Brooklyn Hearts

8

Tony came by Blaire and Lily's room and knocked on the door lightly. Lily opened it up and smiled brightly when she saw it was Tony. "Blaire's sleeping," she whispered.

"That's ok, kiddo. I came to talk to you. Come with me."

Lily grabbed her bear and closed the door softly as she walked with Tony down the hall. "Do you know who I am?" he asked her.

"Um, Tony Stark?"

He laughed and said, "Yes, but I'm also Iron Man. I made my own suits. Want to see them?"

Her eyes widened as she nodded her head.

"Do you like school?"

Lily scrunched her face in thought. "Sometimes. I went for a little bit and it was fun until I had to move. Then I didn't have my favorite teachers or my friends."

"Would you like to go to school again?" Tony held the door to his lab open for Lily to pass through.

"I dunno. The last time I was around kids they were all mean to me." Lily looked down at the floor, her eyes saddened at the memory.

"Hmm. Let me show you some of my stuff," Tony said quickly to change the subject. He showed her Dum-E, some lasers, an arc reactor, and his suits. "You can come in here any time you want as long as I'm in here. There's some pretty serious stuff in here but how else are you going to learn?"

Lily smiled at the thought of being able to go into Tony's lab anytime she wanted.

*

Blaire woke to someone tapping her shoulder and calling her name. It was Steve, crouched down close to her. She startled when she realized he was actually there in front of her and not a hallucination. "What?!" she cried out.

"Hey, I just came to get you for lunch, but you were asleep. I brought you some food instead. You need to make sure you're eating so you can get better." His face was laced with concern for her.

"Oh. Thanks." Her voice was flat as she was still tired and wary of his intentions. He offered her a hand to rise from the floor. She took it reluctantly as she rose with a grunt. "I'm just gonna use the bathroom real quick..."

"Sure, take your time."

Blaire went in and splashed her face with cold water to feel refreshed. She was a mess. She still hadn't taken a shower since she had been at the tower. Her hair was a nest even rats could appreciate. The nurse had cleaned a few areas on her skin but she was still feeling pretty grungy. A hot shower sounded really great at the moment. She walked out to the living area where Steve was waiting on a couch. "Hey, so thanks for bringing me some food, but I'm going to take a shower first. I'm feeling pretty gross right now."

Steve nodded in understanding. "Ok. The food is right here and if you need more you can just come out to the kitchen. There's more in the fridge." He stood and let himself out the room. At least she wasn't being hostile towards him. That was a win in his book.