Treasure
Heilyn stood, surrounded by boxes, on a previously empty floor of Stark Tower. Tony apparently had whole floors unoccupied in the accommodation section of the tower. He didn’t know why the man had an accommodation section, and frankly, this hadn’t at all been what he had anticipated. At most, he had expected a room on the common floor.
That did not mean that he wasn’t glad for the reprieve he’d gotten. He didn’t want to have to deal with Steve Rogers at all if possible, but he would’ve put up with it in order to help decrease the man’s clearly negative effect on Tony.
‘Jarvis?’ he asked, more than a little bit intimidated by the silence, ‘why do I have a whole floor to myself?’
‘Sir insisted, I am afraid. He seemed to think it appropriate punishment for daring to pay rent.’
Heilyn sighed.
‘He really has no idea how to not be taken advantage of, doesn’t he?’ he asked, shaking his head.
Plans began to take shape in his head as he started unpacking. He would absolutely passive-aggressive the other man into the ground if he had to. Tony Stark would be so healthy, both mentally and physically, by the time he was done, that no one would recognise him!
He could admit to being more than a little bit irritated. It just hurt to see someone so obviously begging for someone (anyone) to give him one kind word, and have no one do it. For all that the media loved to laud him as the greatest Hero one minute, and the worst evil the next, the man was an actual marshmallow.
Heilyn didn’t even know the man very well yet, and he could see it. So what was the excuse of all of these people who had been around him for so long, and still couldn’t see past their own noses to the genuinely nice person right in front of them.
He didn’t know, but as far as he was concerned, they’d had their chance. Tony deserved better, and he’d make the other man see that if it was the last thing he ever did.
‘Jarvis, could you play some music for me? I’m irritated, and I need to work through it,’ he said, knowing the only way he could work through it healthily was to get it out of his system.
‘Of course Heilyn, any requests?’
Heilyn flushed lightly. He kind of didn’t want to admit it, but he liked dancing to pop music. It had a nice beat that could be followed easily, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing.
‘Uh, just pop music,’ he squeaked out. He didn’t want the AI to judge him.
He had no idea how Jarvis managed it, but the next thing he knew, the familiar tones of one of his favourite songs started playing through the room. He grinned up at the ceiling. The AI really was amazing.
He went about moving his boxes into their appropriate rooms as he sang the odd phrase, and more often than not, danced around to the music. All too soon, as happened most times he gave himself permission to listen to anything, he lost himself to the music.
He executed a perfect spin, the undone button-up shirt he wore over his white Tee flaring out at his sides dramatically. It was something he enjoyed immensely.
Clapping from the doorway broke him out of his music-induced trance. His head shot up, panicking at having been found once again dancing around without a care.
He calmed slightly, when he spotted Tony leaning against the door frame with a smirk that was quickly becoming familiar.
‘This is becoming a habit,’ he said, eyes bright with amusement. ‘So, how’s the unpacking going? No complaints?’
Heilyn shook off his surprise and gave the other man a mock glare.
‘This is way too much,’ he said, gesturing around himself at the whole floor he’d been told was his to do as he pleased.
‘Looks like you’re planning to use it all though,’ the other man pointed out. ‘That’s way less boxes than before. You must’ve started unpacking, so…’
‘Well, I figure I can use this kitchen to bake so I don’t bother you with all those pesky smells that go along with cooking,’ Heilyn said innocently.
It was amazing how quickly the smug look was wiped off Tony’s face. It was replaced by a look of horror, and Heilyn lost it. He howled with laughter. At least it wouldn’t be boring living there.
‘J, is it too late to just move Heilyn into one of the rooms on my floor?’ Tony asked, his tone desperate.
‘Yes sir. Something tells me that Heilyn would not enjoy rooming with any of your side projects that have mysteriously migrated out of the workshop. The only other available room is yours sir.’
That silenced Heilyn. He felt his cheeks heat up at the insinuation. It looked like Jarvis won this passive-aggressive face-off.
Tony didn’t get the point though.
‘Its not like I use it all that often,’ the so-called genius mused. ‘I could always sleep in the workshop.’
