Glass Heart

Pepper scolded Tony for his behavior over the duration of the ride home once she’d learned the details of what had happened while they’d been working. Having grown weary of the circular argument between the billionaire and his assistant, Scarlett had eventually closed her eyes, started to ignore them and drifted to sleep. Several times on the ride, she’d woken up with Scott’s accusing stare lingering in her mind’s eye, but the remnants of whatever nightmare she’d had in her sleep were too fleeting to recall.

The drive to Tony’s Malibu home seemed far longer than the drive to the facility had been only a few hours prior. Between her far too short moments of rest, Scarlett overheard Pepper and Tony talking about her and the predicament she’d forced them into. None of what had been said really stuck in her mind past the groggy feeling of sleep despite how she’s tried to listen in during the moments she’d been conscious. Unfortunately, the shock and pain she’d experienced from whatever chemical reaction she’d gone through had been too much for her psyche and her mind had shut down, forcing her to continue trying to rest.

At some point she must have managed to fall asleep fitfully because the sound of someone clearing their throat aroused her from slumber sometime later. Throbbing pain in her sinuses clouding her mind, Scarlett shifted and felt her cheek brush against something warm, her skin having been slightly stuck to something from having fallen asleep against it. Blinking her eyes, she caught the blue light of Tony’s reactor through his tank top in her blurred vision. Her eyes followed the light down his chest and stomach until she saw that he was fiddling with his phone with his left hand. Having realized she must have fallen asleep on his shoulder, Scarlett instantly sat up straight, wiped her chin and moved away from Tony.

“You know, I never was much for cuddling, but I could get used to it for you.” Tony didn’t look away from his phone, but a smile played on his lips as he spoke. Blinking her eyes, Scarlett tried to focus but she felt muddled and unsteady.

“I don’t cuddle.” Scarlett responded, her voice softer and weaker than she’d intended it to be. Having never experienced the side effects of going into shock before, she had determined the experience to be horrible and hoped it would be something she would never have to deal with in the future. Once was more than enough in her opinion.

“Really?” Tony slipped his slender phone into his pocket and rotated the shoulder Scarlett had been leaning on. “I can’t imagine that I’m the most comfortable pillow out there and it felt like cuddling. But, since I’m so clearly wrong what was it then? Enlighten me.”

“I’m really not in the mood to argue with you over something so trivial, Stark.” Scarlett reached to open the door of the car to avoid further confrontation on the matter only to find that the door was already open for her. She could hear Pepper somewhere in the distance speaking with someone whose voice she couldn’t recognize, but about what she could only guess. Leaning her head in her hands, Scarlett furrowed her brow and tried to clear her thoughts to no avail. The lingering fog of sleep hovered over her like a vale

“It’s fine. I’m flattered that you sought comfort in me, of all people. Really, Tony Stark and comfort are not synonymous. Pleasure? Yes. Comfort? Not so much.” When Scarlett ignored his joke and kept her head in her hands, Tony tapped her shoulder to try and get her attention. “Are you alright?” He could tell she was still out of it and struggling to regain her wits, so he resisted making the many jokes that popped into his mind. He’d have to save them for a later time. It was difficult to resist his inner urges and to suppress them since he usually spoke before thinking in these situations, but Pepper had made it clear on the ride over that he was to lay off until Scarlett had gotten a proper night’s rest and an all clear from the doctor. At first he’d disagreed and argued against such an agreement, but after he’d been left to think about it and his thoughts returned to the horrors he’d witnessed while they’d attempted to work, he’d decided it was for the best.

“You don’t have to pretend you’re concerned, I’m doing just fine.” Yawning, Scarlett slowly started out of the car, this time being wary of her burn. Her thigh was throbbing as a reminder of what she’d experienced and just how poorly another fall might affect her.

“Hold on.” Tony grabbed her shoulder to stop her from scooting away. Slumping her shoulders and sighing in annoyance. Scarlett turned to face him, prepared to reassure him that she was alright, but was startled when Tony suddenly started to crawl from his side of the car to push his way next to her, over her and out through the door on her side of the car.

“Stark, what are you doing?” It was impossible not to laugh because of how ridiculous a sight it was to watch Tony Stark attempt to climb out of the car without knocking her out in the process. “Why didn’t you just get out on your side? Do you have any idea how asinine you look right now?”

“I guess I could’ve done that but I’m already here now and committed to getting out on this side. It’d be a waste of effort if I gave up now. Starks are a lot of things, but we aren’t quitters!” Tony was glad to see her smiling, even if he didn’t plan on letting her know that. Despite how playful they were now that they’d found their balance, he was beginning to realize the extent of the darkness within Scarlett. He worried that if she dwelled on it for too long, she’d quickly become consumed. Scarlett squirmed around, trying to move out of his way, or push past him to get out; neither seemed like it would help the now confusing situation. “Could you just sit still for ten seconds so I can get past you?” Tony tried to maneuver his leg around her without hitting her, but was finding it harder to accomplish than he had initially anticipated it would be. Scarlett continued to wiggle and try to get out of his way.

