Settling In
Pepper managed to get Tony two weeks off much to his relief. The days passed smoothly for the duo, Tony would spend time taking the occasional video call, answering emails, and working in his lab. On occasion, he would sit and engage with Aniyah in whatever activity she decided to pick up. The kid mostly kept to her bedroom or would sit with Tony in his lab, playing with her toys. They settled into a comfortable routine and Tony occasionally wondered what would happen when inevitably the routine had to change when he went back to work full time.
A week and a half after Aniyah arrived in Tony’s life, the billionaire started to realize just how different the young girl was compared to other children her age. It started simple. Tony and Aniyah were sitting in his lab. The child was occupied in the corner with yet another set of legos, or so Tony thought. At about lunchtime, he turned around, pulling off his eyewear, freezing when he realized that Aniyah was not where he left her.
Tony’s heart jumped into his throat as he stood quickly and swiveled in place, scanning the immediate area for the child. “Aniyah?” he calls out, voice frantic. “FRIDAY, where did she go?” He checks the lab door, finding it locked still -something he had started doing to prevent Aniyah from being able to wander out and get into things unsupervised- and that’s about the time the panic started to set in.
“Miss. Aniyah has simply wandered deeper into the lab Boss, she is not in immediate danger.” FRIDAY’s voice is calm, and Tony takes a deep breath, settling himself. He logically knew that FRIDAY would intervene and inform him if Aniyah was doing something that would put her in danger, but at the same time, the idea of her wandering around his lab wasn’t exactly calming. It is, after all, filled with various tools, half-finished projects, and machines that could injure her, or worse, if messed with. FRIDAY’S voice is calm, and Tony takes a deep breath, settling himself. He logically knew FRIDAY would tell him if Aniyah was doing something that would put her in danger, but at the same time, the idea of her wandering around his lab wasn’t exactly calming. It is, after all, filled with many tools and half-finished projects that could injure her substantially if messed with.
“Okay,” he mutters to himself as he heads a bit further into the lab, keeping his eyes peeled. He mentally curses himself for letting this particular lab become so cluttered. If they were in any of his other ones, he’d be able to see the entire room at a glance. He really needs to clean up in here. “Aniyah?” he calls again, turning around yet another corner. He could feel the anxiety start to grip him with each passing aisle that proved empty. Finally, Tony reaches the center of the lab and relaxes when he spots the young girl perched on a stool at one of the tables.
“Thank God,” he mutters under his breath, picking up the pace until he reaches her side. “Aniyah, kiddo, what’re you doing? You know you’re not supposed to wander around here without me. You could get hurt.”
The kid barely looks up, seeming to be absorbed in whatever she’s doing. “Kiddo, what’re you doing?” Tony asks, peering over her shoulder and he’s surprised to find one of the mini bots he had abandoned a while back. He had gotten so distracted by the issues that arose with the Accords that he hadn’t been able to pick back up on his personal projects.
“I’m trying to fix it,” she says, her tongue poking out as she messes with the wires.
“Oh, honey, you’re not going to be able to fix it I barely-” Suddenly there is a distinct click and the bot starts to move, beeping sporadically as it does so. Tony stares at the bot and Aniyah in shock and awe. “Honey,” he says, gently removing the bot from her hand and examining it himself, “how did you do that?”
“The wires weren’t in the right place,” Aniyah replies simply, turning to face Tony.
“How did you know that?”
“I always do stuff like that. Mommy used to let me take apart some old toys and such and use them to build things. I would always make her stuff to try and make her happy.”
Tony laughs, utterly amazed. He knew logically that Aniyah would probably inherit some of his own intelligence, but the fact that it was showing up now was startling. She was so incredibly young, and for her to be able to figure out how to rewire things and fix the misplaced parts by herself was telling of just how smart she really was. Now that he thinks about it, she doesn’t really act that much like a kid of her age. Her vocabulary was elevated beyond her years, she was already reading and writing almost fluently, and she had an understanding of so many things that other kids just couldn’t grasp.
“Do you like building?” he asks, grinning and she nods, enthusiastically.
