Rogue (An Avengers Fanfic)

Chapter 8: Impossible Relationship

* WARNING: Ends with Captain America: The Winter Soldier spoiler!

When I woke up, Stark was out. I got out of his bed and pulled on my jeans from the night before and one of his 'Black Sabbath' T-shirts, staring at myself in the mirror. What had I done? Why would I sleep with Stark, I didn't like him in that way. Did I?

"Rogue, Pepper Potts is on her way up, my protocols are being overridden," I heard JARVIS say.

"Why is Pepper coming here?" I wondered aloud, making my way into the living room as she came through the elevator.

"Oh Rogue, hi. I thought you'd be out," she said with a forced smile. I noticed Happy Hogan standing behind her.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly.

She chuckled. "I guess Tony told you. Um, I'm just here to get my stuff."

"And you thought you'd bring him? The guy you cheated on Stark with?" I questioned, looking back and forth between them.

Pepper sighed. "Look, you don't understand. Relationships are hard. But having a relationship with Tony is impossible. The guy is completely selfish, he only cares about himself. I was willing to put up with it because I loved him, but then Happy showed me what it feels like to be in a relationship with someone that actually treats you right. I want to be treated right. I deserve to be treated right, and Tony Stark isn't capable of loving anyone."

I rolled my eyes. "You're never gonna get me to think that this is OK. If you're in a relationship with someone, then you're committed to them, no matter how they treat you. If you had a problem, you should have just spoken to Stark, not cheated on him," I reasoned angrily.

Pepper was silent for a minute, staring at me. Then she laughed.

"Oh, I get it, you and Tony?" she asked, looking amused and hurt at the same time.

"No, there's nothing going on with Stark and I," I said, wondering whether I was telling the truth or not.

"Well good, because any woman should know better than to sleep with a man who broke up with his girlfriend the day before. I saw you wearing his shirt so I just assumed..." she trailed off as someone else came up in the elevator. Stark.

"What are you doing here?" He asked them. I stayed silent, this was between them.

"I'm here to get my stuff. Happy's helping me," she said sheepishly.

"I told you I'd have your things sent," he said, not looking at either of them.

"Well I, I also wanted to talk. I wanted to apologise. Can we talk in private?" she asked, looking at me. He followed her gaze.

"No, we can't. We'll talk here or not at all."

"Fine. I'm really sorry Tony. Not for what I did, but for the way I did it. I never wanted to hurt you, honestly," she said.

"You're not sorry for cheating me, but you're sorry for sleeping with my best friend?" he asked as if he couldn't believe what she was saying.

"No. I'm sorry for cheating on you. But I'm not sorry for finding a relationship where I'm as important as he is. Tony, you're selfish, and you make bad decisions. I couldn't do it anymore..." her voice got quieter as I walked further away, I couldn't stand watching her break him down. Instead I called Nat.

"What's up Rogue, I'm busy," she said quickly.

"Pepper and Tony broke up," I said in a rush.

"What? Are you serious? Rogue, what did you do?" she asked, to which I heard Steve ask 'What happened?', and she replied 'Pepper and Stark broke up'. I didn't hear his response.

"I had nothing to do with it, she cheated on him with Happy. What are you guys doing anyway?" I asked curiously.

"Um, nothing. Just... chilling," she said slowly.

"Then why did you say you were busy?" I wondered, raising an eyebrow even though she couldn't see me.

"So, you and Stark haven't done anything?" she asked.

"Stop changing the subject," I said harshly, even though by now I could tell what she was hiding. In the same way that I had hidden our mission from Tony the day before, Nat was hiding a mission from me now.

"Just answer the question. In fact no, answer this one: Do you like Stark? In a romantic way?" she said, giggling like a school-girl gaining cute information about her latest crush. I didn't know how to answer the question, I didn't know if I liked Stark in that way. I liked kissing him and talking to him, but Pepper's worlds echoed in my head. 'Having a relationship with Stark is impossible', 'He's selfish', 'I deserve to be treated right'.

"Silence means yes!" Nat said with a laugh.

I was about to reply when I heard a door slam shut.

"I have to go, I think Pepper left," I said into the phone, hanging it up while she was still laughing. I walked slowly into the living room, trying to make as little noise as possible. I peered around a corner and saw Stark sitting alone. "Is she gone?" I asked. He nodded.

"I'm really sorry Tony," I said softly. He stood up.

"Do you want to, maybe, go on a date?" he asked me with a smirk.

"Stark..." I trailed off. He held his hand up to stop me from saying anything further.

"Just listen to me, this has nothing to do with the fact that Pepper and I broke up, honestly. I like you, you know that I like you. Can't we... see where this goes?" he asked hopefully. I wanted to say yes, of course I wanted to say yes. When a guy that you might be seriously into asks you on a date for the first time, you say yes don't you? But this wasn't just any guy, this was Tony Stark.

"Do you think you treated Pepper badly?" I asked, seemingly out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his face riddled with confusion.

"Pepper said that she cheated on you because she deserves to be treated right, and you didn't treat her right."

"Rogue-" he began, but I stopped him.

"I deserve to be treated right too, Stark. I don't deserve to be a rebound girl," I said, being honest about my worries.

"Do you think I'd treat you badly?" he asked, to which I shrugged my shoulders. I didn't want to think that he could, but Pepper hadn't either.

As I was about to answer, my phone rang. It was Nat.

"Rogue, get to the hospital - the one that Steve was taken to - now!" she said without waiting for me to speak. She sounded like she had been crying.

"The hospital? Why, what's wrong?" I asked, my heart beating a hundred miles an hour. Everything seemed fine when we spoke on the phone half an hour ago.

"It's Fury. He's dead."

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Thanks for reading!

What are Natasha and Steve hiding? And what happened to Fury? Find out in Chapter 9, up next Saturday!

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