Then we were two

Tony hadn't flown faster in his life, not on any test flights, not in any battles, not even when he'd been being chased by Rhody's pals. It was a struggle, not searching Addy out the moment he'd touched down. He didn't dare do anything that might give her away. "Where is she Jar?" He asked quietly.

"Miss Addy is hidden in your workshop sir," the A.I. responded immediately. "Sir the mark 7 is not ready for deployment."

Tony felt a flash of pride over the girl's quick thinking, the anxiousness that had been building settling. Or as much as was possible without grabbing her and flying across the country. "Then skip the spinning rims we're on the clock," he replied.

"Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity?" Loki smirked as he waltzed confidently toward Tony.

It honestly pissed him off. This alien asshole strolling onto his planet, into his home, walking around like he owned the place. "Uh, actually, I'm planning to threaten you," tony replied. Just a few minutes, he could bs his way for a few minutes. He was Tony Stark, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, the king of bullshitting.

Addy frowned as gears began to whir, the newest of her Father's iron man suits being prepared. "Jarvis, can you show me what's going on?" She whispered.

The main room flickered into being on her tablet, her father and the one she'd hidden from, circling one another like lions on the discovery channel.

If she hadn't noticed her father nudging her bag out of sight with his foot, the twinge in his jaw, she might have fallen for his unworried attitude.

"There's no throne, there's no version of this where you come out on top," Tony continued. "Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us but it's all on you. Cuz if we can't protect the earth you can be damn sure we'll avenge it."

Addy squinted at the screen as the man approached her father, the glowing staff in his hand seemed to burn brighter as he brought it up. "And how will your friends have time for me when they're so busy fighting you?" He hissed, poking the scepter into the center of Tony's chest.

Addy squeaked in terror and hid her face. She glanced up as the suit shot out of the workshop, watching her father fly through the window. "Did you get him?! Jarvis did you catch my dad?!" She gasped frantically.

"Mister Stark is well and battling Loki's army miss Addy," the AI replied.

"Hey kid, you ok?" Tony's voice called through the speakers.

Addy bit her lip, hurriedly brushing aside tears she hadn't noticed had fallen, and nodded. "Someone's up there, Daddy they're shooting at the tower!"

Tony cringed, firing his repulsers at a chitari nearest him, "don't move babe, just," he grunted as he engaged another. "My workshop is as safe as any other part of this city right now, probably safer. Just, keep your head down and stay put."

"You're coming back?" She whispered, staring into the screen. "You promised?"

"Yeah, yeah Addy," he nodded absently as he flew around one of the beasts. "See you soon kid." He vanished from her screen. "Jarvis, sensors on the kid. She sneezes I wanna know."

"I fail to see how-"

"Just keep me updated," he sighed.

"Stark, got a lot of strays sniffin your tail," Barton cut in.

"Just trying to, keep em off the streets," tony breathed.

"Well they can't bank worth a damn, find a tight corner."

Tony frowned in surprise. "I will roger that," he muttered and flew off.

Addy cringed at the sound of roaring and shattering glass. She curled her knees up a little tighter as a bit of rubble fell from the floor above onto the workbench she hid under. "Daddy, can you still hear me?" She whispered, terrified.

"Stark, you hear me?" Fury's voice interrupted any response he may have given. "We have a rogue missile headed for Manhattan."

It's funny how your brain shuts down in moments like that. With the imminent death of thousands, acquaintances, your own team, your child, hanging in the balance. You don't have time to cry and plead and express all the feelings you should've shared before. Fight or flight they call that. Do you stand and go down kicking and screaming or do you run and hope you aren't the slowest. "How long?" Tony heard himself ask.

"Bout three minutes, max. With a payload big enough to wipe out midtown."

"Jarvis put everything we got into the thrusters," Tony ordered and shot off.

"I just did."

"I can close it," Nat called in. "Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down."

"Do it!" Steve replied.

"No wait," Tony called back puzzling his team.

"Stark these things are still coming!"

"I got a nuke coming in it's gonna blow in less than a minute," Tony responded racing towards the approaching missile, "and I know just where to put it."

"Stark you know that's a one-way trip." Steve stated, it wasn't as if he were trying to talk him out of it, his voice was resigned, Cap simply wanted Tony to know exactly what he was doing.

Tony didn't acknowledge it though, "save the rest for the turn J," was the last the team heard from the iron man as he raced upward into the open portal.

Addy had slowly slipped toward a window. The girl gasped, eyes trained on a blur of red as it shot upward toward the hole in the sky. "Daddy..." she breathed out.

Tiny feet stumbled frantically upward, leaping carelessly over the fallen villain as she raced out to the balcony just in time for Steve's command to Natasha to close the portal.

Black window squeezed her eyes shut tight as if somehow that action could block out the frantic screams from the child below her.

"No! Daddy! Daddy no!!" Addy screamed until her throat tore and her voice cracked.

"He's not slowing down!" Thor announced, swinging his hammer rapidly as if preparing to fly up and catch the falling hero. He didn't get the chance, however, as Hulk leapt from a nearby building cradling Tony in his arm like a rag doll as the pair slid down.

Thor ripped his mask off and Steve checked for a heartbeat, a whisp of breath, anything. They all jumped in surprise when Hulk roared, Stark's eyes flew open as he gasped in surprise, "what just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me!?"

Steve glanced around at the devastation Loki's army had caused, "we won," he replied almost in disbelief.

Tony sighed in relief, "alright yay, alright good job guys! Let's just not come in tomorrow lets just take a day, you ever tried swcharma? There's a schwarma joint not to far from here I don't know what it is but I wanna try it."

Thor looked back up towards stark tower, "we're not finished yet."

The rest of the group followed his eyes some of them sighing, "and then schwarma after?" Stark responded.

The, now dirtied and bruised, avengers went up together to confront Loki.

Addy launched herself toward them, startling her father's team as she wrapped herself tightly around her father, armor and all, and buried her face in his neck. She pulled back for a moment, slapping her hands against the chest plate. "You idiot! You could've died!" She sobbed.

Tony cringed and caught both her hand in his, holding her up with the other, and pulled her into a hug. "It's ok, it's ok now, you're ok," He soothed gently.

"If it's all the same to you," Loki sighed as he crawled to a sitting position, "I'll have that drink now."

Tony snorted and carried his daughter off to the side, settling her onto the counter and running his hands through her hair as he checked her over.

"I didn't know Stark had a kid?" Clint muttered.

Natasha smiled slightly as Thor moved forward to cuff his brother, "It's a recent development."

"We didn't have enough weirdos in costume in this place you thought you needed to bring more home with you?" Addy sniffled.

Tony snorted and gently wiped at his daughter's cheeks. "Friends from work," he winked. "Well, this isn't quite as bad as Malibu right?"

Addy gave a tearful giggle and cuddle into him again, "pretty sure this is so much worse."

"Yeah, probably right. Hey you got any stats for me bout how many odds we just beat?"

"They don't keep stats on aliens. Previously unconfirmed and everything..." Addy replied.

Tony chuckled and kissed her hair, "yeah, yeah. Shows how much they know huh? Hey, sorry you got stuck in this."

Addy shrugged, "getting used to it...I'm glad you're ok."

Tony nodded, "yeah me too. Loveyakid. So, schwarma?"