Little Bird's Vengeance Chapter 10 What Do You Think?
Tim didn't like sleep.
That is, he enjoyed a few hours' rest after a long night of patrolling, if he wasn't too busy, and there had been many times when he'd stumble from the Batmobile his thoughts on nothing but his bed. But the lethargy that settled around him like a warm, heavy blanket after too many long nights, or an injury, or (increasingly) illness, just frustrated him.
He still woke just as promptly.
Pepper Potts was two metres from the bed; she'd stepped inside, waking him (slower than normal, accursed cold) and called his name softly. Tim blinked blearily, rolling over to look at her before sitting up. He glanced at the clock, slightly startled to see it was almost seven in the evening.
"Are you joining us for dinner?" Pepper asked softly.
"Yeah," he replied, his voice cracking. He mentally frowned, sitting up and feeling slightly dizzy. "Excuse me one moment," he said, stepping into the bathroom and splashing cold water on his face. He peeled the mask off, sighing at his still-puffy eyes. As the Avengers would by now all know he wasn't well, he didn't bother replacing it.
Pepper was still waiting for him. "What's your place in the organization?" he asked curiously, thinking of the various people (like Sue Dibney, late wife of the equally late Elongated Man) who provide support for the League, or the Justice Society. "How do you fit in?"
She frowned. "Well, I run Tony's company," she said. "So I guess you could say I help finance the Avengers. But I don't work with SHIELD."
"You don't feel at all threatened by your proximity to superheroes?" he asked, gliding over to her.
"Should I be?" she said, frowning. "By what?"
"Being used as leverage," he explained. "It's happened…a time or two, back home. It's why we're so careful about IDs."
"I'm sure Tony would keep me safe if it became necessary," Pepper replied stiffly, looking a little disgruntled at the seeming attack on her boss.
"That's fine," he replied, shrugging. "I just like to know how everyone stands in relation to everyone else."
"Oh. That actually makes sense."
Tim cocked his head a few degrees. "So what about you and Tony?" he asked, scooping up the spray and batarang left on the bed and picking up his belt to put them away.
"What about me and Tony?" she replied coolly.
He frowned; he could tell they had a little spark, deeper than the normal boss/employee relationship, but whether Pepper was being coy or somewhat oblivious he didn't know. He shrugged. "You look like you'd be a cute couple."
She blushed. Looking down, she half-laughed. "Maybe, but I don't think he's ready to settle down, and I won't be one of his casual flings."
Tim hmm'ed. "Maybe, maybe not. You talked to him?" She shook her head, and he shrugged again. "Ah, well. Guess it's wait and see. What about his teammates? What do you think of them?"
Pepper considered, while Tim cleared the chair, gestured for her to sit and sank down onto the bed. "Well, Steve's very polite," she said. "A real gentleman. The stereotypical army officer, really. He makes me feel safe." Tim nodded, smiling. So like Kal-El. "Thor's…different," Pepper continued. "He acts almost lost sometimes; but he's trying to learn. It often feels like you can sense the storm swirling around him. He's all power and nobility. Bruce is quiet, reserved, he's very aware of how dangerous he could be. He can stay in his lab for ages, and you'd never know he's around. He and Tony talk so much about stuff no-one else can follow. Tasha and Clint are secretive, mysterious, deadly, and quite nice to be around despite that. All in all, I might not have initially chosen to share the Tower with them, but I certainly don't regret it."
"You feel a little out of place, but not such that it's uncomfortable?" Tim suggested.
Pepper nodded. "That's pretty much it. And how about you? What do you think about the Avengers?"
Tim smiled wistfully. "Well, I'd prefer to fight alongside them before making a judgement, but…" He shrugged. "I haven't seen much of Thor. He seems…honourable. A bit vague and out-of-touch, but then, he's a Norse god, it's what I'd expected. Dr Banner I think I could quite like. Believe it or not, the thought of giant green rage monsters don't scare me. I think he's got enough control, just from dealing Tony, that he could get out more. He needs a bit more confidence. Tony, no offense, is very, very irritating. I would not trust him near my gear. I'm so glad SHIELD didn't call him up to look at it straight away." Pepper looked surprised; he waved it away. "He mentioned it earlier. And it makes sense. He's good with tech, but not exactly trustworthy, not to a group like SHIELD. He doesn't know when to step back. He wouldn't get away with it if he wasn't so clever."
