May 23, 2003
2:00 PM
Malibu
Tony flopped down on the couch, and leaned back, whining. "Pepper…"
"Yes?" Pepper was looking through some paperwork. Boring.
"The Board is being annoying again."
"Hm." Pepper didn't look away from the paperwork she was flipping through. "How so?"
"They want me to find someone and get married." Tony whispered, as though it were some great secret. "And I don't want to."
"Well, I've never been married, so I can't say if it would really be as bad as you think." Pepper passed him the clipboard and pen. "Read it and sign here. Initial here, here, and here."
"Fine." Tony pouted as he did as he was asked. "Rhodey's not married. Obie's not even married. Why do I have to get married?"
"Because you're a public face, Mr. Stark." Pepper answered, already going on to the next set of papers. "Getting married would look good for the company, and if the CEO looks good…"
"Then stocks go up, I know." Tony stuck his tongue out, and then tilted his head back to look at the ceiling. After a few seconds, he changed gears and turned to look at the kitchen. "Sasuke! Do you plan on getting married when you're older?"
Sasuke looked up from his 'homework' with a look of surprise and, Tony was a bit dismayed to see, a hint of nervousness.
"…Yes." Sasuke bit his lip, thinking hard as he tried to find the right words in English. "I need to… make my family bigger?"
I need to continue the family line/restore the clan. Tony translated mentally. "You don't seem to like the idea."
Sasuke made a face. "Girls are…"
Words failed him.
That was okay.
Tony could fill in the blanks, and those blanks mostly involved a bunch of cooties. Sasuke was a little young to know anything else yet.
"That's okay. You have time." Tony grinned, then scanned the room for his last victim. "Ms. Douglas! What about you? You ever get married? Engaged? Anything like that?"
"I'm a widow, actually." Ms. Douglas's smile was frosty. "And I spent a very long time in a committed relationship that could not be legitimized by the government."
Sasuke was frowning up at her, no longer paying attention to the work in front of him. When he spoke, Tony welcomed the distraction from the awkwardness. "Widow? Le…le-gi-ti-mize?"
Ms. Douglas repeated the sentence in Japanese, and realization dawned on Sasuke's face. "You mean you could not marry him?"
"Her." Ms. Douglas corrected. "And that little word was the problem. There aren't many countries that have legal same-sex marriages."
Sasuke tilted his head, nose scrunched up in a look midway between confusion and disgust. "But… there are plenty of people like that in Konoha? And they are married."
"Well, I was not capable of traveling to the Elemental Nations at the time, nor was I aware of that law." Ms. Douglas smiled down at Sasuke and carded a hand through his hair. "It's been a number of years since she died, anyway. There's not much that information could do for me, now."
As though feeling the silent question, Mrs. Douglas spoke shortly, refusing to look in Tony and Pepper's direction. "She died of cancer. My husband was…" She trailed off, lips pursed.
"You don't have to tell us," Pepper said gently, though she didn't look up. Tony's eyes had fallen to the papers in his hands, vocal cords seemingly paralyzed. He was not good at awkward situations unless he had free reign to insult everyone in the room.
The people currently in the room were not people he wanted to insult.
"It's fine. It was just a very complicated situation, and I'm not altogether proud of how I handled my part." Ms. Douglas's smile was brittle, but at least she didn't seem very angry.
"Right. So. Moving on. The board." Tony paused. "It's composed of idiots."
"I'm aware, Mr. Stark." And then Pepper just shoved another paper under his nose.
"No, Pepper, you don't understand—"
"My apologies, Mr. Stark, but I appear to have contracted a case of involuntary selective hearing. I'm afraid you'll have to tell me later." Pepper smiled down at her work, well aware that Tony wouldn't even frown at her, let along consider firing her as so many other bosses would have.
They really did make a good team.
o.o.o.o.o
May 29, 2003
5:52 PM
Malibu
"He'll be fine." Pepper handed Tony his tie as he came out of his room, mostly-dressed. "This is something you do every year, and even he understands that you need to do this to keep people from getting curious about what you're doing."
"It still makes me feel guilty." Tony pursed his lips as he knotted his tie. He remembered being that age, having to deal with being left at home during events. Granted, there had been plenty that he'd been forced to go to as well, and he'd hated those, but being left behind had been even worse.
