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Chapter Text

“So, are you ready for your presentation at the Expo?” Tony asked as soon as Peter entered the lab.

The boy bounced in placed for a moment before rushing over and hugging the life out of Tony (mindful of his strength, of course).

“Mr Stark, oh my god! It’s so exciting! I can’t believe I’m going to be there! It’s going to be so awesome! Like, it’s the most amazing thing ever! Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Tony chuckled and patted the kid on the back. “Hey, don’t thank me. It’s your project. I didn’t do anything.” He really hadn’t. While he had been sorely tempted to approve Peter’s project for the Expo just because it was Peter, Tony had refrained for various reasons. One, he didn’t think the boy would appreciate the preferential treatment; no doubt he would want to be recognized by his own merit rather than because he was friends with Tony. Two, it wouldn’t be fair to all the other people who had submitted projects; everyone deserved a fair shot. Three, Tony actually didn’t have much to do with that aspect of the Expo, and he didn’t want to be accused of any sort of bias anyway. He had left the selection process to the panel that had been chosen for that purpose and was concentrating on the bigger things, which included the big companies presenting their stuff and Tony’s own projects.

“Yeah, sure,” Peter replied, looking skeptical.

“I mean it. I had nothing to do with that decision. You got in on your own, kiddo.”

Peter’s smile got even wider, which Tony hadn’t realized was even possible. “Really? Oh, wow.”

“Why are you surprised? You’re brilliant, Peter. Anyway, congratulations!”

“Thanks, Mr Stark,” Peter said with a bashful grin. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I told you, I didn’t do anything.”

“No, I mean… Just… You know, being so nice and… Letting me intern with you and all.”

“You’re a great kid who’s going to go far, Peter. Why wouldn’t I want you to intern with me? Plus I like hanging out with you.”

Now the kid was blushing and fidgeting awkwardly, so Tony figured it was best to move on. There was no need to make the boy too self-conscious.

“Thanks for the opportunity anyway. I’m really looking forward to the Expo. It’s going to be great! Everyone at school is really psyched about it. And we really want to see whatever your secret presentation is going to be.” Peter turned on the puppy eyes. “Can’t you even give me a hint about it? It is Iron Man-related? I promise I won’t yell anyone.”

Tony laughed. “Sorry, kid, no hints. You’re gonna have to wait like everyone else.”

There were three special projects that Tony was going to unveil at the Expo. There had been very little said about them in the press, since they wanted to build up as much hype as possible. Despite numerous requests to give a sneak preview to his followers at Stark Talk, Tony had remained tight-lipped. As far as publicity campaigns went, one could call this one a massive success. The ticket sales for the Expo had already surpassed their wildest expectations, and Pepper was absolutely thrilled (as was Tony, of course).

For the past couple of months, Tony had been talking about the Expo a lot in Stark Talk, and had shared quite a few backstage pictures as everything was being set up, as well as short video segments done by the SI Marketing Department to show off the event. A month ago he had launched a contest on the channel that would get winners an all-expenses-paid trip to New York and the Expo, which had resulted in thousands of submissions.

It was still a little overwhelming sometimes to think of all the support he had these days. People weren’t just watching his videos to be cool or whatever; they actually liked him.

“Come on, Peter. There’s something I want to show you.”

Again, Peter lit up like a Christmas tree, bouncing in place with undisguised enthusiasm. God, to be that young… Tony kinda envied him a little. At Peter’s age, Tony had been going through some pretty awful stuff, and in hindsight, he could admit that he had handled it badly. It wasn’t his fault, of course. He had been a kid, and the adults in his life (namely Stane) hadn’t really had his best interest in mind.

But Tony didn’t want to dwell on the past. As much as it had hurt to discover the truth about his parents’ death, it had also allowed him to finally deal with his grief (and his misplaced anger at his father) and move on. While the process might have been painful, it was necessary. Now he could focus on the present, and all the great things he had going for him.

Having Peter in his life was wonderful, and more and more Tony had been thinking that parenthood might be something he would actually want to do – and something he might not completely suck at after all.

He hardly noticed the hours passing, both he and Peter enjoying themselves with projects and discussions, until Friday announced that it was almost 6 pm.

“You want to stay for dinner, Peter?” Tony asked, not quite ready to let the kid go. “I mean, if your aunt says it’s okay.”

“Yeah! I mean, if it’s not too much bother.”

May had no problem with her nephew staying, so Tony and the kid headed up to the penthouse. Tony considered ordering food, but he felt like cooking tonight. Contrary to popular belief, he was actually perfectly capable of making a meal, though he rarely did. Not because he didn’t like to cook, but simply because it took time that he usually preferred to spend doing other things. With Peter here, though, it would be fun.

They examined the fridge and pantry to decide what to make, and settled on pasta with mushroom sauce. There was easy conversation as they talked and worked, and soon dinner was ready.

Pepper had been in Malibu for the past few days on SI business, so Tony had been a bit lonely. Since they had decided to start their relationship again, they had made it a point to have time to actually spend together doing regular couple things, such as eating together (either at home or at a restaurant),  watching TV or having ‘date night’. Unfortunately, their busy schedules occasionally made that a little harder, especially now with the Expo only a few weeks away.

“Thanks for today, Mr Stark. I had a great time,” Peter said after dinner had been eaten and everything cleaned.

“Me too, kid. Do you want me to take you home?”

“No, no, that’s not necessary. I’ll take the subway, it’s no big deal.”

“Have you thought about getting a car?” Tony asked, trying for casual. He had been considering giving the kid a car for his next birthday, but was worried that it might be a bit… too much. He would admit to not being the best at judging such things.

“Ah, no no, that’s… Way too much work. My uncle had a car and he sold it ‘cause he couldn’t deal with all the traffic.”

Well, that was true. Traffic in New York was pretty shitty sometimes. There was a reason Tony sometimes took the suit to get places, and it wasn’t because he liked to show off (though there was a bit of that too – he was also aware that people liked to spot him and try to take pictures. It had become something of a New Yorker’s pastime).

Tony hummed in reply and walked the kid to the elevator. Looked like he was going to have to come up with another idea for a birthday gift.

“Night, Mr Stark.”

“Good night, Peter. Let me know when you get home, ok?” It was silly to worry, probably. Peter had superpowers, after all, he could take care of himself.

“Sure,” the kid replied with a shy little smile.

Once he was gone, Tony stood in his empty living room and wondered what it would be like to have an actual kid. He was warming up to the idea more and more, and he thought Pepper might be too.

“Fri, call Pepper.” Even though he’d talked to her yesterday, he still missed her.

“Hey,” she said, and Tony could hear the smile in her voice.

“Hey, yourself. How’s everything going?”

“Good. I should be getting back tomorrow afternoon. I thought we could order some dinner and have a quiet night in. But not that quiet.”

Tony grinned. “It’s a date.”

God, he loved her. And it was high time he did something about it – he already had the ring, all he had to do now was actually pop the question. He was thinking after the Expo would be the best time, since things were just too hectic right now, for both of them.

He couldn’t wait.

*****

“Hello, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Stark Talk! We are two weeks away from the Stark Expo, and I cannot tell you how excited I am about it! This year it’s going to be absolutely awesome!

“A lot of people have been asking if the presentations will be streamed for the people who can’t attend in person, and the answer is yes. Not all of it will be streamed live, but most will. You can find more information on schedules and everything on our official website. And there will be a surprise feature by yours truly on the first Sunday, which will be broadcast live for the whole world. I’m really pumped for it, you guys. Like, totally psyched. So much so that it’s driving Pepper a little crazy.” He gave the camera a rueful grin.

Unlike the last Expo, this year’s edition was only going to be a four-week event. There would be a big opening on the first Friday in June, and then it go on for another three week-ends. There would be exhibitions every day, but the special features and attractions were going to be on the weekends, to give more people the chance to attend.

Ticket were mostly sold out now, but there were still a few left that people could try to get through a sort of lottery system once the event began. Aside from all the tech stuff, they had booked musical attractions and even a special documentary about SI that was scheduled to premiere one the second Saturday of the Expo. Tony was looking forward to that one, since he hadn’t yet seen the finished product.

Tony had worked really hard to have the coolest stuff to show. One of them was the new braces he had initially developed for Rhodey. After a bit more work, he had come up with a model that could be more easily customized to help people with all sorts of mobility issues. It was still a long way away from being ready for actual production, since it still required a lot of testing, but Tony knew it was going to be hugely helpful for a lot of people. There was also a new Arc Reactor model that he hoped would eventually replace the need for fossil-based fuels. SI had already partnered up with a couple of big hospitals in the US to test the reactor. It would cut down on the need for back-up generators, since it would make the hospitals’ energy source self-sustained – and off the regular electrical grid, ensuring more reliable power at all times.

Lastly, he was going to do another – proper – presentation of the BARF tech. He had put it aside after the Civil War business, as it came to have some bad associations for him, but it was time to get back to it. There were a lot of possible applications for it, and Tony wanted to attract more potential partners to work with him on it.

Besides those presentations, Tony had decided to also do something else at the Expo, and it was going to be a lot of fun.

“So, here’s what we’re gonna do: there will be a guessing contest! That’s right, you guys will have the chance to guess what my mystery feature will be. And this is in addition to the presentations I have lined up. Obviously I won’t announce the winner until the Expo’s opening, but that lucky person or persons will receive special prizes. So check out the link to vote in the description here or at the Expo website and all my social media accounts.

