This story lives on. Sorry for the wait. Finals, SAT, Regents, and other major responsibilities of life and whatnot.
This is not a Gotham Academy chapter, this is miscellaneous. I guess you can call it a companion chapter to "Legends and Feels" aka Chapter 3. Enjoy!
WARNING: Contains Spoilers of Wreck-It Ralph
That Dynamite Glow
Tony Stark was scheming. This of course was nothing out of the ordinary. The flamboyant playboy is always up to something. This time, however, he seemed to be stuck.
Though he'd only been a part of the Rise of the Guardians fandom for a few weeks, Tony was getting bored with it. He'd read every single completed Frost Fairy story (in every language they were written in) and a few miscellaneous one-shots. He'd even written six one-shots and three chapter fics. Now the billionaire only has two stories to follow and his last in-progress chapter fic will be complete in about three chapters. Rise of the Guardians had reached its peak.
Tony let out a sigh and pushed back a few dark strands of hair that had fallen out of place. He was currently located in his expansive office on the top floor of Stark Tower. According to his agenda for the day, Tony should have been viewing schematics sent from a partner in South Korea. But the playboy could do no work until his current dilemma was solved.
Sighing once more, Tony went on on his Starkpad. He went straight to the movie section (out of habit) and scrolled through the page. If Rise of the Guardians wasn't going to cut it, the genius playboy would have to join a new fandom. After attempting to read stories for Toy Story and Kung Fu Panda, Tony realized that hadn't seen enough of these movies for him to join a fandom. To fix this problem, Tony decided that he would watch the movies that had the largest fandoms. Being the picky guy that he is, Tony only wanted to watch the animated movies. Somehow he had gotten hooked to the science of the animation process and how it brings characters to life. Further research showed that only one movie with a minimum of a thousand was currently in theaters.
"Wreck-It-Ralph." Tony said aloud. He found the movie trailer on YouTube.
Just after the trailer had ended, Pepper entered the office and approached the billionaire's desk. Tony quickly exited from YouTube, straightened his tie, and cleared his throat.
"Yes Pepper, what is it?" He asked as professionally as possible. Pepper gave him an odd look but she didn't say anything to indicate that she knew what he'd been doing.
"Have you gotten a chance to go over the schematics we received this morning?" She asked.
"Uh, no. I've been busy." Tony responded.
"Busy? Doing what?" The red head pried.
"It's nothing you need to worry about." Tony noticed the suspicious look his secretary was giving him, "Is there anything else you came here for?"
"This came for you." Pepper handed him a white envelope with the Wayne Enterprises logo.
"A letter from Brucie." Tony uttered with a smirk. He opened to envelope to find an invitation to a charity ball sponsored by Wayne Enterprises. Money from the ball would be going to Gotham's Children's Hospital.
"Hey Pep, you doing anything the 18th?" the playboy asked the object of his affections.
"Not that I know of." She responded.
"Good, you can come with me to this thing."
"Sounds good," Pepper said with a smile, "It'll be nice to see Bruce and Richard."
The gears in Tony's brain started turning at full speed. If Pepper thought his sudden smile was odd, she didn't say so.
"Pepper, I need you to move tonight's board meeting to tomorrow morning. I have business to take care of."
"Um okay…and I need to know when you'll be done with those schematics." The secretary began typing something on the Starkpad she always had on her when working in the office.
"Tell Mr. Huang that he'll be hearing from me by tomorrow afternoon." Tony got up and exited his office before Pepper could respond. He had a smile on his face as he made his way out of Stark Tower and to his red Lamborghini. Not only had Tony found his new fandom, but he had also found the perfect opportunity to watch the film.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Richard Grayson was sitting in his classroom at Gotham Academy. It was independent reading time, and the nine year old was absorbed in The Lightning Thief. The classroom telephone rang, breaking the silence among the 4th graders. The teacher, Miss McCormick, quickly answered.
"Miss McCormick's room." She greeted. The children listened closely, trying to decipher the conversation. Richard, however, remained in a different world. A world where twelve year old demigods can fight monsters and gorgons.
