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[handing]

[Though she can only offer a slight smile through the emotion, her eyes are warm as Bruce offers thanks. They both know he's been perched over a dark abyss, deep and unforgiving, but with this effort and this offer she's helped him step back from it. In that, Bruce has given her something too. The last thing Tony would want is to cause his loved ones any more pain, and it doesn't matter that it goes so far beyond his control, beyond anyone's. If he could somehow see this all take place, then maybe the guilt would loosen its grip on his heart.]

That sounds like a good plan. I'll be upstairs. [And conveniently in the vicinity of the kitchen once JARVIS tells her that Bruce has woken up. In truth she doesn't know how long it might take. Maybe he's finally let go just enough for exhaustion to win the battle, and for sleep to claim him for a time.

Which means there's no way to predict when he might be up, but that's okay. Pepper's used to keeping odd hours.

With a final squeeze, Pepper lets go of Bruce's hand, then steps aside to watch him go.]

[hyperkinesia]

[ Bruce doesn't feel any better, to be honest. He doesn't feel well enough yet to notice any difference, and the fact he's shaved or cleaned up hasn't changed much of what he's feeling on the inside. But it'll take time, like a room closed for a little too long needs some time with the windows open to let light and air in.

He's just used to keeping all his rooms closed, is all, and the windows and doors are always stuck. It takes a special kind of forcefulness to pry them open.

There's no answer to her words, just a faint nod as she lets go of his hand, then he starts walking down the hallway towards his room. He probably makes an even more pitiful picture than usual, shoulders drawn in and hunched, arms heavy at his sides, head dropped like he could just fall and dissolve into the floor itself.

But he doesn't. He makes his way to his bed and falls onto the mattress, lying awake for minutes or maybe hours until finally exhaustion wins out and he falls asleep. ]

[handing]

[While Bruce rests, Pepper stays true to her word. It does her some good too, to spend an afternoon on simpler tasks like scrubbing the laboratory clean. She should get used to being in an environment like this again, be able to visit her employees and her friends without having to work up the nerve because she knows Tony won't be there.

Whether or not she's achieved that in the handful of hours it takes her to get everything spotless remains to be seen—but there's no denying that she does feel a little better when it's over.

After that, she heads upstairs to change, quietly checking on Bruce's status with JARVIS before heading towards the kitchen. She doesn't know what he actually likes to eat, but given how ragged and worn he'd been, something light would probably be better. Soup is meant to be one of those comfort foods, harkening back to easier days, and more importantly, it keeps well even if it has to cook for awhile. She opts for a simple potato and corn chowder, figuring Bruce can raid the fridge if he decides he wants to add any sort of meat to the mix.

With that left on the stove, she settles down on the couch; business never sleeps, and Pepper means to catch up on what she's missed during these quiet afternoon hours. Intentions don't always work out, however, and without quite meaning to, Pepper dozes off with visual displays of emails and memos floating around her—although JARVIS does take the liberty of dimming them a bit.]

[hyperkinesia]

[ Bruce isn't sure exactly how many hours he ends up sleeping. He knows it takes him a while to settle into a comfortable position, like his bed's too hard in some places, too soft in others, too warm when he tucks the blankets past his shoulders. He shifts and turns for a good while before he forces himself to stop, and focuses on breathing exercises instead, slowing down his entire system by slowing down his inhales and exhales, as well as the beating of his own heart.

That's probably enough to get JARVIS thinking he really is fast asleep, while in reality it takes longer for him to manage that. His sleep his peaceful for the most part, probably due to how exhausted he was, but the tail end of it is plagued by a vague dream, flashes of memories of Tony falling from the sky, of his body still and cold in Bruce's arms, and he wakes up with a gasp that almost hurts.

His eyes snap open, and the next second he forces himself to sit up, like he's scared that if he lingers, he won't be able to peel his body off the mattress. His body feels heavy but he makes himself move anyway, getting into some decent-looking clothes and fixing up his hair a little before he ventures outside.

He thinks of calling Pepper at first, but instead he asks JARVIS where she is, and he makes his way over there. Being her private quarters, he asks JARVIS to let her know he's coming upstairs, then hopes she doesn't mind that he's already on his way and should pop up any moment now.

Not that he has anything of worth to tell her, but he did promise he'd come by once he woke up, so. ]