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#Pepper Potts
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The Spiders Sister - Chapter 4
Summary: Reader goes shopping with Pepper, Wanda and Nat. It ends a bit early though when reader starts to struggle with her senses.
TW: overstimulation, flirting, speeding, domestic fluff (hehe)
Words: 3.8K
A/n I changed the floor layout my bad. Also, I planned like 16 chapters of this fic so far and there will probs be more. Now i’m just worried I’ll end up loosing interest and not finishing it 😭 and I’ve been up since 2am. I slept for two hours 💀
After a dinner of pizza and other takeaway foods Tony had bought, Wanda and you headed back to the floor with Peters room.
Stepping out of the lift Wanda led you to where you had been staying for the past few days while Nat went ahead to your new room put sheets on your bed.
Your room would be on the same floor as Natasha and Wanda’s. It was also where Yelena and Kate stayed when they were in town as well as Carol when she was on earth.
You reached the door and headed into peters room. It didn’t take long to gather your things. You grabbed the backpack with some clothes in it, all of which were dirty by now as well as your tablet, computer and sketching supplies.
Once you had shoved most of it into the bag and had your laptop in your arms you followed wanda back out the door.
Despite your very comprehensive tour of the compound, you still didn’t know where you were going.
Wanda and you got back into the lift and set out for your new room.
The lift was filled with idle chatter as Wanda caught you up on the avengers love lives. Tony and pepper were together while the rest were still living the bachelor life.
Feeling a little bold you decided to ask her.
“What about you?” You asked. “Are you seeing anyone?” You clarified when she shot you a confused look.
“Not currently.” Wanda said studying the rarely used buttons on the lift. Jarvis often did all of that for you.
“Ok cool.” You said before stuttering. “I mean not ‘cool’ but its not uncool” you began rambling only cut off by the angelic sound of Wanda’s giggles.
Your cheeks were rosy as she smiled at you.
“Your cute when your flustered.” She said with a wink just as the doors opened and she stepped out. You were frozen for a second before gathering yourself and following her out half a pace behind.
As you trailed after Wanda down the halls she turned to look over her shoulder at you. “You coming sweetheart?” She asked and you nodded speeding up your steps to walk beside her.
As you rounded another corner she slowed. “This is my room.” Wanda said gesturing to a closed door. “And that’s Nat’s.” She gestured to the door next to hers. “This is your room.” She said walking down to the door halfway between Wanda’s and Natasha’s on the opposite side of the hallway.
The door to your room was open as Nat was sat on your freshly made bed with a grin.
“Wondering when you were getting here.” Natasha smirked making Wanda roll her eyes at her.
You stepped into the room. It was large with a king bed and huge windows that let in natural light, or at least it would if it was daytime. It was past evening now and almost nine pm. The New York skyline was just as beautiful, however.
You set your bag and laptop down on the desk before sitting down next to Natasha on the bed.
The walls were white and grey. There was a big desk near the windows and a bedside table on each side of the bed. A door was off to the side which you assumed led to a bathroom. There was also a second door which must have been a wardrobe. Other than a lamp on the bedside and a Tv mounted on the wall, the room was bare.
“We’ll get thing to decorate when we go shopping tomorrow.” Nat said almost as if she could read your mind. More likely she could read your expression and body language.
“Sounds perfect.” You said with a smile.
“Do you have clothes you can sleep in tonight?” Wanda asked and you shuffled your feet before looking up at her.
“Er… no?” You said.
“Are you asking me or telling me sweetheart?” Wanda asked coyly making a blush rise on your cheeks.
“Telling?” You said still sounding unsure of yourself.
“Very well then. I’m sure Nat and I can find something for you to sleep in for tonight.” Wanda said looking to Nat for her opinion. The widow nodded and you felt yourself relax slightly.
“Thank you guys. I wasn’t looking forward to wearing dirty clothes in a clean bed tonight.’ You said sighing in relief.
“Are all your clothes dirty?” Nat asked eyeing your backpack.
“Yeah.” You huffed.
“We’ll find you something to wear tomorrow as well then, just until we can sort out some new clothes and laundry. Sound good?” Nat asked and you nodded.
“Yes, thank you.” You said.
“No need to thank us darling. Your quite welcome.” Nat purred and you felt yourself resist a shiver as her words danced close to your ear. The hair on the back of your neck swaying slightly under her breath as your skin tingled with the heat of her words.
You swallowed trying to regain your composure much to both women’s amusement.
“T-thanks.” You stuttered.
“Already said that darling.” Wanda chuckled and your blush deepened.
“Your so easy to mess with.” Nat said laughing from beside you.
You just glared at them and went to take the things out of your backpack while Wanda and Natasha left to find some clothes for you in their cupboards.
You had just finished setting down the last of your art supplies on the desk when Nat walked in loosely holding a faded black shield T-shirt that immediately knew was hers from how worn it looked. It also looked to be almost two sizes too big for Nat, so you shot her a questioning look.
She shrugged. “Its comfier to sleep in when its too big, and it kept the other boys I trained with back in the day from being able to stare at my ass.” She said with a wink.
“Whats this about Nat’s ass?” Wanda said walking in with a sly grin as your cheeks heated and you buried your face in your hands with a groan.
You heard the two of them high-five and rolled your eyes.
“Here.” Wanda said and you felt the bed dip beside you.
Wanda was holding out a pair of red track-pants which you took with a smile.
A second later Nat threw the shirt at you with a laugh as it landed on your head. You pulled it off and glared at her.
“You’re a menace.” You declared and Wanda hid a giggle behind her hand.
“Sure thing sweet cheeks.” Nat said rolling her eyes. “Now it’s bed time kiddo.” She said and motioned for wanda to leave as well.
“Im not a kid Romanoff.” You said and she smirked at the use of her last name, having been able to get under your skin successfully.
Wanda cuffed Nat but she ducked and took off down the hall. Wanda rolled her eyes and sighed. “Ignore her, she’s been drinking too much coffee lately.” Wanda said and bid you goodnight before retreating to capture the other redhead and force her to sleep.
