Winifred Stark

“I usually read math articles, but sometimes I read ones on engineering or cute animals and they don’t mention you a lot. Daddy works with a lot of people and the engineers like to talk about where you live when they are working on their projects,” Winifred offered helpfully. She knew that her father had a lot of people judge him without knowing him and it sounded like Lucifer’s had the same issues.

Winifred shrugged. Living in Stark Tower gave her a very different perspective on being she in general. She’d heard that Hulk was dangerous and awful, but he’d always been wonderful to her. "People say a lot of mean things,” she told Lucifer. That sounded like something insightful that her father would say. “Kids at school say you are mean and you aren’t.”

“A demon?” Winifred echoed, “I want to meet her!” She grinned brightly. “Is she nice like you,” she asked, hoping that she was. She didn’t know much about Lucifer beside something’s about him sharing his lunch with someone or something like that. That wasn’t so mean, was it?

Winifred crossed her arms and gave Lucifer her best stern look. "Hulk could still win. He fought with Thor and won. Daddy made a super big suit just to fight him and it barely worked my dad is the best inventor ever in the whole world.”

“I guess. Dad told me about a guy who’s helmet looks like a giant bug’s antlers, so I guess that isn’t so weird.”

“Mazikeen? I like that. That’s a pretty name,” Winifred thought for a moment and narrowed her eyes. "Is she a super villain? And are you sure she’s that good? I don’t know if that’s true. No one can beat the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. Well, maybe Hulk. Nooooo one beats Hulk. He’s the strongest there is.”

Winifred shrugged at Lucifer’s comment. She would never understand why someone would like to look like giant lobster. “Why would you want someone to think you are a big lobster? They aren’t scary. They are funny looking and delicious, but not scary.”

“Really?” Winifred perked up at the thought of someone training her to fight. She had Aunt Nat, but for some reason, there was never a lot of time to practice with her. “Tommy at school said that girls can’t fight and so I punched him in the arm and he cried, so I think I can be a good fighter too.” She paused and whispered, “Please don’t tell mom I did that…”

Lucifer chuckled at the child’s remark about wanting to go about looking like a giant lobster, “I haven’t the faintest idea, but if it’s odd, it can happen.”

Winifred looked down at her dress and couldn’t understand what could be wrong with a superhero outfit having a frilly tutu, but she decided to let Lucifer’s comment pass for now. “Too much black is boring,” she told him. “A little red would look good, but you’d just look like an evil lobster in too much red,” she pointed out.

“Surpass?” she wondered. “No,” she answered before he told her the definition to a word that she already knew like most adults did, “No, I don’t want to surpass him. I want to fight with him.” She put up her fits and threw a few punches and a kick before she aimed her webshooter at him and a stream of silly string shot all over an end table. “Oops… I’m not supposed to fire anything in here…”

“Oh, I do agree, but sometimes it’s threatening, as well. It all depends on the situation and what you’re trying to convey,” Lucifer replied. He spoke to her like any other person. He may not have been fond of children, but he never understood why people spoke to them as if they couldn’t understand a regularly measured tone.

“Exactly,” he replied with a nod and a grin. “Yes, I get that lot, but it seems you’ve got some fashion sense, your fancy dress not withstanding. I perfer black, less on the nose and all.”

Lucifer watched the child and smirked to himself, “You’re an ambitious one, aren’t you? Ready to surpass your dad, hm?”

Winifred looked down at her dress and couldn’t understand what could be wrong with a superhero outfit having a frilly tutu, but she decided to let Lucifer’s comment pass for now. “Too much black is boring,” she told him. “A little red would look good, but you’d just look like an evil lobster in too much red,” she pointed out.

Lucifer raised a brow and nodded at the idea that schooling should come before super-heroing. He nodded, “Lucifer Morningstar. Are you planning on one of these suits or building your own?”

Winifred cocked her head when he told her his name. “Like the Devil?” she clarified. The fact that a celestial being was over at the house would have been more startling if Thor hadn’t been a regular guest. She considered him for a long moment and shook her head. “Haley at school says that you should have horns and a tail and wear a red suit, but I like your suit better. I think you should wear this one instead,” she told him helpfully.

“I doubt you really are Spideman, though the fancy dress is well done,” Lucifer replied gesturing to the outfit. “So that makes me wonder who it is you are?”

He stepped away from the suits and toward the child, seating himself in a rather plush looking chair. There was one thing he did appreciate, and that was good taste.

Winifred smiled when Lucifer complimented her outfit. “Oh, I’m not Spider-man,” she confirmed as if that could be a real suspicion. “I’ll be a superhero, but Daddy said grad school first,” she shrugged. 

