ironmonger | (no subject)

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It's been a little longer than Obadiah might have liked since Milliways's last appearance - long enough that the bites on his neck have healed over with shining new scar tissue. They can be mostly hidden with a carefully arranged collar, and he does that during the day, especially at work. His disappearance created enough gossip as it was. No need to provide fresh material.

He's not doing that now, though. He's loosened his tie and tugged down his collar, because here there are certain parties whose reactions he's very interested in.

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James smiles. (He doesn't mentiont he part where Tony saw it happen.)

"You're welcome," he says. "You know, it's a small multiverse. I teach biology back home, I've had both your boys in my class. Tony graduated last May, year early with high honors. He's at MIT now."

He's doing well, is the implication, despite Stane's best efforts.

"...Okay," he says slowly, "I know I wasn't the greatest father, but I do know how to count. Both?"

James pauses.

He knows the obvious answer, of course. Different universe, different outcomes. With all the infinite possibilities on the table, it's not hard to believe that Maria Stark ended up carrying two fetuses in some and just the one in others.

But James's Torchwood sense is tingling.

"Yeah," he says slowly. "Twins. Tony's brother is - well, the story goes that he didn't handle yours and your wife's deaths as well as Tony did. Changed his name to Sherlock Holmes, took on the persona."

He hesitates, debating his phrasing, then says,

"If there was ever anyone else under there, I've never met him."

. . . it hadn't even occurred to James before now that he might, in fact, not believe that Sherlock was ever anyone other than Sherlock. But now he's said it out loud, he realizes he's never believed otherwise.

"You're telling me my son multiplied while I wasn't looking?"

And as soon as he says it like that, it clicks.

Howard chuckles.

James gives him an inquiring look.

"Hey, what do I know? I was dead before mystery twin decided he was Sherlock Holmes, apparently."

His money is totally on clone. The only question is whether Tony managed it before or after.

Tony managing to pull a previously unseen twin brother out of his ass and convince the public that his parents just forgot is a depressingly plausible scenario. So, for that matter, is his managing to hide a clone from Howard for God knows how long. He could've raised an army of them in that junk-filled workshop of his and Howard never would've noticed.

. . . James shakes his head a little.

"Must be different universes," he says.

He's not entirely convinced of that. But he's still on duty and he should be putting Howard in his cell and going back out front for his shift. He doesn't have time to sort through this until he finds what it is that's setting off his alarms.

He can do that later.

"Maybe."

The Stark poker face is notoriously terrible.

The hell with it.

James's stern biology teacher face, conversely, is excellent.

"Are you going to share with the class?"

"No."

He looks a hell of a lot like Tony, right there. A hell of a lot.

Of course, that would have been too easy, wouldn't it?

"You're not much bloody good then, are you?" James says cheerfully. "Never you mind, then, I'll sort it out myself. You've got a jail sentence to carry out."

He gets up to escort Howard to the cells.

Howard's smile fades slowly as he follows.

God, he misses his son.

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