"Ah crap! I forgot to ask Nick Fury for Ant-Man's number." Sam says out loud as they enter the dining hall.
The balcony is closed off again, but an excessively bright amount of sunlight is coming in through the windows. Tony, Sam, and Happy all reach up to cover their hungover eyes. Tony looks down to see the damaged table has been removed and Pepper is sitting just further up the way.
"Hi, Tony." Pepper says as he starts to stand up. Tony isn't sure he is ready for a conversation, but he's never been one to shy away from his mistakes.
"Hey Sam, don't sweat it." Tony tells the Falcon briefly. "I'll get you his number later." He pats Sam's arm in a friendly gesture, earning him a concerned look.
"All right." Sam says as he walks around the nearest table.
"You got this, Tony." Happy whispers from behind. Tony tries to give him a thank you glance, but it would require turning toward the sunlight and feeding his headache.
"Good morning." Tony says. He holds his hands out for Pepper to hold and leans forward for a kiss. Pepper touches his palms with his fingertips and offers a cheek. Tony isn't sure if Pepper is upset or still acting strange because of the changes. He chooses to assume it's about last night.
"Come, let's eat." Pepper says boyishly. "I ordered all your favorites. They can make anything here."
Tony follows Pepper and chooses to sit, hesitantly. "Pepper, about last night..." He starts to say.
"Don't worry about it, Tony." Pepper cuts him off. "I wouldn't have married you, if I didn't know the type of person you were." Tony looks at Pepper confused, but he continues talking to Tony. "You were drunk Tony. I talked to Steve and he says he knows it was just a misunderstanding."
"You talked to Steve?" Tony asks, a little more concerned than he would like to sound.
"Yes, he got up early, to go run with his friend, and he said he's sorry, too." Tony feels a little heartbroken that he won't get his chance to apologize to the Captain like he wanted.
Tony turns toward Pepper and grabs his hand, guiding Pepper to face him. "Pepper, about what I said..." Tony doesn't look down, but he can now feel Pepper's wedding ring on his finger, it feels a little too tight. "I shouldn't have said those things."
"It's okay, Tony." Pepper says, pulling his hands away. "You've been under a lot of stress. You just needed to get things off your chest." Pepper turns back toward the table, but keeps talking. "Listen, you take as much time as you need to, and I'll be here waiting patiently for you to clear your head."
Tony tries to look into Pepper's eyes. He can feel that Pepper is clearly dodging the conversation. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asks Pepper.
There is a moment of hesitation as Pepper takes a partially deep breath before turning to Tony. "I'm all right, Tony." Just for a moment, Pepper sounds the way he did when he was a woman.
Tony tries to look deep in Pepper's eyes and what seems like the first time ever, he could read the lie in his wife's eyes. He wanted to hold her and apologize sincerely, but he knew Pepper would reject him, now. Tony looked down at Pepper's hands and noticed his wedding ring painfully forced onto his finger. A small wave of guilt envelopes Tony. He decided to give Pepper some space, because that seems to be what he really wanted right now.
Tony glanced at Happy only momentarily, but it was enough to know, they both felt the tension in the air. Turning to the food, Tony decided it was best not to keep things awkward.
"Well, since everything seems fine," Tony says, then waits for an interruption. Nothing comes. "I'm going to go check on Vision." He grabs a plate and puts a couple of donuts on it. As he stands up, he remembers what Happy said last night about him being a nervous eater. Tony grabs four more donuts and a large handful of bacon.
"If you need me," Tony touches Pepper's shoulder. "I'll be in the lab."
"Okay, Tony." Pepper responds turning toward him but not looking at him. "Thank you. I'll see you later."
Tony steps away from the table and pats Happy on the shoulder as he walks away. Happy nods and tries to smile at him reassuringly. "Enjoy your breakfast, Happy." Tony says. Happy accepts his dismissal. Tony does his best to leave the room without looking like he's running away.
They all sit quietly for a few seconds before Sam breaks the silence."Are you going to be okay?" He asks Pepper.
Pepper drops the donut he is holding and starts breathing heavily and emotionally. "I don't know, Sam."
"Do you need to talk about it?" Sam asks.
Pepper thinks for a moment, before responding. "I think I do, but I don't know what to say." He looks up at Sam and continues. "I've been like this for some time. Ever since the big change... I mean, I love Tony, and I don't want to push him away, but I don't know what to do."
"Well," Happy says, trying to get a word in.
"Don't say, welcome to being a man!" Pepper snaps angrily at Happy. "Because that doesn't help. Everytime you say that, I just feel worse, and it pisses me off."
"Sorry..." Happy mutters, turning away.
