The warm afternoon sun filtered through the sheer curtains, casting a soft golden hue across the living room. It was already 2 in the afternoon, yet the day had barely begun for Tony and Pepper. After the long night before, they had slept in, savoring the comfort of each other's presence as they lay entwined in bed. The decision had been made almost instinctively—today would be just for them, a day to shut out the world and indulge in the rare luxury of laziness.
Pepper had eventually slipped out of bed, her movements quiet and graceful so as not to wake him. Tony stirred slightly, watching her through half-lidded eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. She moved about the kitchen, wearing nothing but one of his crisp, oversized shirts, the hem brushing her thighs as she prepared lunch. The sight of her there—confident and effortless—stirred something warm in his chest. He couldn't tear his eyes away as she chopped vegetables, her bare feet padding softly across the kitchen floor, sunlight playing off her hair.
After a while, she brought the plates to the table—simple, but perfect. They shared the meal leisurely, exchanging smiles and quiet conversation between bites. There was no rush, no urgency, just the quiet intimacy of two people completely at ease with one another. Now and then, Tony would reach out to brush a lock of hair behind her ear or trail his fingers down her arm, marveling at how comfortable everything felt.
Now, with lunch behind them, they found themselves sprawled out on the couch, limbs tangled in a lazy embrace. Pepper rested her head on his chest, her fingers tracing absent patterns along his forearm as she listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The soft leather of the couch was cool against their skin, contrasting the warmth of their bodies pressed together. Tony's hand absentmindedly played with a strand of her hair, his other arm wrapped protectively around her waist.
Outside, the world went on, but inside the quiet of the living room, time seemed to slow. The distant hum of the city was a mere backdrop to their shared silence, broken only by the occasional murmur or shared laugh. Tony, who was so often consumed by his work, by the world, felt utterly content in this moment. There was nowhere else he needed to be, no one else he wanted to be with. It was just him, Pepper, and the simplicity of this afternoon.
"You know," he whispered, his voice low and lazy, "we could do this more often."
Pepper chuckled softly, shifting slightly to look up at him, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh? Are you, taking time off? That'll be the day."
Tony smirked, his hand brushing gently against her back. "Maybe you're worth it."
She smiled, leaning up to kiss him softly, lingering just long enough for him to want more. When she pulled back, she rested her head on his chest again, and the two of them fell back into the quiet, savoring every second of their stolen day together.
Tony had been in a deep thought his mind racing with the thoughts on if now was the perfect time would be to tell her he had been pondering about it since morning and came to a decision that now would be the right time to tell her he finally takes a deep breath and lifts her.
"What's wrong Tony?."
She met his eyes with a curious, slightly raised brow, her gaze filled with a silent question.
"Pep, do you trust me?"
Tony's voice was uncharacteristically serious, his gaze locking onto hers with intensity.
Pepper looked into his eyes, her expression soft but unwavering.
"Tony, I trust you. Always."
He takes a deep breath.
"I have something to tell you—both you and JARVIS. JARVIS, make sure this conversation stays between the three of us. It's of the highest confidentiality," Tony said, his tone serious.
"Of course, sir. You have my word, this will remain strictly between us," JARVIS replied smoothly, with a hint of warmth in his otherwise calm, composed voice.
"Pep, I have been hiding something about what happened after I got out of the captivity something very important"
Pepper looked at Tony, confusion clouding her gaze as she placed a soft hand on his. "What is it? What happened after the kidnapping?" she asked, sensing the shift in his mood.
Tony let out a slow, shaky breath. This was the moment he'd dreaded but knew was inevitable. He met her eyes, his usual wit and charm stripped away, leaving behind only raw vulnerability.
"I'm... not exactly who you think I am," Tony began, his voice low, struggling to find the right words. "After the kidnapping, I didn't just come back with a new perspective. I came back... from the future."
Pepper blinked, confusion flashing across her face. "The future? Tony, what are you talking about?"
