"Are you going to tell me you don't want the same thing?" Tony had asked, moving closer to Pepper. She remained silent, lost in his eyes, trying to process everything he had said and also everything she was feeling. The intensity of their closeness and the sincerity in the words of the man behind Iron Man left her stunned, her heart pounding while her mind tried to sort out the thoughts and emotions that tumbled over each other. The moment was charged with palpable electricity, a mix of hope and fear, as if they were on the brink of a decision that could change everything. However, before they could say anything more, they were interrupted by a small voice coming from the hallway.
"Iris, did you call them yet?" Erin asked, catching their parents' attention.
The two adults quickly separated and looked towards the sound of the voice. The twins stood in the doorway, watching them.
"Hey, sweeties... What are you doing?" Tony asked, trying to hide the tension in the air.
"We came to get you to play with us," Iris declared.
"And how long have you been standing there waiting to do that?" Pepper asked, trying to sound casual.
All they least wanted was for their daughters to have heard the conversation they were having moments before and understood its meaning.
"Iris must have been there for a long time. She took forever to come back," Erin declared, making the parents quickly look at each other before turning to their younger daughter.
"Iris..." Pepper began, feeling the tension increase.
"Is it true?" She asked, her eyes filled with tears. It didn't take a genius to know what the girl had overheard. All the preparation they had made to tell the truth in the best possible way seemed to have gone down the drain.
"Sweetie, come here," Tony called softly, taking a few steps toward her. However, the girl stepped back, and he stopped instantly. It was as if his heart had shattered into a thousand pieces.
"You lied," Iris accused, her voice filled with hurt.
"Princess, it wasn't a lie," Pepper said calmly, trying not to make the situation even more difficult.
"Then why didn't you tell us that uncle Tony is our daddy?" she asked through tears, the pain evident in her voice.
"Uncle Tony is what?" Erin also questioned, completely confused by the revelation.
It was too much new information for the minds of four-year-old children, and the ex-couple felt powerless in the face of the situation, confronted by the harsh reality that the truth had been discovered in an abrupt and painful way.
"Why don't we have a talk, hmm? Let's put you both to bed and tell a story. Mommy can even make some hot chocolate," Pepper said, crouching down to be at eye level with her daughters.
"You never let us eat in the bedroom," Iris noted, making her laugh.
"You're right... How about just the story?" Pepper suggested, knowing there was no more point in making excuses to avoid the inevitable. "First, we're very sorry for not telling you earlier and for you finding out this way," she began when the four of them returned to the bedroom. The children were lying in bed, hugging their favorite teddy bears, and the adults were seated on either side of them. "We just wanted to protect you, never to hurt you. You're so small, so young, there are so many things you don't understand yet..."
"We thought it would be better this way, and maybe we were wrong," Tony added in a calm voice.
"Iris, what did you hear?" Pepper asked, gently caressing her daughter's face to be sure. "The whole conversation?"
"I didn't mean to..." the little girl responded, her eyes filled with tears, apologizing. "Did you not like us, uncle Tony? Is that why you left?"
"My love, of course not. I'd be crazy to do that. You and your sister are two of the most important people in my life," Tony said firmly.
"Then why weren't you here? Did you fight with Mommy?" Erin asked.
"It was something like that," he replied, feeling the weight of his words.
"I don't understand," the girl said, confusion clear on her face. "Weren't you happy to know Mommy was going to have us?"
Hearing his daughter's question, Pepper felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. The twins thought he was the reason for his absence in their lives. That she couldn't allow. "Tony didn't know mommy was pregnant."
"Why?" Iris insisted on a fuller answer.
"Adults are complicated, sweetie. There was a lot going on at that time, and we weren't thinking straight," Pepper replied, being honest.
They then told the twins a simplified version of their story. After all, they wouldn't be able to understand all the reasons why they were in this situation. Tony and Pepper wanted the girls to understand that they had made their decisions thinking about what they believed was best for everyone, to protect them, not because they didn't want them.
