She shook her head, sighing and peppering his face with kisses again. âNo, itâs my fault Tony. I know that.â Sheâd been the one who walked away first. And she regretted it. Rumiko leaned into his hand, eyes still puffy and tears stained with the tears theyâd already shed, but she looked happy. If there was anything she knew, it was that Tony Stark, as much of a playboy he could be, loved her. That was all she needed to know. âYou promise work wonât always take precedence over me? Or over us? I know there will have to be exceptions, but as long as itâs the majority of the time, lover, I can deal with that.â Ru kissed his palm again, putting her hand over top of his. âSo⌠How⌠Long was I dead?â
Tony moved out of his chair and into the bed with her. He pulled her into his arms. He just needed to feel her warmth a further reassurance she was there. He rested his chin on her shoulder.
âYouâll be my first priority,â He smiled. âHome at a decent time, less time in the lab. Whatever you want.âÂ
He wasnât going to screw this up again. He had this rare second chance with her. She had always deserved all of him because sheâd given him all of her. She had loved him despite himself and heâd given her his heart.
âI⌠donât know for sure. I donât know magic. But you were out for a few days.â
She curled up in his lap, closing her eyes, and sighing in relief. Whatever tension sheâd held when she woke up was gone. She was safe, that was what mattered. Ru nodded, reaching a hand up to run her fingers through his hair. âWeâll figure it out.â At least he was open for suggestions. Right now she just wanted him to know she wasnât going anywhere. She nodded again. It was going to be hard to understand. Magic, from what sheâd learned, was a fickle thing, and she wasnât going to argue with it. âOkay. I remember falling asleep, after⌠After seeing the suit.â
âIt wasnât me.â He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. âIt wasnât me in the suit. I would never, ever hurt you. I hope you know that.âÂ
She had to know that right? Deep down she had to know that heâd never do something hostile to her, especially in his armor. His biggest fear when heâd found her body is that she had died thinking heâd been the one to take her life.
âIâm so sorry I let that happen to you. Even if it wasnât me in there, it was my responsibility to make sure you were safe and that my armor wasnât used against the people I love.â He buried his face in her hair. âForgive me?âÂ










