Aftermath
Tony’s exhausted. He’s tired, it feels, all the way down to his bones. Even with JARVIS helping by using the Iron Legion, he’s fucking spent. He wants to sleep for a week or two. Intellectually, he knew what to expect but actually fighting this asshole was another story. The fight on the track had given him a good estimate of just what the other man was capable of and the only reason he let the man get close in the first place. But fighting after the emotional roller coaster he’s had yesterday is a fucking nightmare.
His mind is constantly turning in circles. It’s a miracle he was able to keep his head in the game at all. It’s why Tony isn't too mad at JARVIS for letting the Iron Legion loose to counteract most of the rogue armors. He’s already mentally making up a list of excuses for why he has so many and how to spin this whole mess to his advantage.
After all, people wanted to know why he didn’t want to give his suit up to the government and now he’s got a nice live sample of exactly why.
It’s more than enough to bury Senator Stern, too. Tony refuses to let that trash heap stay in a position of power anymore than he has to. But more than that, Tony wanted as many of those suits down as possible to minimize the damage any form of self destruction could cause.
Of course, that plan might have worked a little too well.
Between War Machine, Iron Man and the Iron Legion, Vanko and his knock offs were torn to shreds. Then the psycho had to try and get in the last laugh by killing himself. He had actually turned his own arc reactor into a dirty bomb, sending Tony and Rhodey tumbling back. Nothing too damaging, thankfully, beyond utterly destroying the small garden they fought in to nothing.
That won’t stop his girlfriend from calling to yell at him. Rikki is going to lose her shit. He can already hear her screaming from across the ocean. Not about the suit or giving Rhodey a suit. She’s going to love all of that. In fact, she’ll be the first to mention adding some really sci-fi freaky things to them, he’s sure. Which Tony won’t be able to resist trying...
No, no. It’s going to be about the shiner he got around his eye.
Yeah. She’s not going to like that. At all. He fully intends to blame it all on Rhodey. Well, not all. Most. Rhodey had a crash course in Superheroing in five minutes and nothing else. Really, there were bound to be some hiccups.
“JARVIS how are we?” He’ll worry about all that after he makes sure everyone else is okay.
“The evacuation succeeded in saving many lives and Miss Potts left when encouraged by Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes.”
“Sounds like a job well done.”
Tony leans against the concrete wall of a random roof, looking out over the wreck of his expo. It doesn’t look as bad as he originally thought. Most of the fire damage is from Vanko’s suits crashing after JARVIS got through with them. That leaves only cleaning up, which the local construction crews will love especially when they see the added bonus attached to the job.
“Not quite.” Tony frowns with a groan. “What happened? Was it SHIELD? I’m going to guess it was.”
“Agent Romanoff made a call over the emergency frequency regarding a woman injured in the attack. That woman has been identified as May Parker.”
Tony sits up, alarmed. Now his focus is brought back to the ever present crack in his armor. Ever since learning about Peter, he’s taken to being up to date on everything about his son. Health, education, favorite foods, etc. Everything and anything he can get his hands on, even who has him, who meets him and who is in his general vicinity at any given time. So he knows exactly who May Parker is because she is his current guardian. But Rikki never mentioned the woman being hurt!
“Shit.” He realizes this is another divergent. “She’s okay right?”
“Mrs. Parker sustained serious injury from fallen debris. She’s fallen into a coma, Sir and Ben Parker is currently missing.”
Tony scrambles to his feet, ignoring how much his body protest. Rhodey looks up from his spot on the other side, jerking awake from his not-nap.
“Tones?”
“Where’s Peter?”
“Who’s Peter?” Tony ignores the question. As much as he loves his best friend, he’s not important right now.
“Currently, Master Peter is being transported by Officer Bendoza and Officer Myers. He’d been found wandering the Expo. He’s presumed to be a misplaced child due to the attack.”
Tony lets out a ragged breath. He’s with the police, his kid is safe and not wandering the streets or trapped beneath fallen rubble. He’s safe.
Holy Shit.
He’s whipped and they haven't even meet properly yet.
“Which precinct?” Tony asked as he makes his way to the rooftop edge.
“Tony, who’s Peter?” Rhodey comes to stand at his side, limping slightly. “Why is he at a police station? Come on Tones, talk to me.”
“My kid-my kid-“ Tony barely manages to get out. His mind suddenly running with all the worst possible things that can happen between the ride and getting to the precinct. Anything can happen. Anything will happen especially when SHIELD is involved. When someone like Romanoff is still around looking for anything that will get her the leverage she wants. “They’re going to take him from me.”
“A kid? You have-shit, Okay. Okay.” Rhodey grabs Tony with both hands. He can’t feel his friend’s hands but the weight on his shoulders is grounding. “Who’s going to take him? Child services?”
“I don’t-I don’t-“
“Sir, considering the circumstances, I have contacted Miss Chadwick. She’s comandered your jet for her return. She will land within five hours and forty three minutes.” Knowing she was on her way stemmed the anxiety attack a little.
“Okay. That’s good.” Rhodey nods, JARVIS obviously opening a link to the other pilot and sharing this news instead of leaving the man in the dark. “We can handle this, Tones. We can.”
“I can’t-Rhodey. I’m not ready. I-“ Tony gasps and leans into his best friend. It hits him, then, that Rhodey doesn’t know the whole story. He has no idea what she did. That woman. That-that vile-
“You can, Tones, if anyone can do anything he puts his mind to, it’s you.” Rhodey tries to hold the genius the best he can in the armor. “So, right now, we stuff the negative talk in the can and move our asses into gear, you hear me? Peter’s his name, right? Peter needs you right now.”
