World Traveler Villain

{Chapter: 330 Forced}

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM...

A chain of violent explosions ripped through the ship, flames surging with an unrelenting fury as all the Extremis soldiers blew up. Metal shrieked and twisted as massive fireballs tore through the hull. Burning fragments rained down like molten hail, lighting up the ocean in a storm of smoke and fire.

The sea hissed and boiled under the onslaught, steam blasting upward as seawater tried and failed to quench the inferno. A towering column of mist rose into the sky, swallowing the wreckage in a fog of heat and ash.

BOOM!

Another blast echoed like the roar of a vengeful god. The ship finally gave out—its spine snapped, sending huge steel beams and splintered chunks of hull hurtling into the air. Flames licked every surface. The sky was filled with wreckage.

Then... silence.

What was left of the battlefield floated gently in the waves—embers dancing atop blackened water. The fire still clung stubbornly to the sea, a final testament to the chaos that had unfolded.

William hovered calmly in the air, holding Pepper securely in his arms. The wind tugged at his coat and her hair, the only motion in a sky painted with ash and fire.

"It's over," William said softly, gazing down at the destruction. His voice held no triumph—only quiet finality.

Pepper crossed her arms, still being carried, her voice sharp and cold. "Over? Oh, how fucking poetic. What the hell does 'over' even mean to me?"

William glanced down at her with a small, knowing smile. "Maybe not much. But what comes next... that'll matter. So tell me, Pepper. What do you want to do now?"

Pepper's eyes burned, but she looked away. "I want to go home. I want a goddamn shower, a bottle of wine, and to never see your smug face again."

William nodded casually. "Sure. Let's go home. Our home."

She snapped her head back toward him. "Your what? Are you kidding me? There's no our anything. I want to go back to my home, not the one you think we magically share."

William chuckled darkly, his voice thick with mischief. "Don't be ridiculous. If you don't have a home with me, then who do you have one with? Come on, Pepper. Don't play hard to get—we both know it's always been us."

Pepper stared at him, torn between wanting to slap him and... something else she didn't want to admit. Her voice was low and cold. "I hate you, William. With every fiber of my fucking being. Until that hate dies, there's nothing—nothing—between us."

A strange silence followed. William studied her, and then, without a word, summoned the golden machete into his hand, its blade gleaming ominously.

Pepper's eyes widened. "...What the hell are you doing now?"

William extended the blade toward her. "You hate me, right? Then go ahead. Kill me. Wipe the slate clean. I'm right here."

She blinked at him, stunned.

"You said you wanted me gone," William continued. "Well—this is your shot. Do it."

Pepper hesitated... then slowly reached for the weapon. The machete was heavier than she expected. Cold. Real.

"This... this can't kill you," she muttered bitterly. "You're full of shit. You're always full of shit."

William's expression didn't change. "This one's different. Sharpest blade in the world. Cuts through anything—even me."

She gripped the hilt with both hands, breathing hard. "Then fine. Let your death make up for everything. Maybe then I can stop dreaming about punching your smug-ass face every damn night."

She swung the machete down with all her strength—

And stopped. Just 0.01 millimeters from his head.

William didn't flinch, but his pupils contracted slightly. He'd been ready to teleport away at the last second.

"...Why'd you stop?" he asked coolly, trying to sound calm while his heart raced behind his chest.

Pepper's hands trembled. Her eyes were wide with fury—and something else. Her voice broke. "It—it was an accident. I'll do it right next time. I won't feel anything when I kill you."

William's smirk turned wicked. "Then give it another shot. Maybe third time's the charm."

"Fuck you!" she barked, raising the blade again and swinging down—

This time, the machete halted more than ten centimeters away from his head.

She stood frozen, panting, teeth clenched, tears at the edges of her eyes. "Why... why the fuck can't I just do it?!"

"You tell me," William said, almost gently.

"No! No, no, no—this isn't right," she shouted. "I'm supposed to be stronger than this. You deserve this! You deserve worse! Every part of me is screaming that this is justice! Everyone on Earth would cheer if I ended you!"

But her arms refused to move. Her fingers loosened.

Clank.

The machete dropped from her hands and landed on the steel deck with a dull, final sound.

William leaned in slightly, his voice teasing. "What's wrong, Pepper?"

Pepper looked down, ashamed and furious. "I don't know. I hate you. I hate what you do to me. And the worst part is... I don't even know if it's all hate anymore."

William's expression softened—just slightly.

"You think you're the only one torn up about this?" he said quietly. "You make me crazy, too."

Pepper didn't respond. She just stood there, breathing hard, fists clenched at her sides, trying to figure out whether she wanted to punch him... or kiss him.

