A/N: Why, hello there!
Mind if I introduce myself? I'm passionately happy, and I'm a new fan of the Avengers. Some history: my mom, on a lovely no-school day, forced me and my sister to watch the Avengers, to supposedly cure our "scaredy-cat issues." Naturally, I refused, but after seeing the trailer, I came to an epiphany about how non-terrifying it is (well, minus the Hulk, but he's not a unicorn painted in rainbow colors, so how can he not be scary?). So I watched. And I instantly fell in love with the addition of the Clint/Natasha pending-romance, the display of Pepperony, Thor, Loki and their family issues, Bruce and his rage issues (which like Tony, I've grown to become a fan of), and the whole Captain America thing, especially the "You're one of my men, but I want to throw you off your own tower" business between Tony and Steve. Add boredom, Chris Evans singing and my insistence to procrastinate in studying for math and thus this was born!
General Summary: Due to his insistence to stay away from Ghostbusters, Twenty-First Century films about coitus and/or World War II inspired movie marathons on Saturdays, Steve schelpps and explores Stark Tower when he reaches the unknown seventy-first floor. The contents of this floor help Steve heal from his past and allow him to discover a man behind his mask and aide him in finding better ways to deal with the painful memories of those who perished in his time.
Pairings: Clint/Natasha, Tony/Pepper, mentions of Thor/Jane, Bruce/Betty and Steve/Peggy
Friendships: Tony/Steve [dominant], All Avengers to each other, mentions of Steve/Bucky, Steve/Howard.
Let's get started on this potential multi-chap, shall we?
Another note: I think rating will change, but let's see.
~.~
Steve Rogers schlepped through the floors of the newly-christened Avengers Tower, twirling his elevator key around his pointer finger.
A smile graced Steve's face as he pondered about how close the Avengers are to each other. Although things between Steve and Tony had been tense at first (articulated by his insistence to 'suit up' and his unsaid words about 'throwing him off the goddamned helicarrier'- who said Captain America can't swear?), they had eventually grown close once Tony had invited all the Avengers to live in his tower along with himself and Pepper, assigning them each floors of the building exclusive to them. Non-virginal noises and hulk-freak outs aside, Steve appreciated the sentiment and as a action of gratitude, settled to have a drink from time to time with his new iron best bud (He also made sure to suggest Banner and Thor share the basement, for Thor seemed to be the only one willing to calm the other guy down, should he come out. As well, he asked Jarvis to soundproof Tony and Pepper's room when they are 'doing the nasty', a colorful term adapted by Steve from the smirking Hawkeye.)
As much as he loved the new extravagant living quarters provided for him (Steve admired the Captain America emblem adorning each corner of his sixty-sixth floor- he made sure to thank Pepper and compliment her interior decorating skills.) and the new friends he was making through the Avengers initiative, Steve couldn't help thinking about Peggy, Bucky, Howard and all the other people dear to his heart that had perished since his lapse in the Artic. Steve still remembered the feeling of Peggy's soft, pink lips against his, the waver in his voice as he promised her a dance, plummeting in the merciless, cold and frigid Artic snow. Howard and his smirk, akin to his son in the present day, his resilience and the spark in his eye. But most of all, he thought of his best friend Bucky and their fingers brushing against each other before he was blasted out of the train and sent falling down, down, down into the distant frozen lake below. Steve's heart clenched as all the faces of his friends flipped through his mind, and the tears would fall into the safety of his hands because there can't be any proof of this and Captain America cannot, does not and will not cry. ("But Steve does," the three ghosts plaguing his mind would whisper.)
Naturally, he's strayed away from joining the rest of the Avengers when there is a Ghostbusters, Twenty-first century film about coitus and/or World War II inspired movie marathon in the house. He instead opts to explore the tower, which on this bright, akin gloomy Saturday night had some sort of magical feeling to it. Reaching the elevator and checking the directory to see where his location is (Level 35- Armour exhibit: Iron Man and his many variations of his suit- $45 a person!), he let the tour group (Tony had even gotten a tour guide for his exhibit- Steve wondered how Pepper let that happen; she would never had let Tony exhibit his egocentric traits, as far as Steve was concerned) go to the first elevator and took the second one, his elevator key secured in his hand.
