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Tony, when he was little and spent too much time with adults, dreamed about many things. Most of them, however, were impossible for him to achieve... he didn't have dreams like other children, Tony never wanted a toy car, a rocket or a new superhero figure. He could have it at any time.
Tony had always dreamed of having a friend first and foremost.
He couldn't stand the grumpy girls his mother's friends brought to their house. He found them boring, especially because when he showed them his (not exactly his, actually his father's, but he still used it too) workshop, they wrinkled their noses and after less than five minutes started looking for other things to do, and For Tony, creating, modifying and constructing was the best activity.
He didn't like their mothers either, they always reminded his mother, even in passing, that she was just an ordinary girl from nowhere who had only luck gotten a millionaire pregnant. He also often heard them mention how many partners his father had, and probably still had. When he looked at Maria's joyful smile, under which only he could see the tears gathering in her eyes, he wanted to punch Howard in the face.
But there was nothing he could do about it. Whether he was having fun and pretending to be happy when the insufferable gang visited him, or he was locking himself in the workshop alone, letting Jarvis deal with the little shits on his own, every month, exactly, they always came back, and with them their insufferable mommies...
Tony may have only been a few years old, but his brain worked much better than other Homosapiens of his age, which is why he understood more and was able to achieve more... So more than once he blew something up, seemingly by accident, to chase away guests or called , using his father's phone, shield agents, saying there are terrorists in their house. Sometimes he received punishments for this, sometimes even unpleasant ones, but he never gave up. He didn't want his mother to be sad, and every time her "friends" visited her, she was, so he did everything he could to stop them from coming back.
He finally succeeded. However, it was only then that he noticed that the house he lived in was almost deserted. Whenever she could, his mother devoted her time to organizing charity events and running a foundation named after her, and his father spent most of his time at the company or abroad. Even Jarvis left him sometimes because he had other responsibilities. It was then that Anthony was left completely alone. In a large villa with dozens of rooms, there was complete silence. Then he would lock himself in the workshop he had taken over from his father and create.
He started with simple things, such as electromagnets or motors, then moved on to recreating and improving his father's designs, and finally... he started creating his own inventions. One of the first ones he created completely from scratch, according to his own idea, was a ball that was programmed to work almost like a boomerang. It was supposed to fly far, far in the air and then return to the thrower. The outdoor test ended with the destruction of several windows and his mother's vase because young Tony did not anticipate that the flying ball would gain speed, making it physically impossible to catch it with his bare hands. Undaunted, he put the project aside to work on later...
More than once, Tony had considered leaving the manor while his parents and Jarvis were away, but there was always something telling him not to. He rarely met people who didn't work for his parents. Although he was only seven years old, even he knew that children his age already attended school. However, he did not oppose his parents' decision.
A big event for Tony was his 15th birthday, when his father informed him that he would soon start studying at MIT. So he did everything not to disappoint him, and even more to show him how good he could be... But it didn't help. He wasted two years trying to be the best, even though he got the highest grades and the most praise without even doing anything. However, he had to collect all of them in person. His father never found enough time for him to even pretend that his achievements meant anything to him.
It was only when he finished his fourth year of studies, although he managed to reach this level in just two years, that he discovered what studying was really about. It's not about gaining knowledge or proving your worth, but about getting to know people. He discovered this when he met sophomore James Rhodes. He proved to him that he wasn't a genius at all...
Upon first meeting him, James asked him if he was lost and then forcibly escorted him to security, informing the man who was on shift at the time that the "kid" was apparently lost on campus and that his parents needed to be found. The security guard had the same confused look on his face as Tony. But he dismissed Rhodes and Tony let him go without even asking a question. He obviously didn't care. Tony wasn't surprised.
They met again over two weeks later, and the first moment he saw him, Tony tried to make a tactical retreat, but he ran up to him, leaving his friends behind to greet him and most likely take him back to security.
- Are you lost again or are you looking for someone? - He said cheerfully.
Despite his intimidating height and muscles that would definitely make him able to lift Tony without any problem, he seemed much more pleasant than the young genius. Tony just shook his head. He rarely talked to people, so he wasn't very good at it. He thought the guy was going to drag him into security again and make him late for class when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a man with a shield symbol on his shoulder approaching them.
He stopped next to them, placing a hand on Tony's shoulder.
- Mr. Stark, is this person harassing you? - he asked in a fully professional voice, placing his hand on the gun demonstratively.
- No, it's fine Phil... - he said quietly, looking at the ground.
He knew everyone would look at him even weirder now. After all, not only was he the only teenager at the university, but also the biggest guy, Agent Phil Coulson stood up for him.
- I'm glad. I have a message for you from your boss, another piece of information regarding your project. The director liked the previous presentation, but he has a few... corrections and suggestions for him. Would you mind following me? - He finished, pointing with his hand in which direction he would like Tony to go.
Tony's used to this by now. His father didn't actually spend a dime on his education. He received a research scholarship from the shield, which in return for its "kindness" expected from him designs, preferably immediately working prototypes of weapons. And Tony gave them to them. He had no reason to say no, since at least they recognized his work, he was going to work for them.
Rhodey came back again, a few weeks later, but this time he didn't try to lead him away from the campus, he just watched him.
- I can't believe it... how old are you actually? - He asked, resting his chin on his hand.
Tony didn't know what to answer. Although the answer was very simple, the very conversation with the stranger was a kind of torture for him.
- Sixteen. - He only said as he left.
Rhodey, however, did not give up so quickly. He was content with a few words or Tony's quiet company. More often than not, he was the one talking and Tony was working or pretending not to listen at all. However, in a strange way, Tony found his company less and less unpleasant, and over time began to become even desirable.
They mostly hung out in his workshop, and although Tony had a question he wanted to ask him shortly after they met, it was many months before he had the courage to do so.
- Why do you spend so much time with me? - He asked one time during lunch. James looked at him surprised.
- It's obvious. We are friends. Friends spend time together, right? - Only then did Tony understand. His childhood dream came true thanks to a stubborn, strange guy he met at university...
- Yes. We are friends...