And part 2 of the fic I wrote more of

[windemere]

Pepper

Pepper thrives on coffee. Tony may drink it likes it’s water, but Pepper drinks it for the sake of her sanity. It’s the only thing that can get her through three board meetings in an afternoon, handling a Tony-sized PR disaster (or an Avengers one), or just managing to get through the piles of paper-work involved in running a company. Tony may have taken on the role of CEO once again, but that doesn’t mean he’s any more likely to do the practical work of that role than he was before the nearly-died-and-lied-about-it event.

Pepper has her own coffee machine in her office. She is always quite able to use the one in the kitchen of the penthouse, even though Tony is incapable of figuring it out (so he says).

However, every now and then when she has a bit of time to relax or it’s been a long day and she wants to ensure a good night’s rest, she has tea. She never drinks it around Tony, because he’s made it pointedly clear that tea is the same as instant coffee and is clearly the Devil’s work.

That changes after Bruce. Or rather, that changes after Bruce declares he only drinks tea. Suddenly it’s okay for Pepper to have a cup before bed while curled up with Tony on the sofa.

Though the first time Tony returns from one of his infrequent forages across the road for coffee with a tall cup of some imported Japanese Cherry Blossom tea (or something like that, Tony can’t quite seem to remember what the barista told him it was) and places it on her desk, Pepper is floored. It is one of the kindest things Tony has ever done for her. And it is less about the fact he brought her a cup of something, since clearly he’d gone across the road to get his own coffee. It is much more because he knows she likes tea and that she prefers herbal over black (like Bruce) and that despite it being 3pm and not usually the time of day she drinks the stuff (tea is for pre 7am or post 1am), it has been a very trying day and it is the thought – more than the beverage – that matters.

Pepper turns to thank him, but he’s already disappearing into the elevator, no doubt back to his workshop.

It’s not the last time Tony brings her tea.

Coulson

Coulson drinks coffee in a mechanical way, like he does paperwork. At the office there is always a SHEILD underling willing to brave Fury’s right-hand-man’s death glare to deliver coffee in the hopes of getting a brownie point or two.

Coulson does not believe in brownie points, but since the theory means fresh coffee on his desk everyday he has yet to let any of the underlings know this.

Still, Coulson long since stopped tasting the stuff, as has most of SHEILD. He knows Hill drinks it as black and strong as espresso and in much greater quantities than most employees. Since Hill is the one that deals with Fury every day, Coulson can’t blame her.

Occasionally, Coulson spends long enough in Pepper’s presence to receive – and drink – a proper cup of coffee. Not the near-battery acid the underlings making him, but the kind of coffee that only comes from expensive coffee machines and $100 bags of beans. It’s the only time Phil enjoys the drink, actually tastes it and appreciates it like a fine wine. Part of that, at least, is the company he drinks it in.

Jane

Coffee is the same as water or air or food. It’s necessary for life, so far as Jane is concerned. Without coffee there can be no scientific breakthroughs. So without coffee there can be no work, and work is Jane’s life.

Darcy is hired for a lot of reasons. For starters, it gets Jane a grant. For another, it keeps another woman around that Jane can talk to (lament to). This comes in especially handy after Thor arrives (and then disappears). It also means that there is someone to make coffee so that Jane and Erik do not have to stop in the middle of a brilliant idea and make it themselves. All around, hiring Darcy is one of the smartest things Jane has ever done. And Darcy proves to be more than just a good ear, another pair of hands, and an endless supply of coffee.

Darcy also makes sure that Jane eats and sleeps, which are also necessities of life. Without Darcy, Jane’s not entirely sure she would have lasted as long as she has without starving to death or something equally bad.

After Loki Take 2, Jane moves to New York. She does this because Thor asks her to and because Tony offers her a job. SHEILD offers her a job too, but Tony offers more money, a better workshop, and anonymity from the military. So Jane says no to Fury’s face, with a certain amount of pleasure, and takes up residence in Stark Tower. This means that when Thor visits, Jane is within 500ft at all times. Thor visits a lot after Loki Take 2.

Once more they fall into the same roles as before. SHEILD is not quite willing to let Erik go, because a) he works for them and b)they aren’t really over the brainwashing incident quite yet, even in the case of Hawkeye. So Darcy only has to look after Jane. Well, in theory.

It quickly becomes apparent that Darcy is the only resident of Stark Tower with any sort of self-preservation ingrained in her, beyond perhaps Bruce. So Darcy develops a schedule each day. In the morning (ish) she brings coffee and breakfast to Jane and sits and watches her eat. When this is done, she lets Jane go to her workshop. Then Darcy heads upstairs to say good morning to Bruce, who is always at work by then. After this, she pops into Tony’s workshop (because he’s not up by then) and cleans up the dirty dishes, half-empty coffee cups and Dummy’s smoothie mixes [attempts] and stops to pick up a few dangerous things off the floor, before heading up to the penthouse. There, she bakes something. Darcy loves to bake; it’s her stress-reliever. And she knows that Steve, Clint and Bruce love to eat her baking. Also, Natasha commented once that she likes the kitchen when it smells like muffins.

When the baking is done, usually by late morning, Darcy makes a cappuccino and takes a piece of whatever she has made down to Pepper. Then she pokes her head in to make sure Jane has coffee to hand before going to make lunch for them both.