You grinned at the shut door like a lovesick puppy before shaking yourself out of it. You changed into the clothes which smelt like them and made you feel safe.
Sliding under the sheets and getting comfy, you listened to the hallways to see if anyone was coming back. When you were met with silence, you reached over your backpack and pulled out a small white stuffed teddy.
Curling up with it under your arm, you buried your face in Nat’s shirt and fell asleep thinking of the two pretty redheads down the hall.
The next morning you were up bright and early. Having slept well for the first time in weeks.
You found your way to the communal kitchen just in time to run into Natasha who was coming back from early morning training in the compound gym.
“Hi Y/n/n.” Nat said smiling as she went to grab a bottle of cold water from the fridge.
“Morning Natty.” You said with a smile.
“You're in a good mood.” Nat said looking amused as she took a big swig from the water bottle in her hands.
“Yep.” You said popping the P.
“Do you know if Wanda’s up?” Nat asked and before you could respond someone else did for you.
“I’m up.” Wanda said entering the kitchen.
“Morning.” You smiled.
“Morning Y/n. Who wants breakfast?” Wanda asked gravitating to the pots and pans in the drawers beside you.
“I’ll have some.” You said with a smile as you took a seat by the counter.
“Put me down for some too, I’m just going to go and have a shower before breakfast then we can head out ok?” Nat said as she refilled the water bottle and put it back in the fridge.
“Sounds good.” Wanda said as she began pulling things out of the fridge.
“Umm… where are we going today?” You asked feeling a little lost. Nat had already taken her leave for a shower so it was just you and wanda now.
“Don’t tell me you forgot?” Wanda said looking amused.
“Forgot … what? … exactly?” You asked.
“The girls shopping trip?” Wanda said.
“Oh yeah!” You exclaimed sitting up a little taller in a way that made Wanda’s heart stutter.
“So… how did you sleep?” Wanda asked.
“I slept well, how ‘bout you?” You asked watching as wanda beat the pancake batter within and inch of its life.
“Good, good. It’s a bit hit and miss some nights but last night wasn’t too bad.” Wanda said vaguely as she turned around the pour the batter into the pan.
After Nat returned and the three of you had eaten what could only be described as the best pancakes known to man, you got ready and headed for the garage.
Pepper was meeting you at the shopping centre a bit later after she sorted out some stark industries meetings this morning.
“You ready?” Wanda said putting an arm around your shoulders. You jumped in surprise making Nat laugh and Wanda frown.
“Too busy daydreaming there, Parker?” Nat asked with a grin, and you glared at her.
“No, just planning your murder.” You said with a wink before blow if her a kiss that made Nat roll her eyes at you.
“Alright, enough you two.” Wanda said giving you a small shove before punching Nat in the arm.
“Get in.” Nat said opening a door for you to the backseat and waving her hand toward the car's interior.
“This feels personal.” You grumbled as the two redheads took the front seat.
“It is.” Nat grinned as the engine hummed to life. You were taking one of Tonys’ many fancy, and very expensive cars. Nat’s favourite was the Bugatti La Voiture Noire, but it was only two seats, so you were left with the choice of a Mercedes Mayback or a Ford Mustang both of which had four seats.
In the end Nat had opted for the mustang and the three of you had piled in to head off.
With Nat driving you must have arrived in record time; it was no secret the redheaded assassin was a speed demon and Tony had begun framing her speeding tickets in the garage on the wall. The government always came to her aid if the police ever tried to take her license as it was argued she needed it to quote “save New York”
Of course, you hadn’t known this before hand and had let out a small scream as Nat took off at breakneck speed out of the garage.
One very fast car trip later the three of you were stood by the door the mall waiting for pepper to join you.
It had barely been five minutes before the last redhead showed up. Pepper was actually on time; Nat’s driving had just made you all early.
As pepper walked over Nat decided to tease her a little.
“Picking up on Tony’s habits there, pep?” Nat asked.
“Oh please.” Pepper rolled her eyes. “I’m the only reason he’s even at any of his meetings at all. Without me he wouldn’t just be late, he’d be missing.” She said and Nat laughed.
“True.” The assassin nodded.
“Alright, lets do this.” Pepper said smiling at you and Wanda.
The four of you headed into the mall. It was a little crowded but nobody seemed to mind. You just crossed your fingers that your spider senses stayed in check.
Pepper had barely made it ten feet in the door before she was dragging Natasha into a very expensive looking boutique.
This was how you spent the next hour. Pepper and Wanda dragged you and Natasha around, stopping at every pretty dress shop and expensive looking store in the complex.
After about an hour you were beginning to nurse a small headache and the tingle in the back of your mind told you all you needed to know for what was going to happen.
Nat had just stopped at a rack nearby before pulling wanda over to her. Holding out a dress you saw Wanda’s lips moving as she nodded, and Nat took the dress and disappeared into the change rooms.
It was a tight red cocktail dress and when Nat came back out to show it off you swear your jaw unhinged and landed on the floor.
It hugged her in all the right places.
Wanda was too busy ogling Nat to notice your reaction but pepper snorted a laugh before covering her mouth.
Nat pouted.
“What? Does it not look good?” Nat asked and you shot pepper a pleading look but she just smiled.
“No … no. I’d just say its … jaw dropping.” Pepper said winking at you as you glared at her with flushed cheeks.
“Yeah?” Nat asked raising an eyebrow and shooting you a look. “Then I guess I’ll have to get it then won’t i?” Nat said and you nodded eagerly. “Your lucky your cute Detka.” She said as she brushed past you on her way back to the change room. “Because your drooling.” She whispered in your ear and your blush darkened a good two shades of crimson.
Your headache was still getting worse and about a half hour later it was almost reaching full force.
You had found a dress and Nat was carrying four bags, one with a dress for you and her and the other three had a few random pieces of clothing for your day to day wardrobe and some room décor.
