A very drunk Anthony Edward Stark sat at his workbench, obnoxiously loud music blaring through the house. An annoyed Pepper Potts entered the room, turning off the music and said:"You're late. The student from your university has been sitting in your office for Forty-Five minutes. Get dressed."Tony looked up from his Ironman suit.
"Can't you do it?"He asked, but Pepper only shook her head.
"No. She assigned to you, not me."Tony's head whipped around.
"She? Is she cute?"
"She's half your age!"Tony blinked.
"And?"
Jarvis chimed in with a description of a petite blonde, with big blue eyes who was currently sporting a short leather skirt and white blouse causing Tony to stand up and grab his suit jacket from Pepper.
"Lead the way good woman!"Pepper only rolled her eyes, turning on her heel and walked up the stairs.
_
The young woman leaned against Tony's desk, palms open with sparks dancing about them. The door opened and the sparks ceased as Tony entered the room. Tony turned on his charm as he waltzed over to the woman with his hand outstretched.
"Tony Stark, it's a pleasure."
"I'm sure, considering your an hour late Mr. Stark."She sneered and pushed herself up off the desk taking the offered hand."Serena Love. I've been assigned as your lab assistant."
"Lab assistant? I don't need a lab assistant. However I could some assistance in other areas."
"Those areas being...?"She asked him dryly. Tony dusted the cuffs of his jacket, his charming smile flashing. Pepper choose this time to enter the room with two cups of coffee in her hand. She handed the first to Serena, who took it gratefully offering Pepper a large smile - which was returned. Pepper then placed Tony's coffee on the desk nearest him and made a point not to look at him. She left the room and had she not just left coffee on the table, Tony would of gone unaware of her presence since his eyes were firmly set on their new location.
"Mr. Stark, my eyes are up here."Serena lashed out, pointing to her eyes. Tony looked up with not a single bit of shame or embarrassment on his face.
"So you said that your here to be my assistant?"Tony went around his desk, sitting in his chair and leaning back, plunking his feet up on the desk."Well I'm going to take a nap. Since I don't need any assistance with that, why don't you just sit there and look cute."Tony closed his eyes and leaned back further. Serena by now was rather angry. The lights around her started to flicker, and a few sparks shot from her finger tips.
"Mr. Stark, I came here to learn from the best, unfortunately you're the best. Now I advise you to get up and give me a tour of your lab."Serena was now speaking through clenched teeth. Tony just waved his hand, eyes closed and an amused smile on his face - unaware of the sparks.
"Later doll face. The best needs his beauty sleep."Serena lost it. Sparks of live electricity shot freely from her hands, the desk top - littered with lose papers - catching fire instantly. Tony shot up grasping his chest and eyes wide."What the hell did you do?"He was now pounding violently on his chest.
"Me? If anyone's at fault here it's you!"Serena was doing her best to put of the fire with her jacket. Tony started tearing at the buttons of his shirt, however he settled with ripping it open which caused few buttons to pop and fly across the room.
"Shit! Turn it back on!"Tony was now beating on the normally glowing electronic device protruding from his chest.
"I don't know how! It just kind of happens!"Serena was now in a state of panic, the lights still flickering, and her eyes wide.
"What do you know?"Tony was now sweating profusely.
"Umm, I know that I can produce an electrical shock from my hands at will..."Serena was now gnawing at her bottom lip, as Tony looked up surprised.
"Really, huh, well we can work with that."He motioned her towards him and she complied. He grabbed her hand and placed it on his arc reactor.
"Now, all you have to do is jump start it."Serena's eyes widened.
"What! I could short circuit your entire body." "No pressure or anything doll, just if you don't do it soon I'll die."
"Ok... J-just hold still."She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, focusing all of her attention on the task at hand. Sparks started shooting out from her hands and after a few seconds Tony was able to breathe a deep sigh of relief as his chest started to glow again. With Serena's hands still resting on his chest, a smug smile crossed his face.
"You like what you see?"
Serena violently retracted her hands, a small blush spreading over her cheeks.
"You're a pig."Serena stormed over to the door, and just before it shut Tony yelled to her.
"Be here at noon tomorrow."
Serena closed the door behind her, unaware of what she had just gotten herself involved with.
next day – noon
Serena walked into Stark Tower, heeled shoes clicking on the polished floors. After having saved that bastard of a man, she had been told to arrive in his office for noon and she had been a tad bit late, having gotten said man a coffee.
"You're late Doll."Tony's annoyingly chirpy voice said as she entered the room, coffee in hand.
"Well that makes us even, doesn't it Mr. Stark?"Serena's voice was low, calculating as she lifted an eyebrow with her question.
"That is does, Doll. Did you get that for me?"Tony gestured towards the coffee in Serena's hand. To spite the man, Serena raised the cup to her lips and took a small sip, the hot liquid burning her tongue. She spat out the liquid in a spit take notion.