"Yes. Yes, of course. I'll send him right away. Thank you." Miss McCormick hung up. The class was slightly disappointed that the phone call ended so quickly.
"Richard?" Miss McCormick called. Richard was completely enthralled with Percy Jackson's current endeavor to make it to Hades' Palace before the summer solstice occurs, and didn't hear his teacher.
"Richard!" She called again loudly. Her voice caused Dick to jump, his book world dissolved. Some of his classmates giggled and ebony haired boy blushed.
"Yes Miss McCormick?" He asked, embarrassed.
"You're being picked up early today. They're waiting for you at the main office."
Dick was slightly confused by this information. Bruce hadn't said anything about leaving school early. In fact, the millionaire was at a business meeting several hours away. Even if he had been in town, Bruce only takes Richard out early in moments of extreme necessity. As in, Robin is completely necessary.
The nine year old didn't say any of this to his teacher (not like he could anyway). Instead, he gathered his belongings and exited the classroom. As he made his way to the main office, Dick could hear familiar voices talking loudly.
"Mr. Stark I don't think it is appropriate for you to take Richard out of class." Richard heard Headmaster Hull say, "You are not on Mr. Wayne's list of emergency contacts, and you have not been named one of Richard's guardians."
Dick wasn't sure if he was hearing things. The boy had no idea why Uncle Tony would be at his school. Then again, he was trained by Batman. Richard knew he had a keen sense of hearing. He finally entered the office and was slightly surprised to see Tony Stark debating with the headmaster of the school.
"Uncle Tony?" Dick uttered in a confused tone. The grown men in the room stopped arguing when they heard the nine year old.
"Hey kiddo." Tony smiled at his favorite ebony haired boy.
"Uncle Tony, what're you doing here?" the child asked. Tony smirked at the principal upon hearing the term uncle.
"Bruce wanted me to pick you up." Tony lied.
"But he's at a meeting in Connecticut." Richard stated. Headmaster Hull crossed his arms when he heard this.
"Correction, he was at a meeting in Connecticut. It finished early and Bruce said he has a surprise for you that just couldn't wait."
"If that's so, Mr. Stark," Headmaster Hull started, "Then why isn't Mr. Wayne here to pick Richard up himself?"
"He's on his way back from Connecticut." Tony lied smoothly, "If I pick up Richard now, it'll save time for Bruce."
Headmaster Hull didn't seem convinced.
"Why didn't Mr. Wayne call and notify us of this arrangement?" he asked.
"Listen Mister..."Tony trailed.
"Hull." Headmaster Hull supplied.
"Ah yes, Mr. Hull. You've been headmaster for what, two years?"
"Three years, Mr. Stark."
"Yes, well Mr. Hull, I don't know if you realize just how busy Bruce is. In fact, I'm pretty busy myself, running a multi-billion dollar corporation."
"Mr. Stark I realize that-"
"Not to mention that Bruce and I are Gotham Academy alumni that sponsor quite a number of this school's programs." Tony added.
Headmaster Hull's eyes widened slightly before he composed himself.
"That being so," he began, "You still do not have the proper permission to take Richard out of the campus."
"Headmaster Hull?" Dick piped in.
"Yes Richard?"
"Uncle Tony is one of my guardians. He's my uncle." The nine year old pointed out.
"But his name isn't on the-"
"Look Mr. Hull," Tony cuts in, "Feel free to call Bruce and ask him about my permission to pick up Richard. Just know that you'll also have to explain why his son is still in the building, even though I've been here for nearly a half hour."
At this, Headmaster Hull seemed to accept defeat. He let out a deep sigh and said, "Very well, Mr. Stark. You and Richard may go. I wish you safe travels."
"It's been a pleasure Mr. Hull." Tony smirked and looked at the boy, "You ready to head out with your Uncle Tony?"
Dick rolled his eyes at his immature guardian.