Just as you were beginning to think you wouldn’t be able to take anymore Wanda suggested the four of you get lunch from the café downstairs.
By now you were surprised none of them had noticed your discomfort, despite trying to hide it it was still bothering you.
The fluorescent strip lights that lit the mall were too bright and seemed to be burning your retinas with each blink.
The noise level despite not exceeding regular mall noise levels was almost deafening in your sensitive ears.
Even the mixed smells of fast food and perfumes was making your head swim.
Your headache pounded behind your eyes as well as almost throughout your full skull. There was a buzzing in your ears that sounded like the electricity in the walls that simply wouldn’t shut up.
Your stomach was rolling from the mixed smells and it was just too loud and too bright.
As you slid into the booth next to Nat, with wanda and pepper on the other side facing you, you resisted the urge to crawl under the table and cry.
Your headache thundered in your ears and pounded on your skull.
Your headache was in full force and Pepper must have noticed how quiet you were being as she looked you over with a knowing gaze.
She took note of your pinched brow and slightly sweaty forehead, how you were biting down on your lip and squinting. As well as how you flinched as someone in the café banged their cutlery against their plate.
Wanda noticed peppers look and was now looking at you too with a frown which drew Natasha’s eyes to you as well.
The conversation had reached a lull as all three women studied you. You were too zoned out to notice their attention all being on you.
“Y/n?” Wanda asked slowly.
“Yeah?” You said looking up and sounding absolutely wreaked.
“Are you ok?” Wanda said looking slightly worried.
“Yeah. I’m fine.” You said not even believing your own words. Your voice was lathered in a tired tone. You shook your head while saying this only managing to anger your headache more as you winced and brought a hand to your head, squeezing your eyes shut tight.
Feeling nauseous you leant on nat and rested you head on her shoulder. Nat seemed almost surprised at your sudden desire for contact.
She held you close to her as your body relaxed into her side having no more energy to hold yourself up.
“Y/n?” Pepper asked softly.
“Mmm?” You hummed as you vaguely heard shuffling before you sensed someone close to you.
Opening an eye slightly you saw pepper crouching next to you.
“Y/n?” she asked softly. “Do you get the same thing peter does honey?” Her voice stayed low and quiet. You turned your face into Nat’s neck and weighed up your options before giving a small nod.
You miss the frown that adorns Wanda’s lips at the news that something was wrong and pepper seemed to know what it was despite you never having mentioned anything about this.
Pepper stood again and looked over at Nat and Wanda.
“She’ll be alright. Just stay here and I’ll be back. I’ll explain in a minute.” Pepper said and she took off in a brisk walk to a nearby shop.
After pepper had darted off she wove through the crowd and into a tech store, making a purchase before making one more stop and then hightailing it back to the café.
When she returned you’s seemingly not moved an inch while Wanda and Nat were talking in hushed tones. Nat had her arm around you and was holdin the back of your head into her neck as you seemed to be almost trembling from all the overstimulation.
When pepper came back Wanda sat a little straighter while Nat eyes the two new shopping bags pepper was carrying.
Pepper came to crouch beside you giving you a small nudge that set your skin on fire.
“Y/n?” She asked softly. “Can you look at me honey, you can keep your eyes shut, I promise these will help.” She said coaxing you out of Nat’s neck.
You faced her with your eyes squeezed shut as she slid a black pair of noise cancelling headphones over your ears and switching them on.
The blissful sound of quiet almost made you cry as your headache lessened. A moment later you felt pepper place something on your face before cautiously opening one eye to find the world dimmer and more tolerable.
Now decked out with the headphones and sunglasses you felt a lot better. You were exhausted and the headache was still present just less intense.
You watched as Wanda, Nat and Pepper conversed, the sound not reaching you. Pepper seemed to be explaining what was happening to them based off the sad look wanda gave you.
Pepper explained that your powers increased your senses, and that in the right conditions they were very helpful in fights. But were more than problematic in a domestic setting. She explained that it wasn’t unheard of for peter to get overstimulated when out or somewhere loud. She went on to tell them she recognised the look peter had when he tried to simple tough it out when they went out.
Wanda felt awful that your powers had caused you pain.
Nat however was already planning to talk to tony about getting something built to help.
Once pepper had explained the extent of the issue and some of the things that helped, the three seemed to change gears, looking to be making plans now instead.
After they had finished talking Pepper decided to try something.
She turned to face you and moved her hands to form some simple signs. Your face lit up in recognition.
*How are you feeling? * Pepper signed.
*tired* you signed back.
Nat and Wanda looked surprised.
“How did you know she knew sign?” Wanda asked.
“Peter seemed to know some when he first was with us.” Pepper explained. “I assumed Y/n might also know some if peter did.”
You could tell what they had asked. “My dad was hard of hearing. He taught us sign at a young age before … he died.” You said and pepper nodded.
*We are going to go home* pepper signed but you shook your head.
*you stay here, I’ll go. I don’t want to ruin things* you signed.
*nonsense* pepper signed and you knew based off Nat’s eyes she was following along.
Nat had learnt sign language from Clint in the academy when they were partners. Clint had insisted in case his hearing aid were ever damaged in a fight.
You sighed realising you weren’t going to win this one.
*ok* you signed and hesitated for a moment before continuing. *thank you*. You signed.
*your welcome* pepper signed back and Wanda offered her hand to you.
Holding Wanda’s hand, the four of you headed for the car park.
You felt bad for ruining the trip, but Nat shot you a look when she saw you getting lost in your head that banished all thoughts.
Once you were in the car, Wanda had insisted on driving. Nat was riding with pepper to try and find out more about what was going on. You kept the headphones and sunnies on the whole ride home as you zoned out slightly.
Wanda droves slowly so she didn’t throw you around while Pepper and Nat sped back to try and organise things for when you get back.
When you arrived, you were almost asleep leaning into the passenger door.
Wanda coaxed you out of the car and led you by the hand up the lift and down the hall to her room.
