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He promised.
That was all Graham could think of when he peaked around the velvet curtains. He watched journalists, scientists, and cameramen filter into the auditorium with nervous anticipation. A flash of red caught his attention and he felt himself relax because Pepper was present and probably telling everyone where to sit. That woman could overthrow a government without having a single shot fired. And if Pepper was around, then Coulson wasn’t too far away handling the security detail of the auditorium. Graham wished Clint came but the archer was on a mission in some European country. Or was he in South America? Either way, he received a text saying, Good Luck Duckie ;)
Graham could hear the familiar drone of his headmaster’s voice as the man talked to one of the reporters. He rolled his eyes as he overheard the middle-age man saying how proud he was and how the school was such a perfect fit for a young talented prodigy. Which was funny since two days ago, the headmaster proclaimed that said prodigy was giving him gray hair. It wasn’t his fault that his lab partner didn’t listen to him and accidently blew up the science lab. And it didn’t help that he had a monthly standing appointment with the headmaster for all current and future incidents. The headmaster checked his watched and headed to the podium. The auditorium became silent as the man began the introduction. The only sounds that were heard were the clicking of the cameras and the occasional cough. Graham ignored the man and focused his attention to the two seats in front. One was occupied but the other was not.
He promised.
Graham knew he was fortunate unlike some of his classmates, whose parents just drop them off and never see them until the end of the school year. His father and Steve did their best in attending all activities that he participated in. Of course there were some that were missed because of villains, missions, or business but his father would show up to the lacrosse games, whooping and hollering even though he can’t stand the sport and Steve would attend the robotic competitions, showing actual interest even though he couldn’t understand anything. He was lucky and he shouldn’t complain, but the press conference was important and they both promised to be here no matter what.
Graham was presenting a math algorithm that was originally written by his grandmother and proven by him to the scientific community. It was the crowning moment in his life, giving his grandmother the well-deserved recognition and introducing himself to the scientific community as Graham Anthony Stark, not the son of Anthony Edward Stark or the secret clone of Anthony Edward Stark. He was defining himself and one of the two most important people in his life wasn’t even here. He was getting angry and judging by the not-so-subtle checking of the watch, he wasn’t the only one. Graham stepped away from the curtains and rubbed his eyes.
He promised!
Graham heard his name called followed by clapping of the audience. He smirked when he heard the sharp sound of a whistle from the side of the stage. Somehow his best friend managed to sneak in. He shuffled to the podium and winced when the headmaster patted his back a little bit too hard. It was a subtle warning of you better not blow something up, which was a valid threat since the soccer pitch and two paper clips incident. The auditorium was deathly silent and Graham blinked at the flashes of the cameras. He lowered his head to the front row and the seat was still empty.
He took a deep breath. “Good morning,” he began his voice strong and clear. “Today I will be presenting an equation that was originally introduced by Maria Antonia Carbonell Stark in 1953……”
Graham couldn’t remember how the presentation went as he went into, what his best friend called a Math Coma. His hand was a blurred motion on the whiteboard as he talked about the algorithm. He added his usual flourish at the end of the equation. “And that concludes my presentation.”
There was a collective gasp in the auditorium before it erupted with noise of questions being yelled out and maniacal clapping. There was a shrill whistle from the side of the stage followed by an oh shit when his best friend was caught. Graham felt the headmaster grasping his shoulder and gently turning him towards the audience. The cameras were blinding and the questions were overwhelming but Graham focused on the front row. Pepper was jumping up and down, excitement showing in her eyes. Coulson gave his customary smirk but also added a thumbs-up. His father, Tony Stark, was standing up, clapping loudly with a huge proud smile on his face.
But the seat next to him was still empty.
Graham angrily blinked away the tears. He shouldn’t be upset that Steve didn’t attend his presentation. According to his classmates, Steve should be viewed as a nobody; a person that’s only interested in his father’s money and bed and Graham was just the collateral. But Steve was his step-father, practically a father. He could recall the moments that Steve had failed spectacularly in parenting. His father made some mistakes but Steve’s were just epic disasters. But Steve knew about the presentation and not being here was just as inexcusable if his father decided not to attend.
A whistle was heard from the side of the stage. It was low, strong, and familiar. It was the same whistle that was used at his lacrosse games and robotic competitions. Not believing his ears, Graham quickly turned his head and his eyes went wide. “Steve!” he exclaimed and burst into a run.