"I know how insane it sounds, believe me. But it's true. I'm from years ahead, decades even." He paused, his gaze softening as he squeezed her hand gently. "I've seen things, things that haven't happened yet. Wars, enemies we haven't faced, technology far beyond anything we have now."
Her breath caught in her throat, the weight of his words sinking in slowly.
"Tony you are not messing with me right, I mean the future?"
She asks a little hesitantly but still looks him in the eyes not because she doesn't believe him but because of the absurdity of his confession.
"Never Pep, I swear it on my life you"
She looks at him in his eyes knowing that he is serious about this still taking it in,
Tony exhaled sharply, forcing himself to meet her gaze.
"Pep... the reason I'm telling you this now is because I can't hide it anymore. Not from you. You deserve the truth."
"Tony…" she whispered, her voice barely audible, "I don't know what to say."
"You don't have to say anything right now," he replied softly, his eyes never leaving hers. "I just needed you to know. No more secrets, not between us."
Silence fell between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was the kind of silence that spoke louder than words—the kind that comes when two people are understanding each other on a level deeper than conversation.
Finally, Pepper took a deep breath and leaned into him, resting her head against his chest. "I trust you, Tony," she whispered. "I don't know what any of this means, but if you say you're from the future... then I believe you."
Tony exhaled, the tension he'd been carrying for so long melting away as he wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you," he murmured. "I promise... I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."
And for the first time in a long while, he felt at peace—knowing that he wasn't alone in this anymore.
"JARVIS, did you get that all?"
He asks JARVIS
"Yes, sir I have and I shall do everything in my power to assist you in this matter"
JARVIS replies with a supporting voice, making him smile that the two of the most important ones have trusted him.
"Tony if you came back from the future does that mean you die?"
Pepper asks him her voice wavering, making him go silent as he takes a deep breath
"Yes Pep I died in a battle, it was either me dying or half of the universe being snapped out of existence"
She asks in shock but still not able to accept that he died bringing tears to her eyes
"What do you mean by half of the universe will get snapped out of existence?"
She asks in shock what had gone so wrong that half of the universe would be gone.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling for a moment before starting.
"Thanos... Thanos isn't like anything we've ever faced before, Pep. He's not just some alien warlord with delusions of grandeur. He's something bigger, something worse. This guy doesn't want power for the sake of power. No, he wants to balance the universe in the most twisted way possible."
Pepper, confused but attentive, leaned forward.
"Balance? What does that even mean?"
Tony nodded grimly.
"Yeah, sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But here's the thing—he's dead serious. Thanos believes that life, as it is, is unsustainable. Too many people, too few resources. His solution? Wipe out half of all life in the universe. Random. Dispassionate. Efficient."
Pepper's face twisted in disbelief.
"He wants to kill half the universe? Just like that?"
"Yeah,"
Tony said with a dry laugh.
"Just like that. And he can do it. He's not just talking. He's after these things called the Infinity Stones."
He motioned to the holograms floating above his worktable, each showing a glowing stone of different colors.
"Six of them. Each one controls a fundamental aspect of the universe—space, time, reality, mind, power, and soul. Individually, they're dangerous, but together? Together they make you a god."
He stood up, pacing slightly, his hands twitching as if they wanted to start building something, anything, to make sense of the chaos.
"This guy, Thanos, he's already halfway there. He's going to get those stones and when he does... he'll be unstoppable. He'll snap his fingers, and half of all life—gone."
Jarvis chimed in, his voice as calm as ever, though there was a subtle undertone of urgency.
"Sir, it seems unlikely that such an individual could be reasoned with. Does Thanos offer any rationale beyond his belief in balancing the universe?"
Tony paused, considering.
"He thinks he's saving it. In his mind, this isn't genocide—it's mercy. He sees himself as the only one strong enough to make the 'hard choices,' to do what no one else has the stomach to do. In his mind, after he wipes out half the population, the universe will thrive. More resources, less competition, everything in perfect harmony. But the thing is, Jarvis, there's no reasoning with him. He believes he's doing the right thing, and that makes him unstoppable. A villain with a purpose, not just a thirst for power."
