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The first time was when you started working in the tower. Pepper had set up an internship program to help foster kids in Manhattan and you were the lucky person who won the fellowship. Mainly, you worked alongside the secretaries and office workers on the first floor, but you came up to the common room from time to time to help Pepper.
Tony grew to like your company. You weren’t afraid to ask questions whenever you didn’t understand anything nor were you afraid to “sass” him back and make witty comebacks.
You had wandered into Tony’s office during your lunch break and he looked up from his computer before greeting you.
“What can I do for you, Y/N?” he asked.
“Nothing, really. I just want to be entertained,” you replied. Tony grabbed the extra computer he kept beside his desk.
Tony opened the computer and handed it to you. “Do you know how to code?”
“I dabble a bit.”
“Knock yourself out. Make a protective firewall, or something.” You grabbed the computer from him and shrugged, not exactly knowing where you were going to start.
Thirty minutes went by you and gave Tony his computer back. “I’m nowhere near done, but my break’s over. Thanks for entertaining me, though!” you shouted as you left the room. You waved before leaving the floor, back to clock in.
Tony viewed your work and was impressed. He smiled to himself and thought he was in the presence of a future coder, and he was happy that he discovered that before anyone else did.
The second time, Tony had personally promoted you to the tower. You worked by his side, assisting him whenever he needed you in the lab. You weren’t quite ready to handle projects on your own, but you were so eager to learn that Tony felt compelled to take you under his wing. You came over early in the morning and didn’t leave until late at night on the weekends. During school days, you’d haul yourself over to Tony’s lab, finish your homework, and work with him.
The day wasn’t particularly unusual for you. You had said goodbye Peter Parker before leaving campus and flipped him the bird when he made a face, laughing as you stepped foot into your car. The ride was quick and you found yourself in Tony’s lab while he concentrated on his suit.
“Any luck on installing beams to balance the weight?” you asked, setting your backpack beside the chair, pulling out your homework.
“Yeah, I figured I’d spread it around the suit. Equal distribution and all that.” He threw a smile at you and you returned it, shifting your attention to your homework.
Serval minutes passed by and you found yourself growing more frustrated as you stared at the complex math problem.
“What?” you said to yourself for the hundredth time. Tony looked up and saw your eyebrows were furrowed, your mouth was shaped in a pout, and your eyes were closed from frustration. He stood up and made his way to your side of the lab and stood in front of you.
“You okay, Y/N?” he asked in a soft voice. You opened your eyes and groaned.
“I don’t get this problem,” you said. “Math comes so easy for me, but I’m dying.” Tony chuckled and walked around the desk.
“Glad my suffering amuses you,” you said. Tony took your notebook and glanced at the problem first hand. He identified the error in your work and set the notebook down to show you.
“Here, you subtracted the variable, but you were supposed to add it and then subtract it. That way, you can get to your outcome in fix steps instead of six,” he said, moving the pencil across the page. You followed his writing and it clicked.
“I get it!” you said. “And then that means ‘x’ has to equal delta, right? And then I’d have to plug it back into the equation to get the derivative?”
Tony nodded proudly and watched as you finished the work.
“I did it!” you yelled, dancing sheepishly in your chair. Tony looked at you in adoration and felt proud that he was the reason behind your happiness.
Because you’ve been surrounded by the Avengers for a long time, Steve insisted that he teach you how to defend yourself. You whined and argued, but Tony thought it would be a good idea in case something happened. He looked at you for the third time as you tried to protest, but he was stern and told you to bring an extra pair of clothing the next day. You huffed and nodded before waving goodbye to everyone as you left.
Steve went easy on you the first time, teaching you a few tips and tricks. Then, he tried to teach you how to move fluidly so that you avoid the attacker’s attempts to harm you, but manage to take you opponent down.
You didn’t notice, but Tony would pop in every so often to see how you were doing. He caught you laughing with Steve a few times and thought it was nice that you were getting along with everyone. He smiled to himself as he sipped his afternoon coffee and watched as you took down Captain America himself.
