Chapter 95: Downtime

A/N: Because of course Tony and Pepper were listening in~

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"Wow. Loki really threw you under the bus there."

Tony's amused voice has Pepper rolling her eyes, even as she rests her back against her husband's chest, the two of them relaxing together for a brief moment while also observing Loki's interaction with Hela. Neither of them had actually sent Loki to the other Princess of Asgard, but they had finally allowed Loki to visit her after the Goddess of Mischief had been needling and demanding it of them ever since she found out who Tony had brought back from his little trip through the Bifrost.

Perhaps she was supposed to be pouting at Loki's final words to Hela, but in truth… Pepper smirks as she leans her head back and looks at Tony from an upside down position.

"Was she wrong?"

Tony blinks at Pepper's sass and then barks out a laugh, before finally pushing her forward a little bit so he can move out from behind her. Pepper lets him go with a sigh, sitting back into the inferior replacement that are the pile of pillows he leaves behind. Using technopathy to pull the holographic interface she'd been working on through the air back with her as she scooches, Pepper raises an eyebrow at her husband.

"Was Hela all that wrong either?"

Pepper's words cause Tony to pause, while the teasing lilt in her voice causes him to grin a little as he looks back her way.

"Of course she was. Odin didn't 'gift' Loki to me, he left her in my custody so we could get her back on the straight and narrow. And Hela is wrong about herself as well. I'm pretty sure the All-Father just saw an opportunity to wash his hands of her and is using me to do it."

Humming, Pepper raises a brow.

"It's not as though he's done much to chastise you for drawing Loki into our bed."

"Excuse you. I did nothing of the sort. That was all J's fault. And besides, Loki is her own woman. She can make her own decisions."

Then, Tony pauses and gives Pepper a joking glare.

"Pep… let's not seduce the Goddess of Death, yeah? We've got enough on our plate as it is right now. This isn't like Loki either. You and I both saw how quick Hela was to jump from sniping with words to straight up murder. She failed of course, as she would against any of us given how weakened she is with her power stripped from her, but that doesn't mean she's safe."

Pepper just smirks.

"Isn't it? Or did Loki not jump straight to murder the first time you two met as well?"

It spoke to how far they'd come with the exiled princess that Pepper could even joke about that, to be fair. A few years ago and just watching the security footage of Loki stabbing Tony in his kidneys had seen Pepper's blood boiling with rage. Even knowing he would get back up again and be perfectly fine didn't make her happy about it.

Now though… it was water under the bridge, as strange as that felt to say.

"There were extenuating circumstances there, Pep. Loki was literally having the worst week of her life. I'm not going to pretend like that justifies it… but she did apologize, didn't she?"

That gets another roll of Pepper's eyes. Sure, Loki had apologized. She also hadn't really meant it. But they'd let it slide because… well, they had Loki's measure at this point. She was basically a cat. She slept in their bed, ate their food, acted like they were her pets instead of her keepers, and all around made a nuisance of herself if she felt like she wasn't getting enough attention.

Even Loki's earliest attacks on Tony could be likened to a cat hissing and striking out with its claws. Of course, while Pepper and Tony both shared this opinion of Loki, they were also wise enough to never voice it out loud, especially where she might hear it.

"And Hela doesn't have extenuating circumstances surrounding her? It's in the title, isn't it?"

Tony furrows his brow.

"What? Goddess of Death?"

But Pepper shakes her head in the negative.

"Odin's Executioner. That was one of the things she was called, right?"

When Tony slowly nods, Pepper transmits her meaning directly to him through technopathy. Probably better not to badmouth the All-Father when he or his vaunted Gatekeeper might be watching. Still, there's context enough to understand what she means.

Hela never really had a chance to live outside of her father's shadow. She grew up with a warmonger of a father who taught her that all the important things in life involved conquest and killing. It wasn't enough to just live and be happy, not when others had things you wanted and were living and being happy as well.

That was the true story behind 'Odin's Executioner'. Executioner yes… but also Odin's as well.

Odin's firstborn had spent her entire life in service to her father. And sure, she'd tried to launch a coup and take the throne when he decided he'd had enough of killing and bloodshed and conquest. But really, what had Odin expected? For Hela to just lay down her weapons and forget the only things she'd ever known… that he'd ever bothered teaching her?

