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

Chapter 77

"So I have to say that seeing you so happy and fully awake is a really nice change," Beck said with a smile as they were left alone in class, as was their custom. "After you almost fell asleep here last time, I brought you something," he said, handing him a smaller bottle of yellow liquid.

"Orange juice?" Peter asked, confused, as he opened the bottle and was struck by the strong scent of oranges.

"Fresh juice is a great base, but there is also ginger and ginseng. Back on my Earth, I thought it was a magic elixir that my wife had always prepared for me. You can try it or not, but it has always helped me. It helps against fatigue and it is full of vitamins, so it also strengthens the body," he explained, and the mention of his wife reflected sadness in his eyes.

Peter didn't want to disappoint him when he had already done such an effort and thought of him. Plus, he liked orange juice, so why not taste it. "Wow! It's amazing, what's the secret?" he asked as he took a small sip.

"My wife was a genius, what more can I say?" he said with a small smile, watching him enjoy it. "What changed your mood?"

"I was having dinner with my mom yesterday! Everything seems to be on a good way and I'm just praying it stays that way. I can't wait for her to come back home and we'll forget about all this," he told him. A blinding smile adorned his face.

"Seriously? I really like to hear that. What about your biological mother?"

"Nothing, I haven't seen her in a few days and I don't mind. It may be insensitive from me, but our relationship was worthless - exactly as I told her at the beginning. If she was interested in me, she should have appeared earlier. It's too late now and all our ties are broken," he replied, not feeling a shred of guilt. He tried, but he couldn't do more. And his decision not to be rude and not to reject Mary after helping Aunt Nat eventually hurt his mom, which was exactly the thing he never wanted to do.

"It's really noble of you to at least give her a chance. You don't have to worry that it didn't work out," Beck agreed, and Peter was glad for his words. He knew that, but it was nice when someone confirmed his thoughts.

"Thank you, Mr. Beck," he said, glancing at the phone that vibrated on his desk to announce the incoming message. "I'll have to go, Dad is waiting for me in front of the school. I can take this wake-up call, can't I?" he assured himself, waving a bottle that was already half empty.

"Do you really have to ask? And now go!" Beck laughed, and Peter ran out the door with a wave of his hand. He felt especially better today, so he thought Bruce was right and his body was just reacting to everything that was happening around him.

"Hi, kid, how was school?" Tony asked as he sat in the passenger seat.

"Pretty good, you should see our robot, which Ned and I finished today on the robotic club! Of course, we nailed it," he replied enthusiastically, and Tony listened to him with a smile on his face as he left the parking lot.

"I'm glad to hear that, sometimes I could come and see it," he suggested.

"We will have a smaller expo of our inventions at the end of the year. You should definitely come with a mom. And Nat and Bruce, too!" he blurted out.

Tony's smile widened when he mentioned Pep. Their dinner yesterday was obviously a success, and he was overjoyed. They were one step closer to be together and happy. "It sounds like a good idea. When you know the date, tell Friday not to plan anything for that day."

"Sure," he agreed, looking out the window at the passing neighborhood. It took him barely a few seconds to figure out that they weren't following the path that led home. "Dad? Where are we going?"

"Listen, I know you won't be thrilled, but now that you've met Mom, we should plan our family dinner. And I looked in your closet and found out you needed a new suit. You have grown from the one you have," he announced with a sigh.

Peter's face twisted at his words. "Dad!" he moaned, "it won't be necessary! Do I need a suit for a family dinner? I'll bet with you about what you want that Uncle Bruce will not have a suit, either," he protested. The suit itself wouldn't bother him at all, but what he hated to death were the tailor's visits.

"Actually, Bruce will have the suit because I insist. I thought that if the whole family was there, it would be a great opportunity to do something that I have been going to do for a long time," he said, and Peter immediately replied in his head that the whole family would not be there when half the team was gone and Uncle Rhodey in Washington, but he didn't say any of it out loud. His father seemed to be in a good mood, and he didn't want to spoil it by mentioning Steve.

"What are you up to?" he asked instead.

"I want to propose Pep. What do you think?"

"Are you kidding me?! I'm absolutely in!" he shouted happily, tearing Tony's eardrums.

"I wanted to do it before it went wrong with the team. Even today, I wonder if she would leave if I had the courage to do it sooner, so she wouldn't have to deal with such an absurdity as thinking about us taking Mary back," he sighed, and Peter joined him. This was still the same story and they had to break the circle.

"Dad, you can't take it that way. What happened, happened. Let's finally forget about it and move forward," he begged, and a small smile appeared on his face as he inadvertently remembered that their family would grow by one member in a few months.