“That’s my girl,” Tony said.
“What are you doing down here?” Pepper asked Tony as she approached him. Tony looked at her.
“Me? Nothing,” he said. She quirked an eyebrow and watched you help Steve from the mat.
“She’s something,” Pepper said. “I’m growing to like her a lot. She’s very efficient when she works, she’s very smart, and she seems like she could be a very good combat fighter.” Tony averted his gaze back to you and you both met gazes. You waved at him and smiled, and he gave you an even bigger one.
“I’ll see you later, yeah?” Pepper asked before giving Tony a peck on the lips. He said goodbye and watched as you playfully hit Steve on the chest for scaring you as you took a gulp of your water.
“Kids,” he muttered, smiling as he walked back to his office.
Your foster home granted you to stay the night at the tower. Your caretaker wouldn’t admit this to you, but he was happy that you were out of the house and finding yourself. He had been with you since you were twelve and you had lived in the same foster care. He saw you were trying not to worry about being adopted or being “chosen,” but he also knew you were tearing yourself apart by pretending it didn’t bother you. He approved the job you had at the tower because you came home with the biggest smile on your face.
You thanked your caretaker and waved him goodbye as you drove to the tower. FRIDAY greeted you as you entered Tony’s private garage and made your way into the common room before being pounced on by Natasha and Wanda.
“Y/N!” they shouted simultaneously.
“Hello, I’m here, and I need to breathe,” you said, coughing. They laughed and let you go before pulling you into Wanda’s bedroom. Bucky saw and stopped the three of you.
“Where’s my hug?” he asked. You laughed and leaned in to give him a quick hug before the girls dragged you into the room.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever,” said Wanda.
“I saw you twenty-four hours ago,” you retorted.
“I’ve never had a sleepover before,” Natasha confessed. “I mean, I don’t consider bunking next to Wanda a sleepover, though. I’m talking about the ones you see in movies.”
“Me either!” Wanda exclaimed.
“I mean, sometimes I talk to the other girls in foster care. I guess that’s sort of like a sleepover, but we all live in the same house.”
“So, Y/N,” Wanda said, shifting her body so it faced yours. “Anyone you find cute in the tower?”
“Too easy, Wands. Steve.” Natasha and Wanda howled. “What? I’m giving you my honest thought and I’m not even ashamed to say it.”
“Do you like-like him?” Natasha asked in a teasing voice. You swatted her shoulder.
“No, definitely not. He’s old enough to be my grandpa. He’s just cute.”
“Tell me about high school,” Wanda requested.
“Well, for starters, it’s extremely boring and full of fake people. I mean, not including my friends Peter, Ned, Liz, and MJ,” you said.
“Ah, the glories of high school. I mean, I never experienced it, but every movie makes it look like a nightmare,” said Natasha.
The night dragged on and soon you found yourselves asleep. You woke up, however, feeling extremely hungry and snuck out of the room to the kitchen. You opened the fridge and looked around, shrugging when you saw no labelled foods. You figured nobody would mind you taking a snack.
You reached for the peach and took a bite, licking the juices off of your fingers and wiped your chin with a paper towel.
“Having fun, there?” Tony asked. You stopped chewing and gave him a sheepish smile.
“I was hungry,” you said after swallowing. “I didn’t eat dinner. Nat, Wanda, and I got too caught up talking about girl things and we kind of just fell asleep.”
Tony walked to the fridge and pulled out a giant slice of chocolate cake and pulled out two forks.
“Wanna share?” he asked. You nodded eagerly and took the fork from him, dipping into the cake.
“Who made this?”
“Pepper did.”
“Did she tell you not to eat it?” you asked, mouth full of cake.
“Technically no. Well, she didn’t tell me if I could or couldn’t eat it,” he said, his mouth also full of cake. You laughed.
