Always Be My Baby

Tony grabbed the last of the bags and shoved them underneath the stroller. 

The sun was already starting to set and all three of his kids were exhausted. Win win win. 

He was also exhausted but getting to sleep in until 7am really helped to keep him fully functional today and he needed that. 

He just finished getting Peter dried off and into a diaper and t-shirt then he buckled him into the stroller, knowing they were going to head straight to the doggy daycare to pick up Aiser then head to their hotel. 

“Baba, dada.” Peter asked, reaching a tiny hand out. So he handed him a bottle then leaned his chair back so he could lie down and drink. Since the sun was setting and not beaming on them, Tony put down the stroller cover and this way he could see Peter better, that’s the way he liked it. 

“Ready, Harls?” 

“Yep. For once I wish I was small enough to join Pete in that stroller. I’m exhausted.” 

Tony chuckled. He felt the same way. “At least you’ll all sleep well tonight. That’s all I want. Did you have fun today?” 

“I did, I think my favourite part was morning screaming on the Tower of Terror then acting like it didn’t scare her.” 

“Yeah.” Tony laughed. It was nice to have those moments with his oldest son and only daughter since Peter took so much of his attention. But it also reminded him of the times when it was just the two of them and it triggered Tony sometimes. “She’s brave, gotta give her that.” 

Harley held the door open for Tony and they met up with Pepper and Morgan outside. Pepper saw her little boy and cooed. “Bets on when he’ll be asleep?” 

“Ten minutes.” Harley added. 

“Once we start walking.” 

“In the next two minutes.” Tony said with confidence. He knew he would be right. Peter’s eyes were already drifting closed. 

“M’sleepy.” Morgan climbed into her seat beside Peter and grabbed the blanket from between them, cuddling up against it. 

Tony lowered her seat too. “And I’ll give her ten minutes until she’s out too.” 

“No, five.” Pepper would probably be right. 

The five of them walked to the doggy daycare where Aiser got to hang out all day. He hoped Aiser had a good day because Tony felt extremely bad dropping him off this morning, feeling like he was abandoning their dog. 

When they arrived, Tony pushed the stroller inside the building and pulled out his ID. “Good evening, who are you here to pick up?” 

“Aiser.” 

“Okay. And last name?” 

“Aiser Stark.” 

The woman typed into the computer quickly. “Perfect. Can I see an ID?” 

Tony handed it over. She looked at it then stood up with a smile. “I’ll go get him for you.” 

“This place looks like it’s from a Disney movie.” Harley observed, looking at all the details. 

“Hopefully Aiser appreciated the Disney details.” He joked then bent down to fix the strap between Peter’s legs so it rested on his diaper and not rubbing into his skin. He fixed his head as well so it wasn’t hanging down and now rested comfortably against the stroller padding. 

Carefully, he pulled the bottle from Peter’s mouth and replaced it with his pacifier, watching him suck on it in his sleep. It was such a natural reflex that scared Tony, how would they ever drop the pacifiers? 

Tony heard patted feed racing across the floor and looked up to see Aiser tugging on his leash and racing to see them. 

“Hey, boy. Did you have a good day, huh?” Tony ruffled his ears, looking over his body quickly. He looked good, as Tony expected. This was Disney doggy daycare after all. 

Aiser nudged his way into the stroller to lick Peter’s leg, seeking out his favourite person. 

“How was his day? He was so reluctant to leave at drop off.” 

“He had an amazing day today. As soon as you guys left, he ran outside and was whining for about five minutes but then he ate some kibble and played with the other dogs, his favourite friend, a German shepherd puppy named Lily.” 

Tony was so relieved to hear that. “Aw, that’s great. I’m glad he had a good day.” 

“Yes, he’s very social. And very strong.” The worker chuckled. 

“Yeah, when my kids walk him, he sometimes tugs on the leash too hard.” 

“Well it looks like you guys had fun today. Kids are already asleep, that’s a good sign.” 

Tony tied the leash to the stroller. “Yep, straight to bed. Thank you so much, we’ll be keeping him with us tomorrow but he’ll be here the day after.” 

“Alright. We’ll see you then. Have a good night.” 

Tony thanked her again and they left. Aiser was so happy to be back with them, happily walking along the stroller. It did make Tony feel guilty for sending him, but it wouldn’t be possible to have kept him with them today. 

Oh well, that was just his over-thinking talking. 

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“All three kids are asleep, can you believe that?” Tony sat down on the couch with Pepper, getting underneath the blankets. 

“Finally. Alone time.” 

Tony kissed her cheek. “Mm. Morgan woke up when I put her to bed but I got her back to sleep. Peter didn’t even budge. He’s out. I just checked on Harley and he’s sleeping too. And Aiser even.” 

