#pepperxtony

-

Tony opened his eyes, squinting at the brightness of the room.

He closed them again, confused. He didn’t know where he was, but he felt alive, in pain, but alive. So that’s a win.

Maybe.

He groaned but instantly regretted it. His throat felt so dry it felt like he was on the desert again.

Something shifted on his left side.

“Daddy?”

Tony shot his eyes open, ignoring the pain coming from his right side. He looked to his left and sure as day, there she was. His daughter.

Morgan.

“Hey, pumpkin.” Tony smiled wide. He didn’t think he was ever going to see her again. His eyes filled with tears.

Before he could say anything else, Morgan turned her head to the side.

“Mommy, Daddy’s awake.” she whispered.

Pepper.

She jolt awake and was by his side in an instant.

“Tony. Tony.” her voice wobbled a little as she took his hand on hers. Pepper’s eyes, Tony noticed, were red and puffy. Tony felt a stung on his chest at the view.

“Hey there, Peps.”

Pepper smile, if a little wavy, was the best thing Tony had seen for quite some time.

It was worth living for.

“Tony, I–” she took a huge breath, “The doctor’s said there was a chance you wouldn’t wake up.” Pepper paused, gulping air, “But I knew you would, I knew it.”

He felt tears falling from his eyes.

“I’m here, I’m fine.” his smile grew wider.

Pepper nodded, not being able to hold back a smile herself. The silence stretched between the three of them. Tony took that time to look around and sort some thoughts out.

There was a window by his right, facing the ocean. Huh, maybe they were on a private hospital, then. Far away from everything, it seemed.

‘So, uh…” he broke the silence, “did we… you know?”

“We won.” Pepper said. She started caressing her thumb against the back of his hand.

Tony closed his eyes and let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, feeling himself relax for good.

They did it.

“You did it, Tony.” when he looked at her again, she was smiling sadly, “You lost your arm doing so.”

He lost–

Tony looked at his right side and really, he didn’t see that coming.

He should have, though. One did not use the glove and came unharmed from it.

So he blinked down, once, twice, as many times as he needed to take in the fact that when he looked down at his right ride, he didn’t saw his arm anymore.

“That’s– that’s uhh.” he gulped down a lump, voice shaking, “I can… I can make a new one. A better one.”

“Just like uncle James arm!” Morgan exclaimed.

Tony smiled thinly at her.

“Yes, munchkin, just like uncle James.” he sent a questioning look at Pepper, who just shrugged. He must have been out for quite some time for Bucky to become friends with Morgan, then, “If he can live with a metal arm, so can I. After all, I’m Iron Man”

Morgan’s laugh felt like music to his ears, to he let his head slump back on the pillow and he closed his eyes, suddenly feeling a lot more tired.

“You should rest, Tony. We’ll call the nurse first thing next time you wake up.”

He nodded and let sleep engulf him again.

-

Indeed, next time Tony woke up, there was a nurse waiting for him.

Pepper and Morgan weren’t anywhere to be seen.

The nurse listed him all his injuries, told him about his progress and the rest of the process he had to go through. He gave Tony some water and left, leaving Tony alone in the room.

Not for long, however.

The door opened carefully and a head peaked inside.

“Mr. Stark!” Peter came almost running to his side, smiling from ear to ear. Just like Pepper, he had red tinted circles around his eyes.

“Hey, kid.”

After him, Rhodes came through just as eager, moving to sit on Tony’s opposite side. He was so happy to see them again, his heart squeezed with love.

The next few days followed the same pattern. Morgan and Pepper would come in by the morning, stay with him till lunch, and leave, mainly to give everyone else a moment with Tony.

After Peter and Rhodes’ visit, more came around. Harley showed up the next day, with Happy on his shadow, and God, the kid had grown so much.

Steve was the next to visit. It was awkward in the beginning, but the moment one of them extended a branch, the other was eager to take it. Maybe they could be friends again in the future.

Tony would like that.

Bruce and Thor came in right after, happy to see their friend awake and looking better. They talked nonsense for some time, but then moved to more heartfelt subjects.

Every visit, everyone who came to talk to Tony, tell him about the world, and how they got things back to normal, made Tony’s spirit grow.

This was it. His happy ending.