(no subject)
Title: Wounds
Author: rolleson
Fandom: Iron Man
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Spoilers: Movie
Warnings: Injuries.
Summary: The last straw came when there was a doctor from SHIELD waiting for him in his living room, instead of Pepper.
Notes: 1215 words. Took a while to write. Part Three.
i. Heir
ii. Crazy
What had started as half a joke, had become a nightmare for Tony. He and Pepper weren't speaking at all and it was heart breaking.
It had been a while since he'd had his heart broken.
They hadn't really been talking much since the second discussion about his desire for an heir, or whatever that really meant. He wasn't sure what anything meant now, except, beyond the signing of documents, she barely spoke to him. She didn't push him to go to meetings, didn't help straighten his bow tie for formal events, didn't see him off when he went on a mission.
The last straw came when there was a doctor from SHIELD waiting for him in his living room, instead of Pepper. On the flight back, he'd felt the edges of his bent suit pressing into his wounds, the worst on his thigh and shoulder blade, the entire way, feeling the blood reach his ankle by time he reached the Atlantic. He'd had Jarvis tell Pepper to have the first aid kit ready and as he'd hobbled up the stairs he'd found some grey haired, bespectacled man, sitting on his sofa, with a medical bag as old as himself next to him.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Dr Meno," he said, "I'm from SH-"
"Moreau?" Tony cut in.
"Meno," the doctor corrected, "I'm from SHIELD."
"Jarvis, where's Pepper?"
"Ms. Potts left the premises half an hour ago."
"Let's take a look at your wounds Mr. Stark," the doctor said standing up, "you seem to be bleeding quite badly," he continued following Tony through the house.
"It's nothing."
"Ms. Potts warned me you'd try and brush your injuries off."
Tony stopped them, and turned to face Meno.
"I'm not brushing my injuries off Dr. Meno, I'm brushing you off," he said, "now, let me see you out."
"You really need medical attention," Meno said, eyes on the dark patch on Tony's grey t-shirt that was blooming across his back.
"I have a perfectly qualified personal assistant."
He urged the older man towards the front entrance, and out of the door, closing it behind him as soon as he was out. The door probably hit the man on the ass, but Tony didn't really care much about him, or his wounds. only Pepper.
"Jarvis, see Dr. Meno gets off the property safely, and doesn't get back on."
"Yes, Mr. Stark."
"And call Pepper."
He waited for the phone to ring through the house, and once it did sat down for Pepper to answer. He knew she would, she always answered, always came running. It's the one thing he could be certain of.
"Mr. Stark," she said curtly.
"Pepper I need you," he was a familiar line, and often it didn't need explanation, but the way things were, he knew she'd need more than just his desire to have her jump up for him. "I'm injured."
"What happened to Dr. Meno."
"Dr. Moreau had to leave."
"Did you insult him?" she asked.
"Possibly, by accident."
"I'll call SHIELD, have them send another doctor."
"By time they dispatch someone, I could bleed to death."
"You're bleeding?" she asked and the panic in her voice pleased him a little. He was a horrible person sometimes, but she still cared. It was worth it.
"I'm dripping."
"Oh God. I'll be over soon," she said, "please try and stem the bleeding?" she asked.
"Okay."
She hung up without any niceties but he could cope with that if she was coming over and while he fetched a couple of towels for his bleeding leg and back, he considered exactly when he'd become so desperate for her company.
Probably about a week after hiring her.
He stripped his clothes back off, the blood soaking through both his sweats and t-shirt. He had to grit his teeth as he pulled the material away from the open wounds as it clung to him.
He was sitting in his boxers with his arm crossed over his chest holding a towel to his shoulder blade and another arm pressing down on his thigh, when Pepper came walking into his living room.
"Tony," she said with a sigh. She went straight to an ottoman hidden behind the sofa and pulled out the first aid kit. She sat down next to him and he pulled away the towel on his leg.
"Tony," she repeated, "you should've let the doctor look at you."
"I'm fine."
"Jarvis, call SHIELD headquarters."
"Jarvis, don't."
"Tony."
"Please Pepper, before I bleed to death."
"You've stopped bleeding," she said, leaning back a little to look at his back, "mostly."
"Before I get infected then."
