IT HAD BEEN A SLEEPLESS NIGHT, both from the case he's been on and everything he's been mulling over since the bust. Jim sits in the chair on the other side of his sister's desk and furrows his brow slightly before getting into it. ❝ So, I told you about that trafficking case? Well, we got a lead yesterday. ❞ Jim hasn't been stop thinking about that kid, dirty and shaking and terrified when he found her. ❝ This kid showed up. Seems like she knows a lot. She's been at the station but it doesn't look like anyone's missing her so CPD is getting involved. But...I mean... ❞

Will hated these days. He never voiced it. He never really said anything about the lab, and how he didn't like going. He knew his mom was trying, he knew she was sacrificing alot to take him here. But that didn't change that he hated going to the lab. Everything about it made him feel weird, especially when Mike, Lucas, and Will told him that their new friend, Eleven, was from here, and said the bad men were from here. He was practically walking into the lion's den. They didn't say much about Eleven after that, and shamefully Will didn't really ask either. They all tried to sweep it under the rug and pretend it didn't happen. Which was hard when Will's weeks were interrupted by that very thing.

Right now, Dr. Owens was talking to his mom, they hadn't hooked him up to anything yet, or injected him with whatever they injected him with. So it was just the anticipation of waiting to be asked questions or asked to do things, or on the very rare occasion just sit there. He didn't like any of it. But by now he knew better than to voice his discomfort because of how much everyone else was doing for him. And that included Hopper.

He was pretty sure Hopper has gone to every visit. He knows Hopper was with his mom when they found him. And he had definitely overheard his mom telling Jonathan that Hopper gave him CPR. Not that anyone ever told him that, and he wasn't going to ask either. The less of a mess he made with this whole situation the better, the less stress it gave everyone. Right? Upturn lives the least amount, that was Will's goal after he got out of the hospital, maybe even a bit in the hospital.

He turned to look at Hopper, "You could be in there with my mom if you wanted," he said. Anything had to be better than just watching as Will sat in the chair.

He can't do anything about that. But there's Will and there's Joyce and they're half the reason he's started cooperating with Owens and the lab in the first place. El is the other half but that's something no one can know about. Jim doesn't trust them. Why would he? But better to keep them close, keep an eye on what they're doing, and give Joyce and Will the resources that they need after everything the kid's been through. They still don't know how his time in that place affected him and god knows it's been driving Joyce crazy with worry. He can't blame her for that. It's something he understands more than most.

Owens, at least, seems to be a good guy. Jim doesn't mind dealing with him, if he's going to have to deal with any of the mad scientists involved in this shit show. He and Joyce have gone off to talk and Jim's left keeping the kid company. He's not really sure what to say so he doesn't say anything, figures the kid probably doesn't want to talk to him anyway. Hell, Will and most of his friends seem to be scared of him half the time anyway. But he isn't about to leave the kid alone either. Jim knows that him being in the room with Will eases Joyce's worries. She's barely wanted him out of her sight since they found him. He can't blame her for that either.

Eddie couldn’t blame Hopper for being surprised at by the respect - because truly, who would have expected that he’d be the one to show it? It it just felt like the best way to go about all this, though. The right way. Even if he didn’t need the man’s help, even if he had never been personally clued in to the Upside Down and all that sprung from it - it’s not like he would have been indifferent to Hopper’s survival.

The chief wasn’t stupid - if he wanted to, he could have sent him away to with Reefer Rick. Maybe he felt bad for him, being Al Munson’s son and everything… or maybe he thought he could still turn his life around. Regardless? All Eddie had ever gotten from the Hawkins PD (much to Callahan’s chagrin) was a slap on the wrist.

So, yeah, not that he would have admitted it before now - but. Despite the disregard for authority, he didn’t completely disregard the particular authority figure before him. Mike’s little girlfriend, El (or Jane, he still wasn’t sure which she preferred) had mentioned something about the Soviets. That the mall fire had been a result of them trying to make their own gate in Hawkins (along with the antics of a Mindflayer?) - and that while they thought Hopper had perished, he was really taken prisoner. Apparently Jonathan Byer’s mom went over there to bust him out of a gulag, only to find out he had kinda busted himself out already?

Sure, why not? It wasn’t the most out there thing he had heard in all of this, not by a long shot. There had been a sort of unspoken heads up, though - that Jim himself had been through a lot. Both mentally and physically. It was yet another factor in why Eddie didn’t want to cause him any grief, but… was that condescending? Would ignoring the winces be condescending, or telling him to take it easy while he worked? They all knew how strong the guy was, how strong he had to be - to endure whatever he endured. Right?

