Blind Eyes

Chapter 12

My stomach suddenly reminded me that I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours. I made a quick detour to the nearest McDonalds and ordered myself 2 Big Macs and an apple pie, my comfort meal. And I definitely needed some comfort right about now.

I collapsed onto Pepper's couch the instant I got back to her place and ate my burgers. While I was happy to have some food in my stomach, my usual comfort meal did little to make me feel better. In fact, I felt even worse after I had finished eating. All I could think of was dad and how whenever I had a bad day at school or just a crappy day in general, we would always drive to McDonalds and order 6 Big Macs and finish them before we even got home.

It seemed like everything reminded me of dad. Since I was a kid, my world had revolved around him, he had been my hero, always there for me when I needed him. But things were changing. How could I look up to a man who gets so wasted he can't even recognise his own daughter? I had to start distancing myself from him, starting with getting my own home. I had wanted to move out but not under these circumstances. I opened up Pepper's laptop but I couldn't bring myself to actually start looking at houses.

Instead I found myself grabbing a pen and paper. I had never been much of a drawer but within minutes I had sketched a very rough design of an 'Iron Man' suit. My suit. It was almost the same as the Mark V but with some softer edges and different colours. In my mind I could already see it. Now I just wanted to make it a reality. Without my father's help and his workshop, it would take me weeks but I was determined to make it happen. Unlike my father, I would use my suit responsibly and only in dire emergencies which would, hopefully, keep the government off my back. Despite my father's assurances, it seems like we were always going to be in some danger and I would feel safer knowing I had some way to defend and protect myself.

I continued sketching, trying to find ways to make my suit look different from dad's, until I noticed the time. Pepper was supposed to be dropping by soon to pick me up. Luckily all I had to do to pack was grab a few clothes from the suitcase I had just packed at home and shove them into an overnight bag. I knew running to New York for a few days wasn't going to change anything, or make our problems disappear, but I still wanted to go. I think putting some distance between me and dad would be good. Hopefully if he was left alone for a few days he would think over what I said to him and realise something had to change. He had to change.

"Your father came to see me."

"What?"

Pepper and I were sitting opposite each other in the jet, flying to New York. Until now we hadn't really spoken. The only sound had been that of pages turning, coming from the books Natalie and Happy were reading at the back of the jet.

"He came to apologize...sort of," Pepper said.

"He tried to do the same when I went to the house," I replied.

Pepper looked at me sympathetically. "How'd that go?"

"I told him it was too little, too late. The damage is done." Even just thinking about my earlier conversation with dad was making me feel horrible. I wanted to forgive him but his actions were not ones you could just forgive and forget. I didn't even know how to forgive him for this. I was hoping time would help...but how much time?

"What'd he say to you?" I asked.

Pepper shrugged. "He went on for a while but didn't actually make much sense. I didn't even hear half of what he said since I was on the phone to the lawyers trying to find out what we can do to get the Mark II back."

I frowned at that. "Rhodey hasn't returned the suit?"

Pepper shook her head. My heart sunk at that. We already had so many things to worry about and this just added to it. Although I appreciated the effort he went to to stop dad last night (even if he'd helped him destroy the house), Rhodey had no right to take the suit. It was Stark property and he had stolen it.