Pepper laughed into Tony’s shoulder, pulling the blankets up higher to cuddle into him. “I love our family. Can you believe we created these beautiful people? It still blows my mind.” 

“Hmm, I know.” Tony yawned. “Our little creations.” 

“Big creations. They’re growing up way too fast. I feel like just yesterday we had newborns.” 

Tony felt his heart sped up and the sudden need to hold Peter. “Don’t say that. I need them to stay young.” 

Pepper hummed. “Especially our curly haired boy.” 

“I don’t know how I’m going to handle him growing up. I wish so badly I could freeze time. Or at least stop him from growing up. I love this age.” 

Pepper squeezed his hand underneath the blanket. “You like the screaming over nothing and changing twenty diapers a day?” She joked, smiling into Tony’s shoulder. 

“Obviously not. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike the diaper changes, but I could probably do without it and have him potty trained. But I mean… I’m scared of him growing up.” 

“I know.” Pepper knew Tony needed someone to listen to. And it wasn’t very often they were child free like this. 

“I already missed out on so much of his childhood. And I won’t ever get that back. The pictures… don’t do justice. And they hold memories I don’t share with him. How fucked up is that?” 

“It’s not fair. I know.” 

“Like… I can look at any picture of our kids and tell you a whole story about it. But from ages 3 and a half to ten years old, I can’t tell you a single story behind that.” 

Pepper nodded, keeping her hand on Tony’s thigh. 

“And Peter is… he doesn’t even understand what’s happened to him. I mean, obviously he knows he’s been kidnapped and taken from us, but I’m scared as he grows older, he’ll resent his siblings.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean… Peter was kidnapped. He’ll forever live with that and the effects it has on him. While he’s going through life with everyone else his age, he’ll always have this trauma that stays with him and holds him back at times. Harley and Morgan lived the same life, yet they don’t have that trauma, at least not in the same way Peter does.” Tony was rambling now and having a hard time trying to process what he wanted to say. 

“We’re going on it. That’s all we can do, be there for him. He’s in therapy. That’s a good thing.” 

“I feel like… I feel like I’m not good enough for him.” 

“Tony. Look at me,” Pepper waited until Tony met her eyes. “You’re the best person for Peter. He looks up to you like you hung the moon and the stars just for him. And you look at him the same.” 

Tony looked away. He tries so so hard so be the best he can be for Peter. 

“He’s everything. The thought of losing him… it terrifies me, Pepper.” 

“He’s not going anywhere, Tony.” 

Tony shook his head. “This world is so evil. And he’s so innocent and naive. I mean, look at what happened today? It scares me that he’s… so…” 

“Trusting?” Pepper added for him. 

“You can say that.” 

She squeezed his thigh. “He isn’t going anywhere, Tony. I promise you that.” 

“You can’t promise me that. I can’t even promise myself that.” He shook his head, looking down. “He… Pepper, I can’t lose him again. I can’t. I can’t. I don’t want to live in a world without him. I won’t.” 

“Tony. Stop talking about something that isn’t going to happen. Peter isn’t going anywhere. He’s asleep just behind those doors, you’re going to drive yourself crazy if you think like that.” 

“I can’t help it!” 

Tony realized he snapped and took a breath to calm down. 

“I’m sorry. But I can’t help thinking about it every single day. It’s always on the back of my mind.” 

“It shouldn’t be. That’s no way to live, Tony. Not for you, and most definitely not for Peter.” 

Tony nodded and felt tears burn his eyes. 

“I know.” 

“Talk to your therapist. Please. She’s there to help you with this. Not shame you.” 

Logically, Tony knew that. But he still struggled a lot. “I know. I do know that. She’s amazing, really. But I don’t see a fix for this, I’m terrified of Peter leaving me and crazy enough, I’m terrified of him growing up.” 

Pepper sighed. “Tony. He’s going to grow up. Everyone does. At least we get to watch it happen. What scares you so much?” 

Tony had to really think about that. He wanted to say that everything scared him but, no, this was Pepper, he told her everything and never held back. “Everything. I’m scared our relationship won’t be the same, I’m scared he’s going to get introduced to drugs and-and alcohol and turn to that, I’m scared he’s going to fall for an older guy since for some reason, which we both why, Peter likes to please men. It just… him growing up scares me. And mist of all, I like him young and innocent so I can keep him safe.” 

Pepper listened to Tony, understanding why he felt the way he did. 

“I understand you, Tony. Your feelings are valid, but you can’t worry about something that hasn’t happened. Peter’s never done drugs and he’s never taken a sip of alcohol. We’re raising him to stay away from that, he’s a good boy, he’ll listen.” 

Tony scuffed. “He has done drugs though.” 

“Don’t word it like that. He was drugged. He was given non consensual drugs to knock him out. He had no say in that.” 

Tony wiped his eyes. “Yeah.” 

