This will likely become a series of one-shots, mostly focused on Tony and Pepper (though other Avengers and couples will be included at some point, I'm sure).

Summary: Pepper Potts didn't appreciate Tony's recklessness. Tony just liked to provoke her.

Reckless

"Verdict?"

Tony Stark's voice broke the forty-five minute silence.

"Not the worst thing I've ever eaten." Clint replied after a beat.

"The meat concoction is satisfactory." Thor agreed, eyeing the remnants of his three shawarma sandwiches. The worn team seemed unable to muster any more enthusiasm.

Tony's phone buzzed in his pocket, distracting him from whatever clever reply was slowly forming in his mind. He pulled out the phone and couldn't help a small grin.

Pepper Potts.

"Heya Pepp." He answered without preamble, leaning back in his chair.

"Tony Stark, tell me that phone call did not mean what I think it did."

"Okay. That phone call didn't mean what you think it did." Tony repeated cheerfully. "What did you think it meant?"

"That you were flying through a portal into space with a nuclear weapon to your death." Pepper did not sound amused through the speaker.

"Oh. That bit. Yeah, that's what it meant. But isn't it romantic that I called you?"

"Romantic? That you gave me a death call?" He imagined her scowl and couldn't help a grin.

"Well, last time you were pretty mad that I didn't tell you I was dying, now you're mad that I tried?"

"You shouldn't have been dying in the first place!" She shrieked, and he tried to cover his chuckle with a cough. "Are you- Are you laughing at this?"

"Laughing? No, definitely not, Pepp. There's nothing funny about this at all." He assured her, ignoring the strange looks from his fellow teammates. "Promise."

"You are the most infuriating person I have ever met in my entire life."

"I know, you make it a point to tell me at least twice a week." He drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the table. "When are you coming to bandage my wounds?"

"If you think I'm going to bandage anything for you, you are sorely mistaken."

"Now that's just rude." He pointed out. "I mean, I'm certainly not going to ask the good ol' Cap to do it. And I think Nick Fury would probably intentionally make me bleed out or something, you know?"

"I'm hanging up now."

"You complete me."

He grinned at the phone as the call disconnected, no doubt in his mind that he would see her within twenty-four hours to receive a very angry lecture about risking his life.

"Why do you insist on provoking her?" Natasha rolled her eyes at him.

"Because it's fun. I provoke everyone. It's kind of my thing." He paused, glancing at the phone in his hand. "She's going to murder me, huh?"

"And I'm going to watch." The spy informed him with a grin that could only be described as gleeful.

"I didn't think you were so voyeuristic, Natalie. Natasha. Which is it, again?" Tony raised an eyebrow. Before she could answer, he stood. "Well, I'm done eating and I'd like to at least sleep before my untimely demise. I'm pretty sure the tower's good from floor ten down if any of you idiots need somewhere to sleep."

He began walking toward the door before any of them could answer.

"Does he wish us to follow him?" Thor raised an eyebrow after a moment.

"Yes." Natasha rolled her eyes as she stood. "And I'd rather sleep there than the helicarrier. At least I can shut Stark up if he feels the need to annoy me."

This was how the Avengers found themselves on the floor of one of the many media rooms in Stark Tower, watching the news and drinking a variety of alcoholic beverages.

"See, buddy, the other guy knows what he's doing." Tony pointed to the Hulk smashing yet another alien. "I kinda like him."

"Well, that makes a grand total of one of us." Bruce replied dryly, taking a sip of his water.

"The Hulk is a fine warrior." Thor replied. "I have firsthand knowledge of his strength."

"Sir, Miss Potts is approaching. I would like to warn you that she is very angry." Jarvis interrupted the conversation. Tony grinned at Steve and Thor, both of whom were searching the room for a source of the sound.

"Don't worry, Cap, it's just a computer." Tony grinned at Steve as a pretty redhead burst into the room. She paused at the threshold, and then made a beeline for the tower's owner without even acknowledging the others in the room. "Heya Pepp-"

A sharp slap cut off his sentence.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Pepper Potts hissed, jabbing her finger against the arc reactor.

"I was thinking that the world needed saving." He rubbed his cheek with a frown, shooting her an irritated glance. "A thank you would be nice."

"You want me to thank you?" She demanded incredulously. "I very nearly had to watch you die on the news, and you want me to thank you?"

