Mr. Big Ego

Later That Day

Tony’s meeting with Coulson and Fury was… tense, as expected.

“You want us to release her into your custody and let her work at Stark Industries?” Fury asked, arching an eyebrow. He leaned back in his chair, his one good eye fixed on Tony. “Do you realize how much paperwork that would require?”

“Paperwork’s your problem, not mine,” Tony replied, completely unbothered. “Besides, Skye’s wasted here. She’s brilliant, and she’s not going to learn how to control her powers by rotting in that cell. Let me help her.”

Coulson, who had been silently observing, finally spoke up. “He’s not wrong. Skye’s already more cooperative since Tony started visiting. If anyone can convince her to take control of her powers, it’s him.”

Fury sighed, rubbing his temples. “Fine. But this doesn’t make her a free agent. She’s still SHIELD property—”

“Person,” Coulson interjected gently. “She’s a person, sir.”

“Fine. She’s still a SHIELD person, and she’ll be monitored. If anything goes wrong, it’s on you, Stark.”

Tony clapped his hands together. “Great! Pleasure doing business with you, as always.”

A Month Later

A full month has passed since the last time Skye saw Tony. He promises her that he will take care of all things regarding SHIELD, her job at Stark Industries, and most importantly, her training facility. 

To be honest, Skye doesn’t think that Tony will succeed in persuading Fury into his crazy idea. If it's Coulson, then it’s possible, but the director of SHIELD himself? 

Hell no, he was so scary, and he looked like he didn't want Skye to be anywhere near people, not trusting her to control her power. She knows this because the director himself interrogated her when SHIELD picked her up, and he also went to her room a few times, probably two times. And all of their encounters don’t really give Skye a good impression of him. Can't say Skye gives him the best impression too.

But it seems Skye is wrong, because right now Tony Stark is standing in front of her, saying she will effectively immediately move to his tower, and he has already prepared a whole floor for herself.

“What? A whole floor?” Skye asked, confused. Never mind a whole floor, having a room all to herself, like in SHIELD, right now is already a blessing for Skye.

“Yup, did you forget who I am?” 

"But that's.. I don't need much, Tony. A room for myself is way more than enough, let alone a whole floor." 

He chuckles. "Don't worry, this is nothing for me. Besides, I wanted you to be well taken care of. Are you not happy?" He smirks. "Would you prefer a different place? We can still change things if you'd like to."

Just thinking about the effort and how much money and time he would spend again if Skye changes things is making her dizzy. So, Skye can't help but accept the whole floor Tony gives her. "No, no. It's fine, it's great, perfect, too perfect even." Skye sighs.

"Great!" Then there are people coming from behind him, and Tony motions for them to go inside, and they all start busying themselves with Skye’s belongings, putting all of that in boxes. 

Seeing Skye’s face at the people who just came into her room, Tony explains. “They are from a moving company. They’ll pack your things, and we can go to Stark Tower now.”

“What about SHIELD?”

“I convince Coulson and Fury to let you train on my tower and work at SI for a while.” He smiles brightly.

Tony watches as Skye arrives and looks in her new place. "So, how do you like it?" He asks with a smile. "I hope everything is to your liking. Do you need anything else?" 

Skye looks around the entire floor that Tony had made an entire floor for her. There's a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, some kind of office room where there are computers, etc., and most importantly, her training room, designed specially for her, to withhold her powers. 

"It has everything I need and more. It's too much, Tony. Way too much just for me alone." 

Tony ignores Skye's last comment and chooses only to respond to the first comment. "Well, I'm glad." He smiles. "So, what do you think about the training room? Do you think it's going to be enough? Or is there anything you'd like to see implemented?" He smirks and puts his hands on his hips.

"I mean, I haven't tried it yet. But from the looks of it, it looks pretty well built, and it seems like it can hold my powers." 

"Excellent! What do you say you start training now? Or are you not ready yet?"

"What if we start training tomorrow?" Skye gave her best puppy eyes to Tony. After a few months of being friends with him, Skye now feels more comfortable showing the older man her emotions.  

He chuckles, looking at her cute puppy eyes. "Alright, alright. But I expect you to be fully ready by tomorrow. No backing out, no excuses. Is that clear?"

"Aye, aye, captain." Skye gives him a mock salute. "Anyway, where is your beautiful girlfriend? I was hoping to meet the infamous Pepper that has the patience of a saint for putting up with you all these times."

