Chapter Text
Just as we need food and water, humans need each other. A brain study revealed that when a person is placed in an MRI scan, the reward center of their brain lights up when another person is in the room. Neurons fire when we talk to someone, think about someone, and go wild when we hold someone's hand. Our brains and bodies are truly wired to seek each other out and connect. So why do so many people prefer to be alone? Why do we often run to the hills when we feel the slightest connection? Why do we feel compelled to fight against what we are programmed to do?
About two hundred years ago, Benjamin Franklin shared the secret to his success with the world. He said, "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today." This is the guy who discovered electricity, so it’s normal to think that most of us would listen to what he says... I have no idea why we procrastinate, but if I had to guess, I’d say it has a lot to do with fear. Fear of failure. Fear of pain. Fear of rejection. Sometimes, the fear is just making a decision, because what if you’re wrong? What if you make an irreversible mistake? Whatever we fear, one thing is always true: over time, the pain of not having acted becomes worse than the fear of taking action.
We don’t like change. We fear it, but we can’t stop it from coming. Either we adapt to change or we get left behind. Growing up hurts; whoever tells you otherwise is lying. But here’s the truth: sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And sometimes, sometimes change is good. Sometimes change is everything. On some days, the world seems completely upside down. And then somehow, improbably, and when you least expect it, the world rights itself again.
We spend our whole lives worrying about the future, making plans for the future, trying to predict the future, as if unraveling it would ease the impact. But the future is always changing. The future is home to our deepest fears and our greatest hopes, but one thing is certain: when it finally reveals itself, it’s never like we imagined. Maybe that’s why the ancient Egyptians had a beautiful belief about death. When their souls entered paradise, the guardians asked two questions, and the answers determined whether they would enter: "Did you find joy in life?" "Did your life bring joy to others?" In the end, isn’t that what really matters? Being happy and making others happy?
Pepper woke up on Sunday morning hearing all the commotion outside the bedroom. She shifted in bed, pretending not to hear anything, keeping her eyes closed. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself and used one of the forgotten pillows on the bed to cover her face. She allowed herself to relax for 5 seconds until the noise increased, also waking the man who had been sleeping peacefully beside her.
"They’re going to destroy the house," Tony's hoarse voice came out completely muffled since his face was buried in the mattress.
"You should go out there then," the redhead suggested.
"Why don’t you go?"
"Why would I if it’s you who’s worried about the destruction?"
"I?" He turned to the other side, ready to go back to sleep. "Nothing a few million and a new house can’t fix, honey."
Pepper laughed; it was 7 a.m. on a Sunday , and their 4 daughters seemed intent on causing World War III. Meanwhile, her husband was clearly ignoring his responsibilities as a father... And she was considering doing the same. Would she really be a terrible mother if she ignored the chaos unfolding beyond those four walls?
"Mom!" Soon they heard Erin's shrill voice calling for her.
Automatically, Tony’s laughter filled the space. "They’re calling for you," he teased.
"But if I stay here, maybe they’ll forget I exist."
"You’re going to win the Mother of the Year award." Almost as if fate was conspiring against him, they heard Beatrix’s loud, piercing “Daddy” before the little girl’s crying echoed. At that moment, Pepper burst into laughter. It was so much that she was left breathless.
"Go on, Daddy," she said when she finally caught her breath.
Seeing that there was no other solution but to get up and face the chaos their daughters were causing, the two finally gave in, ending their much-desired rest. As soon as they opened the door, the 4 girls were already waiting for them in front of it. Two 16-year-olds; one almost pre-teen of 11 years; and a newly five-year-old child. Not that they had considered a third pregnancy; after Avery was born, they really did shut down the factory, as they liked to say. But when little Trixie came into their lives, it seemed too right not to try to adopt her. The girl was the daughter of one of Tony’s protégés at SHIELD. The agent, Hazel, had passed away on a mission. Her mother, considering her age, chose not to request custody of her granddaughter. The father never showed up. With less than a year since she was born, it seemed too unfair for her to enter an adoption queue and deal with everything that the process would entail so young.
