Next Steps
The next few weeks pass quickly.
May Parker’s funeral happened exactly a week after her death. It was a quiet, simple funeral, something that Peter knew that May wanted, but still beautiful. The small family sat in the front alongside Rhodey and Happy, whom Aniyah was just starting to get used to. About halfway through the funeral, Aniyah clambered into Peter’s lap and the boy sat there, hugging her, his face buried in her hair in an attempt to self-soothe. Tony was torn between grief and pride at the display. It was obvious the two of them were quickly becoming as close as siblings but to see such a heartbreaking moment was enough to leave Tony choking back tears for the rest of the service.
Peter was coping quite well all things considered, but he wasn’t the same carefree boy that Tony had come to know. He was still Spiderman, though it only happened once, maybe twice a week, and the time was limited. The last thing Tony needed was for him to get himself hurt by pushing himself too far too fast. He was still attending school, though Tony had extracted a promise from him to take a break if things became too much.
As for Aniyah, the clinginess that Tony initially thought was starting to fade away, came back full force. He had some suspicions as to why she had regressed in such a manner, but he wasn’t entirely certain. What he did know was that leaving her with Rose was now harder than ever. Many days he had to give in and carry her around with him to meetings because she would go into a full meltdown. She would become inconsolable for hours and many times ended up throwing up from how much crying she was doing. There were a few good days here or there, but overall things weren’t working out. Tony also couldn’t help but notice the seemed on edge quite a bit, almost fearful.
Things came to a head when he found her having a panic attack late one evening. It almost triggered Tony into one of his own but fortunately, he managed to calm down enough to get Aniyah to do so as well. Rhodey urged Tony to get her into a therapist and the genius was starting to wonder if his friend was right. He had his own misgivings due to bad experiences in the past, but this was getting out of hand.
Tony was starting to feel the strain of being pulled in so many directions. It felt like he was needed by everyone all day, every day. It was never-ending. It made him far more short-tempered at work than he usually is especially when he’s carting around a clingy four-year-old who is becoming increasingly more terrified of strangers as the days tick on. Not to mention the questions of when Aniyah’s other parental figure was coming back to retrieve her.
“Mr. Stark, I understand that it is important to you that you properly care for this child, but perhaps it’s time that you contact her Mother? Or perhaps at least not be so…permissive when it comes to her accompanying you to meetings and other events. I mean, you have the company image to think about.”
“I could care less about that right now. Her Mother said that she would be back as soon as she can. I don’t care if that ends up being never I’m not going to let you bully me into neglecting my child. If any of you have an issue you can bring it up with Miss. Potts who would be happy to address any of your…concerns. Now if you excuse me,”
Tony hangs up the phone, ignoring the protests from the board members. He shoots out a quick text, apologizing to Pepper for the hellstorm she’s about to have to deal with. He then looks down at Aniyah who is dozing in his lap, sighing quietly. He stands up, deftly maneuvering her into a cradled position, carrying her out of his office, up the stairs, and into her bedroom where he lays her down. Leaving the door cracked he heads downstairs, ordering some pizza on his phone. Hopefully, she would be up in time for that.
Tony steps back into his office, sitting down at his computer and scrolling through his emails. Now that the Accords had finally been settled, things had been slightly less chaotic, though the stress was still getting to him. It was never ending when you had a company like his. Sighing, he rubs a hand over his face, as he finds yet another email from Director Fury. The man had been antagonizing him since the Accords were settled.
It had started with a phone call. One where Fury had practically begged Tony to allow the Avengers back into his life. Reunite the original team alongside some new members. A new, stronger team, better equipped to handle any threat that came their way. Fury suggested that they build a compound. One that could house all the Avengers and allow them to train and plan out any missions they needed to go on. Tony had to admit it was a good idea.
Still, the bitterness of betrayal still tainted his mouth every time he thought about Steve Rogers. Just when Tony thought he was finally getting somewhere with the man, he got stabbed in the back. Tony was a lot of things, but forgiving was not usually one of them. Once his trust had been lost it was incredibly hard to get back. And yet…
And yet Tony found himself dialing in the number that Fury gave him. His heart pounds in his chest as it rings and he finds himself silently praying that it would go to voicemail. But he was never lucky like that. The line picks up and a gruff, but familiar, voice sounds on the other end.
“Hello?”
“Rogers? It’s Stark. I have a deal for you.”