"Have a nice day, Headmaster Hull!" he called as he and Tony exited the office.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
"So you spent a half hour at my school and made up that entire story just to get me to go to the movies?" Richard asked incredulously. He was now in the passenger seat of Tony's Lamborghini.
"Consider yourself lucky, kid." Tony responded.
"So Bruce is still in Connecticut?"
"Yup, and he'll be there until later tonight."
"And he doesn't know I'm with you right now." The boy stated.
"Brucie doesn't need to know everything." Tony retorted.
"Doesn't that make this kidnapping?"
"Kidnapping?" Tony snorted, "It's not kidnapping if I'm your uncle."
Dick wanted to point out that Tony wasn't really his uncle, he was just labeled as one, and even if he were it would still be considered kidnapping. But instead, the boy leaned his elbow against the car's open window, something Bruce never let him do.
"Hey kid," Tony said, "We're gonna have fun. If you keep being all serious you'll end up like Bruce."
"What's wrong with being like Bruce?" Dick asked, sitting up straighter.
"Nothing if you wanna be a stiff-necked kill-joy."
"I'm not a kill-joy." The nine year old defended.
"Then relax. We're gonna go to the movies, you'll get to eat whatever you want, and I'll even take you to the arcade or something. Heck I'll even buy you an arcade. Uncle Tony's gonna take good care of you."
With each word Tony spoke, Dick's smile grew wider. He amused by his "uncle's" ideas and decided that what Bruce didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
"Okay, Uncle Tony." He said, still smiling. Tony threw one fist in the air in triumph.
"What movie are we watching?" Dick asked.
"Wreck-It Ralph." Tony answered smugly.
"I already saw that."
Tony slammed on the brakes. The Lamborghini jerked forward and stopped in the middle of the road.
"You what?" the billionaire asked exasperatedly.
"I saw Wreck-It Ralph with Wally and Roy when it first premiered."
Other vehicles began to pile up behind the Lamborghini. There was loud honking and drivers were yelling harsh words that shouldn't be repeated, but Tony ignored them all.
"You saw Wreck-It Ralph?" Tony asked in disbelief, he hadn't planned on this. Dick only nodded in confirmation.
"Well," Tony composed himself, "That's okay. You can watch it again."
"But Uncle Tony I-"
"It's a good movie right?" Tony cut the boy off.
"Yeah but-"
"Then you should have no problem watching it again." Tony pressed his foot on the accelerator, rushing away from the mob of angry drivers that had been forming. Dick seemed confused, but Tony didn't care. He would watch Wreck-It Ralph no matter what.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
It was unsurprising for everyone to stare at the slightly odd duo entering the Cineplex outside of Gotham. Since it was early afternoon on a weekday there were few children in the theater. The entertainment hot spot was full of elderly women, young couples, and teenagers skipping school. The people who stared were Gothamites who knew Richard's face well or gossip-addicts who religiously read tabloids on Tony's personal life.
The pair made their way to the ticket booth where a giggly long-haired blonde was working. Her blue eyes had a playful gleam and her perfectly straight teeth formed a wide, white smile. She had a nametag that read 'Tiffany.'
"What can I get you, Mr. Stark, sir?" Tiffany asked cheerily.
Ah, a fan, Tony thought.
"Two tickets to Wreck-It-Ralph. One child, one adult." Tony answered, adding just a bit of his Stark charm. Tiffany slid two freshly printed tickets through a slot in the Plexiglas.
"Here you go. The next showing doesn't start for a half hour."
"Thank you, Tiffany." Tony grabbed the tickets and winked at the teen. She blushed and giggled in response.
"Enjoy your movie, Mr. Stark."
Since they had a half hour, Tony spent the next fifteen minutes watching Dick play Guitar Hero and Dance, Dance, Dance Revolution. The boy smiled at the end of each game, breaking high scores for both. A small crowd had gathered, took photos, and applauded his performance. The pair then made their way to a photo booth where they spent five minutes taking an array of silly, serious, and creative pictures.
