A/N. What's up? Okay, so this is something I've had in my head for like 6 months and it was originally handwritten so it's not as good as if it were typed in my opinion. This fic is Pepper centric, showing how she started to become friends with each member of the Avengers except Tony, though I'm warning you now that there is a LOT of pepperony in here as well. Hope you enjoy :D
Disclaimer- I don't own the Avengers
5 Times Pepper Bonded With an Avenger…
And 1 Time They Cemented Their Friendship
1 ~ Bruce
Pepper Potts rolled her eyes. "Don't worry Rhodey, I'll make sure he calls you back this time." She hung up the phone and huffed in frustration and exasperation. "Tony Stark…" she muttered under her breath, shaking her head and sighing. Sucking in a deep breath, she yelled, "Anthony Stark!"
In the lab a few floors up, Tony froze for a brief second. Bruce Banner turned to look at him just as the billionaire resumed movement. "She seems pretty mad at you." He commented, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter.
Tony shrugged and continued welding the Iron Man suit. He spoke through the mask and over the fire. "Nah, if she were really angry, she would have used my middle name."
Bruce raised an eyebrow. "She still sounds mad."
"And you would know, wouldn't you?" Tony finished welding and lifted his mask up to reveal his smug grin.
Bruce blinked in surprise. "Well… yes."
"Ha, don't worry. I can get out of this totally unscathed. You'll see. She'll be down here in three… two… one…" At that exact moment, Pepper's feet were visible coming down the stairs. She descended with a scowl on her face and a clipboard in hand. She typed the password into the touch screen lock outside the glass door and entered the room, her heels clacking against the floor in an angry rhythm. She narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend and nodded in Bruce's direction politely, though she avoided contact with his eyes.
"Bruce." She said as a form of acknowledgement.
"Pepper," he said back.
"Hey Pep," Tony greeted brightly. Pepper turned her wrath on him, but Bruce had to admit, he'd seen her angrier. Maybe Tony would survive this.
"Mr. Stark, you have seventeen message from Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes, I suggest you answer them." Her tone was cool and collective and she looked him straight in the eye.
Tony, to his credit, didn't bat an eyelash. "Why should I?"
"Because he's your best friend and you've been ignoring him for the past week." Pepper answered without hesitation.
"It sounds urgent," Bruce commented in the hopes of aiding the poor girl despite her obvious fear of him, or rather, what was inside of him. Pepper mouthed along with Tony's next words.
"Then he should leave them urgently." Bruce pressed his lips together to prevent a chuckle from escaping.
"I believe he did, sir. Seventeen times." JARVIS interjected. Tony threw his hands in the air.
"Even you're against me on this?"
"Forgive me, sir."
"Apology not accepted."
"With all due respect Tony, maybe you should call this 'Colonel Rhodes' back," Bruce suggested.
"And let them win?" The philanthropist jutted his thumb in the direction of Pepper and presumably JARVIS. "What's the fun in that?"
"Not facing my death glare." Pepper answered for him.
Tony waved his hand lazily. "Pfft! As if I haven't faced it before and lived to tell the tale."
"Just because you lived, didn't mean you were any less scared."
"Woah, woah, woah… woah. " Tony raised his palms at shoulder level and regarded her with a look that Bruce couldn't place. "Me? Scared? You must have the wrong Tony Stark. Are you seeing someone behind my back?" He wiggled a finger at his girlfriend, but she just rolled her eyes again at his teasing.
"Yes, actually. His name is Iron Man."
"Interesting name." he stated, amused.
"It should be. I don't date people who aren't interesting."
"So what you're saying is, I'm one hundred percent perfect and you're interested in getting in my pants to see for yourself."
Pepper huffed. That man had a talent for only hearing what he wanted to hear. "Tony…" she started, only to be cut off bye the man himself.
"I'm right! I knew it! I'm always right." Tony grabbed a mugging from a nearby tray that Dummy had just brought down and winked at her before heading up the stairs.
Pepper turned to face his back as he left. "If you don't return those calls I'll withhold sex for a month!" she shouted after him. Behind her, Bruce cleared his throat. Pepper whipped around, flustered beyond belief and immediately tensed again. "D-Dr. Banner! I'm sorry, you weren't meant to hear that." Her cheeks flushed a deep red as she spoke.
"I figured," Bruce said in reply. He turned back to the microscope. When he looked up a few minutes later, he did not expect Pepper to still be there, biting her lip and clutching her clipboard with white knuckles. What he had expected to see, was an empty lab. Then again, he would've heard her noisy shoes had she walked away.
He was no stranger to being the fear of others; Pepper was no different. She stiffened whenever she saw him and always kept him in her peripheral vision when he was near, only acknowledging him when necessary (i.e. to be polite). So he was baffled as to how she was standing next to him willingly, especially after that little embarrassing moment of hers.
"Can I help you?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and replacing his glasses.
"I… um… Bruce… I'm sorry." Of all the things she could have possibly said, that was the last thing he expected to hear. "I'm scared of you. I'm not going to lie, I have tried to hide it, but I don't think I did a very good job." She looked guilty as she set the clipboard down on the counter. "Bruce, I know you're this big, scary, green… thing, but I also know you saved the world – not to mention the man I love. And for that I have to thank you. I don't know the human side of you though, and so I have no reason to be scared. I should have treated you better. I'm sorry."
"You have every reason to be scared. The Hulk and I are one-"
"No. You are your own person and he will never be able to take that away from you," she turned solemn and took a hesitant step forward, "I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize that." She was obviously still scared, and the face that she was still there, talking to him, touched his heart.
