RADIATING VIOLET| t. stark ✔️

FOUR: "playing hooky"

"It's so much darker when a light goes

out than it would have been if it had

never shone."

Pepper walked down the stairs to the lab. She sighed and put a lock of her ginger hair behind her ear. She entered in the pin and walked in. Pepper was worried.

She needed to talk to Tony.

"Tony." Pepper said as she walked down the corridor.

"Uh yah?" Tony asked. He was busy fixing a circuit board and didn't look up.

"We need to talk."

"Uhh, that's not a good sign. About what?" Tony murmured.

"Tony!" Pepper said again.

He flinched and reluctantly looked up to meet her blue eyes.

"You know what." She whispered.

Tony sighed.

"I knew this was a bad idea. I can't make her happy. She should go to a home..." Tony started.

"She deserves to be loved by you." Pepper said.

"She probably hates me." Tony sighed, "..and I-I can't deal with a kid. I have a company to run."

Pepper pouted.

"She is brilliant. You would like her if you got to know her."

"I-I don't know..."

"Tony, you need this. She needs this. You guys need each other. You know for a brilliant billionaire, you really aren't that smart." Pepper said.

"You think I'm brilliant?" Tony smiled.

Pepper flushed a shade of red and muttered a no.

Tony laughed.

He remembered the topic at hand and slowly stopped to turn and look at Pepper.

"Alright, What do you think I should do?" Tony asked.

"Talk to her. Be apart of her life. Be her father. Can you do that?" Pepper asked.

He sighed.

"I don't think I can. Remember, my father was never a father. He sent me away. We were never close."

"You can, just...be better than him."

"I'll mess her up."

"Nonsense, just try." Pepper said.

"I can't protect her. I can barely keep myself alive. Those past three months can attest to that. I couldn't live with myself if something bad were to happen to her." Tony sighed.

Pepper beamed and tears filled her baby blue eyes.

"Pep, what's wrong?"