As I sipped on another margarita, Nikki plopped down beside me. She was panting, a giddy smile on her face.

I handed her a napkin.

Nikki took it. She wiped her mouth then chin. "Cool." She tossed it onto the table. My dream was that it would be burned. "So. You're gonna love this. When I was done I saw Tony-"

"Stop. Stop right there. Tell me you didn't-" I gagged. Thankfully for us both, Pepper had gone to get herself a drink. If she had heard this, I would kill Nikki myself.

Nikki paused, then snorted. "No I didn't suck off Tony-"

"I said stop."

"-just a rando. But I ran into Tony. He was doing that talking to himself thing so I said it would be- will you get that look off your face."

"Can't. Still so very disgusted." I mined gagging. "Gross. Mental imagery. Make it stop."

She whacked my head. She gripped my neck, then the drink. She lifted it to my mouth then poured it in my mouth. She wouldn't let go until I drank a few gulps worth.

"Better?" Nikki asked.

"...yes."

"Good. Then you can enjoy the fact that your half of the family is a fuck-up." Nikki pointed towards a camera, which was showing Tony in the racing outfit.

I sighed. "You're a fuck up too."

"Which makes you the white sheep." Nikki patted me on the shoulder. "I hate you for it. Be a disappointment."

"Gladly. Miss Rushman!" I called out.

"Well, what's the use of having and owning a race car if you don't drive it?"

Natasha came up to the table. Pepper behind her. They were both glancing over at the TV screen.

"Yes, Ms Stark?" Natasha asked.

"What do you know about this?" Pepper asked us both.

"This is the first that I have known of it." Natasha answered Pepper.

"Becky. Did you?" Pepper asked.

I pointed at Nikki. Nikki held up her hands. "All I said was that it would be a good idea!"

"She's an idiot!" I excused. "But none of us smart people knew. Just the idiot."

Nikki grinned with all the confidence of someone who thought they would live to the end of a horror movie.

"This, this cannot happen." Pepper stated.

"Without a doubt." I agreed, more from the point of Whiplash coming soon than any concern that Tony would get hurt. "Miss Rushman. Go find Happy. We need Happy."

Natasha nodded. "Right away." She ran off to grab him.

Nikki pulled me up to my feet. She pushed me towards the restrooms. We hid in the hallway there. Pepper was too absorbed in the TV broadcast to make note.

"So. Remind me again about the plan for this?" Nikki asked.

I huffed. Annoyed at her for needing to have this explained for the millionth time (and secretly thankful because I was starting to feel Emotions and would really like to not be feeling again) so I rattled it off. "I put on my suit, then I take his suit to him. We both stop Whiplash."

"Right, right. When do I get involved?"

"You don't have a suit."

"I have powers though."

"Yeah, but no suit for you."

Nikki gave me a look. "When am I getting a suit?"

Dammit I am weak. "The parts are in production- it'll be ready three days after we get back."

Nikki gave her a fist bump. "Cool."

"Now I gotta go." I walked back towards the table.

Natasha walked in with Happy at that exact moment.

Teleporting to them, I held out my palm. "Briefcase.."

"Why?" Happy asked.

"I'm going to take it to Tony." I explained. "Hand it over.

"No, we're both going down there." Happy argued. He held the briefcase tighter to his chest.

"I can teleport- this is a great time for it." I pointed out. "So hand it over."

"No. I'm head of your personal security-"

"You are not pulling that card on me right now-"

"Your dad wouldn't want you-"

"Dad wouldn't want me drinking alcohol, but I've finished two margharitas in the time it took for him to decide to be Speed Racer." I countered. "Briefcase."

"No. We're both going." Happy insisted. He started moving out of the building.

I groaned out. My hands went to my hair, squeezing it.

Nikki was laughing behind me- I just knew it!

==NM2==

Happy rushed us into the car.

"The key!" I yelled, as I climbed into the backseat.

"No time!" Happy yelled back, driving off.

I growled in annoyance. As he drove, I put my Bag on the seat beside me. As I began taking off the outfit, Happy made a hard turn.

