MCU ⚡
In which a 10-year-old shows up on Tony Stark's doorstep, claiming to be his daughter.
[pre iron man 2 - civil war]
{the first book in the "Little Light" series}
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By 7 o'clock the three were all sat down at the table that never actually got used, Nick sitting across from Tony, while Pepper sat next/between them. Nick wasn't really eating, just staring down at her plate as she rested her chin on her hand, and her fork played with the ordered in Chinese food that was placed on plates for them.
Tony kept quiet as he ate, and Pepper looked between the two, wondering when they were going to tell the girl that they finally believed that she was actually his daughter. And because that fact was stated, Pepper also wanted Tony to finally take responsibility, if not for him, then for the child that no one knew about.
About ten minutes passed by, before Pepper spoke up, nodding towards the girl who wasn't actually eating. "Do you not like Chinese?"
"Oh, uh, it's not that." Nick shook her head, before shrugging. "I guess I'm just not hungry." Which was kind of a surprise since she didn't actually eat earlier. But with the guilt and anxiousness and everything that's happening, she didn't have an appetite right now. For some reason, she had convinced herself that if she went home with the papers signed, it meant that she wouldn't be completely yanked apart from her family. But she also knew that the longer she was gone, the less of a chance of that working.
The room then got sent into silence again, which lasted another forty minutes as they were all in different head spaces. Tony still wanted to be in denial, not wanting to believe he had a child. Nick was in a state of guilt and worry. And Pepper just wanted them to talk.
After a bit, Pepper finally thought of something. "So, uh, this entire time, I don't think I caught your name."
Nick glanced up at her, hesitating before answering while bending the truth a bit. "Dawn."
Tony, from across the table was watching her carefully, finding something similar about her and her mother. Besides looking a lot like her mother, the little girl seemed to have the same lying habit that Lorelai had. Whenever Lorelai lied or stretched the truth, a little crinkle formed between her eyebrows, and there was a little dimple that formed at the corner of her lips, as though she was keeping herself from frowning or smiling. He remembered teasing Lorelai about it when they were dating.
And as Tony watched the little girl across from him, he realized that she had the same tell as her mother.
"That's a pretty name." Pepper commented with a smile, before glancing at Tony. "Isn't it?"
But Tony just narrowed his eyes at her, "Yeah, it is. And where, again, did you say you were from?"
Nick looked towards him, with a shrug. "I never said."
"Okay... then, where are you from?"
"Um," Nick scoffed, though there was no smile with it as she narrowed her eyes at him. "Sorry, but I don't know you well enough to tell you that."
