Dawn of New Change

PREVIOUSLY ON: Dawn of New Change

Tony, Rhodey and Taeyong (but we'll be lenient with the kid cause he's probably drugged just from smelling the man's place) have stolen Trevor's boat. They sail to Roxon Facility in order to get to Aldrich Killian, whom they've recently found out is the actual Mandarin. A little hitch in the journey includes Tony saving a bunch of politicians whilst the President... a wholeass President of the United States gets surprise-kidnapped.

Anyway, this is how Taeyong saves the day. 

 After Taeyong had his connection with his dad severed, through a very disgruntled Jarvis that couldn't override his commands, the younger boy set back on course to the Roxon Facility. "You can't tell dad, promise me J?"

"Sir, I must-"

"Jarvis," Taeyong warned.

"Of course Taeyong."

His eyes were narrowed on different fights that started out between the heavily armed guards with glowing red skin and the array of Iron-Man suits that his dad owned. Taeyong flew over them all, trying to play stealth mode in a red and gold suit of his own. That was not the hardest part of the day, instead he watched over his dad and uncle Rhodey, patiently waiting for when he was needed.

Of course, it was going to be hard to play the part of an invisible kid trying to hide behind his father's watchful eyes but Taeyong found that he could do that well enough. He flew quickly and efficiently through the throngs of machinery and debris threatening to topple over the facility. Igor, a big and bulky Iron Man armour was wedged between a falling structure and Taeyong flew past the big bot, hands coming forward and flying at high speeds to different armours.

He flew in aid of Heartbreaker and Snapper, repulsors at the ready and he blew up two minions. Taeyong pushed forward, flying just over and making a grab for the falling bodies, his hands wrapping themselves tightly around the wrist of the now unconscious workers. He flew down to the ground slowly, letting his flight system cushion their fall. Taeyong watched as Jarvis scanned over their bodies, they were dead but he couldn't think about that right then.

"The President?" Taeyong asked, looking back up at the strung man. The thick ropes holding the Iron Patriot suit looked like something out of a horror movie. Taeyong didn't watch a lot of horror because Happy said that he was too young but the gesture was the same. Taeyong blasted forward, flying in a straight line directly towards the President when his flight path was overcome with a large shipment container. "What-"

His uncle Rhodey was on it. The man held against the doors and swung with only his upper body strength to keep him completely up. "What in the actual hell?!" Taeyong said, bewildered. He zoomed forward, ready to grab his uncle and fly him back on the shipment container's top when he saw two more of Killian's workers over the edge.

Their eyes glowed that vibrant red and Taeyong shivered, flying o[wards and holding his repulsor rays out. He shot at them both, before flying back down to his uncle and grabbing the man by his shoulders, pulling him up.

"Taeyong?" Rhodey called.

"Would you let me off if I said sorry?"

"NO!" the man shouted, before turning and punching on the girls in the face. She stumbled backwards and fell over the edge of the shipment container, when Rhodey grabbed for his gun and shot at the only chain keeping them up suspended in the air.

Taeyong lurched with the container, needing Rhodey to grab for his hips and steady him whilst they both fell against the last glowing red figure. Taeyong let his uncle wrap him up and flew a little higher in the air before he swung back and kicked the figure over the container. Taeyong flew up, hoping Rhodey was still holding him because he flew for the President. Taeyong and Rhodey both clung against the thick rope on either side of the Iron Patriot suit and when an explosion set off to their right.

Taeyong flew back, looking over at the danger. "What was that?"

"Your cue to get out of here."

"I'm not leaving!" Taeyong shouted, shooting at one of the ropes and watching both the President and his uncle's clench together before they swung to the left and towards what should be stable ground. Taeyong flew in their direction whilst he had Jarvis monitor the explosion.

"It seems to be the building which contained Pepper, Taeyong."

"Pepper's over there?" Taeyong asked, looking back. Before he took a step there, a hand dropped on his shoulder and Taeyong flinched, spinning and shooting-

"Oh shit!"

"Ouch?!" Rhodey called, falling backwards.

"You scared me!"

"You're gonna scare the rest of us if you don't leave."

"Let me find Pepper, Rhodey please," Taeyong called, opening up his mask.

"You-" The President called, now out of the Iron Patriot suit and waving a shaky finger at the younger boy. "You're-"

"She's the only thing I have left of a mom, Rhodey... please." Taeyong cried, falling back. The boy looked just as he was, a boy with the world on his shoulders. Taeyong thought back to Haechan and the unlikely friendship they struck up. Of Mark and Johnny, the closest boys he'd ever have to brothers.

Then there was Rhodey, his uncle and his legal godfather. The man who would slip him secret chocolates from thin air. Happy who was stuck in the hospital bed with nothing but the best nurses and doctors attending to him. He thought of Pepper who was supposed to be his dad's secretary and at best, Taeyong's overqualified nanny. Other than Tony, Taeyong have little to no blood family left. So no. There was no way he was going to let anyone get in the way of tearing his family apart. "Get the President out of here. I promise I'll come back when I make sure they're both okay."

