Chapter 3
Peter was all ready to go on the field trip the next morning. His friends, Ned, MJ, and Harley, were waiting for him.
"Peter, be careful and always stay with your tutors. Don’t wander off. And call us at night when you’re back in your room, alright?" Stephen said.
"Okay, Papa. I will. Can I go now?" Peter asked, rolling his eyes.
"Okay, go and take care, Petey," Stephen said, kissing his forehead.
"Papa, let me go," Peter whined, embarrassed by the nickname in front of his friends.
"Pete, when will you come back?" Morgan asked, pouting.
"I’ll be back in two days, Morg," Peter said, kneeling in front of her.
"I’ll be bored without you," Morgan said.
"Hey, I’ll be back before you know it. What should I bring for my Manguna when I return?" Peter asked, bopping her nose.
"Can you bring a teddy bear?" Morgan asked.
"Sure, I’ll buy you a BIG one," Peter said, kissing her cheek.
"Bye, Morg," Peter said.
"Bye, Pete," Morgan replied.
Peter walked over to his friends, where his dad was also standing.
"Bye, Dad," Peter said, hugging him.
"Bye, champ. Have fun," Tony said, ruffling his hair.
Peter and his friends were heading out when Tony called Harley.
"Keener, can you stay? You guys can go ahead," Tony said.
Peter glanced at Harley. Harley nodded, saying he was okay. They walked out.
"Yes, Mr. Stark?" Harley asked.
"So, how’s the project going?" Tony asked.
"It’s going well, Mr. Stark. It’s fun working with Pete… I mean, Peter," Harley replied.
"Hmm... You know, getting an opportunity to work under SI isn’t something everyone gets. So be dedicated to it. Even if I get a hint of anything negative about you, you're off the project. Got it?" Tony said.
Tony’s voice was calm, but the underlying threat was unmistakable.
"Yes, sir," Harley said.
"Okay, you can go," Tony said.
Harley walked out. Tony returned to his husband and daughter.
"What were you talking to him about?" Stephen asked.
"Nothing. Just a gentle reminder that Peter is our son," Tony said.
"You didn’t threaten him, did you?" Stephen asked with an amused smile.
"Why would I?" Tony scoffed.
He picked up his daughter.
"Why the long face, Maguna?" Tony asked, poking her cheek.
"Morg is going to be alone here," Morgan said, pouting.
"Who said that? Papa and Daddy aren’t going anywhere. And we’re going to the park this evening," Tony said.
"Really?" Morgan asked excitedly.
"Yes, baby," Tony said, kissing her head.
"Yay!" she squealed in a high pitch.
"Then can we play now, Papa, Daddy?" Morgan asked.
"Morg, Papa has some work in the kitchen. Daddy will play with you," Stephen said, trying to escape her never-ending games.
Tony looked betrayed.
"Okay, Daddy, let’s play!" Morgan said.
"Yeah, yeah," Tony muttered while Stephen smirked and walked away.
The little girl had a new game every day—with her own rules that made no sense. Tony didn’t want to upset her, so he played along.
Peter and his friends were walking to school.
"Harley, what did Dad say?" Peter asked.
"I think he doesn’t like me for some reason," Harley shrugged.
"What happened?" Peter asked, concerned.
"He told me to focus on the project. Said if he hears anything bad about me, I’m out," Harley replied.
"That doesn’t sound like Dad at all," Peter said, frowning.
"Your dad might be all loving with his precious son, but I’m not you, y’know," Harley said.
"Daddy is nice. There must be something else," Peter insisted.
"Alright, leave it. Now let’s enjoy the trip," Harley said, slinging an arm around Peter.
"Okay," Peter replied, smiling.
Stephen and Tony were at the park watching Morgan play, but Tony noticed Stephen was lost in thought.
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Tony asked, putting an arm around him.
"Peter. Will he be okay?" Stephen said.
