( In the wake of Pepper's absence, Tony pulls Ari aside to speak with, seeing the man off with payment and a further, secondary errand.
Turning down a refill of tea, left alone at last, Tony would all but collapses back against the settee, hands over his face. What are you going to do now? Tell her how you fucked up, again, less than a year after you promised to do better because you're a self-destructive ass, then split up and now you're sleeping with Death's emotional side?
And what about Extremis? He presses his thumbs against the ridge of his brow bones, seeking relief from the headache starting behind his eyes. Vexed and worried, Tony sits there for half an hour working through that knotty problem. It, at least, is an issue he can actually tackle with reasonable celerity, he's sure of it, before he hears the heavy susurrus of curtain and Pepper's voice. )
Hey!
( Eyes open, he quickly stands, brushing invisible dust from the front of his quilted jacket, immediately foregoing that habitual gesture as his gaze swings up and onto Pep. )
Sorry, I was...wow. ( Ohh, yep, that's. Absolutely his heart lodging right in the middle of his throat again. Pepper has always had a radiance that's all her own, and she seems to glow even now, just beautiful even in the simple dress.
Luckily, Ari saves him from the immediate threat of falling apart, arriving in the nick of time with that second favor, wrapped in linen: sturdy, fur-lined boots. Ylva just smiles at her, patting her arm and gesturing for her to sit briefly. )
'We are thankful you're here, Lady Potts. Accommodation on our part is a little thing, in light of how much Otherworlders like yourself and Lord Stark have done for us and Her Holiness.'
( And that is that, as she politely takes her leave to tend to another order. Tony shares a glance with Pepper that just says yeah, that's common, as he sits beside her, glad for the momentary reprieve to gather himself. )
no subject
Turning down a refill of tea, left alone at last, Tony would all but collapses back against the settee, hands over his face. What are you going to do now? Tell her how you fucked up, again, less than a year after you promised to do better because you're a self-destructive ass, then split up and now you're sleeping with Death's emotional side?
And what about Extremis? He presses his thumbs against the ridge of his brow bones, seeking relief from the headache starting behind his eyes. Vexed and worried, Tony sits there for half an hour working through that knotty problem. It, at least, is an issue he can actually tackle with reasonable celerity, he's sure of it, before he hears the heavy susurrus of curtain and Pepper's voice. )
Hey!
( Eyes open, he quickly stands, brushing invisible dust from the front of his quilted jacket, immediately foregoing that habitual gesture as his gaze swings up and onto Pep. )
Sorry, I was...wow. ( Ohh, yep, that's. Absolutely his heart lodging right in the middle of his throat again. Pepper has always had a radiance that's all her own, and she seems to glow even now, just beautiful even in the simple dress.
Luckily, Ari saves him from the immediate threat of falling apart, arriving in the nick of time with that second favor, wrapped in linen: sturdy, fur-lined boots. Ylva just smiles at her, patting her arm and gesturing for her to sit briefly. )
'We are thankful you're here, Lady Potts. Accommodation on our part is a little thing, in light of how much Otherworlders like yourself and Lord Stark have done for us and Her Holiness.'
( And that is that, as she politely takes her leave to tend to another order. Tony shares a glance with Pepper that just says yeah, that's common, as he sits beside her, glad for the momentary reprieve to gather himself. )
You look stunning.