Across the Universe

“Miss Damien?” Jarvis’ voice echoed from the hallway, calling to Scarlett in her master bedroom through the half open door. Seated next to Tony on her bed with pillows propped up behind her, Scarlett remained wide awake. She’d spent the few hours remaining before sunrise paging through the legal documents that Jarvis had retrieved for her the day before. After they’d made love Tony had at long last found rest, exhausted after days of avoiding sleeping. This had become routine for the couple. They’d spend days awake until one or the other passed out for ten hours and caught up on the slumber they had been so deprived of.

“One sec, Jarvis.” Scarlett checked to make sure that the man lying next to her remained sound asleep. Sprawled across half her bed, with his mouth hanging wide open as he snored, Tony was as comfortable as he could be. Adjusting the blankets that had slipped off of him at some point, Scarlett watched him sleep for a second longer until she was sure that moving wouldn’t disturb him. Tony was sleeping and so intensely that she was sure that short of her deliberately shoving him he would remain that way.

Carefully she crawled out of bed and grabbed her robe from the back of her door. She wrapped it around her over her nightgown and shivered under the cold fabric. Stealing one more glance back at Tony to make sure he was still resting, Scarlett left the bedroom. She closed the door behind her until it was only open the slightest crack. She hadn’t been able to sleep after Tony had passed out next to her despite numerous attempts. The fight they’d had the night before repeated in her mind as did the options that lay in front of her.

“What is it, Jarvis?” Scarlett walked through the hallway, past her office and into the kitchen where she immediately flipped on the coffee maker. It was obvious she wasn’t going to get any chance to sleep that day so she might as well make the best of it. “And check the heat. It’s getting cold.”

“Miss Potts is outside the door looking for Mr. Stark. I wouldn’t let her ring the bell as you specified last time.” Scarlett’s shoulders slumped and she hung her head. Looking again toward the door Scarlett wondered how much time she could buy her boyfriend before he would have to wake up and go to whatever meeting Pepper was retrieving him for. If she had it her way she would let him sleep the day away simply so he could catch up. His lack of sleep concerned her and though she was losing almost as much sleep on his account, it was something she was used to. Tony was obviously the eight hours a day type given his lifestyle over the years. It would be almost impossible to talk Pepper into letting him rest. Scarlett had absolutely no leeway when it came to Pepper Potts.

It wasn’t that Scarlett didn’t like Pepper. No, she had nothing against Tony’s red headed prim and proper assistant. It was Pepper that had something against Scarlett. They tried to make things work for Tony’s sake but neither one of them had been able to find a reason to befriend the other. When they’d first met Pepper had admired Scarlett for her ability to resist Tony’s charms. But over time Pepper had suspected that Scarlett’s motives may have been more than sinister. She had been right.

The real problem was that Pepper had seen exactly what Scarlett had planned to do so when the betrayal came to fruition Pepper had solidified it in her mind that Scarlett was using Tony. What had happened between them wasn’t as simple as one using the other. When Scarlett had given up her past life to be with Tony her darker motives had been completely abandoned. Pepper had never quite forgiven her for how she’d hurt Tony even if she’d had her reasons. It turned out that Pepper was rather overprotective of her boss. They had become very close over the years and she had been his caretaker for longer than she could remember.

Scarlett begrudgingly walked to her front door and looked out the peephole just to confirm it was really Pepper. There was little doubt in her mind that Pepper was there to retrieve Tony. Knowing she couldn’t ignore the woman, Scarlett opened the door and welcomed her inside with a smile. Just because they hadn’t bonded didn’t mean Scarlett couldn’t be polite and even carry a conversation with Pepper.

Pepper was about as tall as Scarlett with light freckles across her skin to match her reddish blond hair. She took one look at the pizza box on the coffee table and then at Scarlett whose lip was still split and looked like she hadn’t slept at all and seemingly knew what had happened the night before.

“You didn’t sleep again.” Pepper seemed exhausted by the idea of dealing with it. When Tony didn’t sleep he was more than a handful to be around. He never wanted to do what was on his schedule and she had to manipulate and drag him all over Manhattan to get anything accomplished. It was easier on the days where Scarlett could come with them. For whatever reason, Scarlett had the magic touch when it came to Tony.

“It’s that obvious, is it?” Scarlett looked over her shoulder at Pepper and then nodded to the coffee pot that was dripping away. She could’ve just asked Jarvis to get coffee for her but Scarlett preferred to do what she could on her own ninety percent of the time. Tony relied so heavily on Jarvis and Pepper sometimes that Scarlett wasn’t sure what he’d do if both of them disappeared at the same time. While she was sure that Tony could fend for himself if absolutely necessary, he didn’t seem to want to if he didn’t have to. “Coffee?”

