madimpossibledreamer

Main Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Iron Man Crossover (Self-Made Hero)
Summary: Despite how it might look, the transition isn't easy. There's only so long the destabilized situation can continue before something's gotta give...
College AU
Word Count: 585
Rating: Teen

        “Please, Xander, please be all right!” It’s a strange feeling, having someone cry over him. Maybe his mom had, at some point, but any memories on that account are vague. Like, if she had to drink to deal with Howard, he gets it. That’s half the reason he does it, too. Underage, please, he’s Tony Stark, and hell, what is Howard going to do? It’s not like he’s going to complain or punish him or anything. Hand him another glass, that’s what. Though not of the good stuff. He’s not worth that.
        He can’t make out the name, though. And it’s nice to have someone care, actually care, because those tears he feels on his cheeks are the real deal, but it also hurts a spot in his chest that feels oddly organic but also is exactly normal. Is he at the point of hallucinating? He’s at the point of hallucinating.
        If he could open his mouth, he’d ask JARVIS for a sitrep, but his mouth is dry enough it’s sticking closed. At least, that’s what it feels like.
        He’d ask the woman to stop crying, because he’s sure it’s marring her beauty and he’s not worth that, either. It’s nice to have someone care, but it’s also terrifying, because if people pay too much attention, they’ll see. They’ll see all the cracks, how he’s just so broken, and Howard will never forgive him for breaking that, too, breaking the façade that they’re a normal family, that there’s nothing wrong. It can’t be fixed, so there’s no point in looking at it. Trust him, it’s just depressing, so it’s not worth it. Not if there’s nothing anyone can do.
        The name sounded like it glitched out, which makes no sense, because it’s not like he’s a computer or something. Maybe it’s because he refused to hear it, but that, too, makes no sense, because why wouldn’t he want to hear his own name? Only he gets the feeling she’s not saying ‘Tony’, but that’s ridiculous, because why wouldn’t it be Tony? But whatever it is, it’s a name that belongs to him, too, so—maybe Stark? But why would she actually care and be clinging to his hand like a lifeline if she was calling him by his last name—
        “We will have to work quickly.” JARVIS. Except that’s not quite the right accent, either.
        “Gotta fix that,” he mutters, only it comes out more garbled than his name.
        “Xander?” Pretty crying lady sounds excited. Too bad her expectations have to be dashed. Because, you know, he’s the Prince of Disappointment.
        He shouldn’t be online. Not like this, not yet. It’s too soon.
        “Tony,” he corrects, drifting again because with how dizzy he’s feeling it’s a surprise he’s not spinning into the stratosphere.
        Like that’s a thing he actually can do. Why is this—
        “It has been a long time since I’ve cast even one spell to light a candle,” JARVIS announces, and, well, duh. That’s— “We only have until the change of nurses, and the longer this takes the less effective it will be. Willow, please, we need to stabilize him.”
        Stabilization, right, that’s exactly what’s needed. Without it, the heir to Harris Industries is just going to be lost in the chaos of everything.
        “Thanks, J-man,” he mumbles as the current carries him back under. He doesn’t hear the response the librarian and pseudo-babysitter gives him, only that it provokes the slightest of cozy smiles and a warm, fuzzy feeling like a blanket.