"Extremis"
"I'm sorry, Pep, but they couldn't get all of it out. Not at once. They said that it put too much strain on your heart, and… well, it's a big heart. Can't do without it, or you."
Pepper tried not to cry, she really did. And she knew she couldn't hurt Tony, or anyone else. Somehow, she had control over it, at least with people she knew and loved, platonically or otherwise. But if she didn't know someone, what then? What about when she met her soulmate? Would he or she think Pepper was a freak to have this fire running through her body? What if she literally exploded one day?
"Hey, hey, don't cry now," Tony said soothingly, holding her hand where she lay in the hospital bed. "The doctors did blood work tests, and yours seems to have some kind of gene in it that stabilises Extremis. That's why it didn't work on everyone. Something Killian didn't pick up on."
She shivered at the memory. Wearing different clothes – who'd changed them? – and the implications that he wanted to sleep with her. She felt violated, and whenever she remembered the fight she could almost feel phantom hands on her.
"Know what I'm gonna nickname you?" Tony said. "The Dragon. You're gonna be Dragon Lady. Fiercest CEO in the West."
Pepper laughed wetly. "Thanks, Tony, but being called a dragon isn't exactly a compliment. And I can't breathe fire."
"Rhodey said that some of them could."
"Well, I'm not going to try," she said, sitting up. She raised the back of the bed to make herself more comfortable. "When can I get back to work?"
He grinned. "There's the Pepper we all know and love. Hey, what about Red Hot Chilli Pepper?"
"No. Nicknames."
"Aw, but I give everyone nicknames!"
"No, Tony."
He sniffled. "Fine. But I'm still allowed you call you hot."
"You really aren't."
"Not to your face, maybe—"
"I'm in for some truly awful puns, aren't I?"
Tony winked. "And don't you know it."
Ever since some guy named Scorch appeared and then disappeared from the international heat radar maintained by the Fantastic Four, Johnny had been on his toes. Really, they'd set it up in collaboration with Stark Industries, using Johnny's readings as an example, after the business with Extremis. Soon after that something to do with insects had a Scorch listed for about two hours, and Johnny began paying closer attention. It wasn't Extremis-related, at least. No one really seemed to have been affected by Extremis.
Well, there was the rumour that Pepper Potts had been enhanced, but she'd also reportedly had surgery to remove the virus from her body. If she had any heat, it wasn't showing up on the radar…
Except she was the head of Stark Industries. She could've been hiding it. It made sense; a female CEO with a controversial super power? Stocks would plummet, there'd be smear campaigns, reactions based on stupidity, jealousy, and fear of the unknown. Johnny liked keeping up with social media as much as the next person, but he also knew how people could spin things their way, and their uninformed opinions would be saved somewhere for posterity.
He could've gone looking, tried to break through whatever sensor might have been blocking her from the radar. But he couldn't risk someone discovering his suspicions. So he did the only thing he could do.
Make an appointment with Virginia Potts under the guise of discussing the project, and ask her about it in the privacy of her secure office.
"Mr. Storm is here to see you," Pepper's secretary said.
"Show him in."
A handsome man, with a strong resemblance to Steve Rogers, sauntered into the room. She'd been dreading this meeting because of his reputation, and also the possibility that he would recognise the Extremis inside of her. She kept a tight lid on it, and gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk.
"Thanks very much for the invite," he said, plonking down into the chair. She blinked.
"It can't be you," she said. He looked up at her, and raised his eyebrows.
"Can't be me what?" he said. Then his eyes widened comically. "Holy shit, really? My soulmate is Pepper freaking Potts?"
"My middle name isn't 'freaking'," she said absently. "Uh, what can I do for you today, Mr. Storm?"
He snorted. "Mr. Storm was… well, you know. I'm Johnny." He held out his hand, and she shook it. His temperature matched hers; he had to notice that. Judging by his considering look, he had.
"You'd better call me Miss Potts," she said. "Just for the time being."
"Ah, being strictly professional in the office? I'm cool with that." He winked. "So to speak. Soulmate." He laughed lightly, and shrugged at her quizzical look. "Not at all what I was expecting today, but I can't say I'm unhappy with the results. Hey, you'd get on great with my sister, just so you know."