“Okay,” Tony mutters to himself before flipping out his phone. “I can look into buying you some things that you can build. It seems the legos aren’t enough to keep you occupied.” He says, steering her back into the main part of the lab. A quick glance to the corner Aniyah had been playing shows that she had built several models and not the ones on the boxes. Not a block was unused. Tony shakes his head and scoops up the girl, settling her on his hip and exiting the lab. “Let’s go get some food into you,” he says quietly, garnering a nod and a smile from Aniyah.
The remaining days passed quickly, especially once the building sets arrived. Tony set up a table specifically for Aniyah to work at and she happily spent hours meticulously building each set, sometimes ignoring the instructions entirely and building something of her own.
As the day that Tony was supposed to return to work loomed closer, the billionaire found himself with the task of finding a babysitter for Aniyah. Usually, he would shirk this off onto Pepper or onto a small team that he assembled but this time he felt the need to do it himself. He knew that if he didn’t find the perfect match then it would likely end badly for everyone involved.
Aniyah, he learned, was a rather finicky child when it came to very specific things. One of those things was the people she was around. She liked a specific group of people, currently only including Tony, Rhodey, and Peter. Tony was unsurprisingly her favorite, though she showed a level of attachment that the billionaire wondered was something to be worried about. Tony had been thrilled when Aniyah and Peter hit it off the first Friday he showed up, Aniyah instantly deciding that the teenager was her new best friend, but unfortunately, both Rhodey and Peter weren’t options for babysitters. So, Tony had resorted to the old-fashioned way of doing things. He put out an ad and interviewed each candidate himself.
Everyone had been honestly surprised by Tony’s insistence on being involved with the process. Pepper had pointed out one day that Tony was becoming increasingly out of character- though she reassured him that it was for the better. Both Rhodey and Peter pointed out the same thing late one evening the two of them came over for dinner. The comments came when Tony excused himself to help Aniyah get into a bath, and some pajamas and set her up on the couch with a movie. Both had been bemused yet impressed and happy with the change of demeanor. Tony simply brushed it off, telling himself it was normal considering the situation he had been flung into.
The morning that Tony returned to work was a tense one. Pepper showed up early to ensure Tony was getting ready and to meet the sitter herself. She’d met Aniyah over video call a few times and the young girl at least tolerated her. Pepper on the other hand was absolutely smitten with Aniyah. She walked in promptly at 8 a.m. to find Tony sitting at the table eating breakfast with Aniyah. “Good morning Pep,” Tony greets, gesturing to the table. “There is some extra food if you’re hungry.”
“Good morning,” Pepper replies, smiling brightly and seating herself at the table. “Thank you, I haven’t had the chance to eat yet this morning.” She grabs the extra plate and scoops some eggs onto it along with some bacon and a few pancakes. “You’ve really improved in your cooking,” she teases Tony, pulling a grin from him.
“FRIDAY ordered some cookbooks,” he admitted, “it didn’t go so well the first few times.” Aniyah nods profusely, causing both the adults to laugh heartily, pulling some quiet giggles from the girl as well.
“So Aniyah,” Pepper says quietly, pulling the girl’s attention to her. “How do you like it here?” She takes a bite of food as she fixes the young girl with a kind look, waiting patiently for her answer.
“I love it here!” The young girl says, happily and Pepper smiles.
“Good, I’m glad.”
The rest of breakfast passes relatively peacefully, the tension in the air spoiling it just a bit. Once everyone is done Aniyah helps Tony clear the table while Pepper checks through the schedule for the day and answers some emails. The peace is shattered by the chime of the elevator, followed quickly by footsteps and a soft voice.
“Hello?” the voice calls, and Tony quickly dries his hands and exits the kitchen. Aniyah hangs behind, peeking around the corner into the living room, oblivious to Pepper watching her from a few feet back.
Aniyah watches as Tony greets the red-haired woman standing in the middle of the living room, silently wishing she would just disappear into the floor. She flinches as a hand lands on her shoulder, spinning around quickly to look up into Pepper’s face.