“You are one step away from grinding against my leg, Stark!” Laughing, Scarlett tried to push him away and back into his spot. Then she grabbed his shoulders to get him to stop shoving her back. One leg over her and one arm behind her on the seat of the car, the other outside of the car on the top of the door, Tony looked at her skeptically but amusement sparkled in his brown eyes.

“You would know if I was grinding against you. There would be no mistaking it for anything else. You can trust me on that, Miss Damien.” With a smirk playing on his lips, he leaned closer to her, doing his best to look provocative which wasn’t a very hard task considering.

“Oh, is that so? Now tell me, is that a threat or a promise, Stark? This one needs some clarification. You’re so damn catty all the time, how’s a girl supposed to tell the difference?” Scarlett was slowly gaining her edge back the longer she was awake. The fog in her mind was lifting, though her defenses were telling her to go back to sleep.

“We can find out if you let me past those defenses for more than ten seconds.” Readjusting himself, Tony placed both hands on either side of Scarlett on the seat behind her and made a kissy face. His eyes were sparkling playfully but he made no actual attempt to kiss her and was clearly playing.

“Cut it out, you.” Scarlett shoved her hand against his lips and pushed him back, inadvertently giving herself the chills as her palm brushed against his perfectly manicured goatee. Grabbing onto the frame of the car overhead Tony continued to make ridiculous kissing noises against her palm in an attempt to make her laugh. When she didn’t relinquish he hashed his teeth against her palm and she yelped, pulling her hand back in surprise.

“Come on sexy lady, I need some… stimulation before I can prove to you that was a promise, not a threat.”

“Why don’t I just flash you quickly? That sounds like it’d be much faster than this little game you’re playing.” Scarlett laughed, wiping her now slobbery palm on his arm.

“Oh, I like where this is going!” Tony tugged at the bottom of her shirt playfully.

“I was being sarcastic, Stark. I thought you of all people could tell the difference.” Still sleepy and laughing, she pushed at Tony’s shoulder to get him to stop tugging on her and out of her personal space. Much to their surprise with this simple push, Tony stumbled and lost his precarious balance then fell out of the car onto his side, one leg still in the car, the other curled beneath him. Laughing and covering her mouth to try and stifle it she leaned against the frame of the car door and shook her head. Tony was blinking in surprise and looking at her astonished.

“You could’ve just told me no, you didn’t have to attack me.” Tony pouted, slipping his leg out of the car. He stood up, dusted off his jeans and then offered Scarlett a hand to assist her out of the car.

“And you could’ve gotten out on the other side of the car like a normal person. It’s not my fault that your balance is awful. I barely touched you!” Scarlett hesitated to take the hand he was offering her. It wasn’t because she didn’t want him to help her but rather because she wasn’t sure she actually needed the assistance. She was sure she could walk on her own, but then again she’d been sure that she could handle the work she’d been doing earlier in the facility and that had gone all wrong.

“I could’ve, but I thought what I was doing was going to be easier.” Tony wasn’t relenting. After watching her struggle in his facility in the desert, he wanted to grant her as much help as he could.

“No, you were hoping you’d get to feel me up or grind against me.” Still considering his offer, Scarlett stared at his hand.

“I was hoping for both, so really, I wasn’t wrong if that’s what I actually had in mind.” Tony wiggled his fingers to signal for her to take his hand. Once again, she ignored his attempts to help her, though she did slip both her legs out of the car. “Come on, I’m giving you another chance to cuddle with me since you so enjoyed it before.”

“For the last time, I wasn’t cuddling you. I just happened to fall asleep on your shoulder. It happens sometimes. It doesn’t mean that I want to cuddle with you or that we did.” Scarlett argued.

“We’ve been sitting in the car for fifteen minutes because I didn’t want to wake you up. My fingers were falling asleep because you were leaning so heavily against me. If that’s not cuddling, I don’t know what is.” Tony moved his hand away, tired of holding it out to her.

“You’re being incredibly dramatic, not that this surprises me by now.” Scarlett placed a hand on the door and got to her feet at last, keeping her weight off of her injured leg entirely. At least she was getting used to overcompensating for how useless it’d become.

“I’m not being dramatic. You kept tossing and turning the entire ride back and then you planted your head on my shoulder and didn’t move for the rest of the ride.” Tony watched her carefully, observing the way she treated her leg in case she needed him to help her since she was clearly against him doing so for whatever reason. He guessed that she had grown used to being independent. Or maybe she was uncomfortable with him holding onto her, not that he could blame her considering what seemed to happen between them when they were close.

“That doesn’t mean we were cuddling Stark. It means that I had found something to support my head properly so I could rest.” What comfort had she found in Tony? Had she really only stopped tossing and turning once she’d been leaning against him?

“I saw you smile in your sleep. There’s no need to be embarrassed about it!” Tony teased, following her closely as she walked across the lab. “Though I’m not sure how I feel about being a glorified pillow.”

“Stark, will you cut it out? I’m clearly not in the mood.” Her body was drained and exhausted. While her leg wasn’t as sore as it had been earlier, she felt unsure of its strength.

