Chapter Text
[March 1996]
“Is it working yet”
“Hush Honeybear I’m trying to focus and it’s a he not an it”
“Really your giving him a gender, what’s next your gonna say that he’s Tobias little brother”
“What’s with the sass today I thought we had a special bond sourpatch”
“Well if you hurry up then I won’t have to sass you tones”
“Oh yeah well if you goon to treat me like that I’ll... woah wait”
“What happen tones”
“Hahaha omg it’s working it’s definitely working, I did it Rhodey”
“That’s great tones, why not give him a test drive see what he can do”
“Now your talking my language honeybear, right AI go and grab the screwdriver would you please”
The AI made some peeping noise and left the room and what came next was a crash that sounded like broken class.
“Um I don’t think it understood you tones it seems kinda dumb”
“Great a dummy AI well maybe I could change it and make it a 100 times better”
The AI came back and brought him a mug filled what appears to be coffee.
“Oh well I guess it’s sort of a works tones it brought you yours favourite food”
Rhodey continue to teased but tony just ignored him and smile at his new AI. He crouch down and pet it.
“Your a good Dummy aren’t you”
The AI peep happily and that’s how DUM-E, Tony’s first AI was born.
~~~~~
[December 1997]
“Wake up dear say goodbye to your father”
“Who’s the homeless person on the couch”
“This is why I love Christmas right before you leave town Howard”
“Be nice dear he’s been studying abroad”
“Oh really which broad or is it a jock this time I can never keep up with your activities”
“Ha it’s actually abroad mother said not broad so maybe you need to clean your ears more often old man”
“Do me a favour try not to burn the house down before Monday”
“Ok so it’s Monday that is good to know I can plan my toga party accordingly. Where are you going?”
“Your father is flying me to the Bahamas for a little getaway”
“We might to make a quick stop”
“At the pentagon right, don’t worry you’re going to love the holiday manual with the commissary”
“You know the day sarcasm is a metric for potential if that’s true you’ll be a great man some day, I’ll get the bags”
(Howard leaves the in frustration)
“He does miss you when your not here and I know that you miss him too. I know that it’s been hard on both of you since the incident but he does love you he just doesn’t know how to show it”
“Yeah of course he does”
“And frankly your going to miss us because it will be the last we all going to be together, you know what’s about to happen. Say something if you don’t you’ll regret it”
(Howard comes back to the room)
“Maria you ready to go. Tony once I come back we to talk about stuff so don’t go and disappear to yours aunts ok”
“(Sighs) Bye Howard, yeah I like to talk you to as well enjoy the trip or whatever else your doing”
(Howard leave again but what tony doesn’t see a little smile of hope on his face)
“Ok at least you tried, goodbye dear I love you so much”
“I love you too mother”
And when Maria and this dad both leave the house, Tony, at that moment didn’t know that it will be the last time he will ever speak to them and how he will regret that he didn’t say a proper goodbye to his dad.
He receive the call from his godfather the next day, he ran to his moms house were he broke down and the only comfort he wanted was a cuddle with his son.
The funeral was bleak tony couldn’t feel anything he was numb emotionally, he knows that it will be his turn to take over SI now and he’s got plans. He wants to blame his dad for the car crash and he does a little bit, but he also feels guilt for how things turned out between them. So he to make it up o Howard he’s going to carry on his legacy like the old man always wanted him to do. Tony guess this is the only way to say sorry to him even if it kills him on the inside.
~~~~~~~~~
[ March 2003]
“Tones are you In here?”
“ Honey bear what a surprise I thought your still overseas”
“I wanted to surprise you, and also we need to talk tones about what you’ve been up to”
“Oh god not you as well, first mom, uncle obie and now you, look I know maybe that sex tape shouldn’t have been leaked but in my defence I didn’t know they were filming it “
“Tones, that’s not excuse this could damage your business and your respect to the board. I don’t want you to go back to were you once was think of Tobias he’s in school now does he want to know that his dad is doing this to himself again!”
There was silence, Tony didn’t know what to say he didn’t mean for it go too far. He was so stress about SI, his son and how his mom is getting sick. It was all too much he just wanted to let go and get out of his head.
