Yes, Virginia, There Really Is An Iron Man: Chapter Seven
TITLE: Yes, Virginia, There Really Is An Iron Man
AUTHOR: Quicksilvermad
SUMMARY: (Movie-verse) Pepper deals with Tony’s newfound lease on life and ends up making a mountain out of her molehill of emotion where her boss is concerned.
GENRE: Humor/Romance
RATING: PG13
PAIRING: Tony/Pepper
DISCLAIMER: Iron Man etc. belong to Marvel Comics et. al.
AN: Have I told you all lately that I love you? Thank you so much for reviewing and sticking with me on these short chapters. They'll get longer, I promise.
Chapter Seven:
He kept his sunglasses on.
That was the first thing that really gave Dr. Horowitz a hint about how Tony’s mind worked. He was still hiding behind things-clothing, sunglasses… Metal suits (if the papers were to be believed).
Dr. Horowitz cleared his throat and flipped through the file on his desk. “It says here that you refused medical attention on your return to the States.”
“That’s true. I had about five cheeseburgers instead. Have you ever been held hostage for three months?”
Horowitz crossed his legs and looked pointedly at the man sitting on the sofa across from him. “No, Mr. Stark, I have not been held hostage.”
Tony sighed in an entirely disappointed sounding way. “Hm,” he brought his right hand up and scratched at his goatee.
Sensing Tony’s reluctance to speak, Horowitz uncrossed his legs and leaned forward-hooking his ledger in the crook of his elbows and resting his chin on his fists. “But I have helped many soldiers suffering from PTSD return to civilian life after their tour of duty, Mr. Stark.”
Tony finally removed his sunglasses and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Okay…” he thought for a moment and Rhodey’s concerned face came to mind. Granted, there were many times he’d gotten in situations that had his friend upset, but the look in Jim Rhodes’ eyes when he picked him up out of the desert was one that truly stuck with him.
Next time, you ride with me, okay?
“I’m assuming that my statements are also in that file you’ve got on your blotter…”
“They are. But I’d rather hear it from you.”
“Fine,” he sighed. Tony shifted on the sofa and wrinkled his nose. “Sometimes I can’t sleep. I usually end up switching to the floor or sleeping on a cot I hid in my garage. That’s all I had there…”
He paused, stared at the ceiling, and chewed at the inside of his lower lip.
“All we had. We took shifts. To keep track of the days. Yinsen took the odd days with the cot and I’d take the even days.”
Horowitz said nothing. Tony surmised that this was part of his method-get the patient talking so that all the hidden crap was revealed. He wasn’t wrong.
He threw one arm across his eyes and slumped onto his back. “Uh… I asked him if he had family. He lied. Well, sort of. Said he did have family waiting for him. I didn’t read enough into it to get that he meant a different sort of waiting… He asked me if I had anyone and…”
Pepper’s face-patient and sweet-swam in his mind’s eye as it had months ago when Yinsen brought the subject of loved ones up.
“I guess I lied, too,” Tony admitted. “I didn’t have ‘nothing.’ Just… Just one person,” he held up one finger to indicate this much.
“Why did you lie?” Horowitz asked. His voice was like a soothing vapor that slid across the room and Tony found himself truly relaxing for the first time in ages.
“I still don’t know. Maybe I didn’t realize it then,” Tony shrugged with one shoulder. “You know, I get these nightmares all the time-about dying. About different ways that it could have happened or what I could have done. Disappointing her.”
Horowitz leaned back and wrote Tony’s statement in his ledger. “Who do you mean by ‘her?’”
“Hm?”
“Who’s your ‘one person?’”
Tony’s lips moved into a quick, almost imperceptible smile. “My assistant, Pepper,” he grew quiet. “She’s all I’ve got.”
Horowitz leaned forward in his chair again. “Have you told her this since your return?”
“Yeah. Twice.”
“And?”
“It’s made things a bit… Weird… Between us. I’ve changed.” Not to mention, I keep kissing her… What the hell was that this morning? I didn’t even think, just… Felt like I should do it.
Horowitz made a few more notes in Tony’s file and then clasped his hands together-elbows planted on his knees. “I’ve noticed.”
“Pardon?”
“Mr. Stark, before your kidnapping you were quite the playboy.”
“This is true.”
“And now how do you feel about that?”
Tony dropped his arm and stared up at the ceiling again. He didn’t answer. Not that he had to. Dr. Horowitz could see that Mr. Stark was not pleased with his former behavior and made note of it.
“Mr. Stark, I think you need to address this personality change. You have been hiding behind the façade of a playboy and now that this false image of yourself has withered away, you need to focus on what has been revealed. You need to stop hiding-stop sleeping on a cot you hid in your garage… When you can’t sleep, Mr. Stark, I want you to either call me on my cell phone or call your Pepper.”
Your Pepper… rang through Tony’s mind for a few minutes.
“Can you promise me that you’ll do that?” Horowitz asked in that comforting vapor-voice.
Tony sat up and thought for a moment about his home and how cold, quiet, and cave-like it could often be. No wonder he couldn’t sleep well. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair-letting it fall into his eyes. “I’ll do it.”
Horowitz smiled genially and motioned with his hands that they were done for now. He placed his ledger on top of Tony’s file and stood.
Tony replaced his sunglasses and stood as well.
“I’m glad you came to see me, Mr. Stark,” Horowitz said.
He held out his hand.
Tony shook it and smiled slightly-still feeling the strange urge to remain in the warm room with the doctor’s comforting presence. If he left he’d be alone again... “Catch you later,” he carelessly tossed over his shoulder as he left.