"So you were telling the truth about being a superhero?" Erin asked after numerous previous questions.
"I was. That's why Mommy and I thought it was better for us to be apart for a while, to protect you," he explained.
"But don't you protect people?" Iris questioned.
"I couldn't risk losing the most important thing in my life," he said, looking directly at his ex-girlfriend, who quickly looked away, feeling a mix of emotions she still needed to process.
"What's your superhero name?"
"Iron Man."
"I like it," Erin said thoughtfully, as if she had heard the name before.
"Have you heard of him?"
"I don't know... Mommy doesn't like to talk about it much."
Tony looked at the redhead with curiosity. He always knew she hated the fact that he risked his life as Iron Man, but he didn't know she avoided talking about it to this extent.
"What could I do?" Pepper began, noticing his gaze. "I didn't want an internet search to reveal more than I was ready to tell."
"They're only four years old, they're not super agents."
"I didn't want to risk it. Have you thought about what would happen if they asked someone about you? It wouldn't be easy to answer all those questions, okay?"
"You could have said that before."
Pepper just rolled her eyes.
"Do we have to call you Daddy?" Iris asked before they started arguing.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. I'll understand if you don't call me that, it'll take time to adjust." And, indeed, he felt that way. Of course, Stark wanted to hear his daughters calling him Dad, wanted to know what that sensation was like, but he knew it would be selfish to demand that from them.
They answered a few more questions from the children until they were finally overcome by exhaustion. When Erin and Iris closed their eyes, exhausted, Pepper looked at Tony with a mix of fatigue and concern.
"Tonight, you don't need to sleep on the couch. You can have the other room. I'll stay here with them." She knew the girls well and understood that, despite showing they were handling the revelation well, they had been more affected than they let on.
"Pep, we talked about this when we arrived. The bed will be too small for the three of you. I can sleep on the couch, it's no problem."
"If you want to sleep there, that's fine, but the room will be free. I want to make sure the girls are okay."
"Do you want me to stay?"
"You don't need to. I'll already be here."
"Okay... And about what we were discussing before the girls came in? Do you want to talk about it?"
"Actually, we should just forget all that. We drank too much," she avoided looking into his eyes. "Tony, I'm serious. When we wake up tomorrow, I won't remember anything we talked about. You know I don't handle whiskey well." It was a silly excuse, but it was the only one she could think of.
The dark-haired man nodded, torn between two parts of himself. One believed that his ex-girlfriend was just finding a way to avoid confronting her feelings, and he should press on with the conversation. The other part knew she was telling the truth; after all, he had known her for years and understood her limitations with alcohol. Amid this indecision, Stark's conscience echoed, suggesting that regardless of whether she was making excuses or not, it wasn't the best time to discuss "them" or the possibility of their existence.
"Okay. We'll talk about this later," he decided to follow his conscience. "Have a good night," he wished, trying to end the topic amicably.
"You too, Tony."
But in reality, none of the four had a good night. None of them managed to sleep well. The twins were restless, waking up every now and then. It wasn't easy to have someone in their life and suddenly find out that person wasn't who they thought they were. One moment they were playing, and the next they heard a revelation that only highlighted how complicated adults could be. The older ones, besides worrying about the daughters, had their own dilemmas. Neither of them could stop thinking about what would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted. They couldn't believe they had the courage to say what they said or that they heard everything the other had revealed.
The next morning, Pepper was the first to wake up. Careful not to wake the girls, she got up, put on her robe, and went to the kitchen to make coffee. She felt the need for something strong to keep herself awake. She had just started to savor the first sips of the steaming drink when Tony appeared.
"Rough night?" he ventured.
"I didn't sleep at all. And you?"
"Not a wink," the dark-haired man admitted, helping himself to coffee too. "I guess it wasn't a dream that the girls found out the truth."
"Unfortunately not. We missed another chance to do the right thing."