You were beyond exhausted as Wanda lifted the sheets and got you settled under the thick comforter.
She ordered Jarvis to dim the lights and soundproof the room. She thanked Tony for the added features in her mind as she felt you snuggle into her side.
A few moments later the door opened slightly to reveal Nat and Pepper peaking in.
“Is she asleep?” Nat asked and Wanda studied your breathing.
“Not yet.” Wanda responded.
“Well we have some pain meds for her.” Pepper said as they both came inside and handed wanda a glass of water.
After coaxing you into taking some medicine, you laid back down against Wanda was was massaging your head as you melted in her lap.
Pepper and Nat had dropped by Bruces lab to pick up peters pain meds for you before coming to Wanda’s room where Jarvis said they could find you.
You fell asleep not long after taking the medicine which had finally gotten rid of your headache.
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Where do we go from here - Part 1
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Summary: Two funerals. Two couples. A tragedy like no other. And one big secret.
A/N: Written for @fandom-free-bingo Here’s something different, I hope you enjoy it. Leave a comment, heart and reblog if you enjoyed the story.
Pairing: Tony Stark x Pepper Potts, F! Reader x Rhodey, Tony Stark x Reader (eventually)
Warning: 18+ angst, minors DNI, death, infidelity, smoking, mentions of self-harm and suicide. Hurt comfort.
Word count: 2764
Square filled: We deserve much better than we’ve had
Free Fandom Bingo Masterlist
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Empty.
That’s how you felt. Empty and utterly exhausted. Your eyes were dried and throat scratchy from all the crying, body aching with pain and mind a foggy haze. Forty eight hours it had been since you received the news of the car crash.
James Rhodes. Your husband. Dead.
Pepper Potts. Your best friend. Dead.
You received a call from the hospital while you were wrapping James’ birthday present. A birthday that never arrived. Instead a funeral did. Two consecutive ones. You hadn’t felt grief like this ever.
The service ended, you shook hands and hugged countless people, nodding along as they offered condolences, wanting nothing more than to head home, crash in your bed and never wake up. But you couldn’t. There was another funeral you had to attend, your best friend Pepper’s, you didn’t know if you could go through it all again.
But you had to.
A couple of moments later, you managed to slip away and found yourself sitting on a bench overlooking the graves. The day was actually sunny and bright, wildflowers littered along the gravestones as a gentle breeze blew. What a day for a funeral, you thought sadly.
Not long after you sat, you smelled cigarette smoke in the air before Tony Stark took a seat next to you. Tony was one of your closest family friends, well, he was your husband’s best friend. They practically grew up together, went to school, university and eventually ended up buying houses close to each other too. By way of default, when Pepper and him got married, it brought the four of you closer. She was your best friend and James was his.
It was perfect.
Your mind went back to the last dinner the four of you had at your place, it was only three days ago. Just a day before the accident.
“Here’s to celebrating milestones in friendships!”
James raised his whiskey glass, making you, Tony and Pepper follow suit before you clinked them together with warm smiles. You had cooked a nice dinner to celebrate a year of moving into this home you shared with your loving husband. It may as well have been just an excuse to get together with your friends, which happened too often.
“Thank you for dinner, Y/N. It was delicious. And the blueberry pie too! It is Tony’s favorite.” Pepper announced, making you smile at her husband who returned it, albeit reluctantly. There was something about the way he looked at you, it made you nervous, not in a bad way, per se. It was like he could stare into soul.
“It’s Y/N’s favorite as well.” James chimed in, leaning in to kiss your cheek.
While you cleaned up in the kitchen, Pepper coaxed James to let her take the new SUV out for a spin. She had been trying to persuade Tony to get the same model but apparently he wasn’t too keen on letting his Audi R8 go.
“You think I could sneak in an extra piece of pie?” Tony’s voice took you by surprise as he entered the kitchen.
“Oh! I thought you went along with James and Pep?”
“I mean it was either a piece of pie or Pepper yapping my ear off about how my R8 isn’t exactly ‘fit to be a family car’.” he shrugged, making you chuckle as you took out the remaining pie from the fridge and cut him another slice.
You were suddenly aware of your heartbeat as Tony leaned over to grab the plate from you, the close proximity unfamiliarly welcoming. His fingers grazed over yours ever so lightly, leaving their presence to linger.
What was even going on?
Tony was a good-looking man, there wasn’t a question. He had a handsome face with an impeccably maintained beard that only seemed to suit him best. And his eyes. A light brew of your favorite coffee, the brown doe eyes held as much kindness as they held self assurance. Deep down, you felt an attraction towards the man. It was harmless, wasn’t it?
Only time would tell.
“Y/N?” Tony’s fingers snapped you back to reality, making you realize he had asked you a question.
“Yeah?”
“You went into one of your zones again, didn’t you?” He smiled, taking a bite of the pie and letting out a moan of delight.
“Sorry. One of my zones?”
“Yeah. Your mind tends to wander off when the conversation isn’t interesting for you. I’ve observed.” He wasn’t wrong. The fact that he noticed and pointed it out made your cheeks flush.
“Sorry about that. It’s nothing really. I was just thinking about the time we first got together. I—I mean the four of us.”
“Right. It was a long time ago, wasn’t it?”
“It was at one of your famous parties. I walked in looking to have a good time, you and I had one too many whiskies and the next thing I know Pepper dragged you back to your house and James ended up dropping me home. And the rest is history.”
“The rest is history.” Tony repeated with a small chuckle as memories of that evening played out in his head.
“Sometimes I wonder if…um. Nevermind.” He shrugged, cutting his sentence short leaving you to frown.
“If what? Go on.”
You saw him take in a deep breath, release it slowly before facing you fully after he kept the plate away.
“I wonder if the whole opposites attract thing truly worked out for us. Or we just settled because it was obvious.”
Tony’s words stuck with you long after that night was over. As did the look he gave you. It had longing and hints of regret. Something that reflected in your eyes as well.
