Hello! This one shot was written following "Toy Story" and only now I had time to check it up for posting. Thank you for the reviews, and as I said before, while my brain keep working, I'll be writing :D I ended up doing a sequel, so I recommend you read "Iron Baby" and then "Toy Story." I hope you enjoy it and leave your review! :] (and please remember that Portuguese is my first language so… :[ )
Happy reading!
One shot - I Wanna Fly
Tony was totally focused on updates he had just done. There were several holograms with stranger calculations in his large desk in one of the floors of Stark Tower. There was only a small detail in his new creation (or even re-creation); install JARVIS.
It would be very easy to do that if a certain creature stayed still.
"Luke", Tony didn't stop what he was doing, he was still moving holograms and working on it to do the last thing that was missing, even with his little brat jumping nonstop behind him. "How about you help me, huh? Let's play to stand still?" Despite Tony's expression looks nervous, his voice was very soft. Tony couldn't even imagine raising his voice with his small copy.
"JARVIS, how's the progress?" Tony asked his intelligent system.
"98% percent, sir. It would be faster if young Mr. Stark stood still on the platform for analysis", His AI replied.
"It's shining", Luke breathed a laugh while seeing the rays of light that he made throughout the workshop. The little boy kept jumping in excitement, waving both hands throughout the walls and floor.
The little Stark was on top of a spherical platform behind Tony - one of the reasons Tony kept asking his to stand still for twenty minutes - so he could move faster on a copy of him in the hologram in front of him.
When Tony finally managed to finish the last update, he turned to Luke to let him know that he was free from his "prison", but someone appeared in front of him; coming through the glass door. It was then that he noticed her startled expression when she saw the father and son still awake at 9:00 P.M in workshop.
"OH MY GOD!" Pepper shouted, apparently to Tony.
"Mommy!" Luke shouted enthusiastically back; leaving the platform and heading toward Pepper. Actually, the little one didn't even have time to get off the platform when he saw the mother run faster than normal toward the father.
"YOU DIDN'T" Pepper was facing Tony in the eyes this time; he was leaning against the desk defensively, apparently afraid to die right there.
"I tried to warn him that the lady would not approve, Mrs. Stark", JARVIS's voice intervened.
"I can explain..." Tony tried to say, raising both arms up; glaring at the ceiling at the same time.
"DID YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" She shouted again. Realizing the state of nerves she was, and the stress that was already loading her body for her work done, she knew it would not do anything good for her. Pepper took a deep breath - twice - and then looked back at her husband who shows full horror about her screams. "Tony..."
"It's harmless-" he tried again, but was cut off.
"Why is my son inside a mini-suit?"
"Because he asked-" Tony would finish the most obvious answer in the world, but he saw the look that Pepper gave him and decided to give another answer. "It's a costume"
"You really want me to believe that it is a simple costume, Tony?" Pepper growled hysterical. She couldn't believe what her husband had done. He was egocentric, yes (a lot). Crazy? Maybe. But that takes the cake.
"Mommy, look", Luke twitched Pepper's skirt making her look directly at him. Her expression was no more displeasure like seconds ago. She couldn't have that kind of expression in front of Luke. Stopping to look at him better, she could really see that it was the exact copy of the traditional Tony's suit - even the colors, gold and red. The only thing missing in the mini-suit was the mask.
Pepper noticed Luke's palms and saw a round shape LED light in each hand. The light was blue and the little boy showed with excitement to her what his new costume did. That would be where the repulsion ray of Tony was located.
"How cool, sweetheart", Pepper sighed; unable to demonstrate the same enthusiasm her son showed. "Now, let's take it out and sleep?"
"I don't wanna", He replied, frowning and crossing his arms at the same time. "I am Iron Man", He said pouting and looking at his father as if to confirm his sentence. Tony waved him smiling, but just disguised his expression when Pepper glared at him.
"What?" He asked innocently. While Pepper was planning how to murder Tony, she could feel Luke behind her; jumping like a crazy kid.
"Tony, I don't beliv-" Tony cut her off.
"Pepper is not like my suit!" Tony said a little angry and noticed Pepper's displeasure expression. "For God's sake! You really think I would make a real suit for my three year old son?"
"I think!" She said quickly.
"Well you're wrong", he replied the most stupidly possible way, "His suit can look like mine, but the material is totally different." It didn't get rid of the look of Pepper and he was still leaning against the desk.
"Daddy" Luke called him, but none of them noticed the presence of the boy.
"Seriously, 'Lord of Glory'?" Pepper said sarcastically. "Of what is made then?"
"In a weak stuff enough to never hurt him and strong enough to protect him if he falls"
"What a paradox" Pepper said as soon as he finished the sentence; rolling her eyes.
"Daddy" Luke called him again.
"Wow, what's the real problem here?" Tony finally pulled away from the desk and approached Pepper a little nervous, "Are you trying to blame me for something just because you've done something wrong yet?"
"What..." Tony cut her off quickly.
