How it happened: Every time I read a book or watch a movie that I really like, I wonder how the characters would have reacted to certain scenes. Therefore, I decided to write something along those lines. And I decided to experiment with my idea on the one and only Tony Stark, whom we all adore.
Summary: (After the movie Avengers) The Avengers have their weekly get-together in the living room of Stark Tower. This week their movie is interrupted by a specific footage which may or may not be shot in Tony's workshop. Now, they can all see Tony's unsafe experiments.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Marvel, Ironman or Avengers related. The scenes are the ones which you can see in the movies, so they are not my imagination.
Without further ado, enjoy and please leave constructive criticism.
''So,'' Tony clapped as he practically threw himself on his couch. It was Friday, the day when the Avengers weekly assemble to have a movie night, because apparently they needed to bond in some way other than while fighting and almost dying. ''Who's choosing today?'' he asked. Each week another member chose a movie they were going to watch.
This, of course, always resulted into them bickering and whining as they were not all happy with the choices. Mostly, it was Tony who was whining. Others just tried to endure the movie choices their teammates had chosen.
Natasha gave a half-smirk from the other couch, where she was chilling with Clint. Bruce sat together with Tony, which left Thor and Steve on the third couch. ''Steve.''
Tony groaned and threw his head back in exasperation. They all knew what that meant.
Steve straightened his back. ''So, I was, um, looking at some choices and came across this movie, and it, um, seems very interesting.''
''Just spit it out.''
''American Sniper,'' And, yep. There it was. America. Battlefield. Shooting. Historical. He always chose something related to history because he was still trying to work out how the modern era came into existence. No one tried to tell him that some movies were purely fictional. Even if their title is as promising as American Sniper. Go figure. America and war. He truly is a national symbol.
''Let's begin,'' Bruce said, so he would prevent and commentaries from Tony about Steve's choice. The rest of the team nodded. The lights went out and JARVIS started the movie.
But, as the movie had just barely started, a different picture came on. There, on the TV screen, were big white numbers on a black background writing out a number. 2008.
''JARVIS, what is this?'' Tony asked his A.I.
''I have no control over the video, Sir,'' he answered. They all looked confused. This never happens. JARVIS always has control over anything electricity-related in the Stark Tower (turned Avengers Tower).
The video began with Suicidal Tendencies' Institutionalized blaring in Tony's workshop. Tony on the screen was fixing his Hot Rod. As he was looking at a part of it, you could see a person coming down the stairs.
''My God,'' Tony groaned. He clearly recognized the scene.
''Is this you?'' Steve asked.
''I did not know you played in a huge-screen movie, Friend Stark,'' Thor's loud voice cut through the air.
''I don't,'' Tony muttered. ''No worries, my fellow Avengers,'' he quickly recovered from the shock of seeing himself on the screen on the night of their movie night. ''You are about to see my amazing self in my amazing workshop.''
They looked at him as if he had gone even crazier than he already was.
What was even more weird, was that the movie paused when they began to comment on it. And as soon as they ended their input the movie continued.
''Give me an exploded view.'' Tony ordered JARVIS. The picture on the screen changed as JARVIS informed him: ''Compression in cylinder three appears to be low.''
''Log that,'' he answered back. It was the moment when Pepper came into Tony's workshop that his music shut down.
''I'm going to try again right now,'' she talked into her phone while coming closer to her boss.
''Someone is in trouble,'' Natasha smirked.
''When was this taken?'' Clint asked, speaking up for the first time since the movie had started.
''I believe this is from 2008, Agent Barton,'' JARVIS answered, hinting at the words which were displayed on the screen just a few moments ago.
Tony nodded. ''Yea. Just before the whole kidnapping thing.'' His tone was dull.
''Please don't turn down my music,'' were the words of greeting, without looking up from what he was doing with the Hot Rod.
''I'll keep you posted,'' Pepper ended her phone conversation and came right behind Tony. ''You are supposed to be halfway around the world right now.''
''Can you ever be on time?'' Bruce asked with a hint of smile.
''I'm always on time, the rest are just early,'' was Tony's ingenious answer. ''Besides, if I had another chance, I wouldn't have gone on that plane at all.''
''How did she take it?'' interrupted Tony.
''Like a champ,'' Pepper sighed.
''What is Lady Pepper talking about?'' Thor asked.
''Just some woman. Mind you, that was before we were together.''
Tony lifted a part of what he was fixing and continued with the conversation, still not looking up at Pepper. ''Why are you trying to hustle me out of here?''
His teammates chuckled.
''Your flight was scheduled to leave an hour and half ago.''
''It's funny. I thought with it being my plane and all, that it would just wait for me to get there.'' His tone was calm and he was obviously still engrossed into his work.
''Good point,'' Clint approved of his logic. Steve shook his head in a sign of his disappointment in Tony's ways of living. Natasha smirked again because she had experienced similar occurrences when she was working for him. Bruce shook his head smiling and Thor had no reaction.
''Tony, I need to speak to you about a couple of things before I get you out of the door.'' She fixed her hair.
''Where you always on a first name basis?'' Bruce asked curiously. He was wondering about this for some time now. Tony was her boss and back in the day they had nothing romantic between them. And knowing how professional Pepper always is, it was a fair question. He couldn't imagine Pepper being anything but polite and professional towards her boss, no matter how big of a smart-ass he is.
''Oh, we had that covered several years ago,'' Tony laughed. ''I prohibited her calling me Mr. Stark, or I would fire her.''
The rest looked at him stunned for a moment and then they all began to laugh. Only Tony would threaten his employee in such an absurd way.
''But I have heard her call you Mr. Stark many times,'' Steve questioned.
''That has a completely different effect,'' he grinned.
