1. Happy Hogan
Happy Hogan was a giant softie.
Pepper sat in the back of the black Bentley and tried not to smile at the others stammering. She was angry- furious actually- but not at Happy. Happy was protecting his friend, that's what friends were supposed to do, and she appreciated him for that reason exactly.
The thing was, she thought while he continued to try and weasel Tony out of the mess he had dropped himself in, she wasn’t really mad at Tony either. Pepper was mad that this would never end; there would always be a new mission, or someone else to save, there would always be a reason to not come home in time for dinner and she couldn’t even fault him for it.
“Happy.” Pepper cut in, meeting his eyes through the rear view mirror and raising an eyebrow.
“Right, of course, not my place-” he sighed and flicked on the indicator, hand drumming repetitively on the wheel.
A few seconds passed and Pepper could have laughed at how predictable the man was as he started again- “but he wasn’t trying to upset you Pep, you know how he gets.”
Pinching the bridge of her nose for a moment, the CEO sighed.
“He never means to, Happy, that's the problem. Just once, I’d like it if he could save my boyfriend, not the world or the woman he hooked up with once eighteen years ago, just himself.”
She shook her head and glanced at her phone, frowning as she read the time, coincidentally cutting happy off before he could respond, “I really can’t be late for this meeting.”
“I know but the damn A road is blocked, what can I do?” Happy grumbled, leaning forwards in his seat to peer around the traffic and find the problem. To no avail apparently, if the way he flumped back against the seat moments later was anything to go by.
Pepper hummed and peered out of her own window, smiling a little to herself as the lights of the city merged into a glow behind rain's thin veil, and tried to find the street names.
“Okay so you're gonna take the next right and pull over through the intersection,” she said slowly, trying to picture the route in her head and nodded, “we should even be a little early.”
The driver went to say something as he did as she said but, much to Peppers satisfaction, quickly quietened down when he realised she was right.
He pulled into the parking lot less than ten minutes later.
2. James Rhodes
Rhodey and Tony were close for a long time before Pepper had met a Stark industries employee, let alone before she had taken a job from the former CEO.
The man was many things. Pepper called him Tony’s person. She had decided this whilst binge watching Grey’s Anatomy one morning and had told Tony so when he finally stumbled into their bed that night. Tony had laughed but over the next few weeks Pepper forced him to watch the episodes with her. She didn’t point it out when he cried, instead wordlessly handing him a tissue from the box she kept on the coffee table of their penthouse. She let herself bask in the glow of being so right for a minute before pressing a kiss to his cheek and leaving the room so he could call his ‘platypus’ for comfort in peace.
Most of all though, Rhodey was Tony’s advocate.
So when he had put the entire world before himself again, and Pepper had broken down through the stress of it, Rhodey was the one who turned up at their place to pack Tony’s boxes for him.
He was nice. Pepper greeted him at the door with what she was sure were ridiculously red eyes and a meek wave but he ignored it, tugging her in for a long hug. He very kindly did not comment on the big grey shirt of Tony’s she was wearing over her black sweats.
He walked through to the lounge and tried not to grimace at how strangely bare the walls looked.
“Most of his stuff is in the second bedroom, I uh, didn't know what to do with it.” Pepper sniffled once before straightening up and swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. The ‘but i couldn't look at it with him gone’ went unsaid.
Rhodey nodded and folded his arms.
“Pep-” he dropped his head to stare at his shoes and for a second Pepper was scared, truly frightened by the realisation that Rhodey could hate her- “this wasn’t on you. I know that, and he knows that, actually I think he was waiting for this to happen but, I don’t think he can give this up. Ever.”
She met his eyes and was startled to realise what he meant; Tony came with the suit now, the same way he came with scotch or oil on all of his shirts. And the suit came with the baggage of sacrificing yourself for the world.
It strengthened her resolve and she unwound her arms from around her middle, balling them into fists at her sides.
“I’ll help you tape the boxes.”
3. Peter Parker
“Miss Potts?” The boy asked, visibly nervous.
If she wasn’t meeting him for the first time at night, in the abandoned penthouse Tony had moved back into recently, sans her partner, she might have laughed. He was visibly a mess and his eyes were red.
“Friday, lights,” Pepper said, moving towards the teenager even though he flinched as the room lit up gradually, “Peter, right? Nice to meet you Spiderman.” She smiled easily and offered out her hand, cautious of the way his lower lip trembled,
“Tony’s told me all about you, what can I help you with?”
Peter shook her hand and then looked away, wringing his hands in front of him before cautiously meeting her eyes, she beamed at him as warmly as she could.
“Um, Mister Stark said I could get some food? We were looking at my metabolism- all my abilities really cause I’m Spiderman and Bruce Banner was there on the phone and he was curious about how my dna had changed since we know the spider mutated me, and that was really cool cause I’ve read like all of Bruce Banner’s papers and so has Ned and- oh man MJ is totally gonna kill me for messing this up...” He trailed off and Pepper had to look away to not show the kid how amusing this was to her.
“Are you hungry Peter?” Pepper asked after recovering, trying to sift through the wealth of information for the point.
