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disclaimer: do not own mcu or their characters
restart my heart
the inevitable
time frame; august — first week of school
avengers tower
"I am inevitable."
The smell of flesh fills the room.
"I…"
Blood is pouring out of his mouth. Down his chest. She falls to her knees. His chest isn't moving. His eyes are unfocused.
Pepper kneels beside him. "You can rest now." She tells him. Sophia feels betrayed. How could she tell him that? She still needs him. Sophia feels her heart throb and constrict in her chest. It hurts. She's struggling to find air.
"Am…"
Sophia kneels in front of him. Screaming at him to look at her. To smile at her and give her a bone crushing hug. Even from this great of a distance she can see bone peeking out at the tip of his fingers down to his wrist. She wants to tell him she loves him. She loves him 3,000. But the words won't come out.
Her throat pinches shut. Airways are closing off. She swears she's having a heart attack. The pain is becoming too much.
No. No, please, no. She thinks desperately. Not like this. We can fix this. We'll be okay.
"Inevitable."
Tony's head rolls back. Pepper reaches out to close his eyes. Sophia swears on her life that Tony's last words were an attempt to say, "I love you 3,000."
He's gone. She's staring at a corpse. She's staring at her father's bloody, beaten down corpse. Her heart burst.
"No, please, dad, please don't do this!" Sophia shrieks. "Please stay. Don't go! I need you!" Her whole body trembles. She can't control the sobs and hiccups coming out her mouth.
Please, please don't leave me, is all Sophia could think over and over. Please don't die.
Her body gets pushed back. Soaring through the air. Being shoved away from her father by an invisible force. She fights and claws at the wind. She loses and she's back at the beginning.
Time rewinds. Stuck in a never-ending loop.
"I am inevitable."
Sophia tries to suck in another breath as she runs towards him through the muddy terrain. How was she breathing but the air felt empty of oxygen? Her body wanted her to stop so badly but she couldn't. Racing past T'Challa. Dodging Rodger's weak attempt to grab her. Fear gripped her heart, its claws squeezing every breath out of her.
She wasn't going to let anyone stop her. She had to get to him. This time she'll get to him. She'll hold her hand and tell her dad how much she loves him. How thankful she is that her dad is the one and only Iron Man.
That he has to come home, and she isn't going to take no for an answer.
Her iron suit, busted and barely working, fights against her movements. The loose tech scratching and tearing at her skin. Making her open wounds even wider. She didn't care. Sophie could barely feel it. She just has to keep pushing.
She can save him this time. She won't let anyone get in the way. Not this time. Even as her heart threatens to beat out her chest and her muscles beg her to stop, she won't. Her fingers and knee are rubbed raw completely torn to shreds from being knocked out the air earlier. Sophia can't even feel it.
She has to save her dad. She was given another chance.
"Dad!" Sophia let out an ear-piercing scream. He was so close. Just a few feet away. She can stop him. She can save him. She will save him.
Tony's eyes met hers, giving a smile full of pain and at the same time - love. Eyes brimming with a mixture of regret and fondness as his body was blown back due to the power of the stones. Landing against a wall of a fallen building.
She swears this time she heard his skull crack against the jagged stone wall. His head falls to the side. Eyes once again unfocused. Chest is still.
"You are Iron Man! You can do anything! You can save everyone."
Time rewinds. She's thrown back again. Fighting an invisible enemy. Screaming to be let go. She doesn't want this.
"Sophia!" Her body got knocked into the ground. Head bouncing off a hidden rock. A mindless alien went to slash at her face. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. She has to get up.
Get up, Sophia. You're stronger than this. Get up!
Sophia put her trembling hand in front of her and squeezed her eyes shut. The familiar sound of the rupulors getting ready to fire echoed in her head. No, not again. Sophia began to heave. Please, not again. She can't fail again.
"I believe in you, dad. Bring everyone home."
"Sophia, are you okay?" Peter asks, one hand outstretched and the other on her back to help sit up. She pushes his hands away and turns to face a scene that's become all too familiar.
"I am inevitable." Thano thunders confidently. Gauntlet covered hand raised, ready to snap.
Her father stood stall despite the weight of the stones. Prideful and heroic and strong. He smirks.
"I am Iron Man."
She has failed him again.
As the dust and grime began to fade into the air. Sophia began to race forward at the sight of her dad stumbling into a wall of a building that's fallen. Uncle Rhodey flying over their heads. This was all her fault. She told him to go save the world. Fix a problem that shouldn't have been his to begin with, And now they were paying the ultimate price.
Please come back…
Please…
Please!
Sophia jerked upright, realizing her feet are tangled in the blankets on her bed. Her breathing becomes labored as she starts to claw at the blankets to try to set herself free from the prison she created. She can feel her t-shirt stick to her body with the help of her sweat. Her left sock drift off her ankle in all the commotion. Quickly becoming overstimulated, Sophia fell back into the bed on her side and began to cry.