As soon as he was in the elevator, Steve jammed the key into the panel that would reveal access to the floors available to the Avengers. Opening the panel, Steve scanned his options, raising an eyebrow at one that seemingly had just appeared out of nowhere.
"Jarvis?" Steve inquired quietly, staring at the button.
"Yes, sir?" The AI responded.
"What is this seventy-first floor?" Steve eyes the number warily. As far as he was concerned, there were only seventy floors in the Avengers (formerly Stark) tower. The panel held the levels held exclusive for the Avengers- Level Seventy as the hangout zone for all the superheroes, sixty-nine for Tony and Pepper, sixty-eight and sixty-seven for Natasha and Clint, sixty-six for himself, zero for Bruce and Thor (Which was very grand- hulk proof glass and 'thunder god' rings for Thor to practice his 'thunder god thing' in.), level negative one which served as the training center for all the Avengers (located underground along with Bruce and Thor's floor- very magnificently large as well, so Bruce can unleash the other guy without it being claustrophobic or risking any lives; another round of applause on Pepper's part.), and the laboratory and meditation center on level 2. Steve had ridden up and down these elevators many times and practically had memorized the panel and its options; it would be an understatement to state that he was disoriented.
"Ah, I am afraid I cannot say," Jarvis responds, and Steve can hear a hint of a smile ("Can Artificial Intelligence Machines have feelings? I wouldn't be surprised if Jarvis started sounding like he just got off his monthly cycle," Clint had said one day, acquiring a smack to the head courtesy of Natasha.) in the AI's voice. "Why don't you go up to that floor and see, sir? I promise you will like it."
"Is this one of Tony's practical jokes?" Steve asked warily. "I thought there were only seventy floors in this building."
"No, you've just taken a special elevator, sir," responded Jarvis.
"I've taken this elevator many times!" Steve arched an eyebrow.
"Hmm.. Well, according to my elevator activity log, you've never taken this car, you always take the one on the left, sir," Jarvis states. "Or I assume you take the stairs, but you have never used this car."
"That's bizarre," Steve muttered to himself.
"I'm sorry, what was that, sir?"
"Nothing, Jarvis," Steve assured the AI, his curious and inquiste nature tempting him to follow the yellow brick road (or rather, the elevator car) to the unknown place (level). "I suppose I'll head to level seventy-one?"
"I knew you would, sir," Jarvis noted. "Would you rather I send you up or would you like to press the button?"
"I would like to press the button," Steve responds, and he sets off to encounter the unknown.
~.~
"I really think we should have a theme song," Tony pipes up from the bar, shoving a packet of microwavable popcorn into the microwave.
"Really? A theme song?" Bruce snickers from the couch as he drinks from a can of Dr. Pepper, his eyes trained on the wrestling match adorning Tony's television.
"Yeah! It could be like 'It's Iron Man'!" Tony sings. "It would have everyone swooning from Los Angeles to Sydney!"
"Need I remind you of the other five people on the team?" Natasha shoots a death glare at the self-proclaimed 'genius, billionaire, philanthropist', stretching her legs out onto the table as she cuddled into Clint.
"That is not very nice of you, man of iron!" Thor booms (because he always booms, for he is Thor) right into Pepper's ear, and reaches for a handful of the remaining popcorn kernels in the bowl of the sixth packet of microwave popcorn they had finished.
Pepper winces and begins to rub her ear. "Honey, can I have a can of Dr. Pepper?"
"Why, sure... Dr. Pepper," Tony winks, and Pepper rolls her eyes at her boyfriend's joke. "Would you like it cold or hot? I prefer my Pepper hot."
"Oh my God," Natasha moans, clearly annoyed and disturbed. She lets go of Clint to turn around and look Tony in the eye to exhibit her annoyance and disgust."Tony, can you please just shut up? I really don't need to hear your innuendoes right now."
"Cheers to that," Bruce raises up his can. Natasha beams at him and Clint hugs Natasha possessively to his body, clearly jealous of the rarer-than-rare smile being shot to anyone else than him.
