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Ripples in the Water (Marvel)- Fox/Lady

“You have such a fetish.”Gwen said smirking a little, letting her voice slip slightly, sounding like her mother slightly. It wasn’t a natural accent since she hadn’t been raised there, but her mother was british, so she could mimic her fairly well. “ah, well. I still shriek and I didn’t bunk with rats.”pepper snickered a little. “Only the toaster misbehaves. These ones are cute and cuddly nearly.”Gwen snickered as she crouched down to scoop up the small bot that was no bigger then her palm. “Roo, beep a hello to the good captain.”She ordered grinning as the bot chirped brightly, it amused her that tony had created a AI that controlled all the bots, she found them adorable mostly. “Ah. Yea, I’m sure you liked the kindle. Though you can still get books. Remind me, I’ll show you the nearest bookstore later.”Pepper promised looking amused. “You’re very welcome, Steve.”Gwen smiled at steve, looking pleased that at least he wasn’t hungry at the moment. “We’ll keep him well fed, don’t look so worried, Tones.”Gwen teased as she leaned back into her chair with a smile.
 
Tony shivered a little and gave her a glance and a smirk, the only sign he knew what she was doing. he wasn't turned on the way he normally was though, the thought of having sex made him want to curl up and cry. he wasn't sure he was even physically capable anymore, not that it mattered since he was too broken and scarred and shattered to have the urge anymore anyway. "The toaster does not misbehave! she's just terrified of you because you yelled at her." Tony sulked, Steve chuckling before hesitating when Gwen picked one up. he wasn't sure someone should be handling those, he'd read the comics! he knew robots where going to take over the world someday! had these people never seen the Matrix?! he had! "...you named it Roo?" he asked, hesitantly patting the little thing as gently as he could. "i'd love to go to a bookstore." Steve agreed, happier now that the robots where gone. "i'll have to get some cash out of the ATM." "uh, Steve? you do realize you can use that card anywhere right?" "yes. but if i use it people from shield will swarm and i want to take my time at the bookstore." "ah. even if you use mine?" Tony asked, Steve smirking. "they're stupid Tony but not that Stupid. they know, by now, that i'm here. if the shopping trip with all those pictures of us together didn't clue them in, then the hundreds of pizza's you ordered surely did. not to mention one of them was following us the entire time." he admitted. "doesn't matter what card i use, they'll swarm and i'm not one pissing with them yet." that made Tony laugh.
 
Gwen smiled back at him, tilting her head as she considered him. Concern tightening her features as she considered him before looking at the other two, not wanting to worry him just yet. He was happy, that was all that mattered. “She burns my toaster Tony, it’s horrible. And I haven’t yelled at her since I found out she was a she!I apologized and she’s still upset with me. I felt horrible!”Gwen said, indeed she was quite upset that her toaster didn’t like her, and didn’t that say something about the state of her life. “It is named roo. They’re very dedicated to cleaning up.”She said smiling as she sat the bot down, smiling softly as she watched it go away. “Ah. That makes sense. And of course even if you use yours. Even if they were that stupid, tony, you’re still under watch. They realized as soon as you went out with him....I’m actually surprised no one’s showed up here yet really.”Pepper said snickering a little as she realized steve was enjoying giving the agents a hard time.
 
Tony had looked away before he saw the concern on her face, which was good because otherwise he would have gone overboard happy trying to calm her down and it would only have made everything worse. "that's weird. she shouldn't be acting out like that if you apologized... i'll come by and take a look." he promised. "uhm. hello then Roo." Steve muttered. he was going to have a hell of a time with Dum-E at this rate. let alone Butterfingers, U and Hey, Stop That. "ys exactly." Steve admitted with a smirk. "i'm not sure what they hope to accomplish hunting me like this, but they are too young, too fresh and way, way too modern to manage to catch me." he admitted with a smirk. "no offense meant of course, but avoiding technology is almost laughably easy. it hasn't made the world better, it's just made us all more lazy." Tony just nodded because it was very true. he exploited that fact all the time after all. or he'd used to. "Tony frightens them." Steve admitted. "i've heard some of them talking about it, they think he's a sociopath, or something. i don't get the fear but.." he shrugged. "if it keeps them away who am i to complain? they're not worth Tony's time anyway."
 