TBC
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AUTHOR: Quicksilvermad
SUMMARY: (Movie-verse) Pepper deals with Tony’s newfound lease on life and ends up making a mountain out of her molehill of emotion where her boss is concerned.
GENRE: Humor/Romance
RATING: PG13
PAIRING: Tony/Pepper
DISCLAIMER: Iron Man etc. belong to Marvel Comics et. al.
AN: Have I told you all lately that I love you? Thank you so much for reviewing and sticking with me on these short chapters. They'll get longer, I promise.
Chapter Seven:
He kept his sunglasses on.
That was the first thing that really gave Dr. Horowitz a hint about how Tony’s mind worked. He was still hiding behind things-clothing, sunglasses… Metal suits (if the papers were to be believed).
Dr. Horowitz cleared his throat and flipped through the file on his desk. “It says here that you refused medical attention on your return to the States.”
“That’s true. I had about five cheeseburgers instead. Have you ever been held hostage for three months?”
Horowitz crossed his legs and looked pointedly at the man sitting on the sofa across from him. “No, Mr. Stark, I have not been held hostage.”
Tony sighed in an entirely disappointed sounding way. “Hm,” he brought his right hand up and scratched at his goatee.
Sensing Tony’s reluctance to speak, Horowitz uncrossed his legs and leaned forward-hooking his ledger in the crook of his elbows and resting his chin on his fists. “But I have helped many soldiers suffering from PTSD return to civilian life after their tour of duty, Mr. Stark.”
Tony finally removed his sunglasses and scrubbed a hand through his hair. “Okay…” he thought for a moment and Rhodey’s concerned face came to mind. Granted, there were many times he’d gotten in situations that had his friend upset, but the look in Jim Rhodes’ eyes when he picked him up out of the desert was one that truly stuck with him.
Next time, you ride with me, okay?
“I’m assuming that my statements are also in that file you’ve got on your blotter…”
“They are. But I’d rather hear it from you.”
“Fine,” he sighed. Tony shifted on the sofa and wrinkled his nose. “Sometimes I can’t sleep. I usually end up switching to the floor or sleeping on a cot I hid in my garage. That’s all I had there…”
He paused, stared at the ceiling, and chewed at the inside of his lower lip.
“All we had. We took shifts. To keep track of the days. Yinsen took the odd days with the cot and I’d take the even days.”
Horowitz said nothing. Tony surmised that this was part of his method-get the patient talking so that all the hidden crap was revealed. He wasn’t wrong.
He threw one arm across his eyes and slumped onto his back. “Uh… I asked him if he had family. He lied. Well, sort of. Said he did have family waiting for him. I didn’t read enough into it to get that he meant a different sort of waiting… He asked me if I had anyone and…”
Pepper’s face-patient and sweet-swam in his mind’s eye as it had months ago when Yinsen brought the subject of loved ones up.
“I guess I lied, too,” Tony admitted. “I didn’t have ‘nothing.’ Just… Just one person,” he held up one finger to indicate this much.
“Why did you lie?” Horowitz asked. His voice was like a soothing vapor that slid across the room and Tony found himself truly relaxing for the first time in ages.
“I still don’t know. Maybe I didn’t realize it then,” Tony shrugged with one shoulder. “You know, I get these nightmares all the time-about dying. About different ways that it could have happened or what I could have done. Disappointing her.”
Horowitz leaned back and wrote Tony’s statement in his ledger. “Who do you mean by ‘her?’”
“Hm?”
“Who’s your ‘one person?’”
Tony’s lips moved into a quick, almost imperceptible smile. “My assistant, Pepper,” he grew quiet. “She’s all I’ve got.”
Horowitz leaned forward in his chair again. “Have you told her this since your return?”
“Yeah. Twice.”
“And?”
“It’s made things a bit… Weird… Between us. I’ve changed.” Not to mention, I keep kissing her… What the hell was that this morning? I didn’t even think, just… Felt like I should do it.
Horowitz made a few more notes in Tony’s file and then clasped his hands together-elbows planted on his knees. “I’ve noticed.”
“Pardon?”
“Mr. Stark, before your kidnapping you were quite the playboy.”
“This is true.”
“And now how do you feel about that?”
Tony dropped his arm and stared up at the ceiling again. He didn’t answer. Not that he had to. Dr. Horowitz could see that Mr. Stark was not pleased with his former behavior and made note of it.
“Mr. Stark, I think you need to address this personality change. You have been hiding behind the façade of a playboy and now that this false image of yourself has withered away, you need to focus on what has been revealed. You need to stop hiding-stop sleeping on a cot you hid in your garage… When you can’t sleep, Mr. Stark, I want you to either call me on my cell phone or call your Pepper.”
Your Pepper… rang through Tony’s mind for a few minutes.
“Can you promise me that you’ll do that?” Horowitz asked in that comforting vapor-voice.
Tony sat up and thought for a moment about his home and how cold, quiet, and cave-like it could often be. No wonder he couldn’t sleep well. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair-letting it fall into his eyes. “I’ll do it.”
Horowitz smiled genially and motioned with his hands that they were done for now. He placed his ledger on top of Tony’s file and stood.
Tony replaced his sunglasses and stood as well.
“I’m glad you came to see me, Mr. Stark,” Horowitz said.
He held out his hand.
Tony shook it and smiled slightly-still feeling the strange urge to remain in the warm room with the doctor’s comforting presence. If he left he’d be alone again... “Catch you later,” he carelessly tossed over his shoulder as he left.
TBC
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