“Yeah.” Tony exhales harshly, it feels like he's trembling. Like he can't stop shaking. “Yeah, you’re right. He does. It’s not his fault. None of this is his fault.”
Peter. Peter. Peter. His kid. His son.
Peter never asked his psycho mom to drug him so he could be born. In fact, Peter doesn't even know and Tony can’t let him suffer for it. Tony leans back, exhaustion chasing his heels and weighing him down. But Tony looks at his best friend, ready for another fight because that’s what will happen when he goes down there.
“I’m going to get my kid.” Tony swallows a little thickly around that last word but he doesn't take it back.
“Better change the armor, though.” Rhodey gestures to the suit.
Tony steps back and looks down at the iconic red and gold armor. He looks back up at his friend in the War Machine armor, contemplative.
“Agreed.”
After all, different fights require different tools for battle.
Pepper just finished getting settled in Captain Stacy’s office when she gets a call from Rhodey.
She hears it and it takes her several long seconds to realize that it’s true. That he isn’t lying or joking. A calamity of feelings and thoughts threaten to drown her, immobilize her but she can't. Act. She needs to act.
There is so little time, now.
“Right, right. Okay.” Pepper turns to Sachs and there’s some relief in seeing how frazzled she looks. It reminds the redhead that she isn’t alone in this madness and that she needed to lead them out of it. “I need you to go to Tony, be his go-to person between him and everyone else. I don’t care who it is, there’s always someone above them you can badger to get what Tony needs. Use that. Someone from legal will meet you there as soon as they can.”
“Ms. Potts,” FRIDAY’s voice speaks from her phone. “Mini Boss is pulling up to the front now. Boss’ last ETA is 16 minutes and counting.”
“Wait, he’s coming here?” Pepper picks up her phone just as FRIDAY loads a picture of the child, of Tony’s son. “Shit.”
“Ms. Potts?” Sachs looks confused and Pepper realizes she hasn’t told her anything.
“Tony has a son. He’s nine and Tony found out just before the attack on the Expo.” Pepper feels like she might be having an out of body experience. She feels so far away and yet, rooted to the ground. “You’re job is to make sure no one gets between them. Understood?”
“Of course.” Sachs straightens her back, confusion gone. Pepper doesn't see any shock in her expression. She wants to believe Sachs is relieved she has something to focus on but Pepper is too shaken to say for sure.
“Good.” Deep breathes, Pepper repeats to herself a few more times. “Peter, that’s his name, is on his way here. His other relatives were injured during the attack so Tony is coming to get him.”
“So, make sure no one takes him before Tony can get here.” Sachs finishes without missing a beat.
“Got it in one.” Pepper smiles and flips the phone to show her what Peter looks like.
Before Sachs can get a closer look, her own phone dings with a notification and she shows Pepper an image of Peter. The other woman nods at her red haired boss before leaving the office, calling out her thanks to FRIDAY for the information. With the other woman gone, Pepper sinks into the cushioned chair and exhales a shaky breath. It feels heavy in her chest but Pepper takes a few minutes to pull herself together. This was the last thing she had prepared for.
Tony has had numerous women claim they were having his baby or were the mother of his kids. But those always turned up false. Tony was always careful, even when he was drunk. So after so many false pregnancies, she’d just assumed there would never be one.
And now there is.
“FRIDAY.”
“Yes, Big Boss?”
“Give me everything you have on Peter.”
“Downloading to your tablet now. It’s a tough read, though.” Pepper frowns at the AI’s tone.
“What do you mean?”
“Boss didn’t take it too well. Maybe…” Pepper’s eyebrows rise in surprise. She’s never heard either of Tony’s AI’s hesitate. “Maybe read the details later?”
“I will…” Pepper swallows the lump in her throat, uncertain. Normally, she would ignore that advice since this is about Tony but this situation is precarious. Any moment of weakness can come back to bite them later. “Give me the cliff notes version. Then, get me a line to the FBI, forward child services to Sachs, get me our liaison for the CIA and when this is dealt with, remind me to look over every detail.”
“Right away, Ma’am.”
Pepper inhales deeply and gets down to business. She takes comfort knowing Sachs is helping Tony while she deals with everyone else. There is very little that can stand in the way for Peter Parker Stark being given to his biological father. Especially not when his other relatives are not capable of protesting and Stark Legal gets involved. Really, everything else is a formality right now. Which reminds her...
“FRIDAY, make sure the Parkers get the best care possible.”
“Already done!” She chirps. “JARVIS had some specialists called from other hospitals to help with the civilian injuries. Mr, Mrs Parker and anyone else will be in good hands.”
“Good.” Pepper wished they were never harmed but cannot stop the feeling of relief from washing through her. This made it easier for Tony to get his son. They can figure out other options for the uncle and aunt after.
For the most part, the evacuation went off without a hitch. On the other, the raid made by the FBI on Hammer did not go as planned. From what she understands the raid was supposed to be made before the Expo officially opened. Except the warrant required took its time getting cleared by a judge and left the agents to wait around before they can make their move.
Pepper suspects that’s due to interference and she has one guess: SHIELD.
So far as she knows, they’re the only ones with the clout to impede a federal investigation and get away with it. Pepper was originally relieved to have some support from a government organization clearly experienced in the extraordinary. Now, she looks back and wonders how she let herself be sucked into their game. Clearly, she needed to be more on her guard when it comes to Tony and the company.
Wrangling and commanding a company like Stark Industries is not the same as trying to stay ahead of a spy organization. Not like she’s used to anyway. Her dealings with the CIA are very different. For one, they actually know how to make a damn appointment.
Once she gets the chance, she has every intention of having their liaison give them a call to find out just what the hell was going on. It’ll only take a small threat to get them to understand just how serious she is about this and for them to get a handle on SHIELD.
