Chapter Text
Tennessee- September 2011
Tony rubbed tiredly at his forehead, the holiday season was approaching again. The newest Stark products for sale were breaking business records, and thus causing long hours for every employee of Stark Industries.
Tony desperately wanted to relax for a little while, but he had some more papers to review in what would soon no longer be his office as the transfer of CEO would be completed and he could start spending less time on paperwork- it would be Pepper's job after the New Year. Thank goodness.
“Sir, I have just received a distressing email from Mr. Keener, how would you like me to proceed?” JARVIS sounded out his news with little warning.
Tony's heart began to fear, “Distressing email? Is he in danger?”
Since their last meeting in June, Harley had taken to emailing him once a day with innocuous questions about homework and needling questions about life. It had become a daily ritual that Harley would tell him all the happenings in his small town in ‘exchange’ for Tony's knowledge.
Tony loved him and Harley's personality was very welcome back in his life. The last email that Harley sent yesterday was still as rambunctious as ever, what could have happened in 24 hours?
JARVIS explained, “Harley is not in immediate physical danger, but his mental health is at risk and I fear emotional damage as well.”
Tony could finally move again, and began to rush toward his seat, “Just show me his email,” He said shortly.
The email started off as usual:
Hey Mechanic,
(After seeing his lab space, Harley decided he was nothing more than a glorified mechanic. Thus the return of a beloved nickname- Tony suppressed a smile at it and read on.)
Today has been a pretty good day, we got our first quarter report card and I, of course, am acing every subject even HISTORY. The cafeteria gave us those funky personal pizzas for lunch, so nothing was momentous there.
I even managed to find a book I had been searching for forever at the library, the one I told you about with the scientists who make a compass that shoots a laser at true north. I plan for that to be my next project.
(There was a literal break in the text as if Harley’s fingers had been directly wired to his brain and were marking his distraction on the page.)
Hey Mechanic, I know we don't really talk about feelings and emotional stuff, but I need someone outside of the situation and you are all I have.
My Papa came back from ‘the store’, he’s been gone for six years; Left us literally one week before Abby’s first birthday and now he's back.
And I know why he's back. After the big news about your wedding was all over the media a lot of people would come around Mama’s waitressing job -they came around the house once or twice but some lawyer guys showed up and they never did it again- and they’d ask about you and the doctor; Mama never really had much to say, except that the wedding was beautiful and everyone was nice.
I'm not exactly sure what happened or how she did it, but she used one of those conversations to get a better job down at the Jameson Hotel. She is a receptionist with better hours and better pay and so He came crawling back.
It started small. He popped up one day pretending he was just passing through to his next job, but I saw right through the lie and now he’s been here for a whole month.
I kept my potato gun next to my bed, for whenever Mama decided to kick him out and he got angry. But that's my problem, Mama’s not kicking him out. She's letting him stay, letting him eat the food for us, and sit at the table with us. She doesn't even protest, when he spends all day on the couch watching TV and making a mess.
And Abby doesn't know any better, she was so young when he left she doesn't remember how much we had to struggle to eat or pay the bills; and so she plays with him and accepts his bribery chocolates and candy -which I never do-. And well, I don't think he’s leaving and I don't think they want him to leave.
I always imagined when he came back, I’d be older and stronger, able to tell him to fuck off and that we don’t want him just like he didn’t want us. but it seems that I'm mistaken, that Mama and Abby do want him around and I'm the outlier.
I guess I thought it would be us against him and not them against me.
I don't know what to do, so I hope that you are better at feelings than I think you are.
Maybe I'm wrong and what he did wasn't so bad and that it is normal and I shouldn’t worry about it or wait for the other shoe to drop and another six years of struggle to begin.
Could really use your help,
Harley.
The end of the email nearly brought Tony to tears, his son and his family were in a bad place and he needed to get him out.
“JARVIS, I want a background check on this man. Anything and everything you can find, stretch your servers and protocols if you have to.” Tony stood up in anger. He was trying to decide what his next actions should be and very much had to stop himself from suiting up, flying to Rose Hill and punching a man.
The answer came quickly, “Already started Sir, so far nothing. Seems more of a ‘deadbeat dad’ than a violent person. I have Mrs. Keener’s phone number ready, whenever you wish to call.”
Tony was a little stuck in his thoughts, but he knew JARVIS was right. The first step was Hannah.
Harley’s situation wasn’t like his own childhood, where a neglectful father coupled with a socialite mother made for a very emotionally disengaged child. Harley had support; he just couldn’t feel it and that had to change.
“Where is Hannah at the moment? I wouldn't want to put her new position in jeopardy, but it's best this call doesn't happen in front of Harley, Abby, or this man.” Tony sat down again as JARVIS placed the phone call. He mentally calmed himself down, before manually forwarding Harley's email to his mother.
