Chapter Text
It's morning. I didn't here the alarm go off. I wake up slowly. I pack my bag, get dressed. Deciding for a shirt and long shirt over it. Plain Jeans. I go to the bath take a look in the mirror. I have short Black hair like my father. I Look a lot like him. Defined jaw line. No beard so. I am against the beard. Even if it is a dragg to shave every morning. But with it, I would look like him. Well, if he would still be young that is. My father and I are having some difficulties these days. It's not like we are openly fighting. No, it's much simpler. We don't talk. I really can't say when that started. I think around the time he got kidnapped.
I remember before we had something like a normal father son relationship. He was bussy before, don't get me wrong. But he had time for me. He sometimes drove me to school. I would tell him how my day was. It wasn't perfect. He would still miss a lot of things. Events in school or just hanging out after school, but it was something. I remember being parked with Obidiah back then. I would often talk with him about scyfy shows. We both liked them. He sometimes would play catch with me. I wasn't talented in it, so no career for me in baseball. But it was fun. I was crushed when I heard he was the one who got my father kidnapped. I remember him walking down the hallway with guards on each side. I was standing in the hallway further ahead. Our eyes met. He looked almost sorry seeing me. He said "Sorry kid! I hoped it wouldn't have ended like that". I didn't say anything to that. What is one to say to that. "Sorry my Dad kicked your ass!". No...i just didn't say anything and watched him leave. People came and got me to my dad in the hospital. I watched from the outside inside a window. He was talking to Pepper. I didn't went in. I am no good with hospitals. They make me dizzy. The smell, all the tubes...the sick people. No thank you. Besides doctors were inside as well. It isn't as I was allowed to get in anyway.
After being kidnapped dad hugged me. I stil rember that. Sometimes I thinks it was the last real hug we shared. He asked me, if I was ok. I said "yes, I am fine". I remember afterwards we got all home. We went to watch a movie on the couch. Even Pepper staid. But we didn't hold up long. We all fell asleep pretty fast. In the morning I woke up alone. Someone had put a blanket over me. I felt safe again.
After the whole Obidiah incident things started to happen quick. This kid, Peter something, started to be around more. the kid was 12 then. I was 15. He seemed to be a genius. I felt bad for him at first since his aunt seemed to have cancer. Wich isn't easy to digust. I realised Pete and I had some simliar traits. Peter was mostly shy like me. A bit into scyfy like me. Pete loves star wars. I can't think of a more boring franchise then that. I would never say it aloud. I was happy to have someone around. Someone to talk to. A year later Peter got adopted by my dad. A couple of month later pete's aunt died. It was sad seeing pete like that. Dad took special nozice of him then. A lab day more here and there. Over time it became less and less group dates. Just pete and dad in the lab. It's quite a mistery to me how dad managed to date pepper in that time. It was a total suprise for me, when he first mentioned it at breakfast. It was annoying. Not only I had to Compete with pete now, but with pepper as well. Dad and pete would often geek out about nerd stuff at dinner. It made me feel weird. It felt like I wasn't good enough. Not smart enough. Really. It was tough. It is still tough. Eating dinner together was a tradition my dad made clear at one point. We would always feast together. No matter what. At first it was just dad, happy and him. Then Obidiah would sometime join or dads old friend rhodey. But overtime the constellations constantly changed. Until it became Pepper, his dads girlfriend, his dad, sometime happy or rhodey, pete and himself.
My relationship with pepper felt even weirder. It might have been because I know her as my dads secretary. I don't know. It's weird having her walking around the loft. I mean she sorter walked around before in a certain way but before it was job related and now I am supposed to treat her as stepmother of sorts. I am not sure I can do that. Dad and her seem to click. I thought they had a good friendship...but apperently it was more than that. We hardly talk. Mostly good morning, how is school. That sort of things. I just don't know what I should talk to her about. And dad...he seemed everywhere, but not with me. At first I was angry. Hence why I kinda stopped saying anything. I mean it seemed like saying wouldn't have changed anything at all. Tony Stark always gets his will. He didn't even ask me, if I was ok with the people joining the family.
To be fair they or rather my father doesn't ghost me completly. We say hello, good morning and good night. I get asked how school went and if I have plans for the day. So we are still kinda talking. But it doesn't feel honest. Sometime we go out and watch a movie together in cinema. It seems to be the only place where I actually can have a deeper conversation with my father these days. He would often sit right next to me. He would dig deeper into school and stuff. Asking about my friends among other things. I know It's only because pepper and pete are getting popcorn and snacks, But I love these moments with him. We even sometime laugh together. It felt normal and real. These meet ups seem like a lifetime away now. They still go out and do stuff, but it becomes more and more obvious that they don't have things to talk about anymore. Maybe I am the problem. Maybe I am just to boring. I can hardly blame anyone for thinking that. Who am I really. What makes me special. I take a deep breath and exhale. If I am being honest...if I could choose? It would be my dad, happy and me. No one else.
As I go to the kitchen, pete is already awake. Eating. Chatting with my dad and pepper. I greet everyone and grab a water bottle from the fridge, an apple and make myself a sandwich. I get a glass of water, drink it and see happy enter the floor. He looks grumpy like always. It makes me smile. It's something I appreciate a lot. Happy is always real. He says what he thinks. I like that about him. I know what he is going to say next. So I puts the glass of water in the sink, grab my bag and go to the elevator. They are late for school.