𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐁𝐔, 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐀

ELEANOR

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'Knock knock.'

Margo's brown head peeped from the edge of her book. My own eyes looked back at me, confused and surprised. Astonishment was heavy every time Margo looked at me, wondering how such a beautiful specimen of a child had come to be ours.

Margaret's bedroom was something I loved coming to. It was, to Tony's disappointment, furnished on a staggeringly low budget. There was a wooden cradle in which she had grown out of on the farthest end and a rocking chair which faced the enormous window. Margo loved warm colours - oranges, greens and browns - and I was sure that came from my side. Margo had gotten the view of the hillside instead of the sea, nothing compared to the broad view of the farm mural that the Starks had gotten done for her second birthday. 

'Did I do something?' She asked, biting her lip in nervousness.

'Of course not,' I smiled. 'I just wanted to kiss my favourite girl goodnight.'

Her lips formed a pout. 'But, Daddy always does that.'

I gulped down the stiffness in my throat, staging an open front. It hurt to hear those words leave her naive mouth and yes, kids are told to never lie yet it clenched my heart to no extent. I knew how much she adored Tony - how could she not? - and sometimes, a small part of me wished to be in Tony's shoes. What I wouldn't give to be to my daughter's idol, wound a strong maternal bond and teach her that she is born equal to men. And then I would quickly suppress it down, dismissing it as jealousy talks.

'Would you let me do it tonight?'

She smiled, nodding. 'Sure.'

I made a short trail to beside her bed, settling for a soft quirk of my lips. She shifted a little so she could sit upright, tossing her book to the side so she could pay attention to me. I saw a stray curl set over her cheek and I reached out to push it behind her specs.

'How was school?'

'It was okay,' she said in a small voice. 'I guess, I dunno.'

I sensed the uneasiness in her tone and approached it with a gentle tone. 'What's the matter, darling?'

'I don't think they like me,' she confessed after a long sigh. Her eyes were downcast, plucking the loose weaves of the eiderdown. 'They think I'm too rich to be in school.'

I went speechless. 

'Can I take the bus, ma?' She asked instead, her eyes imploring. 'Like the others?'

I blinked. 'You don't like me and Daddy dropping you off?'

'I do, it's just—'

'Oh dear,' I rubbed my temple, 'it's your dad's music bout, innit?'

'I actually like that,' she shrugged. Every day in the morning when we dropped off Margo at school, Tony found it imperative to ingrain the child with select music taste. As in, impart his love for rock bands and nineties pop tunes. Not that I complained but it was confirmed that my husband was partially deaf. 

'Then what is it?'

'You both are different from the others,' she shared, heightening my intrigue. Her lips trembled. 'I just want to be one of them and fit in. I want to be normal.'

'Margo,' I said softly. She finally looked up at me glumly. I patted my lap with a knowing smile and she grinned a small one, climbing out of my covers to straddle my hips. My heart was bursting at its seams the second she strewed her hands around my neck, ready to heed my words. Her blue eyes were wide open, curious and prying.

'Do you know why everybody admires your father?'

'Because he's rich,' she answered simply.

'No,' I laughed. 'Because he's different.'

She puckered her face. 'You're kidding.'

'I'm not,' I said with a straight face. 'He is so weird and bold, you never know what he's going to do. And, know something?'

She shook her head.

'Daddy hates normal,' I whispered as if it were a secret. 'Why do you think he comes with crazy theories? He's down there, in his workshop, inventing and designing for hours til the end—why?'

'He likes it.'

'And he doesn't give a damn about what the world says,' I responded with a nod. 'He's doing what he loves. He loves improving, moving forward. The world is too small-minded to understand that. That's why you should think bigger than them. Be you, so what?'

'Yeah,' she nodded, shrugging. 'So what?'

'So what?' I laughed.

'So what if I'm me?' she asked herself. 'I'm me.'

'Exactly,' I agreed. 'You're Margaret Stark. You are smart, cute and kind. So next time someone calls you names, what do you tell them?'

She smirked. 'So what?'

'That's it,' I touched her nose. 'Problem solved.'

The embrace came in unnoticed; small, soft and warm. It felt like all the problems in the world had vanished, hugging all the tighter. Not wanting to let go, I lowered her into the covers and pressing a warm kiss to her forehead. Whatever motherly bond I had feared for had simply disappeared, left with nothing but for more want for nights like this. 