For years, the people who knew was the Hulk were terrified of him – and they didn't try to hide it. People tried to kill him for what he was, yet Pepper was making an effort to come closer, to get over her fear. She was trying be his friend… what?
"You're wrong." Of course he would push her away – he pushed everyone away. Tony was an exception, but only because he forced himself into every window of opportunity Bruce unintentionally left open; and he refused to leave. "I AM the Hulk, no one can change that."
"I was led to believe otherwise."
"What do you mean?"
"I was told that you were two different people, battling for the right to be free," Bruce gave her a surprised look, "Tony talks about you."
"That's funny. I don't talk about him."
"Well now you can."
"I don't have any intention to do so."
"Fine then. We can talk about something else."
"Pepper…" his instincts were telling him to push her away, but looking at her determined and good-intentioned face made him pause. She was trying to befriend him even with the knowledge that he could kill her so easily on accident. When was that ever going to happen again? It might never. And that's part of the reason he reacted the way he did when the beaker exploded.
"Get down!" he tackled her just before the actual explosion, having seen the bubbles of green turn to orange, then purple, then black as the container began to shake violently. Pepper and Bruce tumbled to the ground as glass flew across the room in dangerous shards. Several of them grazed the scientist's back and he hissed in pain.
Beneath him, Pepper was frozen with fear, her breathing laboured and her muscles stiff. She knew she couldn't just lie there and do nothing while Bruce could potentially Hulk out on top of her, but she had nowhere to run. She placed a hand on his cheek and swallowed the lump in her throat as she spoke in the calmest voice she could muster.
"Bruce? It's okay, breathe deep." She gave an example for him, "See? Easy."
Bruce chuckled and shook his head. "I'm fine Pepper. It takes a long more than… pointy things, to have the other guy come out."
Pepper blinked, blushing again as she realized her mistake. "Oh…"
At that moment, Tony walked in, still eating the muffin. "Hey! What's going in here! Stay away from my woman, Bruce!" Tony threatened jokingly as he pointed the pen in his hands at them. Pepper rolled her eyes as Bruce stood up. He offered her a hand and after a second of hesitation, she took it.
"Thank you."
"No, thank you."
2 ~ Steve
"Yes, that's an order of ten boxes of Cantonese chowmen, eight plates of shrimp dumplings, six platters of Pork Sau Mai, seven bowls of Fried Shrimp with five packets of mayonnaise, four bowls of Fried Rice, and the biggest container of Squid that you have." Pause, "It may as well be an army, there are only seven of us though," Pause, "No! What makes you say that? I'm not-" Pause, "Okay, fine, so I'm feeding the Avengers and they eat a lot. Sue me," Pause, "Of course, sir, I apologize. I expect the food will arrive in an hour?" Pause, "Yes, this is Tony Stark we're talking about here." Pause, "Perfect! Thank you!"
Pepper hung up the phone with a subtle smirk. Dinner was just another thing she could cross off her list of things to do. With renewed enthusiasm, she strode out of the kitchen and into the hallway, where she found a forlorn looking Steve arguing with JARVIS.
"Captain Rogers, you are nowhere near your destination."
"I know that! Now shut your mouth!"
"I have no mouth to shut."
"Mute." Pepper commanded, startling Steve slightly. The AI obeyed immediately and the Captain looked relieved when he saw here.
"Thanks."
"You're very welcome. Now, is there a 'destination' you need help getting to?"
"Yeah, I'm kind of looking for the kitchen?"
Pepper nodded. "Alright, follow me." She stepped into the elevator at the end of the hallway and he copied her. She pressed the button for the twentieth floor and they went down in silence to the elevator turned rock music Tony loved so much.
When they reached it, Steve thanked her. She nodded in response. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"
"No, I think I'm good. But thanks anyway." He sent her a bashful but grateful smile. He opened the fridge and pulled out a ceramic plate piled high with spaghetti and covered in saran wrap. He struggled to take the plastic off but eventually did so and looked around for utensils. Pepper walked over to the drawer by the stove and handed him a fork. He took it without a word and avoided eye contact. He dug it into the food bit it was cold and disgusting.
"You may want to microwave that," she suggested.
He tried to swallow, "What?"
"Here," she gently took the plate from him and turned to face the microwave. As soon as her back was turned, Steve spat the food in the sink. Pepper began pressing buttons on the appliance and turned back to him with an amused smile.
Steve frowned. "I can get myself food perfectly fine on my own."
"I know that Steve, and I mean no disrespect, but you need to get caught up on today's technology if nothing else."
Steve looked into her eyes and could see nothing but sincerity and good intentions. Deciding that he had been too harsh, his face softened and he looked down at the silver countertop.
"I know, I'm sorry ma'am, but I've just been in a sour mood lately."
"No worries, and call me Pepper."
"Alright." There was an awkward silence as the microwave heated the pasta, giving off a humming to which Pepper drummed her fingers against the counter. When it 'dinged', Pepper took it out and handed it to the super hero.
"I'm sure you can handle a plate of hot noodles." They shared a smile, "Well, with that I'll be on way. Just don't eat too much, dinner's in an hour." She turned to leave, but Steve called her back at the last second.
"Wait," she spun to face him again, "Can you… can you show me how this thing works please?" he gestured sheepishly to the microwave. Pepper smiled and began to explain the details of the appliance to the man out of time.
