Epilogue
Peter was attempting to frost the cake with Pepper.
He was failing miserably at it, like he did at everything new he attempted, but at least he was having fun. And his parents never cared when he messed up, despite what he told himself. That, he still needed to work on.
He successfully managed to completely botch one side of the cake, giggling at the mess. “Look. I did okay? Right?” He smiled at Pepper.
“Oh.” Pepper smiled back at him, giving him a little nudge. “Very excellent.” She sarcastically said, winking at the boy so he knew she was being sarcastic. Peter didn’t understand sarcasm that well and sometimes it went way over his head but his parents were sarcastic, especially his dad so he tried to get better at it.
With a giggle, Peter licked the spoon. “Mmmm! Yummy!”
“Hey. Don’t eat it all. We still need some for your cake.”
“But it’s so good.” He protested.
Hands were on his waist then his back leaned against a sturdy chest. He immediately felt safety and comfort wash over him, knowing who was behind him from the scent alone. Cologne and coffee.
“Wow. That does look good. Aren’t you going to offer your favourite person ever a lick.”
Peter laughed, turning around on the step stool to face his dad. “Yeah! We made it ourselves.” Peter grinned at that, he was proud of himself. Him and Pepper began baking a lot. Cakes, cookies, weird scones that made Peter cough. His favourite though was cheesecake. It was oddly delicious.
Peter dipped the spoon in again and held it to his dad’s face, accidentally getting his cheek covered in chocolate icing. He smiled. “Oops.”
“Oh. You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Tony chuckled, taking the spoon from Peter’s hands and smearing it on the side of Peter’s cheek, causing the boy to burst out laughing. “Come here!”
Peter couldn’t stop laughing. “No! Dad!”
Tony loved hearing Peter call him that. He only started doing it recently. Pepper and him were settled on the idea that Peter was never going to call them mom and dad, that they would always be Tony and Pepper to him but then one night he let the name slip and Tony couldn’t get enough of it.
The recovery went really well at first. So well that Tony couldn’t believe how lucky they got. But then Peter took a 180 turn and gave Tony a run for his money.
He was angry, sad, then happy all in the span of a few minutes. He hated Tony giving him any attention but then hated when Tony gave him his own space so Tony struggled to find a compromise.
When he finally got a handle on that behaviour, Peter suddenly stopped and then the clinginess started.
He hated Tony touching him during the day, giving the man dirty looks and even sticking his tongue out at him but as soon as nighttime rolled around, Peter didn’t want to let go of Tony, going as far as screaming and threatening to run away if Tony didn’t sleep with him.
Then morning came and Peter would be angry that Tony slept with him.
So yeah, that was tiring but worth it to see the progress Peter was going through.
Peter spoke to a therapist once a week. Every Wednesday. It used to be as much as four times a week but Tony was proud to say that Peter came a long way in such a short time.
He was going through stages that he didn’t get a chance to go through and experience before. Stages that every child goes through from the ages of 3-13. Things like… temper tantrums which are an actual thing and that Tony didn’t believe to be a thing until he had to experience it for the first time over him giving Peter a blue plate instead of a red plate. Yeah, that was stressful to say the least.
Peter’s therapist explained to him that because Peter hadn’t gotten the chance to show those emotions and express himself that way when he was younger in fear of punishments, he was doing it now. At thirteen and fourteen.
Although since celebrating his birthday and turning fourteen, the temper tantrums definitely slowed down a bit and now it’s been exactly three days without any sudden crying outbursts over nothing in particular.
Even though Tony is used to them by now and knows how to handle them.
He’s so immensely proud of the boy Peter has become in such a short amount of time.
Tony pressed a kiss to his cheek, effectively getting chocolate on his lips so he pressed another kiss to Peter’s other cheek to smear it there too.
Peter giggled even harder. “Wait! Wait! Wait! Let me tell you something! Let me-wait!” He laughed out and when his dad stopped, Peter tried to think of what he was going to say.
“Yes? You’ve got exactly five seconds.” Tony teased.
“I-” Peter laughed even harder. “I-”
“Five four three two one!” Tony rushed out and lifted up Peter’s shirt to attack him with tickles on his bare skin, making Peter squirm and thrash in his arms.
“Ahhh! Dad! S-stop!” Peter laughed then reached for Pepper. “Mommy! Help me!” He laughed. “Help!”
The tickling suddenly came to a stop. “Why am I dad and she’s mommy?” Tony fake pouted although he was actually a bit upset by it. Although Peter’s called him daddy before, it’s always a mixture between dad and daddy while Pepper is almost always mommy unless the other Avengers are around because the boy gets shy.
Peter slowly stopped laughing. Was his dad actually upset? He tried to turn his head to face him at the awkward angle he was being held at. He then picked up the spoon and grinned mischievously before smearing it all over his dad’s cheek.