“And no, I will not give any hints. You have to guess. So good luck to you all!”

Tony grinned and bounced in his seat a little like an overexcited kid. Then he settled himself a bit to get on with the recording.

“Onto other matters now. Oh, I forgot to say. We’re doing a Q&A episode today.

“Question 1, from Yukio in Tokyo, Japan. She asks: ‘what happened to Spider-Man?’

“Well, guys, Spider-Man is taking a break to focus on his own life.” Tony had talked to Peter about this, of course, and they had agreed that they had to say something about Spider-Man and his disappearance. “I know a lot of people have been wondering why he hasn’t joined the Avengers officially after that whole Civil War business, since he was there in Germany. The thing is, Spider-Man has other responsibilities with are his priorities at the moment – and rightly so. This superhero stuff is complicated and dangerous, and no one should get into it without a full understanding of what it is. He wants to do his part to help protect the world, but that isn’t possible for him right now.” There was no need to mention that he was a kid, so Tony was being as vague as possible while not actually lying. “In any case, he is very touched by people’s concern about him since he fell off the grid. Let me assure you that he is perfectly fine – just pursuing other interests. I’m sure he’ll be back eventually, and I for one will be delighted to have him on the team – though of course he’ll have to be approved by the Accords committee first, and that is a bit of a longish process.”

Part of Tony was hoping that Peter would decide not to go on being Spider-Man, since it meant putting himself at risk, but he knew that was pretty unlikely. The kid was far too nice and conscientious to just walk away. His sense of responsibility and desire to help were genuine, and all Tony could really hope for was to give him all the protection he needed when the time finally came for him to put the mask on again.

“Question 2, from Phillippe in Lyon, France: ‘What languages do you speak and why did you learn them?’

“Hmm, let’s see. My mother was from Italian descent, so I learned Italian from her when I was a kid. I don’t have much occasion to speak it now, but that one is dear to me because it always reminds me of her. She would sing me Italian lullabies when I was a little kid, and I loved the sound of her voice and the melodic language. Then in school I learned French and Spanish, because I figured they would be easy enough as I already knew Italian, and they are all Latin-derived languages. So I can speak those pretty well. In college, I took German and Arabic, because… you know, what the hell, right? I wanted a challenge. I only did one semester of Arabic, though, so I don’t really know much. Mostly I remember a few words and phrases and that’s about it. I did better with German. I wouldn’t say I’m fluent, but I can understand and speak a little bit. Later on, I learned Japanese, because I figured it would be useful for business. Can’t read worth a damn, but I can understand and speak a little; enough to get by, at least. And that’s about it, I guess.

“Even though English is the lingua franca of the world, I think it’s useful to know other languages as well. Americans can be a bit lazy when it comes to that, and it’s a pity. I can’t tell you the number of times people were surprised that I knew French or Spanish, just because they assumed that, as an American, I wouldn’t have bothered to learn anything other than English. Granted, that happened  mostly when I was younger, but still. Step up, Americans! If you have the opportunity, you should definitely try to learn a foreign language, whichever one it is. Aside from making communication easier, it’s also a great mental exercise, and a chance to learn more about a different culture.”

He paused for a moment, then continued. “And that has been this week’s public service announcement, people. Languages are good.” He winked at the camera, and signaled to Friday to display the next question.

“Question 3, from Juan Carlos in San Juan, Puerto Rico: ‘will we see more of Col Rhodes and Vision on Stark Talk? And will there be other special guests in the future?’

“All right, so that’s two questions. One: yes, definitely. Rhodey and Vision enjoyed doing the video with me, and we want to do another one soon. However, with the Expo coming on, I have a lot to do, so it’s been hard to coordinate things and find the time. Once that’s over, though, things will be less hectic around here, and we’ll be able to schedule it. I can’t say when it will be yet, but it will happen. But if you want to know more about them, you can check out their own social media accounts. Vision has been answering some question on Twitter and Instagram. Rhodey doesn’t have as much time for that kind of thing, but I know he’s doing his best to keep up to date with everything.

“Question two, about other guests. Well, I think that would be interesting. I’ve been thinking about it, figuring out who I could ask to come here and speak to me and to you guys. So, if you have any suggestions, go ahead and let me know, and we’ll see. Can’t promise anything, but I’ll do my best.”

“Question 4, from Juliana in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She says: ‘The episode you did about Artificial Intelligence was great. Are we going to get to see Friday and your other AIs? I for one would love to meet them, if that’s possible’.”

As Tony had planned, following Vision’s debut on the channel, Tony had dedicated an entire episode to talk about the idea of artificial intelligence. He had always been a little wary about the world knowing too much about Jarvis, hoping to protect him, and then he’d lost his friend/son anyway. And with his insistence on transparency and accountability, he was starting to feel a little hypocritical about keeping that information to himself. Plus, even though Ultron had been scrapped, Tony hadn’t entirely given up on the idea of an AI watching over the Earth. However, considering how that whole mess had gone, he knew it wouldn’t be easy to convince people to give it another shot without some proof that it wouldn’t be dangerous. With that in mind, he had talked first with the Accords Committee, to explain as much about AIs as he could within the legal constrains of patents and proprietary secrets. After he had gotten their clearance to speak to a wider audience, he’d published a few papers (which he’d had mostly done for ages) for the scientific community, and done a video for the regular public, trying to put things in more understandable laymen terms.

The response on that had been… somewhat mixed. There were still people who were scared of the idea of AIs, but at least Tony had managed to accumulate enough good will that people were willing to at least hear him out and not jump to the worst possible conclusions about computers taking over the world or some silly thing like that. Still, there was a long way to go, and Tony knew he was going to have to keep reassuring people for a while yet. Vision being a partial AI was helping, he thought, especially now that the synthoid was getting more and more popular and well liked.

He hadn’t gone too in depth on his current AIs in the video, though, wanting to take things slow, but he had mentioned Friday and the bots by name, as well as Jarvis, though he had not really explained how the latter had ‘died’ and how that had affected Tony personally.

“Well, Juliana, that is certainly possible. I was planning to do a part 2 to that video, going over a few more things and answering questions, and that will be a good opportunity to do some proper introductions. What do you think, Fri?” he asked, looking to the side as if Friday was beside him.

“Sounds good, Boss. I’m looking forward to it.”

Tony smiled. “So, that’s Friday. And, well, since we’re on the subject, let me tell you a bit more about her. Friday is one of my youngest AIs, though she’s grown up a lot in the last few months. She’s the one that helps me do the videos. Well, to be honest, she does pretty much everything. I just sit here and talk.” He chuckled. “Friday works the cameras, edits the videos, adds all the graphics and sounds and stuff, and keeps track of all comments, questions and suggestions you guys leave. She’s also the one who created the logo for the channel. I know people have asked how I get these videos done, if I have a crew or whatever, so here’s the answer: except for the episode with Rhodey and Vision, and a few I recorded on the road on my phone, the videos are all done by Friday. Even the Avengers one had a lot of input from Friday, working in collaboration with the people I hired specifically for that.

“Also, and this is really important, she’s the one who showed me the ‘Get well soon’ videos people did that started this whole thing. I’d been just moping about feeling sorry for myself, and she started playing the videos for me to cheer me up. I probably wouldn’t have seen them otherwise, considering how down I was at the time. So, thanks. To Friday and to the people who did them.

“Fri, you wanna tell people a bit more about that and about what you do?”

“Hmm, sure.” Friday switched the camera to show a holo projection of the avatar she sometimes used, to give people a face to go with the voice. “Well, I’m an AI, as you know. My job is to help Boss with whatever he needs. But right after he came home from the hospital, he didn’t really feel like doing much, so I didn’t have anything to do either. I was trying to track down any information about Rogers and his band of idiots, ‘cause I needed to do something. I couldn’t find anything, so I started checking what people were thinking and saying about the whole Civil War business on social media, to have some idea of what kind of damage control would need to be done, and that’s how I came across one of the ‘Get well soon’ videos. I thought it was sweet, and when I realized how many there were, I knew I had to make sure Boss saw them. He deserved to know how much people appreciate him.

“And then he did the first thank you video, and it grew from there. Now we have a system, Boss and I, and it’s been a lot of fun. I love reading people’s comments.”

“And she reads all of them,” Tony added.

“Yep, I read them all, and then I give Boss the highlights. If there’s any particularly nice ones, I show him. Same for all other social media platforms. You guys have some really cool and funny stuff to say, and there are a lot of times I really want to respond.”

“Well, you can,” Tony said.

“Yeah? I’d like that.”

“Sure, why not.”

“I just didn’t want to talk for you, Boss.”

“Yeah, but now that people know who you are and what you do, you can just make your own account and use that.” It would be good for her to have an opportunity to interact with people outside the Iron Family, as Happy had called them.

“That would be nice.”

“Unlike me, Friday has time to be on social media all day,” Tony added with a rueful smile.

“Well, I do other things too,” she said. “But I can do those and keep an eye on social media at the same time.”

“So, there you go, folks. Friday is going to be talking to you from now on. She can answer some questions that you guys have too, ‘cause I know I can’t possibly get to them all.