“Always,” he mumbled, cheeks red, clearly a little embarrassed but Pepper wouldn’t have that. Peter was important to Tony, he was changing him, and he seemed so genuinely sweet.
Gesturing for him to follow, Pepper picked through the rest of the words he had thrown up on her, “who’s MJ?”
A squawk sounded out behind her and when she risked a look over her shoulder, Peter was an even brighter red and looked vaguely panicked.
“Ah,” she winked at him and pulled a few packs of Tony’s chips and a box of Jolly Ranchers from the cupboard in the middle of the kitchen, “and have you asked MJ out yet?”
This time she couldn't help but laugh at the indignant squeak.
4. Morgan Stark
“Come on little miss! Shoes and coat and we need to go!” Tony called up the stairs. It was Morgan’s first day of kindergarten today and all three of them were packing themselves into the car to go down to the school.
Pepper moved into her husband’s space and wrapped her arms around his middle, kissing his cheek before pulling away to meet his shiny eyes with her own.
“I’ll go get her, why don’t you take a minute?” She suggested and started up the stairs. She looked over her shoulder once, just in time to catch his silent sob and the hand scrubbing over his face. Milestones were hard. Most days were actually, but milestones always made Tony feel like he had failed Peter. Peter had become an integral part of their weeks, and subsequently their lives. He was over for lab days at first, and then movie night, and then they had dinner with his aunt- and then they were a family.
She knocked on the wooden door before opening it, and suppressed a grin at the sight.
Morgan was sitting in the middle of her bed, arms crossed and bottom lip jutting out in a pout. Her eyes (definitely Tony’s eyes) flit over to her before she found her resolve (probably Pepper’s) and continued to stare at her pink carpet.
“What's wrong honey?” Pepper asked and perched at the side of the bed, next to her daughter who was picking anxiously at the blue sheets.
(“Morgs they don't match your room,” Tony had laughed, moving to put back the navy sheets his daughter had picked up to go in her pink room.
“But daddy they have Petey’s sign on them!” She had cheered enthusiastically, waving them up in the air. Sure enough there were rows and rows of red spiders over them.
Pepper gasped quietly from where she stood with the trolley, walking quicker than normal to get to them, but Tony didn’t break down. He jutted out his chin and pulled her up to sit on his hip, “you’re right. Okay then Morguna, you’ve convinced me.”)
Morgan had seemed excited to start school yesterday, taking an excruciating amount of time to pack and then repack her school bag and choose her outfit: a pair of khaki jeggings and a white blouse, a chocolate brown knit cardigan on top. Pepper had been impressed with the choice until she had seen the bright pink boots she was planning on wearing with it.
“Don’t wanna go,” Morgan grumped, shifting to scoot further up the bed, “daddy says I'm a- a-genie-yes already.”
Pepper snorted but nodded, considering her point for an appropriate answer, “and he’s absolutely right. But you need to go to school to get even smarter.”
“Auntie May says you need school to make people listen to you when you say smart stuff which is classist, but everyone already listens to me.” She squinted distrustfully at her mom and Pepper grinned, silently cursing May in her head. The woman was a wonderful friend and even better Aunt but it was a little early for marxism.
“That's true,” Pepper hummed and twisted to face Morgan, running a hand over the braid that was twisted into her hair, “but maybe you should use school to make friends.” That was why they were sending her to a normal school and not home schooling, they were scared she would miss out or be pushed out of peer groups like tony had been. Plus, May had said Peter was consistently offered to move up a grade but thrived where he was socially.
At her words, Morgans frown deepened, eyebrows burying further down and nose wrinkling. Pepper booped a finger on it.
“You worried about making friends, baby?” She asked and Morgan immediately nodded, crawling into her mom's lap and burying her face against her shoulder.
“What if no one likes me and I’m all alone again?” The tiny girl whimpered. Pepper's arms cradled her immediately.
Morgan had it in her head that when Peter died, he had left her alone, even though she had never met him. It was around that time she had decided he had been her big brother. No one wanted to, or could bring themselves to tell her otherwise.
Taking a big breath, Pepper stood up, standing Morgan in front of her and assessing her with a playful tickle on her tummy. The high pitched giggles that erupted comforted her.
“This is how everyone feels sweetie, I promise, but-” the woman darted out of the room before reappearing in front of her baby with her hands behind her back, “what if i give you something really special to help?”
Morgan perked up immediately, rocking up onto the balls of her feet with a toothy grin that did not match the tear tracks still drying on her cheeks, “please mommy!”
Pepper crouched down so she was at eye level with Morgan again before sweeping the red fabric out and draping it over the small girls shoulders, “that is- was your big brother Peter’s favourite hoodie, okay? And it's gonna make sure you always have someone with you because Peter is right here, okay?”
Of course it positively drowned her, more of a blanket than hoodie, but she looked adorable and it still smelled of Peter.
She tapped over her daughter's heart, blinking away her own tears when Morgan ran down the stairs, thrilled to start a new adventure with her big brother in tow.
5. Tony Stark
She didn't want to move Peter but she had to; he was so upset and falling apart at the seams and while she didn't blame him, Tony didn't deserve to die worried about him.