“Hello? Tony Stark? Why are you calling me, is Harley ok?” The voice turned from confusion to fear, which should be funny, but Tony didn't have laughter to spare.
“Hello Hannah, I've just sent you an email, read it and call me back. It's very important.” Tony hung up, feeling a little rude for doing so, but his nerves felt a little frayed from all the tension coursing through his body.
Tony tapped on his desk failing to not to count the seconds, but it was five minutes before Hannah's voice sounded through the phone, JARVIS already knew to pick up.
“Has he said anything else before?” Hannah's voice was shaky, obvious that she had cried and was once again trying to hold back through this conversation. "How long have you known or- or suspected something?”
“I hadn’t noticed anything was wrong until he sent me this almost 40 minutes ago. I think Harley is too good at hiding his emotions, he emails me everyday and I have been unaware his father had returned this month.” Tony gave the most descriptive answer.
Hannah seemed to have gotten control of her voice again, “Stanley popped back into our lives again and I know, and I guess Harley knows, that it's because I'm making good money again. Which, I guess, I should thank you for.”
Tony corrected her, “Don't thank me for it. I would do anything for your son and that extends to you and your daughter, but certainly not to your ex. So what do you need from me? I can get lawyers and ensure your custody of the kids, even start drafting restraining orders, or a secret service level of protection to get him out of your house and your lives.”
“It’s his,” Hannah let out a shaky breath. “The house was passed down from his parents. I pay the bills, I manage the upkeep, I own the fucking furniture, but it’s his house. And that's why I didn't want to raise a fuss or attempt to get him to leave, because then he would have the grounds to kick us out and… I will NOT have my family out on the street.”
“Very well then. Do you want me to buy you a house?” The question was placid.
“What.”
Tony was entirely serious, “I can buy you a house, free of charge, yours to have and yours to keep, just say the word.”
A small silence. “I forgot who I was talking to for a moment,” A wet chuckle went through Hannah's voice. “No, I don't want you to buy me a house. I want you to send me back in time so I never make the mistake of thinking Stanley was capable of loving anyone but himself. But then that would prevent my Harley and my Abby, so I can't truly regret it.”
“Hmm… Would you like to start over, instead?” Tony inquired, already spinning in his chair to start making arrangements.
___________
Hannah thinks she should be more surprised. It's been 8 days since she agreed to a do-over, and she feels utterly overwhelmed in the biggest city she's ever been to.
“Mrs. Keener?,” the stout muscled man asked. Mr. Hogan had been sent by Mr. Stark to oversee this entire move from Rose Hill, Tennessee to Brooklyn, New York City. They had finally reached their destination, a stately looking apartment building with low rent and a good distance from her new job as a receptionist in a slightly higher end tourist hotel. Which was provided by the pulled strings of Tony Stark himself. She insisted on a job she felt qualified for and she will do her best to not take advantage of the affection he held for Harley.
“Mama, is this our new home? It's very loud.” Her little girl questioned.
Abby had clung onto her for the past week, since she announced the move to her children. Harley, on the other hand, had seemed shocked and questioned whether their father would be joining them. When she declared he wouldn't, Harley became triumphant and jumped into a hug that squeezed her tight. That hug was all the confirmation she needed that this was the right decision, no matter the struggle.
“Come on, let's see our new place.” Harley, virtually vibrating with excitement, ran ahead of the group and followed the movers to the right apartment.
It was a simple homely space, obviously smaller than the house they had come from, but nonetheless more spacious than what she expected of New York.
“Mama, are we never going back to Rose Hill? What about all my friends and my toys, what about Papa?” Abby's concern was forefront.
“We don't need Papa,” Harley interjected, before she could reply, “I know you don't remember, but this time around we left him before he could leave us.” Harley's tone was vindictive and vengeful, and that was absolutely not the feelings Hannah wanted Harley to hold onto.
It was time to talk about this.
“Ok, hold on there,” Hannah stopped what could have escalated to a fight and gestured for her children to join her at the window seat and away from the path of the movers.
“Harley, Abby, your father made many mistakes with our family and the biggest one was not loving us enough to stay.'' Her words were blunt, but her children saw too much for her not to be totally sincere with them. “But just because he’s made his mistakes doesn’t mean you can't love him or want him around and it doesn't mean you have to forgive or forget him,” she looked at Abby then Harley in turn, “Instead, you have to forgive yourself for not feeling like enough and for feeling any emotion of anger or sadness toward him. He made his choices, but you do not have to let them affect who you are. Okay, do you understand what I'm saying?”
Abby's face was scrunched up not in confusion, but a desire to withhold tears and Harley looked torn between letting go versus holding on. All that was left to do was hold on to her children as they wept tears of loss and pain. She knew that tomorrow's feelings would be relief and acceptance, but for now she embraced them through the chaos.