Tony puts a hand on his heart, making a fake shock act. "You hurt me, Skye. You truly hurt me."

When Skye was laughing, Tony answered her question. "Pepper is away at the moment, you know... work stuff."

His face becomes a little bit serious for a moment. "I will say, however, that she is one of the best human beings I've ever had the pleasure to know. Her patience is just one of her many qualities, and I'm very blessed to have her in my life. Just don't tell her I said that, alright?" He winks at her.

Skye chuckled and then she sighed wishfully. "I must say, Tony, I really envy you that you have already met your person. I wonder if I would have a chance to meet my person." 

Tony sighs. "I know how you feel, Skye. It gets lonely sometimes." He thinks for a moment. "But I promise you'll find them. Soon."

He smiles warmly at her. "I can't promise it'll be easy, but it'll be worth it. And when you meet them, you'll realize just how perfect they are and how lucky you are to have them."

"I hope I can meet them soon. I really am jealous of you and Pepper, though. From what I saw on the news, you guys are so sweet and cute, bickering with each other like a 20-year married couple."

"Not 20, but," he laughs. "I appreciate the comparison!"

The man sighs and smiles at her. "I promise you that you'll meet your own boyfriend or girlfriend one day. You are a very kind person, and I'm sure someone will see just how special you are. After all, I do." 

"Thanks, Tony. If I didn't know better, I might call you my father, just because of how much you care about me like a father."

"Well, at least I can play a very convincing father in the meantime." Tony frowns and loses his mind for a moment. "I think that's the first time that anyone has called me that. I'll take it."

Tony smiles and gives her a warm hug. "You deserve only the best, Skye."

When they let go of their hug, Skye smiles as an awful idea comes into her mind. "Hey, I'm 17, and you're like, what, 39? What if we prank the whole world and say that you're my father and I'm your long-lost child? That would be real fun, you know." A mischievous smile on her face. 

The billionaire bursts out laughing. "Did you really just ask me that?" He continues to laugh for a few seconds. "That honestly sounds insane, and I love it." He smirks and laughs a little. "I'm game. But are you sure?" 

"Definitely! It must be funny when we tell the media that I'm in fact not your daughter, just some kid you met on the streets or something." 

"Alright, I'm in." He chuckles and looks at her a bit seriously. "Just keep one thing in mind: this is going to draw a lot of attention. Are you sure you're ready to deal with that?" 

Skye thinks about what Tony just said. "I mean, maybe we can make it so that people won't see my full face and identity. Like maybe we walk together to a DNA lab or something, but my face is covered up with a mask and glasses. How about that?"

"That's a good idea." Tony nodded then laughed. "They won't know what hit them. I like your style, Skye." 

"But you should tell Pepper first, though. We don't want her to have a heart attack or end your relationship because of this, right?" She smirks. 

He nods and takes his phone out of his pocket, smirking slightly as he starts typing on his phone. "Yeah, it's probably a good idea to avoid that.” 

“Then what about we go to the DNA lab now? Letting the rumor spread from now is better.” Skye suggests.

He smirks. “I like your enthusiasm!” Tony stands up and extends his hand. “Shall we?”

Skye didn’t say anything and let Tony take her hand to guide her to the exit.

“This is going to be great.” He chuckles. “Just imagine it. I will have a daughter, and you will have a father. A truly perfect prank if I've ever heard one.” He smirks. “You are a genius, Skye, you know that?”

“Well, I'm usually called the opposite of that. So I will accept your praise.”

“Well, you're smarter than you look. How about that?” Tony said as he leads them to his car and gestures for her to get in the passenger side as he goes to the driver's seat. Then he drives to the nearest DNA lab.

When they arrive at the lab, Tony briefs Daisy on the car. “You just let me do the talking once we get to the lab, alright? Your job is just to follow my lead as well as you can. Deal?”

“Sure thing, Dad.” Skye teases Tony.

He chuckles, obviously amused. “Alright, then what are we waiting for? Are you ready for a day you'll never forget?” He smirks, clearly excited for the chaos they're about to cause.

“Yup! But too bad I can't be your real daughter, and all of this is just a prank, yeah?” Skye smiles sadly.

“Why so sad? I know it's only a prank, but let's embrace it while it lasts.” He smiles at her warmly as he says this. “Just because we're faking it doesn't mean that it can't be fun and that we can't enjoy it.” The man gives her a wink. “Don't worry, everything is going to be fun.”

“Got it, I'll trust you, Mr. Big Ego.”