Steve Rogers was waiting for him with open arms and a huge grin. Graham tackled him, gangly arms wrapping around his waist and laughter filled with delight when he felt the super soldier sway a little from the impact. Steve returned the gesture by giving him the most embarrassing parent hug ever.
“So proud of you, kiddo,” Steve said, giving him another hug with much more enthusiasm. “So very proud of you.”
“Whendidyougethere?Didyouhearmypresentation?Whydidn’tyousitnexttodad?Iwasworriedthatyouwouldmissit!” Graham knew he was talking too fast and his questions were jumbled together but his brain could not keep up with his mouth.
“Easy kiddo,” Tony said, his voice was filled with laughter and relief. “Take a deep breath and slow down.”
Graham did as he was told. “When did you get here?” he asked slowly, enunciating each word.
Steve chuckled and ruffled his unruly curly hair. “I missed the first five minutes of your presentation but I heard the rest. From where I was standing, you had everyone’s attention.”
“How come you didn’t sit next to dad?”
Steve reached out and took Tony’s hand, a gesture that Graham never found embarrassing. “Agent Fitz or was it Simmons?” He scrunched up his nose in thought. “Fitzsimmons? Either way, Coulson’s lady scientist spotted me and snuck me in. She ushered me to the stage while lecturing on how rude it would be if I sat down during your presentation.” His smile became relax and easy. “I would never miss your presentation for the world.”
Graham smiled; he could feel all the tension and self-pity slipping away. “Good,” he smirked. “Because I only accept end-of-the-world scenarios as valid excuses.”
That earned a laugh out of his father. “Only you would request that,” he teased. Something caught his attention and let out a groan. “Okay kiddo, we have an hour of interviews before we can leave.”
Graham tapped his chin. “I think Steve should join us because he was five minutes late.”
Steve shrugged. “Seems fair.”
Tony smirked. “You’ll regret it.”
****
“You’re regretting it.”
Steve tore his eyes away from the window and glanced at Tony. The genius was at the bar pouring two glasses of wine. “Not regretting it. I just think that the questions were very personal and irrelevant to Graham’s achievements.”
“Pepper is giving that reporter a stern talking to,” Tony replied, moving gracefully to the couch without spilling a drop. “Between her and the school, which I might add I pay a lot of money to, are making sure that mistake will never happen again.” He offered the glass with a smirk. “Turns out that this resort has your favorite Chianti.”
Steve accepted the glass and took a sip, letting the familiar taste roll around his tongue. He switched the glass to his left hand as Tony sat down next to him, giving him the opportunity to wrap his right arm around the genius. Tony snuggled deeper into his side and was quiet, letting Steve enjoy the snowy view and the company. After the press conference, the three headed to a ski resort in the Cascades for a weekend getaway. The excitement of the day wore off and Graham went to sleep right after dinner, leaving Steve deep in his thoughts. He saw the disappointment and anger on the boy’s face and he couldn’t stop feeling guilty about it.
“So are you going to tell me the real reason why you were late?” Tony whispered into the silence. “Your answer better not be Fury ran the meeting late or you were stuck in customs.”
Steve swirled the glass in his hand. “Part of me didn’t want to be there.”
Never taking his attention off from the glass, he felt Tony twisting his body to face him. “Explain,” Tony said evenly, a hint of a threat was clearly heard.
“I was ready to enter the auditorium but I froze.” Steve watched the legs of the wine slowly dribble down the glass. “My stupid hand was reaching out to open the door but my mind wouldn’t let me! All I kept thinking about was why do I care? He’s not my son. I’m not his father. Why should I care about a child that is out-of-this-world smarter than me?” He closed in his eyes in shame. “I was ready to walk away but that girl was already pushing me in.”
He yelped when Tony pulled the hairs on the back of his neck. “Look at me,” Tony whispered, voice strained with hurt and anger. “Look at me, Steve.” He was pleading and Steve had no choice but to obey. His stomach twisted uncomfortably when he saw the various emotions of anger, pain, sadness, and fear in the genius’s brown eyes. “You knew what you were getting into when we started this relationship. You’ve accepted that, you told me that you accepted that! You told me that this relationship will be you, me, and Graham! Did you lie to me, Steve? Or are you just realizing that you can’t handle it?”
