(fic) Something Different 1/3 (original) (raw)

Something Different 1/3
Missing Scene
By tsukinofaerii
Beta: caer_swan
Rating: SNAP
Warnings: Sex, Crack.
Spoilers: Movie: Iron Man 2
Series: Iron Man (movieverse)
Pairings: Pepper/Natalie; Tony/Pepper; suggested Tony/Steve

Summary: Roughly a year after the events at the Stark Expo, Pepper's "stable-ish" relationship with Tony has deteriorated into more —ish than stable. Tony has been keeping secrets, and he's brought home a mystery blond who occupies all his time—including the time he should have been using for work. While holding things together, Pepper finds herself getting much, much closer to Natalie. But Natalie may be hiding a few secrets of her own. (~23,000 words)

This story is a work of transformative fiction, such being defined as a work which incorporates characters and situations which have been created by other authors/artists. No infringement of copyright is intended and no profit is being made from the creation or dissemination of this work.

***

I am Iron Man...

The heavy chords of Black Sabbath sounded through the room. Pepper paused in typing up an e-mail to her cousin, eyeing the remote cell phone hookup that flashed on her laptop's screen. She had not changed her ringtone, which meant that Someone had done it for her. Again. That alone very nearly made her ignore the call. If Someone were going to go playing with her electronics, she had a right to ignore him. Especially when she was supposed to have the afternoon off. Especially when he'd just taken out another wall in the basement with his experiments. And especially when he hadn't even had the decency to tell her ahead of time that he had a meeting all the way across the country with Persons Unspecified in Location Unspecified for Topic Unspecified and Probably A Hundred Gorgeous Blonde Women In Tight Clothes Unspecified...

She twitched.

Tony's face smiled back from his ID picture in the top right-hand corner of the screen, sunglasses perched low on his nose as he batted his eyelashes for the camera. Incoming Call flashed in sedate blue text, and underneath it a GPS tracker located him...

Right at the front door. Which begged the question of why he was calling when he could just come inside.

He'd probably broken the lock. Again.

Closing her eyes with old pain, Pepper tapped her screen. "What do you want, Tony? You're supposed to be half way to New York by now."

"Yeah, well, I got carried away and ran on ahead. Come on, open up. I've got something I need to work on." Tony's voice bounced excitedly on the over-head speakers, like a toddler on pixie styx, making her frown. Someone murmured something in the background, and Tony's voice faded as he presumably turned to speak. "I mean, we've got something to work on. I meant we, really. You didn't think I'd forgotten you, did you Doll? You’re the reason I'm here!"

"Doll? Who's Doll?" Pepper's voice rose as she set down her laptop and made for the front entrance. Her bare feet slapped the cool tile floor as she crossed the main hall to get the door, taking her sweet time. She wasn't even wearing shoes! Tony and whoever he'd dragged with him could be patient. "You didn't kidnap anyone, did you Tony? We just got the charges dropped from the Bain incident, and now you're doing it again, aren't you? I don't care what they did, it's not worth the damages for you to just take them up to the nearest roof, it's criminal, what were you thinking when you— oh."

The door swung open, and Pepper found herself on eye-level with the most magnificent specimen of masculine musculature she had ever been blessed enough to behold. The simple, thin blue shirt clung to every curve and line of his chest in pornographic detail, and was just short enough to show a peek of blond navel hair. Her eyes lifted, noting the marble column of a neck, brilliant blue eyes, chiseled cheekbones and shy smile. Every detail was perfect—perfectly white teeth, perfect tan, even a perfect dimple.

He was gorgeous. And blond. Of course blond. Tony loved blonds. She couldn't even begrudge the mistake she'd made in Gorgeous Blonde Women In Tight Clothes.

"Hello, Ma'am." He held out his hand. His big, strong, slightly callused hand. She shook it automatically, eyes wide and head tilted back to take in as much of the glory as possible. "I'm Steve Ro—" A cough from Tony interrupted him, and he blushed. Blushed. Like a teenage boy caught holding a Barbie doll. It was so adorable that Pepper felt her blood sugar levels rise on the spot. "I'm Steve."

"Pretty— Pepper. I mean, Pepper Potts," she heard herself reply from a distance. The man was huge. At least six feet tall and built like a Greek God. Did people even get that big naturally? Or were there steroids involved? Pepper couldn't imagine him taking anything like that though. He looked like the sort that would be horrified at the abuse of aspirin.

Abruptly, she realized she was still shaking his hand, long after he'd started trying to reclaim it. Red rushed to her cheeks as she yanked her hand back, putting it behind her back before she could give in to the urge to pet him.

Clearing her throat, Pepper smiled and tried to reclaim a hold on her crumbling professionalism. "I'm Pepper Potts, Tony's PA. Are you a friend of Tony's?"

"PA...?" Steve glanced at Tony, who dropped the faceplate to the thumbprint pad, as if she hadn't already figured out that he'd tried to break in again.

His suit was rumpled and sharply creased in odd places, sure signs that he'd been in the Iron Man suit without bothering to change. One of these days, she was going to make him start wearing spandex under all his clothes, so she wouldn't have to worry so much about ruining ten thousand dollar suits. It worked for every other "out" super hero she'd heard of, it would work for him.

"She's my keeper. Long story." Tony grabbed Steve's well-muscled bicep and propelled him inside. His other hand carried the case for the Mark V suit. "Hey, Pep, have a room put together, will you? Steve's going to be staying for a while. And if Nick Fury calls, I'm in Malaysia doing— I dunno, something heroic. Rescuing kittens."

"And I'm not here!" Steve added. He kept twisting around, trying to face Pepper, while Tony dragged him onward towards the gym. His expression was so earnest, she almost forgot that she was standing barefoot in the foyer, in minimal makeup and with her hair a mess in front of her boss-slash-boyfriend and the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen. "You've never met me!"

"Never met you, right..." A suddenly suspicious set of absences struck Pepper as she closed the entry. "Tony, where's Happy? And Natalie? They were supposed to be with you. And what about Iron Man?"

"Rhodey'll take care of Iron Man." Tony, true to his nature, never paused as he shoved Steve through a door. "Happy and Natalie... They're— oh, about half way to New York right now. Oh look, a gym!"

The door slammed shut.

