All Previous Disclaimers Apply.
A/N: There is more reference to the abuse that the boys suffered in this chapter. Please don't read it if it's triggering for you. I am loving this little family and happier times are ahead for them. If there are any scenarios you'd like to see written please drop me a line. I really don't have an aim for this story yet.
"Mr. Stark? Mrs. Potts-Stark?"
The man at the door was not one that either of them had seen yet in the hospital and that automatically put them both on edge. The closer it came to the release date of the boys from the hospital, the more nervous Tony and Pepper got. It wasn't that they were questioning their decision to take the boys in, and it wasn't that they didn't think that they would provide the boys a loving, supportive home. It was simply that the closer they got to actually taking the boys home, to making them a part of their everyday lives, the more they worried that something would happen to take the boys away from them. They already loved them all so much, already felt like they were a part of the family, if anything went wrong…If the boys were separated because Tony and Pepper didn't end up being what was best for them, despite how much they loved them, it would break their hearts. And more importantly, it would break the boys' hearts and they knew that something like that would hurt infinitely more than their own wounds if it came to pass.
They tried to reassure themselves by reminding each other that the judge had granted them emergency guardianship of the boys and child services had already done a walk-through of the penthouse in the tower. They hadn't been there, of course, they hadn't wanted to leave the boys alone in the hospital, but Peter, Bruce, and Betty had been there. Bruce and Betty had been the ones to oversee the transformation of their penthouse from a place that was going to quickly become an empty nest full of beautiful artwork, glass, steel and the most gorgeous, well-stocked bar that Tony had been able to imagine, to a place where three young boys would be comfortable. The bar room that had originally been Tony's pride and joy in the tower, had become a family room, full of toys, games, comfortable, overstuffed furniture, books, and a projector that would put a film on almost a whole wall. Tony hadn't been disappointed in the least when Bruce had texted him pictures. In truth, he'd designed the bar room to be so opulent, so over the top, because he knew that he was going to miss Peter terribly when he left for school. Knowing that he didn't need it anymore, that he had more time with more boys, his boys, had been one of the best things he'd ever felt. When he'd huddled on the pushed together beds with the boys and showed them everything that had been done, even if he had been disappointed to lose his bar, the looks on their faces, bright and so sweet and hopeful it almost hurt, would have been more than enough recompense.
But, the looks on their faces when they saw the family room were nothing compared to the looks on their faces when they saw their own rooms. In the first few days when the boys couldn't bear to be away from them, even for a few minutes at a time, they'd learned a lot about them. Bucky loved all things mechanical and his mind saw around corners in a way that astounded even Tony. While Tony had always been a little disappointed that Peter was more scientifically, and not as engineering-minded Tony himself, Tony knew that Bucky was going to be the kid that he could talk through projects with, the one who would sit with him for hours to figure out how to engineer the dreams they saw in their heads. (Not that he'd ever been disappointed in Peter. It was just that he was more interested in Bruce's kind of work than Tony's and it had always made Tony just a little sad.) So, in Bucky's room, Tony had had a work bench installed with all of the tools and scraps a young engineer could ever hope for. The dangerous stuff would be in his lab, of course, but Bucky would be welcome anytime if he needed more help, with adult supervision, of course. His room was decorated in a modern tone, with a lot of greys and bold streaks of red. He'd buried his face in Pepper's side, overwhelmed, when they'd assured him that, yes, the room was all his and everything in it was there for him.