“You’re usually impeccably clean. The only way you would’ve left that there is if Tony distracted you or you were exhausted.” Pepper waved to the pizza box in the living room and then shook her head at the coffee pot. “No, thank you. I’ve already had some this morning.” Conversation between the two women in Tony’s life was always awkward. Pepper had never forgiven Scarlett for getting them into so much trouble. From the moment Tony had brought Scarlett home from the wreckage of the MedCo building in South Africa danger and mayhem had practically stalked her.

Men in black suits had hunted her down at every opportunity. On more than one occasion Pepper, Tony, and Happy had been caught in the crossfire. Pepper had never been convinced that Scarlett was worth the hell that they had gone through. Scarlett hadn’t asked any of them to care for her; in fact she had asked them to stay out of it. Tony had been using Scarlett to get information about MedCo since they had been using Stark Industry weapons for their arms dealing. Scarlett had been hoping to discover that Tony was secretly funding MedCo’s endeavors so she could reveal his true identity to the press and destroy his career. They’d both been guilty of deceit, but Scarlett’s deceit had been more destructive in Pepper’s opinion. She had never understood why Tony had become so attached to a woman who had done nothing but deceive him. But still she had watched them fall in love and that she understood.

Despite Pepper’s grudge against Scarlett she couldn’t discourage Tony from pursuing her. She had never seen Tony so in love before and even though he ground on her nerves half the time, he deserved happiness.

“Or a bit of both.” Scarlett leaned against the counter near the coffee pot and shrugged her shoulder. “What does he have to do today? You’re obviously here to fetch him. I know you’re not here to chat with me.”

“There’s a meeting about the test facility we’re building upstate for the energy project.” Pepper nodded out the large windows that showed the view of Manhattan below. It was a foggy cold day outside and the view of the city was almost haunting. Even in the worst of weather, Manhattan was beautiful.

“What can I do to get him out of it?” Scarlett poured a cup of coffee once the timer had gone off to let her know the pot was finished brewing. She quickly added cream and two sugars into her mug before taking a long drink of it. It was amazing how reliant she’d become on the drink over the last two months. Considering she wasn’t sleeping she was sure that her blood was seventy percent coffee by this point.

“Scarlett…” Pepper began in a scolding tone. Sometimes dealing with Scarlett had been much easier than dealing with Tony because she had been able to convince him that he needed to get out and keep busy with his work. Scarlett seemed to have this magical way of handling Tony where he actually listened to her without much prying. Pepper had no idea how the woman did it or why Tony listened to her the way that he did. Sometimes it irritated her considering how long she’d known Tony but at the same time she knew that love did funny things to people. When it came down to it she was happy that Tony had someone that he felt comfortable around.

“Look, he only got a few hours of sleep at most and he is finally resting soundly. It’s been maybe four hours since he passed out, maybe less.” Scarlett held up her hand and hoped she could reason with Pepper. “He’s exhausted. Mentally and physically. The poor thing rarely manages this. Can’t we postpone this meeting for a few hours? Make it an afternoon meeting, a working lunch if you will.” Pepper seemed to be tossing the idea around in her mind but Scarlett could already tell the answer was no.

“Has he told you why he can’t sleep yet?” Pepper seemed hopeful that maybe the discussion that needed to happen had finally happened.

“No, every time I ask about it he gets defensive.” Scarlett folded her arms over her chest and leaned against the island in her kitchen where she took a very long sip from her mug. It wouldn’t be very long before it was empty. “He woke me after an hour or two of sleep and we ordered pizza. I managed to get him to rest in my bed but he’s… it’s not enough, Pepper. Let him have this day. Make an excuse of some kind. Say there was an emergency with me. I’ll pretend to be sick if I have to. Tell people he’s taking care of me. That should soften the blow, right?”

“He’s got to stop staying up all night. I’ve picked up at least ten natural alternatives to the heavy medication he refuses to take. He won’t touch any of it.”

“He says he feels like he’s menstruating when you try to make him drink sleepy time tea.” Scarlett couldn’t help but smile and Pepper instantly rolled her eyes. “I know. I know. I got him to try a few things but none of it works for very long. Falling asleep isn’t the problem, Pepper. It’s staying asleep.”