Pepper stared at it for a long moment, then sighed and tipped back her head, resting a finger against her already pounding head. She loved Tony, she really did, but sometimes he made her wonder why, and if a stable-ish relationship was even worth the strain. It was hard enough being taken for granted as just his assistant.

Pity parties wouldn't get rooms ready, though. Promising herself an Advil after she was done, Pepper headed for the stairs up to the guest rooms. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, Ms Potts?"

"I need you contact Happy on the Stark-9 jet. Tony's here and safe. Insane, but safe. Happy's to get the plane turned around and head back here as soon as he can." What else did she need to do...? "Ask where he'd like to refuel and make arrangements. Oh, and tell Natalie that if she wants to give Tony a boxing lesson, I'll look the other way this time."

"Very good, Ms. Potts. Would you like me to warn them of the visitor?"

Pausing mid-way up the stairs, Pepper thought on that. She recalled Steve's lovely chest, and his school-boy smile. Then she considered Natalie's probable reaction. If it was anything like hers... "No, I don't think so. But Jarvis?"

"Yes?"

"Have a camera ready."

***

An hour later, the guest room was aired, dinner was ordered and Pepper had taken time to make herself presentable. Since it was still officially her half-day off, this involved putting on some light makeup and flats without changing out of her blouse and loose linen pants. It wasn't couture, but she'd be damned if Tony's whims were going to cost her a day in her comfy clothes.

He probably wouldn't even be looking at her, with Steve nearby. Not that she could blame him. Steve was certainly an eyeful. Tony would have to be taken over by personality-destroying alien slugs to not notice someone like that. Even then, it was even odds which would win, the slugs or Tony's libido.

After making certain that there was absolutely nothing forgotten, Happy had turned the plane around, and there were probably less than a dozen government agencies trying to call in at once, Pepper let herself into the gym. Dull thumps and grunts echoed in the room, a sure sign of someone actually working out. Immediately, her eyes went to the figure on the blue gymnast's mat. Steve was going through some sort of routine that involved a lot of punches, rolls and high-kicks, still dressed in his t-shirt and jeans—probably nothing in the locker room fit. The lack of proper exercise clothes didn't seem to bother him at all as he kicked over backwards.

She'd had no idea a man that big could also be that bendy.

Off to the side of the mat, Tony had crossed his arms and was watching Steve go through his paces. Tie and coat missing, sleeves rolled up, collar undone, he looked almost as good as the vision on the mat. His eyes were narrowed with concentration, lips slightly parted. She knew that look. It was the same expression he had when some wonderful new technological marvel appeared, and he was trying to figure out how it worked or, more likely, how to make it explode. Even though they were hidden, Pepper imagined she could see his fingers twitching with the urge to take a hands-on approach.

Taking a place at Tony's side, Pepper crossed her arms. Her eyes stayed firmly on Steve as he twisted around and kicked an imaginary target in the jaw. "So. Where did you find him?"

"No where special. I just gave him a ride."

"Is he a 'friend'?"

"Will be, I hope."

"No, is he a 'friend'?" She tried to make the air-quotes as audible as possible.

"Probably not. Maybe. Can't hurt to try." Tony hummed a bar from a showtune, making her wince at the broken pitch. "Unless you object? You know, we're technically sort of dating, you can totally call it in. Just say the word."

"Do you want me to?" Her breath caught, before reality sank its claws in again. "I mean—no, no, not at all." Laughter bubbled out of her in a nervous giggle that she cleared with a cough before it could turn hysterical. "Why would I do that? No, have fun. Really. Really, really."

"If you say so. Really."

Really. Pepper's mouth pursed as she glanced sideways at Tony. He was still wholly focused on the man in front of them. Stable-ish, Pepper, she reminded herself sternly. They hadn't agreed to anything permanent. Tony could date around all he wanted. It wasn't any of her business how Tony spent some evenings. No matter how much she loved him, Pepper hadn't wanted to get caught up in the Stark Perpetual Disaster Machine any more than she already was. This way, when everything inevitably went wrong and she found herself completely and totally single again, they could go right back to where they were. It was safer that way.

That didn't stop it from hurting.

She kept her voice carefully light as she replied, "Just be careful. You don't know where he's been."

"Actually, I do."

Anger sparked in her chest. "Then he doesn't know where you've been." How like Tony, to make assumptions and leaps like that. Couldn't he see that she was just worried for him? And for herself! They did have sex, and something like a relationship. Tony's screw ups weren't just his problem. They never had been, but this time Pepper was willing to put her foot down.

She wished things could have stayed simple, the way they had been when everything was new, and things were more stable than –ish. It hadn't even been very long ago, when Tony had made an effort to take her out, to treat her like a girlfriend instead of just a friend/keeper with benefits. Just last month there had been that lovely dinner in Chicago... That had been interrupted by the Melter. And the next day he'd gone on that super secret mission with all the cold weather gear and she had to stay in LA to handle the Board of Directors and that had taken a month, but he'd been really nice when he'd gotten back, but that had only been a week ago and...

And they really hadn't slept together since Chicago.

Her outburst finally got him to look at her. Tony's eyes were wide, and a surprised little smile played at the corner of his mouth. "Why, Ms. Potts. Are you jealous?"

"Of course I'm not." Pepper refused to look at him. Steve had bent himself over backwards, which was much safer than Tony's puppy eyes. "We agreed that we could both see other people, remember? I just want you to be careful."

A hard thump sounded as Steve pushed off of a handstand into a somersault, landing with perfect form. Then, silence. Presumably, he was done.

Maybe he was straight, Pepper told herself. Maybe it would just be a passing interest, and Tony would go right back to her. It was possible. Tony had the attention span of a mayfly, and as much tact as a cat in heat. What were the odds that anyone else would be able to put up with him the way she had? Even Rhodey didn't, most of the time, and he was practically canonized for what he did put up with.

Tony clasped her on the shoulder and took a couple steps towards Steve, turning around to talk to her as he walked. "Hey, you know me. When am I ever less than careful?" Before she could open her mouth, he held up a finger. "Don't answer that. Just... trust me. Okay?" The warning finger turned into a small measurement between it and his thumb. "A little?"

Trust him. Pepper nodded and forced a smile, though her throat was tight. "Of course I trust you."