"Hang on!" Happy warned.

Bracing myself with my legs, I continued putting on the top half of the suit. I was able to slip in as Happy drove through the barricade. It was easier to dress up in the suit without bothersome outside things.

"Changed!" I reached forward in the car. "Key!"

"It's in my pocket." Happy yelled.

"Then hold still!" I yelled.

As Happy swerved to avoid the racers, I leaned down to his pocket. It was difficult to maneuver the key out, but I managed it.

I unlocked the case- preparing to teleport out when Happy crashed the car into Whiplash.

Tony hopped down from the side of the car. "Are you okay?" He yelled at us.

"Yeah." Happy answered.

Tony stopped at Happy's window, glaring. "Were you heading from me or him?"

"I was trying to scare him." Happy excused.

"'Cause I can't tell!" Tony shouted.

Pushing the car door open, I glared at him. "Pepper is going to murder you." Was my first greeting. "Possibly as slow as she can manage."

"Better security." Tony scolded Happy still.

"Take the football you bastard minded simpleton-"

"I was attacked." Tony ranted at us both now. He refused to take the football from me. "We need better security."

"Get in the car." Happy ordered.

"No!" I snapped. "I'm staying here-"

"You're CEO." Tony argued. "Better security measures."

"I am the best security measure I am ever going to get!" I argued. Happy made a noise. "No offense, Happy."

"None taken." Happy replied.

"God, it's embarrassing." Tony huffed. He moved to the other side of the car, opening the door. "First vacation in two years."

Whiplash moved fast, slashing down on the open door. It cut the door in half- the handle half still in Tony's hand.

"Really?" I complained.

Happy moved the car back. I jumped out as he ran into Whiplash again. "I got him!" Happy cheered.

"Hit him again. Hit him again!" Tony instructed. "Football."

I teleported to his side, pushing the case into his arms. He dropped the broken door.

"I got him." Happy cheered again, moving the car once more.

Tony moved to open it. I'd unlocked it so it should be easy. Of course right when I thought that Happy crashed too hard into the fence and Whiplash, causing the airbag to go off.

Fuck me, I guess.

Whiplash brought the whip down on the car. I pulled out the bo staff, whacking at the whip. Whiplashed tried aiming it towards me, so I spun away. He cackled.

Tony yelled out at Whiplash. As Tony donned the armor, I leapt over the car. With a kick it was sent flying to the side. Whiplash fell on his knees for only a second. To be honest I think most of this fight was done of sheer willpower on his account. He rushed at me, only to get punched in the face by Iron Man.

I rushed at Whiplash, using the bo staff to whack at his shoulder. He groaned out, throwing another whip at me. Iron Man fired a repulsor blast, only to be met with a whip. It blasted us both back.

Kipping onto my feet I slid toward Whiplash, hitting the back of his legs. He tried to bring down his elbow on me, so I used the staff on his back. He lashed out another whip at Iron Man, then whirled it back to myself. It sent me flying towards the fence.

Iron Man fired more repulsor blasts. Multiples of them straight at Whiplash's face. The man fought on with the whips, blocking out any shot.

Whiplash manages to fire one more time. Iron Man takes hold of the whip, squeezing it tight. Whiplash sent the other one my way- this one wrapping around my throat. I yelled out, regretting it fast by the pain in my throat.

He began using the whips to toss us around the road. Occasionally Iron Man and I collided, dropping on the floor like limp marinettes. I would hit burnt bits of car. It was getting in my hair- he had to be stopped.

The whips started electrocuting us then. Whoopie.

I grabbed a hold of my whip, ignoring the pain in my hands. This was why gloves were on the table for the next suit upgrade.

Iron Man also grabbed his whip.

Whiplash sent larger charges down the whip. I gasped out, falling down on my knee. Iron Man pulled himself forward. In a quick movement he pushed Whiplash to the ground then yanked out his Arc Reactor.

The whip around my throat died out. I tossed it away, storming up to Whiplash. Pushing him up, I quickly tied him up with his own whips.

