Angsty-fluff oneshot that I've wanted to write.

~~~

I miss you, pushing me close to the edge;

I miss you. I wish I knew what I had when I left;I miss you.

You set fire to my world, couldn't handle the heat;

now I'm sleepin' alone, and I'm starting to freeze.baby, come bring me hell, let it rain over me,baby, come back to me.

I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, yeah

I want you to f*ck up my nights yeah, f*ck up my nights yeah, all of my nights, yeah.I want you to bring it all on, if you make it all wrong then I'll make it alright, yeah.I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life.

I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, yeah

I want you to f*ck up my nights yeah, f*ck up my nights yeah, all of my nights, yeah.I want you to bring it all on, if you make it all wrong then I'll make it alright, yeah.I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life.

I miss you, more than I thought that I could;

I miss you. I know you missin' me too like you should,I miss you.

You set fire to my world, couldn't handle the heat;

now I'm sleepin' alone, and I'm starting to freeze.baby, come bring me hell, let it rain over me,baby come back to me (baby come back to me)

I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, yeah
I want you to f*ck up my nights yeah, f*ck up my nights yeah, all of my nights, yeah.
I want you to bring it all on, if you make it all wrong then I'll make it alright, yeah.
I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life.

I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, yeah
I want you to f*ck up my nights yeah, f*ck up my nights yeah, all of my nights, yeah.
I want you to bring it all on, if you make it all wrong then I'll make it alright, yeah.
I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life.

I miss you, I miss you
I wish you, I wish you,
would come back to, come back to me,
come back to me,
come back to me.

I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, yeah
I want you to f*ck up my nights yeah, f*ck up my nights yeah, all of my nights, yeah.
I want you to bring it all on, if you make it all wrong then I'll make it alright, yeah.
I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life.

I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, yeah
I want you to f*ck up my nights yeah, f*ck up my nights yeah, all of my nights, yeah.
I want you to bring it all on, if you make it all wrong then I'll make it alright, yeah.
I want you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life, you to ruin my life.

~~~

Pepper was the one that had broken up with Tony – it had been almost a year; ten months, to be precise, since they had called it off... The first month or so after they settled on "taking a break" as Pepper had put it, had been rough enough as it was...the months that followed, however, had been even more horrible.

She was rather (ashamed?) to admit that during that time, she had almost succumbed to her complete and utter sadness; the loneliness and regret that weighed down her heart was almost unbearable, because the truth was, she missed the chaos...she wanted something in her life that wasn't always balanced, something that wasn't one-hundred-percent reliable. Dating Tony, she had discovered, helped her live a little. She missed him more than she felt the need to stay away. Pepper knew Tony would be hurting. A lot. Which was partly why she had been such an upset and doubtful wreck for nearly a year. Furthermore, she was angry at herself.

She had been a coward and she knew it, too afraid of losing Tony so deciding to push him away on her own. It'll happen eventually, she had thought. There's going to be a day when he doesn't come home. When he finally gets himself killed out there, with that damn suit and with nobody out there to save him. . .

That wasn't Pepper Potts – that was weak, that was cowardly, that was selfish. Pepper hated herself for even thinking such a thing – she knew that she was that someone to save him, that someone he ran to when he was tormented by his own demons or haunted by the memories of his past. Yet, something horrible had happened to him. And she wasn't there.

He'd had no one to lean on; and that scared her, so much. If there was anything Pepper knew about Tony, it was that grief didn't sit well with him, it never had. He was never taught how to deal with his own emotions, and he most certainly never knew what to do when he was swallowed in despair or troubled with anguish. That had been her job, to take care of him and make sure that he knew he wasn't alone.

She felt sick. The pang of guilt was heavy in her heart, reminding her of just how terribly she'd messed up. I should've been there. And I wasn't. Idiot, Pepper, you're an idiot. And it didn't go without saying; Tony and Pepper's relationship had always been somewhat unstable; challenged by the day-to-day demands of being a fulltime Avenger and CEO of a billion-dollar company. It came with sacrifices, many, many sacrifices. And an overwhelming amount of emotional stress.

Pepper had let that stress, that worry, overcome her; she'd let it defeat her, when she should've had the courage to stay strong for them both. Now, though, in the aftermath one of Tony's most horrendous endeavors, she was afraid she would be too late. That he wouldn't want her back, wouldn't accept her help.