Clint had been quieter, partly due to the fact that they were still learning how to communicate with him, but mostly because he was just a very reserved young man, not quite as trusting as Bucky. But, he also hadn't had the time with Peter that Bucky had. The first he'd known of them was when Tony'd kicked the door to their prison/bedroom open. He trusted them to keep Bucky and Stevie safe, but held himself reserved, so they'd had to be extra vigilant to gain clues as to what interested him and what would help him feel happy with them. Pepper had been on the verge of despair three days before when they still hadn't felt like they knew anything about him, until, by chance Peter had put on "Robin Hood" for the boys. Clint had watched with fascination, his eyes never leaving the screen and Tony had seen his fingers and arms twitching as he watched and when he'd finally figured out that the fingers were curving into a shooting formation and Clint was forcing his arms not to come up in an imitation of the archers, it had felt like a revelation. Getting Clint to tell them about archery, with Bucky translating, had opened the doors like a floodgate. Clint became animated and excited as he told them about his interest, and it translated to him telling them more, how he liked to be up high because, while he couldn't hear, his eyes were excellent and he liked to be able to see what was happening. So, they'd ordered the best, highest lofted bed they could find so that Clint would feel more comfortable. His room was painted in strong greens, to emulate Sherwood forest, and the accents of his favorite color, a deep, rich purple, made him smile. He had his own workstation under his bed, but his was covered with different styles of bow appropriate for his age so that he could discover which he liked best. Tony had never seen a smile so wide as when he told Clint that part of a level a couple of floors below the penthouse was going to be converted into a shooting range for him and that he'd have lessons with some of the best archers in the world for as long as archery interested him.
"Forever?" he'd asked, signing and finally speaking to them as he hadn't before.
"If that's how long you love archery," Pepper had assured him. He'd initiated his first hug with them when they told him that and it had made them both feel as if their hearts were overflowing.
Stevie, of course, was a little harder as he was still so young and he still wasn't all that interested in speaking, though they knew by the way he relaxed around them, and curled into them that they'd gained his trust. Bucky and Clint had both assured them that Stevie's favorite color was blue, so they'd decorated his room in different shade of it and when they'd placed toys in front of him he'd gone for the hands-on ones like puzzles and blocks rather than electronic ones, so they'd filled the room with the types good, old-fashioned toys that seemed to make him the happiest. Stevie had giggled for the first time that they'd heard when Peter had been finger painting with him, and he'd pouted when they'd taken them away, only to smile again when he was handed some paper and crayons so they'd also filled his room with age appropriate art supplies and figured that as he got older and decided other things that interested him they could change things up.
But, none of their efforts would matter if someone decided to take the boys from them. They looked up at the man in the doorway, and tried to keep their nerves down. He looked official and harried in a way that most social workers looked. His almond-shaped eyes squinting from behind the glasses perched on his wide nose. His clothes were expensive, but rumpled in a way that suggested that someone in his household cared about the finer things in life, but that it wasn't necessarily him. When he looked up at them, they breathed a little easier. He didn't necessarily smile, but he had a kind face that instilled trust almost immediately. And when he looked and saw that the boys, all four of them, were in what amounted to a puppy pile on the bed, all fast asleep between the two adults, his expression softened and his voice gentled.
"If I could take just a few minutes of your time," he said quietly, "We'll be just outside the door if anyone wakes up scared."
"Sure," Pepper agreed though Tony would have been liable to argue just on principle. They carefully extricated themselves from the boys, whispering to Peter that they'd be right back when he woke as Tony moved.
"My name is Benedict Wong," The gentleman said quietly as the door shut behind them, "But, you can call me Wong. I'm the caseworker assigned to Clint, Bucky, and Stevie. I just wanted to introduce myself and have a chat before the boys are discharged later today."
"A chat?" Tony asked, already on the defensive, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yes, Mr. Stark," Wong said, and his tone let Tony know that he would take no nonsense, which was, in its own way, comforting, "A chat. You and Mrs. Potts-Stark and your son are about to take on three boys who have had hard lives and will probably struggle with some things that you need to be aware of."
"I'm sorry, Wong," Pepper said calmly, ever the peacekeeper, "We've just been a little on edge. We already care so much for them and we get a little defensive."
"Perfectly understandable," Wong agreed, "It's actually nice to see foster parents who care about the kids they're taking on like you do. I…look…I'm not here to be your enemy. I would rather that you think of me as your partner in keeping the boys healthy and happy. There are some things in their files that I need to make you aware of so when they come up you're not surprised."
"That makes sense," Tony grudgingly admitted, "I... We want to make sure we support the boys in the ways they need us to."
"I know," Wong smiled for the first time and it made him look ten years younger, "I could see that from my home check of your penthouse. Only people who want to make kids comfortable would spend that much on changing their home. Your bar was a thing of beauty."
