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Tony fidgeted nervously, doubting himself and his decision. It was not that he doubted and regretted what he felt, it was more that he was nervous about their reaction. He did not exactly have the best track record with father figures, considering Howard and Stane.
He leaned back against Rhodey when his Sentinel joined him, lightly resting his hands on his shoulders, not restricting him, just letting him feel his presence. He pressed a kiss to Tony’s hair. “They’re different. I’m sure they’ll be happy.”
“You’re really sure?” Only here, in the privacy of their room, with his boyfriend and Sentinel, did he allow himself to show his insecurity.
“I am. Now come on, they’ll be wondering why we’re not at breakfast yet.”
“Right. Okay then. Let’s go.”
~*~
Breakfast was already well underway when they arrived. Charles, Erik and some of the other teachers had stacks of envelopes beside their plates, as opposed to other days when the mail was left in the mailbox until after breakfast.
“Father’s Day cards,” Hank explained, seeing their confusion.
Tony took in the height on the stacks beside Charles’ plate, the slightly smaller one beside Erik’s. “Oh.”
“They’re not all from me and Wendy. We did tell you they keep adopting people,” Peter said. “Unofficially, at least.” He nodded towards the other teachers. “And they’re keeping up the tradition now.”
“Yes. Yes, I remember.” Tony patted his pocket unobtrusively, then sat down. He ignored Rhodey’s light nudge. Their bond was new still but they had enough practice already that he managed to pass on his request for time, for Rhodey not to say anything now, in front of everyone. He smiled gratefully when he felt Rhodey’s agreement.
Alex frowned slightly, picking up on his baby brother’s contradictory feelings right now, but he also knew better than to bring it up here, in front of the kids and everyone. So, to distract him instead, he grabbed two envelopes from a side table and placed them beside Tony. “And here are your card.”
Tony stared at them, then looked back to Alex. “My what?”
Alex grinned. “Your cards. Because we’re not the only ones who take after Erik and Charles.”
Slowly, hesitantly, Tony took the envelopes. He could not image that he would receive Father’s Day cards. Surely this must be just regular mail. He turned them over in his hands. One from Harley and one from Peter. With a last, quick glance around the room, he opened them.
He blinked hard as he read the two cards. His Spiderling had written a long, rambling note inside his card, apologizing for sending him the card and thanking him for everything, for his trust, for his suit, for his guidance. Harley’s message was a lot shorter, just a reminder to his Mechanic that they were connected and that he would be moving to New York soon and would be visiting more often.
Rhodey snorted. “My God, it’s like seeing two younger versions of you.”
“I was not -”
“I knew you at MIT, remember?”
“Oh, feel free to tell us about that,” Alex said, chin propped on his hand. “We’re always grateful to gather childhood stories in this family.”
“Rhodey, don’t you dare!” Tony protested, sparking a rush of laughter.
“Mr. Stark. Tony.” Vision glanced at Wendy briefly. When she nodded encouragingly, he pulled out a card as well. “When Wendy explained this holiday to me, I wanted to give you a card as well.” He placed in down beside the other two. “My siblings asked me to include their messages in the card as well, so it is from all of us.”
“Your siblings?”
“Dummy, U, Butterfly, JARVIS and FRIDAY,” Vision clarified.
Tony barely managed to keep the tears at bay. He’d always thought of them as his children, of course, but he had not imagined that they returned the sentiment. “Thank you,” he said softly.
“Well, this family sure is colourful,” Peter said.
“And it will keep getting more so in the future,” Wendy said. “Because I’m pregnant. From Vision.”
That certainly distracted everyone from Tony’s reaction.
~*~
Things had got very chaotic then. Tony had known already, as had Jean, Charles and Erik. Jean had been the one to do the test and confirm that Wendy was pregnant, and Tony, Charles and Erik had been informed in private. Tony had wondered then why he had been told before anyone else but now he realized that they had first told their parents. Which was a bit strange, considering that, here at the Institute, he was also considered one of Erik and Charles’ kids. He was coming to understand what the others meant when they said not to think about that too deeply.
“They’re in their office,” Alex said, having joined Tony without his noticing.
He turned to his fellow Guide. “Who?”
Alex’ smile told him that he was not fooling him in the least. “It’s nothing official, of course, but the unofficial tradition is for them to be in their office, for those not comfortable giving them their card directly.” He huffed out a laugh. “And, by that same tradition, it’s where I give them my card. I have ever since they finally got their heads out of their asses and started running the school together, back in the 80s. And no, they won’t mind another one.”
Tony’s mouth clicked close. He hated how well Alex could read him, both because he did not let him get away with much and because he hated that Alex had also had to go through so much shit to be able to recognize himself in Tony. “Fine.” He hesitated a moment, then said softly: “Thank you, brother.”
~*~
“Yes?” Erik called when there was a knock at the door. They took turns answering the door today, knowing that they tended to get quite a few visits. It was also why they were not sitting at their desks but at the small seating area. He placed the essays he was grading aside when he saw who it was. “Tony. Did you need something?”
“No. No, I...” He paused, then came in properly and closed the door behind himself. “I wanted to give you my card and my gift. In a way, at least. They’re kinda one and the same.” He placed something on the desk that looked, at first glance, like a tablet, then quickly left before they could reply.
Charles picked it, curious. It was heavier than it looked and part of it seemed to be metal instead of plastic. When he touched what he assumed was the screen, a hologram of Tony suddenly appeared above it. “So this is a prototype of a new StarkPad. Not that all of these features will go into production. Those buttons on the side are in different metals. Vitr was kind enough to send them from Nidavellir. I have some more samples of each, if you’re curious, Erik. Charles, this tablet also contains some of the information on Sentinels and Guides from the other Realms. Vidi and Loki helped me gather it, along with contacts of people willing to answer questions.” The projection paused. “Thank you. Thank you for saving my life and for giving me a place here. Thank you, Charles, for your patience with me when I didn’t trust you at first. Thank you for letting me be part of your family. Happy Father’s Day.”