A/n: Never ask a fanfic writer about the timeline, just go with it.

And also (y/b/f/n) = your best friend's name

Tony never expected to have kids. That just didn't seem to be in the cards for him. And if he were to have kids, then he'd want to wait until he lived out his younger years.

Yeah. That didn't happen.

Of course, he had all kinds of one-night stands coming back saying they were pregnant or that their kid was his. And he took them all seriously until either a) the math didn't add up, or b) the DNA test came back negative. Then he'd send the woman on her way and wish her well.

It all changed when a woman showed up. She had no bump or baby on her hip, but still insisted on speaking with Tony about his kid.

"Look, I'm sorry, I know you probably get all kinds of crazy people in here telling you that you have a kid. And I know it's stressful and exhausting. But I really need your help, Tony."

She went on to explain how the they had their... moment together about four years ago. She got pregnant, decided to have the kid, and also decided to not bother Tony about it, because she knew he didn't want a kid. Everything was going well.

Until the kid got sick. She needed help affording the treatments for her- their daughter. She only worked a minimum wage job and didn't have enough to cover everything.

Tony had to admit, this was the most realistic story so far, and he felt bad, so he agreed to get a DNA test just to be sure first. Although, in his mind, he figured he could help out a little anyway just because he wasn't heartless for crying out loud.

At the hospital, the doctors decided to get the test done first.

And for the first time ever, it came back positive. Tony Stark was a father.

While he may never have wanted to be on, that didn't mean he hated kids. Most kids, of course, because they were sticky. You were an exception. His lawyers drew up a contract and Tony hired a lawyer for his kid's mom so she knew what she was signing.

It was a perfect agreement, until she was killed in a hit and run. It happened just a couple years after you were all better. The three of you had a fantastic relationship going on, and Tony actually thought fatherhood was okay. Or, well, this version of it.

As per the contract, you came under Tony's care. He learned enough during those years with the three of you that he was pretty confident in himself, but he was still scared.

All he knew was as long as the two of you stuck together, you'd be fine.

~~

"Hey Dad, can I go out with (y/b/f/n)? They need to get an outfit for this event their partner is bringing them to," you asked when you walked into your dad's lab. He was working on some new Iron Man suit or some modification for one. When you got closer, you could also see the blueprints for the new Avengers Facility that was going to be upstate.

Your dad put his work down and turned to look at you. "You'll bring Happy with you?"

"Of course, he loves us."

"And you'll be extremely careful?"

"I always am, Dad."

"And you'll have your phone on you at all times?"

"Dad."

He smiled. "I know, I know. You know I'll always worry about you. And I know you know that. Have fun, okay?"

The two of you hugged. "I will. And I'll text you every time we go to a new store, okay?"

When you pulled apart, you turned and hurried away. (Y/b/f/n) may or may not already be downstairs waiting with Happy in the lobby. You knew your dad and knew he'd say yes. He only ever said no if there was a big mission happening or some huge enemy out there. As of right now, both were negatives.

On your way to the elevator, you waved to Clint and Natasha in the kitchen. Then, in the elevator, you got on with Bruce and the two of you talked until he got to his floor.

Down at the lobby, you exited and Happy was right there waiting for you. "Let's go!" you said. Happy nodded, and walked with you over to where (y/b/f/n) was waiting.

"Okay, show me the inspo so I know what to look for," you said, already looking at the open phone in front of you.

They opened up Pinterest and showed you. "I think the theme of the event is Great Gatsby-esque? So anything like that, really."

You nodded, and the two of you were off. Happy drove you two around from store to store (with you texting your dad every time you went to a new one, just like you promised).

Of course, there were some random people every now and then who would take creepy pictures of you from far away, assumably to post on some social media. A couple people were nice, though, and came up to you and asked if they could take a picture with you. You said yes, of course, unless they interrupted you while you were helping (y/b/f/n).

A few hours later, your bestie was successful and found the perfect outfit. They were gonna look fantastic tonight. At one point, your dad texted you and said he had the night off, so he wanted to bring you to a new restaurant. Their opening was tonight and he was invited.

You said yes, of course, and then tacked on another shopping objective: to get you an outfit. (Y/b/f/n) researched the restaurant and found out the dress code was more of a black tie thing, so you two started searching for the perfect gown.

It took a while, because you were picky and not the biggest fan of some of the more popular trends. That, and you knew there would be paparazzi at the opening. This meant people would see what you were wearing and figure out where it came from. You wanted to make sure the place you sort of "represented" was a good place.

You had a couple Pretty Woman moments where some employee in the store would give you and your bestie a look. That sent the two of you out pretty quickly.

The place you did end up buying from was a newer sort of boutique. The owner was there, she introduced herself as such, and was really great in helping you out. If she knew who you were, she didn't say anything. You hoped she'd get good business out of this.

You got back to the Tower, wishing (y/bf/f/n) luck with their night, then hurried up to your room (on your dad's floor) and started getting ready. You got JARVIS to ask for Natasha so she could do your hair.

When she came up, you had just finished showering and were about to start on makeup. The two of you chatted away while you both worked, trying hard to laugh too much unless you wanted to start over.

Then, she helped you get into your new dress (which she loved). While you two were working on that, you got a message from your dad through JARVIS letting you know your dad was waiting by the elevator.