Pepper doesn't care how they do it, only that they do.
And if this silent war between clandestine organizations means no one is looking at Tony’s son, well, all the better.
Peter has had a long night. He’s tired but wide awake. He doesn't know where his aunt or uncle are but he’s not scared. He’s not.
Captain Stacy is nice and gives him a turkey sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes but no pickles like his uncle gets for him. The sandwich is too big, though, and the water taste strange. Aunt May would have given him a cup of milk.
But, he likes Captain Stacy, his uncle’s friend, who smiles at him and reminds him of Uncle Ben. It tells him everything will be okay. No matter how bad it might seem, the bad things won’t last forever. Everything will be okay.
So Peter sits in the big chair swinging his legs and making sure to be careful not to leave crumbs on the table. He is carefully rewrapping his sandwich when some of the cops start using bad words. So many that it would fill, like, ten jars! They're not loud but Peter can still hear them because they probably forgot he was there. He has no idea why the cops are doing it until Peter sees him.
His hero. Tony Stark! Iron Man!
Peter gasps and his eyes go wide. He notices nothing else. He doesn't see the tension in Captain Stacy’s arm when he shakes Iron Man’s hand or some of the looks sent his way.
All he can think about is Iron Man swooping down to him and saying ‘good job, kid’ before flying away to beat the bad guy.
A real hero!
Peter hopes the man will stay for a little. Maybe Peter will get another chance to meet him? He’s still wearing his Iron Man helmet and gloves, too! Maybe Mr Stark will sign them for him? His classmates would have to believe him then. Oh! If Peter asks nicely, Iron Man could find out about his relatives. Captain Stacy said they need help to get better before Peter can see them but Mr Stark is a hero, he could get the help for them!
Except Mr Stark disappears into another room, one with couches and a big table. Peter would sometimes sit there while Uncle Ben talked with Captain Stacy. There are two ladies in fancy suits that go in after him and a man wearing glasses with a lanyard who whispers something to Captain Stacy with a frown and follows them, too. When the door closes, everyone starts whispering and wearing their serious faces. That means grown up talk. It also means Peter won't get the chance to even say 'hi', so Peter keeps quiet and sips his water.
He freezes when some of the adults start looking at him. Peter blinks back, confused.
Did he...do something? But he's been sitting here the whole time!
Peter looks around at some of the police. No one looks angry at him. So, was he in trouble? Captain Stacy said he wasn’t and let him sit in a big chair and everything! Peter squirms in his seat, nervous now.
It feels like forever before his uncle’s friend comes back out. He doesn’t look to good. He looks older and tired, like he worked hard for too many days. Uncle Ben has had a few days like that before. Peter always tried to be extra quiet on those days so his uncle could get some rest.
“Peter, come here kiddo.” The captain’s smile isn't as nice as it used to be.
He’s scared but gets up and goes over to him. Captain Stacy takes his hand and pulls him to his side, like he’s trying to hide him from someone. But, no one here looks mean or like a stranger. He leads Peter into the room with the other serious adults.
A man makes a low sound and Captain Stacy squeezes Peter’s hand a little tighter than he likes, almost too tight. He lets Peter go and moves to the side, so Peter can see the person behind him.
Tony Stark.
Peter freezes. His mouth drops open. His hero! His hero is standing right in front of him!
Mr Stark bends down and smiles at him. Smiles! Peter squeaks even as he brings a hand up to wave. The man laughs, but not in a mean way.
“Hey, I love your faceplate. Pretty cool.” Iron Man pulls the mask down a little to look at it before putting it back where it was on his head. “Guess you were at the Expo, huh? How are you doing?”
“M’ fine.” Peter can barely hear his own words. Can barely believe he’s talking to Iron Man. But he did look worried about Peter, which is also cool. “I got lost.”
“Yeah, I heard.” Mr Iron Man smiles again but its soft, like his aunt when he does something she thinks is ‘cute’. Peter is not ‘cute’, he’s nine but there’s no way he’s going to say that to his hero. “That’s good. That you’re okay, I mean. Real good. I’m glad. Listen, kiddo, I’m going to be taking care of you for awhile. How does that sound?”
Peter’s jaw drops. He can barely believe what he’s hearing. Iron Man was going to take care of him! He was going to-wait…
“Why? What happened to my aunt and uncle?” Are they-? Did they die, too? Is he all alone again? Peter doesn't mean to start crying but-but-
“Hey, hey now.” Mr. Stark picks him up and hugged him close. Peter likes it, likes how warm and safe he feels in the arms of Iron Man. “It’s okay kiddo. I promise.”
“Mr. Stark.”
“No.” His hero speaks in a stern tone that Uncle Ben sometimes uses, to someone that Peter can’t see. But he can feel when the man sits down and when he pets his hair. “We can talk later, okay? About why you’re coming to stay with me and all that. But for now, how about I take you to see how your aunt and uncle is doing, okay?”
Peter sniffles and tries to clean his face. He’s still scared and confused but his hero is here. Tony Stark will keep him safe.
“Okay.”
Tony waits.
He waits for news of May and Ben. He waits with his son who is lost and who has already suffered so much. Who has lost one set of parents and might lose another. Tony just wants to hide him away from the world to someplace safe and happy. He waits for the social worker to expedite his paperwork to take Peter home with him. For good. For confirmation of upcoming house calls and surprise visits.
Sachs is a great gatekeeper, spearheading and multitasking everything and everyone like she’s been doing it her whole life. Tony doesn't fear anything going wrong with the reunion process with her having an eye on it.
Still.
