I needed you
Peter woke up exhausted.
After last night’s… ordeal, he fell asleep as soon as his dad laid him down on the bed and slept for almost the whole night with only two wake up calls during it.
He actually managed to sleep until almost six in the morning which was incredibly late for him and for Tony which he was grateful for.
Tony definitely needed the extra sleep.
He was still trying to recover emotionally from his and Peter’s little outburst, well, quite large outburst he should say.
Peter watched TV quietly in the living room while Tony got ready for the day and even managed to drink his morning coffee while it was hot.
He walked over with French toast for Peter and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. “Eat some breakfast, buddy. We gotta get ready for the day soon.”
Peter covered the blankets over his face. “Mm.”
Tony sat down next to him, patting his thigh through his pyjama pants. Tony had no energy for today. He was supposed to go to the tower for a meeting around noon but that’s the last thing he wanted to do. And now with Peter staying home from school today, Tony just couldn’t bring himself to go to work.
He didn’t even take off Peter’s nighttime diaper yet… that was another thing he had to work up the strength to do. Plus another day at home, working up the courage to continue with the potty training, just thinking about the day was exhausting Tony.
Pepper got up shortly after them for the day and made herself a tea, agreeing to take Morgan to school for him and take over his meeting at work.
Tony loved her so much. He truly would be lost without her.
It was nice to have a day at home with Peter, especially after yesterday’s events.
.
.
.
That night, Peter was tossing around in the bed and wouldn’t stop moving. He woke Tony up ten minutes ago so Tony’s been lying there, wide awake ever since.
He was actually so tired but he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep with Peter kicking around beside him. Tony reached over and placed a hand on Peter’s back. “Stop moving.”
Peter, possibly not knowing Tony had been awake, sat up in bed. “I can’t sleep. I’m not tired.”
“You are tired. It’s not even five yet.”
Peter reached over Tony to grab his phone off the nightstand table, checking the time. “It’s almost five.”
Tony snatched it back from him. “Where’s your pacifier?”
“Um… I don’t know.” He looked around on the bed. “You took it.”
“Why would I take it from you.” Sighing at being over tired now and the chance of getting back to sleep was slim, Tony reached over and opened up his nightstand table, pulling out two pacifiers. “Take one and go back to sleep.”
Even though Peter took both, he didn’t go back to sleep. Tony decided to try and sleep even with Peter awake because if he was up for the day, he’d be a walking zombie by noon.
“Daddy?”
“Mm?”
“I want milk.”
“Can you wait another thirty minutes?”
“No. I’m hungry now.”
Tony resisted the urge to groan into his pillow. Peter was like a walking and talking newborn with an attitude. “If you’re hungry then I can make you proper food.”
“Nooo. Milk.”
“Shh. Okay okay. I guess we’re up now.” He got out of bed and held his arms out for Peter, sitting him on his hip and grabbing a diaper and wipes on his way out of the bathroom. There was no way he was going to fight with Peter this morning about peeing on the toilet when he felt like he was still sleeping.
Whatever Pepper didn’t know, couldn’t hurt her.
He carried Peter downstairs and turned the light on since it was pitch black.
Walking straight into the kitchen, Tony turned the light on and dimmed it, not needing a light blaring in his eyes so early in the morning. In his arms, Peter watched patiently as Tony made him a bottle, adding two scoops of some protein formula and shaking the bottle up.
He handed it to him then filled his coffee maker with water, turned it on and walked back over to the living room, turning the tv on low and laying Peter down on the couch.
He did a quick diaper change, tightly securing a new one onto him.
“Stay here and drink your milk. I’ll be back.”
Peter's eyes were trained on the tv so he didn’t even notice his dad leaving the living room without him.
He yawned.
It felt like a pretty normal morning besides for the fact that he couldn’t fall asleep last night or stay asleep for that matter and now he was up way too early and not in the best mood.
.
.
.
Peter was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.
First and second period he was fine but once lunch was over and he had to sit through third period, he struggled to keep his eyes open. Usually he would lay his head down for a bit and he was fine but he was nodding off and simply couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.
Peter put his head down and closed his eyes but then his name was being called so he looked up.
“Peter. Lift your head up and focus on my lesson.” His teacher said, sounding rather annoyed.
As much as he tried, Peter couldn’t stop nodding off. He picked up his pencil and pretended to write questions down but he ended up putting his head down to try and sleep for a bit.
“Peter Stark. Are you in a daycare? This isn’t napping hour. Lift your head up and keep your eyes open.” She walked over to his desk, causing the rest of the students to turn over and look. “If you’re that tired, you shouldn’t come to school because it’s disrespectful while I’m teaching a lesson.”
Peter didn’t mean to be disrespectful. He nodded his head.
“Didn't your parents ever teach you about respect?” She asked as she walked behind him to tuck his chair in further so it would be harder for him to slump forward.
He moved his arms up onto his desk at the sudden movement and rubbed his eyes. “M’sorry.”
She mumbled something under her breath that Peter didn’t quite hear then she walked back up to the front and continued to teach her lesson while Peter fought hard to keep his eyes open and his head up.
He wished he was at home on the couch with his dad where he would be encouraged to sleep but instead he was forced to keep his eyes open and his head up but he was quickly losing that battle no matter how hard he tried.
Peter put his head down, unable to keep it up anymore.
“Oh seriously.” He heard his teacher say and then she was walking towards him. “This is enough.” She grabbed his arm and pulled him into a standing position. “Do you want to sleep that badly? Do you?” She shook his arm aggressively when he didn’t respond then stood him up straighter and started leading him out of the classroom.
Peter struggled to keep up at first at the sudden movements. He turned back to look at his classmates who were all staring at him with the same concerned, shocked expression on their faces.
He was led out of the classroom and forced to walk out down the hallway but his teacher was walking too quickly so he couldn’t keep up and was falling over his feet. He would have face planted a few times if she wasn’t holding him up so firmly by his upper arm.
“Oww.” He tried to reach out to slap her hand away from him but he didn’t have a good angle and she was clearly much bigger and stronger than the already small fourteen year old.
“Enough.” She led him into the office where there was only one receptionist working at the moment. When they walked into the office, Peter made brief eye contact with the lady at the desk and saw her stand up to see what was going on. Peter’s teacher gave her a dirty look. “He’s not behaving in my class so I’m taking him down here.”
