May 12, 2012
3:32 PM
Helicarrier
By the time everything was taken care of, the Avengers were all settled around a table, with Fury, Hill, and Coulson at the head, staring them down with varying levels of anger and exasperation.
"What the hell is that kid doing here, Stark?" Director Fury finally asked, after several minutes of rather interesting looks had been passed around the table.
"And who is he?" Steve Rogers asked, if rather tentatively. Had Tony been hiding information from everybody, he would have pressed much harder. Given that Fury seemed to already know and not care about the fact that the information wasn't public knowledge, however... "Am I the only one that doesn't know?"
"No, I'm going to have to say that there are a few others that haven't met him either." Phil Coulson was looking around the table with muted interest, the usual bland smile on his face.
"Well, Fury, Natasha, and Bruce know him." Tony leaned back in his seat and ticked of his fingers. "So does Clint, but he's MIA for the moment, so he doesn't count."
"So Loki knows about the kid?" Fury demanded. "If he gets his hands on one of-"
"He won't. Three of them have defenses against his kind of mind control, and the last is too injured to bother with." Tony laughed, then, much calmer than he'd been at any point in the past several weeks. "And, well, back to what I said earlier... he's technically met everyone here except... I'm sorry, what was your name? Jill?"
"Agent Hill." The woman told him, unimpressed, but soldiering on. "If they've met, then why don't any of the people you mentioned-"
"Recognize him?" Tony interrupted, spinning a pen between his fingers. "Good question. Simple answer. He was disguised when he met Thor, Cap, and Agent. Made himself look like his older cousin. Curly hair. Weird eyeliner. Less of a stick up his ass."
Natasha pursed her lips, hidden behind one hand, almost hiding a smile.
"And yet you still do not deign to inform us as to who the Midgardian child is." Thor wasn't glaring, per se, but he seemed a little unhappy.
"Well... he's my kid. Sort of. We're related, anyway." Tony spun in his chair. "His mother is my first cousin, and I've been raising him since he was seven, after the rest of the family was wiped out. Bruce and Natasha met him at my place because reasons, and Fury knows about him because Natasha needed to report to someone about his existence and I didn't trust SHIELD enough to let any files exist on him, so the deal was just hammered out that Fury would know whatever Natasha told him, and I'd get to keep my little cousin's anonymity so that I wouldn't have people trying to kidnap him for ransoms and the like."
"That still doesn't explain how or why he just appeared in the middle of the Helicarrier looking half dead with a team that was almost half dead." Agent Hill pointed out.
Tony made a face. "Well, maybe it's better if I start from the beginning."
o.o.o.o.o
2003
Tony Stark hadn't ever really thought about kids, beyond a few small things that generally went along the lines of:
1. They were icky, gooey, snotty things that weren't allowed in the workshop unless they happened to be as much of a childhood genius as he was (very, very unlikely) and knew not to distract him or touch anything (even less likely).
2. He should probably have one at some point, because having an heir for the company was apparently a "thing" that he needed to do for some reason. That would necessitate getting married first, because stocks would drop if he had an illegitimate child or hired a surrogate (and he didn't really feel like dealing with the board members bitching about the stocks again), and since he wasn't really interested in getting married anytime soon anyway, he was even less prepared for a child.
3. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he was terrified that he would be as bad of a father as Howard Stark had been, and didn't ever want to subject a kid to that. For all his faults, Tony did actually care about kids, especially the ones that hypothetically happened to be his.
Altogether, this led to Tony being extremely averse to the idea of having kids. This type of thinking lasted until he was roughly thirty-two years old.
That was because, in the year 2003, Tony somehow managed to gain custody of a relative he had only vaguely been aware might have existed at all.
...At least the board couldn't complain about that.
Especially when no one told them.
o.o.o.o.o
March 24, 2003
2:03 AM
Malibu
Tony was in Malibu, typing away at a computer in an attempt to clear his head so that he could get some sleep before working on a new missile, when the tapping started. Unfortunately, it was loud and strange enough that he could in no way mistake it for the noise of the keys he was hitting, as it could only be the sound of something hard hitting the window.
He turned around to look out at the darkness that was outside the glass, and couldn't find the source of the noise for several seconds. Then he spotted it.
A bird.
More specifically, a hawk.
Even more specifically, a hawk with a scroll tied to its leg.