“Perfect, then.” He walks over towards the lab and takes Skye’s hand, leading her towards the front door. “Just don't panic, okay? And let’s keep your face covered and pretend that I'm your father.” He said to Skye. “Alright, let's go.” They both walk through the door into the lab.

"Chill, Dad. It's just play pretend. I've been pretending my whole life, I got this." Skye said while making sure that her face was covered with the mask and the cap Tony prepared.

“Alright, alright, I believe you.” Tony and Skye walk up to the receptionist and smile. “Good afternoon, we're here for a paternity test.”

The receptionist is dumbfounded. The man in front of her is the playboy Tony Stark, and he's asking for a paternity test. This is news that needs to be spread out immediately, the receptionist thought. 

"Uh, yeah, sure, Mr. Stark." The middle-aged woman takes a clipboard and gives it to him. "You can fill out these forms first, and you can give it to me again when you're done."

Tony takes the clipboard and looks over the forms. “Ah, alright, thank you.” Then he takes a pen and starts filling out the forms, asking Skye a few questions along the way to make it more convincing.

“... Okay, that should be it. Here, let me give this to you.” He holds out the clipboard to the receptionist. “We'll be over here, just let us know when the test will begin.”

"Of course, Mr. Stark. I'll call out your name when the doctor is ready to see you." The receptionist explained.

“Alright, thank you.”

Tony walks over to a chair near Skye and takes a seat, then turns to Skye and whispers. “Let's try and make some small talk while we wait, so that we seem at least somewhat like father and daughter. Okay?”

Skye rolled her eyes. "We can just have a conversation like usual, Tony." Tony replies with a scoff, and they finally talk about SI's cybersecurity.

A few minutes passed, and they were called to do the test. They did the test for about an hour and were asked to wait for the results.

An hour later, they're called by a doctor to talk about the paternity test results.

"Morning, Mr. Stark, Miss Skye." A man in his 40s greets them as they sit in the doctor's office. Both of them nodded and greeted him back.

The doctor starts. "So, I get your results here, but considering how high profile you are," he looks at Tony. "I decided to discuss it with you."

Tony nodded, glad that the doctor thought so too. "Yeah, we know we aren't biological father and daughter, but we want you to keep the results secret from anyone and keep quiet when you see me announcing the news that I'm her father."

Now the doctor's eyebrows scrunched together.

Seeing the doctor's confusion, Tony adds. "We're friends; we wanted to play pranks on the media by making them think I have a daughter." Both Tony and Skye grin.

"No, no, that's not why I look confused, Mr. Stark. I'm confused when you said you know you're not a biological father-daughter. What I wanted to say was that the result of the test is 98%." He explained.

"Wait, I'm sorry." Skye's tone shows that she is thoroughly confused by the news. "Did you just say that Tony is my biological father, and I'm his biological daughter?!"

Tony's eyes widened in surprise. “... Excuse me? What in the world?” He turns to see the doctor's confused face and raises his eyebrows. 

“What are you talking about? This can't be real. I mean, surely it can't be that accurate, especially since we both know this is impossible.” Skye gives an unamused look at the doctor. 

Tony also gives the man a dissatisfied stare. “Are you joking?”

The doctor smiles softly. "I'm not joking, sir. This is what the result says. Both of you are definitely biological father and daughter."

The millionaire sighs and shakes his head, not believing what he just heard. “Alright... Alright, let's...” He stops talking for a moment, in disbelief. “I think I want a second opinion on this. This has to be a mistake, right?” He turns to look at Skye, looking for her reaction. “... What do you think about this, Skye? Do you think it's accurate?”

"I... I mean it has to be, right?" Skye said. To be honest, she is too stunned right now.

“Damn it... This was supposed to be just a prank we pulled on the media to prove just how quick they were to believe anything; it was meant to be something we…” Tony sighs and turns to the doctor. “Can you run the test one more time?”

The doctor nods. “I’ve retested and rechecked the results, but I will do another test if you insist.”

“Please.” Tony nods. “No offense to you, Skye, but this doesn't seem right, and I just want to make sure.”

Skye’s face becomes unreadable again in front of Tony. It’s been a long time since Tony saw this particular expression of hers. “No worries, Tony, I understand.”

“Alright, let's do this. If it gives the same results again, then this prank has turned into a bit of a shocker.” Tony smiles slightly just thinking about the idea. “Oh wow. Just imagine if I'm really your father. That's insane.” He can't believe that this might actually be true.