He waits for someone in Child Services to leak the story about his ‘lost son.’ He waits for the news to shift from the ‘Attack on the Stark Expo’ to ‘Stark love child found!’ Or something equally pretentious and invasive.
Tony Stark is tired.
He’s exhausted and the last thing he ever wanted was to think about Peter’s mother. The woman who drugged and violated him. Whose shadow makes his skin crawl and who kept his son from him for some asinine reason like power or blackmail. Tony has no idea and there’s no one for him to ask.
Giving proof of his paternity over to Child Services and the FBI is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. Some of it JARVIS blacked out, made it seem like it was redacted information and others he made clear.
Everyone is very disturbed by the implications of the nano mask. (Especially the liaison to the FBI and yes, Tony confirmed he plans to find a way to work around the creepy little device.) But no one really questions Tony about his evidence and since Mary Parker is dead, she can’t take him to court to try and fight for custody. The aunt and uncle aren’t blood related so they couldn’t fight him either if they were capable.
That does not mean he’s not worried about them. The couple cared for his son, loved him and treated him like family. Tony is infinitely grateful to the couple for taking Peter in and while he’s too late to help Ben, he can make sure May gets all the help and the best care possible.
Ben.
Ben had already been in surgery when JARVIS found him. The man had been brought in as a John Doe and it wasn’t until JARVIS started canvassing the hospitals that Ben cropped up. Fortunately, his own medical team arrived to help the obviously understaffed and overworked hospital staff so they shouldn’t suffer from neglect or staff fatigue.
Both of them are still in surgery and Tony swears if he has to wait much longer he’s going to call staff from any other hospital not on duty this second. He’ll fly them out here himself if he has to. The lack of information is nearly driving him to his wits’ end. That slogan about no information is pure horseshit and left Tony pacing the hallway with Peter in his arms.
Peter had fallen asleep as a result. Not that Tony can blame him. In fact, he prefers his son like this. Sleeping as if all the terrible things in the world can’t touch him.
Tony forces himself to sit in a chair, in a hospital he never expected to be in, holding his nine year old son Tony never expected to have, and waits. He waits for the world to crucify him. Waits for the blame and judgment. For the accusations and the shame. Tony can almost taste the bile at the back of his throat, threatening to choke him.
Tony waits until he isn't left waiting. He isn’t sure if that’s any better.
“Dr. Stark, a word please?” The doctor that comes up to him, still in his scrubs, gives Peter a soft smile. As if everything is okay. But Tony knows, he knows everything is not. He knows that expression. He’s seen it before.
“How bad?” Tony cuts right to it, keeping his voice down.
It’s late and it’s been hours since the attack. Peter is only a kid and being tired easily isn't a surprise. So he isn't too worried about his kid waking up and Tony really wishes he could just could get up and move around. But he won’t-he won’t wake up his kid for this. The doctor takes a seat next to him and lowers his voice, too.
“Despite our best efforts, I’m afraid Ben Parker has passed on.”
“How?”
“According to paramedics, he’d shielded another child at the scene. When he turned his back to take the brunt of an attack, he broke several discs in his spine. This alone wouldn’t have been a problem but the broken ends cut into the arteries and tendons around the site despite first responders best efforts.” Tony inhaled deeply, trying to stave off the rush of emotions that threaten to overwhelm him. He couldn’t do a thing to stop his eyes from filling up, though.
It was a strange thing, feeling grief for someone you’ve never met.
“A hero in and out of his uniform, huh.”
The doctor offers a grim smile. But Tony catches a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye and he turns. He already knows what he’s going to see. Police officers, in uniform, loitering in the other waiting area. All here for Ben and May. Officers that Ben went to work with, shared coffee and lunch breaks with. No doubt they’ll hear all of this right after him.
They’ll wonder about Peter. They’ll ask about him.
“The injuries were exacerbated during the ride to the hospital.”
“So he was-he was bleeding internally. All this time.”
“We managed to stem the worst of it but-“
“-but not soon enough.” Tony wants to be angry but he’s so fucking tired. Emotionally, mentally, physically, he’s wrung out. He can't handle anymore bad news. Not today. “How did-was it-“
“We gave him a local anesthetic for the pain and for the operation. He didn’t feel a thing.”
“Did you try to-to-“
“Resuscitate him? Yes, we tried. Mr Parker didn’t stay with us.”
“Fuck.”
Tony runs his hands through his hair and down to his beard. He’s shaking, Tony realizes. Peter will be devastated. Heartbroken.
“I can go inform his captain if you’d like.”
“I-“ Tony swallows harshly. “Yeah-yeah. Please.”
The doctor leaves to speak to a man walking up to them. He’s not the same one from the precinct. The one who didn’t like changing Peter’s life so quickly. Stainly? Stacy? Tony liked him. He was adamant about Peter’s welfare above all else and Tony did hear what he had to say about the reunion process taking longer than a few hours. But he doesn’t argue against the evidence about Peter’s paternity or give Tony strange looks.
The guy went right back to advocating for Peter’s benefit, about transition and Tony has to admit the man made some good points. It’s why the New York mansion is being cleaned out right now and if it's not done by the time they leave the hospital they’ll just stay in a hotel for the night. Taking his kid across the country would be a huge upheaval Peter might not be ready for.
He wishes the man was here right now. Tony could ask him things, about Ben and Peter. About the kind of man he was to Peter, about being a father his son could be proud to have...
Because Howard is a shit example to follow and Tony is scared out of his fucking mind. Terry, bless that man’s heart, swears there’s no one way to be a father. That it means being the best you can, doing the best you can for them. It means giving the best you can for them.
Sacrifice.
