"Miss, the upload is complete and I am fully integrated into your systems. Your suit is now flight-ready."

"Alright, old man, you suited up or what? Not scared, are ya?" You stood on the landing pad at the Avengers tower, looking over the edge, your father close behind.

"You know," Tony said, "when your mom sent you to live with me because she said she couldn't handle you, I didn't believe it. I seem to be doing just fine."

"Yeah, it's all you." You turned towards him and gave a small salute as you tipped back, free-falling from the ledge.

Tony sighed and closed the face plate on his own suit, following you on your flight. "She just didn't understand what you needed."

~~~

When you and your dad returned from the first flight in your new suit, you realized that you had been so busy preparing for that moment, that you forgot to eat all day and were now totally starving.

"Hey, JARVIS? The thruster on the right boot is a bit sluggish. Could you run a diagnostic for me while dad buys me lunch?" You gave Tony your best convincing sad eyes that you could muster, knowing he would likely give in no matter what.

"You don't need to do that, you know. I'm starving too." Once his suit was fully removed, he threw on his shoes and summoned you towards the door. "How does that new burger place down the block sound?" You quietly mumbled an agreement, keeping pace with his long strides. He moved towards the elevator leading to the garage, but you grabbed his arm to hold him back.

"It's only a few blocks, let's just walk. After all that flying today, I'd like to feel the ground beneath me for a bit."

Being outside when in your suit rather than being outside in your natural element were two completely different experiences. It felt good to feel the early autumn breeze, and the sun that was comfortably warm rather than hot and humid as it had been all summer. The city streets were bustling with activity, the sidewalks packed with people in all directions. It was an attack on the senses, but after having lived in New York for the past six months with your dad, you wouldn't trade it for anything.

"Alright, so it's down this way, right?" Neither of you were certain of the cross street you needed, so Tony was about to pull his phone to map out the address of the restaurant you were seeking. As you stood and waited, a hand reached from behind and pulled you backwards. You could feel the sharp sting of a blade against your neck followed by a tiny trickle of blood.

"Okay, so if we all do what I say, then no one gets hurt."

You didn't resist, and your father didn't move.

"Clean out your pockets, man. Put it all in here." The assailant took off his dingy hat and threw it at Tony's feet; he looked at it, unimpressed and still unmoving. Your arms twitched slightly as your muscles responded to the rush of adrenaline coursing thru you as you waited for your dad to make a move. "Hey, did you hear me? I said clean 'em out!"

You rolled your eyes at Tony as he replied, "yeah, yeah I heard you. I just want to be sure to watch this,"

"Watch wha-"

Grabbing the man's arm, you pulled it away from your neck as you twisted him around in front of you. Your knee met his face with so much force that even your dad winced, but you weren't concerned with being nice. As the man dropped to the ground, seemingly unconscious from the hit, you gave him a small kick to be sure he was out. You then slid your newly acquired knife into your boot and took Tony's hand, still no idea which direction you needed to go.

"Were you scared?"

"No, dad. You taught me better than that, remember?" As you looked in each direction down the sidewalks, you let out a loud sigh of exasperation. "I take that back. I am scared that we're gonna starve to death out here."

Tony's phone began to ring, but he quickly silenced it, switching the screen to the map he needed. "Ok, I think I've got it. If we go two more blocks...this way? No, this way, then we should run right into it!" The phone rang again, sounding like the ring had become more urgent than the last.

He raised his finger up to you, mouthing, "one sec" as he turned away. You couldn't make out the entire conversation, but the words '(Y/N)' and 'like hell' were quite clear. Your father's head hung lower as he slowly put his phone away, turning back to look at you with anxiety ravaging his features.

"Steve wants you on a mission."

~~~

Tony sat at the large conference table in the tower, with his hands clenched and resting on the wooden surface in front of him. "You don't know how dangerous this could be! What if you get injured...or worse...what am I supposed to tell your mother then?"

You were standing next to Steve now, directly across from Tony. Steve had done the majority of your fight training with you, and was well aware of your abilities, or he wouldn't ask you do this. "Tony," Steve began, "we need someone to infiltrate, and everyone knows who we are." he pointed between himself and your dad. "This is going to be very delicate, and we need someone new who's not already a perceived threat or this is gonna blow up in our faces."

