arrives the ice is waiting for her in the alcove inside the fridge.
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Tony smiles up at her with something very near to grace.
Um. That line sort of broke me, I don't know what it is about Tony struggling to find equilibrium that I enjoy so much, but that certainly hit the spot.
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So, uh. Thanks. *g*
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Thank you so much! I am ridiculously glad that you've enjoyed this (and the other pieces) as much you have. Just ... yeah. Thank you. ♥
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"I'm afraid we're all out," she says. "You'll have to make do with orange juice."
Uh huh. Oh Pepper, you are amazing.
I am so in love with your IM fic, you have no idea.
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