"You lost him in a mall, Pepper! Don't try to give me a moral les-" He was cut off by an angry Pepper Potts -Stark.
"THAT WAS A THOUSAND YEAR AGO! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU'RE TAKING THAT ON MY FACE" Pepper cried indignantly; feeling like ripping his head off and sell on the black market.
"Actually, that was 23 months ago", Tony said suddenly quiet, his selfish side speaking louder. Now he was a badass engineer good in math.
"I remember he said 'daddy' instead of 'mommy'" Tony said after a moment; smiling. That day would never be forgotten by the billionaire. Nothing in his life had filled his ego at once. Women falling at his feet, the money, the press adoration and even the fact of millions Iron Man souvenir around the world. It had not only increased his big ego, but had completed him in an internal way. He didn't felt proud of Luke saying his name first of Pepper's. He felt proud that he was so adored by his son. He never thought that he would be so adored by Luke. What make him different. Tony was already sure of one thing since the little one was born; he had him in his little hands.
In that moment, Pepper couldn't argue with the same anger. The genuine smile of Tony melted her immediately, but she didn't forget about the current argument.
"He loves me", Tony muttered after a few moments of pure silence, still smiling.
"Oh, shut up" Pepper said still angry.
"Daddy?" Luke murmured with a weeping voice, making both parents finally look him.
"What buddy?" Tony leaned down to see the little one practically in the middle of him and Pepper; apparently crazy for attention.
"Don't fly" He said extending his hands to Tony.
"What?" Tony didn't understand immediately while Pepper stared Luke blankly.
"Don't fly" He complained again about to cry.
"Of cour-" Luke interrupted him.
"I wanna fly" He said jumping like he was doing since Tony had put the mini-suit on him; clearly showing what he had trying to do since the beginning.
If Pepper wasn't highly fearful of seeing her child in a suit - despite Tony had explained that it wasn't a material that would hurt him - she couldn't help but be scared of seeing her little baby inside of a suit. She could think the situation adorable, but it frightened a hell of her in a way she couldn't explain. A future fear - perhaps - who said that one day - who knows - he could be using a real suit. Pepper shook his head as if to chase away the thoughts that plagued her; it was too early to worry about that. I think, she thought sadly.
"I'll fix it", She heard Tony gossiping with him, what made her angry again.
"Forget it, Anthony Stark!"
"But I was only-" She cut him off severely.
"I don't want to hear a peep of yours, understood Anthony?"
Tony was astonished and immediately stopped talking. The only action he did was grab Luke in his arms as if he were using him as a shield. Terrified him when Pepper used his full name - two more times in a row! I'm a dead man… he thought, she didn't going on strike...
"Luke, dear, let's take your costume out and sleep?" Pepper spoke calmly with her little piece of joy. It wasn't his fault to have a crazy and reckless parent. Look who's talking, Pepper thought remembering the episode of the mall.
"I don't wanna", Luke muttered, making Pepper sigh.
"Don't you want to sleep with mommy?" Pepper dropped her wild card. It's easy to do that when he was sleeping in their room. He always wanted to play, and after a while, fall asleep with tiredness.
"With my suit?" He asked a little happy. Pepper hated kill his happiness, but she didn't want to imagine him sleeping with that thing.
"No, no suit," Pepper emphasized to Tony. "And let's go to bed"
"I don't wanna", Luke muttered about crying, crossing his arms with a huge pout.
Pepper sighed in defeat. She had a long day. Stressful, and very, very boring. Her patience was already off limits because if she was patient as ever, she'd take Luke on her arms, force him with more authority to remove the suit, give him a bath even with him crying and grumbling, put him on bed with threats that if he stood up, he would be punished the next day. It would be easy if her patience was with her. It wasn't fair to discount her impatience with him, it would be fair to discount her impatience on the billionaire in front of her.
"Anthony", she murmured, making him look at her with extremely scared and fearing for his life, "You have 40 minutes, pay attention, 40 minutes ", she repeated, breathing deeply and looking into his eyes as if to drill them. "You have time for: remove that suit of him, give him a bath, give him nursing bottle, brush his teeth and put him on bed", she said in one breath. All Tony did was nod.
"40 minutes , I'm counting on the clock", she said before retiring from the workshop - not before giving a serious look at Luke for him understand that he would be in trouble if he didn't do what she imposed to him.
When Pepper finally out from the workshop, Tony swallowed a spit and looked at his son in his arms - he seemed as scared as him. When Pepper yelled at him, he just felt urge to yell back. Now, when Pepper was extremely quiet with something, he knew that if he gave a false tread, he could wake up without his fingers. Or even without life. He never expected to reach this point.
"Mommy upset" Luke muttered in a sad way.
"We don't want to make her even more, right?" Tony said robotically staring at the glass door and then to the little creature in his arms, "Let us be in solidarity with daddy, and preserve his life?" Tony said softly making Luke nod.
