Pepper worries.
It's practically in her job description. She worries about Tony constantly. She worries when he spends days down in his lab, refusing to eat or sleep or even remotely try to take care of himself. She worries when he puts on his god-awful Iron Man suit and flies off to who-knows-where to take care of some threat and save the world. She worries when she finds him in the middle of the night, slumped over a glass of brandy, trying desperately to push back the memories and fear that plague his dreams. She worries when he comes back from a mission, obviously hurt but refusing to seek medical help or even admit to the injuries in the first place because he's a pigheaded idiot.
So yes, Pepper worries.
And this stupid Avengers idea is only making her worry more. This team idea is almost a guarantee that Tony will be hurt. Not on a mission, although that probably will happen. But Tony has been putting his life on the line for quite awhile now, and Pepper knows that will continue whether or not Tony joins the Avengers. No, Pepper is sure the biggest blows will come from the members of the team. From the men and woman who save the world almost every day. Other people see them as superheroes, but Pepper only sees threats to the man she loves' mental and emotional health.
Because Tony has never been a team player. He's not tactful. He's brash and loud and rude and has the ability to piss off anyone he meets within five seconds of opening his mouth. And Pepper knows the team will be no exception. They'll look at him and see the obnoxious, worthless, self-obsessed playboy billionaire that Tony portrays to the world. It doubtful any of them will make the effort to look any deeper than the awful first impression Pepper knows Tony will make. And it's doubtful these 'amazing' individuals will hold back their thoughts on what they view as Tony's flaws. They will push and prod and throw words around that will hurt Tony more than any villain ever could. And the team will never even know that they hurt him. Because Tony will just brush off the insults with some witty comeback and go on acting like his obnoxious self. But when he comes home, he will fall apart. He will rant and rave or else try to drown himself in alcohol, and Pepper will be left trying to put back together the pieces of her broken boyfriend.
And the presence of Captain America will only bring out Tony's already all-too-present Daddy issues. Doubtless the man out of time will be looking for Howard in Tony, and this will only make Tony even more likely to lash out at his teammates. But Tony will be the one to walk away from the confrontation hurt. And everyone else will doubtless side with America's first and favorite superhero.
Everyone but Pepper, that is. Because she knows Tony better than he knows himself. She knows he cares more than he will ever admit or show. She knows he would risk his life for the world, even though the world will never thank him for it. She knows he is afraid of trusting anyone, especially after what Stane put him through. And God knows that stupid Natalie/Natasha girl's presence make it even harder for Tony to even think about letting anyone there get close to him.
Pepper knows Tony.
Pepper loves Tony.
And so she worries.
~AVENGERS~
AN: Thanks for reading guys. This is my first published work. I may go on to add a few more stories expanding on what really does happen when the team comes together, depending on the response this one gets. So, if you feel so inclined, please review and let me know how you liked it.
Also, this story is unbetaed, so feel free to point out any grammatical/spelling errors or other flaws that could be fixed.