Chapter 13
Tony was making some updates to his suit when Pepper came to him.
"What's up, Pep?" Tony asked without looking up from his work.
"Mr. Musk is conducting a 5-day gala. You're invited," Pepper said.
"So what?" Tony asked.
"Can I confirm your presence with them?" Pepper asked.
"Pep, you know I stopped going to galas a long time ago. Why are you asking now?" Tony asked.
"This will be fruitful for our company. And I want to see you as the old, charming Tony Stark. You can't live this boring life," Pepper said.
"I'm not boring. And I'm in my late 30s; I can't have that old charming energy," Tony said, finger-quoting.
"Tony, being a father won't make you old. You're not just Iron Man; you're the CEO of SI. You need to fulfill those duties too," Pepper said.
"Alright, alright. What do I need to do now?" Tony asked, defeated.
"You need to go to the gala, socialize, make collaborations with other industries, and maybe even get some good lays," Pepper said.
"Pepper, I can't..." Tony started.
"Don't even bring your estranged husband into this. Admit it—it's a closed chapter," Pepper said.
The mention of Stephen upset Tony.
"What about Peter?" Tony asked.
"Ask Stephen to take care of him. He has responsibilities too," Pepper said.
"Yeah, will do," Tony said.
"Okay, get ready for the gala. You're going to have so much fun," Pepper said, smirking, and left the lab.
Tony sat on the chair, sighing. It had been three years since he’d attended anything posh or public. He was happy with his little private life with his son. But now, he had to step out.
Stephen was back from Kamar Taj after training new sorcerers. He sat on the chair, exhausted, and checked his phone. There were five missed calls from Tony.
Stephen didn’t wait; he called back.
"Hey, Stephen, you busy?" Tony asked from the other end.
"Sorry, I was at Kamar Taj training. I didn’t see your calls," Stephen said.
"That’s okay, no problem," Tony said.
"Is everything alright?" Stephen asked, concerned.
"Yes, yes, it is. Actually, I need a favor," Tony said.
"Okay, what is it?" Stephen asked.
"I have to attend a meeting for a week. Will you be able to take care of Peter during that time? If you’re busy, it’s okay; I’ll ask May and Happy," Tony said.
"Of course, I will. Tony, he’s my son too," Stephen said.
"Right. Then I’ll drop him off at the Sanctum this evening," Tony said.
"Sure, I’ll be here," Stephen said.
"Thanks a lot. Peter loves spending time with you," Tony said.
"I’m glad you asked. I’m happy to take care of Peter," Stephen said, smiling.
"Alright, see you this evening. Bye," Tony said.
"Bye," Stephen said, hanging up the call.
He was so happy that Peter was going to stay with him for a week. He wanted to take care of his son and prove he was a great papa.
"What makes you so happy?" Wong asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Peter is going to stay with me for a week. Tony has to attend a meeting, so he asked for my help," Stephen said, smiling.
"Here? What about the Kamar Taj weekly meeting we have to attend?" Wong asked.
Stephen’s face turned gloomy. Wong noticed.
"Alright, I’ll speak with the masters," Wong said.
"Thanks, Wong," Stephen said, grinning.
"Mmh... But don’t let your kid touch or mess with anything here," Wong said, walking off.
"Sure," Stephen said, chuckling.
Peter was back from school, and Tony was feeding him snacks.
"Pete," Tony called.
"Yes, Daddy?"
"Daddy has to attend some business meetings, so I won’t be with you for the rest of the week," Tony said.
"So I have to stay with Aunt May or Aunt Pep?" Peter asked, pouting.
"No, this time, you’ll stay with your papa. What do you think?" Tony asked.
"I can stay with Papa?" Peter squealed with excitement.
"Yes, you’re okay with it, right?" Tony asked.
"Yes! I love spending time with Papa. And Uncle Wong will show me magic too," Peter said.
"Okay, I’m dropping you there in a while. Let’s get ready," Tony said.
"Yes!" Peter said, running to his room happily. Tony followed him, chuckling.
Tony and Peter stood before the big doors of the Sanctum.
"Remember, Pete, don’t bother Papa. Be a good boy and don’t mess with anything inside," Tony reminded.
"Okay. Pete will be a good boy," the boy said confidently.
"Cool, then let’s go in," Tony said.
As he said that, the big doors opened for them. Stephen was waiting there.
"Papa!" the boy squealed and ran to him.
"Hey, baby. Did you miss Papa?" Stephen asked, taking him into his arms.
"Mmh... But Daddy said I can stay here for the week," Peter said.
"Yes, it’ll be just you and me," Stephen said, smiling.
"Stephen, all his clothes and medicines are in his bag. Pete is sugar-intolerant. Also, he is allergic to strawberries, but he loves strawberries. He might ask for them, but don't give him any," Tony said.
"Noted," Stephen replied.
"And his bedtime is 9. If he shows any allergic reaction, give him antihistamines or epinephrine," Tony continued.
"Tony, I'm a doctor and his papa. Don't worry. I will take care of him," Stephen assured.
