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

Chapter 56

Tony woke up quite early. He fell asleep in a workshop sprawled on a chair, holding a half-empty glass in his hand, but it fell to the ground as soon as he fell asleep and it shattered. But neither the blow nor the sounds of breaking glass woke him.

It was early before six when he suddenly jerked and looked around disoriented with puffy red eyes. He frowned and rubbed his face. Did he really fall asleep in the workshop? He must have really overdone it yesterday.

His stomach jumped, and as he rose sharply to run to the toilet, his head spun. He groaned and headed blindly for the door. His head hummed, twinkles in front of his eyes. When he hit the table with his thigh, he swore loudly and then ran up the stairs as fast as he could and made it to the toilet just in time.

"I expect the memorable sentence, that people are violating with regularity, will be heard." He heard an icy voice and looked back faintly from the toilet bowl.

"Leave me alone," he asked Natasha wearily, then his stomach turned again.

"I didn't do anything to you, Tony. You can only be mad at yourself," Natasha snapped, and Stark showed her a raised middle finger because he had no strength at all for an answer. Nat rolled her eyes and sighed. He acted like a teenager.

"I'm not in the mood for your bullshits," he growled, flushing, then went to the bathroom to rinse and take a quick shower. He smelled of sweat and alcohol, and he was sick of himself. "Don't bother with breakfast. I'm leaving in a few minutes."

"Where?" Natasha frowned. "I won't let you go in this state. You can't drive! I'll call Happy."

"Stop worrying! Are you my mother?" he yelled at her, and as soon as he raised his voice, his head almost cracked. Natasha didn't even comment. She just frowned at him, pointed to the bathroom, tightened the belt by her bathrobe, and went into the kitchen. Tony sighed and locked himself in the bathroom. He put his hands on the sink and stared at his reflection in the mirror for a moment. Sunken cheeks, sweat-stuck hair, bloodshot eyes. Pale face, ungroomed beard.

"I'm sick of you," he said to his reflection, then turned his back on him. He couldn't look at himself for a second longer.

•••

Tony hesitated if it was a good idea. He had a vivid memory of Peter's sad eyes when he told him he had seen Pepper with another man. At that moment, however, Natasha's face always popped up, reassuring him that Peter was wrong and that she had been with Pepper at work the whole time. Tony was really contradictory. He wanted to believe Natasha, but Peter never lied. And he certainly would not lie in this! He did love Pepper. It was a statement against a statement.

He rubbed his temples. His head ached from the thinking. The elevator stopped and the door opened with a clang. Tony gripped the bouquet of tulips tightly and walked slowly to Pepper's office. He was still not one hundred percent determined. He needed to see her, but he didn't want to make an idiot out of him. Love really makes us weak and terribly naive.

On the other hand, at least then he will have a clear answer and he will not drown in so many assumptions. He would have to deal with Pepper upright. And when she tells him that she no longer needs him, that there is a definitive end, he turns around and never returns.

"What's happening? Isn't Miss Potts inside?" he asked, frowning as he walked to the door and found one of the assistants stepping in front of it. She turned to him, startled.

"I don't know, I knocked, but she never answered," she replied in a low voice. Tony's eyes fell on the large box of chocolates in her hand.

"What is this?"

"That's just for Miss Potts. She... she really helped us a lot yesterday and it took her the whole evening and almost half the night, so Mr. Wilkie wanted to repay her at least with this," she explained hastily, and Tony had to take a moment to absorb it. So Natasha had been right after all?

"Um, okay. Give it to me, I'll pass it on to Miss Potts," he suggested. The assistant gave him a box of chocolates and disappeared. Tony knocked softly, then peered inside. And at the sight that came to him, his heart pounded.

Pepper sat in a chair, one arm resting on the table with her head resting on it, the other hanging down. She breathed quietly, not caring if she was sniffing on all the documents. Tony smiled involuntarily and walked quietly inside.

"Pepper," he whispered as he approached her, kneeling down next to the chair. Gently grabbed her hand and began to sift her with tender kisses. "Pepper, time to wake up, honey."

He was really an idiot. How could he think Pepper had cheated on him? He should have trusted Natasha. Luckily, he didn't do anything stupid last night. Except he got drunk.

"Tony," she breathed sleepily, her eyelids trembling. Stark smiled, kissed the back of her hand, and Pepper woke up. "Tony!" She straightened quickly and looked around in confusion. When her eyes fell on the crumpled papers, she groaned and put her face in her hands.

"It will be okay, love. That's just a small thing," Tony assured her, and as Pepper put her hands in her lap, he reached for them and gripped them in his. "Pepper—"

"Tony, I'm so sorry!" She didn't seem far from crying. "I was really trying to make it to dinner. But it all went awry. I've got it over my head and then the problem in -"

"Pep, I'm not angry, you should be mad at me. I'm a terrible idiot and... I didn't believe you. I thought you didn't want to see me," he muttered and didn't actually lie that much. And no one had to worry about a guy who didn't even exist. "I'm sorry, Pep. I'm pushing on you."

"No no. Honey, no. It's just me... it's really too much," she whispered in a trembling voice, and Tony's heart jumped excitedly when he heard the way she called him. "I promise I'll find the time. Soon."

"Don't rush. I'll wait. I know you have a lot of work to do. You run the whole company and I still think only of myself. I want to spend every moment with you, even though I know it can't be done," he breathed, placing his head in her lap. Pepper smiled tenderly and ran one hand into his hair, which she began to stroke gently. The other hand was still gripped tightly by Tony.

"Thank you, Tony," she whispered, and when he raised his head, it was she who kissed him first.