His grin was the blinding, billion dollar smile that he saved for the cameras. "Knew I could count on you." Then he turned and jogged to his guest, who was watching them with a puzzled frown. "Hey, Steve, that was great! Think you can show me some moves?"

From the sidelines she watched as Steve put his hands all over an eager Tony, showing him stances that she thought she recognized from a few movies. For his part, Steve seemed entirely innocent of any lewd intent. That reassured her, a little, but if anyone could draw out latent bisexuality, it was Tony Stark.

After fifteen minutes, she left to go finish her e-mail. Tony never noticed.

***

"Where is he?" The door slammed open as Natalie burst into the kitchen, where Pepper was helping herself to a slice of Pity Cake and milk. Natalie's red hair was all over the place, half pulled from the bun she'd put it in for the plane ride, and her face was pale with anger. The subdued black and chrome of the kitchen fixtures only made her look fiercer, bringing out the bright copper highlights of her hair and the russet tones of her skirt-suit. It even showed her legs to advantage, the dark cabinets making her thighs look even creamier than usual. A mini-skirt definitely suited her.

Blushing slightly, Pepper looked away from her evaluation of Natalie's figure. Happy was hiding in the doorway behind the avenging redhead, looking as though he'd rather be anywhere else. That was a good distraction. There was little as amusing as watching a six foot man hide behind a much smaller woman.

Calmly, Pepper reached for another plate and cut Natalie a slice of Pity Cake. It was triple chocolate, with a liquid fudge core and real raspberries, the absolute acme of Pity Cake. If Steve were going to hang around for long, Pepper would have to see about finding a less fattening version of it. "Tony's in his workshop—"

"Not Tony!" Natalie snapped. When Pepper blinked at her in surprised hurt, she visibly reined her anger in. "Not Tony. The other one. Big, blond—"

"Looks like a sex dream come to life?" Pepper asked wryly, pushing the plate and fork across the glass table towards her. The table was small and round, just big enough for three people. Four would have to be very cozy with each other. She didn't bother to ask how Natalie knew about Steve. Natalie knew all sorts of things she really shouldn't have. She was like Pepper in that regard. "Steve's with Tony. I think they're going through some of his father's old projects."

Natalie stared at her. With an enormous sigh, she dropped down into a chair and picked up her fork. "So you met him."

"I have. Seems like Tony hasn't traumatized him yet, though that could be good act." Twelve years ago, that had been her. Pepper wondered if she'd ever find out how she'd survived while being that naïve. "He's the only person I've met in five years who's completely fallen for Tony's 'Harmless Eccentric' routine, though."

Dark fudge dripped from Natalie's fork as she picked up a bite. She watched it drip, lips curved into a thoughtful frown. "He didn't seem... upset? Or confused?"

"No kidnapping this time." Happy stared at her from the doorway with the sweetest, most pleading puppy-dog expression. Silently, Pepper flicked her fork at him, giving him permission to leave before the girl talk descended into anything more graphic than it already had. The man fled. "He was fully complicit in things."

"Of course he was." The last of the excess fudge finished dripping, and Natalie popped the bite in her mouth. Almost immediately, her sulky expression melted, eyes closing in bliss as she chewed.

"La Rocca does excellent cake."

"Mmhm." Eyes still closed, Natalie nodded dreamily. When she finally looked at Pepper again, her expression never quite regained the infuriated edge of before. Pepper chalked another point up in Pity Cake's favor. "What does Tony want with him? He doesn't usually snatch people up." A pause, and they both sighed. "Except Bain."

"Except Bain," Pepper agreed distractedly, helping herself to a raspberry. It burst between her teeth in a tart flash of flavor. "He wants what Tony always wants with tall, gorgeous blonds. It's just a question of whether or not he'll get it this time."

She realized her mistake a few seconds too late, when Natalie's fork clattered to the plate. "He wants what?"

Quickly, Pepper ran over everything Natalie had seen over the past year, hoping to think of something that would have outed Tony to her before now. She'd gotten so used to Natalie being one of the family, she'd completely forgotten that she'd only been with them for a year. But Tony had been wrapped up in the Iron Man thing, and SHIELD, amd the changes in Stark Industries, and he'd been mostly dating her... There hadn't been much of a chance for Tony to bring home a man for the night.

Did Tony do the usual background check before he'd hired her? Or had he forgotten? Pepper was usually the one to handle personnel matters, and Natalie had been so last-second, it didn't seem likely that Tony would have covered all the bases. And he'd thought he was dying at the time, which could have affected things. Pepper would have thought he'd at least looked into it for her sake, but it wouldn't be the first time Tony had been too caught up in his personal drama to think of other people. "Surprise?"

"Tony's gay?" Natalie seemed shell-shocked, lips parted, eyes huge. It was the first time Pepper had ever seen her caught so unawares. "The files didn't say—but he's with you..."

If they were going to have this discussion, Pepper was going to do it over cake. "Tony's bisexual," she corrected, filling her fork again. "It's not something we advertise, for obvious reasons."

"But—"

"If you have a problem with it, just say so." Pepper carefully didn't look up from her cake. "We'll make arrangements, and you'll have a good reference. Just putting up with Tony for as long as you have will take you a long way." They'd really only kept Natalie on because neither of them were good at firing. It had been nice to have someone else to help Tony-sit. No one would think twice if she was let go, now that Pepper was firmly back in her old position and obviously not going anywhere.

"You'd fire me." Natalie sounded like she couldn't believe it. "If I had a problem with his sexuality, you'd fire me."

"Because you wouldn't be able to do your job." Pepper dropped her fork and finally looked up. Natalie still looked flabbergasted. This obviously had hit her too hard for her usual quick recovery. That was too bad, but this was one area where Pepper refused to let her empathy get the best of her. "You're a personal assistant, and if you can't handle the personal part of that, then we have to let you go. Tony will occasionally sleep with men, and you will occasionally have to deal with it, both shuffling them off in the morning and making sure that it doesn't get around in the tabloids.

"Can you do that, or should I get a resignation form started?"

"No resignation form required." Short, pink-polished nails drummed on the tabletop, ringing hollow against the glass. Natalie's eyes were lowered, as focused on her cake as Pepper had been a moment ago. "This would be the time to admit that I am too. Not bisexual—lesbian. I told Tony when he hired me. He explained Stark Industry's non-discrimination policy and the health plan. It seemed like a good idea, to keep him from hitting on me."