She began to run her fingers through her damp hair. Nails scraping against her skull. The images of her dad's lifeless body refusing to leave her mind. Eye's lifeless and faded. Chin and chest covered in blood. One arm completely disintegrated.
"Ms. Stark, would you like me to contact Pepper for you? According to my readings you are suffering a panic attack due to PTSD."
Turning on her back, Sophia clenched her eyes close and took a deep breath. "Please don't bother mom. Don't even mention this to her, Friday.'
"I highly suggest you tell her. The odds of you recovering are significantly higher once you do."
"Please, Friday, no. I don't want to bother mom with something that will go away on its own." Sophia pleads. Reaching over to clench her comforter in her hands.
Besides, Sophia thought, mom has a lot more pressing matters to deal with. Having nightmares are nothing compared to the loss her mom is dealing with. The least Sophia could do is take the punishment for killing her own father.
"Would you like for me to contact Happy Hogan then?"
Sophia let her eyes shift to her bedside table to check the time. The numbers glow bright blue. "No, that's alright Friday. It's two in the morning, Happy should be asleep."
"I do suggest you at least contact someone, Ms. Stark. Otherwise, I will have to override commands and call for you."
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Sophia reaches out blindly to try and find her phone in the depths of her tangled blankets and sheets. "I guess I can." Sophia grumbles, pressing the side button on her phone. The screen illuminates the dark room and Sophia's breath catches in her throat once more.
Her smiling father looks back at her. One arm holding a small Morgan, mom to his left, and Sophia herself front and center in front of the cabin that was once their home during the blimp. Tears began to prickle down once again.
"Ms. Stark…it is time to call for help."
"We can help each other. Just give us a chance."
Peter's words echo inside her head. If there was ever a good time to test this new budding friendship, she guessed now was the time. Sophia tapped on the screen, making a move to scroll through her contacts to bide herself time. To talk herself out of calling him and roll over and go back to bed. Perhaps even call Harley.
But Peter had called her first.
His name appeared on her phone in bright white bolded letters. The ringing bouncing off her walls. As if he knew she needed someone. Needed him.
Did she really want to go down this path? Sophia wasn't sure. She didn't even know where this path would lead her. Pain and heartache? Healing? Undeserved happiness? Or even more guilt?
Taking a deep breath, Sophia slid her thumb across the screen.
"Hi."
She wasn't sure but she was willing to find out.
"Hi."
Sophia couldn't remember when she fell asleep. She can't even estimate at what time she could have even started to drift off or how many hours of sleep she got. The hazelnut haired brunette woke up with her phone between her shoulder and ear. The call is still ongoing. Neither of them wanted to hang up and say goodbye. Neither willing to go back to their nightmares alone.
Every time she turned on a tv or scrolled through her phone there was a reminder that her father died saving the world. Posters, flyers, murals, documentaries, and news specials. There was no escaping. Random calls and emails and texts from people she's never even met asking for interviews or giving their condolences. Condolences she didn't want. Peace and quiet is what Sophia wanted. An escape from the guilt and depression that constantly has her sinking down into a hole.
"Ms. Stark, everyone is waiting for you down at the breakfast table."
Glancing at her phone, Sophia glanced at the timer under Peter Parker's name. Five hours and twenty-eight minutes. Five hours speaking to one person and she can't even remember how it ended. She did, however, remember how it made her feel. A cluster of emotions. Tangled in her mind and heart, unable to truly understand how she feels. As if someone has a controller to her emotions and is constantly changing the channel. One moment feeling hollow yet heavy. Hopelessness. Then suddenly she was hopeful. "Take a chance, Sophia."
Peter didn't have a way with words. He's clumsy and stumbles in each sentence. An incredibly awkward teen boy who often puts his foot in his mouth. She honestly doesn't have much hope for him as a public speaker and is a little confused on how he was even allowed to be on the decathlon team seeing as he freezes up constantly when talking no matter who is in the room or how many. Sophia found it cringy and slightly embarrassing. Not used to the men in her life acting bashful and so unsure of themselves.
Dad was always confident even when he shouldn't have been. Rodgers always moved with purpose, never second guessing himself. Uncle Rhodes is charismatic, walks with pride and head held high. Even her best friend Harley Keener shows indifference to others outside his circle yet assertive in himself and his skills. An ego big enough to rival her fathers.
Peter is lanky, frequently stumbles, and hesitates. Not that that's bad. He's still a kid. It's just unusual for her to be a witness to the "awkward stage" of someone else's life. Not bad, just weird. Different.
If she was being honest with herself, Sophia finds an odd comfort and likability in Peter's awkwardness. In a way, it helps her differentiate Peter from her dad and it also has a bizarre way of showering her in warmth and attention. The look in his eyes is always expressive and bright, no matter who is on the receiving end, that he's giving his full attention, and just can't get enough. Can't get enough knowledge, attention, and that he isn't getting enough of your time.
The hope that shines through his big brown eyes could cause wars. It did cause a war. His look of hope can make someone believe they could take on the world.
