Endeavour Nikolas Stark is perfectly fine as is.
As a child he had been extraordinary, finding a home among the friendliest of people at Charles Xavier's School For the Gifted, and finding himself Gifted in many ways just beyond the X-Gene in his DN...
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Let us not talk about hard times.
Tony Stark did fall, though it was entirely his own fault.
The fall was accompanied by the suit and all its weight fall through the roof, the piano, and the floor to completely crush the car below. The sound jarring and painful to Nikolas' ears and followed almost immediately by a loud whine as the doctor covered his ears as fast as he could.
It was not until silence had fallen over the workshop and Nikolas dropped his hands did he speak for the first time in a long time.
"Right, that was not my fault." Nikolas motioned to the current situation surrounding his dad. He grinned, rolling himself closer to his crushed car with a frown.
"Haha." His dad's voice sounded more robotic than necessary, the face place sliding up to reveal a very pained looking Tony Stark. When he spoke again, the robotic was gone. "Ugh- help me up?"
Nikolas hummed, moving his hand in a lax way and watching as his dad lifted from the car without much effort needed. He frowned at the damage left behind, removing the headpiece from the crown of his head and missing the way that his dad limped to JASON to have the suit removed.
When his dad spoke again his words were directed to Jarvis as the artificial intelligence system took notes on his behalf. "Main transducer feels sluggish at plus forty altitude. Hull pressurization is problematic-" He paused, lifting an ice pack from the freezer and holding it the his temple.
Nikolas leaned back in his wheelchair, humming to himself as his dad continued.
"I'm thinking icing may be the problem." Tony groaned, propping his head up on his hand as he watched Jarvis type out notes on the computer.
Jarvis' reply was nearly sarcastic, "A very astute observation sir."
"I think if you plan on visiting other planets dad, we should improve the exosystems?"
His dad glanced at him. "Oh shush." It was an obviously teasing tone, but that did not stop the slight pause as Nikolas considered what he had meant.
Nikolas started forward, moving the wheelchair without needing to touch his hands in a way so similar to his old Professor's chair. "Have it reconfigure the shell metals?" His dad glanced at him, visibly confused before tapping a few keys on the computer. "Use the gold titanium alloy from the seraphim tactical satellite? It will ensure fuselage integrity-"
"-while maintaining power-to-weight ratio." His dad nodded, continuing to type away before settling back in his chair. He held some terrible green drink in his hand which he offered to Nikolas without a second thought.
The doctor shook his head, eyes concentrating in part on the screen as the computer rendered the design and in part on the tv across the room which displayed an event that Nikolas could barely remember the beginnings of.
"Volume." Nikolas motioned to the tv, nodding as Jarvis complied.
"Tonights red hot carpet event is right here at Disney Concert Hall, where Doctor Nikolas Stark's third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund has become the place to be for L.A.'s high society." The reported moved on screen at the same moment the specifications finished.
Nikolas knew his dad was speaking about the design, but all he heard was the reporters words.
"Both Nikolas and Tony Stark have not been seen in public since the bizarre and highly controversial press conference. Some claim that Tony Stark has been bedridden for weeks, and that his son is suffering some sort of breakdown and has pulled away from all-"
Nikolas flinched as if he had been struck.
"Mute."
It was silent in the lab. Nikolas tried to think past the words, to consider anything and everything else that did not mean focusing on the reporter but all he could hear was her words in his head.
"You gotta breath Einstein." It was his dad, a faint beeping accompanied his words.
Nikolas felt as though he were on fire, but the moment he took a breath the feeling vanished. The beeping faded to a softer sound as Jarvis no longer found his heart rate to be an issue. His hands flapped at his sides, rocking the wheel chair without meaning to and causing the random few objects around the room to float through the air.
His dad appeared unfazed at the objects and flapping hands, and instead smiled softly at his son. "There you are Einstein."
Nikolas giggled, feeling light headed from the excursion as he rocked back and forth.
"Ignore her, she knows nothing." His dad said it in a teasing tone, though Nikolas was sure that he was being serious. "Do you want to go?"
The doctor frowned, his voice entire flat as he repeated his dad, "Do you want to go?"
Tony shook his head, "Right sorry." He paused thinking for a second as he attempted to phrase his words in another way. "Do you want to go to the fundraiser? Prove some reporters wrong and wear some nice clothing?"
Nikolas noted the specific way his dad used the word clothing.
He didn't really have to consider his answer. "Hell yes."
Tony smiled brightly. "Great!" He stood, crossing the lab and lifting a box from the farther table. "Then this is for you."
Nikolas leaned his head to the side, watching closely as his dad set a box across the arms of his wheelchair. He didn't question it as he opened the box, smiling brightly at the object found within.
"A prosthesis." Nikolas hummed after saying it, reaching in carefully and pulling free the metal leg.
It was rather good looking. It was firm, with a space for his residual limb at the top and what used to be silver steel forming the entire limb. It was black in color, with gold detailing throughout the entire limb that replicated the look of circuitry in a smooth all put together sort of way. In simple words, it was gorgeous with its color and shape.
"Do you like it?" His dad looked nervous as he asked it, rubbing at the back of his neck and trying to appear like he knew what he was doing.
Nikolas smiled, pushing the box to the floor and moving himself to the edge of the chair. He attempted to not focus on the actual limb, to see it as a piece of a puzzle and fit his new prosthetic over it to complete said puzzle. It hugged his leg tightly, but not uncomfortably, the inside covered in a soft material that held his tender residual limb in a soft way.
"Help me up?" Nikolas was surprised to find the words so easily as he held his hands out to his dad and let the man pull him from the chair.
He wobbled for a moment, the feeling foreign in such a way that surprised him, as he had been able to walk just months ago. Nikolas squeaked, the only sound he could make to convey his pure excitement in the moment.