Sinking horror pinned Pepper to her chair. He'd known. That jackass had known, and he hadn't thought to tell Pepper. All that time worried about Natalie getting too close, and then this whole uncomfortable discussion that could have been avoided, and now Natalie probably thought she was a...

She stabbed her fork into her cake, hard enough that the tines scraped over the porcelain plate. "I'm so sorry," she babbled, hands coming up to twist helplessly in the air. "Just—you have no idea. I had no idea—I shouldn't have threatened you like that, oh _God_—"

Just then, she could have marched down to his workshop and put a stiletto in her mostly-boyfriend without remorse.

"It's okay." Natalie reached across the table to grab her hands, holding them in the middle of the table. Pepper stared at her, absently noting that Natalie had a very strong grip for a woman. "You were just trying to protect him. That's what you do best."

"God knows why." There was no point in trying to get her hands back, and it felt good to have someone holding them, even if it was something of a death grip. Tony had never really been the hand-holding type, and it had been years since she'd had anyone before him. "Since we're sharing, I should probably tell you that I am too. Bisexual. I'm bisexual, I mean. Tony hired me because of it."

Natalie's expression shifted from confusion to understanding to indignance in rapid order.

Pepper panicked.

"No, no, no, not like that— well, probably like that, he's Tony, you know how he is. He's layers on layers and all of them thinking about—no, never mind. He just—" She took a deep breath, twisting her palms up to hold Natalie's wrists in case she got it in her head to do something stupid, like confront Tony. If anyone were going to beat Tony to death with footwear, it was going to be her. "He wanted someone who would understand."

She didn't add that she'd been young, inexperienced and extremely stupid, and hadn't realized how admitting to a live-in girlfriend would affect her chances at being hired. Fresh out of college and loaded down with student loans was a horrible time to be idealistic. If it hadn't been for Tony, and his own brand of stupidity, who knew what would have happened to her.

Maybe one day she'd get drunk enough to tell Natalie about it, but it was going to take a lot of olives.

Natalie's anger faded, but she didn't let go. "You're still being understanding, aren't you?" she asked cryptically. Before Pepper could answer, she squeezed her hands and stood, pulling Pepper with her. "Come on. You need to get your mind off this."

"'This'? What 'this?'" Pepper stumbled around the table as Natalie tugged. "There is no 'this'."

"You're not upset that Tony's going after Steve? He's dating you." Natalie didn't even need to look behind her as she walked backwards in four inch heels.

Pepper was impressed at, and a little jealous of, Natalie's dexterity. If she'd tried that, she would have ended up tripping over the rug and needing a donut-shaped pillow for a week. "We're not— we're only sort of dating. He's allowed to see other people." That was her story, and she was sticking to it. If she got jealous every time Tony flirted with someone else, she'd never survive the break up.

"Then this can be only sort of letting off steam." Smiling sweetly, Natalie reached behind her and opened the gym door.

***

Pepper stared down at her padded and gloved hands with mistrust. "I don't think this is a good idea." She didn't have a helmet, or shin guards, or anything else that might keep her from going crunch. Natalie had said that she'd be doing all the hitting. Pepper wasn't sure how that was supposed to help. The only change of clothes Natalie had allowed her was to kick off her flats. And now she was standing in the middle of the boxing ring, with someone she knew had taken down at least six bad guys while Happy had been swarmed by the other twenty.

There was just no way this could end well. "I really don't think—"

"It's fine." Natalie finished pinning her hair back into a messy ponytail. She really did have beautiful hair, Pepper had to admit. It was a lovely dark auburn and thick with curls, absolutely nothing like Pepper's own lank orangey-strawberry color. "I'll show you a few things. It'll barely hurt."

That was so not reassuring. The bright blue mat under her feet squished as she shifted her weight awkwardly. It was bouncy. "How is this supposed to help me not think about Tony?"

"When you're thinking about muscle aches, you're not thinking about heart aches." Padding slipped down Natalie's chest, covering her from thigh to neck, and Pepper quietly thanked God for it. They both needed all the padding they could get.

How did she get talked into this?

Natalie settled the helmet and popped in a mouth guard, taking a position right in front of Pepper. She looked different; it took Pepper a moment to pin-point how. Normally, Natalie looked soft, rather quiet and sweet, except when she was angry, when she looked loud and violent. That was normal around Tony though. Everyone got that way, so Pepper didn't really think much of it. But this Natalie didn't really have any expression at all, like she'd locked herself away and left just a body, ready for any sort of action that came for her. It was new. It was disconcerting.

It was kind of sexy.

"—me."

"Hm?" Pepper shook her head, blushing at how she'd spaced out. Tony's short attention span must have been contagious. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

New-Natalie didn't even roll her eyes, or smile, or really do anything that Pepper would have expected. "Hit me."

"What if I hurt you?"

That earned her an eye-roll, which made Pepper feel a little more sure of herself. "I'm wearing four inches of padding on everything except my toes. Try to hurt me."

She had a point. Still, Pepper hadn't hit anyone since that one board member had patted her rear, and that had really been more of a slap than a hit. It had stopped him from doing it again, but she wasn't really sure it counted. Anyway, she was pretty sure she'd hurt herself more than she'd hurt Natalie, and while that was probably a good thing for Natalie, Pepper really didn't want to hurt herself either—

"Pepper." Natalie stomped a foot on the mat to get her attention, making Pepper jump. "Stop delaying and hit me."

There wasn't any help for it. "All right. Here it goes..." Wincing preemptively, Pepper took careful aim and swung. She didn't even see Natalie's padded forearm come up, but suddenly it was there, blocking her face. Pepper's fist bounced off gently, with barely any force at all.

"That's great," Natalie deadpanned. "If you don't want to hurt your assailant, that's exactly what you should do."

"I'm sorry!" Pepper tried to put her face in her hands, but only managed to smack herself in the forehead. Gloves, right. "I just don't want to hurt you. This is a bad idea. I'm really not the fighter type."

The mouth guard distorted her face a bit, but Natalie was clearly frowning at her. "You're right," she finally said, taking off her helmet and popping out the mouth guard. "You're not cut out for this. You're more likely to need rescuing than to rescue."