"Uh... well, uh, that's new." Tony stared at the bird for a few more seconds, and then at the scroll attached to its leg. The bird, if possible, looked rather annoyed. The scroll, to Tony, looked like a possible bomb.
"JARVIS?" Okay, so he hadn't perfected the AI yet, but the scanners he'd installed could, hopefully, help him out here.
"Yes, sir?"
"The scroll on that bird, do you know if there's anything on it that might... explode? Can you check? I think I gave you infrared, right?" Tony was pretty sure the bird was looking at him with something approaching derision now, which was slightly ridiculous, because this was ridiculous.
"There are no detectable explosives in the scroll, Sir." JARVIS answered, sounding just the slightest bit exasperated. Well... that was probably Tony's fault for programming a personality in.
"Okay, so... probably safe to open. Still a chance it could blow up." Tony thought it over for several seconds, and then hopped over the back of the couch and opened the window, letting the hawk in. "Well, being careful never got me anywhere before; let's see what this baby's packing."
There were several seconds of silence, and then Tony gave his in-house AI yet another order. "JARVIS, buddy, can you scan this in and translate it? I don't speak Japanese. Or read it."
"Of course, sir."
Tony's face had been set in a neutral expression when he grabbed and opened the scroll, and even a bit amused when he asked JARVIS to translate the letter, but reading the letter itself lead him into an expression of rare incredulity.
Mr. Anthony Stark,
According to existing records, you are the sole child of the Maria Stark. The woman in question was once Mariko Uchiha, a citizen of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, of the Land of Fire. She belonged to the Uchiha clan, which was rather large and powerful.
"Yeah, okay, I know all this already. Mom didn't talk about it much, but she did mention it a few times. Why bother contacting me now?" Tony rubbed the back of his neck, turning violently away from the words that were still being projected on the wall.
(He really needed to spend some more time working on getting those hologram prototypes to work. He was near a breakthrough; he just knew it.)
"Sir?"
"I'm fine, JARVIS." Tony muttered. "Just... not memories I wanted brought up. I'll keep reading in a minute." It took several moments, but Tony managed to force himself to continue reading.
Due to a recent tragedy, the entirety of the Uchiha clan barring two has been murdered.
Tony blinked for a second. He blinked again. "What?!"
"Sir?"
"I'm fine, JARVIS!" Tony brought a hand up to his head. He kind of hoped this was some horrible prank gone wrong, but he doubted it. His mother hadn't exactly been open about where she'd come from, considering... well, considering that the entire continent was supposed to be one big secret.
"Okay, okay, fine. So, everyone's dead except two. They're telling me because... next of kin, maybe? I might be more closely related by blood than the remaining two, but I don't really think they'd contact me just for that." Tony pressed his face into his hands, walking around aimlessly for a minute. He didn't want to look. He knew the answers were in the letter, probably, but... urgh. He turned around, steeling himself to continue reading.
One of the two surviving clan members has fled the country and become an internationally wanted fugitive, as all evidence points to him being the sole perpetrator of the tragedy.
"...Oh, you have got to be kidding me." So, Tony probably only survived whatever this was because he was on the other side of the world and only, what, a quarter Uchiha? His mom had been half, and that half was what had lead to her being considered 'too weak' for the clan because of some stupid eye thing that had made her need glasses anyway, which was why she left in the first place...
Never mind. Back to the letter.
The other, Sasuke Uchiha, is the son of your first cousin, Mikoto Uchiha. As he is currently only seven years old, and you are his sole living relative without criminal charges leveled against them by the Village Hidden in the Leaves, you have the right to claim the role of his official guardian, should you choose to accept such. Your answer would be appreciated as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Hiruzen Sarutobi, Third Fire Shadow
Tony stared at the paper in his hands for a few seconds, and then spoke to JARVIS in a deceptively calm, but tellingly strained, voice. "JARVIS, pull up any old letters and pictures that my mom had of her family."
Within minutes, Tony had the 'tree' set up, or as set up as he needed it to be. Tony's mother had been Mariko 'Maria' Stark nee Uchiha. Her mother had been Ariko Uchiha. Ariko's mother and father had been Keiko Uchiha and Hansuke Kaneko. Ariko's brother, also a child of Keiko and Hansuke, had been Shuichi. Shuichi's daughter had been Mikoto. Mikoto had no recorded children in any of the letters, but that was likely due to the fact that Maria had died before any information on that front could be exchanged.
