RP with Tony Stark

[dawn_is_breaking]

True to her word Dawn arrives to see Tony about an hour after she stops texting with him. She is dressed in a dark blue sweater and grey wool skirt, her nurses outfit stashed safely in her purse for later as she wants to look respectable for when she meets this Dr. Strange fellow.

The first person she sees though is Pepper and she doesn't bother saying anything, she just wraps her arms around the other woman and hugs her tightly.

"It's okay." She says softly, stroking her hair and after Pepper has composed herself again Dawn presents her with a bag of ground coffee, a fresh latte and strict instructions on where to go for her massage.

"Go on, I'll take it from here."

Comments

[notonmyspace]

Pepper smiles, but it clearly doesn't reach her eyes. The last few weeks have been hard for everyone and there is still a long way to go yet as people start to heal and the world rebuild. "He'll be glad to see you," she admits, "he won't say it at least not out loud, but he's been more worried about you then he has about himself."

But Pepper doesn't really go into details. Dawn and Tony need to discuss next steps together and having others butting in or trying to explain isn't going to help. She simply offers Dawn another smile and leaves hoping that things go well.

As she is leaving a tall handsome man dressed in dark blue scrubs and wearing an expression that made it clear he wasn't happy about much of anything came out of the hospital room. "You must be Dawn," he says his gaze glancing over her quickly. "I'm Dr Stephen Strange."

[dawn_is_breaking]

It's touching to know that Tony has been worried about her so much seeing how she was just as worried about him, especially after seeing some of the chaos that this Thanos left behind. She thanks Pepper, giving her hand a quick squeeze before turning her attention to the tall handsome, yet irritated, looking man in front of her.

"Dr.Strange." She says and offers him her hand, "I'm Dawn Granger. Tony asked me to come."

[notonmyspace]

Stephen sighed, a long drawn out thing that might make someone wonder if he's taken a breath in a while. "I know he did," he says, "and despite what he might think I'm glad. Tony has...a long road to recovery ahead of him still and having people who care around him is going to help with that."

There is an odd hesitation in his voice almost like he feels guilty about the whole situation. "Tony is a hero, but doing what he did came at a cost...to put it bluntly he's done being Iron Man at least for now. He's lost his right arm and can no longer see out of his right eye. But it was either that or risk losing him and I consider the fact we are having this conversation instead of the other one a win. Magic can only do so much healing, but at least he still has a life to live."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She had been expecting Dr.Strange to be more of a bully but his admission of wanting Tony to get well just proves that he is a good doctor and that the irritation between the two of them is only surface level. She nods when he explains the damage that Tony has suffered, her face and eyes calm as she knew it was going to be bad. But she'll take bad over loosing him completely as she's already had to bury one of her loves and is in no rush to do so again.

"I appreciate everything that you've done for him." She says and motions towards the room she suspects Tony to be in. "May I see him?"

[notonmyspace]

Strange doesn't reply to her thanks, seeming almost uncomfortable with them. He simply nods his assent. "Go ahead," he says, "but don't stay too long. He's still healing and the less stress on the parts of him that are still working the quickier he's going to heal."

He manages a smile as he starts to walk away. "And thank you...for being the thing that kept him here...we still need him."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She takes a few steps towards Tony's room but Strange's words make her pause, her heart tightening at the idea of being the thing that kept Tony from dying. It's a lot and she makes sure to take a deep breath before going into the room, knocking on the door frame and speaking softly.

"Tony? You awake?"

[notonmyspace]

There is the sound of sheets rustling and a rough sleep filled. "Dawn," as Tony turns so that his less wounded left side towards the door. It isn't easy when you are bandaged to hell and missing an arm but he does his best. "I'm so glad to see you...as much as I can anyway."

[dawn_is_breaking]

"If it hurts to keep your eyes open you can close them." She says as she approaches the bed, smiling. "You can just listen to my voice and feel me touch you."

Which she does as soon as she is close enough, gently brushing back a lock of his hair off his forehead.

"Hi love."

[notonmyspace]

Close up it is very clear Tony wasn't kidding when he said it wasn't pretty to look at. His entire right side is covered in burn scars from his hairline down his neck and into his clothing where it can be assumed they continue downward. His right eye is a white blank and the empty sleeve on his right side is where his arm should be. He managed a smile for her. "I want to look at you," he replies, his voice rough with emotion. "Seeing you again is all I've been able to think about since I woke up."

[dawn_is_breaking]

It's his smile that finally breaks her resolve and she feels her eyes well up with tears, "Well then I'll give you an eyeful in a moment when I get into that nurse outfit." She teases, "But first I owe you a kiss."

She leans over and kisses him on the lips, it's as soft as a dove's feather and she feels a few of her tears roll down her cheeks to land on his.