“And don’t think your relationship won’t be the same. I mean, surely it won’t. You aren’t going to be changing his diapers and dealing with temper tantrums, but your relationship will still be strong as ever.” 

Deep down, Tony knew that. But the unrealistic part of him was telling him otherwise. “I hope so. I really do. But I’m-” 

He cut himself off because he heard Peter’s cries from the other room so Tony sighed and took the blanket off himself, standing up. “I’ve got him.” 

Tony opened the bedroom door and immediately saw Peter sitting in the middle of the bed, pacifier out of his mouth as he cried, arms reaching up for Tony. “Oh baby. What happened?” 

“Daddy!” Peter sobbed, arms reaching up for Tony. 

Tony scooped him into his arms and grabbed the pacifier off the bed. “You’re okay. Did you have a bad dream?” 

Peter nodded, taking the soother into his mouth gratefully. “Mmmmm.” He hummed, seemingly uncomfortable. Tony bounced him a bit and kissed his temple then walked out into the living room, sitting on the couch next to Pepper once again, this time, with his other half. 

“Did he have a nightmare?” 

Tony shrugged, brushing the curls off his forehead. He needed a haircut but Tony was selfishly in love with the way his haute curled at the ends with a loop. “I don’t know. I think the paci fell out of his mouth and it woke him up.” 

Pepper covered them both with the blanket. “Is his diaper wet?” 

Tony could feel the diaper pressing against his stomach. “Oh yes. But I’m going to wait until after he’s asleep to change it. I don’t want it to wake him up anymore than he already is.” 

“Okay. Let me know if you want me to do it.” 

Tony leaned his head against Peter’s and looked at Pepper. “I’ve got it.” 

“I know you do. Do you want to talk about it some more?” 

Tony shook his head. “No. I’m good. I love you.” 

“I love you too. I’m going to go shower. Call me if you need me.” 

“Okay.” Tony closed his eyes, head still resting on Peter’s head. Despite not bathing him after the public pool and sweating all day, Tony could still smell Peter. His scent was like a drug. 

If Tony remembered correctly, which he knew he did because he went crazy to not forget it, Peter still smelt like his baby self. And Tony loved that and hoped he never lost it. 

Eventually, Tony stood up, keeping Peter safe in his arms. 

He walked into the master bedroom and laid down on the bed, maneuvering Peter so that he was lying on him still. Tony wasn’t ready to let go just yet. 

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To Tony’s relief, Peter slept in until 6:30am 

When Tony woke up, he turned over and saw Peter lying there, looking around, the pacifier bobbing up and down in his mouth. 

“Hey.” Tony spoke, his voice deep from sleep. 

Peter looked over at him and grinned behind the silicone in his mouth. 

“How long have you been up for?” 

“A hundred minutes.” 

“Wow. That’s a long time.” Tony stretched and sat up, letting his legs hang off the bed. “Let’s go into the bathroom to wash up.” 

Peter slid out of bed, taking his empty bottle with him. He pushed open the bathroom door and turned the light on. “Have to brush teeth first?” 

“Actually, I want you to sit on the potty first. Do you want to?” 

Peter shook his head. “I already went pee.” 

Tony leaned down to pull his saggy diaper off. “I know you did. But can you sit on the toilet and try to go?” 

Peter looked at the toilet like it offended him. “No. I don’t want to. I'm gonna fall in.” 

“You won’t. Just sit on it, please.” 

“No.” 

Tony didn’t need a fight this morning. He ruffled Peter’s hair. “Okay. Then let’s brush our teeth.” 

Peter grinned at not having to sit on the toilet. He grabbed his toothbrush and let Tony put his fruity toothpaste on it then began brushing with his dad. 

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“Dad? We’re still going to the race track today, right?” 

Tony had shit on his hands and just finished dealing with a thirty minute long temper tantrum. He wiped the sweat off his face with his wrist and tried to pull some wipes out of the package but ten followed with it. 

“Huh? What? Yes yes. Can you go grab me clean clothes for your brother?” Tony pushed Peter’s legs to his chest, ignoring the whining that followed. 

“Dad. Are we still going? Because you promised me and if we are still going, we’d have to leave in fifteen minutes.” 

Tony was so overwhelmed right now. The day was going so perfect, they woke up, went to a nice restaurant for breakfast where all kids behaved and even Aiser got to go with them. Then they came upstairs to get ready for the day and all hell broke loose. 

Peter started crying because Morgan drew on his iPad colouring pad, then that resulted in Morgan teasing him over it followed by a thirty minute long tantrum as Tony tried to fix the problem but failed. 

And right when Tony was going to start screaming at everyone, Peter’s tantrum ended and then he had a blow out. All over the couch. 

So he was currently attempting to clean that up right now. 

“Yes, Harley. We’re going once everything here is settled.” 

