Nothing Will Ever Bring Us Back Together
Chapter Fifteen- Together
STARK HOUSEHOLD
"Guys! Merida said that he convinced Spidey to come! For you guys that's Natasha and Clint." An excited Tony Stark shouted.
"Really?" Pepper asked, smiling. She hadn't seen her friend in a long time, too long. Tony nodded.
"Does that mean that Ethan is coming too?" Ella asked, excited. It had only been yesterday but she could never see enough of him.
"And Katya?" Joe demanded, wanting to see someone that he actually knew well.
"Yes, though her name still should have been Katniss." Tony remarked.
"Dad, I don't get that, still, and why won't you tell me?" Joe asked. He had never seen or heard of the hunger games so of course he didn't know who Katniss was.
"Because," *Doorbell rings* "Of that." Tony walked to the front door and, like he always did, put his ear to it before opening it.
"Thor, I told you, it is not dangerous."A feminine voice said. Tony guessed that it must have been Jane.
"Then why are we here?" Thor asked.
Tony slowly opened the door and said, "To see me, big guy." Thor looked utterly bewildered before crushing him in to a massive bear hug.
"Man of Iron, is it truly you?" He whispered.
"Yes-but-can't-breathe-Thor." He let him go immediately. Then Steve came wandering down to the lobby.
"Captain?" Thor couldn't believe it. All his old friends were here.
"Come inside. All of you." Tony said, gesturing to Darcy and Finn. After Thor had gone round, and seen who was there, he asked Tony,
"Man of Iron, where is friend Clint and Lady Natasha?"
"Err..." *Doorbell rings* "Here?"
"I'll get it." Pepper said and walked, trying not to run, off to get it.
"Natasha?" She asked, wrenching open the door.
"Pepper!" She squealed. Natasha could not believe that she was actually excited. They pulled each other in to a girl hug.
"Mum, how come you almost attack Ella's Dad but hug her mum?" Ethan asked.
"Her mum and dad are very different people." Clint supplied.
"Come in guys." Pepper said and led the way to the lounge where all the others were.
"Friend Clint, Lady Natasha. What a pleasure it is to see you!" Thor said.
"You too Thor." Clint replied and Natasha looked at the ground. There was a long awkward silence before Clint said, "Who is everybody? I mean, can we do some ice breakers or something. I think I know who most of you are but I don't really know you anymore."
"I feel the same, friend Clint. But what is an ice breaker?"
"It's a game we play to get to know each other better. You say your name and something that you like." Tony replied. "Who wants to go first?" Everyone stared at each other until Lewis said,
"I will. I'm Lewis and I like... err... sleeping?"
"Lew, that was awful. I'm Lilly, this idiot's twin, and I like chemistry."
"I'm Joe and I like engineering."
"I'm Ella and I like..." Ella weighed her options. Shopping, texting or talking. Definitely shopping "shopping."
"I'm Ethan and I like... running." Ethan couldn't think of anything.
"I'm Blaze and I like coffee. I know it's a strange addiction."
"I'm Finn and I like basketball. I'm hopeless but, I like it."
"I'm Alice and I like football. I mean soccer. That's what you call it here, isn't it? I'm the only girl on the school football- soccer- team." Katya would not speak.
"Yeah, I'm Tony. I like annoying Pepper."
"I'm Pepper and I like annoying Tony."
"My name is Thor and I, like my son, adore coffee. Though, I do love pop tarts the most." Jane shook her head.
"How many microwaves have you broken?" Tony joked under his breath.
"39. None in the last three years though." Jane, who happened to be standing next to him said. "I'm Jane. I like astrophysics."
"I'm Darcy and I like history."
"I'm Steve and I like visiting museums." Alice gave a half sigh, half groan.
"I'm Peggy and I like music."
"I'm Betty and I like teaching."
"I'm Bruce and I don't like being a doctor but I do like making people better."
"I'm Clint and I like Archery. Go Tasha. You agreed." She eyed Clint who eyed her back.
"You guys can still do that?" Tony asked.
"Yes, Stark, and I'm NATasha. I like sparring. With Clint. Katya, honey, go. These people won't hurt you." Natasha eyed Katya who eyed her back.
"You can do that with your kids too?"
"Yes. I am Yekaterina. I am Katya to most people. I like archery. Happy?" She asked Natasha. Who eyed her.
"I forgot how much that eye thing annoyed me." Tony remarked.
All the children walked over to the person they knew. Ethan walked over to Ella. Joe walked over to Katya who was still very tense. She disliked meeting new people. Lewis walked over to Lilly and ticked her off for making him look stupid. Finn and Blaze were running around after each other. Alice was left at a loose end.
"I feel bad now." Katya whispered to Joe.
"Lets go over to her then." Joe whispered back.
"She probably thinks I'm a right idiot. I am just stupid when it comes to meeting new people. I always make the wrong impression." Katya whispered again, feeling really awkward.
"You made the right impression on me." As Joe said it, he thought that it sounded wrong. He meant as a best friend.
"After a month."
"Katya, don't worry. It will be fine." The pair walked over to where Alice stood alone.
"Hi," Joe said, "Alice right?"
"Yeah. Katya and Joe?" She replied
"Yep." Katya said, suddenly appearing to make an effort.
"How do you two know each other?" She asked as it was obvious that they did.
