Proof that Tony Stark has a Heart

Chapter 15

I grinned as Lucas bounced on the bed, Captain America action figure in hand and whooshing noises escaping his lips as the four-year-old made the figure fly around the room. 

"Captain America can't fly, pup," I pointed out, earning a dark look from my son.

"Can now," he insisted stubbornly. 

I smothered a laugh, holding out the brightly colored octopus plushie that Luna had bought for Lucas, who was currently playing the role of supervillain. With a battle cry, Luke charged towards me with Captain America held in front of him, dive-bombing the poor stuffed octopus and tearing it from my hands, repeatedly hitting it with the hand holding his action figure. I made the appropriate cries of despair but paused when the TV suddenly flashed a 'breaking news' banner.

"Hush a second, pup," I urged, reaching over for the remote to turn the sound up. The screen changed to the news reporter, and my heart fell to my stomach.

"This just in, Stark Industries CEO and owner Tony Stark has been kidnapped from a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan," the report announced, a short video clip of a military truck exploding, followed by a picture of Tony's grinning face; clearly taken at a party of some sort. my breath caught in my throat, hand reflexively gripped the remote tighter. God, Tony only got more attractive as he got older.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Luke asked with a frown, plopping down on the bed beside me and staring up at me in confusion. I ignored him, listening intently as the reporter explained what Tony had been doing in Afghanistan, and how no one had seen any trace of him since the ambush. I didn't even notice the knock on the door, only to startle when Remus slipped into the room. The werewolf frowned at me, then took one look at the television screen, his jaw dropping.

"Oh, cub," he murmured, immediately moving to hug me around the shoulder.

"Dad, Moony, what is it? Who's that man?" Lucas persisted, frown deepening. I choked on a bitter laugh; of course, Lucas didn't know. He couldn't.

"He's a friend of your Dad's, pup," Remus explained softly. "They haven't seen each other in a long time, though."

"Oh." Lucas bit his lip, crawling into my lap and hugging me around the waist. "M'sorry, Dad. I hope your friend is okay."

"He will be, pup," I replied quietly, stroking my son's messy dark hair, still staring at the picture of Tony on the screen. "They'll find him." I wished I could be as confident as I sounded.

"Pup, why don't we go get you ready for your bath, yeah? Then I'll read you a few chapters of your story before bed," Remus suggested a forced smile on his face. Lucas immediately brightened, as we both knew he would and scrambled out of my lap to jump off the bed.

"I wanna turn the tap!" he exclaimed excitedly, sprinting out of the room towards the bathroom. Remus chuckled to himself, turning back to me with a concerned frown. Lucas had been obsessed with the bath tap for weeks now; he'd be happily occupied for five minutes or so.

"Are you alright, cub?" he asked, squeezing my shoulder comfortingly. I shrugged, tearing my gaze away from the TV to look up at my godfather.

"Yeah, course I am, Moons," I replied, the words sounding fake even to my ears. "It's not like he's my boyfriend or anything." Remus merely raised a knowing eyebrow, and I swallowed the lump in his throat. "He's a bloody genius, Remus. If... if he's alive, he'll get himself out. He's not as vapid as he makes out to be." Because of course, Remus was well aware of what the news said about Tony Stark. Neither of us would admit to keeping track of the man over the years; I felt like I had some connection to my son's other father, and Remus tried and learn more about the man I had so clearly fallen in love with.