Chapter 24
"That was great!" Peter exclaimed enthusiastically as they returned home. But the smile on his face was quickly replaced by confusion as he caught his father's expression. "What?"
"What? Perhaps we made it clear that we would just try the suit,” he pointed to their previous conversation, but it did not bring Peter the answer.
"That's what we were doing," he said with confusion, removing his mask.
"Did we? Did we really? What about the car you stopped?” he asked with narrowed eyes.
"You mean the car that would otherwise hit a school bus?"
“Yes, that is the car. I specifically forbid you from doing anything without my prior approval or assistance. And I suddenly turn around and you're not following me. No, instead, a car is rushing at you at high speed. Have you ever wondered what could have happened to you?! We haven't explored the limits of your abilities yet. You can't risk like that, Peter,” he explained angrily. In the final, he wasn't so angry with his son as he was with himself. He had suspected that Peter would do something like that. He should have better watched over him. If Pepper learned this, she would have his head on a block.
“It was just a car, Dad. I don't even have a scratch!” he tried to reassure him, but his words had exactly the opposite effect.
“Just a car? You really calmed me down here, kid. It was a car that weighed about three thousand tons and you stopped it with your bare hands!” he snapped, then sighed. “I don't want to scream at you. I just haven't got used to that idea that now you are doing what I am doing.”
"I understand, but I'm really fine," he murmured, hugging his father for calming his nerves a little.
“You should change. And put the suit back in its place. I wouldn't like Pepper to come here and the suit lying around,” Tony said, and Peter listened exceptionally without protest. None of them wanted this to happen.
"When we were returning home, we passed a church and there was a wedding going on and it made me think-"
"Better not," Tony interrupted him with a grin.
"Ha-Ha. But seriously, have you ever thought about marrying Mom?” he asked, putting the suit where it belonged.
"That's a really interesting question," said Tony, startled by the question.
“Don't get it wrong, but aren't you a little old for dating? And wouldn't it be nice if you were married?”
"Who are you calling old?" he asked, a little annoyed.
“Well, you won't be any younger. So have you? Have you ever thought about it?” he wondered.
“Sometimes I think about it. I'll tell you the secret. I even have a ring that is safe with Happy. I... when these thoughts visit me, I have to ask myself, why would she want to marry a man like me? The age difference is between us and she can always find someone better. Someone who deserves her more than I do,” he confided his thoughts. He only loved two women in his life, and Pepper was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
"You really can't think of that," Peter said with a frown. He had no idea his father thought that. It was clear how much they love each other.
"You'll understand when you're older."
"I don't think so. Do you think if Mom didn't love you, she would spend so much of her time with us when I was little? What I remember, and from what you told me, she always did everything in our best interest. She's one of us. She's Stark,” he tried to speak to his soul.
"You're right," he agreed with a small smile on his face.
“I think you should have a wedding,” he said, “I'm hungry. I'm going to have a snack,” he told him, leaving him alone in the workshop.
Tony was taken aback by Peter's sudden interest in his relationship with Pepper. He could imagine that someday they would have a beautiful wedding and live together forever. But that didn't mean he was ready for it. He was too afraid of rejection.
"Sir, you should see something," Friday interrupted his thoughts.
"Then show me," he said with a sigh. He could already say he wouldn't like it, but if Friday thought it was important, it probably was.
A hologram showed up in front of him, with the news on it. There was a smoky building in the shot, and the headline read The explosion in Lagos killed humanitarian workers from Wakanda.
"Friday, be so kind and turn on the sound for me," he ordered. He didn't understand why she was showing him this. Sure, it was unfortunate, but it could have been a gas leak. Why should he know about the explosion in Lagos? He hadn't seen anything to attract his attention yet.
“Brock Rumlow and his team tried to steal a biological weapon from a lab in Lagos today. The Avengers were in there to prevent his attempt, which they eventually managed. Rumlow did not accept the loss and decided to detonate himself. Wanda Maximoff used her skills to relocate the explosion, but something went wrong, and in the end, the nearby building, where the Wakanda humanitarian workers were, flew into the air. The question is, who is to blame? Brock Rumlow or Avengers? We send our sincere condolences to Wakanda," the reporter said.
"I want you to block all of Ross's attempts to contact me," he announced, opening another hologram to try to find out more about today's incident. This wasn't good at all. It was clear that it was the last straw for world governments. Now they will not stop them from completing their agreement as quickly as possible.
And they will not be able to do anything to change their decisions.