. . .‧₊˚ ✩ CHAPTER SIX ⁺◟༉ . . .
❨ ∘ 𝔞𝔠𝔱 𝔦𝔦 ∘ ❩
ARC REACTOR
❛palladium❜

━━━━━ ✧༺✶༻✧ ━━━━━

In the Stark Mansion Pepper is watching the news.

"Stark Industries! I've got one recommendation! Ready? Ready? Sell, sell, sell! Abandon ship! Does the Hindenburg ring any bells? Let me show you the new Stark Industries business plan! Look, that's a weapons company that doesn't make weapons!" The newscast says.

"He does know Stark Industries isn't just weapons right?" Howard asks as Tony shrugs not knowing. 

Pepper wines not pulling her eyes away from the screen

"Pepper. How big are your hands?" Tony asks her over the intercom making Pepper confused and making Pepper look do at the screen that shows the incoming link with her picture beside it.

Pepper glares at Tony who smiles at her making Pepper shake her head at him.

"What?" Pepper asks him confused as she accepts the link.

"How big are your hands?" Tony asks her once again.

"That didn't sound right," Clint says trying not to laugh as Natasha rolls her eyes at him.

"I don't understand why...," Pepper tells him as she trails off.

"Get down here. I need you," Tony tells her making Pepper jump up from her spot as she heads toward Tony's workshop.

Once she enters she sees Lydia sitting down drawing something concentrated with headphones over her eyes listening to either Taylor Swift or AC/DC.

She then sees Tony lying shirtless on a reclining stretcher and her arc reactor is shown in his chest.

"Hey. Let's see them. Show me your hands. Let's see them," Tony says capturing Pepper's attention as she holds up her hands wiggling them as she comes closer to him.

"Oh, wow. They are small. Very petite, indeed. I just uh.. need your help for a sec," Tony compliments making Pepper confused.

"Oh my God, is that the thing keeping you alive?" Pepper stares at the Arc Reactor with a sort of frightened curiosity.

"It was, now it is an antique," Tony tells her as the heart-rate monitor beeps steadily beside him.

"I don't like this," Maria whispers as Peggy and Ana's nod agreeing with her.

"This," Tony says as she holds up a more brighter and bluer version of the Arc Reactor.

"Is what will be keeping me alive for the foreseeable future. Lydia helped me build it. And I was swapping it for an upgraded unit when I just ran into a little... speed bump," Tony explains to Pepper who looks at him in concern.

"Why didn't you go see a doctor?!" Maria exclaims worried as Tony shrugs.

"I don't like hospitals," Tony explains as Howard nods understanding him as Maria shakes her head at the two.

"Speed bump, what do you mean? What's happening?" Pepper questions him worriedly.

"It's nothing, just a little snag. There's an exposed wire under this device that is contacting a socket wall and is causing a little bit of a short circuit," Tony tells her and while speaking, Tony carefully pulls out the Arc Reactor from his chest, grimacing in pain.

"I'm sorry?! A little snag?!" Bruce asks Tony wide-eyed who shrugs. It was a little snag.

"You can always count on the Starks to underplay their health," Rhodey says as he rubs his forehead shaking his head.

"Hey Lydia's better than I am," Tony said making Rhodey and Pepper look at him.

"Lydia's the worst out of both of you!" Pepper says as Tony freezes and nods slightly.

"Yeah, she is," Tony says sighing thinking about his daughter.

Tony hands it to Pepper, who takes it from Tony, cautiously.

"I was about to turn in my resignation letter," Pepper tells who looks at her with a smirk.

"You wouldn't. You couldn't turn it in and leave Lydia. Her big brown eyes would stop you," Tony tells Pepper who pauses before sighing as she nods.

"Yeah, it would," Pepper says nodding as many others do as well. Lydia's big brown eyes would stop them as well.

"Just put it on that table over there, that's irrelevant," Tony tells Pepper who follows Tony's command, and places the old Arc Reactor on the table beside the duo before looking towards Lydia who was in her own head thinking about food.

"Oh, my gosh...," Pepper mutters as she walks back, getting a better look at Toni's chest.

"I want you to reach in, and you're just gonna gently lift the wire out. I can't do it myself, and I won't be asking Lydia to do it. She had a panic attack today. When did she start getting panic attacks?" Tony asks Pepper who looks at him making tiny exhales deeply.

"Is it safe?" Pepper is clearly terrified at the idea of reaching into Tony's chest.

"No! Not at all!" Bruce exclaims worriedly running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah, it should be fine. It's like Operation. You just don't let it touch the socket wall or it goes "beep," Tony explains to Pepper.

"Tony!" Marka, Rhodey, Peggy, and Ana yell as Tony smiles sheepishly at them.

"What do you mean, "Operation"?" Pepper asks him terrified.

"It's just a game, never mind. Just gently lift the wire," Tony says as he dismisses Pepper's question, turning his attention to the hole in her chest.

"Okay," Pepper tells him nodding.

Okay? Great," Tony says encouraging Pepper as she begins to reach down into Tony's chest cavity, but then pulls back quickly.

"You know, I don't think I'm qualified to do this," Pepper tells him hesitating

"Sorry Pepper but you aren't," Bruce tells her as Pepper nods knowing she wasn't.

"No, you're fine. You're the most capable, qualified, and trustworthy person I've ever met. You're gonna do great. Is it too much of a problem to ask? 'Cause I'm...," Tony begins to say as Pepper nods.

"Okay, okay," Pepper says as she reaches cowards letting out a shaky breath.