"You already promised to spend all of tomorrow with Sasuke." Pepper reminded him, holding up his jacket so that he could slip in. "And as much as you care for him, you need to remember that Sasuke's still very… reluctant to grow close to you."
Tony hid his wince. Hell, the situation was plenty understandable. "Yeah, I get it. It's still… not something I'm all that happy about."
"Mr. Stark, this is just another party, and you've gone to plenty of those since Sasuke started living here. I don't think you need to worry about him quite that much. Just make sure you're free to spend time with him tomorrow. Besides," Pepper smiled, "Do you really remember caring about anyone's birthday other than your own at that age?"
"Don't remind me. I'm getting old." Tony made a face. "I'm getting old now."
"Sir, if I may point out that you're only thirty-three?" Pepper smiled, even though she was eyeing him rather critically. "You aren't very old."
"It's okay, Pepper. I'm old. I'm going to be, like, a silver fox or whatever." Tony fiddled with his cuff-links. "You're sure I have to go?"
"Obie will be there, and so will Justin Hammer."
"Hammer?"
"The board decided that, since this party was a more public event, it would be helpful to bring in some of the people we do business with. Besides, I've seen you around Hammer before. You two just take pot-shots at each other the whole time. Well, you do, at least, and you seem to enjoy it." Pepper smoothed out one of the wrinkles on Tony's lapels. "Now, Happy's waiting outside with the car."
"Right. I'll see you there?"
"Yes, you will."
o.o.o.o.o
June 14, 2003
8:05 AM
Malibu (Office)
"I just don't know what to get him, Pep." Tony dithered as he paced around his office. "I mean, I know what he likes, but I still don't like the idea of giving him any weapons, and I get the feeling that he wouldn't let himself play with any of the toys that we can get based off of the books or shows he likes, and science-y stuff is basically just 'ask and ye shall receive' at the moment."
"You have over a month to decide, Mr. Stark. Which, might I remind you, is a month longer than you have to put together a proposal for next month's R&D budget." Pepper tapped a pen against her clipboard. "And if I may make a suggestion? Dr. Frost mentioned that Sasuke was doing well. While I doubt anyone would be happy with giving him weapons right now, it may not be a bad idea to start easing him back into his shinobi lifestyle."
"Pepper…?"
"I'm not saying you should give him weaponry or get him back into outright learning how to kill, but maybe just something to show him that you're starting to trust him with his own life again." Pepper shrugged.
"That… actually, that makes a lot of sense." Tony leaned back in his seat and thought it over. "I… this is going to sound a bit weird, but what about Sun Tzu's 'Art of War'? It's not that violent, I think, but it could teach him strategy and life-lessons, and I know a lot of people use it for everyday things and not warfare."
"That sounds like a great idea, but I would suggest running it by Dr. Frost first." Pepper finally handed the clipboard over, and Tony began skimming through it. "Good intentions don't change the fact that, as much as something may seem like a good idea, you are not qualified in that field, and making decisions based on vague information will eventually lead to some mistake."
"Yeah, but you were right, though. It's actually a pretty good idea." Tony bit his lip. "I guess I could ask Dr. Frost the next time she comes over."
As it turned out, she approved wholeheartedly.
o.o.o.o.o
July 7, 2003
8:05 AM
Malibu
"Pepper, can you please handle whatever kind of party we're going to have for Sasuke, because I'm pretty sure I'll end up getting it wrong and you're the only one I trust with this sort of thing." Tony babbled this out very quickly and without much breath.
"…Mr. Stark, while I am sure I would be able to handle this, wouldn't Ms. Douglas be a better choice? She does spend more time with him than I do. She's closer to him than I am." Pepper spoke hesitantly. "She's spent more time with him over the past three months than anyone barring perhaps you."
"I don't know how to ask her without insulting her, and I know that's not something I'm usually worried about, but I don't want to have to hire another nanny."
"Because the less people that know about Sasuke, the better?"
"Yeah." Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "I just… I remember the kinds of parties I had as a kid, and I hated them, because they were mostly just friends of my dad's that got an excuse to come over, and some of them were okay, but there was never anyone my age there, and the other parties were all publicity stunts, and I couldn't do either of those for Sasuke even if I wanted to, so… I don't know how to host a birthday party for an eight-year-old."