She dragged Peter into the empty nurses office and lifted him onto the small bed in there then forced him to lay down.
Peter started crying now and tried to sit up but she grabbed his legs out so he would be forced to lay down. “Stop!”
His teacher didn’t listen to him. “You need to behave yourself in my class.” She pushed his head down into the small mattress which made Peter cry harder and push her hands away but she roughly grabbed onto his hands and pinned them down. “Enough!” She screamed in his face.
Peter sobbed and turned his head away as he tried to sit up but she was holding him down so he couldn’t. “I-I want my dad!” Peter cried out, wishing the man would walk through those doors and rescue him.
“You want to sleep so badly in my classroom so sleep! I’m giving you that opportunity now.” His teacher grabbed onto his arms to roughly reposition him so he used that opportunity to try and sit up but he only managed to sit up halfway before he was being pushed back down again so Peter sobbed harder.
The door was being opened so Peter tried to turn his head to see who it was, seeing it was the lady from the front desk. She looked extremely worried. Peter tried to reach out for her, hoping she would help him but his hand was grabbed and his bottom lip shook uncontrollably.
“Um… Mrs. Argent? I-I don’t think this is appropriate. Um…” She looked around the office for anyone to come in and help but most of the other staff were on their lunches.
“He’s falling asleep in my class day after day and I’m sick of it! His parents keep him up all night, who knows why he isn’t sleeping. Then they still send him to school.”
Peter shook his head, trying to get away from her but he couldn't so he kicked his legs out. “Stop!” He cried.
The receptionist walked into the room a bit. “But Mrs. Argent, do-do you know who his dad is? You shouldn’t do this. To any student. He’s just a child.”
Peter felt her grip loosen on him at the mention of who his dad is. Peter didn’t fully understand what that meant but he was just grateful for her loosening her grip so he could turn onto his stomach and push himself up but he was pushed back down again and Peter screamed, both frustrated, scared and exhausted.
Mrs. Argent looked down at Peter. “Who’s his father?”
“Tony Stark, Mrs. he-he um owns that billion dollar company. I really don’t think you wanna do that to his son.”
Peter’s teacher looked down at him with such disgust. “So you’re a billionaire, Peter? That explains a lot. You’re a spoiled brat who thinks it’s okay to fall asleep in someone’s class. I bet every other teacher in this school is too afraid to tell you off but I’m not.”
The receptionist stepped forward. “I’m going to call his dad-”
“No you will not.”
The receptionist ran out of the room so Peter looked up at his teacher and tried to hit her but she grabbed his wrist and slapped his hand. “You’re bad, Peter. Wait until your parents hear about how disrespectful you’ve been.”
Upon hearing that he’s been bad, Peter repeatedly shook his head and cried harder. “No. Noooooo ahhhhh!” He screamed and thrashed on the bed briefly before his teacher grabbed his waist to get him to stop.
His bottom lip shook as he cried, causing him to make pitiful crying sounds.
The principal walked into the office and upon hearing the distressed cries, he placed his tray of coffees on the desk and approached the nurses office while looking at the receptionist. “What’s going on?”
She stood up. “Mrs. Argent is angry at Peter Stark. I tried calling you, sir. She came down about ten minutes ago with him and is forcing him to sleep.”
The principal opened up the door and saw Peter sobbing on the bed while his teacher, someone he was supposed to trust, stood over him and held him down on the bed. “Mrs. Argent.” He spoke loud and firm. “Step away from the child and go wait in my office.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Are you serious? He is acting like this is a daycare and treating my classroom like a nap room.”
“This is assault. We’re going to have a lawsuit on our hands once his parents find out. Get. Out!”
She let go of Peter and walked out of the office so Peter slowly pushed himself up and looked at his principal then collapsed back down onto the bed and sobbed. He just wanted to sleep, he didn’t mean to cause so much chaos.
He slowly approached Peter and placed a hand on his back but Peter cried harder and attempted to push his hand off of him then rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes aggressively.
The principal turned to the receptionist. “Get me his parents number. I’m going to call them in the hallway so they don’t hear the crying on the other end. Offer him water and try to calm him down so it doesn’t look so bad when his parents arrive.”
She already had Tony’s number pulled up and showed the principal, then when he walked away, she went into the nurse's office to be with Peter.
Principal Morita walked away from the crying and dialed Tony’s number, anxiously waiting for him to pick up.
“This is Stark.”
“Mr. Stark. This is Principal Morita calling on behalf of Peter Stark. He is having a bit of a difficult day and is rather emotional right now so I think it would be best if you come and pick him up.” He explained, not wanting to give out too much detail over the phone.
Tony was already on his way out the door. “Okay. Tell him I’m coming now and I'll be there in about fifteen minutes.” He hung up the phone after that and left, not prepared for what he would walk in on.
Principal Morita walked back into the office and the crying immediately hit his ears. He opened the door and saw the receptionist standing there with a glass of water. “Give it to him.”
“I tried, sir. He pushed me away.”
The principal really didn’t want the Starks to walk in on this. It was already bad enough that he had to explain to them what happened but it would be even worse if Tony Stark walked in on his son crying like this.
He really didn’t want to get on the Starks' bad side. They generously donated money to the school every semester for trips, new gym equipment and any other needed extras. They were already responsible for their child’s kidnapping and he really didn’t want this to be the reason they took Peter out of the school because this, this was bad.
Peter looked over at his principal but he didn’t want any comfort from them so he waved his hand to push them away.
“Peter. Do you want some water? Your dad will be here soon. We’re so sorry this happened.” He tried to calm him down but Peter was way too worked up. He looked at the receptionist. “Where is everyone? Where’s the nurse?”
“On their lunch.”
“Go get them. Now.”
While the receptionist ran away to go see who was in the lunchroom, principal Morita attempted to calm Peter down again. “Stop crying. It’s okay. Uh… your dad will be here soon. Do you want a candy?” He searched in the cabinets for candy but Peter pushed his hands away again and continued to cry.
The nurse walked into the room and approached Peter. “Hey. What’s wrong, honey?”
The vice principal and another receptionist watched by the door but Tony walked in at that moment. He immediately heard the crying and knew that it wasn’t a simple emotional cry like he was told on the phone. He knew every single one of Peter’s cries and this one was the cry he had when he was extremely distressed. It was a cry Tony rarely ever heard but it was the cry that hurt him the most to hear.