Tony collected the memories in the form of two strips of Xerox paper, while Dick ran to the line at the concession stand. The nine year old ordered large popcorn, nachos, Sno-caps, Sour Patch Kids, Twizzlers, M&M's, a soft pretzel, and a large cherry Slurpee. Tony did say that Dick could eat whatever he wanted after all.
"Are you going to get anything, Uncle Tony?" he asked, earning a wide eyed stared from the employee working the concession stand and a small chuckle from the billionaire paying for everything.
"I'll take a medium-sized popcorn and a large root beer." Tony ordered.
He had to help Dick carry his snacks to theater 7 where the duo sat smack in the middle of the theater. Not many people were seated since most of the target audience was still in school. This would make the experience much more enjoyable, Tony thought.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
The film was nearly over and Tony was on the edge of his seat. It had been a great movie so far. Tony loved the bad guy wanting to go good plot and he loved the threat of cy-bugs. The twist with Turbo being the true villain was to die for. The concept of the movie alone caught Tony's attention. It was like Toy Story only in arcade mode, and all the cameos of old video game classics were very nostalgic. Tony just couldn't wait to see what happened between Fix-It Felix Jr. and Calhoun. The billionaire had quickly joined that ship and would demand a sequel if the two weren't together by the end. He was on feel overdrive.
Richard had been enjoying the movie almost as much as the first time. It was whimsical, colorful, and was about arcade games, what nine year old wouldn't enjoy it? But if Dick was being honest, Uncle Tony was slightly embarrassing. The playboy had a good poker face but Richard could hear the man whispering to himself and gasping when something surprising occurred. The man had a death grip on the armrests for crying out loud! Thankfully, the few other people in the theater were not nearly as perceptive as Richard. Everyone had tried to sit close to the famous duo and Richard really hoped no one would notice what a fanboy his uncle was. As Calhoun picked up Fix-It Felix and kissed him square on the lips, the nine year old could hear Tony whisper "Yes!" and lean closer to the screen. Richard sank into his seat, thinking of the commotion his Uncle Tony would cause when Calhoun and Felix got married at the end.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
At the end of the film, Tony jumped out of his seat and clapped.
"Oh God no." Richard whispered to himself. When Tony noticed the other people staring, he cleared his throat and composed himself.
"What a fine use and display of graphic art and computer designing. The advancement of technology is truly amazing. I say, Stark Industries has got to invest in the animated business." The billionaire said as professionally as he could.
"Nice save." Richard uttered as people began to exit the theater.
"What're you talking about, kid?" Tony asked, poker face in place.
"Oh nothing, Uncle Tony." The boy said simply.
"You hungry?"
"Not really."
"Well how about we get some ice cream at Adorno's?" Tony suggested, even though the nine year old had consumed a large amount of junk food (and hadn't even finished his nachos or Twizzlers).
"Sure, I love Adorno's!" Richard said, previous embarrassment forgotten.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Tony dropped Richard off at Wayne Manor at 3:45, not much later than when the boy usually gets home.
"Thanks for the fun day, Uncle Tony." Dick said as he opened the car door.
"No problem, kid. Just remember that our little day trip stays between us, capiche?" Tony reminded.
"Capiche."
"Good, now get out of my car." Richard rolled his eyes at his uncle's brash manor.
"Bye, Uncle Tony."
Once he was sure the boy entered the mansion, Tony sped off. He was excited to get back to his office. Wreck-It Ralph had been exactly what he needed. His expansive mind was full of ideas. A story about the shenanigans of Ralph and Vanellope, a deep one-shot about Ralph's life after the film (which would be titled "There's No One I'd Rather Be Than Me), a story about the mysterious return of Turbo, an action fic about a virus infiltration that would emulate a zombie apocalypse, and few other ideas. But his priority at the moment was a chapter-fic on Fix-It Felix and Calhoun. A witty, dramatic, and saucy story of their marriage. It would be a hit, Tony was sure. He just wanted to get to his office and write the first chapter of "That Dynamite Glow." The playboy found his word play on two of Felix's phrases quite amusing. If only there wasn't such a traffic jam as he entered New York City.