“Well, happy should be bringing her here if he’s getting all my stuff. So she’ll be here to look in on.”She smiled at him. Grinning as the robot chirped at Steve before going back to her job. “I totally can’t wait till he goes to the lab sometime.”Pepper snickered at the idea, amused at the thought of steve meeting all the bots, before snorting. “he can’t take offense at something that he complains about alot, and exploits even more.”She said looking amused. “....He’s adorable. Sorta like a puppy. How could you be afraid of him?”Gwen snorted looking amused at tony, ruffling his hair as she put their dishes in the sink. “Come on genius. I know you. You’re probably ready for some lab time before bed.”
 
"That's true. i'll wait for Happy then." Tony agreed with a nod before snickering at Pepper. "i think i'll start him on Dum-E. Hey, Stop That might be too much for him." the robot was named that for a reason after all. "what? i can't help it if people are exploitable." Tony complained, making Steve laugh because, hey. Tony wasn't doing anything bad. "he is a bit like a puppy. there have been rumrs though, something about crying interns?" "Oh... that... yeah." Tony flushed a little and then shrugged. "they couldn't keep up with me. they always come in here thinking they're hot shit and so smart so i take em down to my lab for an hour. so far only one kid has come close to being able to keep up with me, but he was just in awe being in stark towers so i never took him to the lab because he didn't need the lesson in reality. i'll be offering... what was his name Pep?" Tony asked. "right, Peter Parker a position in the Stark Labs once he graduates." "that's it? they went into your lab? did you experiment on them or something?" "nah. i showed them specs and told them they had an hour to tell me what it was." Tony admitted. "...might have been torture. none of them ever came close to realizing it was my personally modified car engine." Tony admitted with a grin before beaming at Gwen. "i've had a few ideas." he admitted, smiling at her. "are you sure it's okay though? we have guests..." Tony was a social dunce, but even he knew it was rude to abandon guests. "i'm fine Tony. go be a genius. i'm going to go pull money out of the ATM and see if i can't screw with some shield agents while i look for an art supply store." well, if Steve said it was okay then it was okay right? "and a bookstore."
 
“Yea, probably. Trying to play fetch with Hey, would probably confuse him.”Gwen snickered a little. “Ahhh...those.”Pepper winced snorting a little at the knowledge, because the first few times she’d heard about it, she’d tried to stop it from happening, until she realized tony wasn’t doing anything bad. Simply trying to find someone to work with, and it made her really wish she had a way to get in touch with bruce banner, if only because she knew tony could use someone to talk to. And even with her, gwen, and steve in the tower with him now, she had a feeling that the ‘green rage monster scientist’ would be able to talk science at tony when he was upset, would be even bigger help. “A few of them tried to tell tony he was doing something wrong, and just making something up. A nonsense drawing, to fuck with them.”Gwen made a face. “Peter parker.”Pepper supplied looking amused. “Yes, I’m sure. They’re not guests. Steve and pepper are moving in right? So they’re always going to be here, and you need lab time.”Gwen soothed, smiling slightly. “Besides, pepper’s more then capable of looking after steve for a few hours if he needs it.” “Well, I can at least find him a bookstore.”Pepper said looking amused.
 
"Dum-E plays fetch, not Hy, Stop that." Tony reminded her with a grin. "Hey, Stop That is the one who steals." he admitted with a snicker, Steve blinking a little. "huh..." he blinked a little and then. "and what did he say to that?" "that even if i was messing with their heads it was their fault for wasting an hour to figure that out." Tony admitted. "i never tell them what it is because last time people came in already knowing it because the others tattled and told, the cheats." Tony huffed, sulking. "Well i'm intending on staying for a while. i've never felt so safe somewhere before. if that's alright? i'm sure i can find a way to help out around here and keep myself from being a nuisance." he admitted before smiling at Pepper. "you don't have to. i'm sure i've taken up a lot of your time already." he admitted, a bit worried he was taking advantage of her. he wanted her to like him, though he wasn't entirely sure why.
 