"But we did the right thing. I mean, I agree we could have told the truth in a better way. They didn't need to find out like that, but the important thing is that they know now."
"I'm not so sure," the redhead sighed. "What if they hate me for not saying anything sooner?"
"They'll understand. They love you. They just need time to process all this confusion."
And due to the recent events, they decided to leave the mountains that very morning instead of waiting until the afternoon as planned. On the way back, unlike the trip there, the twins were quiet, giving short answers, which was unusual for them. Worried about how much they had been impacted, Pepper scheduled an appointment with a psychologist for the children on Monday. She also needed to talk, but sought help in another way.
"The girls found out about Tony," Potts said as soon as Kate sat across from her. It was noon, and the friends were at the restaurant where they had agreed to meet.
"What?" the brunette asked, confused.
"That's what I said."
"I think I didn't hear you right."
"The girls found out about Tony," Pepper repeated.
"How? When did this happen? How did it happen?" Kate fired off a barrage of questions quickly.
"It was Saturday night. We were having a moment, talking, and then Iris overheard part of the conversation, and Erin found out too. It was impossible not to tell them everything at once," Pepper gestured with her hand, visibly disturbed, as she emptied her wine glass.
Her friend raised her eyebrows, concerned. "That's a lot of information all at once... Why didn't you tell me this right after you got back from the trip? How are the girls dealing with everything?"
"They think he's the villain and I'm the heroine... You have no idea how hurt they were. The questions they asked him, as if Tony had abandoned them, as if he wasn't happy to be their father... God, he was devastated, and I felt powerless. It was my fault. I never wanted something like this to happen."
"Gin, you can't blame yourself so much. You both have responsibility in this. You may have made a mistake, but you did what you thought was best for your daughters."
"And it didn't help at all," she refilled her glass again, drinking it down in one go.
"Okay, if you don't want to leave here and go straight to AA, you better put that wine aside. How many glasses have you had? Five since you got here?"
"Four," Potts shrugged, resigned.
"Virginia!" Kate reprimanded her.
"It's not my fault, it's just too much to handle. I have to think about Erin and Iris, about Tony, and still find time to deal with myself. I just have no idea what to do."
"You should have come to me sooner. I would have helped you."
"You hate him."
"I don't hate him. I just hate that he hurt you so much," the brunette paused, carefully choosing her words. "I couldn't hate someone who makes you happy."
"I just don't know what to do, Kate."
"What you both need to do is stand by each other. No matter how hurt the girls are, this will pass, and he is still their father. You need to give Erin and Iris space to understand what that means, but you can't stop being there for them. He can't either, and you need to make sure of that. It's also no fair for them to blame him."
"God..." Pepper sighed deeply. "I had everything planned out. I was going to tell the truth when I felt it was the right time. I would have talked to them beforehand and prepared them. Things would have been so much simpler."
"There's no such thing as the right moment or the perfect moment. You know that, Gin. Things between you two have never been simple, so why would they be now?" Kate remarked, sensing that her friend was not only talking about the daughters. "All you need to do is stop overthinking." The redhead looked curiously at her, and Kate continued. "Look, you said you had a moment during the trip, and I know you probably pretended nothing happened, told Tony to forget it, or whatever you do to avoid your feelings for him. But you need to put your fear aside. You need to be honest about how you feel, and that includes saying you're not ready yet."
"Kate, it's not that simple."
"It is, honey, it's that simple. You just need to look in the mirror and ask yourself: 'Do I still have feelings for Tony and I'm not ready to deal with them, or do I no longer have feelings and I'm afraid to accept that this part of my story is over?' Only when you have the answer, can you be honest with yourself."
"I already have my answer."
"Then it's time to decide what you're going to do with it."
And Potts nodded, biting her lower lip. It was time to face the truth, even if it meant taking the risk again. After all, perhaps this time, vulnerability could lead to a more genuine and rewarding path.