WHO: Pepper Potts-Stark & Sharon Carter WHAT: Catching up over tea. WHERE: Sharon’s home WHEN: After Sharon’s return RATING: Low/No Warnings STATUS: Completed via GDOC.
Pepper was grateful to have a home away from the facility to return to at night. She was using her armor to commute back and forth, which was a little weird, but she was getting used to it. Still, she always made it a point to spend plenty of time with her children when anything went wrong. And James leaving? Well, that was very, very wrong. It was a loss she couldn’t do anything about and she wasn’t even sure it was right to hope he returned. He had a home and life back with his Tony and siblings. How could she hope to disturb that? Nonetheless, her heart was in pieces so she jumped at the chance to get some wine with Sharon. Hopefully Sharon would fill her in on what transpired in her time away from the facility. Pepper was definitely worried about why her friend appeared in the portal with a gunshot wound.
Sharon had a lot going on at the moment. No one knew who she turned out to be, and she wanted to keep it that way. She also knew more about Bucky and Sam than some others did, and she definitely knew more about Karli and John Walker than many people did. The information was practically burning a hole in her pocket, though she hadn’t had a lot of time to think about it. Over the last week she’d been either on heavy drugs for the pain of the emergency surgery she had to remove the bullet wound, or she’d had Frigga tending to her, or Loki was over, and now she was excited to catch up with Pepper. She felt like she hadn’t seen her friend in 5 years.
When Pepper knocked on the door, Sharon answered it quickly. Pepper was a sight for sore eyes. Sharon had to remind herself that Tony wasn’t dead in this reality--that they were happily married, living in New York. She reached forward to pull Pepper into a hug. “It’s so good to see you, Pepper. I’m so sorry about James. And Thor. And… everything else.”
Pepper squeezed Sharon back, but not too tightly. She didn’t want to hurt her. Sure, Sharon said she was healed, but her body took a real hit. “Me too,” Pepper replied softly, her eyes misting as she thought about her lost son and friend. She blinked back the moisture and plastered a smile across her face. “But, really, I’m here to catch up with you! I need to know what happened while you were gone. It sounds like you went through a whole lot of tough things.”
The worst of it was past, but it was thoughtful and kind of Pepper to be careful. Sharon appreciated it. She smiled softly at her friend once they pulled apart, and ushered her inside. “Come in, I’ve got the kettle on. We can have a cup of tea,” the phrase brought a little pink to her cheeks. “I’ll tell you everything.” She closed the door behind Pepper, and led the way into the kitchen to pull some mugs out of the cupboard.
“It was… a lot. I was scrambling to survive for a long time. Living in Madripoor. Eventually, I ended up building an art gallery, and I dealt in art from all around the world.” Sharon explained, digging out some tea bags, too.
Pepper followed Sharon into the kitchen and listened as she spoke about living in Madripoor and dealing in art. “Scrambling to survive? Why? Because of the Blip?” She frowned as she uttered the correct term for Thanos’ snap. It still felt like a weird piece of history she read about in books since she hadn’t lived through it -- hopefully would never live through it.
“I couldn’t come back to the United States after what I did for Steve,” Sharon explained. “I think it was technically classified as an act of treason? I stole Cap’s shield and Falcon’s wings and returned them to them in this other timeline, too, just like I did in this world. Only, in that other timeline I didn’t come back when the portals opened. I made my way to Madripoor because there’s no extradition there. That’s where I settled.”
Sharon poured the boiling water over the teabags, then brought the mugs to the table and set them down. There was already a little container of cream and a bowl of sugar with a couple of spoons sitting there.
Pepper finally sat down when Sharon put the mugs on the table. She poured a little sugar and cream into the tea and stirred. “But surely someone could have fixed that considering everything that happened after…” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry you went through that. Thank God you are back here.”
Sharon shrugged softly. “I was fairly established eventually.” She wasn’t going to mention how she’d been waiting to hear from Steve… and yet that call never came. Then the world thought that she had been snapped, and Sharon didn’t make corrections to that. It was easier to continue building her pseudonym with only half the people on the planet.
“But while Madripoor isn’t the safest of places,” Sharon added, “I didn’t get the gunshot wound until I came back to the states. I was working with Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson to try and counter the Flagsmashers as they attacked the GNC’s vote on the Patch Act.” That might have been a bit much. Sharon dressed up her tea with cream and sugar, too.
Pepper shook her head. “I’m not familiar with the Patch Act or the Flagsmashers,” she admitted. “I assume it is a future thing?”
