[2] FAR FROM HIM // t.stark

Chapter Seven

Every night, when I go sleep, I always wish I got the chance to meet Dad in my dreams. Be it our old memories, bad or good, I don't care as long as I dream of him so I won't forget how he looked like when he genuinely smile or so I could remember the feeling of being loved by him. It was temporary as it was only a dream, but I'm desperate to see him and feel him again.

I remember the last thing we did when we spend time together. I just finished school and Dad picked me up by himself. Happy was not chauffering us. Since Dad worked more to himself after passing Stark Industries to Mom, he's comfortable doing the regular parent job like sending me to and picking me up from school, then take me to lunch after school. I know Dad knew that I have homeworks, but when I said I don't have one when he asked, he'd believe and would take me to the mall and we shop together. Not to mention working together at the lab in our old mansion in Malibu. We would get caught sleeping in the lab. Usually it was Mom who caught us, but Rhodey and Happy often too since they're the only people who have the access to Dad's lab aside from me and Mom.

Dad took me to the beach. He bought two sets of burger from Burger King – in which, our favourites are the same – and we sat on the lazy chair, under a huge beach umbrella, while watching people having fun. We talked and talked and talked. We rested for a moment. Dad had a phone call. Then, we talked more. That's when he got extra serious over our safety.

It started when Dad reminded me how careless I was. Not being on time, not being serious, always take things as jokes, always falling on flat surface, doing stupid things likes riding Dad's motorbike, mischievous. He made jokes between those, but then he got serious.

'I won't be around all the time,' he said, 'I need you to understand how to use the suit.'

'Dad,' I laughed. 'I won't be much farther up before falling back to the ground. You know how dumb I get when it comes to technologies.'

'No one is dumb, Terri, just not enough courage and motivation to learn.'

'Tell me how many times you taught me how to hack a celldevice? And how many times I failed and you gave up.'

'But you succeeded hacking Ross's security camera.' He smirked proudly.

I rolled my eyes. 'That was one time. Doesn't justify anything.'

Dad stared into space. He then sighed and when he spoke again, he said, 'I- uh- I've made your Mom a suit. Don't tell her yet. She doesn't like it when I wear one and I know she won't like it when I made her one. But it's everything she needs to protect her – and you – rather than my suit.'

'Why? Why can't we just use your suit to fight enemies?'

'First of, my suit is heavy. The one I built for your mother is lighter so it's easy for her to control. And the system I installed in her suit is, kind of, easy to understand than my suit. Hope when she sees the suit she'll like it.'

'You know, now that I think again, the only reason why she hates to wear that suit is because it reminds her of death. I mean, she probably thinks that she doesn't need one because she has you to protect her and fight for her. Happy can make use too, so she doesn't think she needs one.'

'Like I said, I won't be around all the time. I think it's time that she learns to fly one. Huh. Hope she likes it.'

'I hope she likes it, too. I caught her staring at your suits sometimes. Must be thinking it's good if she gets to fly one, one day, right? So, yeah, she will like it, don't worry.' I gave Dad an assuring smile.

Dad looked into my eyes to find my honesty. He smiled back at me. 'Meanwhile for you, I built this for you.' He handed me glasses case.

I raised an eyebrow.

He made a gesture as if to say, 'Be my guest.'

I opened the case and found out that there was pretty, square glasses, made of titanium like Dad's, but this one look more sporty. 'What is this?'

'Glasses.'

I laughed. 'No, I know, but I mean, what is this?'

'Put that on and let's see.' Dad watched me putting the high-tech glasses with bright eyes.

'Woah!'

The glasses switched on by itself as if sensing human's skin/eyes react as the power button. It quickly scanned my eyes and detected my name, my date of birth, my school records, my blood type, Dad's name, Mom's name. All the basic information you usually encounter when filling up a hospital form. All appeared beyond the glasses, floating in the air, 3-dimentionally.

The glasses doesn't sound, though, but its use is so much worth. For instance, while it acts like other glasses – everything is in normal colour like human's skin colour, green leaves, no blue-ish hue – it could also detect someone else's basic information: name, age, date of birth, body temperature, blood pressure, cholestrol percentage. Sometimes, it changes to detecting someone else's mood, but Dad taught me how to use the glasses according to subfunctions.

Although my glasses doesn't have an A.I like Dad's suit, but it has a voice detection. But even if I want to use it, I will have to specifically announces its particular mode rather than telling it like a friend.

'This glasses can be used by you and only you. All the functions in the glasses won't be activated by someone else or it will act as a regular glasses.'

'Nice.'

Dad smiled widely. 'I'm glad you like it.'

'How can I not?'

'You may not good with your brain–'

'Hey!'

Dad laughed. 'Kidding. I get it. Coding, computerism, science are too complicated for you, but that doesn't mean you can't do anything else. I know you're good at accounting. Your Mom and I think you should go to accounting school once you graduated high school.'

I smiled, touched that Dad saw me.

'I love your strategies when you help me building up new suits and gadgets, that sometimes I think you're a lot more complicated than my suits, but I know you love tinkering and that's the result. In the end, everything works perfectly just like your perfect ideas.

'Thank you for having faith in me and your mother's relationship. We won't be here now if it weren't because of you. I know that you'd be a miracle child once you were born and I've never looked down on you even though you didn't graduate high school at 15. One time, I have to realise that not everyone's the same. I'm the different one. You're a normal kid, trying to live a normal life, with a so-called normal parents. Though, I can't see myself normal because I've gone through so much worst.'

'Dad...'

'That's why I built this glasses four you instead of a suit,' he continued. 'This glasses only acts as a trigger because I know how your brain works. Once you're inspired and motivated, no one can stop you from doing your thing so continue to be that.'

I leaned closer to Dad, but before I could hug him, I woke up, gasping for air like I've been drowning.