[He cringes at the sound of her voice. Steve doesn't want to deal with this. He feels horrible for that. It's not the same as it was with SHIELD. Pepper could act on what she knew in that reality. He knows that objectively.
It still feels like she's the same. She's another person out to manipulate and use him for her own ends. He hates himself for that. He hates that he's become so guarded that logic won't overrule the pain in his chest urging him to avoid this encounter at all costs.
It doesn't help when he finally lays eyes on her. He can see she's carrying her own hurt. It gives him another thing to hate himself for. He should be able to hide his true feelings better.
He scrubs his hand over his face and fails to force a smile to reassure her all is well.] Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault.
[He pushes his legs forward so he can properly look her over. He doesn't know what if anything carried over from that fake reality. Steve can't risk Pepper's health and safety because he takes everything so personally.]