Seeing Beyond

4

"What the fuck?" Tony cried as Aurora rolled over. "Why the hell did you think that was a good idea?!"

"I never said it was a good idea. It was just an idea," She mumbled and took a sip of water, quickly downing a couple pills. Thank God for Pepper Potts.

"Do you know how bad that could've been? You didn't tell them anything, right?"

"I'm not stupid."

"Well, you got drunk while spying on a kid."

"That doesn't make me an idiot."

"It kinda does."

"Who's idea was it for me to spy on a kid in the first place?"

"If he dies because eh doesn't know how to use powers yet, that's on you. But, really, you're a kid and it's on me. I thought you'd be mature enough--"

"Stop!" Aurora yelled over him. "Stop, just--god. You're barely here, I rarely see you. I want to be able to have you in my life but you're never here, and when you are you pretend like you're a father. You know what shitty fathers do? Never be around the kid. Then they come back, lecture the kid, and leave again." There was a moment of silence as the girl's words sunk in. 

She wasn't done yet though. Her short stature carried an immense amount of power as she paced slightly around Tony. 

"You just--You want to treat me like an adult when you need something and treat me like a child when you want to pretend to be a parent. You need to pick one and stick with it, for God's sake."

"Did you not hear me?" Tony grabbed her shoulder to stop her. "Peter could have died last night because you were drunk off your ass."

"You don't even know the kid, why do you care so much?"

"Because he's a kid! The kid doesn't have  parents and he needs to be looked out for--"

"Why don't you just fucking adopt Peter then?"

Tony let go of her and backed up a couple steps like Aurora had just punched him in the stomach.

"Am--"

"Don't," she said quietly and sat on the edge of her bed. "You don't get to call me that, no one does. I'm Aurora. Aurora is a good person--Aurora is a kid. She's...fuck," the girl sighed, "she's normal. She's not from HYDRA, she doesn't have parents who are apart of a terrorist organization, she's normal."

"I'm sorry..." Tony said quietly and sat next to the girl. "I know you don't like being vulnerable."

"Sorry I told you to adopt Peter."

"We good now that we've yelled at each other?"

"We're good."

After a moment of silence, Aurora looked up at Tony. He had his arm wrapped around her tightly. 

Tony sighed and kissed the top of her head. He knew she wasn't his child, and he didn't want to treat her like a child. But no one would take her in when she needed it and the kid had hit a soft spot in his heart. They've been on a journey in her mental recovery and living somewhat of a normal life. He'd grown to love her like she was his kid.

"You recovered?"

"Fuck off, Ned, I'm not in the mood."

"I take it you were murdered by you parents?" Peter questioned.

"I was fine."

"So they weren't mad you were drunk?"