"… Does it matter?"
Tony blinks and looks up at her at that.
"What?"
Pepper shrugs. "Loki the Goddess and Captain Carter aside… haven't you already changed a lot, Tony? So aren't some of your visions already inaccurate anyways from what you've done to change things since Afghanistan?"
"… Yes."
Smiling now, Pepper tilts her head to the side.
"And with JARVIS as your eyes in the sky, do you not already have eyes on pretty much every threat on Earth? Even if it's not covered by your visions, won't JARVIS see any threats coming long before they can properly manifest on our doorstep?"
"Probably, yeah."
"Even if he doesn't… even if someone manages to slip past him and all of our defenses, what's going to happen if they get the chance to strike at us? What happened when Loki slid daggers into your kidneys? What happened when she used The Destroyer to blow a hole through your chest?"
Tony huffs and gives her a wry smile. Reaching up, he takes her hand from atop his head and brings it down to his lips, peppering her knuckles with light kisses one by one.
"You are… an exceptional woman, Mrs. Stark."
"I do try, Mr. Stark."
She radiates smugness, but then to be fair she has every reason to be smug at having gotten THE Tony Stark to open his eyes and realize he's doing just fine. Sure, there are still threats out there. Sure, there's always a danger of discovery. But their enemies have no clue what they're in for just yet, and Tony has surrounded himself with the allies he needs to fight off any attackers. "… I put nanomachine bombs in their spines, right at the base of their necks."
Pepper blinks at that admission, looking down at Tony. She doesn't have to ask who he's talking about… they're both still watching Steve, Bucky, and Peggy through the cameras in their respective rooms.
"I just can't risk it. Even if we're stronger than them, even if we could heal from anything they tried to do to us… I'm not going to let them ruin what I'm building. If they force me to do it… I'll pull the trigger."
Knowing that he's telling her because he has no one else to tell, Pepper sighs and wraps her arms around Tony's head, pulling him into her chest and kissing him on his brow.
"I know, Tony. You have to do what you have to do. Given what the world is facing, given what it will face in the future… I'm never going to blame you for taking the steps you need to take to keep us all safe."
That said, after a moment of appropriately solemn silence, Pepper does let a slight smile spread across your face.
"Still, I think you're underestimating yourself, husband. You already have Bucky and Steve's eternal loyalty so long as you don't kill puppies right in front of them. Just by saving Bucky Barnes, you've gained Steve's trust and respect. He'll go to the ends of the Earth for you. And just by saving Steve Rogers, you' ve done the same with Bucky too. Really, the only problem we have to deal with is Captain Carter…"
Tony stiffens at that, before giving Pepper a look.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Pep. Sif was one thing. But Margaret Carter would be a tough nut to crack even without superpowers. With them … just remember she has the mentality of a woman from the forties. We don't want to drive her away with our lecherous and debauched ways." Pepper snorts derisively at that. Had Tony seen the way Peggy reacted to him when they'd first talked? Somehow, it felt like he'd missed all of the signs that Pepper had picked up on. Then again, maybe he hadn't. Maybe…
"Is it because of who she is? Can you not see her in that way, Tony?"
Even if she wasn't his actual godmother, she was still a version of his godmother. His dear Aunt Peggy. Pepper would back off if Tony told her that's what it was. But after a moment, he shakes his head.
"No. This isn't Aunt Peggy. And Captain Carter is a fine woman. I'm just not sure that you or I are really her type, Pepper. I'm not saying you shouldn't go for it… just be careful about how you approach her. A friend like you might be exactly what she needs to acclimate and be an ally for us to call upon in the future. But she might ONLY need just a friend, alright?"
Pepper hums, inclining her head in acknowledgment. Then, she tilts her head a fraction of an inch further.
" Are you planning to involve them next year? In the invasion?"
Tony's lips press together tightly at that as he considers the question for a long moment.
"… Can't reveal Bucky or we risk bringing HYDRA down on our heads way too early. Not sure Steve would want to leave Bucky alone now that he has him back, even that many months from now. But Peggy … maybe. With a proper disguise… or maybe not. We could always say she fell out of a wormhole into our laps at the same moment Loki shows up over at the research base SHIELD thinks they've hidden from us." Pepper smiles, before deciding he's settled enough for her to drop the bombshell she found out earlier this morning on him.
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