4
Tony and Astrid stared at the tv in a blank manner as they watched an old Godzilla film in the original Japanese. It was a slow day for the two of them, and a weekend which was why they were currently watching a film. Tony had decided that he'd try and take weekends off so they could spend time together. It was an odd thing to do for him, but he refused to be anything like his old man. He reached into their shared bowl of popcorn just as one of the ships went missing in the movie and popped a few kernels into his mouth.
"Ah yes, go to the area where multiple ships have gone missing, great plan," Astrid dryly muttered as she reached for a couple pieces as well.
Tony grinned in response to that. They were waiting for Pepper to show up so they could go shopping. Astrid needed clothes that fit her correctly, and a pair of shoes for her school uniform. He had set her up at a private school with ease, the fact that she had tested above her age range impressed the principal. She was going to make headlines just as he had while growing up. Even though Tony would rather his kid wasn't thrown into the limelight. She was going to.
"Pepper should be done soon," Tony commented as he looked up at the clock.
"Would you rather stay here or come with me and Pepper?" Astrid questioned, "I doubt you enjoy shopping."
"It sounds tempting to spend time in the workshop," He murmured.
"What are you working on?" She asked, genuinely curious.
"An AI," He answered, and her features lit up in response.
She was excited for JARVIS to make his appearance. The moment he did, the house would be updated to host the AI. The windows would show the news, the weather, and the sea outside. The home didn't look like it would in the future. She knew that he was always thinking, always changing things. The brown couch they were sitting on in front of a flat screen would change. The TV would change. She ran a hand against her cheek in thought as the movie continued towards its climax. She couldn't help but smile at the acting. It was good for when it came out, and it somewhat held up, but it was a tad bit goofy in her opinion. She heard the door open, and she turned to see Pepper walking through the door. The red head gave her a smile in greeting.
"Ready to go?" Pepper asked and Tony let out a quiet groan, "I sent you a message that I'd be here within thirty minutes."
"We got sidetracked by a kaiju," Astrid stated with an apologetic smile, "can we let the movie finish before heading out?"
"The store I wanted to take you to closes in another hour," Pepper denied.
"Oh, a harsh denial," Tony quipped.
"It's also a denial to you," Pepper reminded him.
Tony turned the TV off and walked to the front door to pull on his shoes. Astrid grabbed a second handful of popcorn before hurrying out the front door. Happy was waiting for them, giving them a small smile as they got into the car. It was a Volkswagen, a model that she couldn't place. She liked the colour, it was a nice maroon. It had a decent trunk, so she gathered there was going to be a lot to buy. She hated clothes shopping in all her lives, nothing seemed to fit correctly. Nothing seemed right in her mind. She munched on her popcorn, with Tony stealing a piece or two, as they drove through the city of LA. They stopped outside of Beverly centre.
Pepper made sure they went to the store that sold items for the private school she was going to go to. It catered to mutants, but gave them the ability to find jobs after graduating. It wasn't Xavier's academy, or school for the gifted if she was in the right universe for it, but it did good. She liked the idea of having a normal life after graduating, but knew it was extremely unlikely. She looked at the notebooks and pens with a blank expression. A laptop would be better for her because she could type faster than she could write. She slowly made her way around the store, looking at the uniform which consisted of a skirt, dress shirt, and sweater. The colours were cream and green. It was as close to Slytherin colours as it possibly could get. Pepper made sure she had at least four sets so she wouldn't have to worry about wearing dirty clothes if she ran into an…issue.
"They don't even let you pick out the colours," Tony muttered as he looked at one of the notebooks, "it's nothing but tans."
"Is there an issue with using laptops at this school?" Astrid quietly asked as she picked up a notebook before putting it back down, "A notebook is great and all, but I type faster than I write."
"What's your word per minute?" Tony questioned.
"Two hundred," She answered as she picked up one of the school ties and looked at the green and silver colouring.
She had been joking when she stated it was very Slytherin. She put it into the cart along with her uniforms as Tony picked out some shoes and tossed them in. He'd been able to guess her size due to how small the rest of her was. He ruffled her hair in an awkward manner, and she shot him an amused look. He was trying, and she appreciated the effort. Her mind was mature enough to know that he really was doing his best. He had nothing to base any parental behavior on. It was impressive that he was doing so well, she just wondered how long that would last. Most likely not long.
"The school does allow laptops as long as they don't become a problem," Pepper cut in.