You must’ve been crying again because Tony reached out to wipe tears that had escaped, offering you a cigarette which you accepted, filling your lungs with smoke and closing your eyes.
“You know, I spent half of yesterday just staring at my bottle of sleeping pills, wondering if it would hurt less if I just took them.” you murmured, staring into the distance. The void inside your chest seemed perpetual and only growing, there was no relief, no end to this pain.
Tony remained silent, he probably had the same thoughts running through his mind. But you couldn’t tell. He slid closer, placing his arm over the backrest of the bench.
“I need to speak to you about the accident, Y/N. I found out some things that you have the right to know too.” his brown eyes bore into yours, letting you know the urgency in his voice.
“Tell me now.” Shaking his head, Tony stubbed his cigarette and got up.
“Tomorrow. Come home and we’ll talk.”
“But it’s Pepper’s funeral–”
“I couldn’t care less. Trust me. Tomorrow.”
You were taken aback, watching him walk towards his car before driving off while you sat on the bench, a mess of complex emotions.
.
Your right foot was bouncing against the sofa as you waited for Tony, his house felt oddly quiet and dark now that Pepper was no longer around. Safe to say your own home wasn’t exactly in the best condition either. You couldn’t remember the last time you cleaned, or had a proper meal.
He returned with a familiar looking overnight bag, some papers and a phone. As he laid them out in front of you, a pit began forming in your stomach. This couldn’t be what you were thinking it could be. It couldn’t.
“This is what they recovered from the accident. The bag was in the trunk, the phone was found a few feet away and this.”
He handed you the papers first, it looked like a confirmation of a hotel booking, a hotel located just on the outskirts of the town. It was booked under James Rhodes. Why would he check into a hotel when he was supposed to be out of town for a conference?
“I don’t understand..” you trailed off, not really wanting to know the details but Tony handed you the phone next. What you read, broke your heart into a million pieces. The doubts that you tried to push down resurfaced and had materialized right in front of your eyes.
They were chats. Chats between Pepper and James. Your husband and Tony’s wife.
Your eyes burned but no tears came, you felt betrayed, hurt and angry like you hadn’t ever. It was months and months of private conversations between them, you hadn’t even noticed Pepper’s name saved with a heart emoji on James’s phone, right below was your last message to him, checking up on him to see if he reached safely.
You turned to look at Tony who sat with his arms crossed, jaw ticking and hands balled up against his sides. He let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head before getting up to stand in front of the window that overlooked their huge backyard.
“Why didn’t–um, why didn’t the cops bring this to me?” you found your voice again but barely recognized it. It was hoarse from lack of use and weak, fearful of what you’d hear next.
“I asked them not to,” he replied quietly.
“Why?”
“Why? Seriously? You think you would’ve handled it well, Y/N? Given the things you said to me, I would be arranging for a third funeral right about now!” Tony didn’t mean to tell, but he did, because he shared your hurt and pain. He immediately regretted it watching you crumble on the floor, clutching the phone to your chest as you sobbed.
Dropping on his knees, he gathered you in his arms and let you cry, your tears soaked his shirt as you wept, body racking in pain while he held you. Your breath was still uneven but your tears eventually subsided, leaving behind a million questions.
“It had been going on for longer than a year, Y/N.” as if reading your mind, Tony mumbled, his voice muffled against your hair.
“I don’t want to believe it, Tony.”
He hugged you tighter, providing you the comfort you needed, wanted even, his presence grounded you, his scent calmed you.
“You’re staying here.” he declared once you separated, wiping tears from your cheeks and making you look up at him.
“I–I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. And you’re going to. You’re hurting, Y/N. We both are. I don’t think I could live with myself with you gone as well. I can’t.” Tony whispered, resting his forehead against yours, pleading you to stay.
He was right. You couldn’t bear the thought of returning to that house which you shared with James, your husband, also the man who had been cheating on you with your best friend for months. Given a choice, you would probably set it on fire to bury all the memories and destroy them. It wasn’t your happy home anymore.
“Will you stay?”
You nodded as he helped you back up, walking you up the stairs that led to the bedrooms.
“Wait, I can’t stay in the–”
“The guest bedroom is on your left. I’ve been sleeping there. I’ll take the other one. I can’t sleep in our bedroom either.” Tony’s lips were pressed in a thin line, fingers trembling before he hid them in his pockets.
Of course. It was hard for him too. You wondered if he had the same thoughts of burning the house down. You two were in the same boat, one that was drowning in a sea of sorrow, betrayal and tainted memories.
And now all you had was each other.
.
Moonlight streamed through the windows as you lay awake, staring at the ceiling for hours, sleep had evaded you. Checking the clock, it stated it was way past midnight, you turned to your side to attempt a small nap if your mind allowed; however a dull crash fell on your ears from downstairs, making you jump out of bed and scramble to the source.
It was Tony.
Eyes brimmed with tears, a half empty bottle of whiskey sitting atop the kitchen counter and shards of broken glass on the floor. As you stepped closer, you saw a broken picture frame as well, one that housed Tony and Pepper’s wedding day photo, both wide eyed and grinning ear to ear, now with a huge crack along the surface.
“Tony?” you treaded carefully, your voice barely over a whisper as you placed your hand on his shoulder.
His tense muscles relaxed under your touch, a sigh leaving his lips.
“She took a pregnancy test, Y/N.” he murmured so quietly you almost missed it. Your heart dropped to your stomach as you heard him. You knew Tony and Pep had been trying for a kid for a while now, Tony wanted a child more than anything.
“Oh my God.” You croaked, rubbing his back in attempts to comfort him as you saw his eyes brimming with unshed tears, your heart breaking for him.
“Now I can’t even know if it was mine. She was fucking pregnant!” He smashed the glass of whiskey on the opposite wall, the two of you watching the liquid stream down in little rivulets, joining the shattered glass.
Tony’s breaths were coming in erratic and shallow, his eyes unfocused, he was struggling to stand upright.