“If you call me Tony, I will cut it out. And for the record, if you weren’t in the mood, you’d stop playing with me.” Tony caught up to her and walked next to her, pointing an accusing finger at her. Scarlett sighed in annoyance. “Oh come on, that’s my name and you keep calling me Stark! Even after you…” Tony pursed his lips and stopped talking as she turned to face him and held up a finger in annoyance.

Her heart was racing again, but no longer out of panic. Had she actually sought comfort on his shoulder in her sleep? Was it silly of her to think that perhaps it had been the reason her nightmares had finally ceased? Of course it was silly. She was finally just exhausted enough to get some rest without nightmares seeping into her every thought. It was only a coincidence that she’d chosen to rest her head on Tony at that particular moment.

“You’re not going to call me Tony are you?” Moistening his lower lip, he pouted.

“No, I’m not.” Stopping walking, she took a deep breath and tugged the bottom of her skirt up to make sure the wound wasn’t seeping through or smoldering the way it had been earlier. The panic attack she’d had was causing her to become paranoid. She was going to go above and beyond to prevent that from happening a second time.

“Why not? It’s not fair.” Tony whined and pouted much like a child who hadn’t gotten his way.

“Would you help me?” Scarlett could feel her leg trembling beneath her as she walked and decided to use it to change the subject.

“I was trying to help you before remember? But you just ignored me and knocked me out of the car because you’re a sadist.”

“I didn’t knock you out of the car, it’s not my fault that you can’t keep your balance.”

“You knocked me out of the car because you were afraid of how you’d react if I actually did what I’d intended to do. Either that or you really are a sadist since you didn’t exactly deny it just now.”

“You should feel lucky that it didn’t come to what you’d wanted, Stark. And I’m not even dignifying that with a response.” Scarlett shook her head. Despite her discomfort, she was learning to handle Tony relatively well. His quips and sexual innuendos no longer came as a surprise. She’d even grown to enjoy it. Unfortunately she was still weak and tired and knew that the longer he harassed her, the more exhausting the effort of dealing with him would become. She needed rest more than anything but even the act of sleeping seemed daunting. Would she be plagued with more nightmares? Or would her subconscious finally allow her to have some peace and quiet?

“I thought we were past that, Scarlett.” Tired of watching her struggle and contemplate her next move, Tony reached around her and lifted her into his arms, much to her surprise.

“I asked for some help not for you to carry me!” Scarlett immediately tried to squirm out of his arms.

“I am helping.” Chuckling, Tony started through the lab. “Will you quit squirming?”

“You really have no sense of personal space do you?” Realizing that if she didn’t stop squirming, she might fall onto the ground and hurt her leg further, Scarlett finally stopped trying to escape. She’d never admit it, but it was nice to be held and cared for by someone else.

“On the contrary, I have no sense of other people’s personal space. My own, is something that I’m very aware of.” Tony was pleased when she stopped her fighting.

“I can walk on my own, Stark. I just needed a hand in case I fell, not both your hands grabbing my ass.” Despite her objections to his assistance, Scarlett was smiling. She hadn’t realized it until he’d already seen it but still tried to keep a straight face regardless.

“I don’t do anything half-assed and that includes helping a pretty lady.”

“I’m not saying that you have to do a half-assed job, I’m just saying that I am perfectly capable of walking!” Scarlett laughed in disbelief. Her heart was still racing with her thoughts. Being around Tony constantly wasn’t helping with her confused feelings for him. There was barely any time to consider how she felt without him practically on top of her. Tony stopped walking near the doorway of his lab, in front of the steps that would lead to the main level of his home. Pepper’s voice was louder now in the living room, speaking with another voice that Scarlett didn’t recognize. The voices were still too faint to make out the words being exchanged. Turning her attention back to Tony, she sighed heavily and was about to make another sassy retort when she caught him staring at her pleadingly. Something about his gaze made her choke on her words and forget what she’d planned to say.

“Just give me this one thing, okay?” Something had felt off since she’d woken up. Why had he let her rest in the car on his shoulder for so long? He could’ve simply shoved her off of him and gotten out of the car to continue on with something far more entertaining. But no, he’d let her get some rest until she’d woken up on her own. At first, she’d thought he’d been what had interrupted her slumber, but he’d likely been just trying to get comfortable. The more she considered the situation, the more she discovered was off about it.

Instead of being the selfish ass she’d expected him to be, Tony had gone out of his way to get out of the car before her so that he could prevent her from falling again. That was what she at least guessed he’d been trying to accomplish by his ridiculous attempts of crawling out of the car. Then he’d watched her every step and when she’d finally asked for help he’d jumped to her aid. She hadn’t noticed it initially, but the strangeness about Tony that she’d noticed when she’d woken up was worry. He was legitimately worried that something would happen to her again that he couldn’t prevent.

“Oh, I see what you’re up to.” Scarlett pointed an accusing finger but stopped objecting to him carrying her up the stairs. The truth was that she needed to stay off of her leg for a little bit and allow it to recover from the ordeal it’d gone through.