In the afternoon Darcy spends some time with whoever is around the Avengers’ living quarters (usually Steve or Thor), makes another swing by Jane’s workshop. Brings a snack to Bruce and Tony (and stops to make sure Tony eats it). And then she sends a voice message through JARVIS to remind all Avengers residents that they are expected to dinner at 7pm (as always). Steve, Bruce and Darcy usually rotate the cooking schedule; interspersed with take-out from a variety of restaurants who are only too happy to deliver to Stark Tower (Shawarma often wins out).

After dinner, Bruce, Tony, Jane and Pepper all go back to work. Darcy watches a movie or reality TV with Steve [she has taken over his catch up of 70 years of pop culture because Tony is too busy and has no amount of patience] and Clint and sometimes Thor when he’s around [who understands even less than Steve most days]. Then Darcy takes a cup of decaf coffee and dessert down to Jane, swings by to say goodnight to Bruce, Tony and Pepper and then goes to bed, because she has to get up and do it all again the next day.

Steve

Steve is familiar with coffee as a drink as thick as tar and tasting virtually the same that soldiers drank to stay awake. Mostly because it was very rarely actual coffee bean coffee and often mixed with other things that really didn’t taste remotely like coffee, but that they drank anyways because real coffee beans were heavily rationed, even for Captain America.

He is not familiar with the fact that coffee is an art form in countries like Italy. He has no idea what coffee is supposed to taste like or the fact that there are beans worth $100 for a 100 grams.

He has no idea about any of this until, on day two of the Loki problem, someone offers him a cup of Helicarrier coffee. Steve takes a sip of the steaming beverage without really processing what he’s doing, he’s just so used to it. They haven’t exactly slept and Steve (and Thor and Stark) have just returned from Germany and Steve’s still a little strung out by their fight in the forest and unnerved by having Loki 100 feet away.

He nearly spits it out. The agent, or whoever the underling is who handed him the cup, just smiles.

‘We drink it strong here, sir. Only way to drink it, Director Fury says.’

Steve just nods while taking a sniff. It smells like he’s sure real coffee should but it tastes like the strongest alcohol he’s ever tried and he’s tried some pretty strong stuff. Bucky had gotten a kick out of trying to get his supersoldier friend drunk on more than one occasion. It did pass the time.

Steve takes another sip and decides that it’s okay, it just caught him off guard.

Loki and Thor have been gone for over a month when Pepper Potts calls him and invites him to move into Stark Tower. Steve does not even work up the effort to be annoyed that Stark himself didn’t call. He may not know Howard Stark’s son very well, but he knows him enough to get that Stark probably doesn’t make his own phone calls unless absolutely necessary. This is a business arrangement, so it falls to the business person in the Stark-Potts relationship.
Steve has been back with Shield after his impromptu motorcycle holiday after the New York battle for over a fortnight and there hasn’t really been much to do. He’s been spending most of his time in the gym.

Steve, ever the soldier, asks Fury for his opinion.

Fury seems to give it some thought.

‘It’s easier for me if I know where you all are at any given time. But, Captain, I’d appreciate it if you did this for another reason.’

‘And that is?’ Steve asks, still not quite able to trust Fury after the whole nuclear weapon thing the month before.

The director pretends not to notice. ‘Keep an eye on Stark.’

‘I’m sure he’ll love that,’ Steve mutters, before he can stop himself.

Fury just smirks. ‘I wouldn’t advise you told him. You might be good for him.’

‘Sir?’

‘You’ll figure it out Rogers. Pack your bags. Transport in fifteen.’

And just like that, Steve Rogers moves in with Tony Stark. Except not really. In fact, Steve doesn’t seen the man behind the mask for five days. The first person he meets at Stark Tower, besides the employees that greet him and show him to his room (floor) and give him a tour, is Bruce.

The second person he meets is Pepper.

‘I brought you coffee. I thought you might not have figured out the machine in your apartment yet. And that any coffee offered to you by an employee of this company is not worth drinking.’

She hands him a cardboard coffee cup with a fancy logo on the side. ‘It’s from the café across the street. It’s worth the trip,’ she says, encouragingly. She is carrying a cup of her own, two sizes bigger than the one Steve now holds.

He takes a sip and decides that the 21st century does, indeed, do some things better.

‘This is coffee?’ he asks.

‘The best that money can buy. At least from a café. Welcome to Stark Tower, Captain Rogers.’

‘Steve, please, Ms. Potts.’

Her smile is enough to light up a room and send most men to their knees, though Steve is not most men. ‘Pepper, I insist. After all, we’re going to be comrades in arms as long as you’re here.’

Steve takes another sip of the bloody amazing drink. ‘Comrades in arms? There a battle I don’t know about Ms….Pepper.’

‘A few days in the same vicinity as Tony and you’ll figure it out. I expect you to be a good influence.’

And Steve nods and agrees to that, because after all, Fury pretty much asked the same thing.

‘I must get back to work. If you need anything, and no one else is being helpful, please have Jarvis call me.’

‘Thank you,’ Steve says to her, but she’s already out the door, her sky high heels flashing white as she disappears down the hall to the elevator.

Steve takes another gulp of heaven. Living in Stark Tower might have its perks. And at least there are a few normal people around.