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Chapter 9

Things of course went downhill after that. Daisy should have expected it. Her life had been too good since she came to Malibu. Sure, there were issues with being Tony Stark's daughter, but it had also been really freaking good. She had a father and that was really all that mattered to Daisy. They weren't normal, and they would never be, but they were. It was too good to be true.

And Brian. Things with Brian had been too good as well. She'd said on Christmas Eve that they weren't a couple, and it was true, unfortunately. But he was so perfect. He knew what it was like to have a famous and rich father. He understood how it felt to always be compared, to always be known. Daisy felt as if he was the only one at school who wanted to know Daisy, and not Daisy Stark. And so she was stupid in that way 15-year-old-girls are around the boys they like. She told him everything. She told him about not knowing whether or not to call Tony dad. She told him how Pepper was basically her mom, and Daisy wished the woman knew that. Brian listen to her talk about trying to catch up in school, make her dad proud, and generally survive. Ms. Martin wanted to make sure Daisy had someone to talk to, but Daisy hadn't needed the councilor. She had Brian.

And the day after Christmas, that blew up in her face. She was watching the Late Night Show with Ryan Bradley while taking Bio notes when she heard her name. "Daisy Stark, we've all been thinking about Daisy Stark for weeks, but who is she?" Okay, that was creepy. Sure, Daisy had seen herself on magazines in the grocery store, but this was a whole new level of weird. Here was the dad of the guy she liked talking about her on TV. Here was a guy she'd met for five minutes a week ago talking about her to a national audience. "And I'll let you know exactly who she is. Tony Stark's less-than-stellar daughter is who she is." Daisy's heart gripped. "The girl's a complete basket case. They tried to place her in 13 homes over the years and she got kicked out of all of them. She's not smart and had to bribe the guidance councilor to let her take the high level classes she's now failing." That wasn't even true! "Her mom died poor in a Chinese village rather than reaching out to Tony Stark for help, so what does that say about their relationship? Daisy Stark is a tramp born from a wh*re and a slutty woman. Folks, stop talking about her, because that's all you really need to know."

Daisy finally managed to find the 'off' button through her tears. It wasn't the words that hurt. She knew what she was, and had been called far worse. No, what broke her heart was how he knew this.

"I'm so fucking stupid," Daisy whispered to Pepper who, in traditional fashion, heard before Tony even did. "I should have fucking known Brian was just using me. Everyone is always just using me! I don't matter to anyone! I'm so fucking stupid."

Tony slammed his fist against the wall, denting it. "You're not the stupid one Daisy," he growled walking towards the door. "That asshole who thought it was a good idea to tell the world about you is the idiot."

Daisy was too busy crawling into her bed to sob to notice. She'd never felt more stupid and worthless in her life. No one really wanted her around. Even Tony didn't want her, he just didn't have a choice but to take in his daughter. It would have been better if she'd died with her mom.

"Daisy?" Tony stood in the doorway looking at his mess of a daughter warily. The man had absolutely no idea what to do, and yet he didn't need Pepper's lecture to know he had to do something. He was her father, and there was no one but he who could help to ease her pain. "You know him saying something doesn't make it true."

Truth was a matter of perception, and at the moment the whole nation perceived her as a complete tramp. "It is true though," she whispered her voice cracking. "No one has ever wanted me. He wasn't wrong about the homes. I stayed at one for a week before they sent me back to the orphanage. Everyone would be a lot happier if I had never been born."

"I want you," Tony vowed looking the girl straight in the eye. " Hell, I could have easily made it so that paternity test result disappeared and that any other attempts after it did the same. I wanted you Daisy then, and now. I like living with you. You don't eat too much. You don't mind when I don't talk to you for days on end. You turn the lights off after I leave a room… Your all I could want in a daughter."

Daisy slurped a laugh. "Those aren't very high standards."

Tony crawled onto the bed next to her, and Daisy laid her head on his shoulder. As he played with her hair, Tony replied, "I always have high standards, and you've surpassed every one. And even if you hadn't I'd still like you, no, I'd love you because you are my daughter. I can't explain it to you Daisy but the moment Pepper told me I loved you. I don't know how to be a Father because I never had one, but I know how to love like one. I love you, I want you, and I'm going to make that kid and his dad pay for what they said because your mascara just ruined my shirt."

Daisy was laughing. Everything hurt and she wanted to cry for weeks, but she was laughing. Perhaps Tony wasn't so horrible at this father thing at all.

And he kept his word. She was lying on the couch watching TV the next day when her phone started buzzing. She'd rigged it alert her to changes in Stark Stocks, and they'd just jumped. One flip over to the CNBC and she knew exactly why. Stark Industries buys HT Television Network for 3 billion dollars after Ryan Bradley Slander.

"Hello?"

"Did you just buy out a whole television network to cancel the Late Night show?"

Daisy couldn't see him, but she heard her father smiling on the other end. "Let's just say I didn't like their content."

"That's all your going to do though, right? I'm not going to have to bail you out of prison for assault?"

Daisy heard Rhodey over on the other side of the line. "Oh don't worry, I've been with him all day to make sure there is none of that."

"Thanks Rhods," he was a good friend, and the type Tony needed. "And thanks Tony."

"It's nothing." Yes because 3 billion dollar deals were made every day. "Oh, and Stark Industries owns it, but I put the shares under your name. Even if I was to disown you I couldn't take that money away."

"Are you planning on disowning me Mr. I-want-you?"

"No, but you might start forgetting to turn the lights off, and then I'd just have to."

Daisy hung up the phone laughing. There were dozens of texts from Brian begging for forgiveness, but she just blocked his number. When she went back to school she could deal with that but for now, for now she was going to watch Doctor Who.