"Of course. Stephen, it’s just a two-day school trip. He’ll be fine. Why are you so worried?" Tony asked, chuckling.
"These last few days, while meditating, I’ve had strange visions about Peter. Like a sign… something big is going to change in his life," Stephen said.
"And how exactly is our son’s life going to change?" Tony asked, smirking, not taking it seriously.
"I don’t know. That’s what scares me," Stephen admitted.
"Steph, he’s fine. Stop overthinking. Tomorrow we’re both free, Morgan doesn’t have school, and we don’t have to wake up early," Tony said, leaning closer.
"So?" Stephen asked.
"So, let’s have some fun tonight. It’s been a while," Tony said, kissing his cheek repeatedly.
"What about that night when the kids were at May’s?" Stephen teased.
"That was three weeks ago, Steph. I miss you," Tony whispered, pulling him closer.
"Alright, alright. I’ll think about it. Now stop touching me, there are people here," Stephen said, pushing him away.
"Fine," Tony sighed as the two continued watching their daughter play.
Peter and his friends were walking through the national museum. Peter was the only one truly excited; the rest were already bored.
"Oh, that’s a Tyrannosaurus rex! My Papa told me about it. It was one of the largest dinosaurs in the world!" Peter said, pointing at the giant fossil.
"Peter, we get it. Your Papa and Daddy know everything. Stop boasting," MJ said, rolling her eyes.
"You’re just jealous," Peter said, pouting.
"Pete, explain it to me. I like listening to you," Harley said, putting an arm around him.
Peter smiled and continued rambling about science.
Ned and MJ shared an annoyed glance.
After the trip, everyone was exhausted and went to their rooms. Harley and Peter were sharing one.
The two were lying in their beds.
"Today was fun," Peter said.
"Yeah, it was. I would’ve missed this if I hadn’t come—especially spending time with you," Harley said, looking at Peter softly.
Peter flushed and looked back.
"Pete… I want—" Harley began, but was cut off by Peter’s phone ringing.
Startled, Peter picked up the call.
"Hi, Papa. Yes, we’re in our room. We went to the national museum. Tomorrow we’re going to the science lab...
Yeah, I won’t go out alone. Yes. I’m going to sleep.
Bye, Papa. Good night… Bye, Daddy."
Peter hung up and chuckled.
"Papa’s always worried about me," he said.
"You’re lucky. You’ve got such loving parents," Harley said.
"Yeah, I am. Sometimes they’re really annoying, but I know how much they love me," Peter said with a smile.
"Mmh… Good night, Pete," Harley said.
"Good night," Peter replied. He wanted to ask what Harley was going to say earlier, but decided to ignore it—for now.
Stephen and Tony were in bed, just after ending Peter’s call.
"Peter is safe, Morgan is fast asleep. Now… can we finally get to our thing?" Tony asked, pulling Stephen down and kissing him slowly.
Stephen just nodded. Tony started unbuttoning his nightshirt—
Until FRIDAY interrupted.
"Boss?"
"What?" Tony asked, annoyed.
"Morgan is asking for you and Dr. Strange. She had a nightmare."
Tony groaned and pulled away as Stephen quickly fixed his shirt.
Stephen made a portal to their daughter’s room, and Morgan ran into her parents’ arms crying.
"Hey, what happened, baby?" Stephen asked, scooping her up.
"I had a bad dream," she sobbed.
"That’s okay. Papa’s here. You can sleep now," Stephen said, rocking her gently. She fell asleep in his arms.
"Give her to me. I’ll put her in bed," Tony said.
"Let her sleep here, Tony. She’s scared," Stephen replied.
"What about us?" Tony asked with a frown.
"Anyway, my mood is gone," Stephen said.
"Stephen, we need a break. Just us. No superhero stuff. No parenting stuff."
"I’m ready. You plan it," Stephen said, smirking.
"I knew you would be," Tony said, wrapping an arm around him as they cuddled to sleep.