Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.

Challenges Listed at the Bottom.

Pairing - TonyPepper (TonyCentric)

Word Count - 660

Impact

It was a mess. He was a mess.

Sure, he'd managed to figure out the element that had saved his life, and sure, Pepper was lying upstairs in the bed they now shared, but that didn't automatically fix everything that had happened over the last year.

Tony had been barely holding on by a thread and now…

Now he was free falling with no idea how to catch himself before he hit rock bottom.

He'd freed up some of his time by giving Pepper the promotion of her life, and saved himself the bother of forever attempting to be a fully functioning adult when, let's face it, wasn't his strongest game, and yet…

He still wasn't sleeping.

He was still spending hours in the lab, distracting himself from life in an attempt to keep his mind busy enough that he wouldn't panic.

Tony couldn't afford to panic.

He'd thought… he'd though he could do it. Turn over a new leaf, be a superhero, and yet…

Iron Man, recommended, Tony Stark, nope.

He just didn't get it. How could part of him be recommended and the rest of him tossed to the side? Maybe they didn't understand, but he was Iron Man. Iron Man was him, the best part of him.

Tony wasn't sure how to explain and honestly, he didn't think it would matter. The decision had been made. He wasn't ever going to be an Avenger; he wasn't ever going to be given the chance to make up for his naive ignorance.

But it was okay.

He could do it alone, the same way he had been. He could distract himself enough to not panic, he could push away the doubts and the fears and he could be… good.

He could be good.

Unselfish.

He could be all the things the world had decided they didn't need, if it only meant he could save lives instead of unintentionally causing them to end.

And Pep would be there. She loved him, she did, he believed her when she told him that. He wasn't completely sure if she knew exactly what she was loving, but he was selfish enough to take it anyway.

"Sir," Jarvis interrupted Tony's train of thought gently, softly.

Christ, even his AI was treading gently.

"What is it, J?"

"Miss Potts is awake and asking after you," Jarvis told him quietly. "I believe she wishes you to return to bed, Sir."

Tony nodded, swallowing hard. He could do that. He could go and climb into bed beside her and sleep with her in his arms.

He could do that.

"Tell her I'll be right there, J."

"Very good, Sir."

Tony saved the work he'd been doing quickly and left the lab, slowly walking up the stairs. Pepper was sitting up slightly in bed and she watched him with concern evident in her eyes as he neared the bed.

"Everything okay?" she asked, her voice rough with sleep.

He smiled and climbed in beside her, tugging her down until her head rested on his chest and his hand lay on her back. She immediately snuggled into his side, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"Everything's fine, Pep. Just lost track of time. Go back to sleep."

She nodded against him, pressing a kiss to his vest covered chest. He closed his eyes and tried to relax into the mattress, tried to not let the thoughts he'd been avoiding into his mind.

Instead he focused on Pepper's even breathing.

It was a mess. He was a mess.

But… for her, Tony wanted to be better. For Pepper, Tony would try.

…

Phil Coulson arrived at Stark Tower, determined that Tony would join the Avengers to defeat Loki. Tony wondered if the man knew how much of an impact that would later have on Tony's life. He wondered if the man would still insist on handing over the files, if he knew what would come from it in the end.

Written for;

365 - 6. Promotion

1000 - 1000. It was a mess.