Pepper's Forceful Advice (Avengers Fanfiction)

11

Tony sent me upstairs to follow one of his suits while he was in the lab.

The suit sat on the couch with its leg crossed and arms spread out on the back of the couch.

"Down," the suit ordered, looking down at me.

I stared at it for a moment before laying down on the floor with a huff, eyeing the giant rabbit in the window as I put a paw under the couch to get one of the bones I'd stashed there.

The suit stared down at me and sighed before looking back in the direction of the door.

I heard the door open after a bit of gnawing on the bone, "I'm sorry I'm late. I was... What the...? What is that?!" I heard Pepper question as she walked inside.

"You're wearing this in the house now? What is that, like Mark 15?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Uh...yeah. Something like that. You know everybody needs a hobby," Tony told her, I twitched an ear in his direction as the bone made a small crunch.

The two spared me a glance, "Oh, and you have to wear your hobby in the living room?" Pepper raised her eyebrow at him.

The suit got up and walked towards her, "Just breakin' it in. You know, it's always a little pinchy in the gooey bag at first, so..." Tony trailed off and the suit shook its butt, causing Pepper to laugh.

"Oh hey, did you see your Christmas present?" Tony asked.

I eyed the rabbit outside. "Yes, I did. I...I don't know how I could have missed that Christmas present. Is it gonna fit through the door?" I don't think Pepper knew what to do with it either.

I personally hoped it would stay outside.

"Well actually, uh...it's a good question. I got a team of guys comin' tomorrow, they're gonna blow out that wall," Tony pointed at the wall.

I huffed a breath and got up, heading to the kitchen. I ignored the two, I wasn't sure why Tony didn't just come upstairs. I slipped through the dog door Tony'd installed to go use the bathroom, but when I got back in, it was pretty easy to hear that Pepper had found out that wasn't Tony.

"Hey, I admit it! My fault. Sorry," Tony was saying, chasing Pepper up the stairs.

I rolled my eyes and laid down on the dog bed that was by the door.

"I'm a piping hot mess. It's been going on for a while, I haven't said anything," I heard Tony say.

I felt like that was a bit of an understatement, but Tony needed to get this out.

I heard steps stop before slowly walking back down the stairs, "Nothing's been the same since New York," Tony started.

"Oh really? Well, I didn't notice that, at all," Pepper's tone was tinted with sarcasm.

Tony ignored that and continued, "You experience things and then they're over and you still can't explain 'em. Gods, aliens, other dimensions. I...I'm just a man in a can. The only reason I haven't cracked up is probably because you moved in. Which is great. I love you, I'm lucky. But, honey, I can't sleep. You go to bed, I come down here. I do what I know, I tinker," he let her process that for a moment before continuing, "But threat is imminent, and I have to protect the one thing that I can't live without. That's you. My suits, they're uh..." Tony trailed off, trying to find the word.

"Machines," Pepper finished.

"But they're part of me," he told her honestly. I perked up my ears and raised my head.

"A distraction," she corrected him. That was also true.

"Maybe," Tony admitted, I pulled myself out of the dog bed to go sit in the doorway.

Pepper was walking closer to Tony. "I'm gonna take a shower," she informed as Tony sat on the couch.

"Okay," I guessed he would wait there for her to get out.

Pepper turned and took a few steps towards the bathroom before she stopped, sending a look over her shoulder, "And you're gonna join me."

I lowered my head to hide my eyes with my paw.

"Better," was all Tony said as he all but launched himself off the couch to follow her.