Tony was in the kitchen preparing Luke's nursing bottle. At this point, both were already smelling good. Tony managed to remove the suit of Luke - although he made a promise that tomorrow he could use again only when his mother go out to work, and that he would find a way to make him fly - and led them to the main bathroom to both take a bath.
Tony could hear Pepper and him in the main room.
"Let me smell you", he heard a lovely voice; Pepper ,"Hm... my baby is smelling good", he could hear Luke's laughter - obviously because Pepper was kissing all sides of him. That made him smile foolishly. Hear Luke's laughter was as yummy as hearing Pepper's laughter.
When the microwave beeped, Tony grabbed the bottle and took it to the main room. He sat beside Pepper; giving the bottle to Luke who was lying with his head in her lap. Pepper was typing on her cell phone while Tony gave her looks of 'sorry', but she ignored completely.
"Javi-TV-on," Luke said with the bottle in his mouth.
"As you wish, sir", JARVIS replied turning the TV on.
"Forget it, Luke, from here, you will sleep", Pepper muttered still typing on her cell phone.
"Ah-" Before Luke could grumble, Pepper warned Tony.
"You have 8 minutes", she said still not looking at him.
"But, Pepper, he is drinking milk now, so-" Pepper cut him off.
"Not my problem, wasn't you that delayed his time to sleep?" Pepper said making Luke look over the father.
The atmosphere tensed up until Luke finished the bottle and hand it to Tony.
"Go brush your teeth, I'll meet you soon", Tony said going to the kitchen, but Luke instead of going to the bathroom, stood in front of Pepper.
"Mommy" He called in a puppy voice; jumping again on the big sofa and pulled one Pepper's arm, asking her attention.
"What, dear?" she replied gently.
"'on't get 'ngry with daddy, 'kay?" Luke asked smiling; a smile that Pepper knew very well. It was completely identical to his father's smile. Pepper could only say that he was her son because she saw him growing in her belly - and his blue eyes - because otherwise, she could say that Tony sired him by himself. He was like his father in every way. A mini-Tony.
Pepper smiled sweetly at him and gave him a kiss on his forehead. She knew Tony wouldn't have time to ask forgiveness through him, and she knew that he was so worried about not being murdered that he wouldn't even had think about that.
Luke had gold heart. It was an intense feeling to see him demonstrate it being so small.
"I'll see what I can do", she replied giving him another kiss on the forehead, "Now, go brush your teeth, I'll go soon to your room to give you a goodnight kiss", Luke smiled, gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran to the bathroom.
Seconds later, Pepper saw Tony go through the corner of her eye. She will let it go until tomorrow, but the truth was that she was not getting it anymore.
"Tony?" She called him.
"What happened with 'Anthony'?" He muttered sarcastically, he still on back to her. She could have sworn she heard a sound of sadness behind his voice. Pepper sighed.
"Don't act like a victim, Tony Stark", Pepper said. But something in her voice was clear that she wasn't angry anymore. Not as much as before. "You know what you did was wrong", Pepper said.
"Doing the wish of my son is wrong?" His back still on her.
"When it involves a suit, yes", she replied bluntly. Tony sighed and turned to face her.
"All right, I was wrong-"
"OH MY-"
"What?"
"Did you just say you were wrong?" Pepper had to get it. Tony apologizing for something was too rare to pass up white.
Tony rolled his eyes and gave her a half smile. The intrigue was over.
"But the suit isn't dangerous for him, Pep", Tony muttered approaching the couch, "He can use it normally."
"Okay", she sighed with relief, "I just freaked out when I first saw it. That scared me, Tony. A lot".
"Children all around the world want Iron Man costume, I just wanted to make an almost-real suit to him", he said sitting beside her.
"It scares me anyway, Tony ", That did him gasped; understanding her. He figured out what she meant. He also feared that. A lot. Knowing that his son was in danger for something that he created by himself.
"You know I'm not let him", He whispered in her ear, wrapping his arms around her shoulder.
"You know that's his choice", she replied sadly.
Tony was silent. He wanted to protect Luke in all possible ways, but he knew one day he would grow up, take responsibility and have choices. He could choose to be like him. He could choose being Iron Man. Tony knew of that possibility. It just felt too early to stress about it. It was still something in a distant future. They could live with it now.
"We have time", he whispered, kissing her hair.
They stood there, without noticing the time pass until they both felt each other lips. Tony would go ahead if somebody wasn't jumping between them.
"'orgotten me", Luke muttered in such a lovely way that Pepper took him and hugged his tightly; lived with the thought of seeing him flying into one of Tony's suit.
"Nobody had to be so small", Tony laughed and nudged his back; Luke gave him an ugly look and Pepper laugh with their familiarity - as she always did.
It was there Pepper figured out that her concerns were out of time. It wasn't time to worry about Luke's future. Not now. Now it was time to enjoy his childhood, educate him and love him with all their forces, so that if one day he was really the next Iron Man, he remembered that he had a family, looking forward to his return. Safe and sound.