He rushed towards the nurses office and saw Peter crying on the bed so he rushed towards him and lifted him up. Peter pulled away a bit to see who was picking him up and when he saw it was his dad, he cried impossibly harder.
Tony rocked him side to side and leaned his head against Peter’s briefly, just letting him cry. He then turned to look at the audience watching them. “Why is he crying so hard? What happened?”
Everyone seemed hesitant.
“He isn’t just emotional.” He told the principal.
“I know… can you give us some privacy?” He told everyone else in the room and waited for them to leave but Tony was getting worried now. He hoisted Peter up higher and rubbed his back while continuing to rock side to side in hopes of calming him down, which Peter had considerably since he arrived and was only now sadly hiccuping.
“It appears that Peter has been falling asleep in Mrs. Argents class and today she acted out on it and brought Peter down here to sleep.”
Tony didn’t see what the problem was. “Okay…?”
“It appears that she was using rather… aggressive force to get Peter to sleep and was holding him down on the bed.”
Tony saw red. He had only met this Argent woman twice and hated her already. He didn’t want to think about what that woman did to his son who was trying to put on a brave face and go to school today even though he was exhausted. Peter was still healing and trying to come to school and find a safe place here then this woman who he is supposed to trust, goes and does this to him.
He looked down at Peter. “Is this true?”
Peter nodded and buried his face in Tony’s neck.
Tony looked back up at the principal but Pepper walked in. Tony looked at her. “Principal Morita is saying that Peter’s teacher was forcing him on the bed to go to sleep because he was falling asleep in the classroom.”
Pepper’s face fell and she walked over to Peter to rub his back. “What? What’s happening?”
“I promise you that this situation will be handled properly, Mr and Mrs. Stark. What happened was inappropriate and I can reassure you that it won’t happen again.”
“You’re acting like his teacher accidentally knocked him on the arm with a book. She was forcing my child to sleep. I don’t care if he’s falling asleep in class, that’s no excuse to treat my child the way she did. He was practically screaming when I walked in here.” Tony was outraged. He sends his son to school, thinking he’s going to be safe then he gets a call for this… “He’s already been through a lot. You out of anyone should know that since he was kidnapped on your watch.”
Tony didn’t really blame the school or hold them responsible. He was sure that Steve was watching them and would have found another opportunity to kidnap Peter if they didn’t on that day but it was still the school's fault for letting Peter go with a stranger after Tony gave them strict instructions not to.
Mr. Morita nodded, folding his hands together. “I understand, sir. What happened today will be reported and I can assure you the proper actions will be taken.”
Tony didn’t want to say too much in front of Peter. He rubbed his back and then Peter lifted his head up, rubbing at his eyes and that’s when Tony noticed a hand print shaped bruise beginning to form on Peter’s arm. “Let me see that.”
“Mm.” Peter tried to move away.
“Wait. Just let me see.” Tony grabbed his arm, looking at it more carefully and having to remain calm. This was child abuse. Tony would not just walk away and let this go unnoticed. The woman who did this to his child was going to be charged and lose her license. Tony didn’t care.
He was beyond furious.
He wanted to put Peter in a bubble and protect him from the cruel world.
Peter’s seen way too many evils that the world holds for his young, little age.
He rubbed his back. “I’m going to be taking him home now and I want to schedule a meeting to continue this discussion.” With that, Tony left. He didn’t care about taking Peter’s backpack with them, he didn’t even think about it in the moment because all he wanted was to make sure that Peter was home safe.
Pepper held Peter’s foot the whole way home since she couldn’t reach his hand. He clung onto Tony immediately after he was unbuckled from his car seat and then Tony had to bribe him with milk to get Peter to unlatch from him so he could change Peter into comfy clothes.
It had been an hour since they got home now, Peter was on his second bottle of milk and hadn’t left Tony’s side but he was a lot calmer so he wanted to hear what happened from Peter’s story.
They had been watching cartoons in silence pretty much since they arrived at home. Morgan was still at school and Harley was out shopping for shoes so it was just the three of them at home. Even Aiser seemed to sense that something was not okay with Peter since he was staying close by.
Peter’s second bottle of milk was empty so he tossed it on the couch and shoved his pacifier in his mouth, mumbling something about the show they were watching that Tony couldn’t understand.
“Yeah.” They agreed, not even knowing what Peter said. He looked over at Pepper, nodding his head to see if she agreed that it was a good moment to ask Peter what happened. But trying to get information out of him was like pulling teeth. “So, Pete. We want to know what happened today at school. Were you really tired in class?”
Peter nodded.
“What did your teacher do?”
Peter grabbed his ankles, pulling them up further on the couch. “Um… de’ to’d me don’ steep.”
Tony barely understood any of that. “Can you take your pacifier out to tell me. I can’t understand you with that in.”
Thankfully Peter took it out. “She told me don’t sleep.”
“Oh. What happened when you did fall asleep?” He asked, rubbing Peter’s thigh. His eyes were trained on the tv so Tony grabbed the remote and put the show on pause. “What did your teacher do?”
“Um… um… she told me don’t sleep. And why you send me if I sleep only.”
“If you only sleep in school?” Pepper asked for clarification. Peter was the absolute worst at trying to explain anything.
He nodded. “Then-then she tucked my chair in. And then we goed down to the hallway to-to-to go down to the office and she…” Peter flipped his arm to show the bruise. “See?”
“She did this on the way down to the office?”
“Uh huh. Cause I was being really bad.”
“Oh no, honey.” Pepper couldn’t help it. She pulled Peter onto her lap, holding him tightly. “No, baby boy. You weren’t bad. Never. She hurt you. She should have called down to the office to call us if you needed us. What she did was awful.”
Peter shrugged. He misbehaved and got punished for it. “Are you mad at me?” He asked them both but turned to Tony. He didn’t want his dad to be angry with him.
“No, Peter. Never. I’m sorry this happened to you today. Your teacher was very rude to you and you didn’t deserve that.” He squeezed his foot. “I love you so much and it hurts me to know this happened to you.”
Peter didn’t want his dad to be hurt. He put his pacifier back in his mouth and crawled over to him, holding him. “Don’t be sad, daddy. I’m okay now. I’m not sad no more.”