It wasn’t any of Eddie’s business what that entailed through, and he had no intentions of touching that subject. Any speculation he had was brushed aside by Jim’s inquiry as to his own trauma. “I mean, I don’t want want to dump it all on you…”

I don’t want to have to go through it all again, rather. Still. Maybe talking would help?

“It all sort of snowballed. Chrissy Cunningham, the first person Vecna… or Creel… or whatever we’re calling the guy attacked. She, uh, had been going through a tough time. I mean, I’m guessing they told you they all were - but… she came to me for help.”

What kind of help? He didn’t need to say. Again, Hopper wasn’t stupid.

“I left her alone for only a few minutes, and when I came back she just… was catatonic. Unresponsive, eyes all gazed over. She floated up against the ceiling, her bones started snapping, and her eyes…”

JIM GETS BACK TO THE BOARDS HE WAS WORKING on before he heard Eddie approaching while he listens to the young man. It's not quite a witness interview or an interrogation but there's something about this, getting Eddie's side of the story straight from the source that takes him back to his years as a detective in New York, if only for a moment. He'd been damn good at that job and he'd loved doing it, even if some cases fed a little too much into that darkness he kept in his chest. Those parts of his past he doesn't want to admit have been eating away at him for the better part of his life now. Maybe one day he'll figure out how to live with them.

Hearing the full account from Eddie is also much more enlightening than the kids' rendition, which was more of a cacophony of voices overlapping each other babbling about a lot of things that didn't entirely make linear sense for someone trying to create a timeline of the incidents in his head. Jim's sure Powell has all this on boards down at the station, piecing it all together, but he can't rightly go over there and ask him for information since he's meant to be dead.

Might be worth the risk of a quick late night trip down there though. Something to consider for another time. For now, there's this.

Four victims: Chrissy, Nancy's friend, Patrick, and Max. But the Mayfield kid made it through, somehow. Just barely, from what he's been told. A big part of him does wonder if it might've been kinder if she hadn't. But he can hardly say that. El has been absolutely devastated about her friend, pushing herself harder than she ever should to try to bring her back. He and Joyce have been trying their best to keep her from hurting herself but she's persistent. They may not be related by blood but he really does see himself in her sometimes.

The situation with Chrissy didn't sound particularly promising. They were alone, late at night, at his residence. No alibi and he fled the scene. Jim isn't going to make mention or ask any questions about what kind of help Eddie was giving the girl. He doesn't need to. He'd gotten his fair share of help after Sara died.

Jim stops his hammering, examining the boards and making sure they're sealing the hole properly- best they can, anyway. He turns back to Eddie, brow furrowed slightly. ❝ Powell's a good cop. ❞ He'll give the man some credit for doing what he could to hold it together during what sounds like turned into a literal witch hunt. ❝ He's not the kinda guy to bring a charge without actual evidence. ❞ The town and the people in it, however, is another story.

❝ This town... ❞ Jim shakes his head slightly. ❝ Hell, I wanted to get outta here soon as I could when I was in school. ❞ Of course, that wasn't just because of the town itself. His old man had been a prime reason. ❝ People fear what they don't understand. ❞ He's had plenty of experience with that. He's acted irrationally out of fear time and time again. But when you pair that fear with the kinds of weak minded sheep that resided in Hawkins. Well, all they were waiting for was one person to tell them all what to think. It's how rumors spread like wildfire across town, how Joyce had gotten her reputation after all the shit Lonnie had pulled. People will believe anything if they're bored or scared enough.

❝ Carver, huh? ❞ Jim knows exactly who the Carvers are. He went to school with Jason's cunt of a father. Seems like the apple didn't exactly fall far from the tree there. They had money, so they thought they were above everyone else. The one time Jim had caught the guy on a speeding ticket, it had given him more than a little bit of pleasure even if he knew the fine was just a drop in the bucket for the bastard. ❝ Well, look, let's not get ahead of ourselves alright? ❞

He steps through the open cabin door to the other side of the hole he's fixing and grabs some of the spare linens Joyce had grabbed in town, stuffing them in between the boards on the outside and the couple boards he's gotten up on the inside so far. Before Eddie can even ask, Jim looks to him, ❝ Insulation. Best we can do. It's getting chilly already. ❞ It might not be actual insulation but it'll be leagues better than letting the wind blow through any cracks in the boards.

