A/N: So this is my first attempt at an actual story. I mean... One that has multiple chapters. I'm still working on a plot. But, so far, it's okay. I'm also trying different styles of writing. This one being my more detailed side of things with conversation. I'm gonna try and keep it interesting for you all and update when ever I get a part done. And Please Review! I would love feedback!
This was easily the worst thing Tony Stark had ever decided to do. No, it was nothing like the Afghanistan thing or Obadiah or the wormhole. But it was still the worst thing he was forced into deciding to do. Easily the worst.
"Pepper," The billionaire began.
"I don't want to hear it, Tony. You said you wanted to do this and now, we are doing it." Not once did she look up from her book.
"What if I changed my mind?" At this, Ms. Potts looks up, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Seriously, Tony? You turned down doing an internship, the least you can do is spend a week or so with an orphan."
"But this isn't just a week, Pepper… This kid has to live with us. Until they turn 18." He pauses, his body language giving in a little, showing his insecurity. "What if I mess up? What if…"
"You'll be a great father. You are nothing like your dad. You said you wanted to give being a father a try. Why not start with adoption?" She notices that his expression was getting no better. "Tony, you'll be fine. I'm sure you'll meet a kid you like."
Tony smiled, knowing his soon-to-be wife was just trying to cheer him up. He chuckled, visibly relaxing, "You're right," he said, nonchalantly, "The kid is probably already fucked up so I won't be able to do too much harm." His smile turned into a sarcastic one. "Tony!" Pepper playfully yelled, smiling in return.
They continue waiting in the small room until a lady opens the door leading to the rest of the building. "Hello! Can I help you two?" The lady who spoke appears tired but confident and warm. "Yes, we were looking into adopting a child and just wondered if we could look around. You know, meet the children." "Oh! Yes, well, they just finished lunch so they are a little rowdy but none-the-less, you are definitely welcome to look around!"
Tony and Pepper smiled at the woman already standing, the woman motions for them to follow. As soon as they walked through the door, they understood why the woman is already tired. Children were everywhere, talking, playing, some were even singing. They are of all ages, running around, and most never noticing the two newcomers. Tony could tell that Pepper's heart melted at the sight of all the children. He, however, was slightly disgusted and freaked out. He had forgotten what normal children were like in big groups. In all honesty, it was a little too much and he was beginning to regret not drinking that morning glass of scotch before leaving the tower.
"Feel free to talk to them. Any of them. If you want to view their file, just let me know." At that, the lady left, leaving Tony and Ms. Potts alone in the chaos of twenty eight screaming children. Then again, not all of them are screaming. Tony took notice that it was mostly the younger kids that were screaming and all over the place. He also noticed that the older kids were in groups around the area. A group of four are playing video games in the far corner, a group of five are reading from binders and text books on the other side of the room, obviously high scholars; another small group is gathered in another part of the room messing with guitars and discussing different music styles. The rest of the older kids were scattered, playing board games, playing hand held video games or reading. And Tony had no clue where to begin. Absolutely no clue where to even start.
Pulling him from his thoughts, a little girl runs past him, screaming in delight. "Quiet down, Tracy!" He hears one of the older kids yell out. Well, he had a place to start now. Tony looks around until he found Pepper, who hadn't strayed far. "Ms. Potts." He calls calmly. Pepper leaves the child she was talking to and walks over to her former boss "Yes, Mr. Stark?" "No little ones. I… I don't think I can handle a screaming child yet. So, no one under the age of," He pauses looking around again before establishing an age, "Ten." Pepper smiles amused. "Alright so a pre-teen or older. I'll tell the lady." She goes to leave but Tony stops her. "No no. Leave her be. I'll… figure it out." Pepper smiles again, slightly rolling her eyes about Tony's obvious uncertainty. "Just talk to one of them, Tony. They don't bite." After a moment, he nods and begins his journey around the room. He looked over some of their shoulders while listening to others talk. He did talk to a few but no one caught his attention so he continued to walk around. He was just about done when the main door opened again and a boy, along with the caretaker, as he gathered, entered the room.
