As the afternoon sun sneaked through the gaps in the curtains, casting golden patterns across the living room floor, Pepper struggled to calm the storm brewing inside her. Tony's unexpected visit had brought a flood of emotions, memories, and resentments she thought she had buried. Every exchanged word, every look carried the weight of unfinished stories and unresolved feelings. Still, there was an urgent need for clarity, for understanding, something they both knew could not be delayed any longer. The redhead took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. Tony's fixed, penetrating gaze seemed to search for answers she herself didn't have yet. His words about their mutual lack of trust echoed in her mind, disturbing her more than she wanted to admit. Determined to maintain an appearance of indifference, she pretended not to be affected.
As promised, the dark-haired man waited patiently while she prepared to leave together. Less than twenty minutes later, they were seated at a table in the back of the cozy Café L'époque, ready for a conversation that could redefine their paths and, most importantly, the future of the twins. However, when they arrived, they sat in silence, not saying a word, merely staring at the coffee cups on the table as if they were the most interesting things in the world. Pepper, already irritated by the lack of communication, began to feel her frustration grow. She couldn't afford to waste time. Finally, unable to endure the heavy silence any longer, she spoke:
"Do you have something to say or not? Because I better be going. I have obligations with the girls."
"Stop acting like I abandoned them. I didn't even know they existed until a few days ago."
"I'll stop when you stop pretending to care," Pepper replied, her tone full of resentment.
"So I'm pretending to care? Pepper, I looked for you. I came to you."
"After days without any news? Without any sign of life?"
"I was confused..."
"Sure."
"Why are you so angry?" The dark-haired man raised his voice a bit, and noticing the few people in the café turning to look at them, he spoke more calmly: "I didn't look for you before because you have no idea of the confusion of feelings I was experiencing. Not just about the twins or you, but about myself." He sighed deeply. "Look, I'm sorry, but these past few days have been a whirlwind. I could barely work properly, knowing I have two daughters with you... Pep, if it were another time, in another situation, I would surely be the happiest person in the world, but now I have no idea what I can feel. What is right or fair to feel."
"So you're not happy to know about them?" The redhead asked, her voice trembling slightly, revealing the vulnerability behind her firm façade. That had always been her biggest fear.
"Don't misunderstand me. Please, don't twist what I'm saying. Of course, I'm happy to know they exist. I want to be part of their lives, I want to be there for them in all moments. I'm just saying that this isn't how I expected to find out. How I expected to become a father."
"You certainly wouldn't have found out this way if you hadn't broken into my house."
"Fine. I can be the villain of the story and you the heroine. Let's do that, seriously, I don't mind. But can we get to the part that matters to both of us? Our daughters?"
She remained silent, his words echoing in her mind. Hearing him say "our daughters" was... She couldn't describe how she felt, a mixture of fear, hope, and incredulity.
Tony leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, his gaze fixed on hers. "Look, as I was saying, I want to be part of their lives, your life. I understand that it's hard for you to trust me again, but I swear I won't run away, Pepper. I really want to try, so can you give me the benefit of the doubt?"
She sighed, running a hand through her hair, clearly anguished. "You know, I think it's impressive that you want to be part of their lives, but let's not forget what caused all this. What made you not know about them, what made me move in the first place... Let's start from the beginning, okay? I really don't want to drag my daughters into another big mess."
Stark nodded slowly, his eyes softening. He didn't want them to be involved in another chaos either.
"Okay. I agree with you, they're innocent in all this, they shouldn't bear the brunt of our mistakes."
"Great." She nodded.
"Where do you want to start?"
"From the beginning. Why did you make such a scene when we broke up? Were you that desperate to get rid of me? Why didn't you look for me sooner? Why did you break up with me in the first place?" Pepper asked in one breath, determined to seize the opportunity for honesty.
"I didn't want to let you go, but I couldn't let you stay..."
"You could have, I would have stayed," she said, interrupting him, her voice firm.
"I know you would have, and that was the problem. With everything that was happening, I couldn't take the risk, Pep. Things were different. I had to protect the one thing I couldn't live without... I didn't want to hurt you, didn't want to break your heart the way I did. But I was desperate. I wasn't thinking straight. I just had to keep you safe," Stark replied.
"Oh, God..." She sighed, rubbing her forehead with her hand. "You never thought I was safe by your side? That by pushing me away, I would just become an easy target?"
"The moment we broke up, you stopped being a target. They had no reason to hurt you anymore. They couldn't use you to get to me."
"You don't know that."
"Aldrich Killian didn't come after you," Tony said, then stared at the café window for a few moments, trying to calm his thoughts. He could feel Pepper's gaze on him, waiting for a deeper response. "A few days after we broke up, Killian attacked the mansion. It was destroyed, and I barely got out alive. I don't want to imagine what would have happened if you were there. How things would have turned out... if you or the girls would be here now."
"Tony..."
"Stane, Hammer, Vanko, the attack on New York," the man interrupted, his voice trembling slightly with the memory. "I could only think about all the times I put you in danger. All the times I would put you at risk again. I was afraid to close my eyes because I always saw you dead. I saw your blood everywhere and couldn't do anything to save you. I couldn't do anything because it was my fault."
"You talk as if you forced me to stay by your side. You forget that I chose to stay. That I wanted to stay."
"You don't understand, Pep. With you, it's different, it always was. I couldn't be responsible for your death. I wouldn't be able to live with that. I wouldn't know how to handle it."
She bit her lower lip as she analyzed him, her heart aching. She could see the reflection in his eyes, the tears starting to form. She wanted to hug him, to say everything would be fine, that she understood. That if the roles were reversed, maybe she would have made the same decision... but she couldn't.
