A/N: Well, I'm back. And I've got another chapter. As with my other Pepper fics, she and Tony are NOT together here. Just thought I'd clear that up.
Wolftatoo left a review saying that, realistically, Tony would never allow Thor to take Pepper away from him because she's all that he has (which is more or less true) and that Thor would be next in line to become king of Asgard, so he wouldn't be able to stay on Earth with her anyway. I completely agree with this, but I don't plan on going into those dramas in this story. This is meant to be humorous, so I'm just going to gloss over all that XD
Thank you for the review, Hyne. I always love reading yours :)
Also, thank you to TheConjuringMind for your review. It lifts my heart to know that Pepper and Thor were so in-character in the first chapter, at least to you :3
Disclaimer: I do not own The Avengers.
Chapter two: Flirt~
Number 1. Flirt with him. Dropping hints is a great way to start getting the message across if you are sure you want more than friendship.
Thor replayed the sentence over and over in his head.
When he'd received the chance, he went back into Pepper's office and copied down everything in the article he had read just days before. He decided that if he was going to help her win the heart of the man she had her eyes on, then he would have to be fully prepared.
Thor held out his notebook, pen in hand, and looked around the room. The Avengers sat huddled around the barstool of Stark Tower's gourmet kitchen, chatting idly while Tony made breakfast and Thor sat secluded in a corner to observe the day's events.
Just as he was beginning to understand the concept of a spring-mechanized pen, Pepper walked in.
"Hello, everyone. And how are we this morning?"
A chorus of positive mumbles was her response.
"Great," she said, walking over to join Tony behind the barstool.
Thor fumbled with his pen. This was the perfect time to take notes.
Pepper came up behind Tony, stopping when she was a mere foot away. She was saying something to him, but over the sounds of sizzling bacon and idle chatter, he couldn't understand what.
Growing irritated, he glanced down at his notes, rereading the key points he needed to be looking out for.
"Taking notes?"
His head snapped up, meeting the gaze of the very woman he was supposed to be studying. Giving a quick glance in Tony's direction, the god of Thunder gripped his notebook and tilted it towards himself, trying to conceal it from the ginger haired woman in front of him.
He smiled, cleared his throat. "Yes, Lady Pepper. You may say that."
"Well it looks like we have something in common." Pepper smiled. "So tell me, why is the King of Asgard sitting all alone in a corner on this fine morning?"
His eyebrows rose. "As you said, Lady Pepper; taking notes."
"Really?" She asked, clearly interested. "For what?"
He swallowed, feeling an uncomfortable heat creep up the back of his neck. This was not supposed to happen. Pepper was supposed to go about her day while he lingered in the background and observed, not single him out and nose into his business! Clearly, this was not off to a good start.
He had to divert her attention.
"Uh..."
Pepper chuckled. "I get it. You don't want to tell me." She said teasingly.
The Asgardian's blush gave no room for argument.
"It's okay, Thor. I don't want to put you on the spot about anything," she paused, bringing a thoughtful finger up to her chin. "Unless it's something bad..."
she wriggled her eyebrows, and Thor became overridden with panic.
He opened his mouth to say something - anything, really - but she playfully cut him off. "Don't worry, I'm just kidding! Gosh, you'd think they didn't have humor in Asgard!"
Thor froze momentarily, then let out a shaky, unsure laugh.
Pepper spoke again. "Hey, look, Tony's just made some bacon and eggs. I don't wanna make you feel 'pressured' or anything, but you might wanna get over there before Bruce eats it all."
Smiling once again, she nodded at him and, upon hearing her name being called, turned and walked away.
Feeling a sense of relief sweep over him, Thor hastily looked back down at his notebook.
If you have something in common with him, use it. Flirting is the key to opening the door to a new relationship. Try not to overdo it, however. It should come across naturally, not strained.
Bringing his eyebrows together in thought, he looked back up at Pepper, seeing that she was conversing quite freely with Clint. He thought for a moment.
...They both have strong work ethic, he decided, making a tally next to Hawkeye's name.
Pepper laughed and Thor's head shot up, seeing the Earth woman in hysterics over something the Avenger had said.
He turned back to his reference page.
When he says something funny to you, laugh! But only if it's actually funny to you. You want to be genuine, not fake. Still, even if his jokes aren't all that hilarious, at least smile. Guys love seeing your smile.
Thor hastily made another tally by Clint's name before bringing his attention back to Pepper. He had to admit, this was coming along quite quickly.
"Well, this has been fun, guys," Bruce said suddenly, getting up from his seat. "But I'm gonna head out."
"Leaving so soon? Tony's cooking can't be that bad," Pepper said, smirking in her boss's direction.
