"Nothing ever comes without a consequence or cost."
- Imagine Dragons

  "Harper ? Harper, why is the door locked ? If you don't open it, I will !"

  Her father's voice woke her up. Freaking out, she looked around before she remembered that Peter was there, which made her smile.

  "Coming right up, Dad ! I just have to find my robe !"

  She shook Peter's shoulders rather violently and as soon as he started mumbling, she told him to shut up. Despite all his objections, she pushed him towards the balcony. Peter had slept in his suit even though it didn't look comfortable at all and his hair was a complete mess. His tired eyes were still confused by this rude awakening. Harper couldn't help but blush as she saw him like this : he'd slept by her side. She ran a hand through Peter's hair before speaking.

  "You really have to go," she whispered. "I know my dad loves you but...let's not take any chances."

  He gave her the most beautiful smile in the world before climbing on the rail, almost ready to go. He put on his mask and got ready to jump.

  "Wait !"

  Harper made him turn around and she lifted up his mask so it would reveal his lips. She kissed him softly before putting the fabric back into place.

  "I'll see you tomorrow at school ?" she asked.

  "Of course."

  He then hastened to reach the closest roof and Harper didn't wait any longer. She put on her robe and opened the door to her father.

  "May I know why the door was locked ?"

  He didn't seem happy at all. Harper gulped nervously : she didn't know how to handle such a situation.

  "I don't know. Maybe it was a reflex."

  "You never lock your door."

  "Erm..."

  "Harper, I guess I don't have to remind you that this house is surrounded with surveillance cameras ?"

  Tony's facial expression changed radically. Suddenly his smile was back, putting small wrinkles around his eyes.

  "I know he came here."

  "Oh."

  "Did you guys make up ?"

  "I...I think so."

  "I wonder how he did it," Tony said sceptically. 

  "What ?"

  "Going up against a Stark is never a good idea. I mean, not if you want to live. What did he say to change your mind ?"

  "The truth," Harper answered. "Is it...is it okay if I keep this conversation between Peter and I ?" she asked, looking at her shoes.

  "Of course it is," her father said before looking more serious. "As long as he doesn't climb up into your room every night, it's okay. Otherwise... I'll have to crack down."

  Harper nodded and tried not to laugh at her father's warnings. He told her that breakfast was ready and that Pepper was waiting for them downstairs. Harper tightened her robe around her body then went to her parents, a smile spread across her lips – a smile that wasn't going to leave. When she finished eating her pancakes, Harper looked at her phone : she had a text from Peter.

  'Already ?' she thought. She frowned as she read the text. 'Put on the news.' Why would Peter want her to watch the news  ? She thought she would check. She got the remote and zapped until she found the right channel. She had to rewind it so she could see what Peter was talking about : she was dumbfounded. The doctor who had taken care of her was being interviewed. The headline, at the bottom of the screen, didn't let any doubt subsist : the words "Iron Man's daughter" were written in big white letters in the full light of day. Harper had expected the news to spread, but she didn't think people would know about it so quickly. Tony and Pepper turned their heads towards the screen as soon as they heard the doctor's words.

  "I was astonished, to be honest," he said. "When my colleague told me I was going to take care of Tony Stark's daughter, I didn't believe him."

  The report carried on with the interview of the nurse ; they had even tracked down the lady whose son had talked with Harper. The boy was really enthusiastic and let out the fact that flames could come out of her hands. His mother seemed embarrassed and tried to shorten the interview as hard as she could. Next thing they knew, Tony got his phone and called the company that had sent those journalists.

  "Do you really think it was okay to reveal so much information ?" he asked angrily. "What were you thinking ?"

  Harper could already hear curious people gathering in front of the manor. As if they hadn't already done enough, journalists had found it a good idea to reveal where she lived. 

  "This is invasion of privacy ! I could sue you for that !"

  "Tony..."

