Stories From The Island
Memory Recall
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for various MARVEL movies and television programs.
***
"His name was Hank Pym. The one we've discussed the virus with? It was about three months after my parent’s accident. I was still adjusting to being in charge of Stark Industries and Obie was pushing me to form some type of agreement with Pym regarding some technology he'd worked on. Obie thought I might succeed where he had failed…only Obie miscalculated how much Pym distrusted my father and, by extension, me. It probably didn't help that I flirted with his daughter...."
***
Tony fidgeted on the front stoop of the house, tugging at his tie and wishing for the hundredth time he was back in school, instead of trying to coerce a scientist into agreeing to work with Stark Industries. Especially when he knew said scientist couldn't stand Tony's father and was just as likely to shove Tony out the second story window as talk to him about a contract. Obie had been insistent, though and managed to pull on the underlying guilt Tony always felt at being such a disappointment to his father. He didn't want to disappoint Obie as well. Sighing, he rang the doorbell a second time.
After the second time the doorbell was rung, the door was opened and Hank stood there, looking Tony over. "You must be Tony Stark." His voice was dry. His recognition of the other man wasn't a good thing... or, at least, that wasn't what he thought. "What are you doing here?" Although his voice wasn't overtly hostile, it certainly wasn't welcoming.
Tony swallowed hard; Pym's obvious disapproval affecting him much like his own father's disapproval had always affected him. He stiffened and forced a smile to his face, even as he felt himself sharpening his mental knives to do verbal battle with the older man, preparing for dismissal and an obvious disregard and lack of respect for his abilities. His father had never valued anything he did unless it made him look good; and even then, the man hadn't really appreciated Tony or his efforts. Tony wanted nothing more than to be a smart ass and show the same disdain toward Hank Pym as he was certain Pym was going to show to him; after all...why should Pym be any different than his father? He swallowed again, reigning in his impulse to react childishly and attempted to be a responsible adult the way Obie expected. He didn't want to disappoint his father figure, even if it might feel good in the short term to pull Pym down a notch or two. "Hello, Dr. Pym. Yes...I am Tony Stark. I'm here on behalf of Stark Industries...I'd like to discuss with you the possibilities of my company working with you to develop items that would protect our nation's soldiers...." he said soberly, giving himself a mental high-five when his voice didn't wobble or change pitch and make him sound like a nervous teenager, even if he was only seventeen.
Pym frowned. "I think you must be misinformed. I don't have anything that will be of use to you. Or your company." His voice was curt, although still not outright hostile. The suspicious look on his face was obvious.
Tony smiled enigmatically. He'd done his research into what Pym had done for SHIELD before the scientist had quit. And he remembered being in Pym's lab when a child, when Howard and Hank were still friendly, if not friends. "I think you do...maybe not in equipment or actual plans...but your knowledge? Could go a very long way to helping us perfect our weapons and armor, resulting in protection of our troops...." He watched Pym carefully...he had told Obie it was a bad idea to contact Pym and a spectacularly bad idea to send him to do it. Tony remembered Howard sulking to Maria after the fight they'd had. It was one of the few times Tony remembered anyone saying no to his father, let alone putting the billionaire in his place.
"I very much doubt that you would put that to any better use than your father would have." Pym might have gone on... if he hadn't been distracted by a car pulling up just outside.
"I'm not my father..." Tony said brightly, though his eyes had taken on a shadowed look and his teeth were clenched slightly. The comment had obviously touched a nerve somewhere.
"That's a risk I don't think I'm willing to take." Pym focused on Tony once more, though he could see his daughter get out of her car out of the corner of his eye. Old habits were hard to break.
"At least let me show you the plan we've come up with? For old time's sake?" He glanced toward the girl getting out of her car- she looked to be around his age, maybe a little younger. His smile grew and his body shifted into a stance meant to make him look 'better' to her, almost of its own accord.
Pym's eyes narrowed a little at the way Tony looked at his daughter, but he kept hold of his temper, reminding himself that Howard's son was still just a kid... barely older than Hope. "I suppose you should come inside."