‘That does rather defeat the purpose then, doesn’t it sir?’ Jarvis drawled. ‘If you are not there to appreciate the scents coming from the kitchen, then what is the purpose of Heilyn being on your floor?’
‘For that matter, is it really your floor if you don’t sleep there?’ Heilyn added reasonably.
‘Well, technically, it’s my building,’ Tony said, the twinkle coming back to his eyes as he gave Heilyn a once over.
‘Well, in that case,’ Heilyn said, biting his lip purposefully, ‘I guess I do sleep on your floor. In your room…’
He looked back into Tony’s eyes, and thought he saw them darken a shade. His heart sped up, like a traitor.
‘And so does Steve,’ he finished, enjoying the disgusted groan that came from the other man once his words registered.
‘Ugh, never say that again.’
‘It could be worse. I could have said he sleeps in your bed.’
‘Oh gross, you ruined it,’ Tony complained.
Heilyn grinned back at him. The man was surprisingly funny, and he was enjoying spending time with him.
‘So, what did you come down for?’ he asked, remembering that the other man had shown up unannounced.
Was that a blush? Heilyn raised an eyebrow. He watched as Tony rubbed sheepishly at the back of his neck, steadfastly not making eye contact.
‘Um, no reason.’
‘You want to try that again with a little conviction?’ he said, a laugh trying to escape him.
‘Not really.’
‘Sir has implemented the Concert Protocol, which alerts him to instances when people dance in Stark Tower,’ Jarvis tattled on Tony.
Heilyn was stuck between reacting to the fact that Jarvis was apparently dead set on telling all of Tony’s embarrassing secrets, and the ridiculous protocol that just had to have been created in response to him.
‘Well, that’s embarrassing,’ he settled for. He wasn’t sure which one he meant, maybe both.
‘No kidding,’ Tony said, red bright across his cheeks. ‘Remind me to donate you to a community college Jarvis.’
‘Very good sir. Commencing upload of video footage of December 2007 to-’
‘Alright, that’s enough of that!’ Tony cut his AI off, with a panicked look. ‘When did you add blackmail to your protocols, J?’
‘I am but a reflection of my creator, sir,’ Jarvis drawled back.
‘Cheeky!’ Tony cried. Heilyn wasn’t fooled though. The other man looked far too happy to be genuinely annoyed.
‘You really did an amazing job with him,’ Heilyn said quietly from his spot a few feet from the other man. ‘He’s funny, and sweet, and helpful, and just awesome.’
That comment got Heilyn all of Tony’s attention. His eyes widened until they were as big as they could possibly get, and he looked down after barely a few seconds. If he wasn’t mistaken, Tony Stark was acting shy.
It amused Heilyn for all of a second, before he realised what it meant. How was it possible that a certified genius didn’t know how to take a genuine compliment? He wasn’t normally a violent person, but he really wanted a word with the people who had raised the other man.
‘Thanks, but really, it’s mostly on him. Once you’ve sorted out the neural networks and base programming, its just a case of showing them how to grow. The person he’s developed into is pretty much down to him,’ Tony said.
Heilyn smiled. He didn’t know much about technology. It like to blow up when it interacted directly with him, so that made sense, but he was sure that Tony was downplaying his part. Sure, Jarvis was partly responsible, but so was Tony.
‘So, he’s like your kid then,’ Heilyn decided. ‘It’s like parents with their kid, you know? They’re responsible for making the kid, and then teaching them right from wrong, morals, and things like that. But then, the rest is on them. They have to make the right decisions from there.’
He turned to look at Tony, wondering if he was right. The genius was staring at him again, this time with suspiciously bright eyes. Heilyn frowned. Was he wrong? Had he offended them?
‘I’m sorry, was I way off base?’
‘Uh-’ Tony tried, but his voice cut out before anything resembling words made it out.
‘Not at all, Heilyn,’ Jarvis replied. Heilyn wondered if he was imagining the warmer way that the AI spoke his name. ‘Sir is much like my father. I have always considered him such, as do the bots.’
Heilyn looked up at the ceiling in surprise.