"Yeah, I know. Bye, Pete. Daddy will call you every night," Tony said.
"Bye, Daddy," the boy said, waving.
Tony walked out of the Sanctum.
"So, Pete, how was your day?" Stephen asked.
"At school, I told my best friends about you," Peter said, grinning.
"Oh? And what did they say?" Stephen asked, amused.
"They said that's cool. Also, today Miss Hayes taught us numbers. But I already know up to 500. So, I completed it first before everyone," Peter said proudly.
"Wow, Pete. You know that much?" Stephen said.
"Yeah, I also know addition and sub... sub..." Peter was struggling with the word.
"Subtraction?" Stephen asked, chuckling.
"Yeah, but Daddy said not to tell anyone about it," Peter said.
His kid is a genius. It's not surprising—one of his parents is a world-renowned genius, and the other has an eidetic memory. He understood why Tony tried to keep Peter's excellence from others. He wanted a normal life for the kid. Stephen knew how burdening it is to live the life of a genius.
"Are you hungry?" Stephen asked.
"Yeah, I want snacks," Peter said.
"Okay, let's go," Stephen said, taking him to the kitchen.
While Stephen was preparing Peter's food, the kid was talking non-stop, and Stephen listened happily.
"Papa?" Peter called suddenly.
"Yes, Pete?"
"Are you and Daddy divorced? Is that why you two are not living together?" Peter asked.
"Pete, where did you get that word?" Stephen asked.
"My friend MJ said her parents are divorced, and she stays with her mama. Her daddy only comes to visit her once in a while, like you do," Peter said.
"We're not divorced (yet), Pete. We can't live together because your Daddy and I have some disagreements about something," Stephen said uncertainly.
"Even MJ's parents are divorced, they take her to Disneyland together. She showed me the pictures. Ned also goes with his parents," Peter said, pouting.
"You want to go to Disneyland? Didn't you ask your Daddy?" Stephen asked.
"Yes, but he is always busy. Also, I want to go with Daddy and Papa," the boy said.
"Okay, during your vacation, we will plan a trip together," Stephen said.
"Really?" Peter asked.
"Yes, I promise," Stephen said.
"Yay!" the boy squealed
."Okay, now finish your food," Stephen said.
"Okay," Peter said and started eating.
Stephen wanted to make sure he was a constant in Peter's life. He didn't want to be a parent who comes once in a while. He wanted to be part of Peter's world.
Peter finished his food, and Stephen cleaned him up before carrying him to the living room.
"What do you do after dinner?" Stephen asked.
"Daddy allows me to watch TV for one hour," Peter said.
"Okay, let's do that."
"But Uncle Wong said there are no kids' programs on your TV," Peter said.
"That's changed. Uncle Wong himself subscribed to kids' channels. He wants you to be comfortable here," Stephen said.
"Uncle Wong is nice," Peter said.
"Yes, he is. Now shall we watch?" Stephen asked.
The boy nodded and cuddled up to his side. Stephen's heart swelled seeing that. He wrapped an arm around him and kept him close to his heart. The boy watched the show enthusiastically.
That's when Stephen's phone rang. Stephen picked it up.
"Hey, Pete, it's Daddy," Stephen said.
The boy clapped his hands.Stephen answered the call and put it on speaker for Peter.
"Hey, Daddy," Peter squealed.
"Hey, what's my Petey-pie doing?" Tony asked.
"Pete is watching cartoons with Papa," the boy said.
"Oh! Are you having fun?" Tony asked.
"Yes, Daddy."
"Okay, okay, can you give the phone to Papa?" Tony asked.
"Okay," Peter said, handing the phone to Stephen.
"Hey," Stephen said.
"Is he bothering you a lot?" Tony asked.
"No, no. He is good."
"Okay, thanks for looking after him," Tony said.
"Stop thanking me. It's my duty as his Papa," Stephen said.
"Okay, I will call you tomorrow," Tony said.
"Yeah. Bye, good night," Stephen said.
"Good night. Bye, Pete," Tony said.
"Bye, Daddy," Peter said.
"Okay, Pete, shall we go to bed? Your Daddy specifically told me to make you sleep on time," Stephen said.
"I want to watch TV a little more," the boy said, whining.
"No, no. You need your sleep," Stephen said.
The boy pouted.
"Papa will read you a story. How about that?" Stephen asked.
"Can I sleep with you? The rooms here are scary," Peter asked.
"Of course, you can. And I will make a room for you just as you like soon. Tonight, you're sleeping in my room," Stephen said, kissing his head and carrying him to the bedroom.
Stephen tucked him in and started reading a story. The boy fell asleep soon. Stephen lay beside him, caressing his head.His boy had grown up, and Stephen had missed a lot. He recalled how, when Peter was born, he didn’t let Tony take him to the nursery. He wanted to be with his child always. Tony had to put in a lot of effort to convince him to let Peter sleep in his nursery. But for three years, Stephen had to keep his distance from his son, unable to hold him, feed him, or make him sleep.
Stephen's eyes became teary. He hugged the boy close to him and fell asleep.