Hope locked the car door and approached the house, a curious look coming over her face as she looked at Tony and her father. She didn't ask, though, knowing her father wasn't likely to tell her much.
"Thank you, sir..." Tony may have been accused of a lot in his young age (no one could say he hadn't been thorough in his attempts to prove he wasn't Howard, especially when it allowed him to annoy the older man), but not having manners was not one of them. He waited until both Pym and Hope had preceded him into the house before going in himself. He also very carefully stayed in one spot, quietly awaiting Pym's directions, rather than immediately heading into what was obviously the office. He couldn't help but glance around in curiosity, though. Manners only went so far when you were seventeen and eager to learn everything you could about everything.
"Do you have homework to do?" Pym's comment to his daughter was probably intended as a dismissal... even though he was trying to actually talk to her. His attempts were often quite stilted... and he was uncomfortably aware that Tony, if he was even half as intelligent as his father (and by all accounts, he was a genius), would probably see that.
Tony, hearing the stiff tone in Pym's voice and not understanding anything about the man or about his relationship with his daughter, straightened up imperceptibly at the older man's words; words that were very similar in nature and tone to words that Howard had spoken to him (when he was actually focused on Tony enough to actually talk to him) various times through Tony's growing up. He couldn't help but glance into Hope's eyes to see her reaction to the words.
Hope's own face was cool... almost more of a mask. She gave a barely perceptible nod to her father. "I have a little. I'll take care of it in my room." She glanced once at Tony then headed towards the stairs.
Tony, recognizing someone hiding their true feelings- because he had done it so often himself- couldn't help but try and catch Hope's attention before she left. "Hey! I remember you now! Last time I saw you, you pushed me out of that tree in the backyard..." He was grinning widely at the memory.
Hope paused, looking slightly taken aback before the cool mask descended... though there was the very faint glimmer of a smile. "I told you it was my tree."
"Oh...I know. I made a good offer to rent it for a few minutes, though!" Tony's grin grew, his eyes twinkling. "I don't offer to give my favorite jelly beans for just any reason, you know!" It was second nature to be flirtatious...even if his words were innocent and he wasn't doing anything untoward, there was still that undercurrent of 'I think you're cute, I hope you think I'm cute too' that was permeating the air.
Pym cleared his throat. "I'm sure you aren't here to flirt with my daughter, Mr. Stark," he said seriously.
Tony blinked, darting a glance toward Pym, and felt his hackles rising. "I was just being friendly..." he protested. "Seemed like she might like someone smiling at seeing her...." He almost winced as those words came out of his mouth, almost. If Pym took his words as a slight or criticism of his behavior towards his own daughter; well, Tony hadn't really expected to get a contract from the man anyway. He'd told Obie it was a long shot. A very long shot.
Pym's face went a fraction colder. "Hope is not here for your scrutiny, Mr. Stark," he said. "I'm giving you a chance to prove you weren't lying when you said you aren't your father. I suggest you don't jeapordise it."
"What?!" Tony blinked. "I wasn't...Hope was a friend...I wouldn't..." Tony tried to keep his face calm, but at the end of the day, he was still just a seventeen year old boy; and having a father - a man he actually had admired at one time, even if the other man hadn't really noticed him- accuse him of trying something with his daughter flustered and embarrassed him. Especially since he really did view Hope as a friend and wouldn't risk that. Feeling unfairly judged because of his father, by a man who reminded him entirely too much of his father, was too much. "If anyone is like my father, it's you. Do you find fault with everything she does too?" His tone was snide...snarky...but underneath was the hurt he constantly pushed down and tried to ignore.
Pym wasn't as good at reading people as he should be... his wife had always been better at that than him. But he was fairly certain an attempt to work with Tony Stark would fail... and he could admit, to himself, that it would be his fault as much, if not more, than the boy's. "I think it's clear a partnership between us is just going to be wrought with conflict," he said, making sure he didn't lay the blame solely on Tony's shoulders. "It would be best if you left now."
Tony slumped. "Told Obie this was pointless..." he muttered. Sighing, he turned toward the door, not willing to try and change Pym's mind. The man was right, after all. He wasn't looking forward to Obie’s disappointment, though.
