fox (iron man's daughter)

12

fox's p.o.v

"sorry" i mumble to tony, sat opposite him in the living room. it's just me and him, and he's not happy. the exhilaration of proving the town bully wrong has worn off, the excitement of dance has worn off and now i'm just sat here facing the consequences of being stupid.

"do you understand how worried i was?!" he booms, his suit now off, showing his jogging bottoms and grey t-shirt "you turn up late yesterday, covered in bruises, i say i want to speak to you and you disappear from the house, your phone off, nowhere to be found all day!".

i look down at my nails, the light grey polish suddenly fascinating. i can feel myself starting to shake and i'm holding back a flood of tears. it's pathetic really, to cry over, but i've never been able to handle being shouted at. i'm a sensitive person i suppose.

mum used to shout at me, usually when she was drunk and she'd been out all night. i could handle that, i used to tell myself that she didn't know what she was doing, it wasn't really her.

i didn't want to face up to the fact that alcohol doesn't make people different people, just brings out the bad within them.

"why the fuck couldn't you just tell me?! i was so worried fox!" tony's eyes search me, as if desperate for an answer. i pull my ponytail over my shoulder self-consciously and look to the floor. we're both silent for a moment, i don't want to open my mouth for fear of an ugly sob escaping, but his glare is cold and burning and i have to say something.

"i um.. i didn't want you to compare me to mum again" my voice is small and it wobbles and tears start to properly tumble down my face. i know i look and sound like a mess and so without another word i get up and walk out of the room.

i look back when i get to the doorway, wondering if i'm making the situation worse my running away from it. it's exactly what my mum would do.. i mean she might've hit him first or sworn at him loudly but then she'd definitely run away. tony's position has changed, he's slumped over, his elbows resting on his knees, head in his hands.

guilt seizes my chest and i have to turn away, quickly going to my bedroom and shutting the door.

tony's p.o.v

i lie in bed, my arms wrapped around pepper as she sleeps with her head on my chest. i can't bring myself to fall asleep.

it's almost as if fox is fragile, you have to be careful what you say because something could set her off. she's had such a hard childhood and it's clearly had an effect.

i'm about to try to sleep again when i hear a door click. frowning to myself, i slip out of bed, careful not to wake pepper, and step out into the hall.

"F.R.I.D.A.Y where's fox?" i ask once far enough away for pepper not to hear.

"miss brooks is making her way to the roof" F.R.I.D.A.Y replies diligently.

it's probably nothing, she probably just needs air or something.. but i should check. she wasn't that happy earlier and though i don't think it's likely that she's going to jump off the roof, i don't want to leave her there.

i jog up the stairs, figuring it'll be quicker than using the elevator.

"hey kiddo, couldn't sleep?" i smile awkwardly, stepping out into the cold air.

fox is wearing a hoodie and leggings, her hair in a ponytail.. and ballet shoes. she's standing on her toes, her leg out behind her, concentration reading across her face.

"no not really" she puts her leg down, returning to the flats of her feet and sighing "you?".

fox's blue eyes meet mine and i shrug "wouldn't have heard you coming up here if i was asleep".

she nods without a word, walking to the edge of the roof and looking down before sitting on the small wall. i decide to sit next to her, this way if she falls off i can grab her and we can also talk and get problems out the way.

"i wouldn't compare you to your mum again, i want you to know that" i begin "i worry about you when you disappear because anything could happen, there's media, general bad guys, your brother".

she laughs a little "noah wouldn't do anything, he's harmless".

do i mention the texts? no i don't want her to freak out, i won't mention the texts.

"there's always going to be someone looking to hurt me, and they might decide that the best way to do that is to hurt you" i attempt to explain it differently, in a way she'll understand.

"i guess" she mumbles, pointing her toes and then flexing them again repeatedly.

"we might've only known each other for a few weeks, but you're still my kid" i tell her quietly.

she looks up at me, her eyes watery and soft. her head makes contact with my shoulder and she rests it there. after a while she seems tired enough to not want to move from this spot ever, so i wrap an arm around her back and scoop up her legs, carrying her down to her bed.

i think she fell asleep before i even shut the door.

fox's p.o.v

light shines through the windows, half blinding me as i open my eyes. i curse the harsh rays before rolling out of bed.

i change into black skinny jeans and a blue and white stripy top, allowing my curls to run free. checking my phone, i pad into the kitchen. steve, bruce and tony are sat around the tv, none of them really watching.

"morning squirt" tony turns his head and i wonder how he knew i was there. steve and bruce give mumbled greetings, not looking up from whatever they're doing.

"good morning" i beam, in a much better mood than usual.  it might be because of last night, or maybe i'm just cranky when i don't get enough sleep.

i sit up to the counter on a stool, scrolling through instagram when i get a text

daisy: hey my parents are out tonight and told me to invite a friend for a sleepover, you in?

"tonyyy?" i make a mental note to bat my eyelashes and smile sweetly.

"what do you want?" he raises an eyebrow, looking skeptical.

"you know my ginger friend from yesterday, daisy?"

"yes, the one that had more sense than you"

i frown at his comment, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"can i sleep at hers tonight?"

he seems to think for a minute before shrugging "sure, why not".