To Commiserate

A/N: A short scene where Pepper Potts and Dick Grayson accidentally meet.

Avengers Movie-verse and Batman comics (pre-reboot).

Disclaimer: I don't own the respective materials from Marvel or DC.

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Retrieving data.

Log.

Cell two-two-one-a.

Time. Oh-four-oh-oh. North American Pacific Standard Time.

Optimizing visual output.

Adjusting for visual input.

Registering air vibrations.

Sensors activated.

Cell lockdown.

Detecting two heat signatures.

Designate: prisoner one and prisoner two.

Activating files.

Identified. Classification: human.

Prisoner one. Female. Estimated thirty years.

Prisoner two. Male. Estimated twenty-five years.

Audio input replay.

Visual input replay.

Sounds of breathing.

Prisoner One stirred and breathed out heavily. "…Again?"

"Ugh." Prisoner Two turned blindly to face his companion, wincing. "…H-Hey."

Prisoner One stilled. "Hello?"

"Uh."

Sounds of breathing.

"…Hi?"

Curling her knees inward and pushing down with both bound hands, Prisoner One managed to sit up. "So. Were you kidnapped in broad daylight too?"

"Sorta. Was in an underground garage though." Prisoner Two paused, lying flat on his back with arms folded behind him. "…Are you also tied up and blindfolded right now?"

"Yes." The female captive continued to breathe steadily, in through nose, out through mouth. "Villains aren't very imaginative, are they?"

"No they aren't." Prisoner Two let loose a hitched sigh. "I'm impressed though."

"By?"

"You."

Prisoner One leaned back, sitting up straighter. "Why?"

"Because most people would be in the process of hyperventilating right now."

"Thanks." Tamping down on the kneejerk reaction of panic, facial tics read by motion capture, Prisoner One retorted, "Pot calling kettle black." The camera zoomed in on her wriggling her hands to try and loosen the bindings. "Unfortunately, it's part of the job especially when your boss insists on painting a giant target on his chest."

"Oh. That's unfortunate." Prisoner Two kept his words clean and diplomatic. "It's nice to meet you Miss…?"

"Miss Pepper Potts."

Prolonged sounds of breathing with intermitted shuffling from Pepper.

"…Oh. That is unfortunate."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Sorry; sorry. But you have to admit, the media doesn't exactly paint Mr. Stark as a saint – or a very patient man." Prisoner Two cleared his throat. "He's very…outspoken."

"I know." Prisoner Two winced, picking out Pepper's unimpressed colour of voice. "So I've introduced myself but you-"

"I'm Dick Grayson. It's nice to meet you, Miss Potts."

The steady hum of their surroundings filled in the awkward pause.

"I think I know you – through the news, I mean." Fishing for words, she cautiously questioned, "Dick Grayson as in Richard Grayson of Wayne Enterprises?"

"That's right." Dick joked lightly, "I'm really not the social deviant that those slanderous society rags like to make me as."

Sighing, she thought out loud, "But you must be aware that everyone was having a field day when they found out you became the proverbial figurehead of Wayne Enterprises while Mr. Wayne is taking his sabbatical-"

"-Hey. If I tell our kidnappers that I actually don't want to be the big guy, do you think they'll let me go?"

Pepper stifled an inappropriate laugh. "Do you want the short answer or the long one?"

"Sometimes you have to do what you don't want to do." Turning his head to face her, he called out, "Maybe if you come closer, I can help undo your bonds."

"But these things are cuffs…"

"Don't worry about that. I can try. Just follow my voice." He said flippantly, "Might not escape but…'least we'll be more comfortable."

Shuffling along towards his direction, she asked, "Not trying to sound rude but wouldn't it be faster if you moved too-?"

"Can't. I'm a bit…ah…incapacitated at the moment." He released a shaky sigh as he sat up, a grimace unsuppressed. The hands behind his back moved, slowly contorting the bindings off of his wrists.

"O-Okay." Pepper ducked her head down as she concentrated on moving. "Sorry, just a little bit more and I think – oh! Oh my God-"

Dick stuttered, "Hey, it's okay-"

"No it's not okay; you're bleeding. Oh my God, you're bleeding all over the ground and it's-" She drew her fingers away, wet with warm life fluid.

Hands freed, letting the bindings and blindfold drop onto the cold unforgiving floor, he clasped down on her arm. "Please, calm down. I'll be okay. Let me get your cuffs off."

"R-Right. You're right. If you were really badly hurt, you wouldn't be talking to me right now." Her words were uncertain though.

In quick deliberate moves by Grayson, the cuffs were off and quickly following that device was her blindfold as well. Pepper turned in her seat, taking in the sorry sight of her companion and gasped again, "How can you say that you're okay?!"

He was bemused. "It's…just a scratch."

"A scratch is when you scuff your knees." Pepper reached out and paused, hovering just above the bloody bandage wrapped inexpertly around his middle. "This is like a dent. A really deep dent on a really expensive car."

Dick asked coyly, "I'm a car now?"

"Yes-"

A sudden explosion rocked the building and a flash of light later, dust billowed inwards, obscuring the vision of the security camera.

The audio equipment caught the next conversation.

"What's this? You're talking to a car?"

An unidentified male voice. Speech patterns indicated Iron Man.

Voice tight, Dick commented, slightly strangled, "So this is your knight in shining armor? More armor than knight, I think."

"Tony! Let go of him!"

"Ha. Cute. Real cute." A soft thud later, Iron Man mimicked Grayson, "And this is the guy who's been keeping you company? The villains sure know how to torture our wonderful Miss Potts."

The dust dissipated and the video feed showed Richard on the ground with Iron Man towering over him. Pepper canted a hip, arms crossed, unimpressed.

"Boys. Behave."

"…Right."

"Yes Miss Potts."

"Well let's get this rescue on the road." Iron Man started, completely unapologetic, "Sorry, passenger for one only."

"But Tony, Richard is injured-"

"Ah-ah-ah. The big guy's behind us; it's fine."

In a flash of dramatic lightning, captured in retina searing accuracy by the camera, Thor dropped into the room. "Miss Potts. It gladdens my heart to see you well."

"Thank you Thor. That's very kind of you to say."

Iron Man intervened. "I get the girl-" He grabbed Pepper by the waist- "You get the guy."

–and then Pepper hit him on the shoulder, muttering, "We have names you know."

Thor, supporting Richard with an arm, introduced himself, "My name is Thor."

"I'm Dick. Nice to meet you."

"Waitasec-! You're Bruce Wayne's kid!"

Pepper mused, "Did JARVIS remind you?"

"No." Sounding scandalized, Iron Man said crossly, "I was making an observation."

"Noted, Mr. Stark, but you were right earlier about my treatment of Miss Potts. I should apologize." Iron Man did not miss how his eyes lingered on the curve of Pepper's cheekbones, the slope of her neck and travelled down the cascade of fire-red hair. "How about dinner, Miss Potts?"

There was a short pause before Iron Man said flatly, "Drop him, Thor."

Pepper sounded interested. "Sure. When?"

"Sunday?"

"Sounds good."

"Pepper!" Iron Man fumbled with his words. "You're not going to check our schedule? You just agreed. For Sunday. Sunday Night."

"Relax Tony. It's just a friendly dinner."

Grayson quirked an eyebrow. "You can join us?"

"You bet I will, Wayne boy."

"Stark." Thor finally intervened. "Let us go."

"Right. Just one more thing."

Without looking, Iron Man charged his repulsor beam and fried the camera.

Visual input lost.

Audio input lost.

Video end.