“You okay?” the woman asks quietly, prompting Aniyah to simply shrug and look back out at the living room.
“I don’t want Daddy to leave,” she mumbles, and Pepper hides the smile that threatens to bloom over her face. Tony would be thrilled to hear that particular endearment, that had yet to be spoken directly to him.
“That’s understandable.” Pepper replies calmly, crouching down next to her. “Your Dad doesn’t want to leave you either, but he has a very important meeting he has to attend. It isn’t something you would enjoy, so he found this nice lady to stay here and play with you while he’s gone.”
“I don’t like her.” the girl mumbles petulantly, and Pepper realizes that Tony wasn’t kidding when he said that Aniyah had her moments of stubbornness.
“You don’t even know her yet,” Pepper grasps the young lady’s chin gently and turns it, so they’re looking at each other. “Just give it a try, okay? For your Daddy? He’s already feeling so bad about leaving you here.”
Aniyah just shrugs and pulls away, walking out to stand directly next to Tony. She tugs on his shirt sleeve and promptly holds her arms up when he looks down at her. Tony picked her up without a second thought, ruffling her hair as she rested her chin on his shoulder.
“And this is Aniyah. Can you say hi to Miss. Rose kiddo?” Tony shakes Aniyah’s shoulder gently, prompting her to turn and look into the green gaze that’s staring back at her.
“Hi, Aniyah, my name is Rose. I’m sure we’re going to have lots of fun together.” Rose smiles but refrains from touching the girl, sensing that it wouldn’t be welcome from the obviously upset child.
Tony sighs quietly as Aniyah tucks her head back into his shoulder, tightening her grip around his neck. He honestly was getting a bit worried about this sudden clinginess. It started a few days ago and has only grown stronger with each passing day. He isn’t quite sure what triggered it in the first place, but he doesn’t have the time to try to figure it out now. Right now, he has to get Aniyah to let go of him so he can get to his meeting and be able to come back and relax a bit before his schedule picks up later this week. “Alright kiddo,” he murmurs to the child currently attached to him like a monkey. “I have to leave now, you’re going to have lots of fun with Rose here. I’ll be back in time for dinner.” He works on detaching Aniyah from his body as he speaks, keeping his voice calm and steady. This proves useless as Aniyah only tightens her grip even more.
“No.” her voice was muffled, but the word was absolutely clear. Tony sighs, casting a desperate look at Pepper, silently pleading for her help. Pepper then crosses over, bids her own good morning to Rose, and attempts to help Tony free himself from Aniyah’s grasp. “Nooo” the word is drawn out and desperate as Aniyah’s arms are successfully detached, and she is placed on the floor. Tony quickly patted her on the head and grabbed his briefcase, heading for the elevator.
Aniyah shrieks, chasing after Tony, arms outstretched and eyes teary. “No Daddy, don’t leave me, please.” she cries, her voice panicked, and Tony is so surprised that he stops in his tracks, looking down at the small girl as she attaches herself to his leg. “Don’t go,” she sobs, her tears dampening his pant leg.
“Baby, I have to go. We talked about this remember,” Tony says, crouching down and pulling her into his arms. Her skinny little arms wrap around his neck tightly and she presses her wet face into his neck. The genius sighs, rubbing his kids back gently as he sways back and forth. “Why are you so upset, kiddo? I’ll be back in time for dinner. I promise I’m coming back.”
“No, you’re not, you’re going to leave me like Mommy did.” Tony cringes. So that’s the issue. That’s why she’s been so clingy. She finally has a stable environment -because from what little he’s heard about her old home it was the opposite of stable- and now Tony is leaving and she’s terrified that he’s going to abandon her.”
“Oh baby,” I will come back, I promise. Now come on, I have to go.” He detaches himself again and Aniyah instantly starts crying again. Tony’s heart breaks just a bit but he shoves it aside and starts backing away, continuing to talk in hopes it’ll reassure the crying child. “You’re going to have a lot of fun with Rose. You can show her the models you built, and color, and watch TV. I promise it’s going to be okay. I’m just going to be down on the lower floors, I’m not going far.” Tony gently pushes her back and Rose takes a moment to step forward and lightly take Aniyah by the arm.