Skye is silent up until the doctor left the room and told them to wait a bit for the test results.

“Hey Skye, you okay there?” Tony asks as he notices that Skye has been quiet for some time now.

“I'm... okay. I'm just trying to process everything.” Then she quietly asks Tony. “If this test result is positive too, would you accept that I might be your daughter? Or is there a required minimum of how much the test must have been done before you accept that?” Her voice and face seem neutral; maybe empty is more suitable. Skye’s voice and face don’t show any emotion to it. 

Tony is confused about what answer the girl is hoping for, but he pauses for a few seconds, letting the question and possibility sink in. “If the test results come back as positive again, then I would absolutely accept that you could be my daughter, and we'll have a lot to talk about later if that's the case.”

Skye only nods and bows her head, letting her mind wander somewhere else.

A few minutes later, the doctor returns with the results of the test. Both Tony and Skye look up expectantly. 

“Mr. Stark, Miss Skye, I ran the tests again, using different equipment and methods to ensure accuracy. The results came back... the same as before.”

He sets the papers down on his desk and pushes them slightly toward Tony and Skye. “There is a 98% match. This confirms that you are, indeed, biological father and daughter.”

Tony stares at the papers, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. For one of the first times in his life, Tony Stark is speechless.

Skye’s hands tremble slightly as she picks up the papers. Her eyes scan the results, hoping to find some mistake, but the numbers leave no room for doubt. It’s what she’s always dreamed of—finding her parent—but now, faced with Tony’s stunned expression, it feels like her dream is unraveling.

“I... I don’t understand,” Skye whispers, her voice shaky. “How is this even possible? I mean... I was an orphan. I’ve spent my whole life not knowing who my parents were.”

Tony finally finds his voice, though it’s softer and more uncertain than usual. “I—Skye, I don’t know. I never knew… I mean, I didn’t even know I—” He stops, running a hand through his hair. “This doesn’t make sense.”

The doctor speaks up gently. “If you’d like, I can provide you with some resources to explore this further.”

Tony waves his hand dismissively, still in a daze. “Thanks, Doc. We’ll figure it out.” He looks at Skye, who seems completely overwhelmed. “ With that, the doctor excused himself to leave, giving the two of them time to talk.

Tony leans back in his chair, his face unreadable. “...Well, that’s... unexpected.” He pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath, clearly overwhelmed. “Skye, I don’t know what to say. I mean... I had no idea. None.”

Skye forces a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. "It's fine, Tony. If this is too much for you, I get it. You didn’t ask for this, and neither did I."

Tony's head snaps up, his brows furrowed. "No, hold on, Skye. This isn’t about not wanting you or anything like that. I just... need time to wrap my head around this. It’s not every day you find out you have a daughter."

Skye looks down at her hands, her voice barely audible. "I’ve been looking for my parents my whole life, you know? I wanted to know why they didn’t want me. But now, seeing your reaction, maybe it’s better if we just forget about this.”

“Hey, hey, stop right there,” Tony interrupts, his tone firm but not unkind. “Don’t put words in my mouth. I didn’t say I don’t want you. I just found out, what, five minutes ago? I need time to figure out what this means—for both of us.”

She looks up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You don’t have to pretend to care, Tony. I’ve been through this before. People find out who I am, and suddenly, I’m too much to handle."

Tony runs a hand through his hair, frustration evident. “Skye, you’re not too much. And I’m not pretending. I care about you—I wouldn’t have brought you here or gone along with this whole prank idea if I didn’t. But this? This changes everything. I just need some time, okay?”

Skye nods slowly, her emotions guarded. “Okay. Time. Got it.”

Tony stands and motions toward the door. "Let’s go back to the Tower. We’ll figure this out. Together. But I need you to trust me on this, alright?”

Skye hesitates, then nods. "Alright, Tony."

As they leave the clinic, neither speaks. The weight of what just happened hangs between them, unspoken but palpable. Back at the Tower, they part ways—Skye retreating to her new floor and Tony to his penthouse. Both are left alone with their thoughts, their lives irrevocably changed.

Skye’s Room

Skye sat cross-legged on the plush bed in her new room, staring blankly at the floor. The spaciousness of the room, the luxury, felt suffocating now. She should’ve been marveling at how Tony had thought of everything—a place to train, to sleep, to work—but all she could feel was a crushing weight on her chest.

I’m SHIELD’s prisoner. 