Tony gets that. He’s seen sacrifice. It was never for Tony or his mom. Only for the company, for Captain America. Tony and his mom benefitted from it all, profited sure but not in the ways that matter.
But what about the rest? Does that work itself out? Thinking of Terry brings him to Rikki. Which, fuck, he didn’t call her. She’s coming back and he hasn’t even gotten on the phone to tell her the absolute shit show everything has turned into. This was not the plan, not at all and Tony isn’t ready.
The man is wearing a suit, a gun and badge on his hip. Tony can’t work up the energy to talk to him or ask about the other kid that Ben managed to save. He’s sure JARVIS will know. He’ll ask him later. For now, he turns back to his kid. His kid whose world is changing for the third time. Tony sucks in a deep breath and holds Peter a little tighter, silently hoping he’ll have the words he needs to explain this all to Peter later.
Fucking hell, this is not how he imagined his first steps into fatherhood to go.
“Mr Stark?” Tony turns his head, half hearted. He was so done with today. He wants to take his son home and just block out the outside world for a week or two.
There’s a man and a younger man at his side. He doesn't recognize either of them. He wasn't part of the original team of Child Service social workers and he certainly isn't Peter’s case worker. Tony glances at Sachs and notices how annoyed she seems with the two. But she lets them pass the invisible line she’s made between Tony and everyone else. The man smiles softly and the billionaire is glad to note there isn’t a hint of pity in his eyes. The other guy makes Tony cranky because he knows that look, that false sincerity.
He already wants to tell that one to fuck off.
Before they can introduce themselves, a commotion grabs their attention. Tony almost sags in his seat, he’s fully expecting the cops to come harassing him and try to take his kid away. Instead, he’s met with the sight of a familiar blonde, locking her furious gaze on one of the hospital staff. He can hear her voice, accent loud and harsh and unforgiving. She’s tearing into the man judging by how his complexion turns paler by the second and that’s when Tony sees the cop from the precinct.
They make eye contact and Tony points at Rikki before waving his hand toward himself. The guy gets it and goes over to her, cutting off whatever the other staff is failing to try to say. Rikki turns to the cop and doesn't look like she’s going to rip his head off so Tony counts that as a win. She turns and locks eyes with him.
In an instant, Rikki walks past the hospital staff and doesn't bother to spare anyone else, not even the police officers, a glance back. She must have gone straight to the airport from whatever charity or party she’d been at and then straight here once she landed. Her dress is a dark maroon color with a black overcoat and she's wearing the black designer shoes with diamond heels he got her.
Despite how tired he is, Tony marvels at how gorgeous and fierce she looks. Of course, Tony doesn’t get a chance to greet her once she reaches him because Mr. Unknown opens his mouth.
“Excuse me, who are you?” He sounds official but defensive. Tony can’t tell why, everyone should know who his girlfriend is by now. “I’m afraid only immediate family can be a part of this discussion.”
“Rikki Stark.” What? “Tony’s wife. That immediate enough for you?”
“I wasn't aware-“
“Yeah, I know, funny. There’s this thing called privacy. It’s matched up with other words like private wedding and private information. That means its none of your buisness. See how that works?”
Oh. She's in a mood. Tony is almost scared to get her attention. But his brain is stuck. He's stuck and he can't see or hear anything. Because...what? What?
“I-yes. Of course. It just seemed a little fantastical.”
“You mean, you’re so used to seeing my husband and all his business on the TV, you never thought he was entitled to share nothing if he didn’t want to.”
“No, I-“ The man becomes flustered and tries to back track.
“Because Tony Stark is all about money and the glam. He must not be a person, right? He must not have parts of his life he’d like to keep out of the spotlight. Isn’t that what you’re saying?”
“I-“
“Because he’s obviously the public’s little slave, isn't he?”
Every word is laced with venom and searing hot fury. It's only when she takes a step toward the man that Tony reacts. Tony would almost be flattered, scratch that he is, except she’s getting a little loud and the last thing he wants is for her to wake Peter. So, he quickly reaches out a hand and grabs her before she gets out of range.
“Hey, honey.” He tugs her a little to get her to come closer.
It does the trick and his girlfriend/wife reigns in her infamous temper. That’s when he notices that she’s switched her promise ring to her ring finger and now it all makes sense. She’s passing herself off as his secret wife so she could be here. Of course that fills him with a whole other level of anxiety that he shoves to the back burner. Hopefully, JARVIS or FRIDAY manages to take care of any paperwork to make it look legit or they could both be in trouble.
“I’m okay. Really. Sorry I didn’t call you. Everything just got...a little crazy.” Rikki slides into the seat next to him with a frown.
“Yeah, I can see that.” She gestures to Peter. “What happened? Where’s his aunt and uncle?”
“Ben...Ben didn’t make it.” Rikki inhales sharply and squeezes his hand.
"Shit." She gets what that means, just as he did.
“May, I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt Mr. Stark.” The man cuts in a little timidly, humbled by his pseudo wife’s sharp words. He still glances at Rikki with caution but introduces himself. “I’m the hospital grief counselor, Jason Gurtman and this is Steven Westcott, one of our child care workers.”
“I tell my friends and the kids to call me Skip.”
The other guy offers his hand to Tony and smiles with so many teeth, it makes Tony want to punch his face in. He settles for glaring instead because Tony honestly does not care for this kind of bullshit right now. It seems to get his message across and the smile falls from his face just like his hand.
“Just what is ‘Skip’ doing here?” Tony turns his head to look at the blonde at his side. That tone never means anything good. “And what does he or you have to do with May?”
