All Previous Disclaimers Apply
A/N: I know this is kind of an idealized world. Adoption and recovery take a long time and both can be a very difficult process. I do not mean to take away from anyone's struggle or recovery with this. I just want these boys to be happy! :)
Also, I am not entirely happy with the last part of this chapter, but I thought it best to just post instead of agonizing over it any longer. I hope it's not too terrible.
They were able to keep the boys under wraps for about six weeks which was, truthfully, better than they had expected. It was easy for all of them to forget the rest of the world for three weeks when all they had to do was stay in the penthouse and get to know each other, get to become a family, in private. They could order in food, they had plenty of entertainment, and the boys were finally getting what they'd needed and had been denied for so long. They were getting good food, good rest, and all of the love and attention that they could possibly take. And they all blossomed beautifully because of it.
With caretakers who actively encouraged him to stretch his mind and show them what he was working on Bucky actually felt safe for the first time to show just how brilliant he was. Just as Tony had suspected, he was probably going to grow into a better engineer and mechanic than Tony himself was. With access to better materials and a better lab space, and both Tony's and Bucky's minds focused on it, the mechanics of his arm were solved in days and they'd fabricated the arm and were only waiting on Peter and Bruce to work out a safe, effective neural interface so that his arm would work almost as well as his flesh and blood one. Tony had moved on to teaching him about programming and AI and he'd never been prouder than the day that Bucky presented him a workshop bot programmed with a simple learning AI that Bucky proudly named "You" to go along with the same kind of bots Tony had created in his own youth.
That wasn't to say that Bucky was perfect. He didn't like English and History as much as Science and Maths and so, often, pretended they didn't exist and he could strop and drag his feet for hours or even days before he would do the work that Pepper had assigned him in the adjustment period they'd all taken so that the boys wouldn't be behind when they went back to school. His temper burned bright and violent and they'd discovered that the best, and really only, thing they could do when he was in one of his tempers, trying to lash out and hit or throw things, was to wrap their arms around him from behind and pin his arm to his side, holding on tight so he couldn't hurt himself or anyone else while the temper worked itself out. He was always exhausted and full of regret when they were done, but he'd stopped looking like he was expecting someone to hit him when they were done, even if he'd cry and beg them not to send him back. Pepper was the one he needed when he was scared. She'd sit on the floor, on the couch, on the bed, on the counter, wherever they were, and take Bucky in her arms, rocking him and stroking his hair and his back, promising him over and over again that nothing he ever did or said would ever make them love him less. Between Wong, and their new child and family therapist, he was making slow, but steady progress with his fears and his temper.
Clint had been so excited when they told him that there would be a range put into the building that they hadn't been able to wait for its installation. It had taken two weeks for construction to be completed and in that time, Clint had showed them just how nimble and lighting fast he was on his feet. He used the private gym reserved only for residents of The Stark Tower (the employees had their own) like a playground, running swift as a gazelle, climbing, flipping, bouncing, and generally making Tony and Pepper feel extremely old and out of shape, though neither of them were. Peter, who had his own gymnastics lessons for years before was the perfect teacher for his little brother, until Clint began to outstrip even Peter's knowledge. By the time they were thinking that they needed to hire a private teacher the range was finally done and Clint's attention had shifted. He spent hours practicing with all the bows that Tony and Pepper had bought him, and was deeply disappointed that he wasn't strong enough yet for some of them, but kept working at it with a determination that was incredible to see. He'd also begun to talk to them as he got more comfortable with them. He had a beautiful, laughing quality to his voice that never failed to bring a smile to their faces when they heard it. Peter had picked up ASL like he'd always been speaking it. It took Tony and Pepper a little longer, but Clint was endlessly patient with them and made corrections in good spirit and humor. As he got more and more comfortable they realized that he was a funny as hell. He loved to play practical jokes and make them all laugh.
Sometimes they worried that the smile on his face was to mask how deep his hurts went. When Tony had developed a better hearing aid for him and made it clear that he didn't have to wear it if he didn't want to, that there was nothing wrong with him just as he was, Clint had still looked like a child going to his own execution as he put them. The shock and delight on his face when he realized that they were made specifically for him and therefore, did not hurt the same way that the others had had nearly broken Tony's heart. He hadn't taken his others out in their presence since they'd met him. How long had he been suffering just to make them more comfortable? He did the same thing when he'd accidentally twisted his ankle playing in the gym. He put on a brave face and tried to ignore it until he'd nearly screamed when Bucky accidently nudged him at the dinner table. Then, he'd gone sheet white and started sweating. When Pepper had tried to find out what was wrong and had reached out for him, he'd twisted out of his chair so fast it crashed to the ground and run away, terrified. They'd found him curled into as small a ball as possible in the very corner of his high bed, panting with fear and pain, his eyes wide and unseeing. It had taken twenty minutes to get him to come down from the panic attack and more than once they'd been terrified that he was going to pass out because he was hyperventilating and couldn't control it. Unlike Bucky, who wanted them at his therapy sessions, Clint preferred to have his alone and often left them with tear tracks on his face, but he'd also taken to randomly hugging them and usually didn't go more than an hour or two before telling them if he was hurting in some way now so they counted it as, just like Bucky's efforts, slow and steady progress.
