The Genius// Tony Stark's Daughter

Chapter Three

I wake up the next day to what must be the most obnoxious alarm in history. I turn to my side, and see that the glass wall that gives me a view of the ocean is covered in weather reports, current events, and air pressure reports.

I rub my heavy eyes, and walk to the bathroom to brush my teeth. After that, I braid my messy brown hair to the side and put on skinny jeans and a plaid shirt. I still need to get more clothes. I have a total of three shirts that survived the fire.

I walk downstairs and am greeted with the the smell of bacon, eggs, and cinnamon rolls. I see Tony sitting at the counter, and Pepper cooking more eggs.

"Good morning!" Pepper smiles at me, although it doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"Morning." I say. I'm still half asleep. Tony nods. I go to sit by him, and he immediately looks uncomfortable. We both sigh simultaneously. Pepper serves me some breakfast.

"Thanks!" I say. I try to be extra nice to both of them.

"Any time." She replies. "So, I have an idea, and you aren't allowed to say no." She looks directly at Tony. He raises his eyebrows.

"I don't like it." He says.

"Oh, shut up." Pepper scolds, but lightly chuckles anyways. "You two are going to go into town today and do whatever Eliza wants to do." Tony scoffs. I chuckle. "call it father-daughter bonding." Pepper explains.

"I'm busy." Tony says.

"No, you aren't." Pepper replies. "How does that sound, Eliza?" She asks.

"It sounds...nice" I don't want to say that it sounds like a perfect time for Tony to ditch me at the side of the road.

"Okay, you two, go get ready." Tony sighs and then, realizing that he has no way out of this, makes his way to his bedroom closet.

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Later that day, Tony and I sit in his red sports car, which hasn't left the garage yet.

"So... Where to?" He asks passive aggressively.

"I don't care." I sigh.

"Okay." He says. So we sit. For a long time.

"You know what?" He says as he starts to back out of the garage. "Let's just drive around for a few hours. Pepper probably won't let us back in the house until she thinks that we've done something." He says.

"Okay." I reply politely. We drive into town. I've never actually seen Malibu. It's perfect. There are a bunch of stores, parks, beaches- you name it. I forget that Tony's there for a while. We drive in total silence do what seems like forever. That is, until we pass a doughnut shop. We look at each other. Without saying a word, Tony turns and starts finding a place to park. We walk inside, and Tony tells me to go find a seat. Two minutes later, he returns with four doughnuts.

I laugh. "Why four?"

"Three for me, one for you." He says, and I can't tell if he's joking or not.

I take two anyways. Then we are both quiet as we devour our treats.

Just then, a little boy in an iron man helmet walks up to us. "Are you Tony Stark?" He asks.

"You bet, little man." Tony replies.

The little boy hands him a a drawing of Iron Man. "Can I have your autograph?" The little boy smiles and laughs. Tony takes the paper and starts writing all over it in red crayon. After he's done, the boy is  grinning from ear to ear as he runs back to his parents.

"Mommy!! Daddy!!"

"You ready?" Tony asks. I nod, and we leave.
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That night, I'm up in my bedroom reading the new engineering books I ordered online. Suddenly, I hear the faint sound of Pepper yelling.

"No warning! I got no warning, Tony! All I get is a phone call saying that we have to have a 17 year old girl coming to live with us! All because of your irresponsibility! She's not my daughter! She's yours! And you can't even bother to apologize to me!" I hear glass shattering.

"Look, honey, I'm just as shocked as you are! I had no idea! It's not just an inconvenience for you!" Tony defends himself.

Ouch.

"You're just as shocked as I am?!" Pepper mocks.

"Just calm down. Take a few breathes. How about some tequila?" Tony offers quickly.

"You're just as shocked as I am?! Really?! You think that you couldn't have prevented this in any way? Maybe not have a bunch of one night stands every night! Maybe not-" Pepper can't continue. She starts sobbing. I can't listen any longer. I turn off the lights in my bedroom, and throw pillows above my ears to drown out the sound.

Hey guys! SPRING BREAK! Are you going anywhere? I'm not :(. Don't forget to vote, comment, and tell your friends! Constructive criticism is always welcome, too! Thanks!!