HADES // T. STARK DAUGHTER // MARVEL I.I

II - T W O

THE LAST TIME I saw my father was nearly two years ago. I had nearly forgotten his face, but when I saw him, I felt like the same little kid he carried on his shoulders or in his arms whenever I got tired of walking. The girl who's dad let her watch Poltergeist at eleven, but said she couldn't watch American Horror Story until she was twenty. For just a second, those memories of late nights spent in the lab and making him check under my bed for monsters after scary movies, those memories of happy and sad moments- all of them spent feeling safe, all of those memories flooded back.

I stared at him. I didn't know what else to do. He didn't see me at first, as Harry and I went to walk through the Hull, on the way to tutoring. He was facing some of the many screens in the room, mimicking Fury by the looks of it. I stopped walking, causing Harry to pause as well. I know what he assumed, and I know the voices whispering in the back of my head meant something else would make me freeze soon. But, right now, all I saw was him. Tony. Dad.

"Harls?" My brother questioned, hand hovering over my shoulder.

I tore my gaze away from my father, looking up at Harry. He hadn't seen Tony I guess, or even known he was here yet. I had thought it would be different when I saw him again. Like, it would be in the heat of battle and I'd swoop in, able to control my abilities and kick ass.

Instead, he didn't even notice me as I walked right on by. I noticed Hill a few feet away, and she quickly glanced between my oblivious creator and myself. Nodding to herself, Hill caught Tony's attention, gesturing to where I stood frozen next to my brother.

"Mr. Stark, I'd like to introduce you to someone." I looked to Harry for help, but he was being pulled away by one of the agents I recognized as his friend, Ward. I was alone in what was about to occur. My only options were running or-

I stepped forwards, hands clasped tightly behind my back, head held high. I imitated how I thought Romanoff would stand, forcing myself to look as my father turned to face me. And for a moment, he was frozen. Brown eyes met dark green, both of us holding bags under our eyes and pale skin from lack of exposure to the sun. His from late nights in the lab no doubt, mine from spending so long underground and hidden.

He stepped towards me, but I moved back, holding up a shaking hand in a gesture for him to stop. I felt on edge, chaotic as I looked at him. Nervous maybe, I couldn't really tell. It didn't really matter, seeing as it all meant the same thing; loss of control. I didn't want to hurt him. Even with the boots laced as tight as I could get them and the long sleeves pulled over my gloves that felt way too thin right now, I could hurt people.

"Harley?" His voice was low and quiet- probably for the first time since arriving at the Hellicarrier, I'm guessing by the look on Hill's face.

"Uh . . . " I scratched the back of my head, at a loss. In my head, I had a plan. But, like most things, it somehow escaped my brain just when I needed it.

It felt like I was just punched in the gut. The whispers in the back of my head were suddenly shouts, a chorus of pain. I blinked and carnage filled the room. At my feet, lay my father, a hole in his chest. I forced myself to look up, and there he was, okay and unharmed. Physically, at least. The look on his face- the break in his ever-present mask made me feel worse than the screams in my head shouting over whatever he was saying. It was too much, he was too much. So, I did what I seem to do best; I ran.

_

By the time I got to tutoring, the hall was filled with dead bodies. My boots appeared to be soaked in blood. I banged on the door to the emptied meeting room, knowing I was late, and I needed a distraction. It took a full two minutes for the door to open, but instead of a bored-looking scientist waiting to 're-teach' me, I was faced with Fury.

"Uh . . . " Was all I could muster, trying to clear my head of what was going on. It's nothing, I told myself, pinching the inner side of my wrist. Man up, man.

"Agent Wilx. Your tutoring has been cancelled until further notice." He supplied, gesturing inside to where the room sat empty. "For now, report to Hill or Romanoff for further assignment."

"Hill? In the- the Hull? With-" I cut myself off, seeing the look on Fury's face.

"Is that a problem, Wilx?" He questioned, looking for a sign of . . . weakness.

I grit my teeth, standing straighter. "No, sir."

_

It was night time when I woke up. After nearing the Hull and seeing him, I turned around immediately, defying a direct order. Eventually, I ended up in Harry's room- which had a Xbox he bought last time he left the Hellicarrier. While my older brother wasn't there, he had given me the pass code to his room weeks ago, and I had free rein of his contraband.

Snacks, soda, and a small-ish TV all to myself. I had gone through two bags of Cheetos and a Coca-Cola before noon. Skipping meals was a big no-no, but I didn't find myself caring as I ditched breakfast, lunch, and eventually dinner. Even as I got a stomach ache from the sugar crap I had consumed for the first time in over a year, I decided to keep camping out in my brother's room. By eleven, I was drifting off to Back to the Future, despite my attempts to stay awake. When I was younger, I could've stayed up for two days straight no problem, but the combination of keeping my powers in check and junk food was more tiring than a lullaby.

I barely stirred when Harry came in, sighing as he surely took in my cheeto-dust covered self. I started to doze off again as he cleared his bed of crumbs and snacks, turning off the light and laying next to me. It reminded me of when we were little and shared a bed, or how he let me creep into his bed whenever I got scared or felt sick. And, for just a few moments, I felt okay. Safe in my own skin, despite knowing all the trouble that lay outside that room. Just for a second, I was next to my brother and everything was alright. It felt so good to feel okay like that.

So good, that I didn't even realize he was touching me.