Tony was too busy to see Harley sigh and walk away. Harley walked into his parent’s bedroom and found a stack of his little brother's clothes. He grabbed shorts and a T-shirt then a fresh diaper for him, passing by his mom along the way. “Mom. I really want to go to the race track but I think dad will cancel. Can you please take Peter. I know dad won’t go if Peter’s acting like this.” 

Pepper looked busy too. She was the one trying to get the blow out off the couch. “It’ll be fine, Harley. It starts at noon right? You have time.” 

Harley felt like he wanted to cry. His dad promised him. 

He hated this feeling. 

“Here.” He tossed the clothes on the ground. “Ten minutes, dad. Will you be ready to go by then?” 

Tony wiped away the last of the mess on Peter’s skin then dropped his legs. “Oh, you got a diaper. Perfect. What did you say?” 

“Never mind. I’ll be in my room.” 

Tony got rid of the dirty wipes and diaper and tossed it in a plastic bag, tying it up. They didn’t have a diaper genie here so plastic bags would have to do. “I’m going to go wash your poop off my hands. Stay here.” 

Peter rolled onto his stomach, watching him walk away. He didn’t want to be alone so he stood up to chase after him. “I wanna come.” 

“Peter. Please, go lie back down. I’m coming back.” 

Peter leaned against the counter. “I will when you go back.” 

Sighing, Tony used the dish soap to clean off his hand, so far beyond caring that he got actual shit on his hand. He turned to look down just on time to see a stream of pee forming on the floor. Tony wanted to cry. He literally could not catch a break. 

“Pepper! I need help in here, can you please come and help me.” 

Without hesitation, Pepper left the mess on the couch to walk over to them. “Oh. Okay, come, honey. Let’s get a diaper on you.” 

“Noo! I want daddy to do it.” 

“Go with mommy, Peter.” 

“Noooo!” 

“I can’t. I can’t.” Tony yanked the paper towel off the roll. “This is too much, Pepper. I need him potty trained.” Tony was feeling so overwhelmed. Peter was being extremely difficult today and Tony didn’t know what to do. 

He grabbed Peter’s hand and quickly walked back over to wear he was changing him, sitting on his knees. “Lie down.” 

Peter did as he was told, sensing his dad’s patience thinning. “You mad, daddy?” 

Tony slid the diaper underneath him then sighed. “Not mad. I’m just a little stressed.” 

“Why?” 

Because you drive me crazy sometimes. 

“Because there’s a lot going on, and it’s just stressing me out. That’s all.” 

“Oh.” Peter continued to lay there even as the diaper was secured onto him. “Cause I’m being naughty?” 

Yes. “Baby. I just need you to be a good boy for mommy because daddy and Harley are going to go to the race track. Okay?” Even though he’s been telling Peter for days, Peter never cared until it was time to go. 

“I wanna come. I-I can drive a car super fast.” 

Tony sighed. “You’re too young. But when you’re older, I’ll take you. I promise.” 

“Oh. But I’m big now.” 

“No, baby.” Tony stood up and held his hands out for Peter, lifting him to his feet. “I’ll be back for dinner and you can tell me how much fun you had today. Sound good?” 

“What will I do today?” 

Tony and Pepper agreed that it would be a day spent inside the hotel. Pepper didn’t need the stress of dealing with two wild kids and a dog at busy Disney World. 

“Mom has some fun things planned. And she’ll get you dressed later, okay?” 

“Later?” 

Tony kissed his forehead. “Later.” He knocked on Harley’s door. 

“Come in.” 

“Hey. You ready?” 

Harley’s face lit up. “Yeah. Yeah, sure. Let me just go pee then I’m ready.” 

“Perfect. Five minutes?” 

“Yeah, sure, yes.” 

Tony turned back around but froze when he saw Peter standing there, his chocolate brown eyes watering and his bottom lip shaking. That looked absolutely destroyed Tony. 

If Peter could perfect that face still when he’s twenty, Tony would buy him a freaking spaceship if he asked for it. 

“Oh, my sweet boy.” He lifted Peter up and then the water works started. “Shh shh please don’t cry. I love you and I’ll see you later.” 

Peter clung onto him tightly. “Don’ go! Daddy! Stay.” 

Tony bounced him in his arms, knowing nothing would get him to stop crying now. He debated on rescheduling with Harley but Peter would cry tomorrow too. And the next day. And the next. Plus he couldn’t do that to Harley. 

Tony made a bottle one handed in the kitchen and left it out for after he’s gone. He then joined Pepper in the bedroom. “This is going to be hard. I need to go and he’s going to scream.” 

“He’ll be fine in a few minutes. Don’t worry.” 

“I know. It’s still hard.” Tony hated leaving Peter like this. He walked into the hallway and slipped on his shoes with one hand, turning to Harley who was walking out, looking skeptical. 