Rhodey looked ready to shout, but he turned back to the President. His duty first and foremost was with the President and his nation. He turned back around to Taeyong, "Five minutes, that's all I'm giving you."

Taeyong nodded quickly, "come back for me?"

"Always."

Taeyong watched as his uncle grabbed the President around the waist and flew them both to the burning facility before he turned and flew up to the exploded compartment. There were more of Killian's workers that tried to stop him. A man with long hair and an even longer beard sneered in Taeyong's direction, holding a long piece of chain that was burning the same vibrant red as his pulsing skin and eyes.

"You wouldn't fight a kid would you?" Taeyong grinned nervously.

The man simply gave a grunt and Taeyong sighed, "this is going to be embarrassing for you..." He clicked his neck and sighed again, readying his repulsors and rolling his shoulders backwards. Taeyong leant back, leaning most of his weight on his leg and he crouched slightly, holding up his hands and smirking. "Come on then."

The man roared and ran with brute strength. He twisted the chain links in his hands and threw back with a wide arch, ready to strike down but all Taeyong did was push his offensive position to the side and he dropped, tucked and rolled forward. The edge of the metal chain link caught on Taeyong's leg, and he staggered back upwards, before shooting forwards.

The matches that he had with Happy were usually just joshing around and trying to copy whatever they saw in the films they watched. But that is not to say that he didn't learn a thing or two in the time he spent in his father's boxing rings. Taeyong would tuck and roll around a lot, he was always skinny and small against huge leering figures like Happy, or skillful opponents like his father. He, on the occasion, would actually learn something from Rhodey which was always helpful.

The first lesson that Rhodey taught him? Learn how to take a punch.

That was never fun. But in that moment, with his Iron Man suit to protect him and the man's big fists coming to swing sharp and hard in his gut, Taeyong wheezed but remained thankfully standing. He groaned and flew upwards, shooting in the man's face, falling out of his suit backwards and landing with a roll.

The man ripped his suit with a horizontal swing of his chain and Taeyong watched it crumble in half. He called on Jarvis, "J? Get me Bones," Taeyong said, grunting and standing up on his shaky legs. He put his arms out and gritted his teeth, feeling for the armour around his hands. Taeyong flexed his fingers and slapped his hands together, immediately little spikes and metals shot forward, catching at the man.

Taeyong took large steps backwards until he was just against the back railing. He gave the man a little nod of his head and fell backwards. Bones, a black and rusted gold coloured Iron Man suit inspired by the 'steampunk' aesthetic wrapped itself around his little body, coding to his measurements quickly and taking off. Taeyong closed his eyes and let the explosions and screams of the man fade away into the distance as he finally turned up to the containment building.

It was less of a building and more of a collapsed heap. "Jarvis?"

"She's on a conveyor belt, heading towards the central dumping grounds."

"Jarvis, what in the actual-"

"Your father is going to her. He is without a suit."

Taeyong nodded, flying away from the room and letting Jarvis guide him away. Taeyong watched as the fires started to really blow at the shipping containers and the spilled oils. The entire facility was close to really exploding and the heat was even getting to him in the Bones suits. Taeyong blinked back at the feeling of dread crawling up his body.

There was thumping, hard and heavy in his chest that threatened to make him shiver. Taeyong knew that feel well enough, and knew that he was panicking. But it was okay, because his dad was somewhere and Pepper was going to be okay. Because Taeyong was a Stark and he was also a hero. Nothing would change that.

With his hair slicked back sweaty on the back of his neck and ears, Taeyong shot forward. He raced through the air, curving around more explosions and diving under an aerial fight between another Iron Man suit and mandolin minion when he saw his dad running along the giant conveyor belt full of debris and trash.

Taeyong zoomed into the conveyor belt. Pepper was dangling just over the edge, her lower body trapped under heavy debris. "I'm coming," he whispered. "I'm coming." Taeyong shot forward, his arms coming out and he retracted his gloves until his hands were clear of the suit.

"I'm coming!" he shouted, flying forward.

The conveyor belt stopped just before another explosion. The mechanics had stopped, completely shutting down under the emergency lights and warning signals. Taeyong grunts, forcing his body to remain straight whilst he pushed through the heated air. His hands stung under the heat and he gritted his teeth, feeling tingles crawling over his lips and nose.

His eyes watered and he watched as Pepper and his dad reached towards each other.

"I'm coming. I'm coming."

Taeyong gasped, chest constricting and mouth lay slack open when the structure of the conveyor belt started to crash. He watched as his dad dived forward, against the railing, arms outstretched towards Pepper who screamed and fell below. "I-" Taeyong froze midair. He blinked, startled and shocked before he flew forwards and right into the fiery pit Pepper had descended.

It was easy for Taeyong to find Pepper, still falling midair. Her eyes were ablaze with red and her body started to burn up in the explosion. Taeyong dropped, grabbing her waist and pulling Pepper into his chest. "Pepper!" he shouted, feeling tears run down his cheeks and stick against his skin and metal suit mask.

