Pepper woke up the next morning to the sound of the alarm clock, and to her surprise, Tony was next to her in bed. She spent several minutes watching him, analyzing his body uncovered by the sheets for any injuries that might have been caused during the previous night's mission. When she found none, she sighed in relief. The brunet seemed to have spent the night in a deep and restless sleep, his movements indicating that, although he was there, his mind was not. The redhead decided not to disturb him and got up to go to the bathroom. Even in her fifth month of pregnancy, the morning sickness had not disappeared. After feeling better, she brushed her teeth and started getting ready for work. About two hours later, she left home for art school, while her boyfriend was still asleep.
At work, Pepper was so focused on the preparations for the students' final show that she lost track of time. The event was crucial, and she wanted everything to go perfectly. Potts was so immersed in her task that she only realized she wasn't alone when a sweet smell wafted through her nose, causing a wave of nausea in her body.
"If you don't throw that latte in the farthest trash can, I'm going to have to hit you," she said, her voice heavy with irritation, as she got up and opened the office windows to air out the room.
"Wow... Someone's in a bad mood," Kate responded, trying to lighten the situation while throwing the drink in the trash can outside the room. "I thought a double caramel latte was your favorite."
"It is, or was... I'm not sure. All I know is that now there's someone else making decisions for me," Pepper commented as she tried to control the nausea.
"And you look great, pregnancy suits you well," the brunette said with a smile.
"By the way, aren't you with Ethan?" the redhead wondered about her friend's newborn's absence.
"For the first time. Rick insisted that I needed to go out alone for a bit. But don't you think it's too soon? He's only 3 months old."
"It never gets easier, does it? It's like we forget everything we learned with the first child."
"And we haven't even started discussing nannies yet," Kate said, prompting another laugh from Pepper. "But anyway, do you still have a lot of work or can you take some time to have lunch with your best friend?"
"Isn't it too early for lunch?" The redhead raised an eyebrow, but seeing the time on her friend's phone, she realized how unaware she was of the passing hours. "12:45? Damn, I didn't notice the time."
"With the level of concentration you had, you wouldn't have noticed if the building was on fire," Kate joked, making Potts roll her eyes. "So? Shall we have lunch?"
"Sure. I just need to finish sending these emails. Give me 15 minutes?"
"And not a minute more."
In a little over 30 minutes, the two were in one of the most sophisticated trattorias in the city center. The environment was calm and elegant, a welcome break from the day's rush.
"Is everything okay with you?" Kate finally asked, noticing Pepper's worried expression.
"It's fine," the woman tried to be convincing.
"Girl, I've known you for over 20 years. I know when you're lying."
"I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to ruin our lunch."
"You won't ruin anything. You can tell me what's going on."
The redhead bit her lower lip and took a deep breath, finally deciding to open up. "Tony and I had a fight."
"Why?"
"It's a long story."
"I don't think it's that long," Kate insisted, knowing her friend was trying to avoid the subject. "So, why did you two fight?"
The woman paused before summarizing the argument she had with her boyfriend the night before. "And that was it."
"I can't believe that idiot insinuated that you cheated on him and then left you alone at home. You're pregnant!" the brunette protested, raising her voice a bit and looking around to ensure no one was listening, but everyone seemed engrossed in their own conversations.
"We both know that pregnancy is not an illness. Besides, I don't blame him for leaving," she took a sip of water. "I wasn't easy on him, Kate. I was so irritated that I ended up saying things I shouldn't have."
"You can't blame yourself for his actions."
"I'm not blaming myself. I know he was an idiot, but I shouldn't have let him think that I was insinuating he didn't care about the girls or that he was a terrible father. I didn't use those words, but that's what I ended up conveying. I'm aware of that. I was as much of an idiot as he was."
"It's amazing how I can't defend either of you. You two are both idiots, you know that?"
"I know," the redhead sighed. "It was the worst fight we've had in years."
"And did you manage to talk afterwards? This morning?"
"No. I needed to get there early, you know how hectic the last day is because of the presentations. When I left home, Tony was still asleep."
Kate nodded, understanding the situation.
They continued talking for a few more minutes, and soon their orders arrived. They had a peaceful lunch, making a quick stop at a nearby Italian gelateria before Pepper needed to return to the art school. The afternoon continued to be busy, but the conversation with her friend had helped clear her mind, even if it hadn't solved everything. The afternoon flew by, and around 6 PM, Potts arrived home. She didn't bother looking for Tony because she knew he would be with Erin at Iris's soccer game since it was a Friday. Instead, she focused on getting ready for the end-of-year event at the art school. When the brunet arrived home a little after 7 PM with the girls, Pepper had already left for the event.
