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Pepper’s heart skipped a beat when a sound came outside, but after intently listening for several seconds, she realized it was a false alarm. She sat down again, pursing her lips tightly together to stop them from trembling.
She told herself that he was okay. That even though they didn’t know if Tony was dead or alive, he had to be alright. He was Tony Stark. The man that survived being kidnapped by terrorists and made an armor out of scraps. He was just too pigheaded to die. That thought brought a small smile to her face, hopeful that he would come back to her.
At least she was glad of not being alone. Even if she didn’t want to talk, it felt mildly comforting having Rhodey, Steve, Thor and Natasha there with her. People who also cared about Tony. But trully, all the comfort she needed was the sound of his voice in her mind.
After receiving his message, which was a burst of joy as a sign that at that moment he was still alive, his words burned in her memory. Even if he said he was okay when he clearly wasn’t. He never changed. But what trully stayed with her was ‘I’ll be dreaming about you, it’s always been you’.
A few rogue tears escaped her eyes, rolling down her cheeks as her chest convulsed with sobs she wasn’t strong enough to hold back. Closing her eyes tight, Pepper wiped her tears. He would be okay, he would.
“You okay?” Steve’s voice startled her slightly. When she looked up, there he was, a look of empathy reflected in his blue eyes.
“Yes” She managed a smile for him, grateful for their attentions. Yesterday it had been Rhodey, as he often went to check on her.
“He’s strong, Pepper” Steve said gravely. “He will be okay”
“He’s stubborn, you mean” She forced a chuckle, to which he smiled.
It wasn’t a genuine smile either, more of a sad one. Like her chuckle, forced and fake. But it was all they had for now.
“Um…” Pepper changed the subject, deafened by the heavy silence. “Weren’t you going to shave?”
Steve’s hand automatically went to his thick beard. His brows furrowed at the reminder, almost like it was another thing that linked him to that dreadful moment. The moment when they lost, when half the population was snapped and gone. Because of them. Because of their failure, he told himself.
“Yeah” Steve replied, sighing at the thought that he hadn’t had the energy to even shave. Everything felt like such an effort. “I should do that”
“Thank you, Steve” Pepper told him, earning a nod from him before he left.
When she was left alone again, Pepper sighed. Tony was alive, she could tell. She knew it in her heart, he was still alive.
A glimmer of hope arrived there, igniting in her heart. He would come back. It was a hunch. Maybe she was just lying to herself. It wasn’t the first time she told herself that his return was inminent. But this time, her feeling was correct. And Pepper couldn’t have moved faster as she heard a spaceship landing outside.