Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites, I love you guys ! Well, someone asked for Tony and Pepper to kiss. Hmm, maybe later ;) And no, Tony is going toward the light, he is vital to this story. I just kill him...a little bit XD

Disclaimer; I own none of the Avengers, only my wild imagination

Enjoy your read.

Chapter 5- First Time

"Tony gave me the name," Pepper smiled. "When we first met."

"Huh," Clint scoffed. "Guess his wit developed since he was a kid."

"It has," Pepper nodded. She had a nostalgic smile on her face. "We were in kindergarten. I was four, he was six."

Natasha frowned. "Why were you in school so early?"

"I ask my parents to send me," Pepper answered. "Since I want to learn and practically I was bored being left with a fifteen year old babysitter who paid attention to her nails more than she did to me."

Bruce grinned. "How did he came up with the name?"

Pepper stared to the blank TV in front of her; The Breakfast Club had ended an hour ago. She smiled, remembering the first time she met Tony Stark.

"Hey, that is mine!" Pepper screamed in her shrill four-year old voice. "Give it back!"

The blonde girl who took her Barbie doll stuck out her tongue. "This doll is pretty, so it's mine."

"Just because it's pretty doesn't mean it's yours!"

"I said it's mine, so it is mine!"

Pepper grabbed the doll's legs. "Go get yourself one! This one is mine!"

The girls continued tugging at the doll, until a friend of the blond girl came and pushed Pepper to the ground. The blonde girl stuck out her tongue haughtily at Pepper as she walked away. Pepper glanced sharply at the blond girl and brushed the dirt off her palms. She had a scratch on her knee and it hurt when she wiped the line of blood off the scratch.

"Ouch," she cried, tears pooling in her eyes. "That hurts."

"Here," a boy sat next to her. He handed her a strip of plaster wound and a bottle of water.

Pepper took the items from his hands without asking. She rinsed the scratch and put on the plaster wound on her knee. "Thank you."

The boy smiled crookedly and helped her got up. He has wide brown eyes that and long eyelashes like a girl's. His hair is dark brown, long and messy. He was as tall as her with adorable dimples.

"I am Stark. Tony Stark," he held out his small hand.

Pepper wrinkled her nose. "You sound like James Bond."

"You watch James Bond too? Cool. What's your name?"

"Virginia Potts," she shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Tony."

"Your name is Virginia?" Tony asked. "Isn't that the name of a state? Who wants to be called Virginia? It's too mouthful don't you think?"

Pepper chuckled. "You ask too many questions, Tony!"

Tony looked at Pepper. She was thin, and pretty. Her hair is strawberry blond and pulled back into a neat ponytail. Her eyes were as blue as the sky and it were staring at him brightly. She also had some freckles on cheeks, across her nose. And she a nice and kind smile like his mom.

"I think I am going to call you Pepper," he decided.

"Why?"

Tony smiled cheekily. "'Cause you got freckles on your face, like someone spread pepper on your face. It's cute."

Pepper giggled. "You are funny Tony."

"Will you be my friend? I will accompany you during break and playtime. And I'll make sure no one take away your toys," Tony nodded solemnly.

"I want to be your friend! You are nice."

Tony grinned and took her hand. "Thank you, Pepper. You are a pretty."

"Aww, that's cute," Jane complimented. "I bet you and Tony were the cutest kids back then."

Rhodey snorted. "They were. I was practically the third wheel."

"Hey!" Pepper exclaimed. "You weren't the third wheel. I was. You and Tony will talk about spaceships and planes and I was really out of place with my teddy."

Steve laughed. "That's a nice way to meet someone."

"Hey Cap, how was the first time you meet Tony?" Clint asked, popping popcorns into his mouth. "It must be really interesting, considering you and Tony are like, so opposite of each other."

It is true. Tony Stark, self-entitled genius, billionaire and philanthropist is everything that Steve Rogers is not. Steve is basically all the compilation of the good behavior you are supposed to have and the manners from 1940's, packed in a human form. He is organized and basically like the little group loving mom, he keep them in line and prefer to solve problems by negotiating, rather than fighting though he has more muscles than fat. Steve is not as muscular as Thor, but enough to have the girls at school to swoon at the sight of him.