"Yeah, 'blow up' is the key phrase here." Tony leaned back in his chair and put his hand over his mouth, his fingers tracing the facial hair around it. "If I say 'no', then I'm the asshole, right? If I say 'yes' and something happens, I'm again the asshole." After a few silent moments, he stood from his chair, shaking his head. "Win-win for me."

Standing in front of you now, he grabbed your shoulders and held on gently. "Be honest with me. Are you scared?"

"No, dad. I'm not, I promise."

"You and I will both be nearby the whole time, Tony." Steve added, but your dad didn't respond; his eyes were fixed on you. Without another word, he took your hand and led you to the lab to get your suit.

~~~

Before you even had a chance to get near your drop zone, the jet carrying you, Steve, and your father entered a barrage of gunfire and was now spiraling towards the ground. Throwing the rear door open, the three of you jumped to avoid the crash but found yourselves in the midst of a ground incursion. Staying just above the Captain, you covered him while Tony took out the main building of the base.

So far, you were holding your own. Between the two of you, with Steve you had taken out nearly half of the enemy group, but as Tony was beginning his assault, JARVIS picked up a weapons signature aimed directly for Steve. "J, we need to intercept that missile!"

"Miss, your suit cannot withstand a direct hit of that magnitude. It is NOT recommended."

Steve was turned away from the direction of the launch; as you swooped past him he didn't see you until the moment of impact. As it hit you, he was thrown back sharply against a large tree, knocking the wind from his chest. He slumped to the ground, trying to regain his breath as he watched your suit begin to fall apart around you, your body slamming into your crashed jet.

"Sir, Miss (Y/N) is down."

Your father arrived mere seconds later to see Steve crawling towards you, barely maintaining his own consciousness. "JARVIS, get that suit open!" He landed on his knees next to you, his hands frantically tearing away your mask and pieces of your suit that were bloodied and broken all around you. "No, no, you are not allowed to do this, young lady. Do you hear me?"

Even through your pain, you were able to manage a small laugh, trying to calm him. "We still never got lunch."

"Then you had better get thru this. Anywhere you want to go."

Steve had begun tearing pieces from his uniform to make bandages and tourniquets; trying to slow the bleeding that was building all around you. As a new round of gunfire began, he stood and ran with his shield and gun in hand, full of adrenaline to fight those who took you down. He would fight until his last breath, if that was what it took.

"I love you, dad."

"Stop it."

"Dad?" The pattern in your breathing shifted, and Tony noticed. You weren't feeling any pain anymore, which you knew was a bad sign. Your eyes were growing heavy, with a weight that was almost unbearable.

"I love you too, baby. But you can't do this to me. I just got you back." He leaned down and rested his lips against your forehead, tears freely spilling from his eyes and his voice broken. "Please."

"Dad...I'm scared now."

Choose an ending: Survival or Mourning

Survival

Your father's hands continued to work furiously over you as you faded in and out of consciousness. Steve had returned to your side as well, trying to help Tony stabilize you with only their limited supplies and limited time to save you.

"Stark, we need to get her out of here. You need to pick her up and get her home."

Your eyes were so heavy. You were so tired and all you could think about was how wonderful sleep would be. Closing your eyes for just the briefest of moments, you felt the relaxation begin to take over your body, and you welcomed it without hesitation.

"Dammit, (Y/N), I said keep your eyes open!" The metal hands of the suit slid beneath you and paused as Tony looked at you for signs of pain. He began to lift you from the ground, but you let out a sharp scream that stopped him from going any further. "I can't, Cap. I can't do this."

Steve took a sharp breath and moved to the other side of you, slowly putting his hands beneath you to lift. "(Y/N)," his voice was quiet and soothing as he spoke, "I'm going to lift you, and I know it's gonna hurt. I'll be as gentle as I can, but we need to do this. We have to get you out of here, okay? Do this for your dad, honey."

You groggily nodded your head, trusting Steve but still scared of the pain that was yet to come. With a glance to your father, you looked back to the Captain and wrapped your arm tightly around his neck as he began to lift.

~~~

Your father had been at your bedside for days and was now looking exhausted; he hadn't shaved, his hair was a mess, and if it weren't for the team bringing him clean clothes, he might still be in the suit. The long days and nights of watching the nurses work fed his brain just enough to keep him sane. He now knew how to adjust your IV medications and could interpret your heart rhythm. It was just a distraction, however. It was barely enough to keep the sight of you, nearly dead in his hands, from his mind. He was pulled from his own thoughts by the sound of someone at the desk, asking to see you.

