Greetings, my Faithful Readers!

I've been playing with the notion of translating my IMMA Spanish fic titled Kilómetros, and I've decided that it cannot hurt to do so. In fact, it's probably good to give you some nice fanfic to read while you wait for the sequel for The Last Month, and it is only fair that I show you my appreciation for your millions of reviews, favs and follows in my other stories (OK, maybe not millions, but I can dream, right?).

Also, you may want to thank a Guest reviewer who left a comment in Kilómetros, stating that she/he wished she/he spoke Spanish. Whoever you are, thanks for the final push :)

Please keep in mind that this is not just a translation but an adaptation, so it might not turn out exactly like the Spanish version, but that won't mean that either one will be of better quality than the other. You may also encounter some OOCness here and there, but it just serves to create the fluff. I hope you don't mind it that much.

This fic was born from listening to a Spanish song by the title of – you guessed it – Kilómetros, by a duo named "Sin Bandera." The song is pretty much about a long distance relationship and the guy who sings it states how much the phone conversations between him and his girl made him survive the distance between them. Still interested? Read on.

Standard disclaimer for all my stories: My stories are graphic, angsty, frustrating, filled with cliffhangers, drama and foul language. Read at your own risk – medical issues and subsequent bills are not covered by yours truly ;) If you don't like, please don't read. I appreciate reviews and constructive feedback but if you cannot stand the plot, save yourself and me some time and walk away. You don't have to love all IM stories :) I don't own IMAA. My stories are better viewed by using the "half screen" option of

Summary: After graduating from the Tomorrow Academy, the three young superheroes had no option but to go their separate ways. Rhodey is going to the Air Force Academy in Colorado, Tony goes to MIT, and Pepper has been admitted to Berkeley University in California. Even though they are miles apart, Pepper and Tony will not let their friendship be affected by the distance between them, and they will do anything in their power to not lose the greatest gift they can give one another: their devotion to each other.

MILES

Prologue

It was the day after Tony and Pepper had said goodbye to Rhodey at the airport and the resulting sadness of said fact was still present in the Makluan Temple. The farewell had been very emotional for the trio and it had left them all with a bittersweet feeling deep within them. Even though the parting had been expected and planned, it had not made it any easier on them to accept it had to transpire. They were painfully aware that they were all now adults, and that as such they would have to start facing the cruel twists of life.

Cruel twists such as the one that had hit them today.

Due to a change of plans from Berkeley University, Pepper now had to leave today – two days ahead of schedule. When Tony had received the notification about this adjustment via text message this morning, he could have not felt any more disappointed. Seeing Rhodey leave and not knowing when the hell he would see his childhood friend again had been difficult enough, but the feeling of powerlessness and emptiness he had then felt did not hold a candle to the pain he felt in his heart at knowing his favorite redhead would leave his side sooner than previously stipulated.

You would think that a privileged school would have their shit straight way ahead of time but nooo! They just had to pull that stunt on us and ruin my day. The genius thought angrily. He had spent weeks planning how he and Pepper would spend the last days of their summer together, but now everything was ruined. His eagerness to being able to hang around together one last time had gone down the drain along with his plans of showing Pepper just how much he was truly going to miss her.

A few hours aren't gonna be enough, Tony thought as he was hard at work on finishing up his goodbye present for Pepper. Of all the things I had in mind for us, this is the only thing I'll have time to get Pepper before she has to leave.

"Son of a bitch!" Tony screamed in an angry tone when he realized he only had one more hour until Pepper had to head to the airport. "I have to finish this piece of crap before she leaves!"

"Piece of crap? Since when do you devote yourself to inventing crap?" A familiar voice asked from the doorway.

"Pepper!" Tony almost fell off his chair in surprise. "I didn't even hear you come in. How…how long have you been here?"

"Long enough to know you're in a bad mood."

"No, Pep. I'm not in a bad mood. I'm just…well…busy…rushed…"

"Rushed?" asked the redhead. "With what? I don't have a lot of time left but I could probably help you with something."

"No, thanks," Tony answered too quickly, causing the girl's shoulders to slump. "But," he continued. "I wouldn't mind the company," he added with one of his patented smiles.

The redhead's eyes shone brightly with happiness and she ran toward him, sitting next to him while he worked silently. "Did you break your Stark Pod?"

