Iron Beta: Life as Tony Stark's Daughter

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Chaos instantly descended upon the room as everyone started talking at once, panicked glances being thrown like knives.

After about five minutes of incessant noise, a shrill taxi-cab whistle turned everyone's attention towards the coffee table, on top of which my dad had taken a metaphorical podium.

“Alright, settle down. Don't give me that look, Barton, yes I do know what just happened. One at a time, hands raised.”

Five people groan but six hands are raised anyways.

“Good little children. First…Steve?” my dad chirps, gleefully ignoring the exasperated glares sent his way.

“What just happened?”

“That, good captain, was a team response to Fury threatening my daughter. You got all up in his face – nice job, by the way – and Fury got his gun. We refused to back down, so Fury fired all of us.”

“And what happens now?”

“We could always show Fury we don't need him and he can stick it. All in favor, say aye!”

Five ‘aye!’s ring out (some more hesitant than others), and the room is left staring at Clint and Natasha, both of whom had remained silent. The former assassins were acting fidgety, squirming in their seats and picking at their clothes. Their eyes darted every which way, refusing to make eye contact.

“Guys?”

“We just lost everything.” Clint’s voice is quiet and slightly shaky, and I want to hug him so badly, “We both just lost the only job both of us were happy at, where we could stop running from the blood on our hands and the ghosts behind us. We found a team we could work with, live with, and the rug just got pulled out from under us.”

Realization dawns upon the team, soon replaced by sympathetic gazes, which only cause the spider and the hawk to squirm even more. I cross the room to lay a still-covered hand on Clint’s shoulder as my dad opens his mouth again.

“I could always make positions at Stark Industries for you? Avengers liaisons or something, anything to keep you both doing your sneaky spy thing. How about it?”

“I don't know, Stark, you being my boss? Again?” Natasha looks skeptical, and I wince as I remember the circumstances of ‘Natalie Rushman’.

My dad simply rolls his eyes and lets that roll off his back. “Come on, Natashalie, you know boss is a loose term. This is literally just a way for you and Clint to stay here, doing what you love.”

“Give us time. We’ll get back to you.”

My dad nods contentedly as he points towards Bruce’s hand.

“We need funding if we're going solo. This will crash and burn – badly, I might add – if we don't have the money to support anything.” Bruce, ever the voice of reason, points out.

“Ah, funding. Bruce, billionaire here. Taylor, can you get that one board member on the phone? The one-“

“-with the tattoos of our logo and Cap’s shield?”

“Yeah, him. Tell him the situation and what we need. Throw in lunch with Steve if he says no.”

I laugh at Steve’s indignant ‘hey!’ and nod as I clear my throat to deliver my two cents.

I gulp as I turn slowly to face the entire team and try not to mess with the hem of my shirt as I begin to speak.

“I just wanted to thank you all. You all just lost your jobs and pretty much your entire lifestyles for me-“