Altered(lady/moon)

jamie_winchester

jamie_winchester

Cluster
Joined
Nov 30, 2010
Stephanie Rogers sighed quietly as she shifted the bag on her shoulder, tilting her head back to stare up the gleaming glass of Stark tower, which both made her feel at a loss, and pissed her off. At a loss, because she knew the Stark living here, wasn’t the one she wanted it to be, or expected, and pissed her off because she knew there was only one reason she hadn’t been able to continue on as she had before. Well. At least one of the reasons. She knew that Howard Stark had told the whole world the secret that her bulky suit had managed to hide. That Captain America, had always been female.

Not many people had known that the person they’d experimented on had been female, the 1940s views on females should have trapped her in being a nurse, or a housewife waiting for the men to come home. The fact that she had kept trying to enlist as a man, despite being so sick, had been what drawn Erkinsine to her, had gotten him to pretend she was Steve Rogers. And while she would have sold more bonds as a female, it wasn’t where she really wanted to be. She’d wanted to go after Jamie, who’d been one of the few females allowed in combat, who’s father had been part of the 107th, who had pulled strings to allow his daughter to go. And of course, where ever Jamie went, Stephanie followed. Even if it had required becoming the super soldier. But now, her secret was known world wide, that the body they’d pulled out of the ice, that had seen Loki tossed off earth, was female.

And despite those few glorious hours of having a team again, when it was over, they’d all gone their separate ways, leaving Stephanie feeling even more lost then she had before. Especially considering the man she’d been told she was going to now live with. She hadn’t had high hopes for getting along with howard’s son, if only because she hadn’t gotten along with his father, but she had hoped, that she might be able to have some piece of her past. Sighing quietly, she shook her short blond hair out of her face, the man’s cut it had been in when she’d gone into the ice, starting to grow up into a more feminine length, she figured since everyone knew, there was no reason to pretend to be male anymore. Looking leery as she stepped inside, she nearly crawled out of her skin as Jarvis directed her to the elevator, bracing herself as she headed for Tony’s penthouse, where the AI had said he was waiting for her. She had a feeling this was just the start of a bad time.
 
Tony Stark was a very strange man to say the least and everyone thought so. He had never revealed to the world that he was Iron Man, he had followed the cards to the T. not because he wanted to follow the rules, far from it, but because for once in his life he wanted something good that was only his. he didn't give a shit what the world thought of him anymore, he didn't need friends so long as he could save people who deserved to be saved. being tortured in the desert had changed him, a lot. more than anyone could ever have realized. becoming Iron Man had been one of the only outlets he had. he got to beat the shit out of bad guys and that really helped, he still had some pretty bad mental health issues though, despite the nearly constant battles allowing him to get his aggravation out on people. what really helped, was that no one actually knew Tony Stark was Iron Man. well, Shield knew, and the Avengers knew. Natasha had known before the Avengers because she'd helped save his life after his palladium started poisoning him but that didn't really count.

the events of the Avengers was really the only reason he had any friends at all now. Natasha and Clint had gotten very close to him before he'd realized and he adored Bruce so much he worried about his sexual orientation. having a huge lust boner for Steve Rogers sure as hell hadn't helped that. finding out he was actually a she had made him feel much, much better about himself especially as he had finally identified his feelings to Bruce as that of a brother. made him feel a lot better, not that he had anything about people who where Gay, he just didn't want to be one himself. when he was informed that Stephanie hadn't been settling in well and would be moving in with him he was equal parts horrified, delighted and furious. horrified because he was normally rather scared of people, delighted because it was Captain, freaking America! Furious because Fury hadn't even asked first, the half blind bastard. he had calmed down since and was delighted to set up an entire floor just for Stephanie with a full gym, a soft bed, a study for paperwork and a bank card attached to a new account so Stephanie could buy anything she wanted for her rooms. and clothes because she needed clothes. and girl things that scared Tony, yeah she was going to have to buy scented soaps and... monthly supplies on her own. yep. he was never, ever going into that isle of the market ever, ever again. Pepper could go take a flying leap. yup. he didn't care if she was running his company, he wasn't doing that ever again.

