Chapter Text
~**First in series of ‘No Regrets’**~
~*~A Favor for An Old Friend~*~
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“Do you come to the play without knowing what it is?”
“O yes, Sir, yes, very frequently; I have no time to read the play-bills; one merely comes to meet one’s friends and show that one’s alive.”
-Fanny Burney
Evelina (1778)
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~*~Part 2~*~
When Tony was seventeen his parents died in a car crash. (Thanks Howard, you asshole!) He might have been a little (a lot, seriously, a lot) angry at his father and himself. The last time he seen them alive had said somethings that would become his greatest regret.
There was this annoying ball of anger that drugs and alcohol couldn’t seem to calm down. The anger with the intense grief turned into a bonfire of hurt rage and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it!
Damn he missed Mary. Without Mary, Tony had quickly gone off to M.I.T. for there was no reason to stay in prison (boarding school) if he didn’t have to. He had gone because Mary needed him or he needed her. Looking back the lines seem blurry over who needed who more.
His parents had hoped that with him going to M.I.T so young that it would help him mature into a well-grounded and rounded adult. Hmm-nope, didn’t happen. Should he fake an apology now? Just saying women aren’t the only ones to fake things.
Not sure how his parents thought sending him off to college where almost everyone was *way* older than he was somehow a good thing and would do him good. He was the rich smarter-than-everyone-in-the-room kid. Hell, if there is life out in the universe, he was certain he’d outshine them in the smarts category. So awkward, geeky, and nerdy in a school with other geeky and nerdy ‘let’s pretend to be’ grown-ups that hated him with a fake smile on their faces. His parents and Jarvis (let’s be real, he was the only one he’d actually listen too) were far, far away living their own lives. Sure. What could go wrong?
Luckily, he meets another student there, two years older than him and a genius, (could easily become a rocket scientist, though he hopes to join the military when he becomes older) James Rhodes, his lovely Rhodey. The one who Tony would always fondly call Platypus. Rhodey was never surprised, not like others when they would overhear, being called Platypus. It had been Rhodey’s fault to be quite honest.
The day they had met on campus at M.I.T. they both had been a couple of weeks in. Learning how to survive in this new world they seemed to be in. They had begun a long discussion about the best engineering marvels of the day which to this day, Tony believes Rhodey had drank too much orange soda and wasn’t thinking right. Tony forgave him for being wrong. Because of that they seemed to be headed to a fast friendship.
Yet, what made Tony go up to Rhodey that day and sit with him at the most unsteady table in the cafeteria was the ugly neon green shirt with the red bold letters declaring that one must ‘Save the Platypus!’ He hadn’t even known they were endangered! He knew instantly that he needed to do something about this-STAT!
Come to find out ‘Save the Platypus’ had been the garage band he and his other three friends had created. Rhodey was the drummer. They never had a paying gig but if they played loud enough family and neighbors would offer them money to stop after a few hours. The funny thing is they had been about to finish each time someone offered them money. A few times they each made a hundred bucks by the end of the week! Tony and Rhodey began to laugh so hard.
It was that shirt, that story that made Tony know without a doubt he wanted this guy as his best friend. Happily, Rhodey seemed to think the same thing. He seemed to naturally roll his eyes a great deal around him but that smile-yeah, that smile did make Tony happy. Rhodey became a much-needed rock to lean on. Kept him sane and from dealing with heart wrenching loneliness. That was a lot of responsibility to put on his Platypus’s shoulders but oddly enough Rhodey never seemed to mind. Or worse, walk out of his life. The guy had many chances to do so and to Tony’s amazement and bewilderment he stayed.
On the night of his parent’s funeral, Tony would’ve easily been alone. Rhodey had been with him when he had heard about his parents. The days following and then the beginning of the funeral until a call from family saying that Mama Rhodes was in the hospital. Something about a life endangering heartbeat. They would have to give her a pacemaker in the hopes to save her life. Tony could see Rhodey was falling apart and wasn’t sure what the hell to do. So, Tony took control. Got him on his fancy jet. Told him very thing would be okay. They hugged.