“Ah. See, I’ve been out of the lab to long, I’ve forgotten what your bots are like. See, you should have invited me back earlier.”She teased smiling at her boyfriend. “I’d be more concerned about the interns being psycho then tony, considering some of the curses I’ve heard from them on their way out the door.”Gwen snorted amused. “It’s fine. Really.”Gwen promised looking at the other. “He might look like a puppy, but he sorta adopts his people as lost puppies, and we never really leave any time.”Pepper said smiling slightly, “And it’s no trouble. A break from doing things is good.”Pepper smiled at the man, “Any paperwork that needed done this week, is already done, and my secretary knows how to reach me if I’m needed. Working for tony, I can never leave anything to last minute to do, otherwise he’s liable to toss a monkey wrench into the workings, and totally mess up things, and not let me get any work done. So, taking a break to go with you, is fine.”Pepper overexplained a little, smiling at the other watching gwen and tony head down for the lab. Wondering if they really would be okay.
 
Tony smiled at her sadly. "i should have. i feel better than i have since i got home." he admitted before he scoffed. "several of them where super-villains before i ever got near them so blaming all those incidents on me and my actions is totally incorrect!" Tony whined before smirking a little to himself as Pepper assured Steve that she was fine to go with him. "well, the company would be pretty swell if you really feel up to it." Steve admitted with a grin. "i suppose Tony is really very spontaneous then?" he asked with a smile. "more like off my rocker. i'm nuts." Tony admitted with a grin because he had a shiny certificate saying so. well, medical report, but he had it framed like a certificate. "he'll be okay and if he's not, i'm sure Jarvis can call us on my phone." Steve admitted, smiling at Pepper. "come on, i'll treat you to some books if you like, do you like to read?" he asked her, his head tilted.
 
“Good. You should feel better.”She smiled a little before snorting, looking amused. “they might have been.”She agreed looking amused at tony’s whining. “I am. Let’s go then.”Pepper said before snorting. “He is nuts. Excitable, any word that describes instantous insane chaos, that’s tony. If there’s a explosion going on, a war happening, tony’s probably elbow deep in the mess. And don’t even get me started on when he’s deprived of caffeine.”Pepper snickered nodding as they left. “Of course I will, Captain.”Jarvis promised as they did, sounding pleased that pepper was taking a break for herself. “I do. Though these days, I’ve rarely had time to read. But I’m sure we can find something.”She said as they headed down the block, having every intention of getting coffee and books.
 
Steve smiled a little, watching Tony, looking very amused before following Pepper, grabbing his ball cap and a jacket, winking at her. "I don't do wars anymore!" Tony protested. "but i do like explosions, they're fun." he admitted with a grin. "Coffee addict? there are worse things." Steve admitted, thinking of the heroin and cocaine addicts he'd seen on the TV and on the streets. "Thank you Jarvis. do you have my number?" he was pretty sure the guy did but he liked to be sure. "Tell Tony he needs to calm down so you can take breaks." he suggested. "i bet if he knew how hard you worked yourself he'd be appalled." Steve admitted, anking on his hat and trotting across the street tot he ATM, pulling out the limit and stepped back, winking at her and pressing a finger to his lips. "watch this." he whispered, grinning widly, waiting five minutes before the Shield Agents started swarming. he knew his shadows where there, watching as well but they never interfered. "Hey! He went that way!" Steve yelled when he felt there where enough agents. a good portion of them raced down the street after 'him' while the others scowled at Steve and rushed him instead. not that they got anywhere. Steve simply stepped into an alley and all bt vanished, confusing the hell out of the agents when he appeared by Pepper's side again, smirking at her. "Run!" he told her, laughing as he set off at a brisk walk down the street so she could keep up, grinning as he tucked them into a crowd, hunching down so he appeared much smaller, the agents streaming through the crowd, missing him completely, making Steve snigger. "having fun?" he asked Pepper with a grin, slipping out of the crowd and into a Cafe so they could get some nice coffee.
 
"I know you dont."pepper teased before nodding."normal people are addicted. I'm not sure if there's a world to be able to describe tony's love affair with coffee."pepper grinned as jarvis reassured them that he had both their numbers in case they were needed. "I would if he wouldn't try to do the work himself. It'll just be worse if he knew."she said tiredly, because she was worried enough about tony that she didn't want to burden him anymore. Grinning as she realized what steve was doing. Giggling like a maniac as she noddedducking into the coffee shop and getting them both their coffees."that's the most fun I've had since tony went missing. Thanks steve."she smiled, her worry over tony forgotten for the moment.
 
