Storm ≛ Tony Stark ≛

30.

'Shut it down! JARVIS can't get it to-' the suit broke through another forcefield and held its repulsor up to Sue's face. Its glow reflected off her eyes and Tony saw the true horror in her expression.

'Power down!' Tony yelled, holding his hands up to ignite the implants in his forearm. The suit turned its head to its owner and Tony watched as it stood up straight with its hands by its sides. The lights in its eyes faded and the system shut down, Sue shoving her foot into it for good measure. Pieces of the suit fell out of their place and spewed across the floor; unthreatening once disassembled.

'Oh my god, Sue. Are you okay?' Tony ran across the room. 'I must have called it in my sleep. That's not supposed to happen!'

Sue pushed her hair from the sides of her face and massaged her temples that ached. Sweat sunk through her clothes and she could feel her tank top stick to her torso. The tiles under her feet kept them cool after she collided one of them with Mark 42. She wanted nothing more than to lie down on the black marble and forget what just happened. Not only was she exhausted, but she was terrified. The light of the repulsors bleached her eyes and made the dark kitchen a blurry background to the glare that remained in her sight.

'I'm so sorry, Sue,' Tony put his hands on Sue's biceps and turned her to face him. 'I'll recalibrate the sensors. I can't believe I did that. I'm so sorry... I'm so...'

Tony pulled Sue into his chest and squeezed her tightly in a hug. He felt how sweaty and hot she was, making him feel even more guilty. He felt her loosely hold his middle and pant softly into his shoulder. The suit acted on the fear Tony felt in his nightmare. It thought that he was in danger and needed to eliminate whoever else was in the house. Sue just so happened to be in sight when it walked itself up the stairs from the workshop.

'I never wanted to hurt you. God, I'm so sorry. Don't go, please. Susan... don't leave.'

Sue melted into Tony at the crack in his voice. His pleads made her tear up and she knew how Tony felt. She knew he didn't mean to activate the implants in his arm, but it was another reason why he shouldn't have put them in there in the first place. He was mentally unstable and if the implants were sensitive enough to be activated in his sleep, they were a danger to himself and everyone around him.

'I-It's fine,' she mumbled. 'Can we go back to bed?'

Tony swallowed and pulled away, looking down at the woman he nearly killed. Her bottom lip trembled and her large doe-like eyes he adored showed her true terror. Tony looked back and forth between them and the worst pain he ever felt swelled inside his heart. She wasn't scared of him but scared of what he had made. The suits weren't apart of him, they were their own beings.

'Yeah... yeah, let's go,' Tony nodded, his pitch high and forced.

He stood next to the bed as he held back the duvet. Sue slipped under the covers and Tony pulled them up to her chin. He tried not to run around the bed to make it to the other side. Even though he practically threw himself into the mattress to be beside her, it still wasn't quick enough for Tony.

Sue laid on her side as Tony came up behind her. He stared at the back of her head, wondering if her eyes were closed or wide open. His hand rested on the curve of her waist, waiting for her breaths to soothe and slow. When they did, he headed downstairs for another night in the workshop.

He was supposed to tell Sue about The Mandarin, but he figured it would be too much for tonight. The real danger would have to wait.

---

Sue found out about The Mandarin the next morning.

She woke up alone in Tony's bed and was disappointed to not see him beside her. But she knew it was inevitable after last night. The only reason she slept was from the energy the situation took out of her, physically and mentally. Her sleep was dreamless, the only luxury that Tony didn't have.