Hypotheticals
Previously:
“Stop talking! Do you think he cares about any of this? About us? He gave us a bunch of fancy toys and then left. He doesn’t care about us any more than Mark does. No one does,” Harley snarled. The boy glared one more time before stomping off towards the back of the ship.
Tony frowned, heart in his throat. “Don’t worry, he gets like this sometimes,” Sarah said quietly, playing with her shirt. “Ever since daddy came back.”
Tony froze, eyes wide. “Your dad came back? When? Why?”
Sarah did not break her gaze from where she was playing with her shirt. “He came back when he heard mommy was sick. I think he came to take care of us, but he does a bad job.”
Tony glanced at Rhodey, who shrugged. “Well, some daddies are new at their job and aren’t the best,” he told the girl.
“Yeah. He’s not too mean to me, I just hate when he hits Harley.”
_______________
A hand on his shoulder was the only thing that prevented him from turning the jet around and finding that man. Tony looked up at Rhodey’s eyes and forced himself to calm down. “Sarah, who is Mark?” He asked semi-calmly.
“That’s my daddy. Harley doesn’t like me calling him daddy...it makes him mad,” the small girl said. “Are we going to live with you now?” She asked suddenly.
“Yes, you are,” Tony said distractedly. “I’m going to find your brother. Stay with Platypus.” Rhodey huffed causing Sarah to laugh loudly in his lap.
Tony took a deep breath before wheeling himself in the direction Harley went. It was an extremely stressful day and he couldn’t wait to take a long sleep at the end of it.
He found Harley towards the back of the jet on the couch, flipping through the television channels. “Hey, kid,” Tony started.
Harley sniffed and turned away from Tony. It was then the genius noticed the fresh tears on his face. “Come on, Harls, talk to me kid,” Tony pleaded.
When Harley continued to ignore him, Tony sighed, wheeling closer to the couch and locking the wheelchair. He lifted each limp leg off of the footrest one by one and beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead. He gathered all the strength he could muster and lifted his bottom off of the chair and threw himself towards the couch. He landed rough and awkwardly, but he scooted himself as close to Harley as possible. “Listen kid, I understand how-”
Harley suddenly turned, fists clenched and face red. “No you don’t! You don’t understand what this is like!” Harley shouted. “I had to drop out of school just so I could work two jobs and take care of Sarah. I couldn’t even take Sarah to see my mom before she died because I had to sell the car so we wouldn’t starve to death. And I would work my ass off to pay the bills, give Sarah lunch money, pay the neighbor to walk her to school, but as soon as Mark came home he would take any money I made to buy beer and drugs. You will never understand what it’s like, okay? And don’t even bother trying.” Harley stood and Tony grabbed his sleeve.
“Please, just hear me out,” Tony pleaded. Harley glared at him, but after a few seconds he sat down.
“You’re right. I’ll never be able to put myself in your shoes, but I do understand what it’s like to be without a father figure and have to survive on your own. I know what it’s like to be hit into submission or punished for things outside of my control. I know what it’s like to come home and see my father drunk and fear for my life. I know what it feels like to be all alone even though you’re surrounded by people.” Tony watched as tears ran down Harley’s face and he grabbed the boy’s hand.
He scooted closer and caught Harley’s eyes. “Point is- I know how hard it must have been Harley, and I wasn’t there for you. I can’t change that and i’ll spend the rest of my life regretting it, but i’m here now. And I swear from now on, I will always be here for you and Sarah. I will make sure you’re protected, and happy, and loved, because I really do love you kid.” Harley was sobbing by the end of the speech so Tony pulled him into his arms.
Harley spent the rest of the jet ride held in Tony’s arms as he cried the pain of the last few months away.
________________________
They were in a dingy motel. But by now, he was used to the creaky furniture and the smell of rotting sheets. He didn’t have any money to contribute, so frankly, beggars can’t be choosers.
Once again, they put him with Scott- or did Scott volunteer to be his roommate? He wouldn’t be surprised.
It was night time and he and Scott were across from each other, both in too-small twin beds. Even as he feigned sleep- an act he had been doing way too much lately, he could feel Scott’s eyes on him in the darkness of the room. “James?” He heard the man whisper.