Eddie’s not sure what he expected, but it certainly wasn’t… this. Not cabin itself, like Hopper himself had said - it was better than nothing - but… just. He needed help, and in spite of his own problems, he was just going to to give it to him? Just like that? No grumbling about Mike Wheeler saddling him with another thing to worry about?

Perhaps he hadn’t given the Chief enough credit. Did he still call him Chief, even though he wasn’t, at the moment? It felt right. Like one would address a former president. “Sir.” Eddie nodded, taking the elder man’s hand. He had never been one to show respect or reverence to authority figures, but considering the circumstances of all this - there was no hesitation.

NOW THAT'S A LEVEL OF RESPECT HE HASN'T SEEN from any of these kids, hell any of the kids in town at all, in a very long time. Sir. That spiteful part of him wishes Mike was around so he could teach him a lesson about how you should be treating your elders, especially the father of your girlfriend. He may be a changed man, but he is still also the same man at the end of the day. But he's trying to be better about that kind of thing.

Jim shakes Eddie's hand firmly, ignoring the pain that flares up from the wound on his forearm with a wince. ❝ Yeah, well...you and me both, kid. ❞ In the past he might've been more dismissive of the young man, certainly more judgmental. But really, who was he to judge? Seems like neither of them have been able to stay out of trouble, the trouble seems to find them. And maybe that's why they're here now, why Jim agreed to harbor Hawkins' most wanted. He's gotten the shit end of the stick himself too many times to turn Eddie away.

❝ Oh, don't you worry- ❞ Jim laughs, handing the other man a hammer. ❝ -I'm gonna put you to work. ❞ He gestures to the piles of wood on the porch. ❝ I'm trying to get this place as weatherproof as I can manage. Can't exactly replace the windows right now so we've gotta board 'em up tight as we can. ❞

@soulendured liked for a starter

Sometimes, she wondered what people thought when they saw images of Captain Carter and the Red Guardian! in the newsreels. Propaganda? Political warfare? Peggy, holding a newspaper in hand, knew what she saw when she looked at the illustration of the two of them, front-and-center: two kids in over their heads, doing their best with the strange paths they'd been set on.

THE FAME THAT COMES WITH THE RED GUARDIAN is something that Alexei has started to get used to and learned to love. His pride in his public persona, in The Red Guardian's achievements, isn't something that he's examined too closely but one could certainly trace it back to the belittled and overlooked son of a farmer told too many times he'd never amount to anything in this life. But now here he is on the front page of a major newspaper. Well, an impressive illustration of him, but all the same. He has the attention he's always craved, not just Dreykov's but the entire world's. And, perhaps most importantly, Peggy's.

❛   don't be a smartass.   ❜ despite the sharp words, her tone is soft as she picks up on the signs of anxiety his body begins to show. sadly, she's way too familiar with such things. maybe he's right ( not that she'd ever tell him that ) & it is too soon for him to be back up here. she ponders for a second, what's the BEST approach to take. the way she sees it, they have two options : turn back around or tough it out. as much as she wants to advocate for staying, she wouldn't want to put @soulendured in an overly uncomfortable position. ❛   where was i supposed to take you ? Maine ?   ❜ she's the expert in matters of space, not down there.

❛   look, yanno i wouldn't let anything happen to you up here, right ?   ❜ her expression grows serious. Carol takes his safety seriously all the time, especially after what transpired. ❛   i thought we'd do some non-life-threatening & fun sightseeing, so you can see that it's not all . . . bad.   ❜ a quick shrug. still, she doesn't want to PUSH him too much too soon. ❛   but if you really want me to take you back down, i will. if you truly want to see my childhood home & criticize teenage me's musical taste, then say the word.   ❜

❝ CAROL, IT'S LIKE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ME, ❞ Tony quips with as much of a smirk as he can manage. They both know he could write a dissertation in being a smart ass. He could probably also write a dissertation on space in all it's terrifying unknown glory. He'd been obsessed with space as a kid, with the idea of exploring it. Never figured he'd wind up shaking in his boots at the thought of it. But that's the anxiety talking, Tony knows that logically. ❝ You could fly us anywhere in the world just as easily as you got us up here and your first thought is Maine? ❞ He makes a face. ❝ The Caymans, Dubai, Tokyo, Hawaii, the possibilities are endless. What're you getting nostalgic on me? ❞

Her tone shifts and Tony meets her gaze, brow furrowing slightly. ❝ Yeah. 'Course I do. ❞ It's something else that, logically, he knows. There's nobody he could possibly be safer with. But that does nothing for the absolutely illogical amount of panic that he feels when confronted with that vast stretch of emptiness. Maybe it's been long enough, maybe a little exposure therapy is actually what he needs. Thanos is gone, his armies with him. He made sure of that. So, what's the harm in a little trip? Tony tries not to let his anxieties answer his own rhetorical question with more fear, turning back to Carol again.