he looked up when Jarvis informed him that Stephanie Rogers was there and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. he was terrified, Stephanie hadn't liked him much when they where dealing with the Chitauri and he was hoping to god she never found out about his debilitating neurosis, nightmares and PTSD. "Hey! Hey! come on in!" he called when the elevator opened. "welcome to Stark Tower." he said, offering her a timid but honest smile. "i can give you a tour if you want, or i can make you something to eat or i could just show you to your room? Pepper helped me set it up because i don't really know anything about girls." he admitted. "there's a bank card in there too for you, feel free to use it to buy anything you want or need. Pepper wanted me to tell you that she'll take you shopping with her if you don't want to go alone... i don't go shopping with girls... well, no, i don't go shopping at all really." he admitted, scratching the back of his head nervously. "uhm. oh! Bruce is living here too, he's down in the labs right now if you wanted to bug him... actually i think he's been there for a while, i should go make him sleep..." he admitted, checking his watch before looking up. "hey Jay? what day is it anyway? Tuesday? what happened to Sunday!?" Tony asked, looking shocked before scowling when Jarvis replied, very dryly that Tony had spent all of Sunday in the lab. "hey! hey! no sass! who taught you how to Sass? i knew Bruce was a bad influence on you...." he paused, glanced at Stephanie and blushed brightly because people always thought it was... weird, that he spoke to a computer like it would actually understand him, which it did but most people didn't realize that. "...er. right. so! uh, Coffee?" he offered her, indicating his army of coffee pots.
 
Stephanie startled when the other called out to her, freezing in the elevator for a long moment, before moving, stepping slowly into the big space, looking around her with a look of utter confusion. She was from the 40s, had grown up in a place smaller then the living room of the apartment she was standing in, she was feeling utterly confused on what to think of what was going on around her. Frowning a little as she realized that Tony was talking to her, she focused on him again

“...How about showing me my room, and then a tour?”She said after a long moment of listening to him ramble, looking so utterly lost and out of sorts for what was going around her, that she didn’t know how to deal. Listening to him babble made her simply want to curl up on the floor and cry. Because it made her think of Howard, made her think of the howling commandos, which always made her think Jamie. Refocusing, staring at the other with a long look, struggling to shove memories and pain away as she looked at him, she looked around, trying to see who Tony was talking to. Because she’d always heard about jarvis, but she still really didn’t understand who or what he was.

Nodding at the question, she decided that the best thing to do, was to simply deal with what he asked her, that the best course of action was to simply respond to questions and when he spoke, instead of trying to figure out everything he talked about. “Coffee would be nice....”She said setting the military duffle bag on the floor, she followed him over to the coffee maker, moving to use it, before looking up at him, eyes wide and lost. “show me how to use it, so I’m not asking every morning how to use it....”
 
Tony smiled at her, trying to be reassuring. he knew the tower was more massive than it needed to be, but he didn't like tight enclosed spaces. he didn't like small rooms and low ceilings, it made him feel like he was about to get crushed. "Sure! sounds great!" he agreed, delighted to show off her new home to her. he was pretty sure she didn't want to be there but he'd make her as comfortable as possible. "yeah i can show you!" he agreed happily. "come over here. this is actually the easiest to use." he explained. "this one can be just yours." he offered. "i'm not sure what coffee was like back in the forties so you'll have to experiment a bit to see what kind of coffee you like." he admitted. "you lift this lid here and pull out this basket." he explained, running her through the basics first, showing her how to put the coffee in explaining that the more coffee you put in the stronger and less bitter the coffee would be, but there was a limit and a minimum amount you needed to put in. he showed her how to fill the water and then showed her, step by step, how to start the brew, how to set up the auto brew function, so she could set it for a specific time and have it start brewing before she even got up. he showed her how to change the brew settings and then let her try before showing her the K-cup machine if she ever just wanted a cup of tea or a cup of coffee at a random time and didn't want to make a full pot.

"of course, you could always just grab a carafe. i've almost always got a full pot in one of these." he admitted, pouring her a cup. "it's probobly not something you'll like, but in a pinch it should do... just, never touch the kettle." he ordered, indicating an electric kettle that was plugged in and waiting to be used. sitting next to it was a small metal tin and a ceramic teapot. "it's Bruce's. he get's weirdly possessive of it." he admitted. "just because i tried to make it sing when it heated up is totally no reason to shove me off the tower." he grumbled, sulking as he sipped his coffee which was a personal blend. he mixed three different beans into his own blend and then ground it himself. it was strong, very strong but had a sharp, bright Vanilla aftertaste with a hint of chocolate that remained after the first sip. it was Tony's favorite.
 
"Okay..."Stephanie moved over next to him, biting a plush lower lip as she watched him make it. The bright red skin where she was chewing ever so slightly said of hours of abuse that not even her super soldier system could keep up with. Definitely a nervous tic. "Never had coffee. Couldn't afford it till I was overseas, and even then it wasn't great."she said looking it over, nodding slowly, her near photographic memory storing what she needed to be able to have it. Though she wasn't as dependant on coffee as some she knew.