He didn’t answer.
“James,” Scott whispered again.
James stayed completely still.
“James-”
“What Scott?” James burst out.
Scott then flicked on the lamp in between them. James huffed and blinked at the sudden light.
“I have a completely hypothetical question-”
“Yes, because I hold all the answers to the universe.” He was too tired for this shit.
“A question that should probably stay between us so-”
“Just say it Scott,” James huffed.
“Okay. If one were to...let’s say...turn themselves in, what would happen to them?” Scott asked anxiously.
James sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m not sure, I'm fairly new to all this, but I assume there’d be a trial.”
“A trial? Like in a courtroom? Like jail?” Scott asked in alarm. “But we didn’t do anything. We didn’t hurt anyone. That was all Steve, I had no hand in it!”
“So if you were to hypothetically give yourself up, i’m sure the consequences wouldn’t be too bad then,” James said.
Scott was quiet in thought for several minutes. Just as James closed his eyes to actually make an attempt at sleeping, Scott spoke up again. “So why don’t we?”
James’ eyes opened and narrowed on Scott. “Why don’t we what?”
Scott shrunk back slightly. “Why don’t we...leave?”
James let out a breath he was holding. “Because-” He scrunched his eyes tight. “Because we can’t.”
Scott’s brows furrowed and he threw his legs onto the edge of the bed so that he was facing James. “Why not? Because Captain America said so? I’m tired of following behind him all the time. Look how much trouble he’s dragged us into. I think we should-”
“Stop. Just...stop,” James said firmly. “It’s a bad idea. Now go to bed.” It was a great idea, and James knew it. But he was scared.
How does he live, function in a world without Steve whispering answers into his ear?
How does he live in a world where no one is whispering in his ear?
______________________
Harley’s mood turned around when they arrived at the compound. While Rhodey showed Sarah around the living quarters, Tony brought Harley down to the workshop. Harley ran around, looking at all of the robots and half-finished inventions. “What did you make in the lab I gave you back in Tennessee?” Tony asked as he watched the boy run around in wonder.
At the question, Harley stopped, his mood immediately going dark again. “Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“I sold everything the day after you left,” Harley said.
“Why would you-”
“I didn’t want to sell anything. I had so many ideas, so many inventions I wanted to make. But our insurance didn’t cover my mom’s cancer treatments.”
Tony frowned at the boy, speechless.
“I did keep the car longer. I would sit in it every chance I got and just closed my eyes. I imagined myself driving it far far away from everything. Driving to you. But then I had to sell it. And I watched some guy take it away and that’s when I realized how trapped I was, that there was nothing that was going to get me out. Not a fancy car, not expensive tech, not even my mom. I have to fend for myself.”
“Had,” Tony said. Harley looked over at him. “Past tense. You are here now, you are not alone. I will keep telling you that until you believe me.”
Harley looked back at the piece of metal in his hands, avoiding Tony’ eyes.
“Tony we have a problem-” Rhodey’s voice echoed in the workshop from the intercom.
Suddenly, another teenager appeared at the bottom of the stairs. He had shaggy brown hair and big brown eyes, and looked at the scene in shock.
Tony frowned before following Peter’s gaze. He took in Harley holding the metal invention in his hands and everything connected. “Peter-”
“You’ve replaced me?” Peter said sadly.
“No, Peter, I haven’t-”
“You wouldn’t talk to me for months, and I bet this is why. I’ve been replaced,” Peter said. Tony could see the tension building.
“No, Peter. You’ve not been replaced. This is-”
“And you just let him in your lab? You never let me down here. Is he smarter than me or something? What school do you go to?” Peter rambled.
Harley’s lip curled, on edge. “I don’t go to school.”
“A dropout? I’ve been replaced by a high school dropout, Mr.Stark?” Peter shouted hysterically. Tony noticed tears welling in Peter’s eyes.
“Don’t call me that, loser!” Harley shouted.
“How am I the loser, you dropout!” Peter shouted back.
The two boys started stepping toward each other and Tony wheeled himself in between them.
