AN: Just some afterthoughts on the previous chapter, a bit extra that I had to write and get out of my system. It's been a nice therapeutic exercise for me overall, and I hope y'all enjoy!
"I want it public. I want as much transparency as safely possible, and where it's not I want it on a release schedule. Sort of like what the government already does, but we'll work out specifics on ratings and everything another time. We're not gonna become just another shadow organization here."
Maria smiled and settled into her chair, bringing her tablet up to begin taking notes as Dr. Stark slipped into his role as smoothly as expected. He was a man who had it all, who was always in the spotlight, but people still ignored the parts of him that made him truly important. The focus was always on what made him dangerous; the things that meant he was an asset to be controlled, but that was never right, was it?
Anthony Edward Stark was born for this. He grew up around the things that they had all taken for granted. He'd seen Howard Stark and Peggy Carter during their prime as a child. He'd learned and observed them for years. It was true that both Howard and Peggy had tied a thousand knots of red tape around Tony to keep him from SHIELD, to protect him from the shadowy world they both knew, but they had to have known it was inevitable and that one day he would be drawn into their world. Whether he wanted to be or not, Tony had been destined to get to this point.
She still remembered the meeting at SHIELD when Fury had made the decision to start bringing Stark into the fold. She'd disagreed vehemently back then. She wasn't the only one. In fact, there was so much opposition that it took months for them to come to an agreement, and only then did it happen because Stark emerged from the ashes of Afghanistan with a suit of armor and a fervor unlike anything he'd ever shown the world before. In a series of powerful moves over the years that followed Stark repeatedly proved them wrong and showed his worth, despite the pushback on all sides as time went on. He was a lone wolf, a loose cannon they had no hopes of controlling conventionally, and then they sent in Romanova.
They were all lucky that Stark was made of tougher stuff. The years of emotional manipulation they'd all willingly put him through would have cowed lesser men, but once again Tony flew himself out of the ashes and came out the other side smelling like roses. He always pulled himself through, stood himself up, dusted the dirt off his shoulders, and just kept moving on.
She admires him for his level of perseverance. Even after everything with the Accords-with Siberia, though Dr. Stark had yet to confirm anything that had happened there-the man still got right back up and put himself back into the game.
She respects him for his power. He took Stark Industries from a national, million dollar weapons manufacturer and created an international, billion dollar tech empire. He created a suit of highly advanced armor in a cave in a desert, and has since only improved upon it. Those are all the powers he gave himself, but his natural powers? Any room he walks into he becomes the center of, as if he is the star and they the planets, and he barely even notices.
She gave her loyalty to him because of his kindness. His innately gentle soul, the heart buried deep within the armors he's crafted to protect himself from them all. The beauty of his heart and mind that doesn't seem to be able to stop itself from taking in more and more until, inevitably, something happens to break it again. He's had to pick up the pieces alone for years, slowly welding them together until he finds the strength to stand up and do it all over again.
Watching him now though, as he continues to ramble on about all of the plans he's apparently had for years like an overgrown child getting ice cream for the first time? She refuses to ever let him have to suffer alone like that again. She'll stand by his side for however many years it takes until he's fully healed from it all; until he trusts her as much as she trusts him now.
She isn't the only one, either. He's attracted a whole new breed of hero to him; like moths to a flame they all came in, one by one, falling in love with Tony Stark and his golden heart. She'd watched them all suspiciously for a long while, but now she knew their loyalty is just as true as her own.
Spider-Man was the most obvious and easiest to read of them all. The kid idolized Stark; put him on a pedestal and into a position that he'd never been put into before, and it suited him well. Tony Stark as a mentor, as a father, was a treat to see. The kid grounded him, helped him find a part of himself that he'd never known was missing, and kept him honest. Tony had hardly touched liquor outside of a social setting in months now, and if anyone asked Maria she would absolutely put the honors all on the baby spider.
Dr. Stark approaching the Defenders was an interesting week for her. It would've been simpler if he'd not insisted to get involved personally, but once he gets an idea in his head she knows it's a pipe dream to pull it back out. He'd refused her insistence that he speak with Rand first and went straight to Harlem in the most expensive car he owned, parked it next to an old barber shop, turned his comms off, and went right on in like it was just another day. Whatever happened next must've left an impact, because less than a month later Luke Cage showed up with Rand and Jones in tow to discuss the new Avengers initiative and what part they would, if any, be able to play in it. Murdock came in not long after he crawled out of whatever hole he'd been hiding in, and the rest was history. Dr. Stark went out of his way to ensure they had as much freedom to move as possible, to not mess with the status quo they already had, and to give them any support they ever needed.
Perhaps the most surprising was when Hope van Dyne showed up on her own, the Wasp suit under her finely tailored business attire, demanding an immediate meeting with Dr. Stark. He'd been more than accommodating for her, of course, but it wasn't as easy at first as the others had been. They had a lot of contracts to draw up, in respect to their own companies, and whatever had happened behind the closed doors of that meeting must've been eye opening for them both because for the first time since their creation, Pym Technologies and Stark Industries launched a cooperative investigation into water filtration systems across the globe. Now the two of them are near inseparable every time they're in a room together.
Deadpool showed up at one point, and has continued to show up since. Maria honestly had no idea when, exactly, but it happened and she wasn't going to think too hard on it. Crazy he may be, but he's saved Dr. Stark's life several times now, and she was grateful for it. He'd even signed the Accords after a chat with Tony at a hotdog stand.
She was unashamed to say that Carol Danvers was her favorite of Dr. Stark's adoptions. A strong military woman who takes no bullshit, has a mean right hook, and a protective streak a mile wide. More than once Maria has called upon Captain Marvel to assist with some of Dr. Stark's riskier ventures.
All in all, Dr. Stark was more protected, with a better support system than ever, and Maria was satisfied with it. They were still growing, still pushing forward into new territory, but it was good work. She ended her days, more often than not, actually feeling like she was making a difference now. And if she got to watch Tony Stark basically skip out of his own office to go to the first meeting of his day, filled to the brim with energy barely contained under his skin? Well, she's allowed to indulge in the notion that maybe, just maybe, the world is going to be okay after all.