Dawn of New Change

PREVIOUSLY ON: Dawn of New Change

Taeyong saves the day! But it comes with challenges and consequences. He blacks out twice and hurts his back in the process. Not every fun, but ultimately he will heal. He saved Pepper from her fall, almost giving his godfather and the President a heart attack. Most definitely added to his father's greying hairs but hey!

Taeyong did technically save the day!

Taeyong had finally got a rundown of everything that had occurred since he woke up. The Vice President and the Mandarin were both in kahoots, which didn't surprise Taeyong in the slightest. American politics, am I right? Trevor was arrested and Taeyong felt a little guilty when he thought about how happy that made him. Trevor was an addict that ended up going to the wrong people but Taeyong was glad he was behind bars.

Then a whole bunch of things happened. Happy had come home, recovering with Taeyong in the Avengers Tower in New York. Happy and a nurse from his hospital spent most of their time watching Downton Abbey then actual recovery, but hey! If it meant Taeyong got to spend his time sitting on a couch and watching reruns of Murder, She Wrote until he found a new detective show to watch, then who was he to complain?

The big move to New York was going to eventually happen. The mansion in Malibu was under reconstruction and that would remain Taeyong's home steadfast, but with the news of the Avengers coming together to create a formidable team in the future, it felt natural for Taeyong to stay in the tower. With his father.

Tony hardly let Taeyong out of his sight the first few days he woke up. Their separation anxiety issue was becoming a bit of a problem and they were slowly learning to control that part of themselves again.

"This doesn't seem healthy," Pepper said. But she had a smile on her face so Taeyong didn't think it was that big of a deal.

Tony didn't either, because he opened his arms up for his teenage son and Taeyong clambered in easily. Settling into bed with his head resting on Tony's chest and his Iron Man pyjamas lit by the soft glow of his dad's arc reactor. That was a change too, the shrapnel in Tony's chest was finally extracted. All cut out and cleared away by the best doctors that Tony could afford.

For once, the older man could sleep without the pain and fear of dying. "Well now," Tony said, wrapping Taeyong tighter in his arms. "I'm just making up for all the years I never got to spend with him." Taeyong nodded, cheek squished against his dad's chest and big doe eyes blinking innocently up at Pepper. Her exasperation was cut off by her fond smile as she leant over her two boys, giving Taeyong a kiss to his forehead.

He rubbed at the skin, fluffing his hair over it.

Then there were the more pressing matters to deal with that came with all the hustle and bustle of Taeyong and Tony's crazy-busy life. Like, for one, Iron Patriot was now War Machine all over again. Something both Stark's were not-so-secretly happy about.

"It was good whilst it lasted," Rhodey responded, as if he wasn't a War Machine fan to begin with.

"Truly," Taeyong nodded, sipping on the smoothie Tony had made him. He sat on the large kitchen counter space, legs bouncing in front of him whilst Tony busied himself in the kitchen and Rhodey discussed more army stuff. Rhodey gave a little roll of his eyes, not fully forgiving Taeyong for his little hero-stunt ("But I won Uncle Rhodey!" "You gave me a heart attack is what you did!" "Daddddd!" "Tonyyy-")

"Meh," Tony responded, flipping eggs.

Taeyong scrunched up his nose, "smells burnt," he whispered.

Rhodey gave a chuckle, fingers tapping along Taeyong's knees until he flipped up a chocolate coin from- "Where?!" Taeyong cried, looking around his legs. "Literally- how?!"

"One of the world's greatest mysteries," Tony called, watching his son snatch up the chocolate coin but also start to poke around Rhodey's pockets.

Then of course, there was the REAL fall out. This included:

Two days after Taeyong woke up:

"What in the world?" Tony called, looking down at his phone as he held Taeyong's arms. The boy was stretching his limbs out and walking around the living room of the new Avengers Tower. Taeyong looked up from his stretch and frowned.

"Dad?"

Tony started to rapidly type on his phone, brows furrowed in the same way as Taeyong's. But his eyes seemed distressed whilst glancing all around his screen. 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.

On screen was live footage of Project Insight crashing into the S.H.I.E.L.D. facilities. Taeyong remembered Project Insight because he was there when his dad was theorising the schematics behind the project. The idea was to have three S.H.I.E.L.D. based helicarriers that were all linked together through a system that would ultimately strike any preemptive threat on Earth.

After the disaster that was Loki and aliens reigning terror upon New York City, all the big important people of the world decided to ask the big question.

