Alyssa Morgan Stark - daughter of famous genius, billionaire, playboy and philanthropist; Tony Stark, and remarkable Pepper Potts.
As her father finally gives in on her begging to come on a mission, she meets a certain silver-haired boy as she strug...
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"I don't understand what we're doing out here." said Alyssa as she looked at Kendra with knitted brows.
After Alyssa got back to the training area, the girl didn't hesitate to start her lessons again. She would never admit it but Kendra grew on her, and she found it surprisingly easy to relax around her.
After they met again, Kendra resumed her lessons for an hour or so before proposing to move their lessons outside since the weather was nice and the training area started to get stuffy. Right now they stood on 'the green field', which was basically just a massive balcony with greenery all over the place. Pepper told Tony it would be a nice addition to the stale, modern tower, and she was right. Up here the air was much fresher and the sun seemed to be brighter as it shined through the leaves.
Alyssa stood in the middle of the balcony, surrounded by flowers, bushes, and small trees. Birds sang, and Alyssa put a hand over her eyes to shield them from the beaming sun.
"I thought I still had to learn." Alyssa said to Kendra, who has closed her eyes as she soaked up the warm sunlight with a smile.
"You are learning." she said. "But there's many ways to do so. Come here, sit with me."
Alyssa walked over to her, sitting down in front of her. Kendra opened her eyes and smiled at Alyssa.
"I already told you how your powers can connect to the soul. But what you still need to learn is how. So, close your eyes and follow my instructions."
Alyssa did so, closing her eyes and breathing softly.
"We're outside because there's life here. The trees, the flowers, the birds, even the light itself, it all has a soul. You can't find that in a sweaty gym." Kendra chuckled. "You've already done an amazing job on how to stay at peace and strengthen your mind today. We're now going to use that knowledge."
Alyssa gulped nervously, biting her lip. "Are you sure that's safe?"
Kendra smiled kindly, although Alyssa couldn't see it. "Yes, I'm sure. I'll be here the whole time, don't worry. I just want you to reach out and feel the life around you. You'll sense it immediately. Start whenever you want, Ally. Take it slow."
Sense it immediately? Let's hope so.
"Ok...ay, I guess I can do that." Alyssa said. She took a deep breath and started to ease her mind. She found that thinking of happy memories worked the best for her. A small smile came onto her face as a feeling of comfort and joy settled in her chest. That feeling quickly grew as she felt something else mingle with it, something even warmer and more pure.
This has to be it.
"Open your eyes, Ally." whispered Kendra, smiling excitedly. Alyssa opened her eyes slowly, gasping as she saw tendrils of warm, orange energy emitting from her hands that were perched on her knees. They glimmered in the light, looking almost sparkly as they floated in the air. Around them, the leaves seemed to grow greener and the flowers bloomed in pretty colors as they opened their petals to the sun.
"See? Your powers are beautiful, Alyssa." Kendra grinned, reaching out to admire a rose next to her.
Alyssa couldn't believe it. This felt different than the last times she used her powers. That time at the Barton's home she felt like she was suffocating, the orange tendrils leaving behind feelings of hopelessness as the burning heat choked her. But this time it was pleasantly warm, a giddy feeling spreading inside her chest as everything around her somehow got brighter.
In her excitement she lost control, and the energy around them faded, the flowers closing their petals as everything seemed to grow duller again.
"N-no what happened? I did it!" Alyssa exclaimed, looking down at her hands, wanting that feeling back in her chest again. Kendra quickly reached out to her, calming the brunette.
"It's okay, Alyssa. We'll work on sustainability, don't worry. But for now, this was way more than I expected. You did great." she smiled brightly, her eyes wide in surprise.
Alyssa sighed but nodded, thanking the blonde quietly.
"You wanna take a break?" Kendra asked but Alyssa quickly shook her head.
"No, let's go again. I can do this." she insisted, closing her eyes once more.
"Are you sure? I don't want you to push yourself. If you ask me, you've done more than enough for today." Kendra asked again, worry flowing into her tone.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Alyssa replied. Kendra hesitated for a moment but then agreed quietly. They went on the rest of the afternoon, Kendra correcting mistakes every now and then before she could finally convince Alyssa to stop for the day.
After they parted ways, Kendra went to her guest room to take a shower, and Alyssa headed to hers, desperately in need of a nap. She opened her door, halting her movements halfway when she saw someone standing next to her bed.
Tony had a framed photo that stood on Alyssa's bedside table in his hands, an unreadable expression on his face. He sighed softly, biting his inner cheek to stop his tears from falling as he set it down again.
"I wish you were here Pepper. Our girl needs you, because like always, I screwed up." he sighed.
"Dad?" Alyssa asked quietly, stepping slowly inside her room. Tony jumped, awkwardly standing next to his daughter's bed. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Uh, this is my room?" Alyssa responded, a dry chuckle escaping her mouth.
Tony closed his eyes for a split second. "Right. I just thought you were still training with Kendra."
"I was. We made a lot of progress, I think..." she said, plopping down on her bed with a loud sigh. Tony was still standing next to her with his hands behind his back. She gave him a questioning glance, and Tony cleared his throat before hesitantly sitting down at the end of her bed.
"How'd it go?" he asked quietly.
"It... went well. I still need to learn how to hold onto my powers for a longer time, but..." Alyssa trailed off, opening her hand slowly. Tony's eyes widened as he watched it glow, tiny orange tendrils flowing around her arm. "I learned something."
Tony furrowed his brows as the glow faded. "I'm so proud of you, Ally."
Alyssa gulped, her eyes not being able to hold eye contact as they flitted across the room.
Tony had a small, loving smile on his face as he reached out to tuck a strand of loose hair behind his daughter's ear. "And I'm so sorry. I know it was wrong, but I really only tried to protect you."
"I know." she replied, still not looking at him. "And I... I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled at you."
Tony laughed quietly, pulling away. "You had every right to, sweetheart. I'm surprised you don't do it more, I'm annoying as hell." he chuckled. "I should... I should go now." he stood up, making Alyssa look at him with a small smile. He crossed the room and opened the door but hung back as he smiled gently at Alyssa.
"I'm glad it's going well with Kendra, Ally. If you ever... I don't know, want me to be there, I will. I love you, sweetie." he said, closing the door behind him.
"I love you too." Alyssa whispered after he left, lying down as she pulled the covers over her. Her eyes were heavy as she looked at the picture on her bedside table; Tony and Pepper, slightly younger, as they held onto a much younger Alyssa, her hands in her mother's hair as she blew a raspberry on her cheek with Tony clutching his chest in laughter.
A single tear stained the glass but Alyssa was way too tired to see it as she closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep.
