Overthinking

Allen can feel a headache coming. He should've looked into the future because this is a situation he does not want to be in. Is it too late to look?

"Ah, what I mean is that- I think I am your father."

Also, he thinks Stark just used a Star Wars quote. Should he call him out on that? Has Star Wars even been released yet?

"Hey kid, Allen? Hello?" Stark waved his hands, snapping Allen out of his thoughts.

"If I say I don't want a father, will you leave me alone?" Allen doesn't want to experience another false family.

"Nope," Stark said, popping the 'p'.

Allen groaned. "I like it here. I don't want to move." he should check how much legal right Stark has over him. Stark does have the money to buy out the jury but he has master. Hopefully, she'll stop him.

"Hey, how's this- let's do another test and if it's a match we'll continue this conversation." Stark bargained.

"And if we're unrelated you'll leave me alone?"

"Yeah- I might pay for your schooling and send you Christmas cards or something though since I'll feel guilty leaving you. But if you want, we won't have to meet. Deal?"

"...Deal," he said reluctantly.

After getting permission from his foster mother (whose name is Alice), Stark led him right out of the house and into his car.

"This feels like a kidnapping..." Allen grumbled.

"Nah-uh, it isn't one if there's official permission." He waved a sheet of paper around.

He sat in the waiting room chair, heart beating wildly. Stark sat next to him, absently flipping the magazine. He squinted at the cover and saw pictures of cars.

"You like cars?" Stark asked, noticing his gaze.

"Not really," he mumbled. He noticed Stark's sad look and corrected himself, "It's not like I don't like it- it's just… I don't know much about it." He feels his cheeks reddening.

Stark grinned, "I can teach you! C'mere," he shuffled closer to Allen, dropping the book between them. He pointed out different models of cars, explaining each of their engines and the way they work. Whenever Allen wanted to ask a question, Stark would listen attentively and answer them. Then out of nowhere, he asked, "What's your favourite colour?"

"Huh?" Allen was taken aback.

"Y'know like red, blue, green those things. Which one is your favourite?"

"I don't know... I never thought about it." Allen feels lost.

"That's ok. We can figure it out later." Stark reached his hand out and ruffled Allen's hair who let out a startled yelp.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Allen tried avoiding Stark's surprised look.

"Hmm... I don't know. Maybe my fatherly instincts have come out." Stark wagged his eyebrows with a mischievous smile. But then he faltered. Looking at Allen's distrustful eyes, he hesitated, "My dad wasn't all that patient, nor was he keen to spending time with me. And I- I don't want to be my dad."

They sat in awkward silence.

"... Blue..." Allen mumbled.

"?"

"My favourite colour is Blue," he decided. "Like the sky."

Stark- No, Tony perked up. "Mine's red." Then like a floodgate, Tony asked him more questions. Many he never even thought about.

...

"Favorite movie?" "Haven't seen any" "Oh you betcha we're gonna do a star wars marathon"

"Favorite food?" "Anything but bread"

"Hobbies?" "Reading"

"Favorite book?" "Life is Meaningless by Leo"

"Any friends?" "Nope"

"Favourite animal?" "…All of them"

And after one too many Allen snapped. "Why don't you answer them as well?"

"Ok! ... Back to the Future, Hamburgers, Making Stuff, Life is Meaningful by Not Leo, My best friend since college, James Rhodes and-" Tony looked at him, then did an internal nod, "cats."

After getting all those answers, they traded questions back and forth, and at some point, Tony started telling him stories.

"-yeah, then after that, James dragged me into the pool as well." Tony finished with a pitiful expression on his face.

Allen laughed, "Then what happened?" his eyes big and questioning. Maybe Tony wasn't so bad after all.

"Then, I- " "Mr Stark"

Two sets of brown eyes turned to the doctor. He walked over tiredly to them and dropped a brown folder in Tony's hands. Before Tony could say anything, the man had left.

Tony looked at the folder nervously. "You wanna do it?" he presented it to Allen who shook his head.

Tony opened the folder, then he slowly pulled up the white sheets of paper. Allen felt sick. The paper was such a fragile-looking thing, so thin, so breakable and yet it felt like it held Allen's life within its inks. Last time, it had thrown Allen's life off course, into the streets to starve. And now, Allen couldn't dare hope. Tony is going to see how they are actually unrelated and Allen is going to go back to Kamar Taj to train. There he'll get stronger and remain hidden.

Tony read the paper, eyes darting across the words. Then he paused and looked up. "It's a 99.95% match." he beamed.

Allen doesn't know what to feel. His stomach is churning uncomfortably and his heart feels like it's trying to escape his body. His fingers are sweaty and he's shivering. He has an actual dad. He pushes down his happiness. Stark will get sick of him. He's just this way for a bit then he'll deem Allen unworthy and throw him away. Allen can't hope. He doesn't deserve this. He doesn't deserve a father. Not after what he'd done to his mother. He feels big arms wrapping around his body into a tight hug. He's crying. His attempts of stopping the tears resulted in hiccups. Warm hands circled his back and he 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘵𝘦𝘥. It was so warm and safe. He didn't want to leave.

He looked up at Tony's worried gaze. "I want to go home..." he whimpered.

.

.

.

.

.

He remained cocooned in his blankets. Refusing to face reality. He can hear Master's sigh from beside the door.

"Allen you have to meet him," she said.

His grip tightened on the blanket. He can hear footsteps getting closer and then stopping next to him. "He ruined my plans," he mumbled, "I want to stay here."

"You will always be welcomed back here, but it will be better for you if you stay with him."

"What if he doesn't want me? What if he's here to say goodbye."

"Then you will bid him farewell and return here."

He frowned. "What about the stone? I have it, so don't you have to watch over where I go at all times?"

"You mean this?" she smiled, the eye from her necklace opened, revealing a familiar green gemstone. It seemed to hum in greeting, and then it flickered and disappeared into him. "Truth is. The stone returned to me when you first arrived in Kamar Taj. But when you woke up, she returned to you. I decided not to tell you because the stone continued to follow you, and it is better if we trained your powers."

He sat up. "If I go with... Tony, will the stone be willing to stay with you?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

He opened his palm and asked. "Can you stay here when I'm gone?" he felt it heat up in his palm.

His brain flashed with memories of past and present, forming words [ok] <don't> (be) {too} <long>.

He let go and the stone floated into his Master's necklace. "She spoke to me," he said with wonder.

"She is very much sentient. Now are you ready to meet Stark?"

He nodded hesitantly.