Everly || Steve Rogers

67. Thanos is Coming

"Slow down, slow down. I'll spell it out for you." Tony said as he walked alongside Pepper. People jogged and biked through the park all around them, the warm sun high in the crystal clear sky.

"You're totally rambling."

"No, I'm not." He argued.

"You lost me."

Tony tied the sweatshirt of his jogging suit over his shoulders. "Look, you know how you're having a dream, and in the dream you've gotta pee?"

"Yeah." Pepper nodded.

"Okay. And then you're like, 'Oh, my God. There's no bathrooms. What am I gonna do? Oh someone's watching.'" He continued, waving his hands through the air.

"Right. And then you wake up and in real life you actually have to pee." She agreed, peering over at him. 

"Yes." Tony said, grateful that she understood what he was talking about.

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Everybody has that." Pepper returned, her ponytail bouncing with each step.

"Right, that's the point I'm trying to make." He said excitedly, slowing to a stop. "Apropos of that, last night I dreamt we had a kid. It was so real." He met her eyes and she tried to push away the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. "We named him after your eccentric uncle. Uh what was his name?" He closed his eyes, his face scrunching up in thought.

"Right." Pepper nodded slowly.

"Morgan! Morgan." Tony blurted.

"So you woke up-"

"Naturally."

"And thought that we were..." She narrowed her eyes.

"Expecting." He shrugged.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Yes?"

"No."

"I had a dream about it. It was so real." He hurried.

"If you wanted to have a kid..." She stepped toward him and untied the sweater over his shoulders, tapping her finger against the glowing triangle on his chest. "You wouldn't have done that." She finished, cocking a hip.

Tony raised his eyebrows and tapped it himself. "I'm glad you brought this up, 'cause it's nothing. It's just a housing unit for nanoparticles." Pepper stared at the man before her in disbelief.

"You're not helping your case, okay?"

"No, this is detachable." He defended. "It's not a-"

"You don't need that."

"I know, I had the surgery. I'm just trying to protect us... and future usses and that's it." He took a step closer and Pepper's eyes flicked between his. "Just in case there's a monster in the closet. Instead of, you know..."

"Shirts?" She smiled.

"You know me so well."

Pepper sighed and her gaze wandered the bustling park. "God."

"You finish all my sentences."

She turned to look him in the eye once more. "You should have shirts in your closet."

"Yeah." He said slowly. "You know what there should be? No more surprises. We're gonna have a nice dinner tonight. Show off this Harry Winston." Pepper laughed as he took her hand in his and messed gently with her ring. "Right? And we should have no more surprises. Ever. I should promise you."