“Question 4, from Benny in Belfast, Ireland: ‘is the Iron Man suit really made of iron? And why is it red and gold?’ No, it’s not actually made of iron. It’s a gold-titanium alloy. But ‘Iron Man’ is much catchier than ‘Gold-Titanium Alloy Man’. And you know, I really like it. I don’t know who actually came up with that name – it was one of the journalists who initially reported the whole fight at the SI headquarters business back in 2008 –, but it’s pretty awesome. So thanks, whoever you are! I’ve been told I’m not good at naming things, so it’s probably just as well that someone else picked my superhero name.” He grinned. “As for the second question… Well, the initial design was just gold because of the material. But it ended up looking a bit too much like an Oscar statue, so I decided to throw in some hot red. Why red? Well, I like red. But it could be because I happened to be looking at my red corvette when I was doing that design. So if you were looking for some deep significance, Benny, sorry to disappoint, it was mostly practicality. Of course, then I made other suits later, and changed the colors a bit, but I kept it mostly on the red-and-gold spectrum because it think it’s a pretty awesome combination, and also because it kinda became a trademark. I can put in some silver, blue, black and other colors too, but at this point red-and-gold is Iron Man, you know?”

“Question 5, from Carl and Emmett in Detroit, USA: ‘what’s your happiest memory from childhood?’

“Oh, boy, that’s a hard one. Not because there aren’t any, but ‘cause it’s hard to choose one.” He leaned back in the chair and put his hands behind his head. “So, here’s the thing: my childhood was… weird – though I didn’t really realize that until much later. My family wasn’t just the mom-dad-kid type most people had. We had… well, technically employees, but to me they were family. And then I went to college at 14, and kinda had to grow up fast. So things were a bit different for me.

“But in terms of family… As you all know by now, I didn’t have the best relationship with my father, and that colored a lot of my perceptions of that time. I wanted my dad to… notice me, do stuff with me, say he was proud of me. And that… didn’t happen.” He leaned forward again to look at the camera. “I don’t really know how he felt about me, to be honest. I thought I did, but… Maybe I got it all wrong. It’s hard to say, I guess.” He took a deep breath. “Anyway, that was always… there. Hanging over me. The fact that I couldn’t seem to please my dad. But he wasn’t the only person there. My mom did her best, you know. She wasn’t always there either, because she was busy with her philanthropic work and… other stuff she did. I mean, she had a life outside of me and my dad – as she should. When I was home, it was Ana and Edwin Jarvis who took care of me.” It had been decades since their deaths, and thinking about them still gave him a pang. “They worked for us, but to me they were… well, kinda like parents. Ana died when I was 10, and was the first person I cared about that I lost.

“When I was little, she would have me sit with her in the kitchen while she was cooking and just… talk to me. Ask about how things were going – particularly after I had started boarding school and wasn’t home all the time –, about what I was working on. She didn’t understand when I talked about my projects, but she listened, and that meant the world to me. She made all my favorite foods whenever I came home, and she’d tell me that she missed me. She hugged me all the time, and made me feel… loved, I guess. Not that my mom didn’t, but… I don’t know, I guess it felt different. ‘Cause my mom was supposed to love me, you know? And Ana just did, just because. She could have not given a shit, but she was the nicest person ever. I don’t know if I’m making sense. Point is, I’ve got lots of awesome memories of just hanging out with Ana, listening to her singing as she worked.

“And there was Jarvis too.” Talking about human Jarvis made him think of AI Jarvis, and that was… still a bit too fresh. It had gotten better, sure, but it still fucking hurt. Not only that Jarvis was gone, but everything that had happened that time – like why he’d lost Jarvis. There were times when he was glad Wanda was dead; if not for her, Jarvis would still be here.

He cleared his throat and tried to push those thoughts away. “Edwin Jarvis was a great guy, and I have a lot of good memories with him as well. He was always the one that took me to school and came around to pick me up for breaks. We would spend the trip talking and playing silly games, and I loved those times. It was mostly just the two of us in the car, and I would sit in the front with him and just… enjoy myself. He was always there for me. After I started college, whenever I needed something I would call him, ‘cause I knew he’d help me out without ratting me out to my mom and dad – remember that I was really young then and I didn’t want my parents to think I couldn’t handle things on my own. So it was Jarvis I turned to, and he never let me down.

“He was there with me for the funeral, and god knows how I would have made it through that without him and Rhodey.

“And my mom… Some of my favorite times with her was listening to her play the piano. She would sing and smile at me with such love in her eyes. She tried to get me to learn the piano too, but I never really took to it. I wanted her to play it for me. And I knew it made her happy too.

“As for my dad… I do have some good memories with him, actually, though for a long time I didn’t want to think about them. I was angry at him because I thought that the accident had been his fault.” Tony shook his head. “Fuck Rogers, that selfish piece of shit. Anyway, I remember taking shop with my dad a few times without us yelling at each other, and that was nice. There were times when he was home and he, mom and I would have dinner together and talk like a normal family. I remember once when he took me to one of SI factories and explained what everything was, introduced me to all the workers and just… let me hang out with him all day. He even answered my questions. It was pretty awesome. I was… I don’t know… 13? 14? Something like that. He treated me like a grown up and I felt really proud of myself. We got to spend a whole day together without fighting.

He sighed. “I wonder now if we would have gotten our shit together eventually if he hadn’t died. Maybe we could have started to communicate better at some point. Like if he’d had the chance to choose to retire and leave me to run the company. Would that have helped to bridge the gap between us? I know it doesn’t… I mean, it’s a pointless exercise, but I like to think that things would have improved between us.

“Anyway, hmm… Carl and Emmett, I hope that weird ramble answered your question. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I might talk more about this at some point, if I think of something else to say.

“And that’s a wrap for today, folks. See you all later and take care.”

Chapter Text

“We have a special guest here today who needs no introduction. I think it would be accurate to say he’s one of the most famous and influential figures in the world today. Please welcome the one and only: Tony Stark!”

Tony walked onto the stage to staggering applause. Despite the fact that weren’t supposed to be any pictures, it seemed that some people simply couldn’t resist. Behind his trademark dark glasses, though, Tony didn’t even blink, wide smile firmly in place. He stopped at the front of the stage, waved and blew kisses at the audience as the applause continued for another minute. Then he bowed and walked up to greet the host, Ms Delilah Turner.

She offered a hand and he kissed it, then settled himself comfortably on the chair.

“Welcome, Dr Stark. It’s a pleasure and an honor to have you here with us today.”

“Pleasure is all mine,” he replied with a charming smile, hitching his glasses up his head.

While Tony hadn’t actually wanted to do any more TV interviews, Pepper had convinced him that it would good publicity for the upcoming Expo. Not that it wasn’t already the event of the year, of course, but she figured it was a good idea to throw traditional media a bone every now and then. Delilah was a rising star on TV, and had been a vocal critic of ‘Team Cap’ from the start – and even more so after Tony’s press conference had shed more light on what the conflict had actually been about. She’d had her show for a couple of years, and it was getting very good ratings, particularly with an older audience, since Delilah herself was in her late 40s. It was unusual for an older woman to gain so much notoriety this late in life, which was what had gotten Pepper interested in her in the first place. Tony was already a big celebrity for the younger generation, so it made sense to try to gain more older followers.

Delilah was smart and funny, so Tony had agreed to do this. It felt like ages since he’d done an interview like this (and it probably had been), but Tony was pretty comfortable in the spotlight (when it was on his terms, at least) and there had been a great deal of excitement when he had announced it on his channel, which had fueled his own enthusiasm. All in all, he was feeling pretty good.

“So, where to even start?” Delilah said. “You’ve done so much. Are doing so much,” she corrected.

Tony grinned. “Well, I’d love to talk about the Expo.”

“Absolutely,” Delilah nodded. “One week away and people are already lining up to see it. What can we expect from this edition of the Expo?”

Tony looked at Delilah and then at the camera. “First of all, this is going to be bigger and better than any of the Expos we’ve done before, though not as long as the last one. And also, hopefully, without the rogue drones,” he added with a rueful grin. “Seriously, we’ve upped security all around, and had a very careful vetting process for it all.”

“Well, what are the odds of that happening again anyway, huh?” Delilah joked, and Tony laughed.

“Probably slim, but better safe than sorry.”

Tony went on to describe a bit more about the attractions of the Expo, highlighting the big presentations as well as the smaller stuff.

“This year we’ve invited a lot of young people to come showcase their projects and talent. We have middle-schoolers, high-schoolers as well as college undergrads and grad students. It’s going to be a blast. I’m really looking forward to seeing what all these young minds have come up with.”

“I understand that there will be a competition for those, with tech and money as prizes.”

“That’s right. There’s going to be about 100 different prizes total, considering all the categories we’ve got.”

“Will you be one of the judges for these competitions?”

“No, I’m afraid not. A lot of people asked me to, but I just don’t have the time. The judges for these contests have to look at all the projects and evaluate each of them according various criteria. It’s pretty time consuming, really. I’ll have a look at the finalists, certainly, but I won’t be part of the judging process. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be there to encourage people and ask about their work. I certainly hope to be able to see as many of them as I can.”

“I’m sure the competitors will be thrilled to have a chance to speak to you in person.”

