Chapter 21

Daisy was glad that her eyes weren't still puffy when Tony entered her room. He didn't need to know that she'd been crying. As far as he knew she totally believed he would make a full recovery. If he knew she was doubting him he'd doubt himself, and then he'd really be doomed.

"Natalie thinks I should probably call off my birthday party," Tony confessed with a sigh. "Do you agree?"

He probably should call off the party, but Daisy sure as Hell wasn't going to tell him to. "It's something you need to do for yourself. I said that when you first asked me about having the party here, and I'll say it now."

Tony was glad she approved, that much was obvious, but he still looked worried. "I'll keep it sane, alright, I promise."

He didn't keep it sane.

Daisy should have known he wouldn't. The man was pretty darn sure of his eminent death, of course he was going to live like there was no tomorrow. The issue with alcohol is that it lowers your inhibitions. Having one drink makes you feel like it's okay to have one more, and the positive feedback loop ensures. Daisy felt like she couldn't tell Tony not to party considering it might be his last, but she should have known that because it was his last he'd be a hellion.

"Daisy," Rhodey cried, storming towards where the girl stood helplessly horrified. "What the Hell is he on?"

She'd promised she wouldn't tell, but then again he'd promised to keep it sane. Still, Rhodey knowing wouldn't help. "I have no idea, but Rhodey, he just peed in the suit! He's completely gone insane."

"I know," Rhodey growled before dashing off. Daisy looked around frantically for anything that might help her grab Tony's attention, but found nothing. Nothing until she saw another suit standing before her, Rhodey inside.

No, Daisy couldn't believe it. There were a million protocols to ensure no one but Tony could get into a suit. Not even Daisy could get into a suit. Surely he wouldn't change it so Rhodey could get in. Surely if he was secretly bequeathing someone a suit he'd made it Daisy…

No, he'd never make it Daisy, and he was completely out of his mind.

"You need to get out of here," Pepper cried seeing the standoff unfolding. "This isn't going to end well."

No, Daisy knew that, but she was so sick of running away while her father got in fights. Still, this was different. Rhodey wasn't the villain here, no, if anyone was the villain it was Tony.

"Please, you have to stop this!" Daisy cried as the men flew at each other. Tony was her dad and Rhodey her uncle; how could they just fight like this. "You're acting insane."

"Get out of here Daisy," they chorused in unison, only going to prove that even while fighting they were still one mind, two bodies. "This has nothing to do with you."

Except it had everything to do with Daisy because they were tearing apart her house. The whole place was crumbling down, and neither man seemed to care.

Daisy screamed as she felt someone scoop her up off the ground. She fought frantically to be put down, but it was Natalie who'd grabbed her. Natalie who was impossibly strong and no way in Hell letting a 16-year-old-girl stand between two fighting Iron Man suits.

"You need to let me back in there!" Daisy screamed as flashes of light and more damage occurred. "I can get them to stop, they'll listen to me!"

Natalie gave Daisy a look, and it stopped her from struggling. There was no pity in her eyes, only a question- are you going to act like a child, or are you going to make a difference?

Daisy wasn't a child, and she stopped acting like them. They were two men brawling about a lot more than Tony's actions tonight. Nothing Daisy said would stop them, not when both felt like they deserved to be beaten on and to beat the other.

The whole house was destroyed by the time Rhodey flew away and Natalie let Daisy back in. There was a hole straight through , and her bed was teetering towards the now-exposed basement beneath it. Daisy pulled it back, screaming in frustration. Tony had disappeared, and now Daisy was left to deal with this mess of a life on her own.

No, he made this mess, he was going to clean it up. Just because he was dying that did not give Tony an excuse to get himself killed. Daisy was going to find him, yell at him, and kick his ass again if need be.

Luckily for Daisy, J.A.R.V.I.S, while part of the house, was also very much not. She managed to pull him up despite the ruins and scan local satellites. No one saw him for hours, but by the time the sun rose Google had picked him up sitting in a donut only a few miles away.

Fuming, Daisy made her way down to the garage hoping they hadn't destroyed every car. Along the way she caught sight of the remaining suits, and, curious, went over. Perhaps Tony had made it so anyone could access them?

Nope, a few buttons pressed and the message was very clear to Daisy. Tony made it so Rhodey could get the suits, but not Daisy. He would never, ever allow Daisy to be in a suit.

She tried to not let it bother her as she hoped into one of the cars and drove off, but it was difficult. She was so freaking pissed at Tony she couldn't even believe it. He promised he was working on a way to save himself, but he really wasn't. No, the night before proved that Tony was just trying to speed up his death, or something equally stupid.

When Daisy arrived, Tony was still sitting up in the donut, and Nick Fury was standing at the bottom yelling. Knowing she'll just be sent away if discovered, Daisy carefully made her way into the shop, throwing up her hood, ducking behind the counter an agent was walking away from checking, and angling her laptop to see the table they'd likely sit down at. (Fury was a spy. He'd want to be somewhere he could see everyone in the room, even with one eye, he could see outside and escape quickly. There was only one booth that fit that requirement.)

When Fury and Tony wandered inside, Daisy sat still. If either of them saw her she would be in so much trouble it wasn't funny. Much to her surprise though they didn't notice her and just began talking. Tony of course was his usual self, but Fury kept him mainly focused.

"We secured the perimeter, the place is empty except for us and Daisy."

Daisy wanted to slam her head against a wall when Natalie appeared. Instead, she accidentally slammed it a bit against the counter as she stood up an awkward smile on her face. "You're good," she told Natalie suspecting that wasn't really her name. "Even Director Fury didn't know I was there."

"Oh yes I did," the man cried, but Daisy knew it was bullshit. Natalie found her, but she'd gotten past the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maybe he was distracted, but she still did. It was a nice feeling. "Agent Romanoff please escort Miss Stark home before you return to Stark Industries."

Daisy was slightly terrified of Natalia/whatever her real name was, and prepared to go until the woman spoke up. "Actually sir, I think it will be better if Daisy is in on this. She's as brilliant as her father, and more reliable."

Apparently Fury trusted her judgment, because he nodded. "Very well, you may stay. It seems Natasha has taken a liking to your daughter, Stark, you might want to be careful."

"Oh, here," Natalie who apparent was Natasha said jamming something into Tony's neck. Daisy reacted by grabbing the woman's arm, but a look and Daisy let go. "It counteracts the symptoms, but not the problem. Still, it will help you think straight."

"What is he thinking straight to do?" Daisy asked relieved to see the marks disappearing even if the problem wasn't gone. "If you know so much, what do you need?"

"That arc reactor in your chest isn't complete. You need to find a way to replace the palladium otherwise, he's going to die."