Avengers Oneshots Series

What If He Too ?<<Child Character×Tony>>! platonic

Character : Penny Parker, 16 year old

Warning : Mention of Suicide

It started after May, her Aunt and the only living family member had also died in a Car accident. She had also left her just like her parents and then her Uncle. Penny was in school at that time, when the teachers had taken her outside and with  a look of pity and soft voice told her that her aunt was no more. It was as if Penny's world had stopped. She didn't know how to react and she hated herself for not shedding tears. Even when they had taken her to the hospital and removed the white sheets off her Aunt's blood covered face...she hadn't cried. Maybe she had lost enough tears. Her body didn't have anymore left in them to be shed. She didn't register anything that happened that day. Not when she was being assigned to an orphanage home, not when she saw Mr.Stark come running into the hospital room. She remembered looking up at him with hollow eyes. They looked more tired than sorrowful. "Oh kid", he had said and pulled her into his embrace. It was warm no doubt.... probably the only feeling she felt that day. "You're gonna be ok", he had said but Penny knew it was a lie...no she wasn't ok...she was nowhere near ok...and ok person would shed tears after losing someone so close to them. She had heard Mr.Stark and Ms.Potts speaking to the council workers. Adoption....they were talking about adoption. Her adoption??..she hadn't known. But the next day when instead of an orphanage Penny had found herself in the guest room of the Avengers tower...the one she usually used to spend time in when staying late at night after her internship, Penny knew Mr. Stark had adopted her. But even then she didn't feel anything. She hasn't spoken for an entire day now. But after settling in her room and after Mr.Stark had set a plate of food on her bed and gently placed a hand on her head and left the room Penny had felt something... finally something but it wasn't sadness....it was fear....she feared thinking back about all the people who had lost their lives...all the people around her. Her mom, dad, uncle Ben and now Aunt May....they all were someone close to her and they had all died and now the closest person she had was Mr.Stark...what if he too ??

No...No she can't let that happen....Mr.Stark was like her father....or scratch that he was Her Father...and she had lost one already but she can't lose him too. The world needed him...the Avengers needed him and Ms. Potts needed him. And if he too died like everyone else cause of her...she can't let that happen. And Penny had thought about this for 3 days....3 days she had spent locked in her room away from anyone else except for the occasional visits by Mr.Stark with her food. He would sit with her everyday but she won't utter a word...neither did he. He just sat there and even his presence near her made her feel so safe so light hearted but as soon as he left the same thought lingered in her mind ..what if he too??. And so Penny knew she had only one thing she could do...she had to remove herself....remove herself from this world and from Mr.Stark's life to keep them safe.

On the 4th Day Penny wandered off into the kitchen in the middle of the night. She made sure everyone was asleep. She went inside the kitchen and made her way to the drawers where she knew the big kitchen knives were kept at. With shaky hands she had lifted the knife. Hiding it inside her jacket she made her way inside her room. Penny brought the knife out. He hands were so sweaty but her throat was dry like a dessert. If she tried speaking now no words would come out of it. Her breathing was heavy as if she had run a marathon. She knew she had to do it before slipping into panic mode and she brought the knife close to her wrists. When suddenly as if out of magic a wind blew in through her room. It wasn't windy today... hadn't been since morning then what was this ?. And out of nowhere she saw a picture flying out of her diary which she had left open on her table. The picture landed in front of her and her breath stopped at the sight of it. It was a picture of her from one of her science fests she had won. Mr.Stark on one side and May on the other. All of them were smiling but both the adults had something more than just a smile. It was pride and affection and so much love. Love reserved only for her. The gentle smiles and eyes of Mr.Stark she had witnessed only when she was around him. May's unwavering laugh only for Penny. They loved her ....they still loved her. May did...Mr.Stark did. And then had it hit her that...would they actually be happy if she did this ??. Would May want her to leave this world...this life she had worked so hard to give Penny??. The love she had given her to make her into the strong, independent and hardworking young lady she was today ?. Would Mr. Stark, the man who didn't think even once before adopting her ..the man who had an entire special personality in him only for her , wanted her to do what she was going to do ?? No..no they won't. They would never want her to do so. And so she didn't do that. Penny had kept the knife inside the drawer of her dresser pushing it further into it. Taking the picture in her hands and caressing May's face she kept it on the bedside table.

