Prologue
Howard stormed around the room, tearing at his hair. Behind him, his best friend closed the door softly. “Easy does it, Howard. Youdon’t want to do something you’ll regret.”
“Regret! I’ll show you regret! About 5 million dollars worth regret!” Howard hissed.
“He’s young. In experienced. Perhaps with time and guidelines, he’ll grow into a better man.” Obie soothed.
Howard huffed, “He doesn’t listen to a thing I say ever! Guidelines? They’ll go in one ear and out another!”
“Maybe he won’t be a good future for the business, but you can still guide him. Maybe like Hammer did his son?”
Howard wrinkled his nose. “That sniveling weakling? I won’t have my son compared to that- that- that whiner!” Howard hissed. He looked around the office where he’d designed his first ever system. Where Tony had learned at his knee how to design electronics. And where Tony’d had sex with his friend all over Howard’s recent designs. Designs her uncle had recently announced as his own a week before Stark Industries could.
“Its the pillow talk.” Howard growled. “Dad had one rule, pillow talk was for spouses only.” Howard rarely indulged even with Maria, but that rule had been pounded into him young.
Howard looked at Obie, “Call my lawyer, I’m altering my will.”
“Now, Howard, cutting him out of the will might be a tad extreme, don’t you think? Maybe a trust? I could hold it for him.” Obie pleaded on his son’s behalf.
Howard shook his head. “Tony needs more of a push than even you can give, old friend. He needs real consequences.”
Obie frowned, “What do you mean?”
HOward sighed, “I know you want to help, but I know myself. And I remember what I was like. ANd Tony is so much like I was, its uncanny. Oversight like what you’re talking won’t make a dent in his thick head. I have to use something bigger. And more…personal.” Howard grimaced.
“Call my lawyer.”
Tony blinked at the lawyer. He’d stood in front of the pair of headstones only four horus ago during a dramatic and very public funeral. Now is was in front of a lawyer and wondered if he was still there hallucinating.
“I’m sorry, could you repeat that condition once more for the slow person at the table?” Tony said slowly.
Anton Vanko sighed. He’d been the Stark Lawyers for over 20 years. His own son was only four years older than Tony and was set to take over for him in the next few years. He couldn’t imagine what Tony was feeling. He’d argued with Howard all those months ago over the changes, but the man had been resolute.
“You inherit your father’s estate as long as there is no verified evidence in the hands of myself that you had consenual extramarrital penetrative sex or mutual sexual pleasuring before you turn 45. If you fail these conditions, your Stark Industries stock and ownership revert to the Board Members to be distributed 50% to Obadiah Stane and the remainder to be spilt evenly. Additionally, the current value of the estate will have to be paid back to be split 50:50 between Obadiah Stane and Justin Hammer. If you do not agree to these terms, the estate will be divided at this time.” Anton intoned again.
TOny stared at him, still as stunned as he’d been before. Howard had told him that if he didn’t stop the parties he’d not inherit a drop from Howard and Maria. Tony had believed he’d try. But his death had felt so far away and in the now, TOny hadn’t thought about it. He’d been more upset that Sunset had betrayed him.
Tony kissed her as they stumbled down the hallway. She’d said yes! His nerves were singing. He’d dated her on and off since he started grad school and Rhodey had left for the military. And tonight he’d asked with a ring he’d swiped from his mother. It had been his grandmother’s. He had a lot of good memories of his grandmother. She’d had large fingers so the ring hadn’t quite fit but he’d swore he’d resize it for Sunset.
Because she’d said yes!
They heard talking and Sunset pulled him towards a door and they tried to open it frantically. “Open it!” she hissed at him. TOny reached for his keys in his pocket and tried key after key frantically until one worked. They spilled into the dark room as Sunset pulled him back into her arms. He left his keys and the ring on the small table, in a cup of some sort. His mother had those little decorated dishes everywhere.
He felt a table behind him and pulled her over. It occurred to the miniscule part of his brain that wasn’t on his lover, that it wasn’t a billiard table he was laying against. His stupid mind that almost never shut up ran the rooms list to conclude with a chill that they were in his father’s study.
“Sunset, we can’t here!” he hissed. “Dad will come in here as soon as he does anything tonight!” He tried to get off the table but her fingers flitted down his pants. He wasn’t sure when she’d gotten his belt open. Her light touch on his member had him throwing his head back.