“Oh baby. Okay. That does make me feel better.” He kissed his cheek and just held him in his arms, not ready to let go of him just yet. Not ever. “Mmm. I love you so much. How about I give you a warm bath then we can lie down for a little nap?”
Despite getting in trouble for sleeping today, Peter didn’t seem to be tired anymore but a nice bath would surely help. When Peter agreed, Tony stood up with Peter and began walking upstairs. Maybe it was Peter feeling safe or maybe the mention of a warm bath was enough but Peter yawned, leaning his head against Tony’s shoulder.
Once they entered the bathroom, Tony placed Peter on his feet and ran the bath to an appropriate temperature, tossing in a few toys then kneeling down in front of Peter to take his diaper off, putting it in the diaper genie.
“Come in with me.”
“Not today, bubs.”
“Why?”
Tony paused. He didn’t actually know why. He supposed he could go in. He didn’t have to be anywhere anyways. “Alright. Let me go put my bathing suit on. Come out of the bathroom because I don’t want you around the water unattended.”
“Yay.” Peter waiter in the bedroom while his dad got his bathing suit on then he ran into the bathroom and stood on the stone steps to get into the filling bathtub. “Go in. Go in.”
“Alright. Alright.” Tony stepped in and laid down. Peter’s bath water temperature was always warmer than Tony would have liked it but it was perfect for Peter’s sensitive skin. Peter stepped in after and didn’t hesitate to seek his fathers warm arms, sitting on his legs and patting his chest hair down with the water. “What’re you doing?”
“I want chest hair like you. And a beard just like you.”
“I don’t want you to grow up.”
Peter chuckled. “But I have to.”
Humming, Tony pulled Peter closer to himself. “Just stay my little boy for as long as possible. Promise?”
“Okay, daddy.”
Tony looked into his big, innocent brown eyes that mirrored his own, besides for the innocence. He wished he could protect him from everything but that just wasn’t possible.
The promise of wanting to keep Peter young forever seemed like it would be cheated because Tony had to take that pacifier in his mouth from him sooner than later. Tony noticed that Peter was already mispronouncing some words that he used to pronounce properly and it would only get worse if they didn’t fix it by stopping the use of pacifiers.
But Peter seemed so peaceful and content, even after what happened today. Tony pulled him down to lean against his chest, breathing in his perfect scent that smelt like baby powder, a mixture of Tony’s cologne and something Tony couldn’t describe but was so Peter.
“My baby forever. I love you so, so much.”
“I love you too, daddy.”
The bath was comfortable. Tony knew Peter would’ve been jumping all over him, splashing, telling stories and screaming from excitement if it were any other time. But today, he was exhausted so Tony enjoyed the rare peace and quiet with his youngest boy.
After about twenty minutes, Pepper walked into the bathroom with a bottle of milk and a diaper. She cooed at the sight of them, taking a picture. “Hey. How’s it going?”
Tony couldn’t see Peter’s face but he knew he was nodding off. “I think it’s probably time to get out. Can you lay a towel on the bed?”
“Yeah.”
It was rather difficult to get out of the bathtub and into a standing position while also trying not to wake Peter up too much but once he was on solid ground, Tony felt Peter stir. “Shh shh. Let’s go lay down on the bed.”
As soon as Tony laid him on the bed, Pepper used another towel to dry him while Tony went back into the bathroom to get changed into track pants and a tank top.
“Shh shh shh. Just rest your eyes, baby. Daddy will be out soon then you can sleep together.” She took the towel off and opened up a diaper, sliding it underneath him.
“Do you want milk?” Tony asked him, sitting down next to his body while Pepper got a diaper secured onto him so he could sleep. He caressed Peter’s soft cheeks, waiting for an answer but he was so tired so Tony took that as a no.
“Okay. What time is it?” He asked Pepper after laying Peter down on a pillow that he immediately got comfortable in, flipping onto his stomach.
“It’s 2:30.”
Yikes. Kinda late for a two hour nap. “I’ll let him sleep for about an hour at least.”
“Not any longer than that. I’m going to go pick up Morgan and text Harley to pick up some take out for dinner. I don’t feel like cooking.”
“Sounds good. I’m just going to lay down with him and pay some bills.” Tony grabbed his iPad after kissing his wife and then got comfortable on the bed, feeling so perfectly content.
He looked down at Peter’s sleeping body, watching his back rise and fall with each breath he took and his pacifier bobbing up and down as he sucked on it. If only he could have seen this moment seven years ago, when Peter was seven, still kidnapped from them. He would’ve saved himself years of pain. But he couldn’t think about that. It’s the here and now that mattered the most.
Tony went back onto his iPad hosting their house bills and visa then looking up some ideas for Christmas presents for his kids. They were still deciding if they wanted to celebrate Christmas at home or at Peppers parents house in Malibu. Tony kinda wanted to stay home more, plus it would snow and snow on Christmas mornings were magical.
He knew what to get Peter, his favourite person to buy for, but he wanted to get him something extra special this year after everything.
Tony saved a few items for later then looked over at Peter when he sat up and looked around.
“Hey.”
Peter looked at him then collapsed back onto the bed, falling asleep again. Tony chuckled. He didn’t know why Peter did that but it happened quite often at night.
It was cute.
About an hour later, Tony got up to open the curtains, wanting to get Peter woken up gently. He rubbed his stomach and brushed the messy, sweaty curls off his face but smelt something.
“Hey, buddy. Nap times over. It’s time to wake up.”
Peter moaned, stretching and rolling onto his stomach again then opened his eyes, cringing at the feeling between his legs. “Mmmm.”
Tony touched the back of his diaper. Yep. Just like he assumed. “Lie down on your back so I can change your diaper.”
Peter sat up in bed. “Urg.”
“Yeah. I bet that’s uncomfortable. Lie back down.”
“It’s poop.”
“Yeah. You did a poop. Lie down, Peter.” Tony grabbed the wipes and cream, waiting for Peter to lie down then he pulled his legs to the edge of the bed, opening up the diaper straps and pulling the front down then pushing his knees to his chest.
Peter yawned, then the door opened up and he turned to see Morgan walk in, holding something in her hands.
“Hey, Morg. How was school?”
Morgan walked over, seeing the messy diaper. “Eww. He’s got poo everywhere.”