"What?" Pepper blinked in astonishment. Of course, she'd wanted Natalie to agree, but she hadn't thought she would so quickly. Her eyebrows drew together. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." One of Natalie's gloves hit the mat, then the other. "Just that Tony's had to save you how many times now? I thought you'd rather save yourself. I guess not. My mistake."

"What? No— that's not it at all!" Of course, Tony had rescued her a few—dozen—times. But she was usually in danger because of him. "Tony's a hero. Iron Man. It's different. I'm just me. It's totally, totally different."

"I agree." Another piece dropped—the torso padding. Natalie had changed clothes, to something black and spandexy and tight, that showed off all the muscles and curves she had and Pepper didn't. "I'm sure he won't have to rescue Steve at all. But it's different, right?"

Pepper nodded along, watching as Natalie twisted and bent to take off the protective gear. She remembered how Steve had flexed and moved doing his routine earlier. He wouldn't have been kidnapped by Hammer's flunkies six months before, she bet. Neither would Natalie, or Happy, or Rhodey or really anyone else that Tony had around him these days except Pepper. Dead weight, that's what she was. Good enough to nag Tony into sometimes not being as stupid as he normally would be, but not useful at all in the life of a superhero as anything except a damsel in distress.

She didn't want to be a damsel in distress.

"Put the padding back on."

"Pardon me?" Natalie looked up from working at one of the shin guards.

Pepper was still in a little shock at the sound of her own voice, but barreled onward, before she could change her mind. "I said, put the padding back on."

Natalie stopped tugging at the straps and stood up, crossing her arms under her breasts. "Are you sure? I thought it was different."

The pose pushed Natalie's breasts up, and made Pepper's eyes want to drop down to them. She resisted. That was something Tony would do, and if there was one thing Pepper would never, ever, ever do, it was anything Tony would do. "I'm sure—I mean, it is different. Really different. But it— it can be a different kind of different." Oh God, she sounded like she was sixteen again. She felt like she was sixteen again.

Was this how Tony felt all the time? No wonder he was crazy.

She wasn't sure if she'd been anything close to coherent, but Natalie nodded, and bent to pick up the torso piece.

Watching Natalie put the pads back on, Pepper had to admit in the quiet of her heart that she'd never be a hero, or probably ever even very good at being violent. The idea of deliberately hurting someone else was abhorrent—it just felt all wrong. But maybe, if she worked really hard, she could at least go down fighting the next time someone realized who the easy target in Tony's life was.

***

Natalie had been right. Muscle aches did make heartache easier to ignore. Pepper stared at the dark ceiling of her bedroom while an alarm screamed in her ear. Four in the morning. Time to get up.

She couldn't move her arms.

"Jarvis," she croaked, closing her eyes. Her head wasn't aching, and her sinuses felt clear, so it probably wasn't a cold. Maybe she should have believed Natalie when she'd suggested a massage. "Jarvis, turn off the alarm."

The alarm died with a cheerful beep. "Good morning, Ms. Potts," the AI whispered. Tony was probably still asleep, then, if Jarvis wasn't at full-voice. "Would you like me to have your usual latte and toast prepared and brought to you?"

"No, thank you, just have it ready when I go to the kitchen." Rocking slowly, Pepper worked herself free of the goosedown comforter. Bone-deep aches locked her arms in place, forcing her to flex slowly as she levered out of bed. Even her back hurt, from the nape of her neck all the way down her spine.

But while her whole body throbbed with the effort to just get her feet on the floor, she definitely wasn't thinking about how empty the bed was. She did give a little thought to the chances that Tony's bed wasn't empty, but it was only a little thought. Even if Steve liked men, he didn't look like the kind of guy who put out on the first date.

Going through the stretches Natalie had shown her took her mind off it even more, though Pepper wasn't sure if white hot agony was much better than lonely.

At least she'd had the sense to use "her" bedroom instead of going home, Pepper thought as she forced her arms overhead. If she had to drive across LA, she'd be better off calling in sick and risking one of Tony's awful omelets. Or worse, no omelet at all.

An hour later, dressed in one of her spare suits and made presentable with the make-up and hair supplies she'd learned to keep at Tony's, Pepper made her way to the kitchen for Jarvis' promised latte. Her suit was plain black all over, for convenience, but it would do. More worrying, her high heels made new and interesting places on her thighs burn with every step. She could have worn the flats from the day before, but Pepper would be damned before she'd give up her shoes because of a little pain.

The house was eerily hushed so early, with only the waterfall and her footsteps to break the silence. Pepper liked the quiet. It meant Tony hadn't blown anything new up.

In the kitchen, the light was her first clue that she wasn't the only one awake. Jarvis and Dummy used sensors. Pepper frowned at the door, wondering if she should check with Jarvis. But no, the AI would have definitely mentioned if they had an intruder. She poked her head in carefully anyway, just in case.

Steve was seated at the table, with a bowl of cereal and a slice of Pity Cake. Dummy hovered over his shoulder, fidgeting every few seconds.

Even the robots liked him. Of course.

Pepper put on her Perky Voice. "Good morning," she chirped, sailing by with only a slight limp. On the counter, her latte and toast were just finishing, so she grabbed them before Dummy tried to "help". She didn't have enough clothes at Tony's to risk having the ones she was wearing ruined. "Did you sleep well?"

"Miss Potts," Steve looked up and smiled. It was a hundred-megawatts, specially designed to melt the heart of anyone human within a fifty mile radius. He was still wearing the loose black pajama pants and white tee that she'd provided, and his hair was a tousled mess. He reminded her of a little kid, if little kids were huge and muscled and a little scruffy. "I slept great, thank you. I didn't know you lived here, though."

In spite of herself, Pepper caught herself smiling back honestly over her cup. It was just so damned hard to dislike the man, even if he was probably on a fast-track to Tony's little black book. "I'm always here early, so sometime's it's just not worth driving home." And sometimes she just stayed in Tony's bed, and then it really wasn't worth driving home. Not that Steve needed to know that.

"Oh. I see."

Steve didn't look like he did, but at least he didn't look like the word slut had sprung to mind either, so Pepper let it pass and sipped her latte. It was thick and rich, warm on the back of her tongue, with just a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon Jarvis liked to use. Perfect.

