I don't own anything Marvel, oc and story belongs to sketchywolf.
Maxwell Stark could not be happier than he was now at that moment. He stood next to his mother, Pepper Potts at an airport as a military plane landed, carrying his missing but now found father, Tony Stark, who had been missing for three months.
Max was a boy of eleven, about four feet seven inches tall, had red hair like his mother also had her eyes. Despite his age, Max was already almost as intelligent as his dad, having already graduated high school and in his second year of college. Thankfully, the boy didn't have an ego the size of the Sun like his father, but could be at times a bit awkward like his mother could be.
Then the loading bay door opened to reveal his father, all cleaned up and in a suit, as if nothing had happened to him, but even Max could see that he'd been through a lot. Helping him down was the man who Max considered an uncle as well as a friend, his father's childhood friend, Colonel James Rhodes, who had been looking for Tony since he was captured.
"Oh, please, come on! None of that," Tony said, seeing some paramedics standing by to bring him to a hospital. As Rhodey told them to leave, Tony quickly walked over and hugged his son with his one free arm, and he hugged him back. Max didn't say anything at that time, he was just happy to have his dad back.
Then Tony looked at Pepper.
"Your eyes are red. Few tears for your long lost boss/father of your child?"
"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting," Pepper joked back, making Max laugh a little.
"Well, vacation's over."
They all then got into the car with their driver/bodyguard, Happy Hogan, in the driver's seat.
"Where to, sir?," he asked.
"Take us to the hospital, Happy-."
"Nope," Tony interrupted and he leaned over as Pepper began to argue that he needed to go to the hospital. "Listen. I've been in captivity for three months, and I want two things right now. I want an American cheeseburger. And..."
"Yeah, that's enough," Pepper said but was then shocked to hear his other request was to call for a press conference. "Call for a press conference? What on Earth for?!"
"Happy, drive. Cheeseburger first," Max ordered for them and he began driving. Then he noticed something underneath his Dad's shirt, on his chest. "What's that on your chest, Dad?"
His eyes widened when he realized Max had seen it and now Pepper would be demanding to know as well. So he unbuttoned his shirt a little to reveal a small device...inside his chest cavity.
"A miniaturized arc reactor?? You built that in a cave?"
"Yup. I've got shrapnel digging towards my heart, this is stopping it."
"Tony!!," Pepper exclaimed. "He's eleven, he doesn't need to hear that!"
"Um...actually Mom? I've heard and seen far worse than that."
She looked between them for a moment and grunted in frustration.
'These boys will be the death of me,' she thought to herself.
Soon enough, they got a couple of cheeseburgers and Pepper organized the press conference. They soon reached Stark Industries where Tony's and his father, Howard's business partner, Obadiah Stane, met them as they pulled in. He led them to the press room and Max and Pepper watched from behind the crowd. Then they were approached by a man with a serious look on his face, but still had a kind smile on his face.
"Miss Potts, may I speak to you for a moment?," he asked.
"Oh I'm not part of the press conference but it's about to start now," she said.
"I'm not a reporter. I'm Agent Coulson of the Strategic, Homeland, Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division."
"That's quite a mouthful."
"Yeah, we're working on it."
"Can't you just say SHIELD?," Max asked.
"I might actually have to talk to my boss about that, thank you. Anyway, we're quite interested in exactly how Mr. Stark escaped his captivity."
"Well we've already been approached by the FBI, the CIA...," Pepper began to say.
"We're a separate organization. With more...specific goals. Please, give me a call so we can set up a meeting," he said and handed a her a card and left. "Good day."
"Hey, Mom," Max said. "I forgot to let my friends know Dad's alright. I'm gonna go out and message them."
"Okay, just stay by Happy."
He nodded and he went outside. Technically, he only had one good friend that he kept in touch with, so he did not have much work.
"Hey, they found him," he messaged and about a minute later.
"Yeah, I heard!! I'm so happy for you. How is he?," his friend asked.
"Some cuts and bruises. There's shrapnel in his chest and...don't tell anyone, but he was able to make small arc reactor to keep the metal from going into his heart."
"A miniaturized arc reactor? Amazing," she responded, completely understanding what he was talking about.
Then there was a lot of loud talking and people trying to reach Tony and Max knew that could only mean one thing.
"I gotta go," he messaged. "My Dad has just created a storm of a mess for the company."
"Okay, let me know what goes down. And try to visit sometime please."
"I will. Bye."
"Hey buddy," Rhodes said, walking up to him.
"Hey Uncle Rhodey. What did he do now?"
"He announced that Stark Industries will no longer be in the weapons business."
"What?!! That's how my grandpa founded this company, where it started!"
"No need to yell buddy, your mom and Stane will be doing plenty of that. Happy needs to stay here to drive your dad, so Pepper asked me to bring home."
Max nodded and they drove back to the Stark home in Malibu.
"Thanks for the ride, Uncle Rhodey," Max said.
"No problem," he said. "I've gotta go, just make sure you keep an eye on your dad. We don't know what he went through."
Max understood and Rhodes drove off and he went inside and was greeted by the resident AI, JARVIS.
'Good afternoon, Max,' he said.
"Hey, JARVIS. Have you seen the news?"
'I have and it would appear that your father has painted a target on his head. Home security protocols have been put into effect.'
"Okay, I'm gonna go down into the shop," Max said. "We both know that's where he'll be when he gets home. Let's make him a welcome home present."
'Very well, sir,' JARVIS said.
Max went downstairs to his father's workshop. It was filthy and a mess as he did not keep it clean as he thought his father was dead and he missed him. He and the robot arms, including Dum-E, cleaned it up and then he got straight to work.
'Just what is it that you are attempting to build, Max?'
"My father has shrapnel digging into his chest, trying to reach his heart," Max explained as he began to us the holotable to design a small device. "He built out of scrapes a small arc reactor to keep them from reaching his heart."
'So you wish to create a new one out of fresh materials and the proper tools for him. Very well, I begin to running simulations on how various designs and we ought to create one before your parents come home.'
They began to work quickly. It was rather easy, especially since Max had been able to remember every detail of the reactor due to his photographic memory and already genius-level intellect.
After several hours, and a few failed attempts, he was able to create a device similar to what his father had made and all he needed to do was charge it.
Once this was done, it flowed a bright white light, just as Tony came down, but he wasn't expecting his son to be down in the shop.
"It's pretty late, shouldn't you be in bed?," he asked seeing that it was 10:00.
"I've been working since I came home on something for you," Max began and showed him the reactor and to say that Tony was shocked would be an understatement. "Call it a welcome home present. Made from fresh materials."
Tony took it and saw that it was identical to his own.
"I don't know what to say. Thanks, son."
He gave him another hug and max immediately returned it.
"Now I'm afraid you need to head to bed. Before your mom sees you're still up. Go go go!!"
Max then ran upstairs, but then he overheard Tony beginning to make something himself and then he saw something that looked like a metal suit made from scraps. It took a moment, but Max then figured out what it was.
'It's how he escaped his kidnappers,' he thought to himself. 'He's gonna need help in this.'
Hope this was good. Thank you sketchywolf for the request, I think I'm gonna like doing this one. I'll try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible. Until then, see ya.