Pym felt a little bad for the obvious disappointment, but he felt this was the best option and walked over to see Tony out, while his daughter headed upstairs.
Tony allowed himself to be led outside, not arguing or even talking. Before he knew it, he was standing by his car. It was a shame he couldn't have talked to Hope a bit, but he wasn't surprised. Hank and Howard hadn't had a good relationship at the end.
Pym closed the door, after hesitating over what to say. He didn't expect it would change Tony's disappointment, no matter what he said, though. And after collecting some files from his office, he headed to his bedroom to take care of some work.
Tony got into his car, but sat for a few moments, going over everything, and finally came to one conclusion. He didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to Hope and maybe getting her permission to keep in touch. Getting out of his car, he walked around to the back of the house and stared at the old oak that he and Hope had climbed that she had pushed him out of. It had been shorter then, but still tall enough to reach Hope's bedroom window. Since it was taller, he would be able to easily climb it up to the bedroom window and talk to her.
With that in mind, he began to climb.
Although his room now was smaller than the one he'd shared with his wife, it was still big enough to allow Pym to work at a desk... which he was doing when he heard a noise outside his window. Standing, he walked over to see what it was.
Tony carefully made his way out on the edge of a rather thin limb. He kept his balance, barely, and soon was gripping the edge of the windowsill and tapping on the glass. "Hope! You in there?" He tried to modulate his voice low enough not to attract anyone outside of the room's occupant; it wouldn't do for Hank to hear and come investigate. He shifted his feet slightly and grasped the ledge more tightly, the precariousness of his position making him nervous.
Pym reached the window in time to hear the tapping and Tony calling through the glass. Annoyance warring with worry (even though he hadn't got along with Howard, he didn't want the kid to fall and hurt himself), he quickly moved to open the window and pull Tony inside, very careful not to risk the kid falling.
Tony was unpleasantly surprised when the window opened and it was Hank Pym frowning at him instead of Hope. He jerked without thinking and the only thing that kept him from plummeting to the ground was the sudden grip Hank had on his arms. Face pale as a ghost and shaking from the realization that he could have been badly hurt, if not killed had he fallen, Tony scrambled into the bedroom through the window, falling onto the floor at Pym's feet. Swallowing several times and taking a deep breath, he finally looked up at the older man...biting his tongue because his first impulse was to make a smart ass comment and the look on Pym's face indicated that would be a very bad idea. "I just wanted to say bye to Hope," he finally said in a shaky voice. "Ask her if I could write to her...."
Pym frowned, but reached down to help Tony up. "You decided to do that by trying to climb in through the window? You could have fallen... broken a bone, or worse!"
"I wasn't going to fall! You just surprised me...I thought Hope would be here!" Tony tried to sound brave, defiant and in control, he really did, but as good as he was at fooling the public, he wasn't that good at fooling fathers. Not yet, anyway. As a result, he just sounded like a nervous kid...a kid that wasn't sure what the angry adult in front of him was going to do.
Pym could have allowed himself to be drawn into an argument with Tony... but he was more concerned about the kid's apparent disregard of his own safety. He was still holding onto Tony and he used that grip to tug the kid over to the bed.
"What...what are you doing?" Tony asked nervously, his face going bright red when his voice went up an octave and cracked.
"I'm going to spank you." Pym thought about asking if Howard had ever done that... but at the same time, it was clear Tony's relationship with his father hadn't been a good one. So he said something different. "Your actions just now were dangerous. I don't think we can work together... that doesn't mean I'm going to turn a blind eye to something like this."
"What? You're going to...What??! But you can't!" Tony looked a mixture of baffled and horrified, finding it difficult to process the information. "If I do something foolish, you yell at me....make me see how stupid I am...at worse, ignore me for a few months.... Not spank me!" Tony was confused. This wasn't the reaction he got from adults and he didn't know how to deal with the information.
If that was how Howard dealt with things, Pym couldn't help thinking that it explained a lot. "I'm certain you're not stupid, Tony." He paused, a little surprised at how natural it felt to address the kid by his first name, but continued, "If you'd been seriously hurt... if you'd been killed falling out of that tree... it would be a great loss." Reaching the bed, he sat down and tugged Tony across his lap.
