The Seventh Avenger: Playing With Fire

Chapter 14: Love and Compassion

          Tony was too frazzled to drive.

          The billionaire genius who rarely lets anyone drive him anywhere- something Lydia suspects has stemmed from a fear caused by his parents fatal crash almost twenty-one years prior- sits leaning forward in the back seat for the entire ride to the hospital while Pepper sits behind the wheel. His feet tap impatiently against the car floor and he firmly grips the edge of Lydia's passenger seat tight enough to make his knuckles appear taut against his skin. His guilt and anxiety roll of him like waves, choking the small space shared between the three friends, and it's enough to make tears form in an already fragile Lydia's eyes.

          On the way to the car, Pepper had calmly explained that Tony had been in the midst of a nightmare and had called out for the Mark 42 in his sleep. The suit had been on its way up to the bedroom when it must have seen Lydia entering the kitchen and automatically perceived her as the potential threat. She had stopped there, most likely sensing that rehashing anything that happened after that point would be too raw for Tony to handle. Not that it mattered, as they all knew what had happened once the suit had followed Lydia into the kitchen.

          Pepper drives down the streets at a rapid speed, the lights from the buildings they pass nothing but colourful blurs in the inky blackness of the Malibu night. Lydia leans her head against the window, the glass cool against her hot skin, very aware of the two eyes that are watching her every movement from behind, and have since she first pulled herself up back at the mansion.

          With Tony being the way that he is, Lydia knows that he is blaming himself for what happened. He shouldn't though as there is no one to truly blame. He had been having a nightmare- something that he couldn't control and is a part of everyday life. He hadn't purposely called out for the suit or told it to attack her; it had just been bad luck that had placed her directly in its path. If she was being honest, a part of her was glad that it had gone after her rather than the sleeping couple upstairs. Who knows what it could have done to a sleeping, defenceless Pepper if it had reached its intended destination.

          Without even thinking, Lydia raises a hand to gently grasp at Tony's still gripping the edge of her seat. He flinches at the sudden contact, but he doesn't pull away. "It's not your fault, Tony," she murmurs, voice still hoarse from having the life almost choked out of her fifteen minutes prior. She doesn't have to look in the mirror to know that her neck is bruised and swollen; she can feel it.

          "You didn't mean to set the suit after me, alright? I know you'd never intentionally hurt me."

          A quick glance in the rear-view mirror greets her with the sight of Tony barely nodding his head as he gives a non-committal hum in response. But the haunted look in his eyes tells Lydia that he doesn't agree with a word she just said, and still undoubtedly blames himself. She'd be surprised if he didn't. That's Tony, after all; always too willing to carry too much crap that he doesn't have to.

          "We're just around the corner," Pepper reveals, a hint of panic lacing her tone. Despite her best efforts to stay calm, Lydia knows that tonight's actions have terrified the wits out of her, as it could have very easily been her sitting battered and bruised in Lydia's place instead. Glancing at the blonde now out of the corner of her eyes, she gently asks, "How are you feeling? Is- does anything hurt really bad?"

           She almost lets out a bitter chuckle at the question, but Tony's pained face stops her at the last second. So instead, she does her best to curl her lips into a believable smile. "Peachy."

          Despite everything, Tony snorts at the familiar phrase. "Liar."

          Glancing between the two of them with her bottom lip caught between her teeth, Pepper presses her foot down harder on the accelerator.