Jackson (jax_london) wrote in carpediem_rp, @ 2015-08-26 23:29:00 |
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Entry tags: | character: adrian battye, character: jackson london, character: tony stark, thread: complete |
Who: Adrian Battye and Tony Stark, then Jackson London
When: August 26
Where: Petit Trianon Gallery
What: Talking, testing, and decompressing
Rating/Warnings: Some language
Status: Closed/Complete
Adrian heard the bell and came out of the back room so he could be there for the customer to answer questions or - if he was lucky - help them make a purchase. He'd been in the back room picking framing for some of Ophelia's work for display, but his mother was at a buyers meeting this afternoon and her other help was a flake who'd called out because he was 'feeling inspired' and was likely up to his armpits in clay instead. It wasn't that big a deal, the place tended to be quiet midweek.
He stopped just inside the gallery though when he realized the 'customer' was Tony Stark. This couldn't be an accident. His mother was outside of the gallery. He was working alone for a couple hours. And Tony Stark shows up. Adrian frowned briefly before his polite smile fixed to his face and he waited for the other man to initiate.
Patience was not a quality Tony had in spades, and most people that knew him - or of him- knew that. Still, he did have to wait on the potion that he would be using for the required test, which meant that heading to meet the boy immediately was out of the question. He had considered different approaches and finally decided that someplace Adrian was comfortable would be the easiest way to go about it, given the reaction he'd had.
The gallery was a suitable location too because he could come away with purchases and not be questioned. When Adrian came out from the back, he was looking at a painting with 'interest,' figuring it could be one he handed off to Sadie or someone else in the future.
There was no point in pretending that Tony Stark was here for any other reason than Adrian, so he decided asking if he liked the painting was pointless. "Mom's out at a meeting… so if you came here to do the test… its probably a good time," Adrian offered. It was strange, looking at the man who might be his actual father. Adrian hadn't lied when he'd said he'd never thought about it. He just assumed it was one of Wallace's friends or dalliances, and knew Wallace had no idea who it was, so whoever it had been wouldn't know either. So he'd never bothered thinking about the sperm donor who ruined Wallace's life and fathered him.
Tony looked away from the painting to Adrian and reached into his pocket, pulling out a good amount of money. "I assume you can suggest some good artwork for my home, and you'll have to write up a bill in the back?" The money was handed over and Adrian would feel a vial in the center- a note indicating instructions and suggesting burning the paper after enclosed. It wasn't something he wanted public at this point, honestly - Wallace didn't need the information, and if the boy wasn't his son, neither did any newspapers need to know that any test was performed in the first place.
Adrian's polite smile froze as the older man handed him a wad of money. It was only when he felt the vial that he figured out what was going on. Adrian could almost appreciate the discretion, but felt put off by it at the same time. He certainly didn't need Tony Stark paying him to take the test. He'd agreed to do it after all. "If you don't see anything you like out on the floor, there are some others in the back that aren't on the floor yet." Adrian answered playing along for a moment. Then ran his hand through his hair feeling stupid for the charade. "No one else is here. Mom's other clerk called out today. If you want to get away from the cameras we can go to the back room." There was no audio on the camera so talking didn't matter. "If you wanna stay out here and look around then that's fine too."
"The back would be where the works you just received are? Possibly something from an up and coming artist I can consider?" And possibly be able to put on walls as something no one else owned, though that was implied in his statement as well. It seemed the most logical way to go about this would be running the test in the back away from anyone that could see or overhear.
"Some new artists, and new works from established artists we haven't gotten onto the floor for display yet," Adrian explained, not sure why this man was still playing at an interest in art, but he could go along with it. Adrian was nothing if not accomodating. Even if the man he was accommodating was Tony Stark. "We just got a shipment from one of Mom's friends in Paris."
"Just give me whatever you have from your two newest artists. I am a fan of setting trends." And he knew he had more than enough to pay for whatever he got. The philanthropist in him also allowed for the fact that whoever hung on his walls would get a good deal of business in the future simply for that reason, so pulling up an aspiring artist would be his good deed for the month.
