Chances

Chapter Eleven

 "Mon, come on!" Alex bursts into my room. It is my sixth day of being on board the helicarrier. "We have got to get down to Banner's lab. There've been reports of unusual energy activity! Let's go-o!"

 "Hold on," I pick up my laundry basket piled high with dirty clothes, "Let me put this load in and I'll meet you up there."

 "Okay!" Alex dashes away from my room.

 With intense training everyday I am wearing through clothes quicker than I ever have. Surely I cannot be the only person who refuses to re-wear sweaty clothes. Luckily there is a small laundry room at the end of the hallway for all of us to use. I am unable see over the mound of clothes as I walk to the laundry room, but I know my way so I should not have an issue. I'm passing Natasha's room when someone runs into my left shoulder hard, causing me to lose my balance. I land on my bottom as my clothes fall out of the basket, littering the floor around me. I sit on the floor for a second a bit stunned by what just happened.

 "Sorry," Tony stops walking to offer me a hand up, "I was looking through the debriefing papers."

 "It's fine," I crouch back down to pick up my garments.

 "Is all you own plain flannel and skinny jeans?" Tony observes objectively, "But you live in California, don't you get hot?"

 "I'm easily cold," I answer, "And sometimes I wear shorts."

 "Did you know the whole time? About me?" Tony is blunt as he unexpectedly changes the topic.

 "Yup, there wasn't any real reason to hide it from me."

 "And you weren't mad that Pepper didn't tell me?"

 "Not really, I understood why. Sure, I got impatient when mom kept putting it off, but I still understood. I trusted mom's call to find a proper time to tell you, so I left it up to her."

 "Could you just call her Pepper? I'm still having issues seeing her as a mom," Tony huffs.

 "Nope, she's my mom and I will call her that," I grab the last pair of gym shorts lying on the ground.

 "Then why don't you call me 'dad'?" Tony shrugs with a bit of annoyance in his tone.

 "Because you've yet to start being my dad," I fire back as I pick up the refilled laundry basket.

 "Ouch, okay, yeah, I deserve that," Tony raises his hand for a second, "In my defense It's only been a week that I've known about your existence."

 "I'm not calling you to fault. I'm just saying I'll call you dad when I feel that you are," I start walking towards my destination again.

 "But how do I even be a father? Especially to someone who's already grown?" Tony is growing annoyed as he follows me, "It isn't easy for me. It'd be easier if you were a baby or younger, because then I actually have to raise you. Now you're practically already grown; I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

 "How about you actually talk to me instead of actively avoiding me? Find out what I like and dislike; start trying to get to know your kid," I widen my eyes slightly in response, "Then you can go from there."

 I do not want to admit that I am unsure of what to expect from Tony either. I didn't think about how you really parent someone who's already grown when you do not already have an existing relationship with them. I thought Tony would know what to do, but obviously I was very wrong.

 "What does L.U.C.I.S stand for, hm? Luscious Unicorns Carrying Ice cream and Sparkles?" Tony asks.

 "Seriously, you think I would build such a great piece of technology and name it that?" I respond to his mockery as he leans against the doorframe while I dump in my laundry, "No, it stands for Logistic Universal Central Intelligence System. But, he's Lucis."