Valen: A Collector's Item

Protection

Valen created ice steps to make it back up to her bedroom window when she left Wanda and Vision's house. Nat had dropped her off down the road so her car engine or lights wouldn't wake up Tony or Pepper.

Valen's hands laid flat against the window as she tried to lift it up, but it was locked. She tried harder and harder knowing she left it unlocked when she left for this very reason. Something in the pit of her stomach dropped as she realized what must have happened. With low hope of getting out of this situation, she walked down the stairs and slowly opened the front door.

The room was pitch black, she couldn't see anything. Valen crept toward where the stairs were, already knowing the house in and out after her first day here from her old habits. She was about to tip-toe up the first step when a lamp was turned on behind her.

Valen froze figuratively in her position. She slowly turned on her heel to face what she knew was going to be a lecture.

"Hey, Dad." She sang innocently. "Are you testing out how fast it takes your eyes to adjust from darkness to sudden light?"

Tony pointed a finger at the couch for her to take a seat. His legs were crossed and his face was set in something of a mix between disappointment and anger. Valen reluctantly made her way over even though it was the last thing she wanted to do. When she finally took her seat, the two sat in silence as he stared at her.

"Are we going to talk or should I go to my room?"  Valen couldn't help but break the annoying quietness of the room.

"I don't ask much of you." He started. Valen had to internally scuff to not piss him off any further because she felt like that wasn't true. "You joined my team, have had two nice, free homes now, made you a part of my family, and then got to experience one of the world's best-kept secrets. What do you do to repay me? You disobeyed a rule that I specifically asked you to follow. Why?" He asked not rhetorically. "Is it because I let it slide the first time? Did you think you could try it again to test if I really meant what I said?"

"You're forgetting details in your timeline there." She couldn't help but stand up for herself. "You made me come live at your campus. You manipulated my life so I would have no other choice."

"No, you had a choice." He corrected. "You had that, what was it? Boxing ring."

Valen scuffed for real this time. "Only because you made it your mission to personally not allow me a job to afford something else."

"I did that so you would see what you were missing. You belonged with us. You were too stubborn to come back on your own."

"So you agree? You pulled your strings, made your calls to not let me live my life."

"And it turned out better than you had planned."

Valen scooted to the edge of her seat as she put her elbows on her knees. "Yes, I am grateful for the people who have turned into family and met someone that I'm deeply in love with, but at the time, I didn't want to come back because I didn't know anyone. The first thing you all did to me was throw me into a cage like some animal."

"That's because you attacked us. We put you somewhere to keep yourself and ourselves safe." He defended.

"Because you were attacking my home. I was protecting the only place I knew."

Tony snorted. "Some home that was. You knew it wasn't home. It's why you never went back to it after you left us."

Valen's patience was running thin. "But it doesn't change the fact that you forced my hand that day in the gym. It wasn't much of a choice, if one at all. But let's continue, shall we? When you said 'made you a part of my family,' are you saying that you regret it?"