The thought echoed in her mind like a taunt. They didn’t trust her, didn’t think she could control her powers, and honestly, she didn’t blame them. She had spent so much of her life dreaming of belonging, but it seemed like no matter where she went, she was a problem to be managed, a danger to be contained.

And now I’m Tony Stark’s daughter?

The thought made her chest tighten further. It was supposed to be a joke, just something silly to do to mess with the media. But the results... They weren’t a joke. They were real. And Tony didn’t even know. He didn’t even know she existed.

She could still see the shock on his face when the doctor told them the results. That wasn’t the look of a man who had just found something precious. It was the look of someone blindsided by something they didn’t want.

He doesn’t want me.

Skye’s throat tightened as she swallowed back the lump threatening to form. Why would he? She was a walking disaster, a monster who could level cities if she didn’t keep herself in check. Tony Stark didn’t need that kind of chaos in his life.

And then there was the confusing mess of emotions bubbling inside her. Anger? Sadness? Confusion? She couldn’t even pick one. Could she be angry at him for abandoning her when he hadn’t even known she existed? Could she blame him for not wanting her now when he’d never had the chance to prepare for her?

Skye buried her face in her hands. What’s the solution here? How do I fix this without making everything worse?

The answer seemed obvious, even if it broke her heart a little. She should go back to SHIELD. Back to the quarantined cell they’d put her in when they first brought her in. There, she wouldn’t be a burden to anyone. Tony wouldn’t have to deal with her, SHIELD wouldn’t have to worry about her hurting anyone, and she wouldn’t have to see that look on Tony’s face again—the one that said she was too much.

“Yeah,” she whispered to herself. “Maybe that’s for the best.”

The Living Room

Pepper walked into the living room of the tower and found Tony nursing a glass of whiskey, staring blankly at the skyline. His usually confident posture was gone, replaced by a slump that she rarely saw.

“Okay, what’s wrong?” She asked, setting her bag down on the couch.

Tony glanced at her but didn’t say anything right away. He took another sip of his drink, then finally spoke. “Skye’s my daughter.”

Pepper froze, her brow furrowing in confusion. “I’m sorry, what?”

Tony sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “Skye. You know, the kid we’ve been helping out? The paternity test we did as a joke for the media? Turns out it wasn’t a joke. She’s actually my kid.”

Pepper blinked, letting the words sink in. “Oh.” She sat down next to him. “And how are you feeling about that?”

Tony chuckled bitterly. “Like I just got hit by a freight train. I didn’t even know I had a kid, Pep. And now she’s upstairs in a room I gave her, probably thinking I don’t want her because I had no idea this was even possible.”

Pepper leaned forward, her voice gentle but firm. “Tony, do you want her to think that?”

“Of course not!” he snapped, then sighed. “I just... I didn’t know what to say. What do you even say to that? ‘Hey, kid, sorry I didn’t know you existed, but welcome to the chaos that is my life’? She’s already got enough on her plate without me screwing it up more.”

Pepper reached out, placing a comforting hand on his arm. “Tony, listen to me. Skye has spent her whole life searching for her parents, and now she’s found you. She’s scared, probably overwhelmed, and definitely overthinking everything.”

Tony looked at her, his expression pained. “I don’t want to hurt her, Pep. But I don’t know how to handle this.”

“You handle it by talking to her,” Pepper said firmly. “Tell her the truth. That you were surprised, but you do care. Because if you don’t say something, she’s going to take this silence as rejection. And knowing her, she’s already planning how to leave so she doesn’t ‘burden’ you.”

Tony’s heart sank. That sounded exactly like something Skye would do.

He didn’t answer immediately, swirling the liquid in his glass. “I don’t know how to be a dad. I’m barely holding my own life together most days. What if I screw this up? What if I’m not what she needs?”

Pepper squeezed his arm. “You’re good at pretending you don’t care, Tony, but we both know better. You’ve already started caring about her, or you wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of bringing her here in the first place. Go upstairs and talk to her. Let her know she’s not alone in this.”

Tony took a deep breath, nodding slowly. “You’re right. As usual.”

“Of course I am. Now, go fix this.” Pepper smiled. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

“Thanks, Pep. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Let’s not find out.” 

Tony set his glass down and stood, squaring his shoulders as if preparing for battle. “Alright. Let’s see if I can convince her I’m not as much of an idiot as I look.”

Pepper chuckled. “Good luck, Dad,” she teased, watching as he made his way toward the elevator.