“And you’re not sleeping either so it doesn’t make this any easier for either of us.” Pepper rolled her eyes and walked over to the living room table where she promptly began to clean up the pizza mess. Pepper was habitually cleaning up after Tony as she always had. It helped to calm her nerves by putting his chaos back into order.

“Well, I can’t very well let him go through this alone, whatever it is.” Scarlett cocked a curious eyebrow. Pepper threw a look over her shoulder and sighed deeply.

“You could. Tony’s stubborn. You need to sleep too. You’re both going to end up in the nuthouse at this rate.” Pepper’s voice had softened despite her objections. “If you slept maybe it would encourage him to sleep.”

“It’s not that simple, I’ve tried. I sleep just fine. He doesn’t want me to be awake. He feels guilty when I am because of him even if he won’t admit it.”

“You fed into the habit of keeping him company and now he won’t let you sleep.”

“If he’s going through something and the most he can ask of me is to keep him some company then I’m happy to do it.” Scarlett shrugged and poured a second cup of coffee. “That’s what this is for. At least I bought a nice coffee maker, it makes things a little easier.” She joked in hopes of changing the mood but she could practically feel Pepper’s scowl behind her.

“I’m sorry Scarlett, but we’ve canceled and rearranged this meeting a dozen times already. He has to show up or they’re going to put the program on the backburner.”

“Isn’t this more important?” Scarlett’s attempts to stop being a workaholic and live her life happily with Tony had changed her views on many things and that included the need to sacrifice one’s health for their career. Tony needed sleep and Stark Industries certainly wasn’t doing poorly. “He hasn’t been up to working on the converter recently anyway, so why do we need a test site for it?”

“Because that’s why we moved here to begin with. We got funding through New York State before he met you and if they don’t see us working on it then they’re going to pull funding. No amount of Tony’s charm can help him if Tony isn’t there to be charming.” Pepper rolled her eyes. She wasn’t sure why Tony’s charm worked on much of anybody but that was likely because she’d spent so much time watching him manipulate those around him. It was part of what made Tony such a brilliant business man. He could get anyone to do anything and think that he was doing them a favor.

“Alright, I get it.” Scarlett set down her cup. Pepper wasn’t trying to put business before Tony, Scarlett knew that. But she understood why they’d never worked out as a couple. Pepper and Tony had different priorities in their life and neither one was used to compromise. Pepper’s features softened as she watched the gears turn in Scarlett’s head. She really did care for Tony and even if it she didn’t trust Scarlett, she had to respect that. Scarlett loved Tony and more importantly, at least to her, Tony loved Scarlett.

“I’m not trying to be the bad guy.”

“You’re not the bad guy, Pepper. You’re doing your job.” Scarlett shook her head and set her coffee cup down on the counter. “I’m worried about him, that’s all.” Scarlett walked closer to Tony’s assistant who bobbed her head in recognition.

“I’m glad you’re looking out for him, I really am. But he has to be there this morning or he’s going to lose this gig and we moved here for no reason.” Pepper nodded toward the cityscape out the window.

“He needs time to get ready.” Scarlett relented at long last with a deep breath. “I’ll wake him and send him down when he’s showered and dressed. But you know how he is when he doesn’t want to get out of bed, so I can’t promise how quickly this will happen.”

“And it’s even worse when you’re with him.” Pepper rolled her eyes. Tony had to be practically dragged out of bed like a ten year old who didn’t want to go to school when he finally managed to get sleep. When Scarlett was sleeping next to him he used every trick he could think of in order to stay there with her.

“I’ll take care of it. Go have breakfast or something. There’s a Starbucks around the corner and pumpkin is back. From what I hear it’s pretty significant.” Scarlett walked to her front door and held it open to urge Pepper on her way.

“Fine.” Pepper threw the pizza box, folded up, into the trash can near the counter and started out the door. As she was halfway out the door she turned her attention back to Scarlett and smiled sincerely. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. Thanks for giving me this extra time to prep him.” Scarlett offered a half hearted gesture of gratitude while watching Pepper leave. “Damn.” Scarlett exhaled as she closed the front door. “Jarvis, make Tony his usual latte. He doesn’t like the way I make it.”

“It’s the same exact coffee, Miss Damien. I find that unlikely.” Jarvis sounded puzzled. “You are excellent at such things.”

“Aw, thank you. But still he says mine tastes funny.” Scarlett proceeded carefully toward her room with a smile.

“It is statistically impossible that it tastes any different.”

“Yes, we both know that. Can you do it for me anyway?”