Adrian worked to keep the polite smile in place and indicated the other man could follow him through the door to the back. "Ophelia Sinclair has a few pieces with us - she's a student at Hogwarts. And I have some things by a New York painter mom likes. Plus the new stuff from Paris." Adrian tried to talk about the paintings, but was more than a little aware of the wad of cash and the vial stuffed within it. It was hard enough to deal with what that vial meant without having to pretend to make a sale on top of it. But then obviously it was just another transaction to Tony Stark. It might mean tearing his family apart to Adrian.
Tony nodded acceptance as he followed the young man to the back room. “Combine two. I’ll take your opinion into account on which works are best. I typically focus on car restoring and repainting as my art contributions, but there’s no reason to not broaden my horizon some.” He glanced over to Adrian as they reached a camera-free zone and crossed his arms, adjusting to examine the boy who could be his son. “I have no intention of forcing a change in your life. I just believe that it’s in both of our best interests to be aware of this possibility in the future. Things like this could be used against either of us, should they become public knowledge without us being aware of the situation.”
Adrian didn't really understand what the other man meant but shrugged casually accepting what Tony was saying. Tony was the one who wanted to go ahead with this - and he was the one worried about it being used against him? Whatever. Adrian moved over to the table, and pushed aside several paintings and partial frames so he would have space to set the vial and the roll of cash. Only when he set them on the table did he notice the instructions. Bugger… where were his glasses? Adrian began looking around for them, checking his pockets at the same time.
Tony watched again for a moment before motioning to the vial. “I have to put my own blood in, followed by a drop of yours. The instructions list the color changes possible and what they mean.” He looked around for a moment before he plucked his lapel pin (he had actually dressed appropriately for the setting) and pricked his thumb, picking up the vial to deposit the drop of blood that welled up before passing both items to Adrian.
Adrian nodded at the instructions and gave up looking for his glasses… just in time to find them beside one of Ophelia's paintings. He picked them up and moved them so he could find them later. He watched as the older man removed his lapel pin and added his blood to the vial, passing them to Adrian. "Is it okay to use the same pin to draw the blood?" He asked to confirm before he pricked his own finger.
Tony nodded his head in reply. For all that he’d had numerous lovers, he had been careful to take certain magical precautions since he had sobered up over a decade ago. “My blood is already in. Just… here.” He pulled out the pocket square from his jacket and handed it over. “Wipe it off first to be doubly sure.” While Adrian did that, he busied himself looking over the various colors the potion could change to, and the timing they had to wait. He was not one for patience, and so thankfully it didn’t take very long.
Adrian wiped the pin, and then followed the older man's lead, pricking his index finger hard enough to draw blood with a tiny flinch. He watched as the red welled up - and then as the droplet fell into the potion. He handed the pin and vial back to the other man while moving to suck his fingertip. "How long then?" He asked, the anxiety seeping out enough to be visible now if someone knew what to look for.
“Five minutes. Long enough, I think, for you to show me what I’m buying today.” He looked at the paintings that had been moved out of the way on the table, pondering where he would have them placed. He had Jarvis to handle it, but honestly he wasn’t in the house often enough for it to matter that much. Maybe he would just leave it to the elf. It would make life easier, not having to worry about decorating.
Adrian nodded, moving his glasses again so he could spread out the pieces a little more again - keeping clear of the vial... "Umm, these are some by Ophelia. Mom's representing her. These are her first pieces for sale. Mostly portraits and landscapes." Adrian pointed to a few pieces against the other wall. "The New Yorker, Amsterdam, is a lot grittier - literally uses dirt and asphalt from the city streets to mix in with the oils. Abstract cityscapes mostly." Adrian was finding it hard to remember his pitches, eyes drawn to the vial often enough.
