I couldn't help myself and wrote a story that I have wanted to for a really long time. Here is the scene, set after the end of the Avengers movie. The team finally has that Shawarma, meets Pepper and sees a new side of Tony Stark.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The scene is made up to satisfy my

A/N: Please enjoy this rather long one-shot, which if I receive good feedback, could become more than that.

Her hero

The Avengers were eating Shawarma (per Ironman's request) in a mostly destroyed fast food restaurant. There was no chatter between them. They were hunched over their greasy meals, which they most definitely deserved after the battle they had just endured. And fortunately survived. The comfortable silence was interrupted by a distant steady sound of high heels clicking. Tony instantly dropped his food and quickly wiped his hands. This did not go unnoticed by his teammates. They raised their eyes in a questioning manner and looked at their friend. If that's what they had become.

They were all bemused, the exception being Natasha. She shot a knowing smirk in Tony's direction and leaned back in her seat, relaxed. Meanwhile, the genius proceeded to stand up from his chair. And he had done it just in time. Virginia ''Pepper'' Potts appeared at the entrance and stopped there with hands on her hips.

Of course, it's not like Pepper Potts is the only woman who wears high heels on a daily basis. Still, Tony could recognize her anywhere. After many years of working together, he always sensed her presence. Even before they got involved romantically. Plus, Tony Stark is never wrong.

''You,'' Pepper pointed her finger at her boyfriend/boss. ''are an asshole.'' It usually takes a lot to make Pepper curse, but clearly, her boyfriend brings out that side of her rather quickly. Rather effortlessly.

Tony raised both his hand in defense and took cautious steps towards her angry figure. ''Pep-'' he tried to calm her down but Pep stopped him with another step towards him. To Tony, it felt like they were miles apart when in reality they were separated by only a few feet.

''Don't you Pep me, Anthony!'' she raised her voice.

Behind them, the team stopped everything they were doing and just stared at the commotion the two lovers were making. ''Who is she?'' Clint asked and snorted. ''Did she just call him Anthony?''

''That,'' Natasha answered ''is Pepper Potts.'' Natasha (or Natalie) already knew Pepper from when she had worked undercover as Tony's assistant. Though Natasha is not one to like people in general, she can admit (To herself, of course. And maybe Clint. Alright, there is also Phil who is, was, very close to the redhead but that is a story for another time.) that she admires and respects Pepper. She got to know her while being undercover in the Stark Industries and performed a very convincing performance of being Tony's temporary personal assistant from Legal. She could instantly see that he was in love with his co-CEO as much as he flirted with Natasha. And that was a lot. He was truly shameless.

Natasha has a suspicion that he was mostly doing it to make Pepper jealous. He probably didn't even know it. The idiot is a genius but he is a moron when it comes to human relations. Especially romantic ones.

Anyway, she respects Pepper and could probably, maybe, even count her as her friend. If said woman ever forgave her for being an undercover agent who has stabbed her then-not-boyfriend in the neck. And hid that she knew he was dying at that time. Yep, it will probably take her to be forgiven at least a few more years.

Clint interrupted her momentary thoughts. ''Pepper Potts?'' he asked. ''Doesn't ring a bell.'' Natasha ignored him and rather gave her attention to the couple. The rest of the team was looking at them too, some still confused and some (Bruce) with a knowing look.

Pepper and Tony were still in the same position. She, with her hands on her hips and an angry look and he, not moving and looking at her in resignation.

''Pepper,'' he tried to say something but quickly fell silent again. It seemed like he wasn't able to continue expressing his thought. And he wasn't. So many thoughts were going through his mind and so many emotions. Regret. Shame. Fear. Relief. Love. Joy. He didn't even know it was possible to be so terrified yet so happy and relieved at the same time.

Looking at his main reason for living and the reason for just surviving each passing day, he forgot about everything around him. All he could see and feel was Pepper. Her in front of him. Him looking at her and feeling so insanely relieved that she was there. Safe and alive. She was always there, he realized. And her embrace. So warm, so soothing and so familiar.

When did he close the distance between them? All he could think about was her. The thought of never seeing her breaks hit hurt just a bit more. The heart that he once thought didn't exist.

Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.