“For you, anything. It’s on its way.”

“Well then why did you argue with me?” Scarlett laughed. Sometimes the computer was more like Tony than either wanted to admit. Tony had joked over time that Jarvis had a crush on Scarlett. Sometimes Scarlett wondered if there was some truth to that. When asked, Jarvis explained that he was not programmed to feel such emotions. It had become clear with time that Jarvis was biased when it came to Scarlett though he would never admit it.

“I was not arguing.”

“Oh, don’t start with me. I already have to drag one stubborn man out of bed, I don’t have the energy to explain the definition of arguing to you.” Scarlett shook her finger in no particular direction. When she opened the door to the master bedroom again, Jarvis didn’t respond. She had him muted in the bedroom unless it was an emergency so that he would never disturb Tony on the off chance he would actually manage to get some sleep at night.

Scarlett sat down on the bed next to Tony who had curled up underneath the blankets and now hugged the pillow underneath him. He seemed peaceful for the first time in a long time. Her stomach churned at the idea of waking him just so he could go to some dull meeting. It didn’t seem important in the span of things. Surely Tony could be late and still manage to keep his deal with the state of New York. And if he couldn’t, did it matter? They could apply for funding elsewhere. Hell, Scarlett would provide the money if she had to.

Scarlett brushed her fingers through his short trimmed hair gingerly. He stirred and leaned into her touch but didn’t open his eyes. She couldn’t help but smile. At least she offered him comfort while he slept since she couldn’t seem to during the waking hours.

“Tony…” If she could coax him gently out of sleep at least he’d have a good start to his day. Tony grunted and squirmed on the bed then squinted and peered at her with one eye open. It took him ten seconds to realize exactly what was happening.

Scarlett was waking him up to send him to work.

Closing his eye again with another grunt he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into bed with him. Laughing, Scarlett tried to push his arms off of her but he had successfully managed to replace the pillow he’d been holding with her. “No! No, you can’t do this! You have to get up!”

“Ten more minutes.” Tony muttered, resting his head against her chest and nuzzling into her bosom.

“No, not ten more minutes.” Scarlett tried to squirm out of Tony’s arms but he only reaffirmed his grip. This had gotten them into trouble with Pepper on more than one occasion but she hadn’t figured out how to get out of it yet. That was mostly due to the fact that she didn’t want to escape. She wanted to give in.

“Fifteen minutes?”

“No, Tony! That is the opposite of a compromise.”

“Thirty?” He yawned but opened his eyes half lidded. He placed his chin on her chest so he could look up at her. Scarlett stopped squirming and placed a hand on his shoulder, offering up a sympathetic smile. “I don’t want to work.” He pouted dramatically and batted his large eyes. Scarlett shook her head in dismay.

“Puppy dog eyes won’t work on Pepper, you know.” Scarlett relaxed in his arms with a heavy feeling. She felt guilty waking him up.

“I tried it once before after I realized it worked on you. She asked if I had something in my eye.” Tony yawned and closed his eyes again, nuzzling against her once more in an attempt to get comfortable.

“I tried to get you out of it but it didn’t work.”

“Pepper likes you way less than she likes me.” Tony nodded knowingly. “I appreciate the effort though.”

“I think I’m growing on her.” Scarlett said with wishful thinking and Tony made a sound that clearly told Scarlett she was very wrong about her assumption. “Well, fine then. Either way, you have to get up and put on your big boy pants today.”

“I am too tired to work.” Tony turned away from Scarlett’s gaze, sure that his eyes were incriminating that early in the morning. Scarlett often saw through any guise he tried to throw at her. Spending so much time together had given them each the opportunity to discover the other’s tell. Scarlett’s was much harder to find than Tony’s. It turned out the billionaire often wore his heart on his sleeve.

“I know.” Leaning up on her elbow, Scarlett tilted his chin up to look at her with her motions. “But if you get up and go to work now then I’ll help you get ready and we can come back to your place later and have a nap together.” Scarlett offered with an encouraging smile. Bribery worked very well with Tony.

“But we never nap when we say we’re going to nap.” Tony’s eyebrows rose high on his forehead at the implications and the hint of a smile rested at the corner of his mouth.

“That is the point of taking a nap together, Tony.” Scarlett laughed, offering him a playful smirk. Weighing his options Tony eventually nodded and released Scarlett from his grip.

“Okay, that’s a deal.” Tony slowly sat up and slumped forward. He swung his legs lazily over the side of the bed and leaned his elbows on his knees before holding his head in his hands. The lack of sleep was catching up with him and he felt a sharp pulse in the back of his head. “I’m way too tired for this.”

