Tumblr: reneeturnson


Sunshine

Chapter One: Lullabye


You are my sunshine, my only sunshine;

You make me happy, when skies are gray.

You'll never know dear, how much I love you.

Please don't take my sunshine away


Dahliana Maria Stark: 10

Peter Parker: 10


.

.

.

Beginning of Summer

Ron & Tom Funeral Home

.

.

Her tiny feet scrape and tap against the dark hardwood floor, kicking the fallen flower petals and paper pamphlets that fell underneath the table. Her throat is tight, eyes sting, and she can't seem to stop gnawing at her lip in a desperate attempt to not let out a strangled cry. Stay strong, stay tall, and do not fall. She repeats it over and over in her head. She won't let her tears fall, instead, she stays quiet and watches the last few hours of the funeral fly by with her best friend by her side.

Faceless people dressed in black walk by, clapping the short brunette boy sitting to her left on his shoulder before whispering their condolences in his ear. Instead of nodding or opening his mouth to speak he grabs her hand as hard as he can - nearly making her yelp out in pain. She almost wants to tell him to let go but her heart knows that if she does he will crumble to the ground and she will fall shortly after.

So, for him, she will shoulder his pain as if it was her own and stand by his side as long as he needed. Dahliana squeezes his hand back and gives the brown eyed boy a shaky smile. Stay strong, stay tall, and do not fall. She repeats it and repeats it. A mantra her uncle has permanently written into her brain. Be strong, you are a Stark.

While her mind hums one tune, her lips sing another. Their favorite lullaby because she doesn't trust her voice to not crack. It's the only comfort she's strong enough to give to her friend.

Aunt May's sniffles and cries sound like they're echoing off the walls. Or maybe it just seems loud to her because she's sitting beside her. Slumped in her chair & holding onto Pepper's hand the same way Peter is holding onto her hand.

She hums a little louder to herself. Trying to be able to hear herself over the mindless chatter of those surrounding them.

His hold on her gets tighter. She tries to hum louder. Louder. She wants to block out the chatter and the melody from the piano that's supposed to be soft but to her is deafening. Louder. She isn't loud enough. The scrapes of chairs and half told condolences become never ending. A whirlwind of noise that just won't seem to be quiet for just a couple of seconds. She just wants a couple of seconds of peace.

His tears and whimpers gradually flow more and more. I'm so sorry, she thinks to herself as her shoulders begin to shake. She isn't strong enough to be the pillar he needs but she is willing to try. She's a Stark. She should be able to do something so simple as comforting a friend.

"Please don't take my sunshine away." A soft but unrecognizable voice cuts into her humming, silencing the room. Dahlia sags in relief. "That's the song right? It's a beautiful song. One of my favorite's actually."

Her friend turns his head away, not interested to see what stranger wants to apologize for the death of his parents while Dahlia curiously glances at the red headed women in a wheelchair slowly rolling to a stop at her right. She seems to not mind that Peter bluntly ignored her, not even lifting his head up to spare her a glance.

"Hi, I'm Barbara Gordon." The redhead smiles. Dahliana, with wide and curious blue eyes, watches Barbara Gordon slowly reach over and rests her pale hand lightly against her own tan one."I worked with Richard and Mary for a while. Heck, they even babysitted me a few times. They would always be humming that song randomly throughout the day."

Still unsure if she can trust her voice to speak without crying, Dahlia nods. The heavy loss she feels in her heart is not something she wishes to share. Not while she's surrounded by strangers. Not when she's trying to be strong for Peter.

Stay strong, stay tall, and do not fall. You are a Stark. We do not fall.

Barbara begins to softly hum the lullaby, tapping her chipped nails against her armrest and suddenly, in the presence of this beautiful stranger, her best friend let's go of what was left of his composure. Heart wrenching screams rip through the air completely making any and all background noise come to an abrupt halt. The only sound to be heard in the dining room is the cries of an eight year old boy who had just become an orphan.

"Oh, please don't take my sunshine away." Barbra sings softly, reaching her hand over to gently pat the young boy on the shoulder. "I'll always love you and make you happy."

Peter's heart, in that moment, shattered into pieces.