“He’s not coming, is he?” 

“No. He’s not. That’s why he’s upset.” 

“Can I come?” Morgan appeared next to him and asked. 

“You can’t come either.” He kissed Peter’s neck. “I’ll be back. Go with mommy.” 

“No. Nooo. Nooaaaaa!” 

Tony had to pry Peter’s arms from around his neck and hand him over to Pepper but he thrashed so he lowered him onto the floor. “I love you so much. I’ll be back at dinner.” 

“Don’ go! Daddy! Stay with me!” 

“Just go, Tony. The sooner you leave, the sooner he stops crying.” 

Tony blew one last kiss to Peter then grabbed his phone and wallet and left. Behind the closed hotel door, Tony couldn’t hear him anymore. 

Fuck, he hated leaving Peter like that. 

Harley walked along him quietly. “I’m Uh, I’m sure he’ll be… um, fine, dad. He just has separation anxiety from you, right? So this is normal.” 

Tony nodded, trying to feel better. “Yeah.” 

“And it’s not like he’s with strangers. He’s with mom and Morgan. So he’s fine.” 

Tony sighed. Harley was right. Peter would be fine. Perfectly fine. 

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Pepper lifted Peter off the floor, he wasn’t a very heavy child and she could pick him up just as long as he didn’t trash around in her arms. 

Thankfully, he let her pick him up where she carried him over to the couch, sitting down and sitting Peter down on her lap. “Morgan, can you grab the bottle off the table for me?” 

“Sure!” 

Pepper wiped the tears off his cheeks. “Honey. Why are you crying? Daddy is coming back soon. Don’t be upset.” 

Peter rubbed his eyes with a closed fist. “I-I didn’ wan’ him to go ‘way!” 

“But, Peter, honey, he just went out for the day. He will come back.” 

“Here, mom. Can I help you take care of him?” Morgan jumped next to her mom and brother on the couch, holding the bottle in her hand. 

“If you want to, we’re just going to sit here until he calms down.” Pepper knew that he just needed time. That was it. She took the bottle from her daughter with a thank you and handed it to Peter, who was looking at her like it was her fault he was crying. “Do you want some milk?” 

Peter let out a loud sigh then took the bottle, leaning his head against his moms chest. He missed his dad. He felt like being held in his strong arms, sure, his moms arms were good too, but his dad could carry him no problem and that made him feel safe. 

But he’d take what he could get. 

So after twenty minutes of lying there, drinking his milk in his moms arms and watching some cartoon on the tv, he eventually started to feel better and sat up. 

“When’s daddy coming home?” 

Pepper pushed the curls off his forehead. “Soon.” 

“Urg! Stop wanting dad all the time. You know he can’t be around you all the time.” Morgan let her frustrations out. 

But Peter clearly didn’t like that. He crossed his arms over his chest, his bottom lip sticking out. “That’s rude! I can want my dad cause he’s mine.” 

“He’s mine too. But you don’t see me crying all the time for him.” 

“Enough, guys. Stop it.” Pepper really didn’t need to deal with this. It was frustrating and they were in Disney, the last thing she wanted was for her kids to be fighting. 

Peter reached over to push Morgan but Morgan knew better than to push back. “Mom! He pushed me!” 

“Peter. No pushing. Both of you guys stop fighting. Don’t you want to have fun today?” 

“Yes.” 

“No! I do more.” Peter reached over to pull Morgan’s hand down but she yanked it away. “Ow.” 

“If I have to tell you guys one more time to stop, I’m canceling everything I have planned today.” 

Both of them shut their mouths and turned to their mom curiously. “What kind of surprises?” 

“Yeah, mom. What surprises?” Morgan leaned closer. 

“Well…” Pepper looked at Peter. “Climb off so I can get up and show you guys.” Peter rolled onto Morgan to let their mom stand up then the two of them were immediately up to follow her. Pepper pulled out two giant bags from the closet by the hotel door. “I have paints of every colour in here. We’re going to paint a picture on this,” She pulled out a giant role from the closet as well. 

Peter jumped up and down. “I can paint my feet?” 

“You can. If you want to.” 

“Yaayy!” Both children squealed in sync. 

“Only one rule. When we’re painting, we’re staying on the paper. And I have to pour the paints out. No paint can get on the furniture, walls or floor.” She looked at Peter specifically. 

“Cause we don’t live here and that's naughty.” 

“Yes. We can’t make a mess.” Pepper handed each of them a bag and they got to work. 

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Tony was itching to text Pepper and see how things were going. 

It was a thirty minute drive to the race track and although he was putting on a happy face for Harley, his anxiety was racing. And he knew Harley could see it. 

