Chapter Thirty-Four:
Tyron was in his room when he heard the news. He was on his bed, staring aimlessly up at the ceiling. There was a knock at his door, and Tyron sat up immediately. "I―Uh. . .. give me a second!" He quickly threw his sweatshirt over him. He didn't have his bandages on, it hurt his chest wounds, so he was trying to keep them off if he could help it.
"Okay. . . come in," he said, pulling his sweatshirt down as the door knob twist and TOny stepped in. He was looking pretty grim, and Tyron rose an eyebrow, frowning. "Wha' happened? Did someone die?"
"You. . . should probably sit down," Tony said, motioning to the bed. Tyron did, and Tony took in a deep breath. "The bill was passed thirty minutes ago." Tyron blinked, frowning.
"Wha' bill?" He asked, confused. Then, he remembered and his eyes widened. He stood abruptly, but Tony held out a hand to him.
"Sit down, I'm not done," He said, and Tyron uneasily did so. "It was sent back a few times and discussed over. . . but they decided. Mutants will be regarded as 'Subhumans', and any mutant over the age of eighteen will have their mutation tested. If they are decided to be. . . dangerous, they will be detained. If the mutation isn't dangerous, then you are able to live freely as a registered 'Subhuman', or. . . you can apply for a temporary cure."
Tyron sat up, confused, "A-A wha'?" He's never heard of a cure for the X-Gene.
"Some Professor thought it up," Tony waved his hand, as if that wasn't important. "Basically, it's something that suppresses the x-gene, allowing you to pass as a human. It's different for every case, and it hasn't been properly tested yet, but―"
"Does it work!?" Tyron asked, staring at Tony.
"It might not. They're trying to mass produce it, and then sell it to mutants for an unnecessarily high price, but―"
"You got it?"
"Of course I got it," Tony smirked, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small, orange, pharmacy bottle. Tyron couldn't read the label, it was facing away from him. Tyron felt something swell in his chest, and his eyes went wide. "Now, look, I don't exactly know what this will do to you, okay? You can't have food, so I don't think you can take medicines either, but. . ."
"I have to try, Tony," Tyron begged, looking at the man. Tyron didn't know why, but the first thought that came to mind when he imagined taking the pills and being normal again, he thought his father would be able to accept him.
He shook the thought out of his head and focused on Tony. He handed Tyron the bottle, "Let me grab a water bottle, don't take any yet, alright?" Tyron was barely able to nod. Tony stood and left his room. A minute later, he came back with a bottle of ice-cold water. Tyron opened the bottle of water and took the pills, only two.
A moment of trepidation passed through both of them, and Tyron frowned. "Did it work?" Tony asked.
"I don't know," Tyron admitted. He leaned back, staring at the medicine container.
"Well. . . in the meantime, the preparations for the rally is almost ready," Tony said, changing the subject. Tyron had been thinking a lot about the mutant rights rally. "A lot more people responded than I thought they would."
"How s'th' company doin'?" Tyron asked hesitantly. Tony shrugged, unaffected, but he knew it had to be bad.
"People will talk shit all day," Tony said, "A few have cut ties, but we'll live. We're going to do this rally, no matter what people might say."
Tyron nodded, but he couldn't help but feel slightly worried. Tony stood. "I have to go. If you feel anything, tell me, or FRIDAY, alright? And, I mean anything, Tyron."
Tyron nodded and smiled, "I understand, I get it," He assured and shooed the man out of his room. He laid back down on his bed and closed his eyes, silently begging for this cure to work.
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Tyron was lying in bed, going over a book for his math class when he felt it. It was like a tug near his navel. At first, he frowned, and shrugged it off.
Then, it felt like his stomach was turning itself out. Tyron let out a cry of pain, dropping his math book and curling away. The pain didn't end. It was far worse than any cramps he had ever felt. Tears bit as his eyes and he wheezed, squeezing them shut tight, trying desperately to be rid of the pain.
"Mister Tyron?" FRIDAY asked, "Are you alright?"
Tyron let out a whine, breathing sharply. He saw dark spots on his vision. "C-Call. . . Uhnn. . . Tony. . . Call Tony! Call―" he cut himself off with a scream, the pain increasing and his back arching, a sob scraping past his lips.
His door opened, and Tyron squinted at who stepped through. It was Rashaad, the boy Tyron found. He found that name for him. He wished Rashaad didn't have to see him like this.
The boy tilted his head, confused, but Tyron couldn't talk. His mind was reeling and the pain was indiscriminate. His vision blurred and his eyes rolled back in his head.
