Chapter Text
It had been five years, Tony surmised. Five years since... everything. Since he woke up just knowing that he was... more than Jerry “Tony” Kent (later, he would hear from his parents that the nickname came as he demanded to be called that as a toddler and would not answer to anything else), and was actually Tony Stark. All his life, he had been living in a small corner in Florida, and finally, finally, he managed to get himself a scholarship out of this place. He could go to his house in New York, and find Morgan, Pepper, Rhodey, Peter, Happy...
“Tony, did you pack your luggage? Is everything ready?” his mother called out. He could hear footsteps approaching.
Tony leapt up from his bed, slamming his computer shut. “I’m ready, Mom!”
The door opened, and his mother’s head stuck in and looked around. Her eyes lingered on the now-clean shelves and table, seemingly seeing invisible ghosts of the past. “I can’t get over how strange it is, seeing your room so empty,” she said with a wistful smile.
“I know,” Tony replied, pushing his computer into the bag. “I’ll be back next year for summer vacation, Mom. You’re acting like I’ll never come back again.”
“Tony...” she said, her brow furrowed slightly. She closed the door and sat down next to him, a strange smile on her face. He looked at her, an eyebrow raised questioningly. “Tell me the truth.”
“About what?”
“Will I... Will I expect to see you back next summer?” she asked, her voice shaking slightly despite her smile.
Tony frowned. “Of course, I will, Mom. Why wouldn’t I come back? Where else would I go?”
For some reason, his mother brightened up at his words considerably, relief washing over her face. She pulled him into a hug, patting his head like she used to when he was a kid. Normally Tony would insist this was too childish and break away, but he was so confused that he just let her. “Mom, you’re acting strangely.”
“I thought... I thought you’d want to live with your old family.”
Old family? Tony tore himself from her hug and gave her a look. “I’m adopted?” he asked, stunned.
She herself seemed even more surprised by that. “Of course not, son! I meant...” she trailed off again. “You know, the Avengers.”
Tony leapt to his feet in alarm, his panic immediately triggered. Years of sneaking around and trying to hide the truth, and... this? “Wh-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
His mother, to his surprise, remained relatively calm as she continued, “You’re a smart kid, Tony. Don’t be ridiculous. You know perfectly well what I’m talking about.”
“Sir, according to my calculations, it is better for you to tell your mother the truth,” a metallic voice called out. Tony groaned, burying his face in his hands.
“What did I say, J.A.R.V.I.S. 2.0? No speaking when there’s someone else around. Mute,” he snapped at his bag irritably. He turned back to his mother in what he hoped was a winning smile, but all he met was an I-caught-you look. “Listen, it’s not like what it seems...”
“Listen to your computer,” his mother said, seeming slightly amused by the turn of events. “And tell your mother the truth.”
Tony sighed. “You’re right, whatever you’re thinking. How did you find out?” he asked, plopping himself back onto the bed like a floppy tuna.
“I may be no genius scientist, but I am no idiot,” she replied, wrinkling her nose at the idea, “I’d remind you I have a PhD in...”
“Mom,” Tony reminded impatiently, “You were saying?”
“You had PTSD when you were little. Your father and I brought you to all sorts of child psychiatrists. You’d cry for a ‘Pepper’, ‘Morgan’, and mumble ‘I am Iron Man’,” she said gently. “After a quick Starksearch, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out what’s going on.”
Tony bit his lip. “Mom, I never meant to lie to you,” he admitted in a low voice.
“I know, son. I just don’t get something- why didn’t you get a ticket to New York the moment you remembered everything?”
Tony looked at her, startled. “Did you truly believe I would just leave you just like that?” he exclaimed, his mouth agape. She just smiled back at him sadly. “I would never!”
“If you reclaim your identity as Tony Stark, you have access to so much- so much more opportunities and chances. You can fulfil your dreams, Tony, to be a mechanic,” she replied earnestly.
“No,” Tony said resolutely, shaking his head. “I’ve lived a life of all that already. I don’t need to become the most famous mechanic- I can just be a modest one in our corner of the country. A simple life. The reason I decided to take the internship to Midtown High was so I could check on everyone I kno-used to know, Mom. Just visit them, that’s all.”
“You’re lying.”
Tony gasped. “No, I’m not!”
“Okay maybe not lying, but you’re hiding something. That’s not your real reason, isn’t it?”
Tony bit his lip. “Sometimes I wish you didn’t have a PhD in psychology,” he muttered sheepishly.
“You’re deflecting,” she reminded.
“Mooooom,” Tony groaned. “Oh fine. I just... I just felt... you deserved a normal kid, you know. Both you and Dad. I didn’t want to take it away from you.”
“Oh, Tony...” his mother said, reaching forward to give him a hug. “How could you say that? You’re not taking anything away from us. You’re just adding more people who love you. More people that you love. And that adds to our happiness, because all we want is for you to be happy. You’ll always be my little boy, Tony, no matter how smart you are.”
“Mom,” Tony whispered, leaning into the embrace, “Thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me,” she answered, “Just take care of yourself, okay? Have fun at the New Avengers House.”
Tony broke from the hug abruptly. “Who said anything about the New Avengers House? I’ll find a nearby apartment to rent.”
“Sure you are,” his mother replied patronisingly, giving him a wry look. “We’ll see.”