So she gripped Peter’s shoulders, and with all the strength she had left in her, pulled him away from her fiance's broken body.
“Hey,” Pepper whispered and reached out for his hand that still resembled a hand. She pressed her lips together in a tight smile as her helmet retracted completely.
“Hey Pep,” Tony whispered back, but his voice was breathier and hoarse all at the same time. A beeping in her ear- the comms connecting her to Friday- tells her what she already knew, that Tony is dying, and there is nothing she can do to help. No lucky escape this time…
She took a second to just feel his chest rattle under her hand before she raised her head to try and meet his eyes, “Tony, look at me.”
Pepper said it firmly, resting a hand on his cheek and tilting it slightly, so he wasn't watching his boy fall apart in Rhodey’s arms. She took a shuddering breath before pushing through.
“We’re going to be okay.”
She meant it, but still after all this time, she could read him so easily; easily enough, at least, not to miss the I’m sorry racing through his head. The woman shook her head and leaned in, pressing her forehead against his.
“You can rest now,” she murmured and pressed her lips to his, just for a moment before pulling away.
My beautiful, crazy, mechanic, you can rest now, the world is safe.
Pepper choked on a sob, staggering to her feet as Tony Stark’s heart stopped beating.
+1. May Parker
The battlefield had been smokey and broken but now Pepper missed it. There were too many trees, way too much air for someone who couldn't breathe. The t-shirt she had been wearing under the blue battle armour was sticking to her chest with sweat.
Happy emerged from the cabin, Morgan on his shoulders. He scanned Pepper quickly and deciding she was okay, went to scan Tony as well- except he wasn’t there. His eyes widened and he shifted Morgan to hold her against his side instead before hesitantly carrying her inside. She couldn't tell what he was thinking but she had seen the tension in his jaw even from where she was on the end of the dirt gravel path.
A car was moving up the driveway behind her, Pepper could hear it but all it felt like was a reminder of the thrum of energy that had shifted the earth when her husband had defeated Thanos.
Tony Stark was dead, her husband was dead, the father of her child was dead and she had watched it happen. Thick veins of black scars had coarsed over his body and he had fallen against the wreckage, gasping for breaths he couldn't take because he was dying. Tony Stark was dying- had died.
Pepper’s knees buckled under her and she hit the dirt path with a soft oomph. Her hand slapped over her mouth and a startled sob was ripped from her throat.
The engine behind her cut off and two doors slammed shut but Pepper couldn’t bring herself to focus on any of it.
She couldn’t breathe, not with Tony gone. He had pulled off so many miracles, why couldn't he just survive? For her and Morgan. Why could he save the world and not himself? A guttural sound clawed its way up through her throat and she felt the oxygen burning in her throat as she cried.
A muffled voice in the background said something and then a blurry red and blue figure jogged up the porch and up the stairs before disappearing inside. There was a moment where it dithered before the door swung shut behind it but Pepper couldn't focus she couldn't feel any of it- not the stones cutting her hand or the blood that was still trickling down her brow or the warm arm that was gently pulling her into the side of May Parker.
May was humming and it was pushing through whatever wall of pure grief Pepper was sat behind. It sounded like a lullaby maybe, actually it sounded a lot like the lullaby Tony sang to Morgan that he had learned from his mom.
After a while- Pepper wasn't sure if it was seconds or hours- the gravel pinching her palm started to hurt and the drying blood was irritating her eye and she realised her friend was speaking, not singing at all. It was low, gentle words that filled the space. They made the air feel less thin.
“I have you, I’m here, vi siamo vicini,” she repeated gently again, just holding Pepper lightly. An arm was wrapped around her shoulders and May was kneeling on the gravel right next to her even though she was wearing a skirt and the rough ground was leaving indents on her legs. Pepper let her weight fall a little more heavily against the other.
“Back with me?” May asked very softly and, upon seeing the dirt caked on Pepper’s face from where she had her mask up for some of the battle, started rummaging through her purse. A very small, sad smile tugged up the corners of both of their mouths for a moment as May produced a tube of wet ones.
“Ye-” Pepper coughed a few times, trying to fix how rough her voice sounded, “yes. I think so.”
She reached for the wipes but May batted her hands away and moved to sit in front of her instead, very carefully starting to wipe away the grime on Pepper’s face herself. It felt almost professional, and if grief hadn’t been choking her, the CEO would have been tempted to say she envied May’s patients.
Pepper was grateful that the nurse left the little gash alone. She didn’t feel like being fixed right now.
“Want to head inside?” May suggested, not moving an inch from where she sat on her legs across from the blonde. Maybe it was the lack of pressure to go anywhere, or the thought of Morgan asking where her daddy was, or just the weight of her loss settling on her but Pepper shook her head.
“Then let's stay here for a few minutes longer,” the brunette smiled at her friend, taking both of Pepper’s shaking hands in hers.
Streaks of tears still fell over Pepper’s cheeks consistently but she was glad she had May- she was probably the only person who could come close to understanding. It was probably why she hadn't told Pepper that things aren't as bad as they seemed, or that they would get better, but simply decided to sit with her whilst they were bad. That, Pepper thought, was probably all the help she needed right now.