So, for the most part, the information in the letter checked out.
Tony looked at the bird. He wondered how long it would stay around, because this was something he definitely needed to discuss with Obadiah first. Maybe Rhodey, too. Even Pepper's input would be helpful. And the board would need to...
No.
No, the board could not be informed.
Scratch that, no one would be told about any of this other than Obie, Rhodey, and maybe Pepper. Pepper had been working for him directly for about five years now, but did he really trust her that much?
...Yes. Yes, he trusted her enough. Barely, but even that was an incredible amount, for him.
Okay, so, those three would be asked, and it would all be done in person, in the house.
o.o.o.o.o
March 25, 2003
5:14 PM
Malibu
"You can't adopt a kid, Tony. You can barely take care of yourself." Obadiah put a hand on Tony's shoulder, trying to get his point across.
"It's not an adoption, Obie. He's my cousin's kid, apparently, so that kind of makes him my responsibility now." Tony stared at the floor, fingers laced together under his chin.
"That doesn't change the fact that you have a company to run, Tony, and you don't have the time for a kid. That kid would be left alone all the time, and... come on, Tony, you remember what happened with your dad, right? It's just not a good environment for a kid." The older man drew back, but the words had already hit home.
"I am not going to be like my father." Tony turned his glare on the man that had played the role of father-figure to him for the past decade and a half. "I've got plenty of bullshit I'm already wasting time on, I can cut back on that instead."
"I think it's a good idea." Pepper offered, though she bit her lip and leaned back in her seat a bit when the men in the room turned their gazes on her. "Look, it's obvious that Tony wants this, and I'm willing to help arrange for tutors or school or whatever needs to be done on that front, and I know I can work the extra time into his schedule. If Tony thinks he's responsible enough for this, then I'm willing to support him through it and force him into doing what he's supposed to do if he slips up. I'll even work on processing profiles for bodyguards and the like with as little room for rumors as possible, since Tony wants to keep it all quiet."
"Thanks, Pepper." Tony smiled at her. Well, that was a good choice in PA. The choice had been reaffirmed near daily since she'd started anyway, but this was a good reminder. "Rhodey, what about you? You've been quiet so far."
The man in question looked up, and Tony felt his heart drop a bit at the conflicted expression that was now visible. "I'd be on your side normally, Tony, but... if the kid's entire extended family was murdered, he probably saw at least a part of it. The rest, I'm sure you could deal with, but if the kid's got PTSD, then you might be out of your depth. You don't know how to deal with that sort of thing."
The man brought up a good point, Tony thought as his eyes went back to looking at the ground. Though, the kid would be seeing psychologists anyway, right? Might as well make sure they were the best psychologists money could buy.
"...Does anyone? I can make sure the kid gets better care for it than whatever orphanage or foster care they put him in if I don't, right? Hell, I'm one of the richest men in the world, Rhodey. All that money ought to be put towards something useful other than fast cars and new tech." Tony tried to explain, and by the look on Rhodey's face, he got through.
"If you really think so, Tony." Rhodey's words seemed dubious, but the tone made it clear that he was a bit more open to the idea now that Tony was trying to come up with solutions to the various problems they were presenting with actual ideas, and not jokes.
So, Tony counted: Obadiah no, Pepper yes, Rhodey on the fence but leaning towards yes. Obadiah's opinion counted more than Pepper's, but Rhodey's was almost equal to Obadiah, and that meant that, since Tony had decided that he definitely wanted to 'adopt' the kid...
"Looks like there's going to be someone new in Stark Manor. JARVIS, I've got a letter for you to write. Get ready to start translating."
o.o.o.o.o
A/N: A few of the more eagle-eyed viewers have probably noticed that the "modern" setting (the actual Avengers movie) is actually over a year off. This is intentional. I've been using an online timeline (which I will link to on my profile at some point) as a reference sheet for the Avengers universe, as well as my own knowledge of the Naruto universe to cobble together something that functionally works its way into both worlds while keeping all the preset conditions I introduced in the first chapter. Unlike every other story I've written, I actually have a structured timeline written out in a word document on file, and it is four pages long and growing all the time as I make contingency plans and new decisions.
Basically, I'm putting a lot of effort into this, so try not to make any wild accusations yet. Everything will be explained in time, including the Shisui-faking that Tony mentioned and some stuff that seems OOC (but is actually the result of different events taking place).
Ja ne,
Phoenix
