"Alright, kids! Gather round, we're playing a game!" Tony called to his team, plus Pepper.
"Not a chance, Stark. You still owe me from the last time we played poker." Clint replied.
"Just 'cause I can't read your damn SHIELD-trained poker face." Tony muttered. Clint glanced to Natasha, who gave a small smile, remembering how they had employed their training to make some money of Tony. They didn't need it; SHIELD covered all their costs. They just enjoyed watching Tony's frustration as he lost hand after hand. "Anyway, that's not what we're playing."
"So what are we playing, Stark?" Steve asked, popping his head out from his room.
"Truth or Dare." Tony answered, grinning wickedly.
"What is this game Man of Iron is proposing?" Thor inquired curiously.
"Have JARVIS explain it." Pepper suggested. Everyone knew Tony had no patience for explanations.
"Truth or Dare is a simple game in which players are posed the question 'Truth or Dare?'. Should they choose Truth, they must answer any question they are asked truthfully. Should they choose Dare, they must perform any action they are instructed to do. Upon finishing the task, the player poses the original question to another player. There is no winner, nor designated end to the game, rather the object is to learn more about the other players," the accented AI explained.
"Seems simple enough," Steve commented. The rest nodded. They sat in a circle in the living room, Pepper sitting on Tony's right with Bruce on his left. Thor sat on the other side of Pepper and Steve sat next to Bruce. Clint and Natasha rounded off the circle.
"So, who goes first?" Pepper asked.
"I will!" Tony shouted. The rest of the team groaned. Tony stuck his tongue out childishly, and then looked around at his team. His eyes fell on a certain master assassin, and her eyes narrowed when he asked her. "Natasha, Truth or Dare?"
"Truth." The team went silent. Tony wasn't prepared for this, and took a moment before thinking up the right question.
"Are you dating Barton?" Tony asked, grinning.
"Really, Tony? You get to ask a former Soviet spy any question, and you ask if she's dating Clint?" Bruce said, rolling his eyes at his best friend. Tony nodded confidently. Clint looked at Natasha, communicating silently. He bowed his head slightly, and she raised a brow.
"No." Natasha answered. Pepper's face fell, and Steve looked confused.
"Why the hell not?" Tony demanded indignantly.
"We're partners. While not technically prohibited, SHIELD doesn't approve of romantic relationships between agents, especially Level 10 field partners." Clint reeled off the well-practiced speech. Natasha just nodded.
"Anyway," Natasha changed the subject, "I believe it's my turn. Pepper, Truth or Dare?"
"Umm, dare." Pepper declared with all the courage she could muster.
"I dare you to stand against the wall while I throw knives around you. I promise I won't hit you." Natasha proposed.
"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't know you have incredible accuracy." Pepper noted as she stood by the wall. "I'll wait here while you go get your knives."
"They're right here," replied Natasha, opening the side of her black leather jacket and pulling out six throwing knives. "Ready?" Pepper nodded. The room was silent. Natasha threw the first one into the wall beside Pepper's calf. The second blade went to the same place on the other side of her. The next two landed between her arms and her hip on each side. The third set hit at shoulder height. The last pair was planted in the wall less than a centimeter from her ears. The team clapped and whistled in appreciation, not just of Natasha's pinpoint accuracy but of Pepper's courage. Shaking, Pepper stepped away from the wall and took the glass of scotch from Tony's hand and downed it in one.
"Your bravery is like that of Lady Sif, Lady Pepper," Thor commended.
"Thank you, Thor. Ok, my turn. Bruce, Truth or Dare?" Pepper asked, still shaking slightly.
"Truth." Bruce replied immediately.
"What experiment was your most frustrating or painful, not including the accident?" Pepper queried softly.
"The cure." Bruce answered quietly.
"Like for cancer?" Steve asked.
"No, I'm much too selfish for that. The cure is for me, for the other guy. I convince myself that that will save as many people as if I could cure cancer, but it won't. It'll just make me feel less guilty. And the worst part is, I can't. I can't reverse the effects of the gamma radiation." Bruce explained shamefully.
