A New Beginning - Endgame Fixit

Waking Up

7 WEEKS LATER

The darkness was numb, empty. Tony wasn't capable of thought, but the tiniest thread of consciousness remained- the same thread that he could barely feel in the dreamless parts of sleep. He was never aware of it, but when he woke up he could remember it.

With consciousness came pain. As Tony blinked, he became aware of a dull ache that spread from the fingertips of his right arm to halfway across his chest. He shifted and more intense pain shot through him. He closed his eyes, sucking in deep breaths and trying to figure out what had happened.

He was lying in a bed with clean feeling sheets and his arm was wrapped in stiff bandages, but it was too dark to see anything. He shifted slightly, wondering how long he'd been out. He felt really weak.

"Tony?" Pepper whispered from beside him, sounding half asleep. He could tell she was unsure if she'd heard him or was imagining it.

"Pepper?" His voice came out as a croak. He winced. It made him sound so much worse.

"Oh my goodness, you're awake!" Her voice suddenly changed from exhausted and worried to relieved. He could tell she was trying not to sound too emotional but, well...he could hear the tears in her voice.

"Hey, it's alright, I'm okay," he whispered as she started sobbing. "Where are we? How long has it been?"

"Almost two months," she sniffed. "We're in Wakanda. I can't believe it, you're okay..."

"Could you turn on the lights? Dimly, I mean?" His voice cracked as he added, "I...need to see you."

After blinking and squinting for a few seconds, he managed to focus his eyes on Pepper's tear-streaked face. He'd thought he was never going to see those beautiful eyes again.

"You look exhausted." He tried not to think about just how bad he probably looked. "When was the last time you slept? How's Morgan?"

"I've at least tried to sleep," she said pointedly, with a shaky deep breath. "Morgan's alright, she's asleep right now...I mean, it's the middle of the night. She handled the whole thing really well." Her voice broke. "You...you died, Tony. All the way. Dr. Strange used the time stone, but I didn't think it would work...I was so worried..."

"Shhhh, it's alright," he said, wishing he could wrap his arms around her. "It's okay. I'm gonna be okay. Now we can raise Morgan without having to worry so much. I think I've earned a break from the life-threatening part of the job."

"You definitely have," she said, kissing him on the forehead. "You saved the world."