Pepper looked up at William, eyes blazing with a swirl of anger, grief, and something dangerously close to longing. Then, without warning, she lunged forward and threw her arms around his waist, burying her face into his chest. Her voice trembled with fury and pain.

"You bastard," she hissed, fists clenching his shirt. "Why the hell did you do that? You knew—you fucking knew I couldn't do it, and you still pushed me like that... You wanted to break me!"

William chuckled low in his throat, a devilish glint in his eyes as he looked down at her. "I genuinely thought you might do it. I mean... you're full of surprises, Pepper. But I didn't expect this one."

Her eyes flared as she shoved against his chest with both fists. "Bullshit. You did it on purpose—you manipulative asshole! You wanted to corner me, force me to compromise, to—God, you wanted me to beg, didn't you? You're such a goddamn devil... I hate you, I fucking hate you!" Her hand came down hard, slapping his back as her voice cracked.

William didn't flinch. He wrapped his arms tightly around her thrashing frame, holding her like something precious and wild. He leaned in, brushing his lips close to her ear, his tone low and almost teasing. "So… you figured it out."

"You smug piece of—"

"Shh. Don't talk." He tilted her chin up with one finger, gently but with undeniable control.

Pepper glared at him through glassy eyes, teeth clenched. "You… you bastard. I swear to God, I should—"

Her words cut off in a gasp as his mouth claimed hers.

For a moment, she froze, every nerve in her body screaming. But then—damn it—she kissed him back. Passionately. Desperately. The kiss wasn't sweet or tender; it was explosive and raw, filled with pain, anger, unresolved emotions, and something she didn't want to name. It was a storm. She poured it all into that kiss—everything she couldn't scream, everything she couldn't admit.

Then the heat came. Not the emotional kind—real heat. Burning heat.

Pepper broke away, gasping, staring down at her arm, which was glowing red-hot and trembling like a volcano on the edge of eruption.

"I…" Her breath came in shallow bursts. "What the hell is happening to me?"

William's expression sobered. He looked at her arm, then into her eyes. "You were injected with the Extremis virus."

"I know that, you idiot," she snapped, voice trembling. "Am I going to die? Am I going to overheat and explode? Because I swear, I'm not going out like that—not before I kill you, you son of a bitch."

William took her hand gently. "No. You're not going to die. Not while I'm still breathing."

Pepper stared at him, uncertain, still shaking. "You're so full of shit."

"I'm serious." He met her gaze with rare sincerity. "This… this is your power now. It's not a death sentence. It's a gift. If you learn to control it, it won't hurt you. It'll make you unstoppable."

"I don't want to be unstoppable, William. I just want to be okay. I want normal, boring, safe. I want to stop being your goddamn science experiment."

He nodded slowly. "You'll be fine, Pepper. I promise. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere this time."

She scoffed bitterly. "You're a liar. A smooth-talking, narcissistic liar. Since Old Bridge City… since New Mexico, you just disappeared. You left me behind like I was nothing! Did you even think about what that did to me?"

William exhaled, guilt flashing across his features. "I was trying to wait… to stabilize things before I came back."

Pepper shook her head, eyes filling with tears again. "Bullshit. You always have an excuse, don't you?"

He sighed. "After I left, I went to Asgard. Things went sideways fast. I got hurt, badly. Then I fell into the ocean off the southern tip of South America. A shark got me."

Pepper blinked. "Wait… what?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Swallowed. Real cinematic stuff."

Her eyes widened. "That was you?! Jane and I found a half-digested shark in that region. We thought it was some freak accident."

"Well, surprise." William smirked faintly. "Alice and her team found me first. I was in a coma for eight months."

Pepper stared at him for a long time, her anger melting slightly into disbelief… and worry. "Eight months… Are you okay now?"

William pulled her closer, his tone shifting into something more familiar—more cocky. "Do I look like I'm not okay? The only thing I need now… is for you to be mine again."

Pepper pushed at his chest again, weakly this time. "You… you infuriating asshole…"

"There she is," William said with a grin. "My firecracker."

Pepper wanted to scream. She wanted to cry. She wanted to punch him in the face—and maybe kiss him again right after. Her emotions were a hurricane she couldn't stop.

"I don't know whether I want to slap you or throw you down and—ugh! I hate you!" she growled.

William leaned down, pressing his forehead to hers. "You can do both, you know."

She closed her eyes, voice barely above a whisper. "I'm so fucked up."

"No," he said gently. "You're just… in love with a very complicated man."

Pepper groaned. "You're not complicated. You're a walking disaster."

"And yet…" he teased, brushing a thumb across her cheek.

Pepper's voice broke. "And yet I still want you."