"This... this can't be."
As the mechanical voice in the chatroom declared Barton correct, Tony Stark went pale.
Maybe his mental fortitude was decent, but he had not yet endured the kidnapping, the cave, and the darkness. He was not the Iron Man he would become.
Learning that the mastermind who would abduct him in six days was the man he called uncle, his only family besides Pepper, Obadiah Stane, was too much to take.
It felt absurd. He wanted to shout the answer down. Yet some part of him whispered that the archer might be right.
Obadiah Stane was the most likely planner.
If Tony were kidnapped or killed, who benefited most? The acting head of Stark Industries.
Once Tony vanished or died, the company might as well be renamed after Obadiah.
He understood the logic. But knowing that a man he treated like kin had plotted against him still hurt.
Why did it have to be him?
Pepper stepped out after tidying the room and saw Tony's ashen face, his eyes heavy with bleakness.
She dropped what she held and hurried over, slipping an arm around him as his body trembled under the weight of the news.
"JARVIS, scan Tony. Tell me what's wrong."
As she held him, hearing his shaky breaths, her eyes filled with worry.
"It's all right. Did something happen? Whatever it is, it will pass. Don't be afraid."
She cradled him like a child who had lost a favorite toy, resting her chin on his head and whispering comfort.
She did not know what had happened or why a short errand had changed him so.
"Ms. Pepper, Mr. Stark's emotional state registers severe sadness and anger," JARVIS reported after a scan. "Recommend continued comfort."
"No."
Hearing Pepper's voice and JARVIS's analysis, Tony rose slowly, his voice low. "I need to be alone. I have to think."
"There are things I need to decide how to handle."
The proud man who always walked with his head high now looked like a beaten hound. He lowered his gaze and trudged back to his room, his former swagger gone.
Pepper opened her mouth, hesitated, and did not call after him.
She sighed, eyes full of concern. "JARVIS, tell me what happened this morning."
"Apologies, Ms. Pepper. Mr. Stark forbade me to disclose any information. Aside from his emotional state, there were no anomalies this morning."
The answer did not satisfy her.
From Tony's room came the sounds of throwing and smashing. CLATTER! THUD! CLANG!
Pepper sighed again. She stood, walked to his door, and lifted a hand to knock.
Her hand hovered, then fell. After a long moment, she fetched a chair and sat quietly outside.
Of all people, she knew Tony best. Right now, leaving him to himself was kinder.
A prideful man like Tony Stark would never want others to see him weak.
Sometimes, betrayal by family hurts more than an enemy's strike.
For Tony, this was one of those times.