"Burned your tongue now didn't you doll face?"Tony said with a charming smile, his eyes wandering freely over the woman whose tongue was literally out of use.
Serena huffed, eyes narrowing as she glared at the man before her, and she put the coffee down on the desk and crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance.
"Well, for you information there wasn't enough milk in that coffee. Would you like it?"She asked gesturing with one hand towards the coffee between them. Her eyebrow raised in curiosity.
An intense stare down emerge from the scene, Serena with her arms crossed and disappointment on her face. Tony had his hands in his pocket grinning and wiggling his brows. The room suddenly burst like the inside of a firework as Pepper tapped Serena's shoulder suddenly.
"Ah!"Serena yelled, sparks flying in ever directions, mostly directed towards Pepper's stunned body.
"Pepper!"Tony shouted rather loudly, sparks flying about him as well, as Pepper went flying, landing in a sparking burned heap against the wall.
"I-I'm so sorry..."Serena said, her hands covering her mouth in shock, "I can't control it sometimes."She stepped to the back corner trying to get her body to stop expelling electricity. Her eyes were wide, a faint circuit board pattern scrolling on the blue irises. Tony knelt beside Pepper, whose skin was charred. He looked over at Serena, her body had stopped sparking and she pulled her mobile phone out of her pocket, dialing quickly.
"What are you doing?"he asked, "help me get her to the med lab."
"Just wait a second; those aren't your average electrical burns."She snapped and spoke quickly into the phone.
_
Tony and Serena, who was being made to wear rubber gloves for the time being, carefully carried Pepper into the main entrance where a tall women with deep brown eyes – hidden behind thick glasses – rushed over, white doctor's coat flying behind her, brown hair piled on top of her head.
"Really Reni, Again?"She said with a disapproving look. Serena flushed and made an undignified squeak.
"Again?"Tony questioned with a raised eyebrow. Serena glared at Tony before turning her attention to the women.
"I'm sorry! She surprised me and Stark over there was already getting on my nerves! You know I can't control it sometimes."She said crossing her arms, a guilty look on her face.
The women shook her head and began to check Pepper's vitals."Really Serena, you need to control your temper. Balance the point between – "
"Rage and Serenity! I know Erynne; please just put Miss Potts back together. I'm working on it."The women, Erynne, chuckled and put her hands over Pepper's body, eyes unfocused as Pepper's body began to knit itself back together. Serena was pacing back and forth, hugging herself, watching Erynne work out of the corner of her eye, rubber gloves discarded.
Tony was confused. He walked over to Serena, his arms crossed over his chest,"Miss Love,"he said, the normal devil may care attitude gone momentarily,"What are you and who is that?"Said girl looked up and stopped pacing, giving a hollow laugh.
"Like you haven't already guessed,"Tony had a pretty good idea, but wanted to hear her confirm him suspicions."That is Dr. Erynne Twist, she's a molecular mutant. She's specifically able to manipulate the cells in the human body to either heal or hinder. I'm a technopath and an electrokinetic, allowing me to manipulate and interact with electronic devices; absorb and generate electrical energy and project it from parts of my body. Unfortunately, my control is very limited. I have a hard time finding the point between rage and serenity one needs to have control."
It was that moment that Steve, followed by Logan and a freckled red head of average height who looked remarkably like she'd been picked up off the side of the road."Hey Tony – "Steve stopped seeing Tony seemingly having a staring contest with a petite blonde and a brunette kneeling over Pepper whose skin was knitting together as he watched.
"Again Half-Pint?"Logan chimed in with his gruff voice,"What would you do without doc here?"Erynne looked up for a second to wave at Logan while Serena gave him a dirty look.
Tony, Steve and the unknown red head watched the exchange with curiosity.
"How about I zap you one!"Serena snapped, Logan laughed and Erynne shook her head as she finished healing Pepper, who was now sleeping on a nearby couch."I said I was sorry!"She yelled, her hair lifting slightly. The redhead promptly disappeared. She must have thought it would be a good idea to poke the angry sparking girl. Luckily for her, the only caporal part of her body had been her hand at the time. So when she poked Serena, and the blonde sent a blast of electricity in the general direction of the touch, only her hand was burned. She became visible almost instantly and went flying, through Steve, who shuddered, before becoming solid again and smacking into the wall. Smoke came off her hand, her green eyes wide with shock.
"Ouch."Steve, Tony, Logan and Erynne stared at the red head, then at Serena who was breathing hard,"Won't be doing that again."
"Not the first one to say that,"Logan laughed before turning to a stunned Tony,"Hey Tin man, can Ghost here borrow a bed?"
"Yeah, no problem,"Tony said slightly dazed, Serena still silently fuming.
"How would you three like a job?"Steve piped up.