“I can’t wait, Lover.” She whispered throatily.
Tony licked his lips to protest and then her finger nail grazed his tip. And his brain blessedly stopped. All those thoughts and calculations were finally quiet and all he had was sparks of pleasure from her touches and hazy softness of the alcohol from dinner.
THe build to completion had been slow and Sunset made the night special by teasing him, drawing him back and forth tot he precipice and he loved her for it. He loved how she could play his body like a fiddle and leave him awash in comfort and pleasure.
TOny gritted his teeth. She’d played him like a fiddle alright. He’d not even noticed the camera until he’d come out of the poste haze. She’d claimed it was for her, some sensual, sexy pictures for their scrap book. He’d been okay with that.
But she’d taken pictures of more than him and those that had been of him, had been sold and were now everywhere. It had cost Tony dearly in Stark IP to BainTech, and in reputation on a personal level. Tony had spent much of the time after his father’s dressing down learning how much other drugs could make him forget, especially when combined with meaningless sex.
The only saving grace had been no one had learned he’d asked her to marry him. His grandmother’s ring had been hidden under his keys, which he’d dropping in an ashtray full of cigar ash. MAria had been looking for it since but she’d have noticed the ash. He’d swiped it and had just picked it up from the cleaners the day his parents died to slip back into his mother’s jewelry box without her knowledge. It was still in his pocket.
Tony had known his parents had been upset with him. But this was more than he expected. Way more. He’d talked to Ivan, Anton’s son, and the only person to know he’d asked Sunset for her hand, and Ivan had also commented that if she’d been a bit more ambitious, she could have ended up with half his property by going through witht he wedding without a pre-nup. Tony’d suggested a Vegas wedding.
Tony had sworn, especially in front of his father and Uncle Obie, that he had no intention of marrying anyone. He was just going to have as much fun as he could, to hell with anyone else.
Apparently his father had taken steps to avoid this. TOny may not care much about the money, he had his own accounts. But he was close to a lot of R&D scientists, he was teh source of half the IP over the last 6 years at Stark Industries. He couldn’t imagine not being there for them.
Besides, why not? Its not like sex was required to survive.
Tony met Anton’s sympathetic gaze, “Sure, why not. Lets let the old bastard get one last shot in before he grows cold.”
“Tony…” Obie scolded lightly. He looked sad. He’d tried to argue this with Howard, TOny had heard him pleading with Howard in the office to be more reasonable.
Tony shook his head. “No, its okay, Uncle Obie. The Old Man wants to twist he knife one last time, fine. But this is the last of his wishes I will follow.”
Tony was ready to eat his words two months later. He groaned as he thunked his head on the counter of his favorite family owned diner. It was a secret from everyone except Rhodey and TOny intended to keep it that way. But they made the best coffee.
He’d been inventing like a madman to try to get the new product line up for the board. Obie said it was kind of his audition for running the company since they’d agreed not to wait to see if he earned his Master’s. Since he was only 21, he thought they should be thrilled with what they got.
Yet, they’s poked dozens of holes in his project for better soldier protections. THey wanted him to complete Howard’s last missile design. Tony hated designing missles. There was nothing interesting about designing explosions. He exploded things on accident all the time, it really wasn’t that difficult.
Designing guidance and timing made it a touch more interesting, but still, he liked robots and household engineering. Even Rhodey was on board with his soldier protection angle. But hte board was firm. They were a weapons company, despite Tony, and apparently Howard’s continuous requests otherwise.
Tony Had tried to bury himself int he work. But working all nighters to finish a project he was already bored with was almost mentally painful. And while whiskey dulled it a bit, his brain still rolled with images of explosions, friends and soldiers. Then, like a siren’s song, he’d remember that moment of beautiful silence when Sunset had touched him and he’d felt connected to another human being. It would dangle the memory like a carrot only for him to reach forward and find it being an orange painted stick.
Maura, the owner of the small coffee shop patted him on the head. “I don’t think you need more coffee.”