And instead of trying to show her another way, he'd thrown her into a pit for a thousand years. A region of a desolate Realm that they literally called 'Hel'. Bit on the nose, that.

Ultimately, was Hela dangerous? Definitely. Was she beyond redemption? Maybe. But that didn't mean they couldn't still try. All of this and more, Pepper conveys to Tony through their technological telepathy. Slowly, he pushes back with understanding and tentative agreement, which makes Pepper's heart soar.

Though, outwardly she also crosses her arms over her chest and gives Tony a knowing grin.

"Besides which… a lot on our plates? Really, Tony? Aren't we sort of in a holding action right now? You're waiting for that man you've spoken of… that Doctor Strange, right?"

Tony grimaces and nods.

"Him or the Big Purple Thumb, I suppose. As far as J and I can tell, the sorcerers still aren't keeping tabs on us. They have to know about me at the very least, but they're still in the dark about JARVIS from the look of things. Once Doctor Strange is in charge, then J and I will get together with him and figure things out to deal with Thanos once and for all. His magic will be pretty helpful, especially with him and JARVIS working together."

Pausing for a moment, Tony shrugs.

"Or Thanos could make a move earlier than expected and I'll have to react to it. He's been stymied where the dwarves are concerned, but I doubt he's going to do nothing, even if it's just sending out scouts to find information. The Power Stone is the most vulnerable right now, which is why I've asked Heimdall to keep a close eye on Xandar for me. If Thanos even so much as sneezes in that direction, I want to be prepared to stop him."

Tilting his head to the side, Tony huffs and continues.

"At the same time, there are three Infinity Stones here on Earth and while I think Thanos only knows about the Mind Stone at this point, I can't put it past him that he'll somehow find out I have the Aether or that the sorcerers have the Time Stone. And if he finds that out, he might just decide to come down on Earth. That's why JARVIS and I are reinforcing the Solar System as much as possible. The Insight Helicarriers were just the first step in making sure Earth has orbital defenses that can withstand an onslaught from true fleet invasion."

Pepper smiles, listening as Tony rambles a little bit. This was all stuff she already knew of course, but she also knew how much her husband enjoyed having someone to talk things through with. Sometimes it was JARVIS, sometimes it was her, sometimes it was someone else. Most of the time, it was one of the two of them though. The people Tony truly trusted.

"But just because we're in a 'hurry up and wait' sort of state right now doesn't mean we don't have a lot on our plates, Pep! Definitely too much to be thinking about seducing our resident depowered Goddess of Death!"

Tony has to think for a moment before snapping his fingers.

".. For instance, aren't you doing with that shady cabal of businessmen who want to tear you and SI down? The Fearsome Five, or something? What's going on there? How are we on that?"

Pepper snorts derisively.

"The Fearsome Five? Really, Tony? It was a stray thought I had. One time. That you happened to pluck from my mind. You don't have to try and make it catch on. Besides, it's not even accurate anymore anyways. Fisk went and got himself arrested. I didn't even have to do anything."

Indeed, Wilson Fisk had found himself taken down by a vigilante calling himself Daredevil of all things. Pepper hadn't had to lift a finger. And seeing as Fisk was the biggest threat of the five men by a long shot, the others were basically rudderless, even if Justin Hammer was still trying to call the shots and make things happen.

"Sure, Fisk might be behind bars… but Darren Cross still managed to oust Hank Pym out of his own company. He's CEO now, and that's certainly a win for the… Fearsome Foursome."

Pepper wrinkles her nose at the mental image that puts in her head.

"No Tony. We're not calling them that. Now you have me picturing those four men naked and all over each other and… gross. Just gross. As for Darren Cross… him becoming CEO might have been good for him and him personally, but it wasn't actually that good for their little conspiracy. Darren is still green in a lot of ways, and now that he's suddenly CEO he's got a lot to learn. Pym's daughter Hope is helping him out with that, but his contributions to Hammer's little enterprise are ultimately minimal at the moment."

Tony mulls that over for a moment.

"So you're saying you've got it under control then? Don't need my help?"

They both knew she didn't, but offering it anyways was Tony's love language, and knowing that brings a smile to Pepper's face even as she shakes her head.

