I'm Iron Man, And I'm Agent Coulson

Chapter 82 The Beginnings of Forever

"I don't think I can walk, ever," I whispered tiredly, and clung to Tony's bare body.
"Pff, I need to eat something, and replenish my fluids, or I'm gonna die right here," he mused, and pulled the sheet further up over our naked bodies.
"Hey, that last round was all on you, I said let's take a shower, but you heard, let's make sure I can't walk," I snickered, and layed my head closer to his.
"I did hear that, you little liar," he remarked, and settled against the pillows for a moment, "and since we're not moving for awhile, you wanna explain what changed your mind?"
"Why? Were you in the middle of changing yours, when I got here?" I rebuked, immediately regretting my outburst, but he just held me tighter.
"You don't always have to be so abrasive, not about this, you and me," he asserted, and leaned back so we could look at each other, "but no, I was actually on the edge of having a panic attack, and coming to the realization that I needed you, I knew it already, but..."
"Oh," I sighed in relief, "too be honest, I was thinking the same thing, and I'm just worried about Natasha and Steve, but I've gotten used to running from things that scare me, or burying myself with work, but I also realized I can't do that with you, and I don't want too. I'm still scared shitless, cause there's still so many questions, but as long as you told me the truth, then I'll face my fears and try to embrace this future we seem to both want." I added honestly.
"I did tell you the truth, and it wasn't easy," he sighed.
"What's wrong?" I asked after he went quiet for a few minutes, as his heart beat elevated, and his hands clenched at my back.
"Well since I seem to be in a talkative mood..." he relinquished, and kissed my forehead, "honey, you know how I feel about you, but... after New York, things..." he paused and cleared his throat.
"Hey, it's okay, I know it can be difficult for you to talk about certain things, but I promise I'll listen," I encouraged, and touched his cheek.
He sighed once more, and leaned into my hand, "there's nothing I want more than to have you right here, with me, in my tower, cause you belong here, but after New York..."
"Things have changed?" I finished for him.
"Yes," he breathed, "and now with Sokovia, and Bruce...J's gone, I honestly don't know..things got pretty bad after New York, and are bound to get worse, now that the Avengers are home, and the world is demanding answers, which is why I promised the U.N. council my full cooperation, and I've also begun expanding the foundation..I just..the.."
"The nightmares, and the guilt?" I interrupted, and held onto him as he flinched, and averted his eyes, "hey, look at me," I demanded, "thank you for telling me, but you won't suffer alone. You're not the only one responsible, we're a team, and I'm not going to abandon you because you want to take responsibility for what we've done," I decreed as strongly as I could, and hoped he believed me, "you're not the only one who's experienced clarity, and nightmares, I love you in spite of all the things you think are, and don't get mad or think less of yourself when I say I wanna help you, I know it's gonna be a little difficult at first, one because I'm stubborn, probably more so than you are, but like I said before, my home is here, with you, and there's nothing you can do to change that, so HAHA, you're stuck with me now," I snickered, and pecked his chapped lips as he laughed.
"That actually makes me feel better," he jested, and began to get out of bed, "I think I've had enough drama for the day, so how about we take that shower and have some dinner before I get back to work?"
"Deal," I giggled, and took his outstretched hand.

After a hot shower, which ended up being quite a bit longer than expected, since we couldn't seem to keep our hands away from each other, we ate some luke warm Thai food in his lab.
Once we finished, I curled up on his couch, and watched him answer emails, and make plans for the rest of the team's things to be moved to the facility. I was content watching him work, and still needed time to come down from the high we experienced in my bedroom. I was actually glad I left the facility, and drove like a bat out of hell to get here, cause I needed him too. Hearing him say he needed me was something I'd longed to hear, and now that he said it, I wasn't looking back, but he was right. We both had our work cut out for us, because I still feared his past with Pepper, and he still had his mental health and guilt to work through, but I wanted to do it together.
I wasn't worried about his work ethic, and the demands he made of himself to get things done, I could live with that, because that's who he was, and I was one of the few who could pull him away from the stress of work if need be. No, I was scared of forever, and being enough for him.