Tony hummed softly. She clucked at him. “My husband, he takes tea at this time of the day. Its much better. Besides he doessn’t see many parishioners this late anymore.” Maura’s husband was a non-denominational spreader of goodwill. He called his church, the church of acceptance. Generally it was full of run aways and the abused. Maura’s coffee shop and TOny’s annonymous donations kept it afloat in all ways that mattered. They had a deal. Tony would drop hundred dollar bills int he tip jar when he visited, assuming he had his wallet on him, and he got free coffee and a place to hide from the world.
“He did a wedding yesterday, I tell you. The poor couple had to scrape together for a month to afford a wedding certificate. But they wanted to be recognized as wedded by the government.” She sniffed. “More respect for sacrament and promises in those two young men than that stupid Spears singer. Only married for 3 days. 55 horus and its big publicity, pah!”
Tony sat upright, “That’s it!” He scrambled to his feet and picked up Maura and squeezed her, spinning them. “YOu’re a genius!”
Maura sputtered in blustery confusion as Tony stuffed at least $500 dollars in her tip jar and dashed out of the shop.
It didn’t take long for Ivan to both understand Tony’s scheme and to find an officiant and judge Tony’s family had supported to assist in his plan. Normally in New York, a 24 hours waiting period was necessary to perform a wedding with a lisence, but a judicial waver could be made.
Ivan spoke with his father and came tot he agreement that Tony was at least trying to follow the letter of the law Howard lay down, if not its spirit. SO, at $4000 each, Tony was ready to party again. Happy Hogan, his driver, was carrier of all contract papers involved. Yinsen, Maura’s husband, agreed to be the officiant, on the promise that Tony would both pay for another poorer couple’s wedding, and that Tony would be sure the partner was legally able to get married.
TOny’s first test of the system was with a friend. Joanna Nivena was a jet-setting Tennis player, who Tony actually enjoyed the company of. She had no interest in being married particularly, but was very much interested in giving her own old man a middle finger. Tony married her at 7pm and they divorce the next morning at 10am. Tony waited a few days for the government to play catch up and then checked on the records for both him and Joanna. The marriage and the divorce went through.
Tony waited a bit longer as he slipped word to Justin Hammer anonymously that Tony’s inheritance was his if he proved Tony had sex unwed after his father’s death. It led the idiot to try to challenge the marriage in open court. Ivan won, handily. Afterall, neither had been previously married and the divorce was granted without contest once the papers were filed. It had come with a standard pre-nup of they came out with what they went in with minus spending habits during the marriage.
And thus Tony reentered the party life. He stuck with friends at first, especially since Justin challenge the first five marriages. The judge did warn Tony to be sure of a divorce signature from a judge before the next marriage, but otherwise, showed he was within the law and was doing no harm, nor costing anyone any money. As long as the spouse was legal, Tony could marry as he wished.
Tony considered that requirement carefully. He couldn’t exactly run a background check on everyone. Sure, the more common friends at his parties, he could be sure of, mostly by virtue that any lack of credibility would have been int he papers.
For when he turned to less obvious, crappy options, he looked to his PhD project. The AI had been a low key exercise in self-expanding programming. Jarvis had been the only person who’d really known about it. Tony grinned and buckled down to complete Judicial Aegis Rightly Versed In Spouses, or JARVIS.
Okay, he’d sort of forced the acronym, but in his most lonely nights, he admitted he missed Edwin Jarvis more than either biological parent.
JARVIS was his back up. JARVIS ran background on anyone Tony showed an interet in, or rather who showed an interest in TOny.
With this newfound situation, several changes took place. First, and most important to Tony, the young millionaire re-entered the party circuit with aplomb. He listened to Obie cautioning him on restraint, but he calmly handed Obie his designs and sent him on his way. The only hiccup came when Tony was so buzzed he couldn’t tell which was was up. Videos proved there was sex, a lot of sex. But Ivan made the point that none of it was consented by any of the participants and it was written off.
The second big change was Tony was suddenly considered the best thing on the market. He even heard the rumor that while married to him, you could access all his accounts. As true as this was, Tony’s account required an in person interaction for over $1000 and very few people were awake long enough before the divorce the next morning to attempt a withdrawal. Those who managed it, Tony let them keep it, as a sort of prize.
And so, Tony’s reputation for sex became his reputation for weddings and divorces. And Stark Industries grew into Stark International. Tony put out more and more of everything from weapons to phones and tablets. And when the pressure became too much, he’d call Yinsen and go find a partner interested in helping him forget for the night.