Pepper saw his turmoil. Seeing him so still as he was just before he hugged her was never a good sign. The last time she saw him like that was the day after their first kiss, on that roof when they both admitted their feeling for each other. The next morning, he prepared her a semi-edible breakfast and made her coffee just the way she likes it. Then they both sat down at the table. After a few minutes of silence, during which time she ate half of the food, she realized that he had yet to touch his breakfast. He was sitting in front of her, looking at her with his serious look that at the same time seems like he is miles away with his thoughts, yet just there and looking straight into one's soul.

The only thing she was able to say before he woke up from his daze was his name. ''Tony.'' As soon as she finished the last syllable, he suddenly stood up and came to her chair and just hugged her. He embraced her with his strong arms and feeling of security and uttered out, barely above a whisper: ''Just for a moment I thought I had lost you. I thought I wouldn't be fast enough.'' She remained silent and let him hug her for the next few minutes.

And now, here they were in the middle of a ruined fast food restaurant, definitely not alone and in the same position. Him hugging her for dear life while she remained silent and put her hand into his hair as he put his whole face into the crook of her neck.

The team was baffled. Yes, they didn't know Tony for more than one day, with the exception of Natasha, but they knew that what they were seeing was very much out of character for Tony Stark.

Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. He said it himself.

But this? This was not an act of Tony Stark as described. The scene was so openly human and genuine that they, for a moment, forgot that it was Tony that they were looking at.

Yet, there he was embracing a redhead that hugged him back so lovingly that they weren't able to look away even if they wanted to. The scene was so captivating that they kept looking at the oblivious couple. The woman was running her fingers through his hair, smiling with moist eyes. ''Tony,'' she whispered. He groaned something under his breath. ''I can't understand you if you talk into my neck,'' she answered to his incomprehensible words.

He slowly untangled himself from her and tried to subtly wipe his eyes. ''I just ruined my image,'' he muttered again. She smirked. ''Are you saying that I ruin the image?'' she asked jokingly. Pepper tried to lift the atmosphere in the air. She decided that she would yell at him later.

''What? No,'' he quickly denied. ''If anything, you complete the image,'' he said honestly.

''Have you gone soft?'' she joked.

''Seems like it,'' Clint decided to interrupt before their moment escalated further. He decided that they had seen enough. He gathered enough blackmail material for the next few months.

Natasha slapped his knee under the table. Sure, she was an assassin, but she was not without emotions. At the end of the day, she is a woman, and her feminine side decided that she was kind of annoyed with Clint for ruining the moment. Bruce just shook his head at him in a slight disappointment because the scene that he had just witnessed reminded him of Betty and he would give anything to have another moment like that with her. Steve couldn't get over the fact that Tony is capable of such emotions and Thor was still trying to understand whether Pepper was a close relative or what Jane Foster was to him.

Thor was the next one who decided to voice his opinion. ''In Asgard,'' he said ''brothers never greet their sisters in a way as emotional. 'Tis another custom I have yet to learn,'' he concluded.

By that time Tony and Pepper came to the table and sat down, each in their chair but Tony pulled hers closer to him. He put his hand on her knee for he wanted to have her as close as possible and nothing was closer than touching her in some way.

When he heard what Thor said he nearly chocked on his saliva in horror. He was scandalized and so was Pepper who widened her eyes. ''I am many things but I don't have incestuous tendencies.''

Thor backtracked quickly. ''Oh, my apologies, Lady Stark,'' he corrected himself with the next possible explanation that he came up with.

Tony's eyes widened and this time he did choke and started coughing. Pepper smirked at him and tapped his back to help him with his breathing. Natasha and Bruce laughed out loud at his reaction. Steve and Clint widened his eyes the same way Tony did, but in a way that expressed bewilderment and disbelief.

''I-'' he cleared his throat. ''No. No. God, why would you-''

''Relax Tony, I will not suddenly propose to you because he alluded we are married,'' Pepper smirked. She was not angry or disappointed by his reaction.

''God,'' he muttered and put his hand over his eyes for a moment. He composed himself. ''I think the introductions are overdue.''

''Please,'' Clint smirked. ''Introduce us to your lovely wife.''

''I would if she existed.''

''Did I say something wrong?'' Thor asked. ''I meant no disrespect towards you or your lady, Anthony.''

''Just Tony,'' he automatically corrected. Pepper cut in and finally did the introductions.