"I'll talk to her." Pepper said, and then raised a hand before Tony could thank her. "But, if I can make a suggestion? Ask her to walk you through the process so that you can do it yourself once you need to."
"…That's probably a good idea." Tony admitted. "Though I can't say I'll be any good."
"All you need to do is try. Aren't you supposed to be the Da Vinci of our time? You can figure out a simple party, right?"
"Science-y smarts are not the same as social-y smarts. Or family smarts." Tony reminded her. "But I can try."
"Yes you can."
o.o.o.o.o
July 23, 2003
7:13 AM
Malibu
"Happy Birthday!" Tony opened the door to Sasuke's room, then deftly dodged the small toy (a rubber ball) that came hurtling at his head. Well, ninja genes bred true or something. Oh well. "You're eight years old now! Aren't you glad?"
Eight wasn't exactly a significant age in most places, but it was still another year to add to Sasuke's count, and surviving another year actually had been something of an achievement for the boy. Given the dirty look he was giving Tony right now, he wasn't appreciating being reminded of that fact.
"It is early. Why are you not asleep?" Sasuke scrunched up his nose. "Or working? It is… Wednesday."
"It is also your birthday, so I'm calling in sick today." Tony put the wrapped present on Sasuke's bed with a grin. "So, happy birthday, and here's your gift."
Sasuke blinked at Tony, but rather than eyeing him in suspicion, just turned curious eyes on the package. "Gift?"
"Gift. Present. A thing that people give you on holidays." Tony gestured at the shiny wrapping paper. "Go ahead. Open it."
Sasuke shook his head as though to get rid of the cobwebs, and then picked the package up. "…later. Food first."
"You're not getting cake for breakfast." Tony immediately said, because that was something he remembered seeing in books and TV shows and stories from Pepper and Rhodey about younger cousins.
"…Bacon?"
"Not just bacon. Bacon and eggs work?"
"Yes… if there are tomatoes."
"Bacon and eggs and tomatoes it is!" Tony held a hand out to Sasuke with a grin. "You want a piggy back ride? I won't complain about it wrinkling my clothes, I promise."
Sasuke rolled his eyes (success!) and pushed his way past Tony, present held loosely in his hands.
Tony outright whistled as they made their way down, and waved hello to Pepper and Ms. Douglas as he got to the kitchen. "Bacon and eggs today! Oh, and tomatoes."
"I'll take care of that." Ms. Douglas said, already moving about to fry the meal. She pulled out a package from her pocket and placed it on the counter at Sasuke's usual seat. "Happy Birthday, Sasuke."
"Thank you." Sasuke sat at the counter, staring at his hands and swinging his legs where they hung from the stool.
"Happy birthday." Pepper added, and passed over a parcel of her own. "How does it feel to be one year older?"
"…It is a…" Sasuke screwed his face up and looked as though he was trying to remember a difficult word. "A miracle."
Pepper's smile stiffened, but she patted his shoulder and sat down next to him. "Well, you've got your whole life ahead of you, right? You got a chance, and now you can make the most of it."
"I guess." Sasuke looked down at the presents, and then pulled Pepper's towards him. He began picking at the wrapping paper, and pulled out a book. It was in English, but visibly children's literature. He looked at the title and began sounding it out. "H… Harry Potter and the… Phi-lo-so-pher's Stone?"
"A few of my cousins have been reading this series." Pepper began explaining the choice. "It started coming out a few years ago, and that's the first book. There's also a movie, but I figured it would be good for you to have something interesting to practice reading English. It's not exactly similar to the things I've seen you watching before, but I thought you might enjoy it."
"Thank you, Ms. Pepper." Sasuke put the book to the side, but his eyes lingered, and Tony was glad to see the spark of interest in them.
"Nice choice." Tony whispered into Pepper's ear. He watched as Sasuke pulled Ms. Douglas's gift closer and began slitting the paper to get it off. "I haven't read it yet, but I've heard a lot about it. Isn't the end a bit…?"
"I read it first to make sure it was child-friendly, or close to, and asked Dr. Frost as well. There's some violence towards the end, but the enemy is pretty clear-cut and the morality is still pretty black-and-white." Pepper answered. "It should be fine."