3 ~ Natasha
Pepper didn't trust Natasha Romanoff, not one bit. When she was Natalia Rushmore, she was just a little too flirty with Tony for her liking. But just because she wasn't flirting with her boyfriend anymore, didn't mean she could be trusted. Natasha was an assassin, an assassin who lived to lie and had lied multiple times. She was secretive, manipulative, underhanded, and much more that gave her no reasons to trust the woman.
Pepper was in the gym, having just finished her own personal spinning class that morning. She was dressed in a grey and pink tank top and black cut off yoga pants with her hair in a messy ponytail. She stepped off the bike with her legs burning like fire in a drought.
It hurt to walk, but she grunted and pulled through, managing to get to the bench and sit down, exhaling as she wiped her face with a towel. She took a long swig from her water bottle just as Natasha walked in carrying a duffel bag that looked stuffed to tis limit. Pepper gulped, but couldn't bring herself to get up so soon after sitting down.
Natasha began punching and kicking a robot who started fighting back with amazing skill. Pepper watched, mesmerized at the seemingly graceful flow of movements. A few minutes later, Natasha kicked the robot so hard that her foot went right through its torso.
"If you're going to stare, at least have the decency to try not to look like it." She stated, yanking her foot back.
Pepper frowned. "If you're going to talk to me that way, at least have the decency to look me in the eyes when you say it." She countered, twisting the cap on her bottle closed.
Natasha turned to face her, "You don't like me."
"I don't trust you."
"Why?"
"You lied to me, and I believed you. Now I have to live with you."
"If you want me to leave, then I will."
"It's not that I want you to leave, it's that I want you to be honest with me, and I've tried. But you seem incapable of truth."
"I'm not incapable, it's just easier for everyone if I lie."
"Well you don't have to lie to me. I'm trustworthy, but how would you know that? Certainly not by getting to know me."
"Virgina-"
"It's Pepper."
"Right, well, Pepper, getting to know you means letting people in, and letting people in is VERY dangerous."
"I understand that, but we can talk about other things like the weather or something. You and I are the only women in the building besides the workers downstairs, and we SHOULD be able to trust other." Natasha seemed to be contemplating what she said, "Let's start with this, if you tell me about your relationship with Clint, I'll give you dirt on Tony you'll never find as a spy."
"Deal.
4 ~ Clint
Pepper flopped down on the couch and sighed contentedly. This was her first break in a long while, not just from her job, but from Tony as well. So she sat in front of the TV and opened up a magazine (that was definitely NOT Vanity Fair). Just as she finally passed all the annoying ads, something in her peripheral vision moved.
"It's not your fault you know," she said without looking up from her magazine. In the doorway on the opposite side of the room, Clint froze. He was just a shadow in the darkness, unseen by those who wouldn't care less. But Pepper cared, which is how she spotted him sneaking out. He didn't say anything. "Phil would have died whether or not you were there. I don't know all the details, but I do know that Thor was there, and if he couldn't stop it, then maybe it wasn't meant to be stopped. I knew you were the closest to him, so I would understand that you would mourn his death the longest, but don't take it out on yourself. You are not to blame for his death." Clint winced, but his back was still to Pepper, so she couldn't see. "You've got a bird's eye view perspective – use it."
There was silence in the room and it was incredibly unnerving. Pepper flipped a page, the rustling of the paper so loud that she feared the workers on the lower floors might hear. She didn't look up, knowing that whatever choice he made wasn't any of her business.
But when Clint dropped his bow and arrows and sat in the chair next to her and turned on the TV, she couldn't help but smile.
5 ~ Thor
An ominous storm cloud was passing over Avengers Tower, emanating electricity and water droplets. Lightning flashed, seeming to zap the monument for a brief second, but it seemed unaffected. The passers-by shrugged it off, saying it was a trick of the eye, and that the bolt never actually struck the building or that it wouldn't have affected the Tower anyway because it was so impenetrable.
Inside said Tower, on one of the highest floors, lay a certain red head CEO of Stark Industries. She was sprawled on the couch with her laptop open and resting on her stomach. She was sleeping, snoring softly. She was still in her business suit and her makeup was still on, if a bit smudged to reveal dark circles beneath her eyes. It was past midnight.
The afore mentioned lightning made a loud sparking sound that startled Pepper into rolling off the couch with a small shriek. The laptop clattered to the ground as the room flashed white for a split second. She used the coffee table to hoist herself into a sitting position, hear hammering. In the middle of the room stood a tall and bulky figure with long hair and a cape. In his right hand was a comically large hammer.
"Who goes there?" Thor bellowed, holding Mjolnir at the ready in the darkness.
Pepper shakily stood up, raising her hands in a peaceful motion. "It's just me, Pepper."
Thor lowered his hammer. "Ah! Pepper Potts! Tis good to see you after so long from Midgard. Pray tell, did I startle you?"
"Yes, but don't worry about it. I shouldn't have fallen asleep in the first place." She looked up at the ceiling. "Jarvis, lights on."
"Yes, Ms. Potts," the AI obeyed and the room was suddenly illuminated with brightness. Pepper blinked a couple times, trying to adjust to the sudden change in lighting.
"Your eyes are dark, I apologize for waking you when tis obvious that you lack sleep." Thor apologized, bowing slightly.
"It's okay, Thor. I should go get changed anyway. Is there anything I can help you with first, though? Tony has a whole floor just for you that you could crash in for the night."
"Crash?"
"Sleep. Don't actually crash anything. Please."
"Fear not Pepper Potts, for I shall not crash a thing."
