"Focus, Destiny," she reminds herself at the back of her mind. "Focus. Focus. Focus."

Her own voice fades away as she steps into the court when the announcer announces their team as a cue to enter the basketball court. The crowd waving school's flags, shouting and cheering for the basketball players of state level appear from a tunnel under the bleachers.

Destiny's heart beats loud in her chest, that she could feel in pounding. Her ears become temporary deaf as she scans around the crowd at the bleachers happily waving and shouting and whistling to support her and others. She spots Pepper sitting amongst supporters from her school nearby the tunnel where she just came out, but her heart crashes when the thought of Tony is still missing cross her mind.

First game is about to start. Destiny takes a glance at the clock on top of the bleachers. Seven minutes to first game. But then two minutes pass by just like that when they draw-lots and do some stuff with the referee. They are left with barely five minutes to game.

Destiny's heart pumps harder that she knows if she doesn't calm down sooner, she'll get anxiety attack and it's the worst thing to happen in the middle of the soon-to-be-starting game.

They are given one and a half minute to warm up. Destiny and her teammates grab the ball and start doing the basic in the court to get used with the environment and the court itself. The crowd are still cheering and they don't seem to shut down though that is what Destiny begs for at the moment. She doesn't know why she couldn't handle the noise today. She looks scared and so quiet today which is nothing like her at all.

"Des," one of the twins with blond hair comes, "are you alright?" she asks, concerned with Destiny.

"Yeah, I am good," she says, passing the ball in her hand to her other teammate in front of her. She gives Brea a quick smile that doesn't convince at all.

Brea keeps standing beside Destiny and continues staring at her. "You sure?" she asks to confirm.

"Of course," Destiny replies short. She glances at Brea. "Now go warm up!" she orders her friend. If one thing she likes being a captain is that she can command her teammate at times like this.

Brea stays a few more seconds, looking at Destiny sympathetically. She wants to say more but decides against it. She slowly walks away, trying hard to believe that her captain is okay though she knows Destiny's not. Destiny's eyes follow her as she gets back to her twin to warm up and practice at shooting at the net while wishing everything will turn good today.

~

They won. 80-50. However, it is one of the worst score the team has ever scored in history of basketball game. It's their luck that they won in the first game because they weren't competing with one of the strongest basketball team in their zone. It's their luck. And if it's not because of Brea and a few others who covered Destiny at the shooting line they won't win, probably.

Now, sitting at the bench in a locker room provided for them, Destiny stares blankly at the ground while Coach Mulligan giving his speech about the teams' reputation in the court a few minutes ago. Forehead and armpits are still sweating from the first, not-challenging-at-all game (according to Mr. Mulligan) but the players are all sweating like they just showered. Destiny tries to deaf her ears for a moment but wasn't able to do it as Mr. Mulligan calls her in a very scary tone.

"Destiny!" he yells, glaring at the girl with his eagle eyes, heart is boiling with Destiny's reputation.

Destiny jerks her head up to her coach with a look like an innocent child, but her heart is pounding. "Yeah?" she answers faintly.

"What was that?" Coach Mulligan asks, referring to the game.

"What was what?" she asks, unclear with Mulligan's question.

"Oh, for God's sake, Stark!" the coach yells through his greeted teeth. His sharp jaws move and he clenches it in anger. Chills run down Destiny's spine with the mention of her father's name. "What was wrong with you at the court?! It wasn't you! You literally ruined us there!" he shouts at Destiny. "Hey, are you listening to me?! What happened to you?!"

Guilty rushes her over. "I am sorry, Coach Mulligan," she says monotonously. "I promise it won't happen again."

"That's how you work with your mistake?" Coach Mulligan complains. "Just like your father, aren't you? Make mistakes and then say sorry. You do the same mistake later on, because you didn't mean it at all."

Destiny looks at her coach sharply. Her heart boils like the larva in the volcano while Coach Mulligan similarise between Tony Stark and herself. Maybe she doesn't care if Tony is still not in captive but the fact that he's somewhere unknown and she doesn't know whether she will see her father again or not, boils her heart. With Tony's missing, it reminds her of her fault of not listening to Tony for her safety. If she called Happy that day she went home early from work, nothing of this would've happened.

"What are you looking at, Stark?" Coach Mulligan angrily spats. He can be the bad guy with smoke in between his lips, wearing filthy clothes and the look and smell like he's never taken shower like in movies sometimes.

"Nothing, sir," Destiny replies softly, trying to stay calm in a critical situation. She wants to be alone for a moment to gather back her thoughts.

Pissed, Coach Mulligan approaches Destiny with hands on his hips. His tall and bulky body towers Destiny who is sitting on the wooden bench, with head hung low, eyes looking at the ground. She's bothered with Mulligan's presence but she stays calm.

