That single, sweet little “Grandpa” from Doro absolutely destroyed Tony.
What Tony didn’t know was that Sherlock didn’t actually care much about the whole guardianship issue.
He was already an adult.
Even if Tony really had possessed legal guardianship over him once upon a time, it didn’t mean anything now.
As for the whole godfather thing?
Sherlock cared even less.
That wasn’t exactly a major cultural institution where he’d come from in his previous life.
No, getting Doro to call Tony “Grandpa” had been pure retaliation.
Because somehow, against all reason, the legendary playboy Tony Stark had turned out to be Sherlock’s legally questionable father figure.
Sherlock was absolutely going to make him suffer for that.
What Sherlock didn’t realize was that Tony didn’t particularly care whether Sherlock actually called him “Dad” either.
At least, not yet.
Tony had only brought up the relationship because he wanted more authority when warning Sherlock away from dangerous organizations.
And Tony had another issue.
He wasn’t entirely convinced by Sherlock’s explanation about alchemy.
What Sherlock had done in the Middle East looked far too much like Tony’s stereotypical idea of magic.
As for Doro?
Her existence didn’t prove Sherlock was an alchemist either.
As far as Tony was concerned, the only thing Doro conclusively proved was that supernatural creatures could apparently exist.
Whether she’d been created through alchemy, magic, or some other impossible system remained an open question.
Of course, if Sherlock really could perform something called alchemy…
Tony Stark would probably become the most enthusiastic student of the subject on Earth.
For now, though, belief could wait.
Regardless of what Tony thought about Sherlock’s claims, he was increasingly glad he’d insisted on bringing Sherlock back himself.
The rest of the flight passed in a strange atmosphere.
Everyone had something on their mind.
Sherlock was thinking about his parents.
Tony was thinking about Sherlock’s abilities.
John and Helen were quietly processing the revelation that Sherlock’s life was apparently even stranger than they’d realized.
Doro ate.
Mostly Doro ate.
Eventually, the plane landed.
Tony was the first one down the steps.
Pepper Potts was waiting.
The moment Tony reached her, she wrapped her arms around him.
For once, Tony didn’t make a joke.
Then Pepper looked past him.
Her eyes landed on Sherlock.
And before Sherlock could even introduce himself—
“Sherlock?”
He stopped.
Pepper stared at him.
“What are you doing here?”
Her gaze shifted toward Tony.
“And why are you with him?”
That was the moment Sherlock started genuinely believing Tony’s story about being his godfather.
Pepper knew him.
Not vaguely.
Not because Tony had just mentioned him.
She recognized him on sight.
Tony quickly stepped in.
He made some basic introductions.
Then, when the obvious question came up, he attempted to wave the entire situation away.
“Oh, Sherlock and I ran into each other along the way.”
Pepper stared at him.
Tony scratched his nose.
“Figured I’d give my dear son a ride home.”
Sherlock’s eye twitched.
Tony immediately looked somewhere else.
It was possibly the worst lie he’d told all week.
His eyes were shifting.
He kept touching his nose.
His tone was far too casual.
And the explanation itself made absolutely no sense.
Any reasonably intelligent person would’ve seen through it.
Pepper Potts was significantly smarter than reasonably intelligent.
But she was also smart enough not to expose Tony’s lie in front of everyone.
She simply gave him a long look.
Then gestured toward the waiting vehicles.
Fortunately, Tony was rich enough that the convoy sent to receive him had plenty of space.
Otherwise, accommodating three unexpected adults and one half-sized passenger might’ve been awkward.
As for Doro?
Sherlock had stuffed her into his backpack before they got off the plane.
She was sound asleep inside.
The little glutton had been eating almost nonstop since boarding the aircraft.
Now that she was full, she’d naturally passed out.
Tony and Pepper ended up in the same car.
The moment the doors closed, Pepper turned toward him.
“All right.”
Tony sighed.
“What happened?”
Tony knew better than to bother lying again.
So he told her.
Everything relevant.
Sherlock.
The rescue.
The strange abilities.
Alchemy.
Doro.
The family connection.
Pepper listened.
And struggled to reconcile what Tony was saying with everything she’d known about Sherlock for years.
According to the information she’d received, Sherlock Flamel had spent almost five straight years as a shut-in.
Quiet.
Withdrawn.
Well behaved.
Barely willing to leave his own home.
The kind of poor kid people worried about because he’d lost his parents so young and seemed to have retreated from the world.
