So I uh⌠went to write a short, cute drabble for this and⌠I ended up writing a nearly 3k long fic? Whoops? This got away from me. I regret nothing.
It started with Wi-fi. Wi-fi of all things. Tony found out by accident.
âWhatâs going on out here?â Tony asked, sliding his sunglasses down a bit to look at the group of teenagers sitting in front of the Tower.
All the teens looked up at once, eyes wide like deer caught in headlights. They looked at each other, then back at Tony.
âUm, wellâŚâ A brunet spoke up, closing his laptop. âThe Avengers Tower has great Wi-fi, sir. And itâs free. We all⌠some of us donât have access to Wi-fi at home, and we need it for school projects.â
Tony blinked. âOh. Okay. Study hard, then.â He adjusted his sunglasses again and walked into the Tower without a second thought.
But later that day, Tony keeps thinking about it. Canât get it out of his head, until he goes so far to have FRIDAY pull up security camera footage from in front of the Tower over the past few weeks.
There are kids there, always, Tony finds. Anywhere from ten to nearly fifty, all crowded around the Tower, sitting on the grass. Even at night or in shitty weather, there were at least a few.
And sure, Tony was fine with it. More than fine with it, even. If kids wanted to use Tonyâs Wi-fi, he on board with it. Tony was completely with the idea of accessible technology.
So it hung out in the back of Tonyâs mind, and he smiled at the group of the teens he saw every time he walked in and it the Tower. He made sure security didnât bother them, and left them to their devices.
But the thoughts of it wouldnât leave Tonyâs brain. A part of him ached a little at the idea of the kids who were so needing of a damned Wi-fi connection they would sit in the rain for it. It got to the point that Tony was lying awake in bed, thinking about it.
âFRIDAY, are there any vacant floors in the Tower?â Tony asked, staring at the ceiling.
âThere are three vacant floors,â FRIDAY answered in a chipper voice.
Tony sat up. âFRIDAY, order a shit ton of junk food and furniture. We have work to do.â
And so it began. Within a week, Tony had a large room on its own floor completely dedicated to being an expansive lounge. It had all sorts of furniture, shelves stocked with every food Tony could think of, a fridge full of drinks, an espresso machine, and over a dozen outlets. It was close to the bottom floor, easily accessible by the elevator. Tony talked to Happy and reorganized his entire security so that anyone could walk into the Tower and go straight to the lounge.
The first day, there were already over twenty teens milling around, laptops plugged in and noses in books. It made Tony smile and feel warm in ways he couldnât describe, seeing the tranquil environment of kids studying. The numbers grew over time, and Tony made sure it was kept accessible 24/7.
So it started with Wi-fi. But after that, things got more⌠complicated.
Tony was in the lounge, taking an inventory of what needed to be restocked. Sure, he had people for that, but it was nice to show his face every so often, remind the kids he existed.
Tony finished writing down how many bags of Doritos were on the shelf and spun around, crashing right into someone.
âOh fuck,â Tony stumbled, catching the person by their elbows. A pair of startled green eyes stared up at him in horror. âHey. Hi.â Tony smiled. âSorry about that. Wasnât looking where I was going. My fault.â
The girl stared at him, breathing hard. âIâm sorry I didnât-â
âHey, no. My fault, remember?â Tony soothed. âIâm responsible for at least fifty per cent of the accidents in this Tower.â
âActually, youâre responsible for sixty-seven point nine per cent.â FRIDAY chirped.
Tony frowned. âIs that counting the incident on Thursday?â
âYou did hold fifty per cent of the blame.â FRIDAY reminded him.
âTwelve per cent, at most,â Tony argued. He looked back at the girl. âThor tried to put a raw egg in the toaster, itâs a long story.â
The girl gave a confused, shy smile. Tony counted that as some kind of victory.
Tony went to let go of the girlâs elbows when his gaze brushed over her forearm. âHey.â Tonyâs voice was softer. âAre you okay?â
The girl froze again, biting her lip. âNo- itâs fine, I donât-â Her face turned red. But not as red as the angry lines cut into her wrist.
âYou wanna talk?â Tony asked, eyebrows knit together.
âYou-youâre busy I shouldnât-â
âFRIDAY, cancel the afternoon meeting. Or tell them Iâm not coming,â Tony said without hesitation. âThere, Iâm free.â
The girl frowned. âYou didnât have to do that. Itâs fine, really.â
Tony rolled his eyes. âCome on, kid. Letâs talk, okay?â He sighed at her hesitance. âHey, whatâs the worst I can do? Iâm just some rich guy.â
With a begrudging smile, the girl took Tonyâs hand and Tony lead them to an empty storage room, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall.