Smart woman, stopping them from babbling further. Astrid paused for a few seconds as a sudden thought hit her. It was 1999, Tony had met Yinsen already, but he wouldn't recognize him in the future. Or was he going to meet him? She was a bit unsure about that part of the timeline. She was handed something, and she looked down at it. A pink pony lunchbox? She slowly turned towards Tony and noted the grin on his face. He really thought he was funny. Wade was the one that like ponies and unicorns, she was more of the superhero kind of person. She put the lunchbox back on the shelf and picked up one with a design on it that was overly familiar. Right, Captain America had comic books in universe. She noted the stiff nature of which Tony started to move and she put it back. Tony had placed resentment on the man, and she couldn't blame him one bit.
"It's not like you have hero merch," She muttered, and his grin came back.
"I wasn't aware I was a hero," He commented, and her cheeks burned in embarrassment, "nice to hear kiddo."
Pepper stepped in and picked one out. It made things easier. She had picked out one that was red with spiders on it. Astrid was brought back to her days as the spider by the design of it. She had merch at one point, J Jonah Jameson couldn't stop her from being popular with his stories, and Wade had bought it. She had bought his in response. They'd hang out watching shit rom-coms wearing the other's shirt. Her Deadpool shirts usually blew his Spider shirts out of the ring. It wasn't like her life before the fourth wall where she would wear Iron Man shirts one day and then Batman the next. Batman didn't even exist in the marvel universes and that made her oddly sad. People never knew what she was saying when she claimed she was Batman.
Tony and Astrid had the same face as they left the school store with a few bags. They looked uneasy at the prospect of shopping for furniture and clothing. Tony was starting to think of a blueprint for a laptop that Astrid could take with her to school. Something small and sleek that had more memory than what was on the market currently. He could bring her into the creation process as well, have some bonding time with his kid and figure out just how much she knew about engineering.
"You'll need some formal clothes for events," Pepper informed Astrid and she watched as the kid winced slightly.
"Can I wear a suit?" Astrid asked, "They're easier to move in."
That was a question asked by someone that was used to having to react quickly. Pepper nodded and Astrid pumped a fist in the air. The red head was going to make sure she matched Tony at least once. The Christmas party would be the best bet. Red and gold ties would be perfect for the two of them. She led them to a small area where a couple suits could be tailored for her. The seamstress took one look at the dark-haired girl and brought out a catalogue of fabrics.
"I need to understand what kind of material you want, different materials fit on the body differently," The seamstress informed Astrid.
Astrid looked up towards Pepper. She looked back down at the fabrics and picked wool for the outside and cotton for the inside. The colours were mainly greys and dark blues, with a single red thrown in to match Tony's own Christmas suit. She was told to stand up on a small platform as the seamstress took her measurements and wrote them down. Astrid was overjoyed that she didn't have to try on anything yet. She needed a bit more time to assimilate herself to the climate she'd have to live in. She wasn't completely welcomed by Tony's world. No, Obadiah would be a great obstacle in her way.
"You like Black Sabbath?" Tony asked Astrid as they finally went shopping for normal clothes.
"Paranoid is a great song, and I will throw hands at anyone who says differently," Astrid answered as she looked at band shirts.
It wasn't the type of clothing she liked. She had seen something close to her preference, but she was too small for them. Tight clothing was somehow her preference. Well, at least she thought it was. Her mind sometimes got so jumbled by all the memories and thoughts going through it. It made sense; the human mind wasn't equipped to deal with so much information. It wasn't supposed to live for such a long time. As long as she didn't go senile at a relatively young age she was good.
It took them four hours to get everything settled. Furniture had been picked out as had paint. All Tony needed was to get someone in to put everything together. His kid had chosen green for her room, much to his dismay. Pepper thought it was hilarious and couldn't keep the slight smile from her face as they ate dinner. The restaurant was high end, something that seemed to bother Astrid a bit. She wasn't as unaware of the stares as most people thought she would be. She ate her club sandwich without a single complaint. She was eating a healthier alternative as was Pepper. Tony was eating a pizza much to Astrid's amusement. It was impressive how much he could eat; he ate as much as she did. It was possible that he burned a lot of calories just by thinking. She'd have to ask him about that one day.
She fell asleep during the trip home, her body still not able to stay up as long as it used to. She had been one of the few that did nighttime surveillance of the city and then went to class the next day. Now she was falling asleep after eating a large meal and shopping. It was strange how things changed. She stirred slightly when something picked her up out of the car. She could hear Pepper quietly fussing and gathered that Tony or Happy had decided to carry her inside.
