"The rumors are true people, the one and only Anthony Stark does have a child! The rumors were confirmed when our news anchor Todd Little recorded Scarlet leaving Stark Tower without a mask on! She goes by the fake name Theresa Woods, a junior in high school. Her real name is Theresa Paige Stark, the only child of Tony Stark, confirmed by authorities. Upon further investigation, it is confirmed that Theresa, commonly called Scarlet, has been part of the population to mysteriously disappear. More on the topic coming up at six, back to you, Lola."
The television buzzed with life in a dark room, illuminating the spinning chair in front of it. Tony Stark was leaned back in it, eyes staring aimlessly at the screen. His expression was unreadable as fluids were being pumped into his body by an IV hanging from a metal rod and hook. It was rolled beside him and idle for the past three hours, and he felt as the remaining drops flooded his veins, then only oxygen was left in the plastic bag.
His facial hair was way more grown in as his features were hollow from days without eating. The charcoal matted down hair on the top of his head was outgrown and falling to the sides of his face, which he didn't bother to fix. He hadn't moved for those three hours, only his eyes occasionally blinking and his chest falling up and down in a rhythm.
His left eyebrow hitched up at the mention of his daughter on the news. Well, now everyone knows. He watched as the newscaster explained who she was, but he his heart stopped then they showed her school picture.
Tessa stood in the top right corner, a bright smile on her face. Her ebony locks were straightened and perfectly laid by her side, her pewter eyes gazing into the camera's lenses with glee. She wore a black shirt that barely exposed her neck, and went down into sleeves.
She swarmed his hysterical mind, and he let himself wander and dive into her memory. He drowned as he watched her take her first steps in only a diaper on the fluffy carpet of his old apartment. Suddenly she was eight and smiling up happily at him, holding a trombone and bouncing, her excitement over the roof. She had just performed at her first concert, and the rush was finally hitting her.
But then she was ten, and on the floor in the corner of a dark, dripping room, curled into herself, body rattling with fear. Bars and cement walls surrounded her, engulfing her in one of her greatest fears, the dark. She was in the heart of a HYDRA base, and Tony quickly pulled the bars away, making her attention immediately turn to him, tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. "Dad?" She asked shakily, and that word she uttered would forever be engraved into his mind. The way fear dripped off her voice, yet mixed with relief. She scrambled up with a cry and collided into his Iron Man suit, holding onto it for dear life. Sobs echoed throughout the base as he got out of his suit and held his daughter, hanging onto her as if she was his lifeline. Because she was the most important thing in his life, ever.
Tessa was thirteen and in Stark Tower, standing in the center of the training room, her hair barely lower than her shoulders. She was facing a metal target, an outline of a person staring at her. "Hey, pumpkin. Everything okay?" Tony asked from the doorway, she turned around quickly, hair splaying around her. She breathed in shakily and proceeded to nod, turning back around and facing the target again. He walked over and stood next to her, hands in his pockets. He looked down at his daughter with a smile, but it slowly turned into a frown of concern. "Theresa Paige Stark, what's wrong?" She sighed and looked down at her shoes, kicking gently at nothing. "I'm afraid that I won't have control over myself, and I'll hurt someone." He walked closer to her and took his hands out of his pockets, palms landing on her shoulders. "You've been training for three years, pumpkin. I trust you with my life, I know you have control, I know that you can balance it. But hunny, I know it's hard, but I promise you I'll be with you every step of the way." "Do you pinky promise?" She asked, her eyes shining and wide. "I pinky promise."
Then Tony Stark was ripping his house apart, kicking down doors and checking everywhere in a desperate search. He had just come back from the beach with a tied up Vulture and figured out that it was her blood. "Tessa!" He cried into the silence, "Tessa, please be here pumpkin!" He was blinded by swarming tears as he stumbled into the wall in her room, a sob rising in his throat. Then he heard a faint call, "Dad?" He'd never run faster in his life as he tore into the hallway. There she was, standing in the middle of two frames, water dripping off her form. He took her into his arms with his body rattling in fear and relief, his cries escaping his lips.
But then his mind always went back to that replay that never left his mind, and his eyes began to water at the memory. He was standing on gravel, watching as Stephen Strange cracked and turned pale, then his face broke apart, and he dusted away. He watched as his daughter collapsed onto the gravel, dust flying up around her. Peter walked over and squatted down, reaching his palm out to comfort her. But his eyes widened as he saw her feet crack, and he whimpered while beginning to walk over. But as he blinked, the more she disappeared into the air, the more horror she had on her face, the more he got closer. But then she was gone, one with the air surrounding him, floating away. And in that moment he begged to be taken away with her, for he knew he couldn't live without his only daughter. But then Peter turned to him.
"Tony." He was snapped out of his thoughts when his name was being called, and he blinked back into reality. The eleven news was on and talking nothingness to him, and he turned his head slowly to see Natasha standing next to him, a plastic bag filled with fluid tucked into her hands. She sighed and began to replace his old bag, the crinkles filling the air. He breathed out shakily, and she frowned, "The least you could do to yourself is think of a good memory of her, not her last one."
His breath faltered. That's always what happened - it started with a good memory of her, a wonderful, happy one. Then it slowly dwindled to her turning to dust before his eyes in just a few blinks, and he silently whimpered at her retort. You didn't watch what I did.