Tony smiled. “Yeah. I’m excited too. And we had the trivia contest at Stark Talk, for people who wanted a chance to win a tour to the Expo with yours truly.” That idea had come from a comment in one of Tony’s videos, and he’d loved it. It would be nice to have a chance to actually speak face to face to his audience.

Friday had compiled a list of 50 questions with random trivia about him – stuff ranging from his childhood until the present. Google searches for his name had gone insane as people tried to find the answer to some of the more obscure facts Friday had come up with.

“There must have been thousands of people trying to win that contest.”

“Something like that, yeah.” They had tried to limit it to one submission per person, but of course there were a lot of ways of circumventing that, so it didn’t really deter everyone. It had gone a little insane, truth be told, but since it hadn’t ended in bloodshed, Tony could live with it. “It’s a shame that we had to choose only a few of those, but…” They had stipulated 10 to 15 people for that ‘special tour’, but they had clearly underestimated people’s tenaciousness. By the time the contest had closed the week before, they had way more winners than that, which had necessitated some other ways of cutting those numbers down. So they’d done a second round of questions just for those, with a limit to the first 15 to get all the answers right.

“So you’ll be meeting the winners on the day of the opening?”

“Yes. There will be a little meet-and-greet before the big opening number, and they’ll get back stage passes for all the major attractions for the whole Expo. The actual tour won’t be on the opening Friday, though, because I’m going to be really busy that day. It will be a couple of days later, and then I’ll get the chance to talk to them a little more and all. It’s going to be pretty cool.”

“And what are you most excited for from the Expo?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Can’t pick just one. There are so many awesome things scheduled. My own presentations, of course, but there’s also the SI documentary. Some of the guest we’ll be getting have some pretty awesome stuff too, and of course all the projects from all the youngsters out there. I’ve organized myself a schedule so I’ll have the chance to see everything.”

“What about your big mystery feature? Won’t you give us a hint?”

“Ah, sorry, no can do. Which is a shame, because I really want to talk about it. Ask me again after the Expo is over.” Tony laughed. “But, yeah, I’m really looking forward to that. As I said in a video recently, I’ve been driving Pepper nuts with it. I think she’s starting to regret agreeing to the idea.”

Delilah chuckled. “Really? Is Ms Pott involved in this?”

“No. She’s got way too much to do to add anything more to her plate. She’s just being supportive. Or she was,” he smirked, and Delilah laughed with him.

“Speaking of busy schedules, what about you? I’m amazed by everything you do.”

“Yeah, finding the time for all that I need to do isn’t easy. I’ve developed a new appreciation for schedules. Not that always stick to them, but I’m trying harder these days.”

“You are a very busy man.”

“Yeah.”

“So, tell me, what’s a typical day like for you?”

“Well, that’s the thing. I don’t have a typical day. My schedule is pretty crazy. There are days I live in the lab working on various projects, and days when I have to be out doing all sorts of things: meetings, checking stuff on the offices and factories, talking to a whole lot of people about SI stuff and Avengers/ Accords stuff. Plus, you know, I need to get some time to see my friends.”

“And in the midst of all that you still find the time to record the Stark Talk videos.”

“Yeah, there are those too. And that’s why I can’t do the videos live. I never know when I’ll get the chance to do it, given everything else.”

“Don’t you get tired?”

“Sure, sometimes, but… You know…” he shrugged. “I’ve always been work-driven. Doing a ton of things at the same time has always been my MO, so it’s not a big deal. And now I’m doing good things, things that I know are important, things that I enjoy – and that people appreciate – and that’s a great motivator.”

Delilah nodded. “You’ve talked about reaching a low point in the aftermath of the so-called Civil War, and how people’s support helped you through it.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean. There was a time when it seemed like I was fighting to get uphill and kept getting knocked down. It was exhausting and it felt pointless. Like no matter what I did, it wouldn’t be enough. But I don’t feel that way anymore. I know that I’m not alone. I know that if there is a battle to be fought, I’ll have people right there with me to back me up. And I mean that both literally and metaphorically."

“Were you surprised by the success of the videos?”

“Hell yeah. I mean, I know I’m famous, so I figured people would watch it, especially after all the mess with the Avengers. But… I didn’t really expect this level of engagement from the audience once the initial knee-jerk reaction had run its course. I figured it would die down eventually, but it’s actually been the opposite. There are more followers and subscribers every day. And it’s not just watching, but commenting and reaching out and being supportive, you know? I’ve been in the public eye practically since I was born, but before it was mostly people waiting for me to fuck up, pointing at stuff in judgment and with a huge dose of contempt. This is different. People are cheering now, and that’s really amazing. People want to know stuff instead of making up whatever scandal they think will sell. There is genuine interest as opposed to a hunger for gossip and an excuse for accusations.”

“Wow, that sounds horrible.” Delilah frowned a little. “Was it really that bad before? I’ll be honest, I never really cared for those kinds of ‘news’, and I know some people have had issues, but I didn’t know it had been that way for you.”

“See, the thing is, sometimes people equate celebrities with entertainment, and I get that. But sometimes they go way over the line.”

“Like the paparazzi.”

Tony nodded. “Yeah. When I was in college, I had a lot of people follow me around waiting for me to do something bad, or to be in a certain kind of situation, to take a picture and sell it to the tabloids.”

“That’s awful. And you were a minor then.”

“Well, it wasn’t quite so bad while I was still a minor. I didn’t see it at the time, but my parents did their best to shield me from some of that. After they died, that’s when it got bad. And I really wasn’t in the right frame of mind to care, you know? I had too much shit to deal with, so I just… learned to ignore it. There was a lot of jealousy in that too, of course. People wanting to bring me down so they’d feel better about themselves. But at the end of the day, I was always the winner, because no matter what people said, what scandals were being sold, I was still head of the company. I was still making millions and I was still a genius. So joke’s on them, I guess. But it’s not easy anyway. That kind of negativity can get a person down.

“People say ‘well, if you don’t want that kind of exposure, don’t be famous’, but that’s a very simplistic and, frankly, idiotic way of looking at it. Sure, artists choose that career, more or less knowing what it entails, but even so there is a difference between knowing you’re going to be photographed when you go to an event and having you trash turned over because people are looking for a juicy bit of gossip. And in my case, I didn’t even choose to be famous. I was simply born into a famous family. I was famous for being Howard Stark’s son long before I did anything worthwhile. So this whole thing was never a choice. I just had to learn to deal with it, because there was no alternative.

“Now, I’m not complaining, ok? I’m not saying I’ve had a terrible life. I mean, it wasn’t always great, but… well, no one is happy all the time. Being rich helps with a lot of problems, but it also creates quite a few. Things were a certain way, and it wasn’t really very good for me sometimes. But my point is that the kind of media exposure I have now is different, more positive, and I really appreciate that.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad to hear that,” Delilah said. “You deserve it.”

“Thanks.”

Delilah paused for a moment, making a show of looking at the cards she had in front of her, thought Tony was sure she didn’t need them.

“You’ve done several ‘Q&A episodes’,” she continued. “What’s that like? Are there things you’re asked that cross a line? How do you deal with all that?”

“Well, obviously the questions are pre-selected, so I don’t really see the… let’s say… more outlandish ones. Most of them are fine, though. I don’t mind talking about most stuff, even the more personal things – like I’ve said, I’ve been using it as my own form of therapy, so it’s actually been helpful to me on a personal level. Like, it gives me a chance to think about some things and articulate my feelings on it. Some of it is still a little difficult, sure, but I can always choose not to talk about whatever. It can get personal, but it’s on my terms, not someone shoving a microphone in my face while I’m going about my business.”

“What about the Avengers?” she asked. “Is that one of the ‘difficult things’?”

Tony sighed. This was his least favorite subject, but he knew he wasn’t going to be done talking about it anytime soon – there was still blood in that water. “It’s not my favorite subject, no. But I know it’s important, as a cautionary tale and everything, so… you know. I can deal with it.” He made a ‘go ahead’ gesture.

Delilah nodded. “You’ve talked about that a little, but so much of that whole thing still seems… almost incomprehensible for the public. That the people we thought were here to protect us… were not.”

“Yeah, that’s… you know, that was a mess from the beginning. I really should have seen that disaster for what it was sooner, but… well, you know how it is. Hindsight is always much clearer. I think I just wanted to believe.”

“I think we all did.”

“Yeah. I mean, it would be this great thing, wouldn’t it? This amazing group of people working together for the common good, being wonderful and selfless and perfect.” He shook his head. “That’s a fantasy. No one is perfect. Even the best intentions in the world don’t guarantee success all the time. It was bound to come crashing down on us sooner or later. I regret that the fallout was so spectacular, but it really was inevitable. Still, I think it was necessary. Whenever a new thing comes along, there’s a trial period. You need to try things out and see what works and what doesn’t, how you can make things better. The former Avengers taught us – taught me – a lot about how something like a superhero group needs to operate. That’s cold comfort for people who got hurt as a result of our – yes, I’m including myself here – actions, but it’s something. It would be even worse if all that tragedy was for nothing, I think. So my take on it has been to learn from my mistakes. First and foremost, that heroes are human, and we can’t expect anyone to be perfect. That’s why we need oversight, that’s why need everyone in the world to work together here. That’s why we have to try our best to put aside personal needs and issues, because we are meant to be working for the world, not one country or one group or one person.”