“I’m not up to anything.” Tony smiled, but even that was subdued. His oddly colored brown eyes were filled with far more than what he was letting on. He’d never seen anyone go into shock before and he’d witnessed a lot of terrifying things in his life before meeting her. The strong woman he’d become used to arguing with had crumbled out of his control in front of him and he’d been powerless to do anything about it. If there was one thing Tony hated more than being bored, it was being powerless. While Pepper had advised him against giving her a hard time and had even tried to convince him to bring her to a hospital, Tony couldn’t bring himself to let her out of his sight. On top of that, he wasn’t sure how to stop harassing her. It was just the way they interacted so this was as subdued as he was planning on getting.

Something inside of him had become attached to her without meaning to. All he’d wanted from her when she’d first woken up was for her to give him a lead on MedCo so he could send her on her way and he could continue putting a stop to the misuse of his weapons. Instead she’d been stubborn and feisty. Instead, she’d been likable and entertaining. He’d grown attached and Tony was beginning to think the information he’d initially fought for wasn’t as important as what he’d ended up getting from her instead.

“I still think you like me far too much.” Scarlett looked away from him but smiled. The more she grew to like him, the harder it was for her to handle his eyes boring into her.

“What’s not to like?” Tony started up the stairs finally, realizing she wasn’t going to tease him for his actions which surprised him. He stopped walking, lost his balance and nearly stumbled down the stairs when she laid her head down on his shoulder just as she had been doing in the car.

“Whoa, be careful there wild stallion.” Scarlett closed her eyes and trusted him not to drop her. If she hadn’t been so exhausted she likely would’ve fought tooth and nail about being carried, but she had to admit how comforting it was to be held and taken care of. When she’d gotten in over her head with Scott, he’d never comforted her or cared for her. The more she thought about it the more she’d realized how alone she’d been for her whole life. Now that she was stuck with Tony, she’d started to dislike the notion of being alone again. It felt nice to know that if she fell he’d be there to catch her. She knew the notion of no longer being alone was dangerous, but her mind was so exhausted that she didn’t care.

Tony whinnied playfully and then regained his balance as he started up the stairs again. After a moment of silence between them he couldn’t help but smile.

“I think you like me just as much.” He whispered and before she got the chance to respond, they were approached by Pepper.

“Oh good, she’s awake.” Pepper was smiling politely. The man she’d been talking to was the doctor that had met them in the basement of the facility only an hour or so beforehand. “And she let you carry her. Wow, I’m so proud that the two of you learned how to compromise.”

“There was no compromise actually. I asked for a little help walking and Stark jumped the gun and picked me up rather than trying to let me walk on my own which I am perfectly capable of doing.”

“I didn’t jump the gun, I’m helping out. You asked for my help, isn’t that what I’m doing? You didn’t specify what you needed me to do.” Tony couldn’t help but give her leg a squeeze, after making sure he had his hand nowhere near her wound.

“I asked for help and I did not imply that I was completely useless. You just assumed it meant you got to carry me.” Scarlett’s leg twitched and she swatted lazily at his shoulder in objection, but this only pleased him further.

“I’m being a hero. This is heroic. It’s all part of what I do. Don’t worry, you can thank me for it later.” There was something about arguing with her, or getting her to object to him that got him off.

“You’re an ass.” Scarlett shook her head in dismay before turning her attention to Pepper. Before she could speak, Tony interrupted.

“And you have a very nice ass. Are we stating the obvious here? Because I could go on.” Tony argued without batting an eye.

“I take it back. I’m not proud of either of you at all. I think you might be just as bad as he is, Scarlett.” Pepper shook her head in dismay. Before either of them could respond, Pepper spoke over her boss. “Tony, I’ve been showing the doctor the photos of the wound that you first took when you brought Scarlett here from Africa, but I don’t have any to compare it to of its current condition.” Pepper nodded toward the stairs that led to the second floor behind the water sculpture at the far end of the room. “We should bring her upstairs so she can rest her leg while he takes a proper look at it.”

“It’s a chemical burn, doc. I’ve got all the information written down if you want to know what I’ve been administering. It’s a cocktail of my own making.” Tony puffed out his chest, proud of the work he’d done despite how catastrophic Scarlett’s wound had become in the last few hours.

“You’re really going to still be cocky about that after my burn made my pants catch on fire? Literally. I nearly burst into flames, Stark.” Scarlett picked her head up off of his shoulder so she could see his reaction.

“Shh, you’re supposed to be resting Scarlett. Don’t waste your precious energy.” Tony gave her side a squeeze as he started to carry her up the stairs to the second floor and shrugged his shoulders to try and urge her head back down. “Follow me. You’re right Pepper. She should get some rest. She kept falling asleep on me in the car and we’re not going to get anything else done today anyway. I don’t think I’d be able to concentrate without being paranoid that she’d, as she so artfully put it, burst into flames again.”

“Right this way, if you don’t mind.” Pepper whispered to the doctor, following Tony’s lead and starting up the stairs. “Please, don’t mind him, that’s just how he is. We really do appreciate your help.”