Two weeks later saw her staring school, along with a sleek new laptop sitting in her leather school bag with a Stark Industries logo on it, and nervously pacing in front of a mirror. A school for mutants that wasn't under the control of Xavier was a strange new concept for her, it was something new. Granted, it might not have been. She had such a small world view due to being stuck in England for one life and then stuck in New York for another. She stopped pacing and got ready for school.
She exited her room tying her tie and looked towards the kitchen. No one was around and she started to worry that she had woken up too early. Either that or she was off on her days, it wouldn't be the first time that had happened. She walked up to the fridge and grabbed a container of food to place in her lunchbox. She placed that in her school bag as well before putting on her back and fixing the straps to be tight, but not overly so. She rummaged around for some breakfast and landed on some toast and a cup of tea.
"Where's Tony?" She quietly muttered to herself.
She headed out of the kitchen and down the stairs to the workshop. He was in there, staring at a computer screen. She pressed a single button and the door opened for her. She walked in and headed up to his desk, he spared her a glance and gave a slight smile. She smiled back, he looked exhausted. Something was bothering him.
"Something on your mind?" She asked and he shook his head in response.
"You and Pepper are oddly observant," He muttered, before running his hands down his face, "am I supposed to take pictures for your first day of school?"
"You can if you want, I'm not too worried about it," She shrugged, "do what you think is right, Tony."
He ruffled her hair and she sent him a disgruntled look as she tried to get some semblance of order back to her messy hair. He picked up a nearby camera and took a quick selfie of the two of them. He was ahead of his time, and it caused Astrid to be far too amused. He ushered her back up the stairs and made a face at her breakfast. It wasn't like he could cook, so he didn't say anything.
"Would you like anything? I know how to cook eggs, and not burn bread," Astrid stated, "I'm not big on breakfast so I don't eat much."
"That's why you asked for a larger lunch," He mumbled, he then fixed her a slight grin, "toast away."
She gave him a grin in response and added more bread to the toaster before grabbing some cactus fruit jam for her slices. He took out strawberry for his. She even made some tea; he was given a cup and he raised his brows at her. It wasn't her fault that she enjoyed a nice cup in the morning before heading to school. She made black tea which would give him a small boost of energy before he started downing coffee for the rest of the day. The front door opened, and Astrid became a little weary.
Obadiah walked into the home, the lights reflecting off the top of his head. He spared Astrid a glance and she knew immediately that he disliked her. She leveled him with a calm expression before tilting her head. Aunt May would say to show your enemies kindness and throw them off. Never stoop to their level. It was good advice, but Astrid always had problems following it. She would have to learn how to do so. Use it to learn the people in Tony's company.
"Would you like a cup of tea?" She questioned.
"Obi, what are you doing here?" Tony asked as Obadiah nodded her answer to the question posed of him.
"I heard it was your kids first day at a new school, came to wish her luck," Obadiah answered with a slight smile.
Astrid had respect for people who were able to lie with such effortlessness. It was one of the main reasons why Loki had been her favourite character, it wasn't due to the actor Marvel had chosen though that did play a small role in it, and she respected his ability to lie. She poured the tea with a practiced ease, the way her grandmother had shown her. A small frown marred her features at that. No, it hadn't been her grandmother that had shown her how to make a cup of tea. Who had it been? The more she tried to remember, but she was coming up with a blank. She was finally getting somewhere to why she was continuously respawning when she died. She was missing memories, mainly those that were in her cognitive years. She hadn't noticed as Piper Parker because she had come in with fully formed memories from a nice childhood. She was starting to have more questions than answers as to what she was missing. It had to be important, right? Well, maybe not. It wasn't like she was Jason Todd; her deaths couldn't possibly have any importance; she had no batman to scar or family to worry. Her brothers and sisters had died young, which was odd now that she truly thought about it. What had they died from? Unknown causes, that's right. A mystery, one that she'd have to figure out. She needed to keep it in mind, but not focus on it. Whatever was the cause behind everything, there had to be a reason. She'd think it wasn't her and that she'd treat herself better, but she knew that was a lie. She knew herself well enough to know that she'd make things difficult if it meant keeping secret information just that.
" —Makes a decent up of tea."
Astrid was pulled from her thoughts and looked down at the toast in her hands. She had gone straight to autopilot without meaning to. Tony was still talking to Obadiah while she had her startling realization. She picked up her cup of tea and slowly sipped at it. Ah, yes her tea making skills were still intact and stronger than ever. She finished it off before eating the rest of her toast.
"I've been modifying one of the old missiles to make sure it can survive past the sound barrier," Tony informed Obadiah, "It should be ready for production in two weeks."
