RADIATING VIOLET| t. stark ✔️

EIGHT: a ceramic pot

Alyssa had just got home from pottery class with Pepper. The girl does not enjoy dancing and singing however, she excels at visual arts. Alyssa had won first place in the doodle/blueprint competition in the art fair. She had become closer friends with Rhodey, Tony's friend who sometimes stops by for dinner or to chastise Tony into doing work.

Whatever it was, Alyssa liked Rhodey and he liked her.
She remembered him saying something about "it was only a matter of time before he got some girl pregnant."

Alyssa didn't quite know what he was talking about until he looked away embarrassed. Then, everybody in the house realized what was going on.

He also brings Alyssa pins from the "junior military program" which helps to educate young people about the importance of military and the jobs that come along with it. Alyssa likes to pin them to her shoulder bag.

Their however most favorite past time is roasting Tony. Now don't get me wrong, Alyssa could easily do it all by herself but having Rhodey there too makes it so much better. They even go out for ice cream together when Pepper is busy. She also convinced him to come to yoga class with Pepper and her. It was hilarious.

One day, Pepper and Alyssa made their way down to the lab after a long and eventful day. She had been surprised at what she saw and it made Pepper gasp.

Standing there was Tony, in his suit with dings and gashes everywhere. His nose was slightly blooded and he had a deep gash in his cheek.

Alyssa gasped and dropped her clay pot she had made for Tony. It shattered into a million pieces. The girl cringed.

"What's going on here?" Pepper asked.

"Did you know about this?"

Alyssa shrugged.

"Maybe..."

"Let's face it. This is not the worst thing you've caught me doing." Tony sighed.
He was hooked up to a machine that was trying to take the suit off.

"Are those bullet holes?" Alyssa asked her voice full of worry.

"Oh gosh, Liz don't move. There are clay shards everywhere." Pepper said finally acknowledging the mess.

Alyssa backed up slowly and tiptoed to help Tony out of the suit. Butterfingers grabbed a dust pan and started to slowly scoop up the pieces.

"Sorry." The girl muttered.

"I made the pot for you and I broke it. I'm so clumsy."

"It's okay, I'm sure it was beautiful." Tony smiled trying to reassure the young girl.

"It was, she even painted it in red and gold like the suit." Pepper smiled.

"Yah, I tried to paint the face piece on it too." Alyssa smiled.

"Well, now you gotta make me another one." Tony joked patting Alyssa's shoulders.

"I just might. Depends on how well you treat me." Alyssa giggled.

"Jeez, it's always a deal with you." Tony teased.

"Yep." She giggled.

"You know what. I don't want to know what's going on here. I'm just gonna go upstairs and pretend like I didn't just see that." Pepper sassed walking up the stairs.

"Bye Pep. See you a dinner." Alyssa said waving at the red-head.

Alyssa kept her goofy smile on until she watched Pepper disappear upstairs.
She let out a sigh she didn't know she was holding.

"How'd it fly? Did you ice up again? Where did you go? How'd you get the bullet holes? Did you blow anything up?" She asked.

"Kid, Kid...we talked about this you need to relax. I'll answer your questions just chill for a minute." He responded.

"Ok, ok. I'm chill." She breathed.

Alyssa was still jumpy and her hands wagged at her sides. It was a habit that the young girl had.

"What are you doing?" Tony asked.

"I'm not doing anything." She responded.

"The thing with your hands...yah, that. You just did it again."

"Oh, I don't know. I've always done it, especially when I'm excited. I think it might be...what did the lady call it. Attack?" Alyssa asked.

"I think you might mean a tic. It's like a habit that you can't control. It's like you're trying to fly away...stop. Stop it." Tony said trying to push the girl's fluttering hands down.

"Yah, that's it." The girl responded.

"Just chill, I can't concentrate when you're hands are flapping around like that." He said.

The girl giggled.

"I'm like a puppy when it wags it's tail." The girl said.

Tony rolled his eyes and turned back to the suit.

"It's still not perfect. I need to fix a couple of things..." He said.

"-Great! And I'm here to help you." The girl grinned.

"Okay, Kid. You got a deal." Tony smiled.
***
"Tony, you know that I would help you with anything, but I cannot help you if you're going to start all of this again." Pepper said.

She didn't want to be in any part of the billionaire's scheme.

"There is nothing except this. There's no art opening. There is no benefit. There is nothing to sign. There is the next mission and nothing else." Tony sighed exhausted.

There was something fishy going on and he was going to figure it out.

"Is that so? Well, then, I quit." Pepper said standing her ground.

Saying these things hurt her a bit.

"You stood by my side all these years while I reaped the benefits of destruction. And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out? I'm trying to protect Liz." Tony said.

"You're going to kill yourself, Tony. You're gonna get that little girl taken away from you. Liz needs stability. I'm not going to be a part of it. " Pepper snapped. She was annoyed.

"I shouldn't be alive, unless it was for a reason.

I'm not crazy, Pepper. I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right." Tony said.

"You're all I have, too, you know. You and Liz."

Shorter chapter but I promise, Action is coming. How precious are Tony and Liz? I love their bickering.
Question of the chapter:
Who is you're favorite avenger(original six) and why?
~Hai