“Do you feel comfortable with the new structure of the Avengers now?”

“Well, there aren’t a lot of actual Avengers at the moment, but I do feel good about the framework of the Accords, yes. Of course there’s room for improvement. There are probably a ton of things we haven’t accounted for, issues that we won’t realize need talking about until they happen. It’s a work in progress, and it will always be a work in progress. Because people change, and the world changes, and circumstances change. So we’ll have to be updating it constantly, seeing what works and what simply isn’t feasible. But yeah, I’m happy with what we’ve got so far.”

“Do you really think another invasion will come?”

Tony sighed. “I don’t want to be an alarmist, or to throw the world into a panic, but I think that’s a possibility we have to consider. Perhaps it won’t happen in our lifetime, but now that we know for a fact that we are not alone in the universe, it’s naïve to believe we will never encounter a hostile force ever again. It doesn’t mean we’re doomed, or that the world will end soon. We just need to keep that in mind and make plans for what we can do in the event that we are attacked again.”

“But you think it will happen.”

“I think we should plan for the worst, always. There are dangers out there, but that doesn’t mean we are helpless. We aren’t. Things are already being done to ensure that, and more will come.”

And now, finally, people were listening to him about the need to prepare, to have plans in place to deal with a new incursion. None of that ‘together’ nonsense Rogers had said, but real plans. And it wouldn’t be just the Avengers, but the whole world coming together to fight against whatever threat came at them. It was another weight lifted off his shoulders, that Tony wasn’t the only one thinking about this. He didn’t have to do everything himself.

“You’ve talked about the deaths of Clint Barton and Wanda Maximoff, but what about Steve Rogers? What do you think will – or should – happen to him?”

“I think I’m glad I’m not the one who needs to make those decisions. I couldn’t possibly be objective about him. There’s too much baggage there, too many feelings that I frankly don’t know what to do about. I think he needs to answer for what he’s done, have his day in court and have the opportunity of a defense like everyone else.” Not that there was any defense possible for him, of course. Even claiming insanity wouldn’t fly, Tony thought. People were far too pissed to care about any mitigating circumstances. In any case, Tony didn’t think Rogers would ever consider that as a possibility – he still maintained that he was right and the rest of the world was wrong, after all. The poor bastard who ended up as his lawyer was going to have his work cut out for him, that was for sure.

“Have you spoken to him since his arrest?”

“No, I haven’t, and I have no intention of doing so. I really have nothing to say to him and I most certainly don’t want to hear anything he might have to say.” He’d already heard plenty. “I’m done with all that, really. The former Avengers are in custody, and that’s all I care about.”

“The Black Widow and the Winter Soldier are still out there, though.”

“True, but they won’t be able to stay hidden for long, I’m sure. Not with the whole world looking for them. It’s only a matter of time until they are caught.” It was almost a miracle it hadn’t happened already, actually.

“And what you do think will happen to them?”

“Again, I’m glad it’s not in my hands. Other people will make those decisions and that’s just as well. Even though I know that Sgt Barnes was just the weapon that killed my parents, that he likely had no choice in any of that, I still don’t want to have anything to do with him. And Natasha… yeah, if I never see her again I’ll be a happy man.”

“That bad, huh?”

Tony took a deep breath and let it out. “Like I said, the Avengers were a mess. And for me it was… toxic is the only word I can think of. They didn’t give a crap about me, but for some reason I believed we were a team. Until it blew up in my face, that is. It’s taken some time to get out of that mindset.”

“All right, let’s go back to happier topics,” Delilah said, and Tony smiled in thanks. “You and Ms Potts seem to be doing pretty well these days. Any comments on that?”

“Pep is a star. Really, she’s amazing. And I actually want to take the opportunity to make it very clear that she became CEO because she’s smart and competent, because I couldn’t think of anyone else that could do a better job than her. She’s also one of my best friends, and someone I could trust not to fuck up my company.”

“I’m sure trust is important to you.”

“Yeah. Specially right after Stane. I needed someone who wouldn’t put money above everything, who would respect my wishes.”

“And what about your personal relationship?”

Tony couldn’t help a smile at that. “We’re doing good. It was… a bit complicated there for a while, but we managed to sit down and talk about things. I mean, about the things that weren’t working for us. There was some… miscommunication there, personal things that got in the way, some… frustrated expectations. This relationship thing is not easy, let me tell you.” Tony chuckled, and Delilah did too.

“Absolutely. It’s pretty damn hard.”

“Yeah. But I think we’re getting the hang of it now.” Delilah raised an eyebrow. “And that’s all I have to say for the moment,” Tony added, before she started talking about marriage. He had already resolved to propose once the Expo was done, but he wasn’t about to tell anyone just yet.

“What more can you tell us about your upcoming projects? What about your musical album? It that really happening?”

“That’s definitely happening. I wanted to have it done in time for the Expo, but it wasn’t possible. I barely had enough time to finish all the recordings, and there’s still all the post-production stuff. It won’t be long, though.”

“Are you excited about that?”

“Oh, yeah! It’s been such a blast!”

“Was that something you ever thought you would do? Sing?”

Tony laughed. “No, not at all. Never crossed my mind, really, but people seemed to like it, so I figured what the hell, right? I’ve got nothing to lose, and I guess it’s nice to expand my horizons from time to time. Try new things, see how it goes.”

“Well, I’m looking forward to it. How did you choose the songs? Can you tell us what’s gonna be on it?”

“There are gonna be nine songs. It was going to be only six initially, so we came up with a pre-selection of 12 songs. Then I got way too attached to some of them, and we ended up going with nine. And that delayed things too. I mean, I’m not a professional, so it took me a bit of time to kinda… figure out how to do that. You’d think all you have to do is show up and sing, but there’s a lot of other stuff too, deciding how to sing, the arrangements, and all that. Obviously we hired a producer and all, but I wanted to be involved in everything.” He chuckled. “That’s my control freak tendencies coming through. And, you know, once I committed to it, I wanted to go all the way, do the absolute best and all.”

“You’re a perfectionist,” she nodded.

“Yep. Anyway, so nine songs, from different styles. Some that have personal significance to me, some I just thought were fun. I’m afraid I can’t tell you what they are just yet, but stay tuned. There will be an official announcement on that soon. And I’ll probably do an episode of Stark Talk about the whole process after it’s out.”

“Is there any way to pre-order the album now?”

“Not yet, but as soon as we have a definite release date we’ll start pre-sales. And remember that all profit from that will go to various charity organizations.”

“Have you considered doing a concert or something, to promote it?”

Tony let put a startle gasp. “God, no! I don’t have time for that.”

“That’s a shame. You’d make a great rock star. I mean, you’re a star already.”

Tony laughed. “Thanks. My 13 year-old self would have loved that, but I’m a bit too old now. Doing this was fun, but I’m not really looking for a new career.”

“So you’re not thinking of doing this again?”

“Well, I guess that will depend on how this one goes. But mostly it will depend on how much time I’ll have. This turned out to be way more time consuming than I initially imagined. Fun, but time consuming.”

“And what other future plans do you have?”

“Nothing special at the moment, just the usual. Continuing the various projects I’ve got going for SI, some of which will be shown at the Expo. I’m still gonna be working with the Accords and the Avengers – and hopefully we’ll have more Avengers soon, and that will take up some time. Plus the channel.”

“No time for a vacation?”

“Oh, I’ll squeeze in some personal time there too, of course.” He already had a few idea for honeymoon locations – assuming Pepper would agree to marry him, of course.

“That’s important. You don’t want to burn out.”

“Yeah, I know. No chance of that, though. I’m better at knowing when to take a break now. Plus my friends won’t let me get too immersed in work.”

“How do you balance everything? It’s just… To circle back to what we were saying before… I can’t imagine doing all that you do. And doing it all so well, too.”

“Well, like I said, I’ve always had a full schedule, so this is not new. I used to get a bit lost in my own head a lot more, though. Like, I used to have what I call ‘engineering binges’ that went on for 24 hours.”

“You worked for 24 hours straight?” Delilah looked shocked, and it made Tony laugh.

“Sometimes even longer.”

“Oh my god.”

Tony shrugged. “I’d get in the zone, you know. Barely even noticed how much time had passed, I’d be so focused.” He paused. “It wasn’t really healthy behavior, though. I mean, sometimes I just got caught up in things and didn’t want to stop until I was done with whatever I was working on, but… Sometimes it was… an escape mechanism. I would dive into work to avoid thinking about certain things, or to just… prove that I could be… better.”

“Better than what?” Delilah asked with a frown.

“I don’t know. My father? The people who were waiting for me to fall flat on my face?” He shook his head. “I had a lot of issues, and I didn’t always deal with them in the best way. Plus… well, if I’m going to be totally honest, drugs and alcohol were driving those binges too.”

“You haven’t really talked about that much, even in Stark Talk. Is there a reason for that?”

“Not particularly, no. I probably will talk about it at some point, just haven’t gotten around to it yet. It’s not something to brag about, of course, but I think it’s important to be honest about stuff like that.”

“You’re not an alcoholic, though, are you?”

“No, I don’t think so. I did drink too much for… quite some time, but I’ve dialed that way down now. My father… he was an alcoholic, I think. I mean, we never talked about it, but there was a reason why people – including myself – assumed he had been drunk at the wheel when he and my mother had their ‘accident’. Well, what we thought was an accident.”

