Can't Handle This

Four weeks later

Toni walked briskly out of the house with a full black garbage bag in hand as Daddy yelled after her.

The shouting died down for a second before he started yelling at her mother. Toni just rolled her eyes and continued down the path to the garbage can.

“I’ll take out your damn trash,” she mumbled under her breath. “Next time, you’ll be in the trash.”

She threw the bag into the bin forcefully, swearing as she did so. She sighed and turned to bring down the bin when the bright, gleaming red Ferrari caught her eye. But it wasn’t the car that made her stop in her tracks. Instead, it was the suit-clad man leaning against the car with aviator sunglasses, tousled hair, and signature goatee

“Hey, dad,” she said quietly as a smile crept on her face. “What brings you to the burbs?”

He chuckled and stood up properly. “You have no idea how hard it was for me to find this place,” he admitted. “I thought you guys were still at your mom’s apartment.”

“Daddy insisted we move in with him.”

Tony cringed at the thought. “He didn’t, did he?”

She shook her head and gestured to the bruises on her face. “No, but it was the first time he’s actually took a swing at me.”

“I’ll kill him,” Tony said as he enveloped her in a hug. “I’ll kill him and burry his body in the woods.”

Toni laughed as she hugged him back. “I know you would, but I don’t think that’s the best idea.”

Tony pulled away and looked at his daughter. “Why not? I’ve already got a lawyer set up and everything.”

“What’s this talk about a lawyer?” Claire asked as she stepped into view. “Toni, sweetie, Daddy wants you to come back inside. He doesn’t like to wait.”

“Claire, I’m taking Toni home with me.”

“What? No! You can’t take her away from me!”

“Why can’t I? She’s my daughter, too.”

Claire laughed pessimistically and threw her hands in the air out of exasperation. “Bull shit!” she exclaimed. “Where the hell were you for the past eighteen years? Where the hell were you when she was born? She’s not your daughter, she’s mine! I’m the only one who cared for her from the time she was born.”

“And yet you let her hang out with the likes of that boyfriend of yours!” Tony shouted back. “Do you realize what he’s done to her?”

“At least he’s there for her!”

“Bull shit! He’s not a father figure!”

“Oh, and like you are! I heard about the marriage on TV. I don’t want her around those kind of people.”

“Those kind? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“She needs a father, not some kind of pansy!”

“Claire, listen to yourself! Toni would be in a loving, caring home! She would have stability that you would never be able to give her.”

“No! She’s my fucking daughter and you can’t have her!”

“Shut up!” Toni finally shouted. “I don’t want to be here anymore, mom! I don’t want to live with Daddy anymore! You don’t care! That’s complete crap! He doesn’t care, and you know it. You know that I’d be better off with dad, you just don’t want to admit to him that you failed!”

She sighed and looked at her dad this time. “I want to go back to the Tower with you. I want to go home.”

****

Toni signed the paper with a smile on her face as Steve and Tony held hands and stood behind her.

Tony’s lawyer smiled up at him. “Welcome to the family, Miss Antoinette Stark.”

Toni looked at her new found family, feeling her heart swell with joy.

****

Toni Stark walked into her home feeling renewed and with a smile on her face. Pamplemousse was the first to greet her, hugging her like she had been gone years instead of weeks.

Loki was next, giving her a smile and a warm embrace, not wanting to let her go.

One after another, the Avengers and company greeted her warmly. After a while, it was only Hetalia that had not given a greeting. She smiled and pulled Toni into a surprising hug.

“In the Motherland, we don’t bother with pathetic embraces.”

Toni chuckled and hugged her friend back. “It’s great to see you too, Hetalia.”

As she pulled away, Toni noticed that the Russian had dark circles under her eyes and her face looked slightly thinner. The thought of her friend losing sleep over her made her kind of sick to her stomach.

“My dear friend!” Thor bellowed. “Come to the kitchen! We are preparing a mighty feast to celebrate your initiation to the family!”

Toni smiled, forgetting the bought of nausea. Under her breath, she mumbled. “I’m home.”