What happens when the Avengers are not here to protect Earth?

And unlike Taeyong's somewhat passive take on just trying to talk it out with said alien race, S.H.I.E.L.D. came up with Project Insight. So! 'In case of any Alien/world-ending Emergencies, please break class and shoot a bunch of weapons at them instead.' Sometimes... sometimes Taeyong really wished he was one of those 'ignorant is bliss' folks. Life seemed so much easier for them.

The ships themselves, all three, had crashed into the facility. There was buzzing coming from Tony's phone and then suddenly Jarvis had lit up the entire floor. Giving way to all the information that was currently stockpiling the internet.

"What's going on?" Taeyong asked, squinting his eyes around the news that seemed to surround him.

"Every secret that S.H.I.E.L.D. ever owned? Yeah- it's all public now... My god," Tony muttered. "What have you done now..."

Taeyong didn't pay attention after that because his gaze was caught up on an article that flourished right past time. The static energy of the holograms around him, creating a buzzing sound that had the hairs on Taeyong's arms stand on edge. He looked at the article and felt his back straighten.

Lee Minyeon, Deceased

Cause of death: Overdose

Relation to Tony Stark: None

Relation to Taeyong Lee-Stark: Mother

Date of Death: 05一

Taeyong didn't get to see the rest before the article was overrun by the next set. But he didn't really want to find out, just the fact that she- his mother. His actual mother一

"I don't feel good," he whispered, feeling his stomach stir and ache with unease. Taeyong took a shaky step back and all the images were gone. Tony had his arms around the younger boy, watching him with worry. "Dad?"

"Yeah buddy?"

Taeyong swallowed harshly. Why have we never talked about my mom? "What's going to happen to S.H.I.E.L.D.?" he said instead. Taeyong didn't really hear the rest of his dad's words. He felt out of his body, trying to remember what his childhood was like. But Taeyong, very suddenly and very scarily realised that he didn't remember much.

One week after the news was out...

"What was my mom like?" Taeyong asked Mrs Seo. Taeyong had gone to Johnny's house when he knew the boy would be in school and scheduled the time right so that his mom hadn't gone to work just yet. Taeyong sat in the apartment's small kitchen space and looked up at the woman with earnest eyes.

Mrs Seo looked at Taeyong with sympathetic eyes. Taeyong had not had the loveliest childhood and he was one of the more fortunate ones that got to escape the cycle of classism and leave the poor to become the son of a billionaire. But Mrs Seo was not convinced of his lifestyle, yes Taeyong had some of the top tutors and an exceptional mind. But he was also the son of a superhero.

A man whose entire life revolved around danger.

And before becoming Iron Man? Well Tony Stark was not one that most would describe as the fatherly type. He was a playboy and his record showed that he was not too ashamed of that life. But that compared to the life Taeyong lived before?

"I'm guessing you've seen the news then?" she said, sitting down the chair beside their circle dining table and leaning heavily on her arms. Mrs Seo was an older woman, with wrinkles adorning her features in ways that looked natural but not healthy. She was too old and too gone to be a single mother of two, with three jobs that paid her too little to properly take care of her boys.

But don't let anyone ever tell you that she didn't have enough heart.

Taeyong had people in early life that didn't love him enough and Mrs Seo? Well, she certainly had more than enough love in her heart to give the boy.

Taeyong gave a slow nod. His eyes were doe-like and so innocent but he had also known too much. Seen too much and forced to tap away his panic and scares to save the people in his life. So Taeyong sat with his back slightly curled but set his chin up and straight. He wanted answers and he refused to look at news articles that painted farce pictures.

"Don't sugar coat it please."

Mrs Seo sighed tiredly, a response Taeyong was oh-so familiar with. "Your eomma loved you dearly, Yong-ah." Taeyong gave a slightly warm smile, always a little happier when Mrs Seo called him Yong-ah; when she spoke little bits of Korean to him. Because if he couldn't remember much about his mother, he at least remembered that she also did the same to him.

"She just couldn't look after you. She couldn't look after herself either..."

Taeyong nodded carefully, trying to piece together more of what he remembered. "She would leave you here with Johnny and Mark. I let you three play and mostly took care of Mark."

"Cause he was so small," Taeyong whispered, feeling his chest constrict. "I remember Mark and picking him up." Taeyong could recall holding Mark close to his chest and being told to be very careful because Mark was so small. "I remember... blue walls."

