Tony's Girls

By: InitialA

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the Marvel universe.

"Why do we have to go to the aquarium? We live by the ocean," Tony grumbled.

"We live in Malibu, where the Pacific Ocean is both very cold and very dangerous to little girls who can't swim against rip tides," Pepper responded as the twins raced ahead of their slow parents. "It's very educational for them."

"We have tidal pools. And an AI who can teach them about every bit of life that lives in them."

"You're the one who got them interested in fish with pointy teeth."

"I could build them an aquarium and fill it with pointy-toothed fish."

"And they will fuss at you every day until it's done, which could take weeks if you're called into action, and you will have two very disappointed daughters on your hands. What's gotten into you today, Tony?"

His eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, but his mouth was set in such a way that she guessed easily. "You wanted to sit in the workshop and fiddle with your cars and your suits. Well, I wanted to make sure that business meeting in Taiwan was on schedule and plan that the dinner we have next weekend with the Tunisian ambassador. We both don't want to be here, but it will make the girls happy, and that's what matters."

He didn't respond, and Pepper knew he was just being stubborn and sullen at this point. She muttered a prayer for her sanity and walked ahead of him to catch up with Tonia and Cleo. Cleo was standing on her toes to read a sign about the fish in the tank. They may have only been seven, but Pepper could already tell that while they may have inherited her red hair and blue eyes, they would inherit Tony's height—still tall for women, but not nearly as statuesque as she. She looked around for Tonia, to no avail. "Tonia? Cleo, where's your sister?"

Cleo shrugged, uninterested, and continued reading. Pepper bit back a wave of panic. "Tonia? Tonia! Antonia Virginia, come here now!"

Tony sauntered over. "She's busy," he said, pointing.

Pepper whirled, and saw Tonia kneeling in front of a mini-aquarium, a pillar in the middle of the room. "What on Earth…"

Both girls kept backpacks with them; Pepper was trying the mantra of "If you want to bring it you have to carry it yourself", to cut back on how many toys and games they wanted to take on every trip out of the house. Tonia's was on the floor and open. Pepper stalked over to her, and saw that the girl had pried open the hatch at the bottom of the pillar, where the electrical equipment that kept the tank running was kept. "Antonia, what are you doing?"

"Hang on, Mom."

There was a bright spark, accompanied by the crackle-fzzt of electricity, and a large number of bubbles erupted in the tank. Two staff members were running over to them. "Hey! You! What are you doing, that's dangerous!"

Tonia ignored them, and took a roll of electrical tape out of her backpack; she was wearing rubber gloves. She quickly reattached the wires and taped them back into place, and then reattached the hatch with a screwdriver. "I just saved you several hundred dollars in fish replacement costs. Your aeration filter was covered by the gravel and sand they moved, so I fixed it."

The staff members looked at her, completely baffled. Pepper understood their confusion, it was still very weird to have your seven-year old talk like a twenty-seven year old. "But… how could you possibly know?"

Tonia pointed at the clear bubble stream. "This wasn't working. And the fish look a little beat up, like they've been fighting. They panicked."

Some of the fish did have what looked like recent wounds. Pepper quietly asked Tonia to pack up her things so they could move on. "Ma'am, I think we should ask you to go," one of the staff requested.

Pepper looked him squarely in the eye. "Sir, I appreciate that you are unnerved by my daughter, but I will politely decline your invitation. I am Virginia Potts, CEO of Stark Industries. We have paid to be here, and we will enjoy that privilege. I fail to see how rescuing sea life from certain demise, when they live here in an attempt to preserve the species, is any grounds to have us removed from the premises. If that is all," she nodded to him, took Tonia's hand, and walked back to where Cleo and Tony were waiting.

"Mom, you are so cool," Tonia breathed, awe-struck.

"Thank you, sweetie. Now, what have we talked about before about breaking into public or private property to fiddle with the electrical engineering?"

Cleo elbowed her sister. "Way to go, hero."

Tonia sighed. "That I should talk to a grown-up first, not just jump in headfirst and get myself electrocuted. Again."

Tony took charge of Cleo. "See, I still think that you get better at it by electrocuting yourself. And besides, it doesn't hurt after a while."

"See? Dad agrees with me!" Tonia protested.

"Stop encouraging her," Pepper warned him.

"Where do they keep the piranha?" Cleo asked, trying to change the subject.

"Do they have Great White Sharks here?" Tonia joined in with her sister's efforts.

"Anglerfish!"

"Those funny-looking sharks with the saw-noses!"

The girls wrenched themselves free from their parents to race ahead again. Pepper sighed, resigned. "Those two…"

"It's fine. Let them have fun," Tony said, taking her hand. "Nice work with the locals, by the way, my years of tutelage have paid off."

"Oh stop it," Pepper said, but she couldn't hide her grin.