“Here,” Scarlett untangled her legs from the blankets that Tony had brought with him when he’d practically tackled her and got out of bed. Crouching in front of him she took both of his hands and kissed the back of them. Tony watched her, enamored that she was trying to help him in any way that she could. He turned down her help at every avenue and yet she ignored that and helped him regardless.

“Scarlett, you don’t have to.” Tony whispered seriously. He tried to hide his guilty conscience but he wasn’t sure how successful he’d been.

“Will you shut up already?” Scarlett laughed and still holding both his hands carefully led him off of the bed and toward her bathroom. It wasn’t that she thought he wasn’t perfectly capable of taking care of himself it was that she thought he deserved to be cared for every so often by someone who loved him and wasn’t being paid to care. Tony suspected that secretly Scarlett was comforted when she took care of him.

“You know that’s like the one thing I actually can’t do.” Tony smirked, following her at long last into the bathroom. He’d argued with her about this before, mostly because he wasn’t sure how to deal with someone caring for him in such a way but he no longer put up much of a fight. When it came down to it Tony actually really enjoyed Scarlett taking care of him and getting him ready for work. It was cute. And while being cute felt rather silly to them both, it also felt incredibly nice. After the craziness they had gone through together and before they’d met each other, didn’t they deserve a little happiness?

“I’m more than aware. Come on, you have to shower.”

“You’re coming with me, right? That’s the only way I will shower this morning.” Tony cocked his eyebrows up and down comically.

“Oh, how I’d like to.” Scarlett laughed and shook her head no as she opened the glass door to the shower. Turning on the hot water, she prepared it for Tony so he could hopefully wake up enough to get some work done. “Unfortunately, we will never get out of there in time and both end up falling asleep again if we do that together. I’m afraid you will have to brave the soap alone. And you can’t say no because you stink.” Scarlett bowed her head apologetically. “The good news is that I have a very nice suit all laid out for you already. Jarvis is making your latte with an extra shot of espresso so it’ll be ready when you’re all done. You’re scruffy so we have to give you a nice shave too.”

“How am I supposed to want to leave when you’re doing this?” Tony whined as he walked into the shower without her. “You’re spoiling me. They are not going to spoil me where I’m going.”

“Says the world’s most spoiled human being. You will survive a few hours without me.” Scarlett called over the running water. While he showered she would pick out a suit for him to wear as she had promised. When he left clothes behind at her place she had Jarvis send it off to be dry cleaned so there was something there for him the next time he inevitably fell asleep either on her couch or in her arms in bed. He called to her from the shower but Scarlett couldn’t hear what he said though she’s sure it was some kind of smart ass remark.

It was true that she was spoiling him rotten but she couldn’t help but feel responsible for his lack of sleep. Something she had done was inevitably the reason that he wasn’t finding sleep at night or suffering from some kind of nightmare. He hadn’t openly admitted that was the reason but Scarlett wasn’t stupid and she most certainly wasn’t naïve. It was the very least she could do to take care of him after the pain she’d caused. Plus, when it came to being with Tony she wanted to take care of him. That hadn’t happened to Scarlett not even once before in any relationship she’d ever been in.

She took this as a good sign. At least she wanted to make this particular boyfriend happy. When it came to her last relationship she couldn’t care less what he’d wanted and only kept him around because it had been easier than constantly turning him down with how persistent he’d been for so long. She’d been in relationships out of habit before meeting Tony. She had a nasty history of sabotaging any of the good ones, so the fact that things were going decently well with Tony despite their ups and downs had to be a good thing. Even when they fought they found a way to make up and recover.

Scarlett heard the water turn off after she’d finished cleaning the bedroom from the night before. Joining Tony in the bathroom she found him rubbing his hand over his jaw that had become scruffy overnight. That was partially why he’d decided to grow the goatee he’d become known for. It only took him a week to grow it, so what was the point of shaving it off every damn day?

“Here…” Tony opened the top drawer in the bathroom to the left of the sink and pulled out his razor blade and shaving cream. It was very rarely that Tony did it himself anymore. After Scarlett had done it for him one time he’d grown addicted. There had been times when she’d been busy early in the morning and he’d interrupted her day just so she would come back and shave his goatee so he could go out.

Knowing it wasn’t worth arguing over anymore, Scarlett picked up the coffee that Jarvis had delivered to her moments prior and walked into the bathroom. She handed him the coffee and then jumped onto the bathroom counter next to the shaving kit. Without a word Scarlett let Tony take a drink of his coffee before spraying shaving foam into her hands.