The two of you stood in the kitchen for an hour, catching up on all things “millennial” and you listened to Tony talk about the new technology he’s trying to develop. Tony loved that you felt comfortable enough to share part of your story with him and found himself feeling like you belonged in his life for the fourth time.
“You think I’m what?” Steve asked as Natasha burst out laughing. You pinched the bridge of your nose and shook your head.
“Nat, I swear to God,” you muttered. Steve laughed and wrapped his arms around you, hugging you so that you couldn't escape.
“It’s okay, Y/N, I happen to think you’re really cute too,” he cooed, nuzzling his cheek onto the crown of your head. You groaned as they relentlessly teased you and you tried to wiggle out of Steve’s grasp, but he was far too strong.
“I hate you all,” you muttered into Steve’s chest. This only made him laugh louder, and Clint and Bucky came to investigate.
“What’s going on?” Clint asked as he saw the two Avengers in a fit of laughter and you looking miserable.
“She thinks I’m cute,” Steve said, pointing at you. You were able to get your hand free and began swatting his shoulder over and over again. Steve bent over and tried to run away from you, but you kept running after him. Everyone laughed and you ran to Tony, who Steve was hiding behind.
“Men are assholes,” you said, looking at Tony and then to Steve.
“Hey! You were the one who said I was cute.” You rolled your eyes.
“Oh please, Steve, you’re old enough of be my grandfather.” Tony laughed and clapped his hands.
“So you don’t think I’m cute?” Steve teased. You groaned and flipped him the bird before walking away. “Is that a no?” Steve yelled, laughing.
That night, you had decided to go home later that usual and were feeling particularly upset. Sometimes, you’d get a pang of sadness and you couldn’t exactly discern why, but today, you had come to terms with why you felt upset every so often.
After spending so much time with the Avengers, who treated you as an equal, you craved for a family who stood by you. Of course, you had your caretakers and the other foster children, but they were getting adopted left and right. You had been there the longest and in a year, you’d be out on your own without a family to help you when you needed it the most.
The lab was empty. Everyone was in the common room, but a few tears slipped onto your cheeks and you soon felt your body being controlled by the sobs that took over. You sat by the wall and slid down, pulling your knees to your chest as you tried to make your cries quiet. The world wasn’t fair, but you’d be damned if anyone saw you cry.
Sam wondered if you left because he and you didn’t do the special handshake you invented whenever you saw him or left him, a joke between the two of you after you forced him to make one up with you.
“Is Y/N still in the building or did she leave?” The team shrugged and continued watching the film that was on the TV, but Tony stood up to check if you were in the laboratory.
He heard your quiet sobs as he entered the hallway and gently opened the door as to not startle you.
“Oh, Y/N,” he said as he bent down to your level. He wrapped his arms around your fragile body and pulled you closer to his chest, rubbing soothing circles onto your back with his palm. “What’s the matter?”
You shook your head, refusing to talk as you continued to sob into his chest, sniffling every once in a while. You didn’t care that you Tony saw how much of a mess you were. It didn’t matter then.
“I don’t know what’s got you in a rut, but I’m here for you, okay? I’m always here for you. Bother me day or night, I’ll always be here for you.” Tony let his chin rest against the top of your head and soothed you until you eventually stopped shaking. During the fifth time, Tony felt like he had a bigger responsibility than just being your mentor.
It was the night of your eighteenth birthday and Tony planned on taking you and the team out to the annual carnival that took place not so far from the tower. You mention how you had never been to one and Tony wanted to make it an experience you would never forget.
Earlier in the morning, the team had greeted you when you came and pushed you to the common room where they had stacks of presents lying around. Most of them had given you things that were quite sentimental. Steve, on the other hand, gave you a gag gift (in reality, he had made Bucky take photos of him and put it in a scrapbook as a joke to imortalise the fact that you thought he was cute) before giving you a series of drawings he hadn’t wanted to keep, but didn’t want to throw away. You thanked each and every one of them and wanted the moment to last forever.
“At least you’re legal now,” Steve said with a wink when he gave you his gift. You rolled your eyes.
