Midnight Racer-Tony Stark's Daughter

sixteen

Uncertainty and hesitance was visible on the man in front of her. A muscle in his cheek kept twitching, and his hands were fumbling in his suit pockets. He really did wear flashy suits like the photos online showed, and Tony Stark was shorter than she imagined him to be. He still had a few inches on her, but not many.

He had fluffy hair, disheveled, the gel not helping keep the strands in check. He doesn't move really, he just stands there silent as does she.

She's rendered speechless. Dallas hadn't really imagined a scenario in her head where she actually got to speak with Pepper again, let alone Stark. It had all just concluded itself in her head that she'd never get the chance, and yet here he is...

How did he even get here?

This place isn't exactly hidden but it's not out in the open either, she supposes he'd stuck one of the Legion bots after her like Pepper did a few days ago. But she hadn't seen any out tonight, like they'd stayed in for the night. There isn't really anyway to follow her, so how did he find her.

"Hi." Is all that leaves her lips.

A simple, hollow greeting.

Stark smirks momentarily and then it's gone. He nods to himself like he's coaching himself into saying something, he takes a look around the apartment complex.

"Bit of an upgrade from Malibu?" He asks.

Dallas frowns, she tries her best not to think about that place. Her close friend, the person who took her and Griffin under their wing had died there. It's always easier to ignore than to talk about.

She scratches the back of her head and blinks.

"I suppose, it's a lot cooler here." Dallas points out. There wasn't really a place to begin talking, this man may be her father, but she doesn't know him personally.

The stillness of the conversation. The strain in speaking, and the plain awkwardness and uncertainty of it all reminds Dallas of the earlier days when she'd first picked of Griffin along the side of the road when her car was busted and he'd fixed it for her.

"Please don't touch my radio." Dallas smacks the boys hand away from the knob.

He folds his arms, "Why do ya like such loud music, dodn't it hurt your ears?"

Dallas rolled her eyes. Is this kid uneducated in the music department or what.

"No..." She only turned the music down to be nice. That's all.

Awkward air breezed in through the window.

"Gosh, issa cold one, idnt it?" The boy shivers.

Dallas shrugs. She's not too cold, and he's not wearing a sweater so that's his fault if he's cold. Also, he could just roll up his window but he chooses not to, so if he suffers it's again, his fault.

"Not really." She responds.

"Well I'm a bit cold, must be what...twenty degrees out?" He laughs at himself.

Dallas looks at him weird, checks the actual temperature in the rear view mirror and rolls her head around, making sure to not drive off the road at the same time.

"It's almost seventy degrees, so just roll up the window or freeze to death." She unlocks the windows and turns her music back up.

She'd find the comfortable, casual talking place with him eventually, just not today.

It had been so long since Dallas hadn't felt 100% confident in speaking to others. Hell, she's always had that 'annoying sarcasm' that has gotten her this far. At races it felt completely open, like she was playing a game and everyone else playing was for her to taunt.