Ch 5 Avengers meeting pepper in their own ways. pt 1.

The Avengers had settled nicely in the Stark Tower two months after the battle of Manhattan. Bruce had been the first one – Tony had played it so well that he had no choice but to say yes in the end because, damn it, those labs were too awesome to stay away from and just fuck you Stark! Then Clint and Natasha had showed up one day and asked if there was room for them – with Natasha explaining calmly that she could make some if there wasn't. Tony had taken them both to the story where he had made special rooms for all the Avengers, with a common kitchen, movie room and gym. That was two weeks after the battle.

Thor had arrived a week after, saying the Bifrost was good again, Loki in prison and everything was perfect in the world but he needed to learn more about Midgard and his teammates. Tony had grinned and pushed him into his new room saying he was welcome to stay as long as he wanted.

Steve was the last, coming back from his little tour around the country and discovering an empty apartment. On the empty kitchen counter he found a note from Tony stating that all his things were in his room at the Stark Tower where everyone else was waiting for him to finally show up. Needless to say, Steve had scowled at Tony – saying he couldn't make decisions for him – but Tony had playfully answered he wasn't being very team-ly if he wanted to stay away from them. And Tony had won just like that.

One month later they were all happy with the arrangement and enjoying Tony's endless money and means greatly – especially Natasha and Clint who weren't used to having everything they wanted in a simple request to Jarvis – that had been a shock to Thor and Steve at first, who were very wary of the ever-present so helpful AI, while Clint had found it awesome and Bruce just smiled and shook his head saying Of course.

During those two months they had each heard the name Pepper at least once from Tony. Thanks to Natasha, they knew she was Tony's co-CEO so that explained why he would talk about her. But they were still puzzled over the fondness in his voice every time he said her name. Natasha being Natasha, she just shrugged and smiled a knowing smirk when they asked her.

Once they got to meet her though, it became very clear. They each met her in very different circumstances but they all got the part Natasha – and Tony – forgot to mention: she was his girlfriend.

But until they met her, they were left wondering over who Pepper Potts could be.

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The first one who met her was Clint.

It wasn't ideal and he definitively would have preferred meeting her properly. But at least he immediately got the fondness and Natasha's look. And he decided to act just like Natasha after that because he understood why she was so amused. The disgruntled look they wore when they would shut their mouth was too much fun.

So how he met Pepper Potts.

He got up late one morning and entered the common kitchen, without giving it much thought.

But he froze a few feet away from the actual kitchen area when he saw Tony with a gorgeous strawberry blonde. He knew immediately he was interrupting something but couldn't move away from the scene. This was gold: perfect blackmail against the genius.

Tony was at the coffee machine, waiting for the two mugs to fill, while the woman was standing behind the isle, working on what seemed to be a Starkpad. He couldn't help but wonder why Tony didn't tell them the day before he was going to come back from his Stark Industries gala with someone, because really he would have liked to know – just to make sure to stay away from the genius' room. And be slightly prepared for this.

Tony moved from the counter with the two mugs and put them down on the isle, sliding an arm around the woman's waist and putting his head on her shoulder. "Why are you working?" he whined.

Clint blinked. Maybe it was more than just a fling. He didn't see Tony acting like that after a one-night-stand. The ghost of a smile appeared on the redhead's lips and she turned her head towards the genius. "Well someone has to make the world go round."

Tony rolled his eyes and smiled before taking the pad out of her hands and sitting on a stool. His fingers started moving quickly on the screen while the woman took her mug and sipped her coffee. "Uh. Seems like the tabloids are back again."

She raised an eyebrow. Clint was too mystified by now to move. "I thought you took it to work," she said unimpressed, lips pursed.

Tony looked up at her with a faux look of indignation. "I am!" he cried. "Pepperony, finally confirmed?" he read. He raised his eyebrows. "See? Stark industries' work." He gestured to the screen.