“I thought you were supposed to be the one who wasn’t crude?” Steve howled and embraced you in a hug.
“You know I love you, Y/N.”
You laughed and hugged him back, giving his body a squeeze. “Yeah, yeah. Love you too, old man.”
Everyone headed to the pier in three separate cars before joining at the dock, right before the entrance. Tony had graciously paid for everyone’s ticket. You had thanked him once he gave yours to you and gleamed at the rides and the games that were probably rigged, but you didn’t care.
“I feel like a kid again,” you said, glancing at the people around you. Tony looked down at you and smiled.
“Anything for you, kiddo. Is there anything you’d like to do?” You looked around.
“I don’t have anything in particular, but Bucky suggested I ride this rollercoaster that takes me in loops.” Tony raised his hands in surrender.
“Oh man, you’re on your own. I can’t handle that.” You laughed and nodded, calling Bucky over.
“Tony’s too much of a wuss to go with me,” you said, feign pouting. Bucky slung his arm across your shoulders and pulled you away, giving Tony a look, signalling that he’d keep you safe.
The hour went by and you met up with the rest of the team to grab a bite to eat.
“I swear, Sam almost threw up,” Wanda said as she laughed.
“Hey! I did not. If I recall, you were the one who kept holding my hand because you wouldn’t open your eyes.” Wanda rolled her eyes and swatted Sam’s bicep before taking a bite of her dinner.
“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” you announced, standing up. The team gave you a nod an let you take care of yourself.
As you approached the table, a man not too much older than you stopped you in your tracks.
“I just have to say that you’re incredibly gorgeous,” he said. You blushed and smiled.
“Oh, thank you. That’s so sweet of you to say.”
“Do you want to come hang out with me and my friends?” he asked, pointing at the two guys at the table not too far from where you both were standing.
“No thank you, I’m here with a few friends,” you said, backing away.
“Please? I can guarantee we’ll have a lot of fun together,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. You got a funny feeling and declined.
“Again, I’m here with friends. Maybe I’ll catch you some other time?” you said, knowing well you would’t see him again. He grabbed your arm and pulled you closer to him.
“Let’s have a little fun, sweetheart.”
Tony saw this and stood up, the team being confused by his actions until they saw the predicament you were in. Tony was about to launch himself at the boy and start yelling, but he saw you twist the boy’s arm behind his back. You kicked your foot in the hollow of his knee and he was sent to the floor, crying in pain.
“When girls say no, it means no,” you spat before walking away. Tony beamed at you and smiled for the sixth time.
“You feelin’ okay?”
You smiled. “Yeah. Boys are dumb, but I’m okay.” Tony pulled you to him and gave you a side hug.
“That’s my girl.”
Peter Parker sat with you in your last period class. You had a substitute teacher that day and she gave you the period to finish the project you were supposed to work on. Ned was gone and you left your trio missing it’s Musketeer, but you both found a way to make the period eventful.
“So about this Stark internship,” you said, wondering why you had never seen Peter around the tower or why Tony had never mentioned him to you, “what do you do exactly?”
“Well, lots of things. Sometimes I accompany Mister Stark and Happy places. You know, get coffee, things like that,” ever said, rubbing the back of his neck. You snickered, loving the fact that you knew he was Spider-Man, but he didn’t know that you knew.
“Are you sure that’s all you do?” Peter stared at you.
“W-Why would I do anything else? I’m a senior in high school, I don’t have much experience in the outside world, Y/N.” You decided to stop asking him questions.
“Well, I just wanted to tell you that I also happen to have an internship with Tony,” you said, highlighting an important note.
“You do? He’s never mentioned you.” You rolled your eyes. Typical.
“He’s never mentioned you either,” you said. “I used to get coffee, but now I’m up with the Avengers,” you said, whispering the last part.
“No way!” Peter whisper-yelled. “I wish I could be near the Avengers. This one time in Berlin I stole -” but Peter shut his mouth. He was silent.
