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

Chapter 59

Honestly, Natasha didn't understand. Why would Peter meet Mary? She was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice at first that Tony wasn't alone when she entered the house shortly after Peter. She entered the living room and took a breath to acquaint Tony with the situation she had witnessed when she saw a man sitting next to him. A man after which her heart had been hungry for so long. Everything that happened after he left didn't seem to happen and she found herself again in Sokovia, where he agreed to her plan with running away.

"Bruce," she finally breathed after a long pause. She hoped it wasn't just a dream. If she woke up now and found that Bruce was still gone, she probably wouldn't have made it.

"Hi, Nat," he said hoarsely and jumped to his feet. Tony and Thor were suddenly forgotten.

"Is that really you?" she asked anxiously.

"Yes, it's me," he replied, walking slowly toward her, but Natasha was no longer waiting for anything and ran to him so she could hug him tightly before he disappeared again. She didn't care how much she showed her emotions to the world around her. He's been gone for so long.

"You disappeared," she whispered, trying to get rid of the tears that began to press in her eyes. What is too much is too much. She didn't need to listen to Tony pick her up because of her feelings.

"Well, not me, the Hulk. I - Connection with you was lost and I remained in the form of the Hulk all the time. I don't know what happened during my absence, but you should... you should know that in the end, you were the one who helped me out of the Hulk. It's always been you," he muttered nervously in her ear, while she had her head in the bend of his neck and enjoyed his presence.

Natasha smiled when she realized what he was suggesting. He was afraid that her feelings had changed during that time. Her little dummy. "I never stopped hoping, Bruce. I always knew you'd come back to me someday," she said, straightening her head to face him.

"So you still adore me?" he asked heavily. They've wasted so much already. And he didn't want to waste time with her.

"It depends," she said with a smile, placing a hand on his cheek.

"Depends on what?"

"If you still adore me," she said, looking hopefully into his eyes as if she was searching for solutions to all the world's problems.

"You know it was never different," he admitted, finally rejoining their lips after many years. He was just glad they were in Tony's house and she couldn't throw him in the pit again.

Someone behind them coughed. Someone named Tony. So their kiss ended basically as soon as it started. And Natasha wanted to punch Tony with something. "Did I fall asleep? When the hell did this happen?" he asked confused.

"It was fun with you people, but I'll go. Next time I'll take my brother with me so that the kid is happy," Thor muttered in his deep voice and stood to leave.

"What if you made me happy and didn't take him?" Tony suggested sarcastically.

"Thank you again for bringing me to the Earth," Bruce said. He was really grateful for that.

"It was nothing." Thor waved at the hand and went to the balcony, where he spun his hammer and was gone in the blink of an eye.

"Back to you lovebirds. When the hell did that happen?" he repeated his question, staring at them. Bruce was an open book for him, so he noticed that he felt something for Natasha. Whenever they entered, he always looked around the room to see if he could see the redhead. Sure, Natasha had always been able to calm the Hulk, but honestly, he had no idea anything was really going on between them. Later, he would have to ask Pepper if she had noticed anything.

"You don't have to know everything," Natasha grinned.

"You know what, fine. Bruce, of course, you can stay here as long as you want. There are plenty of guest rooms, but feel free to stay with Natasha. You're an adult, I don't care. I'm not your mom. Just please note that there is an almost fifteen-year-old teenager in the house who has improved senses and hears everything," he told them with a bright smile on his face. He was really glad to have Bruce back. And he was happy for the two of them, no matter what was happening between them.

"What if you went first? Straight down the hall, third door on the left. I have something else to talk to Tony," Nat said as she returned to reality, remembering what she had found out this afternoon.

"Okay," he agreed, "I guess I'll see you later," he said to Tony.

"I'm sure we will see each other in the workshop tonight," he informed him, watching as Bruce's brown eyes lit up at the mention of the lab. Like a small child who gets the coveted toy.

"Not even a word," she warned him as soon as Bruce left.

"I didn't say anything," Tony grinned. But he will definitely tease them later.

"Tony, have you noticed that Peter has been a little weird since Monday?" she asked cautiously, sitting down on the couch next to him.

"Don't even talk about it," he sighed, running his hand through his hair. "When Bruce mentioned Pepper today, Peter suddenly cringed and went to his room to do his homework."

"Listen, I don't know who he saw in that cafe, but I know who he was with."

"What are you talking about? I thought he was doing homework there," Tony said incomprehensibly.

"Tony, there's nothing better to say, so I'll just say it straight, the way I always do. Peter is meeting Mary," she told him the fact, and Tony stared at her in amazement before laughing.

"That was a good one, Nat!" he blurted out.

"I am not joking."

"I'm sorry, but you are probably joking because Peter hates her just as much as I do. If you could hear what he told her! If it weren't for her, I'd reprimand him for not talking to anyone like that."

"Pepper was the first to know, so she still has doubts. It also seemed strange to me, but I watched him and he was with her again today. You should talk to him, Tony," she said softly before getting up and walking to her room, where Bruce was waiting for her. They had a lot to talk about.

•••

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes, I did the tests several times. It suppresses mutagenic enzymes but does not endanger them. As soon as the serum is no longer taken it will return in full force," Richard assured her.

"Great job," she complimented him and sat down at the computer to go through the whole serum formula on her own.

"Just remember that you have to give it to him for a long time to make it work. His rapid metabolism is a minor problem, but it can be circumvented."

"Don't worry, it won't be a problem now. He's all mine," she smirked and dived to work.