  Pepper put her hand on her husband's forearm as she tried to calm him down. At the other end of the line, the manager explained himself the best he could : the information the doctor had gave them (in exchange for a great deal of money) was too important and valuable for the channel. They couldn't afford no to reveal it. As to the revelation of their address... Tony gave them a hard time. Harper sighed and couldn't help but think about the day that would follow. How would the other students act ? Comforting herself the best she could, she thought about how Peter would stay by her side, how he would support her. She called him.

  "There's a lot of paparazzi's outside my house," she complained. "They gave the press our address. I don't even know how I'm gonna get out of my house tomorrow."

  "Can't you take the back door ?"

  "Yeah but they're all in the front and I have to go that way... Dad will drive me to school anyway."

  "I'll wait for you there. You're not gonna go through popularity on your own," he comforted her.

  "Thank you," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I got you involved in all of this."

  "It's okay. I'm glad you did."

  He couldn't see her blush from the other side of the phone. She thanked him again for the information and when she ended the call, she noticed a lot of new alerts. Even her fake name had been said on television and her social media (which she barely ever used) was now filled with messages.

  'Wow, I can't believe this girl lives with Iron Man.'

  'So she knows all of the Avengers ?'

  'Do you think she can control fire because some experiment went wrong or something ?'

  'I bet it's not even true.'

  'Do you think she's his actual daughter ? Tony Stark's quite young, isn't he ?'

  Harper couldn't understand how they could say that and not feel ashamed of themselves. They were talking about her on her own social media and they weren't even talking directly to her. She was mad at those people, mad at those journalists, mad a that doctor who had sold her identity. She was so angry that she decided to speak for herself and posted a message.

  'Everything you heard on the news is true. And yes, you only know about it because someone thought his own wealth mattered more than the identity of an actual human being. Anyway. I read your messages and I was struck by your arrogance. I'm a person, a human being, and my father's identity won't change that. To answer your questions : yes, I know the Avengers. Those who are your heroes are my closest friends, my family ; my powers didn't come from a failed experiment, not that this is any of your business. Happy ? Yes, my dad is the man you call Iron Man who's wealthy and powerful and protects the United States of America. To me, it's Dad, the man who raised me and who I love more than anything in the world. So if you could respect my privacy and get the hell away from my house (I'm talking to you, the creepy stalkers waiting for me to get out), that would be great. Sincerely, Harper Stark.'  

  She hit 'send' and looked at her message go public. Reactions were already coming in. Some people were disappointed that she would 'take it this way' or that she felt like 'her stupid ego had been hurt' ; others, to her great surprise, supported her and told her things like 'You go, girl !' or even 'Make them all shut the hell up'. She couldn't help but laugh when she read comments from the students of Midtown. 'She's my classmate ! This is crazy !' claimed a girl from her physics class. She managed not to get lost in this flow of reactions and shut her connexion down. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, she walked to her father and hugged him.

  "We'll handle this, Dad. We're Starks, right ? There's a reason this name belongs to the best family ever."

  Tony smiled back to her daughter after holding her tight against him. Every day, Tony Stark marvelled at the brilliant young woman Harper had become. Every day, he felt even luckier to have her by his side. He looked at her daughter as she climbed the stairs before he made what he hoped would be his last call of the day. He quickly found the number he was looking for : they answered the call after a few dial tones. 

 "Tony, is everything okay ?" a voice asked.

  "Harper's identity was revealed."

  "I saw that. What do you need me to do ?"

  "I'm sending you a plane as soon as I hang up. My daughter needs the best training she can get so she can..."

  "She can take care of herself, Tony. I already taught her some tricks."

  "I don't care: she needs better training, alright ? I'm not talking about hand-to-hand combat. She's got her power but she can't use it quite right. I want you to teach her absolutely everything. Fighting skills, how to hit where it hurts the most, how to shoot a gun, and most importantly, how to protect herself.

  "Fine," the voice answered after a brief moment of silence. "I'm not the only one who can help her, then."

  "Who else ?"

  "Who do you think ? Don't worry. I'll bring them along, whether you like it or not. We'll help your daughter...together."

  "Fine. Your plane lands first thing tomorrow. Send me your coordinates."

  "I'll see you soon, then. And...Tony ? Don't worry. Your daughter's gonna be just fine."