The next day Penny came out of her room for breakfast. And she didn't fail to notice Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts' surprised look. They had cracked a gentle smile ....a relieved gentle smile as if they were waiting for her. And they sure were. "Can we work in the lab today??", Penny asked...her voice almost a whisper and a bit raspy from not being used for 5 days. "Sure honey...we sure can", Tony said placing a hand on Penny's small ones and caressing her knuckles with his thumb.

When they reached the lab they had started working. Penny felt at ease...almost normal...normal until Tony had mentioned the sudden disappearance of the knife from the kitchen. No it wasn't intended towards her...he had just mentioned it randomly among the things he was saying to keep Penny occupied. And Penny felt the need to tell him...she shouldn't hide anything from him..cause this man loved her ...like his own daughter even though he had nothing to own up to her. He loved her without any reason..just pure. He deserved to know.

Penny's heart was beating rapidly. Just like how it was the night before. "M-Mr. Stark??", she called. "Yes Kiddo ?", Tony replied with eyes still fixed on the machinery lying on his table he was trying to fix with the wrench in his hands. "The knife....I...I-I took it...last night", Penny stuttered not daring to look up from her table. Tony stopped moving. His body tensed and he looked up from his work but not directly at Penny as if waiting for her to continue. From her peripheral vision Penny saw his hands going still as he sucked in a visibly deep breath..he had gotten the clue....there was no backing away now. "I-I didn't know what to do Mr.Stark....That was the only thing that came to my mind and I-I....I stole the knife and tried to ...K..Kill Myself". And as soon as she stopped talking the wrench fell down from Tony's numb hands with a clang on the floor. Penny flinched and finally turned around to look at Tony. Tony was staring at her. She couldn't make out that look. It was nothing she had received. It was angry??... concerned, sorrow...she didn't know.

"Y-You tr...", Tony couldn't complete the sentence. He swiftly made his way to Penny and grabbed her hands examining her wrists searching for anything. "Mr. Stark pls calm down... I didn't do anything. Pls just listen to me", said Penny practically pleading the elder to breath. "Y-You didn't do... that's good that's good ....yeah I'm calm tell me", he said trying to take in deeper breath... keyword being trying.

"I-I wanted to do it so badly...I just didn't know why I  felt the need to but I did. I was grieving May and then I was afraid that my existence in your life....what if...what if something happens to you too??..what if I lose you too Mr. Stark.... I can't lose you too", Penny whispered and by the last line her lips were quivering and a sob left her mouth. But she soon felt arms wrapping around her as a hand placed behind her head pulling into someone's chest. It was Mr.Stark "Oh Penny..no... d-don't.. don't do that Love, don't think that way pls.... your existence has only made my life so much better...you have made me better Penny and I can't......no .... I can't think of losing you ever..God kid don't do that pls i beg you", Tony rambled...his voice suddenly felt like had aged by 20 more years. Mr.Stark who had seen everything big and great in her since day one...who had never doubted her potential...who had supported her in all her decisions...who had never once questioned her capabilities...and she was going to take herself away from him ???...push this man away who had no blood connection to her and yet treated her no less. No..she won't do that. May would never want her to do that. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Dad i promise I won't do that I'm sorry", said Penny without even noticing her word slip before Tony tightened his arms even more around her. They both were balling their eyes out by now...but they were crying in each other's arms and they knew they would hold each other through all of this. And Tony knew May was looking down at them from up above. He made an unspoken vow to May...to always take care of her kid...of his kid.

At midnight Penny had silently slipped into the kitchen placing the knife back into its place. But when she turned around she found Tony standing there at the entrance giving her a soft but proud smile. Moving forward and gathering his kid in his arms he whispered, "I love you sweetheart". "I love you too Dad". The title of Dad made Tony's heart flutter each time as he looked up at Pepper staring at them from across the room with the softest look he had seen on her face and silently clicking a picture and later adding it into her photo album titled My Family.