Tony started to look over the paintings, examining each for at least thirty seconds before moving to the next. It wasn’t really in his skill set, but he would never acknowledge that fact. He saw a few that appealed to him more than others and decided that those would be placed in the entryway at Stark Tower, to ensure that they had been given appropriate prominence. “Probably only about a minute more. Do you want to write up the bill? I’ll send Jarvis to get whatever I can’t take with me.”
Adrian set the pieces aside, putting on his glasses while pulling out the purchase book to write up the sale. It did distract him enough that he stopped watching the vial. It wasn't as though he knew what the colors meant anyway. "We umm, can make deliveries too."
Tony glanced at the vial once Adrian had moved to write up the sale. He already knew what each color meant, having written down the information from the book himself, though he didn’t acknowledge yet the change to a deep royal blue that indicated that his guess was correct. He would allow the young man to “notice” it first. “Jarvis will make it a lot easier I think. House elf magic and all that, you know.”
Adrian nodded, not about to argue with him. If he wanted his own elf to pick them up, he could do that. Some people felt more comfortable with their own people - or elves - handling expensive purchases. He looked at the vial - it had changed to a deep royal blue, whatever that meant. Maybe it was still a transitional color? Or was it done? He swallowed, and picked the cash instead to count out the purchase price.
Once Adrian had counted out the purchase, he took back the (much smaller) roll of bills and tucked them back away. “We should have a look now, I guess.” Because more than five minutes had passed during this time, and he wished to see how the young man reacted. It would help him judge how to handle this going forward.
Adrian nodded, and swallowed again. The color was still the same royal blue. Whatever result it was, it seemed to be settled on that answer. "Blue… so?" Adrian suspected that Tony Stark already knew the answer. He found it difficult to believe the other man hadn't memorized the possible results - he was supposed to be a genius.
Tony motioned to the paper still sitting on the table. “Have a look.” Because again, he wanted to know how the young man would react. He knew, yes, but he could have his moments of uncertainty when it came to family things. His own father had instilled that in him, for his overwhelming confidence in everything else. Adrian hadn’t seemed receptive at first, and he wanted to know if that would change.
Adrian shook his head, a frown replacing his polite smile. Fine then. He'd figure it out himself. His hand shook a bit when he picked up the paper to read it, and so he laid it back down again to cover it, hoping the older man hadn't caught it. He scanned the paper in Tony's bold handwriting, his eyes fixing on the relevant line. Blue… Father-Son. Adrian sat down, not sure what it meant, other than everything was going to change… and he didn't want it to change.
Adrian had known he wasn't really his parent's kid since he was old enough to understand what it meant. But they were still his mom and dad and sister. Wallace was in and out of his life when it suited her. While she'd always posed a small risk to his happy home life, she was never reliable enough to want the responsibility of having a kid full-time. Why else would she have abandoned him with her sister when he was only weeks old? Adrian had been content not to know who his father was. He had Jonathan Smith as a father and loved him and felt loved by him. Jonathan didn't have the family connection to make him feel responsible for Adrian like Isolde did… But he still loved Adrian, and so Adrian never felt the need to seek out his birth father. Whoever that man was, he would be like Wallace, and Adrian was just as happy for him not to exist. Except apparently the man did exist. And he wasn't like Wallace. He was Tony Stark. Everyone knew who he was. Nothing would stay the same. Tony Stark was Tony Stark
"You were right." He murmured, and rubbed at his eyes beneath his glasses. "So now what?" Adrian was going to have to tell his parents. His sister. And everything he held dear - his stable home life would be gone. Because his birth father wasn't some idiot Quidditch player or playboy socialite like he'd always figured (when he bothered to think about it at all). It was Tony Stark.
Tony nodded acknowledgement when Adrian spoke the words accepting that Tony was right. He didn’t appear to be pleased, which was still a very interesting turn of events, and actually told him more about the young man than he imagined Adrian knew. Being him, he would have preferred that his son be pleased with the knowledge, but he could accept again that he had no more been there for his own child than Howard had been for him. He could try to excuse it all he wanted with lack of knowledge, but had he ever sought that knowledge, of the possibility that he’d left a child along his path? He probably should have, given his history, but he had not.
