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𝑮 𝑳 𝑰 𝑻 𝑪 𝑯
❝ 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚌𝚘𝚣𝚢 ❞
╰ ⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸⊸ ╯
ㅤ𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀 𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 as she tried to find a way to make the yellow graduation toga look good on her. She had just finished her makeup, and underneath her toga, she wore light skinny jeans, a white long-sleeved polo, and a pair of black pumps. She groaned, pushing away her ash brown hair that reached mid-back.
She scowled, muttering, "Who the hell thought this was a good color?"
It was finally graduation. Just a few weeks ago, during the time her aunt had a convention in DC, Maria spent the whole three days with the pack instead of being home alone in her aunt's big house. She ended up spending most of her time with the other imprints, bonding with Kim the most.
After figuring out that there was an upcoming threat, she spoke of her opinion to the council, Sam, and Paul, not wanting to involve the others in case the threat won't be as severe as she thinks. They had agreed that the safety of the tribe comes first, especially the imprints.
She stepped out of her room and descended the stairs. As she reached the bottom, Aunt Vic was there with a bouquet of white roses in hand. But what surprised her was Happy, Pepper, and even her godfather whom she calls Uncle Rhodey, standing next to her aunt, each holding a present wrapped in silver and white.
"Surprise!" Pepper exclaimed walking forward to give her a one-armed hug as her other was carrying the present. "Congrats, honey."
As Pepper stepped away, Rhodey came forward, giving her a kiss on the temple as he gave her a hug too. "We're so proud of you, kiddo."
With suspiciously watery eyes, Happy came forward next. Maria could've sworn she heard him sniffle as he hugged her tight. "You did a great job. We're happy for you."
Last but not the least was Aunt Vic, whose grin was almost blinding. The doctor gently handed the bouquet over to her.
"Congrats, ladybug," she smiled softly, before hugging her tight, making sure not to squish the roses. "Lucky for us," she began, leading her over to the dining area with everyone following. "You were in your room the whole morning and, well..."
The dining room was covered in mostly silver and white balloons, streamers, and fairy lights, with a banner on top that looked to be handmade. 'CONGRATULATIONS,' it spelled, with random stickers on it, and a drawing of Iron Man and War Machine flying together, no doubt Tony's idea.
"We, uh, made the banner," Happy sheepishly admitted, clearing his throat while a glancing at Aunt Vic who gave him a grin full of adoration. "The four of us, and your dad."
"Speaking of Tony," Pepper started, placing her present on the table, "he's just finalizing your present, that's why he's not here right now." She then grinned, exchanging excited looks with everyone. "It's a present we all decided on, and we really, really hope you like it."
"With you guys planning it...I'm a bit scared," Maria admitted with a laugh. "Well, still, I look forward to it."
"Well then," Aunt Vic spoke. "Pictures!"
They spend almost an hour taking pictures, ranging from posing with the balloons, the banner, each adult with Maria, Maria by herself, and so on. Can't forget the group pictures.
"Haven't we taken enough?" Maria complained. "I'm gonna be late!"
Aunt Vic tsked. "You won't be late. I'm gonna be driving you there, and I'm gonna be in the audience. So will Paul and a few of his friends."
"What?" Maria asked incredulously. "They're coming? To my graduation?"
"Why not?"
"Well..." Maria almost wanted to blurt out that they're shapeshifters who're willing to step into the vampires' turf, but held herself back. "I mean, I'm not sure who's coming, but there's some beef with them and the Cullens, so I'm surprised."
"They're not gonna be there for the Cullens, they're gonna be there for you," Aunt Vic emphasized. "Now, let's go before you actually are late."
"When we were five," Jessica began, "they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Our answers were things like astronaut, president, or in my case, a princess." Laughter rang throughout the gym. "When we were ten, they asked again, and we answered rock star, cowboy, or in my case, a gold medalist." Jessica took a moment. "But now. that we've grown up, they want a serious answer. Well, how about this: who the hell knows?"
Maria grinned from where she sat, next to Angela who nudged her as she cheered at Jessica's words.
"This isn't the time to make hard and fast decisions, this is the time to make mistakes," the salutatorian continued. "Take the wrong train and get stuck somewhere. Fall in love...a lot. Major in philosophy, because there's no way to make a career out of that. Change your mind, and change it again, because nothing's permanent. So, make as many mistakes as you can. That way, someday, when they ask what we wanna be, we won't have to guess; we'll know."
