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

Chapter 32

Peter had hardly got out of his room since the nasty incident in Germany a few days ago. All he could do was stare blankly at the opposite wall, lie in bed, and keep replaying what had happened in his head. It was one of the worst days of his life and the trigger for many events he could do nothing about.

So first of all: Pepper was really upset. She didn't scream at them, but the disappointment in her eyes and the quiet anger she suffocated in herself was perhaps much worse than a ton of outright remorse. She communicated with Peter normally, less than usual, but he knew she needed time. But it was worse between her and Tony; one evening he heard them arguing. She blamed him for everything. That he allowed Peter to have a suit, that he supported him in testing his abilities, that he kept it all from her and lied to her eyes, and that he dragged him with him on a stupid mission with which Peter had nothing to do and in which he could lose his life. When Peter heard this, he was ashamed - it was his fault, too. After all, he was the first to start working on his suit! Tony would probably suggest something similar to him sooner or later, but even so...

When his father disappeared to continue stalking Steve and Barnes, Aunt Nat found him lying on the ground and took him and Rhodey to the hospital. Peter wasn't so bad, but Uncle Rhodey had a wounded spinal cord. When Peter found out, he almost jumped out of bed and ran after him, but Pepper and Natasha stopped him. Uncle Rhodey can't - No.

Tony came back after a while, with more injuries than had before. He didn't want to talk to anyone about what had happened except Aunt Nat. He made sure Peter was okay, kissed Pepper, and then asked Natasha in an empty voice to see if she would go away with him for a moment, that he needed to talk to her. Peter knew it would have something to do with Steve, and he was beginning to worry about the worst. Aunt Nat smiled encouragingly at him, kissed him on the forehead, and promised him that everything would be fine. Back then, Peter had no idea that it would be a long time before he would see Nat again.

Peter was recovering and did not go to school. Suddenly he didn't even think about his suit. All he wanted, was for life to be normal again. To make everything normal again, as it was before. So that Dad and Mom don't argue, so there isn't a quiet household and tangible tension. He sighed. If it could be fixed.

Raised voices came to him from the next room. Peter groaned and pulled the blanket over his head. He didn't want to listen to it anymore. He winced when he heard the door slam. Who left? Did Dad go to the workshop to cool his head, or did Mom say she couldn't handle it anymore? At the thought that she would never have to return to them, he froze, and fear enveloped him in his icy grip. Pepper couldn't leave them...

He heard a careful knock on the door. He didn't respond. Someone stepped inside and closed behind them. Quiet steps. Then the mattress arched slightly and Peter rolled slowly onto his back. Pepper set a cup of tea on his bedside table. He was relieved. She was here. And Dad will be back by evening.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, placing a palm on his forehead. Peter closed his eyes at the touch.

"Are you still angry?" he exhaled weakly. She sighed.

"I don't know, Peter. I'm disappointed. You did things behind my back that you knew very well that I did not approve of. You lied to me. I thought we were saying everything to each other. And Dad did some incredibly dumb stuff. You could have lost your life."

"But mom-"

"No, no buts. That's just the way it is. You're still a child, Peter, and I don't care what superpowers you have. I know Dad is now aware of his mistake. But for God's sake. You could have ended up like Rhodey! Or much worse!"

Peter felt really guilty. He couldn't even look at her, and all he really wanted, was for her to forgive him and hug him. "I'm sorry, Mom."

"Oh, Peter. Promise me you'll never do this again. Please. You don't even know how scared I was. About you, about Dad."

"It was stupid."

"It was, and I'm glad you realize that."

"But no, I mean... that between Dad and Steve," he said, sitting up. He hissed in pain. "I don't just get it. After all, they were best friends. And if you saw them there... they fought against each other. Absolutely useless!"

"I know, but sometimes you just have a different opinion on an important thing than others—"

"Because of this, they don't have to beat themself right away."

"It's their problem. Dad has already solved it. You lie down now, rest, and don't worry about it," she told him gently, pushing on his shoulders to lie down. He obeyed her without protest.

"How's Uncle Rhodey?"

"He's trying to walk with an exoskeleton. It's hard, but he doesn't give up. Dad helps him," Pepper replied, squeezing her lips into a narrow line for a moment before smiling at him. "You should sleep. If you need anything, tell Friday and she'll let me know, okay?"

•••

Tony was sitting at one of the tables in a small bar, pouring another shot. He's been here since he argued with Pepper and left the house to cool down and clear his head. She, too, will certainly be happy for space she will have for herself for at least a few hours.

He glared at the empty glass, hoping that alcohol would soon dull his mind and senses. He was worried over his head now. He wouldn't admit it in front of her, but he was worried about Nat, Ross kept pushing him for information, Pepper was cold and withdrawn, Peter and Rhodey were hurt because of him, and Rogers and Barnes were gone. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to clear his mind, but then a strong female perfume struck him in the nose.

"Hello, Tony," he heard a voice he hadn't heard in so many years. He froze and widened his eyes. She sat across from him, her brown hair falling to her breasts and her eyes just glowing at the sight of him. No. No. It certainly seemed to him. He was too drunk. Delirious.

"Get out of here," he growled at her.

"Oh, Tony," she sighed, bowing her head sadly. She reached for his hand, but he quickly put it in his lap. "I'm so sorry. I know I'm stupid and I made a huge mistake, but please forgive me. I wanted to come back as soon as you left and explain everything to you. Please give me another chance. I need you."

"It's too late for that. You should have thought of that before you did— "

"It couldn't be otherwise, Tony! I had to... although I didn't want to," her voice broke. "I tried to learn to live without you, but I couldn't. I need you, Peter, and I know you two need me. Please. I want to come back. We'll be family, Tony. Real. And we will stand together forever. Just imagine what we could do! And Peter..." she breathed, "Peter deserves to have a mom. He needs me."

"Bullshit," Tony snapped at her, his eyes flashing. "This is all bullshit, Mary, and you know it very well. You haven't even made yourself known for years, and I'm actually happy about that. And suddenly you want to come back? No. Peter and I don't need you. Peter has a much better mom than you are. Leave us alone. I do not want to see you. I am sick of you," he snapped, frowning at her, then walked away.

He has to go home. He has to watch over them. He has to solve it all.

He hoped it was all a nightmare. Or that at least he wouldn't remember this unpleasant meeting in the morning.

•••

I forgot to tell you! You can imagine Mary as you want, but before we started writing this story, we said that we imagine her as a "botanist" from IM 3 aka actress Rebecca Hall - as you can probably tell from the cover.