“I’m a man of my word. I am not going to force you to know me, or to change the life you have. There’s no sense in trying that, honestly.” A mental note continued, that the boy would resent him more if he tried that. “You can continue to pursue your own path. I would like to get to know you, yes, but I have no reason to force my way into a life that hasn’t included me for nearly eighteen years. You’ll have access to resources because of this, but beyond that, this is your choice. What you do with the resources, and how you interact with me.”
What Tony was saying wasn't how Adrian had understood their earlier exchange. But he wasn't going to argue with Tony Stark if he was saying that he wouldn't. Adrian nodded. His life was changed anyway, even if Tony wasn't going to force anything. Just existing, he changed everything. If he'd been some drunk addict like Wallace who didn't want to know he had a kid it would be one thing. But Tony had wanted to know. Wanted to take responsibility. Had already forced his way into Adrian's life. He couldn't help but look at Tony now. The jawline maybe. Face shape in general. The dark hair might not be from Wallace after all. He'd never considered it before. Adrian nodded again. "Okay." He didn't completely understand how any of this would work, but that was a safe answer.
Tony looked Adrian over as well, curious about the son he had never known existed. It was interesting, seeing the specific looks that had been passed through the generations. His facial shape evoked Tony’s, yes, but it also (in his eyes) evoked a bit of his mother, Maria Stark. The eyes were Wallace, yes, but there were a number of things he found in common with himself as well. He wanted to know this boy, but he would hold to his word and not force things. He found himself insatiably curious, and he knew he would be asking Bruce to look out for the young man too. “Okay. I will give Professor Banner the Gringotts account that you’ll be able to access. If you want to be in touch with me, an owl or speaking to him might be easiest, as you do not take Arithmancy.”
Adrian frowned a little at the idea of a Gringott's account… and using Professor Banner as a go-between. Tony said he wanted to get to know him, but then proposed go-betweens? "I'll… talk to my parents before going back to school. Unless…" unless Tony really didn't want to be part of his life. Unless he didn't want anyone to know. "unless you don't want me to."
“I haven’t been a father to you. Means I don’t get to tell you who you can tell or not about this. It’s on you to choose who you want to know.” Tony picked up the paper from the table, flicking his wand to vanish it before doing the same to the potion. “You get the option in this. Do you have any interest in knowing me?” Because again, he didn’t want to be resented for being the opposite of his father any more than he wanted to be resented for being the same as the man. The whole thing was a bit of a dilemma for him.
Did he want to know him? Until a couple days ago the idea of knowing any father other than the man who'd raised him hadn't been a possibility. He'd never considered it and would have been content not to know, but now that he did, he couldn't avoid it. "It makes sense to learn about each other." He offered. "However you think that should be done."
“As I said, you don’t take my class so I imagine it would seem suspicious to pluck you out for something. I suggested Professor Banner because he has you as one of his students, so it would not look all too strange if you were asked to assist him with something in his rooms.” Tony looked over the young man again and offered a smile. “The journals, for all they lack, will also prove helpful. You can reach me at any time on those.”
Again Adrian nodded. "Yes, sir. My best friend studies with you… but the potions classroom and offices are in the dungeons, so that is probably easiest place to meet." He still had no idea what 'getting to know each other meant' but obviously that would come.
“Your best friend?” Curious again, and Adrian had indicated that knowledge could be shared between them. He didn’t have many seventh year students really, as his standards were exacting on who was admitted, so whatever student it was would have had to show a strong aptitude for the subject.
"Jackson London." Adrian answered. This was getting to know each other, a little, Adrian noted. This was easy enough. But being connected in any way to Tony Stark would mean more eventually. The man craved attention the same way Adrian avoided it.
