Pepper Potts met Eleanor Stark when she was approaching fourteen years old.
She had known all about the younger sister of her boss because who didn't know about the Stark family? Tony had legal custody of the girl, and it was a major news spread when the two decided to leave the estate in New York and move to Malibu on their own. So when Pepper got the job of being Tony Stark's personal assistant, she knew it was inevitable that she would meet her boss' sister.
"Ellie!" Tony called for his sister. "Come meet my new assistant, I think you'll like her this time."
This time? Pepper wondered. Is it a rite of passage or something for her to like his assistants?
A teenager with unruly dark hair bounded down the stairs, a scowl on her young face. "What?" she growled out, arms crossed defiantly. "Tony, I don't care about your assistants, how many times do I need to tell you that?"
Tony waved his hand at her and motioned at Pepper, who stood with her back straight and a polite smile on her face.
"Ellie, meet Pepper Potts. Pepper, this is my sister, Ellie," Tony introduced, and Pepper nodded, holding her hand out, a more genuine smile on her face. "Nice to meet you, Ellie."
"Eleanor," the teen said shortly, shaking her hand roughly. "Nobody calls me that except for him."
"O-oh, I'm sorry," Pepper apologized immediately, not missing the smirk on her boss' face. Eleanor gave her a once over, eyes narrowed, before dismissing her and hugging her brother tightly, face buried in his suit.
"Idiot, you were supposed to be back yesterday. Rhodey had to come feed me," Eleanor complained, drawing away, a small pout on her lips. "He's not a very good cook, and it doesn't like it when I order fast food."
Tony laughed, a much different one than Pepper was used to hearing. It was fond, warm, and she was sure it was only reserved for his sister as it was so unlike his normal self. The family walked away from her, and Tony turned and gave her a cheeky wink in which she rolled her eyes.
If his sister was anything like him, she was going to be in for it.
"Eleanor?" Pepper knocked on her door. "Is everything alright? Tony asked me to come check up on you."
A crash was heard from the room, and Pepper's heart raced in worry. It slowed down when she heard the familiar, "It's nothing!"
She let out a chuckle and waited for the door to open.
Pepper had been working for Tony Stark now for close to six months, and she had become privy to the dynamic the Stark siblings had. It was strange; Eleanor scolded Tony like she was the older one and made sure he was getting enough sleep, eating enough, and getting his work done while at the same time neglecting her own needs. It was an endless cycle of Pepper practically babysitting the siblings and her wondering how they managed to survive this long.
Eleanor peeked her head out, squinting her eyes at Pepper at the bright light of the hallway. "What do you want?"
Pepper gave her a stern look, and Eleanor sighed, "Sorry. How can I help you, Pepper?" she asked, sarcasm lacing her words. It's the best I'm going to get, Pepper relented. The assistant tried seeing into the room, and Eleanor pushed the door as close to shut as possible, narrowing her eyes. "Pep?"
"Why are you being so secretive?" the woman questioned, a brow raised, noticing the antics of her boss' sister. The now fourteen year old scoffed, "None of your business. That's what secretive means."
Rubbing the space between her brows, Pepper let out a long breath and nodded. "Okay. Okay, that's fine. We just wanted to make sure you were doing alright - you've been locked away up here for about two days now, you know?"
She could see Eleanor shift at the reprimanding tone, and she would've felt guilty if it wasn't needed. At first, Pepper didn't want to intrude on the younger Stark's awkward routine since Tony had never tried to correct it. The odd hours, messy habits, and a condescension only teenagers possessed, Pepper thought it was normal. She wasn't going to bother with it - her job wasn't with Eleanor in the first place.
However, Pepper Potts knew from the beginning that she wasn't going to let a teenager talk down to her.
"Have you been taking my files?" Pepper stared down at the girl in front her, hands on her hips. "Those aren't for you."
"My name is on the company," Eleanor retorted back, rummaging through the cabinets of the kitchen. "And it's not like I'm doing anything wrong with them."
"You've made us miss deadlines!" Pepper exclaimed, exasperated, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Do you understand why that's wrong? You're smart, Eleanor, please just quit acting like a child."