Hope. Hope is a powerful thing. Leads people to do reckless things.
Sophia takes her pointed finger to her phone screen. Slowly sliding the bar across, effectively ending the phone call.
Sophia is beginning to understand why her dad took him under his wing. Why he had willingly agreed to put the world back in order. He only had the slightest bit of hesitation. Tony before meeting Peter wouldn't have even considered the notion of risking his life, his family, for others. We would have stayed in the cabin until we all grew old.
But Peter Parker inspires hope.
"Sophia, we need to talk."
Lifting her head from her pillow, Sophia could see her adopted mother standing in the door frame. Arms crossed and face stern but with a hint of concern.
"Yeah?"
"I think you should skip school for today. The first day seemed really hard for you. We've been waiting for thirty minutes for you to come down. But Friday says you've been up for an hour."
"I'm just tired, mom. I didn't get enough sleep. Besides, I'm not hungry." Sophia turns her face away, burying it in her pillow. Hoping that this conversation will just end. Staying in bed all day doesn't seem like a bad idea. She could definitely use more sleep and avoiding all the pity stares from classmates is an added bonus.
Avoiding Peter too. Sophia wasn't sure how to face him after staying on the phone with him for so long.
"Well," Sophia could feel the bed dip with the addition of her mom's weight. Pepper sitting at her hip with a hand gently rubbing her back. "I did have a few newsworthy things to tell you at breakfast today."
"Yeah?" Sophia's eyes begin to close against her will. Her mom's hands rubbing her back is so smooth and gentle, she can't help but fall asleep to it.
"May Parker, Peter's aunt, will be joining me in a charity event. We're going to be raising money for those who became homeless due to the snap. I would like you to be there when we make our donation on behalf of Tony."
Sophia felt her throat begin to close and tears threatened to make a reappearance. It would be her first official public appearance since the snap. She buried her head further into her pillow and gave her mom a weak nod. Unable to trust her voice not to crack.
"And one last thing," Pepper pauses her hand movements. "You will be starting therapy. Today."
"Did Friday betray me?" Sophia questions quietly. She doesn't have the energy to feel upset.
"Friday is helping you." Pepper let out a sigh. "Harley is helping you. I am helping you. Just let me help you. Please."
Sophia began to cry. Ugly, snot filled and the occasional hiccup cry. The embarrassing heart wrenching cry that no one ever wants kind that makes it hard to breathe. Feeling suffocated and trapped.
Guilt started to consume her. She wished she could be as strong as her mom. Unwavering in the face of trials and tribulations but all she could do is sit and be a prisoner in her own mind. Dragging down those around her.
Her fingers clenched her pillow in tight fists. "Okay." Sophia sniffles. "Okay. I'll go."
Parker | 8:02 AM
Hope you're feeling better after our talk
Parker | 8:02 AM
I hope that didn't come off as smothering. I didn't mean for it to
Parker | 8:04 AM
Just genuine friendly concern from your friendly neighborhood S Man
Parker | 8:10 AM
I noticed you weren't at school and that's why I felt the need to let you know.
Parker | 8:10 AM
Not that I'm stalking you or anything we just happen to have the first class of the day together.
Parker | 8:11 AM
And 2nd, lunch, and 7th
Parker | 9:32 AM
I can "swing" by after school to bring you the homework you missed today. For only the second day of school they're really handing out a lot. Guess that's what we get for being a STEM school.
Parker | 9:40 AM
Before I let you into our group, I need to know. Pineapple on pizza?
Parker | 9:42 AM
This is Ned by the way. Thought I should brighten your day from the painful conversation Peter came up with. You have no idea how hard I cringed when I read his text referring to himself as "S Man"
Parker | 9:50 AM
He's definitely no Superman.
Sophia Stark | 10 AM
It's too early for socializing.
Sophia Stark | 10:01 AM
And pineapple belongs in the trash. In every situation.
Unknown | 10:05 AM
Oof. Wrong answer. Thanks for playing better luck next time
Unknown | 10:05 AM
You know I don't really mean it right? You're the coolest person I have ever had a conversation with. I'm not letting pineapple come between us
Ned | 10:07 AM
It's Ned by the way. Peter's man in the chair
"Sophia, are you ready? We're all set up in the office." Pepper Potts stands in the doorway of her room. Mouth twisted to the side in a frown.
Sophia lets out a long sigh and throws her head back. "Ready as I'll ever be." Her phone vibrates in her hand once again. "Let me do something really quick and I'll be right there. Promise."
"Okay. You got five minutes." The click of her mom's sandals slap against the ceramic tile of the hallway. Ever since the cabin, mom stopped wearing heels around the house. Opting for more comfort than fashion.
It's a nice change, Sophia thought. To not feel the pressure to be perfect even at home anymore.
Sophia Stark | 10:10 AM
Latte Da. 4PM
Stupid Spider Pesky Parker | 10:10 AM
You got it
end of: the inevitable
word count: 3.076
A short chapter this time. I promise the nextr one wil be longer!