“Please, Tones don’t do anything stupid. Please…” His Platypus worriedly breathed into his ear.
Tony was certain he meant don’t get sh*t-drunk wasted. Not, the moment James leaves the room he’d be making calls. Get the best doctors. Pay all the medical bills. Maybe after Mama Rhodes was feeling better, because there was no other outcome, he’d send her to an all expenses paid holiday to where ever she wants to go. As well as a spa day. When Rhodey agrees with him about it, and he will, Tony will simply remind him that he can’t treat his own mother to something nice so why not Rhodey’s. Yeah, Tony knows he can be a little sh*t, a big one to when the mood hits just right.
Yet, he hadn’t been alone that night. Yeah, fall on your face drunk (one where if Tony had taken another drink there was a huge possibility, he’d get alcohol poisoning.)
Mary had shown up. His dear, sweet Mar-Mar. Had he been surprised? Hopeful, yes. Surprised, um, not really? Maybe? She had broken in, JARVIS at the time was still just code he was playing around with.
At first, he thought she was a hallucination. Why not, right? It could’ve been but happily, it wasn’t. Nope, she was real. So very real.
She made coffee. Somehow tossed in some powered dark chocolate. That was so Mary. It was so good even though it was all in an attempt to sober his ass up. With her finally there with him he actually regretted drinking so much alcohol. That never happened to him before not even after the mother of all hangovers that had even his eyelashes hurting. Seriously, his eyelashes! He hadn’t even known they could hurt until that ugly hangover in Japan happened.
He ended up sobering just enough to know she was real. To remember her being there with him. Not sober enough to argue with her into staying in his life but sober enough to enjoy her being with him. His first real bestie. How he had missed her!
The thing he was most grateful about was with Mary, Tony wasn’t expected to talk about his feelings or even explain how he was. Nope, not with Mar-Mar.
She kicked off her shoes, even as a kid she loved running around barefoot, and hugged him tight. She made him sit upon his leather sofa. Her legs curled under her but he still saw an anklet tattoo. Small paw prints wrapped around her skinny ankle. In the middle was a small long-haired ally cat that looked as if it had survived countless fights. She cuddled up close against his side as if they were still two kids having a sleepover at his place. She felt warm and safe, who the hell needed a blanket when Mary was around?
A random creepy rom-com or two played in front of them. They paid it no mind. Didn’t really need it. The mansion sat in darkness with only the big screen playing. Bright lights. Muted, showing letters scrolling down at the bottom. Again, that didn’t matter.
Mary talked. She shared things she really wasn’t allowed to share. Not that she named names, or the places or even what she went by. Just shared enough. It was as if she had just spent years undercover as someone else and needed to unload, to finally be real, hell just exist with her best friend. Her only friend. That remembered who she was. What her real name was. Knew the real her and at the end of the day still accepted her. Still cared.
There was a feeling of breathless freedom within her tone. Relief. Peace.
All Tony knew was that she was finally home even if it was only for a short time.
For he knew, like that rough yet real looking ally cat, she would wonder on when she was ready. She had to.
As Mary shared her stories, they took shape inside his head. Making them so real it was as if he had also been on those adventures with her.
Take the day that she pulled her rust bucket (still a pretty red that made the rust not seem so bad even with holes the size of fists and bullet holes) over to the side of the road.
Mary had stopped to see if she could help a stranger who had a beautiful metallic blue motorcycle with light blue ghost flames. Personally, she wanted to get close enough to admire such a beauty. As she carefully walked up to it and the man who was frowning darkly at the machine that held her gaze. Mary calmly asked if she could help him and he said he honestly doubted it, seeing he didn’t think she could fix whatever was wrong with his hog. She couldn’t help but smirk proudly and bet the man twenty bucks she’d have it running in less than thirty minutes. Of course, she ended up with two tens in her pocket, she had fixed it in about fifteen minutes.