Tap

Tap

Tap

Hours later when most people had left to travel back home to be away from the gloomy atmosphere, Dahlia found herself outside the funeral home sitting on the white porch swing gazing at the gray sky. Her flats tap heavily against the wood porch with her rising anxiety making its way from her stomach to her chest. Telling her to move and jump out of her own skin. To do something to get rid of this uneasy feeling.

The winds and raging rain have yet to die down as well as the song she holds close to her heart. Letting it repeat over and over in her head but her inner turmoil has yet to cease. But she doesn't move an inch off this porch swing. Her newly orphaned friend is inside saying his last goodbyes with his remaining family and along with her dad. She knows he needs that private time to grieve with his family and she isn't going to interrupt something so private and intimate.

No matter how much she wants to jump off this swing and run to his side.

"The world is a cruel place so you must stand tall and never fall." Her uncle, Jebediah, words float around in her head every time she questions how Richard and Mary could leave their son. Her best friend.

A plane explosion just seemed wrong. It didn't feel possible. It didn't make sense. Something inside her wouldn't settle with the fact they died in an explosion.

Or maybe she's uneasy because right now she should be in the backyard of her godparent's house playing Scientist and the Evil Gymnast. While Richard and Mary sat on the porch taking hundreds of photos, smiling and laughing. Chasing after us to stop our evil plan to take over the world.

Their bodies shouldn't be in a casket for everyone to view. They should be working upstairs by the bay window and looking down in the yard to see two children playing. Dahlia scraped her flats against the wooden porch floor once more with a heavy sigh, hands curled against the edge of the porch swing. She must stay strong for her best friend.

"The world is a cruel place so you must stand tall and never fall. Never bend or break, instead you must fight till your very last breath if you want to live another day."

"That's surprisingly good advice coming from a toddler."

Dahlia jumped in her seat with a loud squeak. She didn't think anyone was still here besides family. At the doorway stood an emerald eyed, black haired boy with his arms folded across his chest. She could tell he had no interest in being here or even this conversation with the way his eyes slightly rolled at her reaction. As if her mere existence was an annoyance.

The air surrounding him fell over her like a weighted blanket. She may be young but even she could feel the power and the demanding aura he has that forces you to look and listen. She is used to this feeling. To her, it's a comforting reminder of her dad. It's home. It's just like how her dad's presence demands attention every time he steps foot in a room. Just like this kid.

"My uncle tells me that every time I want to give up on gymnastics." She says. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here? You don't look like family." He's a strange boy, she thinks. She definitely would have remembered him if he was ever at Mary and Richard's house. Or any of the meetings her dad drags her too. The suit he wears looks like something her dad would wear. It makes her want to laugh. He looks like a child playing dress up.

He has a nasty scowl with this air around him that tries to squash her but his eyes hold a glimmer of amusement and curiosity and secrets that she wants to unveil. Very much like her dad, she thinks with a smile.

"I'm not." He tutted. "I'm just waiting for my father to finish giving his condolences." His eyes moved from side to side, surveying the area with a disinterested look. "For a daughter of Iron Man, you are completely oblivious to the world around you. I expected more." And just like that, the attention she held from him was gone. The small interest that glistened in his eyes vanished in an instance.

He put his hands clasped behind his back and began to turn away from her. The coils of tension in her stomach got tighter but Dahlia is not one for being ignored. She stood from the bench. Mimicking his position with her hands behind her back, hidden in the ruffles of her dress. She begins humming again.

"Do you know the song "You Are My Sunshine?" It's my favorite. I even put together a gymnastic routine for it. Well, barely...kind of but still." Dahlia softly says with a shrug, leaving her sentence unfinished.

Startled, the ebony haired boy did a double take at the young girl with his brows furrowed in confusion. "What on earth are you rambling about?"

The nine year old girl with chubby cheeks grins. "Do you have sunshine?"

He looks away with a ttut. Arms crossed and hip leaning against the railing of the Ron and Tom's Funeral Home.

She isn't at all fazed how startled she made the strange boy. No, not startled. She annoyed him. He came out here expecting to be alone. Instead he got a surprise disguised as a short, brown haired, brown eyed girl who can't seem to take a hint.

"A song. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when the skies are gray. Do you have a sunshine?" She asked slowly, as if he was too dumb to understand. It's an easy and simple fact of life in her opinion. Everyone has sunshine and hers is Peter's.

