CAUGHT 。PETER PARKER

6: The Meraki

An awkward silence washed over Tony and Talia Stark as they sat in silence at the dinner table that night, urging the other to say something. Talia picked at the burnt potatoes on her plate that Tony made last minute and turned away for a moment. Tony barely ever had time for Talia anymore, which broke Talia's heart, especially since he tried as hard as he could to win her back after the accident. Most of the time, Talia didn't even feel as though he was her father, but instead some old mechanical guy she decides to hang out with.

It hurt her.

"Hey, um, Dad, I have this form I need you to sign. It-it's for school," Talia killed the silence, sliding the paper over to Tony.

"Okay, but what's it for?" Tony replied, a tinge of irritation in his emphasis. Talia sunk back in her chair further, having to hear the irritation and dropping her fork.

"A trip."

"Has your mother signed it?" Tony shoved a carrot in his mouth whilst reading over the information.

"Do you really think she's in any state to be signing forms?"

"Do you think I am?" Tony smirked at his joke, hinting at his uncontrollably low mental health.

"Funny. She doesn't even pay the rent, I do, when I can afford it," Talia admitted not very proudly. Tony looked up at this point, shock covering his face.

"What's wrong with her anyway? She knocked-up or something?" Tony went back to eating.

"No! It's because of what you d— what the f—"

"Language,"

Talia scoffed blinking and then looking at Tony in disgust. "Willow told me that Steve came back from some mission all beaten up and sad, what happened?"

"Who's Willow?"

"My friend, not that you'd understand, quite imaginably—"

Tony slammed his hand on the table, making Talia's drink spill. "The girl killed a lot of people, not that that's any of your nosy business," he spat, throwing the paper down on the table and scribbling on it. "Here," he chucked it at Talia, making her flinch, "now leave me to eat in peace."

Talia frowned visibly. Tony's eyes rolled over to her and he held the bridge of his nose. "Look, Steve's really grinding my gears. He's not accepting that we need to work with the government and he's running from it—"

"I'm sure he has his reasons—"

"Leave me."

Talia grabbed the paper, snarled and left.

But returned and stated "and by the way, your potatoes taste like ass," before leaving again for her room.

Talia's door slammed shut as she looked out of her large floor to ceiling windows and dragged the curtains closed in anger, she grunted at the same time. The city lights only just smuggled through the thick curtains, discoing around her eyes. Sirens blared into the night and honking horns became an inevitable event at any time of day in the big city, which Talia was so used to it would occasionally disappear for a while before she would realise her brain had become so used to the alarms, it just faded them out.

It was Talia's fifteenth birthday tomorrow and she wasn't as excited as any young person would be. She wouldn't get any presents from her mother, of course, and Tony .... well Tony was too busy being a billionaire to give two thoughts about Talia. She wouldn't have any cake, which was very tragic, except the cupcake Willow and her mother made for her every year, both aware of her condition, apart from the Tony part. Nobody knew. Nobody. Apart from Tony, Steve and Rose (Steve's best friend — but Talia saw them as more than that) and all them. Every parents evening the only people who would actually physically be able to attend would be Talia and Tony, but nobody did. Nobody.

So Talia, getting the familiar melancholy she got every year as her gift from the world, hopped onto her abnormally large bed and bounced a few times before looking at her phone. No notifications, no calls, nothing. Her face twisted in different emotions, relief and disappointment. "Well then," she murmured to herself, placing her phone on the side and climbing under the covers.

♡

A recognisable bleeping awoke Talia from her dreamless night. She looked at the date and smiled tiredly. "Happy birthday to me I guess," she yawned, crawling from the bed and pulling on her clothes and getting washed.

As she walked out into the kitchen, nobody said a word. In fact, there was no difference in anything. No grand breakfast, no birthday hugs, no nothing. Just Tony, walking into the kitchen holding a cup of coffee and paper. Talia inhaled, trying her hardest not to scream at him. She sat down and looked across from him. He just stared back. "Nothing, you know, nothing-nothing different? No? Okay, well I'll enjoy my day. Thanks, Dad, not that you should even deserve that title for how shitty you are as a father. You know what, now I understand why Mum left you, you're a selfish man that cares for nobody but yourself. Happy birthday Talia, I hope you enjoy it, here take these gifts that I spent trillions on because that's the type of father I am! I care! I care Talia and I hope you know how much I freaking love you because you and you're mother are the best thing to ever happen to me!" Talia screamed across the table to her perplexed Dad, sipping his drink and not saying a word. "Yeah. I said it because somebody had to, I'm just glad it was me," She finished, standing up and leaving, grabbing her bag on the way out.

"You know, I don't even know why I bother coming over here. You never speak to me, let alone look at me. I'm your daughter, your own flesh and blood and you treat me like some stranger that you don't know how to ask to leave. Well, you know what, don't worry about it, you won't be seeing me again. And tell Steve and Rose I'm sorry, I know how much they love me. Almost as much as you and Mum should love me, but you don't," Talia breathed in in shock, completely flabbergasted at what she had just said. Meeting Tony's eyes briefly, she just about saw a hint of heartbreak inside him. Without another word, Talia had taken off down the stairs and towards the front door.

She got to the ground floor doors and walked out, stumbling straight into Alicia Pingleton. A wave of horror washed over Talia as she froze, noticing the cold drink spilt all down Alicia's flat body. "What the hell, Talia? Can't you see I'm walking here—" and then she looked at where Talia had emerged from and scoffed in astonishment. "What the hell were you doing in Tony freaking Stark's house?" She began to laugh in mock as she looked at passers.

Talia stuttered on unfamiliar words, having no clue on what to say. Regardless, Alicia wouldn't believe her, even if she stated facts — that Tony was, in fact, her father.

"He's, um, my Dad's friend," she lied, smiling nodding as if she sounded convincing.

"Oh yeah, as if, I bet you're just one of those creepy fan girls that looks up celebrity addresses and actually checks the place out."

"Well I bet you're one of those people that licks their fingers after emptying a packet of raw chicken but I'm not one to judge," Talia snapped back making Alicia's smug expression fall, "besides it kinda has 'Stark Tower' written right across the building so it's pretty obvious this is where he lives."

Alicia, still stunned at Talia's snapback, looked around. "Listen, I'm not the dumbass here, you are, so stop trying to confuse me, because it's working."

Talia let out a long lasted laugh as Alicia's face crumpled up like paper and stormed away. She let out a long-needed sigh and wrapped her cardigan around herself, thinking of the night before and how she had potentially messed everything up.