The Revenge of Devil | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 21

Natasha put the drinks she mixed in front of her two friends and finally sat down next to them. It was quite annoying that she was the only one who could mix delicious drinks. This was the last drink she had made tonight. Anyone who wants something from now on must prepare it themselves.

"Isn't it amazing when we all know about your existence, so you can attend our parties?" Nat asked the brunette.

"I agree!" Pepper exclaimed excitedly. "It would be so great to have another woman and a normal person all these years! No offense, Nat, you know I love you, but you're still an agent. Laura is like me."

Laura laughed and drank from her cocktail. "I admit I haven't had so good time in a long time," she confided. She never regretted the life she had lived, but she had to admit that spending New Year's Eve at the Avengers compound was great.

"Neither do I," Pepper agreed, unable to remember the last time she had felt so relaxed. It was a little spoiled by the fact that they hadn't found the one who kidnapped Peter yet, but she believed they would eventually get the kidnapper. Everything was turning for the better. This time for real.

"I'm joining the team," Nat grinned, raising her glass. "To fun!"

"To fun!" Pepper and Laura said in unison, and they tapped with glasses.

"Now tell me how Dr. Banner is doing," Laura said curiously. She still couldn't believe that the two actually lived together. She remembered them dancing around each other back at her home. And Clint didn't believe her then!

Natasha's cheeks flushed slightly, which she blamed on alcohol. "Um, everything's going great," she muttered.

Laura and Pepper exchanged amused glances. "Come on, Nat," Pepper groaned. "Give us a little more detail. I must say that I quite miss the fact that you no longer live with us. I have no overview at all," she complained.

"I miss you too," Natasha grinned, and there was a smile on her face.

"Pepper's right, we want to know more than that it's going great," the brunette added to the protests.

"But it's really great!" Nat defended herself. "I don't know what you want to hear. I think this is it. I finally balanced it and I'm happy. I really am," she assured them because she knew that was what they wanted to hear. They may have longed for some juicy details, but it didn't matter if they knew she was happy with Bruce. She knew them too well.

"Aren't we really going to get more out of you?" Laura sighed sadly.

"Well, the main thing is that you're happy," said Pepper, who would have liked to hear more, but she and Laura knew very well that Natasha wasn't so much sharing person, so it was no surprise.

The redhead had to smirk at her words. As if she didn't say it...

"Why don't we just get to a wedding that's inevitably coming," she changed the subject. And it worked immediately because the woman with strawberry-blond hair never missed an opportunity to talk about her big day. And Natasha wasn't even surprised. After all, she had waited so long for that... And besides, they really deserved it.

"Tommy and I are constantly working on preparations," she told them with a dazzling smile on her face.

Laura frowned for a moment but chuckled at it. "Pep, don't overdo it with the alcohol. Your future husband's name is Tony, not Tommy," she teased, and Natasha nearly spat out the drink she drank.

"Oh, I know that. Tommy is our good friend!" she explained. "I need to introduce you to him, he's here somewhere," she added, looking around, but she didn't see Tommy or Brian anywhere. Instead, someone's arms wrapped around her from behind, trapping her in an embrace.

"Pep, honey, it'll be midnight in a minute," Tony muttered in her ear. "You're not going to deprive me of my New Year's kiss, right?"

Pepper laughed happily and turned her head to kiss him right now. She couldn't help herself. Maybe alcohol helped a little, but she felt really happy. Natasha exchanged an omniscient gaze with Laura, and they set out in search of their precious halves. Which in the finale wasn't difficult, as Clint and Bruce sat together on the couch and discussed something.

And as she sat down next to him and Bruce put his arm around her shoulders, she realized how much she missed him today. They were in the same room, but everyone talked to someone else throughout the evening. And yes, it was a nice change, now that they only lived together, but at the same time she got used to his almost constant presence, and their separation was much harder.

"Bruce, buddy, I have something to tell you," Clint told him importantly, and it was clear in his voice that he had had enough for tonight. The children stayed with Laura's parents, so it was no wonder that the Bartons wanted to have some fun. "I should have told you a long time ago, but you should never trust a woman named Natasha," he warned, and the redhead glared at him.

"And why?" Bruce asked, amused by his statement. He knew it would probably be just another of his jokes.

"It is simple. Because Natasha will say backward - ah, satan," he informed him.

Bruce burst out laughing while the redhead seemed to hurt her best friend in a moment.

"You should take him away before I stab him," she told Laura, who also looked amused, but got up and pulled her husband to his feet.

"And what would you like to stab me with?" he asked stupidly.

"You've known me for a few years, so you might know I'm not going anywhere unarmed," she grinned, and he swallowed hard.

"True," he muttered, pulling Laura away.

Peter watched it all from a distance. At the beginning of the year, it never occurred to him that they might be here today. They entered 2016 completely alone. And how much they have experienced that year! Mary tried to get back to their life, which is why Pepper left them. Natasha was the first to return, and then Bruce. His favorite aunt and uncle. His first abduction, his mother's abortion, Mary's death. And all in just a few months.

And then their lives calmed down for a moment. Slowly, everything began to return to normal. They went to a beautiful island, where they spent the whole of July. His parents got engaged. Thor brought Loki to his birthday party, connecting their lives a bit. Then came September and therefore the beginning of school, which he was quite looking forward to. He returned to Spider-man and invited MJ on a date. His parents' relationship only flourished more and more, while Bruce's and Natashin's withered. He was soon abducted for the second time that year, and for several days he was convinced that his beloved mother had died. Liz died because of him, and before his own death, Quentin Beck did perhaps the biggest trick - his sister. Peter was no longer going to look for her in the new year because she probably didn't exist at all. Because if she was real, there would have to be a record of her somewhere. Maybe he wished so much that she was real because that would mean he had siblings.

"What are you doing here alone?" Steve interrupted. Which led him to probably the only good thing that his abduction brought. Steve and Sam returned and were even pardoned before Christmas. Like Bucky, who was now an official member of the Avengers.

"I'm just thinking about what happened this year. And that it was a really terrible year," he replied honestly.

"You'd rather forget about it, wouldn't you?"

Peter looked around the crowded room before his gaze settled on the ex-soldier. "Not at all," he said with a faint smile. Because even though he wanted to forget all the horrible things that had happened, it wasn't worth forgetting the good ones.