âWhatâs your name?â Tony asked.
âCecilia,â The girl mumbled.
âHi, Iâm Tony.â Tony introduced with a bright smile. Cecilia laughed. âSo you wanna talk about this?â He pointed to her wrist.
âIâŚâ Cecilia cleared her throat. âItâs hard, you know? School is hard, and Iâm not good enough to do anything right, andâŚâ She swallowed. Cecilia covered her face, choking on a sob.
Tony scooted closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. âYou wanna know something, kid?â
âI am one of the richest men alive, have been named Sexiest Man Alive three times, have my last name attached to a fortune five hundred company, have been called one of the leading minds of the 21st century, am a member of the goddamned Avengers andâŚâ Tony ran a hand through his hair. âAnd I feel the same way. All the time. I wake up worried that someday everyoneâs gonna see through me, see the fraud I really am.â Tony cleared his throat. âI have anxiety attacks. I wake up screaming from nightmares. I avoid mirrors. And some days I donât want to wake up at all.
âBut I do. Because there are people who need me to. And maybe itâs more for me than you. But itâs not about numbers. Quantity holds no value the quality. As long as thereâs one person who cares, youâve got a reason to wake up in the morning.â Tony thought a moment. âAnd if youâve got no one else, then I count, right?â
There was a long stretch of awkward silence, but the shy smile Tony got made it all worth it.
After that, Tony invested in having free, confidential, no strings attached therapists at the Tower for the kids who came to study. He started with five, but by the end of the month, Tony had seven full time and three part-time working at the Tower. Tony did briefly see Ceciliaâs face every now and then, and she seemed happier. That made it all worth it.
After that, everything was a downward spiral. Someone put a suggestion box on the door, and the teens who stayed wrote their ideas down. Tony read every single one. Even the stupid ones. And he listened.
First, there were showers installed in the bathrooms. Tony noticed there were certain faces that showed up more than others, so often it was almost concerning. So Tony figured they might as well freshen up while there. The showers were equipped with towels, soap, and all other necessities.
After the showers came the storage room filled with other living supplies. Blankets, food items, clothing, some basic tech, gift cards for local supermarkets, toiletries. Anything Tony could think of required for living. Like everything else, anyone could take anything, no questions asked.
Then came the library. There were suggestions for a supply of the review books and textbooks for the classes students were taking, and Tony decided to go in all or nothing. The library was filled wall to wall with every modern textbook and review book in the curriculum, as well as an expansive amount of leisure reads as well. Tony stocked it with comfortable seating, computers and tablets as well. There were no late fees, Tony refused to make any of the kids pay a damned dime for things they should have basic access to.
And then there were physical doctors as well. Ones who could give flu shots and prescribe at least the most basic of medications and advice.
After that, the gym just seemed to be common sense. As the recommendations in the box pointed out, public gyms were expensive. So Tony set up a gym. Granted it wasnât Avengers level, but it was a damned nice gym.
Tutors came next. Private tutors, as well as ones that would teach entire groups. Tony managed to wrestle with the local schools to even get the kids credit for some of the tutorings.
After that, things finally seemed to mellow out. Tony drew up a list of rules, but most of the teens were pretty decent about keeping things civil. Tony was damned proud to average only one incident a month.
The Avengers found out about the Studentâs Lounge as itâd be dubbed, and they frequented it more than Tony expected. He found Clint down there telling stories that were probably classified, Natasha showing a group of girls ballet moves, Thor showing off trinkets from Asgard, Steve drawing with a group of art kids, Sam giving serious talks on mental health, and so on. It was nice.
And it worked. Kids were happy and studying, but also had a place to relax and unwind. Tony did have to get an ungodly number of permits and licenses to do what he did, but it was all beyond worth it to see the kids smiling and being safe.
It was a year later when Tony was working in his workshop with jeans and a tank top and FRIDAY caught his attention.
âMr Stark, your presence has been requested in the Studentâs Lounge,â FRIDAY said, cutting into the silence.
Tony frowned. âIs it an emergency?â
There was a pause. âNo, but the students are rather insistent.â
âFine.â Tony stood up with a sigh. âTell them Iâll be down there in a minute.â
Tony took the elevator down to the floor that was now entirely monopolized by the Studentâs Lounge. As soon as the doors opened he found himself standing in front of a few dozen teens, all crowded around and waiting.