Taeyong closed his eyes, embracing her tightly and tucking his head under her chin.

Then, they both hit the ground.

***

When Taeyong woke up he was still in the suit, his body felt weak and oddly numb. There was a cooling sensation blowing over his face, the air accommodation system set up and he was moving. Taeyong blinked, looking through the mask' eyes and watching the darkening sky. He blinked again, only realising that he was being dragged. "Jarvis?" Taeyong grunted, biting his lip and then running his tongue against his teeth. He could taste blood.

"Taeyong, you had blackout. You are currently in the fires still but Pepper is dragging out the danger zone. You can take the mask off now."

"Sure," Taeyong responded, breathing deeply as the mask came off with a little pop. He blinked again, eyes drifting over the ash surrounding the facility. There was some talks and then the sound of someone shouting.

Taeyong flexed his arm, letting the entire suit start to break away. The main body was kept on, but Taeyong sat up enough to look queasily at his surroundings. He shook his head and then immediately regretted it when the world buzzed around him. In front of him was the peculiar image of Pepper, glowing red.

"Jarvis?" Taeyong asked, face still cupped with the helmet.

"Yes sir?"

"What happened to Pepper?"

"She has taken care of Aldrich Killian and seems to have the same ailment as his followers."

"But she-"

"Will be fine."

Tony and Pepper were talking, something about burning or whatever. Taeyong didn't care too much because he stood up and walked over to where Killian's body was. Or whatever left of it. "Explosive device, Taeyong."

Taeyong felt bile rise up in his throat. Everything just felt a little overwhelming so he stepped out of the suit and Tony must have finally noticed him because his dad was wrapping him in a hug but also berating him. "You could have died! What would I have done? Huh? You really wanna put that on me?"

"Dad?" Taeyong whispered, feeling his knees wobble and his legs crumble beneath him. Pepper and Tony started to shout but they were drowned out by the sounds of explosions. "Urgh... dad? I don't fee- I don't feel well."

Taeyong closed his eyes.

***

When Taeyong next awoke, it was with a slight discomfort to his back. His shoulder blade hurt and he felt like his spine was aching for him to stretch it out. But he also felt sluggish enough to allow the pain to settle in his bones before he tried to do anything. He awoke in his bedroom, looking up at the plain white ceiling, eyes fixated on the little dents from patchwork in the paint, but nothing more.

Then he closed his eyes, breathed in and out through his nose deeply. He tried to imagine his spine and the way it eased in pain with every breath. Taeyong opened his eyes again and blinked through the haze of his mind to properly look around. With a little tilt to his head he saw his dad sitting just beside his bed. On a chair, slumped against his arm, hand cupping his fallen head and asleep.

There were dark marks under his dad's eyes and a greying cast over his complexion. But that was probably just the moonlight over his skin. Taeyong blinked again before his throat clogged up and he coughed slightly. He tried to tense his body, feeling his hands curl into his duvet, trying to remain quiet but that didn't last long. Would not last long. He coughed and hacked his lungs until Tony woke up with a startled grunt and looked back at the younger.

"Dad-" Taeyong coughed, feeling his hand rub up and down his chest.

"Taeyong? Taeyong- just breathe okay buddy?" Tony said, falling forward and scoping him up with easy strength. Taeyong groaned, helping his dad and sitting up properly. He breathed in harshly and gave a quiet cough. Tony brought a bottle of water from somewhere and held up, stroking Taeyong's back as he drank almost half the bottle.

Taeyong let go with a whine and slumped himself into Tony's chest, letting his dad continue to rub his back. "Dada," Taeyong whispered after some time had passed. "Are you mad?" he asked.

"Severely," Tony responded, resting his chin on Taeyong's growing and fluffy hair. "You almost gave us all a heart attack."

Taeyong felt his eyes water, "Pepper?"

"Perfectly fine, healthy... Happy's awake too. The president's find, the Mandarin has been arrested and so has the Vice President-" Taeyong didn't even want to know why the VP was arrested- "And we're alright."

Taeyong gave a slow nod, eyes attached to his father's arc reactor, watching it glow softly against the moonlight. "I'm sorry..." he sniffed, feeling a tear fall down his eye and around his cheek. Taeyong whined, not wanting to appear weak but his back hurt and his shoulder blades were really killing him. And really? He just wanted to hug his father properly but his arms were tired and not working. "Dada," Taeyong cried, turning his face to press against his father's chest. "I'm so sorry," he said.

"Shh it's okay," Tony said. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Dad... my back hurts."

Tony pressed his lips against Taeyong's crown. "That, I can fix."  

NEXT TIME ON: Dawn of New Change

Taeyong pouted, stepping closer and looking around at the phone’s screen. “Is that-”

“Project Insight,” Tony muttered. Taeyong felt his body stiffen up. Well… that wasn’t good.