Steve snorted. "i take it obsession isn't a strong enough word either." he guessed with a grin. "it's my life blood! the only thing more important to me than Coffee is Gwen, and pepper sometimes." Steve snorted and laughed a little. "What's wrong with him helping?" Steve asked, lifting an eyebrow at her. "let him help if he wants to help or hire someone to help you. there are plenty of people who could give you a hand. maybe they couldn't keep up with you, but they don't have to, they just have to help you keep up with Tony right?" he asked with a smile. "tell you what. i'll start helping you." he offered. "i've had to do my fair share of secretary work, i might not know the modern standards but i'll learn quick." he promised before grinning at her. "i'm glad you had fun. i love screwing with them." he admitted, happily accepting the darkest black coffee they had available. he missed boiled coffee but this was almost close. "So. give them ten minutes to find out they won't find me and we'll head to the bookstore." he offered, smiling at her. "hows that sound?" he offered with a smile. "we can ask the people at the bookstore if they know where an art supply store is." he admitted, giving his shadows a two fingered salute. it was rude, but they never seamed to care, if anything they seamed amused by Steve.
 
"No that's not a good word for it either."gwen snickered a little frowning, as she glanced at the others in amusement, rolling her eyes slightly at tony's words. She waswill aware of his priorities."he'll be even more frustrated if he tries....he has problems with reading and paperwork. He understands writing, but it's hard on him....don't tell him you know, it'll upset him, but I'm telling you cause he tries to read and freaks out some. So you need to know, since I'm sure you'll be comparing book notes."pepper smiled slightly. "Yes...that would be okay. If you think you would want to."she said smiling at him."that was fun."she agreed looking amused. Sipping his drink before nodding. "Okay we'll go whenever you want."she smiled looking amused as the shadows saluted back, amused as she nodded."they should know where a art shop is."
 
"No, it's not really." Tony admitted with a shrug, completely un-bothered. Gwen was literally the only person he would ignore coffee for. sometimes he'd do it for Pepper too but only if she was really mad or really upset. "oh. he has Dislexia right? James had that." He admitted. "isn't there anything that can be done? i mean, this is the modern age right?" normally, there where special tricks and things that could be done to help, but Tony had such a bad case that there was nothing that could actually be done to help him other than stop trying to make him do reading and writing. in school, Tony had someone read his texts aloud to him, and the tests where read to him. Howard had been livid, claiming Tony was just trying to get attention and tried to stop the teachers from 'coddling the little shit' but they where able to ignore Howard. Tony actually didn't read at all, anything he 'read' was actually listening to on Audio Book. still, it worked. "i won't let him know i know." he promised with a smile. "James was pretty touchy about it too." he admitted. "i'd like to." he admitted with a smile. "i hate not having anything to do, so helping you would help us both out." he admitted with a grin before jerking a thumb at his shadows. "those two follow me everywhere. normally they just take turns. they're pretty okay. i'm fairly sure that one is the same one who tried to convince me she was a nurse." he admitted. "they don't interfere though so i don't mind if they follow me around. i think they just make sure i don't end up in fist fights or something." he admitted before checking his watch. "the dummies aught to hav given up by now. let's get going." he offered, smiling as he held the door open for her.
 
"He does. And normally y3s, but he has such a bad case of it it usually requires jarvis to read it for him or to him to really have it make sense. Sometimes I think that's why he made jarvis in the first place, to help him read better. He either has jarvis do it, or gets the books on cd, or gwen reads to him if they're together. He's figured out a way to still enjoy reading, which is more then howard ever tried to do for him."pepper sighed a little."well then, I welcome the help."she said before glancing at the redhead sipping her own coffee across the room, looking utterly relaxed and like she belonged. If steve hadn't pointed her out, pepper wouldn't have noticed her."she doesn't look overly nursey, and like she'd have a good bedside manner. I can see why you didn't believe it...and probably. Cap getting in fist fights would do no one any good."she snickered before following him, and directing him towards the three floor tall bookstore, gringing as she watched him realize just how big it was.
 