“You shut up you loser son of a bitch! I’ll beat your face in!” Harley screamed, holding up his fists. An un-Harley-like snarl formed on the boy’s face, and for a split second, Tony was reminded of a particular scientist.
“Everyone stop!” Tony yelled. The room finally went silent. Both boys were still breathing heavily and Harley’s fists were up. But Peter turned his attention to the billionaire.
“I know I annoy you sometimes, but I thought we were-” Peter’s voice cracked. In a second, the boy turned around and rushed back up the stairs.
As soon as he ran up, Rhodey appeared at the bottom. He took in the scene- Harley’s red face and shaking fists- and his eyes widened. “I tried to warn you…”
Tony grabbed his forehead which had started pulsing with a severe headache.
“Who was that?” Harley asked, breaking the silence.
Tony rubbed his head. “His name is Peter. I met him not too long after I met you- he was a Stark Industries Intern.”
“Oh.” Harley was quiet in thought for a few moments as his pulse went down. “Well, why did he think I was replacing him.”
Tony sighed heavily. “Look Harley, I have a headache-”
“But why did he think that, Mechanic?”
Tony rolled his eyes, remembering Harley’s inefficiency to notice when he should stop talking from all those years ago. “I haven’t been in contact with him for a while,” Tony said finally. His head felt like someone was punching him with a hammer and he really wanted to go to bed and deal with this all tomorrow. “Rhodey do you mind?”
Rhodey quickly came behind Tony and started pushing the chair towards the elevator. “Come on, Harley. I’ll show you where your room is.”
Harley nodded and followed behind the pair. A man who introduced himself as Sam took Tony’s wheelchair from Rhodey and wheeled him a bit further down the hall.
Rhodey walked silently with Harley. “What happened to Tony?” Harley finally asked as they reached his bedroom.
Rhodey sighed heavily. “Too many things.”
Harley frowned at the cryptic answer. He went to ask again but Rhodey held his hand up.
“Tony will explain everything in time, but I want to talk about you Harley.”
Harley frowned, not liking where this conversation was going. “Can we please just...talk tomorrow? I’m really tired,” Harley said, feigning a yawn.
Rhodey sighed, nodding. “Good night, then.”
Harley watched Rhodey leave before flopping onto the bed. This was the longest day ever.
_____________________
Tony grunted in pain as Sam lifted him from the chair. He’d been laying in a hospital bed for what felt like forever so his body was aching from the sudden change of being in a wheelchair. His spine ached horribly and throbbed in tune with his head. “How you doing?” Sam asked, concerned.
“M’okay,” Tony forced out.
Sam lowered him onto the bed prompting winces from Tony. “You still okay?” Sam asked.
Tony stayed silent, trying to will away his headache. Finally he gave a weak thumbs up.
Sam gently rolled him onto his side and grabbed a bottle from the side table. He lifted Tony’s shirt so that his spine was exposed. Sam squirted a bunch of the medicine into his hands and rubbed them together. He moved behind Tony and started massaging it into Tony’s back. “So what’s wrong with the kid?”
Tony winced as Sam’s hands went over several sensitive spots that shot pain up and down his spine. “Nothing’s wrong with him,” he panted. “He’s just had a hard life.”
Sam hummed. “We need to get you back to PT, you’ve got so many knots back here,” Sam observed, gently massaging a tense spot.
Tony grunted in pain and Sam retreated quickly. “Can we just...skip exercises today?”
Sam looked at him pointedly. “No, Tony.” Tony huffed in response.
Sam lifted Tony’s shirt a bit higher and drew a gentle finger along the length of his spine. “See how it’s starting to curve a bit?” Tony shivered at the cool finger. “You need to get back to walking and exercising if you want it to heal correctly.”
Tony held in another wince as Sam rolled him onto his back. Sam wiped his hands on a towel before he grabbed up Tony’s legs and started stretching them. “What am I going to do about Harley?” Tony moaned.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing? I can’t just do nothing,” Tony scoffed.
“Well you already talked to him. I think he needs to see for himself that you will be there for him before he finally trusts you,” Sam said.
Tony was quiet in thought. He had so much work to do.