She didn't reply, but he heard the halted sigh as she pulled the antiseptic wipes from the kit. She looked at the small package and frowned, pulling out a bottle of antiseptic liquid instead and some cotton wool.
"This will sting," she said, softly.
He grit his teeth again as she dabbed the cut on his leg first, trying not to hiss as she cleaned him up.
"Thanks Pepper."
"You're welcome Mr. Stark."
Curt and to the point, and he sighed, then hissed.
"Come on Pepper, talk to me."
"We have nothing to talk about."
"We have a l-OT, ow," he was cut off when she started cleaning his shoulder blade. "We have a lot to talk about."
"Not while I'm patching you up anyway," she said.
He conceded to that, and he kept his shoulders tense while she cleaned and dressed his wounds. When he felt her move away he relaxed a little, knowing no more pain was coming.
Physically at least.
"Is that all Mr. Stark?" Pepper asked, packing up the first aid kit.
"No," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down to sit back next to him. "We need to talk."
"You have something to tell me?" she asked.
"Yes," he said, "Well, no, maybe."
"Tony."
"Sorry, I just," he paused. "Okay."
She smiled at him for the first time in days. It helped.
"I do want a kid, " he started, "of course, I want your kid."
"Right."
There was a long pause and she was staring at him, and he tried to look at her and once more, she was getting the upper hand and he couldn't find the words for her.
"You gotta help me out here Pepper, I don't know how to do this," he said, "anything else, but this."
She chuckled and kissed him on the cheek.
"It's okay Tony."
"It's not," he said, "for the first time in my life I don't know what I want."
She tried to hold in a laugh, making her cough. he frowned at her.
"Sorry, it's cute.
"Iron Man is not cute."
"You're not in your suit right now."
He shrugged, then groaned in pain.
"Why don't you put some clean clothes on Mr. Stark."
"I'm hoping they'll be sex at the end of this conversation."
"Not tonight," she said with a grin.
With every up turn of her lips he felt better.
"I just want to talk to you Tony."
"You can talk to me in my boxers."
She thought about it for a moment, looking him over, her eyes flickering over the wounds and she flinched minutely.
"Okay," she relented and he smiled.
Author: rolleson
Fandom: Iron Man
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: Tony/Pepper
Spoilers: Movie
Warnings: Injuries.
Summary: The last straw came when there was a doctor from SHIELD waiting for him in his living room, instead of Pepper.
Notes: 1215 words. Took a while to write. Part Three.
i. Heir
ii. Crazy
What had started as half a joke, had become a nightmare for Tony. He and Pepper weren't speaking at all and it was heart breaking.
It had been a while since he'd had his heart broken.
They hadn't really been talking much since the second discussion about his desire for an heir, or whatever that really meant. He wasn't sure what anything meant now, except, beyond the signing of documents, she barely spoke to him. She didn't push him to go to meetings, didn't help straighten his bow tie for formal events, didn't see him off when he went on a mission.
The last straw came when there was a doctor from SHIELD waiting for him in his living room, instead of Pepper. On the flight back, he'd felt the edges of his bent suit pressing into his wounds, the worst on his thigh and shoulder blade, the entire way, feeling the blood reach his ankle by time he reached the Atlantic. He'd had Jarvis tell Pepper to have the first aid kit ready and as he'd hobbled up the stairs he'd found some grey haired, bespectacled man, sitting on his sofa, with a medical bag as old as himself next to him.
"Who the fuck are you?"
"Dr Meno," he said, "I'm from SH-"
"Moreau?" Tony cut in.
"Meno," the doctor corrected, "I'm from SHIELD."
"Jarvis, where's Pepper?"
"Ms. Potts left the premises half an hour ago."
"Let's take a look at your wounds Mr. Stark," the doctor said standing up, "you seem to be bleeding quite badly," he continued following Tony through the house.
"It's nothing."
"Ms. Potts warned me you'd try and brush your injuries off."
Tony stopped them, and turned to face Meno.
"I'm not brushing my injuries off Dr. Meno, I'm brushing you off," he said, "now, let me see you out."
"You really need medical attention," Meno said, eyes on the dark patch on Tony's grey t-shirt that was blooming across his back.
"I have a perfectly qualified personal assistant."
He urged the older man towards the front entrance, and out of the door, closing it behind him as soon as he was out. The door probably hit the man on the ass, but Tony didn't really care much about him, or his wounds. only Pepper.