''I'm Pepper Potts,'' she smiled. ''It's nice to meet all of you. Hello, Natasha,'' she greeted.

Natasha nodded back and did a small smile. She knew the grounds were shifty in that area. ''Hello.''

''No offense, but who are you?'' Clint asked. ''I mean if you are not his wife.''

''None taken,'' Pepper nodded. ''I'm –'' she was cut off by Tony. ''Wait, wait.'' She raised her eyebrow. ''I want to do it the proper way.''

''The proper way,'' she echoed his words.

He cleared his throat dramatically. ''This is Miss Pepper Potts, CEO of Stark Industries, ex-personal assistant, my best friend, the reason I'm still alive but most importantly my favourite person in the whole world.'' He grinned at her. ''Don't tell Rhodey,'' he added as an afterthought.

''I'm his girlfriend,'' she shortened his long and dramatic monologue. ''And since when are you so outspoken about our relationship?'' she asked. ''The last time you had to define our relationship you described me as and I quote 'significant, er, woman in my, um, life'.''

''I meant significant other who is also a woman,'' he corrected her.

''Thank you for reminding me that I am a woman, Tony.''

''Anyway, I lost part of my image already so might as well just go for it.''

''You mean that beautiful scene?'' Clint asked. ''The only thing missing was an over-emotional piano composition and rain.''

''Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. That image?'' Steve asked.

He grimaced and looked apologetically at Pepper. ''That,'' he nodded hesitantly, waiting for her reaction.

''Seriously Tony?'' she questioned. She looked so serious that everyone held their breath and waited for her next words. ''You have to come up with a new 'slogan' as you call it. It's like you're selling yourself.''

Bruce, the calm and quiet Bruce, burst out into chuckles. Now he sees in her what Tony does. She is a force to be reckoned with. Just in those past few minutes, he could tell that she has power over him like no one else.

He and Tony talked about her in a few passing moments when they were working together on the Tesseract cube and its power. He noticed a few things in those minutes. First, that Tony has an attention span of a five years old kid. Second, that Tony really likes blueberries and that he drinks a lot of coffee. Third, that Tony often mentions a certain woman's name and he probably doesn't even realize it.

For example, it was only a few hours into their research and Bruce decided to make himself a cup of chamomile tea, the only tea that he could get in the S.H.I.E.L.D.'s cafeteria. When he came back, Tony sniffed around the cup of yellow-ish hot water and grimaced. ''Smells awful. How can you drink this?'' he asked.

''You mean tea?'' Bruce answered.

Tony wrinkled his nose. ''Yes, I mean tea. It's literally hot water with some flowers in it. How can you drink this?'' Bruce eyed him with a weird look, thinking to himself how could anyone not like tea, but before he could reply, Tony already continued. That's the fourth thing he learned about the scientist. He is rarely quiet.

''Pepper drinks it sometimes. I don't know how, since it's water but eh, whatever.'' He scrunched his nose again. I have never met such devoted hater towards tea, Bruce thought to himself. And who is Pepper?

However, before he could ask who Pepper is because she most certainly is a she and not a spice, Tony dropped the subject and returned back to the algorithms.

But it didn't stay at that one reference of a certain Pepper. It was about ten minutes later when Tony decided to have some (more) coffee. He didn't want to get it himself like any normal person would, but rather called Agent Hill and asked her to get him some double espresso with two sugars. That phone call didn't end well, but he got his coffee just five minutes later when some young girl brought it over and nearly spilled it when she saw for who it was.

Tony took it without a word or a glance and took a sip, not even caring if it was boiling hot. He hummed. ''Had better,'' he concluded. The girl had already left and there were just the two of them. Tony turned toward Bruce and finished his thoughts. ''Pepper makes much better coffee. Damn, where is she when you need her.'' Bruce furrowed his eyebrows. Well, apparently, she is his secretary or something if she brings him coffee.

Anyway, there they were, at the table with Tony and Pepper opposite of him. Bruce stopped chuckling and offered his hand across the table, but not before wiping the grease from Shawarma into a napkin. ''Pleasure to meet you,'' he said to Pepper. It was then when he finally understood who she was to Tony. And it was definitely not just his secretary. ''I'm Bruce Banner.''