Tony tried to match his son’s excitement throughout the car ride there, but it was hard when all he could think about was Peter and if he’s okay. Finally, they arrived so Tony parked the van and the grass field, shutting it off. 

“Before we go in, we need to sign waivers. I’ll send you the link so you can do it first.” 

Harley clicked on the link. “Sick. Kinda adds to the excitement.” 

“You’re crazy.” He half smiled as he clicked on Peppers contact. 

Tony: How’s everything going? Is Pete still crying?

It had been over thirty minutes so Tony hoped not. 

The text message didn’t come in until seven long minutes later, once Tony and Harley were inside, waiting for their waivers to print off. 

Pepper: He cried for about ten minutes then he drank a bottle. Now we’re painting… 

Tony clicked on the image as soon as it was sent. It was Peter sitting on the long roll of paper they bought with two paint brushes in his hands. He had a pacifier in his mouth but he was smiling behind it, so Tony counted that as a win. 

He texted back. 

Tony: Looks like a fun mess. Glad I’m here. Have fun. Text you soon 

Tony: And keep sending me pics 

Tony: Spam me 

He pocketed his phone after, feeling a little bit better knowing Peter isn’t crying for him and is actually having fun. 

Now it was his turn to have fun. 

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Peter grabbed the blue paint and handed it to his mom. “Can you pour some here? I want to make feet prints.” 

“Sure. You should paint them into a butterfly.” Pepper poured the paint out and let Peter get to work. But he had other plans; slapping his feet into the paint. 

When she looked over at Morgan, she was lying on her stomach and concentrating at painting something Pepper couldn’t make out yet. Totally opposite from her brother. 

“Peter, how about you paint something nice?” 

Peter slapped his hands into the paint. “Can I lick it?” 

“No… it’s not edible, Peter.” Pepper watched as he rubbed the paint all up his arms but honestly, she expected that. It’s not like he was making a mess of anything, she had to have known what he was going to get up to. Peter hesitated then rubbed the paint in his hair. Pepper took a gasp to stop him but the damage was done. “Peter. No more paint in your hair, please, baby. Behave.” 

“I’m being naughty?” He stopped immediately to turn to his mom. 

“No. But… just don’t put paint in your hair.” 

“Okay.” 

Morgan looked up from her painting to crawl over and see what her brother was getting up to. Sitting down beside him, she painted a smiley face over his blue splatters. “There. Now it’s happy.” 

At first Pepper thought that Peter was going to flip out but he leaned forward and smiled, attempting to look like the smiley face. “Mommy. Look at me. Can you take a picture and send it to my daddy.” 

“I can.” She already had her phone out so she snapped a picture then Peter sat up, lifting his arms up to touch his hair and looked into the camera with a serious face. Pepper knew it was just a coincidence but he looked like a posing model. She snapped a few pictures and sent them off to Tony. 

“And can you pour more paint here?” 

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“Oh sickkk! Is that our car?” Harley asked as he leaned over the guardrail, attempting to get a better look despite Tony telling him so many times to stay inside the gates. 

It was so nice to see Harley so excited and finally getting to spend time with him too. Peter has taken up so much of his time and energy and so it’s hard for Tony to balance being a father, work and everyday life with three kids, a dog and a house. He’s lucky he has Pepper. 

“That’s your car.” Tony grinned at him. “My car is the red and gold one behind it.” 

Harley snapped his head so fast Tony’s surprised he didn’t break it. “Wait, I’m going to drive it on my own?” 

It was a surprise Tony had been keeping since he booked it. The plan was always for Harley to drive his own car. Tony used to race occasionally in Monaco but then Pepper told him she wanted him to stop, so he did. Granted, after a few fights. 

“Yep. It’s all yours.” 

“Sweet. Thanks, dad. This is going to be sick.” 

Twenty minutes and a detailed explanation of the car controls later, Tony and Harley were in their cars, parked side by side. 

“You know I’m going to win, right?!” Harley yelled, barely audible over the loud engines of the cars. 

“You know I used to race these, right?!” Tony yelled back, getting a teasing middle finger from his oldest son. 

Tony revved his engine as he turned his attention to the countdown. 

Once the light turned green, he was off, not going easy on Harley. He wanted to win and could be very competitive when he had to. 

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.

“And did you see the way I skidded around that corner? I swear I thought I was going to flip. It honestly felt like it.” 

Tony took another bite of his cheeseburger as he listened to Harley ramble on. “I honestly thought you were going to flip. Didn’t you listen to the instructions?” 

Shoving three French fries into his mouth, Harley chuckled. “I did! But he also talked really fast and I kinda already knew everything.” 

“Mhmm. Oh yeah.” Tony playfully shoved him. 

“What? I do. I was just going too fast. That’s all.” 

Tony tossed a fry at him. 

