As if he wasn't unsettled before, now Tony has to attempt to comprehend that his five year old, abused, introverted, selectively mute child has weird ninja assassin skills that allow her to go up against the literal Black Widow without even breaking a sweat. Being an incredible athlete is one thing, this is another.
Her tiny hand clings to his as they walk through the corridors but her eyes don't lift from the floor. Not a word has left her mouth since the gym and a nagging thought at the back of Tony's brain worries that she isn't going to talk again.
Giovanni walks a few steps in front, checking over his shoulder regularly that Gianna is still there. His shoulders are a little more tense than before, signalling to the mechanic that both of the twins are on edge.. and at this point, who isn't? Everybody is shaken and confused, unsettled.
They take the elevator down to the lobby, the metal box filled with a silent nothingness, resembling something like an itch that you can't get rid of. Gia's eyes watch the numbers decline, the white lights flashing all the way from seventy-three to zero. After what feels like an eternity of an awkward interval, the doors slide open and the strange voice in the ceiling announces that they've reached the lobby.
It's pretty impressive, Tony is still silently proud of the room himself. The walls and floor are constructed of a dark marble, pretty much screaming rich to every single person who lives in New York. Glass makes up the entire front wall, spinning doors allowing a steady stream of people to enter and leave of their own accord. People in business suits mill around the reception, exchanging files with the occasional phone held between their shoulder and ear.
Anyone who wasn't searching might not have noticed the ordinary-looking couple with a small boy and a bear making their way through the lobby, too distracted by the owner of the building exiting the elevator with two children.
They make a beeline straight for the people with the dog, greeting them with gentle words and smiles before retreating back into the box they came from. No one is given a chance to question the odd situation, left questioning whether it actually happened.
Meanwhile, Gianna can't fight the smile on her face.
Although moments before she felt like her life was over, now she's stood with her favourite people and her favourite animal and for the minute that's all she's thinking about. The fluffy dog sits diligently and protectively at her feet, his eyes seeking out her face every so often to make sure she's okay. His fur tickles a warm kind of comfort on her legs, his head level with her chest. Admittedly, Gianna is not a big five year old.. in fact she's incredibly small, but that doesn't change the fact that Nemesis is a huge dog.
Ben has an equally as huge dog bed slung over his shoulder, grinning down at his nephew and the twins as they babble about kid things. His wife holds a bag containing numerous different dog toys and snacks, a just as fond smile on her face as a result of the excitable children.
Tony pretty much forgets about what just happens for the first few minutes. Gia and Geo are so content and he's getting another glimpse at the ordinary children under the timidity and silence. It's just nice to see them like this without thinking about the more sinister side to the twins that he can't quite figure out, no one can quite figure out.
They get out in the common room, ditching the dog stuff in the corner of the space to be sorted later on. Nemesis does a perimeter check, sniffing every corner and checking for crumbs around the kitchen. Once satisfied that the place is safe, he returns to Gianna's side and presses his head against her hand for a rub.
Gia happily complies, sinking her fingers into the fur and massaging the animal until he practically slumps into her with a grunt of contentment. All three of the kids giggle at the dog and fuss over him on the floor.
Tony sits with Ben and May at the breakfast bar. The three drink coffee and talk about nothing in particular whilst the twins and Peter mess around. They manage to get Nemesis excited enough that he tries to climb on top of Gianna and then they laugh so hard that Tony begins to worry that they aren't breathing. It's a sight to behold.
May smiles fondly at the kids, placing her mug on a coaster. "It's nice to see Pete smiling, he's been an absolute grump without his best friends".
Humming in agreement, Ben rests his chin on his hand, his elbow propped up on the table. "He's missing his dance partner, keeps asking us when he can dance with her again".
The billionaire's brow knits momentarily, "They can dance now if they want, the merry men are in the gym but they won't mind pausing their waltzing for those two". In all honesty, he doesn't care whether the team will care or not; this is his building and he dictates who gets to use what and when. This is more important.
May quirks an eyebrow, "Pete?". The brown-eyed boy turns his head towards his aunt, curls bobbing. "You wanna dance with Gia?".
As expected, both of the kids jumped at the chance, pretty much bouncing all the way down to the gym. Gianna seems to have completely forgotten about her earlier upset, a smile permanently fixed on her face, eyes bright and sparkling. Though not involved, an identical smile graces Geo's lips, happy so long as his sister is.
The mechanic makes his entrance first, the rest of the mismatched group following behind him.
The Avengers, immediately sensing their presence, stop in their tracks. They're still on edge from Gia's earlier show, unsure as to whether or not they can trust her, which is crazy because she's five and absolutely tiny, but appearances can be deceiving and she's more than proven that in the span of one morning.
Subconsciously, Gianna's hand has found Ben's, clinging to it like a life line. He brushes his thumb over her small palm, drawing comfortingly regular circles to soothe her. She blinks at the adults in the room, cautious faces doing nothing to hide the tension. They know she's not normal, they know and there's nothing she can do about it. And it won't be long until they know everything, and then it's all over. She'll have to leave and she'll never see Geo or Peter or May or Ben ever again.
"Everybody against the wall, tots are taking over" Tony announces, ordering the actual Avengers to stand against the wall like playground children who pushed others over. Though disgruntled, they comply, reluctantly dragging their heels but leaning against the brick all the same.
Peter looks like a deer in headlights. When meeting Tony Stark, the literal Iron Man, he didn't freak out. Ben later pointed out that it made him look cool.. or at least cooler than usual, but really it was only because he was so excited and relieved to see Gi and Gi that he barely even noticed the man was there. But he can't really ignore this. They're right there, staring at him.
A strong hand grips his shoulder, shaking it carefully, "Breathe, Peter". His eyes meet Ben's, who smirks and sends him a wink before pushing him forwards gently. "Do your dance thing".
Gianna glances towards the team before blinkering herself, focusing on nothing but her reflection in the mirrors as she walks into the middle of the mats. Following her lead, her partner scurries to stand next to her.
In all fairness to them, May and Ben are also uncomfortable.. as are the majority of the Avengers. It's a generally uncomfortable situation. No one knows what to do or say or whether to do or say anything at all. Perhaps all of this was a bad idea.
Everything is silent in the gym once more as Ben fiddles with his phone, eventually calling out a simple "Cherry wine" to the two children who nod curtly and move into position.
And as usual, any negative emotion Gianna was experiencing at all completely dissipates as the first few notes are plucked. Her body moves of it's own accord, the dance imprinted in her muscle memory. Contemporary has always come naturally to both Gia and Peter, emotions being the main requirement and neither have any shortage of those. They just have to channel everything into their movements and then it's fluid and soft and easy, but harsh at the same time. They can jump and leap and turn, or they can stretch and fall and roll. Whatever the music makes them feel, they translate into action. It's a constant in their lives, the ability to transform notes into feelings and dance, something physical that they can bask in, something that makes them feel warm when everything is cold.
May has always been in awe, having never had any rhythmic ability at all. It blows her mind that a five and seven year old can create such beauty with nothing but each other and a piece of music. It blows her mind that they can fold themselves and morph into nothing and everything at the same time. It blows her mind that the purest beings go through the toughest things, that maybe the reason why both kids have such incredible ties to their emotions is because they've felt them so much more than other kids.. hell, more than other adults.
And when the room is silent again, the two kids just clinging to each other in the middle of a heavy space, Tony notices the scars for the first time.
His heart stutters, eyes tracing the two foot-long incisions down her back, evidence of something worse than he's aware of, worse than the twins are letting on.