Tony sat quietly in a corner of the low-profile bar he decided to hide in, to escape from JARVIS that kept reminding him not to drink too much. Which he desperately not needed. He had an argument with Pepper. The third one that week. All the Avenger- induced stress, the restless nights, and now, the usual fights with Pepper really caught up with him that time. He needed some time alone, not being Iron Man, Tony Stark, but a simple man who wanted to drown his sorrows without having a finger pointing at him.
He managed to be unrecognisable until then, having chosen a wig with long, black hair and sunglasses. Nobody wandered why a guy wears sunglasses the night, in a bar, but then again it was a good thing. He began studying the careless people that danced or drank around him. He noticed a young women, in her early 20's, with dark, black hair and tanned skin. She was dressed in a casual red dress, with Indian motives. He couldn't help but think that she was breathtakingly beautiful. While looking at her, he noticed the brown watch she was wearing. A very rare watch, and surely expensive, by the looks of it. When the woman approached with a glass of beer in her hand, he took a closer look at the watch and then it clicked ; on the wrist band there was written T.S.. Tony Stark, he thought. The woman sat at his table, casually taking a sip of her drink.
"Why don't you take that ridiculous wig off, Iron Man ?" she asked slowly.
Tony stiffened.
" Oh, come on" she continued, " I could have guessed it was you from a mile away".
"How so ?"he inquired, suspiciously eyeing her.
"No one around here has enough money for the latest most expensive man perfume, which, by the way, I sensed in the moment I stepped inside the bar."
Tony sat back in his chair, still suspicious about the woman. " How come you own that watch ? " he asked her, pointing at it.
She smiled softly and took it off, examining it as she spoke.
" My father was a common salesman. He sold you a box of strawberries. " she looked up to Tony, who looked as if he received a slap on the face.
" You're his daughter ?"
"Yep. He admired you" she continued. " He looked every day at the news, and whenever it was something about you, he said to me "See, Pari, that is a real hero. Creating a suit of metal, just so he could protect us. ". He believed in you. ". " We believe in you !" he had said . Tony didn't say anything. If only he'd know the truth, he told himself.
Pari cleared her throat before resuming her tale.
" When you gave him this watch, he was in awe. He came home happier than I'd ever seen him since my mother's death. he wore that watch every moment of his life. And he was happy again, because you saved lives, and you changed yours, also." she added.
She drank from her glass again, and Tony felt weird about this whole situation. Yet, he wanted to find out what happened with him.
"And ?"
" He joined a voluntary working program that helped people left without homes. Everywhere, he told people that there is hope, in Tony Stark" she said though gritted teeth. " And then the battle of New York." Tony's heart rate sped up. No…
"And you dropped a building on him, as he helped people get out of the building they were trapped in. " she finished, a tear sliding down her cheek.
"As he was transported to the hospital, he took my hand and he told me " He'll save us. I couldn't save all those people trapped in there, but he can. He is a hero." And that's it. He died, having your name on his lips. "
Tony fought back tears. He couldn't even form coherent thoughts, everything was a mess in his head.
" But you are not my hero. " Pari said fiercely. " HE was. He saved me from that building, he saved me from every little thing that he deemed as a threat. Sometimes, our true hero is not someone who flies around dressed in spandex, or wielding a coloured shield, or even a god. No. Our true hero is someone who can help us finding our own strength. Don't forget this, hero. " with these words, Pari left, leaving on the table the brown watch, still ticking steadily.
Later, he put the watch in his pocket and knocked on Pepper's door. She opened, and Tony immediately enveloped her in a hug. He kneeled down in front of her, quietly crying. " You are my hero, my strength. Please, don't leave me, Cuz I'm a fucking pathetic weak stupid guy and I need you. " Pepper kissed Tony and she held him close, whispering " I know ".
A/N; I hope you liked it. Even if you didn't like it, please review and tell me why ! I learn from my mistakes, so please help me ! Also, English is not my mother tongue, so I'm sure there are mistakes. Thank you for your attention ! - Star Follower