Without a doubt, Peter is her sunshine and she is his. She doesn't know much. But she does know that.

He clicks his tongue. "That's absurd. Calling someone something as silly as sunshine."

The tightness and bundle of nerves finally start to slowly unravel. Her nerves and anxiety begin to melt away under his knowing smirk. "No it's not and I will prove it. Everyone has a "sunshine". You just haven't found yours yet is all."

She takes a step towards him with a small smile on her face. "Mary would say that having a sunshine is having a person in your life you can say is your best friend. A light in the dark times." Her eyes begin to burn and her throat starts to sting but it's ignored.

"Who is your sunshine?" Dahliana repeats.

He doesn't respond. Instead he slightly tilts his chin and looks at her with cool gauging interest.

"Everyone has a sunshine. You just don't know who it is yet." She repeats with a grin. Her bright blue eyes brimming with hope and full of innocence but have a hidden tint of desolation he notices. A broken toy that struggles with every step it takes when you wind them up. Never being able to finish its journey. Constantly having to rewind and restart. A weak and unfortunate toy, he thinks, but not quite yet broken.

Even then, she keeps walking and wobbling and fighting. Her hands are still fisted at her back, tangled in the ruffles of her black dress and with pure will power she holds her tears back. She has her chin held high and dares to look him straight in the eye. Although he won't say it out loud, it is an impressive feat for a girl her age.

Thunder and lightning break apart the sky and a second later the rain falls for the third time today. Starting off with a slow sprinkle before transitioning into a shower. Droplets ricochet off the stone pathway and find themselves splattering onto his suit and her dress. Slowly but surely to drench the both of them despite standing underneath the wooden porch awning.

"Your sunshine will come one day. I'm sure of it. Just remember to never lose sight of the light once it does come. That's what Mary said to me all the time." She says wistfully, hands reaching up to play with the black bow in her hair.

Her sunshine is just hidden behind some dark clouds for today. That's okay though, because she can shine bright enough for the both of them to walk out of this dark storm raging over them.

"If you're so adamant on this," He muses, putting his hand in the air as if he was brushing off a fly. "Who is your sunshine?" He told himself he was asking to kill time and boredom. Not because this conversation intrigued him and neither did the girl. He was here out for responsibility not out of sympathy.

Her grin got bigger and her eyes got brighter. "That's a secret." She winks with a teasing smirk and a finger at her lips.

"But don't worry, I will help you find yours. My name is Dahlia Maria Stark and that's a promise."

Her chest felt lighter and the pain she felt earlier drifted away with the storm.


.

.

.

Stark Industries | 6:45PM

.

Dahlia Stark found herself in a competition over who can do the best back handsprings with the strange boy she met just moments ago. She isn't even entirely sure how it all started. Their parents found them going back and forth in a battle of insults. Trying to one up each other that the two never relented even when they were herded to the car by an older man, she vaguely recalled his name to be Pennyworth, waiting outside the funeral home that's to be headed towards her fathers business where the dinner between family and friends will begin. She vaguely recalls her friend's driver mentioning he had already informed her parents of who she is riding with but she paid no attention and instead put all her focus on what insult she could come up with next. Only to take a brief pause to try and find her best friend only to be told he had already left with Aunt May and Uncle Ben.

One slide remark turned into two and then three and then so on. Playful words with bites that led to a variety of challenges. Each one is more difficult than the last. Shoes slipped in mud, making her fall in puddle after puddle with spots of mud decorating her face while her companion looked untouched by not only the mud but rain as well. Not a single hair out of place.

She couldn't help but stare at him in amazement.

He did not fall once or even did a slight stumble and unlike her, he only has mud decorating the bottom of his shoes and slacks. Dahlia pouts, her chubby cheeks puffed out, and looks down at her own messy attire. As they sat side by side in the back of the limo, shoving and giving jabs and kicks to each other, she noticed he didn't even get a single speck of mud onto the leather seats or plush floor.

They must look like an odd pair. All dressed in their Sunday best and doing flips and handstands in front of Stark Industries, covered in mud. Dirt managed to find its way underneath her nails and along her black tights from the roughhousing her new friend initiated. Her bow barely holding her hair together but having this thrill coursing through her veins is very much worth getting yelled at by her father.

"Bet I can do more cartwheels than you."