Thor just looks confused.
"Jarvis, what should we watch now?" Tony asks the AI as he reaches into his fridge to get a Dr. Pepper for Pepper.
"Let me get that for you, sir," Jarvis extends a robot hand to grab the can of high-fructose corn syrup and hands it over to Pepper. "Here you go, Ms. Potts."
"Why, thank you, Jarvis!" Pepper thanks the AI.
"May I suggest, sir, since this is a night of many historic wonders, that you watch 'The Life and Times of The Patriots?'" Jarvis suggests.
"Isn't that Capsicle's life story, or something based off of that?" Tony inquires, reaching into the microwave to pull out the popcorn and pour it into a bowl, which was instantly grabbed by Thor and devoured by the superheroes.
"Yes it is, sir," Jarvis responds.
"Maybe he's going to like it then," Tony says out loud. "Do you think he'll watch, Jarvis? It's very strange to do an Avengers tradition without him, no matter how much of a pain in the ass he could be."
"You think he's a pain in the ass?" Clint asks incredulously. Natasha, Thor and Bruce stare at Tony wide-eyed, testing his patience as Pepper stares amusedly at the television.
Tony rolls his eyes. "Pep, I'm gonna go look for Capsicle. Do you wanna stay put or come with me?"
"Neither," Pepper responds. "Nataha and I were just planning to go to her floor to chill, do each other's hair, mani-pedis, those type of stuff."
"Er... Have fun?" waves Tony as the two girls skip into the elevator car. "Jarvis, any whereabouts on Capsicle?"
"I think he's in his room, sir," Jarvis responded, sounding guarded.
Tony narrows his eyes. "Jarvis, is there something you need to tell me?"
"Nothing at all, sir," Jarvis replies.
"Alrighty then. I'll be back," Tony summons himself into an elevator car as he bids adieu (but not really) to Thor, Bruce and Clint.
"Hulk says bye," Bruce jokes lightly as the elevator doors shut.
"My friends, I do not understand the joke the man of iron had bestowed on us earlier," Thor pipes up. "What did he mean by 'he likes his Pepper hot?'"
~.~
"Wow," Steve breathes out as he takes in his surroundings.
"I presume everything is to your liking, sir," Jarvis speaks from out of nowhere.
"Of course," he says, dazed as he walks further away from the elevator and into the level.
The level didn't have a long winding hallway and rooms like any other level. Instead, it was just a room (a very big room) with red velvet carpets and artistic items strewn everywhere. Steve picks up a pencil and sketchbook laying on a white couch and started sketching his surroundings, a smile blooming on his face as he drew.
"Jarvis, can this be my hangout place?" Steve inquires, smiling.
"Why, of course, sir! A great artist like yourself shall find great joy in the artist's palace," The AI exclaims. "But don't get excited too yet- you haven't seen the whole level yet."
"There's more?" Steve's eyes shine with boyish excitement.
"Indeed," Jarvis says. "Shall I show you on a tour?"
"I would appreciate that," Steve says softly, still in awe at the artist's palace.
"Alright then, sir," Jarvis responds, and to Steve's chagrin, a go cart appeared in the middle of the room. "Climb in!"
Curious, Steve climbed into the go cart, a pack of pencils and his new sketchbook in his hands. "Does Tony allow people up here?"
"Contrary to popular belief, Mr. Stark is generous and I assume he would allow his fellow avengers in his penthouse," Jarvis offered up as an explanation. "And should I be erroneous in my assumptions, I am positive Ms. Potts on the other hand would allow you."
"Well, alright then, Jarvis," Steve replies.
"Shall I start the tour, sir?" Jarvis inquires, reaching out a robotic hand to reach into the penthouse's mini-fridge to acquire a Dr. Pepper for Steve, which he accepted with a thanks. "There is more to this level than what meets the eye."
"Yes you may, Jarvis," Steve says as he is whisked through the unknown level. "I am always ready for an adventure."
~.~
A/N: Wheuu! And there you have it. The first chapter! Review, mes amis!