“Yeah. He does. How was school?” Tony asked again, grabbing more wipes.
“Good. We made gingerbread castles today. And I made you a picture, Peter. Look at it.” She climbed onto the bed and handed Peter the drawing proudly.
“Is dis’ me?” Peter asked, pointing to a tiny figure next to the house.
“Yeah. That’s your pacifier in your mouth too. See?”
Peter loved it. He turned it around to show his dad. “‘Ook!”
“One second, Pete. I’ll look after I wipe your bum.”
Peter handed the drawing back to Morgan. “I wanna draw too. I wanna paint!”
“His bums all red, dad. Can I help you put cream on him?”
“That’s alright, Morgan. I’ll do it. Can you open it for me?” He could do it himself but he knew she liked to feel like she could help.
“Sure!” She got it opened and handed it to their dad. “Here.”
“Thanks.”
“Can I put a diaper on him for you?”
“I can do it. But I do need you to get one for me and open it up, can you do that?” Again, Tony could do it himself and would prefer to but Morgan liked to feel helpful and he didn’t want to turn her down.
Tony didn’t want to give his kids the responsibility of doing things like doing diapers changes unless it was absolutely necessary but that would be Harley’s responsibility if that was the case.
“Daddy. I wanna paint.”
“You guys can draw. I think paint is a little too messy for today. Harley will bring home dinner soon too.” Tony got the diaper secured onto him, patting the front. “All done. Go get some clothes on please.”
“No.” Peter sat up, taking Morgan’s drawing with him and walking out of the bedroom with her, making their way downstairs.
“Peter. Put some clothes on. I’m not asking.” Tony called after him, only to have Peter ignore him. Great. He grabbed a sweater and joggers then followed them downstairs where they went straight to the basement together. Tony walked over to him and handed him the clothes. “Put these on.”
“Nooo.”
“Peter.”
“No! No no no no.”
Tony sighed and sat down on the armrest of the couch. “I don’t want you walking around in just a diaper. Put some clothes on.”
“I don’t want to.”
Tony put the sweater over his head once he was close enough to him then got his arms through. “Now the pants.”
“Never.”
Tony sighed again and looked at Morgan. “Can you make sure he keeps his diaper on? I know what you guys get up to down here and he’s got diaper rash cream that stains if it gets on anything. Can you do that for me Morgan?”
“I can, dad.”
“Thanks, bug. You two be good.”
Tony turned on the baby monitor and left. He couldn’t see them but he could hear them from it and could hear if anyone started crying or fighting since it was just going to be the two of them down there.
He got upstairs and turned the other baby monitor on, joining Pepper in the living room to help her fold laundry. “They’re downstairs?”
“Yeah. Hopefully playing nicely.” He could hear them talking on the monitor but most of it he couldn’t make out. He was only interested in hearing any cries.
“So, about today,”
Tony nodded. “I know. I’m going to call his school tomorrow and schedule a meeting. I want both of us to go in so we’ll need to ask Harley to watch Peter.”
Tony knew Harley didn’t particularly like watching his brother since it overwhelmed him. Understandably so.
“We can schedule it around nap time so he can be sleeping for the majority of it so Harley doesn’t have to deal with too much.” Pepper said and Tony fully agreed.
“Peter pooped in his sleep today too. I think it was in his sleep. Or he had just woken up and went. I don’t know why he’s so scared to go in the toilet. Besides for today and a few setbacks, he’s been doing pretty well at peeing in the potty.”
“I saw him come down in a diaper. Maybe we can take that off him later.”
Tony didn’t want to today. “Tomorrow. Not today.”
“Tony.”
He looked at her. “It’s just one day. Tomorrow will be underwear or nothing all day. I promise.”
She didn’t fight him on it. “Alright.”
After the laundry was folded, Tony went into the kitchen to wash some bottles while Pepper read her book in the living room. He had the baby monitor right next to him when he heard Peter scream followed by Morgan screaming and then Peter crying.
He dropped the bottle in the sink and ran downstairs, running into the playroom and saw Morgan holding her arm protectively against her chest and Peter crying on the floor.
He sat between them and looked at Morgan for an answer. “What happened?”
“He bit me!” She cried, more of a fake cry that Tony recognized, probably trying to get more attention than Peter. Usually when they both cried, they tried to out beat each other to see who could do it the loudest and the longest. Peter always won.
“Okay. Let me see?” Tony held his arms out for her and pulled back her hand to see the fresh imprints of Peter’s teeth on her arm. It didn’t break the skin but it would definitely bruise. He sighed. “Why did he bite you?”
Pepper came down as well to help out, pulling Peter into her arms. “What happened, honey?”
Morgan showed their mom her arm, crying harder. “He bit me!”
“Oh no, Peter. Why did you bite her?”
Peter started hyperventilating. “I-I-I-I-I-” He couldn’t get his words out and was crying so hard he gagged.
“Okay.” Tony sat up, lifting Morgan up to hand her to Pepper so he could calm Peter down. “Switch. I’ll take him and get him to calm down then we’ll be back.”
He lifted Peter up from Peppers arms and stood up, walking out of the playroom and heading upstairs as Peter screamed in his arms, crying so hard that his face turned red and he gagged again, tears, spit and snot falling down his face.
Tony walked into the kitchen and grabbed a facecloth to wipe his face first then placed a pacifier in his mouth, immediately quieting the cries as Peter sucked on it like his life depended on it.
“Take your time. It’s okay. I’m here. You’re okay.” He soothed him, walking around the kitchen to help him calm down. After a few minutes, Peter took the pacifier out of his mouth to let out another sob then shoved it back in, sucking on it again.
After a few more minutes, Tony felt confident that he had calmed down enough so he opened up the freezer. “I think it’s a good idea to take an ice pack down for your sister. You hurt her.”
Peter pointed at an ice pack in the freezer.
“You think that one’s good?” Peter nodded so Tony grabbed it and gave it to Peter to hold which he automatically put in his mouth to suck on. He then carried Peter back downstairs, almost tripping over their dog since he decided to help out too.
Tony walked back into the playroom and sat back down on the floor. “Morgan, Peter has something to give you.”
Peter handed her the ice pack, putting the pacifier back in his mouth and leaning heavily against Tony.
“Morgan told me what happened, Peter, would you like to explain it to daddy?”