"Okay. I can do that. Though I don't drink alot....I smoke more. I have to admit, getting cigarettes these days are much easier then it used to be."she said looking a little wide eyed. Because it was so much easier and less expensive to smoke then it used to be when she was young."....I do think it's reasonable...I mean, you did make it sing I'm a little teapot."she said shaking her head, having heard all about it from a delighted amused clint. Sniffing a little she looked at him."yours smells good..."she said looking at him as she reached for the carafe and pouring some, almost waiting for him to stop her from taking his coffee.
 
he watched her chew on her lip, feeling the urge to blush though he had long ago learned to stop that sort of thing. "....seriously?" he asked, startled. "i thought everyone could afford Coffee back then..." he admitted. "it's horridly expensive now." he admitted. "not that it matters much for me but..." he shrugged. "anyway, you'll son be addicted like the rest of humanity." he admitted with a grin. "i drink about three pots a day." he admitted. "i take it you started during the war?" Tony asked. that was where most people from that era started from what he knew. they handed the cigs out with rations and the soldiers smoked instead of bitching, or something like that. back before they knew cigarettes where bad for you. "you don't have to worry about the lung damage?" he wondered. he knew the Serum had done some impressive things for her, but he wondered if it battled even the nasty things smoking could do to a person. "you heard about that huh?" he asked, looking very delighted with himself. "he was so pissed. it was awesome." he admitted with a chuckle.

"here." he offered her creamer and sugar when she poured herself some coffee. "newbs don't tend to like black coffee so you can cut down on the bitterness with the cream and sweeten it with sugar if you don't like it." he admitted, sipping his cup again, wondering if she was going to make that awesome hilarious face people who had coffee for the first time made? actually, did she even know what a newb was? "oh! i almost forgot!" Tony gasped, sitting upright all of a sudden. "Jarvis! you haven't met Jarvis!" he admitted. "Jarvis runs the house." he explained. "he's a computer generated personality. Artificial intelligence." he explained, swelling with pride. "first in the world. if you ever need anything at all, just ask Jarvis. he can access almost every single thing int he house so if your having trouble working something, just ask him and he'll run you through it or do it for you depending on the task." he admitted. "Say hello to Captain Rogers Jarvis." "Good Morning Captain." Jarvis spoke up. "should you need anything at all, don't hesitate to ask." "he's the best. total sass master. i'm pretty sure Bruce taught him." Tony admitted. "he's my best friend though, so i don't mind... usually." who his best friend was seamed to be up for debate, Jarvis or Bruce? who knew.
 
"Seriously. And if I did have money, I was more worried about having medicine for my asthma, and food, and Jamie's brothers and sisters, then having coffee. Coffee was a rare treat, and even then I usually let jamie have it since she worked almost all the time, she needed it."Stephanie shrugged before nodding."yea, first time it wouldn't have killed me to try. And I was pretending to be a guy, sorta had to smoke to fit in."she said before shaking her head."I heal it nearly as fast as I heal anything else. Fury tried stopping me, but I like smoking, and it doesn't hurt me."she shrugged. "I did. Clint found it quitells amusing."

"Okay...I'll try it."she said not quite sure what he was talking about, but to embarrassed to ask as she sipped the drink, eyes widening but not otherwise responding to the butter taste."I think I'll stick with my cigarettes. Less bitter addiction."she decided even as she added sugar to finish the coffee, not wanting to waste it. She got weird about wasting food. Startling at his sudden words she frowned a little, biting her lip. Still not quite sure what a artificial intelligence was, but okay. This was just another thing she didn't understand."hello jarvis. It's nice to meet you."she said before shaking her head."he probably learned from you. I hear you are....the sass master yourself. At least clint thinks so."she said, feeling so lost and out of her depth with tony.
 
he nodded. "that makes sense." he admitted. "i heard that you had been bad sick when you where younger but i never really thought about what that might have meant in the great depression." he admitted before looking amused. "i still can't believe you got away with that. how did you get through the physicals and stuff?" he asked, sounding very impressed indeed. "Fury tries to stop anything that's fun. he keeps trying to tell me that i should stop drinking coffee." he admitted, huffing. "it's bad enough he made me stop drinking." he grumbled. "...Pepper helped. the traitor." he grumbled before smirking. "that's because Clint has a fine appreciation for a good prank." he admitted happily. "he's totally a bad influence on me." Tony decided with an impish grin. "here. try it with creamer." he suggested with a snicker. "no one likes Coffee at first, that's why people who are new to it cover up the taste." he admitted. "here. try it like this." he offered, stirring in creamer and sugar for her before smiling a little. "hows that?" he asked her.

"i am not! i never Sass!.... i only Sass people who deserve it!" he corrected. "anyway, finish up your coffee and i'll take you to your room and then take you on a tour." he offered with a smile. "this is the Penthouse as you know of course, but this isn't actually where i live or sleep." he admitted. "this is essentially where i hang out when i have company. for you, it's like a commons i guess. when you want company or whatever just head up here and me or Bruce or one of the wonder twins are usually up here hanging out." he admitted. "me and Bruce do a movie night up here and we watch some TV shows together every week. i know Clint comes up here on Sundays to watch the Walking Dead and Natasha has this weird obsession with Supernatural and i love Dr. Who." he admitted. "a lot of the time when we're feeling lonely we come up here and watch Disney Movies." he admitted with a smile. "the floor directly above this one is my room. if i'm not here or in my labs, i'll be up there. just make sure you knock before entering because i'm not always... well, i'm usually never dressed when i'm up there." he admitted, blushing a little. "anyway.." he headed for the elevator. "if your not sure what floor you need, just tell Jay where you want to go and he'll take you there." he promised, smiling at her. "go ahead, ask him to take you to your rooms."
 