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Tyron woke up in the Infirmary. His entire body was sweating and he felt very tired. As soon as his eyes opened, someone was beside him. "You're awake! Thank goodness!" Tyron's eyes slowly shifted to the person. It was Tony, and he had a small strip of metal in Tyron's face. Instinctively, he opened his mouth, but as soon as his teeth made contact, they didn't begin grinding the metal down like he used to. It just tasted weird and wrong.
Tyron groaned, raising a hand that was covered in wires hooking him to machines. He took the metal from Tony and tried to eat again, shoving it in his throat. It wasn't working. Why wasn't it working?
Tyron began to panic, and his eyes widening, but Tony didn't look at all upset. "Here," He said, and turned away. He came back with a cold piece of bread. Immediately, Tyron turned away, he couldn't eat food! But, his stomach growled despite that. "Just try it. Alright?" Tyron was reluctant. He did not want to face the consequences of eating at the moment, not when he was in a hospital room for everyone to watch him as he hallucinated.
But, his stomach was loud and angry, so he reached for the piece of bread and bit at the corner, testily. He expected his tongue and saliva to reject the food, but instead his body rejoiced. He began to salivate, and his stomach's volume reached astronomically high heights. He quickly ate the bread, despite his hesitancy.
Once Tyron finished, he wanted more. He turned to Tony, who was smiling happily, and turned away, pulling out a tray of food. It was cold now, but it was still food. Tyron practically inhaled the food, but he was still confused.
After a few minute, he forced himself to stop. "W... What happened to me?" He asked, his throat sore.
"The pills, remember? I think they worked. Well, you've been out for a few hours, and I don't know how long it's supposed to last, but it worked! You're normal." Tyron's eyebrow furrowed and he turned to the metal bar on the hospital bed. He put his hand on it and tried to focus on the metal, on each individual part leaving the bar and being soaked into his skin.
Nothing happened.
Tyron began to panic, "Is it temporary?!" He asked, suddenly scared.
Tony looked puzzled, "Yeah, but-"
"Reverse it!" Tyron demanded, suddenly feeling wrong. He felt sick and he was cold. "Do it now!"
"I can't," Tony said, watching him carefully. "You have to wait until it wears off. It'll only be a day, probably. So-"
Tyron tried to get out of the bed, to do something, anything, he didn't know. Tony caught him just before he lost balance and slipped. "Whoa," he said, bringing him back to the bed. "Look, I think the side effects are... Getting to you. You should stay here-"
"No! I need to go... I..." Tyron's eyes were unfocused, and he kept shaking. "Let go of me!" He demanded, trying to shove Tony's arm off him.
"No, you need to stay here," Tony said, and reached to the side of the bed, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. With Tyron's weakened state, it was easy to cuff him to the bed-handle. "You can leave as soon as you're able to absorb that."
Tyron tossed his head, trying to pull away from the cuffs on his wrists. "Let me... I can't... Stop it!" He was beginning to sweat hard, and Tony took a step back. "Help me... I can't... He's... Help..." Tears were leaking down the side of his face that was screwed tight. He was staring at the ceiling, but Tony knew he wasn't truly looking at anything.
Tony swallowed and began to walk out of the room. He was going to burn that pull bottle.
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It took Tyron several hours, but he finally made it back to consciousness. He was a bit confused by the handcuff on his arm, but his stomach was growling so he are through it instead of absorbing it.
Tyron sat up slowly from the bed. His head was spinning and he had to hold into the bar in order to steady himself. "Mister Tyron?" Tyron glanced up, "Please spell my name."
"Ya name?" He asked, a but groggily. "S'FRIDAY. F-R-I-D-A-Y. Why?"
"I am contacting Master Tony. He will be there shortly." A few minutes later, Tony came into the room.
"'Ey," Tyron said, trying to stand, but Tony forced him back down on the bed.
"No, wait. FRIDAY, check his vitals," Tony said.
"He is in stable conditions, sir," FRIDAY responded.
"Great. Good," Tony nodded, absent-mindedly. "You're not taking those pills again."
"Wha' pills? Wha's goin' on?" Tyron demanded, annoyed. Tony pulled out his phone and showed him a video.
It was him, laying in that bed, screaming and sobbing. Tony skipped it forward and he was trying to throw things. Tony was in the video, desperately moving things out of his reach. Then, Tyron was shaking and talking to himself, his hands in his hair, as he spoke.
"I..." Tyron was speechless. "Did it work?"
