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MARVEL
──── ❝ tell me a bedtime story.❞

CHAPTER THREE
.ೃ࿐, marvel
*ೃ༄ ﹌﹌﹌ღ ‗ ❍ . . . . .🧸🩰
•◦• ACT ONE
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✧.*

   CARMEN FELT HER STOMACH rumble as she inched towards the kitchen, and she didn't hesitate before skipping towards the fridge, her fingers curling around the handle before it prying it open. the eight year old almost gasped as the fridge was slammed shut, and she glanced up to see her father hovering near her small figure.

"please, don't touch anything." he cleared his throat with a stern expression. Carmon huffed loudly as he lightly pushed her, "stand right here."

Tony wasn't the healthiest eater in the world. he loved junk food. and booze. it was the perfect combination for the billionaire. he didn't even consider the fact that now that a kid was in the mix, meals would be a little harder to provide. he would order Pepper to put something together, but the woman was too busy arranging his schedule.

"todays Tuesday, and I'm really craving some tacos. how about you? take out sound good?" he began to shuffle through cabinets and searched for plates whilst muttering to himself. Carmen leaned into her hip and crossed her small arms over her chest.

"what?" she lolled her head, "do you have any jell-o? I want some jell-o." she faced the fridge once again and pried it open before Tony moved to close it.

"like I said, please don't touch. fingerprints. I don't like fingerprints." he grabbed her shoulders and adjusted her stance. Carmen folded her lips inward, her big brown eyes following his figure as he trotted through the kitchen.

"stand right here don't do anything. look, I'm not giving you Jell-o, alright?  I don't do simple sugars in this house." he itched his nose before grabbing a few plates.

"but, I'm a kid and kids love sugar." Carmel rolled her eyes.

"yeah, well, my dad never let me have sugar."

"oh, is that why you never smile?" Carmen allowed a teasing tone to seep into her words as she forced a frown. Tony's face fell and he gritted his teeth before glaring at her. his brown eyes narrowed, and he felt irritation rise within his chest.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

Carmen's big brown eyes were wide as she stared at the mountain of spegetti and meatballs on her plate. her jaw fell slack, and her fingers were curled around the fork and knife In her grasp. next to her sat her father, who shoved the food into his mouth quicker than she could blink. Carmen could spot the sauce that covered his chin.

"listen, you better eat your food before it gets cold. or else I'm giving it to your dog." Tony scolded. Carmen shook her head and a scoff fell from her lips. she dropped her knife and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"but, it's as big as a mountain."

"yeah, well you gotta build up that appetite. let's go! eat." he urged. he picked up his glass, washing down the food with iced cold water. Carmen grimaced.

"you've got a little. . .something right here." she pointed to her own chin and mumbled lowly. Tony put the glass of water down, leaning towards her and beckoning for the eight year old to speak up.

"what?" he watched as she licked her thumb and reached towards him, "I got what?"

he trailed off as she wiped away the spegetti sauce, a small smile playing on her lips. his eyes narrowed and it seemed as though her was unable to pry his eyes away from hers, "I'm gonna go and, uh, put my dish away. I'll- ill be in the lab. you can eat. finish eating." he stood up from his chair, dishes in hand as he strolled towards the kitchen. Carmen stared back at her large plate of food, eyes wide as she glanced at her dog, who was comftorbly resting on the couch.

the eight year old quietly stood up, bringing her plate over to his empty food bowl before pouring it inside. Brandon huffed before standing, trotting towards the small girl before he began to scarf the food down.

*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*

the tips of carmen's hair was damp, and it cascaded down her backside as she tied her pink robe around her figure. she had just left the shower and moisturized, and she was exhausted. she was no doubt ready for bed. her eyes hung a little lower, and her breathing was becoming slowed. exiting the large bathroom, she found her way to the hamper before dropping her dirty clothes inside.

from the corner of her eye, Carmen caught sight of Brandon.

"hey, Brandon." the golden boy wagged his tail at the sight of Carmen, she quickly bent down to scratch behind his ears. Carmen straightened herself once again before she walked towards the living room. Carmen felt a chill dance across her skin as her feet touched the cold tile. she strode down the stairs, where she knew Tony would be hiding. approaching the large glass door, she knocked and immediately caught his attention. there he was finishing his new invention, which looked as though it was a large metal. . . suit?

the eight year old had overheard Tony talking with Pepper. apperently, this suit was supposed to hold the ability to fly, which to Carmen sounded a bit ridiculous, and unachievable.

Carmen couldn't help but huff, a strand of hair falling into her frame as she shook her head. he rolled his dark brown eyes as she waved for him to come over. he opened the door, staring down at her as she grinned.

