Y/N woke up, after falling, surrounded by fire. She looked at herself and realized that she was glowing orange. The Extremis had worked, and she had survived yet another fall. Her body was still healing as she slowly got onto her feet. She needed to find Tony, scared to think about what he was feeling. He probably thought that she was dead. She looked around the fire, trying to figure out how to get out of it.
Y/N finally heard the clanking of metal and she began to slowly follow the sound. As she got closer she heard a voice too. Killian's. She reached down and grabbed a large pole that seemed to have broken off of something. She gripped it tightly in her hands as she continued on. When she broke through the flames, she saw Tony trying to crawl away with Killian walking over to him. Y/N quietly but quickly made her way over to the two men, she needed to stop him.
"It was always me, Tony. Right from the start. I am the Mandarin!" Killian shouted.
He stretched out his arms and Y/N quickly swung the pole and flew Killian back down onto the ground. Tony looked over to see Y/N breathing heavily and glowing orange. She dropped the pole, and stared at Tony. Tony sat there and stared back in shock, his thoughts running a mile a minute but at the same time not.
"I got nothing," Tony said, shocked.
The sound of a suit flying made Y/N quickly look up. Killian stood up, angrier then before, but they hadn't noticed yet. Tony remembered that he had commanded JARVIS to attack everybody with Extremis in their systems.
"JARVIS, subject at my 12 o'clock is not a target," Tony rushed, "disengage!"
He put his finger in his ear to make sure his comm was still there but it wasn't, he quickly looked over and noticed it a few feet away on the ground. The suit powered up and then fired at Y/N, narrowly missed the hit. She looked towards Tony, angry, but was also trying to figure out a plan to stop the suit. Out of the corner of her eye so noticed Killian and realized she still had to finish him off as well.
"What?" Tony asked, confused and scared. Y/N began running towards Tony. "Oh, what are you mad at me?"
Y/N used Tony's knee to push herself up into the air. She punched through the suit and brought it to the ground. Y/N then slid her hand into a gauntlet and stood up. She whipped around and hit Killian just as he was about to attack her. He went flying backwards. She spotted a missile rolling on the ground. Y/N kicked it up towards Killian and fired at it. It blew up right in front of Killian, finally finishing him off. She began to cool down and come to her senses as she panted.
"Honey?" Tony called to get her attention. Y/N quickly looked back at Tony and then to where Killian once was.
"Oh my gosh," she gasped. She turned back to Tony. "That was... I just... I was just glowing, orange."
"You just scared the devil out of me. I thought you were-"
"I was dead. Why? Because I fell 200 feet?" She scoffed. "Wouldn't be the first time. Who's the hot mess now, huh?" She began walking towards Tony.
"It's still debatable. Probably tipping your way a little bit. Why don't you dress like this more often?" Tony leaned over and slipped the comm back into his ear as he motioned to Y/N. "Hmm? Sport bra. The whole deal."
"You know, I think I understand why you have so many suits. I used to complain about you always calling at the worst times and asking for my input. What am I going to complain about now?"
"Well, it's me." Tony slowly stood. "You'll think of something." Tony reached out to hold her.
"No, don't touch me." Y/N took a step back.
"Don't worry about it."
"No, I'm gonna burn you."
"No, you're not." Tony slid his hand down her arm that wasn't encased in a piece of armor. "Not hot."
"Am I gonna be okay?"
"No. You're in a relationship with me. Everything will never be okay. But I think I can figure this out, yeah. I almost had this 20 years ago when I was drunk. I think I can get you better. That's what I do. I fix stuff."
Y/N nodded in agreement. "Wait..." She mumbled, letting Tony's words sink in. "Relationship? Tony, we aren't in a relationship." She shook her head. "You and Pepper are."
"We can be." Tony grabbed her free hand and began to rub it nervously. "If you still feel that way because... I do. I know that you said you did and I said it too, but then we made rules. But I should have fought for you. It's always been you, ever since the beginning. I love you. And I want to show you how sorry I am for not fighting for you and how much I really do care. I want-"
Y/N cut him off by putting her armored hand over his mouth. She took a deep breath and looked straight into his eyes. "I still love you too, Anthony Edward Stark."
Tony quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in, causing their lips to meet. They fit together like they were always meant to be. The two worked in sync. Kissing each other with such desperation and longing but at the same time, gentle and loving. When the two finally broke for air, Y/N was frozen in her spot. Her eyes were still closed and a small, dazed smile crossed her lips. Tony chuckled lovingly at the sight before pecking her lips again and resting his forehead against hers.
"What are you going to do about all your suits?" She asked.
"Uh... I'm going to shave them down a little bit. JARVIS." When JARVIS didn't immediately answer, Tony let go of Y/N and tapped on his ear piece. "Hey."