"My daughter is gone." He whispered, she perked her ears to hear his soft words. "I lost the most important thing in my life, Nat. I lost the reason to keep breathing."
The girl finished equipping his fluid and grabbed the empty bag, looking down at him with her lips pursed. She could see it clear as day - he had no hope. And it was gone the second his daughter disintegrated before his whiskey eyes, along with Peter.
"They wouldn't want to see you like this, you know." She broke through the silence, and his expression remained unreadable.
"Last I recall, you told me recruiting him was a bad idea. Now you're going to play the guilt card on me with Peter?" He sassed back after a pause, breathing out shakily after. "You told me that it was the dumbest thing I'd ever done, recruiting a fifteen year old kid." He abruptly turned to Natasha, and she could see the fire and pain burning in his eyes. "This whole time he survived and has done nothing but make me proud. The snap took him away from me, Natasha, the snap!" He leaned back against his chair, forcing tears to stay coating his eyes, blurring his vision, "Theresa was stabbed and we had no way of making it back home. It seems like she would've died either way."
"We don't know if they died—"
"Well they aren't here, are they? They're gone, Nat, and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it. I lost both of them." He whispered the last sentence while screwing his eyes closed, utter defeat surfacing over him yet again.
"And we can get them back if you would just talk to Steve." Natasha said, and instantly Tony's mood sparked again, a brighter flame as he abruptly stood up, turning to her. "Come on, sit back down—"
"Steve betrayed my trust the second he took Barnes' side, I will never work with him. And same for you, you're a traitor! I can't believe I ever thought that you would agree with me about the Accords, I can't believe I even trusted you! Get the hell out of here!"
"You don't mean that." The spy said while walking over, but he took a step back while shaking his head, "I really do, I want you and Steve gone by tomorrow morning."
"No one is going to be here to help you, Tony—" She tried, but he exploded, "I don't care! I'm better off dead!"
Natasha looked at him with fear riddling her eyes as her lips parted while taking a step back, just gazing at his hysterical form. He had truly lost all hope of getting them back, he believed that working with Steve wouldn't help. She knew that if he thought it would bring her back, he would've done it in a heart beat.
But that's the problem. If he doesn't believe they can come back, then everyone thinks that. Tony Stark is the brains behind everything, the technology, the plans. He's a genius, but he believed that they stood no chance of getting everyone back, and horror sunk into the spy's veins.
There has to be some way, there has to be something.
"Just sit down." She asked shakily, and he sighed angrily while obeying, slamming back down into his chair, his bones aching.
"Please, just get out." He begged after a moment, and there was a pause before he heard a door slam behind him. He sighed and put his head in his hands, tears instantly breaking through the surface and escaping his eyes.
+
There was a relentless knock at his door Sunday morning five years later, and with a groan he got up after a moment, silently hoping they would go away. Once he knew they wouldn't, he slipped on socks and walked down the hallway and to the main door, sighing before opening it, "For the love of god, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want Girl Scout Cookies?!"
Tony's eyes widened as he finished his sentence. It wasn't a young girl, this was a grown ass man. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the man with dark hair said, "Um, I don't sell Girl Scout Cookies, but my daughter does—"
"What do you want?" He interrupted rudely, longing to throw himself back into his bed of despair. The man cleared his throat and began to sway from leg to leg, thinking of the right words while twiddling his fingers together in thought.
"Um, you're Tony Stark." He began, and he rolled his eyes, grabbing the door and swinging it closed.
"No!" The brunette yelled while slipping his fingers in the door, the wood smacking against his knuckles. He squeaked in pain while kicking the door open and walking in, blowing on his fingers and waving them as tears stung the corners of his eyes.
"First off, rude—"
"What the hell are you doing? Get out!" Tony yelled.
"Wait, no! I'm Scott Lang! Remember me?" The man said, and he tilted his head, not having a clue of who he was. "Oh come on, I was at the fight in Germany, Leipzig I think, at the airport! The big one that threw a fire truck?"
"You?" Tony growled, his eyes blazing. "You know I can still call the cops on you, right? You're still a fugitive that I don't want in my goddamn home!"
"I thought it was a water truck! Will you just listen to me?!" Scott begged, but he shook his head, walking closer to him while moving his arms, "Nope, now get out of here before I call the government—"
"I was stuck in the Quantum Realm!" The brunette suddenly cried, and Tony halted instantly, looking at him with wide eyes, his figure stiffening. "I was stuck there and I somehow got out, and now everyone's gone." He slowly began to walk toward him, "Tony, I think I know how to get them back."
"The Quantum Realm isn't real." He hissed back, but Scott shook his head numerous times, "Please, you have to believe me, it's real. Hell, I can show you it. You have to believe me dude, I've been stuck in it for five years, and it felt like five hours!" He paused for a moment, his eyes beginning to water, "I need my people back, I need Hope back. You can't tell me you lost no one."
Tony stiffened at the sentence, his lips pursing while redirecting his gaze to the wall behind the brunette. He blinked repeatedly while swallowing hardly, then whispered, "I lost my daughter."
"Then let's get her back." He whispered while taking a step forward, extending his hand. Tony looked down at it hesitantly. He believed getting his daughter back was an impossible task, but this gave him a chance, hope. But this guy could be completely full of shit for all he knew. He pursed his lips and sighed. He knew what he had to do.
He grabbed his hand and shook it once.
He was determined to get Tessa back, whatever it takes.