afterglow - tony stark

04

        It was the next day and they were now on a military plane. They were being taken to the States. She sat next to Tony in the cargo bay.

         The sun was bright from the windows and she had to squint her eyes. Tony noticed and took off his pair of sunglasses.

           "Here," Tony offered. "These will help."

          Tony gently slid them onto her face before he tucked her hair behind her ear. It was always cascading around her face.

              With them on, she found she didn't have to squint anymore. She smiled at him and he smiled back, "See, I told you."

                "We'll get you your own pair back at home," Tony stated.

Home. She frowned at that. She didn't know where home was; in fact, the only home she'd ever known she left. The cave.

                "What?" he asked as he didn't like her frown.

          "Tony," she said quietly as she peered up at him with those doe, green eyes behind the red, transparent sunglasses. "I don't have a home. I probably don't even have a family."

           "Hey, I refuse to believe you don't have people out there looking for you," Tony said softly. "Because I'd look for you."

            "Plus," he gave her a small smile. "You'll always have a home with me."

            "Even if I found my family out there..." Snow said carefully. "I wouldn't want to leave you, Tony."

            "Then you don't have to."

            She formed a smile as she leaned her head on his shoulder. Tony practically stopped breathing before he joked, "And, apparently, my shoulder is always free, too."

              She giggled before she ever so softly poked his other arm that was in a sling, "Are you going to be okay?"

            "I'll always be okay for you, angel."

             "Good," she answered softly. She always wanted him to be okay; she couldn't handle it if he wasn't.

             _____

            The plane landed stateside and there were people waiting for Tony to greet him after months of being gone. She held onto his hand tightly as she stared at the foreign people she didn't know.

              Tony greeted a redhead first, "Your eyes are red. A few tears for your long-lost boss?"

            "Tears of joy. I hate job hunting."

          "Yeah, vacation's over," Tony said before turning to Snow slightly as she had hid slightly behind him. "Also, this is Snow. Anything she wants, she gets."

       "I...got it," Pepper smiled kindly at the girl that had been through quite the ordeal. "I'm Pepper."

              "Hi," she squeaked out with a small smile.

               Tony looked at her in bewilderment; she hardly greeted anyone. But Snow was just less wary of girls as it was never a woman that abused her.

           "Okay, introductions over," Tony cut everything short; he didn't like the possibility of her liking Pepper more.

               Tony pulled her along to the limo and they all got in. Happy was in the driver seat and he asked, "Where to, sir?"