Tears were threatening her eyes. She bit them back. She'd spent almost twelve months bottling everything inside, wrestling with every gut feeling that told her that she'd made the wrong decision. She was petrified. Now, because of her stupidity, the one person that meant more to her than her own life was hurting tremendously. It's all my fault.

She'd never driven anywhere faster. Pepper wasn't typically a reckless driver, but she assumed there were certain exceptions; in which this would most certainly be one of them. Happy had offered to pick her up; only she'd just hung up with Rhodey, who'd been the one to drop a series of bombs on an unsuspecting and shaken Pepper. She struggled to keep her composure as he told her about everything – from Germany to Siberia, she'd heard it all. Well, everything that Tony had been willing to share; but Pepper knew him too well...there was more he would never admit aloud to anyone but her. Rhodey had told her that Tony wasn't all that open about what exactly happened in Siberia, and that all he knew was what he'd pieced together on his own – that Tony had left in moderate condition, already injured from their dilemma in Germany, and returned battered, bloody, and with Captain America's shield.

Driving to the facility was the easy part; pulling up to the massive building, and seeing the giant, once proud, honorable 'A' on the side of the slanted outer walls – it was an indescribable feeling. Something dropped in the pit of her stomach, something she could carefully describe as shame, and possibly even humiliation. Part of the world already hated the Avengers, and presumably a lot more people had a change of heart after all this.

The team's true colors had shown through, at least from the way the public perceived it; Pepper vividly remembered all the emails and tabloids she'd been sent bashing SHIELD and the Avengers. Even scarier, she'd received death threats directed at Tony – and that was horrifying. It only made her more remorseful, more pitiful, more scared. Of course, she knew the famous billionaire had always had his fair share of rivals, but to sit through and read article after article that just completely ripped apart the man – no one should have to endure such a thing. A shiver found its way running down her spine; if she felt this awful about what happened, she couldn't imagine what the rest of the team was going through.

Pepper sped-walked through the building's many hallways, lounges, and conference rooms until she found the elevator that led directly to Stark's office. Few people were there, and even less acknowledging her presence, but no one questioned her. Given the circumstances, she wasn't too surprised.

It was when she was standing in that elevator, that she realized her palms were sweating, and she was fidgeting tremendously; something that only happened when she was immensely nervous or incredibly worried. At this point, she didn't know which one it was. Most likely both. Pepper wiped her hands clean on her t-shirt that would otherwise be unacceptable to wear anywhere outside the comfort of her own home.

When the doors finally opened, and she took those few strides down the hall and to his familiar wooden doorway, it dawned on her that Pepper didn't know what she expected to see when she opened that door. It was very possible that he'd passed out on his desk – it was only four o'clock, but Pepper couldn't count how many times she'd catch Tony passed out on his workbench or in any other place besides his own bed in odd hours of the day. It meant sleep deprivation. Anxiety. Sometimes even depression.

She also knew that he hated sleeping. He'd told her many times that if he could, he'd never let his eyes close; she was able to read in between the lines from there. The poor man had suffered from unmedicated comorbid PTSD for nearly five years now, because he was too stubborn to do anything about it. He hated sleeping because he didn't like what too often accompanied slumber – nightmares. Recounts of terror and of pain and of guilt the hero had for all the people he thought he didn't save. He hated sleeping.

So, it was also likely that he would be awake, putsing around his desk or quite possibly even fiddling with something on his computer. But something sad and serious told Pepper that he'd just be sitting there, silent, awaiting an inevitable anxiety attack or wallowing in his own self-pity.

She hated when she was right.

He wasn't sitting – he was standing, standing by the sizeable glass windows that overlooked the grand front lawn; his back was to her, looking defeated and simply exhausted just by the way he stood. She remained quiet as she entered. She hadn't told him she was coming, although that was partly because she knew she didn't have to.

For a few brief seconds, awkward silence lingered in the air; unspoken words floated between them before he finally chanced a glance over his shoulder, barely even finding her eyes as he remained still. "Hey," his voice was low, hoarse, worn.

She took in a breath. This was the second time she'd seen him in the ten months they'd been apart, the only other time being when they accidently ran into each other at SI. Tony had been the first one to turn away. If I'd only known what he'd go through just a few weeks later. Pepper was overflowing with remorse. Tony had called her several times during their breakup, and she'd made no attempt to answer the phone or call him back.

Damn, she was a horrible person.