"Jarvis, see Dr. Meno gets off the property safely, and doesn't get back on."
"Yes, Mr. Stark."
"And call Pepper."
He waited for the phone to ring through the house, and once it did sat down for Pepper to answer. He knew she would, she always answered, always came running. It's the one thing he could be certain of.
"Mr. Stark," she said curtly.
"Pepper I need you," he was a familiar line, and often it didn't need explanation, but the way things were, he knew she'd need more than just his desire to have her jump up for him. "I'm injured."
"What happened to Dr. Meno."
"Dr. Moreau had to leave."
"Did you insult him?" she asked.
"Possibly, by accident."
"I'll call SHIELD, have them send another doctor."
"By time they dispatch someone, I could bleed to death."
"You're bleeding?" she asked and the panic in her voice pleased him a little. He was a horrible person sometimes, but she still cared. It was worth it.
"I'm dripping."
"Oh God. I'll be over soon," she said, "please try and stem the bleeding?" she asked.
"Okay."
She hung up without any niceties but he could cope with that if she was coming over and while he fetched a couple of towels for his bleeding leg and back, he considered exactly when he'd become so desperate for her company.
Probably about a week after hiring her.
He stripped his clothes back off, the blood soaking through both his sweats and t-shirt. He had to grit his teeth as he pulled the material away from the open wounds as it clung to him.
He was sitting in his boxers with his arm crossed over his chest holding a towel to his shoulder blade and another arm pressing down on his thigh, when Pepper came walking into his living room.
"Tony," she said with a sigh. She went straight to an ottoman hidden behind the sofa and pulled out the first aid kit. She sat down next to him and he pulled away the towel on his leg.
"Tony," she repeated, "you should've let the doctor look at you."
"I'm fine."
"Jarvis, call SHIELD headquarters."
"Jarvis, don't."
"Tony."
"Please Pepper, before I bleed to death."
"You've stopped bleeding," she said, leaning back a little to look at his back, "mostly."
"Before I get infected then."
She didn't reply, but he heard the halted sigh as she pulled the antiseptic wipes from the kit. She looked at the small package and frowned, pulling out a bottle of antiseptic liquid instead and some cotton wool.
"This will sting," she said, softly.
He grit his teeth again as she dabbed the cut on his leg first, trying not to hiss as she cleaned him up.
"Thanks Pepper."
"You're welcome Mr. Stark."
Curt and to the point, and he sighed, then hissed.
"Come on Pepper, talk to me."
"We have nothing to talk about."
"We have a l-OT, ow," he was cut off when she started cleaning his shoulder blade. "We have a lot to talk about."
"Not while I'm patching you up anyway," she said.
He conceded to that, and he kept his shoulders tense while she cleaned and dressed his wounds. When he felt her move away he relaxed a little, knowing no more pain was coming.
Physically at least.
"Is that all Mr. Stark?" Pepper asked, packing up the first aid kit.
"No," he said, grabbing her wrist and pulling her down to sit back next to him. "We need to talk."
"You have something to tell me?" she asked.
"Yes," he said, "Well, no, maybe."
"Tony."
"Sorry, I just," he paused. "Okay."
She smiled at him for the first time in days. It helped.
"I do want a kid, " he started, "of course, I want your kid."
"Right."
There was a long pause and she was staring at him, and he tried to look at her and once more, she was getting the upper hand and he couldn't find the words for her.
"You gotta help me out here Pepper, I don't know how to do this," he said, "anything else, but this."
She chuckled and kissed him on the cheek.
"It's okay Tony."
"It's not," he said, "for the first time in my life I don't know what I want."
She tried to hold in a laugh, making her cough. he frowned at her.
"Sorry, it's cute.
"Iron Man is not cute."
"You're not in your suit right now."
He shrugged, then groaned in pain.
"Why don't you put some clean clothes on Mr. Stark."
"I'm hoping they'll be sex at the end of this conversation."
"Not tonight," she said with a grin.
With every up turn of her lips he felt better.
"I just want to talk to you Tony."
"You can talk to me in my boxers."
She thought about it for a moment, looking him over, her eyes flickering over the wounds and she flinched minutely.
"Okay," she relented and he smiled.