"I was horribly sick. They told me I wouldn't live to see 18."Stephanie said, not adding the other fact that no one had not only known she was female, but she'd been underage to."by being a very pretty boy and having beasts that were nothing to ogle at."she saidwrinkling her nose a little because indeed, she was lean and slender, but once you knew she was female, she was curvy and slender, the kind of slender beauty that models paI'd alot of money to get.well, you keep a third world country alot with your coffee consumption. You're doing the world a favor. The world would crash if you stopped."she teased in that dead panned amusement, tilting her head as she nodded sipping it slowly."yes, that's better."

Stephanie nodded finishing her coffee, so used to following orders she just followed his."okay...I don't watch alot of tv. Though I do remember Walt Disney from when I was young."she said smiling slightly looking around her, studying the space, utterly bemused why anyone would need this much room before nodding."natasha invited me to watch with her. Said it would be a bonding thing..."Stephanie said sounding bemused at the idea. Looking over at the other as he blushed, she rolled her eyes."I'm not as puritanical as Barton tells people I am. I'm well aware you have sex on a regular basis with different people."she said even if she didn't understand the desire to do so. Even if her libido drove her insane, she rarely had sex these days, unless she got truly desperate. Following him she snagged her bag, looking at him before nodding, biting her lip, "jarvis, can we go to my rooms please?"
 
"they told me i would never learn to read or write." Tony admitted, looking amused. "or talk, and now i never shut up. and just so you know, if i ever start talking too much, just tell me to shut up, it's totally fine." he promised. "i talk a lot, i know, it's annoying, i know. i'll shut up now..." he mumbled before smiling at her. "you where a really pretty boy." he admitted. you know, my dad, he swore to the ends of the earth that you where gay..." he paused. "...actually considering your really a girl, he might have been right." he admitted with a snort before smirking. "it's what i do best." he admitted. "drinking coffee is a passion." he admitted. "...or maybe an obsession... addiction... it's one of those." he admitted before smirking at her. "you know. if anyone in this place is a sassy master i think it might be you." he admitted.

"don't worry. we have board game nights and a poker night and all kinds of other things on a monthly basis too. Bruce insists. something about team moral or getting along or something." he admitted. "bonding. ugh, yeah. she's lying. she just wants you to love Supernatural more than any of the other fandoms we all fight about. like, for example, pepper watches..." he paused and looked around, making sure no one was listening. "Once upon a time." he whispered. "it's crap." he told her. "but don't tell Pep i said that because she'll remove my innards and that's really not fun." he admitted. "we all get pretty vocal about our favorite TV shows so if you ever hear screaming, it's probobly just as trying to kill each other because their favorite TV show isn't the same as mine." he admitted with a grin before he shook his head. "i don't bring girls around the tower anymore. they make Bruce twitchy. i just don't like wearing clothes when i'm trying to relax so when i'm in my own rooms i'm typically not dressed even if i'm ust watching TV or eating snacks or something." he admitted. "i'd be naked down here too but certain people of opposite gender than me threatened castration." he admitted. "of course Captain." Jarvis said, the elevator going very smoothly down one floor.

"Nat said you liked the view of the city from up high and i figured as the Captain you should get the best room so... here you go!" she was up on the third highest floor with an open floor plan. the outer walls where all basically big windows and there where inner rooms that led to a bathroom bigger than her old apartment with a hot tub sized bathtub and a bedroom that was full of warm blankets and a super soft bed. "Nat and Pepper picked out the blankest and the clothes in the closets and they put them away too." he promised her. in one corner was a very impressive home gym including several punching bags, a souped up treadmill and several weighted machines as well as a set of free weights. there was a kitchen in one corner full of foods that Natasha had told him that Stephanie liked. there was a sitting area with two couches and two recliners and a TV with a fw gaming systems for when she was feeling more comfortable and several movies as well as a couple dozen documentaries on various world events that had happened between WWII and recent history. there was a little reading nook with bookshelves, though there where only a few shelves, two, full of books about the more recent history, the rest of the three bookshelves was empty for now, though there was a Harry Potter series waiting with a note from Maria Hill that the series was excellent and she should try them. "Nat said you liked art too so.. i got you these." Tony admitted, indicating a little art corner. a well placed desk, dozens of drawing pads, a few different types of drawing pencils, colored pencils and charcoals. a set of paints, a book on how to use said paint and an easel with the canvas for her to paint on and several other materials that would hopefully make her feel at home with something she might be a little more used to.
 