"No," he answered. "This is an upgraded version; more powerful and with way more storage."

"Ohhh!" Pepper mused in the same way she always did when Tony created something new. "Are you gonna put games on it?"

Tony could not help to laugh aloud "Jeez, Pepper! I'm potentially creating the most advanced cell phone on the planet, and you're worried about it having games?"

"It's a rather important feature, don't you think?"'

"Pep, you're a famous superhero. How do you even have time to worry about getting bored and think about cell phone games?

"California is way too far away from Massachusetts and Colorado," Pepper deadpanned. "'Sides, the life of a superhero is only fun if you and Rhodey are around, to be honest."

"Aw, Pepper! You don't have to exaggerate! I mean, I know I'm one of a kind and extremely handsome and all, but it's not that big of a deal, right?"

Pepper rolled her eyes at him. "I hope college rids you of your arrogant attitude, Tony."

"You're so mean, Pepper. I'm just stating the truth and…ha! It's finished!" Tony said with a smile before handing the pod to his friend.

"It looks just like your old pod." Pepper frowned as she eyed the device and tried to determine what made it so special.

"But it's not, for two main reasons: the first one is that, like I said before, it's got more features than my regular pod; and the second is that it's not mine. It's yours."

It took Pepper a moment to understand what Tony had just said, but when she finally realized what it meant for her she charged towards him, hugging him in that same manner he always expected of her when he made her happy somehow, forcing him to stand up with the girl clinging on to him.

"Are you serious, Tony? You made this pod for me?"

"For whom else would I make it, Pepper? I even engraved your name on it, see?" The genius pointed out as he placed the ginger's feet back on the floor and showed her the corner where her name was written on. "Do you like it?"

"Of course! I love it, Tony! What kind of dumb question is that?" Pepper jested as she rubbed the pod on her cheek. Her happiness seemed to dissipate as fast as it had hit her, however, and her bright smile was replaced by a frown, making the inventor worry about the sudden change.

"What's wrong, Pep?"

"I, uhm…Tony…I was going to ask you for a favor, but now I'm not sure I should ask for more than what you've already given me," she pointed to the pod."

"A favor, you say? Just tell me, Pepper. What can I do for you?"

"Well, uh…are…are you busy?"

Tony shook his head. "Not at all. What do you need?"

"OK, then…it's just…uhm…you see, my flight is…"

"Come on, Pepper! You're making me worry. What's going on?"

Pepper took in a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was not sure why it was suddenly so difficult telling him what she had come to the armory for. It could not possibly be any different than the many times she had asked him for a favor before, right?

"Tony, before I came here I said my goodbyes to my dad."

"And?" Tony asked, not immediately understanding where the conversation was heading.

"Well, since my plans changed, I came here to see if you could take me to the airport. My bags are outside."

"Oh. How did you get here?"

"Rescue brought me," Pepper gave him a lopsided smile. Before graduation from the Tomorrow Academy, Tony had given Pepper and Rhodey their very own backpack armors. Rhodey had not been thrilled about downgrading his suit so that it would fit in the small backpack, but he did admit that the convenience of having a suit handy was worth the change. "And Rescue can take me to the airport if you don't have the time."

"Of course I have time, Pepper!" Tony responded with a huge smile. "What kind of dumb assumption is that?"

"Thank you, Tony." Pepper hugged him again and Tony returned the embrace with the same effort. They stayed in each other's arms for a while longer until the redhead's watch began beeping. "It's time to go or we won't make it on time."

"Alright. Wait for me outside while I go get the car," the inventor said as he began walking toward the garage.

"OK," said the ginger and headed to the front door of the temple. Before she completely exited the building, she took a moment to give the lab one final look, silently saying goodbye to the place that had become her second home. Everything around them was changing so fast, and even though it was normal for these changes to take place, it did not make them any less painful for her.

"See you later, Iron Man," she whispered before leaving the temple and finding Tony already outside in the car. Her bags were already in the trunk, and all that was needed was for the redhead to get in the car so that they could leave for the airport where she would say goodbye to another piece of her soul, just as she had done so yesterday, and just as before coming to the temple today.

See you later, Tony Stark.

A/N: As always, if you liked what you've just read please let me know with a review. I don't anticipate updating this story very often, and the chapters won't be as long as I usually write them, but they will be very sweet. Hail Pepperony!