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"I'm sorry, every one of those men undressed you with their eyes atleast once, curly!" Olive yelled from the other side of Natasha who sat perched in the middle of the backseat of the taxi. Tia and Brandi went back home, Olive was joining the two redheads at Natasha's for their ritual friday night sleepover.
"Well, I work for them so technically they shouldn't be doing that."
"But, you said it yourself. It never mentioned it in your contract!" Nat pointed as the cab pulled up to her building in China Town, they paid the driver and hopped out. Heeled feet click against the pavement as they make their way to the fifth floor.
They skip into Natasha's dark modern studio, Olive immediately undressing to climb into the spare sweats and tank she leaves at Natasha's.
Nat changed as Poppy slid into a hoodie and walked towards the window to the fire escape balcony. Dainty hands carry a cup of water, dropping a sleepy time tea bag in before climbing through the narrow studio exit.
"You okay, Pop?" Nat leaned her head on her arm as she hung through the window. Poppy locked eyes with her friend and shook her head.
"Am I stuck on self destruct?" Her eyes were sad and her brows pressed together.
Nat shook her head, "no. You're impulsive, full of life, and you thrive under pressure or when surrounded by excitement. But life hasn't looked like that in a long time."
Poppy nodded and lifted her sleepy water to her lips. "I just got hired and I already want to do something that could ruin it," she looked out into the city lights below. The horns and yells somehow calming to her inner chaos.
Nat climbed out and sat next to her friend, leaning her head against the railing across from the lost sea green eyes. "You're never going to find any version of peace until you face the music of your reality."
Nat's eyes intensely stare at Poppy as she nods, "I have to talk to my dad?"
Nat nodded and bit her lip, "he is the reason you came to the city after everything."
Poppy locked eyes with her friend, "well you were a big part of that decision, Red." She wiped her eyes, feeling the tears brimming, despite her fighting them.
「 When you dig holes in your mind to hide your trauma and pain, it will always remain just shallow enough to haunt you. 」
"I know enough about the man after a simple hack into his corporation and another he had a hand in. I'm just so fucking exhausted of disappointment. He will undoubtedly be another part of the endless carousel of let downs."
Nat tilted her head forward and grabbed her friend's hand.
"Then own those feelings and be yourself, you'll never know until you do. I can come if you want. But you are off to a new exciting chapter with BBR. It's time to say your piece to the one chunk of your life you avoided for too long. You need to meet him, he may not deserve it, but you do."
Sea green eyes gaze at her best friend's evergreen stare with a small half smile, "Natasha, I'd be lost without you."
The older redhead laughed as she crawled back into the window, turning and holding a hand out. "Yes you would, now lets get some sleep, tomorrow will be a big day."
"Get up, Curly," Olive ran her thin tan hand through the thick coiled orange locks sprawled across the large king bed in the middle of the black and grey studio. Poppy scanned the room, "Nat left already?"
Olive nodded as she slipped into a pair of Natasha's dark jeans. "She told me to wake you up before I leave, so I did. See you next weekend, curly girl."
Poppy waved, "bye olive branch." The two chuckle as the tall thin brunette strutted through the black and gold door, disappearing into the dark brick hallway.
Poppy scurried to Nat's closet. Finding a short red skirt and a white men's dress shirt. She smirked as she slid into the shirt and tucked it in. She looked herself over with a smirk, her feet slipping into the black stilettos from the night before. She walked into Natasha's bathroom and did a quick layer of mascara with brows, and found a bold cool red lipcolor that made her giddy. "Meeting Dad, what am I doing?" She wiped the lipcolor.off and tossed it into her purse with a mischievous giggle, "Nat won't miss it."
She rolled her eyes as she grabbed her bag and locked her best friend's apartment.
Natasha and Poppy met just after Poppy graduated ten years ago. Her mother took her on a trip to NYC, the city she was born in. The young curly haired redhead loved it, every inch of the chaos that never slowed, she was seventeen at the time. Natasha was teaching a dance class that Poppy attended for the sake of her mother, the ballerina. Nat instantly found a connection with the young soul that was hungry for more. Nat was six years older than Poppy, but sisterhood was quickly formed, even while countries apart.
The speck of a girl with a spitfire attitude, was intensely curious, and captivating to the redheaded dancer with a quick tongue of her own.
Poppy didn't know then but her father bailed on her mother that day, solidifying Anastasia's decision to keep her daughter, Poppy, from Tony Stark. Unbeknownst to Poppy, she was a secret that never made way to her father. Anastasia Ember was a world renowned ballerina that was injured in a horrible fall on stage at the peak of her ballet career. She met Tony Stark that year, falling pregnant after a short rendezvous, he never knew he had a daughter.
Anastasia Ember was a selfish woman with an addiction, and enough secrets to ruin many lives. She never took the time to become the mother Poppy deserved, but all of the animosity inside the young twenty-seven year old was aimed toward the man. She thought he left her behind in a life that still haunts her, not that she admits it to anyone, not even herself.
Pale feet covered in black stilettos strut forward. Her red painted lips smile when she feels the intrigued stares as she walked towards the elevator. She ran her hands down the sides of her red skirt, realizing at that moment is was quite short on her bare legs. Fuck she knew it was too late and she shrugged it off.
The door dinged open on the floor marked Tony Stark, she stepped out into the small sitting area of the office floor. She leaned against the tall red front desk, "I need to see Tony Stark."
The nervous woman with a short pixie cut, chestnut colored hair smirked up at her with narrowed eyes. "Do you have an appointment? He doesn't typically do Saturdays."