âIs this some club meeting or a cult initiation?â Tony asked, sliding his grease-covered hands into his pockets.
A teen stepped forward, a blond boy with bright eyes and a nervous smile. âUh, hi. We⌠we had something we wanted to share with you.â He was holding note cards, absently tapping them.
Tony glanced around. âWell then, shoot.â He spread his hands.
The blond cleared his throat, looking down at the cards. âWe hear the saying a lot,â He read, âthat itâs impossible to shop for a man who has everything. And with you, that couldnât be more true. A genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, one of Earthâs Mightiest Heroes, and an amazing person all around. You truly have everything, Mister Stark.
âAnd yet, you give. You give, and you give. You gave us a place to study that became so much more. Beyond the material items, this place has become a home for all of us. For those of us who donât have food to eat at home, books to read, clothes to wear, a family to come home to. All because you wanted to give some kids a good Wi-fi connection. You created a family. This year alone, the graduation rate grew ten per cent from last year, and we donât think itâs a coincidence. And weâre all confident with your help, that number will grow more and more.
âYou created jobs for the community. We did the math and figured at least fifty new jobs were created through the Studentâs Lounge. And you pay for all of it out of pocket. You donât need to. Youâve already saved the world more than enough times, given millions of dollars to charity. And yet you did this for a group of kids sitting on your front lawn just to get a decent Wi-fi connection.
âThere are no words to describe the kindness that takes. The amount of time youâve put towards this proves itâs so much more than a publicity stunt. Not only do you personally oversee everything, but you stop by weekly, even if just to say hi. You listen to what we have to say. In a world that makes it so easy to ignore teenagers, you put every ounce of effort into doing the complete opposite. And your effort didnât go unnoticed.â The blond stepped aside and let a redhead girl stand in the middle instead.
âMy name is Miranda.â The girl spoke up. âA year ago, I was addicted to heroin and struggling in all of my classes. I was⌠I was ready to drop out of school altogether, even considered selling my own body just for drug money. But a friend dragged me here and⌠and I got therapy. A doctor. Food. All things my family struggled to afford. My recovery is still slow going, but thanks to you, I can say Iâm in recovery, to begin with. Thank you.â Miranda stepped to the side and a black haired boy took her place.
âIâm Ian. My parents abused me, and I had nowhere to go. Even after coming here to spend my afternoons, I was hesitant to overstay my welcome. But I wasnât ever judged, and always felt safe here. I was able to work up enough courage to run away and start spending nights here. Eventually, I met a friend here who let me stay with them, but not once did I have to know how it felt to be homeless. This place was my home, the entire time, even now that I sleep somewhere else. You gave me a home. Thank you.â
And so it went on, each kid telling their own version, and Tony wasnât even ashamed to admit he was openly crying before they even got through ten. And he listened. To every single one. Tried to remember names and important details, make mental notes for future reference. Tony watched and listened, entranced by every story.
The first boy stepped back up. âAnd Iâm Ben. I donât really have a sob story, but I do know that this place is a home for every single person here. Weâre a family of brothers and sisters, and youâre, for lack of better wording, the cool dad. So thank you. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. So much. We hope our family can grow, and this home will only get better with each day. So while we donât have any gift, we hope this can stand as one. Our stories are something that you gave us, and we hope by sharing them you can understand how much you mean to all of us.â The boy, Ben, lowered his notecards and smiled. âThank you.â
Tony stared at them, wiping tears away from his eyes. âYouâre all assholes.â He decided. âI am supposed to be a suave billionaire, and here youâve got me crying like a dumbass.â
âYou know what?â Tony clapped his hands together. âThis deserves a pizza party. Dominoâs is about to hate me. Does anyone have any dietary restrictions? Start writing up a list while I find a phone number.â
âDonât you have stuff to do?â A brunette girl who Tony remembered to be Cassie asked.
Tony shrugged. âItâs fine, Iâll do it in the morning.â
âMiss Potts has asked for the schematics to be uploaded by midnight,â FRIDAY spoke up.
âPepper has been working for me long enough to know âby midnightâ means by noon the next day. Itâs fine.â Tony waved off. âCome on, start writing a list. If I donât see at least one gluten-free pizza, Iâm making you do it again.â
The teens all smiled and started writing and shouting at each other. Tony watched with a happy sigh. They were a family.
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