“I want to tell daddy.” Morgan whined.
“Morgan, let’s give Peter the chance to explain it first.”
“Fine.”
Tony encouraged Peter. “Can you tell me what happened?”
“Um… um… um… I-I ‘as bui’din’ my to’er g’en ‘he knocked it down.”
Tony tried to piece out what he said but it was hard. “Ohh. Did you knock something down, Morgan?”
“No! We were building a tower of those blocks right there and I wanted to make the roof a triangle but he didn’t listen to me! So he put the blocks on top without asking me and that made me soo angry so I pushed him over and he knocked the tower down with his butt. I didn’t! Then- then he screamed at me and bit my arm!”
That made a lot more sense than what Peter had said. The difference between their children. One who was raised by both Tony and Pepper and the other who spent seven years with them and seven years being raised by another man. So yeah, Peter’s communication skills sucked to say the least.
Peter started crying again so Tony turned him around to hug him in his arms. “I’m glad that Morgan explained it so mom and I understand now so we can help you.”
“Noooo! I did too!” Peter cried harder.
“I know you did. Thank you.” Tony rubbed his back and looked at Morgan. “Morgan, I’m thinking if you told him your idea and asked him if you could show him first instead of pushing him, that would have helped the situation more.”
“Why is it my fault?”
“It isn’t your fault, Morgan. It’s no one’s fault.” Tony didn’t know how to word this. “Even though Peter is older, you know better. He doesn’t. So you need to be the one to help solve these problems and teach Peter how.”
“And if he still wasn’t listening, then you come and get your father and I.” Pepper added, still holding Morgan.
Tony turned Peter back around to face Morgan. “And Peter, you can’t bite. Biting hurts. You need to use your words when something upsets you.”
“No. I like biting.”
Tony looked at Pepper. They didn’t know if Peter knew if it was wrong or not. Or if he simply did it because he couldn’t express himself. Maybe a bit of both.
“That’s not fair! He always bites me.” Morgan began crying again. “It hurts!”
“Morgan. Can you come show Peter your bite mark?” Tony suggested, hoping to get Peter to understand how that hurts and to hopefully get him to stop using biting as a technique for fights.
“Yeah.” Morgan crawled over and removed the ice pack, showing Peter the red and purple mark that was now bruising. And the worst part was that Tony would have to let her teacher know what happened at drop off so they didn’t suspect anything.
“See, Peter? You really hurt Morgan and upset her.”
Peter looked at it carefully then pulled his pacifier out of his mouth and handed it to his sister as a peace offering. Tony couldn’t believe it. He could not believe it. He looked at Pepper, totally amazed. That was a huge, huge thing for Peter. He was the most generous and selfless person ever but he never ever offered up his pacifier or bottles to anyone so for him to offer his comfort in exchange for his sisters was huge.
“Nooo! I don’t want that.” Morgan denied it, of course. But it was still so huge.
“Wow, Peter. That was so kind of you. Good job, buddy.” Tony praised him as Peter put it back into his mouth. “Morgan. Peter tried to offer you some comfort because he knows he hurt you.”
“But I don’t want a soother. I’m not a baby.”
“I know, but it’s the gesture, Morgan.” Tony kissed Peter’s cheek. “Peter, what can you do to help make Morgan feel better?”
Peter stopped to think about it for a little bit. “I dunno.”
It was a start.
Tony knew the fight was absolutely ridiculous between the two of them and totally over exaggerated but to them it was a big deal and Tony knew they were small people with big emotions that they were navigating through so he lived for these moments he could help his kids work through problems like this. Also it was a needed reminder that they were still young enough to have fights like this and needed help.
“Do you think Morgan would like an apology?” Tony tried, not going to force it if Peter said no. As expected, Peter shook his head.
But then he left Tony’s lap and hugged her. She hugged him back and Tony’s heart bursted with pride. His perfect babies.
Pepper and him shared a smile.
It was so nice to be able to help his children work out their problems like this but then to see them hug and make up right after and hold no grudges, so, so nice. Tony loved his life. He was obsessed with his life and wanted to freeze time to live in these moments forever. If only that was possible…
Pepper rubbed both of her kids’ backs and moved to stand up. “I’m going to head back upstairs. Can you two behave until dinner?”
“Yes!” Peter agreed.
“I’m going to hang out with them until Harley’s back.” Not because he didn’t trust them, although he didn’t, but it was only because he wanted to stay and hang out with them for a bit.
His kids were his best friends and they were pretty much the only people he tolerated being around. They were everything he needed. And more.
Peter climbed to the top of the toy slide that he was a bit too big for now but they still had fun on it. He went to slide down but his diaper got stuck and ripped off on his way down, leaving him diaper less at the bottom. Tony burst out laughing at the scene and Peter’s confused face was just the cherry on top.
“Oh no, buddy.” Tony laughed, walking on his knees over to him.
Peter looked down at himself. “It fell off.”
“There’s diaper rash cream on the slide, dad. Look.” Morgan examined it closely then ripped the stuck diaper off the slide and tossed it to the mats on the ground.
“Yeah. I’ll need to clean that. That was funny.”
Peter was still processing it. “Yeah. But I need my diaper back on.”
“I’ll get you one. Don’t move anywhere because I don’t want the cream to stain anything.” Tony grabbed the ripped diaper and stood up, going into the bathroom and wetting a towel.
“I want to wipe it up, dad.” Morgan followed him in, taking the towel. “I can do it!”
Tony didn’t feel like going upstairs but the only diaper size downstairs was a five and Peter was usually a seven so it would be a tight fit but he would still wear it. He walked into the playroom, appreciating Morgan cleaning up the slide then sat back down on the floor, patting the area in front of him. “Pete.”
Peter turned to him but made sure to grab his blanket and the toy he was holding before crawling over to him. “This is Mike my Dino and he eats meat.”
“Hi Mike. Does he want to join us for dinner?” Tony asked, waiting for Peter to lay down in front of him.
“Yes. He does. He hasn’t eaten in one hundred years.” Peter laid down, opening and closing his dinosaur's mouth. He let his dad get a fresh diaper on him then sat up, handing his dinosaur over. “Put a diaper on him too.”
“Okay. Go get another one from the other room then.”
Peter stood up, pulling on the top of the diaper a bit. Tony noticed. “Is it too tight?”