EL & HOPPER in STRANGER THINGS @stcreators event 02: family | @pscentral event 21: growth

Make mistakes, learn from ‘em, and when life hurts you, because it will, remember the hurt. The hurt is good. It means you’re out of that cave. But, please, if you don’t mind, for the sake of your poor old dad, keep the door open three inches.

The good news? The others had been able to take care of Vecna before his batty minions had been able to completely tear Eddie apart. The bad news? For all intents and purposes, his life was still over. At least, as his life as he had known it was over. His first instinct had been to skip town, maybe use the chaos of the quakes to fake his death. It was hardly ideal, but… what other options were there? He had always wanted to get out of Hawkins anyway.

Dustin maintained that running away wasn’t Eddie’s only choice, that to do so now after everything would be a ‘pussy move’. He liked to think that since the feds had moved Eddie’s uncle, they knew what was really going on - and would be able to clear his name/cover it up if he came forward. Lucas on the other hand suggested that the feds would instead make him a patsy, that they’d take Eddie out in the process - like they had apparently done to Benny Hammond simply for maybe knowing too much.

That was… also not ideal. It also strengthened his resolve to stay away from Wayne, if they were still watching him… he didn’t want to get him wrapped up in all of this. His mind was mostly made up - he’d skip town. Maybe head to Canada, just to be safe. He wouldn’t be able to say goodbye to Wayne, to the guys, and any dream he had of being a rockstar - recognizable - would be dashed. It would beat rotting away in prison though, wouldn’t it?

Those plans didn’t even have a chance to take a cohesive form before Mike returned to town, recounting all that had happened to him - and sharing the fact that Chief Hopper was apparently still alive? That he was in a predicament now, because the government was now at odds with what to do about Hawkins? One of the doctors from the labs (the one who tortured the superpowered kids, if he had it right) was dead, and the other one - who was more of an ally, had treated Byers after his experience with the Upside Down… he was apparently MIA.

So now the Chief couldn’t simply return to his civilian life, say that he had faked his own death and was… serving his country, on some secret assignment or whatever bullshit cover story they’d cook up. He was on his own as well, his own life over.

The difference being no one would try to arrest or kill him if they saw him out and about in public - they’d just be extremely confused. Ask for explanations that he couldn’t provide. For the time being, until he figured that out, he would be staying in a cabin he had out in the woods. Once it was fixed up, at least. That was a whole ‘nother story apparently - one which Eddie (to Mike’s incredulity) had somehow zoned out during.

‘You should stay there with Hopper. No one would find you there, he had El hidden there for like a year. If someone finds you - wouldn’t you rather he be there to vouch for you? Callahan and Powell would listen to him, but if you were off somewhere on your own.’

It still sounded too much like house arrest, and was Hopper even cool with it or was Mike imposing on his behalf? He didn’t think the Chief would throw him to the wolves, but still. Eddie relented to at least talking to the man about it - but he wasn’t going to get his own hopes up. If he was discovered, if Hopper vouched for him, and if Powell bought the story… if Jim’s word alone was enough…

He knows an order when he hears one and it's all he can do not to rail against it. Not now. Not with what's at stake. Not when they've already gone out on a limb for him and his family and he wants to stay in their good graces. They'll need their help again, Jim's sure of it.

So, he waits for them to draw up the proper documents, leak it to the press, whatever it is they need to do for him to go back to his life. If he even can. The future's as uncertain as it's ever been and all Jim can do is attempt to fix up his cabin. Under any other circumstances, it might've been a lost cause but it's the only home that he has right now. There are no other options.

Much as Joyce and El try to fight him about it, they all decide it's best if the rest of them stay at the public shelters for the time being. Somewhere with heat and food and their friends. They've also got the Wheelers' place to stay at if they need to and Jim's only solace in that is knowing that Karen and Joyce definitely won't let El and Mike share a room.