Pepper laughed. "I know! Phil used to say…" She trailed off, a still-raw grief stealing over her visage.
Tim frowned, choosing to press someone else later. Clearly a death from the invasion some four months ago that had signalled the formation (or possibly just the revelation) of the Avengers. "He doesn't strike me as especially malicious or anything," he clarified. "Just overbearing. Captain Rogers is, I agree, a perfect gentleman. I have a friend like him, Kansas farmboy and you'd know it. But I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of either of them. Agents Barton and Romanov are, well, more ruthless, but quite like some of the people I work with closest."
"So an overall positive impression?" Pepper asked.
He considered. "They're people. They have good points, and not so good points. At the moment, I haven't seen anything too bad from them, but like I said, I haven't seen them in combat yet. And no, I don't mind that they're almost certainly listening in right now."
Pepper guiltily glanced at the corner, presumably where the camera was hidden. "I did manage to stop Tony from dissecting your costume," she said, gesturing at the neatly folded black and red suit on the chest of drawers.
"Thank you," Tim replied, grateful for the cleaning. Wearing the same suit for over a week, especially with a short swim in the ocean, had left it in desperate need of a wash. He'd also have to check the security system for damage.
His stomach grumbled; the suit could wait. "You mentioned dinner?" he asked Pepper.
"We're ordering pizza," she told him. "Any particular toppings?"
"As long as it's not olives, I'm fine," he answered, pulling his boots back on and grabbing his belts and gloves. "Do we have to wait for one of the agents, or is one of them waiting for us?"
"I'm waiting," Clint Barton called from the hallway.
"So who do SHIELD think are suitable babysitters?" Tim asked as they made their way to the kitchen.
"Me and Tasha, obviously," he said. "And Captain Rogers. Tony's too unpredictable, Thor we don't want to press, and Bruce and Pepper, well, if you tried to do something…"
"Couldn't stop me, at least not without causing too much damage." Tim shrugged and flashed a quick half-smile at Pepper. "It's fine, I get it. Seriously." Clint still looked a little uncomfortable, so Tim changed the subject. "Does anyone know much about interdimensional travel?"
"I think Tony, Bruce and Thor know a little about it, but only when utilizing either magic, or an object we no longer have access to." Tim raised an eyebrow, but Clint didn't elaborate. "SHIELD does have access to number of scientists with experience in that area."
They reached the kitchen, where the rest of the Avengers were already waiting. "Tony and I did some research to get Thor home after the Chitauri invasion, but it's not either of our specialities," Bruce added.
Tim felt a slight twinge, looking at Dr Banner and remembering his name was Bruce, missing his own Bruce back home. He quickly put the thought from his mind, turning back to the science. "You said you know specialists?"
"Erik Selvig probably wouldn't want to work with us," Tony said. "I think he started looking to go into a new field of study after the Chitauri thing. But didn't he have a co-worker?"
"Jane Foster," Thor supplied. "She may also be unwilling."
"Why's that?" Pepper asked.
"She is…displeased with me," he replied uncomfortably.
"Way I understand it, he kind of stood her up," Tony explained. "Except, you know, with more broken Bifrosts."
"That's not good," Captain Rogers said, wincing.
"Wait a sec," Tim interrupted. "You do know someone who's pretty much an expert, but you don't want to bring her in because of a lovers' quarrel?"
Sheepish nods all round.
"Oh, excellent," he grumbled under his breath. "Almost thought it would be difficult."
AN: Fluff time! Well, more fluff. I promise, there is a bit of action coming up. Just not yet. Maybe not next week either. Well, next week's Black and Red, so...
As always, please review, feel free to ask questions, etc. Love hearing from you all.
See you in two weeks.
Katara