“Well,” Gutman clears his throat, suddenly nervous, as he should be. Rikki looks ready to tear into him and his annoying pet. “Mr Westcott is licensed to look after children here at the hospital. Specifically children belonging to hospital employees but they also care for patients’ children in the short term. He’s here to look after Peter so that Mr Stark can take care of what he needs for Ben Parker. All of this is to help the grief process along.”
The guy hurries to the add the last bit, not that it seems to help. If anything Rikki looks even more fired up. Now, if only he knew why, maybe he could get some answers about how May is doing. Maybe if the situation was different Tony would take up the offer but after the day he’s had he’s not letting his kid out of his sight.
“Why would we need a babysitter?” The Gut-man flounders even more, clearly he’s not used to someone fighting him on this. Seriously, this is the best they have?
“Peter knows Mr Westcott. When his aunt would work, he’d care for Peter.”
“It was my idea.” Skivvy, Skipper or whatever he’s called, jumps in. Tony’s already feeling done with these two and glances at Sachs, more than ready for her to get rid of them. “We’re close since we spend so much time together. I call him little Einstein.”
“And did you ask Peter if he liked you calling him that?”
“I-excuse me?”
“Did you ask him if he liked the name? Because I sure as hell don’t.” Rikki doesn’t take her eyes off the guy and now, now Tony feels like he’s missing something. Something big.
“There’s nothing-“
“So that’s a no, right?” Rikki cocks her head to the side just a little. “Because who cares what kids want, right? They’re just kids, they don’t know anything, don’t they? So if they tell you ‘no’, you just ignore them and do whatever.”
“No! No, uh, Mrs. Stark.” The guy pales and stumbles over his fake wife’s married name. But Rikki’s words fill him with a strange sense of dread. They were said deliberately and obviously struck some kind of nerve with this asshole. “It’s just a-a-“
“In fact, I don't like the idea that Tony can’t take care of his own kid because you think it will help him. Or you think you can do better.”
“That’s not it at all!” The Gut guy jumps back in and now they’re causing a scene. That cop, Ben’s captain, is looking over and clearly listening. The other guy is standing next to him and Tony realizes he never noticed the guy follow Rikki over. “I merely hoped Mr Stark would feel less pressured to put on a brave face for his son. My intention was never to question your husband on his ability to care for his child, I assure you.”
“So why the babysitter? In fact, why this specific babysitter?” Rikki is relentless and her accent makes her words even sharper. Tony’s sprouting dread starts to grow. “Does Peter even like you? Or is he just stuck with you so he pretends to like you?”
“Well I’m sure he’d tell his aunt if he didn’t like me.” That was said in a tone a little too defensively for Tony’s taste.
“That’s not what I asked you.” Rikki growls. If she had a little less control, something would have blown up or caught fire. But she still looks like she’d love nothing more than to strangle him with her own two hands and the cop steps a little closer, clearly picking up on the rising tension. “But since you won’t answer me, why don’t we ask Peter, yeah?”
“Rikki.” Tony does not want to wake his kid but at the same time, he doesn’t get why she wants to do this. It makes him nervous. “I’ll just keep Peter with me. It’s fine. The last thing I want to do right now is try to explain what happened with his uncle.”
“That’s commendable, Mr. Stark, truly.” The ass kisser starts only to be cut off.
“No one asked for your opinion you cunt, so shut it.” Rikki rounds on the man, blue eyes flashing in the cheap lighting.
And now Tony knows that something is bad. Traveling internationally as a single woman meant she had to make some changes. Nothing she wasn't already comfortable with like strict security procedures and making additions to her wardrobe depending on where she's going. But the hardest for her was her language, since she was so used to using a plethora of slang terms from her home country. She didn't have Tony's eccentricities to fall back on to excuse her. But she did it and made herself out to be a successful entrepreneur for women to look up to.
As a result, Rikki doesn’t make slips like that unless she is nearing the point of Pissed Off.
“What’s goin’ on?” A sleepy voice comes from Tony’s shoulder.
Tony stiffens and tightens his grip on his son. He lets Peter shift enough to move but that’s it. He’s not in the mood to let him go or go out of his sight. Peter yawns and damn if that isn't the cutest thing he’s ever seen even if that makes Tony realize just how tired he really is. Of course, since he’s watching his kid, he notices the moment Peter sees the two other adults. He flinches a little away from them and huddles in Tony’s arms, even as he turns to look at him.
“Where’s my aunt and uncle? Did something happen?” He refuses to look at the two men and his eyes are wide, scared. Tony wouldn't have seen it if he wasn't looking for it.
“Well, we’re waiting for news but these guys are telling me stuff about paperwork and the stages of grief. ” He makes sure to put just enough offense in those last few words. “Very pessimistic these guys. Go back to sleep munchkin.”
“I’m a big boy, I can look after myself.” His kid plays with his gauntlets, nearly tearing a hole in one. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“That’s very mature of you Mr Parker.” The counselor offers a sympathetic smile. “We-“
“-are not in charge here.” Rikki cuts the man off again and then commands him. “Stop. Talking.”
“Yeah.” Tony can’t help but agree since Peter grew tense the second the man started talking. “Peter isn’t going anywhere but with me so stop bringing it up.”
Sachs steps up to stand at Tony’s side and she says not a word but the look she sends the man is warning enough. She definitely learned that from Pepper and Tony is so proud of her. The counselor grimaces but nods his head, agreeing to back off and turning to Sachs to give her the necessary paperwork. Which he should have done from the beginning.
“Hey, Peter, names Rikki.” His wife offers her hand to his kid and he shyly smiles at her as he shakes her hand.
“Hi.”
“I’m Iron Man’s wife,” she grins as Peter gasps and puts a finger to her lips. “But it's a secret. We’re going to surprise my dad so you can’t tell anyone, promise?”