The man was bleeding heavily from his mouth, and parts of his face. A quick spit check into my palm showed I was bleeding there too.

The police showed up then. They lifted up Vanko, dragging him off. The man cackled at us, spitting blood our way. "You- You lose. You lose Starks." He cackled.

I spit down at the ground, just to get the blood out of my mouth. Unpleasant memories, you know?

==NM2==

Afterwards, Nikki was sitting with me outside the French prison where they had taken Vanko.

She watched me write in a notebook. The pages were littered with designs and equations for my suit, along with her's.

She sat beside me, toying a knife in her fingers. "So...why aren't we allowed inside?"

I dropped a paper on her head.

Nikki read out loud the message scrawled there. "'Going inside means leaving you alone. Fuck that.' True, true. I think it's just a lazy excuse-" Another paper on her head. "'He doesn't want me inside'. Why the hell hasn't your throat healed yet?"

I shrugged.

"I hate it when you can't snark." Nikki pouted. "What's the point of being an asshole if you can't fail at scolding me?"

My eyes rolled. The outside injuries from the electrified whip had healed. My throat was taking longer than anyone liked. JARVIS suggested I drink some honey tea for my throat. That required asking Nikki to go get it for me, a bad decision all around. Last time I asked her to get me something to drink, she'd poisoned it.

(She was six at the time...it was a rough few months after her parents died. Also she sucked- I'd asked for water and she brought me a glass of dish detergent).

"Would it help if I slit your throat?" Nikki asked, delighted.

I shook my head. Not even shocked, or disgusted. That kind of comment was completely expected.

Nikki pouted. "I'm bored."

That made me snort- which sent some pain up my head.

"Wow. I know I was fun when you actually get hurt laughing." Nikki laughed to herself. I punched her arm. Nikki laughed at that.

Someone cleared their throat.

Nikki jumped back in surprise. I merely smiled at Tony, having seen him approaching ages ago. I waved.

Tony hummed. "Her voice still not working?"

"It's been the happiest three hours of my life-" I elbowed her. Nikki groaned, louder than necessary. Show-off.

I signed to Nikki. :Ask him about what happened inside.:

Nikki shrugged. "How'd it go inside, asks Ariel, the Little Smartass."

"You know sign language?" Tony asked.

I nodded, making a motion for Tony to go on.

He explained everything that happened inside- except for the obvious bit where Vanko knew about Tony's palladium poisoning. Have I mentioned how annoyed I was that Tony refused to talk to me about it?

I signed again to Nikki.

"She says that's not good." Nikki replied. "But from what I heard, she's got more credit than you on that- okay, okay, don't hit me again!"

Tony grinned, that half smirk he did when he had a sad thought but refused to show it. He always forgot to cover it in his eyes.

I signed at her. :Quit being an idiot and I won't have to!:

Nikki scoffed. "You know, you could go back to not being sarcastic." I gave her a look. "Yeah...I know it was a stupid suggestion. Just try not to knock my head off when you do it."

I nodded. After waiting a second, I slapped her upside the head. Nikki grunted, barely able to hold onto the car.

"You're mean." Nikki whined.

To that, I merely turned up my nose.

All the while, Tony watched us with that same expression on his face. "Can you still drink?"

"Yep." Nikki cheered. "I was gonna go to a bar-" I got her attention, signing to her again. "But cause of her throat, she can't drink anything. At least not for...she says two hours."

"Two hours? Her throat was electrocuted."

"Super healing, my dude." Nikki excused. "It's weird."

I had to concede that point. It was super weird. That pun was so great I quickly signed :You could say it's super weird: to Nikki.

She pushed me off the car. "Yeah no more signing for you. No voice, and you still make stupid puns."

Now I was laughing. It didn't hurt as much as the snorting did before. Guess I was healing up faster and faster.

Pity Tony was dying faster and faster...

==NM2==

AN: So I just finished watching Far From Home...can someone please explain to me the logic of the post credit scenes!? WTF!

Thanks to Aga1709, itsolive, demonicKitsune2, and cevsti2, for favoriting

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