The Devil With The Face of an Angel | Irondad, pepperony

Chapter 9

Pepper was tired. She was so tired, but she didn't stop for a moment. The problem was that if you overwhelm yourself for too long and ignore the signals your body is giving you, you may get a hit. And somehow Pepper had reached the end of her powers. Her cup of patience, which seemed to be bottomless in recent months, had just spilled over the edge as she stood opposite the brown-haired man, staring into his glass eyes. It was hard to tell whether the eyes were glassy from the effects of alcohol in his blood or from crying.

It had been almost a year since Mary had left them, and... well, you could say Tony didn't take it too well. The first few months were some of the best. Tony closed himself at home and didn't go out too much, but he tried so that Peter doesn't think too much about the absence of his mother. Pepper stopped by after work and gave Tony space for his own sadness for a few hours while she spent time with Peter. It was two months after Peter's second birthday that everything had gone badly. The life of the Starks impressed as the inverse. While Peter got better, Tony was worse and worse.

Pepper felt like she was in the past. She graduated from the University again and joined Stark Industries, where her main job was to deal with Tony's escapades. He decided to return to his old habits. He went home drunk and occasionally enjoyed with strange girls. And Pepper? She did everything she could to keep Peter from finding out. Everything she could to keep the world out. They would shred him to pieces!

"I can't believe you're already drunk at nine in the morning!" she said dangerously through her teeth. It was Saturday, so she didn't have to go to work. And thank God for that.

"You know, your claim is wrong. I'm not already drunk. I'm still drunk," he corrected as if something had changed or improved. Pepper tried to stick together, but this was over the line.

She inhaled that she would blame him for it all, but before she got a chance, she heard the little feet scuttering and the child's voice saying, "Daddy, get up!"

Pepper didn't hesitate for a second and locked Tony in the bedroom while she walked into the hallway. Unfortunately, last night was one of those days when Peter was caught up in nightmares about Mary. It took her longer than usual to comfort him, but eventually, they fell asleep on the couch together. She didn't need him to see his father in such a state after such a rough night.

"Peter, baby, Dad's still sleeping," she spoke with a forced smile as Peter walked up to her. His eyes were slightly swollen from the cry of the previous night and her heart broke under that glance, as it had done so many times in the last year.

"That's okay, I can lie down next to him!"

"You know, he doesn't feel too well. What if we spent the day at my house?" she suggested.

"It would be great! I've never been to you before," Peter said enthusiastically to her relief.

"So it's a deal. Would you like to watch TV now? I'll make sure Tony gets better, and then I'll pack your stuff, okay?"

"All right," he said, running away. Pepper was glad that Peter didn't have one of his days when he refused everything and just wanted to argue with everyone. She wasn't patient enough for that. His father had already used all of her patience.

She waited in the corridor until she heard distant sounds coming from the television before returning to the bedroom. "I can't go that way anymore, Tony! I don't know if you realize it, but you're completely ruining me. Every morning I'm here, then I go to work, where I have to deal with all your escapades to all the business stuff I have on my desk. After work, I come back here and when I get home, it's almost midnight. Well, if I even get home, right? I don't even know what it looks like at my place," she said frustratedly. What on the heart, that on the tongue.

"I don't know what you want from me," he muttered, his gaze fixed on the ground, and Pepper had to take a deep breath in order not to kill him.

"What do I want from you? I want you to stop drinking! I want you to stop bringing strange women here! And most of all, I want you to be Peter's parent who you were when you thrust him into my hands for the first time! Come on, Tony. I know it still hurts, but Peter has lost one parent. You don't want him to lose another, do you?" she shouted at him. She may have crossed the line, but she didn't care. Tony needed a cold shower. And she would give it to him, even if it was the last thing she did.

"Why do you even care," he retorted. In moments like this, it seemed to her that both of Stark's men were children and not just one of them.

"Because I always care if you haven't noticed. This is over, Tony."

"I will decide when it will end," he said, giving her a look. She knew he was going to stand for it, so she had to come up with the cruelest ace she had in her sleeve. She didn't want to do that, but Tony gave her no choice.

"Today I take Peter to my house. He'll be three soon, Tony. He is not stupid and knows that something is happening. I can't protect him from the truth forever and especially if you make it so complicated. I'll bring him back tomorrow, but I swear to God... if you don't stop this, you'll have to say goodbye to him. You're not able to take care of yourself, let alone a three-year-old kid," she said in a calm voice. She hated it.

"You can't take him from me!" he gasped, tears gathering in his eyes. Why did she have to be the one who caused him this?

"I believe I won't have to. Peter and I believe in you, Tony. I am begging you on my knees, stop what you're doing. You only hurt yourself," she whispered. She could feel tears in her eyes too.

"Don't take my boy," he pleaded brokenly.

"Promise me you won't drink today," she said in a firm voice. She would like to hug him now and comfort him, but as if she could, when it was her who caused him the pain. Now she had to be stronger than ever.

"Anything. I'll do anything, just don't take Peter away."

"See you tomorrow, Tony. For the good of all of us, I hope you will keep your promise," she said quietly, leaving the room. She knew it was cruel, but she also knew it would work.

After a while, the two boys would be happy again, and that was all she wanted.