You let him know you were almost done, and then went back to grabbing some shoes and a clutch from your closet to use. You shoved your phone inside and slipped the heels on, and finally you were ready to go.

Natasha gave you her arm and the two of you walked out to go meet your dad. It was kind of a funny sight- you, dressed to the nines walking with Nat, dressed in leggings and a hoodie. The two of you laughed about it as you came out to the living area where your dad was waiting by the elevator.

He looked up from his phone, putting it away as he did, and smiled at you. "(Y/n), you look stunning," he said, making you smile brightly. Natasha gave you a quick hug, then left the two of you, taking the stairs down to the common area.

Your dad pulled you into a careful hug. "You don't look to bad yourself, dad," you said, smiling through it so he knew you really meant that he looked really nice.

The two of you got into the elevator, and your dad asked about your day. "Oh it was good! (Y/b/f/n) found the perfect outfit, and your message was great timing, too, because we were finalizing accessories for their outfit. And then we roamed the streets like hooligans, looking for the best place for me to buy my dress. Of course, you know how I am with where I shop for events like these."

He nodded. "And I'm sure you found the perfect boutique to sort of advertise. You know, I really do love it when you do that," he said, and it made you smile quite brightly. Well, your dad just seems to always make you smile.

"Well what'd you do today? Work on more Iron Man suits and modifications?"

"Mostly," he answered, nodding a little. "I did do some more work on the new facility blueprints. I think we should be able to get a team working on it soon enough, and it should be ready in a little over a year."

You raised your eyebrows. "Wow, very impressive," you commented.

"I'm thinking we- you, Pep, and I- will have our own wing since this building is going to be only a couple stories, maybe a basement. But it'll spread out a lot more."

You nodded along, taking in everything your dad was talking about. You really did love to hear about everything he was working on, especially this new facility. Honestly, you were really glad you were able to live there with him. Pepper had her own place, because she just doesn't want to be around Avengers all the time, but she was up there a lot.

You were worried your dad would make you live away from all of the action. Sure, he worried a lot, but he worried more about you when you were away. That's how your mom died, and that's how Pepper was kidnapped last year.

Of course, you didn't mind. As far as fathers go, Tony Stark shocked everyone and turned out to be a fantastic one. You never had any doubts (and neither did your mom).

The elevator arrived at the first floor, and the two of you met Happy in the same place he met you a few hours ago. He led you out to the car parked in front of the tower and opened the back door.

"After you," your dad said, doing a grand bow and motion. You laughed and went ahead and got in.

"Why thank you very much." Once your dad was in, Happy closed the door and got in as well, driving you guys to the restaurant.

You weren't surprised to the see the massive crowd of paparazzi outside the restaurant. Apparently Tony was not the only big name invited to the opening. When the two of you got out of the car, you assumed your usual spots: you on your dad's right side (because you're one of the few things he did right in his life) with your arm in his.

The paps shouted all kinds of questions and pose-demands for you to follow. You ignored them, learning how to tune them out years ago, and just gave bright smiles.

The dinner was nice, and the food was surprisingly delicious. Sometimes these restaurant openings don't go so great. This seemed to be the exception. You and your dad talked the whole night, about his work, about your plans for after you finish your online high school sessions, and everything else. Conversation wasn't hard between the two of you.

By the end of the night, you were full and exhausted. You knew the paps would still be there, though, so you put on the energetic happy face you carried with you and faced them one last time.

In the car, your head fell to your dad's shoulder and you let out a groan. "That was delicious, but I am beyond stuffed and need to go to sleep."

Your dad smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Just try not to sleep in the car, okay? I can't carry you to your room quite as gracefully as I once was able to. If you gave me a second to get the Iron Man suit though..."

You fell into a laughing fit, your dad doing the same.

Despite what all the gossip magazines saying Tony Stark could never be a father and all the rumors they tried to start, the two of you had one of the strongest bonds anyone has ever seen. You honestly don't think you'd go back and change anything.

The next morning, you were scrolling on Twitter and saw pictures of you from the event. Some Tweet with over a hundred thousand likes was begging to know where you got your dress.

You retweeted and added, "This adorable new boutique! I was wandering with @(y/b/f/n) and we found this place," and you made sure to tag the boutique in the Tweet. After hitting send, you felt pretty good. You also knew you'd be revisiting that spot the next time you needed to shop.

"Ms. Stark, Mr. Stark was wondering if you would like to go with him to brunch?" JARVIS piped up through the ceiling.

You smiled, and got up out of bed as you answered. "Let him know I'm totally up for it! I'll be down in thirty if he can wait that long."

No, you wouldn't change it for the world.

~Fin~

A/n: first of all, here's the link to the Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeJYISiVrjOva5cAK09b02ECOwyAVFwdiZf5Yu_l1zcagwckA/viewform?usp=sf_link ! Again, it would mean literally everything to me if you guys could spend just a few minutes answering some questions for me :) Please let me know if something isn't working!

Back to the regularly scheduled programming, I hope you guys liked the imagine! I am so sorry for getting it out later than usual, but this morning while getting ready for classes I realized I had next week's imagine going for this week, which simply would not work (and you'll understand why next week) so yeah. I whipped this bad boy up this morning and then finished it up after class and lunch. I hope it's okay!

See you next week Lovelies!!!!!!!!!!!