“Uh, no. It’s fine.” Peter returned with a diaper and handed it to his father, waiting for his toy dinosaur to get one on too. “Yay. He likes it. Now he can go in the car with us.”
Tony hummed. Is that what Peter thought of himself? That he couldn’t go in the car without a diaper? Granted, Tony didn’t really want him in the car without protection, a bit too worried he’d soak his car seat. But he didn’t want Peter thinking that.
“How about your dinosaur sits on the toilet with you?”
“No. He’ll fall in.”
“There’s a training potty upstairs he can use.”
“Maybe.”
Tony didn’t push it. They stayed downstairs for a bit longer until Harley walked into the room, walking over to his brother and scooping him up from behind. “Hey.”
Peter laughed at being flipped upside down then tried reaching up when he saw who it was. “Harley! You’re back.”
“I left for like two hours.” He flipped Peter around so he could hold him in his arms still. He missed his brother a lot today for some reason. Plus his mom just told him what happened at school to him today so Harley wanted to give him some extra love.
“Longer than two hours. Like a hundred billion hours.” Peter wiggled to be placed on his feet but Harley didn’t let him go just yet. “Put me down.”
“I didn’t even get a hug yet.”
“I’ll give you a hug.” Morgan dragged over a chair so she could be at the same height as them. Shifting Peter into one arm, Harley hugged his sister with the other but she clung onto him, letting Harley take her full weight. “Now you’re never letting me go.”
“Well one of you has to go or my arms will fall off.” Harley carefully dropped Peter to his feet, only because he was already wanting down.
Peter walked over to their dad, taking a seat in his lap. “Dinner time, baby. No time for cuddles.” Tony stood up, holding his hand out for Peter to pull him up and saw him tug on his diaper again. “Is it uncomfortable?”
“Uh… yeah. It feels too… tight here.” He said, tugging on the top again.
“Okay. I’ll put another on you when we go up then.”
Peter grabbed his dinosaur and Tony’s hand, pulling him to go upstairs. His tummy was feeling hungry and he also really wanted a bottle so if he ate some dinner, he could get a bottle and seek some comfort from someone.
Once he got upstairs, he let go of his dads hand and walked over to his mom, standing on his top toes to look at the food on the counter. “Don’t touch, Peter. It’s hot. Tony. Can you take him out of the kitchen.”
“Come, Pete. Let’s fill up your juice for dinner.” Taking him by the arm, Tony led him over to the fridge. “What juice do you want?”
“Ummm… milk.”
“I’ll give you a half bottle of milk but no more until you eat your dinner.” Tony grabbed a water bottle from the cabinet. “And in a sippy cup, not a bottle.”
Peter didn’t say anything, not wanting to risk losing his milk. As soon as Tony poured some into a cup and screwed the lid on, he grabbed it and joined his siblings at the dining room table in the other room.
“…it was so much fun. My teacher even gave me the recipe so I can bake some at home.” Morgan explained her gingerbread castle event today at school.
Peter carefully chose his spot, going for the seat next to where he knew his dad would sit with him. “Daddy says we can paint after dinner.” Peter lied but he’d be good so it could actually happen.
“What will you paint?”
Peter drank some milk. “You.”
“You’re gonna paint me? Or a picture of me?”
“Well I meant I was gonna paint a picture of you but thanks for giving me that idea to actually paint your body. Now you can’t take it back.”
“That’s a good idea.” Morgan agreed, reaching over to scoop some fruit onto her plate and munch on that.
“Uhh,” Harley just dug his own grave. “Not happening. Ask if you can paint dad. I’m sure he’ll love that.”
Peter shook his head.
“Actually, better yet, I’m going to go relax in the hot tub tonight. Who wants to join me?”
“We will. After we paint you.” Peter grinned, acting innocent when Tony walked in with the food, followed by Pepper with the rest of the food. There were mixed vegetables with quesadilla, chicken and chicken fried rice. Peter eyed the chicken fried rice. His stomach growled. “I’m hungry.”
“I’m glad because dinners ready.”
Tony sat down next to Peter and asked him what he wanted on his plate. “Ummmm… that.” Tony scooped the rice.
“Anything else?”
“Ummmm… carrots only from the veggies. Not corn. I don’t feel like it today.”
Tony added some to his plate and handed it to him. His plate was plastic and divided into sections with the hope to get him to actually eat the food given to him, despite Peter being extremely picky. But Tony felt confident for today.
Instead of using his fork as usual, Peter used his hands but Tony didn’t say anything, as long as he was actually eating. He was way underweight so Tony would do anything to get him to eat.
Even if that meant using his hands.
Peter finished off his rice quickly and reached across the table to grab more but that meant him climbing onto the actual table. “Pete. Come off. Tell me what you want.”
“More rice. Please.”
“Okay. I’m glad. But come off. I’ll get it.”
Peter stood up in his chair, watching his dad fill up his plate again then squatting down, grabbing a fist full.
“Peter, using a spoon will help. You’re making a mess, baby.” Pepper watched the rice fall onto his shirt and she knew there was a bunch of it underneath him.
Tony filled up his spoon and held it out to Peter, feeding him a bite, chuckling when his eyes lit up. “Wow. Who would’ve thought a spoon could be used for eating.”
Peter gave him a side eye and it made Tony’s heart flutter. Good god, he just loved him so much. It felt like a glimpse into their future, what was in store with Peter as he got older. Tony had such mixed feelings about it.
Part of him was so freaking excited to watch Peter grow up, mature and do things with him, like traveling, road trips, daddy son dates. But then he also didn’t want, wasn’t ready, to say goodbye to this young and innocent boy.
Peter took his own spoon but ditched it after the second try and went back to his hands. They just let him.
“Harley said we can go in the top tub later.” Morgan announced, shoving chicken into her mouth.
“I was going to make milkshakes for dessert.”
“Milkshakes and hot tubs are the best.” Morgan and Harley both agreed on that.
Tony watched Peter shove a huge handful of food into his mouth and did a double look. “Slow down, kid. The food isn’t going anywhere.”
“Peter. You’ll make yourself sick if you eat so fast. It’s like you haven’t eaten lunch.”
Tony’s eyes widened and turned to Pepper. Fuck. “He didn’t eat lunch. I just realized that. I forgot to feed him.”