"Now, James, I know you like to go on walks but I told you before not to sneak out the window. All you need to do is ask! Anyway, you should have returned sooner, don't you remember we had someone looking to adopt coming in today?" The boy, who previously had his head down, looked up at this, his face showing surprise and regret, "I'm.. " He trailed off as if unable to say much more. Tony watched the lady's smile soften. "I know you are. Just don't do it again. Go and find something to do dear. You are lucky, another couple is here." The kid slouched, his book bag hanging on one shoulder. He slowly made his way over to the empty space by the small bookshelf. He pulled out some ear buds and a cd player and a book, the cover hidden by what looked like construction paper. Tony decides to make another round, being sure not to miss the somewhat runaway.
As he approaches the kid, he slows down, as he did whenever he decided to read over some one's shoulders. He peered down on the book, catching the title of the book at the top. Except, it wasn't a book, at least not a novel anyway. It was a scientific journal filled with different research papers and articles. Probably a library book. Tony began to wonder if the kid knew what he was reading, seeing as the article looked like something he, Tony, had written himself. Actually, Tony began to wonder if this was his article he wrote back at MIT about the Arc Reactor. But after looking at the date, he was proved wrong and realized it was written by Richard Reid, another scientist trying to make a name in self-sustaining energy. The boy, James, became increasingly aware of Tony's presence but ignored it, hoping the ex-playboy was just there to stand and not paying any attention to him. James turns up the music on his cd player, letting the noise numb his other senses as he continued to read the fascinating study on solar energy.
After a few more minutes, Tony walked away, meeting up with Pepper, "I want him." Tony says, nodding toward the loner by the bookcase. "You sure?" Tony nods, "I…It's something about him." Pepper raises an eyebrow, slightly amused, "Something about him?" she repeats. "Yeah. He seems quiet, smart, and well reserved. He also seems to be a non-talkative person." "Introvert?" the former assist asks. "Ye1ah. I'm sure he'll stay out of my business." It seemed cold hearted to say but Pepper understood that this was Tony being Tony. "Let's go ask for his file." Tony nods, following her out of the chaos room.
"You want to see the file for James?" The caretaker asks not hiding any bit of shock. Tony nods slightly as Pepper speaks up, "Yes, Ma'am, Is there a problem?" The lady shakes her head, "No, it's just… No one has ever wanted to see his file or even ask about him." She then goes to a file cabinet, searching through the various folders. "Well, I mean, they ask but they mostly ask the other children. When I talk to them, you know, trying to "sell" him," The woman put emphasis on sell, Tony decided she meant that she was trying to get others to consider him. "They always seem… unsure." The woman finally concluded. Pepper doesn't miss a beat, "What do you mean 'Unsure'?" The woman pulls up a file and hands it to Pepper who, in turn, hands it to Tony. Tony opens the file, reading the little information they had while Pepper and the caretaker continue conversing. "Well," The lady begins, "They say he has this vibe about him that is unnerving and, for lack of a better word, creepy. I had one couple call him a demon from the pits of Hell itself but they were slightly crazy. Mostly, I just get complaints that he's too quiet. But he is a good kid." "Is this all you have on him?" Tony asks, suddenly speaking. "I'm afraid so. He's a little guarded, doesn't like talking about his self or his past." Tony hands the file back to Pepper for her to read. "Also, his file says he suffers PTSD." Tony's statement came out sounding more like a question, so the lady answers. "Yes. He does. But he is a good kid." Pushing for information, Tony asks, "Why does he have PTSD?" "I honestly don't know. You could ask him but I doubt you'll get an answer. If I had to guess, it would be from him living on the streets for some time before coming here." Tony tilts his head, questioning. "He lived on the streets for a while before the police caught him and sent him here. I don't know exactly how long but it was longer than two months." "And how long ago did he come here?" "Six months." Pepper and Tony nod at this and share a look. It was obvious to Pepper, Tony still wanted this child.