“Tony hey! Look at me, come on. Let’s get you over here.” You supported him until he was sitting on the barstool while you took a seat opposite him. Bringing your hands up to cup his face, you made him look into your eyes.
“Breathe for me, please. It’s okay.”
You sounded unsure but you hoped it was helping him, he was trying his level best to focus on your words but it was hard. He could feel his heartbeat in his ears, all other voices drowning as sweat lined on his forehead.
“Tony. Come on. I know you can do this. Focus. Just breathe.” You placed one of his hands on your chest, taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly, waiting for him to follow.
It took a few beats but eventually you succeeded in getting him back to normal. He squeezed your hand gratefully, nodding his head to let you know he was alright. You grabbed him a water before pouring yourself a glass of whiskey, neither of you bothering to clean up the mess in the kitchen.
You sat together in silence, pondering over what your lives had become in a span of a week. The alcohol definitely helped, numbed your pain and made you drowsy.
The sun was starting to rise outside, a dull, gray light filtering through the windows letting you know it was dawn. The word exhausted seemed to be synonymous with your daily routine, it was all you ever felt. You took your empty glass and were heading for the sink when Tony grabbed your wrist and stopped you.
“Where are you going?” The uncertainty in his eyes tugged at your heartstrings.
“Just to keep this. Tony, I’m right here.” You reassured the man who followed you into the kitchen, as if to make sure you wouldn’t disappear all of a sudden.
“Will you leave me?” He whispered shakily.
This wasn’t a side of Tony you had ever seen. You were used to the confident, sassy man who joked around and made you laugh.
“I can’t deal with the pain alone. Stay. Please. You’re all I have, Y/N.”
There wasn’t a muscle in your body that protested, not that you wanted to anyways. Laying his head against your chest, he hugged you, holding onto you with all his might.
“Okay, I’ll stay. I’ll stay as long as you need.”
“You will?”
He felt you nod as your fingers carded through his hair, calming his nerves and reassuring him of your presence. He didn’t know how long it would take for you both to recover, but as long as you were with him and he with you, he felt some semblance of hope. That eventually everything could be okay.
“Of course. You’re all I have too.”
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airas-story · 2 days
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The Confabulation Complication
“It’s called confabulation,” Stephen said, not quite looking in Tony’s direction. It was… disconcerting. Confusing.
Tony hummed, trying not to let his frustration with the situation show. “Sounds like a party.”
Pepper let out a pained noise. “Tony.”
Tony winced a little, because Pepper had been crying almost since the moment he’d woken up. He didn’t like it when Pepper cried, but he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to fix this.
Especially when… when he wasn’t actually sure what was wrong.
“It is the creation of false memories,” Stephen continued, still not looking at Tony. “As compensation for the loss of real memories.”
Tony froze, because… because confused by the situation or not, he was smart enough to put together the pieces. He stared at Stephen for a long moment before glancing at Pepper.
Stephen looked painfully awkward, Pepper looked devastated. “So,” Tony started slowly, looking back at Stephen. “When I asked for my kiss and you looked like I was talking gibberish, it wasn’t because you were sticking to the ‘No making out while in the hospital’ rule and it’s because you and I… don’t kiss.”
“We are not together, no,” Stephen agreed. Was he… was he even Stephen? Did Tony… Did Tony actually know him at all? So many of his memories didn’t match what Stephen was telling him.
He looked away. “And Pepper?”
Pepper’s smile was tremulous. “We do kiss,” she said.
Everything felt surreal. “I… I thought…” He tried to search his memories, but he didn’t know what he was looking for. He remembered kissing her, but that was… a long time ago. “You broke up with me.” He knew that.
Didn’t he?
“We got back together,” Pepper explained. “Both times.”
Both times. He only remembered her breaking up with him once.
Tony… Tony didn’t know how to deal with any of this. “We’re together,” he said, trying to wrap his mind around it. He glanced at Stephen. “And we’re not.”
“Never have been,” Stephen said, he still wasn’t looking at Tony.
It… hurt.
Conceptually he knew it shouldn’t. Because he and Stephen… they weren’t a thing, apparently. But Tony was having a hard time making himself believe it. The memories were stark and visceral. Laughing with Stephen, kissing Stephen, curled together on the couch with Stephen doing their separate work.
“What are you even doing here, then?” Tony asked, feeling suddenly defensive. “You’re not still a practicing doctor, and I’m pretty sure there was no magic in that fight.” He wasn’t certain of that, because the memory of the fight was confused and messy. 
That was probably something he should let someone know. Especially since he was, apparently, having memory issues of a different kind. He kept his mouth shut.
Stephen sighed. “You told me you had trust issues and asked if I would be involved in any future medical emergencies so much as I could be. You said that as far as doctors went, I ‘wasn’t bad’.”
“I…” He swallowed, tried to make sense of everything, but he couldn’t. “I’m checking myself out,” he said.  They were in the compound—right? Was he actually sure about that?—it should be easy to get out of here.
He couldn’t deal with this.
“Tony, you should—“ Pepper started.
“Against medical advice if necessary,” Tony said. “I don’t want to be here.”
He wanted to be somewhere safe. Wanted to be in his lab where he could start trying to piece together the truth.
“Tony.” Stephen’s voice was gentle; Tony flinched. “There are tests that that the doctors should run.”
Instinct told Tony to give in, because this was Stephen. Tony always gave into Stephen when he used that sort of voice; Tony had made too many jokes about being weak for Stephen’s pretty eyes.
But apparently those memories didn’t actually mean anything, because they weren’t real. Tony had never made those jokes. It would be incredibly inappropriate to start now. He shook his head, ignoring the pulsing ache that came with the movement. “I’m not exactly dying right now. Any tests you take will only tell you things that you apparently already know. I want out.”
“We don’t know how bad the damage is,” Stephen said.
Tony ran a hand over his face. “Well, if I die from unexpected complications, you can both say ‘I told you so’, but frankly—“
“Tony.” Pepper sounded distressed. “Don’t say that.”
