Tony had spent far too long as a playboy. Now that he loved only Pepper Potts, he had started taking his physique seriously, too.
Pepper got out of bed and looked at the empty spot beside her. There wasn't a trace of warmth left.
She headed down to the underground lab and found Tony doing pull-ups in a short-sleeved shirt.
"Hey." Finishing a set, Tony took the towel and sports drink offered by a robotic arm and wiped away his sweat. He teased Pepper, "Smitten already?"
"The old you never got up this early." Pepper leaned against the doorway, her lips curling. "Got your eye on some girl?"
"Yes. Her name's Pepper." Tony walked over with a smile, picked up his watch, and checked the time. "Oh, that hour flew by."
He was lying. In fact, after Pepper had fallen asleep last night, insomnia had driven him down here.
He was only pretending he had been working out for an hour, letting Pepper assume he had woken up that morning.
The two lovers drew close and shared a passionate good-morning kiss.
"By the way, did you brush your teeth?" After the kiss, Tony gave her a mischievous grin, teasing her to cover his guilt.
Pepper planted a hand on his chest and pushed him away, then padded barefoot up the stairs. Her voice drifted back down.
"No."
Tony grinned, then turned toward the Armor under construction. His smile faded.
General Ross and the secretary of state left.
A weight seemed to hang over Ross, and he gave John a long, searching look before leaving.
While everyone else was caught up in celebrating the birth of a superhero, John had laid out all the complications superheroes brought with them.
Forget shutting down Hammer Industries-they had actually increased their orders.
General