Tony blinked as his perspective suddenly changed. "You...you'd miss me?" He cringed at the hopeful tone in his voice. Pym didn't like him...didn't want anything to do with him, really. Just because the man felt the need to address what had been dangerous behavior didn't mean he cared. And it didn't mean Tony should just accept what he had planned without a fight. Except Tony couldn't bring himself to fight. It had been dangerous...only Pym's strong grip on him had kept him from falling. He owed the man. The least he could do would be to take whatever he dished out without being difficult. "I...I've never..." he finally began, his tone embarrassed.
"I don't agree with the work your father did... or the way you're carrying on with it. But I liked you when I knew you as a kid... and I'm sure you have a lot of potential to do good." Pym settled Tony in place and then bared him.
"No! Wait!" Tony blurted out belatedly, before turning bright red in humiliation. He didn't understand what was happening, but it was hard not to be scared when he was completely vulnerable to a man he'd thought hated him and who he was now being taken in hand by, as if he were a small child and not the near adult he was.
Pym tightened his hold on Tony, but didn't immediately start swatting, figuring maybe the kid needed some kind of reassurance. He wasn't quite sure why he was stepping in like this... only that he didn't want Tony to get himself killed. "If you'd asked to talk to Hope, I probably wouldn't have let you go into her bedroom... but I wouldn't have stopped you talking to her. You shouldn't have put yourself in danger. For any reason. I know you're more intelligent than that."
"I...I didn't think about it until I was already outside...and I'd already irritated you enough, I thought you'd just ignore me if I knocked on your door again...." Tony admitted in a tiny voice, still obviously scared, but not quite as anxious now that it was obvious Pym was actually paying attention and wouldn't just start whaling on him. "I'm sorry I climbed your tree...I shouldn't have done that...I didn't think of how dangerous it was..." Which was a lie that he hoped Pym didn't hear in his voice. He'd known it was dangerous. He just didn't think anyone would care about that; no one ever seemed to care about the dangerous stuff he did practically every day, any other time, after all- driving way too fast, drinking till he was incoherent or passed out, bringing strangers home? The only ones who'd ever cared about things like that were Jarvis and Rhodey; Rhodey had joined the military and Jarvis was dead, but all either of them had done was scold him...so.... Jarvis was dead. Tony blinked and bit his lip hard, finding himself suddenly close to tears. He didn't want to cry, damnit. Pym would lose what very little respect he had left for him.
"I'm certain you did know how dangerous it was... you just didn't think it mattered." Pym's voice was blunt and straightforward. "This isn't going to happen on my watch, kid." Rather than take Tony by surprise, he added, "I'm going to start now," and brought his hand down in the first sharp swat that he then repeated.
"No! You're right! I knew...I just didn't think it'd matter to you!" he quickly agreed, voice quavering, hoping that being honest might convince the older man to stop. If the first two swats were any indication, he was going to be very sore in a few minutes. He wasn't sure if he could keep it together and not completely humiliate himself in front of Pym if the other man continued. He wasn't even certain he'd be able to keep from humiliating himself in front of Hope and she wasn't even in the room. His eyes were already watering due to thinking of Jarvis and being scared of the unfamiliar situation.
"I've never been very good at talking to people. Too much slowing down so everyone else can understand," Pym said. "I do know that you're worth something. You're worth a lot. And you aren't going to throw your life away if I can do something to stop it." He settled quickly into a pattern of swats, working his way over Tony's backside, down to his thighs.
"But...but....you don't even like me! Why would you care when my own father didn't?!" Tony cringed when his question came out as a tiny, confused, hurt whimper.
"I can't speak for your father. I don't know what he was thinking. All I can do is tell you that you are worth a lot to me... especially since I can still see you as the little boy who used to play with Hope and ask questions about my work." Throughout the speech, Pym continued the spanking, though the swats weren't as hard as he could make them, as he was aware this was unsettling enough for the kid.