They continued eating in comfortable silence for a few minutes, the only sound filling the car was their chewing until Harley broke the silence. “I’m really glad we did this. Thank you.” 

“I am too. You don’t need to thank me. You’re my son. I know…” Tony sighed. “I know we don’t get to do things together often. So I appreciate it when we do.” 

“I wish we could.” Admitted Harley. “And I wish Peter could join us.” 

Tony shoved the last bite of burger into his mouth. “Well… you have to be 21 to drive these cars. I paid them extra so you could. And I had to sign a hell of a lot of papers. Maybe in seven years when Peter’s old enough, we’ll come back.” 

“Seven years. Wow. That seems so far away when I think of it like that.” 

Tony hated the number seven. Seven years was how long he lost his baby for. Seven years was how long they had Peter for in total before he was ripped away from them again. 

He took a breath. “It is. But it’ll go by in a blink of an eye, believe me. And who knows, maybe in seven years, you’ll have your own kids.” 

“Don’t you think 27 is a bit young to have kids?” 

“Not at all. I had you at 23. And your mom was even younger.” 

Harley hummed. “Kinda weird to think about. Kinda weird to think you were in your twenties when you had Peter. Isn’t it?” 

“Well, I was 29. And I think it was a good age. Your mom and I were at a really good stage in life to have you two brats.” He playfully joked, grinning at Harley so he knew he was only joking. 

“But you weren’t with Morgan.” He said, matter of fact. 

Tony looked outside at the cars in front of them. Tony purposefully reversed the van so they could people watch while they ate fast food for dinner in the car before going back to the hotel. 

“We definitely don’t regret having your sister. Yes, she was a surprise. But so were you. Peter was our only planned baby.” Tony was avoiding the question. “You know what happened just before Morgan came along.” 

Tony couldn’t look in Harley’s eyes. When they found out Pepper was pregnant, Tony was grieving so badly and was in so much unimaginable pain that he could barely comprehend what it would mean. 

Then once it started to hit him that they were actually welcoming another child into this world, Tony prayed so so hard for it to not be a boy. There was no way he could love another baby boy after losing his, so when they found out Morgan was in fact a girl, Tony allowed himself to be happy. 

But being happy and excited while also grieving in a dark place was a very hard thing to do. 

“Does Morgan know she wasn’t planned?” 

Tony could meet Harley’s eyes now. “Yeah. It’s no secret. Pull and pray doesn’t count as birth control, son.” He tried to lighten the situation and thankfully Harley took the bait. 

“Dad. Just stop.” 

“Okay, while we’re on the topic of sex, how about-” 

“Wait wait wait. We’re not even talking about sex. Where did that come from?” Uncomfortably, Harley laughed, shifting in his seat. 

“Well we are now. And you don’t ever talk to me about your-” 

“Don’t say sex life.” 

Tony continued on. “Love life. So talk to me now. Are you seeing anyone? Any lucky girls caught your eye recently?” 

Harley sighed. “I don’t know. I mean I’m my friend group I have this one friend ish, her name is Madison, but I can’t see myself dating anyone anytime soon. I mean… I don’t even feel ready to go back to school full time. I’m doing stupid online classes. How will I find the time to date someone.” 

Tony carefully considered that. “If you really like someone, you’ll make it work. And you know your mom and I will always be there for you.” 

“Yeah… I know. But I mean like how can I even bring a girl home. Our house is literally a zoo. I mean Peter runs around with no pants half the time and you change his diapers anywhere.” 

“Okay,” Tony chuckled. “If you did bring a girl home, I’m not going to welcome her with the sight of your brother's poopy diapers and Peter will keep his clothes on. Can’t promise there won’t be any screaming, but she’ll understand you have younger siblings if she’s the one.” 

“Well there is no girl, this is all hypothetical.” 

“Of course. But I just want you to know that you can come to me.” He reached over and squeezed his thigh, giving Harley a smile but Harley immediately looked away, looking tense. Tony removed his hand, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable. 

“Harley?” 

Harley bit his lip. “I-” He closed his mouth, immediately looking like he regretted even opening it. “Um… okay. I lied to you.” 

Tony felt his heart skip a beat. “About what?” 

“Well… I mean, you know… okay. So, you know how a few months ago… I told you that… I lost my Uh, my virginity?” Harley spared a glance at Tony. 

“Yes?” 

“Well… okay. I lied.” 

“You… lied?” Tony asked, trying to understand what was happening here. 

“Yes. Okay so… you and mom, I felt like you guys kinda looked at me like I was a child, I mean… you guys still do sometimes, especially you. And it bugged me, so… I lied to you.” 

Tony tried to take that all in. “What? Why? And how does that even make any sense. Finding out you had sex for the first time doesn’t mean your mom and I are all of the sudden going to treat you like an adult. Okay, I know you are an adult and I’m sorry if I treat you like a child sometimes. But you losing your virginity doesn’t measure up to being an adult or not.” 