“I don’t want to be here,” Tony repeated. “I… I need to be alone. I need to figure this out.” He ignored both Pepper’s and Stephen’s protests as he got himself unattached from the hospital bed.
They gave in.
Mostly because Tony didn’t give them a choice.
Stephen eventually disappeared in a portal—Tony’s instincts said to go with him, but those instincts were wrong—while Tony fled from the compound med wing he’d been trapped in.
The lab was gapingly empty when he reached it. It was a relief in some ways, in other ways it felt wrong. His body ached—he didn’t even fully remember what had happened to get him into the hospital wing, the fight blurred, especially near the end—and his head hurt.
“FRIDAY?” he asked.
“Yes, Boss?” she asked, her voice was careful and tempered, as though she knew he was vulnerable.
“Is it true?” he asked. “The whole… confabulation thing Stephen was talking about?”
“Yes, Boss.”
Tony swallowed hard. “So, I’m not in love with Stephen.”
“You and Doctor Strange are friends, boss.”
Friends. Friends. Right.
“And me and Pepper?”
“The two of you are engaged.”
Engaged. Engaged. Tony was engaged. To Pepper. He didn’t remember that. He remembered her breaking up with him. He remembered her telling him that he was just… too much for her. That she just needed him to stop. That had happened, right?
Tony had never been able to stop. Had she changed her mind or was this just another attempt at something that was doomed to fail?
Or was the break up he remembered even true? Tony thought he knew why she had broken up with him. But what if that was a lie too?
He struggled to breathe for a moment.  Everything was messed up.
He wasn’t in love with the person he thought he was in love with; no, he was in love with someone he remembered moving on from.
He wasn’t in love with Stephen. That was just his brain lying to him.
He was in love with Pepper. 
Pepper, who he could only remember hearing say he wasn’t enough and was too much and… and that they weren’t right for each other. But he wasn’t sure if that was even true. She had agreed they’d broken up, but maybe he was remembering wrong the reasons why. Because he was engaged. So he couldn’t have been too much and not enough and not right for her.
Right?
Tony didn’t know.
Because he didn’t know which memories were real and which memories were false. 
He just knew that everything was wrong.
And now… now what was he supposed to do?
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tonystark-official · 11 hours
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Boss, Miss Potts wants a date night within the week. Should I make reservations for Wednesday?
Sounds perfect. Thanks, Fri.
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blazeofbones · 3 days
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Mom and dad
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yourdailymarvelmemes · 2 months
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incorrectwandanat · 4 months
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[angry natasha storming down the hallway]
tony: uh oh.
reader: what?
tony: i see an angry wife heading our way.
reader: yours or mine?
tony: does it matter?
reader: if it's yours, there's a chance we'll live, but if it's mine, we're dead.
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lucid-anarchy · 8 months
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another era, same diva
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ir0npvrker · 1 month
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morgan: *finds a stray cat*
morgan: can we keep it?
pepper: your dad is allergic
morgan:
morgan: dad can stay outside
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literaryavenger · 8 days
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Obsessed
Summary: Your crush on Bucky may be getting out of control.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x F!Reader
Warnings: Dramatic Reader. Language. Angst. Fluff. My poor attempts at being Funny.
Word Count: 1.4K I'm physically incapable of making anything short.
A/N: I wrote this in like 2 hours and I don't even know what this is, just... Yeah.
Masterlist
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This is terrible.
This is the worst thing that's ever happened to you.
This is the worst thing that's ever happened to anyone. It's just the most horrible, dreadful, awful thing that could’ve ever happen to yo-
“Would you stop staring at him for fuck's sakes!” Natasha's hissed words make your eyes snap to her and finally away from the metal armed Supersoldier lifting weights. Shirtless.
You don't know when Bucky stopped feeling self-conscious enough to allow him to workout in nothing but a pair of gym shorts, but it has become literal torture for you.
Needless to say, Bucky's current level of undress is making it impossible for you to concentrate on the stretching you're supposed to be doing before your sparring match with Natasha.
But your very thoughtful and not at all exasperated friend makes sure to keep your attention on her during the entirety of our match by thoroughly kicking your ass.
What a lovely best friend you have.
Anyways.
Your entire mood shifts with one not intentionally overheard conversation. Steve enters the gym and goes straight to Bucky, who was putting his weight set down.
“She’s here!” Is all the blonde says to his friend and your heart stops at the way Bucky’s face lights up with a smile, not needing any more information before following Steve out of the gym.
She’s here? Who the fuck is she? Does Bucky have a girlfriend? And most importantly, she’s here? In the Compound?
Natasha can almost see the gears turning in your brain as you make no attempts to move from the mat after she knocked you on your ass for the hundredth time today. You didn’t even seem to notice her hand offering you help to get up, your eyes still looking where Bucky was just a moment ago, staring at nothing in particular while your brain drowns in your overthinking.
Natasha sighs and decides to end the match here, kneeling down in front of you and placing her hands on your shoulders, shaking you gently to snap you out of it.
“Don’t overthink this.” She tells you when she’s sure she has your attention. “It’s probably just a friend visiting.” She tries to comfort you, but you both know that’s highly unlikely. 
Bucky has no other friends outside the team. He doesn’t know how to talk to civilians anymore after everything he’s been through, and gave up trying to after the hundredth time he saw fear in a person’s eyes just by recognizing him. So his friend circle now includes the team and the agents of SHIELD that are not intimidated by him. Point is, every friend he has already lives in the Compound.
So who the fuck is here just to see him? 
Natasha can see that this is a lost battle, your eyes barely concentrating on her as you start drowning in your mind again. All she can do when you’re like this is try to distract you and keep you out of your head. So she takes your hand and helps you up, leading the way to the common room to watch one of your beloved romcoms together, because that’s how much she loves you.
Big mistake.
“Y/N! Y/N!” The excited high-pitched voice came just seconds after you set foot in the common room. And that’s about the only warning you got before the excited 5-year-old jumped on you, your reflexes thankfully quick enough to catch her.