"Thank you for the offer, Mister Stark, but I'm fine. They're fumbling and flailing about with barely any rhyme or reason to their efforts ever since they lost Fisk. And they were much too late to begin with. Stark Industries has them all beat by a country mile. They know it too, they're just in denial. It's like playing chess with a child."

There's a brief pause at those last words, in which Pepper wishes she could take them back as a grin spreads across Tony's face. She'd said it without thinking, but really…

"Funny, because if I recall correctly, our three year old beat you at chess just last week, Mrs. Stark."

Pepper sighs.

"Just you wait until she surpasses you as well, Tony."

"Oh, I'm sure she will, and soon at that. In the end, it'll only be JARVIS who will truly be able to best her. As a good AI should when it comes to chess, of course."

Smiling, Pepper just shakes her head.

"Fine. These businessmen and their over-inflated ego are EASIER to handle than beating a child at chess. Better?"

Grinning wider, probably because Justin Hammer is counted among those businessmen, Tony nods his head amicably.

"Oh yes. Much better. And I know you'll be able to handle whatever they throw at you, Pep. Just be ready when they finally cross the line, because we both know it's just a matter of time."

That it is. Pepper grows solemn for a moment, nodding in agreement.

"You know I will be, Tony. Especially with JARVIS watching my back."

They both feel JARVIS through their mental connection at that. Not so much words, but a feeling of unconditional and eternal support. It wouldn't even matter if Thanos were to attack the Solar System right as Hammer and his fellow scum suckers were making their move against Pepper. JARVIS would handle both things simultaneously, and a thousand others besides at the same exact time.

"Heh… damn straight. Alright Pep, I'm heading down to check on Helen and FRIDAY. I'll be back in time for dinner with you and Morgan, yeah?"

"Of course, Tony. See you then."

With that her husband departs, though Pepper can't help but smile wickedly. She knows something Tony doesn't about exactly what Helen wants from him the next time he 'checks in on her', heh. The other woman has Pepper's full blessing, of course. With that, Pepper turns her attention back to her work with a hum.

Fisk was behind bars while Cross was dealing with the growing pains of being a brand new CEO. Meanwhile, Scarborough was barely invested in their little cabal, and far more interested in enriching himself and climbing the ladder ever further at Roxxon. Finally, Ward Meachum wasn't even truly in charge of Rand Enterprises, for all that he was CEO. His father was still alive and there was a hand up the hidden man's ass, puppeting him from the shadows and forcing him to instruct his son on the down low.

All in all, while each of the four men still out of prison were making token efforts to try and take Stark Industries down… in truth, Justin's plans were doomed from the start. Not only was he working with shoddy materials in the form of his own company, but he'd also chosen shoddy allies as well.

The conspiracy of businessmen that Hammer had started could not be anything BUT disappointing, at the end of the day. Mostly because they didn't even really understand how out of their league they all were. However, once they finally did… once they all finally got a glimpse of just what they were truly up against, Pepper knew they wouldn't back down.

No, they'd escalate… and when they did, she had no doubt they'd wind up crossing a line there was no coming back from. At which point she would strike and bring them and their little empires crumbling down.

Hm, now there was an idea.

"JARVIS."

"Yes ma'am?"

"Hela is bound to get bored all cooped up on that floor eventually. When she finally decides enough is enough and demands to be let out, you can let her stew for a little while… but then send her my way, yeah?"

"… Of course, ma'am. Though Sir did seem rather adamant about not seducing the Goddess of Death."

There's no reproach in JARVIS' voice. Only curiosity. Pepper grins up at the ceiling as she leans back in her pile of pillows, eyes roaming across the holographic interface in front of her. She didn't really need it, but she was a very visual person at the end of the day.

"I'm not planning on seducing Hela to mine and Tony's bed, JARVIS. I'm planning on showing Odin's Executioner that there are better, more engaging ways of scratching that itch to conquer something than just going around killing people all day long."

JARVIS is silently judgmental, and Pepper pauses for a moment before pouting at him.

"I'm talking about conquering in the business world, J! Not sexually! I just said I'm not planning to seduce Hela to my bed, didn't I?!"

"… Of course, ma'am."

Pepper huffs. JARVIS was just far too sassy most days.

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A/N: Seriously guys! Neither Pepper nor Tony is trying to seduce Hela! Even Pepper, the true harem protagonist, has no intentions of doing so!

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