A/N: The next chapter is here, hope you like it.
Sorry for the late update, few things came up and I got sucked into the thing called life.
The story is almost complete, I just have to figure out a posting schedule and round up the whole thing. But I'll try not to be this late again. Once in a week or two. Max!
So without further ado, here you go. And as I say every time, reviews are much appreciated
Tony Stark was a genius.
And no, he wasn't just saying that, he really was a certified genius. He was also arrogant and cocky and a general pain in everyone's ass.
But after his 'accident' in Afghanistan, and then coming back state-side, only to announce himself as the Iron Man, he had changed a lot.
Oh! He was still his arrogant, cocky, know-it-all self, but he more mature, a kinder, better version of himself. And of course, most of the credit for that went to one Ms. Virginia "Pepper" Potts. Oh how he loved that woman.
And exactly because of that, when he saw Clint react so strongly to Coulson's death, he knew that for Clint, Phil was much more than just his handler. Of course he had seen them interact in Malibu, but his reaction led Tony to believe that their relation had so much more to it than just friendship.
But again, he was a changed man. So he didn't point it out to anyone or talk about it. And when Natasha led Clint out of that shawarma joint, to wherever they went, he let them go. In a certain way, he understood what Clint must have been going through. Because just the thought of something like that happening to Pepper was enough to make his blood boil.
So that night, after everyone went to a SHIELD issued house and he went back to his mostly destroyed Stark Tower, he began to think.
Pepper had come running, after she got back to New York, blabbering about how scared she had been seeing him on the news like that. Crying and hitting him, trying to believe that he really was there in front of her, alive. He held her in his arms, as they slept in one of the few rooms that had not been destroyed when they were fighting against a God and his alien army.
When they awoke the next morning, he knew what he wanted to do. He wanted this rag-tag of a team together. He wanted to save the world along with people he could call friends. And yes, he definitely wanted to make science with Banner.
When he told Pepper about it, she laughed at him. But then she also suggested that they should try to recruit one Jane Foster to Stark Industries, who he later found out was actually Thor's girlfriend. So he was pretty sure that Pepper agreed with his 'plan.'
If they got Jane, he knew Thor would not be far behind. Banner, he would woo with promises of science, he was sure of it. Then came the good captain, who Tony was pretty sure actually needed a place to stay. So that would not be an issue. Hopefully.
It was only the assassin duo that had him thinking. He somehow had to find a way, to get them to agree with him.
But then, he was Tony Stark, and there hasn't yet been a problem that he couldn't solve. So if he wanted the whole team with him, he would make sure that it happened.