Tony didn't know what to say to that. He really hadn't thought Hank cared about him; actually had thought the other man had despised him, due to the fight he and Howard had. Everything Tony had thought he knew was being turned on its head. On top of that, his backside was beginning to sting even when Hank's hand wasn't landing and it was obvious that the older man wasn't going to stop until he felt like he'd gotten his message across, whatever that message was. Tony whimpered again when he realized he wasn't entirely certain what message he was supposed to be getting from the punishment. That Hank actually cared, even though Tony had thought he hadn't? That Tony mattered? That Tony shouldn't pull stupid dangerous stunts (especially when Hank Pym was around to see?) "What do you want me to say?" he finally asked, his question coming out in a tear-filled shaky voice as he tried his hardest not to squirm like he really, really wanted to.
"It's not about words... it's about actions," Hank replied. "You shouldn't be acting dangerously. You can't act like you don't matter... because you do. You matter a great deal. So if you do something dangerous again? The next time I see you... this will be right where you'll end up. Because even if you think no one cares when you do something dangerous... I do."
Tony's eyes widened at the words. "E...even if I do something and you don't see me until ten years later?" he squeaked out; at the same time, he lost his ability not to move. He began to squirm over Hank's lap, trying to find some angle or position where the man's hand didn't land on sore skin; it was impossible, though. Hank's aim was too good and the target too well positioned.
"Even then." Hank tightened his grip on Tony, speeding up the swats and adding a fraction more force behind them, focusing more to his sit spots and thighs. "Your safety is important. You are important."
Tony had reached the end of his tether by this point. Having a man that he'd thought hated him telling him things that he'd wanted...needed...to hear from his own father and hadn't, was difficult. Knowing that he'd never get a chance to hear those things from his father, because the man was gone...forever... and the last conversation he'd had with Howard had been an argument over Tony's 'bad habits'? That was impossible. Stretching out his legs in one last futile attempt to ease the burning sensation he now felt all over his bottom, Tony finally went limp over Hank's lap and began to sob softly. "I’msorry..i’msorry..i’llbegood..iwill..i’msorry..." he said in a tiny, contrite voice, repeating the same words over and over.
Hank brought the spanking to a stop and then gently rubbed Tony's back, not willing to withhold comfort, but not sure if Tony would accept it from him at this point.
Realizing the spanking was finally over, Tony was able to regain control over his sobbing, although he continued crying softly for minutes after. He didn't move from Hank's lap...after having the older man take charge of him so thoroughly, Tony wasn't sure he had permission to get up and wasn't about to do anything without permission. Plus, the comfort, however slight it was, felt good. If he moved, he'd have to pretend he didn't need the affection and if he was honest with himself, that affection was the only thing keeping him from beginning to sob out all the other 'hurts' he'd been feeling since his parents died. Taking a shivering breath, he said again, in a tiny, contrite voice, "I'm sorry. I'll be good...."
"I'll settle for you not doing something to endanger yourself again," Hank said, his voice serious, but not cruel or unkind. "I'm serious about this happening again if it needs to."
"Yes, sir..." Tony whispered, as he finally stood and fixed his clothing. He wasn't able to face Hank, ashamed that the older man had felt the need to step in the way he had; and ashamed at his own reaction to it. He didn't doubt for a minute that if he did something dangerous to his life and Hank found out, that the man would follow through and put him right back over his knee the first thing when he next saw him. He didn't want to think on that too closely; having someone care if he was being reckless, be in a position to do something about it and actually caring enough to do something about it was a novelty. "I...I should head back to my hotel room. Obie is waiting for news from me..." He cleared his throat and ran the back of his hand over his eyes again, embarrassed to find that he was still crying, even if it wasn't vocally. This whole visit was completely unsettling and he didn't know how to deal with it. Getting back to the hotel where he could refocus and settle himself was a very good idea, as far as he could see.
Hank reached out and placed a hand on Tony's shoulder. "You okay to drive, kid?" he asked, worried about him.
