[2] FAR FROM HIM // t.stark

Prologue

DURING END GAME...

He was running out of food supplies. He ran out of oxygen. He didn't have enough proteins and he lost tons of weight and muscles. He had accepted his fate that if he was going to die, then he'll die.

     Then, Captain Marvel came when he almost lost his faith and brought him home. He didn't want to know how and why, but he was grateful more than anything. He took that as his second chance for him to live with his family, to undo what's broken – or rather fix them – with Pepper because he knows how he'd put Pepper into so many conmplicated situations. He wasn't thinking about his robots, or his cars, or his money as soon as he landed on the New Avengers Facilities yard, but he was thinking about Pepper his wife, and his daughter Terri.

Oh, Terri, thought Tony. Being closed with his only child makes him learn that they are thinking alike, and no 16-year-old girl should be worried about his father's disappearance. She should be worried about her final examinations, or her presentions that give credit for her academic profile. She should be worried what to wear tomorrow to school or on her first date, or about acnes and pimples on her skin. She should be worried about her grades, not him. Tony has left her little girl for months for many years, but this one. This one extremely hurts that he can't explain.

When he came down his jet he was trapped in for 24 days in the outerspace, he let this big sigh of relief, especially when he saw Pepper, the love of his life. The end of his lips upturned into a small smile though that was the best gesture he could muster because he was weak. He wasn't a fan of showing affection towards his other half in front of people. He was used to being professional with Pepper in public eyes even in front of his friends. As his knees shook, he braved himself to walk towards Pepper. He was longing to be in Pepper's warm embrace. Just a few more steps, he will be in the arms of his home.

Home....

Maybe this is what it feels like to be back home. Now he knows that home isn't necesserily mean a place because it could also be a person. He didn't have a home before. Not even when his parents were still alive. Not even when he had the tallest Tower, or the biggest mansion. Not even when he had all his techs underground in his lab, hidden so that no one could override the system and steal. But now, in Pepper's embrace, he feels like home.

After a while hugging, Pepper pushed him slowly so that they are looking into each other's eyes. They had been seperated months before, but the feelings were different than this one. As Tony looked into Pepper's eyes right now, he felt tough, awesome, like his burden were lifted, like there were nothing happened that he could worry about. Truly, he's s changed man.

"Where's Terri?" Tony asked weakly, excited to meet his daughter. Terri looked like him, except her eyes. She has green eyes like her mother's. Terri is brave, quick-witted mouth and stone-headed like her father, yet humble and wise like her mother. She doesn't know how to build robots. She's not friendly with technologies like he does, but she does business with a great deal like her mother. Tony knows she will be a good businesswoman one day.

"Why's she not here? Isn't she excited to meet her father?" Tony peaked over Pepper's shoulders, bombarding his wife questions that she didn't even have the answer.

The shine and the hope in his eyes made Pepper's heart surrowed. Her lips turned into a frown. Her face turned sad. She doesn't know what to tell Tony. Is their daughter dead? Many didn't believe so. But if she isn't dead, where is she now? Pepper watched Terri disappeared into thin air in dust form with her own eyes, just like how Tony watched Peter gone.

"Tony..." Pepper squeezed Tony's shoulders. She opened and closed her mouth, not knowing what to say, but Tony watched as her eyes turned glassy and she quickly burried her face into Tony's shoulder and cried her eyes out, for a moment forgetting that her husband was still weak.

Tony stood still, astonished with the news. Is this exactly what he is thinking? He's listed some things that he'd like to do with Terri once he landed and homed. Things that he knows it would be fun to do as family, as daddy-daughter duo, as lab buddies, as business partners. He felt like a 16-year-old girl to have a bucket list, but now, those dreams are broken.

Tony felt her heart stopped. As his world turned black, he stumbled back and Pepper quickly cought his arms to avoid him from falling on the ground. Rhodey was fast enough to catch him before his head hit a sharp stone in the grass.