Chapter 9
Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper were having lunch. Pepper thought Tony would act normally, like before, when they hung out.
"So, Pep, how's the baby? Has it started moving yet?" Rhodey asked.
"Not yet. But I’ve gained a little weight, haven’t I?" Pepper asked.
"No, Pep, you still look beautiful," Rhodey replied.
"Learn from your friend, Tony. When was the last time you told me I’m beautiful?" Pepper asked Tony.
"Why would I need to say that out loud? We all know you're beautiful," Tony said casually.
Pepper rolled her eyes.
"Boss, Peter is in danger. He’s fighting some terrorists at his school. He’s outnumbered," Friday informed.
"What? Is he okay?" Tony asked, alarmed.
"He has multiple injuries, Boss," Friday added.
"Alright, I need to go," Tony said, standing up.
"Tony, where are you going?" Pepper asked.
"Peter’s in danger. I need to help him," Tony said.
"Isn't he Spider-Man? He can take care of himself," Pepper responded.
"Pep, he’s just a kid. He needs help," Tony said.
"You promised me you would stop with the superhero stuff," Pepper said, furious.
"I'm not going to sit here while that kid is fighting alone out there. I have to go," Tony replied.
"Oh, so you’ll abandon your pregnant girlfriend for a random boy? That weird kid is more important to you than your own baby?" Pepper shot back.
"Peter is not just a random kid. I see him as my own," Tony snapped.
"Or maybe he is yours, given your past," Pepper said coldly.
"Pepper, stop it," Tony said sharply.
Pepper was hurt, her eyes filling with tears.
"I don’t have time for this," Tony muttered and left.
Pepper started crying.
"Pep, you know how much Tony cares about that kid," Rhodey said softly.
"Yeah, more than he cares about me or his own baby. I don’t understand. It feels like he doesn’t want any of this at all," Pepper replied, her voice shaking.
"Pep, give him time. He’s still trying to come to terms with what happened in space. He’ll be okay," Rhodey said.
"I don’t want him to be Iron Man again. I can’t handle the stress," Pepper admitted.
"You really think he’ll stop being Iron Man? Tony is Iron Man. They’re inseparable," Rhodey said.
"I fell in love with Tony, not Iron Man. And my child’s father should be a normal human being, not a superhero," Pepper said, her voice firm.
"Pep, I think you two need to have a serious conversation. You need to figure this out," Rhodey said.
Pepper went to her room, still crying.
At the Sanctum Sanctorum, Stephen was reading a book while Wong was watching TV.
“There’s a terrorist attack in Queens,” Wong said.
"Mmh," Stephen responded, not particularly interested.
"Should we interfere?" Wong asked.
"Is it that bad?" Stephen asked, looking up.
"It’s happening at a school. Lots of kids are being held hostage," Wong explained.
Stephen closed his book upon hearing that.
"Never mind! Spider-Man is handling it," Wong said.
"What? Peter's alone? I need to go," Stephen said, concerned.
"Okay, but I don’t think two sorcerers are needed there," Wong remarked.
Stephen didn’t wait. He made a portal to Peter’s school and stepped through.
Peter was in the middle of fighting a group of terrorists, already hurt. Stephen quickly cast a spell, capturing all the terrorists at once.
Peter collapsed to the ground. Stephen rushed to him, lifting him up.
"Peter, are you okay?" Stephen asked.
"Doctor Strange? You came? Also, don’t call me Peter; no one knows my identity," Peter said weakly.
"Are you hurt?" Stephen asked, worried.
"Yeah, a little," Peter said, trying to stand but stumbling. Stephen caught him.
"Actually, a little more than a little," Peter admitted, groaning.
At that moment, Tony flew in, his suit retracting as he approached Peter.
"Peter, are you alright?" Tony asked.
"Please stop saying my name," Peter grumbled.
"Where are the terrorists?" Tony asked, scanning the area.
"Doctor Strange trapped them with his magic," Peter explained.
Tony called SHIELD to handle the situation.