Mrs Seo nodded with a grin. "Your living room was blue. It was obnoxious and bright. There were stains as well, ugly brown things and it got dirty quickly because of the ash. She smoked... a lot."

Taeyong breathed out heavily and shakily. "A lot?"

"A lot," Mrs Seo nodded, closing her eyes. "She smoked and drank and went out to parties. She was under a lot of stress because of studies. She was from Korea... I don't remember where but she was here to study. Her parents wanted her to have a good education."

Taeyong felt tears prick at the back of his eyes and he blinked quickly. "She got caught up in the whims of the city. Of New York City," at this Mrs Seo scoffed. "Greatest City in the world... Your mother was a sensitive woman who was too naive. She listened to strangers and got caught up with people that promised her fun and adventure...

"She didn't know she was pregnant with you for a long time. When she did it was too late," Mrs Seo reached forward and took Taeyong's hands in her own. Taeyong let her, relishing in the comfort of her calluses rubbing gently against his own soft and unbroken skin. "She was always on the smaller side anyway and first pregnancies are like that you know? God only knows she wasn't sober enough to understand what was happening to her body. Just thought they were side effects to her lifestyle choices. We both did."

Taeyong nodded, leaning forward to rest against the table. "So... what happened?"

"She tried to sober up when she found out. I thought it'd be a good idea to abort you," she admitted.

Taeyong stared at Mrs Seo with wide eyes. He gave a slow nod and tried to think about how that made him feel. But he wasn't emotional enough. All that filtered through his brain was logic and numbers and pragmatism. "That makes sense," he finally settled on. "I would have destroyed her life. She hadn't finished her studies, had she?"

"I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be," Taeyong said. "Please don't ever be sorry."

Mrs Seo looked so heartbroken and Taeyong felt himself wanting to pull the woman into a hug. Wanted nothing more than to stop the story and forget about it for a few more years. To come back when he was ready, when she was ready. But he wanted to know, needed to understand.

"She kept you and she did remain sober. For two whole months she did and she had you. A little early it was a bit of a scare. But she gave birth to you and that is why you are younger than Johnny."

Taeyong gave a soft snort, "I could have been older than Johnny?"

"Yep," Mrs Seo smiled.

"Shame really," Taeyong shrugged.

"Shame..." Mrs Seo leant back against her chair and Taeyong copied her movement. "She loved you but not enough. Not enough to continue living I don't think. But I just- When she was with you," Mrs Seo gave a mesmerising smile. Her dull brown eyes seemed to glow under the yellow hanging light in her kitchen. "She loved you like any mother should. That was real love and I know she didn't have a lot going for her. That ultimately, she knew- we both knew that she was never going to return home or finish school or really get her life together. But she had you and that was enough for her."

Taeyong nodded again, and let the silence of the kitchen overtake them both. He closed his eyes and thought back to his earliest memory. Of the blue walls that were dull with a layer of greying ash and weird brown marks. The scent of something vile and yet familiar that clung to the air and almost everything in the room. In his old living room of his old apartment, his old home.

Oh... the smell of Trevor's house, of the drugs the Mandarin gave him. That's the smell, Taeyong thought in a bittersweet manner. He remembered that smell.

He remembered being small, tinier than he could ever be. Of arms that encircled his body and his face pressed against his mothers neck. Taeyong could remember a jacket that was too big for his mother; that she wrapped around the both of them and being on the floor when she rocked him back and forth to sleep.

There was a humming sound, a tune that he couldn't quite place but he was sure was there. His mom used to tell him stories and she was high when she did. She was loving and strong enough for him but so very weak and couldn't do it.

Taeyong, at the tender age of thirteen, sat in the kitchen of Johnny's apartment, remembered enough about his mother to forgive her. That is what will forever differentiate him for the rest of the superheroes in his life and the people he meets. It takes a gentle and kind soul to forgive the one person in your life who was supposed to protect you and Taeyong did.

He would remain broken and hurt and it was never going to be a speedy recovery to understand why he ended up the way he did but Taeyong was sure that he would be fine.

He had already made the first step. 

NEXT TIME ON: Dawn of New Change

Taeyong let her lift him up slightly and spin him around before he landed back on his feet. The younger boy clutched at her arms, giving them a soft squeeze. "You're here?"

"I am," she replied, voice softening for him.

"For how long?"

Her eyes flickered over to his dad but she smiled and bent down for Taeyong. "Long."