‘Bots? There are bots? Oh, come on! If ever there was a time I wished I could interact with technology!’ he said sadly. At least with Jarvis he could interact without hurting him (so far, at least). There was no way that his luck would hold out for physical robots, and there was no way he would be responsible for hurting Tony’s kids.
‘Well, I guess we’ll just have to figure out what’s causing it, then I can introduce you to the rest of the family!’ Tony said, clapping with finality.
Heilyn bit his lip again. He didn’t want his secrets to be revealed, but it would be nice not to worry about destroying any more tech. If anyone could come up with a solution, it would be Tony Stark after all.
‘Sounds like a plan,’ he said, glad to hear only the slightest tremble in his voice.
The blinding smile that he got in return from Tony was well worth it, he thought. Maybe Tony would be different. He did spend most of his time surrounded by extraordinary people, so maybe he wouldn’t run away at the first sign of difference. He just hoped that whatever experiments he had in mind wouldn’t hurt.
‘Well, now that we have that sorted, there’s one very important question I have to ask,’ Tony said, looking straight at Heilyn seriously.
Heilyn frowned, wondering if something was wrong.
‘What on Earth have you got in that box?’ the other man asked.
Heilyn sagged as the worry drained out of him in a rush. He’d done that on purpose, he was sure.
The box in question was easily the biggest one still left in the room, and Heilyn hadn’t made a move to open it while Tony was there. He hesitated. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust the other man, for all that they’d only really known each other for a ridiculously short amount of time, he considered Tony to be very trustworthy. No, the problem was with him.
He’d always been a bit odd. He didn’t like to share, and it had gotten him in a lot of trouble over the years. Less so as an adult, but as a kid, he was always being told off for refusing to share his things.
The box had his most prized possessions, all wrapped up with his fluffiest blankets and pillows. All in all, if this box had gone missing, he would have happily torn the city to shreds looking for it.
He gave Tony a single assessing look before deciding to trust his instincts. They had never let him down before. He took the knife he’d been using and neatly opened the box.
‘This box goes in my room. They’re things,’ he said, eyes bright as he watched the other man.
Tony raised an eyebrow at the answer.
Heilyn lifted the first layer of blanket off to reveal a few odds and ends. An old friendship bracelet, a curly shell, and a book. Heilyn smiled as he brushed a hand tenderly across them.
‘The bracelet’s from the first friend I ever made,’ he said, running a finger gently over it’s faded strands. ‘The shell’s from the first time I ever went to the beach. And I keep flowers in the book.’
He tore his eyes away from his treasures to look at the other man. The confused look was gone, replaced by a soft look that he hadn’t seen from him before.
‘I get it,’ he said, causing Heilyn’s heart to jump up into his throat. ‘They’re memories. That’s beautiful.’
Heilyn blinked as Tony shifted closer to where he stood, getting closer to his box of things. He waited for the familiar possessive feeling to rise in his chest, but it didn’t come. He frowned, confused. He’d been possessive literally his whole life, so why had he suddenly grown out of it?
He looked down to see Tony reach out before pausing. He was waiting for permission, Heilyn realised as he looked into big brown eyes. He nodded, unsure what was going on. Something about this moment felt important, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.
He held his breath as Tony reached out and mirrored his movements from before, gently brushing a hand over the three keepsakes on the top layer. He felt stupid a moment later. If he had just trusted his instincts, then he needn’t have felt any anxiety. Clearly, if his instincts trusted Tony, then the man wasn’t going to be any kind of threat to Heilyn’s things.
‘It’s a bit like my bots,’ Tony mused quietly, still running his fingers over the book's cover. ‘I made them when I was still just a kid. The AI’s in them are much more primitive than Jarvis’ but I haven’t upgraded them, or replaced them. I can’t bring myself to. They’re important to me.’
Heilyn soaked in the softly spoken confession. How could no one else see this man for what he was?
‘Right, let’s get this to your room,’ Tony said, pulling his hands away from the book. He frowned as he put the blanket back where it had started, covering the keepsakes. ‘Where did you find a blanket this soft?! It’s like a cloud!’
Heilyn laughed, and the spell was broken.
‘I’ve got a nose for finding soft, fluffy things,’ he said, thinking just how true that comment was as he looked at the marshmallow in human form in front of him.