"I'm here to see (Y/N) (Y/L/N). Could you please tell me where to find her?"

Tony stood now, stepping to the door to see who could be looking for you. He saw a tall, skinny young man talking to the nurses, with his hands filled with flowers for you.

"I'll have to check with Mr. Stark. Just wait here."

"Mr. Stark?" The boy swallowed hard and looked suddenly terrified. "Did you just say Mr. Stark? Why...why would he need to...to be asked if I can go in?"

"That's her father, sir."

"Shut up." The young visitor turned away and began to mumble to himself under his breath, "she never told me that. Why would she never tell me that?"

Tony smiled a bit to himself, amused not only at the boy's reaction to his name, but also at the sight of the flowers trembling in his hands, petals being shaken free of the arrangement. Maybe he should save the poor kid.

"Hey, I'm Mr. Stark, but I prefer Tony." He reached out to shake the young man's hand, trying his best to be polite despite his fatigue. "And you are?"

"Iron Man."

"No...that's me."

"Oh, shit. I mean, yes, of course you are. You are Iron Man. I love your work, you're so amazing, and I can't believe you're her dad. Wow." He finally reached out to take Tony's hand, shaking it with a firm grasp. "I'm Peter. Peter Parker. I'm a...friend of (Y/N)'s."

As your father let out a quiet and restrained laugh, he put his hand on the new visitor's shoulder and led him in to see you. "This looks worse than it is, alright?"

Peter gasped loudly as he entered the room, dropping your flowers to the ground to take his place at your side as quickly as possible. The two of you had been dating for almost a year, but no one knew. Your father was explicitly against you dating a superhero, believing you had enough of that influence from both him and the other members of the team. If he knew you were dating Spiderman, you'd never be allowed to leave the tower again.

Peter put his face close to your so he could whisper without fear of your father hearing him. "I told you not to go. I told you this would happen." Tony's head perked up as he heard a sniffle come from the boy standing over you. "Don't leave me, (Y/N). We have so much to do yet. I love you too much to let you go, okay?"

Peter placed a small kiss on your cheek and backed away, wiping the tears from his cheeks so that your father might not notice them. Before Tony could say anything more, your boyfriend was gone.

~~~

Natasha stepped into your room, pausing at the door to see your dad sleeping with his head on your lap. She had never seen Tony that way before; so soft and so vulnerable, and it began to affect her. Hurrying to set the information she had found on his chair, she turned to leave as to not wake him.

"For a master spy, you're not all that sneaky, Romanoff."

"I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay. What did you find?" He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he took the tablet and began to read. As he read for a few minutes, his expression changed from confusion, to shock and finally anger. "Spiderman? That's who this kid is?" He looked from the screen to you and back again, "no way in hell is this gonna continue."

Nat huffed at his quick reaction to the news, knowing you were capable of making your own decisions in the matter. "Don't jump to that so fast, Stark. You know she's a smart kid. I'm sure she's thought this thru." She stepped over to your bed, leaning down to kiss your forehead and to adjust the hair around your face. "Besides, you know we'll keep on eye on him. We're gonna protect our girl."

~~~

"Dad?" You turned your head gradually, looking around the room to find him. "Dad, are you here?" There was no response to your question, so you decided that he had gone home for the day. You didn't even know what day it was, what time, or how long you had been out. You could barely remember the day that brought you here.

The door slid open, revealing Tony, carrying his tablet and his tenth cup of coffee already that day. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. When he looked up to see your eyes open and looking back at him, he dropped the cup on the floor and was immediately next to you. Holding your face in his hands, he laughed quietly as he kissed your forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment.

"Hello, baby. I've been waiting so long for you. How do you feel? Are you in pain? What do you need?"

"Dad. Shhh. Slow down. I'm okay." You caught the sight of the bouquet in the corner of your eye, recognizing them as each of the flowers that you had told Peter were your favorites. "Um, was Peter here? My friend from school?"

As if on cue, he walked thru the door of your room, stopping at the entrance, waiting for permission to enter. "I'm right here, (Y/N). Your dad called me."

Tony looked down at you, a mildly disapproving look on his face. "You kept this from me for a year? Why didn't you tell me?" He sighed at his own question, realizing that he already knew the answer. "Yeah, okay. I have a hard time with this stuff. I get it. But, honey, it's kind of important for me to know you're dating Spiderman, don't you think?"