“Was he drunk a lot?”

“I honestly don’t know. We didn’t see each other much, so I can’t really say. I did see him drunk several times. He wasn’t the ‘falling down slurring his words’ drunk, though. I think the term is… functioning alcoholic? Something like that. He managed to keep working, to head the company and all. But… it wasn’t healthy.” Tony sighed. “It didn’t really help him. It probably made things worse.”

“And you?”

“I did a lot of the same things, to be honest, and those shitty coping mechanisms didn’t help me, either. Unfortunately, sometimes you have to fall flat on your face before you’re ready to admit there’s a problem. I got the wakeup call I needed to start making better choices. He didn’t.”

“You have certainly overcome a lot. Betrayals, kidnappings, several murder attempts… It’s really extraordinary. It’s no wonder you’ve become an inspiration to so many people.”

“Thanks. I wasn’t trying to be an inspiration to anyone, though. To be honest, I didn’t even know I was until people started telling me that. It always seemed like a was… more of a zoo attraction, I guess.”

“In the past, perhaps, but not anymore. How do you feel about that? Does it make you uncomfortable?”

Tony leaned back in his chair and considered the question. “I don’t know if uncomfortable is the right word. I was… baffled, I guess, at first. Surprised by the outpouring of support I got. Now… The thing is, I never set out to be a hero – and I don’t know that I consider myself one, actually. What’s a hero, anyway? It is doing the right thing? So many people do the right thing every day, in hundreds of different ways. It is helping others? Again, lots of people do that. It’s a bit of a slippery slope, I think, to get too caught up in your own sense of… superiority.”

“True. Just look at Rogers,” Delilah agreed.

“Exactly. That’s a guy who is still convinced he’s a hero. And all because… I don’t know. Someone said he was? So, I don’t want to fall into that trap. I don’t want to become too full of myself. I don’t want to start thinking I have all the answers, or that everything I do is right because I’m doing it. That’s a dangerous way of thinking. So, while I appreciate knowing that I’m helping people, I’m still a bit… wary, I guess, of where that might lead.” He shook his head. “Did that make sense? I don’t know how to explain it, really.”

“No, it’s fine. I understand what you mean. And that, I think, is what actually makes you a hero.”

The audience clapped at that, making Tony smile. “Thanks.”

“Dr Stark, thank you so much for talking to us today.”

“It was my pleasure.”

“I’m sure everyone will have a wonderful time at the Expo, and that you’ll have lots of amazing things to show us.”

“I certainly hope so.”

They exchanged a few more pleasantries and then Tony stood, making the audience burst into wild applause again. Tony bowed blew kisses at them.

It was nice to be liked.

Chapter Text

This time Tony didn’t arrive via suit – not that he didn’t want to, but the Expo wasn’t about Iron Man, it was about Stark Industries. So he walked on the stage with Pepper by his side to face the huge crowd, who cheered and clapped.

Tony waited a few moments, waving and smiling, for the noise to die down a little, before he started talking.

“Welcome, everyone, to Stark Expo 2017!” There was more applause and shouting, and Tony blew kisses to the audience. “Thanks everyone for being here, and I hope you all have a fantastic time!

“It’s been 7 years since I stood here in front of you all, and boy, a lot has happened since then, let me tell you. Some of it good, and some of it bad, but I’m happy to be here again. Guess that phoenix metaphor is still good, huh?” The audience laughed. “Anyway, we have a lot of great stuff for you this time, and no killer drones!” There was more laughter. “Seriously, though. I’m very excited for this, and I hope you are too. For those of you watching from home, I hope you enjoy it too! Some of the presentations will be streamed live, and others will be available at a later time, so even if you can’t come in person, you’ll still get a chance to enjoy it.

“Before we get on to the actual presentation, I want to thank some people who worked tirelessly to make this all happen. First and foremost, the best CEO in the world, the incomparable Pepper Potts!” Pepper smiled at him and bowed to the audience, who was clapping and cheering. “She is amazing, guys. You really have no idea. None of this would have been possible without her.”

“We really hope you all have a wonderful time here,” she said.

“I also want to thank all the people who submitted their projects. I’m really looking forward to seeing them all,” Tony continued. “Plus, of course, all the people who did the work of building the structures we’re using and everything else, and the back stage people who organized the schedules and coordinated all activities to make sure it went off without a hitch. There’s also all the marketing people who did a great job promoting the event, and everyone who worked in the social media side of it. Basically, I want to thank everyone who worked really hard to make all this happen, from the planners at the top to the tech crew who screwed the stages together. I’d also like to acknowledge the city of New York for helping us out with all of this, and our musical guests that will, I’m sure, give excellent performances for us.

“On a more personal note, I’d like to thank everyone who has been so supportive in these last few months. I’ve said it many times, but I guess it can never really be enough: you have made my life better, and I truly appreciate it.” Tony paused for a moment, letting the applause go on. “Now… Are you ready?” he asked, and the crowd shouted a ‘yes’ in return. Tony made a gesture and the screen behind him changed into the SI logo, with the 2017 Expo logo underneath it.

“Pepper, shall we?”

Pepper nodded, and the music changed into something a lot more upbeat. The Ironettes came on the stage and started their dance routine.

Tony stepped a bit closer to the audience. “My father believed that we could live better with technology, and in this I agree with him one hundred percent. For the next month, we’ll have the chance to see what the best and brightest minds have come up with to make our lives better. So, let’s get to it! The Stark Expo 2017 has begun!”

There were some fireworks going off – in red and gold Iron Man colors, of course – as the Ironettes finished the dance and the crowd cheered madly. Tony bowed again and walked off the stage, leaving Pepper to finish the opening and call the first musical attraction. He had people – the tour winners – to talk to.

The group was waiting for him in one of the rooms near the central control rooms. A couple of SI staff members were distributing food and drinks to them, and handing over Expo maps and merchandise.

It was a pretty diverse bunch, Tony thought – a couple of teens, some young college-age people, some older adults and even an elderly lady. They all lit up when they saw him, and several started talking at once, obviously too excited to contain themselves.

“Hey, everyone,” Tony said, once the barrage of hellos and questions had tampered off enough for him to get a word in edgewise. “It’s lovely to meet you.” They had nametags on their clothes, so Tony was able to greet them by name.

He spent about an hour talking to them, learning a bit more about all fifteen contest-winners. There were pictures, autographs and even a short video he recorded for the Expo website.

“What about your mystery presentation, Mr Stark?” Gloria asked. She was a nurse from Metro General who had apparently been following him faithfully since he’d revealed himself as Iron Man on live television.

“Ah, sorry. You’ll have to wait with everyone else, I’m afraid.”

“Please, Mr Stark, not even a little clue?” Miguel was 18 and had just started college somewhere in Arkansas. He had bright green hair and was wearing a shirt with the Iron Man helmet printed on. Apparently his dream was to get a job as an engineer in SI, so he had been beside himself with joy with the chance to meet Tony in person.

“Nope, no can do.”

“Has anyone guessed right? You know, from the Stark Talk challenge?” Delores was a 67 year-old housewife who looked like the typical grandmother – and she had the seven grandchildren to go with the look. They had all been pretty envious that grandma had managed to answer all the trivia questions, even the more obscure ones.

“I used to read the society pages,” she’d said. “I liked your mother a lot, her loss was a tragedy. I’m very sorry I’m sure your mom would be really proud.” She’d been reading about Tony since then, and was delighted that he was doing so well.

Tony had given her a genuine smile at that.

“Yeah, many people did,” he answered her question. “I’ll meet with some of them later. Maybe we can combine the two groups later for the rest of the tour.”

He answered several questions from them – some silly and a couple more serious ones – and got to ask a few questions of his own. All of them were huge fans of his, of course, but they all had something particularly nice to say about how he had inspired them or helped them in some way, and Tony wasn’t sure if he was ever going to get used to that.

“All right, guys,” he said eventually. “We’ll have to wrap this up for now, but I’ll see you all for the tour in a couple of days.”

“Would it be possible to get a tour of Stark Tower too, Mr Stark?” Henry was an architect, and he’d mentioned how much he loved the Tower’s design – which had not been done by Tony, he’d had to point out, even though he had had some input on it.

The others immediately agreed that it would be an awesome idea, though they were careful not to sound too pushy.

“I don’t know. That will depend on how much time we have. And by ‘we’, I mean me. Although… I suppose I could get someone else to show you guys around, if that’s all right.”

“We’d love it if you could do it, but we understand if you’re busy.” Victoria was a primary school teacher and a mother of twin boys. “I’d take the tour anyway with whoever is available.”

The others nodded and Tony told them he’d arrange it. He would do his best to be able to do it himself, but he didn’t want to make any promises in case he couldn’t keep them. There was a lot to do with the Expo under way.

It was nice that they accepted it so easy, Tony thought. Sometimes he still expected that everyone would be as entitled as the former Avengers. Rogers had always seemed to think that Tony had to drop everything as soon as the (not-)captain called or asked (demanded) something. It never seemed to occur to those ungrateful leeches that Tony, unlike them, had an actual job and responsibilities. Perhaps it was because none of them had ever had any real responsibilities themselves, or perhaps it was just because they thought Tony really was as flaky and reckless as the media (and SHIELD) made him out to be. Regardless of the reason, they had acted like Tony should be at their beck and call at all times, even after they made it clear he was not really a part of the team.

