88+ comments= Extra Chapter.
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"Now! I'm calling the hospital. You're coming with me, we're going now…"
Pepper jumped up, frantic, reaching for Tony to pull him towards the phone. But he caught her wrist, pulling her back firmly.
"Wait… Pepper… just listen to me…"
Pepper turned, ready to yell, 'What are you thinking?!' But the look on his face – the exhaustion, the deep sadness – stopped the words in her throat. She couldn't say anything.
Tony gently pushed Pepper down to sit beside him.
He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, a strange sense of calm settling over his features. "Remember the other day? At the hearing? I said the suit and I are one."
He met her gaze, repeating it softly, "Iron Man and I… we're the same thing."
He paused. "If it ever came down to it, if one had to die… I'd choose Tony Stark."
A bitter smile touched Tony's lips, mocking his own helplessness. "It's not about just taking the reactor out, Pep… Even if I did, as long as I use the suit, the palladium… it'll get me eventually."
He sighed. "The reactor leaks palladium atoms just by running. Trying to shield it inside the tight space of the armor messes with the power output too much. With the tech I have now… it's basically a dead end."
He shook his head. "And finding a replacement element? I've tried everything on the periodic table. Nothing works. Maybe the right element just… doesn't exist."
"So, it's just… dying sooner or later." His voice was quiet, trying hard to stay level, but the strain was obvious. "But I can't stop. I can't give up what I'm doing… what Iron Man does."
He looked away for a moment. "I've thought about it a lot lately. Money, fame, women… I've had it all. But facing this… I know what really matters." He didn't need to list things like country, world peace, or being a hero; the feeling hung heavy in the air.
"The only thing… the only one I feel guilty about… is you, Pepper." He looked back at her, his eyes filled with regret. "I've been pretending everything's fine. You've been right here, supporting me, keeping me going… even without knowing any of this." He gave a weak, self-deprecating smile. "Without you, I probably would've done something really stupid by now."
Tears were already streaming down Pepper's face. She covered her mouth, sobbing. "But… but we don't have kids yet… We only just got together… We promised forever…"
"Listen to me… Pepper." Tony gently took her face in his hands. His smile was pained, eyes red with guilt, but his voice held firm resolve.
"There's a saying… 'Animals can have offspring, but only humans can have honor, virtue, and great deeds.'" He paused, letting the words sink in, the quote reflecting his own stark choice.
"I've thought about this so much… I can't give up who I really am. I'd rather die as a hero than just… fade away as a failure."
Pepper pressed her hand over Tony's, their palms wet with her tears.
Lemu watched them, frowning uncomfortably. Man, this is heavy, he thought. I just came to drop off the new reactor, and now I'm watching this heart-wrenching confession. Talk about bad timing. He felt completely out of place, like interrupting now would be incredibly wrong. This is awkward… but he needs this thing.
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"Actually…"
Lemu cleared his throat awkwardly, deciding to just rip the band-aid off. He reached into… wherever he kept things… and fumbled, briefly pulling out something that looked suspiciously like a grenade before quickly stuffing it back. Then, he produced the real item: a brightly glowing blue Arc Reactor.
Tony and Pepper both stared, their tear-streaked faces showing confusion.
"What's that?" Pepper asked.
Tony frowned, "Whose father?"
Lemu held up the reactor. "Your father, Tony. He left something for you." He presented the device more clearly. "It's a new type of reactor. Based on a new element structure… This can save your life."
"I figured out a really interesting atomic structure from that city model your old man, Howard, left behind," Lemu explained, tossing the smooth, round reactor lightly in his hand. "I used it to make this new Arc Reactor. No risk of palladium poisoning, no harmful radiation."
He grinned. "Basically? You're not going to die."
He waggled his eyebrows slightly. "Don't you think you owe your dad a 'thank you'?"
Tony glanced at him, seeing the mischief in Lemu's eyes, but he didn't have the time or energy to deal with it right now.
He took the reactor Lemu tossed him, turning it over in his hands. It looked almost exactly like the old model. He still couldn't quite believe it. He looked skeptically from the reactor back to Lemu.
This thing… was hidden inside that old junk pile Howard left?
That junk pile I almost threw out… Does that mean I almost threw away my own life?
And… the new element I couldn't figure out after all this time… my old man cracked it decades ago?
He felt a jolt. Am I… really this bad?
The thought hit Tony harder than he expected, a huge blow to his ego.
Pepper, however, didn't care about any of that. Hearing Tony was saved, tears of joy replaced her tears of sorrow. She hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest, crying silently with relief.
It had only been maybe fifteen minutes, but she'd gone from sweet moments with her love, to facing his imminent death, and now back to knowing he was safe. Her heart felt like it had been on the world's wildest rollercoaster.
"Ahem? What… is going on here?"
Just then, a mature, slightly husky female voice cut through the air.
A beautiful, striking woman walked in. She wore a pale yellow top and black trousers, holding a stack of files.
It was Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, a top agent from S.H.I.E.L.D., currently undercover as 'Natalie Rushman' in Stark Industries.
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If you want to read 20+ chapters ahead and unpublished fanfics you can check out my patreon or just take a visit.
[P].[A].[T].[R].[E].[O].[N]
http://patreon.com/Kazuma_trash