"But if you do find a way to reverse the effects of gamma radiation then you can adjust for the wavelength of the rays to help reverse the negative effects of chemotherapy after the cancer is gone." Tony offered.
"I know," Bruce replied gratefully, "Now, Thor, Truth or Dare?"
"Dare." Thor proclaimed proudly, surprising no one. The group, minus Thor, quickly huddled around Pepper, throwing out suggestions in hushed tones.
"Make him wear a pink cape." Clint offered.
"Have him play Whack-a-mole with Mjölnir." Bruce suggested. Then Pepper's face lit up with a sly grin the team had never seen on her before. Parting the group, she walked to Thor while the rest looked on interestedly.
"I dare you to go a whole week without drinking coffee or eating Poptarts." Pepper declared. Thor visibly paled and the team's reaction was a mixture of gasps and laughter.
"I accept your challenge, Lady Pepper." Thor replied with a tinge of apprehension breaking his mask of bravery. "Now, it is my turn. Steve, Truth or Dare?"
"Dare." Steve replied after a moment of consideration. He decided that Thor probably wouldn't think up anything too bad, and everyone was expecting him to choose truth so he chose dare.
"I dare you to watch a rated R movie," Thor told him, watching Steve go red from the very thought, "With a girl." He added. Clint whispered something to Natasha and they both broke into laughter as the rest of the group gasped and waited for Steve's response.
"I'll do it." Steve said, barely above a whisper. The team was silent for a moment. "Clint, truth or dare?"
"Dare." Clint replied quickly. He wasn't scared of much, and Steve was a nice guy so Clint felt he was safe.
"Come here," Steve called. Clint obeyed with a look of confusion on his face. Steve whispered the dare and Clint utilized his training to void his face of expression. Clint nodded to Steve, then sat back down.
"Tony, Truth or Dare?" Clint asked to the only member of the group who hadn't gone yet.
"Truth." Tony replied. The excitement in the air was tangible.
"What is your greatest fear?" Clint asked. It was a genuine question, borne of curiosity, and was not meant to embarrass or hurt Tony.
"My greatest fear is that someday I'll watch Pepper or Bruce or any of you die and not be able to stop it. Not be able to save you." Tony choked out, looking shell shocked. Then his breathing quickened and he started shaking, falling on his side. Pepper ran to his side.
"Tony, what's going on?" Pepper shrieked. Natasha restrained Pepper while Bruce took Tony's pulse.
"He's having a panic attack." Bruce exclaimed. After a moment, the attack subsided and Tony sat up, looking weary.
"Has this happened before?" Pepper asked hysterically.
"No, it's ok, I'm fine." Tony breathed.
"JARVIS, has this happened before?" Bruce asked the AI.
"Yes, Dr. Banner, Master Stark has experience several similar attacks." The accented AI informed.
"Tony! You promised you would tell me if you were dying! This is like the palladium all over again!" Pepper screeched.
"I'm not dying so it's alright." Tony explained. Pepper was still fuming, but sat down. Tony whipped his head around at the man who had not been there before. In the midst of all the chaos, Nick Fury had entered the Tower. For the first time, Tony wanted the attention away from himself. "Fury, your turn, Truth or Dare?"
"Truth." Fury replied. They team convened for a moment before Tony posed the ultimate question.
"What is one secret you never expected to tell us?" Tony asked gravely. The team held their breath waiting for the answer. Fury looked solemn.
"Agent Phil Coulson is alive." Fury told them, moving from the entrance to elevator to reveal a happy, energetic and not dead Phil Coulson. Bruce was the first to react.
"How?" he whispered.
"The short version. Not dead." Phil replied, smiling. Be it Supernanny or Sherlock, Phil loved British people on TV. The cacophony following his words was insane. Pepper dropped her glass in shock. Tony started babbling incoherently. Steve shook his hand.
