"I GOTTA TELL YOU, KID. I SAW THIS COMING."
Nina, who had spent the few minutes distracted by the beautiful minimalist interior of the Avengers Compound, turn around in an instant the moment those words left Tony Stark's lips.
Tony couldn't blame her for gawking at the interior, though. This was the first time that she had walked out of that dammed hospital room in three days of residing at the compound.
After Nina was brought into the Med-Bay and after her vocal chords were fully treated by a very attractive doctor named Helen Cho, a man named Rupert (he told her to call him Rhodey, she refused) informed her that both Illiana and Samara Viotto were both given life sentences to the Raft - a super maximum security prison for super-powered criminals located near Ryker's Island, NY. Prisoners have no contact with the outside world, and they never return to it.
He also told her that Valeria was gone. Just gone. When S.H.I.E.L.D raided their penthouse, all was left was a note on a table - a note stored in her pocket due to the fact that she hadn't gotten a chance to read it.
"You're joking, right?" the girl questions, finding it hard to believe that he actually saw this coming when she herself would've never thought that there'd be a day that she'd betray her family like this - a betrayal so deep that she shattered a family legacy into a million pieces as she did so.
"I am." Tony dropped the whole 'proud-mentor' act and decided to be plain honest, realization that the girl was nothing like Peter dawning upon him. "I was fully convinced that you were running off to your mom and I had S.H.I.E.L.D on the phone ready to get you and your family locked down, but you surprised me."
"I surprised myself," Nina retaliated, walking along the white tiles - where were they even heading off to? "Never in a million years would I have thought that I'd get my mo— Illiana arrested. Well, until I found out that she tried to get me killed."
"I guess I was right. The mommy issues were severe."
Nina shot him a warning look, giving no fucks that this was Tony Stark she was glaring at - renowned billionaire. Plus, to be fair, she still technically disliked the man.
"To soon?"
"Way too soon." Nina grumbled - although it was technically a big, fat lie. No matter how much she forced herself to, she couldn't feel anything towards her mom. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing and it scared Nina because she should've felt something. No matter how much Illiana had made her life a living hell, she had always loved her - and now she couldn't feel anything. It was all gone in a snap.
"Anyways, I'm surprised. You did the right thing." Tony quickly changed the subject, sitting down on a white table. He's about to tell the girl to take a seat, thinking that she'd wait for permission, but Nina quickly sits across the man without waiting for anything.
Ever since the day started, he's been making a mental checklist of the girl. Doesn't respect authority (which he sort of understood considering the last person she was under authority in turned out to be a terrorist.) Bad attitude. Stubborn - way too stubborn.
"S.H.I.E.L.D and I have been watching over your family for a while. Ever since Wisconsin. Actually, Cap once suggested taking you three in." Nina's eyebrows perk up at the revelation, and Tony continues. "But we didn't have enough evidence back then and kidnapping three children is normally frowned upon."
"What's your point, Tony?" Nina mumbled, frowning at the idea that this could've been stopped way sooner - that she could've gotten away from those bruises and wounds way sooner.
No need to dwell on the past.
"Straight to the point. Okay." he mumbles uncomfortably, grabbing a bunch of Manila folders from the edge of the table. "Since we couldn't find anyone to take care of you and your parents are off the grid, Rhodey forced me to sign as your legal guardian."
"What?"
"Yes. I know. I'm not exactly thrilled either so zip it."
"I don't need anyone as my legal guardian, Tony. I'll get an apartment on my own. I'll get money from—"
"From the bank? On what grounds?" he interrupted with a pointed glare. "You know that's illegal, right? I can't have you doing anything illegal especially now that Fury is all up in my shit for forcing him to get rid off all criminal charges on your side."
The girl gaped, feeling like a cold wind went right through her. Unconsciously, her fingers start to twitch beneath the table but she couldn't hide her surprise for the life of her. "You had all my charges dropped?"
"Thirty seven cases of felony assault and battery all in the span of four years. Six cases of kidnapping. Two cases of arson. You have the dirtiest record for a fifteen year old possible." his voice was unrecognizable, even to him, and he never thought that he'd work so hard to have all those charges dropped, but maybe it was the way he remembered the look on her face on that fateful day; the conflict, the anger, the sadness, every emotion that pooled out of her eyes - and realized that Nina Viotto was just a kid.
A kid, born and raised to be a soldier, a kid who's spent her entire life being fed with lies, a kid who was subjected to abuse, a kid who didn't choose the life she was thrown into.
He'd downplayed his actions - because Fury was hellbent on sending the girl to the Raft along with her family. But Nina didn't need to know that. Her head was big enough as it was.