Pepper politely greeted him back with a handshake and a smile. ''The pleasure is mine, Doctor Banner,'' she returned. ''Tony has told me a lot about you.''

He raised an eyebrow at Tony's direction. ''He did?''

Said main nodded. ''Of course, I told her about my favourite science bro.''

''Science bro?'' Clint asked.

''Sure,'' Tony confirmed. ''You know, being a scientist and all.''

''Didn't you meet like less than 24 hours ago?'' Steve asked.

''Sure did,'' Tony grinned and disregarded the fact that he made a bro out of Bruce in less than a day.

''Well, I'm honoured, Tony,'' Bruce chuckled shyly.

''Told you I am a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster.''

''Tony!'' Pepper gasped and slapped him on the arm. ''You didn't.''

''Oh, but he did,'' Clint sing-songed.

''And exactly how would you know that?'' Tony asked. ''You weren't even there.''

''I have my eyes and ears everywhere,'' Clint said seriously.

''Anyway,'' Natasha interrupted before it could escalate further. ''I told him.''

Clint pouted at her declaration. ''You are no fun.''

''It's alright, Miss Potts,'' Bruce said to Pepper.

''Please, it's Pepper. I'm sorry in his name but sometimes he is just uncontrollable,'' she said with a straight face.

The team burst out laughing. It was so out of character for all of them, but apparently, apocalypses, aliens and making fun of Tony Stark brings them closer.

Tony pouted in Pepper's direction. ''You are so mean,'' he said. ''I think I hear my heart breaking.''

She rolled her eyes and lightly kissed him on the lips. It was the first kiss since Pepper's saying goodbye before it all went to hell. Tony could barely restrain himself to not just pull her closer and kiss her senseless. But, she pulled away too soon and leaned back into the chair, which left Tony blinking at her and trying to comprehend whether he imagined the kiss or she really did kiss him.

''Thou are very admirable Lady for controlling our Ironman,'' Thor grinned.

''Hey!'' Tony complained. ''I don't need controlling.''

Natasha looked at him with an are-you-serious look. ''You do.''

''Natashalie, no one asked you.''

''Well, I answered,'' she said. Clint snickered.

''Guys, don't argue. I'm Steve Rogers, ma'am'' he offered his hand. She did the same as with Bruce and the rest of the team followed. Once the introductions were official in that aspect as well, Clint couldn't keep quiet anymore.

''How long have you been, you know, together?'' he finished the last words with some uncertainty, even though Pepper was introduced as his official girlfriend. No joke.

Pepper looked at Tony and smiled. He raised his hands. ''Hey, don't look at me. I don't even know what day is today.'' That stepped on Steve's nerves and his right eye twitched.

''Really, Tony?'' Bruce asked.

''You can't be serious,'' Clint agreed.

''Anthony.'' Thor. ''Do Midgardians not count the time shared together?''

''They do,'' Natasha answered and shot a nasty look at Tony. As stated, she is a woman and women stand together, especially when their boyfriends seem to not care how long they have been together for.

However, Pepper didn't seem bothered by his remark. ''If you want to count your single days, I'll be glad to comply,'' she said. On second thought, maybe she was but could keep a very good poker face.

''I do enough counting as it is already, thank you very much,'' Tony replied. ''One year, eleven months and 6 days,'' he clarified at last. ''Which reminds me, we should totally go to the Maldives.''

Theirs, with the exception of Natasha's, eyes nearly bugged out. Clint even chocked a little on his soda. ''What?!''

''But, how?'' Clint, forever the noisy one, asked.

''I'm very good at persuasion.''

''Is he holding you against thy will?'' Thor asked seriously.

''What?! No.''

''No, Thor,'' Pepper replied.

''He just ... changed.'' When she looked at him, Tony nearly blushed under her proud gaze. Tony Stark does not blush. But, he did avert his eyes from her face as if embarrassed by her confession, especially because it was happening in front of so many, barely familiar, people. ''He changed. He changed to such a great person, so sacrificing, so loving and so brave. I always knew there was another Tony hidden underneath all that snark and vanity. He couldn't hide it forever, his true nature. You're … my hero.''

Thank you for reading. I had fun writing and I hope you had just as much fun reading it. Your feedback is very much appreciated. Also, I shamelessly encourage you to check out my other stories if you are a Marvell fan as well.