"Perhaps I should try researching more potions to neutralize the potions that Artoria's group of girlfriends used on you."
After being thrown out by Pepper, Tony clutched his injured waist, speaking through gritted teeth. These women did nothing but come over to sabotage his family. It was one thing for them to stick around his sister, but they were also the ones who incited Pepper to drink the Enhancer. Now, the chances of him being a victim of domestic violence had increased significantly. He didn't even dare to go out to parties or chat with models anymore, fearing that if one thing made Pepper unhappy, she would give him a big slap, and he would be close to kicking the bucket. This kind of life was not what he wanted.
"This can prevent you from bullying me, Tony."
Although she still had resentment toward Tony, she would still provide the necessary care. Pepper gave Tony an ice pack to properly apply to the injured area. After all, the two only had some minor conflicts, not a life-or-death situation where they couldn't go on. Seeing Tony take the ice pack, Pepper sat back in her original position. On the surface, she was very calm, but her eyes kept drifting toward that bottle of wine that had been spiked.
"How would I dare to bully you! Pepper."
Hearing what his wife said, Tony felt both innocent and wronged. What was all this? Wasn't it just because he was busy and neglected her for a while? Why was there such great resentment? It was even more violent than a bomb. She truly lived up to her nickname, Pepper; spicy and hot, yet he was addicted to it. What could he do? With some inner emotion, Tony spoke to Pepper with grievance, "I like you so much, why won't you give me more trust! Ever since I married you, I've turned down all the parties and just stayed at home researching armor."
"Hmph!"
Women were all the same; a woman in anger didn't care about anything. Actually, as long as Tony admitted his mistake and expressed his apology, it would be about enough. But Tony committed the mistake he shouldn't have: he had no expression of admitting his mistake. He just wanted to explain, and without explaining anything clearly, he ran off to work on his armor again. Pepper's anger hadn't dissipated yet, and this action just added fuel to the fire. A woman in anger was the most irrational. Otherwise, Pepper wouldn't have agreed to the suggestion of Artoria and her bad friends to actually turn Tony into a woman. Such an absurd idea was enough to shatter one's worldview. Even Artoria inwardly sighed that the most vicious heart is that of a woman. Listening to Tony's innocent cries, Pepper gave Tony a look and then ignored him.
"Recently, my dad and I jointly designed a space fortress to be placed on another Planet. By the time it's built, the child should have been born. I hope you can all live there together. Recently, I've felt that Earth is becoming increasingly unsafe. If we encounter dangers in the future that our power cannot resist, I don't want to involve you in them."
Seeing Pepper's attitude was so firm, Tony shook his head helplessly. He hadn't picked up girls in a long time. Back in the day at parties, he could just crook his finger, and a bunch of supermodels would come to his side, intending to spend the night with him. That glory was gone forever. Self-proclaimed as a ladies' man, he only realized after marriage that what attracted others to him wasn't his personality, but the charm of money. After having some trouble in his relationship with Pepper, he wanted to remedy it but found he had no experience at all. Usually, he never needed to watch a woman's expression; now he had no way at all. Picking up the prepared bottle of wine, just as he was about to drink it, Tony suddenly thought of something. After a moment of thought, Tony told Pepper about his situation; he wanted Pepper to be mentally prepared in advance.
"You've just been busy with this recently?"
Pepper, who had been watching Tony's actions, heard Tony's words, and her expression instantly became incredulous. She had originally thought he just liked those metal clothes, but she didn't expect him to have considered things so far into the future. Pepper felt a sudden touch of emotion in her heart. This man's love was never just something to be spoken about. All her resentment vanished without a trace when Tony showed the blueprints and the video sent by Jarvis. Had she misunderstood Tony? Tony was still the same Tony, but she had become a bit too sensitive. Although she was in the midst of various pre-natal negative buffs, Pepper could still distinguish between kindness and deception.
"Yes, my dear. For your safety, I must do this. Even if I die in battle, I cannot let you be harmed in the slightest. I am a superhero, but more importantly, I am a family member who loves you all, an apparently not-so-competent husband, and a somewhat 'cowardly' father."
Pepper's question allowed Tony to speak out the words he had been holding in for a long time. He had long wanted to apologize to Pepper. For the dangers that might occur in the future, he had to upgrade his armor more so that he could fight for a bright future. He self-deprecatingly called himself 'cowardly' because he was 'afraid.' He was afraid of his family being harmed; he didn't want to see his loved ones implicated. He wanted to build a fortress to protect his family. Such behavior might seem 'weak' in the eyes of other Americans, but for his family, he wasn't afraid of being mocked, nor did he need others' understanding. As long as the people he loved were safe, nothing else had any meaning to him. Just as he said, he was a superhero, but he was also family to Howard, Maria, Artoria, his little niece, Pepper, and the child. He intended to shoulder all this responsibility and obligation himself.
"Tony~!"
Moved by Tony's 'cheesy pickup lines,' Pepper finally let go of the resentment in her heart and stood up to hug Tony, her eyes filled with tears of emotion. Watching Pepper hug him, a smile appeared on Tony's tired face. At this moment, he truly felt the joy of having a home. He wrapped his arms around Pepper's shoulders and rested his hands on her belly. Feeling the warmth from his palms, Tony felt that everything was worth it at this moment.
"For this moment, darling, let's have a drink!"
After sharing a tender moment, Tony picked up the wine bottle from the table and prepared two glasses. Just as he was about to pour some wine into the glasses to share his mood with Pepper, Pepper was stunned by Tony's words. She happened to see Tony pick up the wine bottle to pour, and suddenly remembered that she seemed to have spiked the wine. She immediately reached out to stop Tony's action, which left Tony very confused. Hadn't she forgiven him? What was going on?
"I want to drink juice; the baby can't drink alcohol."
Facing Tony's confusion, Pepper cleverly found an excuse for herself—though it couldn't really be called an excuse; one truly shouldn't drink alcohol while pregnant. After stating her request, Tony immediately understood, put down the wine bottle, and scurried off to make juice for Pepper. Watching Tony's departing back, Pepper poured the wine down the drain and threw away the wine bottle. Since the misunderstanding between the two had been resolved, there was no longer a need for punishment.
"How is the baby?"
The relationship between Tony and Pepper seemed to have become a bit more harmonious, but Artoria was facing a most serious matter. Without Artoria's knowledge, Morgan and Galacta had teamed up to create two adorable babies. After Galacta returned, she came to check on the babies' growth. Watching them slowly transform from lumps of flesh into pink, chubby, adorable little infants, Galacta now wished the babies could be born immediately, but she didn't dare do anything. Who knew if the babies would suffer irreparable trauma because of her actions?
"Don't worry! All physical indicators are surprisingly good. There would be no problem stopping the support and having them born early now, but I don't recommend doing that. Let them grow naturally for a while longer!"
Morgan looked at the treasures in the two containers without blinking, a loving smile appearing on her face. For these two children, she had persisted in observing them without eating or drinking, fearing that if she blinked, something would go wrong with the two little babies. Now it seemed she had been overthinking; the children were growing very healthily.
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