he blinked a little and then. "well that's a good way of coping. i used to read and write all of James homework. the teachers allowed it only because they knew James couldn't read or write very well. James still did all the work but Steve did all the writing. "Howard was an ass to him wasn't he? he was... abusive to Tony?" he asked her, looking rather upset. "i thought so when you first told me i needed to be nice to him, and not to mention Howard, but i didn't want to ask in front of Tony." he admitted before smiling at her. "and i welcome being useful." he admitted happily before smirking. "actually it was her Bra. women didn't have bra's like that, a woman from the nineteen forties wouldn't be caught dead in a misbehaving lingerie like that, not to mention they where, we, pointy? the satin cups from Before would never have caused breasts to go so... weird. plus her tie, she was wearing a man's tie, and her hair was loose. no working woman would let their hair loose like that, it wasn't professional." he admitted. "i can't prove it, but I'm pretty sure it was done on purpose." he admitted with a sly grin. "a test I'm sure." he admitted. "no one knows I'm Cap though." he admitted. "as far as i know, my being revived is a pretty big secrete so far. not that I'm complaining. the anonymity is very nice." he admitted before gaping at the bookstore, nearly trembling with excitement. he paused long enough to kiss Pepper's knuckles like a gentleman before he was tearing through the shop. he got one of every book Gwen wrote and dozens of others. he got pretty much everything that looked interesting as well as history books and other such things. everything he could get his fingers on. who cared about sketches when he could own all of these precious books?! he was surprised when a man who Pepper called Happy informed them that he would take their purchases to the Car. which meant he could buy even more books! sweet. he ended up spending all six hundred dollars on books, got some more money out of the store ATM and grinned at Pepper, making sure she'd picked out at least six books for herself and even got Happy to pick out several for himself. they left the store just in time to watch a dozen or so Shield Agents swarm into the bookstore, missing Steve and Pepper completely. "...it really is kind of sad." Steve admitted with a snort. "they're just so stupid." he admitted, giving a half wave to the man lounging on the roof across the street. he always acknowledged his shadows, though he knew if they didn't want to be seen, they wouldn't be. they where one of the very few who where actually better than him. a lot better than him.
 
"It is a good way. And since he talks to jarvis about everything, all the time, no ones really figured out he had to ask jarvis to read to him, rather then simple desire not to have to stop working to read."pepper smiled before wincing. Se hated to tell him but...."yes. Extremely. Told his teachers to stop 'molly coddling' his son, and make him read on his own. Or let him use power tools at age 4 because he was finally strong enough to be of a use in the lab, and more then smart enough to help he..."she broke off the rant, shaking her head."it was bad."she muttered. "...well. considering how good they're being about following you, I'd say your probably right. To see how you'd react."pepper smiled. Grinning as she watched him load up the car with books, amused as she looked up at the man on the roof who tipped a imaginary hat in acknowledgement before disappearing over the back of the roof."well. Some of them are stupid. I think your shadows are enjoying this as much as you are."she said smiling as they headed back to the tower.
 
He nodded. "it's good people don't know. they'd treat him like he was stupid if they knew and i have a feeling that, more than anything, would really bother him." he admitted. "James used to hate it, how people would treat him normal until they found out he was 'retarded', which is apparently a huge insult these days." he admitted before going very tense. "...i always regretted never snapping Howard's neck." Steve growled before sighing. "Tony wouldn't be the person he is though i suppose. and i really like Tony so i guess it's a good thing Howard didn't get dumped in a ditch." he muttered before chuckling a little. "well. the guy, he saved me from getting mugged the other day so i guess i'm not too annoyed." he admitted with a grin. "Never got his name but the woman introduced herself as Natalia." he admitted, grinning at the 'hat tipping' before following her to the tower, stopping at an art store that was on the way to get everything he wanted, including dozens of paints, canvases, brushes, sketchpads, sketching pencils and charcoals. he loved art, always had and he saw no reason to stop just because he was in a new era.
 
