Tony Stark

 It’s there and then it’s gone.

She closes her green eyes and rubs her temples, a dull headache forming. Serious conversations are so rare between them and it’s clear neither one of them knows how to handle it. 

But for once he doesn’t seem to be completely pushing her out and away, something that confuses her a little. Pepper wants to desperately take advantage of this but she also doesn’t want to fight. There has been nothing but tension and bickering since his near death at the hands of Loki’s army. 

The lab is insufferably quiet, making this all the more difficult. At this moment, a lump is stuck in the back of her throat. All she wants is to embrace him and be assured that everything is ok, but her pride is clouding her judgment. 

"Is that all?" Tony inspects his nails, before looking back up, "Because I'm pretty sure I'm one hell of a lay, too."

And there's the moment gone. Tony'd congratulate himself on a swift change of rails, but at the moment, all he feels is tired. He's bone weary and sick of hearing her tell him that he's a special little flower because he's not. He's not some sort of golden statue to be put on a pedestal, he hates the way people turn his feet to lead. Why the hell should he care what he does to others? They've never done anything for him.

Except, Pepper has, and maybe that's the reason why his gut turns as he continues, "Are you trying to tell me to be more careful?"