"Don't worry. I have no qualms about telling people to shut up when they need to."Stephanie said looking amused, tilting her head as he babbled. Snickering at his words."I think your old man was tucking with you. He was one of the few who knew I was female when I went in the ice."she smiled sadly, as much as she'd disliked him, even then, years after she'd 'died' Howard had been protecting her."and considering I do like guys, I guess technically he'd be right, even if it's heterosexual since I'm female."she looked amused before smirking."nah, jamie was the sass master, I just pretend I am."she said smiling quietly staring down. Feeling I verwhelmed at the mention of her past.

"Poker?I could do poker."she said giving him such a wide eyed look of innocence, you'd never know she was a card shark, that even outplayed jamie and the rest of the commandos most of the time."oh...so I shouldn't watch then?is it bad?"she said looking so utterly confused at the talk of shows, and what was a fandom?, that she had no idea what to do with this conversation. "Okay. Good to know. No walking in on you."she said looking amused that tony stark was a nudist. That was just amusing."hmmm, well if you'd stop annoying her, Nat wouldn't threaten you with castration."she pointed out.

"I do like the view, but you didn't have to give it to me...the others can have it..."she said looking around her, looking utterly overwhelmed at how big it was. Hunching a little on herself, clinging to her bag, not sure what to do with all this space. Feeling battered, this was just so, so much. The depression aged woman feeling utterly lost here.looking around as she dropped her bag into the living room, she looked upset and fidgety, at odds with her usual calmness as she looked around, "thanks tony."she said knowing he'd done a good thing, and it w as snt his fault this just tripped every anxiety and fear she had. Not wanting to make him feel bad."I do like art. Wanted to go to school for it before the war."Stephanie said looking amazed as she followed him to the art corner, tears filling her eyes, this much thoughat fulness was just to much h for her as she saw the art supplies.
 
"....that asshole!" Tony snarled. "he was always the sort of bastard who liked to know things you didn't." he growled, eyes narrowing with rage at the idea of his old man fucking with him before he shrugged it off. "eh, thinking about it makes my brain hurt." he admitted before smiling a little. "my old man was scared to death of her." he admitted. "he used to tell me this story, about how he'd tried to flirt with her and she'd put him on his back so hard he couldn't breath for twenty minutes." he admitted before smirking at her. "so i've heard." he admitted. "don't worry. i won't tell a soul." he promised with a snicker. "old man told me about the time you cleared his wallet. you got like, what, three thousand dollars off him?" he wondered before shaking his head. "nah. granted, i hate the filthy show but if you like it that's fine." he promised with a smile. "it's kind of a game of sorts." he explained. "like football, only stupid." he admitted with a chuckle before shaking his head. "no no. not NAt. Pepper. Pepper's the scary one." he informed her. "very scary." he admitted with a nod.

"the others aren't allowed." Tony said with a sniff. "they have their own rooms." he promised her. "Clint also has the vents so if you hear weird noises, i promise it's not rodents or a sneak or anything, it's just birdbrain being snoopy. feel free to shoot him. or taze him, that's always loads of fun." he admitted with a grin before watching her. "Stephanie... Steph..." Tony hesitated and then set a hand on her shoulder. "i know this is hard for you, i can't begin to admit i have any idea." he admitted. "i know you didn't exactly want to come here either but you are here and you won't have to handle this alone anymore, okay? if there's anything i understand, it's being alone, i know how hard it is and how much it sucks. how much it can hurt. your not alone anymore, i know we didn't get along too well before, but that's because i'm an ass and felt like i had something to prove." he admitted. "i'm here to help, with anything you need. and if i can't help you then one of the others can." he smiled at her. "we're the Avengers. we're a clan, a family. we'll be there for you, just like we know you'll be there for us. we support each other, and your our Captain." he admitted with a smile. "you helped us through the end of the world. now let us help you, okay?"
 
"He was. It was always a pain in the ass."he said making a face as he considered that before snickering."she was. Watching him get punched was great."she looked amused before smirking."nearly. Bought us all Christmas presents that year with your dad's money. He never played with me again though."she he said calming a little, well. Okay. Shows she could understand, maybe she could do this.