Cheers erupted, and Maria couldn't help but give her friend a standing ovation while letting out a laugh.
Soon enough, Maria was walking across the stage. She could see her Aunt Vic applauding for her. Then she heard loud cheers from the back of the room and laughed when she saw Paul, Embry, and Jared jumping up and down. Her boyfriend had a wide grin on his face.
Maria laughed as she walked arm in arm with Jessica, stepping out of the gym and into the lot with the rest of the student body and their parents. Paul was walking beside her, looking down at her with a smile as he followed, the sound of her laughter acting like a drug for him.
Aunt Vic was waiting by her car, but her expression made Maria pause, but the girl shook it off and thought nothing of it.
Until a familiar sound filled her ears.
Gasps of shock and murmurs of confusion broke out, with teenagers whipping out their phones, as Iron Man flew into the lot. He hovered for a moment before fully dropping to the ground with his knees bent. Everyone watched in anticipation, wondering what the superhero could be doing in their tiny little town.
He straightened his posture and the suit opened up, revealing Tony Stark wearing a crisp designer dark gray suit and tie ensemble. He was grinning, that much they could see. He scanned lot, before his grin widened even more. They watched with bated breath as he began walking towards Maria, who was frozen in shock.
"Dad?" She asked breathlessly, her hands trembling. Jessica and Paul shared a quick grin, helping her stay upright, placing a hand on her shoulders.
"Hey, kiddo," Tony smiled softly, giving his daughter's boyfriend and best friend—who knew he was going to attend the graduation—a grateful nod. "Surprise."
"You...what..." This was one of the few times Maria Ayutthaya-Stark was rendered speechless, her eyes scanning her father's face as if doubting the fact that he was standing there in front of him. "You...you're here..."
"Yeah, I'm here, Mia," he whispered, before stepping forward and wrapping her in his arms. "I love you so much, kiddo. Congratulations." At this point, Maria was sobbing into her father's chest, her resolve breaking as she hugged him tighter.
Jessica and Paul stepped away to give the two some space, walking towards Aunt Vic who gave them a hug each.
Everyone else just stood there like statues, not knowing what to make of what's happening in front of them. Angela's jaw was dropped, and Eric and Mike's faces were pale. The Cullens all looked to each other, some of them nodding, thinking, 'It all makes sense now.'
Edward's brows had furrowed as a migraine hit him full force, almost knocking him off his feet. Bella gripped his arm tight in confusion as he doubled over in pain, realizing now that both Maria and Tony Stark had the same ability to give him headaches, an impossible feat given he's a vampire. He ignored how Rosalie, who decided to attend for Maria, was smirking at him.
"Now I know why it's so hard for me to read Mia's future," Alice mumbled to herself. "She and her dad are indecisive and reckless, and their minds are in constant motion." She turned to face her telepath brother, who looked like he was going to puke. "Edward?"
"God," Edward groaned. "It hurts."
"W-we should go," Bella stuttered, almost dragging her pained boyfriend away from the scene while narrowing her eyes at Maria.
Maria sniffled, before looking up at her dad. "What are you doing here? I thought..."
"It was about time," Tony shrugged. "You're an adult now. And despite my really bad reputation and long list of problems, I've raised you well. Of course, Pepper, Happy, Rhodey, and Vic did help...a lot." Maria giggled. "And I can't wait for you to take the world by storm. I know how much you wanted to be who you are. So, no more hiding. You are Maria Stark."
Maria let out a sob.
After eating an early dinner with her family, Maria got herself ready to attend the party that's been dubbed the 'party of the year' by her fellow graduates. And because she's earned the title of being the most stylish girl in the school—dethroning Alice Cullen—and was known for wearing cool, tomboyish, clothes to school every day, she decided on wearing a black lace bralette top that showed off her toned stomach, and because she wasn't wearing a long-sleeved top for once, the muscles in her arms were on full show. She paired it with brown cargo pants, and to finish it off, she wore a pair of white chunky sneakers.
Her dad had teased her, saying that he was going to let her—just this once, he said—get shit-faced drunk. Pepper and Aunt Vic slapped him over the head for that one.
Now, it was the after party. Every single student who recently graduated was inside the Cullen house. But despite their wonder over how modern and beautiful the house of the 'mysterious' Cullens was, majority of them were huddled around Maria.
"You're Tony Stark's daughter?" Mike asked incredulously, watching as Maria took a sip from a cup she's been sporting for a good majority of the time she's been in the house.
