I'm going to pay for that comment in some subtle way later, aren't I?

Something hisses near her ear, cold, metallic and not unlike the hum of the weapons-not-weapons Tony had designed for the Iron Maiden suit (she had adamantly argued against those for a reason, Goddamn it, Tony) powering up, and she moves to sit up, confused and angry both. She doesn't get very far, her pulse jumping into her throat, choking her as surely as the sudden ice water in her veins is, but somehow, she manages squeeze out a small, strangled noise before hands clamp down on her shoulders. She wants to move, to shy away, but she can't. It hurts. It hurts more than that one brief, bright moment of agony she can remember from Tony's workshop, the day this all started, only this time, there's no relief. No blackness closing in on the edge of her vision. This time, all she has is the cold.

"Breathe." Obadiah's voice, surprisingly gentle at her ear. She barely registers her back hitting the mattress as he settles her down on it, let alone the command, but self-preservation kicks in somewhere along the way, and she sucks in a staggering breath through parted lips. It does nothing to still the hammering of her heart.

( "Easy, Pepper," Obadiah continues as he rounds the bed. )


Muse: Virginia "Pepper" Potts
Fandom: Iron Man (AU)
Word Count: 991