Chapter Text
Vexara Stark. That was her new name. She stares at the adoption papers, sitting on her bed, and reads it again. Vexara Stark. She was a stark, after having living with Tony and Pepper for a year now. She sighs, dropping back onto her ridiculously large bed and thinking about the first day she met either of them. It had been a year ago, back when she hadn't learnt how to value her own life.
~Begin Flashback
Vexara had been trapped in the building for seven minutes and thirty nine seconds following the screams of a child. Logically, she knew she should get out of there. But her family had raised her to save everyone, even if it meant dying. Her mom and dad were constantly telling her that her life was of little purpose if she couldn't use it to save others. Her mother's last words to her were to never stop saving others.
Vexara drops to her knees, coughing and struggling to stay awake. She could no longer hear the cries of the child. Did that mean she had failed? Had she failed to save someone? Had she failed at the one thing she had been raised for?
"I'm sorry.... little one." She whispers, gasping softly, as her hands hit the floor and she collapses to the burning ground. The last she sees before her vision goes black is a metal suit of red and yellow. Then her body succumbs to a state of unconsciousness.
When she awakes, she lies in a bed much comfier then the one she was used to. She groans softly, sitting up and rubbing her temples.
"Ah you're awake. I do believe Mr. Stark left some medications in here for you." Vexara looks around, before freezing a the sight of a red man-robot-thing speak to her. She can't help it, she screams. I mean, who wouldn't if a humanoid robot was the first thing they saw after waking up.
"Oh no, please don't do that! My aim is not to hurt you! I simply wish to help with your headache and I do believe that screaming will only worsen it." He says, panicking as he holds his hands up. Vexara places her own hand against her chest, feeling the rapid beats of her heart.
"Who... are you? What are you?" She asks. The robot-man chuckles, pulling down a yellow bottle of medicine.
"There they are. Oh, uh, who am I? My name is Vision. And uh... as for what I am, I am an artificial android created by Bruce Barners and Tony Stark," The robot-human says. Vexara nods.
"Ok. Yeah, that makes perfect sense. The human-robot-thing was created by the Iron Man and Hulk. So what, am I in Iron Man's house?" She was joking when she asked the question, but Vision clearly hadn't picked up on the sarcasm and nodded. Vexara stares at him. "Excuse me, what?"
"Well, you asked if you were in iron man's house, and you are, so I nodded." Vexara laughs nervously.
"Do you not under sarcasm?" She asks.
"Oh no, he understands it perfectly." A new voice coming from the door way startles her, and she nearly fell out her bed when her eyes landed on Tony Stark. "It's just that he ignores the sarcasm in favor of being as helpful as he can or as annoying as he can. I hav't really figured it out. So if you ask a question, no matter the form you ask it in, he will answer."
"You're Tony Stark." Vexara whispers. Stark pauses, looking at her and nodding.
"I do believe that is my name. And what about your name?" Stark asks her. Vexara swallows, sitting up straight.
"My name is Vexara Sterling. But I go by Vex." She states. Stark nods.
"Very well, Vex. Come on now, we have to get you cleaned up. Pepper would never forgive me if I let you stay like that, but she would've killed me if I tried to bathe you while you were out. So you go get clean and I'll get some clothes for you. Pepper should be home later, and you can meet her." Stark says, motioning her to follow him, Vex followed him, not knowing that this would be the start of a new life for her.
End Flashback~
Vex sighs and smiles as she thinks about Pep's reaction to seeing her for the first time. The woman was fussing over her, asking her questions and double checking everything with Tony.
It had taken her nearly three months to call them by their firsts names.
It had taken five months and a bullet grazing her arm to tell them everything about her. How she was born with the power to manipulate sound and turn it to a weapon. How her parents saw this and trained her from the moment she could walk to sacrifice her life if others needed it. Tony told her while that was a good trait to have, she needed to have care for herself.
When Pepper had asked Vex at nine months when her birthday was, she was forced to admit she didn't know. That had been a fun conversation.
~Begin Flashback
"What do you mean you don't know?" Pepper voice was slightly higher then normal as she stared at the teen before her. Vex merely shrugged, like not knowing your birthday was a common thing.
"Ma and Pa always told me what age I am be on December thirty-first. They said there was no point in celebration my life, and it would only make me selfish and second guess if someone needed saving. So, the last day of the year they always told me 'You survived this year, you are now..' and whatever age I was last year. So, this year, I will be fifteen." Vex explains. Pepper shakes her head, pulling out her phone.
"Nope. We aren't doing that anymore." She states. Vex stares at her, preparing to protest and say it's fine or that she doesn't need a birthday. Unfortunately, Pepper had already pulled up the calendar app. "Does September eighth work?" September eighth, the Day tony had brought her here after rescuing her from the fire. The day Pepper told her she was staying, at least for a little bit, while she ate dinner that night. The day she unofficially gained a family who cared for her.
"Yeah Pep, September eighth works." Vex whispers, before wrapping the woman in a hug. Pepper pauses, before wrapping her arms around the younger girl in an even tighter hug.
End Flashback~
Well, September eighth came around and she had officially turned sixteen. As a birthday gift, Pep and Tony had given her the adoption papers and told her she was officially a Stark now. She had an official family, on paper and in her heart. She grabs a frame fro her nightstand drawer, placing the adoption paper in it and setting the frame on her desk. She steps back, smiling at it and nodding, before grabbing her phone and earbuds and running downstairs.
"Heading out for a little bit!" She hollers.
"Don't be to long! I have someone coming by later who I want you to meet!" Tony hollers from the kitchen.
"Will do!" She shouts back, running out the door and turning her earbuds on. She lets the music flow through her before opening her hands and allowing the sound blast to push her to the roofs. She runs across the roofs, occasionally using a blast to help her get to the next one. It isn't long before she ends slamming into someone in a sweatshirt and jeans.
"Oh. Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was swinging and I didn't expect anyone to be up here and are you ok?" The boy asks. Vex stares at him then huffs.
"Yeah well, there is someone up here. Watch where the fuck you're going." She snaps, placing her earbuds back in and heading back the way she came without waiting for the other kid to reply. She goes into her, changing her clothes and checking over the arm she landed on to make sure everything was good. A minor bruise, but she's had worse.
"Vex! Come here please! Our guest is here!" Pepper's voice carries up through the house and into her room, and she quickly grabs her phone earbuds.
"Coming Pep!" She hollers, sliding down into the stairwell. She hurries into the living room, looking down as she scrolls through her music trying to find the right playlist for her mood. "Ok, so who am I meeting?" She asks, pausing and looking at Tony. He motions for her to put the phone up, which she does hesitantly.
"Vex, I want you to meet the boy I will be teaching. His name is Peter Parker." Tony states, stepping aside to reveal the person behind him.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me." Vex says. Before her stood the very boy who had slammed into her earlier and now her father was telling her that he's going to be a hero. This was going to be interesting.