Astrid was sure that wasn't what he was working on. He had to have been working on Jarvis. He hadn't brought up the AI again, but the way he had figured out a small helper for her laptop was one of the reasons why she was so sure. It was close to AI, and she couldn't wait to meet it when Tony finally finished. Jarvis would make a fun addition to her laptop.
"Ready to head out?" She looked up when Happy's voice sounded right next to her.
"Yeah," She nodded before turning to Tony, "See you later, Dad."
Happy hid his amusement as Astrid headed out the front door, oblivious to the expression on Tony's face. The man looked conflicted, but overall happy. Tony was oddly happy at being called Dad by the kid he had brought under his guardianship. It was an odd sensation, and he wasn't sure how to deal with it. He turned back to Obadiah to talk about the newest weapons he was designing, he was moving his thoughts away from it.
"I think you sent him into an existential crisis," Happy informed Astrid as he began to drive her to school.
"That wasn't my intention," Astrid said with a slight wince before she moved to throw her arms around the passenger seat, "are you picking me up from school too?"
"Yep," Happy confirmed and she let out a celebratory sound, "anywhere you want to stop afterwards?"
"Dunno, let's see how the day goes first," She stated, her expression showing how nervous she was.
"I think you'll do fine, you're a well-behaved kid," Happy informed her as he stopped in front of the school, "good luck."
"Thanks Mr. Happy, see you later," She said as she climbed out of the car and closed the door behind her.
Astrid found her class without a problem and noted the way it was designed. It reminded her of a lecture hall. She took a seat towards the back and powered her laptop up. It had an insane battery life that made her wish that she had it in her first life when she was getting her degree in English. The amount of times she was forced indoors due to a terrible battery life was insane. She typed in her password, using some of her DC knowledge to her advantage and making it Kryptonite. She started up a word program and waited for the class to start. A kid with blue tinted skin sat next to her and nodded his head in greeting. Ah, so he was either like Mystique or Nightcrawler. Or it might just be a skin condition. She wasn't about to ask; it would be rude. She looked towards the laptop again and noted that it was connected to the Stark Net. She looked at her username Astrid_Stark and felt oddly happy at having her last name being Tony's.
"Let's begin our first lesson, we'll be starting with English," The Teacher informed them, and Astrid was ready for it.
She had gotten bored halfway through the lesson, learning about things she already knew tended to do that. She opened a separate word document and started to type up a short story while still taking notes. Her typing was quiet, a skill she had learned so she wasn't bothering anyone around her with her speed. She narrowed her eyes at the short story and wondered if she was borrowing some elements from the books she read. It was impossible to be completely original after so many eons of humans creating things. Her story featured a small kingdom of magic wielders that never seemed to age. It was oddly familiar. Had she read something similar before? She wasn't sure, she'd have to look it up.
"Miss Stark, where would the comma go in this sentence?" The Teacher called, and Astrid almost missed it.
Parker how are you doing? Oh, that was easy. It also hurt a little. She had been a Parker not too long ago. She shook the feelings of nostalgia and opened her mouth to answer.
"After Parker," She answered, and the Teacher nodded.
"Make sure to pay attention in my class," The teacher stated, and Astrid finally noticed their eyes.
Ah, X-ray vision. No wonder they had known that she wasn't fully invested in the lesson. That would be handy, all she got was spider powers. X-ray would be such fun. She thought a little bit more on that, never mind she didn't even know if it could be turned off. Having constant x-ray vision would get tiresome after a while. She shuddered at the idea of having to see bones around her. The class ended and she looked down at her schedule after putting her laptop away. She needed to head to maths, something she knew she'd do well in. At least she had computer science as a class. Tony had to have had a hand in that. It was after lunch too, just before she headed home for the day.
Happy watched as Astrid headed up to the car after school, she gave a wave towards one of the few friends she made before getting into the car. She looked incredibly exhausted, and he gathered that she was more introverted then she let on. He held a small plastic bag out to her, and she accepted it. A small smile appeared on her face at the cupcake. What could he say, he was fond of the polite kid. He also knew how difficult it was to be the new kid at a school. He drove her home and she waved at him as he left.
"How was school?" Pepper asked as Astrid walked inside the home.
"I think I'll like it there," Astrid answered, "I really like my computer science class."
Of course, she would. Pepper shook her head in thought as Tony gained a proud smirk. Those two were more alike then they should be, she blamed the genius trait they seemed to share. Granted, only one of them seemed to act like a mature adult for the most part. She sighed as Astrid headed to her room to get her homework done, toting a cupcake with her that had to come from Happy. Their life wasn't going to get more hectic then it already was, was it?