When he put the drink down and instead placed his hands on her hips she lathered up his jaw appropriately. Before she picked up the razor blade, Tony pushed her legs apart and slipped between them against the counter. She looked at him skeptically.

“We don’t have time for this, Tony.” Having watched him adjust her, she knew exactly what he was up to. The worst part was that she was very much contemplating what he hadn’t even offered yet. This was precisely what Pepper had meant when she’d said that getting Tony out of bed was even harder when he was with Scarlett.

“We have whatever time we want. Pepper can wait.” Tony tugged at the bottom of her nightgown playfully. Scarlett purposely looked away from his wet abdomen, swallowed the lump in her throat and forced him to tilt his chin upward. He hadn’t made much of an attempt to try off and she guessed that was by design. Tony knew his strengths and used them to his advantage at every opportunity.

“You have to go to this meeting, Tony.” She whispered, but his hands crept eagerly behind her. “Stand still.”

“I’m very stiff. I mean still.”

“You’re groping me, that’s not still.” Scarlett carefully ran the razor over his jaw, making sure not to cut him but to get the scruff that had grown from the day before. The truth was that every time they did this Tony hadn’t kept his hands to himself. Had she really expected him to do that this time? Probably not, but it didn’t change the fact that she felt the need to scold him about it. That was half the fun. When she wiped the shaving cream off of the razor nearby on a towel she’d set out, Tony leaned to kiss her neck. Scarlett laughed and leaned away from the kiss. “Hey! Messy!”

“Sorry, sorry…” Tony leaned his head up again and cleared his throat but wasn’t remotely sorry. Half the shaving cream he’d had on his face was now on her neck. Scarlett smacked his cheek purposely and spread the shaving cream higher on his face. “Hey!”

“You started it.”

“You are going to get me in trouble with Pepper.”

“You are going to get me into trouble with Pepper.” Scarlett scolded and held his chin still again before continuing to shave along his jaw. It was meticulous work at first and when she’d given it her first try weeks ago; her hands had shaken terribly. Now that she’d done it numerous times she was far less nervous and more adept with the blade.

“I’m starting to think we should just pretend we’re not here when she comes back for me.” Tony whispered with a smirk, leaning to kiss her neck again as she wiped off the blade once more. “But you have a very hard time being quiet in these situations…”

“My god, you just can’t help yourself can you?”

“You know the answer to that already. I can remind you if you like.” He muttered against her neck. Scarlett seriously considered letting it go and dealing with the fallout of his business later so they could steal another hour together as his remaining whiskers tickled her neck and gave her shivers. “I don’t hear you objecting.”

“I’m holding a very sharp object.” Scarlett glanced toward the door in hopes of catching the time on her clock in the other room. Tony hiked the lace of her nightgown up, adjusting it so it wasn’t trapped beneath her on the counter. The slightest hint of his hands on her flesh made her shiver but she did her best to hide it.

“That was weak, not even the usual half hearted “oh Tony don’t, please stop.” Tony did his best imitation of her that he could manage though it was terrible. Scarlett laughed and went to continue when a shrill ringing from the coat pocket of the suit Scarlett had hung up at the other end of the room interrupted them. “Ignore it.”

“It’s Pepper.” Scarlett laughed, holding up the razor blade again as menacingly as she could manage. Tony grabbed her wrist and pulled the razor carefully from her hands and threw it behind him as far as he could. “We don’t have time for this. You don’t have time.”

“I’m taking that as a compliment.” Tony kissed over her wrist and closed his eyes. He’d vowed when they’d returned from Moscow with their lives that he wouldn’t waste another moment and that was precisely what he was doing.

“Mr. Stark, Miss Potts is calling for you.” Jarvis echoed throughout the bathroom, bringing up a screen in preparation of transmitting the video call.

“No! Jarvis! Not video! Cancel the video! Naked! Abort! Abort!” Tony swatted the screen away and it disappeared from view just in time. Instead an audio symbol next to Pepper’s name appeared next to them. Tony leaned his head against Scarlett’s chest again and groaned in annoyance.

“Scarlett? Tony’s not answering his phone. We’re going to be late for our meeting and I can only stall for so long!” Pepper sounded exasperated on the other end of the line. “Do you need my help getting him out the door?”

“I need exactly none of your help!” Tony responded. Scarlett covered his mouth but stifled a laugh. He bit at her fingers playfully.