“I know. Now I know. I still lied. So sorry. I feel bad because I know you’re always wanting us to be open with you and everything and I do try to be even if it’s hard to get your attention sometimes.” 

Tony felt bad. He tried so hard to work on that. “So… you didn’t lose your virginity then?” 

Harley met his eyes then immediately looked away. “No. And don’t be weird because I’m already extremely uncomfortable about it.” 

“Okay.” Tony smiled. It was a bit of a reassurance to hear that but it made him feel bad to know that Harley felt like he had to lie to him. He still reached over to squeeze his thigh again. “Thank you for being honest with me. When that changes, you can still tell me.” 

“Sure.” 

Tony laughed, shaking his head. His phone buzzed with a text so he lifted it up to see what Pepper texted him and immediately wanted to get home. It was a picture of Peter in a bubble bath, holding up a plastic cup, his hair wet and brushed back. Pepper knew exactly how to get him home. 

Tony: Immediately on my way 

Tony: Keep him in there

He placed his phone back in the cup holder and started up the van. “Ready to head to the zoo?” 

Harley chuckled. 

Fifteen minutes later they were walking down the hallway to their hotel. Tony unlocked the door and let Harley go in first, walking in behind him and locking the door. 

“Hello? We’re home.” 

He heard a loud bang and then footsteps made his way towards him. Tony felt his heart flutter when he saw Peter turn the corner and race towards him. 

“Daddy daddy daddy!” 

“Hi baby boy.” Tony leaned down and scooped Peter into his arms, giving him a little toss in the air then cuddling him against his chest. “I missed you so much, perfect boy.” 

Peter wrapped his arms around him. “I missed you more.” 

“Mmm.” Tony kissed his adorable face. “I’m so glad to be home.” 

“We’re not home. This is Disney.” Peter giggled, wrapping his arms from around his dads neck to look at him. 

Tony hoisted him up higher, kissing him one more time just because he could. “I don’t care where we are, you’re here. So I’m home.” 

“No. Home is home. Home is where our bed is.” 

“Nope. Home is wherever you are.” It was true, Tony could live on the moon but as long as he had Peter with him, he was home. 

Tony walked into the master bathroom, finding Morgan in a bubble bath and Pepper combing her hair. “Hey. How was it? Tell me everything over dinner.” 

“We will. I already ordered food up. Harley and I already ate. But we’ll still sit with you guys.” Tony went to put Peter down but Peter clung onto him. “Did they take a bath together?” Tony asked, only because he thought they discussed that Peter and Morgan shouldn’t bathe together anymore. 

“No no. I had to bathe Peter first because he had paint all over himself. Literally. Go check the pictures on my phone. We had to drain the water twice. And now I’m brushing these knots out of Morgan’s hair.” 

Tony was eager to see those pictures. “Let me go find your phone in that case.” 

“Have fun.” 

“Did he poop today again?” 

“Once. Not diarrhea though.” 

That’s all Tony needed to know. “Alright, you two, have fun. We’ll be looking at pictures.” 

He walked into the bedroom and found Peppers phone lying on the dresser so he snatched it off and proceeded to walk into the living room but Peter had other plans. 

“I want milk.” 

“Dinner will be here soon.” 

“Nooo. Milk.” Peter leaned forward in his fathers arms, reaching an arm out for the empty bottles drying on the tiny kitchen counter. “Daddy. Uh Uh.” 

“I’ll make you half a bottle. You can have more after dinner but you can’t fill up on milk.” Tony worked quickly to make a bottle, doing it all with one hand like he’s perfected at this point in life. A skill he didn’t know would come in handy but it did. 

He handed it to Peter who took it gratefully, drinking it as if he were starving. 

Now, the fun part. 

Tony sat on the couch, twisting Peter around in his lap so his back was pressed up against his chest. “Let’s check out these pictures.” 

“What pictures?” Harley jumped onto the couch next to them, leaning against Peter. “Oh I heard you painted.” He ruffled his damp curls, messing them up. 

“And I heard you raced cars.” Peter shifted so he was sitting between his dad and brother, facing them. 

“I did. It was fun. Dad agreed to take you when you’re 21.” 

“I don’t wanna wait seven whole years.” Peter sat up on his knees, grabbing Tony’s arm. “Dad. I wanna go race a car tomorrow.” 

“Mm. No.” He was too distracted looking at these adorable pictures to really pay attention to what Peter was saying. “I can’t believe you put paint in your hair. You’re a menace, you know that?” 

He turned the phone around to show Peter a picture of him caught in the act, putting paint in his hair. 

“But you’re still adorable, I’ll give you that.” 

Tony looked at Peter, he may not have gotten to spend the full day with him but at least he got to end it with him.