This one is super short but Pepper Potts just would not leave me alone.

Pout

Pepper Potts grinned as she watched Tony slump against the sofa in the middle of their private lobby in Stark Tower, his bottom lip puckered as he listlessly flicked through the expanded file in front of him. He'd come upstairs about an hour before, his throat slightly red even though he swore nothing was wrong. Going straight to the couch and having Jarvis drag up every single piece of information he could find on Rhome Edevein before he started pouring through it. When she pressed about the Code Green-seriously who could miss it with the flashing green lights and the little alerts that got sent to the emails and phones of everyone on the affected floor- he'd just waved her off. Swearing that the Hulk hadn't done much damage-even if they were going to have to repair the Xenolab.

Pepper watched him, his sagging shoulders and clearly irritated expression only reinforcing her first opinion of the entire situation. If he got any surlier then she was going to break and laugh in his face while he moped-regardless of how much it might damage his ego. Because that is exactly what he was doing-moping. Bordering dangerously on pouting . . . and all because he and Bruce-er Hulk had a tiny disagreement. She bit her lip, glancing to the hologram of Edevein and another doctor discussing the remains of the rediscovered Meermin. She stopped just behind the sofa, watching the file footage Tony had hacked from the Mendellian; listening to Edevein catalog what had happened and probable causes of deaths for the recovered skeletons-or what was left of them.

The unearthing of the previously lost slave ship had been big news four years ago, the prestigious institution working to properly identify the victims and piece together the Dutch East India Company ship's final voyage before they turned everything over to the Smithsonian for the exhibits. Pepper watched, Edevein handling the small skull delicately while she spoke to the camera; her voice soft and respectful. She could respect the anthropologist for her work with the lost souls-and from the deepening frown on his face her insufferable boyfriend could as well. She swallowed her grin as she moved closer, sinking into the sofa beside him as her certified concerned girlfriend/assistant/friend look fell firmly into place. She reached out, taking his free hand; smoothing her thumb over his knuckles.

"Tony it isn't that bad. I mean, I've dealt with Edevein and she seems fine-eccentric but fine-"

Tony cut his eyes to her, pointing at his still bruised face dramatically while she fought the urge to roll her eyes. She'd wanted to sock him in the face more than once even after they'd started sleeping together-the fact that she loved him to insane levels the only thing stopping her. Edevein hadn't seen the softer lovable side of Tony Stark yet-honestly Pepper wondered sometimes if she imagined it with how he lived to press other peoples buttons and limits- so it wasn't too unthinkable that the woman had snapped and acted. Even Bruce had his point where Tony was too much so why would the woman her boyfriend had systematically harassed and hassled not?

Especially if he'd been acting like this.

"Uh hello? The woman's a menace, Pep. A hard hitting dirty fighting menace at that! She slammed my face against a table in the middle of Midtown then tried to force feed me her fists. She attacked me-"

Pepper gave Tony her best deadpan look, the one that all but screamed I'm not about to fall for that and you should know it. Causing him to roll his eyes, taking his hand away from her so he could cross his arms and huff. Meaning they had officially broached pouting territory.

"Oh fine! So I might've provoked her but she's SHIELD, Pep. They were going to kill us-all of us-"

Pepper shook her head, reaching out to thread her fingers through his hair; brushing it away from his healing face with a fond smile. She loved how he was so intent to protect the others now that he'd practically strong armed them into at least frequenting the Tower . . . but he needed to understand that he was trying to protect them from the wrong thing. She'd let him blunder through this hoping to let him think accepting the woman was his own idea-the best way to get him to do anything and stick with it- but it was apparent she couldn't give him the time he'd need.

Not and keep him out of the infirmary or the morgue.

"No Tony. The Council acted poorly-trying to control a situation they could never hope to while they kept their loses down. Fury and Hill-most of the agents on the Helicarrier all tried to stop them. They did stop the other jet-or Fury did with a bazooka-"

"Wait what? How- when did you find that out?"

Pepper shrugged, petting his hair soothingly as she continued.

"The day after the attack. I met Fury and chewed his ass for over an hour before he showed me the footage . . . What?!"

Tony blinked, staring at her in awe; Pepper's cheeks darkening. This was the reason she'd never brought this up- because trying to predict how Tony would react to this kind of situation was nearly impossible.

"You went to SHIELD? And yelled at Fury?"

She nodded, leaning in to brush her lips against his cheek.

"Of course I did. Scared and under informed or not they tried to nuke you. You almost died-would've died if not for Bruce."

Tony grinned, reclaiming her hand with his own; twining their fingers together before he kissed her knuckles. He closed his eyes, his words soft and even though they were cocky they seemed almost awed. Relieved.

"I knew you love me."

Pepper shrugged, reaching out to shift the random tidbits away before pulling up the Chitauri Project file.