"I mean look at me." Pepper says. "I'm pissed off... I'm never pissed off. Sometimes I'm pissed off, but not all the time like this, and I can't think straight. I get angry when I see Tony, I get all excited when I see Bru..." Pepper stops himself before saying too much. He looks up at Sam then Happy, realizing it's already too late.
"What if I'm straight?" He asks with concern.
"Of course you're straight!" Happy answers. "You married Tony."
"No Happy! That's not what I mean." Happy looks down, concerned, and Sam gives Pepper a worried but agreement look. "What if I'm still straight... You know... Like, what if I'm no longer attracted to Tony?"
"I'd say, you have a lot to think about." Sam responds. He actually has a somewhat humored look. "But I'd also say, try not to worry about it too much. At least, not until after we deal with this Thanos issue. With any luck, we'll get the stones and wish everything back to the way it was."
Pepper thinks about it and nods. He reaches across the table for more sausage, secretly cursing himself for having a bigger appetite lately.
"I wonder if everyone else is having similar issues." Happy says curiously.
***Halfway Across the Palace***
Tony is making his way down the hall with his tray full of snacks and a fresh cup of coffee he managed to snag on his way out the dining hall. He tries to distract himself from the awkward conversation he just had and the ones he is expecting to have all week.
Tony is passing the guest room hallways when he hears the familiar snickering and chatter of male chauvinism.
"So, how does it feel, being a natural playboy?" Thor asks, playfully jabbing at Nebula's abs.
"I don't know what you mean." Nebula responds, somewhat confused.
"Don't act like that." Thor tells him. "You and that topless woman." Thor references Drax's boobs with a lewd gesture. "You totally got it on, last night."
"Yes," Nebula responds. "We had a warrior's bonding experience. It has brought us closer."
"Thor, why would I care about him getting laid." Valkyrie asks, annoyed at the conversation.
"Why should you care?" Thor asks, looking at Valkyrie. "Because this is my brother in arms, and he, like you, has only been a man for a week."
"What!?" Valkyrie asks, shocked. "You're a woman, or... you were a woman?"
"That is correct." Nebula responds. "I was affected by the change."
"And you don't care about it?" Valkyrie asks. "Were you into girls before?"
"No," Nebula responds matter of factly. "I had never pursued any relations before. I never saw the need to."
"And now, you're a regular stud muffin!" Thor tells Nebula patting him on the arm.
"Stud muffin?" Nebula asks Thor. Valkyrie gives Thor an equally confused look.
"It's Earth slang. Something my ex used to call me." Thor says, referencing Jane Foster.
They still look at Thor, confused. "It's like, a sweet bread, cooked in a cup shaped container." Thor tries to mime holding and removing a muffin top. Nebula and Valkyrie continue to look at him confused. "It's very good." Thor adds.
"Anyway," Thor continues. "How about you, Valkyrie? You've got to step up your game!" Thor pats Valkyrie's shoulder now.
Valkyrie chuckles. "Heh, no thank you, not interested." He says.
Thor frowns and looks at him. "What's the matter? Don't you like girls?"
"Of course I like girls!" Valkyrie responds a little too quickly. He makes a shocked expression and stops himself from saying anything else. The other two don't notice, but Valkyrie is now in deep thought about his sexual preferences.
"See!" Thor replies. "You should totally hook up with someone! Being a guy is great!"
Valkyrie does not know how to respond to Thor. The idea of sex and experimenting with the changes had not even occurred to him. He wasn't even sure he had any sexual thoughts at all for quite some time, even before the changes.
"Tony!" Thor shouts suddenly. All three look down the hall to see Tony standing there, and studying their conversation. "It's the man of the hour!" Thor tells Tony. "Isn't being a man great? Are those donuts?" Thor asks.
Tony risks taking a few steps toward them, even though the hallway doesn't lead toward the lab. "It has its perks, yes, and the donuts are in the dining hall from last night." Tony answers, trying not to contribute to the vulgar nature of the conversation.
"See," Thor turns back toward Valkyrie. "What'd I tell you? It's great. Now Tony here, he's the man! You should have seen him put the moves on Steve Rogers last night."
Valkyrie frowns at Thor. "Yeah, I saw. I was there."
"That was just a mistake." Tony tries to tell Thor. "A party foul, is what you called it."
"Don't be coy with me, Tony." Thor says. "I know Steve wasn't always a girl, but you've got to admit, she packs quite the package now, doesn't she?" Thor smiles thinking about Steve. "Even I might have made the same mistake." Thor says with a chuckle. "Don't feel so bad, Tony."
"Yeah, I'm just gonna go already." Tony tells Thor, eager to get out of the conversation. He turns to walk away.
"Don't forget, you can find the donuts in the dining hall." Tony says this, hoping to discourage them from following him as he walks away. Tony catches himself wondering if Thor has always been such a horn dog.