“I’m so sorry Rhodey, I didn’t mean this to go too far, it just everything has been too much recently I just don’t know how to cope”
“I thought as much but it’s ok now tones I’m here and I got a little surprise for you”
“ oh god really another secretary, you know what the last time you force me to have one”
“ now now, she’s more like a PA and trust me you will like her and not in a sexual way”
“Oh really and how would you know that”
“Trust me, come on she’s up stairs”
“What she’s here already, Rhodey I’m not even dress presentable I mean look at me and let’s not forget that I have seen her file and I don’t even known her name, just give me her file and I’ll be out in a hour”
“Oh no you don’t tones, I’m going to argue come on she’s waiting”
So Rhodey grab Tony’s wrist and drag him up the stairs, were tony meets a beautiful red head woman. Tony was speechless he knew he was attractive to her god Rhodey made a mistake hiring her that’s for sure.
“Hello Mister Stark, my name is Virginia Potts I’ll be your PA unless you get bored of me as apparently you always get bored of pretty things according to Mr Rhodes here but I’ll assure you I’m not some dumb pretty thing that does paper work”
Wow tony was impress he never met anyone who was as direct as she was. So to see what she’s all about, Tony decided to do a little test. He moves closer to her and with the help of his wolf sense he can see what her aura is, and what he saw was just pure. There was no sense of any kind of impurity that could mean danger for him, so in that moment tony simple said.
“I like you, tell me miss Potts do you know my schedule for today?”
“Well Mr Stark, you got a meeting with Mr Banks in 30 minutes so I’ll suggest to have a shower and wear some clothes that would make you look more like a man who runs a multi-billion dollar business”
Very snarky tony thought he would never doubt Rhodey again.
“Will that be all Mr Stark?” She simply said.
“That would be all Miss Potts” he reply back.
“So whilst I get ready I let Rhodey and Jarvis who is by the way my AI and not my old butler he’s at a retirement home, but don’t worry I let you meet the old man he’s special to me. anyways I’ll let them show you around have a good day.
And that’s how tony and pepper met for the first time. And tony in future admits to Rhodey that he’s right but not right now he doesn’t want his honey bear to get all smug now.
~~~~
[August 2003]
“Dad are you ready to go?”
“Yeah Bambi I’m ready”
“Are you okay dad? I don’t like it when your sad”
“I know Bambi I don’t like being sad either but today is not a good day, we have to say goodbye to human Jarvis”
“ yeah dad I know I’m gonna miss him he was like a grandpa to me”
“I’m sorry Bambi it’s hard for both of us” tony hugs his little boy like it was his safety blanket today was the worst day he hate that he’s never going to see and hear Jarvis again he was like a father figure to him and now he has to say one final goodbye. Tony let go of his son and swop the tears that he didn’t know he had.
“Come on now let’s get to the car so that pepper doesn’t get mad at us”
“Why do you call her that anyways dad?”
“Well Toby when she gets mad her face goes very red I reminds me of a red pepper”
“You’re so strange dad”
“I know that what Jarvis said too once (he gave toby a small smile). but it’s part of my charm, come on let’s go”
They made it to the funeral in time and it was a beautiful ceremony in loving memory of a good man. Tony was happy that all his friends, the Rhodes family and his mom manage to make it as well, tony all support each other in this sad time and tony was grateful for that.
~~~~~~
[ February 2008]
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you”
“What did you do to me”
“What I did was I saved your life”
“Who are you?”
“You can call me yinsen”
~~~~
“They want you to build weapons”
“I refuse”
For the next two weeks it was nothing but torture, the water it was always fucking cold water. He had to protect the car battery he didn’t want to die not now and not here.
Then there was the beatings the men like to kick him in the ribs or close to his injured chest they were a sadistic bunch of fucks but the worst part was when they tried to... try to...
“Behave ok stark”
“What do they want now they already try to drown me today”
Three men came inside and started to speak but tony couldn’t understand, but by the look on yinsen face it was not good”
“What are they saying yinsen”
Yinsen started to shout back at them but one of the men punch him and pinned him down on the ground whilst the other two men grab tony and started to rip his clothes.
“Hey what are you guys doing, HEY! Let me go”
They were laughing, oh god not again not after all the effort to overcome with the last this happened. He wouldn’t let them do this, so fight with all night to prevent from doing anything to him. Then there was a gun shot and then tony heard a thud.
Then silence, Tony felt the hands on his body quickly disappear, he looked up and saw the leader of the ten rings with one of Tony’s own gun in his hand, he spoke, then left with the two men and a dead body along with him.
“Are you ok? I’m sorry I didn’t do enough to stop them”
“Yeah I’m fine they didn’t do anything besides non consensual touching, why did they even try?”