Clearing her throat, Nina tried to shake away her nerves - pretending to be unbothered by the whole situation despite the fact that Tony Stark had helped her not fully sinking into her mine. "What does this mean for me?"
"Since legally, you are my responsibility now, you get to choose. I have several apartments everywhere in New York so just—"
"I might be your responsibility on paper, but I can take care of myself, Tony." Nina explained - she didn't like this. She didn't like feeling like she should be pitied just because of all the shit that happened. "I'll get an apartment. It's easy for me. I'll just use my powers."
"It's illegal."
"It's not illegal it no one finds out."
"Fury's keeping a giant eye on you and I'm not risking—"
"Then I'll march up to him, mind control him to get off my ass, easy peasy!"
"Can you stop interrupting me? Can you please stop interrupting me?" Tony sighed, voice raising an octave in annoyance. All of the sudden, he finds himself missing Peter's timid and soft presence because the girl in front of him was way too stubborn and it was killing him.
"No."
"Listen, kid. If I don't take care of you, that's on me. And the moment Fury sees you acting up and all that shit or whatever teenage angst you're going through, he's sending you to the Raft with your mom."
Nina bites her cheek, not appreciating the fact that she was getting yelled at right now. There was a small part of her that thought that she could get away with being rude since she technically saved Peter's life.
"So choose." Tony finishes, a stern look on his face. "Where do you want to live?"
Delmar's sandwiches pop up in her head. "Somewhere in Queens. Preferably near Delmar's Sandwiches - do you know that? The Deli?"
The man fumbled with his phone for a moment, pressing a few buttons before he faces the girl once again. "The closest I can get you is a twenty minute walk away."
Back when she lived at Manhattan, it took her more than an hour just to get a sandwich - Nina figured out that she could just opt for delivery services if she lived there. "Fine."
"Good. Cause Parker suggested that you'd live there and I had all your things brought up there last night."
Tony heard her cough - instantly giving a look as Nina did so. The teenage girl tried to ignore it, that feeling in her chest that felt so warm; warmness spreading up to her cheeks. In a moment, there's a light pink blush coating them.
Why am I like this? The girl questions herself, clearing her throat as she attempted to look calm and composed. Liking Peter is bad - it's really bad. Look at you! You look like a fucking idiot!
"He put in a good word for you, you know?" Tony was testing the waters, trying to see if his theory was making any sense. "Peter."
The girl shuts her eyes in dismay. She knew exactly what Tony was trying to do. This is so humiliating.
"He told me how you patrolled for a bit and did twice of what he could in the span of one night," Tony continued teasing her in his own, low-key way, but he also had a point that he was planning on making and this was the perfect opportunity to slip it in. "So, I'm here to give you a job opportunity."
"Job opportunity?" Nina repeats, finding herself shifting closer towards the older man to get a glimpse of what he was trying to pull out of his Manila folder. The idea of working was very unattractive to Nina, and she would much rather prefer spending the rest of her sophomore year doing nothing. God knows she deserved a little break.
Tony ignores her question, as usual, and continues to rummage through the endless amount of files - he's hissing and mumbling in frustration but he eventually just gives up, opting to grab his tablet instead.
Nina watches in a mixture of fascination and weird, tingly excitement - still not getting used to how high tech Tony Stark was. It wasn't like she was deprived of new technology, because she wasn't, but his tech was next level - and the girl was starting to feel like a grandma.
Then he presses a button, and at first sight of the hologram, Nina's breath hitches in her throat.
It's a design. There's a simulation of her (which, by the way, wasn't doing her nose any justice) and it's suddenly zoomed in onto her wrist. A small, silver pendant on her chain, which was tapped by the computerized version of herself.
Nina watches in awe, already imagining the feeling of the cool metal of the nano-tech start to spread across her arm and up her body. It was black that had soft accents of red, rather form fitting - metal that moved with her. Like a natural second skin.
"Of course, that's for when I think you're ready. By ready, I mean emotionally stable." Tony puts his head underneath the table, handing her a briefcase. "For the meantime, I designed this suit for you. Try it on."
It was almost hilarious to Tony - the sight of snappy Nina Viotto running towards the nearest bathroom to try the suit on. But as he watches the girl disappear, giddy smile on her lips and feet bouncing, he's hit with something he couldn't describe.
He moved on. He had tossed some of his guilt away with that suit. He felt better. But there was still something uncomfortable that remained - and the sight of Nina Viotto acting like a kid out of sheer excitement would stay with him for a long time.
...
NOTE:
woooooh we're done w/ homecoming!