"You should try to hook up with Bruce!" Thor tells Valkyrie loudly. "She's cute, and I bet she's totally into you."
Tony picks up the pace, eager not to hear Valkyrie's response.
***Outside the lab***
"What are you doing?" Tony asks Bruce who seems to be hiding just outside the lab door.
Bruce jumps and makes an almost squeak like noise as she turns away from the door to see Tony standing not too far away holding a mug of coffee in one hand and a plate full of donuts and bacon in the other.
"Tony! I uh... I was uh." Bruce stumbles over what to say.
"You were worried about going in," Tony asks, "because of me?"
Bruce looks at Tony guiltily before lowering her head and admitting he is right. "I'm sorry Tony."
Bruce stands by the door a few more seconds to collect her thoughts. She looks up at Tony and forces the words out. "Listen, Tony. About last night... I just wanted to say..."
"Ok, I'm just gonna stop you right there." Tony tells Bruce. "You don't owe me an apology. Out of everyone, you don't owe me an apology, and Pepper doesn't owe me an apology either."
Bruce fights back guilty emotions that she knows are unjustified. "I'm sorry, Tony."
"Stop it!" Tony replies in a scolding tone.
Bruce has to resist apologizing again.
"Bruce, what I said last night was out of anger." Tony tells her. "I shouldn't have said any of those things, and I shouldn't have tried to hurt you. I've just been under a lot of stress, and I get very laser focused on solutions when I'm stressed." He gives Bruce a moment to process what he said before continuing. "Sometimes at the expense of my friends, and I'm sorry, Bruce."
Bruce studies Tony's face for a second and smiles lightly, trying not to get emotional. "Thank you, Tony." She says. "So, we're uh... still friends?" She asks.
Tony smiles genuinely. "We're still friends."
Before Tony can get another word in, Bruce runs up and hugs him. Tony is at a loss for how to react due to the mug of coffee in one hand and his plate of junk food in the other. He does his best to return the hug, but is unsuccessful.
Tony thinks that he finds it a little weird that Bruce's head doesn't even reach his chin anymore. Not that they ever hugged before. Bruce continues to hug Tony tightly to the point that Tony starts to feel awkward. He is tempted to make a joke about how strong Bruce's grip is, but he feels now would be a little insensitive.
"I know I said, I'm not a psychiatrist, but..." Bruce says with her face partially buried in Tony's chest. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here for you, Tony."
"Thanks, B.. Buddy." Tony says, almost calling Bruce by his other nickname. He awkwardly tries to pat her on the back, and barely avoids spilling coffee.
After what seemed like over a minute Bruce finally lets Tony go and takes a relaxed and relieved breath. Tony studies Bruce and what she is wearing. Today it's just a lab coat and slacks. Tony wonders if, like Pepper, Bruce chose her clothing to avoid upsetting him.
The image is a little thrown off by a small butterfly hair clip sitting in Bruce's hair. It looks a little tangled, so Tony suspects she forgot to take it out before falling to sleep the night before.
"You really like being like this, don't you?" Tony asks as he reaches up to straighten the hair clip. Bruce blushes with a light smile.
"It's a relaxing change." Bruce says. "I kind of like being on the opposite end of the spectrum. I don't have to worry about hurting anyone, and I can actually get mad without going all "Limp Bizkit" on my surroundings."
Tony laughs at the analogy, knowing what song she's referencing. "Listen Bruce. I'm sorry for pressuring you about the Hulk, also. I wasn't considering your feelings." A light look of relief begins to form on Bruce's face. "I couldn't possibly know exactly what you were going through," Tony continues, "and if being this way makes you happy, then I really am happy for you."
"Really?" Bruce asks happily.
"Really." Tony says. "It's what you've always wanted, and I support you all the way."
Tony suspects Bruce's eyes were starting to tear up, but he couldn't get a good look before Bruce rushes in for another hug. This one is much tighter than before. Tony has to steady his breathing to get a word in.
"Alright alright." Tony tells Bruce. "If you're fishing for a kiss also, I've already hit my embarrassing behavior quota for the year." Bruce laughs into Tony's chest before letting him go and smiling shyly.
Tony studies Bruce, and has to admit to himself, she is extremely cute. "It's not a car or suit of armor, but what say we jam out to some Limp Bizkit while we try and get Vision mobile again?" Tony asks.
Bruce smiles widely. "Just like old times." she says "I'd like that."
"Sounds good." Tony gestures for Bruce to get the door, since his hands are full. Bruce does so happily. "I guess we're gonna have to come up with a new nickname for you." Tony tells Bruce. "We can't keep calling you Big Guy anymore." Bruce giggles at this.