Tony nodded. “Intelligent young man, though his grades did drop substantially last year. I assume you knew that though.” Because it was obvious to just about anyone who looked at the young man that something had changed between taking OWLs and starting NEWT level classes. “I should get back to working, though. Getting prepared for the year at Hogwarts and making arrangements within Stark Industries takes time.” He looked at Adrian again thoughtfully. “If you wish to join me for dinner after classes start, I imagine that would be a place to start getting to know each other.”
Adrian wasn't about to explain to Tony Stark what happened to Jackson, but again nodded that he knew - and obviously knew why. "Yes, sir. That sounds good, sir." He replied at the suggestion of dinner. It seemed like an obvious enough place to start. "The paintings will be wrapped when your Jarvis comes by for them."
Tony picked up the paperwork that Adrian had filled out and tucked it into his pocket before nodding a farewell to the young man, making his way out of the shop. Staying for too long would raise just as many questions as pulling him aside at the school, and right now it seemed that avoiding questions was the way to go.
Jackson had washed up thoroughly and it had been over a day since he had anything to drink, so he was as sober as he could possibly be. He had even shunned the pain potions for his leg, though this had ensured that he was walking with a slight limp. He didn’t care though. He had a goal in mind, and he was a Gryffindor. He would cope through his and suck it up to do what was right. He brushed by a tall man exiting and blinked slightly, though he was obviously familiar with the man. Professor Stark. Interesting, he supposed, but it didn’t matter. He was there to see Adrian, and so he walked in, looking around for his friend. He wasn’t in the front, so he headed back to the back room, frowning as soon as he saw the state Adrian was in. He rushed over as best he could and touched his shoulder. “What happened? What’s wrong?”
Adrian shook his head, and then pulled off his glasses to rub at his eyes and ran his hand through his hair when rubbing his eyes wasn't enough to help settle him. He wasn't together enough to be able to deflect, but didn't know how to put the words together. How was he going to tell his parents? Or Sissy. He opened his mouth to try to speak and still couldn't. Finally he managed softly, "It is all going to change."
Jackson was very confused and concerned, and he wrapped his arms around his clearly distressed friend, pulling him close into a hug. “What’s going to change?” He felt lost, not knowing what to do to make things back to normal for his friend, but knowing that he had certainly picked the right time to step up and be a Gryffindor again finally.
Adrian folded himself into the hug. "Everything." It couldn't not change. Knowing changed things, before anything else happened. Just knowing had made things change.
Jackson stroked his hand over the smaller (how had he never realized how much smaller?) young man’s hair and frowned. He normally didn’t respond like this, not in a place where other people could occasionally come in for sure. “Tell me, what happened? I’m here, whatever it is. We’ll figure it out together, Adrian.”
"There's nothing to figure out… its done… its… fact." Adrian shook his head. He took a deep breath trying to steady himself. Finally he just blurted out. "I know who my father is. The one who got Wallace pregnant." He needed to stay it fast or he might not get it out.
Jackson had most certainly not expected that, but it now made sense to him why his friend was so distressed. “What are you going to do?” He didn’t release the hug, pretty sure that he was needed a bit more than just as verbal support with this revelation.
"He wants to be part of my life… to get to know me." Adrian admitted. "He only figured it out this week. Wallace never told him but he saw us together at that fucking lunch and it came out or he figured it out or something. I have to tell my parents… I don't know how I'm going to tell them."
Jackson sighed softly and stroked his hand over Adrian’s hair again. “What do you want?” Because he had specified what the man wanted, but that didn’t mean Adrian wanted the same, and he still knew that no matter what, he was there to listen and help with this. What else could he do?
"I was fine not knowing. I never thought it was even a possibility that I would learn who it was. Her men are all interchangeable so it didn't matter which one it really was. It was going to be someone like Wallace anyway." Adrian shook his head. Except he wasn't. He was Tony Stark. "But it's not."
