From The Dark | Peter Parker x OC ✔️

Chapter One Hundred Six

A/N: chadwick boseman was not only a king on the screen but in real life, too.

he inspired so many people to embrace themselves and love who they are. his role as black panther brought light into millions of people's lives. and he did this all while silently suffering through cancer. he never said a word to the media about anything. and even though he knew he was only going to be here with us for a limited time, he didn't lose hope. instead, he stepped out there into the world and made a lasting legacy. the mannerisms of a true king. a true hero. a true legend. and as they say, legends never die.

so, even though he may be resting in peace now, the legacy he created will be immortal.

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"In my culture, death is not the end."

— in loving memory of the king,
Chadwick Boseman, 1977-2020
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"Can't sleep?" Tony asked.

Pepper let out a sleepy sigh, running her hands through her hair as she propped herself up onto her elbow on the couch. She squinted at the billionaire and then let her head fall back onto the pillow. She yawned, staring up at the ceiling.

"My back is killing me," she mumbled quietly. She heard the billionaire chuckling.

"Get in line," he chuckled and then added a moment later, "You know, the floor is great if your back is hurting."

Pepper's lips curled into a smile.

"Nice try," she said.

"Worth a shot," Tony shrugged, running his fingers through his hair. He bit back a yawn. A silence lapsed over them like a weighted blanket. With everything that had happened with Adelaide, it had become increasingly harder for the two of them to stay on a 'break'. It was nearly impossible to be on a break when you had a teenager. But now that things were slowly slipping back into place, there was still one thing that wasn't back to normal quite yet.

And it was their relationship.

But Tony knew that that, too, would soon go back to the way it used to be.

"We can take turns on the couch," Pepper whispered after a while, "One night you can take it, one night I can..."

"I...would like that," Tony said, trying to hide the smile on his face.

"Okay," Pepper said, still looking up at the ceiling. Then, she turned her head to look at him. She could just barely make out the figure of his face in the darkness of the room. "How are you?"

"What?" he blinked, caught off guard.

"I mean, how are you? After...everything," she said quietly. Tony paused, taking his time to gather his thoughts to answer honestly. He let out a sigh.

"I'm just...She's okay and that's all that matters. I'll be fine."

Pepper studied his face as if she could actually see it in the dark.

"This isn't your fault, Tony," she whispered.

The billionaire didn't answer.

"Really. You did the best you could under the circumstances that you had. That's all she could ever ask for," Pepper continued.

"So my best was letting her die?" he snapped in disgust and anger, "She was dead, Pepper. For a whole minute, she was gone. What kind of father does that make me?"