"Listen to me, Stark," he speaks. "If you don't work your ass up on the second game, I won't let you play for the rest of the game, which means your opportunity to get noticed by the international coaches is very thin." The coach's voice sounds raspy, angry with stubborn Destiny. "Do you hear me?"

Destiny nods a little.

"Do. You. Hear. Me?" Coach Mulligan asks a little louder, causing people in the locker room to jump in shock.

"Yes, coach," Destiny says.

Coach Mulligan quickly slips away, cannot stand with Destiny at the moment. His heart is still boiling as his mind keeps recalling how Destiny played during the first game: she keeps losing the ball and keeps losing her focus. With her constant careless during the game, anyone can notice that she was not into the game. And if news has widely spread, people would know that it's because of her father.

Destiny leans against the wall behind her, deeply exhale. The next game is not until another one hour so she has plenty of time of rest and gather herself back. After a while thinking, she stands up from her seat and leaves to the back of the locker room.

"Where are you going?" asks her coach when she walks pass him, still piss.

"To the loo!" she yells back, not turning to him. It's rude, but she's not in the mood especially after what the coach had said about her and Tony.

She quickly enters one of the shower cubicles located at the back of the locker room. It is so quiet and quite peaceful when she needs to be alone to let it all go. As soon as she closes the door behind her, she breaks down, and sinks onto the floor with knees close to her chest. She feels as if she has been crying a thousand times a week but she still wants to cry over her father and over what happened.

She doesn't utter a word to herself. She doesn't know what else she could say to herself knowing that everything is too late though she's still feels guilty over what happened. She didn't get to see Tony's face for the last time - only a glimpse of him in the suit. Tony's promise - see you in two to three nights - is still playing in her ears. His hopeful voice of looking forward towards those 'two or three nights' but now it have been seven nights since she leaves Tony.

"God, please save Dad," she prays while sobbing. Destiny hugs herself, missing the warm hug Tony gave before he left.

"Destiny?" a familiar voice of a female echoes in the empty shower room. "Honey?"

"Mom?" a frown forms on Destiny's forehead.

Pepper calls again, standing at the entrance of the shower room, waiting for Destiny to appear from one of the cubicles. Her heart pumps hard in her chest, sad to hear Destiny's sob in inside one of the cubicles, at the same time, afraid something will happen to her. The image of her daughter that looked as if she just got out of a jungle is still haunting her eyes.

"Mom," "Destiny," both of them calls each other in unison when Destiny gets out of the shower cubicle and stands in front of the door, not taking another step. Pepper looks at her daughter who doesn't dare to tear her exhausted eyes from the ground to look up at her. Still, her heart crashes, looking at Destiny in pain.

"Oh, Destiny," Pepper mumbles, approaching her daughter as fast as she could with open arms to comfort her. "I am sorry this happens, honey. I promise everything will be fine."

"I want Dad," she softly mumbles.

"I know, honey. Me too," Pepper replies on top of Destiny's head. "He's going to be back. I promise," Pepper soothes her daughter. She doesn't know when will her boyfriend get back, but she knows he will get back because he's Tony Stark. He will make it no matter what cost.

For the whole few minutes, Stark's ladies didn't move - they didn't make any attempt to move, comfortable with the hug they share for the same person who is missing. Their sadness is expressed by the meaningful hug that only Pepper and Destiny understand. Luckily no one is at the back. The silent they consume is comforting the ladies as they're caught in the moment.

But the hug doesn't stay long. Just as they close their eyes to enjoy the moment, seems like a voice of Coach Mulligan echoes calling for Destiny. "I didn't mean to interrupt you, Destiny," says the coach, "but you need to be back."

Destiny gives Mulligan a strong nod of understood before he leaves to wait her in front.

"Do this for your own good," Pepper says after breaking the hug. "Think about the happiest moment you had with your father and enjoy the game. Don't think about what happened, alright?" the mother advices.

Destiny sadly nods. "I'll try," she says while looking away.

"Hey, look at me," Pepper instructs. Both of her hands are holding both of Destiny's arms firmly yet gently.

Destiny looks up with sad eyes.

"Don't try," Pepper says. "Do it." Pepper's voice sounds stern. "The biggest future is coming for you. Don't ruin it."

For a second, Destiny doesn't believe that Pepper sounds very sure and confident though she has only watched Destiny played once - today - but a mother's faith and confidence is not something to argue about, isn't it?

Destiny gives an assurance smile to her mother. Pepper makes her feel more confident than she already was. "Okay," she says softly. "I'll do it!"

"Just remember that your dad and I love you," Pepper says, once again hugging her daughter before she lets her go.