[notonmyspace]

Tony feels his good eye leak tears as he finally gets the kiss he's been dreaming about for a long time. "Sorry we took so long to get back here," he said softly, "it doesn't seem fair."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She laughs weakly against his lips and kisses him again, "Yeah you better apologize about that. You know how much I hate waiting to see you."

She pulls away a little so she can gently wipe away his tears. "Oh Tony....sweetheart. I'm so glad you're still here."

[notonmyspace]

"I'm glad I'm still here too," he mutters, "because now I can finally be with you, no more waiting."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She swallows the giant lump of emotion in her throat and nods, bending down to try and gather as much of him as she can in her arms. Hugging him carefully as she kisses the non-damaged skin on his neck.

"I love you." She whispers.

[notonmyspace]

Tony moves as close as his battered body will allow "I love you too Dawn," he says, "so much that you were the reason I'm still here right now....I know it selfish...but when I was....standing there with all this power trying to kill me..I was thinking. No..I'm not ready to rest yet...I have someone waiting for me."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She wants to hug him tighter but is worried about hurting him so instead she just kisses his neck again and again, "I don't know how you could think that is selfish."

"When it sounds like one of the sweetest, most loving things I've ever heard."

[notonmyspace]

"It goes back to something Pepper and I were talking about before this whole time heist thing. She pointed out...that I wouldn't ever feel happy enough to rest if there were people to save. That I cared more about the world than myself."

He sighs softly. "Then as I was standing there...all that power rushing through me....and all I could think about was you...was saving the world for you." He smiles. "I can only rest if I have you with you."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She smiles as he explains what he and Pepper talked about, which is true, through the years that she's known him he's always cared more about others than himself. A trait that is noble in a way but also dangerous because it can lead to pushing one's self too far, working too hard and of course putting one's self almost willfully in danger.
All things that Tony has done.

"So it only took you saving the whole world to finally take a break." She teases and kisses him on the lips again, this time a little harder. "Well you've got me now, and true to my word once you're okay to leave this place I'm taking you on a very long holiday."

[notonmyspace]

"Basically yeah," Tony says, laughing a bit too hard and turning it into a harsh cough. It takes him a moment to get his breath back. "But I doubt anyone who knows me is complaining about me taking a break. It's time to let the younger generation take the lead." He smiles. "Besides I have a lovely lady to get to know better."

[dawn_is_breaking]

Her eyes grow a little worried when he starts coughing and she almost expects Dr.Strange to come into the room and chastise her, but it eases up and she runs her hand through his hair, smiling down at him.

"Oh? And who is this lovely lady? Should I be jealous?" She says, intentionally playing innocent about who he means.

[notonmyspace]

Tony grins. "Oh I think you know her...she's a hero...damm badass and everything. I was dumb and let her walk out of my life years ago when I thought work was a little more important and I'm kind of hoping she'll give me a second chance."

[dawn_is_breaking]

Her smile grows and she pretends to look thoughtful.

"Hrmm.... Sounds kind of familiar but you might have to be a bit more specific. You've had a lot of women in your life Tony."

[notonmyspace]

"This one she's unforgettable," Tony says, "and not just because of her white hair...she's passionate and smart and isn't afraid to give you crap when you piss her off. She hits damm hard too."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She smiles and brushes back the hair on his forehead again, "She might hit hard but she falls even harder. If it's the right person...."

She falls silent for a moment as she strokes his hair, taking a moment to look at him and just savor the fact that he's really still here.

"Do you need anything?"

[notonmyspace]

"I'd settle for decent not addictive pain killers....healing has been hell but I'm not going down that road again...but I'll settle for you just being here....that's all I want right now Dawn."

[dawn_is_breaking]

"That's a wise decision." She agrees, part of her feeling proud of Tony for making such a decision. Her ex partner, Hank, had a similar struggle with addiction and doing superhero work hadn't made it any easier for him to kick the habit since he had to constantly take pain killers to help with the pain from injuries. If her and Tony are going to be fully together finally she doesn't want to go down that road again and he seems to know that.

"I'll stay for as long as you want me to." She says and motions to her purse, "I've got my nurses outfit and everything."

[notonmyspace]

Tony knows himself better than anyone, he knows he struggles with addiction, drugs, alcohol and work. Becoming Iron Man has made his habits crystal clear, he had lost Dawn over it before and he isn't about to do it again. "Can you just...hold me for a little while...that's all I want right now Dawn...is to just hold you."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She can feel tears threatening again but manages to hold them at bay by nodding and bending down to take off her shoes, she puts her purse down as well and gracefully hoists herself up into his hospital bed. She's on the smaller side so she fits pretty easily in it with him and once she's up she gently gathers him into her arms, letting him dictate how he wants to position himself.

"Of course I can." She whispers, "I want nothing more than to do that."

[notonmyspace]

Using his good arm Tony takes a moment to roll himself onto his left side, so he can settle behind her and loop his left arm around her waist. He sighs softly as he scoots closer and presses his chest to her back. "Perfect," he mutters.