Erin and Iris accepted the adoption very well; they were as happy as when they discovered Avery’s pregnancy. Avery, on the other hand, seemed to pick the moments when she liked or disliked having a younger sister. Jealous and attached to her father as she was, Avery hated sharing his attention, and to make matters worse, the little girl seemed always determined to compete with the older one. In summary, as long as Beatrix was doing what her sister wanted, they got along very well. When not, well...
As soon as they saw them, the chatter increased. The girls spoke over each other, and the parents felt their heads throb just from hearing the overlapping voices.
"Okay, okay!" Tony almost shouted in an attempt to get them to listen. "One at a time," he requested. "What happened, Bea, why are you crying, princess?"
"Avery won’t let me go out with her!" The little girl with auburn hair and honey-colored eyes replied. She scrunched her nose and squinted her eyes as if ready to cry, pure charm. Pepper knew this, and Tony always fell for it.
"It’s not my fault if she’s a baby; she should stay home," Avery quickly responded.
"Sweetheart, we’ve talked about this. You can’t speak to your sister like that." He tried to smooth things over in true doting dad style, without ever really scolding. "By the way, where are you going?"
"Can we talk about a real problem and not the pointless squabbles between the kids?" Erin interjected into the conversation.
"Hey! You can’t talk to us like that," Avery countered.
"I’m not a brat!" Trixie added. With her hands on her hips and her foot tapping on the floor, the scene was adorable considering she was barely a meter tall.
"The serious issue is you freaking out over a bikini? My bikini?" Iris laughed with complete irony.
"Yours? We compared them for me on that trip to Italy. You said you preferred the Dolce & Gabbana one, and now it’s in your closet."
"You chose the Dolce & Gabbana one. I made it clear I preferred the Burberry one because it reminded me of my old Versace."
"And since we’re talking about Versace, why don’t you explain why my dress was with you?"
"Because last week you said I could take it!"
"You didn’t say it was this one!"
"If you keep arguing, we’re never going to the beach," an impatient Avery argued, cutting off her sisters’ discussion.
"You’re not coming with us," the twins said in unison.
"Why not?"
"Because our plans don’t involve you," Erin made clear. "We’re not going to babysit a kid."
"But he’s not even your boyfriend, and you’re still going!"
"Avery," the older girls shouted simultaneously.
"What’s this about a boyfriend?" Tony asked, his heart racing wildly, missing beats.
"I can’t believe you told her!" Iris exclaimed, irritated with her sister.
"I didn’t tell her anything," Erin defended herself.
"Iris has a boyfriend?" Bea asked, finding the situation super fun.
In a few seconds, chaos was once again restored. Pepper struggled to discern if they were actually talking or just making noise. It was too much information for a Sunday morning.
"Okay, enough," the redhead intervened. "Avery, your room, now! If you think you’re old enough to go out with your sisters and meddle in their business, you can clean up the mess in there too!" She directed her attention to Beatrix. "Beatrix, go to your room. When I get in there, I don’t want to see a single toy out of place, and don’t even think about crying because Daddy won’t save you." She turned to the older girls. "Erin and Iris, I don’t care how you sort this out, but if I have to break up another fight over clothes, I’ll send both of you to a boarding school on the other side of the world." She glared at the older girls. " Oh , and you and I, bedroom, now!" She gestured to her husband.
"But, Mom..." Avery was already ready to negotiate.
"I swear, if I hear any of your voices in the next hour, not even Grandma Sasha will make me take you girls out of punishment." She warned, and a single look was enough for the four to understand how serious she was.
When they disappeared down the hallway, Pepper pulled her husband into the bedroom. She closed the door behind them and let him freak out for as long as he needed. She sat on the bed and watched Tony pace back and forth, forming completely disconnected sentences while his fingers raked through his hair in a clear sign of nervousness. After what felt like hours, she finally understood some of the words coming from his lips.
"You knew, didn’t you?"
"I’m sorry."