“Oh. Yes. Sorry, I should have started with that. It was five years in the future,” Sharon responded apologetically. “I don’t know how it happened, but I spent five years in the other world, but when I returned here, only hours had passed. So far as I can tell, anyway.”
Pepper nodded. It was a lot to wrap her head around, but she was used to adapting quickly so she was completely focused on Sharon again within seconds. “Why were these Flagsmashers attacking the GNC? Was the Patch Act bad?”
“There are so many problems with the GNC and what they… It’s bizarre, because the problem was that…” Sharon frowned a bit as she thought of it. “You know… it doesn’t really make any sense. The GNC was trying to get everyone back to their lives after the Blip, but like… they were kicking people out who had moved in when Snapped people were gone, and those people were displaced, living in camps, and were being forced to move back to a country they may not have lived in for years. Possibly a country they were kicked out of, or was at war at the time they left…? Now the more I think about it, the less sense it makes. It would break all sorts of laws in this country. I don’t see how the GNC could do what it was attempting to do.”
“Sounds like a mess,” Pepper agreed. “Too bad it had to end in violence. That seems to be the case for a lot of political things, doesn’t it?” She sighed, once again grateful they avoided the Blip. “I’m just glad you are safe and we can have tea here again.” She reached over, silently offering her hand.
“It does.” Sharon said, a little darkly. She shook it off quickly, and gave Pepper a warm smile. “I am, too. I’ve missed this more than I can say.” She slipped her hand into Pepper’s and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I feel like I was gone for so long, and yet… nothing here has changed.”
“Is that a good or bad thing for settling back in?” Pepper released Sharon’s hand and wrapped both around her mug. The heat felt good.
“Oh, a very good thing,” Sharon responded. But then she considered it. “...and possibly an awkward thing. I think Lo--” Hmm. How much was she allowed to say here? She figured her lover probably wouldn’t like it if she was gossiping behind his back. Then again, if she couldn’t trust Pepper Potts-Stark’s discretion, who could she trust?
Sharon swallowed, then continued, “The person I was seeing seemed to think that things were going to be different between us when I arrived back here. But I told him I hadn’t seen him in what felt like five years, and I missed him. As different as I feel, I’m still the woman who fell for him in the first place.”
Pepper raised her eyebrows. “You are seeing someone?” She shot Sharon a smirk. “Am I allowed to know who? How did things go once you told him you missed him?”
“We’ve kept it secret for… for some time now,” Sharon confessed, her cheeks going rather pink. “But I… well, I’ve got to trust someone in my life, right? If I let you know, can it just be between the two of us?” Her heart was thundering at the idea of sharing her secret. “Things went straight back to normal.”
Pepper’s curiosity definitely rose. Why was Sharon keeping it under wraps? Still, it wasn’t Pepper’s place to spread Sharon’s business so she readily agreed. “Of course, just between us.”
Sharon wrapped her hands around her mug of tea and took a deep breath. “I’ve been seeing Loki for months now.” Then she let out a gush of air. It felt so strange to say the words aloud. She hadn’t told anyone, though Zari had figured it out on her own, and so had Frigga. (And Frigga was deftly playing matchmaker, which Sharon thought was both adorable and a little terrifying.) “...I know it’s probably the most bizarre thing anyone has ever said aloud, but… I’m absolutely crazy about him.”
Pepper was silent for a minute. Granted, Loki hadn’t caused trouble lately, but she still remembered New York all too well. “Well, if you are happy, I am happy,” she said. “Just promise me you’ll be careful?”
“I will, I promise.” Sharon said. “We’re not… there’s nothing official. He’s… hesitant.” Sharon frowned softly. “We’re just having fun.” Though it was probably obvious to Pepper that Sharon was having more than fun.
Pepper gave Sharon a knowing look, but didn’t press the issue. “You let me know if you need anything, okay? He’ll be good to you if he knows what is good for him.”
Sharon grinned shyly, her cheeks burning. She nodded. “I will. And so far so good. His mother is here, and she and I have grown very close.” ...that part was a little weird to her, but she liked it. Good weird.
“She seems like a lovely woman,” Pepper agreed as she finished off her tea. “I’m happy for you if you are happy, Sharon. Truly.”
“I’m happy. It’s unconventional, but I’m happy.” Sharon thought a great many things about her life were unconventional. That was just life with the portals and everything. She smiled softly to herself, then lifted her mug for a sip.