She sagged back against the black granite counter in bliss, which turned out to be a bad idea. Her back screeched a protest as her muscles discovered the ability to develop razor-sharp edges as they rubbed against each other. Pepper's teeth ground together as she hissed, pushing herself back upright.

"Are you okay?" Steve was half out of his chair, face tight with worry.

"Fine— I'm fine." Pepper smiled tightly and waved him back down. "Just a little sore. I—" Spent an hour the day before pretending to beat up guys in cheap suits while Tony looked on in admiration. That didn't sound weird at all. "I had a good work out."

"But you're already so shapely." Tony strode in, already dressed in a pair of ripped jeans and a white button-up. Creases still lined his cheek from the pillow, so he'd at least actually used his bed instead of passing out on a workbench. He ruffled Steve's hair and dodged out of the way before Steve could shove his hand off. The espresso machine gurgled as Dummy started making Tony's morning cup. "Good morning, sunshines. Hey, Pep, do I have any calls?"

"Nick Fury called last night and threatened to throw you in jail if you don't return 'the project' immediately," Pepper reported automatically. "I told him you're in Malaysia rescuing kittens. He didn't believe me."

Tony wedged himself between her and the corner of the counter to get to his coffee, planting a kiss on her cheek that made her blush. "Of course he didn't. So, did Natalie come by?"

"Of course she did— what does Natalie have to do with anything?" Which reminded her that she was angry about that too, but that wasn't a conversation to have in front of a stranger. "Tony, we need to talk."

"Later, Pep. We've got all day." Coffee in one hand, Tony slid an arm under Steve's elbow and tried to pick him up out of the chair. Steve, being a kinder person than Tony had any right to expect, stood at the tug. "Come on, Sleepy Head, I want to show you something I thought up last night."

Steve kept glancing behind him for help as Tony hauled him out of the kitchen. Pepper nibbled on her toast and ignored the silent begging. He could learn to tell Tony no on his own. Everyone had to, sooner or later.

***

Pepper peered around the dark, open-air garage. When Tony didn't need driving anywhere, Happy spent most of his time in the garage hanging around the cars, just in case he had an excuse to use one. While Tony was hiding out from Nick Fury, there wasn't really much of anything for Happy to do. She was hoping to use that.

Cool air blew in under the collar of her coat as Pepper wandered between cars. Muck coated the bottom of her shoes where she'd waded across the garden as a shortcut. It would have been nice to know they'd been freshly fertilized. Luckily, it was thick and loose. She'd be able to get it off easily once she was done.

Being up and active for a full three hours had eased the worst of her aches, but not all of them. Twisting the wrong way hurt, and she couldn't reach overhead. Both of those limitations just forced her to realize how out of condition she was. Someone who couldn't even manage one measly work out definitely wasn't going to be saving her own day.

Working with Natalie the night before had been nice. Really nice. It had felt good to hit things. By the time it was over, Pepper had felt like she could take on anything. Morning had brought reality crashing down. She didn't know how to hit someone, or kick, or even how to get away. The numerous times she'd ended up in danger proved that. One night of punching things wasn't going to help.

But working with Natalie had been much, much, much too nice. With everything —ish between her and Tony, Natalie was kind, and attractive, and suddenly far too accessible for Pepper's peace of mind.

That was where Happy would, hopefully, come in. He would teach her to defend herself, and she wouldn't be tempted by the Available and Gorgeous and Interested in Women Natalie Rushman.

Pepper's heels clicked on the poured concrete as she marched up to Happy, where he was mooning over a lime green Ferrari. She rolled her eyes when he didn't look up. Even Tony, who loved his cars almost as much as his armor, didn't spend that much time just polishing a hood, and Happy didn't even have the excuse of being on the job. There were plenty of mechanics around whose only job was to make sure Tony's cars were always ready, down to the least little smudge.

"Having fun?"

He whirled around, hiding the polishing rag behind him like it was a raunchy magazine. Dark streaks of polish stained Happy's jacket, where it rubbed the hood of the car, and another streak glued a piece of his hair into a spike. "Pepper! What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, just keeping busy." She dragged one of her short, pink-glossed nails over the curve of the Ferrari's fender. Pepper mostly preferred her cars a bit more sedate, but she had to admit it was a sexy one. Most of the cars in the garage were, and they were nothing next to the ones Tony kept in the lab. "Tony still thinks he's hiding, so I thought I'd take time to ask you something."

Happy swallowed, setting his Adam's apple to bobbing. "Sure thing. Anything I can do for you, just name it."

"I need you to give me self-defense lessons."

"Anything but that."

Annoyance pulled her lips into a frown. It had been a decent morning so far, other than being in excruciating pain for the first part of it. Pepper hadn't been prepared for such a quick brush off. "Why not?" She crossed her arms, cocked her hip and leaned against the car, trying not to wince when her muscles staged a protest rally. "Don't tell me you can't. I know you work with Tony. You're completely capable of training someone to defend herself."

"Well, yeah, but that's Tony, you know? It's different." Happy forgot his embarrassment at being caught polishing and waved the rag at her. "I don't want to hurt you or nothing."

"We have padding." The garage was shadowed enough that she couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Happy blush. "And helmets. Gloves. You can't hurt me that much."

"It's not the same, Pep." His big face set into an expression not that much different than it had been the night before, when he'd wanted to leave her and Natalie in the kitchen. "I don't hit girls."

"What about Natalie?"

"I didn't hit her, did I?" Happy's expression bore the bruised innocence of a man whose honor had just sullied. "I let her take me down. You saw that."

Pepper's jaw tightened. "I see."

Somehow, he completely missed the warning signs. Smiling broadly, Happy straightened from his slump and turned back to the Ferrari. "Why don't you go take one of those classes at the gym? I hear they're specially designed for girls, and they've got lady teachers too."

A lady teacher. That suddenly seemed like a very, very good idea. Natalie might have been Too Available, but she wouldn't be dismissive. "I'll definitely consider it." Nodding to herself, Pepper reached down and slipped off her shoes, hooking her fingers in the toes. Experimentally, she hefted it a few times. "Oh, Happy? One more thing."

He turned just in time to catch a streak of manure across the face. The muck from her other shoe landed across the hood of the car, dark brown and slick across bright green paint.

