little piece of heaven (tony stark's daughter)

13

rosie's p.o.v

"oh baby come here" pepper drops her bag and immediately opens her arms to be as soon as i enter the penthouse with dad, tears still streaming down my face. i stumble across the room towards her and pretty much fall into her embrace. i'm still shaking, but she grounds me a little. sure, my dad is a superhero, but pepper potts makes me feel like nothing could ever harm me at all. her hands comb through my curls, gently tugging out the hairband and releasing them from the tight ponytail. we sit down on the floor together and i bring my knees up to my chest as she rocks me gently, murmuring soft words of comfort and warmth.

it must be at least half an hour later that i've regulated my breathing and i feel like it's safe to pull away. the cool air is relieving on my flushed cheeks and i pretty much gulp down fresh air. "you hungry?" dad asks gently, his voice soft and gentle. it's the kind of tone that he reserves only for when i'm either sick or slightly traumatised. a small shake of my head goes ignored by both him and pepper who look at each other and seem to silently decide that i don't get a say. "okay i'll order pizza" he pulls out his phone and starts to tap away "plain cheese?" he looks up at me momentarily, already knowing that's my go to. i respond with a nod and he goes back to his phone.

mulan plays on the tv, my favourite disney film. mulan is a feminist icon, something pepper has always encouraged me to stand up for. nobody tells mulan what to do, and if they try then she'll prove that she doesn't need their input. dad hums along to 'i'll make a man out of you', a song we've jokingly acted out on multiple occasions. i'm snuggled in between him and pepper, curled and intertwined around their limbs because it makes me feel safe. the arc reactor presses into my cheek, the metal cool and comforting. "be a man" dad growls in a deep voice, jostling me a little to prompt a laugh.

pepper rolls her eyes and slaps his arm playfully, a fond smile on her face "idiot" she mumbles under her breath but i hear and giggle. dad pretends to be offended from a moment, but his mock glare breaks when i look up at him with doe eyes.

"i'm really proud of you, you know? you must be the most bad-ass ten year old to walk the earth" he seems to swallow a lump in his throat and his arm hooks around me. i can't help but feel doubtful. for one, i'm not sure if i count because i'm only half human, and two, today i hardly acted too bad-ass. i screamed and cried because i wanted my dad. it's kind of pathetic when you think about it, i'm supposed to be guarding earth but i can't even guard new york.

i contemplate saying it, but know that my parents will just argue it. "what?" pepper frowns at me, drawing my attention to the fact that it must be showing on my face. dad's eyes start to search me too, both of them looking for a reason for my discomfort.

i shift uncomfortably, but comply anyway "i just.. i lost it. the minute that i was on my own i crumbled" i chew my lip and avoid looking at either of the adults holding me "i didn't feel very bad-ass when i ended up screaming on the floor".

they look at each other again, another silent conversation that i'm not invited to. i'm starting to get quite tired of this. it's dad that puts a hand under my chin and lifts my head to look at him again "listen here roo, if i lost you, or pepper, i'd be screaming on the floor too" he closes his eyes for a second, opening them again to continue "you shouldn't have gone through that, no ten year old should have to fight off aliens but you do it without even thinking about yourself for a second. that's bad-ass". we fall into silence after that, mulan the only animation in the tower.

i suppose i must have fallen asleep there, because i wake up in between dad and pepper in their bed. they're awake already, whispering over me. i shift a little, stretching out my very achey muscles. at the sudden movement dad looks down and gives me a small smile "good morning cubs". i mumble something inaudible before snuggling back into him. he chuckles and squeezes me tight momentarily "it's been a long time since i got to hold a sleepy rosie" dad kisses the top of my head and squeezes me again "i missed my snuggle bud". i close my eyes again, trying to go back to sleep or at least shut out any responsibilities i have, but dad has other ideas. he wraps his arms tighter around me and sits up, standing up next to the bed and swinging me around in the process i let out a small squeal and grab him as he laughs at me "come on then, as much as i hate it, we have stuff to do".

"careful, tony!" pepper sits up and crawls across the bed on her knees, reaching out and taking me out of dad's arms "roo should be able to chill, she had enough stress yesterday". i curl into pepper with a hum of agreement and appreciation.

dad sighs and nods "i suppose, i have to leave soon, finish some business, you'll be okay?". i make a mental note of the fact that dad has never had to ask whether i'll be okay with pepper before, it's just gone unsaid, but yesterday was scary, it was something i never thought i'd experience and i know deep down it isn't the last time.

"i'll be fine" i force a smile without moving away from the woman who might as well be my mother, after all it's not as if my real mom seemed bothered by my near death.