As a child, Tony Stark spent a lot of time thinking about how cool it would be to meet Captain America. When it finally (improbably) happens, it doesn’t go at all like he’d imagined.

He’d pictured fewer insults, for one thing.

There's a bruise across his ribcage, a mottled purple mess, yellow-green around the edges.

Right now, Tony is working on a 1970 Barracuda 426 convertible he's rebuilding from scrap, hands busy, eyes on his work, but he doesn't need to show his tells for her to read him.

"Mr. Stark, stalking is subject to a penalty of imprisonment up to one year in the state of California," she reminds him politely.

So, somewhere in between becoming personal secretary to one of the most powerful men in the world, and said man becoming a self-proclaimed superhero, Pepper had accepted that fact that one day she was going to be kidnapped.

She’d prepared for it. She carried around pepper spray, a tazer, a pen, a book of crosswords, a mini-GPS, and pictures of her fictional children. Just in case her kidnappers turned out to be sympathetic. She’d read volumes and volumes about the psychology behind kidnapping. She’d taken self-defense courses. She was as prepared for a kidnapping as anyone could possibly be.

When she thinks about it, Pepper knows that she probably should have quit years ago.

No one would have blamed her really (especially later, after he came back from the cave and built a suit of armor to hide away in, because what sane person would have actually stayed?) but she didn’t, and she won’t, so it’s neither here or there.

Just another part of the vicious cycle of give (mostly her) and take (always him) that they’re stuck in.

"Do you have a special ringtone for me?" Tony asked, without looking up.

"What?"

With a pair of long tweezers he extracted something that glittered from the tangle of copper, examined it critically from several angles and set it aside. "On your phone. Something that reminds you of me, for when I call you."

"Did you have something in particular in mind?"

"As a matter of fact," Tony said, "I did. I was thinking, you know what would be good? 'Wind Beneath My Wings.'"

Emma might, possibly, be blushing. It’s hard to tell. “That was Goa.”

“I’m pretty sure it was…”

“No, you just like saying Phuket.”

“You, Miss Frost, are no fun.”

“That isn’t what you said in Istanbul.”

“Not Constantinople?”

“If you must get songs stuck in my head, at least have the courtesy to choose ones you know all the words to.”

WHEREAS Virginia Elizabeth Potts is of the belief and opinion that "this thing we have now" requires clarification and limitation.

"Rhodey thinks this is strange, us doing this. You doing this."

He shrugs. "Rhodey thinks that a lot of things I do are strange."

"So do I."

"You're not wrong," he says, rubbing his thumbs in tight, tiny circles along her arch.

“I could’ve sworn I fired you.” “You did. And then you rehired me when you realized no one else would bring you coffee in the middle of the night.” “Damn my coffee habit.” “Yes, let’s blame the coffee.”

Stunning artwork (manip) and set of icons.

"What is this, Jarvis?"

"Compliments of Mr. Stark, Miss. He said to tell you it was," a heavy robotic sigh from the walls, "An assistant to assist you with your assistance."