"All wrapped up here, sir," JARVIS stated. "Will there be anything else?"
"You know what to do."
"The clean slate protocol, sir?"
"Screw it, it's Christmas. Yes. Yes."
Tony wrapped his arms around Y/N once again, and she copied the action. She looked up when she heard suits flying. Y/N watched as they flew up and blew themselves up. They looked like fireworks. Y/N felt that the firework look was very appropriate, giving the way she currently felt. Tony turned his head and gently kissed her head a few times.
"Okay, so far? Do you like it?" Tony asked.
"You really didn't have to do this Tony," she whispered. "But it'll do."
"I did. We're starting over. A clean slate, right?" She nodded as she closed her eyes and held onto Tony tighter. He gave a small smile. Neither of them could believe that they were actually going to be with each other. Finally.
~~~
"I promise I'm fine, Steve."
"I don't believe you!" Steve argued over the phone. "You told me not to come and look what happened. You and Pepper both got kidnapped and injected with what sounds like some form of super soldier serum. Not to mention that the President was captured and that you fell to your death. Again! I should have been there. I could have-"
"You couldn't have done anything, Steve. I really am fine. Tony's working on a solution to help get rid of the extremis in us, or at least stabilize it until a cure can be found."
"Where are you now?"
"On one of Tony's jets, heading to New York. Bruce is going to help Tony with the extremis."
"Isn't Bruce at the Tower? I'll meet you there."
"You don't have to."
"I know I don't, but I'm your brother. And if you're going through some experimental procedures, I want to be there."
"You didn't let me be there when you went through yours."
"Are you ever going to let me live that down?"
"Not a chance." Tony slipped into the part of the jet Y/N was sitting in, holding some drinks. He lifted them up to show her. "I'm going to go now, Steve. I love you and I'll see you in New York." She quickly hung up. "He acts like I'm unable to do anything on my own. Thank you." She took a drink from Tony as he sat down. "He's planning on meeting us at the Tower."
"I'll make sure his floor is ready then," Tony responded, taking a swig of his drink. "I have an idea I want to run by you."
"Okay? What is it?"
"So I've been thinking-"
"Oh no, not again," Y/N teased.
"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Away, I think I've found a way to remove the shrapnel from my chest."
"Really?" Y/N leaned forward.
"Really. Even found surgeons willing to do it."
"Are you going to go through with it? What about your suits? Don't they need the arc reactor?"
"All the suits have their own reactors now. So, yeah. I'm going to go through with it. After I fix you and Pepper though."
"How's she doing?"
"I knew she'd want some time alone for a bit. But she's insisting that she doesn't plan on stepping down as CEO anytime soon."
"That's good."
Tony grabbed Y/N's left hand, bringing it towards him to inspect. "Killian said that extremis heals. I've even seen it. But your scars are still there. Why?"
"Must be those stupids stones," Y/N grumbled.
"Stones?"
"Stone," Y/N quickly fixed herself. If Tony knew there was more than one powerful stone out there that can work together for destruction, he would never sleep. "Sorry, I'm just tired."
"Come here." He tugged at her gently. Y/N willingly let Tony pull her into his lap. "We both deserve a little rest."
"Yeah. We do."
~~~
Bruce and Tony worked quickly to find a way to remove the extremis from Pepper and Y/N's systems. Both Tony and Steve were there when Y/N woke, feeling good. Tony was still very interested in why her hand didn't heal, but Y/N told him it didn't matter.
When it was time for Tony's surgery, the flew to California. Rhodey, Y/N, and Pepper were there for him. Happy wished that he could have been, but he was still healing. Tony woke up from the surgery to find Y/N sleeping in a chair by his bedside. He smiled to himself, gently picked up her hand that was resting on the bed, kissed it and then whispered,
"Best sleep I've had in years."
Tony had the shrapnel made into a necklace for Y/N, which he gifted to her on their first official date. Tony told Y/N about the little boy, Harley, that had helped him. They decided to give Harley's garage a remodel. Before they left for New York, Tony said that he needed to get a few things from the destroyed mansion. He asked Y/N to go with him.
They both got out of the car. Y/N leaned against the car as Tony gathered the things he needed. He then came back to the car, grabbed a paper bag, and walked towards the edge of the cliff. He reached inside the bag, pulled out his arc reactor and then chucked it into the ocean. As he turned around and walked back, he knelt on the ground and picked up a small screw driver that he noticed. Tony smirked, kissed the tool, and then strolled back over to Y/N. She smiled as she leaned in and kissed him.
"I'm so proud of you," she whispered. She held onto his hands and looked into his eyes. "You know what they can never take away from you?"
"You?"
Y/N laughed. "Yes and one other thing." She leaned in and kissed him once more before answering her own question. "You are Iron Man."