Chapter 56: Responsibility!

If you want to read 10+ chapters ahead and unpublished fanfics you can check out my patreon or just take a visit.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

….

🚨Insert Black Widow GIFs/PICs here - Most Likes comment will win 🚨

🏆Yesterday's GIFs winner: eri_mav! 🏆 

….

She only saw what everyone else saw—

A delicate-looking, seemingly fragile young man.

Because of this form—

Because of the way he looked—

People always saw him as weak, harmless, needing protection.

And so, to protect them from their own fears—

He had no choice but to lie.

Pepper's gaze shifted to Tony, her lips parting slightly, as if she wanted to say something—

But then she hesitated.

Because what right did she have?

What authority did she have over him?

She was just a personal assistant.

And he—

He was her boss.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Tony noticed her hesitation.

He saw the way her fingers curled slightly, the way she bit her lip—

And for some reason, it made his chest feel uncomfortably tight.

With a sharp inhale, he turned his head away, pretending not to notice.

Then, without a word, he stood up, intending to leave.

But Lemu had other plans.

The moment Tony moved, a strong grip latched onto his wrist.

Tony barely had time to blink before he was yanked back down onto the couch—

Hard.

"What the hell?!"

Tony snapped his head toward Lemu, his wrist still trapped in the boy's grip.

He tried to pull away, but Lemu's grip didn't budge.

It was like trying to wrestle with steel.

Lemu's expression didn't change.

He looked at Tony, his golden eyes calm, but firm—

Like someone who had seen this same story play out before.

His voice was gentle, but unyielding.

"Say something, Tony."

"Running works."

"But running is also cowardly."

"Whether it's about this—"

He tilted his chin slightly toward Pepper, who immediately looked away, cheeks turning red.

"—or anything else in life, you're going to have to face it eventually."

Silence.

Then—

"That's not—"

"There's nothing—"

Two voices spoke at the same time—

One male, one female—

Both denying it immediately.

Tony and Pepper froze, realizing they had just spoken in perfect sync.

Their eyes met—

And then quickly darted away, flustered.

The air between them grew awkward, their thoughts a tangled mess.

Tony let out a long sigh, rubbing his forehead.

Then, without looking at anyone, he reached for a glass of water, taking a slow sip.

Halfway through, his grip loosened slightly, and his eyes became unfocused.

Memories—

Dark, heavy memories—

Began to surface.

His voice, when he spoke, was lower, quieter, as if the words were pulling themselves out of his chest.

"In Afghanistan… I was shot in the chest."

"They locked me up for three months."

"I thought I was going to die there."

He let out a soft, humorless chuckle.

"I was supposed to die there."

Lemu and Pepper didn't say anything.

They simply listened.

Tony's grip on the glass tightened, his knuckles turning white.

"But someone saved me."

For a brief moment, his eyes darkened, as if reliving something deeply painful.

"And in the end—"

"He stayed behind."

"Forever."

The fireplace crackled softly, its warm glow casting long shadows across his face.

Somehow, the flames seemed quieter now, as if they didn't even want to interrupt.

Finally—

Tony lifted his head.

His gaze locked onto Pepper's, and for the first time that night—

There was no humor in his eyes.

No arrogance.

No deflections.

Only raw, quiet sincerity.

"I truly believe… that what I'm doing is right."

His voice was steady, unshaken.

The conviction in his words was clear—

This wasn't a whim.

This wasn't some reckless thrill-seeking adventure.

This was his choice.

His responsibility.

"I spent my whole life making weapons."

"I made billions selling them."

"But now I want to protect the people who suffered because of me."

"…That's what I have to do."

Lemu watched quietly.

He didn't speak.

He didn't interrupt.

Instead, he simply smiled—

A small, knowing smile.

….

"Yesterday, someone pointed at me and asked, 'What is your responsibility?'"

"Now, I can finally give her an answer. This—this is my responsibility."

Tony Stark's voice lingered in the air, his words weighed with conviction.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he lowered his head, as if the intensity of his own emotions was too much to bear.

For the first time in a long time, he felt like he was being completely honest with himself.

Yet deep inside, an uncertainty gnawed at him—

Would she understand?

Would she accept it?

Pepper Potts bit her lip, her gaze flickering away from him.

There was a moment of hesitation, a flicker of reluctance, but finally—

She gave a slow, reluctant nod.

"I understand."

Her voice was quiet, yet filled with an emotion that was hard to define.

She took a deep breath before adding, "Tony… just promise me one thing. Don't treat your own life like it doesn't matter. You're not alone in this. There are people who care about you. I… we…"

Before she could finish, Tony perked up, interrupting her completely—

"Great! So you agree!"

Pepper's expression froze.

"I need you to do something for me."

Tony leaned forward, eyes glinting with that familiar mischievous spark that usually spelled trouble.

"I need you to sneak into my office at Stark Industries, hack into Obadiah's files, and pull out all the latest shipment records."

"I'll prepare a decryption USB for you. The data should be in the administrative files or hidden folders."

For a moment, the room was dead silent.

Then—

"You've got to be kidding me."

Pepper's face instantly darkened, her fury palpable.

Her voice was dangerously low, and she crossed her arms, glaring daggers at him.

"I just barely agreed not to yell at you for risking your life, and now you're asking me to commit corporate espionage?!"

Tony blinked, acting as if her outrage was completely unreasonable.

"Well, yeah. You're the only one who can do it."

"I REFUSE!"

Pepper stood up, arms thrown into the air in exasperation.

Tony, still lounging on the couch, casually took a sip of his drink and waved a hand.

"You'll do it."

"NO, I WON'T!"

"Yes, you will."

"NO, I WON'T!"

Two days later—

Pepper found herself standing outside Tony's office at Stark Industries, clutching a USB stick, feeling entirely betrayed by herself.

"I hate him. I hate him. I HATE HIM."

And yet…

Here she was.

Doing exactly what he had asked.

A Few Days Later – The Aftermath

The underground lab was eerily quiet, the air filled with the humming of machinery and the faint smell of coolant and metal.

Two sets of armor stood in the center of the workshop—

One, the sleek and imposing red-gold Mark III.

The other, the ominous blue-and-white Ghost God Armor.

Both had been fully repaired, their previous battle damage erased.

But data from their recent mission had revealed a concerning issue.

Lemu stood before a floating holographic projection, analyzing the combat logs with narrowed eyes.

His fingers moved swiftly, adjusting the projected damage models.

On the surface, the Mark III suit had only taken 11% structural damage.

At first glance, that number seemed manageable.

But when he zoomed in on specific areas, the true issue became alarming.

The chest armor—where Tony had taken a direct missile hit—had sustained 64% destruction.

That section of the suit had been one strike away from complete penetration.

In other words—

In other words, the damaged section was practically obliterated. If the same spot took another missile hit, it wouldn't hold up.

….

+10 chapters on patreon.

Venom x multiverse on patreon.

Cyberpunk x genos on patreon.

In deadpool on patreon.

Cyberpunk x David with System on patreon.

Yoriichi x Akame Ga Kill on patreon.

Naruto(characters) x Fate Holy grail war on patreon.

….

If you want to read 10+ 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