Eleanor's eyes flashed towards her, anger written all over her face. "Much smarter than you," she replied snidely. "I don't need you to tell me what's morally wrong and not. I can do that myself."
"Obviously not," Pepper quipped back, her own temper flaring. "You've been nothing but rude and disrespectful to everyone since I've known you."
Eleanor's face flushed red. Pepper didn't want to get into an argument with the girl, she really didn't, but god, this had been going on so long. She was tired of dancing around Eleanor's attitude and tired of being treated like dirt by a teenager.
"Look, I know you don't like me - I don't know why - but I'm not going to be treated like this by you," Pepper asserted, using the voice that got her many deals. "I don't care if I have to talk to your brother or Rhodey or even Obadiah. They'd agree with me."
Eleanor stared at her for a few long seconds before darting away, not saying anything.
Later that day, Eleanor had walked out with a stern faced Tony behind her and downcast eyes, gritting out, "I'm sorry, Pepper. I shouldn't have taken your things or been rude to you."
And because Pepper could see how uncomfortable she was, she gave Eleanor a smile and forgave her.
Eleanor frowned at the question. "Are you sure Tony asked you to come check on me? I haven't seen him in a week."
Oh, Pepper thought dumbly. That's right. Tony has been gone. Instead of showing the slight discomfort she felt, Pepper nodded. "He's just been busy, Eleanor. You know he'd be here himself."
The young girl's face scrunched up at statement before shutting the door all the way. "I'm fine, you can go away," she said through the door. Pepper could hear her mutter, "Busy, busy, busy."
Normally, Pepper would leave, tell her boss that his sister was fine, and not dwell on what happened. She would go back to work, focus on the company's next move, and plan (and then force) a meeting for Tony for potential buyers.
Pepper didn't have any siblings. She grew up an only child and both of her parents were still alive and healthy; she talked with them once a week. She had friends growing up, made new friends now, and was never alone unless willingly. She couldn't think of a time where she felt unloved or even unwanted by her family even when she left home to pursue her career that took up almost all of her time.
Despite never truly knowing the feeling, Pepper was sure that was how Eleanor felt. Her parents had died a few years back, her brother spent a lot of time away (working? not always), and Pepper had never seen the teen with anyone her own age nor has she heard her talk about any friends. And it took a toll on normal fourteen year olds, so she could only imagine what it did to a genius that thought faster than they could talk.
Pepper knocked on the door again, much lighter. "Uh, Eleanor, I recorded that new episode of House for you, and - and I thought I'd try and watch it. But, I don't know half of the things they talk about if - if you'd like to tell me all about it? We could order some pizza; pepperoni with stuffed crust?"
She was grabbing anything that she could use to coax the girl out. She knew Eleanor liked the medical drama a lot, always making sure someone had it recorded for her, and she also learned that pepperoni pizza with stuffed crust was her favorite food to eat when she was watching it, and that Rhodey would forbid it when he was there.
Pepper was beginning to lose hope and perked up when the door slowly opened, and she could see Eleanor dart her eyes away from Pepper's, leading the way into the living room. Pepper smiled and followed without question, already putting in an order for the pizza.
"That's Dr. Cameron. I'm not sure if I like her, sometimes she's really cool and she's an immunologist, but other times she's just an idiot. I don't get why Chase tried to get with her," Eleanor rambled, chewing a piece of greasy pizza. Pepper nodded along, not quite getting it. "Chase is the Australian one? Right?"
Eleanor nodded. "Yep. Foreman is the black doctor, and you should know who House is, right? Reminds me a lot of Tony - only difference is he has a cane and takes Vicodin while Tony drinks scotch."
Pepper was sure that it wasn't a compliment, or not completely, and nodded again. She was right when she said she wouldn't understand most of it, and Eleanor was more than happy to share her extensive knowledge of medicine and the characters.
She watched as Eleanor's eyes lit up, much happier than she was earlier and smiled softly. Eleanor was just a kid compared to her, and she was a kid that needed someone to talk to.
Pepper was more than willing to be that someone.