"I've met her a few times," she said. "You're here to talk about the radar system, aren't you?"
"Sort of," he said, his gaze running over her. "Mainly why you're not showing up on it."
Pepper swallowed, her legs tensing. "I'm still having difficulty keeping it under my skin," she murmured. "Tony created a few things for me. There's a band on my right foot, one going around my stomach, one high up on my left arm. They regulate my body temperature so the… virus doesn't show."
"That explains it," Johnny said. "Okay. Good to know the equipment isn't malfunctioning or anything like that. So." He clapped his hands together. "A date. We need to set up a date. Unless…" He frowned. "You're still with Tony Stark?"
"No. He found his soulmate. They tried to keep it platonic, but I told him that I wasn't going to find my soulmate while I was still with him. He and Bruce are happy together, and they're working on the Hulk not showing up when… Yes." She nodded. "I'm single."
"Not anymore, unless you hate the idea of me being your boyfriend," he said. "No one could ever say I was after you for your money, or for Stark tech. I've got my own funds, and a scientist for a brother-in-law. Would I want to leave my family? Not entirely."
"I wouldn't expect you to," Pepper said quickly. "I have a place at the tower, but I also like having my own space away from the Avengers. Living with them… is far from anyone's idea of a quiet life."
"May I remind you, Miss Potts, that I'm part of a superhero team," he said.
"Yes, but you already had history with your team-mates before banding together," she pointed out. "Toss mostly strangers together and hope for the best? I have no idea what Nicholas Fury was thinking. A day without arguments is a miracle. It's usually when they haven't interacted at all that day." Johnny laughed. "They're… the only family I have. Tony, Rhodey, Happy. My family."
"Well, I hope they approve of me, then. Want a date?"
She chewed on her bottom lip, until she noticed him staring hungrily at the action.
"I have your phone number," she said. "I'll have my secretary look over my diary and find an appropriate time."
"So you work every waking hour?"
"Well, no—"
"In other words, I have a definite chance?"
She smiled. "For my soulmate? Of course."
"And…" He trailed off, turning serious. "I can try to help you control the heat. Neither of us were born with the ability. At first, I could just switch it on and off with a snap of my fingers. Then I realised that it wasn't just my hands. My whole body could become a fireball. I could fly."
"I definitely can't fly."
"Oh, but I can make you think you're on cloud nine," he drawled. Pepper breathed in unsteadily.
"Uh-huh?" she said.
"The point is, I had to teach myself to control my power, just as Susie did. Ben… is just a rock. He can't change that. Reed didn't have all that much trouble. A bit of a problem with distances, but that was okay. Susan had the most trouble out of all of us."
"I didn't know that."
"Not something we talk about all that much. Everyone wants to know the positives of having powers, and sometimes the negatives, but never about how we managed to use them. The energy and concentration involved. It's been a long time for me, so it comes naturally now. You're new to the super power business."
"Then…" Pepper sighed. "Yes. I'd appreciate your help."
"Anything for my soulmate." He grinned. "I'm gonna have fun saying that all day. And Susan's probably gonna call you and cry over the phone."
"I'll be waiting."
"So will I," Johnny said. "For you to tell me where our first date will be, and when."
"As soon as possible," she said. "For you to teach me how to control this, of course."
"No other reason?"
"None at all."
He stood, still smirking.
"Of course not," he said. Then he leaned over the desk and pecked her on the lips. Much more restrained than she'd imagined. But then she was less likely to burn him.
Then again, with Johnny Storm as her soulmate, Pepper would never have to worry about burning him at all.
"Will tomorrow night be fine?" she asked.
Ship requested by Zyrieen, specifically for Extremis!Pepper. Hope it lived up to whatever expectations existed. (Ooh, three words starting with 'ex'. So proud of myself.)
An unlikely pairing, but I do so love challenging myself. And my gods, but I'm on a roll tonight. Well, I'll be out a few times this week, so I may as well give you a whole bunch of chapters while I can.
Review, review, review! I need positive energy for the next few days, for reasons I can't disclose yet for fear of jinxing myself. Yep. I can be superstitious.