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

Chapter 31

Tony couldn't pinpoint the moment when it all went wrong. At one point, he enjoys spending time with his family and team, and for a few seconds, the whole world crumbles under his feet, and he tries to keep stand with all his might. But he really didn't know how long he could do it.

"The doctors say he shattered L4 through S1. Extreme laceration in the spinal cord. Probably looking at some form of paralysis," he spoke after a moment of silence that was not very pleasant. The fight with Steve made him tired. They only hurt themselves because none of them really wanted to fight. After all, it's not so long ago that they were one team and pulled on one rope. Not so long ago, they were family. And now Steve ran away and he had to solve another problem. But he didn't know how.

"Steve's not gonna stop. If you don't either, Rhodey's gonna be the best-case scenario," Natasha said thoughtfully, trying to choose her words wisely.

"You let them go, Nat," Tony pointed out the fact. To the fact, that could ruin the lives of them all. She stood against him. Against the contract she signed. And that could not go unnoticed.

"We played this wrong..."

"We? Boy, it must be hard to shake the whole double agent thing, huh? It sticks in the DNA," he spat out the words he regretted the second they left his mouth. If only she could understand the situation she had placed him in at the moment. He was frustrated by all this, and she didn't make it any easier for him.

"Are you incapable of letting go of your ego for one goddamn second?" she exhaled in disbelief, trying to hide the fact that his words hurt her. "Look at how it turned out. Rhodey has injuries that affect his life until his death. You came out of it with your hand in a bandage. And don't want me to start with Peter! Tony, if I didn't let them go, Peter could end up worse off than with a purple eye and bumped ribs."

"Ross knows what you did, so... they're coming for you. Do you even realize that, Nat? By letting him go, you ruined your life!" he snapped. How is he supposed to tell Peter this? Tell him that his beloved Aunt Nat can no longer be a part of their lives?

"I did only what I thought was right."

"Why did you sign the Accords?" he asked out of curiosity. He could have guessed she would hold on to the Captain, but something must have held her back, at least for a while. And he wanted to know what it was.

"I said it," she replied incomprehensibly.

"But it doesn't make sense. Not with you. Why did you really sign it?"

"Ross was a bad choice, but we would need a firm hand. Also, you pointed out an important fact that did not only concern you. What if something happened to Pepper or Peter? Something we're to blame. That was the main impulse for me," she finally explained.

Tony knew it consciously, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions. With Natasha, one never knows. But now that she had confirmed it, it was clear that she could not fall into Secretary Ross's hands. "Run," he said suddenly.

"What?"

"Nat, if Ross finds you, he'll lock you up in Raft. Runaway. I will do everything to solve this so you could be able to return soon. What other better solution do we have? I can't leave you with me, although I'd love to. Or do you want to be the one to tell Pepper and Peter that you will be imprisoned? What is it going to do to Peter, have you thought about it? This is no longer Russia, Nat. Here it's not everyone for themselves," Tony tried to convince her in a slightly desperate voice. Sure, he was upset that she had let Rogers go, but over time he could forgive her. And he knew she would never do anything to endanger Peter.

"I don't want to run anymore, Tony. Not when I know what it's like to have a family," she muttered.

"And how did the family end up? Let's face it, we're not family anymore. Not after what happened. Nat, I beg you. Runaway. Stay out of here as far as you can. Give us a message if you can. When the situation calms down, feel free to return. I'll do my best not to let Ross find out. Or I'll take Peter and fly with him wherever you are. He can't lose you."

"Do you really want it? You know that if you know anything about me and don't report it, you'll be considered as guilty as I am, don't you?" she asked, glancing at him. Of course, she didn't want to end up in Raft. Escape would have been waiting for her anyway, but if Tony's friendship remained, she took it. She didn't want to lose Peter either.

"As I say, it's our only chance. And you don't have to worry about Ross. He never even comes close to the meter to find out something. He may be a minister in a war uniform, but I'm a genius," he replied with a small grin on his face. If there's anything he wants to keep secret from Ross, he'll keep it secret without much effort.

"Before I leave, let me give you friendly advice. Tell Pepper. Unless, miraculously, she doesn't know yet," she said seriously, and Tony's grin disappeared.

"Trust me, she doesn't know. If she knew, we would already have a fire on the roof," he sighed, "I know I have to tell her, but how do I do that? Maybe you could wait a little longer with that escape... I'll tell her, and then I'll run away with you," he suggested, and she smiled weakly. She will miss this.

"You can do it. Just don't wait too much, you've been hiding it from her for too long. I'm not too thrilled for Peter to be Spider-man either, but what else could we expect from him with Avengers around him. Listen, I'm not going to stay here for much longer. Ross will probably be on his way here by now. Explain it to Peter for me, okay? And please, when you have a clear head, try to look at my decision again. You'll see that letting them go was best for all of us," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "take care, Tones."

And then she left without another word. And Tony wondered if the next person he'd have to watch leave would be Pepper when he told her the truth about their son.