"Okay. And jarvis will let me know if they're going to come in?I mean, I don't mind company, I just don't like being startled."she frowned a little before snorting."I know. I've heard all about the man sized vents. If you didn't want him in them, you wouldn't have made them big enough for him to be in them."she pointed out well aware they were oversized because tony had found out clint liked vents.startling as be touched hrf, the slightly tall ed r woman looked at him with wide eyes as she hugged herself, huddling into the shield issued Hoodia she was wearing."...I didn't want to stay there...they...just gave me a room.it wasnt....they tried to recreate my old apartment. Played a baseball game I'd attended as if it was just hwppening...I couldnt...stay there. It was worse then this modern stuff."she said looking around her before focusing on tony, who despite not wanting to, looked so much like Howard and mafia it hurt. Not because she'd particularly liked either of them, but because it was all part of everything she lost. She hadn't really grieved yet, having simply woke up, and gone back to the missikn. For her, it'd just been weeks since she went on ice, weeks since she'd lost jamie."this...this is the end of the world for me. Aliens werent."she said looking so depressed, because a world without jamie wasn't what she wanted. She'd never had anyone but jamie, so for her, the world was coming apart, and she had no idea how to live in it now. Which no one had undersood, well phil probably would have known, just how dependant the captain was on her second in command, no one realized that her world had ended long before she'd hit the ice.
 
He nodded. "wish i could have seen it." he admitted with a sigh.he'd made it no secret that he had hated Howard. "Christmas always sucked." Tony admitted. "never really saw the appeal."

"of course. no one can enter another persons living quarters without permission and Clint won't be able to get in, or even look in through the vents without your permission." he assured her. "the only exemption is emergency override. if i'm bleeding to death he'll let me in so you can stop me bleeding to death and if you fall and crack your head he'll let Bruce in so he can make sure your not dying but unless it's an emergency you have to have permission before you can go into the personal areas." he promised before he sucked in his breath through his teeth. "Jesus. seriously?! that's not... no. that's not how it works." he said, shaking his head. "i can't believe Fury thought that would be okay." he admitted, scowling a little before shaking his head. "your welcome here for as long as you need, or want." he promised, smiling at her before frowning, worried. "...oh Stephanie. don't you see? your world might have ended, but you have a whole new start." he promised her. "everything changes, but it just means that you have a chance to be truly happy. no more hiding who you really are, no more needing to pretend. you can be who you want to be. grieve, yes, but don't let the past drag you down until you don't want to live anymore." he suggested before doing something Tony never did. he gently pulled her into a hug. holding her so she could cry. it was very well known that Tony hated touching, being touched too, so that he felt comfortable enough to hold her so she could feel some sort of comfort, that was a big thing. "i know it's hard. but you can get through this. your too strong to give up now, yeah?"
 
“Good.I’ve never really had space that was totally my own.”She said sounding thoughtful, before snorting slightly. “Hm, letting you guys in if your hurt is fine. Not sure what I could do,but you can come in.”she said sounding bemused before nodding a little, looking away. “It would have almost been okay, if they hadn’t chosen a game I attended. I mean....I was waking up. I guess they thought it’d be easier if I thought no time had past...but they chose a game me and Jamie had gone to, just made me think Red Skull had me, broke out, ran in the middle of times square, which was a even more traumatic introduction to modern times, then if they’d simply told me.”She said shuddering a little. “It was only after that Agent Coulson had told me they tried telling the council it wouldn’t work, but the doctors thought it was best, not taking in that a grumpy, grieving super soldier waking up was going to be bad, no matter what.”She shrugged a little, ucking her head a little as she listened to his words, thinking about it. Tensing at his words, not about to admit to having put her healing abilities to the test, which was part of why fury had moved her here, he might not know about the suicide attempt, but he suspected it. Startling even more as he hugged her, she shuddered, preparing to pull away, well aware he didn’t like touching, before slumping into his hold, taking the comfort. “yea, I guess.”She muttered. “Sir, Ms. Potts is looking for you. Should I tell her where you are, or that you are currently unavailable?”Jarvis asked, souning regretful for interrupting, but knowing pepper well enough to know it needed taken care of before she got even more annoyed then she already was
 
he nodded. "it was a shock for me too when i was younger." he admitted with a smile before chuckling. "you can call nine one one and tell Jay to let them in while staunching the blood flow and making sure we stay awake. simple enough process." he admitted. "Jarvis would normally do it himself, but there's a problem with his programming yet that i haven't been able to fix." he admitted. "he can't tell good guys from bad guys yet." he admitted with a smile before shaking her head. "so you where traumatized twice in the space of a twenty minute period and people wonder why your having trouble adjusting." he muttered dryly. "people are morons. o, no, you know what? Shield is morons. about the only people there with any hint of a brain is... was, Phil, Nat Clint Fury and Hill." he admitted. "and even then they tend to have their stupid moments." he admitted he pretended to not notice the way she tensed, it wasn't his business yet but he'd put Jarvis on Self Harm watch just in case. "Tell Pep i'm busy." Tony ordered. "i'll be up in twenty." he promised, not even twitching when Jarvis spoke, just sitting there, holding Stephanie because she needed it more than Pepper did. "are you feeling better?" he asked her after a moment, smiling at her. "you want to come meet Pepper?" he offered her. "she helped pick out most of your room." he admitted. "your probobly starving too, they told me you needed to eat a lot more so i made sure to order enough pizza to feed an army." he admitted. "and don't worry about leftovers, whatever you me and Pepper and the assassin twins can't eat, Bruce polishes off." he paused. "i saw him eat three full turkeys, an entire casserole and a pumpkin pie once." he admitted. "it was epic. in a really frightening sort of way." he admitted with a chuckle. "you have a favorite kind of Pizza?" he asked her. "let Jay know so he can order some for you." he suggested with a smile. "he's going to order at least three for you." he admitted. "but if you need more let him know that too. i figure if i just get you the same amount of food that Bruce typically needs it would be okay but it was a guess so feel free to correct me." he brightened. "you should meat Gandalf too!" he admitted. Gandalf was a fifteen pound, male, Skogkatt that wandered as he pleased through the tower. "he might sneak into your rooms." Tony admitted. "but he's harmless even if he is a damn Houdini." he admitted with a smile.
 
