𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆, son of t. stark

004

AS RYDER WAS DRIFTING OFF, JARVIS called out, "Mr. Stark, your presence has been requested in the living room." Ryder slid off the counter he had opted to sit on rather than the chairs that were laid out. "Thanks, J." Ryder couldn't really be bothered to say his full name, he was tired and exhausted plus J was a good nickname.

In the living room stood two people, none of which were Tony. He had stormed off to his lab halfway through the conversation and Pepper had to convince him to let Ryder stay. And we all know, how much Tony is scared of Pepper. She had gotten his signatures on the papers Jennifer had bought and glared at him when he had attempted to whine.

Ryder's footsteps echoed in the big penthouse as he rushed to know if Tony had decided to throw him out like yesterday's trash or decided to keep him like today' trash to throw out tomorrow. You can probably guess that he doesn't exactly have a big self esteem, he just fakes it most of the time.

His brown eyes grew disappointed as he saw that Tony was not present and his mind jumped to the worst possible conclusion which wasn't doing much to his exhaustion and bad mood.

Pepper smiled and her eyes lit up as she saw him. She motioned for him to come forwards with her hands, "You're gonna stay here with us!" Her smiled widened even more, if possible. Jennifer who was standing there, didn't want to lower his spirits so, she smiled as well.

"Great!" He forced out a little smile. "I'll be taking my leave now, Ms. Potts, I have to register the papers that Mr. Stark signed." She smiled at Ryder once last time and walked out. Now, that Jennifer wasn't here he could talk to Pepper freely.

He took a seat on the couch, "Pepper, be honest. Did Tony sign the papers willing or was it you...?" He didn't look at her for a few moments but glanced at her when she knelt beside him. Her eyes were sad, "Ryder..." Her soothing voice said.

Her response was enough for Ryder, he stood up and brushed off non-existent dust from his jeans. Clearing his throat he asked, "Where's my room?" Knowing that the topic was sensitive, Pepper straightened and smile once again. She motioned for him to follow her and walked towards the elevator.

Exiting the elevator, they entered a hallway with multiple doors. She led him to a door with a mahogany with a few golden embellishments on the corners with a similar knob. Turning the knob, he entered the room.

The room was a dark blue and a few black accents, coincidently his favorite colour pair too. The bed was a king sized one with light blue and white sheets contrasting with the whole room. A big door, which he supposed was either the wardrobe or the bathroom. "If there's anything you want from your house in New York, just tell me and I'll see that it will be brought." He nodded, not really wanting to say anything. "I'll leave you alone now." She said meekly and silently closed the door behind her.

He sat on the bed and cried. He hadn't cried after he lost his mother, he hadn't even acknowledged the fact that his mom, the most precious person in his life had left him. But now, he was alone and could let it all out. Nobody could stop him and nobody would stop him. As sobs racked his body, he curled up into a ball. And that was the position he fell asleep in.

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Ryder woke up after a few hours, groggy. He stretched his body to loosen up his muscles after sleeping in a very uncomfortable position. He stood up and walked towards the door he presumed was the door to the bathroom.

It was. And it was beautiful, full of marble and a white wood cabinet under the sink. He walked over to the sink and looked at his disheveled face. His black hair was sticking up all over the place and his eyes red and swollen from crying.

He turned the faucet on and splattered the water on his face. Grabbing a towel hanging on the handle beside the mirror and dried his face. Next, he made a path to the kitchen because it was gonna be dinner time soon and he should probably make something to eat.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw no one there. He made his way to the cabinets, deciding that he was gonna be the one making dinner today. He knew both Pepper and Tony were busy people, so he could help them a little plus he could put the cooking skills his mom taught him to good use.

At least two hours later, he was almost done when he heard footsteps. "What smells so good? Pepper, I didn't know you were cooking?" It was Tony, that's who. Ryder, who was focused in the cooking, said absentmindedly, "I knew you two were busy so, I decided to make dinner." He finished getting the pasta on the plate and finally looked towards him.

And suddenly his confidence crumbled, awkwardness took over him. Tony was staring wide-eyed at the number of dishes on the kitchen counter. Noticing his expression, Ryder scratched his neck, "I didn't know what you guys liked so..." He trailed off.

More footsteps were heard down the hall, "Tony, where are you?" Pepper's voice called out. When she appeared int he kitchen, she stood stunned. "Who made these?" She asked, surprised. "The kid made it. Can you believe it?" Tony turned towards her with a big crazy grin. The smile he gave when he invented something new.

Pepper could see the light spark of happiness that appeared in Ryder's eyes at Tony's word. It was the first time his dad had complimented him, 1 for Ryder! They sat down together on the dining table like a family.

Ryder couldn't help but wonder if it was his mom instead of Pepper. He knew it wasn't nice but he couldn't help himself. And so they ate their dinner with compliments blossoming from their mouths and thank yous.

Ryder felt whole and his mind drifted from the death of his mom and instead focused on the family that he had had the privilege of receiving. "Okay, I looked through some schools for you and I was hoping you would choose." Pepper said, brushing her hair back.

"I don't really care, just pick one." He replied. Tony suddenly looked up, "Let me see his grades." He said with a serious face. Don't get him wrong, he still wasn't ready for kid no matter how good of a cook he was. But he had to know if he even had a slight chance that the kid was a genius, like himself.

Pepper pulled out a sheet from the bag on the counter and slid it beside him because he didn't like things being handed to him. Meanwhile, Ryder was sweating. He didn't know what this was, even science couldn't explain this strange phenomenon.

"These are great!" He exclaimed. "I know." Ryder said with a smirk, no longer nervous. Maybe Ryder was his son, maybe. He'll have to see but for now he had to get to his lab and danc- he meant work. Yeah, work.

Ryder picked up the dishes, kept them in the sink and went straight to bed knowing tommorow he had to attend hell also known as school.

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[Published 5. 11. 20]
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