And Tony expected her to believe that Sherlock was secretly an alchemist capable of doing impossible things?
Reality was getting increasingly unreasonable.
Unlike the original course of events Tony might otherwise have followed, he didn’t immediately hold a press conference announcing that Stark Industries was shutting down its weapons division.
Instead, Pepper practically forced him into a hospital.
Tony underwent a full examination.
Once the doctors were satisfied he wasn’t about to keel over, everyone headed to Tony’s seaside mansion.
Sherlock had barely stepped through the door before he opened his backpack.
A freshly awakened Doro popped out.
“Doro!”
She looked around.
New place.
New smells.
New things.
Her excitement immediately hit maximum.
Her tiny legs became a blur.
Doro started sprinting around Tony Stark’s mansion like she’d been released into an amusement park.
Pepper initially flinched.
Doro’s cartoonish appearance was simply too far outside anything a normal person expected to encounter in real life.
Then Doro discovered the kitchen.
A short while later, she came racing back.
She was carrying an orange.
With both little hands.
Doro ran straight to Sherlock.
She held the orange up toward him.
“Human!”
Sherlock looked down.
“Doro found orange!”
She pushed it toward him eagerly.
“For Human!”
Pepper’s expression melted.
Completely.
That was it.
Game over.
Whatever hesitation she’d felt about the strange little creature vanished instantly.
After getting Sherlock’s permission, Pepper carefully picked Doro up.
Then she discovered that Doro’s body was absurdly soft.
Almost jelly-like.
Combined with Doro’s expressive little cartoon face and her almost weaponized ability to act cute… This story is hosted at g.com.
Pepper’s maternal instincts went critical.
Sherlock watched her.
Pepper hugged Doro closer.
Doro happily settled into her arms.
Sherlock narrowed his eyes.
She’s going to steal my daughter.
And, as it turned out, Sherlock’s suspicion was entirely justified.
Barely seconds after the thought crossed his mind, Pepper carefully looked toward him.
“Would you mind if I took Doro with me for a little while?”
Sherlock didn’t hesitate.
“Sure.”
Tony’s head snapped around.
His stare toward Sherlock was filled with betrayal.
Sherlock ignored him.
He liked Pepper much more than Tony.
Why wouldn’t he let her take Doro?
Tony, meanwhile, was furious.
Ever since seeing Doro, he’d been fascinated by her.
He wanted to study her.
Examine her.
Ask questions.
Mostly, at this point, he just wanted to hold her once.
Sherlock had refused every single time.
Worse, Doro listened to Sherlock.
If Sherlock said Tony wasn’t allowed to hold her, Doro simply wouldn’t let Tony touch her.
Tony had even tried cheating on the plane.
He’d reached out to grab her when Sherlock wasn’t looking.
Doro had dodged him.
Effortlessly.
He tried again.
She dodged again.
The tiny creature’s evasive ability was ridiculous.
And now Pepper had asked once— once— and Doro was sitting obediently in her arms with the happiest, most innocent smile imaginable.
Tony’s jealousy shot through the roof.
Unfortunately for him, the situation didn’t last long enough for him to formulate a revenge plan.
Sherlock remained at the mansion.
John and Helen left with Pepper.
Doro went with them, happily nestled in Pepper’s arms.
After all, John and Helen had come to Los Angeles for the vacation Tony had promised them.
They weren’t going to spend the entire trip sitting around Tony’s house.
Sherlock, on the other hand, had several reasons to stay.
First, there was his relationship with Tony.
Neither of them particularly wanted to acknowledge it.
Unfortunately, the relationship existed whether they liked it or not.
Second, Sherlock was still waiting for Tony to modify his Raptor.
And Tony wanted something too.
He wanted Sherlock to see his laboratory.
More importantly— he wanted to see Sherlock perform this so-called alchemy for himself.
So Sherlock stayed.
Once everyone else had left, Tony let out an exaggerated sigh.
Then he turned toward Sherlock.
“Come on, kid.”
Sherlock’s eye twitched.
Tony smiled.
“Let me show you my laboratory.”
Sherlock followed him.
But he had absolutely no intention of letting Tony enjoy the moment in peace.
“Tony.”
“Hm?”
“There’s something I’ve been wondering about.”
Tony kept walking.
Sherlock followed.
“When you got back…”
Tony glanced over.
“…why didn’t you immediately shut down Stark Industries’ weapons division?”
Keep reading.