“Pepper does, I’m not sure if I do yet. See, I like to value my level of appreciation on the level of skill rather than just your title. So if you do a good job helping the ravishing woman in my arms, I’ll appreciate your help and if not then you’re likely going to have a pretty bad day.” Tony waited for Jarvis to open the door to the guest room and then gingerly placed Scarlett down on the bed at the far end.

“Is it really the appropriate time for flattery? You’ve given me about… twelve compliments since I woke up.” Scarlett leaned back on the pillow gratefully. Despite her objections to Tony’s behavior, she was exhausted and glad to be back in bed.

“I’m being charming, I’m sorry if it’s too much for you. You don’t have to keep your panties on if that’s the case.”

“You think that you’re being charming when in reality you’re just kind of a pig.” Scarlett carefully readjusted her bad leg.

“I’m very charming. You just haven’t realized it yet.” Tony brushed her hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear as he’d grown fond of doing. “She thinks I’m charming.” Tony turned to the doctor and Pepper, just to make sure they heard what had transpired.

“I’m not so sure she does, Tony.” Pepper shook her head in disapproval.

“So, does everyone really have to be here for this thing with the doctor? I’m not really fond of being stared at like I’m some lab rat.” Scarlett readjusted herself, having a tough time getting comfortable, and then allowed the doctor to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. It was remarkable that the man was able to ignore Tony’s ridiculous antics and still manage to do his work. “Careful, it’s tender.” Wincing, she helped the man pull the bottom of her dress out of the way of her burn and watched him slowly pull the gauze away.

“Yes, we all have to be here.” Tony tugged Pepper’s wrist to keep her from walking out of the room when she attempted to give Scarlett some privacy.

“She’s right Tony we don’t need to be here. Besides, you should go get your notes on her wound for the doctor.” Pepper gave Scarlett an apologetic look then watched as Tony walked around her and behind the doctor, examining her leg from a distance.

“It already looks better than it did earlier.” Tony leaned around the doctor and eyed her leg.

“Will you stop ogling me?” Scarlett felt her leg twitch, anticipating the pain she might feel from an examination.

“Didn’t everyone in this room already see you without any pants on? I’m not ogling you, this is… this is strictly professional.” Tony tilted his head to the side, let his mouth hang partially open for a moment as he obviously did more than admire her in a professional manner then he cleared his throat and turned his attention back to her burn.

“Why am I still surprised by this?” Scarlett looked over to Pepper in hopes of finding an answer.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m still surprised by it. Tony! The woman has been through enough without you demeaning her in front of the doctor trying to help her.” Pepper had seen the worry in Tony’s eyes during the ride back to his home and was surprised he’d switched gears so quickly. She was guessing that he was overcompensating now that the situation was less dire.

“I’m not demeaning her. It’s a compliment! I find her attractive and I’m letting her know it, doctor, what’s your opinion? Lovely right? Shouldn’t she know it? Someone should enjoy this! Why is it demeaning if I enjoy what she has to offer, huh?” Tony didn’t let Pepper finish her sentence before he’d started rattling off the many reasons why his behavior was excused.

“It’s demeaning,” Pepper began but was interrupted by Scarlett.

“Don’t worry about it, Pepper. Let’s just enjoy his incredibly round ass and see how he feels about it when we ignore what he’s saying and just stare at him like he’s some sex toy.” Scarlett wasn’t surprised when Pepper was left speechless by her suggestion.

“Go ahead!” Tony turned around and placed his hands on the back of his head. “Enjoy! Compliment me. I know how to enjoy flattery, thank you.” Smirking, Tony figured that he had the upper hand in this situation. He’d spent the majority of the last two decades showing off and becoming an international sex symbol.

“I hate to interrupt… whatever this is but I’ve made my assessment if you’re interested.” The doctor cleared his throat and stood up. Tony turned back around, stopped his incessant flexing and paid attention to what the doctor was doing.

“Is she going to be alright?” Tony’s playfulness faded.

“Yes, she’ll be just fine.” Despite his statement, the doctor didn’t smile.

“Then why do you look so grim?” Pepper frowned, walking around to sit on the edge of the bed near Scarlett’s feet.

“Whatever chemical you were burned with has penetrated through your first layer of skin. While I’m sure that the neutralizing agent Mr. Stark was using has been effective on the top layer, it hasn’t permeated deep enough to truly rid you of what’s causing you pain.”

“Would an injection be better suited to do so?” Tony’s brow furrowed with worry. He knew what the doctor was trying to say without him actually saying it. Without having meant to, Tony had left the harmful chemical on her body and had let it continue to burn her further over time which would explain why it had such a severe reaction when they’d been working. The string of curse words in Tony’s mind muddled out the next few words the doctor spoke.

“No, and injection wouldn’t do it. The toxin wouldn’t reach the blood stream quite yet. Thankfully, it looks like most of it has been eradicated by whatever neutralizing agent you were using.” The doctor smiled hopefully at Tony. Pepper immediately stood up, moved to her boss’ side and touched his arm carefully. She’d known Tony for years and could read him like a book. Clearly he was blaming himself for not having listened to the advice of the people in his life and having neglected to call a doctor.

