HEARTSTRINGS ▹ P. PARKER [ON HOLD]

six.

When Gwen arrived at the tower, she received a warm hug from Roxy, who never hid her soft spot for the younger girl. And from behind the dark-haired woman, Pepper gave her a reassuring and proud smile. And after Roxy released her, Tony gave her a side hug like a proud father.

"You did good, kid," he said, leading her to the couch and sitting her beside him. "Thank God you were there. Otherwise, I don't know what would've happened with that boy. Really, what was he thinking?"

"Trying to make you proud?" Gwen guessed, receiving a scoff from the billionaire. "What? It's not so farfetched. You're his mentor. He looks up to you. He doesn't have any other father figure."

Happy, Pepper, and Roxy all gave him nods in agreement.

"Father figure? Where did you get this idea from?"

Gwen looked down in embarrassment. "Because I also don't have any father figure," she murmured.

Happy, Pepper and Roxy all left to give them some privacy as the heavy meaning behind Gwen's words settled in Tony's mind. His chest tightened. He knew how it felt like having a father who never thought he was good enough, who was never there when it mattered. Every time he looked at Gwen, he saw himself - a lonely genius who struggled to accept their own worth.

It utterly broke his heart seeing her like that.

Tony pulled her to him and held her tight, trying to wipe his tears discreetly, and she sobbed against his chest.

"I'm sorry, I know how you hate emotional moments," she sniffed as she released him. "Are you crying?"

"Said the girl who wet my shirt and has her eyes red," he shot back.

"It's okay if you don't see me as a daughter. I'm fine with being your best friend."

"I am not best friends with a seventeen-year-old girl!" He whined defensively.

"Tony, you have to make peace with it. Everybody knows you'd be lost without Rhodes, dead without Happy, bankrupted without Pepper, and with absolutely no reason to live without Roxy. But, without me, you'd be the same idiot playboy committing the same stupid mistakes."

"Wow, thanks." He rolled his eyes.

"What I mean is that I'm what you lack in common sense. It's whether because I'm seventeen and you think I'm too young to understand, or because we're way too similar to each other, and I'd understand you perfectly well. But you can open up to me like you can't with anyone else, not even with your girlfriend. I'm not a nice person that'd be afraid to tell you the truth or hesitant to press you into facing your demons. That's why Roxy doesn't push you. You know that."

"What are you talking about?"

"She knows that if she prompts the subjects you don't want to talk about, you're gonna push her away." She told him before coming to another conclusion. "And now I'm your love counselor as well."