I'm Fantastic

Happy new year!

Sequins suit you, babe. 

  I thought it was Edward…

They mean the same thing. 

  He rolled his eyes. “Of course. I’m the one making this hard. Just like I’m the one who lied to you about your life or your purpose.” Jarvis tilted his head, making use of the height difference. A person with an ego as big as Stark’s with his height would have some sort of ‘short man’s’ complex. 

Damn him. Damn him to robot hell. If Jarvis wanted to get closer that was fine. He took a step forward and cut him off. "Really? That's where you're going with this? Fine, yeah I'm the bad guy. Go mope and stay with your little girl friends some more."

  He scoffed. “Turned over a new leaf. Tryin’ to be good, but vodka is meant to be shared.” Tony made grabby hands at the untouched shot glass and downed the booze. He wiggled it at her for a refill. 

She refilled his and hers glasses with an amused smile on her face. “You? Turned over a new leaf? I’m waiting for the lightning strike for you ever uttering such blasphemy.” She chuckled, downing the second shot. The sweetness dulled the burn only slightly and she winced.

Tony shrugged, half expecting to be struck down himself. With he bac levels he'd probably make a spectacular fire. Go out with a bang and a show. "Finally got my hands on Pepper." He shook his glass at her again after taking the shot. 

Oh that was smooth. And a good save.

Simply telling the truth, babe, and smooth is my middle name. 

  I’m almost certain you where not looking at my eyes.

I had to look at the fabric to know it brings out your eyes. 

  You think so?

  Pepper laughed as she shook her head and sat down. “Your definition of sweet isn’t exactly what everyone else would consider to be sweet though Tony.” She reached forward and took a small sip of the glass of water “Oh, you ordered already?”

He rolled his eyes. "Right. I'm not allowed to be conventionally sweet. And yes, Mary is standing here patiently waiting to take your order. Which," Tony turned back to the waitress and gestured to the empty basket between them. "Can you bring us two more baskets of breadsticks please?" Breadsticks were this place's one redeeming quality. 

  I see we’re on the same floor. I guess none of us will ever find out who donated the Stark building.

Why do I need a reason to spend my money? 

"The Stark Building was generously donated by one of the students on campus?" Hm I wonder who that would be.

It's a mystery. I suppose we'll never know. 

Rather than learn to deal with a roommate or two I bought a tent and am now nursin’ a few bottles of Jack. Much better than talkin’ to people.

More room for Barton and me. 

  Carol raised an eyebrow and started reassembling the gun in front of her. “If I didn’t know any better Stark I’d say you were trying to get me into bed.” She glanced at where she was sitting on the bed and sighed. “Actually into bed not on it.” She preemted his smart ass comment before he could say it.

He scoffed. "Turned over a new leaf. Tryin' to be good, but vodka is meant to be shared." Tony made grabby hands at the untouched shot glass and downed the booze. He wiggled it at her for a refill. 

  He nodded back silently, leaning into Tony’s arm and closing his eyes to focus on his breathing pattern. In, out. In, out. Slowly but surely his lungs slowed their intake and his breathing mellowed out, his pulse no longer racing and his skin no longer tingling, as if ready to abandon his bones. There was no voice on Bruce’s part as they sat there, sharing Tony’s optimism, but with a bleaker twist.

"What, sweaty sheets don't do it for you?" He smirked, knocking their shoulders together. He did it. He fixed it. His head was bobbing in time with Bruce's, and he couldn't remember why. That wasn't important right now. What was, was that they got back to work and forgot about their respective nightmares. 

  He twitched, the cool air doing him some good, though evidently not enough to break him out of his hellish dream. Running, running, screaming, breaking, crying, falling, running, more running- then nothing. The nothingness was worse than the panic, Bruce decided, floating in the darkness. Nothingness came when he didn’t have control, and when he didn’t have control, people died. It could be anyone- it was almost Betty, almost a lot of civilians, it could even be Tony some day-

He knew that look. That look did not speak good things, and Tony thought they were making some progress on the whole self esteem thing. Fix this. 

  Bruce had drifted off as soon as Tony agreed to stay. It eased his mind enough to allow his mind to drift off and his breathing to even out, looking quite peaceful. Curled into a ball on his side, the curly haired student looked relatively relaxed and collected in his dreams, the plains of his face smooth and his muscles as lax as they could be in his circular position. Peaceful. It was almost ironic how much of the opposite was happening in his mind.

It was hot. Too hot. Sweat ran down his spine, pooling around his hips until he felt like he was drowning. Again. His arms thrashed around catching and tossing the blanket off of them. Better. The rush of cold air against his damp skin shocked him awake.