@further-proof liked for a starter

Lucifer stood in the Stark Tower workshop as he waited for his appointment with Tony Stark, himself.  He’d meant to request a return favor, for one he’d granted the man a few years back. Curious, as always, he leaned in to inspect one of the Ironman suits labelled Mark 45. 

Reaching out he rapped his knuckles against the suit then stood back, “Well, I do like the choice of red.”

“Hi, tall person.” She studied him for a long moment and squeezed her dragon a bit tighter. He was new, but he wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t invited, right? 

Tony knew that when Winifred hid from her tutors it was her way of having fun or momentarily wanting to do something else.  The last thing he would have done was force her to learn things if she didn’t want to.  He knew it was possible that he indulged her too much, he didn’t really care either way.  Things were different in Dorne when it came to raising children and he hoped his wife would have approved of how he was raising their daughter.  “Then when someone needs to find you, I’ll direct them here,” he said.

Ana shook her head at the girl’s question.  “I suspect that here they don’t expect much out of their ladies,” she said.   Then laughed softly when Winifred said she’d smack people with her sword.  “I know you will, dear.  Just surprise them with how well you know how to you use it.”

Jarvis was taken aback by the question and knelt down so he was at her level.  “My lady, I have been teaching you how to use a sword since you’ve been able to lift one.  It wouldn’t make much sense for me to do such a thing if I thought you shouldn’t know how to do so,” he said.  “Besides if I were ever afflicted with such stupid notions about what women were and weren’t capable of then my lady wife would have kindly knocked such thoughts out of my head long ago.  Probably with the sword I taught her how to use.”  He gave her a smile and a soft wink.

“Of course I would have,” Ana said smiling at him when he stood up.  Then she touched his cheek.  “All for your benefit, my love.”

Tony nodded.  “Well, I think I have a moment or two to help,” he said.  “That is if you don’t mind.”  Gardening wasn’t something he usually did, but these plants were special.  His wife had loved them and the scent has always filled the house.  When she became too pregnant to pick them herself it was his job or Ana’s to get them for her.  He knew they would all work hard to see that the flower flourished here.

Winifred gave her father a mischievous smile when he told her that he’d direct people to the garden to find her. She was already planning out several good hiding spots.

“Well, I’ll change that!” Winifred declared to Ana. She already didn’t like it here and hearing that the people didn’t think she deserved to know basic things like how to use a sword made her like them even less. She wished she was back in Dorne where no one had such stupid ideas. She would happily correct anyone who thought that she was going to be anyone but a girl from Dorne.

Winifred smiled to Jarvis, relieved that he thought the idea was stupid too. Now comforted by the affirmations that not everything about her life would be turned upside down in this frozen wasteland, she was much happier with the idea of making this garden a more comfortable second room. 

“You can help us, Daddy!” she beamed. She knew that her father was very important and that he didn’t always have time to do a lot of things with her, but that made her love when he could take a moment or two to be with her. She wasn’t old enough yet to realize how odd it was for a Lord to dig in the dirt, but she enjoyed any time when her father could be her daddy and not the Lord of the North.

Tony listened to Winifred as they walked outside.  He found her assessment of detention amusing and hoped she didn’t voice such opinions in front of Pepper.  The way his daughter thought was very similar to the way he thought so he knew the fact it was a punishment wouldn’t have mattered to her.  “Well, I’m glad going home is better than detention,” he said with a teasing grin.

Tony nodded.  “I wouldn’t have suggested ice cream if you couldn’t have it,” he said.  “You get ice cream for behaving so well while you were bored.  I think that two and a half days of quietly enduring it is something you should be rewarded for.  The fact there was a problem at the end doesn’t negate how well you were handling it prior to that.”

He paused when they got to the car.  “One thing before you get into the car,” he said.  “The word you repeated that you weren’t supposed to.  Who did you hear it from?”  If she heard it from him, he knew he was in trouble.  If she said any other name things would go better.  “You’re not going to get anyone in trouble by telling me.  I promise.”  He’d always done his best to be honest with Winifred as much as possible.  When he made her a promise, he stuck to it.

“You’re better than everything,” Winifred smiled up to her father. At her age, spending time with her parents was still one of the main things she wanted to do with her life and it didn’t much matter what they were doing. If she’d had her own way, she would be homeschooled.

Winifred was glad that her father was pleased with her. She knew she shouldn’t have said a bad word, but she was so bored and angry that it seemed appropriate. She was worried he’d be disappointed with her when he picked her up.