“You little bugger.” Tony flipped him upside down. “But playtime’s over. You just bought yourself one ticket to showerville.”
Peter groaned. He hated taking showers. He once went six days without a shower because he hated them so much. Until his mom said he smelt like garbage and a rotting potato so he was forced to shower.
The smile immediately left his face and he tried to get away. “Dad. No. I already showered yesterday.”
“Yeah, and today’s a new day. Meaning a new shower is needed.” Tony carried the squirming boy upstairs.
“No. Please. Okay! Fine. Put me down. I’ll walk. I’ll walk.”
Tony didn’t believe him but put him down anyways only for Peter to dash towards the stairs again only Tony was quicker and grabbed his arm, swinging him back into his arms. “Petey, Petey, Petey, if you don’t want a shower, you can have a bath.”
Peter shook his head at those options. “No.”
“Well, I’m afraid I’m out of options then. Unless you want me to hose you down on the balcony but that would be embarrassing.” Tony teased, not knowing Peter would actually consider it.
“Alright. I’ll take that option.”
Tony sighed, placing Peter on his feet in the bedroom and running a hand through the boy's messy curls. “You’re not a dog, Pete. You will shower in an actual shower like a boy. Alright?” He smiled at the pout on his kids face then moved into the bathroom to turn the shower on, setting it to the right temperature that Peter liked.
Peter had his own bathroom attached to his bedroom but he never used it, wanting to use the same bathroom as his parents instead.
Tony thought it was cute. But when Peter decides to use their bathroom to go pee at 1am and be as loud as possible, that wasn’t cute anymore.
Although Tony almost always held his arm out for the boy to join them in bed so he has an idea that that was the reason why Peter chooses to use their bathroom in the middle of the night and be as loud as possible.
So yeah, maybe it was cute.
“You wash up, I’m gonna lay out nice clothes for you to wear to the party. I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” With a quick kiss to his forehead, Tony leaves Peter alone and heads downstairs.
Peter suddenly felt really alone and debated on asking his dad to sit on the toilet seat so he could have someone to talk to while he showers, like he’s made his dad do so many times before, but Peter decided against it.
He was trying to show his parents that he wasn’t a young child who needed to have his parents by his side at all times. Even if he did feel like that sometimes. (All the time.)
Peter was quick to wash himself, just wetting his hair to make it look like he washed it and then he got out of the shower, wrapping himself in a fluffy towel and going downstairs to see what his parents did while he was gone.
“Mom? Dad? I’m done.” He walked into the kitchen but didn’t see them there so Peter went to walk into the living room to get a better look but he heard voices in his dad’s office.
Knowing he wasn’t allowed in there, Peter decided to do a little peek anyways. He couldn’t get in trouble for a little peek.
He spotted his dad immediately so Peter pushed open the door fully, standing there wrapped in a fluffy towel and his wet curls dropping in his eyes.
Tony looked at him, holding up a finger to tell him to give him a minute. “Yeah. Well, that’s what we discussed at the meeting. No. No. It doesn’t matter. The plan was to-”
Peter stepped into the office and looked around. He had only been in there a handful of times. Once when he was sick and refused to leave his dad’s arms so Tony had to work while also holding him at the same time.
The other times was when he came in here to let his father know dinner was ready.
Or if he had a bad dream and his mom wasn’t home so the closest person was Tony in the office.
“Dad, can you come upstairs while I get dressed? Moms nowhere.”
Tony held up a finger again. “Then we’ll do that. No, because we had this meeting yesterday. No. No, I’m not, one second.” He covered his hand over the phone. “Pete, go upstairs and get dressed. I’ll be up in ten minutes.”
Peter groaned. He refused to go. So he walked beside his dad and leaned heavily against him, hoping that would make Tony take pity on him and join him upstairs but instead, Tony just scooped him onto his lap, holding him there with one hand and the other to hold the phone to his ear.
Peter could easily hear the conversation but he didn’t care to and instead he laid his head back on his father’s sturdy chest and let out a sigh, his thumb raising up to his mouth to suck on.
Tony noticed that and decided his phone call could wait until tomorrow. “I have to go now, we can continue this conversation tomorrow or you can email Mrs. Stark and discuss this with her. Actually, why don’t you do that instead. Bye.”
He hung up the phone and combed the wet curls off Peter’s forehead with his fingers. “Hi. You smell good.”
Peter hummed.
“You do look comfortable but how about you go get dressed.” Tony suggested, standing up and letting Peter slide off his thigh.
Automatically, Peter lifted his arms up for his dad but then put them down right after. He was trying to be mature now. He was fourteen after all and not thirteen anymore.
Tony saw his internal struggle and lifted Peter up, giving him the physical contact he wanted and had been seeking since he came searching for him. “Are you excited for today? You get to see all the Avengers again.”