"You can not even fathom how wrong that statement is, Stark."

Dahlia has never met anyone like him. He keeps up with every leap, jump, run, and tumble. Barely taking a moment to breathe. He is crude and sarcastic. Rough around the edges and doesn't care for her last name.

As the limo rolled to a stop, the two dark haired children rushed out the car, ignoring Pennyworth's exasperated sighs, determined to beat each other in the next bet.

Dahlia bent slightly backwards intending to do a backwards cartwheel away from the emerald eyed boy. He saw through her and swept her feet out from underneath her, making her land on her back with a loud oof.

"That's cheating!" She huffs out and gives him a scowl.

"Ttt. I didn't cheat." He smirked, head held high.

"What do you call it then, huh? Using your resources?" She grumbles,propping herself up on her elbows while narrowing her honey brown eyes at the child towering above her.

He purses his mouth in a self-satisfying smirk. "Skill. Something you obviously lack." He drawls, outstretching a hand towards her.

Dahliana laughs and knocks his hand out of the way and chooses to stand on her own. "I have more than you!" She sticks her tongue out.

Glancing down she could see her leggings start to wear down in multiple places, on the brink of being completely torn to shreds, and she puffs out a breath of air. "Dad is not going to like this." Dahlia grimaces, poking at a small hole above her knee.

Shuffling her feet and wincing at the shluuck noise the mud made as she went to stand up. Dahlia gives a wide toothy grin to the boy before her. "We never properly introduced each other."

She stands toe to toe with the emerald eyed boy with an amused glint in her chocolate colored eyes. "I'm Dahliana Maria Stark and I am not a toddler."

He smirks and holds out a hand. "Damian Wayne."


End of Chapter One

Created: 1.5.22 Published:

Tumblr: reneeturnson

Disclaimer: I do now own Batman or DC or Marvel or the song, You Are My Sunshine.


Outtake / Unfinished Excerpt

"Dahliana Maria Stark! I take my eyes off you for thirty minutes and you look like you've been rolling around with pigs!"

Dahliana winces and gives a sheepish smile and digs the toe of her flats into the ground beneath her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just...fell."

Tony Stark gives her an unimpressed look with crossed arms and a brow raised. Bruce Wayne stands besides her father, brows furrowed but an amused smile threatened to break across his almost stoic face.

"You fell? You expect me to believe that, young lady? I can't tell where your dress begins and the mud ends for God sakes." He waves his hands in the air at her in disbelief.

Dahliana smiles. "I fell a lot."

Tony rubs a hand down his face and rolls his eyes to the sky. "You are sitting in the back seat of the car. On a towel. Far away from touching anything."

"Tony, May would like for Dahlia - What in the world? What happened to her? Tony, what did you do?" Pepper rushes down the steps with each heel clicking and hands flailing over Dahlia's clothes but not quite touching them.

"I fell." Dahliana smiles up to Pepper Potts. Hands in the air to show dirt and scuff marks. "But I'm okay."

"What did I do? Are you seeing what I'm seeing? She did more than just fall. She practically swam in the mud."

Pepper shakes her head and pulls baby wipes out of her purse. "We can't leave like this. The paparazzi will have a field day and you're taking her to court in a few days." Pepper lets out a puff of air and grabs Dahlia's cheeks with two fingers as she uses the other hand to scrub at her face. "How are you expected to win custody when you can't even keep her clean?"

"Just take her inside and wash her in the bathroom in your office. Gave everyone the day off for the funeral anyway. No one is around." Tony sighed. Rubbing his fingers into his right temple.

"Damian," Bruce Wayne cut in elegantly. "What happened?"

Damian clicks his tongue with a harsh tutt. "She attempted poorly to show off a cartwheel and fell."

Daliana tries to smile around Pepper's fingers and laughs. "See? I fell. So I wasn't technically lying."

"If you were actually talented in the sport, the mud would not have made a difference."

Pepper froze and let go of Dahliana as she shook with poorly concealed laughter. Bruce let out an exasperated sigh.

"Hey, mama, I think there's steam coming out of dad's ears."


Easter Eggs!

Ron and Tom Funerals- reference to the creators of Spider-Man: Tom Defalco and Ron Frenz

Dahlia's middle name is in honor of Tony's mom: Maria