Because of that crazy moment, she had ended up running with a biker gang. Not a bad biker gang, badass biker gang sure. Filled with guys and a few ladies that had proudly survived this country and had retired cops, as well as a few that weren’t retired. A lawyer that went by the name Lizard. This group just enjoyed the ride and attempted to survive bad moments with a beast between their thighs. She informed Tony how they taught her gun safety, self-defensive and how to cheat at a game of pool without looking like it.
There had been a huge muscled man, with wicked, painful looking scars. He actually ran an ice cream shop (had the best ice cream in the state!) and was a catdad to five little (hellions) furry babies (hard to fear a guy who would baby talk to those cute ankle scratchers. He was proof that one should never judge a book by its cover.)
It had pained her to leave that city and those people but she did. Another city she met a guy who actually ran away from home (with his brother) and joined the circus. No, sh*t and he was a hell of a shot and show off. Would ride any show animal and always hit what he aimed at. The things he’d do with a bow and arrow was something almost magical. So of course, Mary had to challenge the sarcastic slightly deaf guy to a dart game. He won but he showed her somethings about her balance that helped her aim improve. They shared some jokes from Dad jokes to a nun is going to pray for your soul jokes. That had been a fun night.
Her first kiss had been with a young cowboy who smelled of leather, dust and summer sweat. When the U.S. Marshalls told her she had to leave once more (just in case). Mary found she missed the guy’s horse more than the guy she thought blushed just right when she thanked him for holding the door open for her. To be honest, the horse sounded like a beauty. Of course, that was only if one liked horses. Tony found them to be questionable creatures that could stay far, far away from him.
As she talked and shared something had settled. Calmed inside of him. Knowing that she was okay, that she would be okay made things in his world seem like he too would be alright. Yes, his parents died tragically but somehow everything would be okay.
Mary laughed as she told him about a blind guy who taught her to make fresh strawberry lemonade and homemade bread.
How an elderly woman taught her to garden and knit. How the town pitied her this little old woman whose husband ran off with the town’s slu*t and their life savings a good twenty years ago. Yet, Mary thought there was a strong chance that the woman’s husband was actually buried in that old woman’s garden. How Mary thought the woman and offered all the money she and her husband had to leave town and never come back. Mary had this disturbing suspicion when the elderly woman smiled without her teeth in to tell her that she had no doubt wherever that old bastard was he was actually being useful for once. All the while looking over at a certain spot in her garden where a bunch of healthy looking and truly beautiful roses were. How Mary refused to tell a soul (not that they'd believe her) because she selfishly wanted to settle down and belong somewhere. She had been hopeful that she had finally found a place. It wasn’t and she was forced to leave once again.
She spoke how she had danced with the Northern Lights around her as she sang a Bon Jovi song. How she said softly into the cold night air, “Damn, Ton-Ton, I miss you.” Spoken like a needy prayer. As if hoping in some foolish way he would hear her and come running. Tony would have if he had heard her, damn it all, he would have!
Mary left before the sun came up the next day. Any paparazzi or two pit reporter who saw her (beautiful dark-haired woman in a tight, short jean skirt with a shirt that declared that no she wouldn’t bite anyone for she was into spanking) leaving would assume they had done something sexual. For she was leaving Tony’s place (at a time where non-morning people would think was a myth or so very wrong to be up.) and unlike Mary he had a certain, um, reputation. What was that saying? To assume made an ass out of everyone? Probably why there were so many assholes around.
Mary left him a bottle of headache medicine with a full glass of water beside it. She also left him a note. On paper. Tony was surprised that his sigh hadn’t been heard around the world. Soft pale pink paper with tiny blue and red flowers upon its borders. As if this made the piece of paper something to be proud of. Nor did he think he own such, but then again, he never looked into his so-called work desk that was nothing more than a dust catcher and where catalogs and political ads go to die.
Her handwriting was not messy like his, for he had better things to do than handwrite crap, it flowed elegantly. Beautifully.