"I really need your help here. I can't ask Lydia to do this. So please Pep," Tony tells Pepper who nods in understanding.

Pepper's hand then dives in, and a squelching noise is heard.

"Oh, oh, there's pus!" Pepper says gagging but keeps her hand in Tony's chest cavity.

People shiver at that as Tony rolls his eyes at them. It wasn't pus.

"It's not pus. It's an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not from my body," Tony tells her as he looks towards Lydia who was looking at something thoughtfully.

"It smells!" Pepper tells him cringing as her face wrinkles in disgust.

"Yeah, it does. The copper wire. The copper wire, you got it?" Tony says as he begins to breathe heavily.

"Okay, I got it! I got it!" Pepper exclaims as she looks like she was ready to get this down with.

"Okay, you got it? Now, don't let it touch—AHHH-" Tony exclaims as a loud buzzing noise sounds announcing an electric shock making Tony's entire body convulse with pain.

"Tony!" Many yell worriedly as he looks at them confused. They did know this was in the past and he was right here. Right?

Pepper jumps at the sudden sound of Tony's scream and the machines as Tony looks toward Lydia who wasn't paying attention.

Once in the zone, his daughter blocked out everything around him. Tony thought laughing slightly.

"Sides, that's what I was trying to tell you before.."
Tony says as he grimaces and grunts in pain.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Pepper says as she breathes heavily. Pepper's hand then appears back from the hole in Tony's chest tugging on the copper wire.

That's what I was trying to tell you before. Okay, now make sure that when you pull it out, that you don't...," Tony begins to explain when Pepper pulls out the wire with the magnet attached and the medical equipment starts beeping.

Oh, Gosh!" Was yelled on and off the screen.

There's a magnet at the end of it! That was it. You just pulled it out," Tony says as he groans.

"I was not expecting that," Tony mutters under his breath, closing his eyes for a moment.

"What do I do?" Pepper trembles and she tries to lower the magnet back in.

"No don't do that!" Bruce along with Maria Peggy and Jarvis yell worriedly.

"Don't put it back in! Don't put it back in!" Tony exclaims shaking his head.

"What's wrong!?" Pepper exclaims as she gasps and throws the magnet to the side.

"Nothing, I'm just going into cardiac arrest-- cause you yanked it out like a trout...," Tony tells her as she hisses in pain his eyes closing slightly.

"What?!" Was yelled once again as tiny sighed shaking his head.

"What!?" Pepper gasps wide-eyed.

"I thought you said this was safe?!" Pepper tells him.

"Not the time Pepper," Rhodey says worriedly as Pepper nods.

We gotta hurry. Take this. Take this. You gotta switch it out really quick," Tony says as he moans with in pain before handing Pepper the glowing blue Arc Reactor.

"Okay. Okay. Tony?" Pepper says as she grabs the Arc Reactor and reaches towards the cavity, before grabbing Tony's shoulder.

"What?" Tony asks her as he slurs his words slightly, his breathing becoming more labored.

"It's gonna be okay, I am going to make this okay," Pepper says trying to reassure him and her.

"Let's hope. Okay, you're gonna attach that to the base plate. Make s-sure you...," Tony says before he screams went it attaches.

Tony takes a deep breath as Pepper secures the Arc Reactor.

"Was that so hard? That was fun, right? Here, I got it. I got it. Here. Nice," Tony says smiling as he secures the Arc Reactor.

"Fun? Anthony Edward Stark?!" Maria yells at her son who looks at his mother wide-eyed.

"Are you okay?" Pepper asks as she pants, hands covered in some slime.

"Yeah, I feel great. You okay?" Tony asks her as Pepper looks at him.

"Don't ever, ever, ever, ever ask me to do anything like that ever again," Pepper growls out to him making Tony look at him with a small smile.

"I don't have anyone but you and Lydia. Anyway...," Tony says as he rips off the wires off and stands up.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Pepper asks holding up Tony's old reactor.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Pepper holds up the old, still glowing, Arc Reactor.

"That? Destroy it. Incinerate it," Tony tells her dismissing Tony's question regarding the old Arc reactor.

"You don't wanna keep it?" Pepper asks Tony as she frowns her eyes falling on the reactor.

"Pepper, I've been called many things. "Nostalgic" is not one of them. Usually, it regards Lydia," Tony tells her making Pepper nod her head looking at Tony in front of her.

"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" Pepper asks Tony who sends her a charming smile.

"That will be all, Miss Potts," Tony tells her as he begins walking towards Lydia who smiles at her dad's brutality. Pepper watches the two before she walks away.

"What are thinking so hard about Princess?" Tony asks her as Lydia looks at him.

"Well, I was looking at everything regarding the arc reactor. It is made of the element palladium. Which will begin to slowly poison you, dad. Until you die," Lydia informs Tony worried who sighs.

"What?!" Was yelled once again as Tony sighs. They will be saying that a lot.

"We'll figure it out Lyds. We are the ones who can figure anything out as long as we are together," Tony tells Lydia who smiles at him.

"Yes we can," Lydia tells him smiling brightly at her dad.

"And Pepper, dad?" Lydia asks with a smirk making Tony shake his head.

"Lydia no," Tony tells her as Lydia chuckles shaking her head.

"Whatever you say," Lydia says in a sing-song voice making Tony sigh.

Pepper blushes slightly as Maria laughs shaking her head.

❀ ༄ ❀ AUTHOR NOTE ❀ ༄ ❀
So I know this was short but I decided to add some Tony and Pepper scenes. 

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I love you all!  <333