"We're in the same class and-" Joe began.
"We do athletics at school together. Never lost a relay race. Well any race." Katya finished.
"Cool. How do my mum and dad know yours? I mean, they live in different continents. Dad just said after school on Thursday that we were suddenly going to LA the next morning." Alice asked.
"Sorry, no idea. Apparently her mum used to work for my father." Joe stated.
"I still don't buy it, Joe." Katya said. She did not. Not one bit.
The adults, meanwhile, had separated into two groups. Boys and girls. "So guys, how have you been? It's been sixteen years. A lot has changed." Steve said.
"It has. Sixteen years ago I didn't know if I could even have kids." Bruce stated.
"Do you remember all those years ago, back in the tower, what a laugh we had, how fun it was?" Tony asked.
"Yeah, do you remember when we changed the push and pull signs around, Tony? Bruce was stuck in the lab for ages." Clint smiled at the prank that they had pulled.
"Or when we changed J.A.V.I.S.' voice?" Tony asked. One day Clint and Tony had broken into J.A.R.V.I.S.' control box and changed his voice to a screaming woman, who was quite annoying but incredibly funny.
"That was actually quite funny." Steve said.
"Until Pepper and Natasha found out." Bruce grumbled. They had never been shouted at like that before, or since. Not Pepper and Natasha together, anyway. Joe, Katya and Alice had inched close enough to hear the adults conversation now. Joe was monitoring the boys, Alice the girls. Katya was both and feeding the others lines.
"The men used to live together with Joe's and my mum. They played pranks, mainly on Joe's dad and who is Jarvis?" Katya asked.
"An AI. Sort of like a butler but he's a robot. Listen. Hey Jarv, what's the time?" Joe replied.
"The current time in Los Angeles is approximately nine seventeen pm." The strange voice came from nowhere.
"Cool. Wait, can he tell us what they are talking about?" Katya asked, suddenly very interested in the little guy.
"I don't know. Let's try." Joe replied.
"Guys. I think I got something." Alice reported before they could try and the two older children stopped to listen.
"What are we going to tell them? How can you say to your kid, I'm sorry for not telling you earlier but your father was a superhero who save the world multiple times." Pepper said.
"And mother." Natasha agreed.
"You guys have it easy. I have to tell Blaze that his father was a superhero; A demigod and next in line to the throne on a different planet." Jane stated.
"I don't have to say anything." Darcy was pleased. How could the others keep a secret like that for sixteen years?
"I'm leaving it to Bruce." Betty said. It was his problem. "They know about the other guy, just not what he did with it. In fact, Lewis has his own."
"How am I meant to say your dad is over 100 years old? And that he loved your great-grandmother before your mother?" Peggy asked.
"If I left it to Clint, they would never know." Natasha said. Clint was never organised. Even after all this time.
"Or Tony. You know, in all these years, I don't think that he has gotten a jot more responsible. Or grown up at all." Pepper said. It was true, he really hadn't. "But they already know about the suit. Just not the superhero part."
"Seriously Pepper? I don't know how you live." Natasha had experienced Tony's childlike state more than once.
BACK TO THE BOYS
"Remember all those nicknames we used to call each other?" Tony asked, reminiscing.
"Yeah, Tin Can." Clint replied.
"Calm down Legolas." He had no idea what to say, just wanted to get a nickname in there somewhere.
"Ok, Iron Ass."
"Good one, Katniss."
"I can't think of any more for you. Pick on some one else." Clint whined.
"Ok Merida. By the way why didn't you name your little girl that? Red head, bow and arrow?" Tony asked. He thought that it was a brilliant idea.
"I would not let her be laughed at like that. Not Katniss either." Clint was deadly serious and not ready to admit that He has wanted to call her that.
"Spoilsport. Now let us have a challenge. Who do I have the most nicknames for? Capsicle, Star Spangled man with a plan, Spangles, Cap'n crunch, boy scout. Big guy, point break, Goldilocks. Merida, Katniss, Legolas, Robin Hood, Feathers, Birdbrain. Jolly Green Giant, Grinch. Natashalie, Itsy-Bitsy-Spider, Spidey. Feathers you win." He counted on his fingers.
"I'm sure there was more though I don't see how you called Natasha that many nicknames."
"I have impeccable timing." By that he meant he said them when Natasha was either asleep, tied down or behind her back.
Alice poked Joe and Katya. "I know this may be a bad time but I think your siblings are playing tonsil tennis." Katya gave her a look which made clear that she didn't know what tonsil tennis was, "Tonsil tennis, no? It means kissing."
"Oh. EWWWW!" Katya exclaimed, then all the adults noticed. Natasha covered her eyes, as did Pepper.
"Lovely." Clint said, dryly.
Soon after they ordered pizza and watched a movie, there was a big fight over that. In the end they decided on the hunger games because Clint and Katya wanted it so Natasha wanted it and Tony wanted Joe and Ella to get his Katniss joke. Tony was the master of the TV so he decided any way. By the time it had finished all the children were tired and were put to bed, Ella and Ethan in the same room, Katya and Alice camped on Joe's bedroom floor, Blaze in a guest room, Lilly and Lewis a twin guest room that Lilly was sleeping in anyway. Darcy took Finn home. The rest of the adults then put on a more adulty movie and every single one of them fell asleep watching it.