She continued to search Tony’s features, in particular his brown orbs which were often the only indication of how he was truly feeling. Pepper was only partially convinced he was telling the truth, as he had a history of lying when he didn’t want her to worry, seemingly more concerned about her feelings then his overall health. “…Do you promise? You really would tell me?” She leaned into his touch while maintaining eye contact, a sigh of relief slipping between closed lips. “Let me make us dinner. What do you feel like?”

“   promise.    if it gets bad enough,   i’ll let you know,   ”      he assures her,   brushing his thumb over her cheek and leaning forward to kiss her once,   twice,   before drawing away.      “    --   burgers?   ”      he inquires hopefully,   glancing around for the cane that they’re forcing him to use,   at least until he can figure something else out in the lab.      “   i can help.   ”

                 heels  of  her  boots  echo  in  the  room  as  she  edges  closer  to  him,      eyes  narrow  as  she  slightly  crouches  down,          ❛   you  do  know  i’m  not  rogers,  right  ?  how  do  you  plan  on  lifting  that  ?   ❜          eyebrow  arches,      fingertips  grazing  the  contraption,      this  looks  heavy  as  shit.

It’s not a sentiment he hasn’t heard before. Hell, he’s almost become familiar with it through the years. An old relic of history broken out of the ice, an impossible story. What’s even weirder was when people that looked painfully close in age to him would tell him that they remembered their GRANDPARENTS telling stories of him from their memories of the war. He’s gotten more used to it as years go by, but probably the LAST person he expected to hear it from was the person sitting next to him.

A breath of silence passes through them, and a little smile crosses, head ducking briefly before lifting his gaze back to Tony’s. ❛ Don’t guess you did. ❜  A breath is drawn in, exhaled, and the smile is a little reflective in so many ways. There’s a lot that’s changed since those old days.  ❛ It’d be good. Really. Maybe I could use something a little more normal. ❜  Another heartbeat, and he adds:  ❛ Thank you. ❜  And it’s for a lot more than just the OFFER.

“   yeah,   i didn’t want you to know about it before.   ”      embarassed to tell him about it now,   still.      “   near death experiences though,   they give you a new perspective on that shit.    doesn’t matter as much.    anyway.   ”      embarassment might not matter so much,   but it doesn’t mean he wants to spend any more time dissecting it.      

If he turns on his heel right here, he could still make it in time for Sam’s O-face. Or maybe the tail end of his candle blowout and that sour inhaled it cough. 

Tony’s high-res head is giant in the glassy pop-up.

❛Sure.❜

( Steve knows the descent by heart. )

❛Passcode?❜