"It did," Tony said, "But the side effects... You were a different person, Tyron. I threw the bottle out. You can-"
"Ya did wha'!?" Tyron hissed, his eyes wide as he stared at Tony.
"Tyron, look at what they did to you! It wasn't good for you!"
"I could've figured it out! We... I could find a way-"
"What way!? Did you not just see the video!? You aren't taking those anymore. That's final." Tyron didn't say anything. He knew Tony was right, but he didn't want to admit it. That was his only chance at getting his father to... To accept him. As much as Tyron didn't want to admit it, he missed his family. His dad was the only family he had left, despite how he treated him. Tyron was stronger now, maybe he would understand.
Tyron turned away, his lips pressed together. Tony sighed, "Look, I'm sorry," he said. "But after what I saw... The side effects weren't worth it."
"But I was normal," Tyron said softly.
"Who cares if you're a mutant?" Tony asked, and Tyron couldn't answer. "Look, kid, if that's the cost to be normal, then I'm telling you now, it's overrated." Tyron let out a chuckle and Tony rubbed his head. "Well, if you're feeling better, then the others want to see you."
Tyron hesitated, he wasn't wearing his bandages, and his ribs still hurt. "If you don't want them to-"
"No, no," Tyron shook his head. "They can come." At that, the doors opened. Steve, Clint, and Natasha hurried through.
Natasha hugged him first, and Tyron felt his ears grow red. He usually didn't get, or give, hugs. "Never take anything like that again," Natasha scolded.
"Didn't someone teach you not to take candy from strangers?" Clint said, standing beside Natasha.
Tyron rolled his eyes, "It wasn't candy, an' Tony's not a stranger."
"Then, don't take untested drugs from anyone," Steve said, looking a bit upset. Tyron looked at Steve, and tried to give a small smile. It wasn't much, but it was something.
Steve smiled back and Natasha pulled away. Both Clint and Steve gave him tight, bear-like hugs respectively. Tyron bit his lip as he felt his sides burn in agony, but he didn't want to stop them.
After they finally let go, and Tony began to speak. "Rest for a while. I don't want to take any chances if there's still traces of it in your system. You can sleep in your bed, though." Tyron nodded and moved his legs off the bed to stand. He was a but wobby and a lot hungry. He had some metal to eat on his floor though, so he decided to wait.
Tony insisted on helping him to his room. Tyron, however, disagreed. "I can walk, Tony," he told the man, a little annoyed.
"Just to be sure," he said, but Tyron wasn't having it.
"Ya can walk m'to the elevator, but that's it," Tony didn't like this, but he reluctantly agreed.
Once Tyron was safely on the elevator and going down, he began to feel exhausted. Despite having slept nearly all day, he felt like it had been a long day.
Rashaad greeted him when he stepped out of the elevator. He was waiting by the door, and staring up at him. His wide brown eyes made Tyron smile. "Hey, kid," He said, rubbing his hair. "What have you been up to all day?" Rashaad grabbed his hand at this, and pulled him away, and into his room. It was smaller than Tyron's, but Rashaad didn't mind.
On his floor was a huge Lego structure - Rashaad loved Legos. This one was a Lego model of the Tower. It looked nearly three feet tall, and exceedingly detailed. "Whoa, lil' dude, that's awesome!" Tyron awed. He wanted to get on his knees and look at each and every part, but his torso wouldn't allow it.
Rashaad gave a small clap, which meant thank you. Then, he went back to the ground and poked at the front. The door opened and a Lego man fell out. Tyron laughed out loud, it was a Iron Man Lego man!
"That's really cool," Tyron admitted, taking a few steps into his room to look at it. He walked around, admiring the building, before stopping back at the door.
Rashaad pushed the building to the side, where all his other great creations were. The Statue of Liberty, Mini Captain America, Mario and Luigi, et cetera. Rashaad loved his Legos.
"Okay, dude, m'gonna go lie down, did ya eat?" Rashaad nodded. "Did Nat come up 'ere an' make ya food?" He nodded again. Satifised, Tyron turned and began to walk the few steps to his room. He opened his door and got undressed. He contemplated putting his bandages on, but decided against it again.
Tyron looked in the mirror as he tugged on a shirt. His hair was now a few inches higher than what he wanted. He needed a shape up. He decided that he'd get it done before the rally.
Then, Tyron turned and flopped down on his bed. Comfort and familiarity greeted hin. He sighed, hugging his pillow and succumbing to sleep.
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Just wanted to say thanks again to cherylblossom on Wattpad for the new cover! Go check out her graphics book!