Steel Meets Iron

Chapter 5

She smelled exhaust and felt heat on her skin, people were shouting and screaming as Raven hid her face in her hands hoping all the noise would go away. That she would disappear but the shouting just got louder. She curled herself, putting her head in between her legs praying she would disappear and no one would see her.

"What the hell happened?"

"Move!"

"Get outta the way!"

"Are you crazy?"

"Someone pick that kid up already!"

Someone touched her head. "Are you hurt?"

Raven opened her eyes a man was kneeling down and smiling at her, not a creepy one but a nice smile. He had a trusting face, messy hair, plain clothes that gave no air of importance rather they made him more approachable and he had a duffel bag swung over his shoulder. Raven felt at ease with the man right away. She shook her head remembering that he had asked her something. The man helped her up dusting her off, he even wiped her eyes with the back of his hand.

"Where's your mother?" He asked.

"I wasn't w-with my mommy," she hiccuped. "I just wanted to go to the park."

"By yourself?" He looked around the street, no one seemed interested in her anymore. "Aren't you a little young to be wandering around by yourself?"

She shook her head sniffling. "I'm not little."

The man gave a soft laugh. "Who were you with then if not your mommy?"

"He's a friend. He's about as tall as you."

The man scratched his head at a lost for a moment on what to do with Raven he looked around the block. "Do you live around here?" She shook her head. "Do you know your address?" She shook her head. She felt quite stupid that she didn't know anything, he probably was thinking it too. He ran his fingers through his hair. "What were going to do in the park?"

"Wait till someone finds me." It sounded clever to her but the man did not like her plan at all.

The man raised his eyebrows, "By yourself?" She nodded. "How about I wait with you huh?" She nodded once more, he was just waiting with her and he didn't seem creepy at all.

The man was quiet, he hardly spoke and followed her wherever she walked. He was didn't look worried or cranky that he was following her around. His face was straight, nearly expressionless. He was weird she decided, a nice weirdo. He didn't watch her, not really, like those creepy old geezers that smiled all the time, this man hardly smiled. Not a happy smile.

"Don't you have somewhere to go?" She asked outright stopping at a bench. He had been going somewhere but he had dropped everything to help her, he hardly knew her. It struck her as quite strange and awfully kind of him. Too good to be true.

"I can't leave you alone now can I?" He replied neutrally. "Didn't people teach you not to talk to strangers?" His tone was playful but she felt like a thicky since he was right.

"You're not so bad. Swings!" She screeched seeing a playground. "Swings! Swings!" She took off running latching on to the vacant swing, she put her cello case down and pushed herself on the swing. The man still didn't leave leaning on a tree nearby, keeping watch. Elated from her discovery she waved at him, he waved back. Why couldn't Tony be this nice?

Tony never played with her and Pepper was always busy. This man wasn't playing but he didn't look grumpy about keeping her company. She liked that. Sometimes she felt that Tony didn't want her around him so much, he always would peep at her as if he forgot she was there, like he had expected her to leave. Pepper would look at her weird too, a confused look like when a baby was crying, it was still cute but you didn't know what to do to make it stop. Her daddy did neither of those things, he would work at this desk and she would play in front it, he never peeped at her but he always knew when she moved or got up. He would smile and muss her hair kissing her cheek asking her to play Clue with him, or play him a song on her cello. He loved having her around. He would take her in his arms and giving her kisses telling her how much he missed her and how much he loved her.