STARK GIRL

Dancing Queen

Claire was ready. She had been practicing all night after returning home. She felt confident and positive. She hadn't eaten any breakfast since the butterflies in her stomach didn't allow her, but Tony forced her to drink a green smoothie, which Claire wasn't a fan of. Still, it counted as food, right? Mixed veggies and greens weren't appealing to Claire, green smoothie on the go. The thought of it always made her vomit. She was used to eating her veggies raw or cooked but never blended.
Today was the day! Claire had forced her foot down to not have Tony come. He would make her nervous. And to her knowledge, she had just found out he had a mission to go to. Something she still couldn't wrap her brain around.
Before Tony left, Steve had come to visit. He was in the lab with Tony picking up some stuff.
"Hey," Steve greeted Claire as he saw her  packing her gym bag.
"Hey," Claire smiled.
"You're going to a dance audition, right? Tony told me about how you just managed to nearly scream his ears off," Steve chuckled.
"It might sound childish, but I need to focus, and Tony can be distracting," Claire specified.
"If I mess up or a judge speaks ill, that person will be the one with their ears screamed off," She informed the obvious with a laugh. Tony would.
Steve grinned. "Good luck, Claire,"
"Thanks, you guys becareful okay...oh and please keep an eye on my brother,"
Steve nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
Entering the dance audition, Claire let out a sight and nodded softly to herself. I got this she thought.
"Claire Benavides-Stark," her name was called out.
Meanwhile, in sokovia, the avengers carried on with their mission.
Tony kept his mind clear once in enemy lines, and all the while, he hoped Claire was acing her dance moves.
Claire began to dance slowly. She could feel the judges eyes on her as egan to swiftly move and sway with the song. The music was very settled. An interpretation of Ben Platts grew as we went, and then the music just took over, controlling the rhythm of her movements, and Claire began to dance.
Meanwhile, Tony tried to find a secret path.
"Please tell me their a secret passage way," Tony whispered to himself. "Yay!" he exclaimed jokingly. He let himself in through a laboratory filled with gigantic machines and tools.
"Guys eyes on the target?" Cap was heard saying.
"Yeah, I got my eyes on something bigger," Tony told him.
Claire leaped in the air and twisted about hugging herself and twirling, once, twice adding a new dance move, the one she had been practicing on.
Tony searched the giant lab cautiously it was then that he spotted it. "Thor, I got eyes on the price, I'm taking it," he said. His arm was controlled by his Iron Man glove.
Claire had given it to her all. Breathing unevenly, he tried to catch her breath. In doing so, she waited quietly on stage. The silence grew around her, and anxiously, she awaited to see the outcome of her scores. "Ms. Sanders," tall white-haired man got on his feet. "We've decided... he paused, making it more dramatic for her. "We came to a vote, and I would like to inform you, welcome aboard,"
"Yes!" She jumped. She was the dancing queen, her father had said.
After returning home, Pepper was getting a few things together when Claire walked in and noticed Pepper walking around in circles.
"Where are you going?" Claire wondered.
"Oh honey! How'd it go?" She turned to her.
"I got in!" Claire couldn't help but smile widely.
"That's amazing!" Pepper smiled. "That's good honey!" Pepper congratulated her and pulled Claire in for a hug. Then Pepper paused for a moment and smiled once again.
Claire nodded. "So what are you doing? I thought we could go out and celebrate?"
"Oh, honey, I love to, but I have to fly to LA and get some things done for Tony at Stark company,"
"Oh," Claire said. She let out a sight.
"Tony will be back tomorrow," Pepper assured her. She grabbed a big handbag and grinned. "I'll make it up to you, I promise. Besides, Tony might have one for you."
After Pepper left, Claire decided to go into the kitchen to cook something for herself when Happy walked in. "Hey," he greeted.
"Hey," Claire smiled. "I thought you were flying Pepper to California?"
"No, I actually took a day off. Took a nap, seeming I had nothing to do, and then I smelled that green noodles you're cooking," he pointed to the pan.
"They are ready and very cheesy," Claire grinned.
"Well, then don't mind if I join you," he took a seat on the table as Claire took the pot. Happy grabbed two things of each, plated forks napkins and cups.
"I got in," Claire told him. Her smile widened.
"That's great. Let me get the wine, then. Let's celebrate your day!" Happy jumped up, still in shorts and a t-shirt. Tony won't know if this big guy is missing," he waved the bottle to show her.
Claire didn't care if Tony noticed or not she had called her grandfather to tell him about the news! But he was still asleep, and she didn't want to wake him. Pepper had left for work. She was now single, still heartbroken, and now it was her and Happy. So why not?
"This...I've heard is very tasty,"
Happy put some music on, poured her a glass, and both began to eat.