It really was good to be rid of them. While he still felt bad about Clint’s fate (Maximoff not so much, though), he couldn’t deny that he was doing much better without their constant judgment and general toxicity. If only it hadn’t come at such a steep price…

The happy faces of the people around him brought him back to the present, and Tony once again shook hands with everyone and took a few more pictures. He wasn’t going to waste his time thinking about bad things when he had a fantastic Expo to enjoy.

“Have a great time, guys.”

“You too, Mr Stark. And thanks for everything.”

“Sure. And thank you,” Tony said sincerely. He had never taken kindness for granted, and appreciated it all the more for it.

*****

Day one of the Expo had gone very well, Tony thought, as he collapsed in bed at the end of it. Pepper dropped down next to him, just as tired as he was.

“One down, 27 to go,” she said.

Tony chuckled. “Come on, it’s going to be fun.”

“Yeah, sure. And also exhausting.”

“True.” He turned to her, propping his head on one hand. “What do you say to go to Malibu for a while after this is all over? We’ll take a break, relax a little – just the two of us.”

Pepper smiled. “Sounds great. I definitely need a vacation after all this.”

“Awesome.” It would give Tony time to come up with a good idea for his proposal. He wanted it to be special, but not too over the top. Perhaps he should ask Rhodey for advice.

While Tony was busy with the Expo, Rhodey was dealing with the Accords and the recruitment process for the possible new Avengers. Tony was disappointed Rhodey couldn’t be here for the beginning of the Expo, but he knew that some things had to take precedence. His Platypus had promised to come back as soon as he could, though, and honestly, Tony couldn’t complain. Since the end of the ‘Civil War’, the two of them had spent more time together than they had since they’d graduated college. It had been wonderful to have his friend around for more than a few short days at a time, and it had allowed them to finally work through the issues in their relationship that had been festering since that fateful trip to Afghanistan.

“How was the meet-and-greet?” Pepper asked.

“It was good. Everyone was excited, but they were nice.”

“No crazy stalkers?”

“No, thank god.” Of course Friday had done a quick check on everyone before they were given their backstage passes. Even though Tony was more popular and well-liked than ever, he still received a few threats (including some very violent ones) occasionally, so security was tight. One could never be too careful, after all, and he was glad there had been no problems. “One is this 16 year-old kid, and she’s really sweet and smart. I’ve been thinking we should expand the internship program for the high-schoolers. It’s not just Peter who has potential, and all those other kids deserve a chance too.” Tony had always enjoyed talking to smart and competent people, even if their expertise wasn’t in his own fields. In fact, it was almost better when they weren’t, as it gave Tony the opportunity to learn new things. Contrary to popular opinion, he had never thought that he knew everything, or that he was better than anyone. He liked a good debate and to expand his horizons, which was why he was looking forward to all the presentations.

“That’s a good idea, but we can talk about it later. I’m beat.” Pepper had already kicked off her shoes, so she stood to get the rest of her clothes off. “Wanna join me in the tub?” She asked, that sexy smile that Tony found irresistible.

“Thought you’d never ask.”

As much as Tony (and Pepper) would have loved to take things further than some cuddling, he was getting a bit too old. His days of all-night sex marathons were far behind him, and he was okay with that. Snuggling up with Pepper in bed after a full day of near-constant work was perfectly lovely anyway.

The playboy part of his reputation had always been a bit exaggerated – and, sometimes, done more out of a need to play the part than real desire on his part. Of course he enjoyed sex, but it wasn’t the be-all of existence. Perhaps it was a sign he was growing up (or growing old), and had different priorities. A steady relationship was a lot more appealing to him now than a string of meaningless one-night stands.

Pepper was the one for him – had always been, perhaps, he just hadn’t quite been able to see it – and he was happy about it. After everything they had been through – everything they had overcome, both together and separately – he had hope that they could make it in the long haul.

He fell asleep with a satisfied smile on his face.

*****

“How are you doing, Boss?” Happy asked as he stood beside him backstage. It was day three of the Expo and they were waiting for Tony’s big mystery feature to begin. “Nervous?”

Tony would have wanted to say he wasn’t, but… well, that would have been a lie. He was a little nervous.

When he had decided to actually sing live at the Expo, he’d thought it was a great idea. He’d had so much fun with the album recordings – and the anticipation on social media was pretty intense too – that it had seemed like the obvious thing to do. Plus, it would be great for boosting sales, he was sure.

Now that he was minutes away from going on stage to sing in front of thousands of people, however… Now he thought perhaps he should have thought this through a little bit more. Of course he’s rehearsed – with the band and everything – and he was only doing two songs. It would be less than 10 minutes. It would be fine.

Sure, he’d never done anything like this before, but since when had that ever stopped him? Tony was the king of making the impossible possible. He’d survived a kidnapping, a trip to space, his house blowing up, a vibranium shield to the chest and a whole lot of betrayal; he could manage to sing a couple of songs. And if he sucked… well, so what?

He was going to go out there and enjoy himself and that was that.

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” Happy told him, and Tony gave him a grateful smile.

“Yeah, it will be fine.”

On the stage, Pepper was just wrapping up a presentation of some of SI’s upcoming new products while behind the curtains (and the big screen she was using for it) the crew was finalizing setting up all the musical equipment and doing the last-minute checks.

“We’re good to go. Ready, Mr Stark?” Owen Larrouse, the musical producer, appeared at his side.

“As I’ll ever be, I guess.”

Larrouse smiled and clapped Tony on the arm. “You’ll be great. People are gonna go nuts.”

“Thanks.”

The screen behind Pepper went dark and the spotlight focused on her. She looked absolutely stunning in a red and gold dress and ruby earrings, of course, and Tony had to resist the urge to just run out there and propose on the spot. He was going to do it right, damn it, not blurt it out like a love-sick fool. Pepper deserved the best, after all.

“I hope you’re having a good time tonight. As you know, Tony has prepared a surprise feature for you today.” The crowd went wild, and Tony found himself bouncing on his toes, partly from nerves and partly from excitement. “Please welcome Dr Tony Stark!”

The applause was even more deafening this time when Tony walked in. He had already done his first presentation earlier today – the braces – and it had gone wonderfully. This was going to be something else, though.

“Thank you, everyone. How are you?” There was no way to really tell the words people shouted back, but they was definitely positive. “So, as you know, I’ve been working on recording an album. It’s not ready yet, but I figured you might like a bit of a preview of what’s to come.” The cheering got even louder. “So, I hope you enjoy the show.” Tony nodded to the lead guitar guy, and the music started.

He had chosen his favorite rock songs for this, as he knew they like the back of his hand and they required less vocal skills than the slower ballads he had recorded. When he’d been a teenager and young adult, Tony had gone to plenty of concerts – including that memorable time he and Rhodey had flown to Los Angeles on the company jet to see the Rolling Stones – and he had always loved their atmosphere and energy. It was certainly an interesting experience to be the one on the stage, even if only for a brief time.

As expected, Tony’s performance lasted only about 10 minutes, but it was pretty awesome, if he could say so himself. Despite his nerves, he thought he did quite well – especially considering he was an amateur. More importantly, though, Tony had a great time. If he wasn’t so busy, he might actually consider doing this more often. The public singing along and cheering him on also helped, of course – the crowd had gone crazy the moment he’d announced what he was about to do.

“Thank you!” He shouted, once the final notes had faded away. “You’ve been a great audience! I hope you all continue to enjoy the Expo. And if you liked my singing, you can buy or download the album soon. Remember that all money goes to charity, so you’ll be helping good causes too.” The crowd cheered louder than ever and started asking for an encore. “Sorry, guys, this is all I’ve got,” he replied with an amused smile. “I’ll see you around. Take care, everyone.”

Pepper and Happy were waiting for him backstage, both with huge grins on their faces.

Happy gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. “Well done, Boss!”

“You were amazing,” Pepper said, and grabbed him for a kiss that left both of them breathless.

“Wow, I didn’t know that turned you on, Pep, or I would have done it sooner.”

He felt like a naughty teen as he and Pepper found an empty dress room to fool around in. It was nice to know he was still up for things like that – and so was Pepper. Apparently they could do both the ‘old married couple sleepy cuddle’ as well as the ‘passionate tearing of each other clothes’ aspects of a relationship, and Tony loved it.

Really, he couldn’t wait to finally propose. The honeymoon was going to be amazing.

*****

Over the next couple of weeks of the Expo they had the students’ presentations. Tony wasn’t able to attend every single one, unfortunately, but went to as many as he could.

Meeting the middle-school and high-school kids who were presenting their projects was a lot of fun. They were all so bright and energetic; it made Tony feel much younger than his 47 years. He couldn’t help but wish he had known kids like that when he’d been a kid himself – life would have been a lot less lonely. Still, he couldn’t complain too much. Better late than never, he figured.

Peter was nearly bouncing into the walls when Tony showed up on the day of his presentation. He had already made friends with the other kids who were also showing their work, which Tony was happy to see. Just because they were having a contest, it didn’t mean there should be any animosity between the competitors. Science shouldn’t be a battle, but a cooperation. It really was a pity that so many people couldn’t see past their egos and insisted on making enemies instead of allies.