"Huh." Tony watched as Sasuke opened the black box that had been inside the paper, and pulled out a circular metal contraption and a string. He looked rather confused, but Tony could feel some childish glee rising up in him.
"What is this?"
"It's a gyroscope!" Tony darted around the table and sat down next to Sasuke with a grin. The room was filling with the smell of eggs and bacon by now. "Do you want me to show you how to use it?"
Sasuke nodded silently, and watched as Tony threaded a string through the hole in the axle, wound it up, and then set the centerpiece spinning. Carefully, he set the whole thing down on the table and let it stand upright on its own, and then handed the string to Sasuke. "Hold this out and keep it taught."
Sasuke did as he was asked, eyes staring at the spinning metal. Tony picked the gyroscope up and, ever so carefully, put it down on the string, where it stayed, balancing upright perfectly.
"How?" Sasuke asked, tilting the string from one side to the other.
"Physics! I'll teach you about centripetal forces and all that later if you want." Tony clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Seriously, though, the physics that's based on spinning and other circle-y stuff is weird but interesting."
"Aa." Sasuke continued to stare at the gyroscope, seemingly entranced.
"Wait, one more trick." Tony took the gyroscope, which was still spinning, then held it sideways and looped the string around one end. He lifted it up off the table, and watched as Sasuke's eyes widened at the way that the gyroscope didn't fall. Sure, he'd seen plenty of weird tech in Tony's lab… but the gyroscope wasn't complicated; it was just a wheel, axle, and frame, and that made it all the more impressive. Tony was actually pretty impressed by the gift: it was both childish enough to be fun for a kid Sasuke's age, yet also science-y enough that it didn't seem like an insult.
"Breakfast is served." Ms. Douglas laid out a pair of plates for Sasuke and Tony, then went and got her own and Pepper's as well.
"Thank you, Ms. Douglas." Sasuke said, and there was warmth in his voice, even if it sounded a little stilted and awkward.
"You're welcome." Ms. Douglas smiled and pointed at Tony's gift. "There's one more, though, so as soon as you're done with your breakfast, you can see to it as well."
Sasuke nodded, then glanced over at Tony and down at the red-wrapped present on the table. He quickly dug into his food, ignoring the adults as they talked about plans for the rest of the day. The food was polished off quickly enough (well, there might have been a bit of egg left, but the bacon and tomatoes were totally all gone), and then Sasuke started fiddling with the packaging, not particularly willing to draw attention to himself, just waiting for the conversation to peter out and turn back to him.
(The conversation did end quickly enough, if only because the adults had all been watching him out of the corners of their eyes the whole meal.)
Sasuke opened the paper as slowly as he had with the other two, and then blinked in surprise down at the object he held in his hands. Well, two objects. Two books, one in English, and one in Japanese.
"The Art of War, by Sun Tzu." Sasuke stared. "I've heard of this book, but… you said I'm not supposed to look at anything involving fighting or war until Dr. Frost says it's okay."
"She did." Tony answered. "You're not going to start training again or anything, but I trust you enough to let you start looking at this sort of thing and some of your gorier history stuff again."
Sasuke looked at Tony, and then down at the book again, and finally just got up from his chair and came closer. Tony raised an eyebrow as Sasuke didn't look up from the book in his hands, but completely froze up, face stuck in an expression of complete surprise, when Sasuke (slowly, hesitantly, stiltedly) leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Tony's waist.
Oh.
Sasuke was hugging him.
Tony looked down and carefully brought his hands up to hug Sasuke back, one hand petting his head like a particularly large cat. He looked in askance at Pepper and Ms. Douglas ('is this really happening?'), but that surprise was nothing compared to when Sasuke spoke.
"Thank you, Uncle Tony."
Uncle.
Sasuke had called him Uncle.
Three months, and he finally…
Tony grinned, wide and slightly silly, and hugged Sasuke as tightly as he could without it hurting his nephew. "Happy Birthday, kiddo."
o.o.o.o.o
A/N: This ended up much longer than expected. But hey! Sasuke's finally eight, and there are at least a handful of people that might be starting to figure out who the mysterious nanny is.
And look! A whole chapter without any mention of Doctor Who. Be proud of me.
Ja ne,
Phoenix