The on-screen Tony finally began to turn around, not without a comment. ''I mean, doesn't it kind of defeat the whole purpose of having your own plane if it departs before you arrive?'' he asked in a matter-of-fact tone.
Pepper once again interrupted his babbling. ''Larry called. He's got another buyer for the Jackson Pollock in the wings. Do you want it, yes or no?'' Pepper looked at him seriously.
''Is it a good representation of his spring period?''
''Umm, no. The Springs was actually the neighbourhood in East Hampton where he lived and worked –''
''So?''
''-not 'spring' like the season,'' she continued on without stopping, which would give Tony another chance to interrupt her. ''I think it's a fair example … I think it's incredibly overpriced.''
''Should have said something other than that,'' Natasha laughed.
''Stark, do you even know what you are buying?'' Clint asked.
''Nope. I don't care. It's not like I can't afford it.''
''What exactly do you mean when you say overpriced?'' Steve asked curiously. Tony smirked his obnoxious self-centred smile in return. That was all that Steve really needed to answer his own question.
He looked at her very seriously and gave his final opinion back. ''I need it. Buy it. Store it.'' Tony got up and walked away. Pepper began to follow him, but not before giving him a knowing smirk, since she clearly knew her boss very well.
The team shook their heads. Pepper probably didn't even have to ask whether he would buy the picture or not.
''Okay. The MIT commencement speech –''
''- Is in June. Please, don't harangue me about stuff that's way, way, down.''
''How do you even follow each other? You change topics so fast,'' Clint muttered.
''They're haranguing me, so I'm gonna say yes.''
Tony turned around with a cup. ''Deflect it and absorb it. Don't transmit it back to me.''
''Of course,'' Steve muttered.
''I need you to sign this before you get on the plane,'' Pepper decided to ignore his comments as always.
Tony walked to her and looked at her seriously. ''What are you trying to get rid of me for? What, you got plans?''
''Look who is green now,'' Natasha chuckled.
''Green? Lady Natasha, is Friend Stark sick?'' Thor asked concerned.
Bruce laughed. ''No, Thor. It means he is jealous. It's just a phrase.'' Thor nodded seriously in a sign of understanding.
''As a matter of fact, I do,'' Pepper answered. She offered him a pen to sign something.
Tony stopped in front of her. ''I don't like it when you have plans,'' he said completely serious.
''Who is green now?'' Bruce laughed. They were all amused with the way Tony reacted to Pepper having plans. Oh, he certainly felt something for her for a long time.
''Still you,'' Tony defended himself. He didn't want his reputation ruined. And jealousy outbursts would be a cause of his reputation going downhill. In a bad way.
''Sure,'' they laughed.
On the screen, Pepper shook her head and showed a slight hint of amusement and something else. Exasperation. ''I'm allowed to have plans on my birthday.''
''Did you forget?'' Clint chocked on a sip of his juice.
''No.''
''You did!''
''It's your birthday?''
''Yes.''
He quickly recovered. ''I knew that. Already?''
''Stark, were you being serious?'' Steve questioned incredulously.
''I knew it was her birthday!''
Unaffected Pepper answered: ''Yeah. Isn't that strange? It's the same day as last year.''
Her boss nodded shortly. ''Get yourself something nice from me.''
''I already did.''
''And?'' his eyes seemed to shine brighter.
''Oh, it was very nice.''
''Yeah?'' he smiled.
''Do you know what she bought?'' Steve wondered.
''Yes,'' his teammate smirked in a mysterious way.
''Very tasteful. Thank you, Mr. Stark.''
''You're welcome, Miss Potts.'' They were looking at each other, both smiling.
The team couldn't help themselves but to smile along with them.
''Don't harass me about this, but you two are really meant for each other,'' Natasha commented. It was a rear moment of her being sincere about something other than fighting and killing enemies.
The others nodded.
''You are like the Pop to her Tart,'' Thor put his input very seriously. The others looked at him stunned. And then laughed very hard. ''What?'' he wondered. ''Is this not how you put your cheese sentences together?'' They chuckled. They all knew his love for Pop-Tarts.
''It's okay, buddy,'' Tony raised his glass of wine to acknowledge his comment, which was meant to prove a nice and romantic point, but backfired because Thor still didn't know how to speak in any other way but properly correct with a hint of aristocratic tendencies. ''She is the Tart to my Pop. She is probably both Pop and Tart, if you ask me. I could never deserve her,'' Tony nearly whispered the last sentence. They decided to ignore his last comment, because they had learned that he clearly did deserve her. He was a way better person that it was shown on the TV and the newspapers. ''I don't know what I would do without her for all these years.''
The video continued. Pepper took her pen back and smiled some more. Tony drank his cup of (probably) coffee in one sip and gave her the cup. ''Okay.'' Another song began as they both turned around.
And then the screen went black.
''Well, that was fun!'' Tony said.
''What happened then?'' Bruce asked carefully. He remembered Tony's words from the beginning of the video. He said it had happened before he was taken hostage. So, not nice memories, no matter how amusing the footage was.
''Oh. Nothing special, you know,'' he waved his hand, dismissing his question. ''Just a bunch of lunatics imprisoning me.''
Nobody dared to bring up the bad memories.
''Friends!'' Thor's booming voice interrupted all their thoughts. ''Something is beginning.''
And sure enough, as they all looked at the screen, another movie had just begun.
''Why?'' groaned Tony.
''What is it?'' Steve questioned.
''I just realised what is happening. This is all footage from my security cameras in my workshop. Meaning, that we are about to see some more of my awesome-self.''
''Oh, joy,'' Clint muttered.
''Speak for yourself,'' Bruce grinned. ''I'm interested in the prospect of seeing Tony making a fool out of himself.''
''I thought you were my friend. You don't seem like a friend material right now. I officially prefer your alter ego.''