he's my hero → t . stark ( ON HOLD )

Chapter 5

Zoza would be the first to admit that she didn't have much. But, she loved what she had, and there was no doubt about that. Sure, she had her favorite sweater and her favorite jeans, which she was wearing right now, courtesy of her grandparents spoiling her to no end. Then, there were the small things her mother had gotten her as random gifts. Her Pokemon bracelet, her Minion necklace, these things were small surprises that she cherished and loved deeply. She then reached into her bag and felt around for the most important part of her wardrobe: her glasses. She found the case for them and pulled it out, blowing the dust off of it. She opened the case and lifted the glasses out, then slid them onto her face. She fixed her hair and left her room, peeking around to the living room.

"Ready to go? Oh, your mom never said you had glasses." Pepper smiled down at her.

"Oh yeah, I didn't wear them when I first got here because I had someone walking around with me. Without them, I'm as blind as a bat, but I was able to memorize the turns we took my first day here, so I could get around without falling." she explained, and Pepper smiled.

"Rosemary always said you were a little genius. Blossom! Come on!" Pepper yelled. Blossom came out of her and Steve's room, fixing her hair. Steve came out behind her, and Zoza felt her cheeks warming up. 

"I'm ready to go, Spice Girl." Blossom grinned, and Zoza giggled softly. Together, they left the room and went to the elevator. Zoza stepped in first, and the two women followed her.

"Aunt Pepper, how do you get used to living in such a big place?" Zoza asked as the elevator went down.

"I don't know. You just do I suppose." Pepper smiled, and she nodded. The elevator stopped at the bottom, and they stepped out. 

"We'll be taking my car." Pepper said, putting her hand on Zoza's back and guiding her past the many cars Tony owned.

"Why does he need so many cars?" 

"He just does Zoza. That's all we can really say."

***

When they arrived at the mall, Zoza felt even smaller then she ever had before. Her whole body froze, and Blossom took her hand.

"Relax kiddo. You're safe with us." she whispered. She and Pepper led Zoza into the mall, going into store after store, trying to find a place that she would like.

"Tony also wants her to have a phone." Pepper whispered to Blossom, who nodded slowly. 

"You go do that, I'll bring her to the 'official' teen store." Blossom grinned, taking her hand. Pepper walked off towards the Verizon store, and Blossom brought Zoza to Hot Topic.

"It's really black in there. Oh, but look at all the shirts!" Zoza smiled, pulling Blossom inside. 

"Yeah, it's all band shirts and leggings, and the occasional comic book bra. But hey, they've got something for everyone. Before I went to school, I worked my first summer job here." Blossom said and she walked Zoza around the store. She brought her to the back, where the band logo t-shirts were. 

"Well, pick whatever you want." 

Zoza skimmed through the shirts, slightly pulling out certain ones to see the design. She finally settled on a few Pink Floyd shirts, two AC/DC shirts, one Black Sabbath t-shirt, and a few shirts from bands that Blossom had never heard of. 

"Interesting choice kiddo. Let's go pay, and then we'll meet up with Pepper, okay?" 

Zoza nodded, and they walked to the register. Blossom paid for the shirts while Zoza looked around at the earrings case, spinning it gently. She saw a few pairs that reminded her of her mom, and she smiled sadly. Her mom loved roses, sugar skulls, and small symbols, like the radioactive sign. 

"Come on kiddo, let's go find Pepper." Blossom held out her hand, and Zoza, despite her teenage mind, took it and left the store with Blossom. Pepper was standing outside of the Verizon store, waiting for them.

"About time. Zoza, honey, here. Uncle Tony wanted you to get one in case of any emergencies. And yes, if any of your friends have phones, you can use this to contact them, and you can play games, but always remember it's main purpose."

"Ease up Pepper. She gets it. She's thirteen, not three." Blossom said, and Pepper rolled her eyes. She handed her niece the phone, and Zoza took it carefully. When they had gotten Zoza a few more pairs of jeans and some nice shirts, they left the mall, and Zoza gladly took a deep breath once they were outside.

"Fresh air never seemed so wonderful!" she sighed, and the two women laughed.

"The perfuem department's the work of Satan himself, isnt it?" Blossom chuckled, and Zoza nodded eagerly.

"Come on you two, we'd better get home, otherwise who knows what the men-folk would do without us." Pepper started walking towards her car, and Blossom shared a look with Zoza before they followed Pepper. Zoza climbed into the backseat of the car, while Pepper and Blossom were up front.

"Hey kiddo, who're those people on your shirt?" Blossom asked suddenly.

"Oh, Finn the Human and Jake the Dog from a cartoon I watch, called Adventure Time." Zoza smiled. Blossom nodded into the rearview mirror, and Zoza settled back into her seat. She sat in silence for the rest of the ride, watching the trees go by. Blossom hummed softly, and Pepper drove silently. When they got home and went upstairs, Zoza was holing her bags and her new phone was tucked away, safe in her pocket. When the elevator stopped, Zoza was the first one out. Pepper followed, then Blossom, and they all stared into the room. 

"What the actual fu-" Blossom started, but Pepper covered her mouth. Zoza stepped in further, gently setting her bags onto the floor. She walked into the living room, her mouth wide open. She was speechless, and she felt tears in her eyes, happy tears. Blossom actually smiled and grabbed her bags, bringing them to Zoza's room. 

"What do you see Zoza?" Pepper asked softly.

"Something amazing and beautiful." Zoza answered, smiling a bit.

Something amazing and beautiful.