The red head smiled. "Thank you Thor. You must have come here for a reason, is something wrong?"
"On the contrary, in actuality. Loki has been imprisoned for a reasonable amount of time, the Frost Giants have barely stirred, and my lady Jane Foster will be expecting me tomorrow."
"That's great. Do you need me for anything? Are you hungry? Tired?"
"I am fine. It baffles me how you fret over my troubles, yet you delay the solutions to your own." He admitted, wrinkling his eyebrows.
"Yeah, well, running a company by yourself, being Iron Man's girlfriend, and unofficial caretaker of the Avengers as well as finding time for myself in the mix gets kind of exhausting. But we can talk about this in the morning. Come on, I'll show you to your room."
She grabbed the laptop from the ground and turned to lead his to his new Midgardian home as the God admired how selfless she was. He hoped that she'd treat herself to some sleep – she deserved it.
1 ~ Pepper
"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!" Tony screamed at the top of his lungs. Flying felt amazing and he wasn't sure he would ever get used to the exhilaration and adrenaline. He was a red and yellow blur as he soared through the air in his Iron Man suit; just for the heck of it! He flipped and twirled in the air, weaving through the labyrinth of skyscrapers with expert precision.
Suddenly, a phone number appeared in front of his eyes. "Sir, you have an incoming call from an Unknown Caller," JARVIS informed him in his robotic voice.
"Let it go to voicemail."
"Yes, Sir." A couple seconds later. "Sir, the caller claims to know that you are ignoring him and demands you answer."
"Hang up on him."
"He has just claimed to have Ms. Potts in his possession."
"He what?" And then suddenly he got a face full of billboard. He peeled himself off and immediately started for the Tower. "Put him through and trace the signal."
"Yes, Sir." JARVIS replied. There was a crackling noise before an unfamiliar voice filled Tony's ears.
"Hello Anthony."
"Where's Pepper?" He growled, racing through the sky.
"Ah, right to the chase. She's right here," there was a muffled shuffling sound, "Virgina, say something," he was met with silence, "I said, SAY SOMETHING." The sound of a slap resonated even over the phone.
"PEPPER!" Tony cried.
"… Tony?" There was no mistaking it. This mad had Tony's Pepper; and the Avengers would do anything to get her back.
"Pepper! Listen, I'm coming for you, okay? Stay calm and don't let him break you. I love you-"
"Okay that's enough! She can't hear you anymore." The man cut him off.
"Signal seventy-five percent traced," JARVIS piped up, unheard by the villain on the other end of the line.
"Who are you?!" Tony spat, fury rising in his veins.
The man laughed. "No one you know, but you can call me B."
"For bastard?" he quipped.
"I was thinking more along the lines of 'Bad', but whatever floats your boat."
"What do you want?" Tony's blood was boiling.
"Your company, what else?"
"I'm afraid we're not close enough for that."
The man laughed again and the billionaire ground his teeth at the sound. "Oh Anthony, your tongue is as sharp as they say. However I want your business, Mr. Stark. Not your friendship."
"Buy a share," He said sarcastically.
"Oh but I don't want a share, I want to own Stark Industries for myself. So hand it over or she goes 'bye-bye'!"
"Fine. You can have it. But if a hair on her head is out of place, the deal's off."
"Fine by me. You're the one who's got EVERYTHING to lose."
"Ninety percent, Sir." JARVIS informed him.
"If you want SI so badly, you should have just taken me. I AM Tony STARK after all." He said, stalling.
"But she was going to be a Stark too one day, wasn't she?" Tony tensed. Something inside him just… snapped, like an elastic having stretched too far. But the man continued, oblivious (or maybe not) to his emotional turmoil. "And besides, she's CEO. She could hand it over to me herself."
"Then why-?"
"Because it's faster and cleaner."
"Ninety-nine percent." JARVIS stated.
"Good-bye, Anthony."
"No WAIT-!" Click. "DAMN IT!" Tony punched a nearby sign so hard that his fist went right through and yanked the entire thing off its legs, dragging it behind him as he flew. He spun around and threw it into the distance, not caring where it landed.
He touched base at the Tower and threw off his helmet as he ran for the elevator. Waiting to stop at the lab floor was excruciating, but he managed. When the doors opened he was already gone. Of course, it was just his luck that Bruce would be that specific lab at that specific time. Tony ignored him and went straight to work, manipulating mid-air screens to his preferences and moving like a maniac on red bull.
Bruce blinked. This actually wasn't that rare an occurrence for Tony, but the fact that he was still wearing his Iron Man suit (minus the head) was a little off-putting and sent warning signals to his brain. "Uh… Tony?"
"Can't talk. Go away."
"Tony, something's obviously bothering you."
"Don't make me throw you out of here. You know I will."
The philanthropist seemed distressed, while at the same time, enraged. Bruce had never seen this side of him before. It was unsettling to say the least. "Tell me what's going on. Maybe I can help?"
Tony opened his mouth to shot back a witty remark – but decided against it. Maybe Bruce could help? "Pepper's been kidnapped."
The doctor's eyes widened and he took a step back, absorbing what hid friend had said. But then he turned firm and fierce and reached for the coms unit he kept in his ear at all times – for emergency purposes. He just hoped that the others did too.
"Avengers Assemble! Pepper's been taken. Repeat. Pepper's been taken. Avengers Assemble!"
Steve was reading a newspaper outside on a bench when the comms unit in his ear buzzed. He froze, but only for a second, before bursting to life, tossing the paper aside, and hopping on his motorcycle, completely disregarding his helmet in his rush.