~

Games after games. Coach Mulligan seems pretty satisfied and happy with Destiny's reputation in the court after one game to another game. The crowd begins to cheer louder than the first game and Destiny feels energetic like before again. Her heart is still empty without Tony but with the loud crowd, she feels as if her father is here with her, knowing how Tony loves attention so much.

Once Destiny is back, the scores are magical and undeniable powerful. 110-66. 97-70. Once they scored 120-100. It is actually the highest score for Destiny's group history. Coach Mulligan is so proud of his team and Destiny again.

Finally, after five games, Destiny's teams succeed to get to the final round. The very final round to determine which group gets the first and second place. It's not that unbelievable but Destiny finds herself fidgeting, anxious with the game that is going to begin in any time now.

"Okay," Coach Mulligan begins in the middle of the circle, that he's surrounded with his girls, "play exactly how you played during previous matches," he says, seriously. "If you could maintain the style of your game, I am 100% sure we can win against those ladies." Coach Mulligan jerks his chin towards another team in front of him who are also standing in circle.

"In case, Destiny, just in case," he adds, "change the plan. Everything's on you."

Destiny looks at Mr. Mulligan's hopeful eyes. Something in her heart clicks looking at those shiny eyes. She feels touched, appreciated and motivated with the instruction. This is not something her coach let her do. Mulligan doesn't usually let the captain make up her own plan during the game unless ordered in the middle of the game from outside.

Everybody looks at Destiny and Mr. Mulligan back and forth with a proud smile.

"Hands in!" Coach Mulligan announce. "One! Two! Three!"

"Pandora!" the girls shouted energetically.

The crowd starts to cheer once the game begins. Supporters from schools wave their school flags as a gesture to show their school's pride is. Families are also shouting on top of their lungs until their throat aches to support their team. Everybody looks excited meanwhile players in the court seem shaken a bit.

Coaches. Judges. Both of them are sitting amongst the cheering crowds. There are four of them: 2 coaches and 2 judges. All are wearing casual outfits supporters wear. The guys wearing the caps, shouting at any group who scores; meanwhile, the women being serious, only watch, observing the players' move.

The scores alternately rising. The crowd continues cheering; the players start to feel the stress. The coaches begin to shout again and again making the girls realise that they are in a real game not in some sort of fantasy video game. The final game, this time, is quite frustrating, frankly. The final game is so challenging because both of the teams are quick to pick up each other's style and strategy. Until at one point, Destiny, the captain from Pandora Girls' Basketball Team, is out of ideas to change the strategy. It's so tough.

Half time passed. The girls weren't able to release their stress even in one second because Mulligan keeps pushing them and keeps reminding what they already have in mind. They know what they are doing and they need a little peace before getting back into the court; however, Mulligan decided against it for them. So after half time passed, Pandora Girls is a few scores behind the other team.

Destiny begins to feel frustrated, too... again. She starts to think about the bad thing happened to her father that she becomes slower and weaker and her head seems to not in the game. She misses her opportunity to score, she do illegal moves in the court, she gets angry and shouts at the opponent during the game which is clearly not allowed. But to her luck, she's still in the game.

Three minutes left, and the score is 115-120. Two more scores from the three-point line if one of the girls from Destiny team manages to stay positive. Even if Destiny, as a captain, stays cool she can win. She will win.

Three minutes turns to two and a half minutes where while they are playing, the crowd, from happening cheering for the teams in the court turns into, something sound like amazement. Destiny doesn't aware of that sound until Brea looks at her with the look that asks her to do something, that is turn around. Destiny doesn't quite understand at first until the announcer speaks, something like, "Wait, is that Tony Stark, the Ironman? Oh, my God, it is Tony Stark the Ironman! Tony Stark is here everybody! Ironman is here!" the announcer, a guy, goes excited behind the microphones in the booth.

Destiny's heart pounds hard and harder. Time is running but she doesn't run for the ball. She stares at the silhouette of her father, who looks dirty from the head to toe just like her when she got home. He's got his right hand casted and hung on his chest. His forehead is wrapped with white bandage but there is a few spots of red appear. Where's his suit? Destiny thought. but it doesn't matter at the moment, right?

A small smile turns into a big smile that shows a perfect line of Destiny's white teeth. Her eyes glitter with happy tears as she watches her father raise his free hand with burger. With a blurry vision, she notices there's also a smile from Tony's face. He looks really happy as if he's meant, strangely. He looks as if it's normal to be at Destiny's game when the truth is it's his first time there. But he looks so cool. No trace of anxious at all.

Destiny is too caught in the moment to move. When the whistle blows to get the players attention to continue the game and Brea comes at her, softly pushes her to bring her back to Earth, like she had a long rest after tiring days, Destiny is back into the game. The powerful, skillful, energetic Captain Destiny Stark is back in the game.

In just no time, they win.

~

p/s: similarise is not a word.