“You stole Cap’s shield?” Peter’s eyes widened and he looked around the room to see if anyone was listening.
“How do you know that?”
You laughed and waved him off. “Like I said, I work alongside the team. It’s kind of my job to know everyone who's associated with us.
“How come I’ve never seen you at the tower? Not that I go there a lot.”
“You’re usually patrolling the streets,” you explained. “I go home around seven or eight o’clock. I go there after school, usually.”
“Do you mind if I tagged along today? Mister Stark wanted me at the tower.”
You nodded. “Yeah, no problem. I’ll give you a ride.”
“That’s okay, Happy’s going to pick me up.”
You rolled your eyes and sent a quick text to Happy, telling him you’d be giving Peter a ride.
“Don’t sweat it,” you said to Peter. “I’ll drive you there. Happy said stay in school, by the way.”
“Happy replies to your texts?” he asked. “He usually tells me to stop texting him.”
“Well, kid, I guess I’m just better than you,” you joked.
“Who are you calling a kid? I’m literally older than you,” he retorted.
“By two months, Peter.” You both shared a laugh and got up from your seats as the bell dismissed you.
As you arrived into the common room, you greeted the team and Steve ran over to give you a hug from behind.
“I got bored today,” he said, resting his chin on your head. You smiled at the team and grabbed his arms, letting your body stay limp against his. “How was school?”
“Boring, other than the fact that I got to watch Peter’s reaction when I told him I knew he was Spider-Man,” you snickered. Natasha laughed and ruffled Peter’s hair.
“He’s quite the asset,” she said. “Stealing Cap’s shield was pretty funny.”
Steve huffed and you laughed, detaching yourself from him as you jokingly pinched his cheeks.
“For someone who’s really old, you’re a big baby.”
Peter laughed and Tony came out. “Who’s a big baby?”
“Steve,” you said nonchalantly. Steve gave you the bird and walked away, promising to get you back another time.
“Peter, thanks for coming in. I wanted you to meet Y/N, but I guess you’ve already met.”
“Oh, we’ve known each other for a year,” you explained. “You know, this is the Peter that shaved off his eyebrows to impress Liz?”
Tony laughed and used the wall to steady himself. “Oh, man. I remember you telling me that. So you’re telling me this Peter is your Peter?”
“This Peter is my Peter.”
Tony looked at you for the seventh time, and then looked at Peter. “If you hurt her in any way, the suit is no longer yours.”
Peter gulped and nodded. “O-Of course I wouldn’t hurt her, Mister Stark.”
Tony clapped, startling Peter. “Okay! Now, can anyone tell me where I put my glasses?”
The team had come back from a mission and you were worried sick. They hadn’t contacted you in hours after they promised to be home, but you were happy when you saw Natasha and Steve’s figured burst through the door.
“Oh, thank heavens,” you said as you embraced them both. Natasha chuckled.
“We’re okay, kid,” she said. “Just some scrapes and bruises.”
You laughed and wiped a tear away. “I thought something happened to you guys.”
Steve smiled sympathetically at you and put his shield against the wall. “We’re okay, I promise. The rest of the team is unloading or taking their suits off.” You nodded and let the pair clean up.
You anxiously waited to see Tony. He was the last of them to come out and you ran into his arms as soon as you saw him enter the doors.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, dad,” you said into his chest.
“Kiddo, I’m always gonna be okay. Wait, did you just call me ‘dad’?”
You looked up. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, it just kind of slipped out and -” but Tony interrupted you with a hug, pulling you back into his chest.
“I feel the same way, kiddo,” he said, referring to feeling like your father. “If you weren’t legal, I’d be singing adoption papers right now.”
You pulled away and chuckled, wiping more tears that had escaped.
“I’ll always be here for you and I mean that. No more hopping around and no more being uncertain about who your family is. The team is your family. Pepper is your family. I’m your family.”
“I love you, dad,” you said, testing out the word.
“God, I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.”
That was eighth time he felt like your father, but he knew he’d feel this way more often.