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Cooper, like his younger brother Blaine, is a one-night-stand kid. Like he did later with Blaine, Tony gave money to the mom to keep mum, to make sure the boy was raised right, and that he had anything he needed. He didn't need the bad press, after all - and it wouldn't be very polite. He was a kid himself, at the time. A Sophmore in highschool. She was older, though. She'd just graduated, and he wasn't sure how he charmed her; it was probably the money. But hey, she was smoking hot - and he went home with her after they met at the bar he sneaked into that night.
He panicked when he found out she was pregnant, but she understood that, with a name like Stark, their child would always be in danger of kidnapping. Tony, himself, was snatched at least once a year until he’d become a mouthy teenager. Her family was relocated to California, and the last name ‘Anderson’ was given to her child. Tony loved a good play on words, and it basically said the child was the son of manliness. It helped that it was somewhat common, as surnames went.
Cooper spent the first few years being raised mostly by his maternal grandparents. His mother loved him - but she worked crazy hours, and somebody had to take care of the kid when she couldn't be home.
Cooper was six when his grandfather died. It was peaceful, in his sleep - and it broke his heart. His grandma kept telling him to turn his smile upside down - Grandpa wouldn't want him to cry. He's still watching, and would miss it if he wasn't still his hammy kiddo.
Grandma followed two years later. Her heart began failing, and one day she didn't wake up, either.
His mother did the best she could. She was an only-child and got the full inheritance from both her parents, along with the quiet monetary support from Cooper's father. She was able to work part time, making sure to keep her hours between when he had to go to school, and getting out in time to pick him up at the end of the day.
*
The month before he turned eleven, Cooper waited on the school playground.
And waited.
And waited.
The teachers asked if he was okay, and he said he was fine, just waiting for his mom. He had a key to his house, he was in fifth grade, after all - and he could walk home if she didn't show up soon. He'd play on the playground until then.
He was always grateful to Ms. Mello for waiting with him. Especially when the police car arrived.
*
There was a nice red-haired lady, Miss Pepper, who came to visit on occasion. She said she worked for his father, and he liked her to check on him, make sure he was okay. He stopped asking, when he was seven, why his father didn't come visit, too. He didn't know his name, he just knew he was someone important.
It made Cooper want to be someone important someday.
He stood, holding Miss Pepper's hand as they stood beside his mother's grave. Mary was laid to rest beside his grandparents, and Miss Pepper would be staying with him until something was worked out.
Cooper was smart. He was almost eleven and in fifth grade - he knew what 'something worked out' meant. He was practically an orphan, and was probably gonna go to an orphanage.
His father might care to know whether he was okay, but he wasn't there, was he?
Miss Pepper brought him back to his house, and there was a man sitting on the porch. He had dark hair, darker than his, and it looked like it might be on the wavy side. His facial hair was shaped in a stylish goatee, and he wore sunglasses and a sharp looking suit.
Cooper thought he looked like a movie star.
The man didn't say anything as Miss Pepper let them all inside, but once inside, he crouched down, putting his hands on Cooper's shoulders. "I'm, uh. Not so good with kids, but you're not gonna be in the system, okay? I may be a worse dad than my dad was - but I do care, and it's better for you to not have me around screwing you up, okay?"
"You're my Dad?"
"Yeah."
Cooper threw himself into the man's arms, all gangly limbs as he hugged him. After a few moments hesitation, the man hugged him back. "Why can't I come live with you?"
"Because I'm a shit dad. Shit, sorry. Crap dad. I don't know anything about kids, and less about mini-teenagers. But I've got the next best thing. You can still be with family."
"Family, Tony?" Miss Pepper said.
"Blaine's mom said she'll take him in. Thinks it'll be good for the brothers to be raised together or something. I agree."
"Miss Matapang has a baby, Tony. Blaine is one and a half and apparently a handful - I'm not sure having a teenager around-"
Tony stood. "I think it's a great idea. Kids need brothers. Maybe if I had a brother I'd be a better person. They can look out for each other. So, What do you think, kid?"
Cooper watched him a long moment. "Will I have to call her Mom?"
"Nah, You can call her Miss Lea or whatever. And hey, you’ll all have the same last name, it’s already in the works - so you already fit in."
"Okay. " Cooper looked around his house. "Do I have to go... right now?" he asked, his eyes filling up. His mother's stuff, his stuff. There was so much, there was no way he'd be allowed to keep everything.
"Whenever you're ready. Pepper'll stick around until then, okay?"
Cooper nodded, hugging Tony around his waist before running off to his bedroom, his sobs drowning out any of the adult's conversation.
Turn your smile upside down, his grandmother had said. But she wasn't there, and Mom wasn't there, and now he was going to have to move to who knows where and live with some strange lady and his half brother.
Upside down.
Fine. If he was going to have to be a brother, he was going to be the best stupid brother ever - he had no delusions it'd all be roses. He was almost eleven, he knew they'd probably fight. Bobby fought with Joey all the time, but they stuck up for each other too. Maybe when little Blaine was bigger, they could look out for each other.
He was going to be awesome. And he wasn't ever going to let anyone know he felt any different ever again.
It was late, he'd ignored Miss Pepper when she came to check on him, leaving him a sandwich and a glass of juice on his bed stand when he turned and threw the blanket over his head.
Everything was quiet now, though. Cooper slipped out of his bed and turned on his lamp, moving to sit on the bed in front of his dresser. He could see his image reflected back from the mirror - and it was horrible. He looked like he'd just had his world torn apart.
Because he had.
But he couldn't go to some strange lady's house, Lea? He couldn't go to Miss Lea like this. She wouldn't want to take care of a weepy boy. She liked strong boys - he could already tell, because his father seemed like a strong guy. That was it! He'd be like him. He'd not let anybody tell him anything different. He'd be confident.
He needed to be happy, too. She wouldn't want him if he was unhappy. Cooper spent the next few hours practising his smile. The bright, somewhat vacant, grin he finally came up with seemed like his best shot. He looked like one of those kids on TV. They'd like that.
Someday he'd be on TV too. He'd be awesome, and idolized, and totally rad. It would be amazing.
He was going to be amazing. Cooper Anderson, and his too-bright smile.