"what do you want?" her grin fell at his flat tone. Carmen placed her hands on her hips.

"i'm gonna go to sleep." Carmen said.

"okay, so what. you need me to tuck you in or something?" Tony shrugged. Carmen only nodded, and Tony's jaw fell slack and feigned a look of shock.

"alright, but i'm not reading you any bedtime stories." he said shortly before following her up the stairs. he had made a quick pitstop into a closet, grabbing thick blankets before strolling towards the couch and throwing them down.

"i don't have a guest room because i don't have guests. so you can sleep here again." from the corner of his eye he noticed Carmen holding what looked to be a large tablet in her hands.

"whats this?" she questioned.

"that is a universal remote. it controls the world. and you don't need to touch it."

"what's the romance button?" she tilted her head with a frown. Tony narrowed his eyes.

"the romance button is for a little valentine's day magic." he stammered out, "but don't press it. it isn't valentine's day."

Carmen didn't hesitate before pressing the Romance button. it wasn't long before the hit song, 'let's get it on' by Marvin Gaye began to play through speakers, and the lights dimmed while a curtain was programmed to cover the large windows. Carmen laughed loudly as Tony began to panic.

"woah, woah woah! turn this off. ok, that's cute." he gave a tight grin. "press the button, turn it off." he snatched the tabled from her before putting a halt to the chaos that began. the lights flicked back on and the curtains opened themselves once again while carmen crawled onto the couch.

"stop touching things." Tony scolded before putting the remote down. he bent down to Carmen's luggage that still hadn't been relocated before fetching her stuffed bunny and shoving it in her grasp.

"your really not gonna tell me a bedtime story?"

"bedtime story? uh, no." he turned around and was about to turn away before hearing her voice plead once more. he sighed deeply and sat next to her on the couch before hesitantly reciting a story.

"the big bad wolf blew down the. . . grammys house., and ate the goldilocks. then, there was something about the, uh, porridge. the end. goodnight." he grinned at Carmen's deadpanned expression.

"i mean a real bedtime story, Tony." the girl scolded, "a bedtime story is supposed to make you feel peaceful. i'll show you. lean back, relax, and listen to the story." she patted the pillow next to her. Tony huffed and pursed his lips.

"fine. i'll listen to this one time, then that's it. then you go to sleep. you understand me?" he leaned back, his arm brushing against hers as he struggled to get comfortable.

"once upon a time, there was a princess," Carmen began in a soft voice, "and she had a lot of beautiful dresses. she had a pink dress, a red dress, a blue dress, a green dress, a purple dress, an orange dress, a yellow dre—" the smile on Carmen's face fell as Tony cut her off, irritation seeping through his tone.

"i get it! i get it. a lot of dresses, a lot of colors. so what?" he gave her a side eye.

"so each dress had a secret power."Carmen began again with a whimsical grin, "the pink one, which had pink sparkles all over it, could make her fly. and the blue dress, which had blue sparkles all over it, could make her tiny. and the green dress, which had green sparkles all over it, could make her sleep." Carmen finished, before flinching as a loud snore sounded in her ear.

she glanced at Tony, seeing his head lolled back and his lips parted. Carmen grimaced, slowly pushing herself off of the couch, grabbing her bag and tip-toeing down the hallway. she glanced back towards the living room one last time before pushing the doors to his bedroom open. his bed was massive, with two side tables and a lamp on each one. she could already feel the way the cushion would envelop her as she rested on it.

"woah. . ."

Carmen shuffled towards the large bed and placed her bag on the mattress before rummaging through, her slender fingers curling around a small device. she held it up, revealing it to be a cell phone. she didn't waste a moment before scrolling through her contacts and calling a familiar number.

after the second ring, the speaker picked up.

"hey, sweetie." a woman's voice sounded, "why didn't you answer me when i called? i was starting to get worried."

Carmen began to stride around the room, making her way towards the large walk-in closet, "i'm sorry. i forgot i had my phone turned off from the flight." her voice fell into a whisper.

"well, i'm just happy that you got there safely. so, how's it going?"

"great. well, the foods not so hot, but my room is huge!" Carmen widely grinned, twirling through the closet.

"well, that's very nice, but how's the ballet? i mean, is it as good as they promised?" the woman asked.

"too soon to tell." Carmen shrugged.

"well, listen, sweetie. my flight is about to take off, so i have to let you go. i'll call you as soon as i can, okay?" she said, her voice growing louder as the engines from the plane boomed, "i miss you so much already. E-mail me lots of pictures. and Carmen, i love you."

"i love you, too. bye."

AUTHORS NOTE

this chapter is kind of wack i'm sorry. i hope you guys are enjoying the story so far.