“So what can we do to fix this if not an injection?” Scarlett turned her attention back to the doctor.

“I’ll have to remove the offending agent.” The doctor was skating around saying what he’d actually have to do.

“Which is beneath my first layer of skin.” Scarlett knew what he’d been implying, but hated when people avoided saying what they actually meant. While it may have been hypocritical for her to feel this way, she felt it nonetheless. “You’re going to have to cut at me, hmm? How badly do you think it will scar?”

“Oh, no… not cut. You see your skin is already so fragile and destroyed that I will be able to peel it away. Unfortunately due to the nature of the burn, being chemical, I’m unsure of what pain killers might worsen your condition. I’m going to recommend that it be done without.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Pepper immediately objected, turning to look at Tony. “We should bring her to a hospital. They can take care of her there and make sure she doesn’t feel any of it.”

“I don’t need to go to a hospital.” Scarlett sighed heavily, partially frustrated that Pepper was looking to Tony to make decisions for her health. “That’s fine, doctor, do whatever you need to.”

“Scarlett, you can’t be serious!” Pepper looked to Tony in hopes that he would back her up but he said nothing.

“I think that it’s time Scarlett was the one to decide how her leg is handled.” Tony nodded resolutely. Scarlett hadn’t expected him to feel that way. She’d expected him to jump at the chance to be her knight in shining armor again but instead he’d backed down. “I don’t like your plan, but what I thought was best for her ended up causing more damage so… I don’t think I’m qualified to make the decision here.” Clearing his throat, Tony walked to the opposite end of the bed and fiddled with some of the miscellaneous perfume bottles and makeup items that had been provided more recently on the dresser across the room. “Though, if it were me, I’d see if there was a way that we could test a painkiller against the chemical to see which would cause a reaction and which would help dull the pain.”

“Once the chemical is gone entirely I can administer narcotics but until then I am going to advise against it as would any doctor you go to.” The man pushed his glasses further up his nose then turned his attention back to Scarlett. “The sooner we do this the sooner you can heal. You will scar but if you take care of yourself, and judging by the look of you I’m guessing you do, then it will be minimal. After I’m sure the chemical is gone entirely, I can give you some pain medicine and prescribe you enough to last until you’re healed up. I will also prescribe a cream that will help minimize scarring.”

“Doctor, you’ve got a deal. Get yourself prepared.” Scarlett nodded her head, ignoring Pepper’s continued objections in the background.

“If you don’t mind, I have to put in a few calls and get some supplies. I won’t be very long.” The doctor bowed his head and excused himself. Pepper thanked him for his work and advice and then immediately turned back to Scarlett and Tony.

“No, you can’t let her do this, Tony. This is insane. You’re both insane! How did you find another person in the world as insane as you, Tony?” Pepper was outraged, her face turning pink beneath her freckles. The usually calm business woman was clearly flustered that her input had no sway.

“Pepper, you need to give us a minute alone okay?” Tony cleared his throat and then nodded to the door when Pepper didn’t make a move to leave.

“You’re both out of your minds.” Pepper threw her hands up in frustration then left the room, slamming the door behind her. After she’d gone, Tony got up from where he sat on the edge of the bed. Running his hands through his messy hair, he contemplated what to say, narrowing his eyes and clearly practicing in his head what he wanted to say to Scarlett.

“Before you tell me not to do it, can you give me a good reason not to? Stark, it’s just skin and it’s destroyed anyway. Look at it.” Scarlett nodded to the sore looking skin on her leg. “It’s doing nothing but harm and if he’s going to cut it away it can’t hurt any worse than what I’ve already been through today.”

“What if it does?” Tony sat next to her on the bed and placed his hand on her knee beneath the burn, brushing his thumb carefully against her skin. “What if it hurts a lot worse than it did before?”

“Stark, it’s almost sweet that you’re worried about me but I’ll be fine. I’ve been through much worse than this on my own. I don’t know why I panicked like that back there when we were working. I don’t know how that got such a terrible hold on me but I know what I’m doing. This is the right thing. You’ve done a really good job with my leg up until this point but now this is what we need to do… what I need to do.” Scarlett soothed him, unsure of why she cared how he was feeling. The puzzle pieces of her emotions were starting to fit together but the big picture was still obscured.

“I’m not being sweet… I just don’t want you to hurt anymore.”

“Which is sweet whether you like it or not.”

“It isn’t! It’s my fault that you’re still stuck like this and if I’d let you go to a real doctor in the first place instead of just assuming I can fix everything, which I usually can so you can’t blame me for assuming, then this wouldn’t be happening and you wouldn’t be in so much pain.” Without outright saying it, Tony was expressing his guilt for what he felt like he’d done. “You’ve been in enough pain. I could bring you to the hospital and we could run some tests and find out if you could use painkillers. They could likely even knock you out so you wouldn’t feel a thing.”