So, for the time being they've been helping him fix the place up during the day. Anything beyond saving has been cleared out, what's left is cleaned best it can be. Joyce grabs him some sheets and non-perishables and whatever first aid supplies she can find from the shelter. A hospital is out of the question but he has to treat his wounds somehow. Adrenaline got him through Russia but now, back in Hawkins, he's feeling every bit of his injuries. But there's no time to rest. He can't. At least, not until the cabin goes from unlivable to...something slightly better.

There's still the matter of the holes in the walls and the broken windows, which they're slowly but surely patching up with whatever lumber they can find. It's far from perfect but it's something to keep out the elements, especially with the cold front that's been moving in- something that Jim's certain has nothing to do with the weather.

Jim's in the middle of trying to seal up part of the cabin formerly known as a window when he hears one of his homemade alarms. The clanking of the cans has his head turning quickly and he ducks inside, peering out where he can't be seen until he spots the young man. Eddie Munson. El and her friends talked to him about the kid but he hadn't known when he'd show, if at all.

" it's going to be okay. you can stay here as long as you like, hm? and don't worry one bit about the rest of it. the squad won't say a word, the kids are all out with their grandfathers, and the diner's closed for the week. you can take all the time and space that you need, okay? "

HE CAN'T STAY. NOT FOR LONG. Jim knows that, much as he'd like to run away from it all. That's why he's here, after all. Because he can't be there. Sara's gotten very sick very fast and he's been trying to keep it together in front of her but she's so small and so frail and looking at her has only been getting harder as she gets sicker. He knows how terrible it sounds. How could he not want to look at his own daughter? So, he holds her and comforts her and talks to her and reads to her when what he wants to do is scream and cry and curse a god he doesn't believe in.

Once Sara had finally fallen asleep, once Diane decided to turn in for the night herself, he told his wife he was going to go for a run. They've both been coping in their own ways and the only thing that really seems to help him these days is breathing in the crisp night air and running through the city streets until his legs ache. Just like when he got back from Vietnam. Just like he still does when those terrors invade his sleep. Tonight, Jim found his feet carrying him to the diner he's been a regular at since he moved to New York.

Oh   those   words   feel   like   a   complete   blast   from   the   past.   Melina   hasn’t   heard   them   in   decades,   there   was   never   an   occasion   to   hear   or   speak   such   words,   not   after   Ohio.   For   a   millisecond,   her   confusion   over   it   is   evident   in   the   furrow   of   her   brow,   parting   of   her   lips,   until   it   clicks   and   widens   her   eyes.   Only   Alexei   would   know   this,   only   him.   The   girls   were   never   aware   of   it   when   they   were   young,   believing   their   family   to   be   a   real   one,   and   once   they   were   all   grown   up,   there   was   no   need   for   the   phrase   to   begin   with.   So   it   was   just   the   two   of   them   that   knew   what   such   a   silly   sentence   meant,   and   she   trusted   Alexei   enough   to   know   that   he   would   never, ever   give   away   such   a   detail   to   anyone   who   might   want   harm   on   her,   or   anyone   at   all.   

“Боже   мой,   Alexei?”   This. . .   this   cannot   be,   it   simply   cannot   be.   Unless   Natasha   and   the   rest   of   Avengers   had   found   a   way   to   reverse   what   Thanos   has   done   to   their   world,   to   the   whole   of   universe.   Unless   everyone   who   was   dusted   had   somehow   returned   back   to   the   land   of   living.   The   cleaver   is   lowered   to   the   side,   and   she   stares   at   the   man   in   open   shock.   Through   the   open   window   she   can   hear   chaos   erupting;   screams,   shouts,   car   horns,   screeching   tires.   The   sounds   themselves   were   nothing   unusual   in   this   city,   but   the   overwhelming   mass   of   them?   It’s   enough   to   let   her   know.   

The   Avengers   were   successful.  

Tears   spring   to   her   eyes,   the   cleaver   falling   from   her   limp   hand,   clattering   on   the   wooden   floor.   She   covers   her   mouth,   hiccups   a   laugh   that   sounded   a   lot   like   a   sob.   “Oh   dear   God   they   actually   did   it.   They   actually   found   a   way.”   There   was   a   high   chance   that   she   sounded   entirely   crazy,   but   she   couldn’t   care   less,   not   when   the   universe   was   healed   and   her   beloved   was   standing   right   in   front   of   her   once   more.