Steve Rogers is the epitome of a gentleman. He has blond hair that no matter what the condition is, except when he's punching the bag at the gym, is always combed neatly like some guy from old movie, parted on the right side of his head. He speaks in calming voice, but has the tone that makes you doesn't dare to argue with him, except Tony. He rarely lies, only on several needed occasion, when Tony desperately need him too. His temper is hard to be challenged; only Tony has the particular attitude to get him mad.

When Tony is a hot mess in his uniform, Steve is just plain hot. His oxford shirt buttoned correctly, his vest and slacks neatly pressed. His tie straight and he doesn't wear Converse sneakers like Tony, but a pair of shiny leather loafers. With his natural old-fashioned good looks, he can pull off even a uniform.

"It was not the kind of way you want to meet someone," Steve admitted. "I was at a summer military camp, the summer before freshman year. My campsite was located at a real military base, and one day Tony and his dad came over. Mr. Stark was to meet one of the military officer while Tony, he just followed his dad out of boredom. So naturally, he wandered around at our campsite, without supervision."

Clint grabbed a can of Coke. "You must be furious."

"I was furious. I was the leader," he said shyly, "so I was trying to follow the orders. We can't let anyone in, except for the responsible facilitators."

"Who are you?" Steve demanded at the dark haired boy who stood before him. "Strangers are not allowed to be in this dorm."

The boy shrugged. "Well, I'm not a stranger. I am Stark. Tony Stark. Nobody tells me that I'm not allowed to be here."

"Well, I'm telling you can't be here. Please leave."

"Loosen up, dude," Tony smirked. "Why so serious?"

Steve started to feel irritated. "Please, leave. Now."

Tony just stared back into Steve's eyes. Steve towered over him by a few inches, with muscles but Tony didn't seem intimidated. "I am starting to want you to make me."

Steve's fellow campmate announced that a facilitator was coming. A couple of seconds later, a man with full mustache in standard army uniform came in. Steve and his campmates got into a line and gave the man a salutation. Tony just crossed his arms and looked at the man up and down.

"This evening at 1640, we will have a war game, after of usual fitness routine," the man announced. "The game is designed to test your mental and physical readiness and your ability to think in a certain situation. And since you are in an odd number, I would like to ask Mr. Stark to join us."

Tony pursed his lips. "Why not? I would be here for a while. Count me in."

"Good. Rogers, Stark is in your team. And I forgot to tell you; the winning team of this game will have the hot morning shower next week. That's all, I'll see all of you this evening."

The man left after they gave him salutation, Tony excluded. Tony looked at Steve, who glared at him with mutual loathing.

"Well, it would be a blast," Tony muttered.

"Since we there was no activity before the wargame, Tony just hung out at our dorm, playing games and showing off his creations. Tony drove me insane during the game. He was in my team, and I gave him orders," Steve told them. "At first he acted repulsively. But then, after he finished whatever he had in mind, he followed what I told him. It made me angry, he put himself first and we almost lose. Which, though we won, it led to another argument between us."

"That was mental."

Steve shrugged. "It was. But since that day, he hung out at our campsite. Our facilitator just shrugged every time Tony decided to join our activities. We still argued until the last of day of camp, but managed to keep it at minimum. And I saw him, the first day of school. I was expecting some sarcastic remarks but he just like, 'Hey Cap, wanna hang out with me at lunch?' "

"Tony's weird that way," Natasha chuckled.

"I guess that's because you and Tony doesn't really hate each other," Bruce said.

"There's just something about his attitude that bothered me," Steve nodded his head. "Other times, when he's not being rude, I am okay. I am able to tolerate most of his behavior now."

"We all are," Bruce concluded. "And since we are sharing, I want to share the first time I met Tony."

Rhodey rolled his eyes. "What makes you think we want to know?"

"If you guys doesn't want to hear, it's fine," Bruce shrugged.

"Nah, I was kidding. Spill, Bruce."

"Hey, wimp," a larger boy intentionally pushed Bruce by his shoulder.

The action made Bruce fell on the hallway. The other boy just laughed and walked away. Bruce collected his heavy books that fell on the floor and corrected the position of his askew glasses. It was his second week in SHIELD Prep and honestly, he felt like he'd better back in his old school. If it wasn't the full scholarship he'd gotten to attend SHIELD Prep for his sophomore year, he wouldn't even care to set his foot on these rich kids' heaven and hell.