"Ah. Okay. That's good to know."she smiled pleased with the idea of having some way to help, even if she didn't like the idea of her team being hurt."pretty much....natAsha was my 'nurse', I don't think they could have chosen a worse nurse to look after me. A 1940s nurse she is not."she snickered a little, before laughing."they have their moment, but according to them, you have your moments of dumbassery to."she teased a little. Relaxing when he didn't call her out for going tense at that. Swallowing hard as she heard jarvis say he'd tell pepper, frowning a little."you can go. I'm okay. Don't want her to be upset."Stephanie said starting to pull away, looking blotchy and embarrassed at her breakdown."...yea...I'd like to meet pepper."she said wiping her eyes as she pulled away. Steady for the moment."...that's alot of food. Are you sure it's okay to have that much?"even after being told it was okay to eat as much as she wanted, she hadnt. Not when she was used to going to bed hungry because if she ate her fill, the rest of her teamwould go hungry."threes fine jarvis...and pepperoni and cheese."she requested, looking unused to being able to request what she wanted to eat before snorting amused."I'm sure I'll meet him soon enough. According to clint, gandalf spends more time in the vents then he does."though the amusing fact was clint had to be the one helping him up there since all the entrances were to high for the cat on his own."let's go see the others. Clint and Natasha said they were heading back here when they finished their mission today."
 
"...yeah, Natasha doesn't do 'harmless' well." he admitted with a chuckle. "i do not! i am always super brilliant!" he complained. "pepper will be fine. Pepper's not the one drowning." he muttered, smiling at her. "don't sweat it. we all have our breakdowns." he admitted. "remind me to tell you about what i did on my last birthday... i was dying, but that's not the point." he said with a smile. "of course i'm sure. i have to buy that much for Bruce and i can eat an entire large on my own now and Pepper can sure as hell pack it away." he admitted with a chuckle. "to be honest, a months worth of food bill doesn't even put a dent in my daily income so it's no hardship on me." he promised. "i can afford to keep us all fed and full." he promised with a smile. "no problem." he promised her before grinning. "i should have known. just don't pick on Pepper okay? he gets the vegan pizza. it's nasty." he admitted. "and Clint puts fish on his, which is also nasty and Bruce puts spinach and mushrooms on his, which is also nasty." he admitted with a nod. "Gandalf likes the vents." Tony agreed with a chuckle. "it's gotten to the point that i set up some cat towers so he can get up on his own because i'm short and can't lift that heavy ass beast into the vents." he huffed, sulking. that was what happened when you where malnourished for most of your childhood. you grew up to be small and short. dammit. he brightened at the idea of Clint and Nat stopping in.
 
“she doesn’t.”Stephanie agreed before frowning a little, but letting him convince her not to move just yet. Worried about offending pepper, but not wanting to pull away just yet. “Hmmm, I heard, Pissing in the suit, eating doughnuts in a big doughnut....fun stuff.”She teased a little before nodding a little. “Okay...well, as long as you can afford it then.”She said perking up a little at the idea of having food, enough food. Rolling her eyes a little. “I’m not the one here who makes fun of everyone.”She pointed out before snorting, “So that’s how he’s been getting up. Clint couldn’t figure out where he was getting in.”She looked amused as she looked down at the man, just a bit. Only a inch taller then him without shoes, but in her combat boots she was nearly three inches taller. Though she was slender and looked more breakable then him. Stepping into the living room she smiled. “Sorry, Ms. Potts, he was showing me around.” “Ah, it’s okay. When Jarvis said he was with you, I figured work could wait till after dinner.”Pepper smiled a little as she considered the two, “Jarvis said the pizza, and the rest of your team, including bruce who I told he better be up here before the pizza was, should be here within a few minutes.”
 