"Peter, you need medical attention. Come with me," Stephen said, opening another portal.
"What about the terrorists?" Peter asked.
"SHIELD will take care of them," Tony reassured.
Tony helped Peter walk through the portal.
In the Sanctum, Stephen made Peter sit in a chair and started examining him. The boy had multiple cuts on his face, and one of his arms was broken.
"Peter, why did you fight alone? You could have called me," Tony said, frustration in his voice.
"I thought I could handle them by myself," Peter replied.
"Of course he thought that. Who gave a 15-year-old boy a high-tech suit?" Stephen said sarcastically.
"I made it for his safety," Tony countered.
"Yes, and now Peter thinks he’s invincible and can fight bad guys on his own," Stephen retorted.
"I am stronger," Peter murmured.
"Be quiet, the adults are talking," Tony said.
"Yeah, stay out of this," Stephen added.
"I just don’t want you guys to fight because of me," Peter said softly.
"We’re not fighting," Tony and Stephen said in unison.
"Alright, I think I need some rest. Doctor Strange, do you have a room where I can lie down? Or could you make a portal to my home?" Peter asked.
"Go straight and take a left," Stephen said.
"Alright, thanks," Peter said, leaving.
Once Peter was out of earshot, Tony turned to Stephen.
"Why do you always blame me when Peter gets hurt?" Tony asked.
"Because that kid idolizes you. I don’t want him in danger," Stephen said.
"It’s not my fault he looks up to me," Tony said defensively.
"I’m not blaming you. I’m saying you both need to be more careful," Stephen said.
Tony walked closer to Stephen and grabbed his hand, but Stephen pulled away.
"Stephen, I’m sorry for leaving like that. I really want to fix things," Tony said.
"And have you?" Stephen asked pointedly.
"No, I mean... I don’t know how to fix it now," Tony admitted.
"Oh, Wong was right. You went back to Pepper the moment you saw her. I was just... what, a distraction in space?" Stephen said, bitterness creeping into his voice.
"No, you weren’t," Tony said firmly.
"Then what am I, Stark? If you really cared, you should have ended things with Pepper....You're just coming up with excuses..." Stephen said.
"Pepper’s pregnant," Tony said, raising his voice to make Stephen stop.
Stephen stared at Tony.
"Like you said, I’m going to be a father. I don’t know how to break up with her now. I can’t hurt her," Tony said.
"I told you, we shouldn’t be together in this universe," Stephen said quietly.
"We can, Steph. But I need time. I feel wrong when I’m with Pepper. All I think about is you," Tony said.
"I don’t want to come between you two," Stephen said.
"You’re not coming between us, Stephen. I want you," Tony said, holding his hands.
Stephen stared at Tony's brown eyes. He could see Tony was saying the truth.
"What’s he doing here?" Wong asked, walking in.
"He came with Peter," Stephen said, quickly pulling away his hands.
"Stark, you should go now," Stephen said.
"Alright, but I’ll come back," Tony said as he left.
Stephen watched him walk away. Wong stared at him.
"What?" Stephen asked, frowning.
"You were doing great these days. Don’t go back to square one," Wong warned before walking away.
Tony returned to the tower.
"Friday, where’s Pepper?" Tony asked.
"Miss Potts is in the bedroom," Friday replied.
Tony walked into the room. Pepper was reading a book, pointedly ignoring him.
"Pep, can we talk?" Tony asked.
"You don’t have to waste your precious time talking to me. You have a world to save, don’t you?" Pepper said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Pep, you know this is what I do. And when you talked about Peter like that, I lost it. He’s not my own, but I love him like he is. I care about him," Tony said.
"I care about our baby more than anything. You were the one who wanted a kid so badly. Now it seems like you don’t even care," Pepper said.
"I do care about our kid. But you can’t ask me to stop being Iron Man. I just can’t do it," Tony said.
"Tony, leave. I don’t want to talk about this anymore," Pepper said angrily.
Tony knew that if he kept pushing, things would only get worse. He quietly left the room.