Bruce took a deep breath. He didn't care if nobody noticed him. He just wanted to study. The teachers at SHIELD Prep were good and nice and the teaching method was effective but he couldn't stand the students. Bruce might be a little short, and messy and nerd-looking but that didn't mean he can be bullied. Come on, hadn't those big kids heard to pick someone of their own size?

He continued to his next class, Physic. The teacher Mr. Summers gave him a kind smile and told him to sit at the back of the class. He had informed that Bruce's partner was some boy called Stark, and Stark was always fashionably late. Bruce dragged his feet to his seat, waiting for Stark. Stark. He'd heard the name somewhere. Could he be the son of the Stark Industries' owner? Given that SHIELD Prep is technically filled with rich men's children, he won't be surprised.

A boy came in, his vest unbuttoned and his shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbows, like Bruce. He had brown hair, like Bruce, though it is in a peculiar dark shade, while Bruce's is plain chocolate. His eyes are brown; also like Bruce but his eyes has mischievous looks in them. He was probably a couple of inches taller than Bruce with a sturdy physical.

"I am sorry Scott," the boy greeted. "I was thinking of a few excuses I could use to skip class but I found none, so I decided to come in."

The other students laughed. Mr. Summers look amused. "Good morning, Stark. I am thankful you've decided to come in. You will find that there's a new student that is waiting at your usually lonely table."

"Oh, joy," Stark muttered. "How was your summer vacation, Scott? I heard you and our dear Jean Grey of Chemistry went to Texas."

"It was a joyful one Stark. Now please sit, I would like to start my class."

Stark walked to his seat and sat next to Bruce. Bruce looked at him, can't believe that Stark could easily call the teacher by his first name and how Mr. Summers just played along.

"You're the new kid?" Stark raised an eyebrow at him. "I am Stark. Tony Stark." He held out his hand.

Bruce shook his hand. "Bruce. Bruce Banner. Nice meeting you."

"You said that good-naturedly or you really feel it's nice to meet me?"

Bruce rolled his eyes. "It's nice to meet someone who didn't actually push me down at the first sight."

"Aww, poor kid," Stark said. "Hey, your name is Banner right? I found your file on Fury's table yesterday."

"Yeah, what you found out?"

Stark shrugged. "You're a genius and a science geek, like me. You are a straight –A student with flawless discipline record. And I found your essay about anti-electron collision is really awesome."

"That's all you read?"

"That's all I managed to read," Stark answered. "You don't have any friends, yet, right? You can sit with me and a couple of my friends at lunch. They will get along with you, especially Steve. He'll be thrilled to meet someone who shares his moral conscience."

Bruce snorted. "That will be nice."

So they spent the lunch together, with Tony's friends; Steve, Clint, Rhodey, Thor and his girlfriend Jane. They treated him well, and despite his shy and reserved nature, they managed to pry him open a little. It was his second week at SHIELD Prep, but for the first time, no one pushed him down. They actually paid attention to him and joking around him. Since he hung around Tony and his friends, no one tried to pushed him or pick him. Maybe leaving SHIELD Prep was a good idea, but after getting along with Tony and his friends, maybe staying was a better option.

Tony managed to change his mind about leaving SHIELD Prep.

"Nice sentiment," Clint commented. "The first time I met Tony, it wasn't as nice as yours and Pepper."

Natasha rolled her eyes and grinned. Steve asked, "What happened?"

"I was in 6th grade, and we were about to watch a movie, it was a chick-flick chosen by Pepper. It was her birthday, and it was Tony's treat. Happy was there, watching over us like an overprotective mother hen. Natasha introduced Tony to me. We didn't exactly argued, but we weren't civil either. We just kept exchanging snarky and sarcastic remarks between us and made a point not to call each other by our real names."

"It was mental," Pepper nodded. "It was funny at first, but after a couple of times, it just got annoying. They will be like 'Oh, I didn't see you there. Cliff. It must be the black clothes' and Clint will roll his eyes and said 'Of course you didn't Tommy, you squint at your soldering tools too much' it drove us crazy," she nodded at Natasha.

Clint chuckled. "And we only stopped just because Pepper and Natasha told us to be mature. Nevertheless, it was nice to have a familiar face when I started my day at SHIELD. And despite out stupid banter, we just got along. Don't tell Tony that, though, it will just inflate his ego."

Thor let out his booming laugh, "The first time I met Tony was not an incident I am proud of. We fought."

"Fought? Why?" Steve asked, getting up from his seat and went to the kitchen.