he flushed a little. "i didn't actually pee in it..." he lied, making very sure not to make eye contact with her. "Besides, Fury was totally being a dick." he admitted. "i don't even actually work for him so i don't see why he should get to boss me around." he grumbled, sulking before grinning at her. "i could stop all incoming money and just use whats in my accounts and i'd still be able to feed all of us, plus Thor for about five years." he promised. "it's nothing to be fussy about." he promised with a smile. "i don't make fun of everyone! just the people i like." he sniffed. "or the people i hate... okay everyone." he agreed with a sigh before grinning. "got tired of him bitching at me." he admitted with a chuckle. "hello Pepper." he chirped at her, sweeping her into a hug before dancing away to poke at something else, pretending she wasn't there to make him do work. "it annoys me that Bruce listens to you." he complained, pouting at her before grinning when Bruce indeed did come up, looking as normal as he always did. the little bastard could go three or four days without sleep and be just fine. thankfully for all of their sakes, Bruce couldn't stand the idea of being dirty, so he took a shower at least once a day and he never skipped food like Tony would. granted, Bruce might eat in the lab, but he never ever actually skipped a meal. "Hey Guys!" Clint called, walking in. "Nat and Phil are going to be a while. they're doing nasty old person sex." he admitted, looking both amused and annoyed.
 
“uh-huh. Whatever you say.”Stephanie said looking amused as she glanced at him, rolling her eyes a little. “You offered to be a consultant. And let his people move in with him. I think you’re sorta working for him.”She pointed out before relaxing, looking pleased. “Good.”She said relaxing at the knowledge they’d be okay. Before snorting. “It’s everyone.”She agreed as she smiled at pepper. “Hello, Tony.”Pepper said rolling her eyes as he hugged her, watching stephanie head for the kitchen to get drinks. “I know it does. But you listen to me, the Captain listens to me, everyone listens to me. It’s my gift, for making stubborn people listen.”Pepper said looking amused. Laughing out loud when Clint walked in. “Nasty old people sex?”Stephanie said walking in, sipping her coke, looking at Clint with such a look of wide eyed innocence. “Is that different from normal people sex?”
 
he sulked a little. "never signed any paperwork though." he huffed, sulking before shrugging. "no, i let my friends, i don't have many of those, move in with me." he admitted. "in any case the assassin twins don't actually live here." not that Tony didn't want them to. they just didn't want to make that step yet. they sort of lived half at the tower half at shield HQ. "i don't listen to you! i never listen to you! Blasphemy!" he complained, pouring himself some coffee. why he kept a coffee machine in the living room no one knew, not even him, but he did and he loved it. "oh! uh, hey Steph.... yeah... uh, no. not really. it's just gross because Phil and Nat are old..." he explained, a red flush creeping up his neck, the only indication that he was embarrassed. "so how do you know they're having sex in the first place?" Tony wondered, Clint flushing more, looking decidedly uncomfortable as he glanced at Steph. "oh... uhm. i walked in on them. that's all."
 
“Ah, well. I don’t have many friends either.”Stephanie said smiling slightly. “and they’re thinking about it. Apparently, they think they’ll have more privacy here.”Stephanie said before snickering at tony’s words. “You do. Sometimes.”Pepper said looking at her boss in amusement, because no matter what positions they changed, or did, he was still the boss. “Ah. I thought you and here were the same age.”Stephanie said, looking so serious, that it didn’t even appear she was laughing inside. She was so very serious as she watched clint as she sat down, curling up on the couch. “Go on. I know there’s a rant to go with this. You came to complain, go ahead and do it.”Stephanie said looking interested
 
Tony smiled a little. "good! i want them to move in. they're safer here." he admitted before sulking at Pepper. "never! not ever! such lies!" he complained. "nah, Nats about five years older than me, she's totally an old lady." he admitted with a grin before blinking at her, hesitating before bursting into a rant about 'sacred territory', Phil's office in this case. Clint didn't care if they did nasty old person sex in her office, but Phil's was neutral territory that he had to go into hundreds of times a day and they really should have the decency to not fuck where he'd walk in on them. "it's Sacred! Sacred! oh hey Nat." Clint said, flushing as he realized she had probobly been listening to him for a while. "...old people sex?" Phil demanded, making Clint wince and smile sheepishly. he was going to pay for that.
 
“Ah. Well, then I must be ancient then.”Stephanie said snickering a little as she sipped her drink, leaning back as she started to eat the pizza pepper brought in, sipping it slowly, looking amused as she listened to clint. Even if she wasn’t moving, her eyes watched the fit and slender archer move, watched his hands as he gestured, watched the play of muscles over his arms, almost to distracted that she didn’t even hear the other two come in. “....Old lady? And you walked in with the door shut. That’s not our fault.”Natasha said watching him with that tiny little smirk that said she was going to get him back, when he least expected it.
 
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