“I promise.” Rikki tilts her head to the side, thoughtful.
“So, since you made me a promise, I’ll make you one.” Tony knows she has his attention since he won’t look away from her. “I promise I won’t let Tony leave you with anyone you don’t like. Ever. But only if you tell me why. Can you do that, Peter?”
If possible, Peter's eyes grow even wider. But his kid's clearly thinking it through, eyes darting between all the adults present. Weighting the pros and cons.
"Mrs Stark, that's-" The babysitter tries again.
"Shut it." Again, Rikki cuts him off and zeros in on the guy. Like he was prey and she was going to sink her teeth into him. "You don't talk until I'm finished."
Tony wishes they were alone so he can ask her what the fuck is going through her mind. What she knows. It has to be big. It has to be something to do with Peter because before she saw the movies of his life she was an avid Spider-Man fan, taking after her father and reading his comics. So this? Whatever this is, had to do with Peter.
The babysitter snaps his mouth shut and gets this mulish look as if he was a second away from arguing with her.
"My wife may not have a suit," Tony refuses to let anyone think he doesn't support her. "But when she tells you do something, you better fucking do it."
He refuses to acknowledge how good it feels to call Rikki his wife. He does like how the weasel flinches away from him and nods like a bobble head. He likes how his son cuddles close to him and watches with something like awe. It makes Tony feel good that he can do this, defend his wife and his kid.
"I'm sure we can all agree that Mr Stark has no obligation to do as you say." Sachs tries to ease the tension in the air. "So, Mr Gurtman, Mr Westcott, it is in your best interest to wait for Peter's decision. We don't want to cause any more of a scene, do we?"
She ask that question rhetorically. There are two police captains nearby and a waiting room of other police at the other end of the hall. Tony takes a glance and notices that more than a few heads are turned in their direction. The counselor clears his throat noisly and agrees.
***
"Okay." Peter's voice startles him. "You'll believe me? If I tell?"
"Of course, buddy." His heart starts to race. "I'll take your word over anything these guys say. I promise."
Peter is a tense little ball in his arms and Tony sees how intense that fucking babysitter is looking him. As if he could drill little holes in his son's brain. Tony glares back, daring the little shit to keep it up. Sachs walks over to the guy and pushes him toward Ben's Captain, whose name he still doesn't know. This makes him pale but the Captain goes along with it and puts a hand on his shoulder.
The other Captain, the guy from the station who Peter looks happy to see, steps up to stand on his other side. Suspicion clear in his eyes as he looks the babysitter over, assessing and Tony feels better knowing he's not the only one. Peter leans close, lowering his voice and it breaks his heart how scared the nine year old is.
"He likes to touch me a lot." Peter starts. "I don't like it and he never listens when I tell him to stop. Aunt May says no one is supposed to touch me there so I know it's bad."
Tony feels like his heart has stopped.
"And he said if I told anyone he'd make Aunt May lose her job and that they would have to give me up because they wouldn't be able to take care of me. I didn't want that! I didn't want Aunt May to lose her job or-or to be sent away!"
The blood rushes from his head and air feels like its frozen inside his lungs.
"He-he pulls my pants down," Peter's voice get soft, so soft,"and-and touches me there on my-my-"
Tony sees red.
He doesn't realize he's moving. Tony is on his feet, Peter clinging to him and in between one breath and the next his close enough to put his fist through that vile fuck's face! All he can think about is Mary and her little pill, her drug and disguise to get close to him. How she raped him and stole his baby for some fucked up mission.
And no one did a thing to stop her because Tony was a playboy. Who would ever think he wouldn't want to have sex, right? Who would ever think he was in no shape to ever even say 'no'?
In his mad rush to get to Peter, to get custody as soon as he walked through those precinct doors, he swore he would never let his son go through anything he's ever suffered. He promised himself he'd protect Peter the way he'd wished Howard would have done for him.
But he's too late. Too Late...
...Unless he utterly wipes the cause from this Earth.
"-ony! Tony stop! You're scaring Peter! Tony!" Rikki's voice cuts through the dark fog and there are other hands on him. Some holding him, pulling him back and small hands wrapped tight around his neck, crying.
His son was crying, apologizing and-and someone was trying to take him away. Tony snarls, pulling back, clutching Peter to him and swings one hand wildly. Actually landing a hit doesn't cross his mind and he's not surprised when he misses. The hands trying to take his son away are gone though and that's all that matters to him.
Tony takes a few deep breathes, reigns in his temper and steps back, taking in the scene going on around him.
There are police everywhere. Rikki is in front of him, a barrier between him and everyone else but there's a fire in her eyes. A hate so deep it would burn if she didn't have such tight control. No doubt if Tony hadn't gone off then he'd be the one trying to hold her back. The counselor is in cuffs, a stunned expression on his face and Sachs is having a hissing fit with one of the hospital staff. The unlucky nurse looks about half a second away from collapsing and crying on the floor.
But Peter is crying into his shoulder, shaking and Tony can hear his muffled apologies. Which is wrong on so many levels. His son has nothing to be sorry for.
"It-it wasn't like that I swear!" Tony growls, honest full chest growls, as that piece of crap tries to talk to him. Tries to make Peter out to be a liar.
"Shut him up." Rikki turns back to the two Captains with him. "Now!"
"I got it." The one Tony doesn't know is hauling him up from the floor and there's a large wet stain on his pants. That plus the strong stench of piss tells Tony the asshole did in fact piss himself. But other than that there isn't a mark on him.
Still, fear is a good look on him.
***
As he's marched away, the other Captain walks up to them a little cautiously. He looks about ten years older than he last time he saw him. Tony starts to play with Peter's hair, it always put him to sleep as a kid when his mom did this to him, and he hopes it works to soothe Peter the same way.
