[ some nights tony is wide awake, mind racing, trying to find solutions to this fresh development. Claire died, someone killed her, claire is back, the killer was never caught. With a killer free and on the loose, he puts his efforts into keeping those around him safe and only later would he go about trying to find the culprit. He's learned a lesson throughout the years, loved ones first.
He's wide awake now, too but he leans into her as she draws closer, resting his head against her middle and breathes her in. Instinctively, he relaxes. ]
[ Pepper wraps her arms around him the moment he leans against her, one hand stroking up his neck; pressing and sliding fingertips along the vertebrae in effort to knead away the tension she feels coiled about his shoulders. An affectionate kiss gets dropped into his hair. She loves these small, quiet moments between them when the lives they usually lead are so loud and busy. ]
Okay. Are you coming to bed?
[ She asks though she already knows the answer with 98% certainty. Her tone is soft and void of judgment or expectation where once there would have been either or both; she has grown and evolved in this relationship, too. ]