"I can’t believe you knew and didn’t tell me. Isn’t the point of a marriage to share everything with each other?"
"Honey, she asked for secrecy. I was trying to figure out how to tell you."
"I can’t believe this. My daughter is dating."
"Well, it’s not exactly dating, it’s more like a crush, but anything can happen."
"Who is he?"
"I don’t know if..."
"Who. Is. He?" Pepper repeated, slowly.
The redhead sighed. "Aiden."
"Aiden, the Cabot kid?" Pepper nodded. "Damn it, I knew I should have suspected that sudden interest in spending the summer in the Hamptons. She always preferred the European summer." She resented. "How long has this been going on? Two, three summers?"
"You don’t really want to know..."
"Yes, I do!" Tony almost shouted, completely caught off guard.
"They’ve been talking since last summer."
"I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about any of this for a year."
"Honey, I only found out two weeks ago when we arrived. Until then, it was just talk, nothing more." She paused. "Besides, what did you want me to do? If I had told you, you would have shown up here with all your superhero friends to interrogate the kid."
"And can you blame me? I’ve never liked him, ever since they played together when we came here. Eight years old and he was already a little monster, I always told you that!"
"You’re just jealous."
"No, I’m worried. It’s different."
"You just don’t want to accept that your daughters are growing up... I mean, if Iris is like this, it means Erin will be next, and it won’t be long before Avery and Trixie follow..."
"Oh my God, enough!" Pepper laughed. She loved having fun at his expense. "If Avery hadn’t said anything, I would never have known."
"But now you do." He sighed. "Honey, speaking of her, we need to talk about recent events. You need to talk to her. We can’t keep breaking up a fight every 5 minutes; we’re too old for that."
"It’s not quite like that..."
"Yes, it is, and you know it." He interrupted her. "When she’s not eavesdropping on the girls’ conversations to blackmail them, she’s picking on Bea. You know she’ll do anything to get your attention, and it was only cute when she was younger. You can’t keep coddling her; Trixie is starting to go down the same path."
"So my daughter does me a favor by revealing that the other is dating, and I need to lecture her?"
"Anthony!" The redhead scolded.
"Alright, alright." He raised his hands as if surrendering. "I’ll talk to her."
"And then talk to Iris too. You know your opinion has always mattered to her. Her head must be a mess right now; this wasn’t how she wanted you to find out."
"You don’t want me to have this talk with my daughter!"
"We’re talking about a suitor, not about sex."
"I want a divorce." He said, before leaving her behind.
Completely shaken, he decided to start with the easier task. He went to Avery’s room and found her sulking, lying on the bed.
"Can Daddy lie down with you?"
"Depends, are you going to yell at me too?"
"How about we just talk?"
"Then sit down; if it’s a good talk, you can lie down."
Tony laughed; it was impressive how much the girl had his temper. It was no surprise she could bend him perfectly when she wanted. They were so alike that sometimes it scared him.
" Oh no, Daddy’s little girl isn’t going to do that to him..." In a dramatic scene worthy of a Shakespearean tragedy, he placed his hand on his heart and pretended to have heard the worst news ever.
Avery rolled her eyes, sliding over the mattress and letting her father lie down beside her. If he couldn’t resist her pleas, the feeling was mutual. The bond between them was undeniable.
"Sweetie, you know what you did was wrong, right?"
"I didn’t tell her secret because I wanted to."
"I know you didn’t, but the way you found out wasn’t the best. You know you can’t be eavesdropping on your sisters’ conversations behind the door; it’s not right to be snooping around."
"Then you should tell them to share things with me."
"You know I can’t do that. Your sisters have things they can’t always share with you."
"Why not? I’m not a baby anymore."
"But you’re not a teenager either." He teased her nose. "You’ve noticed that you’re feeling bad about the situation and you’re doing the same thing to Trixie?"
"I’m not."
"You are. Always giving orders, saying she can’t play with you, calling her a brat..."
"But it’s not my fault if it’s true. Daddy, she won’t leave me alone. She wants to do everything just like me!"
