Chapter Text
So maybe the whole ‘get me an education now’ thing hadn’t been totally thought out. And really who could blame him. It wasn’t like any of this was planned. Like, at all.
The best education money could buy would, as explained by Stark, mean he had to catch up over the next two months and start while others were half way through their year. So, it was a lot. A year and half out of school and adding the fact that the education he had he had gotten in bum-fuck no-where Tennessee he was behind to say it mildly. Not that it was going to stop him from becoming the best in the whole goddamn school.
Harley did some research about the school Stark said he would try getting him into. It was a stem school, with different engineering classes; as well as chemistry, biology, mathematics, physics and some other stuff sprinkled in. It was a fairly large school and the classrooms were without comparison. He would have to excel at at least one subject if he was going to get in, no matter how much money Stark got.
Actually talking to Stark wasn’t something he had done. Not since the last info dump. The only contact he had to others at the moment was FRIDAY. Food was left outside his door and sometimes he heard loud voices down the hall. Then again it had only been a week since Spider-Man took him to the tower.
He had asked FRIDAY to compile a list of everything he needed to learn and look for apartment and jobs close to the school Stark had in mind. FRIDAY had done the last two things but was making a test so they could see what he actually knew already. That way he wouldn’t need to go through unnecessary subjects.
“Sir, what languages do you want to be tested in?” the voice from the ceiling asked.
“Uhm, I mean, uh, I know a little Russian, German, ASL and, uhm Norwegian... I guess you could test me in those.” The talking to the ceiling part wasn’t so weird, it was the whole can’t see the speakers that got him a little freaked.
“The test will be ready in an hour, I recommend eating before we start. Would you like me to show you the way to the kitchen?”
“...”
“You are currently the only one in the tower”
“Okay FRI, show me the way.”
FRIDAY showed him the way by flicking on lights as he walked. It was eerily quiet as he walked. The only sound that could be heard was a low humming of the lights and every other electronic device around him. Even the padding of his socked feet was muted. As he came closer to the kitchen he walked with his head down. Ony now realizing he hadn’t changed or showered in a week the happiness of being alone grew. No matter how little he wanted to do with these people he didn’t want them to see him like this either.
The kitchen was bigger than he expected, which didn’t surprise him that much. Everything except the toaster was high-tech and the newest of new. Judging by the dent in the floor in front of where the toaster stood, he could guess why.
The electronic calendar on the fridge told Harley the date of today and the time. November 14, 2.37 pm. He opened the fridge trying not to chew on those numbers.
The last time Haley had seen so many berries was when he helped old Kent harvest them the summer he turned 12. Oatmeal with berries it was, or as his mother would have said ‘That’s more like berries with oatmeal, Hun’.
It took him maybe half an hour to fix and eat his little meal.
“How long till the tests ready FRI?”
“20 more minutes, sir”
“... are there any clothes that might fit me here”
“If my calculations on your body type are correct there might be some clothes in a panel. I will lead you to them”
Having someone answer that in a sentence where they use the word body type was how Harley was going to get body issues, he was sure of it. However, he nodded and FRIDAY started to turn on lights to guide him again. After walking for maybe a minute a panel a little in front of him on the right opened. Inside it looked like any teenagers really small closet. Maybe a few to many shirts with science puns, but otherwise very normal.
Harley grabbed some of it and asked FRIDAY to show him back to his room. The way back wasn’t hard and he might have been able to find it himself, but it would just be too embarrassing to get lost; even if he was alone at the moment.
The shower he took in the bathroom, which was in his room, was at least 20 minutes long. It had been so long since he could use that long in a shower; it was heaven. Going back laying on the bed he felt ready.
“Okay FRI, shall we start the test?”
