Chapter 11
Stephen woke up to the soft feeling of a hand gently caressing his cheek. He opened his eyes to see Peter sitting beside him on the bed.
“Hi,” Stephen said, smiling.
“Daddy, Papa is awake!” the boy said excitedly.
His sudden, low-pitched voice made Stephen wince slightly, but he chuckled.
Tony approached the bed. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
“I’m okay,” Stephen said, sitting up.
“Can we go to the park, Papa?” Peter asked, his excitement growing.
“Yes,” Stephen replied.
“Are you sure? If you want to rest a little longer, you can,” Tony offered.
“No, I’m alright. Let’s go,” Stephen insisted.
“Okay, come on, Peter. To the park!” Tony said.
“To the park!” Peter squealed and ran out of the room, his excitement overwhelming.
Both adults covered their ears from the volume of his shout.
“Pete is very... loud,” Stephen noted.
“Wait until he’s excited about something,” Tony said, smirking.
Stephen chuckled and followed their son.
Peter got into the car and buckled himself in, still bubbling with excitement. Tony was about to get in as well but stopped. Since the accident, Stephen had been afraid of getting into cars. Tony had tried his best to help Stephen through the trauma, but the last time he had made him sit in the car, Stephen had suffered a severe panic attack. Tony didn’t want that to happen again.
“Stephen, are you okay with this?” Tony asked, pointing to the car.
“Yeah... if you promise you won’t crash the car,” Stephen said with a smile.
“Sure, I promise,” Tony replied, opening the car door for him.
Stephen smiled and got into the car. Tony started the engine and drove.
“Pete, what did you do at Aunt May’s place?” Tony asked.
“May and I watched a movie, and she made me blueberry cookies. I also told her about Papa. May said she wants to meet Papa,” Peter explained.
“I’d like to meet May, too. It’s been a long time,” Stephen said.
“Papa, did you know that May and Happy are dating?” Peter added.
“Oh, is that so?” Stephen asked, surprised.
“Yup, they are,” Tony confirmed.
“How do you know, Daddy? May said nobody knows,” Peter said, frowning.
“Daddy knows everything, Pete. But how did you find out?” Tony asked.
“I saw Happy and May kissing. I asked what they were doing, and Happy said they were dating. I told him I didn’t know what that meant, so May said it means they like each other like Aunt Pepper and Uncle Rhodey. Also, Daddy, they sleep in the same room now,” Peter said innocently.
“I’m sure they’re doing everything except sleeping,” Tony chuckled.
“Tony!” Stephen warned, glaring at him.
“What would they be doing if they’re not sleeping?” Peter asked, confused.
Stephen shot Tony a sharp look.
“Nothing, Pete. Hey, did you show your new remote-control car to Papa yet?” Tony quickly changed the subject.
“No, I’ll show him when we get home,” Peter replied.
“Good idea,” Tony said.
Tony accelerated slightly, but he soon noticed Stephen gripping the armrest tightly, his eyes squeezed shut as if bracing for something bad. Tony slowed down and reached over to hold Stephen’s hand.
“We’re okay,” Tony said softly.
Stephen’s grip on the armrest loosened, and he looked a little more at ease. Tony kept his hand on Stephen’s, reassuring him everything was fine. Stephen smiled slightly, thinking it was a kind gesture from a friend—something Tony would do for anyone, he told himself.
In the background, Peter continued talking about everything on his mind, and both parents listened with interest.
When they reached the park, Peter ran off with his ball, eager to play.
“Pete, slow down!” Stephen called after him.
“Come on, Papa! Let’s play football!” Peter shouted.
“Yes, I’m coming,” Stephen and Tony said, following after him.
They played with Peter for a long time. Afterward, Stephen and Tony sat on a bench, tired, while Peter still seemed full of energy.
“Come on, Papa, Daddy! Let’s play!” Peter said, bouncing on his feet.
“Pete, we need to catch our breath first,” Tony said, rolling his eyes.
“First, drink some water,” Stephen said, handing Peter his sippy bottle.
Peter took it and started drinking.
“Daddy, look! A puppy!” Peter squealed, pointing to a dog playing with some children.
“Yes, we see it,” Tony replied.
“Can I go pet it?” Peter asked.
“Okay, but ask for permission first, alright?” Tony instructed.
“Okay!” Peter said and ran over to the children.
Stephen watched him with a smile.
“Peter was worried when you didn’t call these past few days. I was too,” Tony said.
“I know he’s not convinced I won’t leave again. I really want to make up for all the lost years,” Stephen said.
“You can. Peter will be happy. You can take him to your place tomorrow if you want,” Tony suggested.
“Thanks. Wong and Levi are excited to see him,” Stephen said, smiling.
Tony felt a little uncomfortable whenever Stephen talked about Wong for some reason.
“So, how did you meet Wong?” Tony asked.
“At Kamar-Taj, where I trained. He was the librarian of the Great Library. We used to butt heads at first, but we eventually became friends. When I became Sorcerer Supreme, he came with me to New York. He’s very protective,” Stephen explained.
“Is he protective of you specifically, or is he like that with everyone?” Tony asked, his tone a bit cold.
“He doesn’t show his emotions much, but I know how caring he really is,” Stephen replied, smiling.
Tony watched Stephen speak about Wong and realized why he had moved on, which stung Tony a bit.
“I think we should head back. It’s getting dark,” Tony said, changing the subject.
“Okay,” Stephen agreed.
Tony called for Peter, who came running back.
“Come on, Pete, time to go,” Tony said.
“Daddy, can we get a puppy?” Peter asked.
“No. Absolutely not,” Tony replied firmly.
“Why not? I want one!” Peter whined.
“Who’s going to take care of it?” Tony asked.
“I will,” Peter insisted.
“And who’s going to take care of you?” Tony countered.
“Daddy!” Peter replied confidently.
“Exactly. You alone are enough of a handful. I can’t handle another,” Tony said as he buckled Peter into his seat.
“Papa, please tell him!” Peter pleaded, pouting.
“I can’t help you there,” Stephen said, shrugging.
Peter crossed his arms and pouted, clearly upset.
“Pete, you can come with me to my place. You want to see it, right?” Stephen asked, trying to cheer him up.
“Yeah!” Peter said, brightening up.
“Okay, I’ll introduce you to Levi. You’ll like him,” Stephen said with a smile.
“Okay,” Peter replied, smiling back.
Peter, worn out from all the playing, fell asleep in his car seat on the way home.
When they arrived at the tower, Stephen gently carried the boy in his arms.
“Can I take him to his room?” Stephen asked.
“Sure, his PJs are in the wardrobe,” Tony said.
“Thanks,” Stephen replied, carrying Peter to his room.
He changed Peter into his pajamas and tucked him into bed, kissing him on the forehead before leaving the room.
Tony was waiting outside.
“Tony, I should go,” Stephen said.
“Okay. Do you need me to drop you off?” Tony offered.
“No, I can portal home, remember?” Stephen said with a chuckle.
“Oh yeah, I sometimes forget you’re a sorcerer,” Tony said, laughing.
“Mmh. Bye. See you tomorrow,” Stephen said.
“Yeah, good night,” Tony replied.
Stephen opened a portal to the Sanctum and disappeared through it. Tony stood there for a moment, staring at where the portal had been. Despite everything, Tony was happy about one thing—Stephen didn’t hate him.