As always, the closing ceremony was a success. There were jazz, ballet, and tap dance performances, an exhibition of paintings by the students, and even a play. Everything went perfectly, and when the event ended, it was already past 10 PM. Some staff members decided to go to a pizzeria to celebrate, but despite being pleased with the outcome of the event, Pepper declined the invitation. She was exhausted and preferred to go straight home. Upon arriving, she took off her heels and the pins holding her hair, letting her blonde locks fall over her shoulders. She went to her daughters' rooms, who were already asleep, and gave them the traditional goodnight kiss before going to her own room. She got rid of the blue dress she was wearing and took a quick shower. After putting on her pajamas, she lay down on the bed, but the exhaustion was so great that she fell asleep without seeking Tony for a conversation, something she really wanted to do. A few hours later, she woke up with the room still completely dark. When she checked the clock next to the bed, she saw it was just past 4:30 AM.
"Sweetheart, I love you, but can't you let mommy rest a little?" Pepper murmured, sitting up in bed and stroking her belly. Although she had only started feeling the baby kick in the last two weeks, the agitation that night was especially intense.
She reached for the water bottle on the nightstand and sighed in frustration when she realized it was empty. With no other options, she put on her robe and went to the kitchen. Minutes later, returning to the bedroom, she noticed a light in the hallway coming from the living room. As she got closer, she started to hear the sound of a piano.
"Did you swap day for night?" the redhead asked, making Tony notice her presence. "Please, don't stop on my account. You've always played so well."
"Iris woke me up. She was crying because of a nightmare, and I ended up losing sleep," he replied, shrugging as he continued to play.
"Tony, you should have woken me."
"It was just a nightmare. Besides, you were so tired that it didn't seem fair to wake you. I mean, you didn't even wake up with her crying."
"Fair enough."
"But what about you? Why are you awake? Did you lose sleep too, or did I end up waking you?"
"Actually, it was your daughter."
"Is everything okay?" the brunet asked, concerned.
"Yes, she's just a little agitated." Potts paused before speaking again. "Could you play a little more? I want to try something."
"Any special requests?" He looked at her curiously.
"Just surprise me." Walking to the bench next to him and sitting down, she sighed.
Tony thought for a few moments, but no song seemed appropriate enough. Then a specific tune came to mind, and he started to play. As soon as the first notes filled the room, Pepper recognized the melody and began to hum softly:
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is La vie en rose
When you kiss me heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see La vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak... angels sing from above
Everyday words seems...to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose
"It worked," she said at the end of the melody.
"What worked?" the brunet asked, his attention still on the piano.
"I thought she had calmed down when I came in here, but now I'm sure she has," the redhead smiled, trying to hide her relief.
"Does that mean I'll have to play every time she gets agitated?" Tony asked, pretending to be indignant, but they both knew he would do anything for his girls without complaint.
"You won't need to when she's sleeping," she replied, and this time he laughed. "So, we need to talk."
"We do," Stark agreed, his expression becoming more serious.
"I'm sorry for what I said yesterday. I..."
"It's okay, you don't need to apologize," he interrupted, trying to downplay the situation.
"I need to, and you know it. I know it. The fact that you're saying I don't, just to avoid another fight, isn't going to help," Potts insisted, her eyes reflecting sincerity.
"I'm not saying it just to avoid another fight. I really understand why you reacted that way. We both said things we regret," the brunet explained.
"But didn't it make you upset? Angry? Because I know I was."
"Of course, I was, Pepper. You practically made it clear that you doubted my abilities as a father and that you'd never fully trust me because of my past."
"And I'm so sorry for that. I was irritated because you were so insensitive, thinking I could cheat on you. I didn't mean any of it. I don't think that way. I would never enter a relationship with you if I didn't fully trust you. I would never let you get close to the girls if I didn't know how good of a father you are. And I definitely wouldn't have another child with you if I wasn't one hundred percent sure about our relationship."
"Pep, I never thought you had cheated on me or that you were capable of that. I could never think that of you," Tony stated, his eyes meeting hers with sincerity.
"But that's how you made it seem."
"Because I was jealous. Because you two had a history. Because you broke up when he was moving to another city, and now he's back. I never knew what really happened between you two. What was I supposed to think? The idea of you with any other guy makes me sick, babe. You've always been too good for me. I don't deserve you."
"We broke up because I didn't love him. Not like I love you. And that was too much for me. I hated that even after everything, I couldn't maintain any other relationship because you never left my mind. Or my heart," Pepper sighed, trying to articulate her feelings. "And maybe you're right, Tony. Maybe I'm too good for you. Maybe you don't deserve me. I really don't know, but does it matter? Maybe I don't deserve you either."
"What are we going to do?"
The redhead took a deep breath, her hands resting on her belly. "I don't know. I just think we can't simply forget this argument. It can't be like this, without real understanding. We need to find a way to deal with this, to really talk about how we feel and how we can improve."
"I agree," Tony said, nodding slowly. "We need to work on this. I don't want this argument to define our relationship. We need to deal with our feelings and insecurities more openly and honestly."
"We can start now, or would you prefer to rest a bit and talk later?"
"I don't need to rest. I think we need this now," the brunet replied, his tone indicating he was ready to face the situation head-on.
They sat together on the couch, the house lights still off, with nowhere left to run.