Tony scoffed, not looking at them.
Thor looked at his notes.
Tease him every now and then. Don't make it too harsh, though. Just give him a smirk and tell him he totally failed whatever he was trying to do. If he usually does this particular thing well, it's an okay time to tease him. But if he is working hard on that thing and just can't get it right, it's probably not the best idea to tell him he did a poor job.
Tally for Stark.
"Nah, I just got some things I gotta do," Bruce replied, chuckling lightly.
He walked over to the other side of the room and bent down to pick up the bag that he had brought in. He made to leave, but Pepper's voice stopped him.
"Hey, are we still on for that movie?" She asked.
"Uh, yeah. Sure. I mean...I don't really know where it is, but-"
"Oh, don't worry about it. Here, I'll give you the address."
The red head pulled out a pen and small piece of paper from her pocket, scribbled down brief directions, and walked over to Bruce.
She started to give it to him, but snatched her hand back at the last second.
"Here, I'll just put it in your bag so it doesn't get lost," she said, unzipping one of the pockets.
Send him notes or put messages in his bag (assuming he carries one). Write small things like "I wish this meeting was over." or "What are you doing this week?" Sending him notes will make him feel special and singled out (but in a positive way) by you.
Tally for Bruce.
"Thanks," he replied, helping her.
"No problem!" She said cheerily.
"Bye, guys," said Bruce, earning a mumbled 'bye' from everyone.
As he turned to leave, Pepper gave a small wave, which he reciprocated with a smile.
If you think it might work, give him a little wave with your hand. Don't be discouraged if he doesn't wave back. If he smiles back at you, you'll know it worked.
Tally for Banner.
As Pepper watched him go, Steve walked up to her.
"Am I the only one that thinks that guy is in serious need of more human contact?" He asked, sighing.
"Says the guy who was frozen in a lake for a hundred years," Tony quipped sarcastically.
"Oh, stop it, Tony," Pepper scolded. "Steve's just concerned for our friend. Besides, it's not like we really reach out to him or anything."
"What are you talking about? We invite him over for stuff all the time! We just had breakfast!" Tony exclaimed, waving his spatula around.
"But he doesn't do anything! He just sits there while we stay inside our own little social bubbles! He's not included!" She argued.
"Is that why you're going to the movies with him? Because you feel sorry for him?" Steve asked curiously.
"W- well...no. I mean, it's not because of pity or anything-"
"Right, because we all know how much you love Planet of the Apes," Tony sarcastically cut in, flipping an egg.
Pepper sighed. "Well I don't see you guys doing anything to make him feel accepted, so I figured I might as well-"
"Take one for the team?" He finished, turning off the stove and going to sit by Clint and Natasha to eat his breakfast.
Pepper opened her mouth to rebuke him, but Steve put a hand on her shoulder to calm her.
"Hey," he said comfortingly. "Don't listen to that guy-"
"Oh, no, don't listen to anything I say. I'm only your boss." Tony said from across the room, and Steve rolled his eyes.
He sighed. "Look, if it's any consolation, I'm proud of what you're trying to do. I mean, God knows how much he could use a friend right now, especially with everything that's happened since New York."
Pepper smiled, nodding in agreement.
"Plus," Steve added, and she looked up at him again. "I bet the reason he's heading home so early is so he can spruce up for you." He laughed.
"Dress to impress," Natasha chimed in, and Clint raised his glass of orange juice in agreement.
Pepper broke down into a stifle of laughs. "Pffftt! Oh my gosh..."
Steve winked cheekily at her, and she responded in kind.
If that doesn't get you noticed, try winking at him. Winking is a universal sign of affection. Be sure to smile when you wink, otherwise it might just seem like you're blinking.
Tally for Sir Steve.
After everyone had eaten, the group quickly disbanded, leaving Thor to quietly ponder his data.
Two points for Clint, one for Tony, two for Bruce, and one for Steve.
Wonderful, he thought grimly. Not a single shred of evidence leading to a conclusive decision.
Thor put down his notebook, sighing with a forlorn expression.
This was going to a difficult task, indeed.
A/N: Well, there it is. I struggled a lot with this one, mostly because even though I knew what I wanted to happen, I didn't know how to go about actually doing it. On the one hand I feel it's too different from the way the first chapter was written, but on the other I feel like there's no other way for it to be done. I think it'll be easier to write the other chapters now that this one's out of the way, but we'll see.
I'm really not that sure about this chapter, though, and a rewrite is definitely a possibility.
Please review and tell me what you think, it'll help a lot in deciding whether or not I should change anything.
'Til next time!