"Just like you did with Erin and Iris when you were her age." He pointed out. "And you still try..."
"It’s not true." Annoyed, she crossed her arms.
Tony smiled, lying on his side and making Avery do the same, facing each other. "You know, I know it’s not easy for you. It must be hard seeing your older sisters always together and feeling like you have no one to do the same with. But sweetheart, you can’t keep acting like this. It’s not by picking on any of the three that you’ll get attention or gain admiration."
"You should have stayed seated; this talk is super boring!"
"You’re growing up, Avery; having boring talks is part of it."
"What do you want me to do?"
"Nothing, I trust you to make the right choice."
"Trust, huh?"
"Always, my angel."
"Maybe I can start with some apologies..."
"That would be good."
"And I can try to talk to Bea instead of just fighting with her..."
"See? I always knew you were a smart girl."
"So I’m not grounded?"
"Not yet... But if you don’t clean your room, then you will be."
"Mommy is pretty mad, huh?"
"You girls haven’t been making it easy."
"And you?"
"What about me?"
"Are you mad too?"
"Just a little, I didn’t expect to wake up on a Sunday like this."
"Are you going to talk to them too?"
"I’m going right now." He kissed her forehead and got up. "Oh, Avery, our deal is still on, right? No boyfriends until you’re 40..."
"It is!" She smiled, but Tony knew he needed to make a similar deal with Trixie soon. Something in the little one’s look told him that soon boys wouldn’t seem so gross to her.
Somewhat begrudgingly, still trying to delay the inevitable, he headed to Erin’s room and gave her a whole speech about helping to make their lives easier and not complicating things further with fights at 7 in the morning. Then he went to Bea’s room, where he had to make a big effort not to give in to the girl’s pouting. Reflecting on the situation, maybe his wife was right; he could have spoiled them a bit too much. Finally, he walked to Iris’s room. He knocked softly on the door and took a deep breath as he waited for the girl to open it.
"Can we talk?" He asked when she appeared. The girl’s red, teary eyes were a clear indication of how unprepared she was to face the situation.
"Depends, do you hate me?"
"Honey, there’s nothing you and your sisters could do to make me hate you."
"Not even going out with boys?"
"Well, that might give me a few heart attacks, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to hate you." He joked.
"How upset are you?" She stepped aside to let him in.
"That you didn’t tell me sooner? Just a little bit."
"I’m sorry."
"I know you are." Holding her hand, they walked to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. "But I understand you and why you preferred to talk to your mom."
"It wasn’t anything like 'I prefer one over the other'. I swear I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t want it to seem like I was disappointing you. I don’t know, Mom always seemed more open to the idea of us dating..."
"And believe me when I say that I’ve already asked for a divorce over this."
"I messed everything up, didn’t I? I lied to you, had Erin lie, we fought about it..."
"I wouldn’t say you made the best choice, but you didn’t make the worst decision of your life either." He smiled at her, stroking her hair. "I’m sorry if I made you feel like you couldn’t talk to me."
"But you didn’t. I just... I don’t know, it’s complicated."
"That we can agree on. Your mom almost dragged me here."
"She said she’d prepare you, but that didn’t quite happen..." Iris let a faint smile slip onto her lips.
"If there’s one thing I’ve learned in these 30 years with your mom, it’s that she always knows what she’s doing. Regardless of Avery telling me first, I know you would have told me, and at the end of the day, this should have been a conversation just between us."
"Mom never makes mistakes."
"Something like that."
"Do you really want to talk about Aiden?"
"Want to? No, but I think you do, and I love talking with you, ever since you were 5 and used to sneak into my workshop in the middle of the night."
"You still owe me an armor."
"Of course, and your mom will kill us both." He said, making them both laugh. "Sweetie, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re growing up, and as much as I would love it if you stayed that little girl who fit in my lap, I can’t stop it."
"If it’s any consolation, sometimes I’d like to go back to being that girl."
"Growing up isn’t easy, is it?"
"Not at all..." She smiled shyly.
"So, this boy, Aiden... Do you really like him?"
