Chapter 10
Stephen woke up the next day to see Pepper sitting near him.
"Hey, Stephen. Are you okay now?" Pepper asked.
"I want to go home," Stephen said.
"You're not well yet," Pepper replied.
"I will never be well if I stay here," Stephen insisted."Okay, we can arrange that. For now, just rest," Pepper said.
Pepper walked to Tony's room. Tony stood up and asked,
"Is he okay?"
"Yes, he wants to leave this place. What did you do, Tony? He was comfortable here until yesterday. I promised him he'd be safe here when I brought him," Pepper said.
"I need to talk to him," Tony replied."I don't think he’ll be willing," Pepper cautioned.
"Pep, I need to talk to him before he leaves," Tony said firmly.
"Alright, he’s in his room," Pepper said.
Tony walked to Stephen's room. Stephen was lying on the bed, but when he saw Tony, he quickly stood up and tried to walk out.
"Stephen, I need to talk to you," Tony said.
"I don’t want to hear anything," Stephen replied, limping out.
"Stop." Tony grabbed Stephen's wrist.
"You’re not leaving here without me talking to you," Tony said.
Stephen stayed silent..
"You’re no longer going to be my…sex toy. But the job offer I made still stands. And if you love and care about Rogers, you can do it. I won’t come between you two," Tony said, releasing his hand.
"I don’t love Steve," Stephen said quietly.".
You don’t?" Tony asked.
"I see him as my friend," Stephen replied.
"Oh, okay," Tony said, turning to leave. But he paused and added,.
"You don’t have to leave. No one will interfere in your life. And if seeing me is a problem for you, I won’t come around." With that, Tony left.
Stephen was left feeling confused. Why had the mob boss suddenly become so kind-hearted? It scared him as much as it relieved him.
Tony walked to his lab and called for Steve to meet him
"Why did you want to see me, Tony?" Steve asked."Stephen likes your company.
Be with him. Make him feel comfortable here," Tony said.
"Tony, why do you want to keep him here?" Steve asked.
"I’m responsible for what happened to him. I want to help him," Tony admitted.
"So you care about him," Steve said.
"I don’t care about anyone," Tony snapped.
"Tony, I know you do. We all miss the old you," Steve said gently.
"I don’t want to be that person again. I was weak, pathetic, and useless. This is who I am now, and I’m not planning to change."
Steve didn’t respond, only nodded and left.
Steve went to Stephen’s room.
"Hey," he said.Stephen didn’t reply.
"You’re not going to talk to me?" Steve asked.
"Why would you want to talk to me? I’m not your friend," Stephen said.
"But you are, and I’m sorry for what I said before. You can call me anytime. I’ll be there for you," Steve said."
Good to know," Stephen replied with a slight smile.
"Want to go for a walk?" Steve offered.
"Yeah," Stephen agreed.
Steve helped him stand, and they started walking.
Meanwhile, Tony was standing on the balcony, nursing a drink. He watched Steve and Stephen walking, talking, and laughing. Stephen looked so carefree and happy—something Tony had rarely seen around himself. With Tony, Stephen was always tense and scared, and Tony knew it was all his fault. He realized Stephen was happier and safer without him.
As they walked, Stephen turned to Steve..
"Steve?"
"Yeah?"
"SI wasn’t always a criminal organization, right? What made Stark turn it into that?" Stephen asked.
"When Howard and Maria Stark were alive, SI was just a weapons manufacturer, supplying arms to the government. But they were killed by Tony’s godfather, Stane, who was also their business partner. After their deaths, Stane tortured Tony and forced him into the illegal activities SI is now known for. You might have heard about Tony’s captivity," Steve explained.
"Yeah, I have," Stephen replied.
"That was also Stane’s doing. Tony was brutally tortured there. He came back a different man—a Tony who hated everyone and wanted absolute control," Steve said.
"Was Howard Stark a good man?" Stephen asked.
"He was a typical alpha who looked down on omegas and betas. But he loved Maria, which softened him a bit. As a father, though, he wasn’t exactly good," Steve replied.
"Why does Stark hate your husband?" Stephen inquired.
"Bucky was Stane’s spy. Stane sent him to keep an eye on Howard, and Bucky was the one who leaked the information about the Starks' final trip, leading to their deaths. But Bucky was being used. He confessed everything to me, but I was too afraid to tell Tony. So, we kept it a secret. When Tony eventually found out, he nearly killed Bucky. I begged for Bucky’s life, and Tony agreed—on the condition that I’d never see him again," Steve said.
"You never thought of seeing him again?" Stephen asked.
"I miss him every day, but I don’t want to put him in danger," Steve replied.
"You said Stark was your friend. Maybe he’d listen to you," Stephen suggested.
"He’s not my friend anymore. He was like a brother once, but now… he’s a cold monster," Steve said.
"No one can bring back the old him?" Stephen asked.
"That only happens in fairy tales, where the heroine saves the hero from the darkness," Steve replied.
"Fairy tales can come true," Stephen said.
"Then you can give it a try," Steve chuckled.
"I’m not going to," Stephen said, snorting.
"Alright, should we head back?" Steve asked, still chuckling.
"Okay," Stephen agreed.
Steve helped Stephen walk back to his room.
When Stephen lay down, he thought about what Steve had said. Stark hadn’t always been this way; it was the world that had pushed him down this path. But, as Steve had said, this wasn’t a fairy tale where everything could magically be fixed.