Avengers! Assemble!
"Jane, there is a mysterious voice in my head that tells me Pepper Potts has been taken," Thor announced, worry starting to take place in his bones. Jane walked over to her boyfriend and looked in his ear due to her suspicions that he wasn't crazy. Sure enough, there was a device planted there that Thor must have forgotten he was wearing.
"Go to Avengers Tower," she ordered him.
"But-"
"Go! And listen to that voice in your head."
With a nod, Thor swung his hammer and flew off.
Avengers! Assemble!
Natasha was at the grocery store, glaring at the Nutritional Facts, when she received the call. The can clattered to the ground as she disappeared.
Avengers! Assemble!
Clint was on top of the Empire State building, just looking at everything. His comms crackled. Clint frowned and shot a grappling arrow at a nearby building and swung through the city like Spiderman.
Avengers! Assemble!
"Tony! Don't go after him until we get there!" Steve ordered through his ear piece.
"Sure thing Cap!"
"He left already didn't he?"
"Yup," Bruce confirmed. "He took off a couple minutes ago."
"Darn it! Why didn't you follow him?"
"He was flying."
"Where's he going?"
"An abandoned warehouse on the other side of town."
"Give me the coordinate, Doc." Bruce told the Avengers the address. "Good, meet us there."
"I think I would be of more help if I were to stay-"
"Doctor," Natasha cut him off, "there's no one around for miles at that warehouse. Be there."
"I'll stop by the Tower to pick you up," Steve stated in a tone that screamed 'no arguing'. "Stark! Stall until we get there."
"No can do."
"Why not?
"Can't talk now. Arriving on scene. Peace out!"
"Tony? Tony! TONY!" No answer. "TONY STARK!"
"He's gone, Captain," Clint confirmed. "We'll catch up. Hey Nat? Mind if I catch a ride?"
Natasha looked up from the driver's seat in their convertible she totally didn't steal. Above her, swinging building to building by his bow arrows was Clint. Her eyes went back to the road.
"Hop in." the second he landed in the seat next to her, she floored it.
"What, no seatbelts?" he joked. She sent him a look over her ominous sunglasses that had him laughing and relaxing in his seat.
Meanwhile, Tony flew right through the front doors (literally – there is an Iron Man shaped hole in the double doors) and into a large room over two stories high with metal beams scattered about the area. The walls and roof were made of bricks that were a reddish colour.
"I know you're here!" Tony bluffed, shouting at the seemingly empty warehouse. His voice sounded slightly modified, more robotic, even more so with giant echo. He took two steps forward, his suit whirring and his footsteps like explosions in the silence. He was starting to panic.
What if Pepper wasn't there? What if the guy had taken her somewhere else and left the phone at the warehouse and counted on him tracking it to the wrong place? What if he found Pepper's dead body-?
NO! He couldn't afford to think like that. He had to have hope… screw hope, he was going to get her back at all costs because… was freaking Tony Stark. His mind began to work in complicated maneuvers as he pondered over the phone call he'd had with Pepper's kidnapper. He replayed the conversation in his mind, searching for clues. The man had never said where he was, which meant that he anticipated that Tony would find him simply by tracing the signal. That meant that there must be something here to find. He wouldn't call say "I want your company" and then hang up. There had to be something there.
On some sort of boyfriend-ly instinct, Tony looked up. There as an entire second floor to the warehouse. He flew straight through the floor and appeared in a completely empty room – save for Pepper, who was lying unconscious on the floor.
"Pepper!" Tony raced over to her but was intercepted when a UFO (unidentified flying object) crashed into him, accusing him to land several meters away and on his back. He groaned. "Okay, OW."
Someone clapped slowly and dramatically as they emerged from the shadows. "Nice job, Mr. Stark. You're so graceful," he remarked sarcastically.
"And you are extremely cliché. Do you know how many times that clapping thing has been used?" Ion Man stood up and brushed himself off, scraping metal gloves against the metal body. "Three hundred and ninety-seven."
"Don't go pulling numbers out of your ass."
"They didn't come out of my ass, they came out of my mouth. Get your anatomy straight."
"It couldn't have come out of your mouth because your foot was in it!" B snapped, still half-hidden in the darkness. It was clear that he was getting agitated.
"So your next guess was my ass? What kind of dirty mind do you have?"
"What happened to cutting right to the chase?"
"What happened to staying on topic?"
"Shut up or out deal's off and I take Ms. Potts away from you forever!"
"Um, let me think about that. No." Tony lunged for the enemy, and with the extra power form the boosters in his feet, the two went flying back down the first floor, crashing through the second one in the process. They landed among a pile of empty cardboard boxes. B coughed.
"Now, now, let's do this like civil people."
"If you wanted this to be civil, you wouldn't have kidnapped my girlfriend!" Iron Man growled from his position on top of the man who stole his Pepper, "If you wanted this to be civil, you wouldn't have tried this in an abandoned warehouse!" He punched his opponent repeatedly, accentuating each point with an especially powerful hit, "If you wanted this to be civil, you wouldn't have forced my hand!"
"You really don't want to mess with me," B snarled, blocking the punches as best he could.
"yes," Punch, "I," Punch, "Do!" Punch. That was when the table turned. B managed to kick Tony in the chest with both legs. Normally, this wouldn't made a difference, seeing as how heavy the suit was, however, Tony was mysteriously sent flying across the room, landing backwards on the hard floor. A cloud of dust exploded from his landing. "How did you-?"