“If you feel ready, sir”
“I do”
“There is a pen and notepad in your bedside drawer if you need. We will go start with social sciences, history, geography and economics. Next subject will be science, this includes biology and chemistry. There will not be any experiments in this part, but if you would like and feel comfortable with that on a later date, we can do it in mister Starks personal lab. Next part of your test in English. As might know here I will test you in literature and composition amongst other things. The last national mandatory one is mathematics. Here we will go through statistics, geometry, calculus and algebra. For you to cover more ground we will then move on to first-aid, nutrition, sexuality and drug awareness. Here you will get a little presentation before you answer questions. Art, foreign language and physical education are all mandatory at most schools you might be sent to so we will cover this as well. I will test you in all the languages you have mentioned and art. We might do some physical tests after we have checked on your physical health.”
“That is a lot,” Harley let out a long breath, “okay, ehm, let’s get started?”
The test took him four hours. With each subject FRIDAY had started out easy and built up to the harder questions. It was weird kind of fun. All though not doing anything with his hands was frustrating using his brain so much had been refreshing.
The 30 minute nap he took after was well deserved too.
“Friday... is anyone back yet?”
“You are still the only one here, however, many are on their way back here.”
“... will you let me back inn if I go outside for a moment?”
“Certainly”
It was time to go get his stuff. If it wasn’t already stolen that is.
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November air in New York was chilly, even chillier when you just had a t-shirt. Harley quietly ducked unto the sidewalk and started walking towards where he had left the backpack. He stopped for a second when he heard a camera, but shook his head and continued. This was New York after all, people took pictures of everything.
He carefully looked around before he slipped into the alley where his back still was. Deciding it would look weird if anyone saw him roaming through the backpack in an alley, he walked to the park nearby. Bryant park was quiet at this time, a few people walking their dogs and others running. Sitting under a lamp he started to go through it. He ignored the sounds of a camera yet again, but questioned how they got any good pictures in the dark. It seemed like everything was there, if there was anything missing it wasn’t important enough to remember.
Harley got up from where he was sitting and started walking toward the public library. He hadn’t been far away, but not feeling like going back just yet and feeling to restless to keep where he was made him move. He stood just staring up at the massive building for a minute before climbing up a few steps and sitting down again. His mind wandered, but not for long. The Iron Man suit came flying towards him and hovered a little above ground when it stopped. Dreading whatever came next Harley gave a little wave. In the back of his mind he swore he heard a camera again, but ignored it.
“Hey”
“Hey? Hey is all you got? You have been gone for over an hour and told no one where you were going! It is late and dark and you decided this was the time to sneak out?”
“I didn’t sneak out! I told FRIDAY! And as you might know, THERE WAS NOBODY IN THE TOWER!”
Iron Man lifted the mask and freed a hand from the suit so he could drag it over his face.
“Harley, you could at least have said where you were going.” Stark was much calmer now.
“I didn’t know when you would be back... You have been gone like all day and you didn’t write a note. Besides, dad, I had to get my stuff.”
“Your stuff? What stuff?”
“You know, like, my money and shit”
“Where did you get that money?”
“None of your business old man”
“Have you done anything illegal I need to know about?”
Harley didn’t give an answer to that just started walking back to the tower. He heard Stark sigh behind him before he got picked up and they were flying. When they arrived Harley strode back to his room.
The next day there was no breakfast outside his door so he walked into the kitchen. Stark sat there with a coffee, pancakes in front of him. He gestured for Harley to sit town.
“I heard you took the test FRIDAY put together yesterday.” Harley only nodded.
“She is getting someone to look at your answers as we speak...” There was an awkward silence, but just as Stark was about to continue James Rhodes came in to the kitchen carrying a newspaper.
“Tony, what the hell is this?”
“A newspaper?”
“I know that. I mean the main headline.”
Harley and Stark started reading.
‘TONY STARK HAS A SON AND HE MIGHT BE SELLING YOUR KIDS DRUGS’
“That’s so not true, I would never touch drugs” Harley said at the same time as Stark said
“He is not my son, believe me, we all know that!”