There is a saying and an entire narrative around the famous "walk of shame," which is nothing more than the journey back home, often the next day, after spending the night with someone. This term carries cultural and social nuances, often involving judgments or stigmas associated with behaviors considered outside social norms, behaviors deemed wrong. It's that moment when everyone knows you've done something you shouldn't have, and heavens... That was exactly how Virginia Potts felt that night, walking next to Tony Stark out of her friend's bathroom, amid a family party, after breaking all—or almost all—the boundaries imposed between them.
Shame, fear, anger, desire, anxiety, happiness, confusion, guilt, uncertainty, excitement… Damn, she felt so much at once that it was impossible to focus. When did thinking become such a complicated task? Her mind was spinning, her body trembling, her brain practically melted. Damn hormones, damn Tony Stark.
"There's no reason for us to go in separate cars," the man said. "We're at the same place, going to the same place."
The redhead knew he was right, but at that moment, she just wanted to keep her distance. She wanted to argue, disagree, and invent any excuse to decline his proposal. She wanted to run in the opposite direction… But if they were a magnet, he would be the north and she the south.
Just like magnetic poles, there was an irresistible attraction between them, a force that transcended logic and reason. Just as magnets naturally seek a specific orientation, they also sought an inevitable connection. It was as if the universe conspired to align their destinies, a cosmic dance between opposite poles.
As in physics, the dynamics between them were akin to north and south, often complex. There were moments when they attracted each other intensely, as if the magnetic force was insurmountable. Other times, they seemed to repel each other, defying the natural laws that united them. It was a delicate dance between closeness and distance, between attraction and resistance.
"Oh my God, Virginia! It's just a ride," he snapped, losing patience, because he felt exactly as she did, as if experiencing all of life's emotions at once, something almost cathartic. But he didn't want to run away; he wanted to stay, wanted her to stay. Why did the woman always seem to slip through his fingers?
Pepper knew he wouldn't understand her; she didn't fully understand herself. She could clearly foresee the argument that would start when he heard her, but when she opened her mouth to respond with yet another refusal, what came out was the complete opposite.
"Let's just go," she limited herself to saying.
So, it was no surprise when the uncomfortable atmosphere accompanied them to the hospital. They seemed bothered by sharing the space of the neurosurgeon's luxurious car, minutes before occupying the same space — even if physics said it was impossible, that's what it felt like when their skin was pressed against each other — kissing, provoking, struggling to remove clothes that at that moment only got in the way.
They made the journey in silence. Tony gripped the steering wheel, fighting the urge to stop the car and confront her once and for all, while the redhead changed the radio stations every second, as if every song irritated her, but there was a need to fill the void.
Neither was really thinking about the journey, nor about what they had to do at the hospital; their minds were elsewhere. Perhaps that's why they were startled when the sound of the siren entering the parking lot caught their attention.
Realizing they had arrived, they got out of the car in sync and walked briskly to the ICU, receiving curious looks from the other staff. They were together, well-dressed, too close. Honestly? Pepper even enjoyed the envious looks directed at her, as well as the angry ones, dying of jealousy, wanting to be in her place. She couldn't deny that the reactions boosted her ego.
When they approached the unknown patient's room, they soon saw the activity, and Lisa, the nurse who had been following the case with them, ran up to the… Couple would be too much? The term didn't seem to fit perfectly, but the embarrassed expression on both their faces revealed that something was different. Lisa's eyes darted between the two, trying to understand the new dynamic of their relationship.
"What's going on?" Pepper asked to avoid making the atmosphere even stranger, bringing them back to reality.
"She woke up, the unknown patient," Lisa explained, the enthusiasm in her voice contagious to the doctors. "She doesn't remember what happened, has no memory of the accident, but she's been conscious for half an hour and did well in the initial assessment. She knows her name, age, where she was born. We were waiting for you to conduct the tests and the full evaluation." The brief pause made by the nurse caught Tony's attention, who then raised an eyebrow.
"What? Is there more?"
"Someone finally looked for her."
"Her parents?" the cardiac surgeon asked, looking around the area.
"No… A friend."
"And has contact been made with her parents?" That should be the next step.
"That's the curious part. He refuses to tell us anything, just like her."
"What?" Tony and Pepper asked simultaneously, exchanging a brief look that disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
"Exactly, we…" Then, before she could finish, the sound of the machines from the young woman's room interrupted the conversation, making them move towards the room in a state of alert.
"Candice, what's happening? She was stable before," the redhead addressed another nurse, trying to get more detailed information.
"We're not sure, Dr. Potts. She was fine, and suddenly she started to panic."