"I don't know why. But like I was saying Dr. Edevein is alright. I had a video conference with her when Fury first mentioned bringing her in. She called in from the Mendellian between her classes there, gave me the equipment and procedure lists so I could compare them to what SHIELD had already given us. We didn't talk long but she was nice. She answered all of my questions and assured me that her project would never endanger the Avengers-or innocent bystanders. She honestly thinks she's found a nuclear deterrent here- a way to send a message without trying to kill the population of Manhattan in the process. It's why Fury's pushed so hard-why she's stuck through everything you've thrown at her. Well that and her brother is here-"

Tony's brows knit in confusion, his eyes darkening as Pepper closed her eyes and counted to twenty in her head. God this was why she needed to find him another PA. He used to at least pretend to listen when she'd talk to him . . . but he apparently wasn't paying anyone else the same courtesy.

"Her brother? Works for SHIELD, barely survived the invasion? I swear Tony she's talked to Happy about him how do you not know this?"

Tony sighed, leaning into her; resting his cheek against her collarbone.

"I don't pay any of those SHIELD lackeys any attention . . . but why didn't you tell me? You knew-"

She shrugged, kissing his hair.

"Because someone has to run Stark Industries, Tony. I'm barely in New York two weeks a month now. Besides I knew you would've just gotten mad that I was taking up with the enemy- or treated her even worse. I love you Anthony Stark but I also know you. Edevein's personality was going to do one of two things- make you want to adopt her or strangle her. But now that you do know what are you going to do? Steve seemed pretty taken with her before your last encounter . . . and the Hulk is obviously a little partial to her from the hand print around your throat. Are you really going to keep them from having someone outside of the team because you got your ass kicked by a girl?"

Tony scowled and huffed, his voice muffled as he ran his nose along her shoulder and neck. Pepper suppressed a shudder, trying to stay focused. Tony was almost there-had almost convinced himself that being civil was the better solution. If she let herself get distracted now then they could very well lose another lab . . . or one of the few people who fullheartedly backed the Avengers Initiative even when it'd been shucked before. Not that Tony ever needed to know that but still.

"No . . . but now I have to figure out some way to smooth things over. Without just blurting out that our resident green giant is completely besotted by her. Not that I understand that at all-"

Pepper raised a brow, looking down to Tony in confusion.

"Wait I thought you said that Bru-Hulk wanted friends. Tony you really don't think-"

"That two tons o fun is monster crushing on Bruce's lab partner? The pretty young doctor that might resemble Betty Ross-you know if you're drunk or squint because that woman is gorgeous and Edevein is just . . . there- minus the whole angry army dad that wants to imprison and experiment on him? Yeah I'm thinking exactly that."

"But why?"

Tony sat up, seeming serious as he started talking; his words flowing faster as he worked through his reasoning. Which meant he'd actually devoted a fair amount of time to this. God she was almost afraid.

"Look it really does make sense. The Hulk is becoming more aware-like growing from the angry massive toddle into something a little closer to an actual person- well personality facet. Plus Bruce doesn't remember the night of their fight, Pep. I asked him the next morning and all he would say-rather tersely I might add- was that he'd gotten into a verbal altercation with the good doctor before he went back to the lab and talked to Steve. After that he went home and passed out-he doesn't even remember dreaming-"

Pepper rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"Tony plenty of people don't remember dreaming-"

"But plenty of people don't happen to share their body with a certain green giant that was spotted near Edevein's address after three the same damn night. Jarvis intercepted seven-SEVEN- different calls before he started screening and rerouting them; dealing with them on his own."

Pepper gaped, stunned.

"WHAT?! Christ Tony why didn't you say anything?! What if he'd hurt her?"

Tony waved her off, shrugging.

"He didn't. Not so much as one tiny report of Hulk related damage. And to clarify I didn't know he was there-not until Jarvis pointed it out later the next day. I figured the big guy needed out to keep Bruce sane. Turns out he wanted out to keep tabs on Edevein."

Tony grinned, pecking her cheek before he wagged his brows at her; Pepper laughing at his idiocy despite the serious nature of their conversation.

"Isn't it great honey? Our little green gamma baby is growing up so fast. Do you think I should start looking into Hulk proofing-"

Pepper shook her head, becoming sober as she looked to him pointedly.

"You shouldn't do a damn thing. It could be something completely innocent and not whatever is running through your head-"

"What makes you think what's running through my head isn't innocent?"

"It's your head. Besides, you need to figure out a way to keep this from getting any worse. After you apologize for being an ass."

Tony huffed, looking to her like she was insane.

"Tony Stark does not apologize, Pepper."

Pepper narrowed her eyes, leaning away from enough to glare at him effectively.

"Tony Stark is going to apologize or Pepper Potts is going to make his life hell until he does."