"I signed the cards." Steve told him, unsure what was appropriate for a situation like this. Phil smiled. Thor gave him a huge hug. Natasha just screamed, sprinting at both Fury and Coulson, raw loathing and pain flashing in her bright green eyes. Clint caught her just as Phil pulled out an odd looking gun, the night-night gun, which was full of sedative shots in case he needed to subdue Natasha.
"You were our handler for twelve years! You left us! You left me! When Clint was just coming back! Blood on the cards! On the wall! I had to walk past that mark on the wall every single day! I had you in my ledger! I thought I was never going to wipe you out! You saved me from hell when I was fifteen and then you disappeared and now you're back?! WHY COULDN'T YOU TELL ME? TELL US?!" Natasha screamed. It was the most barbaric swell of raw, torturous emotion that could be emitted from a human being. Clint pulled her tighter, glaring at Phil. He was enraged that no one had told him, but more of his hatred spawned from the pain he was watching Natasha go through. Phil looked at her like she was the same broken girl he'd saved from Russia all those years ago. Knowing that, this time, it was him that hurt her was worse than Loki's staff through his chest.
"I'm sorry." Phil apologized simply.
"You're sorry?! When you found me you promised that SHIELD wouldn't hurt me, that you wouldn't hurt me." Natasha's words started loud, dripping sarcasm, and ended barely above a whisper, her voice cracking as the tears fell down her face. Phil pulled her from Clint's arms and told her the same simple words he told her when he first saw her.
"Natasha. The pain ends here." Then he had said it standing several feet away, while she was in restraints. Now he said it with her in his arms like he would have held a daughter, in another world. Ever the old fashioned gentleman, Phil pulled a monogrammed handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the tears from her face. The rest of the team watched in silence. There was nothing any of them could say, or so they thought.
"What did she mean 'blood on the cards'?" Phil asked the team.
"About that," Fury began. The rest laughed lightly and even Natasha was heard chuckling weakly.
/
The rest of the week saw the completion of all the dares. Thor, though he struggled, managed to avoid his two favorite Midguardian treats. The team constantly had JARVIS on watch for any coffee and Poptarts. By the end of the sentence he was slow moving, and unfocused, lacking his usual pep. Clint's dare continued to be a secret, known only to Steve and him. Steve's dare took the most planning. Pepper and Natasha picked out an outfit for him to wear when he went to ask a girl to see a Rated-R movie. He put a comm in his ear and had the team instruct him as he attempted to find him a date. They all had different approaches.
"Just be cool," Tony instructed.
"Use your Captain America smile," Pepper suggested.
"Just ask her," Clint told him.
"Ok." Steve stepped up to the first woman he saw and introduced himself. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm Steve Rogers."
"Hi, I'm Mary Kent."
"I was wondering. Would you mind going to a movie with me?" Steve asked. Normally, he would have talked to her more, gotten to know her better before he asked her on a date, but he wanted to get this over with. He flashed his Captain America smile, the one full of confidence he didn't have. She smiled back.
"Sure. Here's my number, call me when you want to go out, but right now I need to go." She replied enthusiastically, handing him a slip of paper. When she walked away, Steve ran all the way back to the Tower. He had done it as a dare but he thought she was rather sweet, and he was excited for the date.
The next day, he called her. Picking up the phone, he carefully punched in the number she had given him. She picked up after three rings.
"Hello?" She greeted into the phone.
"Hi, it's Steve. I was thinking, we should see that movie tonight." He stated nervously.
"Sure! Pick me up at eight?" She offered. He agreed and she gave him her address so he could pick her up, and then hung up.
/
Later that night, Steve nervously prepared for his date. Pepper, Clint, and Natasha were helping him out.
"What do I wear?" Steve inquired.
"This." Pepper replied, holding up a pair of black slacks and a grey dress shirt. Steve nodded and stepped into the bathroom to change. He stepped out looking incredibly handsome, and wondering how Pepper had his measurements. This being the least of his worries, he let it go.