“Come on, Aniyah, why don’t we go look at all your toys.”
Aniyah pulls at her arm, trying desperately to free herself as the tears finally spill over. “No, Daddy, don’t leave me here,” she cries again, voice getting progressively louder, breathing becoming more and more strained. Tony almost calls it off then, but before he can do so Pepper snags him by the arm and tugs him into the elevator. Aniyah shrieks again, pulling harder. She breaks free as the elevator starts to shut.
“I’ll see you later kiddo,” Tony says, just as the doors close and he can hear his tiny fists banging on the door, the sound fading away alongside her cries as they descend. He leans against the door, feeling absolutely horrible.
“It’s okay, Tony, she’ll calm down, and everything will be okay. I’m sure Rose can handle it, she certainly has experience with kids Aniyah’s age.” Pepper’s voice is reassuring, but it does little to soothe Tony’s rattled nerves“FRIDAY?” he asks, knowing the AI would know what he’s asking.
“Miss Aniyah. is still quite upset but as Miss. Potts said Mrs. Willows has it under control.
Tony exhales slowly, nodding his head. He takes the next few minutes to calm his frazzled nerves, eventually turning to fix his hair in the mirror spanning the back of the elevator. “Alright, Miss. Potts,” he says, flashing his trademark smirk as the doors open. “Let’s get this party started.
And start it they did. By the time lunch rolls around, Tony nearly has the entire deal for the new partnership smoothed out. Pepper is ecstatic that things are going so well, and Tony is enjoying having his center back. He had enjoyed the last two weeks, but they did prove to him that he was going to have to learn how to keep his work and home life separate if he was to remain sane. The Tony Aniyah knows is very different from Tony Stark, multi-billionaire genius and public icon. Tony takes the time to slip out into the hallway and into a nearby, empty meeting room. He flips out his phone and calls the penthouse phone number, praying that it won’t be Aniyah who picks up. He could always ask FRIDAY how things were going, but he felt better speaking to Rose in person.
“Stark household, this is Rose speaking.”
“Hey Rose,” Tony says, “It’s Tony. I was just calling to make sure Aniyah was doing okay.”
“Oh, hello Mr.Stark,” Rose says brightly, and there is a moment of shuffling before she speaks again. “Aniyah is doing alright. She started on a puzzle about twenty minutes ago, I was just about to make her some lunch. Would you like to speak to her?”
Tony hesitates. He does want to talk to Aniyah, but he has a feeling that if she hears his voice right now, it might send her into another meltdown when she figures out he’s not coming back at that time. “No,” he finally answers, “that’s alright. I don’t want to upset her.”
There are a few more questions passed back and forth between the two before Tony hangs up and heads back to the board room.
That evening, he comes back to find Rose sitting on the couch reading a book, by herself. It turns out Aniyah had gone up to her room sometime after lunch, claiming to be feeling ill.
“I didn’t want to bother you, and your AI promised me that she would know if something was truly wrong with her, so I just let her rest in there and play with her toys.” Tony accepts this explanation from the young woman, pays her, and sends her on her way.
“We’ll see you tomorrow morning,” he says as she steps onto the elevator. That accomplished he heads upstairs and knocks on Aniyah’s door.
“Can I come in?” he asks wryly, seeing Aniyah lying on her bed, surrounded by her stuffed animals. “Or is this an exclusive party?”
Aniyah’s head shoots up and in a flash she’s off the bed and throwing herself into Tony’s arms, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly. Tony huffs in surprise, stumbling back just a bit, barely managing to maintain his balance. “Hey kiddo,” he mumbles, pressing a kiss to her head.
“Hi Daddy,” Aniyah says quietly, voice muffled from where she buried it in his shoulder. Tony is honestly ecstatic to hear the endearment from the young girl, and he squeezes her tightly as he turns to exit the room.
“Let’s go get some dinner.”