“That would just be a colossal waste of time. This guy knows what he’s talking about and honestly that skin is going to flake off anyway. I’m going to have a scar and it’s of my own making, not yours.” Placing her hand over his comfortingly, she offered him a smile. “Please, let me get this over with? Then get some sleep because… dealing with you is exhausting.” Hoping to lighten the mood a bit she squeezed his hand then after she was sure she’d been reassuring enough she pried it off and set it on the bed. “Now stop groping me.”

“You’re sure about this?” Tony didn’t feel any relief from her words. Guilt invaded his thoughts. No matter how many times he tried to do good, his plans always backfired in his face. Even him trying to save one person had caused more harm than good.

“About the groping? Yes I’m very sure.” Scarlett nodded her head. Tony sighed heavily then placed his hand back on her leg.

“That’s too bad.” That mischievous smirk returned to his lips and he gave her leg a playful squeeze, then brushed the back of his fingers against her skin. Laughing under her breath she was relieved to see him acting normally. Even if he wasn’t truly feeling comforted by his words, she was glad to see him trying.

But then there was that tension again building, the same kind that she’d felt so many times when she’d gotten to be alone with him. It lingered there in the room with them until it became overwhelming between them each time. She’d hoped that kissing him once would help her handle it better, but now she only wanted to give into her urges and renew the feeling kissing him had brought her.

“Really? You’re going straight from that to feeling me up? Is that where we are now?” Scarlett teased, but her leg was twitching with discomfort.

“Why don’t you tell me where we are now?” Tony smirked, moving his hand onto her good leg and leaning closer to her. He’d never had tension before quite like this, maybe that was what made things so intriguing. Tension had always been what he’d been good at. Women, even men sometimes would come near him and he could build a sexual fire between them so quickly that no one could resist. But Scarlett was different. The tension built itself and naturally and to a point where neither one of them could resist. Tony had always been in control of his sexual appetites while others fell prey to them. Even now, there was a tug that kept him leaning closer to her. Eventually the overwhelming urge to kiss her would take over his senses entirely and he’d be forced into action.

Scarlett turned her gaze away and instead looked down at his hand on her leg, shaking her head in dismay. There was no way she was going to make an advance on Tony Stark twice in one day. She’d gotten herself in enough emotional turmoil for one afternoon, so she’d leave it at that. Preparing to find an excuse to get him to move away from her, she audibly gasped when Tony acted. Grabbing onto her chin, Tony forced her to look up at him. Before he could kiss her as he intended to, a knock on the door interrupted them. Cursing again, he let go of Scarlett and stood up from where he’d been resting.

“Pepper, there was a reason I kicked you out.” Tony walked over to the door and then sighed heavily when he realized she’d brought the doctor back to the room to begin the proper cleaning of her leg. Stepping aside, he couldn’t help but glare at Pepper. It was as though she had some divine knowledge of when he was finally getting closer to what he so desired to have with Scarlett and was interrupting him on purpose. “That’s four now. I’m onto you.” He whispered when Pepper walked past him, looking utterly bewildered.

The doctor walked past them to where Scarlett was laying on the bed. After checking her vitals he turned to the others and took a deep breath, contemplating how to approach what needed to be done.

“This is going to be… a rather delicate situation. If you would wait downstairs I think that would be best.” The doctor turned back toward Scarlett. He was obviously worried that they would try to stop him if the pain became too great for her to deal with.

“He’s right, Tony. If she’s going through with this then we shouldn’t be in the same room.” Pepper whispered, grabbing Tony’s arm and starting to urge him toward the door.

“…I can’t stay?” Tony glanced over at the doctor then to Scarlett. If there was any hint of fear or upset on her face, he’d stay and the doctor could get over it. Much to his surprise, her face had turned cold and she was avoiding looking at anyone in the room. Was she hardening herself to what she was about to face?

“I’m afraid you can’t.” Tony nodded his head then started toward the door. “Jarvis, help the guy out and monitor her vitals. Let me know when they’re done or if I’m needed.” Turning away without another thought, Tony hurried downstairs and into the living room.

“Tony, are you okay?” Pepper hurried behind him, trying to keep up the best she could.

“I’m fine.” Glancing back toward the room upstairs, Tony expected to hear screams of pain and anguish but when none came he sat down on the couch, exhausted.

“You’re not fine. No one could be fine after what you went through today.” Pepper sat down next to him, approaching the topic nervously. “Even if you didn’t care…”

“Caring? Who said this was about that? No… I feel responsible. I promised to take care of her after I got her here and instead of handing her over to more than capable hands at the hospital I brought her here and made her suffer.” Tony did his best to sound like he wasn’t bothered, but if anyone could see through him it was Pepper Potts.

“Unintentionally, Tony. She could’ve left at anytime.” Sitting down on the loveseat, Pepper folded her hands in her lap to keep them from nervously fidgeting.

“That’s not true Potts. You were right. I was holding her prisoner here, essentially. And where is she supposed to go now? She has no papers, no money, nothing… I didn’t think when I grabbed her.” Tony made himself busy with his phone, though there was very little for him to do on it other than browse through uninteresting emails.