IT SEEMS TO HIT HER, FINALLY, AND ALEXEI breathes a sigh of relief for a moment, before his mind continues churning as he pieces things together. He was there and then he wasn't and things have changed. She didn't believe he was real, said he died five years earlier and now... "Oh   dear   God   they   actually   did   it.   They   actually   found   a   way." He does not yet know what happened but he knows it must have been terrible.

The chaos of the city outside is amplified and he can catch bits and pieces, his enhanced hearing honing in on conversations. Reunions, confusion, tears of joy and even some laughter. There is more than that. Car alarms and screaming, ambulance and police sirens. It makes the hairs on his arms stand on edge and his instinct is to run to the streets, help where he can, but the most important thing in the world is standing right in front of him right now and he cannot, would not, neglect her for anything. The rest can wait.

The hand holding pepper spray is trembling, she doesn’t know how to feel, what to say or do. He’s standing there, alive, breathing… speaking… smiling—god how she loves that smile—exerting the same level of charming wit she’s grown so fond of, and has severely missed. For a minute she thinks she could be seeing things, hallucinating. It’s a dream she has often visited, and during some of her worst sleep deprived days, she swore she could envision him as he is now. Though, perhaps without the neon painting and graffitied suit. A new design perhaps? Never mind that.

She lowers her arm, setting the can down on the nearest surface, vaguely aware of her feet moving towards him. ❝ Tony… is this… ❞ her eyes are glazed, blinking back tears. ❝ Are you…? ❞ She reaches him then, and once she’s near enough to touch, she can’t help but to ensure this isn’t some illusion. Fingertips graze the brightly colored metal casing, finding it to be cold and solid. ❝ Oh my god. ❞

The realization hits hard and she’s suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. A part of her doesn't know whether to hit him or kiss him. Years of not knowing... was he dead or had he’d survived… spending countless nights alone, crying herself to sleep, grieving the loss. It all implodes and she craves the one thing she's been neglected of most--human contact. Bringing her palm to rest at his cheek. Feeling his skin against her flesh. The warmth radiating.

❝ I’ve missed you so much… ❞ words can’t possibly describe how much. ❝ I thought you were... ❞ she shakes her head, not wishing to dampen the mood. ❝ --That doesn't matter... you're here... ❞ Blue eyes meet his own, there's so much she wants--needs-- to tell him, but all she can manage is a playful remark. ❝ The next time you get an idea to sacrifice yourself to save the world, I'm coming with you. ❞ A small smile finds its way onto her lips, making the water in her eyes seem joyful, relieved. If only for the moment.

❝ Please tell me you plan on staying? ❞ She speaks softly, but there is an undercurrent of anxiety, fear that he could disappear.

SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE HE REMEMBERS. He's been holding onto the image of her like a lifeline the past couple years. Her red hair, her lips, her freckles, her clear lue eyes, the way she smiles at him when she's happy, her frown when she's annoyed with him. Keeping her at the forefront of his mind had been driving his desire to return home even as he kept finding more and more reasons not to return in every corner of the universe he traveled to on his way.

Earth has heroes, it still needs them as he well knows, but there are so many planets in the universe that don't have any protectors. What's one less on Earth when there's so much more good he can do? He's seen suffering on a scale he never thought possible, encountered too many megalomaniacs in power in need of dethroning and people in need of saving. When he was a kid dreaming of exploring the stars, he'd fantasized about finding life on another planet but he never could have imagined what is truly out there.

She moves towards him and Tony lets her take things at her own pace. Her hand brushes against his cheek and he shudders slightly, eyes closing for a moment. He takes a deep breath and meets her gaze with a soft smile. ❝ I missed you too, Pep. ❞ He's missed everything about her and he's not quite sure he could put into words how much. ❝ Well, it was a near thing if we're being honest. ❞ He's still painfully aware of how many time he's nearly not made it back at all.

Tony laughs at that, I'm coming with you. If she had, well, it probably wouldn't have taken him so long to make it back. She's always been a guiding light for him, staving off his worse nature and steadying him when everything becomes too much. ❝ I wouldn't complain. ❞ It's a miracle he's managed this long without her.

And there's the question. One he was hoping wouldn't be asked until much later. He just got back and he just wants to just enjoy the moment for the first time in ages. He doesn't want to dwell on the future for a little bit. He wants to just be with her...and he wants to go get a cheeseburger but that's secondary.