"You think Dr. Banner was the only one to research the super serum?"
Tony's eyes widened behind his mask. "And you perfected it?"
"Not quite. The effects are only temporary, but they will do for now."
"What does working on the serum have to do with my company?"
"Perceptive, Anthony. It made acquiring Ms. Potts that much easier, and so that I was prepared should you try anything funny."
"So you recreated a serum that could give you world domination… only to try to own a company?"
"Triumph starts with try and ends with…" he ran forward and rammed into the super hero, knocking them both the ground.
"Oof!" Tony cried.
"…close enough."
"Close doesn't cut it for me," Clint interrupted from his perch on a small window just under the second floor. His bow was strung and aimed at B's heart. Not a second later, the Hulk smashed through the wall below and a few feet to the right of Hawkeye. The Other Guy let out a mighty roar as Steve, Natasha, and Thor barged in right after through the hole that was just created, each decked out in their respective uniforms.
"Step away from the Iron Man and no one gets hurt," Steve threatened, holding his shield up menacingly.
B simply laughed. "It's a little late for that," he pointed towards the ceiling where an awake Pepper was peering through the Iron Man sized hole in the second floor with wide eyes.
"Pepper!" Tony yelled, reaching out to her only to be tossed into Steve rather harshly. They collided and ended up sprawled on the floor. The two groaned and sat up just as the piece of floor the red head was lying on broke off from her weight by the edge and came tumbling down accompanied by a blood-curdling scream. Tony was off like a rocket, but the other falling pieces of ceiling were falling, creating an avalanche-like effect. It blocked him before he could reach her. "NO!"
By the time the dust cleared, Pepper was lying on top of the pile of rubbish (mostly). Tony flew down to her only to be hit with another UFO. "DAMN IT!"
B started to cackle menacingly. "I knew it." He walked over and grabbed Pepper by the elbow, lifting her torso off the ground as she coughed and spluttered. He pulled out a gun. "I'm the one doing the negotiating around here."
Hulk growled and moved to step forward, but Steve held out his hand, signalling him to stop. "Hulk!" The green creature grunted, obviously not happy with sitting still while Pepper was in danger; none of them were.
Each Avenger had bonded with Tony's girlfriend in their own special way, and had become protective of her. Natasha and Pepper shared a mutual understanding of "girls stick together". Steve had become rather close with the woman, seeing her as mature and responsible as well as his equal. Thor looked to her as a mentor of sorts with respect for her selflessness and generosity. Clint didn't talk to her too often, but he knew she was wise and would do anything to help him; he felt the same loyalty towards her. Finally, Bruce was extremely grateful to her for making such a big effort to befriend him despite his baggage and conversed with her whenever they crossed paths.
Tony stood up, shook himself off, and went to stand between Thor and Natasha. "Let her go!" he demanded, rage boiling in his veins so hot that he could practically feel the bubbles in his blood.
B shook his head, smiling maliciously. "No," his finger on the trigger twitched. In a flash, Steve's shield whacked the gun out of his hands before returning to its owner. The villain's smile didn't leave his face as he shook his head with a chuckle. "You super heroes are so easily distracted." He let go of Pepper's elbow and she collapsed, seemingly still.
"NO!" Tony cried, held back only by Thor, who looked extremely solemn. Steve was shocked beyond belief, Clint felt like all his breath had left him, Natasha felt a sense of failure and dread overwhelm her, Tony was hysterical, and Hulk… smashed. Too bad Tony got to B first (having somehow escaped Thor's mighty grasp) and was quickly thrown right through the ceilings of the first and second floors all the way through the roof and into the sky.
It had begun. Clint shot several poisoned arrows at the crazed kidnapper, who only caught them with ease at the same moment that Thor let out an angry battle cry and lunged for him. B spun around and stabbed each of the arrows into the God's body. Of course, being an Asgardian, they didn't kill him, but he lay on the ground, temporarily paralyzed. How B knew that the arrows were poisoned, no one knew…
He dodged Natasha's bullets but couldn't avoid the net arrow Clint fired at him, encasing him in annoying netting. But because of the super soldier serum, he ripped himself free. Just then, he dodged Steve's shield again, only to be knocked over by Natasha's lithe form. She had him pinned in under two seconds. But then something impossible happened: he flipped her over and kicked her head hard enough to knock her unconscious.
Clint dove from his perch at the window, covering amazing distance in that small jump. B caught him by the arms and used all his strength to launch the archer into the far wall of boxes that crumbled on top of him from the impact. Hulk roared yet again and ran forward, but B held up Natasha's form just before the big guy could smash him. At the last second, Hulk missed, narrowly missing stepping on Pepper's body. B took Natasha's gun and shot the Hulk between the eyes, causing him to stumble back a bit in pain.
Captain America threw his shield again, but B caught it and whipped it at the Hulk who reared back. He looked down at his source of disturbance and pain: Cap's shield. The creature glared at Steve, whose eyes widened.
"Woah, Bruce, it wasn't me!" He tried to coax his fellow Avenger into NOT tearing him to pieces, but the green man started for him and Steve had no choice but to run.
B laughed maniacally. He had won. And it was so easy too. He had been expecting more from Earth's so-called "Mightiest Heroes". He grabbed Pepper by the arm and started dragging her away when a red and gold UFO hit him so hard that he let go of the woman and crashed into the ground, sliding painfully for several yards. When he regained his vision, his sight was full of Iron Man's mask that somehow managed to look angry, despite not having changed.