"Yeah, well," Tony shrugged, a little embarrassed, "I can always put it back in when the boys are older."
Pepper smiled at her husband, glad to see that he wasn't going to be the combative ass he could be, "You said you wanted us to know some things from the boys' files?"
"Yes. Just a few things. You've probably noticed them already, though you've made more progress with the boys in a week than most people have made with them in years. Granted, they weren't always placed in good situations. Just so you know, the caseworker who placed three boys with the Woodens and never checked up on them, has been fired. She won't be placing any kid anywhere again."
Pepper closed her eyes and breathed out slowly, releasing a great deal of tension she hadn't even been aware she'd been carrying. It was good to know that one more person who cared more about money and getting kids out of the way was gone from the system. Wong seemed like a man who truly cared about what he did.
"Let's start with Bucky. It hasn't been a big deal here, but when you get home, please try to keep a light on in his room even at night. He has a hard time with the dark, according to his previous visits with a counselor. The accident that killed his parents happened at night and he was trapped in the car, pinned down in the dark for hours. He still has nightmares about that night, and they can sometimes get violent."
Tony gripped Pepper's hand and felt her grip back just as hard, "Okay."
"Aside from the abuse that Clint suffered at his father's hand before his death, resulting in his hearing loss, there's also some evidence that he was sexually abused at his first foster home, though he's never said it, even in therapy."
"Dear god," Pepper put a hand to her mouth, feeling a little sick.
Wong nodded in understanding, "He can react violently when some approaches him from behind and he's caught unaware."
"We'll have J.A.R.V.I.S. set up a light alert for him until we design a better hearing aid," Tony whispered to Pepper, wiping the tears she probably wasn't even aware of from her eyes.
"The best thing for the both of them will be to find them a good therapist that they feel comfortable with so they can discuss what happened to them in a safe space. Don't dismiss their feelings or their fears. Let them feel them and support them when they let you. Weighted blankets can work wonders for anxiety. Bucky will probably reach for physical comfort more than Clint will. Don't force physicality on Clint."
"No, never." Pepper agreed.
"Stevie is probably going to be the easiest, at least transition wise," Wong looked down at his papers again, "The Woodens were his first home. And while they neglected the boys and hit Clint and Bucky there doesn't seem to have been a lot of physical abuse to Stevie. And he's still so young he probably won't remember most of it, anyway. Your biggest challenge for Stevie is going to be his physical health. So far most doctors are still stumped and to why he gets so sick so often."
"We already have some specialists lined up to take a look at his labs," Tony agreed, nodding, "He's going to get the best care in the world."
"I think that all three of them are," Wong admitted, "Look…I've seen a lot of rich people take on foster kids, thinking of it as a good deed. You guys are nothing like them. You truly want the boys, I can see you truly care for them already. You're going to do fine. It's not going to be easy, but nothing worth it ever is, right? And if you need anything, I'm going to be right with you every step of the way. You be advocates for the boys, love them, and I'll be an advocate for you so that when you're ready to adopt them we can get it taken care of as smooth as possible."
Pepper's smile was tremulous as she looked back at him, her hand still gripped tight in Tony's, "You've been through this yourself, haven't you?"
"Yes," Wong answered simply, "He pushed his glasses up on his head and pulled his phone out of his pocket, pulling up a picture on it. He and a tall, handsome man with grey at his temples and a ready smirk on his face were each wrapped around a grinning kid, a boy with hair so blonde it was almost white and a girl with dark hair, "My husband, Stephen, and I adopted our kids, Wanda and Pietro, after they were found in the rubble of an apartment building in Sokovia. We're still working through their trauma, but it's the best thing we've ever done."
"They're beautiful," Pepper whispered, "You're a beautiful family."
"And you guys will be, too," Wong said, his voice gentle and certain.
No other words had to be said as the three of them shook hands and Wong walked away. Tony and Pepper stood outside the door for a little while, just holding each other, before they went back into the room and curled up where they had been previously with their little family, one on each side of the puppy pile of boys, protecting them and loving them more than they ever thought they could.