"I don’t know... How did you know you liked Mom?"
Tony laughed. "Honey, you don’t want to base your story on ours. It involves kidnapping, destruction, near-death, and a lot of lost time."
"Not those parts, but everything else would be nice. I mean, you love each other and are happy."
"That’s true, but things are a bit more complicated, you know? Not everything starts with such a grand love. Sometimes, it happens gradually."
"Mom said she hated you at first."
"Of course she did." He laughed. "As for Aiden, only you will know what you feel for him, but there’s no need to rush to find out. If it’s meant to be, it will be..."
"Thank you." Like when she was younger, she wrapped one of her arms around his and rested her head on his shoulder, hugging him around the waist. She loved the feeling of comfort. When they were together, they didn’t need to say anything. Each always knew what the other was thinking.
"There’s nothing wrong with having fun, just be careful, okay?"
"I will."
"And if that boy hurts you, we have some of the best agents and superheroes in the world to have a little chat with him."
"Are you going to send Uncle Thor to talk to him and take him on a trip to Asgard?"
"I was thinking more of Uncle Bruce’s green version..."
"Wow, Dad!" The girl laughed, and he joined her.
"Think you could do me a favor?"
"Which one?"
"Let me get used to the idea that you’re almost a woman before I see you out there kissing boys."
"Okay... But then you won’t be able to show up at the movies, at the beach, the botanical garden, or any of the city parks."
"Great, you’re going to kill me before I even get to be an old man." He got up and kissed her forehead. As he was leaving the room, Iris called him.
"Dad?"
"Yes?"
"You’ll always be my number 1."
"And you’ll always be my little girl."
Smiling, he left the girl to her thoughts and returned to their suite. The bed was already made, and there was no sign of his wife. Before he could think of searching for her downstairs, he heard the sound of the shower coming from the bathroom. He didn’t think twice, stripped off his clothes, and headed for the shower, finding her with her eyes closed under the water, rinsing her hair.
"After the craziness of our morning, I thought at least you’d wait for me to shower," he murmured against her ear, seeing the hair on her neck stand up.
"You were taking too long, so I had to start alone," she explained, turning to face him.
"Is that so?" Looking into her eyes, he traced the outline of her lips with his finger. "And have you done everything, or can your husband still help with a few things?"
"Like moisturizing my hair or helping with the soap?"
"I was thinking more about helping with an orgasm."
"Oh... As for that, it would be great." With a mischievous smile on her lips, she looked at him with all the desire she felt in her body.
Tony didn’t waste any time; he took her mouth in a completely lustful, profane kiss. Their tongues battled for dominance as they explored each other. It took only seconds for the heat to fill the bathroom, even with the cold water falling.
Tony moved to kiss her neck, descending down her chest until he reached her breasts, making her let out a loud moan of pleasure after he took a nipple into his mouth. He played with one at a time, sucking, nibbling, and licking, while his hand paid equal attention to the other, pinching and tugging at the hard bud. He knew that this gesture was driving her more and more aroused, and her moans spoke for themselves.
"Spread your legs for me," Tony commanded, and the redhead obeyed, letting out a sigh of pleasure when she finally felt his touch on her pussy. "Looks like you're already ready," he whispered seductively, making the wetness in her pulsating flesh intensify. His fingers entered her in a back-and-forth motion, and her body followed the rhythm, begging for quick relief from that torture. "I'm going to taste you to make sure."
He slowly knelt down, and Pepper leaned her body back, opening up even more as his hands gripped her hips, his fingers brushing against her skin in an erotic caress. She was already soaking wet for him, craving his fingers, his tongue, his entire presence inside her. She looked down, watching him grip every piece of exposed skin. There was no gentleness in his touch, and the roughness only heightened her arousal.
"Put your leg over my shoulder," Tony commanded again, his voice rough with desire, revealing that he was just as turned on as she was. Pepper obeyed once more, balancing on her left leg while slowly lifting the right one over his shoulder. He ran his teeth along her thighs, lightly biting her skin as she arched her body against the wall, giving him even more access.
