Patches: Short Stories

Tony's Heart | Avengers

Just a tiny glimpse into the life of the newest Stark and Tony's Spidey-son.

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The funeral was over, and people milled around, moving from place to place as they comforted each other in their loss.

Alone, Peter watched from the sidelines, unable to find the strength to mingle. As he stood there, he noticed one other person who looked lost in the crowd. Dressed in black, the girl looked ever so small among the imposing figures of so many adults. It was Morgan Stark. Tony's daughter.

It was still so hard to imagine. Tony Stark, married, with a child. A daughter.

And now he was gone.

She must be so unsure of the whole situation, Peter realized. All these people, not one of whom she knows besides her mother.

I should go talk to her.

<—>

"Hey there, kid. What's your name?" the older boy asked gently, kneeling down.

"Morgan," the small form answered hesitantly, hand clasped tight in her mother's soft one, the other hand in her mouth.

"That's a nice name. My name is Peter. Peter Parker. I knew your daddy." His heart ached as he said this. It made it seem so real, so final.

"You do? Did my daddy make you a costume like mine? It has a helmet an' everything!" Excitement filled her warm brown eyes, the exact shade that her father's had been.

"No, not one with a helmet. But he made mine with a friend to talk to. Her name is Karen."

"Is she like Friday? That's the lady who makes the blue things glow on Daddy's table."

"Yes, just like Friday. Would you like to meet her?"

Her eyes grew wide at the prospect. "Can I, Mommy?" she asked, tugging on her mother's hand.

"Mmm? Oh, sure, sweetheart. Just listen to what Peter says."

"Ok, Mommy."

Taking her by the hand, Peter led Morgan into the house, where he brought out his Spiderman suit from his suitcase. Spreading it out on the table in the living room, he picked up the mask and turned to where Morgan was waiting expectantly on the couch.

"Do you want to try this on?" he asked her, only to receive a look of wonder and a silent nod.

"Ok, then. Here you go," he said as he drew the mask over her soft brown hair.

With her head in the mask, Morgan looked around the room. "Where's Karen?"

"I'm here, Miss Stark. In the suit. It is an honour to make your acquaintance."

"Peter, she talked! Just like Daddy's person does!"

"That's right. It's because your daddy made both of them."

"Will Daddy come and talk to her?"

Heart breaking, Peter shook his head. "No, Morgan. He isn't here anymore. Remember the video his helmet played?"

"Yeah," she answered worriedly. "He said he loved me three thousand. Just like I say at bedtime."

"Well, your daddy did a very brave thing. He fought a bad guy, and he saved lots of people. But he got very hurt, so hurt that he.... he died," Peter choked out.

"Oh... like my hamster?"

"Yeah. Kind of like that."

"I cried when my hamster left..." Her little brow wrinkled in thought. "Mommy cried today. Is it because Daddy's gone?"

"Yes."

"Mommy gave me a hug when my hamster died, and it made me feel better. Should I give Mommy a hug now? Maybe she won't be sad anymore."

"I.. I'm sure she would like that."

With this thought in mind, Morgan scrambled off the couch and started to run outside, before turning back and pulling off the Spider mask.

"Bye, Karen," she said quickly.

"Goodbye, Morgan. It was a pleasure meeting you. I hope we can speak again sometime."

With the mask deposited on the table, and Peter following closely behind her, Morgan ran outside to where her mother stood talking to some people. They were all wearing dark clothes, just like her. Manoeuvring over to where her mommy stood, Morgan wrapped her arms around her in a hug.

"I came to give you a hug, Mommy, to make you feel better," her innocent voice stated clearly.

"Oh...oh, sweetheart," Pepper gasped, her voice filling with tears as she bent down and gathered her daughter in her arms.

They stood like this for a while, Morgan's head resting on her mother's shoulder. "Do you feel better now, Mommy?" asked a muffled voice.

"Much... much better," came the strained reply. Overwhelmed, Pepper held her daughter tightly as tears ran down her face, marvelling at the innocence of the child's heart. A heart that beat steadily, in a body filled with life. She knew then that Tony's sacrifice had not been in vain. His heart overflowing with love, he had died for this. For his family, for his friends, for his beautiful little girl, held safe in her mother's arms.

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Thanks for reading this! I hope you enjoyed it. I had the thought that now that Tony had a daughter, instead of doing everything in life for his own gain, now everything he did was for her.