𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐖 - PETER PARKER

| chapter 2

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ALLIAH SILVERA STARK WAS NOT UNFAMILIAR TO PAIN.

Pain was a familiar face. She'd spent her whole life in pain. It came in waves, flooding her body until she was drowning.

Alliah wasn't sure when the pain started. Probably a couple of days after the incident. After a day of Tony Stark trying to take care of his kid went wrong.

Alliah never blamed her dad for the pain, for her powers, for the incident. No, Alliah had never dared to even think for a second that it was Tony's fault.

Alliah did blame her dad for the abandonment issues. For the trauma as a result of being sent from boarding school to boarding school. For the lack of care Tony Stark seemed to show his daughter.

She'd told him so several times in the heat of an argument. But she always regretted it after.

And Alliah was used to knowing exactly how she felt about things. But she didn't know how she felt about the current situation.

She currently was curled up under the sheets inside her bedroom, which resided in the Avengers Compound.

She was drowning, trying to breathe through the pain.

A knock on the doorway startled her out of her thoughts. A momentary distraction.

"Hey, kid. Tony told me you were back for summer," Natasha said, a small smile on her face. Nat had always had a soft spot for Alliah.

Alliah was here because Tony had decided he no longer wanted her to be studying in a boarding school. And it was the perfect moment for a transfer, right during summer break.

A ghost of a smile appeared on Alliah's face. "Hi."

"Dinner's ready whenever you're ready."

Alliah nodded. "Thanks, Nat."

Natasha lingered in her doorway a moment more. "I heard you put up a fight.."

Alliah was supposed to be escorted to the Compound by SHIELD agents. But Alliah had never much liked the agents and their unreadable faces. So she struggled and fought as much as she could without fatally wounding the agents.

But then Tony had prepared for that. And she'd somehow been stuck inside that impenetrable cage. It wasn't like it was painful being in the cage. And it was quite large, and it wasn't claustrophobic.

Alliah grinned. "I had to put those training sessions to good use, right?"

Last year, Natasha had given Alliah a few lessons on self-defense, and though the girl always ended up with bruises all over her skin, she enjoyed spending time with Natasha.

"Tony will be pissed if he knows I taught you that."

"Who said he had to know?"

Natasha smirked. "That's my girl."

After an empty promise of accompanying them for dinner, Natasha retreated from my room.

And I sunk back into my state of pain.

***

"Hey, Mr. Stark?" Peter voiced after minutes of pondering the question over in his head.

"Yeah, kid."

Peter shifted in his seat. "I was just wondering if Alliah was going to join us?"

Tony glanced at the empty plate situated between him and Natasha. There was a small look disappointment on his face which made Peter immediately regret asking the question.

"No, I don't think she will."

Peter shoved a bunch of pasta into his mouth, just to have something to do instead of wallowing in guilt.

Steve looked up from his plate. "Alliah's home?"

Tony just shrugged.

Natasha answered for him. "She's here for the summer. Got here a few hours ago."

Sam's eyes darted around the table. "Uh- who's Alliah?"

"Stark's kid," Steve told Sam.

"Tony's kid?" Sam repeated. "Tony Stark has a daughter?"

Steve nodded. "She's... she's a very reserved person."

Tony scoffed. "Just say she's a little shit."

"Tony!" Natasha chided him, slapping his arm.

"What? It's true. I love her nonetheless."

Natasha simply rolled her eyes.

Peter was transfixed by the interaction. "She- Where'd she get her powers?" In a second, he felt uncomfortable as everyone's eyes were focused on him. "I-I just mean, normal people can't transform into a tiger- not that she's weird or anything, I-"

Tony sent him a look that screamed shut up!

Peter cleared his throat. "Right."

"Things happen. Alliah's had a tough life. She... she's constantly in physical pain because of her powers," Natasha said, her face softening as she talked about Alliah. "How she got her powers... I think it's best if she tells you herself."

Peter nodded. "Oh. O-Okay."

Peter saw the sadness in Tony's face when they talked about Alliah's powers.

But Peter didn't know that the food he was eating was Alliah's favorite meal, prepared for Tony especially for her.

Peter didn't know that it was a desperate attempt to lure Alliah out of her room.

Peter didn't know that Tony still held out hope for Alliah.

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