The man spread her open with his fingers, then ran his tongue inside her, sucking on her wet flesh like he was tasting a sweet fruit. His tongue teased her clit, skillful and ravenous, making her moan louder as her hips followed the rhythm of his erotic movements.
"Baby..." she called out urgently, feeling her body tingling with excitement.
"What is it?" he teased. "Do you want me to stop?"
"Don't you dare!" Virginia protested, pulling him closer to prevent him from pulling away.
"Then tell me what you want," he whispered, returning to torturing her clit with his tongue. "Does it feel good like this?"
"Tony..." she moaned weakly.
"Do you want to come?" he growled, halting the movement of his tongue on her clit.
"I'm going to come," she whimpered, gripping his hair tightly.
"No, you're not," he growled angrily. "Not yet."
"Please, don’t stop," she screamed as the orgasm crashed into her.
Pepper held onto him as her body convulsed, her fingers gripping his neck tightly as the spasms of pleasure took over. The man invaded her again with his tongue, not stopping until she was entirely consumed by exhaustion, licking up the liquid of her pleasure while staring at her with a lustful gaze that made her even more excited.
"I didn’t tell you to come, Pep," he warned in a rough whisper. "You'll be punished for that."
Tony stood up, running his hands all over her body until they reached her breasts again, grabbing her by the neck, attacking her mouth with a rage she felt deep in her soul. Pepper responded urgently, clinging to him as she enjoyed the kind of punishment he was delivering, tasting her own arousal in the contact between their lips.
The man pulled back, looking at her with those intense eyes as she touched his face with her fingertips. He yanked her roughly, turning her body toward the tiles. He pressed her back against his chest, his hard member against her ass. Pepper leaned into him more, using his body for balance as he aligned his hips with hers, making her feel the hardness of his cock.
Tony placed his hands on her hips, guiding her against his eager length, and the redhead closed her eyes, feeling the pleasure of that erotic dance between their bodies.
"Open your eyes," he whispered in a demanding, seductive tone. "I want you to look at me while I’m fucking you."
Tony thrust into her with a hard stroke, pulling her body up roughly against his hips. Pepper moaned, raising her arms above her head for balance as he pounded into her with a brutality that only aroused her further. She clung to him desperately, and the man guided the movement between them, his hands gripping her hips tightly as the sounds of pleasure erupted between them. The orgasm hit her again, and she screamed, looking directly at him, her face flushed with arousal. Her body shook, convulsing around him as Pepper felt the explosion of her release when his liquid filled her, intense and satisfying.
Tony held her against his chest until their breathing steadied, pulling out of her afterward. Pepper smiled, thinking about how complete she felt with him, despite their insane, exhausting routine.
"You know, I don’t want the divorce anymore," he whispered against her ear.
The woman smiled.
I love you. Would that be enough? Would it be enough to define what she felt?
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived in a kingdom far, far away, and in that kingdom there also lived a boy. They loved each other, so the two decided to get married. Suddenly, things were not going well. The princess and the boy were ready to get married, and since she was a princess, an invitation was extended to a beautiful wedding. Now that the day was approaching, the princess worried about the evil king because, although he had not always been like this, his heart had grown dark and his kingdom had come to fear and despise him. In the days leading up to the wedding, the king surprised the princess and gave his blessing to the marriage. But the princess was still torn, because even though she had found her true love, it meant that she would have to leave everything she knew behind forever. On the eve of the princess's wedding, a lavish banquet was held. Friends and royals were summoned from faraway lands to join the happy couple for a night of laughter and magic. As the night wore on, a calm fell over the land and all was well in the world, if only for a moment.
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived a beautiful princess who loved a boy. But they had their struggles like all people. And they grew to fear and despise the evil king whose heart grew dark. And in the end, the love between the princess and the boy was undeniable and true. And in time, that love would see them through anything. Magical things happened to them, things they could not explain, like love itself.
And like most fairy tales, the princess and the boy lived happily ever after.