“He’s being difficult. I’m not surprised.”

“I’m not difficult.” Tony whispered kissing at Scarlett’s neck again and purposely ignoring Pepper. “She’s difficult.”

“We’re almost done, Pepper. He needed a shower and now a shave. Give us ten more minutes.”

“Twenty more minutes.”

“Ten.” Scarlett clarified.

“Fine, but that’s it.” Pepper had a way of transmitting her annoyance through the phone even though they couldn’t see the angry look on her face.

“Thank you!” Scarlett called as Jarvis hung up.

“No thank you! How is it she still manages to interrupt us even now?” Tony pouted as Scarlett urged his lips again away from her neck and where they’d drifted down her chest. She was a shaving cream mess now, but that was how it always ended up when she helped him out in the morning.

When they’d first been dancing around the inevitable romance that had blossomed between the two of them, the only reason it hadn’t progressed as quickly as Tony wanted it to was because Pepper had managed to interrupt them at nearly every occasion they’d had to get close.

Tony had joked that she was not only his assistant but also his personal cock block. Scarlett hadn’t agreed with him until the interruptions had persisted even after their relationship had gotten this far.

“To be fair, you are practically humping my leg every time we’re together.” Scarlett swatted his shoulder and then climbed off of the counter. After fixing her nightgown she retrieved the razorblade that Tony had thrown across the room. Tony was sipping his coffee, getting shaving cream all over the cup. “You are never getting out of here at this rate.”

“That is exactly what I’m going for.” He pointed out, tilting his head to the side as he watched her walk away. If he had to leave there was no reason he couldn’t enjoy himself. Scarlett returned to the counter and lathered his chin up for the fourth time then finished shaving his goatee while he spoke.

“I have things to do today too, Tony.” She whispered, careful not to trap herself between Tony and the counter again.

“I had every intention of having you be that thing I do today.” Tony pouted comically once she’d finished.

“Stop it.” Scarlett laughed and turned the water on in the sink, rinsing off the razor blade. Tony washed his face and slapped aftershave on his chin before turning back to her. “God you’re still all wet and… okay, go get dressed.” Scarlett waved him away from her. Tony laughed and purposely flexed to tease her. “Don’t forget that nap later!” She called from the bedroom. “Put your clothes on. God, why would I ever say that? Pepper owes me.” Scarlett muttered under her breath, picking out something to wear for the remainder of her day. After he left, she’d have to get ready to run her own errands. It had taken much longer to get Tony out the door than she had anticipated.

Tony watched Scarlett walk out of the bathroom and sighed heavily. Despite how playful he was being the demons in the back of his mind were in full force. He’d slept at long last, but it hadn’t been nearly long enough to shake the weariness from his bones. His attempts to ignore his responsibilities had only been half sincere. He knew that he had to do his work and run his company, but if he could steal a few more minutes of happiness with Scarlett than he would. Maybe if he did something to work off his steam and have some genuine fun out on the town it would help ease his worried mind. He doubted that was the truth, but it couldn’t hurt. He’d ask Scarlett about it later if he got the chance to.

“Are you dressed yet?” Scarlett peeked in the bathroom, half expecting to see him there half naked and dripping as he had been before as if to taunt her.

“Unfortunately.” Tony was finishing buttoning up his light blue shirt. Scarlett walked into the bathroom and swatted his hands away from the buttons. She straightened his collar and smoothed out the front of his shirt. Then she grabbed his tie and draped it around his neck before tying it for him and tightening it just enough. He couldn’t help but smile. “I think you might love me.”

“No way, I’m fantasizing about choking you right now.” Scarlett fixed his collar over his tie and then handed him his jacket.

“Kinky, I like it.” Tony grabbed at her nightgown again and she swatted his hands away.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Now get out there and go to your meeting.” Once he’d slipped on his jacket, Scarlett smacked his butt playfully. Nearly jumping a mile he turned around and reached for her but she ran out of the way and back into the bathroom. He followed after her.

“Don’t start what you can’t finish, Scarlett!” Tony pointed an accusing finger at her as she walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway. He followed, catching up to her and placed his hands at her sides, leaning purposely to brush his now perfectly manicured scruff against the side of her neck.

“If I recall you are the one who doesn’t have the time to finish it.” Scarlett turned in his arms near the front door and pointed an accusing finger at him. Tony bit at her finger but she pulled it out of his reach before he could get it. Despite how playful they were being Tony could see the worry in her blue eyes. She wanted to send him to his meeting about as much as he wanted to go to it. Both of them knew there was no way around it. Why neither one of them said what was on their mind, they weren’t quite sure.