"Hey!" He looked down at his ruined suit, and then at the car. "What was that for?"

Not bothering to answer, Pepper put her shoes back on and stalked off.

***

Pepper jumped up from her seat at the TV when Natalie staggered in, weighed down with boxes and shopping bags. They were piled so high, she couldn't possibly see over them. It was a miracle she hadn't walked into a wall. Most of them were plain—they'd probably been in bags, originally, until they'd been transferred to boxes for easier carrying. The few things that were labeled were easily identifiable. Gucci, Coach, Dior; someone had spent a lot of money.

"Hold—hold on—stand still!" One box at a time, Pepper took apart the top of the pile, until she could meet Natalie's pretty green eyes. "What's all this? Where have you been? You were supposed to be here hours ago!"

"I was here hours ago," Natalie explained, shifting a bag higher up her forearm. Her hand had turned the sort of dark red that meant she'd lost circulation in it. "Tony sent me out again."

Tutting, Pepper turned to dump her collection of boxes on the sofa. "What could he have sent you for?" She turned around, coming face-to-face with Natalie from only inches away. Yelping, Pepper leaped back, scattering merchandise everywhere. The heel of her shoe caught on a box lid, which slid as soon as she put weight on it. With a shriek, she started to go down.

Everything toppled to the floor as Natalie grabbed for Pepper's arms, keeping her from falling head over tail into the pile. Flailing, Pepper grabbed for her too, digging her heels into the carpet when they started to slip even more. She ended up at a forty-five degree angle, with Natalie bent over her in an l-shape, legs spread, keeping her from falling farther. She was wearing a mini-skirt again, Pepper noticed. It was shiny, black and stretchy, paired with a very tight top.

Casual day, then.

Slowly, Pepper took a deep breath, meeting Natalie's eyes as an alternative to looking up her dress. Her ponytail spilled over her shoulder and across her cheek. Somehow, her lipstick had gotten smudged, making a blurry coral line across the bottom of her lip that a few stray hairs clung to. "Okay—okay, lower me. Slowly."

Nodding, Natalie let her down. Pepper wriggled her way through the boxes, elbowing things out of the way until her rump touched the floor. Sagging backwards, she dropped her head onto a squishy bag. It crinkled, and probably would leave her hair frizzy with static, but it was soft. Laying on a hard surface and not moving felt good on her sore muscles.

With a foot planted on either side of Pepper's hips, Natalie's legs were impossible to ignore. Again. Tony is contagious, Pepper thought calmly, as if from a great distance. Her heart pounded and her palms were sweaty and her muscles had decided that this new mishap didn't sit well with them at all and she couldn't stop staring at another woman's body, even though she knew better than to ogle her coworkers. For all of that, she couldn't even care, as if she'd gone to some deeper place of zen. A place Tony-esque zen, where ogling brought inner peace and stomach butterflies.

Reaching upward against the protest of her shoulders, Pepper pulled the stuck hairs free from Natalie's smudged lips. "I feel like Tony," she murmured, blinking placidly.

"That's not good." Natalie moved, and the legs went away. She leaned over, frowning. "Are you hurt? Can I get you something?"

"I'm..." Suddenly, Pepper's shame returned, in roaring Technicolor. She blushed, brushing away the helpful hand at her forehead. "No, no, I'm fine. Just dazed. What is all of this?" Blindly, she reached for the closest box to her right hand and knocked the lid off. Her fingers touched what felt like denim.

Pulling the item out proved her right. Specifically, it was a pair of jeans, acid washed and ruined in the sort of way that took effort. They weren't that much unlike the sort Tony wore, but definitely not his size, unless he'd been working with Hank Pym again. "Clothes?"

"For Steve." Bags and tissue paper crinkled as Natalie settled herself in the mess, stretching her legs over Pepper's. Around them, bags and boxes crinkled as both women made themselves comfortable. "Tony's clothes don't fit him, and he said he's not comfortable wandering around in pajama pants."

"So Tony bought him a wardrobe." That was actually very like Tony. Pepper was a little surprised it hadn't happened sooner. It was curious that Steve didn't have his own, but maybe Tony just didn't want to bother sending for them. "There's no kill like over-kill, I guess. Did you tell him that I'd ordered some things already?"

"Tony claimed he needed more."

"Of course." Staring up at the ceiling wasn't fun, but she was still blushing. Pepper knew that if she looked down, she'd probably just do it more. The ceiling would be her friend. It didn't have an eye-catching amount of cleavage. "Who is he?"

"Who do you mean?" Natalie's usually soft voice turned guarded.

"You know who I mean." Pepper risked glancing down towards Natalie. When she saw that Natalie had leaned forward to rest her chin on her knees, she put her eyes back up on the ceiling. What was happening to her lately? She'd gone an entire year spending only a little more time than usual thinking about Natalie, and now she couldn't get it off her mind.

She was due for a period, and she and Tony hadn't been... Maybe that was it.

Warm skin brushed Pepper's knees as Natalie squirmed to make herself comfortable. She sounded completely calm and detached, which immediately set Pepper's inner alarms to ringing. "Steve? I know as much as you do."

Ceiling. Nice, lovely, simple ceiling. "Really, now? You wanted to know where he was when you came in. Not Tony. Steve."

Rustling, as something warm and cloth-covered pressed against the side of Pepper's leg. She tried not to think about it. "Fury called Happy while we were fifty thousand feet up, demanding to know where Steve was. That's all."

Pepper had a feeling that Natalie was giving her a Look, but she wasn't going to risk taking a peek again. That lesson had been learned. "I know that you know things. Things I don't know, things Tony doesn't know. Just—things. Lots of things. And I'm not asking you to talk about what they are or how you know them. But if you know something about Steve that's going to get Tony hurt, I need to know it too."

For a few moments, Natalie was quiet, and Pepper didn't feel like disturbing her. It seemed like the sort of discussion that should have been had sitting up, maybe while wearing trench coats and sunglasses. They could wear scarves over their hair and exchange secrets over coffee. Natalie could start with what happened over at the Hammer building the year before. Pepper could tell her about that spot on the back of Tony's neck. They could bond.