B managed to kick the hero off of him, but just as he regained his footing, a large hammer to the chest sent him flying into a pile of boxes. He sat up, when a hand emerged from the pile and grabbed his ankle. He shrieked. Another hand shot out, this one carrying a knife. It managed to embed itself into B's shoulder before he broke away and stood up. Clint became visible from the pile right before a gunshot went off.
B whipped around to face the Black Widow, aiming a second gun at his face, blood trickling down her own. Shocked (and distracted), B only just managed to catch Steve's shield in time to look up at the Hulk chasing it like a target. He raised his fists to smash B, but he hid behind the shield. When he looked up, each and every Avenger had surrounded him, glaring daggers. He hesitated only a moment before flipping over the entire group and more toward the center of the room. He turned and faced the super heroes with a smirk.
"Ha! You'll never catch me! I'm smarter and stronger than all of you! I WILL defeat you all because none of you are a match for me! None! I-!" a gunshot went off and his leg spurted blood. He feel to his knees with a squeak, revealing a shaking Pepper standing wobbly and gripping Natasha's previously dropped gun.
"That's…" she panted, "for kidnapping me… and hurting my friends." She shot his other leg before dropping the firearm completely. Everyone was shocked beyond belief that Pepper was even alive, let alone defeating the enemy single-handedly.
A few seconds passed before the CEO sent all of them a tiny smile and fainted. One second, Tony was still in the circle of Avengers, the next, he had Pepper in his arms, limp and bleeding. But she was breathing. He tore off his mask to reveal his tear streaked face. His eyes never left her as he cradled her body, inhaling her scent beneath the dirt and blood.
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no… Pep, you can't leave me!" he begged as the others came in closer to see if she was okay. Each one looked worried that she might not wake. "I can't survive a day without you! Forget forever! I don't even know my social insurance number! Pepper!"
She didn't move, but her chest rose and fell with each breath. Tony was full out crying now, half from relief and half from stress that she might not ever wake up.
"Tony," Steve called, his voice was softer than usual, "We have to get her to a hospital."
"I know that!" He barked back harshly.
"Then let's go."
"Uhnnnn…" everyon's eyes locked on Pepper as she groaned and twitched.
"Pepper?" Clint kneeled down next to her and gently grabbed her hand. Ever since she had comforted him about, he had grown rather fond of the CEO, acting as a protective big brother at times.
Natasha sat next to him and put a hand on his shoulder as she watched, unable to tear her eyes away. The two women were as close as could be, an unspoken truce of females, as it were.
With so much inaction, the Hulk groaned and began to shrink. His muscles contracted and relaxed in odd spasms as the green began to fade. In the blink an eye, a naked Bruce was kneeling on the ground and clutching his stomach. He looked up, miraculously still awake.
"Pepper…?" he couldn't articulate much more than that, but the others understood him anyway.
"She's alive," Steve answered him; the relief in his voice was almost tangible. "You wanna take a look at her Doc?"
Bruce nodded and the Captain grabbed his elbow to steady him as he hobbled over to the unconscious glue of their team. Thor graciously handed the doctor his cape to cover himself, which Bruce was thankful for. He turned to Pepper.
It was obvious that she was alive. Her chest was rising and falling periodically and her fingers twitched every so often. It was the severity of her injuries that he had to look for.
"Has someone called SHIELD?" Bruce asked while checking Pepper's pulse. A steady rhythm.
Thor stepped back a bit to make the call. He admired Pepper and all she was and stood for. She had become his mentor of sorts when it came to Earth – and Jane, in a sense.
"Is she okay?" Natasha asked about a minute later.
Bruce shook his head sadly. "She's bleeding internally, she has a concussion, a twisted ankle, a cracked rib, and I think her lungs may have been affected in some way, but I can't be sure until I have an x-ray and full body scan."
"Thor, when will SHIELD get here?" Clint snapped at the Thunder God. Thor didn't take it personally; he was pretty angry too. He crossed his arms and made his way back to the group.
"The medical doctors shall be here within the next few minutes." Everyone clenched their teeth.
"Can we move her?" Steve asked, his confidant leader voice trying desperately not to waver.
Bruce shook his head. "It's not safe. She'd be jostled even more than she already is, and trust me, she can't take much more jostling."
Tony stilled. He had been uncharacteristically silent throughout the whole ordeal. Even now, as he held his other half, he was determined to stay quiet. He couldn't move Pepper, therefore, because she was in his arms, he couldn't move at all. He didn't want to take that risk.
In the next minutes that passed, the Avengers all gathered around Pepper and Tony in such a way that they wouldn't be smothered to death; or so they hoped. Tony held her body, Clint was on her other side and gripping her hand. Natasha sat on Clint's left and leaned into him for support. Bruce sat on her left, between her and Tony. He was sat on the other side of Pepper's legs and had a hand on Tony's suit-clad shoulder. Steve was at Pepper's head, kneeling between Tony and Cling and gently brushing stands of hair from her face. Thor stood behind Tony and peered over all their heads to keep an eye on the lady Pepper, but he eventually gave in and lowered himself to his knees while bracing himself on Steve and Tony's shoulders.
B was right. She was the glue that kept them all together, that cemented their friendships with one another. She had been the one to invite the majority of the Avengers into the Tower for permanent residency. She had been the one to earn all of their trusts and break down their walls. She had grown on each and every one of them in their own special way, and without her, the Avengers would fall. But because of her, they could be put back together.
"Who do you think they're waiting for?" One nurse asked another, leaning over the cart of medical supplies to whisper, unheard.