[dawn_is_breaking]

Feeling him there, his heart beating steadily against her back, both soothes her and makes her want to cry and she has to lift a hand up to wipe her eyes.

"I'm sorry." She says, her voice thick with emotion. "I just....it feels so good to have your arm around me again."

[notonmyspace]

"It's okay," Tony says softly, his own voice rough with emotion. He'd been suppressing a lot of his own feelings from the moment he'd touched down on Earth again and jumped right into trying to get the stones back and right what they'd caused. Now he was dealing with other people's guilt and grief as he heals, not to mention he was mourning the loss of the one person besides Pepper and Dawn who could push him to be better.

He wouldn't be here right now if Nat hadn't made the choice she had. "It's okay to feel right now."

[dawn_is_breaking]

"I know I just..." She says and then has to stop as the tears start to fall again and she entwines her fingers through his, "I've missed you."

"Even before all this, I missed you but was too stubborn to reach out and get in contact. And then you sent me that invite and all these old feelings came rushing back....and..."

[notonmyspace]

"I missed you too," Tony admits, "letting you walk out of my life was the biggest mistake I ever made and you know I've made some horrible choices in life." He swallows. "Then my best friend pointed out I was missing out in what everyone else around me had...and I got thinking about you...and I decided to take a chance and offer you a way back in."

[dawn_is_breaking]

She shifts in the bed, rolling over onto her other side so she can face him and move her head so it can be closer to his heart. She needs to hear it as she still needs convincing that he's really here and this isn't some kind of a dream.

"I'm glad that you did." She says, silently thanking Tony's friend. "And I want you to know that I might have been angry at you in the past Tony but I never stopped caring about you."

[notonmyspace]

His heart beat is slow and soft, steadier then maybe it should be with his injuries, but it is there and real. "And I'm glad you accepted," he replied silently thanking Nat for kicking his ass before the whole fall out with Cap. Dawn got him through that difficult time slotting into the empty spaces Steve and Nat left like she'd never been gone. It had mad the final fall easy. "I never stopped caring about you either...I just got stubborn about it."

[dawn_is_breaking]

"You? Stubborn? Never...." She lightly teases and lifts her face up enough so she can kiss him softly again.

"Speaking of stubborn though, has Dr.Strange talked to you about your recovery process?"

[notonmyspace]

"More than I'd like," Tony admits, "I'm not allowed to even think about a prosthetic until he gives the green light as he isn't sure how deep the burns actually went. I'm completely blind in the wrecked eye so I'm going to need some tests to figure out how it's going to affect my balance and such. I'll also need therapy to figure out how badly my leg might be damaged...so it's going to be a fun few months."

[dawn_is_breaking]

Dawn nods, glad that Strange has been so adamant about making Tony wait before letting him do anything like create or wear a prosthetic, she knows that he has a bad habit of just diving in to "fix" the problem and not fully letting himself rest and recover first.

"I'll be with you through all of it." She says and nuzzles her face back into the crook of his neck. "And what about your mental recovery? I know you hate the word 'therapy' but this time I really think it would be beneficial."

[notonmyspace]

"He brought it up and so did Bruce," Tony admits, "not the biggest fan of the idea, but they've made it a condition of letting me actually get back to any form of work whatever that is going to look like. I've been in touch with the woman they found for Barnes...and she's going to find me someone given my history with him."

He's been through hell since becoming Iron Man and it's time to deal with it if he wants any sort of future. He's not going to let those they lost down by not doing what he can for himself.

[dawn_is_breaking]

"Good, I'm glad that I'm not the only one bringing this up with you." She says and then presses a few soft kisses to his neck. "And I'm happy to hear that you're open to it, it means a lot to me that you're willing to take care of yourself both mentally and physically."

"If I'm going to be with you, I want you healthy in all aspects."

[notonmyspace]

"And I want to be better than I was when we were last together," Tony admits, "I know I don't have to prove anything to you, but I want to prove something to myself."

[dawn_is_breaking]

His words touch her heart and she moves even closer against him, hooking her feet around his and nuzzling his neck.

"Okay." She says softly and lays there for a bit, just listening to the soft sounds of his breathing, his heartbeat, enjoying his warmth. "I've booked myself into a nearby hotel for the next week, I'll stay longer obviously but I wanted to check in with you before I did."

[notonmyspace]

"I'm glad to know you'll be close," Tony said shifting a bit more so he can nuzzle her affectionately, "just this visit alone has done wonders for me."

[dawn_is_breaking]

"It's done wonders for me too." She says, "Being able to see you and hold you.... it's such a relief."

She falls silent again for a bit but eventually lifts her face up to look into his, smiling. "You know...Dr.Strange might have to set you up with a bigger hospital bed if I'm going to stay here with you for an extended period of time."