Pepper stood up now, moving closer to Tony. Her voice was quiet but steady.
"So what do we do? How do we stop someone like that?"
Tony stopped pacing and looked her in the eyes, his face grim but resolute.
"We don't stop him alone. He's too strong for any one of us. This guy? He fought me, Strange, Spider-Kid, the Guardians—hell, all of us—on Titan and wiped the floor with us. And that was with only four of the stones. He's smart, he's strategic, and he's ruthless."
He took a deep breath, steadying himself.
"But we're not done yet. We need to be ready. We need to be smarter, and faster, and we need to hit him with everything we've got. No half-measures this time. Thanos won't just walk away if we lose—he'll win. And if he wins Pep, we lose everything."
Pepper reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll figure it out, Tony. You always do."
Tony gave her a tight smile, his mind already racing with calculations and scenarios.
"Yeah, but this time... I don't know if there's a way to win without paying a price. And if there is a way, we better figure it out before he shows up on our doorstep."
As the sun began its slow descent, painting the sky in soft hues of orange and pink, Pepper sat quietly next to Tony, her eyes searching his face, still trying to process everything that had happened. The weight of the silence between them grew heavier with each passing second until Pepper finally broke it.
"So… what else happens in the future?" she asked softly, her voice laced with curiosity, but also a hint of apprehension. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to know the answer, yet the desire to understand what lay ahead for both of them pulled her in.
Tony leaned back, staring at the horizon, the fading sunlight casting a golden glow over them. He let out a deep breath, almost like he'd been holding it in for years, and smiled softly—one of those rare, genuine smiles. For once, the burden of knowing more than anyone else had been lifted, at least for now.
"Well…"
Tony started, glancing at her with that familiar mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"We get married, Pep."
Pepper blinked, the words hanging in the air like a secret she had been waiting her whole life to hear. She couldn't help but smile in return, but Tony wasn't finished.
"And... we have a daughter,"
he continued, his voice softening as though speaking the words made them more real, more tangible.
"Her name is Morgan. She's everything, Pep. She's smart, like you. And stubborn too, like me. And she's got this heart—this big, beautiful heart."
Pepper's smile grew, tears welling up in her eyes.
"A daughter…,"
she whispered, trying to imagine the life they were supposed to have.
"Morgan… What's she like?"
Tony chuckled lightly, shaking his head.
"She's—she's perfect, you know? Not in an unrealistic way, but in a way that makes you feel like the world makes sense. Like no matter how chaotic things get, you look at her and it all falls into place."
Pepper nodded slowly, leaning into Tony's shoulder, and resting her head against him as the evening air grew cooler.
"It sounds… beautiful,"
she whispered, her mind already painting pictures of the family they would build.
And for the first time in a long while, Tony felt a strange sense of peace. He had carried the weight of the future for so long, always worrying, always trying to stay a step ahead, but here, in this moment, it was just the two of them. No armor. No battles. Just them, talking about the life they should have had.
As the evening deepened, Tony kept talking. He told her about their home by the lake, about teaching Morgan to fish—though she wasn't very interested in it—and how she would make tiny versions of his Iron Man suits out of cardboard, her imagination running wild with possibilities. He talked about quiet nights by the fire, about family dinners filled with laughter and love, and all the little moments he had cherished.
Pepper listened intently, occasionally asking questions, but mostly just letting the sound of Tony's voice wash over her. It was as if the future they were meant to share had unfolded right there before them, wrapping them both in a sense of calm and warmth that neither had felt in a long time.
Finally, as the sun dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky a deep shade of indigo, Tony's voice grew quiet. He had told her everything he could, and though the weight on his shoulders had eased, there was still the sting of knowing that the future would never come to pass.
Pepper, sensing the shift in his tone, squeezed his hand gently. "We would've made a good team, Tony," she said softly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Tony turned to her, his gaze steady but filled with emotion. "We did, Pep. We still do."
They sat in silence for a while longer, the sky now a blanket of stars above them, each twinkling light a reminder of all the future yet unwritten.