"I don't know," the second answered, "maybe there's a seventh that we never knew about?"
"Mm, I doubt it," the first shot down, smacking her lips together. She tucked a strand of long orange hair that had escaped her messy bun behind her ear. "Maybe one of their girlfriends?"
"Do they even have girlfriends?" asked the one with short black hair.
The red head rolled her eyes. "Of course they do, they're super heroes. I know for sure Iron Man does. He's dating the CEO of his company: Pepper Potts. I don't know about the others, but I'm sure they do. I mean… look at them." She gestured to the six colourful people scattered around a hospital room door at the other end of the corridor. "What I wouldn't do to have them stick a tube in me."
"Franny!" the second nurse scolded through her teeth. Her green eyes flicked back and forth between the Avengers and her ginger friend.
"What? Admit it. They're sexy as hell."
"I'm pretty sure Hell isn't sexy," she deadpanned.
Franny rolled her eyes. "Whatever. More for me." The red head made to move toward the super heroes when the second woman gripped her forearm with surprising strength.
"What are you doing?!"
"I'm getting me some thunderous God." She winked and ripped her arm away from the other girl. " Good luck with your imaginary boyfriend, Layna!" she called over her shoulder as she strode over towards the distraught Avengers, swaying her hips exaggeratedly. Layna scoffed and grabbed the cart her co-worker had so carelessly abandoned. As she rounded the corner, Franny approached the heroes.
Bruce sat, slumped in a chair opposite the door, wearing only a hospital gown and a tag that read, "NOT A PATIENT". Tony sat on his right, still in the Ion Man suit, on the floor with his head in his hands. Steve was on Bruce's left, his legs spread out on the floor an mindlessly playing with his shield. He still wore his Captain America uniform, but his mask was removed. Clint and Natasha lay sprawled in front of him, sleeping soundlessly in uniform. Thor was on their left, across from Tony and closest to Franny. He sat cross-legged with his head down and his hammer by his side. All of them were undeniably miserable.
The second that Franny was within earshot, the assassins bolted upright and reached for their weapons. Clint's bow was already strung, arrow loaded and aimed at her heard, which was pounding harder than she thought possible. Both agents were stone-faced. Natasha held her gun with both hands, grip firm and unwavering. Franny gulped.
"Now, now, There's no need for that," she said nervously, "I'm Franny. I work as nurse here at the hospital." She gestured to her short white uniform in the hopes that they would both lower their fire arms and jump her bones at the same time (Hawkeye at least, not so much the Black Widow, though she wouldn't object). Only the former happened, albeit hesitantly. "As a nurse, it is my job to ensure that my patients are well taken care of. Despite not being actual patients, I felt the need to offer my services for your well-being."
Steve was the first to speak. "Thank you for your kindness Ma'am, but I think we're okay."
She was about to say something back when Tony beat her to it. "Go away."
She huffed. "You are all inappropriately dressed for a hospital I suggest you all go and change."
"I suggest you go fuck yourself." He inventor shot back, venom lacing his voice without him even looking up.
Mouth open and face red, Franny stomped her foot an offended noise and stormed away. No one paid her much attention.
After what felt like days, the door to Pepper's hospital room opened. In that one second, everyone sprang up with worry and fear in their eyes. There were all tense, waiting for that one sentence that would cause them to let out a breath they didn't know they were holding. There was a pregnant silence as the doctor eyed them suspiciously.
Finally, he spoke. "She is alive and stable." Everyone's shoulders sagged in relief.
"Can I see her?"
"Mr. Stark, I wouldn't advice that you-"
"Fuck it, I'm going in." He shoved the doctor aside and pushed open the door, suit whirring as he went.
In the hallway, the doctor made to follow him but Steve stepped in his way and braced a hand against his chest. "Son, just don't."
Inside the room, Tony couldn't breathe. He felt like the suit was constricting his lungs and his heart was inside a garbage compactor.
Pepper lay in a hospital bed, sleeping, breathing, and alive. He didn't know the extent of how close she'd been with death, and frankly he didn't want to know. He kneeled down beside her bed and reached to brush a strand of hair from her face, pausing halfway. His entire body (minus his head) was still in the hard metal of the Mach VIII. Hurriedly, he pressed a little button he'd installed and his suit fell to pieces around him, clattering to the floor noisily.
Pepper's eyes fluttered and she stirred. Well clearly Tony hadn't thought this through. He froze. When the racket carried to the outside, Steve poked his head in the door. "Everyone okay in here?"
Pepper opened her eyes and smiled. "Yeah, everything's okay."
"Pepper!" everyone chorused, and suddenly the room was filled with Avengers. She laughed quietly. "I'm fine! I'm fine! Honestly guys, there's nothing to worry about. I'm just happy to be home."
Thor gave her a strange look. "But Lady Pepper, we are in a medical ward."
"Yes, I know. We're not at Stark Tower and we're not at the Malibu Beach House, but home is wherever you all are." She reached out both of her hands which were quickly seized by Tony and Natasha on either side of her.
Everyone released their tension and weapons simultaneously, causing tons of crashes and clanking metal. When it was over, Bruce, Steve, and Thor took seats in the chairs surrounding the bed while Clint opted to sit at the foot of it. They all talked about little things and happy things and things that could not in any be possible triggers.
And you know what? It was because of Pepper Potts that the Avengers stayed together; but it was also because of Pepper Potts that they were content to stay together. Should she ever leave, they would only come together stronger.