‘Ton-Ton, I wish you love and happiness. I also wish like hell that you didn’t attempt to become your own liquor factory, but, oh, well. One day I hope to be a part of your life but I know it's still not safe. Shouldn’t have shown up now but I couldn’t not come and see you. Be near you. Sharing with you what I’m never allowed to share. Again, this is not goodbye.
Oh, I went looking. Nice shoes there, Ton-Ton. Totally sweet if only I was a thief and had your tiny, cute feet they would be mine. Found the old box. Opened it to grab some items and remember some important things. Still keep watch over the rest for me? The Marshalls told me that I was allowed no contact with my old life that everything had to be given up. Tossed away like garbage. To keep nothing from the past as if I was no longer allowed to exist. Mary Winters was expected to just disappear as if by magic. It is just a silly, stupid box filled with the real me, my real identity. My real birth certificate that I can never use. Pictures of our life. Of my life. What use to be.
I’m taking an old picture that must have been taken at Christmas if the hats and lights tell the truth of it. It has our mother’s laughing. Your father is holding his favorite whiskey in one hand and his other is on your shoulder. You are glaring at me, if I remember right, I had just stolen your cookie. Best cookie ever! Shame you never got a bite!
Anyway, I’m taking a some silly items from that box when in fact all I want to do is ask if you’d like to come with me but let’s be honest in some ways I am. For you are with me in spirit. I’m taking the old sunshine Care Bear, hiding away the picture in that. Take care. Until we see each other again I shall remain your Mar-Mar.’
Of course, he’d keep (watch over, protect) the box. Also, he did not have tiny feet, how dare she say so!
He tells people that is in no way the sentimental sort. Tony knows he’s lying. He will even tell his robots to toss crap. They won’t if there is someone in the room when he says it. They know (their code knows the truth of the matter) that it is all just a show.
The note he never shows anyone. It’s no one’s business but he hid it behind a picture of his mom that is in a shiny silver 4x6 frame. He then put the picture face down in a drawer for it was too painful to look at it. Wasn’t ready to look at it. To simply have that picture randomly sitting out where anyone could notice his mother looking beautiful, carefree and happy. Knowing that if he saw the picture, it was too heartbreaking certainty that she was gone forever.
It also hurt that Mary was also gone once more. She was so brave and a bit foolish to come to him when there were monsters out there that wanted her dead. He didn’t care if those assholes went at him in hopes to bring her out of hiding, he just refused to let himself be the reason they caught her.
Tony had mentally thanked her for being there for him, even if his mighty hangover was begging him to crawl somewhere nice and dark and just die already. It had taken him many hours to realize Mary hadn’t just left behind a note and went through her box but she had also left a pair of red tinted sunglasses.
No question about it, he started to wear them. Tony told himself that he looked better in them anyway.
Life went on. He lived big. Did crazy things and made brilliant and scary as hell things. People began to call him the ‘Merchant of Death’ more and more. Ruthless businessman. Playful playboy. He made it his life goal to drive Rhodey crazy and make him showoff his wild, carefree side. He had a driver and bodyguard that Tony called ‘Happy’ because the mad didn’t want to smile. Ever, especially while working. Even when he told jokes the bigger man would tell him, “Good one, sir, still not laughing.” The man’s eyes sparkled though and made Tony laugh instead. Then there was Pepper Potts. New to his life but felt like she’d always been there. He was still caught off guard when she reminded him just how new she was. Maybe she was lying. Or not. Who was he to judge? She made things better in his life so he’d kept her around.
Then one day JARVIS informed him of an e-mail (at least it wasn’t paper!) from an account that Tony had long ago forgotten about. Yet, his favorite (and only for now) A.I. kept an eye on all his accounts as well watched for the protocol that he had written in to him in the early stages of the A.I.’s life. Anytime someone with the name of Mary, Mar-Mar, Mar-Bear, would instantly let him know. For those ‘what if she needs to contact me’ or be there for her be it to help her with a move or if she wanted him to buy an ice cream factory. (Any friend could buy her a carton from the loyal store; however, he was Tony Stark. He went big in all things, damn it!)