Without another thought, she was taking wide strides up to him, feeling relieved and pitiful and upset and awful all at the same time. "Tony, oh my God," she collapsed into his arms as he pivoted to meet her halfway. The man was barely hugging back, but she couldn't find it within her to care in the slightest. She relished in the familiarity of his embrace; although weak, his arms were still around her and his touch was warm and real.

She allowed herself to give a little. Sure, maybe they weren't currently in a relationship, but that didn't mean that she'd ever fathom to stop caring for this man; after all, he needed her, as his rock, the person who provided him with that little sliver of sanity in his otherwise hectic life. It didn't matter right now that they'd been "taking a break." All the horrible things that she'd said to him and him to her before they split escaped her mind. All that mattered was that he was here, and he was alive, and he was with her.

"Oh my god, Tony, oh my god," she repeated, realizing that she hadn't thought about what she would say when she was standing in front of him. Quite honestly, she didn't anticipate him wanting to talk at all.

He still smelled faintly of blood and sweat, although the scent was masked with a smell that was just him, the scent of Tony Stark that was uniquely his, something natural and perfect – a mix of metal and grease and ridiculously expensive cologne. It was the smell of home.

Only, reality was quick to set in, and Pepper broke them apart to step back. Her heart shattered as she eyed her unkempt lover from head to toe. Clad in a black blazer and trousers and a complementary t-shirt, he was a disheveled mess. His hair was tousled and looked as though he hadn't properly combed it in days, his eyes were heavy with the unmistakable look of fatigue, defeat, and hollowness. Scrapes and cuts were scattered across his face and a few snaked around his neck; a rather nasty looking dark bruise hung low beneath his right eye, matching his equally dark aura. She also took notice to his limp left arm that he clutched tightly with his right hand – a limb that had endured repeated injury in his years as Iron Man.

She itched with rage. Captain Rogers did that to him. Clint did that to him. His friends. His allies.

"Pepper-"

"Tony-"

They cut one another off. Both hesitated before Tony beat her to the chase.

"I'm sorry," he started.

She sighed. "I hate when you do that," she rebutted gently.

"What?"

"Apologize for something you can't control. That's always been a nasty habit of yours and I hate it." She tried for a weak smile, although only succeeded in producing a half-hearted fragment of one.

His eyes found the carpet. "It's not a habit. It's a routine thing. Something I need you to hear in hopes that I won't have to do anymore talking."

Pepper sighed, not exactly expecting to hear that. Her hands were clammy, and her mouth was dry as she failed to produce words. Part of her panicked, afraid that she wouldn't handle the situation in the way it should be handled. Finally, when it became clear that he wasn't going to do any more talking, she ground out. "You can't do that to yourself." She found his eyes and held her gaze intently, hoping that he'd return the gesture. "You can't keep everything inside, Tony. I've seen what that does to you."

"I know," he murmurs lowly with a defeated exhale of breath.

There was a long pause. Pepper was usually an expert at assuming what was on Tony's mind, but for some reason, he was unreadable. She couldn't pick up anything on that expressionless face except the look of tire and exposed vulnerability, something that she knew made him extremely uncomfortable. Something else was bothering him, something he undoubtedly hadn't told anyone.

Pepper was aware of the thin ice she skated on as she spoke her next words with extreme caution. "Tony, what happened out there?"

He had anticipated the question, clearly. "Do you want me to tell you what Rhodey already did? Or is there something else you'd like to know?"

Her stomach churned, a pinch of anger bubbling in her gut. She should've known that Stark would've been upset with Rhodey for letting the cat out of the bag; but Tony was putting up walls, as being sarcastically prudent was something he did whenever he wanted to make it clear that he wasn't going to make things easy; but Pepper didn't need him to give her a hard time. She didn't deserve it, and neither did he. She just needed him to tell her the entire story, needed to know everything not just to put him at ease, but bring her solace as well. Pepper swallowed her frustration with a steady breath.

"I only know what Rhodey told me. Judging on our current situation, I'm willing to bet there's something you haven't told anyone." She hesitated, before she drew his uninjured arm from his pocket and wound their hands together tightly. He audibly gulped, and she took in another breath. "Please, just tell me," she nearly whispered.

His jaw tightened visibly, tension rippling through his features. Hesitance. Uncertainty. "Barnes killed my parents," he levelly spoke, voice monotone and detached.

Her face fell instantly, worry instantly replaced with absolute shock. "What-"

"It wasn't an accident. It was goddamn Barnes," were his next, hastily spoken words. It was clear they'd been on the edge of his tongue for God knows how long, like he was dying to hear it aloud, to possibly grasp the enormity of the revelation.