Stevie was the joy and heartbreak of their newly formed family. Every single one of them adored him, so much so that the little boy was rarely seen walking, more liable to be found in someone's arms, on someone's hip, or even in the backpack like carrier that Tony and Bruce sometimes traded off in the lab. He was such a happy little one, always smiling and giggling at them. The day he'd finally let his words loose seemed to unlock them all and he babbled away most of the time. They understood maybe a third of it as recognizable words, but he didn't seem to mind. Tony and Pepper were Mama and Da. Bruce and Betty were Un Bru and An Bed. Peter he seemed to have down pat, along with Bucky and Clint. They could tell he was smart and he often smiled at them in such a mischievous way it made them wonder if he babbled and mispronounced some things just to see how much they would let him get away with. He helped the boys relax with their new family by being so happy and comfortable himself and was so easy and willing to love and be loved that he helped fill his new family's hearts to the brim.
It was his health that concerned and broke all of them just a little. It was hard to see that no matter how much good food he ate he didn't seem to put on weight and when he cried every time they had to force the nebulizer over his nose and his mouth to help with his breathing even though he hated it everyone else felt like crying, too. He'd had a couple of appointments with specialists, but so far no one had been able to pinpoint exactly why his health was so poor. As far as they could tell, there was no real physical reason for it. Once specialist, Dr. Erskine, was looking into potential underlying causes for them, studying Steve's blood and even deeper than that, his chromosomal makeup and such. After they'd decided that he was the one they wanted to pursue the research with they'd funded it and his other work for three years. He called them once a week, even if it was just to say that he hadn't found anything new and he'd visited a couple more times, to look Stevie over, but also to be with them. Tony and Pepper got the impression that he was just a little lonely and he was so kind and good with all of the boys, including Peter, that they didn't mind when he was over. He was kind of like a grandfather in a way and they were grateful to have met him.
About a month into their new reality, Wong had sat them down while Peter was keeping the younger boys occupied and told them that he was very impressed and very proud of them that they'd all come so far so quickly and that he was ready to sign off on the adoption of the boys if they were ready for it as well. It hadn't even been a question for them anymore at that point. They'd told him they were ready. He'd smiled and produced the paperwork from his seemingly magical briefcase and signed it in front of them before having them sign and telling them that he'd turn it into the courts in the morning and they would be contacted by the courts with an actual date to make everything official in front of a judge. After the papers were put away he'd looked at them more seriously.
"You guys know that you can't be an island here forever, right? The boys need to be getting back to school and you all need to find a good balance between work and home life. I know you've both been doing a bit of work and you have the ability to make your own schedules somewhat, but it's not going to be good for anyone, you or the boys, if you pretend you're going to be able to keep going like this forever."
"Yeah," Tony ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, "We know."
"They just went so long with no one considering their needs," Pepper said, uncomfortably, "We just want them to know that they'll always come first if they need us."
"And that's great!" Wong assured them, "But, you guys have to consider your needs, too. I've only known you for a bit, but I know you guys love what you do. It can be just unhealthy as the neglect if you make your whole lives about them and don't take time for yourselves, as individuals and as a couple. You need to get back to work and Clint and Bucky need to get back to school. Stevie needs to have time with little ones his own age, too. I happen to know that you guys have a top-rated childcare here in the building for your employees."
"We do."
"And I'm going to suggest that you guys attend a support group for adoptive parents, too. I lead one that Dr. and Mrs. Banner attend, too. Bruce told me he's told you about it. Being parents is hard enough. Being parents to kids who have the kinds of issues that come with abuse cases is even harder. No matter how much we love them it's nice, sometimes, to know that you're not alone and have a place to talk without judgement."
"That would be great." Pepper admitted for both of them.
Once the papers had been filed with the state what had been speculation by the press had been confirmed. Tony Stark and Pepper Potts-Stark were adopting three boys. It had caused a media circus the likes of which hadn't been seen since the day years earlier when Tony and Pepper had announced that Stark Industries was pulling out of weapons manufacturing. In an effort to control the storm a little they'd given an exclusive to a national magazine and allowed a reporter and photographer into the penthouse for the first time ever. They'd had a little bit of a photo shoot and formal interview, but mostly the photographer took candid shots and the interviewer just observed their day. They'd had final veto power over the spread and had actually been very satisfied with it. There was a picture of all of them around the lunch table, Tony, Clint and Bucky laughing like hell as Pepper tried not to giggle and Stevie smiled a proud smile at the noodles he'd thrown in a surprised Peter's hair. There was another of all of them in the living room, Pepper on the couch with Stevie in her arms as she read him a book, Tony and Bucky were laid out on the floor concentrating hard on a complicated Lego build that they'd been working on for days, and Clint and Peter were side by side on another couch playing a video game. Tony's favorite picture by far, though, was one that the photographer hadn't taken. It was one J.A.R.V.I.S. had captured later that evening of all the boys curled up in the bed contentedly while Peter read out loud to everyone, Pepper and Tony bookending them, smiling at each other as if all their dreams had come true.
The article itself had been very careful to respect the boys' recovery and had mentioned that they had come from a less than ideal background, but hadn't actually delved into it. Tony and Pepper made sure that the article only used their legal names, their nicknames were their own and no one needed them but family. Tony and Pepper made it clear that there would be no other articles and if anyone pursued their boys they would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Luckily the memory of how protective and single-minded Tony and Pepper had been when Peter was younger was still fresh and they were taken seriously. Also luckily, once the exclusive came out the biggest curiosities about them and the boys were assuaged and they were all ready to get back to what would become their new normal.
And that new normal meant that it was time to send the boys back to school.