She rolled her eyes and turned around, heading for the fridge. Clint finally saw her completely, since she was facing him and he gaped. She was wearing Tony's red shirt from the night before and it was buttoned down. She froze and opened her eyes wide."Hum, you… I… And… You…" You idiot! He thought, can't you do a complete sentence?

She glanced down at her black-laced exposed underwear and blushed. She turned around quickly, closing the shirt and walked swiftly to Tony, hiding behind him.

"What…?" His eyes fell on Clint and he frowned. "Oh." He put the pad down and looked sideways at his girlfriend who was recovering her composure, giving him a pointed look. "Clint, this is… Pepper. Pep, this is Clint. And yeah…" He cleared his throat and turned his attention back to the archer. "How long have you been standing here?"

Clint closed his mouth and looked uncertainly between Tony and Pepper. "Hum… a few minutes?"

Pepper gave Tony a look and crossed her arms which made the shirt go higher on her thighs. Clint swallowed. Why did Tony have to have a very hot girlfriend? "I thought you said there was no one in the kitchen at this time of the day."

He raised his hands, turning partway to see her and Clint at the same time. "And usually there isn't."

"Wait." Clint realized something. "You're Pepper Potts? Tony's co-CEO?"

Pepper raised an eyebrow and stepped forward, placing herself just behind Tony and closing a hand around Tony's biceps. "Yes."

Clint threw his hands up in the air. "Couldn't you tell us that she was your girlfriend?"

Tony frowned and exchanged a glance with Pepper, who looked surprised. "You didn't?"

"I guess I'm… I'm just so used to keeping it a secret, I kinda completely forgot you could know." He made a face and shrugged.

"What do you mean a secret?"

Pepper brought herself closer to Tony and smiled slightly. "A secret from the public. There are rumors of course. You can't stop tabloids from telling everything they want to say, but… it's bad enough some rumors say I slept my way to the top, we don't need…" At Clint's raised eyebrows and look between the two of them, she trailed off and inclined her head on the side, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Isn't it true? I'm pretty sure my eyes are not deceiving me right now."

Tony rolled his eyes and pointed his finger at the archer. "Keep your eyes to yourself and… No. She didn't sleep her way to her position. We weren't even together when she got it. She's the most competent woman I know and she was and still is perfect for the job." Clint raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. He could hear clearly how much Tony cared about her. It was more than fondness he realized. It was stronger and deeper than that. Tony loved her.

Pepper smiled and raised herself up on her toes to cup Tony's cheek, before bringing his face to hers, kissing him lightly on the lips. Clint chose that moment to make his exit, leaving the

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Thor was next. In a completely unplanned way, he met the famous Pepper Potts.

As he stood in front of the remnants of the evil and insulting talking box, he picked up voices coming closer to his location – one he recognized easily as the Man of Iron's and the other was that of a stranger, though it was female. As they got closer, he could hear the words and found himself puzzled on the subject of their conversation.

"Why can't you let your work behind for just two days?"

"Because some of us has to work, Tony," said the woman patiently. "You should have looked over those contracts and papers last week. And there were two meetings that you missed despite the fact that you wanted to go – a miracle in itself." She added, snorting a little.

"I know, I know, but I've been busy. I mean, do you know what…" He stopped the moment he stepped into the room and saw the wreckage. The woman entered behind him and quickly came to a stop as well not to hit Tony. She sidestepped and searched for the reason of his freeze, only to raise eyebrows when she saw the pieces of metal and wires and glass on the ground.

Tony walked around the couch and looked down, complete disbelief on his face. Slowly he raised his eyes back up to meet Thor's. "What happened?" His voice was clipped and tight – a sign he wasn't happy.

"The talking box insulted me. I could not let this stay unpunished, it was a great offense." He saw the woman blinked and walked forward to stop behind the couch, her eyes still on the remnants.

Tony pinched his nose. "How can a TV insult you?"