"Should I hold her hand or something during the movie?" Steve asked. This time it was Clint who answered.
"Only if you want to." The girls were impressed and in agreement with Clint's reply.
"How do I keep from making a fool of myself?" Steve had saved his biggest question for last.
"Have confidence in yourself." Natasha declared, straightening his tie and adjusting his collar. Steve noticed a flash of jealousy in Clint's eyes as she did so. Steve went out the door, climbed into his truck and picked Mary up. They made small talk on the way to the movie, and she adored the way he opened doors for her like a gentleman. He bought the tickets, but she refused to let him buy the treats. He liked that; it reminded him of Peggy. This made the movie even more uncomfortable than he expected. For every raunchy joke or suggestive line Steve squirmed, imagining Peggy's reaction to the movie. Sweating bullets, Steve inched away from his date until he was hanging out into the aisle. Mary didn't seem to notice and to Steve's extreme horror, Mary laughed raucously at the jokes. After half an hour of torture, Steve left the theater. Mary followed him into the lobby.
"What's wrong, Steve?" Mary asked.
"It's just that, I've never seen a movie like that. It was so…provocative." Steve admitted blushing.
"Then why did you pick it?" Mary asked.
"I was playing Truth or Dare and I chose dare so I had to ask a girl to a Rated R movie with me." Steve replied honestly. Mary was stunned.
"Oh my god. I'm on a date with a twelve year old." Mary laughed. Steve chuckled. "Now let's go watch something better." They bought new tickets and watched a sappy romance, which was boring but much more comfortable for both of them.
When Steve dropped Mary off at her house, he was actually pretty happy with the date overall.
"I had a great time, Mary. Thanks for understanding about the movie." Steve said as he stood on the stoop in front of her brownstone.
"It was no big deal. I had a great time, too. I hope I get to see you again." She replied sweetly. He walked the two miles back to the Tower jovially, which did not go unnoticed by his team.
"How was the movie?" Tony smirked.
"Great, actually. I think I'm going to see her again." Steve replied. All around the room, eyebrows shot up, but Steve gave no explanation.
/
The final dare was Clint's. Still no one knew what it was, except for Steve and Clint. The team had many guesses. A couple days after Steve's date, Clint stood in the kitchen looking disdainfully at the blender. Sighing, he threw a multitude of foods into the blender. Milk, eggs, bananas, mustard and sour candy drops to name a few. After a few seconds of blending, Clint poured the greyish yellow liquid into a cup. At this point the entire team was gathered around him. He didn't acknowledge them, but simply downed the drink.
"And so the dares are done!" Tony proclaimed. The team broke into laughter and missed the knowing look that Steve shot to Clint. They both knew that wasn't the dare, but it had the desired effect. Everyone thought the dare was over. Clint went to brush his teeth and prepared for the actual dare.
The team was relaxing in the main communal room, watching whatever was on TV and chatting amicably. After having gargled nearly an entire bottle of mouthwash, Clint joined the rest of the group. After a few minutes, Clint spoke up.
"Nat, can I talk to you in private?"
"Sure." She said blankly. She rose from the couch and followed him to the elevator. When the stepped in, he punched the button to the highest floor and pulled her out onto the roof.
"Ok, Nat. I have something to say and you can't interrupt." Clint began, shooting a warning look as she opened her mouth to speak. "Screw SHIELD! I don't care that its 'frowned upon!' I don't care that we're senior agents! I don't care that we're partners! All I I really care about is you." He finished softly.
"I know, Clint but-" Natasha began. Clint cut her off by planting a kiss to her lips. When they broke apart, Natasha gave a small smile.
"This was your dare." She stated. He grinned in agreement. They took the short ride back to the team and walked into the room holding hands. Sweeping his hand grandly, Clint told the team of the completion of the dare.
"And thus ends the ultimate game of Truth or Dare."