"And why didn't you tell me your dad was Iron Man? Also kinda important, (Y/N)."

You had been awake for no more than five minutes and they were already ganging up on you. You had always hoped they would get along once they finally met, and now you regretted the thought.

"You have got to be kidding me. I can't believe I woke up for this."

Mourning

Tony was looking at you, but he wasn't seeing you. He looked at your face, peaceful and quiet, but didn't see it. He stood motionless as his eyes traveled up and down your battered form, all emotion gone from his face. He felt cold and numb, his heart dark and useless. You were no longer there; you were just a shell, and he was lost.

"Tony," Steve whispered, "I can take her. We should go."

"No."

"Tony..."

"I'll take her. You've done enough."

~~~

It was several days before Steve made an attempt to talk to Tony again. He took the responsibility for you, for asking you to even be a part of that mission. Your father was against it, and he should have listened. If the roles were reversed, he would have felt the same as Tony had, and he now harbored regret for his decisions. But he and Tony couldn't avoid each other forever; they needed to work this out, and he needed to tell your dad how immensely sorry he was.

"It was a beautiful service."

Tony sat completely still, staring blankly at the floor beneath him, not responding to Steve's attempt at communicating.

"Her mother was very gracious. It seemed that they were a lot alike."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm...I'm trying to talk to you, Tony. I don't know what to say other than how sorry I am. I made a bad call."

Tony stood, still refusing to make eye contact with Steve. "Your goddamn right you did. But it wasn't your call to make." Stepping behind the bar, he grabbed a glass and filled it to the top, pausing to take the drink down in one long swallow. "It was mine." He began to pour another as Steve moved to join him.

"Tony, let me take the responsibility on this. Don't do this to yourself. Be mad at me." Steve grabbed a glass and poured his own drink, following suit in taking the liquor down quickly. His face was somber as he stared at the last few drops in the bottom of his glass. "Please, be mad at me."

"Why? So you can feel like the bigger man, taking the hit to spare me? So you can be the self-sacrificing, righteous savior? Please, don't do me any favors." Tony grabbed the bottle and began to make his way towards the elevator.

"That's not what I'm-"

"She was there because of you!" Tony turned on Steve, slamming the bottle on the nearby table as he continued to charge forward. "She is gone because she wanted to save you!" His anger was building, his breaths quickening as he spoke. "You are not allowed to feel sorry. You are not going to get the satisfaction of my rage. I refuse to make any more of this about you."

Steve stood speechless, not knowing what to say to the pureness of Tony's feelings. The two men looked at each other for a moment before Steve finally turned to leave. As he cleared the doorway and walked out of sight, Tony fell to his knees, exhausted, defeated, and empty. A slow sob built in his throat but refused to escape as he sat on the floor and drank from the bottle until it was gone.

~~~

"JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Why did this happen?"

"I do not know, sir. But it is truly a regretful circumstance. I am...sorry."

"I don't want to feel this."

~~~

"Doctor Banner?"

Bruce stirred in his bed, having just fallen asleep for the night. "JARVIS? What time is it?"

"I believe that Mr. Stark may require your assistance. He is in distress."

"Where is he?" Bruce jumped up and threw on his shoes, quickly making his way to the door. As he entered the hallway he could hear exactly where to go. The sounds of shattering glass and repulsor beams echoed thru the tower; Steve and Natasha were rapidly behind him. Bruce stopped short when he saw Tony, staggering across the lounge, shooting randomly and readily destroying the room around him.

"Tony? Tony, can you put the gauntlet down please? I'd like to talk to you."

Bruce's voice gave them a moment of reprieve from the destruction as Tony looked towards his friend. "I'm so sick of this, Bruce. It's too painful. It's never going to go away, is it?"

"Tony, it's only been a few days. You need to-"

"Don't say I need to give it time. Don't do that." He dropped himself onto the couch, despite the broken glass covering it. "No amount of time will fix this. No amount of time will bring her back, now will it?" He raised his hand, casually blasting thru the lab windows and shattering some of the equipment inside as Bruce cringed at the sight.

Natasha cautiously walked towards Tony, not saying anything as she sat herself on the couch next to him. He turned to look at her, confused, and examining her face for some sign of her intention in being there. He finally leaned in, putting his head on her shoulder and his arms around her. Holding her, he was finally able to cry; something he had yet to do since the last time he saw you.

"It's ok, Tony. I'm here. For as long as you need."