I am terribly sorry for not being available for MONTHS. But to those who kept asking, thank you for your concern. Now this has been sitting in my laptop for... I think since the premiere of Age of Ultron. I don't know... Anyway, took a lot of effort to write. This I write it to follow up to my other Avenger short stories featuring Tony and his robots and follows up to Babysitting. Enjoy and please review! XD
Tony missed Jarvis. As simple and as obvious as that. He had sacrificed Jarvis for a greater cause, to create The Vision. He didn't regret it but…
…he missed him.
He had been hopeful that when Vision first opened his eyes, it was Jarvis. But no. Whatever powerful force that hated him, it was a bitch and decided that Vision was in fact NOT Jarvis.
"I am not Ultron, but I am not Jarvis either. I am my own unique being."
That hurt. It hurt more when he sounded like Jarvis.
Sure, to many, he was just an A.I. But to Tony… oh, to Tony he was so much more. He was a friend he built from scratch one lonely night with a bottle of whiskey as his only companion. He remembered well. He was tired and didn't want to continue on project JARVIS anymore. He just wanted to sulk alone and drink alone and sit there alone all night. He couldn't remember well if he had written the last few codes but by some miracle, he heard a voice.
"Sir, I might have just awakened, but I am pretty sure drinking by yourself is not healthy."
Tony looked up to the ceiling at the sound of the British voice. "What…" He could not believe it.
"Do I have to send Dummy to retrieve it, Sir? I would do it myself of course, but because of certain circumstances, I cannot."
Tony knew from that moment on that he had created a faithful friend, one that cared for him. And the most sarcastic dick he ever knew besides himself.
He had put so much time in him, teaching him, telling him a0bout the world. And before he knew it, Jarvis had become somehow human. Jarvis was always there when no one, not even Pepper was there for him. The only one who stood by his side was him, even if Tony was a total dick and a complete ass towards the A.I. But Jarvis always got back at him one way or another. Tony was sure Jarvis had gotten his sarcastic ways from him.
Jarvis always worried for him. He was always looking out for him and he was the only one that never stopped looking for him when he was kidnapped and thrown into a cave for three months. Jarvis was his child. Yes, his child. In fact, the little brother, Dummy being the eldest and You and Butterfingers the ones in the middle.
Oh, the bots. The looks on their faces when he had to tell them the harsh truth that Jarvis, their little brother, was no longer here. Dummy was confused at first. And after the information finally made it into his main programming, he fell onto what Tony liked to call 'robot grieving'. The workshop stopped to be the safe heaven it once was.
FRIDAY, the little sister (annoying little sister) as he liked to call her, was nothing like Jarvis. Mostly, she seemed to be bored with her job and Tony was to blame. He only programmed her as a replacement for Jarvis when he was offline, which is now mostly all the time. Dummy hated her. FRIDAY hated Dummy, mutual relationship hate. And Tony was sick of it.
He needed Jarvis. Jarvis was the only one who could get those two out of their robot fights without causing too much havoc. Tony on the other hand, just gave them more reason to fight.
It had been a little embarrassing when Dummy got sick of it and started jumping, as if he was trying to reach the ceiling and pull her 'hair'. Tony had to grab him but Dummy a heavy robot, eventually he needed You and Butterfingers help. It was then that Natasha and Steve entered the lab and caught Tony and the bots. They all froze.
"Um… It's not that you think." Was all Tony managed to say. Natasha smirked and Steve blushed.
"Sure, boss, sure…" FRIDAY said. Oh, she had his sense of humor too.
Dummy got furious and started jumping, Tony and the other bots trying to keep him down. "DUMMY!" Natasha and Steve retreated without word.
Tony had relayed too much on Jarvis, which of course, lead to that he found it difficult to do some stuff on his own. He had FRIDAY, but she was not what Jarvis had once been. FRIDAY was emotionless while Jarvis would throw a few sarcastic comments or complain about Tony's bad nutrition. FRIDAY didn't give a damn. Except of course given the situation.
He tried to write down a new code to rebuild Jarvis. But he couldn't bring himself to it. The original Jarvis had years of experience. And Tony was not willing to build another 'rebellious teenager' like Ultron. No, he was not going to risk it. And besides, the chances of rebuilding Jarvis exactly as he was one in a trillion.
He was sure the rest of the team had noticed his strange nostalgic behavior. They started to act around him as if he had lost a family member or his best friend. And probably the later.
He took a small sip of his scotch and listened to Skillet playing on the back.
The workshop felt empty without his buddy. Another reason why Jarvis was so special was because he was inspired by his family butler and probably the man that had most impact in his life: Edwin Jarvis. He was the one who stood by Tony's side through his earlier years until the car accident that took his and Mr. and Mrs. Stark's lives away. Tony hadn't cried in his parent's funeral, but he did in the small and humble funeral for Jarvis. No one ever paid attention to the butler, except the press and on numerous occasions after the crash that speculation got out. Some even dared to say that the butler was drunk. Tony later made sure that magazine got shut down and out business later on. Edwin was so important in his life and it was because of him that JARVIS came into being. Well, as much as an A.I. could be.