Tony rubbed Winifred’s back and completely understood her frustration.  At this point he was doing his best not to let out a few expletives.  Spending three days discussing a subject he’d be bored with in 10 minutes sounds like a nightmare.  Being in school was important for her social development and it was teaching her how to get along in a world full of people who would always be mentally behind her.  Right now he was going to do his best to figure out a way that she could manage school without being so bored it creates a problem.

“Widget, I’m going to talk with your teacher and see if we can work something out, okay?” he said.  “There are a whole bunch of neat things you can learn about colors that will be more interesting to you.”

He looked over at the principal.  “I’m going to go ahead and take her home today.  We will have a discussion about all of this and try to make sure things get handled better in the future,” he said.

The principal nodded and reached to shake Tony’s hand.  “Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

Once they were out of the office he put his sunglasses on.  “Do you need to grab anything before we head home?” he asked.  Then he gave her a smile.  “Do you feel like ice cream or burgers?”

Winifred looked back at her father when he said he was going to try and find ways to make colors interesting. She was doubtful, but anything was better than what she was currently learning, which was nothing. “Okay, Daddy,” was all she said before she hugged him again.

When it sounded like the adults were all done talking and that they were going to finally get to leave, she got up and grabbed her backpack before leaving the office. “No, I don’t need to grab anything,” she told him as the office door swung shut. “The teacher said I’d be in detention if you didn’t take me home. I asked her what detention is and that sounded like a lot of fun, but I’d rather go home with you,” she assured him.

Tony not only listened to what his daughter was saying, but how she was saying it.  She looked like she was scared that she was in trouble or worse he was disappointed in her.  The fact that she’d managed for three whole days before going off was amazing to him.

“Hey, Widget,” he said gently.  “Come here.”  He picked her up and held her close.  “It’s okay.  Three whole days of being bored, I’m very proud of you.”

“Mr. Stark, that isn’t the problem,” the principal said firmly.

Tony regarded the man.  “I’m guessing she used language she shouldn’t have to express her frustrations.  That’s more my fault than hers.  She’s a brilliant five year old, but she’s still five and prone to repeating words that she hears adults saying without fully understand why what she’s saying is wrong,” he said.  “I’m not going to punish her for that, but I will talk with her about what words she should and shouldn’t use.”

The principal nodded.  “I suppose that will do,” he said.

“So, exactly how much longer are they going to be discussing red?”

The principal sat back in his chair.  “I believe the lesson plans call for a color of the week.”

When Winifred’s father called her ‘Widget’ and picked her up, she hugged him tightly and buried her face in his shoulder. She was glad he understood how frustrated she was with the situation. She didn’t like school in the first place, but this was all too much for her.

When she heard her dad tell the principal that he would have a chat with her, she felt a little sick, but she hoped that it wouldn’t be a really bad talk. She knew that the word she said was a bad word, but at the same time, she felt like that was a good time to use it. 

Apparently, she was wrong.

When his daughter began going to school, Tony spent much of the time she was gone in his workshop.  It was the best way to spend time with his family in the evening when Winifred was home from school and Pepper was home from work.  It also meant that most of the time he was available for any school related things.

Phone calls from the principal were so far his least favorite thing to get.  When JARVIS put the call through Tony sighed before he answered.  All he asked was whether it was a medical issue or a discipline issue.  When he was told it was discipline, he told the principal he was on his way before hanging up.

In his mind it was very important to wait until he could hear his daughter’s side of the story as well as the school’s side.  If he drove to her school with his brain thinking about the principal’s side then his temper might get the better of him and his daughter’s side wouldn’t be heard.

It wasn’t until he got out of the car that he thought about the fact he was wearing a tank top, grease stained pants, and tennis shoes.  It was hardly his best power suit, but he doubted he’d need it.

“Hi,” he said taking off his sunglasses when he reached the secretary.  “I got a call from the principal, he’s expecting me.”  As usual he gave the secretary a nice smile.

The secretary got up and knocked on the office door before letting Tony in.

“Mr. Stark,” the principal said standing up.

Tony gave him a nod then looked over at Winifred.  “Okay, Widget, what happened?”

The whole time she was waiting, Winifred had frantically tried to think up a way to explain the situation to her father so that he would understand that it wasn’t completely her fault. She thought she had a really good explanation that would clear everything up.

When she saw her father walk into the office, it all fell to pieces.

“I lost my temper, but it wasn’t my fault!” she told him in a rush. Her crossed arms fell into her lap and she sighed. “This is the third day in a row we’ve been talking about red. It’s red! RE-D! I got mad and the teacher got mad and...” she sighed again, “now I’m here.”