Tony milled around the auditorium, talking and shaking hands with the kids, as well as posing for pictures with everyone. Even the parents who had showed up to support their kids wanted pictures and autographs.

“Brian is a huge fan, Dr Stark,” a woman said. “He was so happy to get the acceptance for this. It really means the world to him. And I’m really grateful for the financial help to get here. I don’t think I would have been able to afford it otherwise.”

“I’m glad you guys got to attend. Your boy seems like a smart kid.”

The kid in question blushed, staring at Tony with adoring eyes. “You’re the best, Dr Stark!” he said, stuttering just a little.

After all the presentations were done, Tony congratulated everyone on their fantastic work and offered a few suggestions here and there, which led to a bit of a debate with some of the kids. A few were too shy to say much, but the more outgoing ones seemed delighted – and so was Tony.

“We’re hoping to extend SI’s internship program in the next year, so you guys should keep an eye on that announcement if you want to apply,” he told the kids, then turned to Peter. “Peter here is having a good time, aren’t you, Peter?”

“It’s the most awesome thing ever!” the kid declared with typical teenager hyperbole.

The news that Peter was an SI intern made him an instant celebrity among the kids, who all pelted him with lots of questions about what the labs were like and a bunch of other things. Tony was happy to see the kids exchanging contact information so they could keep in touch after the Expo was over.

Tony ended up staying way longer than he had planned, but he was having such a great time he didn’t want to leave. Unfortunately, he did have other responsibilities to get to, as Friday reminded him through his earpiece.

“I really gotta go now. It was great to meet you all.”

Before he left, he got a few group pictures – which he would post in the Expo’s page later – and signed a few more autographs.

“Bye, Mr Stark,” the kids and parents said, all smiling happily.

Tony went to his next engagement with a spring in his step.

The college undergrads’ presentations was a bit more subdued than the younger crowd, which was expected. While the kids had been all unbridled enthusiasm, the older ones were clearly trying to be serious and professional. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but Tony had to admit that he liked the unapologetic energy of the kids more.

That didn’t mean Tony wasn’t bombarded with requests for pictures and autographs, though – they were just more reserved about it. On the other hand, the discussion they all had afterwards was more interesting, since it went a little deeper in academic terms. Honestly, Tony kind of wanted to offer grants to half of the kids there on the spot, just to see how they would develop those ideas. However, he knew there was a system for that kind of thing that he needed to respect. Still, he did talk to the most promising ones to look into the September Foundation and see if they qualified.

“Thank you, Dr Stark. You’re a real hero, and not just because you’re Iron Man.”

*****

The BARF presentation was the last one Tony was scheduled to make. He had purposefully chosen it that way because there was still some residual melancholy associated with it. As he got up on the stage to talk about it, he couldn’t help remember the first time he had spoken publically about it.

He remembered Miriam Spencer and the picture of a young man taken from his mother before his time. A young man like many Tony had talked to during the Expo, a kid who wanted to make the world a better place. He knew, intellectually, that what had happened to Charlie wasn’t his fault; despite what Rogers and Maximoff had believed, the homicidal Ultron derived from (or created by) the Mind Stone had nothing to do with him. That did not change the fact that people had been killed because of it. Families had been torn apart, and an entire country was still feeling the aftershocks of that disaster. No amount of donations or reconstruction efforts could bring the dead back to life.

In truth, Tony could not really blame Mrs Spencer for her anger, even if it was directed at the wrong person. Grief did awful things to people, and at least she hadn’t tried to kill anyone; she had simply wanted someone to be accountable for the death of her son. She wanted to know that there would not be other grieving mothers out there wondering why their children had had to die.

Why Rogers couldn’t see that Tony didn’t know. How could he not see how their actions impacted others, and that saying that casualties happened was not an acceptable response?

And even with that – even with the picture of that dead kid staring him in the face – Rogers had been unmoved. Tony should have seen right there that there would be no reasoning with him. Actually, he should have seen it much earlier, when Rogers has simply ignored the destruction caused by the data dump. He should have cut the Avengers off right then.

But now was not the time to dwell on the past. Rogers was in jail where he belonged, and with the Accords in place and working well enough at least there was less chance of something like Sokovia happening again – or so he hoped.

Tony took a deep breath to push thoughts of the past from his mind and focused on what he had to say. BARF was still highly experimental, but Tony really believed that it might be a useful took someday. He himself had not used it since before the Civil War. As painful as it had been to learn the truth about what had happened to his parents, in the end it had actually helped him finally mourn them and let all that grief and anger go. Knowing that his father had not caused the accident had allowed him to make peace with Howard in his mind as last, and also to forgive himself for supposedly being the cause of his father’s drunkness.

Tony still had plenty of traumatic moments in his life, of course, but now he felt he could deal with those without having to literally rewrite the past. His unconventional therapy was working, and his improved relationship with his friends had also helped to get him to a better mental health state.

He did mention his personal reasons for creating it, as well as the need for more research into it. “I have recently learned that it’s really important to actually deal with trauma instead of just pushing it into a box and hoping it goes away – because it doesn’t, not really. I don’t know if this will help, but I want to try.” He explained how it was supposed to work and the problems he had encountered already, then finished up with an invitation for people to join the project.

As he walked out of the stage, he felt good. There was none of the guilt that had followed the previous presentation – and there was no angry mother to accuse him of not doing enough. On the contrary, everyone he talked to was happy to shake his hand and thank him for all he was doing.

What a difference a year made.

*****

“Hey everyone. The Expo is finally over, and it was really amazing. Exhausting, but amazing. Thanks to everyone who came in person, and everyone who watched it through streaming and all. I’m gonna do a quick video today to talk about it and answer a few questions that have been popping up.”

He was back in the lab, where he had barely spent any time in the last few weeks. The Stark Talk videos during the Expo had mostly been clips from the Expo, with some additional commentary from him on some of them. This would be the first ‘normal’ episode since the Expo had begun.

“But before that I’d like to announce that there will probably not be an episode next week, ‘cause like I said, I’m kinda beat. I’m gonna need some time to recharge – can’t remember the last time I actually took a vacation –, and then I’ll be back. Friday will keep you guys updated, and can answer some questions as they come up.

“So, here we go. A lot of people wanted to know how I felt about singing on stage, if I was nervous, and why I chose those particular songs.

“Yes, I was nervous. I’m usually good under pressure, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get nervous. I just know how to deal with that and go on doing what I’m supposed to be doing. I did rehearse, of course, though probably not as much as I should have – there simply wasn’t much time. Still, it’s not like I just walked on stage out of the blue, and that helped a lot. I mean, I could have done it that way – just swing it – but I felt like people deserved a decent performance and not just me embarrassing myself in front of the world. Not that I embarrass easy, but you get the point. Anyway, it was a novel experience, though, and one I really enjoyed. It went better than I thought it would, actually. The public was really nice, and it was really… special. I know that sounds corny, but I mean it. I had a great time doing that.

“Before you guys start getting ideas, though, that will NOT be a recurring thing. Sorry for those who were hoping for it, but as I said before, I don’t have time for something like that, no matter how much fun it is.

“As for how I picked the songs… Again, as I’ve said elsewhere, I’m planning on doing a whole episode on that once the album is out. I’m planning to talk about the whole process, so I don’t want to spoil anything just yet. For the stage performance, though, I chose the ones that I thought would be easier to do live. In any case, stay tuned for an official announcement. It shouldn’t be long now. Maybe another month before starting pre-sales, maybe sooner.

“Another question I got a lot of was what my favorite part of the Expo was, and I don’t know if I can pick just one. I think pretty much everything was wonderful. I got to talk to a lot of people – and everyone was super nice – and I saw a lot of amazing projects that I really hope will be developed in the future. My own presentations went well too, and I was very pleased by the results overall.

“I think, if I really had to choose, I think I’d have to say that my favorite part was getting to know a little about the people that I met. The guys I did the tour with, and the kids from all the different schools and universities, as well as the random people who approached me for a picture or just to say hi. It was a really good feeling, you know? Kinda like doing these videos, but with actual face-to-face interaction.

“For a long time I stayed… up here in my Tower, working alone and driving myself crazy with fear and anxiety, and I forgot that the world can actually be a nice place. I forgot that there are nice people out there. I wanted to protect the world, but now I feel like I want to protect people. Like, it’s not this amorphous entity ‘the world’ anymore to me. I can put names to faces and think ‘oh, there’s this sweet kid from that school, or that funny nurse who works in that place, or the kind old lady who knits sweaters for her neighbors. It’s… real. And I know that might sound dumb, ‘cause those people have always been there. It’s different when you see them, though, when you talk to them.

“Maybe that’s where the former Avengers went wrong. They didn’t see people, not like this. And I’m glad that I’m seeing them, more than ever. Ultimately, I think it will make me a better person.

“And that got a bit philosophical, sorry. But I mean it. So, thanks to everyone once again, and I’ll see you all soon.”

He’d be leaving for Malibu tomorrow morning, to spend two weeks with Pepper away from work (or as ‘away’ as two workaholics could manage). Maybe on the next video he did, he would be able to announce his engagement – if Pepper agreed to it, of course.

It was going to be awesome.