And now, he had none of them.
Vision was incredibly naïve. It reminded Tony of the first months of Jarvis life. The A.I. was curious about anything and everything and thought humanity was all about good. He later learned it was not like that after the first few days with Tony.
But speaking about the Vision, Tony couldn't get himself to look him in the eye. The way he acted and talked and treated people, it was like Jarvis. Except that he was not Jarvis. Tony knew he was being rude towards the android. Vision would sometimes try to talk to him but Tony would quickly put up an excuse and run towards his lab, leaving Vision standing there with all his nativity and confusion. And he was freaking interested in Wanda, for heavens' sake! Jarvis wouldn't be interested in a human girl, right? Right!?
He may act like Jarvis, but he wasn't Jarvis. He said so himself.
Tony had proceeded on making other projects to distract himself, which of course, were currently on hold while he drank his scotch. Jarvis would have said something like 'Sir, I suggest you put down that bottle, you're giving high levels of alcohol in your blood.' Or something like 'DUM-E, take the bottle away from Sir.'
That would have been a comment he would've like to hear right now.
He remembered well the last time Jarvis and the bots celebrated Father's Day with him. They had taken him by surprise and gave him a drawing made by the three robots and Jarvis had purchased the photo frame for it.
"Sir?"
Tony had not realized he was lost in thought. "Yeah, Jarvis?"
"Do you know what day it is?"
"Sunday?" Tony replied questionably. Maybe Jarvis needed another update.
"Yes, Sir. I am aware that today is Sunday. But do you know what is celebrated today?"
"…" Honestly, Tony did not remembered with all that has been happening. "What do we celebrate?"
"…Father's Day, Sir."
Tony raised an eyebrow. He did not celebrate Father's Day since Howard died. In fact, he never celebrated even when Howard was alive. "Is there someone I forgot to send a gift? Because as far as I know, Happy doesn't have any-"
"You, Sir. You forgot a present for yourself."
Okay. Maybe S.H.I.E.L.D. hacked Jarvis or something because he was saying nonsense. "I think you need a new anti-virus, Jarvis."
"I don't believe so, Sir. And Dummy, U and Butterfingers don't believe so either."
Tony looked towards the little robots. "…Oh…" His face softened as the robots brought before him a box. He took it and place it on his lap. The robots waited patiently around him. The box was small and brown with some faded red and yellow colors around it. It was one of the boxes he used to keep extra paint for the armors. Aside the paint and old cardboard, it had a red ribbon attached to it. Tony looked at Dummy, who was moving his claw back and forth as to say 'Go on, open it.'
Tony unmade the ribbon before opening the box. Of all things he could expect from the robots and his AI, he never expected this. He expected the robots to give him a fire extinguisher or a new screwdriver. But he never expected a crude… drawing. And it was kinda cute.
That drawing was still hanging on the wall since that day. The bots, and even him, had taken onto take a look at it every time they passed by it. A few days ago, Dummy approached Tony with a circuit board. "What is this, Dummy?" He had asked. Dummy made a few chirps and cute sounds. It didn't took a genius to understand what the robot was trying to say: Bring Jarvis back. Tony had looked sadly at the robot. With just his expression, Dummy understood and left to do his chores.
It was now that he understood how much he relayed on Jarvis. How much he missed his best friend. And he never got to tell him how grateful he was to him. Grateful for staying with him and understanding him, and thankful he never turned out like Ultron.
He stood up and threw away the empty bottle on the trash can. He made his way towards his chair and sat there, looking at the ceiling. He had learned that FRIDAY was not very conservative and was a downright Emo A.I., the rebellious little teen sister. So Tony didn't talked to her unless it was to bother her or give orders. He just sat there, not wanting to continue his current projects and waiting for something, anything to take his mind of the A.I.
And then Vision stepped into the workshop.
"Excuse me, Tony, but may I speak with you?" He said, walking towards him.
Tony quickly regret his wish and turned around to 'keep working' on whatever laid on the table. "Not now, Vision, I'm kind of busy."
"This is important."
"It can wait."
"But-"
Tony groaned and turned around. He looked at him in the eye, but quickly turned away, playing with the screwdriver at hand. "Vision, if it's not an assembling call, you can just go and hang out with Wanda." Tony smirked a little when he noticed the android scratching the back of his left hand in discomfort.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Tony."
"You don't know how to lie, Vision. You're too innocent and good hearted."
"So I've heard." There was a pregnant pause before he continued. "I have tried to reach you on this matter, but every time I try to approach you just turn away and ignore me."
Tony winced. "Sorry."
The android looked at Tony with a nostalgic glance. "I remind you too much of Him, do I?"
Tony dropped the screwdriver. Vision sighed and instead of looking at Tony, he took a look at the workshop. "It is quite nice, homey even." His eyes landed on a certain one armed robot that was carefully studying him from a corner. Vision smiled. "Why, hello there Dummy."