The caretaker helps Tony and Pepper fill out the paper work. At the end of it, they enter the wreck room to inform James of the recent event. One thing was different, well a few things were but the main one was that the boy, James, was now napping. The book had fallen in his lap and his head slightly lolled to the side, being supported by the wall. The only other differences were how all the other children were acting around him. Two of the older kids, 16 to 18 years of age Tony guessed, had moved closer, warding the smaller children away. The caretaker turned back to them, "He seems to have fallen asleep. Give me a second, I'll get him up." They nod as the lady steps quietly towards the sleeping boy. As she drew near, the two other boys tensed, asking if they should do anything. She declined there help and kneels down. "Why would she need help waking him?" Tony mumbles to himself. Pepper shrugs, still watching. The lady removes the earbuds slowly from his ears, careful not to touch him. He responds by subconsciously scooting his cd player under his leg. She then places a hand on his shoulder. Before she could say anything, if she was going to, the boy's eyes snap open, his left hand quickly grabbing hers, his thumb under the fingers, ready to break her fingers. "James!" one of the boys yells, nearly leaping out of his seat. James freezes, having recognized the voice. He blinks slowly, releasing his grip on the caretakers hand and looks up at her, his eyes filled with guilt. "I'm sorry." He whispers out. Tony didn't hear the apology but he saw the mouth form the words. He understood that the reaction was automatic; the kid really does have PTSD.
"It's okay, honey. I just came to tell you to go and pack up your stuff." Now him and a few other children were looking at the gentle woman confused. The boy who yelled early spoke up first, "Why? What's wrong?" The lady turns, her face twisting into a small frown then to a smile, "Nothing, Brandon. James has been adopted." With that, several of the children's jaws dropped. James's did as well but it quickly turned into a goofy grin. James tapped the lady's shoulder, "You for real?" he asked still quietly but Tony heard him. "Yep! Now, go pack your stuff. Your new parents are right over there." She points toward Tony and Pepper. Then came the congratulations and offers to help pack. A lot of the children were excited to hear of James's adoption but some of the younger ones were saddened by the news. Tony, Pepper and the caretaker watched as the majority of the kids followed James through the door that led to the sleeping area. "Wow, he must be popular." Pepper comments. "Oh, yes. Especially with the younger ones. He seems to be very warm-hearted and brotherly to the younger ones. The older ones just think he's cool because when he first came here, he had quite the collection of knives. Which reminds me." The lady disappears back into the office room. "Knives?" Pepper questions. Tony smiles and shrugs. "She did say he lived on the street. Gotta have protection right?" Pepper nods, her eyes now uncertain about the choice in child. And it only increases when the caretaker returns, holding a small box. "This is all his knives he came with. There aren't many but I'm sure he'll be glad to have them back." Instead of Pepper handing them to Tony, he just takes the small box from the lady, his curiosity winning the best of him. He opens the box to find three knives. One small, a penny knife, one large, a regular 3 ½ in. blade, and a seatbelt knife. All of them had a small emblem, the same black wings on the bottom of the handle. Tony examines them, looking impressed, "Huh, must have been a part of a set." "I have no clue." The lady says as the other door opens. Only a few children return this time, James among them. He has on a book bag and is carrying a small gym bag. His hazel eyes shining brightly, his grin never faltering; they could tell he was happy. They just didn't know how happy he really was.
He walks to Pepper and Tony quickly, his excitement radiating from his very core. "Alright! My name is Tony Stark, which I'm sure you know, and this is my fiancée, Miss Pepper Potts. Ready to go to your new home?" James looks up at Tony confused, "Tony Stark? As in the Tony Stark?" Tony nods, confused on how this kid doesn't know who he is. James, however, doesn't take notice. Instead, his smile grows bigger, "You wrote a paper on Arc Reactor Technology! I've been waiting to hear if any new developments have occurred, since the Iron man guy, that's you right? Runs off a miniature version of the arc reactor! This is so awesome! My name is James; it's a pleasure to meet both you and Miss Potts! I promise to be good and stay out of your way. I know you two will be very busy seeing as you two run Stark Industries. Don't worry about me! I know how to take care of myself." Pepper and Tony blink as the kid's sudden outburst ends slowly. "I'm sorry. I really don't… talk this much…. Just… I'm excited… and…" Tony chuckles cutting the boy off, "It's fine. I just didn't expect that is all. So you have read my college paper? And you understood it?" James nods sheepishly. "Well, that settles it. You are a natural scientist! Yes, I am Iron Man. Yes, the suit does run off a mini version of the reactor. And, well, we aren't as busy as you would think. Come on. Pepper is gonna drive you to the new home. I've got a business meeting in thirty minutes so I'll meet you guys there later." Tony leaves, James and Pepper following him. James stops in amazement as Tony steps into his suit and takes off, leaving a gust of wind in his leave. "Come on, James. Are you hungry?" Not wanting to be rude, James shakes his head. "Well, I am. So let's get lunch first and then we'll head home."