"Exactly. Especially for tony, who is a tech genius who just has problems reading, would find it even more unbearable."she made a face a little shaking her head. She hated how tony would be treated, and how he had been treated before."yea, as bad as it was, it was a good thing howard didn't die."she agreed. Looking amused as they got home, she instructed happy to take his stuff up to his apartment before heading down to the lab with steve to see how tony was doing, pausing at the sight of tony and bruce banner talking excitedly while gwen looked like frustration incarnated as she tried to catch a gesturing arm to doctor the cuts that decorated it.
 
he nodded. "Tony really is a genius isn't he?" Steve asked, looking amused. "it's not just Tech right? it's everything? he can like, learn things in hours, or days or something?" he asked curiously. "you know. i bet even if Howard had been dead Tony would still have been born." he admitted with a grin. "the world needs minds like Tony's." he admitted before smiling and thanking Happy and the six 'bellhops' who rushed in to take all of Steve's things into Steve's claimed apartment. "Friend of Tony's?" Steve guessed. "he looks like he was in the middle of a war zone." Steve admitted, watching Bruce point to a screen, ignoring Gwen's attempts at first ai, Steve snorting as he moved into the room and without warning hefted Bruce off the stool by the man's armpits and hefted him onto a stool away from Tony, making sure he was facing away from Tony. "Hey!" surprisingly, the complaint came from Tony, not Bruce. Bruce was currently too bus gaping at Steve like an idiot to protest. "hold still and let Gwen take care of your wounds." Steve ordered before looking at Tony. "you can have your babble buddy back once he's been patched up." "fine!" Tony sulked, pouting.
 
"He is. He understands tech better but he can learn about anything in a few hours, or if not understand it, at least have a basic understanding of what he's talking about."pepper smiled a little."yea probably. The world does need tolny. And people like gwen to help him."of sorts. I don't think theyve actually met, but that's bruce banner."pepper said before laughing out loud as steve walked in, following him in."thanks steve. I doubt they'll ignore you like they have been me."gwen smirked looking pleased as she started to bandage him better now that the two weren't babbling or gesturing at each other.
 
Steve chuckled a little and nodded. "i thought so. Hoard claimed he was a genius but he was barely above average." he admitted. "i met a real genius you know. he didn't live past thirteen though, caught some sickness and died." he admitted. "he was smarter than the teachers and they hated that, but he had rich parents so they couldn't smack him the way they smacked the rest of us." he admitted before smiling at Pepper. "he's lucky to have you and Gwen. keep his feet on the ground so he doesn't float off in the clouds." he admitted with a chuckle. "oh, he's the one who... had that accident trying to recreate Dr. Erskine's Serum?" he asked, his head tilted. he vaguely recognized the other man from the files the one named Natalia had given him. "of course they won't ignore me. i can heft both of them over my shoulders." Steve pointed out, Bruce gaping at him. he hadn't been manhandled like that in years! for one thing he was deceptively heavy. for another thing most people scared of him. he knew, because he'd heard, that the man who hefted him like a child knew about the accident so why wasn't the idiot scared? and another thing.... "has anyone ever told you that you look just like Captain America?" Bruce asked, Steve chuckling. "yeah, hear that all the time actually. my Ma even named me Steve Rogers." he admitted with a grin because it was the total truth. Bruce was too busy trying to work that one out in his head that he didn't bother protesting the medical aid. it would be gone in a few days anyway and he couldn't get infections. "oh my god. your Captain America." Bruce said, looking stunned, turning to Tony. "He's Captain America!" "He is." "But he's dead! your dead!" Bruce complained, first to Tony, then to Steve. "nope, not dead. just frozen in the middle of a Russian ocean for seventy years. very disconcerting."
 
"Yea.. Good thing we know better then to let him chase us off."she smiled amused before nodding."yes he is. It's been a few years, but he seems to have some sort of control. At least enough that being around tony isn't inducing a hulk out yet. Which is amazing."pepper teased looking amused. "He knew before coming here to be patient. Besides, talking science is apparently worth putting up with tony's babble."gwen said looking amused as she worked, stepping back when she was finished."you could heft them. Probably at the same time actually."gwen snickered amused. "You are such a punk. How did no one know this?"pepper said laughing a little. "Shield found him, unfroze him. We found it nearly as disconcerting as he did when he actually woke up. Tony thinks the serum acted a suspended animation, cyrogentically froze him how he was when he hit the water."at least that's what pepper had understood from the bable. "It's been a busy few months, getting lost in the desert, finding the captain...."
 
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