Pepper was speechless. Of all the things she could think of, this was most certainly not one of them. She...wasn't sure how to react, how to delicately handle what he had just dropped on her. Instantly, though, she was filling in the blanks; realizing what might've followed the uncovered truth and not wanting to imagine what the three did to one another; what Tony would've tried to do-

Pepper had learned very quickly that Tony's parents and everything that surrounded them and their passing, was an extremely touchy subject for the genius; knowing what she did, caused that unsettling feeling to stir in her chest, and this was a feeling she couldn't chase away. Potts shivered openly, knowing now with great certainty that not all those wounds were from the Airport battle.

Tony's eyes closed softly as he shook his head from side to side, seemingly in disbelief. It was evident that he was still every bit as stunned as she was. He spoke, "And I must say, I wasn't expecting Rogers to take the truth lightly either. That was until he told me that he knew, all along, of course." She was quiet as he continued, allowing his words to sink in, stabbing at her heart as sorrow began to pile in her gut. He pressed on. "So, we fell out. Did some things we knew we shouldn't have, said some things that we'll probably end up regretting." Only then did he lock eyes with hers, gaze unforgiving and cold, yet distantly wounded. "But that doesn't mean I'm forgetting what he did. What either of them did."

Pepper tossed ideas back and forth in her head. She decided that it wasn't best to try and argue with him and tell him that Barnes' wasn't in his right mind – he knew that, and without a doubt that would have been exactly what Steve had said to him. She didn't think it would be wise to express pity either, because she knew just how much he hated that. It quickly dawned on her that there really wasn't anything she could say here to help. The wounds were far too deep for even her to heal; his trust in someone had been betrayed, his heart was heavy, and he'd been hurt by someone he had cared about.

So really, the only thing she could do, was the one thing she'd wanted to for months. Gently, she pulled Tony back to her, embracing him in a tight hug that spoke louder than words ever could. Pepper gripped him softly, wary of the injuries his clothing concealed. Gingerly, he rested his head in the crook of her neck, a silent action that told her he welcomed the contact. Pepper simply held him, almost all his weight against her. One hand combed tenderly through his knotted, greasy hair, something he loved; and they just stood there. She didn't know how long it was, could've been a minute, or five – it felt like eternity, a sweet foreverness that she'd longed for.

"I missed you," he mumbled tiredly against the soft skin of her neck, sounding broken as his walls came crashing down. His breath was hot against her skin, and she only pulled him closer, as if physically possible.

"I know." She tugged softly at his hair, "I missed you too."

"I'm sorry," his voice cracked. She flinched. There was that phrase again.

"Tony-"

"I know you don't want to hear it," he pulled out of their hug, staying only inches from her face. She felt a shade of scarlet sweep against her cheeks. "But I need you to hear it, and I need you to know it's genuine." He hesitated. "I thought that maybe the Accords...I thought they would fix things between us. Stupid, I know. I guess I just hoped that if I agreed to limitations, it would be enough. So, I'm sorry, for keeping you away. I tried to fix it."

Pepper trembled slightly. She knew that he was one of the few that agreed to the Government's proposition, but she didn't know that she was part of the reason why. Shakily, she started, "Tony, I know that your apologies are genuine. They always are," she tilted her head at him. "You just need to understand that you can't possibly control everything; there are things that are just out of your hands, and those things you never need to apologize for." She continued, "which is also why you shouldn't have felt the need to 'fix' anything. I was the problem, not you, even if I made it seem like everything was your fault, it wasn't."

"You don't get it," he replied sadly, shifting his weight from one foot to another. "I chased you away, when you're the one person in my life that I actually need."

She fidgeted uncomfortably. In front of them was the inevitable conversation they'd been dancing around ever since she had walked into his office. "That's not your fault either-"

"Face it Pepper, it is," he cut her off. "The reason you...we...took a break was because I lied; I lied when I said I would put away the suit and focus more on us. Blowing up the armor years ago, that was...that was me trying to make up for my mistakes. But what good does it do when I can't keep up with my own promises? I don't blame you for running. In fact, I don't know why you stuck around as long as you did."

Her heart sank a little further in her chest. She shook her head in denial. "No, no, no, no," she trailed off. "Don't blame my absurdity on yourself, too." She paused to draw in a deep breath. She had to be honest with him. "I ran because I was a coward, because I didn't think I could handle the chaos."