“They spoke of you have a.... reputation and want first hand experience”
“Great I see the word gets out in every corners of the world”
“Are you sure your ok?”
“No but I’ll get over it I always do”
Yinsen look confused with that statement but didn’t press the issue. He help tony get some new cloths and check for any injuries, Tony felt comfort with someone who he just met being good to him it makes things a little more easy in this place.
~~~~
“He says he will let you go if you do as he ask”
Tony just smiled and shakes the leaders hand.
“No he won’t”
“No he won’t” yinsen repeated
~~~~
For the next few months tony and yinsen made a plan to escape. Tony manage to make a miniature arc reactor to replace the car battery, it was a success and with that done tony moved on to the next plan.
With the little help on tricking the ten rings into thinking he will make them the Jericho, Tony manage to get the materials that he will need for him and yinsen to escape, time to get to work.
~~~~~
“Do you have a family tony?”
“Yeah I do I have a son his name is Tobias he’s 14 now, god I missed him so much”
“14 then you must of had him when...”
“I’m sorry tony life hasn’t been kind to you”
“How did you know that..”
“You forget I lived in a a third world country were that type of violence does happen but I usually help woman who are the main targets unfortunately”
“I’m sorry to hear that yinsen, do you have family?”
“ yes I have a wife and three beautiful children, besides your son do you have anyone special in your life”
“Oh no, no I don’t”
“So your a man who has everything but also nothing”
“Yeah i guess so”
~~~~
“Yinsen hey buddy come in get up we have to go”
“No tony it’s you that going to leave, my time is up”
“What, no that doesn’t make any sense what about your family don’t you want to see them again”
“They are dead tony, they killed them, so I’m going to see them in the after life”
“I’m so sorry yinsen”
“Do not be sorry tony, don’t waste your life tony don’t waste it”
Tony was was shock at those familiar words that heard all those years ago, Tony gave yinsen a sad smile as he saw his friends souls left his body.
Tony was piss now they will pay for everything!
~~~~
Why obie, how could you. You were a mentor, a friend and another father figure. How tony didn’t see this after all these years.
Now look at him now his chest is empty and broken after obie rip his reactor out of his chest. He needs to survive he need to protect his son toby who was with pepper he has to protect them both. He’s crawling to the spear reactor that pepper made kept for him thank god he didn’t chuck it, he just needs to reach up and grab it he’s almost there.
But Dum-E some how knew and knock the glass case over and smashed it over.
“Good boy” tony simply said and DUM-E peep in joy
Now it’s time to kick obies ass.
~~~~
[November 2008]
After Obie was defeated the press wanted to know what the hell happen, so here he was standing at the podium looking at these Vultures who wanted answers. A weird man named agent or Coulson pepper likes to correct gave him notes on what to say, he wants to do the right thing but at the end of the day these dicks would love a show. So tony keep his head held up high, look at them in the eye and simply said.
“I am iron man”
And the crowd went wild.
~~~~~
The next day
“Hey mom how you feeling?”
“Oh darling I feel much better today, so I saw the news and you are very busy it seems”
Tony gave a little chuckle, today was a good day, he loves it when his mom is more herself it’s getting very rare these days which saddens Tony.
“Yeah you could say that, oh Tobias made you something he did this at school, he wanted to be here but unfortunately he’s got a school trip that he couldn’t miss”
Tony handed over Tobias drawing which was his grandmother when she was younger along with Howard and the howling commandos. Tony wondered why toby wanted that old photograph, but it was a beautiful drawing and tony was proud of his sons talent.
“Oh darling it’s so beautiful our little boy becoming quite an artist”
“Yeah he is in so proud of him, do you know he wants to become a cop, he’s got all these law books that he keeps begging for me to buy him”
“Oh does he now, well tell me more sweetheart I want to hear this”
They continue to talk about Tobias, work and iron man for hours until visiting hours was up. Tony leaned over to kiss his mom on the forehead.
“I’ll come back as soon as I can and I promise to bring toby with me”
“You better keep that promise and so also remember to train toby with his new abilities they will be very useful if he still wants to be a cop in future”
“I will mom, I love you”
“I love you too darling”
~~~~~~
[later that night]
Tony got home late and he couldn’t wait to get to bed, tomorrow was going to be a long day.
“About time you came back I was starting to get board”
“What the hell, hey I know you”
“Ah I still see your eidetic memory is still around”
“It never left”
“Yeah yeah anyways this is not why I’m here, I’m here to talk about the avengers initiative”
“The what?”
And so it begins