“Hi, Maguna!” You say while chuckling as the little girl hugs you. “You seem excited today. Did you get into the sugar cabinet again?”
Morgan giggles at your joke and shakes her hand before taking your face in her little hands and dramatically saying, “No! A princess came to visit uncle Bucky! A real princess.”
You frown, confused at what she’s talking about, before you look around the room and finally notice everyone else in it. Pepper and Tony are on the couch, looking at you lovingly as you interact with their daughter.
You love Morgan, she’s like a little sister. You never miss an opportunity to babysit her and you spend as much time with her as you can. She also loves you, out of all the Avengers you’re her favorite, much to everyone’s dismay. She calls them all ‘aunt’ and ‘uncle’, but you’re just Y/N. You’re her big sister, you don’t need a title. Which is why you're the only one other than Tony allowed to call her 'Maguna'.
Then you notice the other people in the room: Steve, Bucky and… Shuri. The fucking Princess of Wakanda, standing in the common room of the Avengers Compound and just smiling at you as you carry Morgan.
You’ve never met Shuri, but you know she played an important part in deprogramming the Winter Soldier out of Bucky, and you’re grateful to her for it. She’s important to Bucky, and you can’t believe you forgot Bucky has Wakandan friends.
You put Morgan down on the ground again and the little girl takes your hand and aggressively steers you towards where Steve, Bucky and Shuri are standing, clearly thrilled to be in the presence of a real life princess.
“Hi, I’m Shuri.” She offers you her hand when you get close enough and you shake it with your free hand while introducing yourself.
There’s a bit of an awkward pause and you’re about to say the first thing that pops into your head when Morgan thankfully saves you by pulling on your hand, making you look at her. She tells you to come close and, chuckling, you kneel beside her so she can whisper conspiratorially in your ear.
“She’s a princess and she’s really pretty, but I still like you better.” She whispers and you can’t help but laugh.
God, you love this little girl.
You smile brightly at her and launch a tickle attack, her adorable giggles filling the room as everyone looks at you two with warm smiles.
Your attention is solely on Morgan, until you unintentionally hear the whispered conversation between Shuri and Bucky.
“So, this is the girl, huh? She’s pretty.” Shuri says and your heart skips a beat. 
You glance at them as discreetly as you can while still tickling Morgan, only to find Bucky looking at someone behind you. You turn around less carefully and see Sharon just entered the room, and she's also looking at Bucky with a smirk. You quickly return your attention to Morgan, but your mind is going a thousand miles a minute.
Of course he’d like someone more like Sharon. She’s pretty, she’s talented, she’s a total badass and she’s not afraid to go after what she wants.
She’s not a mass of anxiety in the shape of a woman that overthinks everything and becomes a flustered mess every time she’s even near Bucky.
It’s time to admit it to yourself: Bucky just doesn’t see you like that and you need to move on. 
Natasha is right, your obsession with Bucky needs to end.
What you don’t see is Bucky almost glaring at Sharon because he knows damn well why she’s smirking. She came in just before Shuri whispered to Bucky, when he was very intent on looking at you with heart eyes as you played with Morgan.
Just before you looked at him, Bucky noticed Sharon and he had to hold in a groan at her because he knows that she’s never gonna let him live this down.
Both Sharon and Steve have tried really hard to convince Bucky that you like him back and he should make a move on you. But Bucky, being as stubborn as they come, never believes them.
He obviously makes you uncomfortable, you’re always stuttering when he’s around and you avoid eye contact whenever possible. He’s just glad that you can stand his presence enough for the two of you to work together when necessary and to hang out with the rest of the team without problems.
So he just enjoys looking at you from a distance. He loves watching you play with Morgan and his thoughts always run wild with images of you playing like that with kids that are yours and his.
But he knows that’s never going to happen. Why would you like a damaged, PTSD ridden soldier that can’t even make it through the night without waking up from a nightmare? No, that’s definitely not your type.
Bucky accepts the truth: He doesn’t deserve you and you don’t see him like that anyways. 
It doesn’t matter that Sam thinks he’s obsessed, that won’t stop him from looking at you whenever he’s lucky enough to get a glimpse of his little ray of sunshine.
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ircn-dad · 9 months
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Can we talk about how cute it is that Peter thought Tony was that tall for the bunny ears?
And also... does that mean they didn't plan at all to do bunny ears to each other? I mean, if they had planned it, Peter would have checked to see if he was doing them right.
So that means that originally the photo was going to be with Tony's arm around Peter's back, and Peter's arm around Tony's shoulders.
These two will never stop making me cry.
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marvelouttakes · 8 months
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THEY ARE THE SAME
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ao3topshipsbracket · 7 months
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AO3 Top Relationships Bracket- Round 2 Side 2
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Wilbur & Technoblade & Tommyinnit & Phil are here as a platonic/familial relationship.
This poll is a celebration of fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with many of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement, and refrain from harassment.
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gunsandspaceships · 2 months
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Billionaire Tony…
Likes simple things:
Cheeseburgers from Burger King, pizza and donuts
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T-Shirts from Walmart, t-shirts of his favorite heavy metal bands
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$5 Bottles from Dick’s
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His father’s old robe
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Paper books
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Minimalistic interiors
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Cooled down coffee
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He doesn't really care what kind of coffee he drinks
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Physical labor
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Friendly relationships with his employees
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Wooden cabins by the lake with chickens, alpacas and a garden
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charlesoberonn · 9 months
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I'm all for gay stuff too but you don't gotta be misogynistic about it.
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oscorp-lawsuit · 1 year
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Pepper: Tony, why do you keep ignoring lab safety protocol when it always ends in some sort of explosion or OSHA violation?
Tony: Well, Pep, some of the greatest scientific discoveries were made by ignoring lab safety protocol. Besides, Tony backwards spells “Y Not” so it’s really in my namesake.
Pepper:
Pepper: Did Peter give you that one?
Tony: Yes, he did.
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