“Don’t tempt me.” Tony bridged the gap between them with every intention of kissing her but stopped with his lips against her as there was a knock on the door. He sighed and gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Miss Potts is here,” Jarvis chimed in, as if they couldn’t already tell who was behind the door.

“I swear to god…”

“It’s not her fault you’re a little slutty.” Scarlett defended Pepper instantly.

“You know she doesn’t like you right? You don’t have to be nice about this stuff. You should be mad. You are aware of exactly what she’s making you miss.” Tony smirked, remaining close to her lips, feeling her hot breath on his lips.

“I’m not nice, I’m honest.” Scarlett shook her head slightly but didn’t pull away.

“I’m holding you to that nap later.” Tony kissed her at long last and reluctantly released her from his arms. The small taste of her lips wasn’t enough to relieve the ache in his chest, but it would have to do for the time being.

“Okay, you slut. Get to work.” Scarlett opened the door to her apartment and held it for him. Pepper gave her a knowing look and then pointed to her neck accusingly. “Damnit.” Scarlett wiped the shaving cream off of her neck and then smiled apologetically.

“Not her fault, I’m very distracting. Be mad at me.” Tony fixed his suit jacket, buttoned it up at the front, and then walked out the door. “I’ll call after my meeting.” Scarlett nodded and when they turned away she closed the door. She had a full day ahead of her and even though she would worry about Tony through most of it, she knew there was much to be done. Tony and Pepper walked down the hall in silence until they got to the elevator.

“When are you going to tell her?” Pepper was giving him that look again. It was a look that clearly disapproved of his behavior. She was glad for Tony, truly. It made her happy to see him happy, but he was keeping secrets and setting himself up for a fall. The damage it would do to the two of them if he screwed up their relationship with lies would be irreparable.

“Tell her what, Pepper?” Tony knew very well what Pepper was referring to but was hoping not to acknowledge it. He wanted to talk to her about it even less than he wanted to talk to Scarlett about.

“That the nightmares about her.” Pepper placed her hands on her hips when the elevator opened at the bottom floor of the now bustling office. During the daylight hours Stark Tower was filled with employees working on changing the world of science. “That they’re why you don’t sleep.”

“Let me think. Never.” Tony nodded resolutely, waving to the security manager near the front door who screened employees for entry.

“Tony! You have got to tell her one way or another. And then you have to start sleeping again because I can’t keep doing this. You can’t keep doing this. Hell, she can’t keep doing this. She’s exhausted. Even if she’s not telling you, she’s wiped out.” Pepper waited for Happy to open the backdoor of the town car for her before climbing inside. Tony did the same on the other side of it but didn’t wait for Happy.

“What?” Tony tilted his head to the side curiously. It hadn’t occurred to him that Scarlett was actually losing sleep because of him. Of course, it was an obvious conclusion to draw but he’d been so swept up in the fact that he wasn’t sleeping it didn’t occur to him that Scarlett was losing just as much sleep if not more. She hadn’t complained once about being tired and here he was whining every chance he got that he was exhausted.

“Didn’t think about that, did you?” Pepper rolled her eyes and looked down at her phone, paging through the meetings that she’d had to rearrange in the past weeks. “You have to tell her.”

“I will.”

“When?”

“When I can.” Tony muttered, looking down at his phone. Scarlett sent him a text message with a picture of his coffee and he held it up to Pepper and pouted.

“No, you’re not going back in there! Keep your pants on for an hour! We’ll stop and get you a new coffee.”

“You are absolutely no fun.” Tony pouted and despite how badly he didn’t want to go to his meeting, he no longer wanted to go back inside either. Tony wanted to clear his head. He wanted to be able to sleep. He wanted to keep Scarlett safe but he wanted her to be happy too. How was he ever going to fix what was going on in his head so he could keep the happiness they’d found together? On top of that, why didn’t he feel like he deserved what he was getting? Did she struggle the same way that he did with these thoughts? And if so why didn’t she tell him?

It was probably for the same reason he didn’t tell her. For the next few hours, Tony would have to explain why he had put off this very important meeting with investors after having worked so hard to get their approval in the first place. But in the back of his mind, Tony obsessed over the things beyond his control. Even when he wasn’t asleep to have nightmares he worried about nightmares. It was a vicious cycle of events. Somehow Tony knew he wouldn’t be sleeping again that night.