“You don’t know that Tony, I’m sure she has a way to get to her things. But we can’t help her if she doesn’t let us. She doesn’t blame you.” Pepper didn’t want to see Tony wallow in blame and guilt.

“What makes you so sure of that?” Tony put down his phone and stared seriously at his assistant.

“Because she wants to be here, I can tell.” Smiling, Pepper got up and sat down next to Tony on the main couch.

“And what makes you such an expert?”

“I’m a woman Tony and as hardened as Scarlett seems to be… she’s not as hard as she thinks she is. I think that scares her.” Pepper smiled knowingly then glanced toward the stairs. When Tony didn’t respond, she continued. “I really expected to hear her reacting to some sort of pain…”

“I did too.” Tony grimaced with concern. He was worried about how she was stomaching what was surely incredibly severe pain. “Jarvis, I need a drink. Rum and coke today, okay?” The computer didn’t respond but instead relayed the order to someone who would mix the drink for Tony. “Make it two, Pepper needs one too.”

“Tony, I don’t drink rum…” Pepper laughed quietly under her breath.

“Who doesn’t drink rum?” Tony looked skeptical of such news.

“I don’t drink rum, I’ve never liked it.” Shaking her head, Pepper sighed and after the robot delivered the rum and coke to Tony, she continued on. “She’ll be okay. You didn’t do anything wrong by her.”

“I hope so.” Tony grimaced and took a sip of his rum and coke. “I wouldn’t want to be alone through that. I wish he would’ve let one of us stay.”

“Maybe she’s used to being alone.”

“No one should have to be alone.” Tony glanced knowingly at Pepper. “You taught me that.”

“Oh, you’re learning things from me now? I wasn’t sure you had learned anything after ordering me a rum and coke.” Pepper hoped to get Tony to smile and when he did she felt calmed.

“I listen to the important things.” Tony shrugged, aware of how his brain pushed out anything that he deemed boring. Right now, all he could think about was Scarlett upstairs in the room, alone and suffering while the doctor cut away the infected skin on her thigh. When that wasn’t running through his mind he was comparing it to how horrible it’d been to wake up alone with the magnet in his chest in the caves in Afghanistan.

Then his thoughts came back to Scarlett’s lips and how they’d felt against his. For a moment he’d thought he’d felt lightning. The fleeting instances of conversation with Pepper continued on for awhile and soon an hour had passed.

Tony had taken to pacing the floor and was about to have Jarvis check in on Scarlett and the doctor when he heard the door upstairs open. Hurrying to the foot of the staircase, he and Pepper waited for news from the doctor. Tony had half expected him to come downstairs covered in blood, but he was pristine and wore a smile on his face.

“I’ve given her an antibiotic to take for any infections that may have popped up while she was suffering from the chemical and from the incident earlier in the day. She told me that she woke up with an IV when she was first burned though she wouldn’t tell me how that happened, peculiarly…” The doctor drifted off and hoped that he would get more information but when none was given he continued. “I hooked her up to another of just fluids in hopes of flushing anything out of her system. That’s mostly precautionary.”

“Good, we’re not taking any more chances.” Pepper seemed thankful.

“Did it hurt much?” Tony folded his arms over his chest then quickly shifted to rub his hands over his jaw.

“Tony I don’t think we should ask that…” Pepper whispered.

“She was in a lot of pain but she didn’t bat an eye.” The doctor seemed perplexed. “I expected her to reconsider once she felt the pain but she didn’t.” Tony wondered what sort of an eye opener it was to hear that about Scarlett. What kind of terrors had she trained herself to endure when she’d been on dangerous missions? He hadn’t considered the dangers that her profession posed before and now that he had, he saw a completely different side of the woman he’d saved. If she could handle such terrible pain, then why had she panicked earlier in the day? Something had to have been different about what she had gone through, because he knew she couldn’t have faked the reaction she’d had.

“Can we see her?” Tony wanted to ask her a few things about what had happened earlier in the day.

“I wouldn’t bother her.” The doctor immediately held his hands up. “She was exhausted so I gave her a sedative… She mentioned something about not sleeping well when I asked if she was alright. She’s likely already passed out and you should let her sleep for as long as she needs to. The more rest she gets the better shape she will be in when she finally wakes up.” The doctor smiled. Tony held out his hand to shake.

“Send me a bill and I’ll send you a check. Thanks, doc.” Tony squeezed the doctor’s hand firmly and then glanced back toward the stairs. Pepper was handling the rest of the interactions with the doctor while Tony just stared toward where he knew Scarlett was resting, contemplating going upstairs to at least check on her.

Instead he turned back to his drink and sat on the couch.

“Jarvis, let’s get searching for MedCo again.”

“Without Miss Damien, sir?” Tony nodded in response to his computer but didn’t offer an explanation. Pepper decided to stay after dealing with the doctor to keep an eye on Tony, worried by his behavior. On top of that, she wanted to make sure that Tony didn’t interrupt Scarlett’s slumber which would last through the next day entirely.