The Fall Guy

The reason for Pepper's reaction was simple. Tony's mansion could barely even be called a mansion anymore. It was filled with takeout trash, while parts and black engine oil stains littered every corner of the house and covered the floor.

The moment she opened the front door, the indescribable stench made Pepper's brows shoot up. Doro covered her nose with her little hands and staggered back again and again from the smell.

The sight before them, as though the place had been burglarized, put Pepper on high alert. She shielded Doro behind her, raised her phone, and carefully stepped into Tony's mansion to search around.

There was nothing but trash in the living room. The bedroom was clean, yet showed no signs of anyone having lived there. Most importantly, the closer they got to the underground garage, the filthier and more chaotic the surroundings became.

Pepper's initial caution and probing gradually turned into anger and irritation.

If she still couldn't figure it out by now, then all her years of experience had been for nothing.

Clearly, this mess that made the whole house look as if it had been robbed was the work of those two goddamn men who had vanished for a month!

When Pepper kicked open the underground garage door, the sight before her sent her rage soaring so high that her blood pressure nearly spiked.

"Tony Stark! Sherlock Flamel! You two bastards had better give me a perfect explanation! Otherwise, I'll make you regret ever coming into this world!"

"Humans, humans, you shouldn't make Big Sister angry! Big Sister is very angry, and the consequences are severe!"

Doro stood behind Pepper as well, smugly addressing the two men lying on the ground. Her little act of borrowing someone else's power was practically a perfect demonstration of the phrase.

As for Sherlock and Tony, the two were sleeping soundly on the floor. At Pepper's lioness-like roar, the killing intent in her voice startled them both. They immediately scrambled up from the ground.

They did get up, but standing only made them look even more miserable.

Sherlock's face was covered in soot. He wore nothing at all on his upper body, leaving his hormone-packed physique greasy and filthy in the open air.

Most crucially, the prosthetic limb he used to assist with alchemy was now nothing more than a metal skeleton. Even the metal bones were battered and full of tiny holes.

The mechanical arms that had once wrapped around it like muscles now dangled down to the floor like rags. They no longer possessed their earlier tentacle-like agility and vitality, though their occasional twitches showed that they had not been damaged.

If that appearance merely made Sherlock look somewhat disheveled, then the semicircular white pouch currently stuck to his eight-pack abs made him look utterly ridiculous.

The pouch's immaculate whiteness stood in sharp contrast to Sherlock's greasy, grime-covered state, creating a sight that was almost impossible to look at directly.

Of course, Tony was no better off.

His usually immaculate hair looked like a messy bird's nest, while his once carefully groomed little beard had become a complete mess. His clothes and pants were riddled with holes.

Most importantly, both Tony's hair and beard bore obvious scorch marks. In particular, one of Tony's signature eyebrows had completely vanished.

And if Sherlock merely looked bedraggled, then Tony's bedraggled state carried an extra hint of madness.

All sorts of metal parts covered Tony's body. They were fixed to a highly flexible metal frame, along with exposed bundles of wires and scorch marks across the apparatus.

It looked as though Tony was being controlled by those machines.

Not only that, there were obvious injuries on Tony's face. From Pepper's perspective, even his nose looked a little crooked.

"What the hell have you two assholes been doing? You'd better give me a perfect explanation, or don't blame me for getting nasty!"

Pepper, already seeing red, instinctively assumed the air of the lady of the house. Her gaze at Sherlock and Tony was filled with rage.

"Humans, confess honestly! Resist and face severe punishment; confess and get a lighter sentence—wait, no, confess and serve until the end of your life~"

Doro chimed in behind Pepper, throwing her weight around. Clearly, she had gotten the saying wrong, so Pepper promptly gave her an annoyed knock on the head. In an instant, Doro was squatting with her head in her hands, tears brimming in her eyes in an adorably pitiful pose.

But neither Sherlock nor Tony found the sight funny in the slightest. Instead, they both shuddered in perfect unison. If even Doro's adorable antics could not ease Pepper's anger, one could imagine just how furious Pepper truly was.

"Pepper, I didn't do anything. Believe me. I was only assisting Sherlock with some alchemical creations."

"!!!"

Hearing Tony's words, Sherlock stared at him in utter disbelief, his eyes so wide they practically looked ready to fall out. Anyone could see how incredulous he was.

Seeing Sherlock's expression, Tony hurriedly began signaling to him with his eyes.

Take the fall for me. There'll be plenty in it for you!

Why should I? Am I not afraid of dying?

A full set of equipment from my home, complete with a JARVIS instance, all free. I'll cover all future upgrades and material costs too!

Deal!

After rapidly conducting a round of shady eye-contact negotiations, Sherlock decisively wiped the shock from his face. With the expression of a man marching bravely to his death, he stepped forward and said to Pepper, "Sister Pepper, I'm sorry. I got too excited when I saw Tony's equipment and dragged him into helping me make some things. Um, I'll clean up right away. Please don't be angry."

As he spoke, Sherlock prepared to clean up the chaotic scene, even wearing a flattering smile as he looked at Pepper.

But in response to Sherlock's performance, Pepper only revealed a cold sneer. Like a queen looking down from on high, she stared fixedly at Sherlock as he prepared to clear away the surrounding garbage. Then, with a mocking laugh, she asked him, "Sherlock, let me ask you a question."

"Y-You... go ahead. I'll tell you everything I know!"

Hearing the icy tone in Pepper's voice, Sherlock's answer began to tremble. He was already starting to regret taking the fall for Tony.

"Tell me, do I look like an idiot to you?"

"How could that be? You are clearly the model of the smartest woman in the world!"

"If that's the case, then why are you and Tony treating me like an idiot?"

The moment Pepper spoke those words, the expressions on both Sherlock's and Tony's faces froze. Only one thought remained in their minds.

Oh no. We're screwed!