Chapter Text
Pepper took a deep breath. "We need to talk."
Tony's head jerked up, and his eyes went wide and panicky. "What? No, no, no, not the 'we need to talk' speech."
"It's not that. I just... I need to tell you something." Pepper took another deep breath.
Tony's eyes went even rounder. "Are you pregnant?"
"No!"
"Are you sick? Did you get sick from me? The palladium, it was still in my system, wasn't it?"
"Tony." Pepper held her temper. "It's not about me."
"I know, it's not you, it's me... wait, it usually goes the other way around, doesn't it?"
Pepper laid her fingers across Tony's mouth. "I'm fine, you're fine, our relationship is fine, and I'm not mad at you for saving the world." Tony licked her fingers and she yelped and drew her hand back, instinctively.
"So, what is it?" he asked.
"I've kept a secret from you for years. I thought I was doing the right thing, protecting you, but even if it hurts, you have a right to know. Your father had the Tesseract."
"Yeah? I know, there were a few sketches and rough notes about it in the stuff Fury dumped on me last year. Oh. Yeah." Tony's eyes narrowed. "So, those weapons were probably based on dad's work."
"Weapons?"
"That's right, you weren't on the helicarrier, you don't know about the cute little death ray guns SHIELD is developing. So, if it's not that..."
"Stop. Tony, just... for a minute, stop speculating, and let me TELL you."
"Ok! Tell me!"
"Your father was under the Tesseract's influence."
Tony went completely still.
"It manipulated him. Tony, he didn't want to do it. He fought it, he really did."
"What? What did it make him do, Pepper?"
"It told him how to build the Arc Reactor. He couldn't make it practical because it was based on the Tesseract and he was incapable of understanding it, no one could. So it told him how to make someone who could." Tony was unmoving, still for the longest time she could ever remember. "I found his notes. His journal." Tony was silent. "I asked if you wanted to see it, but you said you weren't interested!"
"Pepper!"
"I know, I know, it was wrong! But at first, I just thought Howard was crazy. And then later, I figured it didn't matter. It doesn't matter, you're you, Tony Stark and there's nothing wrong with you!"
"What did he do, Pepper?"
"I didn't understand most of it, but part of it... you have gene sequences taken from Selasphorus rufus incorporated into your DNA. It makes you think faster, makes your metabolism faster. It's why you need to eat so often, and sleep in cool rooms."
"I need to see those notes. The journal." Tony backed a few steps away. "What's Selasphorus rufus, anyway? I never learned Latin."
"The Rufous Hummingbird." Pepper thought Tony was taking this too calmly. "It's the most skillful flier of all the hummingbirds."
"Huh. You studied up on that, didn't you?" Tony moved a little further away.
"Tony."
"I... I have to think about this. Do you still have the notes? The journal?"
"Yes. I'll get them when the bank opens." If it opened. Considering the state of the city, that didn't seem likely.
"One question, Pepper. Why now? Why tell me now?"
"I saw the Tesseract in the files Phil gave you and I wanted to warn you about it. I thought... I thought there would be time once I got back from Washington."
Tony winced. "Ah. About Phil."
"What?"
"He... didn't make it. Loki killed him."
"Oh." Pepper pressed her hand against her mouth. She'd known that people had died, of course they had, but all she was thinking of was Tony. She didn't even think of Phil. She felt tears welling up, and tried to brush them away. She'd liked Phil, but they hadn't been that close. She had held it together so well, but this was just too much. She sniffed and the tears flowed faster, hot and making her eyes hurt. Tony came back and put his arms around her. He smelled terrible. She hugged him tight. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I am... I'm so bad, I'm just thinking that I'm glad it wasn't you, Tony." She leaned against him. "That's terribly selfish, isn't it?"
"Um, sorry to interrupt, but..."
Pepper and Tony turned. Bruce was sitting up in bed, with the duvet pulled up to cover himself. "I thought you should know you weren't alone." Bruce ran his hand through his hair and looked sheepish.
"We were just talking," Pepper said.
"Yeah. I heard."
"What did you hear?" Tony asked.
"Um. I'm not sure. I wasn't really awake."
"Bruce," Tony said.
"All right, fine. I heard about your father, and... you know, yeah, I don't think scientists ought to be fathers. I wouldn't tell anyone, even if I could. You aren't a menace, not like me." Bruce gestured at the ruined doorframe. "Maybe you should rethink your offer of hospitality."
"I spoke to Hulk," Pepper said. "He broke the door in order to help Tony. I'm not afraid of him, Bruce. He's not an animal. He can talk."
"Yeah. 'Smash'."
"He likes cake." Pepper took a breath, and decided to continue. "He likes pretty birdies. Hulk knew about Tony and wanted to protect him."
"So, that's why you told me," Tony said. "You thought Bruce already knew and you wanted to be first to share the glad tidings."
"No! I mean, yes, I thought Bruce might know, but I'd already made up my mind to tell you once I saw the Tesseract! I know you! You'll go fiddling around with it, and it isn't just a powerful tool. It manipulated your father. You can't go near it!"
"I'll be careful!"
"No, you WON'T!" Pepper glared at Tony. "You're never careful!"
Bruce cleared his throat. "Er, I could go in the next room."
"STAY!" Pepper snapped, pointing a finger at him. "I need you to talk some sense into Tony."
"Bruce understands! The Tesseract is too powerful NOT to study it."
Bruce hitched up the duvet tighter around himself. "Can I just stay out of this?"
"NO!" Pepper and Tony said together.
"Fine." Bruce sighed. "I agree with both of you. If the Tesseract is self-willed as well as powerful, then locking it up in Asgard's trophy room isn't the answer. It may not have been stolen, it might have escaped. Thor didn't strike me as someone easily persuaded though, so he won't give it up, and really, could any of us stop him? It should be studied, but only under careful supervision with an outside observer who could note behavioral changes and stop any Tesseract induced experiments. It's not going to happen. Thor's going to take it home and frankly, that's better than letting SHIELD have it if they've already been making weapons from it." He shrugged. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to borrow some pants."
"We're being terrible hosts, Tony." Pepper went to Tony's walk-in closet. "You're about Tony's size. I think you'd look good in blue." She held a suit jacket up to Bruce's face. "Too dark."
"Um. Anything, you know. I'm not fussy."
"No, Pepper's right. You're cute and you deserve to be well-dressed." Tony joined Pepper at the closet.
"Cute?" Bruce's voice rose an octave.
"Yeah, Pepper and I agree, you're adorable, Brucie. This one!" Tony grabbed a peach colored jacket.
"No, Tony." Pepper pulled out a blue jacket with gray pin-striping. "This?"
"Yeah, ok, but jazz it up a little." Tony held up a deep purple silk shirt. "You get a tie. I'll find the socks and underwear. Bruce, boxers or briefs?" He grinned at Bruce. "Or are you a thong man?"
"I really..." Bruce shut up when they shoved the clothes at him. "I just need pants," he protested.
Pepper looped a silvery tie with tiny purple dots around his neck. "Are you hungry? Hulk had donuts, but I could make scrambled eggs and coffee."
"I... yes, I could eat." Bruce blinked. "You guys really are pushy, you know?"
"Uh huh," Tony said while rummaging through a drawer. "You're not allergic to silk, are you?"
Pepper left the room, feeling confident that Tony would keep Bruce from running away before he'd had a chance to think things over. If he still wanted to run, all right, but the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of keeping Bruce. He was really adorable.