"Oh. Um. Okay? That definitely makes things easier." Also probably less awkward, because it's starting to occur to Pepper that she's the only one of the three currently wearing armor, and she kind of stands out. It's hard to be self-conscious in a suit of power armor, but if anyone can do it, Pepper Potts can.

When Tony wraps his arm around her, at first she doesn't notice anything different. His presence is a comfort, an anchor she can hold on to so she doesn't fly off into 'arrest all the things, fight all the evil' mode, and you know there's something seriously wacky going on when Tony Stark is the center of normalcy.

"I don't know how much more my head is up for," Pepper says miserably.

She let's Tony steer her along behind Gene towards the tea shop. Not too bad, Tony? Wait until she finds out about you and Gene.