Jackson nodded again, releasing his friend for a moment and walking to the front. The door was locked and the sign indicating that someone would be back later was flipped before he moved back to the other boy, looking at him seriously. "What do you want to do? Let me take you home and we can figure this out. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere as long as you want me around."
"I can't go… Mom's at a buyers meeting until…" Adrian didn't know what time it was anymore. She'd been gone a while, the meeting might be over. He didn't know, but he knew, "The sculptor called out again and it's not Keefe's day to work and someone needs to be here." Not that Adrian was in any shape to handle sales or the public at the moment.
Jackson ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "You stay back here. I'll put an amplifying charm on the bell so I can hear it, and I'll handle the shop." He knew most of the routine from past experience hanging out with his friend, and he murmured a few charms to undo the lock and signage he had changed, before amplifying the bell. He didn't want to leave Adrian unless he had to, not with this.
Adrian wasn't together enough to argue. At least Jackson was familiar with the store. And Mom would be back soon… Bugger… she was going to be back soon. "How am I gonna tell Mom and Dad, Jackson?" He'd barely told Jackson.
"We'll figure it out. We have time. I'm here to help you figure it out." He lightly ran his hand over his friend's hair, trying to be comforting. He didn't know how to handle this entirely, no, but he hoped just being there would allow Adrian to know that he was loved and important. To him if no one else.
"It'll change everything… it's already changed everything." Just knowing had changed things for Adrian. He sighed. "Sorry, Jackson… you don't need this…" It was why he hadn't said anything before.
A slight frown. Back to that. He had been a horrible friend in the past year but he was going to fix it. He lightly guided Adrian to look into his eyes and shook his head slightly. "You're my best friend, Adrian. If I can't be here for you when you need me, what good is that title?" His thumb gently ran over his cheekbone, tracing along the line of it. "You matter. What you feel matters. And no matter what happens? You'll always be my best friend."
"You are here…but you have enough on your plate without me freaking out about meeting my birth father." Adrian argued even as he looked into Jackson's eyes. There was no judgement of Jackson. Just his own sense that Adrian was supposed to be more together than he was.
"This is not worrying about me time. I'm fine. My leg is healing up. I'm sober. Clean, rested, fed." His eyes remained fixed on Adrian, clear and calm- though sad, as always nowadays. The sadness wasn't just at what had led him to this point though. It was clear he was concerned about Adrian too. "I care about you. That means that if you need to break for a little while, I'm here to collect the parts and just...be whatever you need." I love you, was unspoken because that would be too much for his friend he imagined. But it was there, or he wouldn't have been so willing to be what his friend needed.
"It's' hard not to worry about you." And easier to focus on Jackson than himself. "And it's easier than this." Adrian took a breath and tried to collect himself. He let his forehead rest against Jackson. He had to settle himself before mom returned. "Will you stay while I talk to Mom?" he couldn't put it off. He wanted to - he wanted to pretend none of this had happened and he still didn't know who his birth father was.
"I'm okay right now. You can worry about me later." His eyes remained on Adrian's until his friend shifted, and his hand began to rub small circles on his shoulders, trying to provide comfort. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere as long as you need me to stay. It'd take a nuclear explosion to get me to leave your side right now."
"Always worry about you." And about his family too. Adrian took another deep breath trying to find himself again. After another minute to so, he finally sat up again. His mom was due back. He couldn't worry her. He needed to be able to be positive about it for her. He knew she would be happy for him. Wallace was her sister, and she loved her. She was used to sharing the title of mother… It was dad he was worried about.
"Too much." Jackson kissed his forehead and smiled slightly. "I'm here. We can handle all of this. I won't go." Because that was true. He loved Adrian and even if he wouldn't say it, that was enough to keep him there.
The back door of the shop opened, and Adrian looked at Jackson again for encouragement. For reassurance that he could do this. Another deep breath, and then he took off his glasses, setting them down next to Jackson. "Mom… can we talk in your office?"