Hey everyone!Thanks so much for the support and everything, I hope you like this story. Sorry if Tony's POV is a bit off, he's a really complicated guy. Anyways, feedback would be appreciated, thanks!
Tony
"How could you Tony?" Pepper flips at me as soon as her neice runs upstairs.
"How could I what?" I ask, genuinly confused. "I just called her Charlie."
I watch as the love of my life deflates like a balloon in front of me. She rubs her forehead with her hand. "Her parents used to call her Charlie."
Although I could care less about petnames, I wrap Pepper in a hug. She rests her chin on my shoulder, and I rest mine on hers. I rub her back until the tension starts coming out of her shoulders. It's only then I notice how distraught she is.
"I just wanted this to work so badly," She whispers, her breath tickling my neck. "I feel like I owe Elaine that much."
"You mean your sister who hates my guts?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood. It doesn't work.
"I thought, that maybe if I could just take care of her, she might've been able to forgive me," She whispers again, and I pull away, grasping her shoulders tightly.
"Sweetheart, I hate to say this, but I have no idea what your talking about," I tell her before adding, "Actually, I don't really hate to say it because I'd love to know what's happen-"
"Elaine and Mark are dead."
Her sentence cuts me off, and it takes more than a moment for it to process in my mind. When it does I'm in shock. Why didn't she tell me sooner? I stand there like an idiot until I notice the quiver of her hands.
"When?" My voice is detached.
"Two weeks ago," Her voice comes out quiet and muffled by my shirt. "They were in a car accident. Charlotte was the only survivor."
I don't know what to say, so I say nothing at all and rather hold her close. My actions speak louder than my words.
"I've been trying to get custody of Charlotte since that day, and it got approved yesterday. I suppose I should've told you earlier. I'm sorry," Her words echo around the kitchen. I sigh and continue to hug her.
"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been a jerk to her. I'll go apologize," I tell her, hoping she'll cheer up. Rather I get a very doubtful:
"Really?"
I roll my eyes and pull away, a small smile on my face. I kiss the tip of her nose, before grabbing a plate full of pizza. "Really," I tell her, heading upstairs.
Alright, so maybe this wasn't the greateest idea.
As I get closer to the guest bedroom, and farther from Pepper, that cheery feeling that made me volunteer myself in the first place slowly dissipates. I'm left with the uneasy curdle in my stomach. I contemplate just eating the pizza myself and ditching the girl.
Unfortunately, my stupid body waltzes through the door to the room.
Charlotte is there, scowling and glaring at the wall opposing her bed which she's sitting on. As soon as she glimpses me, her scowl deepens.
"Get out."
"Well, seeing as this is my house, shouldn't you be the one to get out?" I point out, taking note of my own sharp words. I don't know what it is, but I just feel antsy around this girl. She knows exactly how to get under my skin, and it irks me.
"I would if I could," She continues to scowl. I drop my shoulders.
"Why do I get the hint that you don't like me?" I decide to try another approach. She crinkles her nose in disndain.
"Maybe because I don't."
"And that would be because..." I prompt, waving her pizza around and splattering red sauce on the beige carpet. I make a mental note to have the floor cleaned before Pepper can see it.
For the first time since I entered her room, she turns to look at me, and I can see what she actually looks like. She has a small chin and high cheek bones, suggesting a bit of an Asian heritage. Her wild brown hair falls from it's pony tail, framing her dark eyes. She's smaller, but from the roughness of her hands, it's evident that she's used to doing things manually. If she wasn't constantly scowling, she might've been pretty.
"Shall I list the reaons chronologically or alphabetically?" She asks in a faux english accent. "You're a self-centered billionare brat who thinks he owns the world because he can fly around in a metal suit. I might've grown up in a small town, but at least everyone there knows the meaning of self-sacrifice and humility."
Her words hit a sore spot in my mind, as I feel my chest constrict in anxiety. For a moment I'm no longer at home, but rather trapped, in space. Seeing the countless stars stretch before me, and knowing that they would never know who I was, or what I'd done. Realizing that I really was nothing special.
I push away the thought as my face hardens. My newest saying is 'What happened in New York, stays in New York.' I plan on keeping it that way, so I stop dwelling on that day.
"Look, I think we need to set out some house rules," I change the topic, knowing that she didn't miss my hesitation. Her scowl deepens and she crosses her arms.
"Like what?" She challenges, and I can almost see Fury laughing at me. This must be what he feels like 24/7.
"Like, stay out of my shop. It's off limits. Completely."
She rolls her eyes. "I can hardly figure out your water dispenser, let alone your your garage and all your weird buttons."
"Secondly," I cut her off. "In public, I don't know you. Period."
"Wasn't planning on it," She drones, clearly bored. But I'm not finished.
"And lastly," I clear my throat some-what awkwardly. "Because of my line of... work, I tend to have many different visitors. Including unexpected check up calls from a certain... Agency. You aren't to look, speak, or even think about them. When they're here, you can leave, or seomthing. Fine?"
"Whatevs Starky," She mutters. "I wouldn't want to meet any of your looser friends anways."
"Good," I say, feeling awkward now that that's out. I shuffle awkwardly, befoer putting the pizza on the dressertop. I look back, to see that she's pulled out a book and is reading it. I roll my eyes, before finally leaving.
Pepper definitely owes me big time.
This is going to be hell.