"Yessir..." Tony quickly nodded, afraid that Hank wouldn't believe him and would insist he stay a bit longer until he was calm enough to drive; and he knew, if he stayed longer, he'd start crying again because...he wasn't certain why now, to be honest. He just knew there was an ache inside that wasn't going away and he'd already embarrassed himself enough and caused enough problems for the older scientist. "I'm sorry to have been such a bother..." he said softly, clearing his throat and wiping his eyes again. He glanced toward the window longingly, the thought of having to walk back through the house and possibly running into Hope embarrassing him further. He knew Hank would put him back over his knee if he even hinted about wanting to leave the way he'd come in, though, so he took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders and put on his patent 'Tony Stark facing the world and nothing can touch him' smiles. "Thank you...for not letting me fall and break my neck..." he said hesitantly, not exactly sure what etiquette you were supposed to use when you'd just been spanked for the first time in your life. "I..uh...prolly should go. Obie's waiting..." he finally said again, but didn't move, because he didn't want to do anything until Hank said it was ok.
"I'll see you out." Hank squeezed his shoulder again and then stood up. "And if you need anything from me... not to do with those weapons contracts... I'm sure you have my number still if you have my address."
Tony blinked at the offer of help for non-weapon related things and nodded. "Yessir...I do...thank you," he whispered, as he let Hank lead him out of the room and back downstairs to the front door. Luckily, Hope didn't come out, so it was just Tony and Pym. Tony didn't say anything when the older man not only led him back to the front door but actually walked him to his car and made sure he got into it. He supposed he couldn't really blame the man, considering the last time he'd trusted Tony to leave, Tony had ended up climbing a tree to get back into his house. Tony gave a brief wave as he pulled out of the drive. Pym didn't move from his position in the driveway at all and then Tony was heading down the road to the hotel, trying to figure out what he'd tell Obadiah.
***
"Needless to say, Obie was very unhappy at the fact I hadn't gotten a contract and let me know it in every imaginable way possible over a phone," Tony said, a crooked but sad smile on his face. "After I hung up with him, I went out and got so spectacularly drunk that it was two days later before I crawled out of some stranger's bed...and couldn't remember a damn thing that had occurred for four days prior, except for hazy patches of memories that made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever..." Tony shook his head, chagrined.
Steve looked at his son with some surprise, arm wrapped automatically around Tony's shoulders. "That must explain why you haven't mentioned anything about this before," he commented wryly.
"Yeah..." Tony blushed, snuggling closer to his father without thought. "...I mean...I vaguely remembered visiting his home and vaguely remembered a few other things...but it was all hazy and honestly felt like I had dreamed it. So I convinced myself that it was a dream conjured up by my mind because I'd failed to get the contract..."
Pepper pursed her lips and slanted her head. "Is this why, whenever Hank Pym was in town to attend a conference...you always had somewhere else you had to be several countries away? Even if it was a conference you'd originally wanted to attend?"
Tony's blush darkened. "Yeah...I...I remembered what he'd promised and even though I thought it was a dream, it was unsettling enough that I didn't want to take any chances of it becoming reality...so..." He glanced at the twins and shook his head, chuckling. "I have no clue what about your story jogged my memory enough that I could put all the pieces of the 'dreams' together and actually figure out that I hadn't made it all up in my mind...but now that I'm remembering everything...I better hope he never gets hold of me..." He shivered, giving Steve a sideways look. "I did a lot of stupid shit before you took charge...."
Steve squeezed Tony gently to himself. "It sounds like he's something of an honorary uncle," he commented. "While I'm not saying you should contact him straight away... I don't think you can avoid him forever." Especially not since knowing that Hank had had a hand in creating a new Ant-Man.
"Yeah...I...I should call him. And actually talk to him instead of leaving messages and emails that are only about business..." Tony admitted. "Given what I remember now...his being a bit stand-offish when he was helping with ideas for the virus makes sense now. I thought I was being clever and he likely knew all along I was avoiding him..." Tony sighed.
Steve nodded. "Maybe after we come back from vacation."
Coulson, sitting close to his children and grandchildren, spoke in a slightly self-deprecating voice. "I know what it's like to have a family member step in after having done something... or more than one thing... recklessly dangerous," he commented.