Peter wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck. “I want to hear about their awesome stories saving people.”
“Yeah, maybe if you’re lucky they’ll share a few with you.” He bumped into Pepper in the hallway upstairs. “Wow. You look beautiful. Doesn’t mom look beautiful, Pete?”
Peter had to lift his head up to turn and look at her. She was dressed in a purple dress with an open back that Peter saw when she did a spin. He nodded. “Yeah. I think so.”
“And my boys are going to look so handsome once they get ready.” She pinched Peter’s cheek. “Make sure to dress Peter in the white shirt instead of the blue. It'll make his curls stand out more.” She then pressed a kiss to Tony’s lips.
Peter watched them. “Ew, that’s nasty.”
“Oh. You think so?” Tony pulled Pepper in for another kiss, just to enjoy Peter squirming in his arms. He finally pulled away, looking for Peter’s reaction then kissing him on the cheek. “You’re too cute. You know that?”
Tony and Pepper tried to show Peter positive physical affection between the two of them, knowing how important it was for Peter to witness that.
It was also funny to watch Peter get uncomfortable. “I think it’s my curly hair.” Peter shrugged. He was told by every female he came across that his curls were adorable. He always brushed but loved the positive attention.
“It definitely is.” Tony agreed even though he could name about a million things as to why he loves Peter so much. “Alright. You get dressed and then I’m gonna style your hair.”
Peter dropped his towel and watched his dad walk into the bathroom so he grabbed his underwear off the bed, stepping into it and getting his socks on next.
He was exhausted from doing those two things so he laid down on the bed, reaching for the remote for the tv. Truth was, he didn’t want to have a party. He was already feeling a bit overwhelmed today, knowing what today was, so he didn’t think he could handle a party with so many people.
Sure, the Avengers were family but he wasn’t as close to them as he was to his parents, so he couldn’t fully relax around them.
Tony heard the TV on and walked out. “Petey, there’s no time to watch tv. We have to get dressed.” Tony reached forward on the bed and pulled Peter’s ankles towards him, smirking at the boy going completely dead weight. “What? You don’t want to go to the party now? You were so excited about last week and you were literally bouncing off the walls. Literally.”
Peter shrugged.
“I guess I just wanna stay here with you and mom. And… cuddle while we finish watching Lock and Key!” Peter exclaimed excitedly. He would love to celebrate that way instead.
Tony considered it but he really wanted to celebrate this important day.
“How about we celebrate for an hour or so. Eat some pizza and cake. Then you, mom and me can come back here, change into our pyjamas and watch as many episodes of Lock and Key as you’d like.”
Peter grinned at that suggestion. “Yes! But you promise?”
Tony knew Peter got overwhelmed easily with a lot of change. Even as something as simple as his daily routine being interrupted. “I pinky promise.”
Peter intertwined his much smaller pinky finger with his father’s then he sat up, getting dressed in the outfit that was laid out for him while his dad did the same.
Soon enough, the two of them were dressed and ready to go. They joined Pepper downstairs and the three of them went to the common floor where the party was being hosted.
It wasn’t a big party. The only people invited were the Avengers, Clint's wife and three kids, Tony, Pepper and of course the guest of honour; Peter Stark.
The elevator dinged open and suddenly Peter was feeling very shy and clingy so he grabbed onto Tony’s arm, wrapping himself around him and holding him as close as possible.
“Don’t be so shy, Petey. We’re all here to celebrate you.” Tony pulled his boy against his side, running his fingers through his hair.
“Hey! Look who’s here!” Sam Wilson, who Peter loved but was feeling super shy right now, came up to him, ruffling the boy's curls and greeting Tony and Pepper. “We were all waiting for you, Clint is showing off to everyone here.”
Tony chuckled. He could sense Peter was needing some extra attention and cuddles right now. “Are you tempted to bring out your bird wings.”
“Your dad is a funny one.” He pointed his finger at Tony, hiding his smile before walking off.
Peter looked around. He loved everyone here, without them, he wouldn’t have been rescued from Hydra. But he was feeling super emotional and wanted to be close to his parents. He saw Clint holding baby Nate in his arms and suddenly Peter didn’t care about trying to be mature anymore, if he wanted to be held, he was going to ask to be held.
Plus he had a right to, he spent thirteen years with no one to hold him.
So Peter stood in front of his dad, lifting his arms up. “Can you pick me up?”
Tony didn’t hesitate to pick his kid up, pressing a kiss to his cheek and his heart melting when Peter laid his head on his shoulder, letting out a tiny breath. “Of course. Is this too much for you?”
Peter shook his head. “It’s fine. I just wanted you to carry me.”
Pepper poked the boys back. “Oh, he just doesn’t want to walk.” She teased him, getting a giggle out of the boy. “Let’s go get some pizza. I can see everyone already digging into it.”