"You know, I've heard that dance is a way to show the world how you feel, like a song and a book or a poem,"
Claire laughed. "Are you trying to sound charming?"
"Aren't I?" He chuckled with a mouthful of pasta.
"Well, Happy whay do you love to do?"
"This," he looked around. "I enjoy working with your brother,"
"What is Tony like?" She wondered.
"Now, different," Happy paused. "Before his altra ego was way worse,"
Claire rolled her eyes.
"His changed," Happy assured her.
Claire began to poke at her food.
"To Claire!" Happy lifted his glass up after a while. He knew it wasn't what she expected at the moment but Happy came to realize that perhaps having Tony be here for Claire and Claire for Tony was something they both wanted and needed even though it was never voiced.
Claire raised her glass and clicked it gently against his.
That night was a blur, and Claire was awoken by a bright light chasing her to go blind. She hadn't realized what time it was or what had happened, but as she looked up, she could barely make out the shape that neared her. A shadow. Her head was throbbing, and she narrowed her eyes as she squinted to get a better look at the shape.
Tony picked up one of the few wine bottles that he had promised not to open. Well? Now it was empty. He sighted. But he didn't say anything.
Claire looked up at him and waited for him to say something. Her girlfriends, lyla and Tina, lay on different spots of the penthouse and a few boxes scattered. but nothing too crazy. Happy came out of his room and said nothing.
"Morning," Tony finally greeted them.
Claire sat up slowly. "Hi," she said.
Tony slightly glanced over to Happy before speaking.
"Hungry, let's go get something to eat." He said to Claire.
Claire simply sighted and laid back down.
"Now!" He ordered.
"Listen, we can't just pretend to have these little fits each time something doesn't go as planned. Believe me, I've learned the hard way."
Claire shook her head. "Is that what you think happened?" She chuckled softly. "It was at first, but then I went out, Happy drove me to Harper Club, where my girlfriends and I..." she remembered how they ordered pizza and drank away while Happy cleaned up and made sure the windows glass doors stayed locked. Three gaurds stood on watch by each corner, and in the middle of the floor, like a couple of teen girls, they sang, did their nails, and cried with Claire over her break up.
"Oh," Tony said.
"Didn't Happy call you?" Claire would suspect it.
"He did. He explained it... but I thought this was a cry for help, geez. " Tony cleared his throat, generally embarrassed.
Claire rolled her eyes. "I'm not twelve, Tony,"
Tony tapped the table after letting the awkwardness slowly slip away.
"Listen, I'm proud of you," Tony told her. He pulled out a small device that looked almost like a phone but wasn't and placed it on the center of the table. They had gone out to get breakfast at a very chill restaurant named Steve's Curveball sushi and breakfast.
"Kind of funky," Claire had told him. Once they got there. It seemed oddly warm and spunky.
"It's the best no one makes the eggs as good as steve," Tony defended the place. They took a seat outside on the corner, and now here they were staring into the screen, and then he pressed play.
Claire gasped. It was her dancing in her audition. "I had the future misses sneak in," he explained as he looked over at Claire.
"Tony...I," it was uncontrollable, and she began to cry softly. Now, she was starting to hate herself. Before, Tony, she could barely feel any type of emotion, and now she cried at everything! Geez, what was happening to her? With everything put aside, she gasped softly.
Pepper had seen her! Tony had seen her! She felt like such and idiot and such love all at the same time.
"I'm not missing anything anymore,"
Claire held back a few tears as a few rolled down her cheeks and felt terrible."You don't understand...I don't deserve you at all," she wiped her eyes. Feeling stupid. But last night, after she had gone clubbing, she wasn't doing it to rebel against Tony. She had seen Tommy with Tiffany, and her mind raced to the only thing possible. Heartache, anger, and disappointment. That's where Lyla and Tina came through. They kept her from making a fool put in herself.
Tony snorted. "You deserve me and I deserve you...we're family," while they sat here Banner was in his lab as the avengers tied down, to relax as they always did when they stopped at the tower but Tony had them scatter this time around. Except Clint and Nat. Clint needed to get aid first before leaving.
Tony didn't want Claire to be overwhelmed with his world. He wanted her to meet them in a proper way in a simple, most relaxed environment. At the party.
Claire clung herself to Tony by hugging him. And Tony responded slowly.
"Does that mean I'm forgiven? For drinking your bottle of wine?" She hoped she didn't have to pay them back. Yikes!
"If that's what you think, then im America's king," Tony chuckled.
Claire laughed.
"Now let's try those eggs." Tony told her.
Claire nodded and stared at Tony. How could she make it up to him? He was a great big brother. And now she owed Tina fifty bucks. Tony had forgiven her. That was a bet.