The communal area was quiet, only a few team members were spending their free time here reading or watching TV. Your father calls for you, his voice on edge and he didn’t look too happy either. “Can I talk to you? Alone?“
You gulped at the tone. This definitely won‘t be a nice conversation about how your day went. For a second you were questioning what you could have done wrong. And then it dawned on you.
Face paling you though about your apparently not so secret relationship with the sorcerer supreme Stephen Strange. He is not just almost 20 years older than you but also a close friend of your fathers. You and Stephen kept your relationship a secret, quietly testing out the waters if the two of you were even a good match.
And you were. The last few months were the happiest of your life. Stephe was the perfect boyfriend. Attentive to your needs, taking care of you in all the right ways and of course always the gentleman. Which is why the two of you had discussed making it official to the team in about a month or so. You would maybe announce it at Christmas or New Years. Or you would just attend one of your dads’ famous parties together and let everybody be a witness to the PDA the two of you have kept to yourselves so far.
But all your plans were chucked out the window when your father led you into his office. You knew exactly what he wanted to discuss once you saw you boyfriend in a chair in front of the big mahogany desk, an apologetic look on his face.
“Please, have a seat,“ your father proses it as a question, though you knew you had to obey his demand.
He takes his seat on the other side of the desk, while you sit next to Stephen.
“When did you think about telling me?” he asked the two of you, even though you know it was aimed more at you. The frown that is slowly appearing on his face is making him appear older than he actually is.
“Tell you what?” you tried to play dumb, even though all three of you knew why you were here. Tony was not having it.
“Are you kidding me? When did you two plan on telling me that you’ve been what? Going out? Seeing each other? Fucking? However, you want to call it,” he almost screamed at you.
“Calm down, Tony,” Stephen told the billionaire with a calm voice.
“Don’t you tell me to calm down when you’ve been with my daughter doing God knows what, behind my back. I want an explanation, and I want it now!”
Stephen reached over and took your hand in his shaking one. He let his fingers run over your knuckles – your father watching the interaction with a clenched jaw – before explaining.
“Tony, I deeply respect you and our friendship, but you have to understand. I am desperately in love with your daughter, and I have been for some time. I promise to take the best possible care of her. You and I both don’t want anything to happen to her. I promise she will have everything she could ever need and more. But you have to trust me in that,” you were fascinated with how calm Stephen stayed. You were a nervous wreck, thinking about all the ways Tony could sabotage your relationship.
“With all due respect Stephen, this is not about a mission or anything this is about my daughter. I know how you’ve been with women in the past and I do not want you to repeat this kind of behaviour with my daughter,” oh your dad was pissed.
“Dad, Stephen and I have been going out for a few months now and he has never treated me bad. Of all the partners I had he is the most attentive, caring, and loving person I have ever come across. We are well aware of the age gap, but it doesn’t matter to us. Don’t you see, we love each other,” you tried to reason with him. He was slowly cracking, and you all knew it. Tony’s eyes wandered to your now interlocked fingers again and you could see his face harden.
“I’m still not happy with this. And what do you mean a few months? How long exactly has this been going on?”
“Next week it would be six months.”
Tony now stood up from his chair and paced the room.
“We wanted to wait until we are ready, you did not. What do you want to do now, dad? You want to forbid me from being with him? Good luck, because I don’t intend to leave him anytime soon. I love him, he loves me. He treats me well and I’m really happy, dad. Shouldn’t that be all that matters?” Stephen squeezed your hand. He admired how you spoke up for him, as he knew how much you valued his opinion.
Tony sat down again, the expression on his face moving into something different, something more tired.
“You know I just want you to be happy, sweetpea. And if that is with a party trick magician then so be it. You are right, I have no right to interfere with this relationship. But you know, I’m worried about you. And Stephen, you hurt her I’ll kill you, is that clear?”
A smile now spread over your face and Stephen answered. “Of course, Stark. No need to worry.”
With that Tony dismissed you both. Even if this was not ideal, you were glad the cat was out of the bag now.
“Wait, how did he even find out?”