So, when an email came in with the name Mary Fitzpatrick Parker was attempting to contact him. Tony’s breath caught itself within his throat. Hoping she wasn’t in danger. Instant worry that something was wrong. He purposely manned up and with an iron wiliness to help her no matter what the cost he told JARVIS to show him what had been sent.
Maybe everything was okay. Maybe she was finally going to let him know that it was time for two besties to walk the same path once more.
Maybe…
Damn, how he missed her.
A blue big screen flashed into existence. A screen he created.
‘Hey Ton-Ton!
Can we meet? Have a question for you that will make you run for the hills or fly knowing you. Maybe in that bright red small jet that you have. Seriously? Red? Only you, Tony. Also, speaking of red those tight red jeans that you wore to some fancy ass gala? Um, dude were you high? Eek, do the world a favor and burn them. Maybe make some smores over the open flames right before you smack some fashion sense into yourself. STAT!
Just because they are expensive is no excuse for hurting one’s eyes. Trust me, my eyes begged me for mercy. I wish I was kidding. I’m not.
Anyway, in two weeks I’ll be in Cali. So, if we can meet up in your Malibu office over at Stark Industries. Yes, Tony, you have an office over there. I know this because your last name is Stark and it’s your company. So, you have an office even if you never use it.
Have that Potts woman, I’ve read about show you where it’s at if necessary.
So, get me in to see you. I bet you ten bucks that I can bring fear to your building. It will be fun times!
Do you still like cheeseburgers or have you decided healthy living with veggies is better for you? No, judgement if you enjoy killing helpless carrots. Just thought I could bring lunch with me and we could share for old times’ sake.
So, I will be asking a huge favor, one you are allowed to say no to. Just, please allow me to talk and share my thoughts. Explain why I want you to do this for me before you go running into the night screaming your head off.
Thanks, your Mar-Mar. Better known as Mary Winters, Ann Meredith, Mary Jane Anderson, Molly Valda, Mary Fitzpatrick and now Mary Fitzpatrick Parker.
Remember no matter what name others make me take or the ones I’ve claimed for myself, I will always consider you a best friend. Even if you say I’m crazy and want nothing more to do with me after I’ve asked for this huge as hell favor.’
As always, she had his attention. Nor would he tell her he had already thrown away those red jeans. A drunk woman had thrown up on them. A lot. It was some nasty gross sh*t. So not worth saving those jeans over.
Tony told JARVIS to reply…
‘No matter what name you go by I will always have and make time for you. LOL, Mar-Mar, to all of it. Cheeseburgers are still my comfort and ‘you complete me’ food. I’ve missed you so much, also no matter how crazy you make me or aka run for those hills, I’ll make sure to listen to you. I have a feeling that you will get that ten bucks for you were terrifying as a kid I shudder to think about the trouble you get up to as an adult. Remember, I’m always your friend no matter what name you go by. Though Molly Valda is pushing it! Yeah, and sincerely yours, Ton-Ton. Better known as THE Tony Stark.
A few hours later, JARVIS notified him of an appointment that was on the books. In two weeks, on a Monday no less.
Tony nearly hurt himself laughing so incredibly. Oh, Mary, wtf, seriously Mar-Bear!
For the appointment was under the Mary F. Parker. IRS Agent.
He looked her up and she was indeed an IRS Agent. One of their best. Of course, that is what she’d aim at becoming as an adulthood. Any big-time badass businesses to punny ‘I cry myself to sleep at night & pee the bed’ (So looking at you Hammer!) businesses would swallow hard and nervously wipe their brow.
Well, screw giving Mary a ten, he was handing her a crisp hundred-dollar bill.
His friend, and yes, he would always call her that, deserved it. He hadn’t laughed that hard in years.
**End of Part 2**
More coming…