"We need to know what happened," the man exchanged a serious look with Pepper, both sharing the same concern, waiting for an answer from the doctor who was currently in charge, after all, theoretically, they were off duty.
"We're running all necessary tests, but so far, we haven't found any significant changes in her vital signs. It seems to be an acute stress reaction."
"Hi, dear, I'm Dr. Potts. You're safe here. Can you tell us what happened? We're here to help," she approached the young woman, trying to calm her with gentle words.
"We're here with you. You can trust us," Tony confirmed, trying to understand what the unknown patient was saying but having extreme difficulty due to her sobs.
A long moment passed until the friend mentioned by Lisa appeared in the room. He entered hastily, eyes full of concern, and his presence seemed to calm the girl. The sobs subsided, and the vital signs began to stabilize.
It was almost automatic. As soon as the boy positioned himself next to her, their fingers intertwined, and tranquility settled in. The medical team was able to complete the necessary exams, and about an hour later, Tony and Pepper were alone in the hospital room with the two young people.
"Hi, you gave us quite a scare, young lady," Tony began, trying to ease the tension. "Do you know where you are?" he asked, and she nodded.
"How about letting us hear a bit more of your voice? What's your name?" Pepper tried, pretending not to notice her look toward the boy, as if seeking his opinion.
"Mia," the young woman finally responded.
"Hello, Mia. I'm Virginia, and this is my colleague Anthony. We've been taking care of you since you arrived here, along with our colleagues whom you've already met. We're happy you woke up."
"And you? Aren't you going to introduce yourself too?" the neurosurgeon joked, looking at the still-silent boy.
"Sorry for the dramatic entrance. I'm Alex, Mia's friend. Thank you for being here for her."
"No problem, Alex. We're here to help," Tony smiled. "Now, Mia, want to tell us more about yourself? How are you feeling?"
The girl nodded. She mentioned that she was going to New York to visit a friend when the accident happened, but after that point, her memory was blank. When asked about her parents or closest family members, her response was simple and short: "I don't have any."
Of course, this caused significant bewilderment among the adults, who pressed a bit more, wanting to know about Alex's parents too. But they were resolute, maintaining the same story, having no one. And whenever they were pressured, they deflected, until the monitors indicated a significant change in Mia's vital signs.
"Quite a lot of emotions for one day, right?" Pepper intervened. "We'll continue the conversation tomorrow; Mia needs to rest now," she communicated. "Alex, visiting hours are almost over, so it's probably best for you to say goodbye too," she added and saw him nod, though there was evident concern in his eyes.
"See you tomorrow, good night!" Tony said, following his colleague out of the room.
They had only walked a short distance when the man commented to her:
"They're lying, and you know that, right?"
"Yes, Anthony, I know," she replied in a harsher tone than intended.
"And if they're involved in something big? Seriously?" he questioned similarly. "We should call the police," he suggested.
"Sure, let's do that and make them lie even more."
"We don't have a choice!"
"Of course, we do," she disagreed. "And what if they're just scared? What if it's nothing? They're teenagers, for heaven's sake."
"Teenagers lie; we need to know everything to treat her correctly," Tony pondered. "Virginia, she's a minor as far as we know. She can't be responsible for herself and won't be able to leave the hospital when discharged."
"By then, we'll get them to talk," Pepper replied.
"Do you really think that approach will work?"
"The fact that he was here as soon as she woke up says a lot about them," the doctor affirmed, though she wasn't entirely convinced of her theory.
"So we're going to go along with their lies? Is that what you're suggesting?"
"Heavens, of course not. What I'm saying is that right now, pressing them won't help; they need to feel safe, need to trust us to open up."
"So we'll give it time?"
"It's better than pressuring them."
"You're pretending nothing's wrong. Since when is that better?"
"Since when will acting like an authoritarian dictator solve things?"
"My God, how naive you are. Do you really think doing nothing is the solution for everything to be resolved?" He lost the last bit of patience he had because they were no longer talking about the two teenagers.
"Naive? Spare me your jokes, Anthony. I'm doing what's best right now."
"You're running away!" he accused.
"I'm not running from anything!" she retorted through gritted teeth.
"Great, then let's talk."
"We have nothing to talk about."
"How predictable you are," he laughed, completely ironic.
"And how much of an idiot you are!"
"The one you were kissing just a few hours ago. Or are you going to run away from that too?"
She froze then, feeling a profound emotional exhaustion. The day had been too long, full of intense emotions. Pepper wasn't ready to deal with this chaos at that moment. Avoiding a heated argument with Tony was her only option. She didn't want to fight with him, knew they needed to talk, owed it to the man… But she simply couldn't.
"Good night, Tony," she said after a long sigh, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
