Work Text:
It started, as many things did, with Darcy Lewis.
To be fair, her job centered around staying on top of social media and what was trending. When she saw the hashtag, though, it wasn't about how to have the Avengers relate. This one was for her.
The photo was posted on Instagram within a few hours. Darcy was framed under the hood of an unidentifiable vehicle, face smudged with grease from pushing her glasses up her nose and hair pulled back in what could loosely be called a bun. The embroidered Mark II on the left breast pocket of her coveralls was just barely able to be made out. The caption for the photo was simply, #MeToo.
Pepper saw the photo while she and Tony were on their way to dinner and he and Happy were bantering back and forth. She gasped to see the custom coveralls back on her stepdaughter, knowing exactly the last time they had been worn. Tears were blinked back as she handed the phone to Tony, who swallowed hard and gripped Pepper’s hand tightly for a few moments before pulling out his own phone and sending a text to his daughter. He focused back to his conversation with Happy, but didn't let go of Pepper’s hand.
Once Darcy did something, it was almost a guarantee that Jane would follow. When she saw the post and read the meaning behind the hashtag, Dr. Foster knew she couldn't remain silent. She posted her own photo the next day. She was sitting in her lab, equations carefully blurred in the background as she gnawed on a marker. The NYU sweatshirt was ratty and had to be rolled at the cuffs; the jeans were spotted with stains and the boots covered in dust. The caption was slightly more elaborate since Jane was passionate about the sexism present in the STEM fields and couldn’t help herself from railing against the system that had set itself against her from the moment she first looked through a telescope and saw possibilities. If she realized Thor held her a little tighter that night, she didn't comment.
Helen Cho, who had experienced the same issues in her fields, posted next. She was curled up in an armchair, reading what appeared to be a textbook, and was wearing a tank top and sweatpants. Her caption recalled her specific story, and the nightmares she had endured afterwards to accomplish her goal. Bruce brought her a tea and drank it in companionable silence before heading to his own lab.
Kate Bishop couldn’t bring herself to post anything other than a picture of Central Park and the hashtag. That night, Clint brought her new arrows and Natasha a bottle of the purest vodka she’d ever tasted. She fell asleep on the couch with Lucky’s weight on her legs and the two spies tangled on the loveseat.
The next post was one of the few directly from the Black Widow rather than Darcy’s team. Natasha never posted her own face, and she didn’t want to share her long and tumultuous history. However, she didn’t feel that she could keep silent on an issue that hit so close to home. Her post was of a pair of red pointe shoes; the caption was the hashtag in both English and Russian. Clint held her after she had, once again, put away the shoes and the memories.
Maria was too paranoid for social media. Instead, she went to the gym and beat the hell out of a punching bag until Melinda magically appeared with a couple bottles of wine and no glasses. “We are who we are because of who we were and where we've been. We're stronger despite them,” Melinda reminded her. Maria toasted her bottle to that, and they soon moved on to one of their favorite topics - who was kicking more ass in their job.
Eventually, the mainstream media caught on, and the main media liaison began to receive requests for information. As the social media manager, Darcy battled with Jonathon for days about how they owed no one their stories, even if they were superheroes. The discussions became so heated that attempts to mediate were made. Word of several failures made way to Pepper's assistant, who had explicit instructions about what to do for several scenarios involving Ms. Lewis. As per protocol, a meeting was scheduled with Pepper and the two feuding parties.
Darcy was passionate in her argument, but so was Jonathon. Pepper listened calmly to them for ten minutes and then clapped her hands twice to interrupt what was very close to yelling. “Darcy, you're right. No one has to share any story that they are not comfortable telling.” She turned to Jonathon, who was trying and failing to not look upset at the perceived loss to the boss’ daughter. “You can check with Julie, but I believe that I have the WSLA ceremony this week. I’ll revise my speech to address the issue and share my own personal history. I’m sure that this will create new inquiries, so you and I will work together about what information can be shared to the press. This information will be all that is released by Stark Industries or the Avengers.” Pepper stood and he followed suit, shocked into silence as she escorted him to the door. “Please keep this in mind as you respond. I’ll have Julie set a meeting with you or your team next week to review any questions.” The door was shut smartly in his face and the man realized he’d just seen how she managed Tony Stark.
Pepper walked back to her desk and sank into her chair to slip off her heels. Darcy sat quietly for a few moments and Pepper smiled to herself when the other woman couldn’t make it more than thirty seconds in silence. “Pep, you don’t have to do this.”
“I know, Darcy.”
“I could do it,” she said quietly, though she didn’t look at Pepper; rather, she looked in her lap at her fingers that were twisted together. Pepper realized that this old wound had never really healed for either of them.
“Honey,” she said gently, “you can, but you don’t have to. I would never ask you to. That you were able to wear the coveralls, much less post anything, is more than I would have dreamed. I’m so proud of you.”
“It’s nothing,” Darcy mumbled. Pepper got up and went around her desk to hug the woman she considered her own.
“It’s not . I know that it’s not. You are strong, and beautiful, and courageous, and incredibly intelligent. I would think those things of you even if you never told another soul.” Pepper laid a kiss on her head. “But, honestly, I’m doing this for me. Okay?”
“Okay.” Darcy stood up and hugged the other woman tightly. “Want to get a drink? I still have some of that champagne from my bet with Dad.”
Pepper sighed dramatically but then laughed. “Let’s go. We deserve it.” Pepper went and scooped up her shoes from behind her desk while Darcy poked her head outside to let Julie know that they were taking off.
As the hidden elevator door opened, Darcy leaned in and gave her a one-armed hug. “Love you.”
“Love you too. Let’s go toast women and their bad-assness.”