The accusation was hurtful but Tony had every right to be angry. Buying time to collect his thoughts, Steve plucked Tony’s wine glass out of his hand and slowly stood up. He felt those sharp eyes boring a hole into his back as he walked into the kitchen and place the glasses in the sink. When he returned back to the couch, Tony was sitting straight, fingers curling into the fabric of the pants, as anger poured off of him like molten lava.
Gathering his courage, or what’s left of it, Steve kneeled in front of Tony. He forced Tony to spread his legs by wedging himself between them. He gently pried Tony’s hands from the pants and held them with the utmost delicately. “I never lied to you,” he whispered, bending his head down to brush his lips across the rough-skinned knuckles. He ignored the slight shudder or the sharp inhale from Tony. “But I was doubting myself.”
There was an audible click of Tony’s mouth but Steve continued on. “I never thought I would find love again. I’ve accepted that when I woke up but you somehow managed to plant yourself deep in my skin and forced me to realize that I can love again.”
Tony snorted. “That’s sounds comforting.”
“Then there’s Graham,” Steve said burying his head into the genius’s lap. “I was afraid of what he was created to be and yet I wanted to protect what he should be; a little boy with a brilliant mind. And when you and him were together, I was jealous and at the same time wishing I was part of it.”
“And you’re part of it now,” Tony’s voice was quiet and firm. “I can’t imagine my life without you or Graham. You coming into our lives have been the best thing ever. What’s there to doubt?”
Steve sucked in a deep breath, pushing back the tears that were threatening to spill, preparing to tell Tony the ugly truth. “I never wanted children,” he answered, his voice muffled by the fabric of the pants. He felt the sudden stiffness in Tony and he knew that the man heard him clearly. “It wasn’t because I was sick or Erskine’s serum but because I had no desire to have them. I’ve accepted who I was since I was sixteen; at the time how do you raise a child with that knowledge?”
He forced himself to lift his head so he could look at Tony and wasn’t surprise to see the frown. “That’s why I wanted to run away today because the old me didn’t want any of that but then I saw Graham doing his presentation. My heart screamed at me, telling me that my child was on that stage showing the world how clever he was! And when he frowned, looking so disappointed, I never felt so ashamed my entire life.”
“Steve….”
“I love you, Tony. I can’t even go into detail on how much I love you. And I love Graham. I’m so lucky that he picked me to be part of his life, no matter how many mistakes I made with him.” He smiled when he heard Tony chuckled. “I really don’t know what I’m doing and I’m afraid that I’m going to be just like Howard. That’s why I was late because I let those doubts take over and panicked.”
Steve really felt hurt when Tony burst out laughing. Pushing himself away, he gave the genius a dirty look. “Oh no, come here,” Tony snickered while pawing at Steve’s hands. “You can’t say stuff like that and then run away!”
“I think I have every right to run away,” Steve sniffed, shuffling away from the grabby hands. “I told you my darkest secret and you found it funny!”
“Because your darkest secret is no different than mine!” Tony laughed, his hand wrapping around Steve’s wrist like a vise. “I should be mad at you but strangely I’m not, so instead I’ll repeat your words,” he lowered his voice to impersonate Steve, “you’re not going to be like Howard!” His voice cracked at the end which sent the genius into another round of laughter.
“Not funny Tony,” Steve growled.
“You’re right,” Tony wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. “Not funny. Serious matter.” He bit his lip when a laugh was bubbling out. “Self-esteem issues at stake.”
“Tony.”
There was a lopsided smile on Tony’s face. “You’re not the only one that never wanted children,” he chided. “But when Bruce told me that Graham would imprint to me once the tube was opened, I wanted to run away and then I remembered being that age and how lonely I was.” The smile became a grin. “I had no clue what I was doing and there were times I just wanted to give up but I know this, I would burn heaven and hell to make sure that my son will always be safe because he’s my greatest creation.”
Sincerity floored Steve and he found himself crumbling to the floor. He leaned forward letting his forehead rest on the arc reactor while his arms wrap around Tony, holding him tight. “I’m so scared of failing.”
He felt Tony’s fingers brushing through his hair. “The only way you’re going to fail if you leave Graham,” the genius said his voice low and soft. “And you won’t because you love Graham.” His chest rumbled with laughter. “You’re going to be a mess if you have a child of your own.”
Steve raised his head and stared into Tony’s eyes. “Graham is already my child.”
Tony leaned forward and pressed his lips to his forehead. “You know what I mean.”
Too bad AIM had to prove Tony was right.