"I stopped a nuclear bomb from going off in Manhattan, and I ended the alien attack! I'd say that at least warrants a half-hearted thanks. Definitely not a slap to the face." He paused, eyeing her. "Is this considered domestic abuse? Am I a battered man now? I'll press charges, you know."

"You're lucky that's all I did." She said darkly. "God, Tony, do you have any idea how stressful this is? I have to sit here and watch you fly off to save the world, and I have no idea if you're going to come home, if you're going to be okay-"

"I'm Iron Man." He scoffed. "I'm always okay."

"Seriously?" She raised an eyebrow. "Because last time I checked, you almost died in Afghanistan, almost died when you got back, almost died from your stupid palladium arc reactor, almost died when Ivan attacked you, and now you've almost died taking a nuclear weapon into outer space!"

"Well, when you list it all out like that, I sound far more reckless than I actually am." He conceded with a grin. "Did you notice the almost in front of each of those?"

"And one day, there won't be an almost." She brought her fingers to her temple. "Honestly, it's like you have no regard for your own life."

"I think it's been documented by various tabloids and senate hearings that the only thing I have any regard for is my own life." He replied.

"Do not joke with me right now, Anthony Stark." Pepper snapped. "Because this is in no way funny."

"I think it's a little funny." He cocked his head. "Oh, c'mon, Pepp. Most couples fight about money or leaving their socks on the floor. You're mad at me because I almost died saving the world. It's kind of funny."

"You leave your socks on the floor, too." She pointed out, but he noted the lack of venom in her tone.

"Only because you're always there to pick them up." He grinned, reaching out to brush her hair out of her face. "This isn't how I pictured our reunion. You know, if we had one. Since I almost died."

She swatted his hand away irritably, but he caught the ghost of a smile playing at her lips. "And how, exactly, did you envision this?"

"I was hoping we could continue our little moment. I mean, I did all my homework. And then some, really." He took a sip of his scotch and offered her a wicked grin.

"It's kind of hard to continue twelve percent of a moment, Tony."

"Don't worry, your twelve percent is still intact. I guess that really ups you to, what, thirty-seven percent?" He paused, glancing around him. "Maybe even forty-one, depending on what exactly received damage."

"You are ridiculous." She rolled her eyes, and took his drink from him. She took a sip and blanched for a moment at the taste. He couldn't help but grin.

"This isn't exactly news, Pepp. I was ridiculous before the whole flying around in a metal deathtrap thing." He took a step forward and pulled her against him, pressing his face into her hair. She remained stiff against him for a moment, and then threw her arms around him, clenching his shirt in her fists.

"I thought you were going to die."

"I know, Pepp." He stroked her hair, seemingly oblivious to the other Avengers' agape expressions. "But I'm here. I'm okay."

She took a shuddering breath, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. "I- I don't know what I would do if- if anything happened…"

"Shh," He planted a kiss on the top of her head. "It's okay now. We're all okay."

"This time." She murmured, glancing up at him. He was surprised to see tears pooled in her eyes. "What about next time, Tony? What about all the times after that?"

"Listen to me." He cupped her face in his hands. "I will always do my damnedest to get back to you, Pepper Potts. You are the only reason for any of this, do you understand me? You are the reason I fought my way out of Afghanistan. You are the reason I fought so damn hard to live last year."

And before she could answer, before he could ruin the moment with a joke or sarcastic quip, hell before Jarvis could say something (because God knew no one could ruin a moment like Jarvis), he pressed his lips to her own. She let out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a sob and tangled her fingers in his hair. After a long moment, they broke apart, and he wiped away a tear at the corner of her eye with his thumb.

"I can't decide if I want to kiss you again or kill you." She murmured.

"Do I get a vote?" He raised an eyebrow. "Because I may write in a suggestion or two."

"Imagine how angry she'd be if we hadn't woken him up." Natasha offered a sly grin to Clint.

"Woken him up?" Pepper glanced behind her, suddenly aware of the other Avengers in the room. "What do you mean, woken him up?"

"You know, Pepp, it's really not important-" Tony interrupted.

"No, what does she mean, Tony?" Pepper glared at him. "Are you hiding something?"

"The arc reactor might have had a little… incident. In space." Tony said evasively, shooting his former employee a dirty look. "No big deal."

"No big deal?" She repeated incredulously. "What happened?"

