Your Little Stark

Ch•18- Proud

"We've all received the official statement of what occured at Stark Industries last night. There have been unconfirmed reports that a robotic prototype malfunctioned and caused damage to the Arc reactor..." Rhodey spoke in front of a dozen press-reporters the very next day after the Obadiah vs Iron Man incident. It has been chaotic over here since then. Paparazzi have been following us around everywhere we go. Nothing has been the same.

"Iron Man" Dad flipped through the newspaper that he was reading as Pepper silently pulled off the remaining bandaids on his face. Most of his wounds have healed by now "that's kinda catchy. It's got a nice ring to it. It's not technically accurate, since it's a gold-titanium alloy, but it's a kinda attractive name anyway"

I stood next to him, reading what the paper was saying. He kept turning the pages too fast so I couldn't read that much. A word here and a sentence there.

"Here is your alibi" Phil Coulson stepped in at that moment wearing the same suit that he always does, he handed Dad a small blue piece of paper "You were on your yacht. We told Pepper to put you in Avalon all night
and sworn statements from 50 of your guests"

"I was thinking maybe we should say it was just Pepper and me, alone on the island" Dad smirked. Pepper, who was fed up with his flirting, ripped off the last bandaid on his nose. He flinched at the pain.

"Hey" I protested "What about me? I want to be on a yacht... what's a yacht?"

"Never mind it all, this is what happened" Phil smiled at me, motioning to the paper "Just read it word for word" Well, that didn't answer my question.

"There's nothing about Stane written on here" Dad noticed.

"That's been handled" Phil assured "He's on vacation. Small aircraft have such a poor safety record" Oh, ouch, Obadiah was killed in a plane crash, nice.

"What about this whole story that it's a body guard? He's my body... ? That's kinda flimsy"

"This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark. Just stick to the official statement and soon this will all be behind you. You've got 90 seconds" Phil nodded and walked to the door. Pepper followed after him, quickly chat with him before he left.

"Hey um... Dad" I stiffened my back awkwardly as we were left alone. The two of us hadn't exactly been alone.

"Hm?"

"I just, wanted to let you know that I... I'm glad you're not dead and that... I love you"

"I know"

I glanced up to him sharply "Did you just pull a Han Solo on me?"

He smiled "yup"

"Lets get the show on the road" Pepper clapped her hands together as she walked back over to us. I decided to leave the room and chase after Coulson to tell him goodbye and thanks for everything.

"Wait Phil!" I called, skipping down the long flight of stairs that led to the main lobby which was being reconstructed. Phil stopped in his tracks and turned to me. He had already put his sunglasses on "thought you could leave without saying goodbye?"

"I was waiting for you to say it first" he smiled, removing his glasses.

"Thank you... for brining me into this new life" I looked around the destroyed room, shoving my hands in my front pocket "It's pretty crazy and nearly impossible at times, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else"

"Your Mom would have been proud to see what you have done, and what you have become" Coulson placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a small shake "You're like her in so many ways" That was the last thing he said before slipping his sunglasses back on, and exiting the building. I watched him walk to his car and drive off out of the parking lot. The red car he road in disappeared from my view. Once he was gone, the words he said to me replayed in my mind 'Your Mom would have been proud to see what you have done, and what you have become... you're like her in so many ways'

My eyes opened wide.

Phil Coulson knew my mother?

"Jessi!" Pepper called, I tore my eyes away from the outdoors and looked over my shoulder to my ginger haired friend "Your father's about to make his speech"

"Coming!" I replied and hiked back up the stairs to the press room, forgetting about the past two minutes.

***

"And now Mr. Stark has prepared a statement. He will not be taking any questions, thank you"

"It's been a while since I was in front of you, I figure I'll stick to the cards this time. There's been speculation that I was involved in the events that occured on a freeway and the rooftop..."

"I'm sorry Mr. Stark" The blonde reporter who I recognized from a few weeks ago spoke out from the crowd. I stood in the back of the room alone, watching the conference unfold "but do you honestly expect us to believe that
that was a bodyguard in a suit, that conveniently appeared, despite the fact that..."

"I know that it's confusing..." Dad cocked his head to the side "It is one thing to question the official story, and another entirely to make wild accusations or insinuate that I'm a superhero"

"I never said you're a superhero" she clarified, waving her hand in the air like a priss.

"You didn't? Well, good, because that would be outlandish and...fantastic. I'm just not the hero type, clearly. With this... long list of character defects and all the mistakes I've made, largely in public, also not knowing that I had a kid..." he rambled on "who knows if there's anymore out there-" Rhodey leaned his head towards Dad to whisper something in his ear. I felt heat rising up in my cheeks as a majority of the reporters turned to stare at me.

Dad cleared his throat and held up the card.

"The truth is...."

Uh oh, long pause... He looked me dead in the eye.

Here we go

"I am Iron Man"

     A/N : Yes sir, yes you are Iron Man. Such an epic moment in the MCU. RDJ really owned this moment. And... Phil Coulson knew Jessi's Mother? I wonder how that will play out 🤔