"My brother, Loki, came to visit during my freshman year at SHIELD. He stole Tony's science creation. After the announcement was made, I found Tony and Loki at the empty hallway. I thought Tony roped Loki into stealing. Tony and I argued and suddenly it went physical," Thor sighed regretfully. "I am not proud of that. I gave Tony a couple of bruises. But Tony fought back. Almost everyone in school doesn't even dare to look me in the eyes, but Tony fought back."

Rhodey muttered, "Lesson one; never tell Tony he can't do anything."

"After the matter was resolved, I went to apologise and Tony just shook it off. He said it was all a huge misunderstanding."

"That's it with Tony," Rhodey agreed. "His ability to just shake it off as it's doesn't matter. I became friends with him after an argument, too. A playground argument. I don't remember how it started, but I told him he can't built an engine. He was six. But of course he prove me wrong. He even made the news. Son of Howard Stark built his first engine at the age of six. It was weird how I get along with him after that."

"It is a weird friendship we have with Tony," Thor conformed.

Steve came out from the kitchen, handing out Cokes for everyone. "It amaze me how we can stand Tony's behaviour. It wasn't once he got on our nerves. You guys had to admit, we are kind of the weirdest group at school."

Bruce stood up and went to the balcony. Twilight had fallen and the sky was dark blue with scattered stars. Darcy joined him, sipping her Coke gratefully. Bruce looked around at his friends. He had to admit Steve was right. They had somehow, survived their days with Tony despite his annoying, gunslinger act.

We are kind of the weirdest group in school.

Maybe they are. But that was friends for right? Be weird together, and stay though things get tough.

"Guys, look!" Darcy shouted, pointing to something on the sky. "There's a shooting star!"

The rest came running to join them at the balcony. They looked at the shooting star Darcy had pointed. "Come on, let's make a wish!" Jane said, and they closed their eyes. Some even clasped their hands. Darcy hummed her wish under her breath. After a while, they opened her eyes, feasting their eyes on New York's nightlights. Thor pulled Jane close to him, kissing her hair softly. Natasha sat on ledge, Clint stood in front of her.

Bruce shook his head amusingly. Those two have a weird friendship like Tony and Pepper. They claimed they are just 'best friends' but they acted like a couple. The way they complete each other is not like any of those highschool romance; it is of something more, soulmates. Bruce won't be surprised if they all end up with each other. What does it feel like, to have someone who knows everything about you, all the shit you'd done and been through but still stay and not being judgmental? Someone who love you so much but still can speak up their mind to every of your idea and say no? Tony and Clint are lucky to have Pepper and Natasha to keep them on their feet.

He leaned with his elbows on the ledge, next to Natasha. The air was cool and calm, and his friends were silent. Steve was leaning against the wall, his eyes staring at the passing cars. The neon lights of the night made his hair look darker. Darcy and Rhodey were laughing over something quietly, his eyes glinting at the way she smiled. Pepper clutched her Coke with her slender fingers, the wind blew the strawberry blond strands of her hair. She had a sentimental looks in her eyes.

This is perfect, Bruce thought. He love being with his friends. They might a little weird. But this night were perfect, it made him don't want to go home. This was one of those nights where he wished it could last and he could stay forever. Tony might not be with them to join this particular silent and peaceful night but Bruce know they all wished he were here. If he were here, he probably making some wisecrack joke and annoy the hell out of Steve.

Looking at his friends, he know what they wished for thought they were quiet about it. They wished for Tony get well soon.

"I wish Tony's here," Pepper suddenly said. "I hope the doctors found a way to heal him."

Natasha nodded. "Me too."

"If Tony was here, he would be half-ass drunk," Clint chuckled. "And annoy the shit out of us. But we still keep him around."

"We are masochists," Darcy claimed."Tony is such a pain in the ass but we still keep him around."

Bruce shrugged. "Because we know there's more than annoying behaviour and the reckless attitude. I guess that's friendship. The things get tough, but we stay together."

"True," they said in unison.

We are kind of the weirdest group in school.

Well, maybe being weird is not a bad thing at all. Not when you have your friends to be weird together.

So, the 5th Chapter. I hope you guys like it :) Keep the reviews coming in, they make me literally glowing with happiness :D Have a nice day.

And don't forget to tell how I can improve this story. It means a lot.

xoxo- NHAMS