"You're not a coward," he spoke, hardly above a whisper.

"No, Tony. I am. I left you. And you needed me. I wasn't there when I know I should've been."

He cast her a look overflowing with sorrow. "I don't want you to feel obligated to take care of me like I'm a child."

"I know. But you and I both know that I can't stay away, just in the same way that you can't hang up the suit. I love you, Tony, and I care. Things like that don't just disappear, even after months. You think I wasn't thinking about you every single day we were apart? God, you were the only thing on my mind; and when all this happened, I couldn't help but feel horrible about everything I'd done. I can't bear to see you hurting."

A moment of silence settled between them again. He was the one to break it. "Pepper, you had nothing to do with-"

Then, in a very unlike-Pepper thing to do, she acted on an impulse. An impulse that she somehow couldn't see herself regretting. "Just shut up," and she kissed him. Slowly, delicately, like he would break. He was caught off guard, and he was hesitant, but eventually, he kissed back. They fell into a familiar rhythm, basking in the warmth of one another. Her arms looped around his shoulders, pulling him to her as his arms did the same. Pepper's heart fluttered. I missed this. I needed this. He needed this.

They broke apart briefly, eyes still closed and lips still only centimeters apart as they slowly took in the oxygen around them. When her eyes finally opened, she saw that he had already opened his; Tony was observing her, fully exposed and willing to let her in.

She made sure to hold his gaze; she needed to make sure that he was aware of how she felt. If they were going to do this again, he needed to know where she stood – because quite honestly, she wasn't entirely sure where that was yet. "I can't promise you anything," she spoke in a controlled tone. "You know that." Maybe she was only being a coward again; but she was scared, still, in the wake of all this guilt and all this regret.

He nodded slowly. She exhaled, feeling a wave of hurt wash over her. Pepper's next words were spoken tentatively. She didn't want to bring this up again, knowing it would hurt him, but she also knew that they hadn't left things where they needed to be. Shakily, she started, "when Rhodey told me you'd gone out there, alone, everything came flooding back." He shifted on his feet, readying himself for her next words. "That...that was the sole reason I'd taken a step back in the first place; because I wasn't ready to lose you. I wasn't ready to watch you just recklessly put your life on the line again."

"Pep-" he tried, but she wouldn't let him continue. He needed to hear this.

"But when Rhodey told me what they did to the both of you, everything that happened in Germany-"

"Pepper."

She paused, probably for far too long. Her thoughts were going a mile a minute and she was quickly losing control. Tony stepped back anxiously, before his gaze danced across the room, hands finding his pockets once again, a nervous habit.

"You wanted me to be honest," he began tensely. "So, here's the truth." He took another step back, his posture demonstrating exhausted anger, betrayal. "I thought I knew Rogers; well enough to assume we'd obtained some sort of mutual trust for one another, some kind of joint respect. I imagined that after years of battling aliens and saving the world we'd be on the same page, or at least on a similar one. Sure, we'd had our ups and downs, but he was a friend." He paused, chuckling darkly. "Turns out, he was too in love with his ol' military pal to have the balls to do the right thing." Venom clung to his voice as he continued. "I mistook him for the 'honorable, legendary, Captain America' instead of the bastard too selfish to admit who his loyalties were really with."

Pepper swallowed the lump in her throat as Tony's deceived voice rang in her ears. She had to admit, he had every right to feel hurt. But...she couldn't help but try to understand Steve's actions as well. Pepper couldn't possibly know the entire story, Tony had his limits after all, but there was something in her that told the CEO that Tony wasn't the only one who walked away feeling hurt and upset.

He continued with venomous sarcasm. "But none of that matters now, right? Rogers and Barnes get to ride off into the sunset while I revel in the fact that everything surrounding my parents' death was nothing but a shitbag of lies."