"We're going to need an official statement later." The cop says in a lowered voice and even Tony can tell he's trying not to spook Peter even more. "Take a few hours to calm down, take a shower, and maybe try to get a couple hours of sleep?"
That's a joke. There's no way his brain will shut down long enough for him to sleep and even if it did, Tony's sleep would be plagued by nightmares. Especially after today. But he appreciates that the Captain poises the last bit as a question. He's not really expecting Tony to sleep but encouraging him to get Peter to rest.
God. What a fucking day.
"Go. I'll handle things here." Rikki leans close to his other side, where Peter isn't still silently crying. "I'll stay to here in case of any news. You get Peter to bed."
"Rikki." Tony doesn't know what he's asking for. If he's asking for anything at all or if just saying her name will make everything better.
"I know. We can talk later, okay? I promise." The mermaid lowers her voice. "This-this wasn't part of it. I swear."
Tony believes her. She wouldn't have kept something like this from him and when he asks later he knows Rikki will tell him the whole story. For now, he nods and places a chaste kiss on her lips before making his escape from this fucking hellhole.
Happy is outside with the car when he gets there and, thankfully, doesn't say a word. He just opens the door to the back seat and closes it when he gets in. Peter is still curled up painfully in his arms but he's not crying. Openly, at least. His son's irregular breathing, the hitched sounds he makes is more than enough to tell him his kid's not okay. He was calmer but not okay.
"It's okay, kiddo. He can't hurt you anymore. I promise." Tony runs his hands through his kid’s hair again. “I promise.”
Tony wasn’t ready to go to the mansion just yet and had Happy driving around. Peter eventually falls asleep. Exhausted from the late hour and crying his precious little heart out.
He’d bemoan the fact he’s turning into a major sap but he’s too tired to feel it. Too tired to feel inadequate, to be afraid of failing or being like Howard. It’s just a weird place he’s in. Between exhaustion and numbness. The world has successfully beaten him to the ground and left him to pick up the pieces. Getting up is the hard part but nothing compared to a cave in Afghanistan. Or maybe its just about the same.
This feels like that. Like the shock hasn’t completely worn off.
Like everything was far away and closing in on him, at the same time. He needs to get out. He needs to escape.
Tony opens the car door. Happy breaks and curses as he looks back at him. But he's already getting out and walking away. His chest hurts and no matter how much air he take in, it's not enough. The wind against his face isn't hot or sandy but it bites nonetheless. It grounds him a little. It lets him see the city instead of untold miles of desert.
Tony walks and walks and walks.
He has no idea where he is or even what neighborhood he's wondered into. Happy is driving next to him. There is a playground to his right. It's old and parts are rusted. It has to be a health hazard.
Tony goes right and sits down on one of the benches there. He can scrub him and his kid clean later. Probably get a check up, too. His chest tightens. Peter will need a check up, will need to speak to a doctor and a detective and make a statement-
-"Heehhh...heeehhh..."
Tony grape his chest beneath his reactor. He couldn't breathe, couldn't catch his breath. He thought he could do it. Protect his kid even if he didn't feel ready for that step. Anything must be better than Howard, never-there but always-drunk Howard. He thought he could still step up despite how Peter was born.
Break the cycle.
He can't though-
-he's a moron. Arrogant. How could he ever think he could do this?
"Easy there, buddy." A gruff voice speaks next to him. Tony jerks a little but when he tries to pull away, finds himself pulling the stranger with him. "Easy, easy, you'll wake the kid. Don't want to send him into a panic, too. Just breathe for me. Hey, no, look at me."
Tony obeys and takes in the stranger sitting with him. He's got that rough and tumble thing going for him. A little gaunt but also strangely muscled. Tony has a vice tight grip on the guy's hand and he hasn't complained about any pain. His hair is short on the sides and messy on top, too. Former military of some kind. A homeless veteran?
"Yea, look at me big guy. Stay outta your head." The guy's face is weathered and Tony can see a few scars along his temple and his eyebrows. "Focus on my hand. The kid, hear him breathing?"
Tony's next inhale is shaky and it hurts a little but he follows his directions. The guy's hand is calloused. Slowly, he can feel where each of his fingers touches the other's hand. His other hand can feel the cheap fabric of Peter's sweater.
"P-peter." Tony looks over at his kid, still sleeping, even after all that. He's a little pale but this close, he can see his chest rise and fall. Tony can feel it against his ribs.
"That his name?"
"Yeah. Yeah." His chest feels looser. "He's my kid. I-There was-"
He chokes back the words. Stark men are made of iron. They do not cry. They do not let others see or smell even a hint of weakness. He can't-
"My son was about his age when they killed him." Tony looks the stranger in the eye, his dark, black eyes. Two black holes consuming all the light it can. "People tried to wash it all away. Tried to cover it up. Tried to lie to me. I wouldn't let them. But it happened. It was real."
Tony is silent. But his words feel like an echo.
"Tell me." The guy says it like there is absolutely nothing that can surprise him. Like Tony is just some guy on the corner and having a breakdown is just another Tuesday.
And, well, fuck Howard and his toxic bullshit.
So, Tony talks. He spills everything, anything that comes to him. From Howard to Stane and SHIELD. Which leads to Mary and how Peter was born. To everything that happened today, with the Expo and Vanko, then to the hospital and back to Howard. As if his life was one big hamster's wheel, spinning and spinning widely out of control.
He never notices the tears. Not even as they fall down his face.
Or the first rays of dawn as they fall upon them. The sun's warmth sinking into their clothes and crawls up the stranger's chest, where an angry skull sits and watches.