'Sweet dreams, baby.'

She curled into herself, the sides of her lips lifting to a smile. 'Love you, ma.'

∞

𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐀

𝐋𝐎𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒

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'You're Elle Preece,' the girl gushed, 'well, Stark. Elle Stark. The Iron Maiden. You're like an integral part of the entire Iron Man legacy. Without you, there would be no legacy. Hi, I'm Riri Williams and it's insanely cool to meet you.'

I was never the one to acknowledge tabloids. Going to work was more of a stress-reliever in my case, so I paid a deaf ear to the gossip. Back when I used the Iron Maiden, the fact had been outed to the media about me being involved with the Maiden. There were the pros and cons - cons more than ever - but to be honest, everything surpassed the pregnancy. Privacy became my priority and during that time, I failed to realize stardom on my name. My new name - the Iron Maiden.

The first step into university after the pregnancy leave was a leap of faith. I had to hold my head high and face whatever the halls had to throw at me. It died out by the end of the semester, thankfully, but nobody had forgotten it. Words still lingered and eyes still stared. 

'Oh,' I managed to laugh, shaking her outstretched hand. 'Hello, Riri. Pleasant to meet you, too.'

Riri Williams was a girl of fervour. Young, black and beautiful. With her head full of crazy, raven curls and a curious glint to her eyes, she reminded me of a refined version of Tony Stark. She wore casual clothes paired to an overworn denim jacket and a Stark laptop in hand, which she set aside to grab my hand wholly. She shook it fiercely.

'You saved Tony Stark's life,' she burst out, 'just wow. I saw footage of you fighting off those human traffickers and... you're amazing!'

Well, this is a serious ball-buster. I sucked a short breath, smiling once again.

'How about we calm ourselves for a moment? Take a seat,' I extracted my hand back. Riri ran a slick hand over her hair and plopped on the master chair. I bit out another laugh. 'I like you,' I mused, 'really. I look forward to seeing you often. Given that I'm the one who has to show you around the campus and all.'

'I am so stoked,' she nodded with a large smile which was contagious, one spreading on my own.

'So, how exactly did they find you?'

'The institute found out that I built my first suit from scholastic boredom and offered full resources of their labs and continue my work on campus. Provided that I pursue a course part-time. Hence, I chose your elective.'

I listened with intent, ignoring the latter part for time's sake. 'So the university is helping you build the, I mean, your future? With them?'

'Yep,' she popped her lips. 'Substantial backing included.'

'Home of the Iron... girl?'

'Ironheart,' she smiled, her cheeks bunching her eyes. Adorable. 'The trademark's pending, though.'

I looked behind her, searching for the reason behind her visit to the institute. 'Is your suit here?'

'That's the thing,' she said in what sounded sheepish. 'See, I don't know if it is ethical to use - even if the coding and armour tech is entirely mine - what is legally and proprietarily Tony Stark's function design on campus without his permission.'

I chewed my lips in deep thought. 'You want to meet him.'

'Just to ask him if it's viable,' she added in a haste. Her bony hands reached out to the table in an effort to calm me and I was entertained. The thick set of bracelets on her arm chinked over my desk. 'I swear, I won't embarrass you. Or him. Whichever works.'

'Embarrass?' 

'I won't fangirl-loco in front of him or ask him weird questions about his... habits,' she explained further in all animation. 'I just need to talk to him about copyrights. And maybe, get his autograph?'

I grinned in amusement. 'Riri, you're a full-time genius. If anything, Tony would be the one to be impressed.'

'You think?'

'I know—'

Before I could finish my statement, my phone started to buzz audibly over my desk. The sleek mobile glowed with the number of an unknown caller and I was concerned about answering it. 

'You can get that,' Riri said politely. 'I'll wait.'

I apologized to her with pleading eyes, answering the phone quietly. It was an unknown caller so I was treading dangerous borders here. It could be anyone - ranging from one of the hundreds of Tony's many rivals to my own mother.

'Elle Stark?' A voice with a fluttering nervousness spoke cautiously into the line. I looked at the number once again with confusion.

'This is her,' I said shakily. 'I'm sorry, who are you?'

'I'm calling from a Stark Medical centre in Calabasas,' the voice said meekly. 'Mr Stark and your daughter Margaret have been involved in a road accident.'

∞

[ woah...WHAT lokisintellect hi baby, i love you ]

edited!