"You don't miss anything, do you?" Natalie's fingertips tapped Pepper's knee rhythmically. The smooth edge of her manicure didn't tug Pepper's hose at all, though they were an older pair and probably due to run any day.

Pepper told herself that was why her breath caught. Just the hose. "It's my job to pay attention."

"It's not. Why do you watch out for him, when he's off jetting around as Iron Man?"

That wasn't a fair question. Pepper frowned up at her ceiling. If she tilted her head just right, the top of Natalie's ponytail came into view. "I love him. He's brilliant, and funny, and he..." She blinked as her eyes misted over. "He cares. He really does, about so many things. He doesn't always show it, but..."

The gentle touches on her knee continued, never really moving beyond the kneecap. "Does he love you?"

She thought about stable-ish, which she'd been the one to push for. Tony had wanted commitment, but hadn't argued very hard when she'd told him that he he'd have to work for it. He hadn't slept around the way he usually did, at least, even though he could have. There'd been moments, when Tony was at his most charming and Pepper had though that maybe it could work. Then there would be an incident half-way around the world, or some sort of attack, or he'd just say something stupid, and it would all fall apart again.

In all of that, he hadn't said he loved her. "I don't know." The conversation was being very neatly steered away from anything Natalie might know about Steve, but Pepper let it happen. "It doesn't matter. What's the point in loving someone only because they love you back?"

"He doesn't deserve you."

"No, he doesn't." Pepper wiped her eyes, and Natalie was kind enough to not mention it. "Enough about Tony. I have a favor to ask you."

"Oh?"

"Would you teach me self-defense?" An ache had started in her lower back. Grimacing, Pepper forced herself to sit up before she could go stiff. Her shoulders burned, and her spine crackled. She hissed between her teeth, and Natalie's nose wrinkled in silent laughter. "You know how, obviously, and I don't want to be helpless the next time something happens."

Natalie's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Are you sure?" she asked, skipping the obvious what could happen question. One of the attacks they'd both been there for had been by a man with a horn on his forehead and too much purple spray-on latex. With people like that in the world, anything could happen. "It won't be easy like last night. I'll make you work for it. Do you know anything about aerial combat?"

Aerial combat? Pepper thought, eyes widening in near panic before she saw the corner of Natalie's mouth twitch. "You made me think—" Fumbling with her left hand, she grabbed something cloth from one of the boxes and swung.

The pale blue button-down shirt unfolded as it snapped through the air, wrapping around Natalie's face. Remembering how quick Natalie's reflexes could be, Pepper grabbed her shoulders and yanked her to the floor. Boxes and bags slithered as Natalie toppled over, laughing as she pulled the cloth from her face. A quick roll and Pepper planted a knee on either side of Natalie's hips and pinned wrists before she could move.

"You tried to trick me!" Pepper accused, glaring down. Her back burned, taking the chance to remind her that it didn't approve of rolling around on the floor. About the same time, she realized that Natalie's shirt had pulled up to expose her abdomen, and Pepper's black business skirt was nearly indecent with how she was kneeling. She blushed, but didn't move.

"You almost fell for it." Natalie sounded far more out of breath than a thirty second tussle should have accounted for. Her lipstick was even more mussed than before, and her ponytail was all over the place. "Are you sure you need lessons? Seems like you know how to handle yourself."

Not sure if she could speak, Pepper just nodded.

"Good. How about—"

Someone tromped on the steps. "Hey, Pep, has Natalie come—hello."

Mortified, Pepper looked up into Tony's wide smile. Behind him, Steve turned a shade of red she was sure matched her own face. Damned fair skin.

With as much decorum as she could muster, Pepper released Natalie's wrists and sat up with her arms crossed. She didn't try to stand. There was no way to do it gracefully, and she wasn't going to act like something had happened. Nothing had happened. She'd just been caught in a compromising position with a minimally clad employee who was still lying quietly under her without any sign of distress, but nothing had happened. That was the important part. Nothing. Wrong.

"The next time you send someone I'm expecting to work out on an errand, warn me," she chided, in something as close to her usually tone as possible. "Natalie was due in much earlier. You have to tell me these things." Tony didn't seem like he was going to respond well, so she turned her attention behind him and tried to ignore Natalie's unsubtle wiggles. "Your clothes are here. We'll take them to your room in just a moment." Steve nodded, still looking shocked. "Excellent. Will there be anything else, gentlemen?"

Tony recovered first. "I— I think we're good. Don't you Steve?" Grinning, he grabbed Steve by the shoulders and turned them both around, headed back down the stairs to the lab. "Let's just go work on that—project—thing—that we were discussing earlier!"

After their heads had vanished from the doorway, Pepper looked back at Natalie, who had a finger over her lips. Silently, she lifted a finger, then a second, and then a third. At the fourth, the beep of the lab door locking echoed up the stairwell.

Pepper started giggling, catching herself on a hand as she collapsed forward. The other hand she stuffed in her mouth to muffle herself. Natalie wasn't nearly so quiet, knees and body curling upward as they laughed together. Every time she started to calm down, Tony's face popped to the front of Pepper's mind, mouth slightly open, eyes popping, and she'd start laughing again.

It took deep, gulping breaths to get the giggle under control, and closing her eyes so she couldn't see Natalie's face and break down again. She hadn't had a good laugh in weeks.

"Okay, that's it," she finally announced when she could breathe again, pushing herself to her feet. Natalie's eyes stayed on her while she rose and tugged her skirt down. If Pepper hadn't been all blotchy from laughing, she would have blushed. "We should get these things put up.

Silently, Natalie held up both hands for help.

Without letting herself think, Pepper grabbed Natalie's hands and braced herself while Natalie pulled herself to her feet. It involved a lot of tugging and stumbling, but eventually, they were both upright and standing so close that a deep breath made them touch.

Frizzy curls had worked free from Natalie's ponytail, catching in her eyelashes. She blinked it out of the way, staring at Pepper from a few inches distance. Voice low, she asked, "Any other orders?"

Pepper swallowed. She was with Tony. Sort of. But Tony was playing with Steve, and a little flirting would be harmless. Wouldn't it? "I'll be sure to think of you if I need anything handled."

Taking a step back, Natalie pulled her hands free and wiped at her messy lipstick with her index finger. Then she smiled. "Thank you, Ms. Potts."

Onward to Part 2