Before she realized it, Pepper was chuckling sadly. "Tony, you're so bent on doing everything alone, that you believe that you'll somehow be letting someone down if you don't. But the truth is, you can't do half the stuff you do alone. And you know you can't. But you do it anyway. You want to know why? You think no one understands it, think no one wants to. It's because the only thing you want is protection; not for yourself, but for everyone in the world who either isn't brave enough or isn't capable of doing it on their own." She allowed the quiet to drift in between them before she resumed, "and I've always admired that about you – that you're so hell-bent on protecting others, that you forget to defend yourself; but that's also what I worry about. That someday you'll hit your rock bottom, having pushed yourself too far. And you'll get there, you know it, I know it, Rhodey knows it. Yet, you're too stubborn to stop trying. I just don't want you to have to be alone again, during something like this. I wasn't there for you this time, and that is my fault, I screwed up. I was...scared." The blonde finds herself hesitating again, out of pure frustration. Tony's always been a complicated man, one that she's spent years trying to figure out, and there's still no real explanation to everything this man entails. Sometimes he makes spontaneous decisions that seem ridiculous to everyone else, yet in hindsight, almost everything he's done since becoming Iron Man was never for his own self-interest. The only thing bad about that is, he doesn't know how or when to stop, doesn't set limitations like she thinks he should.

Irritated, she says, "I just...you always have to be the hero, no matter what you put at risk, and that's what I'll never understand."

"There's no such thing as heroes, Pepper." He sternly declared. "Maybe in fairytales. But not reality. Reality is horrible, and ruthless, filled with flaws." He stops speaking for a moment, and she can see the wheels turning in his head. "But if it's any consolation, I don't understand it either." His response is not expected. She listens. "I don't know why I do it either, Pepper. I can't explain it. You're right, in a way, though...I guess all I really want is to protect people...to some extent. I don't know. I've never been good at...explaining the things I do and why I do them.

"But this whole thing has given me a lot of time to think – which, by the way, I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing," he laughed lightly. "Although, it gave me the time to get to know the man I am without the armor." She winced as he referenced something she said to him during the pretty intense fight they'd had the night before she had called things off. She regretted nearly everything that left her mouth that night, but it was clear that he hadn't forgotten anything like she'd hoped. He pushed on despite her visible discomfort. "But Pepper, I'm only half the man I could be without you."

Her heart skipped a beat, in a good way. He continued before she got the chance to speak. "I know you don't want to make any promises you can't keep, and for what it's worth, neither do I, because we don't deserve that." He chanced a look at her; a longing, genuine look, pleading "I miss you," and, "I want you." She grinned softly. "And I also know that you easily get sick of my begging, but I need you, Pep."

Pepper nodded, still smiling. "Yes, we've established that."

He smirked tiredly, before his seriousness returned. "When/if you're ready, I want you back with me; I miss you, I love you. Just...think about it. These past few weeks have been hell, for me. They were even harder without you."

She eyed him sadly. "That's what I was afraid of."

"Just consider it," he offered softly, ignoring her remark. "Because I'll keep on asking until you say yes."

She smiled. "I know you will." Pepper was hesitant in approaching him again; in truth, she was nervous to dive back into everything blindly. Was she ready to just toss herself right back into this mess? She didn't know. Pepper would never want to repeat her mistakes, but the stress and worry of it all made her skeptical. But she was fine with that, for once. Maybe it was time she took a page out of Tony's book, and simply go with the flow.

She pressed her lips together in thought, feeling Tony's lingering gaze burning into her. Lifting her head, she met his gaze with a shy smile. "I won't lie. I'm scared." He drew in a sharp breath.

"I'm hoping there's a 'but' somewhere," he says.

She giggles lightly. "Isn't there always?" She closes the distance between them and pecks him on his lips. It's a quick reassurance, and their foreheads touch as she looks lovingly into those familiar dark pools. "I need you too," she whispers. She continues by saying what she knows he needs to hear. "I'm here now; I'm just sorry it wasn't sooner. We'll figure things out," and she was telling the truth.

He smiles at her, and this time it's his turn to steal a kiss. As per usual, he kisses her longer, more passionate. Only, he's telling her that he's grateful as his arms wrap around her snugly; that she's made him happy; and that's more rewarding than anything.

"I love you," he speaks, sounding more like a sigh of relief as he envelopes her in another hug.

"I love you," she agrees. "But you need a shower."

He chuckles, very genuinely this time, and it's like music to her ears. 

The song at the beginning, "Ruin My Life" by Zara Larsson fits perfectly with this piece. EVERY time I hear it, I think of Pepper saying this to Tony after she breaks up with him; saying that even though she's scared, she loves him enough to face the fear, misses him too severely to let him go; and so she runs back to his arms, scared, unsure, but knowing that she loves him enough to get through anything *sob* So that's what's at the beginning of this piece, I recommend listening or at least reading the lyrics, because it kinda helps get you in Pepper's mindset.

ANYWAYS

Hope you enjoyed~