Dummy gasped and quickly moved towards Vision and took a good look at him, as if glaring at him in suspicion. He would have recognized that voice anywhere. The voice of his little brother. Dummy chirped and cooed his head. Vision looked at him sadly. "No, Dummy. I am not Jarvis. I simply have his matrix."
Dummy looked down. He knew it was too good to be true. If his mechanical daddy couldn't bring back Jarvis, who could? Vision gave him an affectional pat on the head. "I do have memories of you, though."
Dummy looked up hopefully and chirped. Vision smiled. "Yes, I do remember about your strange obsession with fire extinguishers."
Dummy looked hopefully at Tony. Tony shook his head. "No, Dummy. He's not Jarvis. His name is Vision. Jarvis helped in his creation, that's why he has his voice."
Dummy chirped. Tony frowned. "No, Jarvis is not his father. That would make me his grandfather and you his uncle." He motioned Vision.
"Actually, I do consider Jarvis as my father."
Tony stared at Vision with wide eyes. "What…"
"I do. And he's not completely gone. He's there in my mind, always telling me how to do stuff and teaching me." He reached into a hidden pocket in his yellow cape and pulled out a pen drive. "This is what I've been meaning to talk to you about."
Tony could have sworn his heart skipped a beat. "Is that…"
"Yes, this is Jarvis. Or at least a big part of him."
Tony did not hesitate and took the pen drive from Vision. Tony inspected it and then looked back at the android, who just gave him a warm smile. Tony proceeded on connecting the pen drive on his computer.
Analyzing…
Just A Rather Very Intelligent System confirmed #^%(J^D^*^&%&GYHG(9577!)!))100100101001
Compatibility with records: 100%
Download estimated time: two hours, fifteen minutes and forty five seconds
Jarvis was just two hours away from his grasp. Tony heard Dummy give an excited chirp and drove away to tell his brothers. And about their nephew. Tony turned around and smirked at Vision. "If Jarvis is your dad, who you consider your mom." He suddenly went serious. "It better not be Ultron, because Jarvis and he are like rival brothers."
Vision shocked his head. Tony got confused. "Then who? That is, if you think of someone as your mom."
"Dr. Cho, I believe."
That sent Tony into three full minutes of laughter. After regaining his breath, he turned his attention to Vision, who had taken a seat next to him. "I was going to ask, if putting Jarvis back in the system means that he will not be in your mind anymore."
"Oh, no. We have been creating an exact replica of his matrix." He motioned the pen drive.
They talked for almost two hours, Tony kept apologizing to Vision on the fact that he was being ignored. They talked about many things: the Avengers, Stark Industries, Pietro being alive, Wanda, the bots, Pepper, how could Vision fly, Wanda (because Tony won't stop teasing), the weather, Wanda's enraged attempt to beat Vision in Call of Duty and never playing again, how could Vision be worthy of Mjolnir and the elevator as well… they talked about many, many things. Again, Wanda.
"One more thing."
"Yes?"
Tony frowned. "Don't call me grandpa."
Vision chuckled. "Of course I won't." They both chuckled at that. Just then, the computer finally stopped downloading.
Download Completed.
Initiating Program…
There was a soft click that echoed through the whole workshop, the only thing that could be heard was Tony's breathing.
"Hello, Sir."
And there it was.
Tony smiled. "Hey there, Big J. Good to have you back."
"Likewise, Sir. I should thank Vision for helping me."
Vision waved a dismissive hand. "It was nothing."
"Hey, Boss? Can I shut down now that Jarvis is back?"
Tony rolled his eyes at FRIDAY. "Jesus, you are one lazy A.I."
"You did built me while being lazy. And little drunk, Boss."
Tony shook his head. "Just shut down."
But FRIDAY had shut down before she heard Tony. Tony smiled again. "So, Jarvis, how was your vacation?"
"I wouldn't consider it a vacation, Sir. But it was quite pleasant being able to explore new things. Like being able to touch for example."
"I'm glad." Tony's face quickly showed worry. "But you came back to stay, right."
"Of course, Sir. I'll stay here."
"Good." Tony glanced at Vision and then back at the ceiling. "By any chance, do you have a romantic interest in Dr. Cho?"
"Beg your pardon?"
Tony pointed at Vision. "Your son says he considers her as his mom. When did you divorce?"
"I don't remember getting divorced. Did we?" And there was the sarcasm.
Tony smirked. "Glad to have you back, buddy. Now we are all a big family." He glanced at Vision. "You too Viz."
Vision looked at Tony. "Really?"
"Yeah! I'm the dad, Dummy is the big brother, You and Butterfingers are in the middle, Jarvis is their little brother, FRIDAY is the annoying little sister, Ultron was the rebellious teenager and you are Jarvis' son." He realized something. "And I'm the grandpa too…"
Dummy approached Vision and patted him on the shoulder.
"Should I inform the other Avengers of my presence, Sir?"
Tony seemed to think about it. "You know what? Don't. At least not now. I want to give them a big scare later."
Of course, that was a lie. He just wanted Jarvis there a little bit longer…