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Tony Stark wasn’t the best person to go to if you wanted to get some healthy coping mechanisms. His alcoholism, shutting himself away in his lab, partying, and sleeping around were definitely not seen as healthy to the general public. Despite this, he couldn’t watch others go on the same self-destructive path that he had.
So when he noticed his daughter had started wearing long sleeves all day every day, he began to worry. Some parents would brush it off. Say it was a fashion choice or maybe their kid is just cold. But Tony wasn’t called a genius for nothing.
He rarely entered his daughter’s room, not really having the need to do so. This was an exception.
Her wide eyes flickered to the door when she heard it open. The blade she had was quickly tucked behind her back.
Seeing his daughter sitting on the ground in the corner of her room with tears running down her face was not what he wanted to see.
“Sweetheart?”
Sobs escaped her body as the reality of the situation hit her. She just wished she could go back to a time when she was happy. A time when she could laugh without it being forced.
Not wasting any time, Tony rushed up to his baby girl. Gently taking the razor from her hand, he threw it aside. Tears formed in his eyes as he reached out to hold her.
Where did he go wrong? He should have noticed it sooner. He should have stopped her. It was all his fault.
“I’m sorry, dad,” she cried. He just shook his head and held her trembling body closer.
“No, I’m sorry, babygirl. I’m so sorry…”
His hand began to run through her hair, so glad that she was still there with him. He didn’t know what he would do if she were to go before him. She was his whole universe.
“Let’s get you cleaned up, yeah?” Tony mumbled, after her cries tapered down. She nodded her head, releasing her dad to follow him into the bathroom.
Getting out a first aid kit, Tony took out some salve and bandages. Taking her wrists, he washed them thoroughly. She had never been taken care of after cutting. It was strange and it almost made her want to cry again. Especially with how gentle he was being with her.
His calloused hands applied the ointment to her cuts. He didn’t say a word. She was scared that he would yell at her for mutilating her own body, but he stayed silent. Honestly, she didn’t know if that was better or worse.
After bandaging her up he took her smaller hands in his and looked her in the eye. This is it, she had thought. He was going to scold her.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you like I should have been,” Tony murmurs, tears forming in his eyes. “I promise that if you ever need anything you can always come to me. Just let me know if you need anything. I may not be the best at these kinds of things, but I care about you a lot. I care about you so much. You mean so much to me and it hurts to see you in so much pain.”
That wasn’t what she was expecting at all. It made the tears start up again. Every time someone had found out they would yell at her or scold her. They never took it upon themselves to sit back and be calm.
“It’s not your fault,” she sniffed out. He couldn’t take the blame for her own self destruction. That just wasn’t fair.
Tony sighs, lowering his head. Stubborn as she is, he knows that he won’t convince her otherwise. “Let’s agree to disagree, yeah?”
She just huffs and rolls her watery eyes. “Whatever you say.”
“How about we have a movie night? Just you and me? We can watch whatever you want.”
She brightens at the suggestion. “Can we have snacks too?”
“Why not? Let’s eat all the junk food we have in the tower!” Tony exclaims, hopping up from the kneeling position he was in. She just follows her dad, smiling at how he always manages to make things better.