Peter nodded, keeping his head on his dad’s shoulder as he looked at all the faces there, just for him. It was all a bit overwhelming for him.
Pepper grabbed one pizza for herself, two for Tony and two for Peter. Peter didn’t end up eating his second slice so Tony ate it. He was happy that Peter felt comfortable enough now to leave his arms and go join Clint’s kids on the carpet of the living room while Tony Pepper, Clint, Laura, and Steve sat around the couches, drifting into conversations.
Although Tony tuned them out to watch his son.
Peter picked up the two year old, sitting the toddler on his lap. “Baby Nate, do you want the pink or blue car?”
The toddler babbled, reaching for the blue car so Peter handed it to him, shifting the baby on his lap.
Tony watched him, he was so gentle. Tony was always worried Peter was going to have violence in him or aggressive behaviour due to everything that was done to him at Hydra but it was the exact opposite. Peter was the most gentle child or person for that matter that Tony has ever come across.
Peter always made sure everyone was comfortable and happy, going out of his way to brighten somebody’s day who may need it.
Tony was so unbelievably proud of him.
After some time and a lot of conversations and laughing, the cake was being brought out by Natasha. Tony looked over at Peter on the opposite side of the kitchen island, knowing he was going to get shy and join his side soon.
Since all the attention was on Peter now, he crawled over to his parents and squeezed his way between them, half hiding behind his dad.
So Tony picked him up, setting him on his hip and looking down at the cake that had chocolate icing, with red and blue icing with the words Happy one year, Peter!
Peter laid his head on his dad’s shoulder, getting really emotional now.
“Happy one year to us, Peter.” Tony kissed his cheek. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too, dad.” Peter whispered into his ear, feeling very sensitive and he didn’t want to cry in front of the Avengers, even if it was happy tears.
Pepper caressed his face, leaning up to kiss his head that was half buried in Tony’s neck.
“I don’t want this to get too emotional but I want to say something,” Tony made sure everyone was listening to him. “One year ago today when you came into my life, Peter, I never expected us to be where we are today. Even though I didn’t know the truth of everything,” He felt Peter tense in his arms at the reminder of him only being there to kill Tony. “I did know that I cared about you and I just couldn’t picture you living anywhere else but with me. I know that we were meant to be together from the beginning and I’m so glad that you’re my son. I love you so much, Peter Stark, and I can’t wait to show you the world.”
Peter clung onto him as tightly as he could without hurting him.
“Now I think we’re gonna steal some cake here and go upstairs and have a lazy night together.” Tony knew that was what Peter wanted and he knew that everyone would understand.
Three slices of cake were cut but before they could leave, Steve came over with a camera. “Let me get a picture of you three first.”
Tony rubbed Peter’s back. “Can you smile for a quick picture, bubs?”
Peter wasn’t crying, thankfully, so he lifted his head up, grinning into the camera for a few pictures then wrapping one arm around his mom for a few more pictures.
He was really craving cuddles and cake.
The small family retreated back to their floor, going upstairs to the master bedroom where they all changed into pyjamas and got ready for an evening full of cake, tv and cuddles. Otherwise known as Peter’s favourite way to spend an afternoon.
Peter finished up in the bathroom and jumped onto his parents bed, definitely using some of his spidey powers to catch more air. “Incoming!”
Tony moved his legs before Peter jumped on top of him. “Wow, spider boy. That was high.”
Peter grinned, getting under the blankets and placing his cold feet on his dad’s thighs. “I know. I’m practicing so I can jump from building to building.”
“Oh. I don’t think so.” Pepper jumped into the conversation. She pulled her son against her chest, holding him there. It was definitely difficult being the only non superhero in the family, as Tony had recently started training Peter on how to use his powers and control them, but that just meant that she had to remain the voice of reason.
Tony agreed with Pepper. “Yeah. I agree. No jumping from buildings for you, little man.”
Peter faked a pout. “Fine. But when I’m older…?” He looked at his dad since he called the shots when it came to superhero talks.
Even though they all agreed on Peter not becoming a superhero until he’s at least eighteen, Tony agreed on him still training with the Avengers as long as they weren’t doing anything too dangerous. “Older? Are you saying you want to grow up on me? Wow, baby boy, I’m hurt.”
Peter wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck. “No! I don’t, daddy!” He laughed, relaxing at the sound of his dad’s steady heartbeat. “But I can’t help it, my body just grows.”
“I know I know.” Tony kissed his cheek. He loved it when Peter called him that. “But no matter how big you get, you’ll always be my baby.” He grabbed the plate of cake and handed Peter a fork. “No more mushy talk. Let’s eat cake and watch our show.”
Tony smiled down at Peter. He never thought he’d become the dad to a son like this but he wouldn’t want to have it any other way.