"I should've flown over there." Tony muttered as he honked at a BMW crawling in front of him.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
The next day, Tony was sitting in his office. He had just returned from a board meeting that he could hardly bear. Now with his Starkbook open in front of him, the playboy was contently typing away. He had posted the first chapter of "That Dynamite Glow" the night before and already had a handful of followers and 5 reviews. He had just finished chapter 2 and was about to upload it to his Doc Manager when there was a knock at the door.
"Yes?" Tony asked slightly annoyed. Pepper cracked the door open. At the sight of the red headed women, Tony quickly minimized the window.
"Hey Pep, I was just about to read those proposals you gave me this morning." He lied.
"Think it can wait a little bit?" Pepper asked, "You have guest."
"A guest? Who is it?" Tony wondered. Pepper opened the door completely, revealing this mysterious guest. Tony closed his laptop.
"Bruce, what brings you here? I don't recall us discussing a business matter." Tony said coolly.
"I'm actually not here on official business. This is a personal matter." Bruce said sternly. Pepper looked back and forth between the two billionaires, wondering what was going on.
"Okay then, Pepper, mind giving us a little privacy?" Tony asked.
"Oh of course." The red head exited the office and shut the door behind her.
"So what is it you wanna talk about exactly?" Tony eyed his companion.
"You know; normally when I go out of town for a business trip, nothing out of the ordinary happens. Richard goes to school, does homework, Alfred watches over him, crime isn't too out hand." Bruce begins pacing around the room. Tony notices something rolled up in Bruce's hand.
"What does this have to do with me?"
"Imagine my surprise his morning, when I find my secretary reading this." Bruce shows Tony what he's been holding. It was a Gotham tabloid with Tony and Richard on the cover. They were high-fiving; Tony deduced that the photo must have been taken after Dick had beaten the high score to Guitar Hero. The cover read "A Day with Uncle Tony."
"Brucie c'mon that is obviously photoshopped." Tony defended.
"Really? Because, Dick's school called to let me know what he missed after he was picked up yesterday." Bruce stated, "And this fell out of his jacket this morning."
Tony found himself looking at the photos that he and Richard had taken before the movie.
"Well you see…that school really needs to step it up. I mean c'mon, they let me take him." Tony argued.
"Why must you do these things, Stark?" Bruce asked rhetorically, "You took my son out of school so you could take him to the movies?"
"Well…yeah."
"And you couldn't do this on a weekend where you had my permission?"
"That's boring, you know I like to be spontaneous, Brucie."
Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Look Stark, if you wanna spend time with my son, let me know. Don't pull him out of school when I'm out of town and have him lie about it."
"Got it, Brucie. It won't ever happen again." Tony claimed.
"Oh I know it's not. Because if it does, Iron Man is going to have a tough time using his armor." Bruce intimidatingly stated.
"Aw, Brucie, you're threatening me?"
"I mean it Stark. This is my son we're talking about." Bruce said seriously.
"I know, I know. Sheesh, I won't do it again."
"Good, now if you'll excuse me, I have important matters to tend to."
"See you the 18th." Tony said.
"Unfortunately." Bruce responded as he exited.
Tony let out a deep sigh. He couldn't believe his plan fell apart so easily. Next time, he'd be more careful. There are plenty of theaters outside of Gotham. Bruce won't ever have to worry about seeing his son on the cover of tabloid again…at least not with Tony in the same picture.
Suddenly an idea came to the billionaire. He opened up a document simply labeled "FI." The Word document was a list of fic ideas that Tony came up with. He quickly added his most recent thought.
"Ralph takes Felix and Calhoun's son on a daytrip. Shenanigans ensue…why didn't I think of this before?" Tony asked himself excitedly. This fandom was sure last.
Hope you guys liked it. Again sorry for the wait. I know that Cheyenne and I have been iffy with the updating, but since school's over now we'll be updating more often, promise! So just bear with us please. Reviews are very much appreciated! Thanks for reading!
~Miss Walls