"When he fell to the earth, his chest was no longer glowing." Thor informed her dutifully.

"Your arc reactor went out and you call it a little incident?" She spun around to glare at him.

"You guys are all assholes." He glared at Thor and Natasha. "Pepp, it's fine. I'm here. Let's go back to having a moment."

"Absolutely not." She hissed. "You are infuriating! You cannot hide things like this from me!"

"Pepper, I wasn't hiding it, I just didn't see the point in telling you! It already happened, it's over-"

"Just like last year, when you didn't feel the need to share the tiny fact that you were dying?"

"I was going to tell you!" He cried out in exasperation. "You wouldn't let me! I was going to make you an omelet and tell you! You aren't supposed to be mad about that anymore."

"You do not get to tell me what I can be mad about, Tony Stark." Pepper narrowed her eyes at him. "You always leave these messes for me to clean up-"

"This time, I left a mess for the whole city to clean up. Improvement, right?"

"God, Tony, what if some of the shrapnel nicked your heart while you were out? What if you're slowly bleeding out right now? Have you even thought to check?" She took one look at the guilty expression on his face. "You haven't!"

"It was hours ago, I'm sure if that happened I'd feel it by now." He shrugged.

"You are so incredibly irresponsible!"

"I think Manhattan would beg to differ!"

"Don't worry," Natasha offered the other Avengers a rare smile. "They're always like this. I was expecting worse, honestly."

"I will never understand humans." Thor shook his head.

"I wouldn't consider Tony Stark a shining example of humanity." Clint said wryly.

"I heard that, Bird Boy." Tony glared at him.

"He's right. Most of humanity has a slight survival instinct. You, apparently, have none." Pepper snapped.

"Pepp, what do you want me to say? Sorry for saving the world?"

"Yes!"

"Pepper," His voice was softer now. "I had to do it."

"No, you didn't. Someone else- something else- there was another way!"

"No, there wasn't. There wasn't a way out this time." He pulled her away from the group and lowered his voice, though his teammates merely lowered their own voices to continue eavesdropping. "I had to, because there was no way in hell I was letting those things threaten the earth while you're still on it."

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever-"

"Pepper, you are the only thing I would consider dying for. You, okay? Not the world, not Fury's little experiment, you."

"You shouldn't have considered dying at all-"

"I am trying to tell you something here!" He interrupted her again, gripping her shoulders. "Why won't you let me?" She blinked at him. "I love you, Pepper Potts. It's you. It's always you. It's always been you, it'll always be you. Okay? So stop chewing me out, 'cause it's your fault anyway."

"I…" She stammered, staring at him.

"You are so difficult. This is just like when I made you CEO." He shook his head in exasperation. "We could've been in Venice, you know. Or having our moment. But no, you made me do my homework."

"You… You love me?"

"Hasn't it been obvious since day one?" He raised an eyebrow. "What do you think I was calling to tell you? 'Hey, Pepp, I'm about to die, no need to pick up the dry cleaning after all'?"

"I… I don't know! Not that!" She gaped at him momentarily.

"You know, it's usually good form to say it back." He pointed out. "And they say I'm the one that's bad at relationships, but clearly-" She cut him off with a kiss, wrapping her arms behind his neck. He pulled her close, breathing in her scent.

"I love you, too, Tony." She murmured against his lips.

"You know, Stark, it's usually good form to keep emotionally gushy displays to yourself." Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Don't take it out on me." Tony rolled his eyes, resting his chin on the top of Pepper's head. "Just because you don't have the balls to tell Natasha you love her doesn't mean the rest of us have to suffer in silence."

Clint blinked at him, a suspicious red creeping up his neck.

"Yeah, that's right, asshole. Keep it to yourself." Tony grinned. "Now, Pepper, I do believe some very explicit promises were made, and one of the things I love so much about you is that you're a woman of your word…"

"Not a chance, Stark." She grinned cheekily at him. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight."

"No, I'm not. There are still at least seven empty bedrooms left."

"And you're still sleeping on the couch, if you know what's good for you." She broke out of his embrace and sauntered to the elevator.

He stared after her, a faint grin playing at his lips.

"God knows how that woman puts up with you." Natasha rolled her eyes.

"No kidding." Tony agreed, hardly bothered that he would spend his night on a twenty thousand dollar couch.