Jessica, who stood by Maria, gave him a smug look. Maria laughed at Mike's expression before nodding, "Yeah, yeah, I am."
"No wonder you're so smart," Eric gaped, an arm slung around Angela's shoulders. "And rich!"
"And Jess, you knew?" Angela asked with an amused scoff.
"Of course, I knew," Jessica rolled her eyes. Now that everyone knew the real identity of her best friend, she was basking over the fact that out of everyone in the entire school, she was the only one who knew. "It may have been an accidental discovery, but still, I knew and you guys didn't."
Maria threw her head back in laughter at Jessica's words, knowing how long Jessica's been holding herself back from telling everyone who her best friend really is.
"Jess, no need to brag," she teased, taking another sip. She was sure the punch was spiked at some point.
Jessica rolled her eyes fondly. Nudging Maria, she gestured towards Paul who just walked in, looking lost and somewhat ready to attack whoever approached him. "Mr Tall, Dark, and Handsome's just arrived."
Maria grinned, before unlinking her arm with Jessica to meet Paul halfway, dodging the other students.
"Hey," she greeted, "thought you wouldn't be coming."
"Why?" Paul jokingly frowned, his tense posture relaxing as his hands found their way to her waist. He squeezed a little, causing her to let out a giggle. "You don't want me here?"
She stepped forward, her skin flushed as his warmth enveloped her completely, placing her arms on his shoulders. "Just thought you wouldn't want to step foot in the house where your enemy resides."
Paul hummed, pulling her closer, grinning as she bit her lip. "Yeah, well, I came here for you." He leaned down and gave her a peck that made her want more, causing her to chase it, giving him another peck. "You seem...happy."
"Well, I've got many reasons to be happy," she smirked. "I just graduated, my identity's been revealed, and I've got a boyfriend who's literally and figuratively hot. Of course I'm happy."
Paul laughed. "Did you drink already or what?"
Maria pouted. "Maybe. I'm a hundred percent sure someone spiked the punch. With what? I don't know, but," she placed one hand on his chest and trailed her fingers up and down, causing a shudder to run through him. "It's got me tipsy."
"So, when you're tipsy, you're touchy."
"Maybe."
Paul laughed again and leaned forward to press his lips against hers passionately, one hand moving to the back of her head, fingers weaving through her hair. This was the first time the two made out this intensely, and the fact that Maria was willing to do this in public made him groan into her mouth.
As Maria pulled away, she smiled. But then she saw Jacob enter the house with Embry and Quil tailing him. She nodded at their direction, "They're here too?"
The shapeshifter turned to see what she was gesturing at. He kissed his teeth. "From what I know, Jacob and Bella had a fallout. Bella apparently punched him and ended up breaking her hand," Maria snorted, "so why he's here is a bit of a mystery to me."
Embry and Quil saw the two almost immediately and smirked. Embry walked towards them first. Though his posture was tense, just like Quil, he relaxed when he met eyes with the couple.
"Well, don't you two look cozy," Embry teased. "A little too cozy, even."
"Shut up, Embry," Maria rolled her eyes fondly, untangling herself from Paul, frowning when she saw Alice stop in her tracks. Of course, Bella was quick to check on her friend.
"The decision's been made," Alice spoke, and given that Maria was only a few meters away from the stairs, she could easily hear her. Despite not knowing what she meant, the Stark heir felt a chill run up her spine. She shared a look with Paul, before focusing all her attention to the conversation.
"What's going on?" Jacob asked, but he was ignored.
"You're not going to Seattle?" Bella realized.
"No, they're coming here."
author's note: two updates within a week?? who is sheeeeee O-O
anyway, like i said, since it's back to following the movie timeline, writing's much easier now. definitely gonna write immediately after publishing this.
HOWEVER!!! some of y'all expressed interest in me writing a criminal minds x avengers crossover, so i was wondering, should it be a hotch or a spencer fanfic?
basic character info: she's pretty badass. headstrong, opinionated, but smart and sophisticated. she's also gonna be played by catriona gray. she's gonna be half filipino half american (so it's an easy citizenship type thing). won't be revealing anymore until i publish it, but yeah, i can't really publish it rn without finalizing who she's gonna be paired with.
so please, hotch or spence???
anywhooo i hope you guys liked this update! please don't forget to vote and comment what you think! and don't hesitate to point out any spelling or grammatical mistakes. thank you!!!