Chapter 9
Tony returned to the tower heartbroken. The knowledge that Stephen still hated him hurt more than anything. Pepper was the one who had come to look after Peter. Tony saw her sitting on the couch, reading a book.
"Hey, how was your date?" Pepper asked, smirking.
"It wasn’t a date. Not even a friendly meeting. Is Peter asleep?" Tony said, tired, as he sat on the couch near her.
"Yes, he’s sleeping. What happened?" Pepper asked, sensing Tony’s bad mood.
"Stephen still hates me for what I did to him. He doesn’t want me back in his life," Tony said.
"Hey, come here," Pepper said, pulling him into a hug.
Tony leaned into her, resting his head on her shoulder.
"I miss him, Pep. Every day," Tony said.
"I know. But if Stephen doesn’t want you back, you should move on," Pepper said.
"I can’t. I’ve tried, but I can’t. I used to sleep with anyone I could in the past, but it’s impossible to do that now. I feel like I’m repeating the same mistake I made three years ago," Tony said.
"That’s because you feel guilty about what you did to him. And he’s still your husband. I have one suggestion," Pepper said.
"What?" Tony asked, frowning.
"You should get legally divorced. You both have lives to live. You need a partner, and so does Stephen," Pepper said.
"And lose him forever?" Tony asked, frowning.
"You’ve already lost him, Tony. The only thing you can do now is try to be friends. Like us. See how happy we are like this?" Pepper said.
Tony and Pepper had dated before he met Stephen, but it hadn’t worked out. So, they decided to be friends. But with Stephen, Tony couldn’t even imagine being friends. Stephen had been perfect for him—in his life, in his bed, in his existence. But Pepper was right: Stephen had a life beyond this. Divorce might help them both move on.
"I need to think about it," Tony said quietly.
"Take your time. Just remember that Rhodey and I are always here for you, whatever you decide," Pepper said.
"Thanks, Pep. Speaking of Rhodey, how’s he doing as a boyfriend?" Tony asked, sitting up.
"He’s good. We’re doing well," Pepper said, smiling.
"I’m happy for you guys," Tony said with a smile.
"We want you to be happy too, Tony. Try dating again. There will be someone who can accept Peter," Pepper said.
"Peter is super happy about getting his papa back. I don’t want to ruin that with my dating life. My only priority is Peter’s happiness," Tony said.
"Okay, as you wish. I should get going now," Pepper said.
"Thank you for taking care of Pete," Tony said.
"Come on, what are friends for?" Pepper said, scoffing.
Pepper said goodbye and left the tower. Tony walked to Peter’s room and lay down next to the sleeping boy. He hugged him to his chest and kissed his head. Peter was his happiness now, and Tony would do anything to keep him happy.
Stephen returned to the Sanctum with bloodshot eyes. He had been crying the entire way back, though he didn’t know why. It was his choice to leave Tony. His decision not to go back. So why did a simple conversation with him make Stephen want to return to Tony’s arms and stay there forever?
When the Sanctum door opened, Wong was waiting. Stephen had thought Wong would be asleep, but the man was clearly waiting for him. Stephen regretted not opening a portal directly to his bedroom.
"What happened? Why are your eyes red?" Wong asked, concerned.
Stephen didn’t respond.
"Did Stark hurt you?" Wong asked, his voice filled with rising anger.
"No, he didn’t," Stephen said.
"Then what is it?" Wong asked.
"I think Tony wants me back in his life. He wants everything to be like before," Stephen said.
"And what did you say?" Wong asked.
"I said this is just for Peter. I don’t want to be anything more," Stephen said.
"Is that what you want?" Wong asked.
"I don’t know, Wong. I loved him more than anything. But what he did to me... I can’t forget that," Stephen said.
"Stephen, you still love him. That’s not good for either of you. If this is just for Peter, then focus on Peter. Why are you worried about Tony and his feelings?" Wong said.
"I shouldn’t be, right?" Stephen asked.
"No, you should not be. Now go get some rest. You look like hell," Wong said.
Stephen chuckled at that.
He lay on his bed, staring at a wedding photo of him and Tony—the one where they were kissing. It had been their wedding anniversary. They used to celebrate every anniversary with just the two of them. A grand, fancy dinner followed by a night of passionate love-making.
Now, Stephen was alone in his bed, with no one to hold or cuddle. It had been this way for the last three years, but tonight the loneliness felt more overwhelming than ever.
Tony was scrolling through their wedding photos. Stephen had looked gorgeous that day—happy. His smile had lit up the entire room.
Peter stirred in the bed, starting to wake up. Tony tried to pat him back to sleep, but the boy woke up.
"Daddy?" Peter asked in a small voice.
"Yes, Pete. What’s wrong? Did Daddy wake you up?" Tony asked softly.
"What are you doing?" Peter asked, squinting his eyes.
"Pete, did you know Daddy was married to Papa?" Tony asked.
"You were?" the boy asked.
"Yes, Pete. These are our wedding photos," Tony said.
"Pete wants to see," the boy said.
Tony lifted him onto his lap and began sliding through the photos.
"Wow, Papa looks beautiful," Peter said.
"Yes, he did. He still does," Tony said, smiling.
"You were so happy," Peter exclaimed, looking at the smiling photos of his parents.
"Yes, we were," Tony said.
"Then why did Papa leave?" Peter asked, frowning.
"Good times don’t always last, Pete," Tony said.
"What does that mean?" Peter asked.
"Nothing. You’ll understand when you grow up," Tony said.
"Now that Papa’s back, you could be happy like before," Peter said.
"Your Papa is happy without me. I don’t want to ruin that by asking him to come back," Tony said.
"Why?" Peter asked.
"Nothing. Now go to sleep. It’s late," Tony said.
"But I want to see more photos," Peter said, pouting.
"You can see them tomorrow. Now, let’s sleep," Tony said, hugging the boy to his chest.
Peter lay there, playing with the buttons on Tony’s shirt for a minute before falling back to sleep.
Tony, however, couldn’t sleep that night. All the good memories kept haunting him.