A small delicate hand pushed a wad of spiral fiery hair over her shoulder, "tell him a girl called Ember is here, I assure you, he wants to see me."
The woman's overfilled eyebrows pinched together as the small curly haired girl turned on her heel to look around the gold and red accented room.
"Uhh, sorry to bother you Mr. Stark. There is an Ember girl here to see you." The woman looks at the phone confused, it clicks as she says Ember girl.
She faced the only door in the room, glass with a gold handle. She didn't know why, but she wasn't nervous. It's like all the animosity she held inside her was carrying her confidently towards seeing the man that let her down.
The glass door swung open to reveal Tony Stark, dressed in a fitted navy blue three piece, his necktie long gone in the late morning. His face unshaven for atleast a week as his face carried an apparent stress.
Tony's face contorted to shock when he looked into the intensely familiar sea green eyes. There stood a terrifying reminder of the brutality of time, "Anastasia?"
His voice was shaky and he shifted onto his right leg, the emotions in his eyes made the hard exterior Poppy was carrying fall away. She knew after one word, her mother never told him, and suddenly she felt sad for what never was. She watched the nerves flooded over his features as he slips his hands in his pockets staring at her.
"Anastasia was my mother, I'm Poppy." She looked from his kind brown eyes towards the woman gawking from behind the desk.
Pale thin arms cross infront of her chest as she tilts her head towards her clueless father. He nodded and led her into his office and closed the door, he studied her for a moment.
"How old are you?" He asked quietly as she let out a chuckle.
"Yes. Tony, I'm your daughter. And I'm guessing from your reaction she never told you."
She plopped down in the overstuffed red leather chair center room. Smiling up at him as the shock filled his facial expression.
"How's your mother?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. She locked eyes with his, brows pressed, "she's dead, Stark."
His eyes widen as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. "I'm so sorry. How- How did it happen?"
Poppy screwed her eyes shut, realizing how unprepared she was for this spur of the moment decision.
"Mum was an addict, she overdosed," she spoke plainly as she walked over to look out his window. The perfect view of Central Park.
"What was she using?" He asked in retort quickly, sending the fury through her again.
"It doesn't matter. She was on a blended cocktail of multiple things when I found her, I did everything I could. She's been gone for a decade."
Tony's face etched pure sadness, "I don't know what to say."
She looked at him and stood up, "theres nothing to say." She admired the amazing view she saw from his window, "she tried you know."
He shook his head and look at her, "when?"
She took a step towards him as he studied her. "I came here after graduating with honors early. She never told me, but I knew as soon as she changed our plans and her mood changed. You bailed ten years ago, didn't you?"
His tight-lipped frown fell and his jaw was slack, he stared with an apologetic look. His entire demeanor defeated.
She nods, realizing she is in over her head, "while I'm unloading, I know everything I need to about you, Tony. Enough to know this visit was only meant to let you know I exist..twenty seven years too late."
She turned and took a large stride towards the door before turning to glance back at her father. His eyes sad and his demeanor more broken than he was when she arrived.
"She told me my dad was a dreamer that let himself drift from things that matter right into the clouds."
She shook her head, "see ya Stark."
She opened the glass door and walked confidently towards the exit, feeling him on her tail the entire way. He silently searched for the words to say, coming up short the longer he thought. He held the memory of the short time with her unforgettable mother for decades, seeing her spitting image infront of him was beyond confusing for the lost and depressed billionaire.
"Poppy, please." He pleaded as she pressed the gold down button next to the elevator.
"Tony, stop. I just needed you to know. I'm trying to grow here. It's hard with a cloud of animosity haunting me around every corner."
He watched as she nervously played with her fingernails, just as her mom used to. He tried to hide his smirk by biting his lip.
"I'm sorry my horrible decisions are affecting your life, I hope you have found some slice of happiness?"
He looked at her as the gold elevator door opens and she steps in quickly. He waits a moment and steps in with her just as the doors start to close. She groans and looks up at him, "slice of happiness? Yeah fucking right. Some days I'm happy, others..." she glances from his stare to her hands.
"Tony, I'm a felon with no family and a sick sense of humor."
She waits for his upset reaction but he softens. He nods, "drugs?" He looked with sympathy and she shaked her head.
"Never," she closed her eyes, "I saw what they did to mom. I'll stick with booze and earthly substances."
He nodded with a chuckle as the door opened and she strutted forward, heels clicking below her against the white tiled flooring. "What for then?" He yelled and she laughed and shook her head.
"Go use all the money and power to figure it out."
So he did, within an hour he was in his office searching up everything he could find on this mysterious genetic connection he never knew existed.
"My daughter hacked Avenger Co. And Stark Industries completely under our radar. That's impressive." Tony muttered as Bruce worked on his computer across the table. "Her work was always so clean, its hard to see how she even got caught."
Bruce let out an airy breath, "she got ahead of herself. Sound familiar?" They chuckle at the thought.
Removing his glasses Bruce looked at his old friend, "I can't believe you have a daughter, how're you feeling about it?"
Tony shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Considering she looked just like her breathtaking mother and is a felon at 27, I think its safe to say I'm out of my expertise here."
"Yeah, good luck with that. Here is her information. Advice as your lawyer, be very careful. Tread lightly," Tony nodded and looked at his friend, "and advice from my friend?"
Bruce smiled and put his glasses back on, "be the father she deserves. But be patient. Based on what I can see, she didn't exactly have it easy." Tony gave his best friend a tight lipped smile.
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