Disclaimer: I do not own Iron Man or any of Marvel's characters used in this story. What is written here is for entertainment purposes only. I do not make any profits from it.
Her cheeks grew redder every second. Not that it wasn't already red from the heat Extremis gave her body. But of all situations she'd like to be in, Pepper didn't really like the particular one she's in at the moment.
Wearing a sports bra and tights, she was standing in the middle of the lab in the Avengers Tower. Tony and Bruce stood in one corner staring at her like she was some sort of exotic specie, and then nodding at each other in between responses.
Natasha was seated by the computer, wondering when the scan would be completed because she and Barton had a training session scheduled at 5. Steve, on the other hand, had his back turned to Pepper claiming it wasn't proper to see so much skin on a woman. "Why am I even here?" he asked right after.
"I echo the same thoughts, Captain," came Thor's reply from the other side of the room.
Pepper's face grew more flushed while Tony and Bruce were completely oblivious to their teammates' complaints.
A familiar ding came and the elevator opened revealing a poker faced Clint Barton.
"Legolas, welcome."
Clint ignored Tony's form of welcome and walked up to Pepper. He cocked his head to the side, watching her body grow faintly red.
She stared at him. She wasn't insulted in the least that Clint Barton was "ogling" her body at the moment; what piqued her interest was the way he ogled her body. There wasn't a trace of want or lust or anything at all. Was it amazement? Maybe confusion. She didn't really know. But she liked the challenge of figuring out what was running through the blank faced archer. It was better than thinking everybody else in the room was half naked as well.
Tony however wasn't entertained. "Whoa, whoa. What are you doing there, Legolas?" he ignored Pepper's "Tony" and continued, his hand on Clint's arm. "I don't like anybody ogling my stuff."
Clint gave him a look, then turned to her. "I don't think Pepper likes being called your stuff."
"She likes it." Tony immediately replied.
She rolled her eyes. "He calls me 'Hot stuff'."
Natasha stifled a snicker and Clint grimaced saying that he really didn't want to know what they call each other when flirting.
"Then don't touch my stuff."
"I wasn't—"
"Or even look, or think about my stuff."
Clint sighed in exasperation. He turned to Pepper. "How do you put up with him?"
She shrugged. "I withhold a lot of sex."
"Ah. No wonder he hits on Banner a lot."
"I resent that. Bruce and I have what we call friendship with benefits. Now run along, Katniss. To the corner where you don't break anything."
Clint rolled his eyes and joined Natasha.
Tony clasped his hands together. "Okay, class! Now that we're all here—"
"Why are we even here?"
"No offense to Pepper, but I don't know how our presence can help in finding a cure."
"If the maiden requires my godly presence to help invoke the God of Medicine, I am more than happy to summon Asgard's royal physician to aid us."
Bruce sighed, running a hand through his already ruffled enough hair. "We're not here to look for a cure, guys."
Pepper was taken aback. "We're not? Tony—"
"Relax. Just hear Bruce out okay?"
"What? Why me? This was your idea!"
"Now, c'mon, sweetheart. This was all you."
Natasha and Clint rolled their eyes.
Bruce sighed once more, then continued, "Okay. So, we're all here because we want to vote on whether or not we want Pepper on the Avengers."
"Capsicle gets to inform Fury!" Tony hastily added earning a roll of the eyes from Steve.
"Tony, you never talked to me about this. I thought having Extremis inside me was bad. Now, we want to keep it?" Pepper asked.
"Honey, I can remove Extremis. But Bruce and I can keep you from spontaneously blowing up. And you said so yourself, you kind of liked having powers. So, I thought why not?"
"Because it's completely dangerous for a civilian to be part of the types of battles we get ourselves in, Stark. Powers or no powers," Natasha replied, her hands tightly folded across her chest. Clint nodded in agreement.
"We should not belittle the maiden's capacity to protect the realm. If she is able and willing, then she has all the right to serve Earth. I will train you, Maiden Potts, if you will allow me," stated Thor.
Tony immediately reacted. "What? No! You're going to kill her when you're training. Nope." He turned to Pepper, "The only one who you'll be training with is me, okay? If any of you even touch her or remove a hair out of her head, you're all dead."
"It is highly inappropriate to train with your girlfriend, Stark. Think of the distractions!" Steve put in.
"Legolas does it!"
"What? Nat's my partner!"
"See that? Partner! Synonymous to girlfriend."
"We're not together, Stark." Natasha fired Tony a look, making him bite his tongue to remain silent.
"Can we go back to the topic here?" asked Bruce, his voice raised.
"Let's!" agreed Tony. "All in favor of Pepper joining the Avengers raise your hand."
Tony raised his hand but regretted it as soon as he saw a ball of fire headed his way. He stepped to the side, barely missing it.
"Pepper, what the hell?" he cried out.
She was off the platform she was previously standing on and headed towards him. Her skin was glowing furiously red.
"I cannot believe you! Don't I have a say in any of this?"
The remaining Avengers immediately retreated to the back of the room.
"Pepper, honey, calm down."
"Calm down?!" If it was possible, her skin grew even redder and her eyes were ablaze with intense anger.
"Do you know you're really hot when you're angry?"
Another ball of fire was released in his direction. Tony ducked and it hit the wall behind him.
"Okay. Flirting not working. Let me try this again. Honey, would you like to keep Extremis in your body?"
"Let me think about that. No!"
"Okay. So it's safe to conclude that you want it out of your body, leaving you completely human and normal, and you will not be joining the Avengers."
"You summed it up perfectly."
"Everybody who wants Pepper in the Avengers raise your hand!"
She didn't need to look around. She knew not one person in the room raised their hands.
"That settles it," he said.
She glared at him. "I'm still pissed you made me an object of a vote."
"I thought you'd be flattered!"
"No sex for you."
"But Pepper!"
She ignored him and went back to the platform in the middle of the lab.
"Bruce," Pepper called out.
Bruce winced. He really didn't want to get involved in their quarrel. But Clint nudged him and he stumbled out of the line they made at the back of the room.
"Yeah?"
"Would it be possible to remove Extremis out of my system today?" she asked in a surprisingly sweet and calm voice.
"Oh, so you don't hate Bruce."
Bruce glanced at the idiot who's become his best friend and back to Pepper, the woman who could kill said best friend.
"Yes," Bruce croaked out.
"Great! And Thor?" Pepper added.
"Yes, my lady." Thor stepped out, doing a quick bow.
"Would you be so kind as to give Tony a history lesson on chivalry and gentlemanliness?"
"It would be an honor."
"Pepper, this is not necessary!"
Pepper ignored him and said, "All in favor of having Tony getting his ass kicked by Natasha raise your hand."
This time everyone in the room was in agreement.
A/N: Tell me what you think!