"It said people who ate Pop tarts instead of delicious ice cream were idiots. I was deeply offended as I am a fan of Pop tarts." To him it seemed perfectly logical, but somehow seeing the widening eyes of the maiden and Tony's nostrils flared as his eyelids closed shut tightly, he figured maybe it wasn't. He was deeply aware of his lack of knowledge about Midgard and the great mind of his Friend Stark, who was rarely wrong.

"It was an ad. An ad," he whispered, voice full of frustration and jaw clenched tightly. He suddenly turned to the woman. "See? That's why I'm so late for everything! Because I have to fix problems like those all the time! Have you any idea of how many coffee pots, TVs, toasters and any simple technologic appliance I had to repair in the past month?"

Thor frowned while the woman bit her lip in an attempt to hide her smile. She moved her fingers, tapping her nails on the papers she held, before nodding slightly. "I can see, yes," she replied dryly. "Do I have to command a new TV?"

Tony sighed in frustration before glancing down at what was left of the television. "Yes, I can't fix this." Then he turned his attention back to Thor. "Point Break, the TV can't insult you, okay? It doesn't interact with you, it's just stupid crap to make people buy what they want. It's ads."

Thor blinked and put his hammer down. "Those men weren't trying to insult me?"

"No, they weren't."

Pepper bit her lip, the corners of her mouth stretching into a smile. Thor suddenly realized he hadn't introduced himself to her. When she looked up, he was in front of her and took her left hand in his, bringing it to his lips, kissing the back of it slightly. "It is an honour to meet you, Fair Maiden, I am Thor, prince of Asgard." She looked at Tony with raised eyebrows but he just shrugged and crossed his arms. "How can I be of assistance to you?"

She turned back to him and smiled amused. "Well, if you stopped destroying any appliances, it would greatly please me. And well if you could knock some sense into that thick-headed skull of his –" she gestured at Tony whose eyes widened. "– it would be wonderful."

Thor stood tall and raised his hammer before stepping towards Tony who took a step back and raised his arms defensively. "Immediately, My Lady."

Pepper's eyes widened and she quickly moved around Thor to stand between the two of them. "Thor, she wasn't being literal!" Tony exclaimed. "It was a figure of speech!"

"Yes, I'd rather have him alive and intact," Pepper swiftly added.

"You do not wish for me to knock his head?" Thor asked, confused.

Pepper shook her head and put the papers she was holding down on the table. "No. What I was trying to say was I sometimes wish he could just do things I ask of him without complaining."

"I fail to see how this would involve me and knocking."

Tony took the papers and the pen that was attached to it. "Doesn't matter. I'm signing those papers, taking the summaries of the meetings I missed, reading the contracts and…" He trailed off, frowning at one of the papers. Pepper turned to look at him, a questioning look on her face. "What's that?" he asked, producing what looked like a letter.

The redhead's eyes widened and she took it quickly, folding it neatly and sliding it in her pocket. "Nothing."

"Why didn't you tell me your parents were in town?"

"It's not important, Tony."

"They said they will meet you tomorrow. You said you had too much work to go with me tomorrow. I had to cancel… Why did you make up an excuse?" Thor glanced between them and saw the slightly hurt look of Tony and the guilt the woman was exuding.

"I… I couldn't tell you because… You would have wanted to meet them and…"

"Is there something I am missing?" Thor wondered, his voice loud and overpowering theirs. They both turned to him with their mouths opened, wondering what to say.

"I… I'm…" Her eyes widened. "I didn't introduce myself. I'm Pepper, Tony's CEO and girlfriend."

Thor raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware the Man of Iron had a lady."

"You forgot again?" she questioned.

"Clint did too," he sighed. "Pepper, I'm… I'm not sure I'm ready to meet your parents yet. I know it's important and all but… I'm… Well I'm me." He shrugged helplessly.

Thor decided he should go. This was a private conversation on which he didn't want to intrude.

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please wait for part 2