"Was it at least easy for you? To forget me? To pretend nothing happened?" It was selfish, but she needed to know.
"That was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," he said, looking her in the eyes, and Pepper felt a wave of discomfort wash over her. His eyes never lied. "Can we talk about the girls now?" He was eager for this moment.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything. I know nothing about them except their names."
"Erin and Iris," Pepper murmured, feeling nostalgic.
At the beginning of their relationship, they had a couple of friends who chose a terrible name for their newborn daughter. The two were shocked by the choice and, amidst laughter, swore they would never do the same to their children. They promised never to let their kids suffer bullying because of a poorly chosen name. That's how they started playing with name ideas for the babies they might have one day. After much debate, they settled on Erin and Iris. They loved the sound and meaning of both names, believing they were strong, beautiful, and full of personality. And, of course, they decided they would have two girls because, somehow, they were sure it would be that way.
Now, looking back, Pepper felt a mix of joy and sadness at those memories. The names they had once chosen in playful dreams had become a reality. Erin and Iris embodied the desires and promises of that time, and although life had taken unexpected turns, the memories remained. The Iron Man alter ego sitting across from her seemed lost in the same memories. The smile on his face reflected the pride and gratitude for seeing that those choices, made with so much care and hope, had materialized in the daughters he barely knew but already loved deeply.
"I like them," Tony said, touched. "They couldn't have better names." He saw Pepper nod.
"It's not just because I'm their mother, but I swear to you, they are the most amazing girls I've ever met. They're smart, witty, sweet, loving, and have endless energy. They always know how to make my day better."
"They seem very special..."
"And they are! They remind me a lot of you too, especially when they smile."
Tony's smile widened, a genuine one that warmed her heart and made her realize just how right she was.
"No matter the situation, they always have a ready argument and won't stop until you admit defeat."
"That sounds like stubbornness, and we both know where that side of the genetics came from," Stark joked, and Pepper rolled her eyes, but there was a glint of amusement there.
"Whatever," she said, and Tony realized how much he missed these small interactions. "They're so similar in some ways and so different in others. Both love helping in the kitchen, actually, making a mess. They love drawing, painting, and dancing… Iris is learning to play the piano; she loves it and is good at it, she definitely takes after you in that. She's also passionate about soccer, and you should see her school games. Erin plays too, but what she really loves is ballet. I think she'll be an artist or something when she grows up because she loves going with me to the art school and watching the older kids' classes."
"Art school, huh?" Tony couldn't deny how impressive that was.
"Kate and I run one, but I don't teach anything there, I just manage it. I'm not really cut out for it, you know. I'm just a good art appreciator." She shrugged.
Tony knew how much his ex-girlfriend loved the art world. He could see the sparkle in her eyes every time they went to an exhibition or a Broadway show. He also knew that, despite never admitting it, she was quite good with a brush and had a beautiful singing voice.
"And the pregnancy?" Tony asked, a bit hesitant about what the answer might be. "Was everything okay?"
"It wasn't exactly as I planned, but I can't complain. The girls made it easy for me. I didn't have any unusual cravings or severe morning sickness. They even respected the due date. By the way, if you want to note it down, they were born on July 26th."
They continued talking for a few more minutes, and Tony loved hearing every story Pepper had about the twins. Each detail, each little anecdote, made him feel closer to them, even though he hadn't been there from the start.
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about them sooner… but I couldn't take the risk." She said, her voice softer, almost a whisper, showing how much she regretted her decision.
"I know. I know you had the best intentions when you made your choice. That's why I needed to step back and spend these days away. I knew if I didn't take time to calmly analyze the situation, I would explode and make everything worse. I didn't want that."
"If you're being sincere, I'm glad you took that time away."
"But I'm not going to make the same mistake again, I promise. Things are different now. I really want to be the best father I can be for them. I want to do things the right way."
"Thank you for that."
"You don't need to thank me."
They were silent for a moment, absorbing the weight of the conversation.
"So… look, I know we should discuss how we're going to handle things with the girls from now on, but I really need to go." Pepper said, glancing at the café door.
"Why? Did I say something wrong? I thought we were getting along."
"And we are. But they should be getting back with Kate soon, and I don't want to have to explain who I was with or what I was doing. Not right now."
"I'm their father. You don't need to explain my presence there."
"It's not that simple." She sighed, trying to find the right words. "Kate has been my friend forever. She's been by my side through all these years. I do owe her an explanation. And it's not just as simple as saying, 'Hi Iris, Erin, this is your dad. Have fun.' We need to think about how we're going to tell them, when we're going to tell them. We need to decide on a lot of things first."
Stark frowned, visibly frustrated. "That sounds like an excuse to me."
"It's not an excuse, Tony. It's reality. The girls are young, and this is going to be a big shock for them. We need to handle this the right way, with care and sensitivity," she said, standing up. "I don't want to argue again, so if you think it's an excuse, fine. But if you don't believe that, I can give you my number, and we can arrange another meeting." Pepper suggested, trying to stay calm despite the growing anxiety.
"Another meeting?" Tony couldn't help but feel excited. The idea of spending more time with her still thrilled him.
"You know what I mean." She mentally reprimanded herself for feeling her legs tremble at the prospect.
"Can we schedule for tomorrow? I know you have your routine and obligations, so you can choose the best time. Anytime." As already mentioned, they had a lot to decide, and they couldn't afford to waste any more time.
"I'll let you know."
"Alright."
"Great."
Tony also stood up and left some notes on the table to cover the bill, showing a gesture of courtesy. They then walked back to Pepper's house in silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. They both knew there was nothing more that needed to be said at that moment.