“Wow, dad. So you’re starving us now.” Harley teased but Tony felt awful.
“I’m sorry, Pete. I totally forgot.” He sighed. How the fuck did he forget to feed his kid.
Pepper had to reach over to squeeze his hand. “Don’t, Tony. We were busy today. Today was a hard day. He’s eating now.”
Peter pushed his plate towards Tony. “More rice. Please.” He stood up to brush the rice off his shirt, feeling it falling into his diaper.
“Come, Pete.” Tony grabbed a spoon and held it out for him. “So much is falling onto the floor.”
Peter accepted the bite, chewing it then opening up for more. “Mm mm mm mm mm. More.”
“Tony. Let him feed himself.” Pepper tried but Tony didn’t look like he was going to. She got he felt bad, she did too, but Peter couldn’t be spoon fed like an infant like this, even if he was making a mess.
“Okay okay.” Tony fed him one more bite then handed him the spoon. “Do you want more?”
“I want milk.”
“Do you want a milkshake, honey?” Asked Pepper, standing up to clear the plates now that Peter was done. Morgan jumped onto her chair just like Peter had been doing.
“I want a chocolate milkshake!”
“I’ll help you, mom.”
Peter quickly stood up to follow his mom, taking his empty sipping cup with him. He watched her put the plates in the sink then tugged on her shirt. “I want milk.”
Pepper pried Peter’s grippy hands off her shirt. “Would you like milk or a milkshake, honey?”
Peter pulled her shift down again. “Milk.”
“I’ll pour you a bottle then. You ate all your dinner and I’m so proud of you.” She moved over and grabbed a bottle from the cabinet but Peter was still trying to reach in her top. “Honey. I’m giving you milk. You need to let go of my shirt.”
“Not that one.”
Pepper pulled his hands away only for them to go back. He was in one of his clingy moods with her and it was heartbreaking, knowing their breastfeeding journey was robbed from them so violently.
She knelt down in front of him, taking Peter’s hands in hers. “Baby. You can’t have my milk anymore. You aren’t a toddler, honey. I’m so sorry.”
Since he was at a better angle, Peter put his hand down her shirt just as Tony walked into the kitchen and saw them. He already knew what was going on.
“Alright, baby. So I’ll give you milk in a bottle or you can have a milkshake. But you can’t put your hands in my bra, honey.” Pepper looked up at Tony and shrugged then stood up, wanting to cry when Peter let out a pitiful whine.
Tony took over. “What’s going on, Peter?”
“I want mommy. Not you.” Peter pulled away from Tony and went back over to his mom, leaning against her. “Milk.”
“No, honey.”
“Yes.”
“Peter.”
Tony poured some milk in a bottle and lifted Peter into his arms. “Here’s some milk.”
“Noo.”
“Let’s go get changed into our bathing suits so we can go in the hot tub. Alright.” He didn’t give Peter time to answer since he was already heading upstairs and into the master bedroom. He dug in Peter’s drawer for a bathing suit then walked into the bathroom, placing him on his feet. “Do you want to bring some bath toys into the hot tub?” Tony tried to distract him but it didn’t work.
“No. Where’s mom?”
“How about we bring all your bath toys? Huh?” Tony pulled off his diaper, laughing at all the rice that came off with it. “Look down. You’ve got rice everywhere.”
Looking down briefly, Peter wiped some off then turned towards the door wince he saw his mom walk in.
“I’m going to stay inside. You guys enjoy it.” Pepper walked in and moved to caress Peter’s cheeks. “You go have fun with daddy and your brother and sister. I’m going to do some cleaning up.”
Tony wiped the rice off Peter’s diaper area and stood up. “You can still join us. I’ll clean up later.”
“No. It’s not fair to him. He wants something I can’t give him.”
They both looked down at his sad, innocent looking face.
“Would you if you could?”
Pepper looked at Tony then quickly turned and walked out of the bathroom. Tony sighed. He shouldn’t have asked that question. He knew how hard losing Peter at that time was. He couldn’t even imagine how Peter felt, going from breastfeeding on demand to going cold turkey, having to be weaned by men who kidnapped him. Maybe that’s why Peter got these bursts of desperation for Pepper's milk.
Tony felt bad. He messed up. But he also knew if that was him, only one person could make him feel better.
So he took Peter’s hand and went to go find his mom. “Where she go?”
“I don’t know, baby.”
Peter’s bedroom door was closed so Tony knocked, hearing Pepper sniffing inside. He opened the door slightly. “Go see if she’s okay, buddy.” Peter walked in so Tony shut the door behind them, sinking down to the floor and trying not to cry. This was so hard.
Pepper smiled at her baby who broke her heart so badly it could never recover.
“You sad?”
Pepper nodded, holding her arms out for him. She just needed to hold him. Peter approached her, climbing onto the bed, kneeling beside her and reaching out to touch a tear. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh baby.” How does she tell her own son that he caused her this pain.
Peters eyes glanced down to her chest then back up at her, seeming to decide what to do. Finally, he reached his hand down but Pepper didn’t stop him. “Milk?”
She shook her head, wiping her tears.
“Why not?”
“Because my sweet boy, you grew up and my milks gone. That part of our life is over now.” That was so hard to say. Peter removed his hand and the action broke Pepper's heart just a little bit more.
“Oh. Will it come back?”
“No. No, I’m sorry. I wish I could comfort you.” She caressed his soft face. “I’m so sorry, baby.”
Peter hated seeing the people he loved cry. He crawled across his bed and grabbed a Kleenex, wiping her face for her. “Don’t cry, mom. I’m not sad.”
“I’m glad you aren’t sad, baby. I’m sorry I can’t give you want you want.” She pulled him onto her lap, needing to hold him for a little while. Tony made the right choice by sending him in there alone. He was exactly what she needed. Even if she couldn’t give Peter what he needed.
After a few moments, Pepper broke the silence. “Are you mad that I can’t give you what you’re asking for?”
Peter thought about it. He shrugged. “No. You can later.”
“No, baby. I can’t ever.”
“Oh. Okay.” Peter responded and it was almost impossible to make out what he was feeling at that moment.
“I love you so much, Peter. Even if I can’t give you what you’re wanting.”
“Okay. I know you too, mommy.” He lifted his head off her chest and looked down at her chest again. “Can I have milk later?”
She sighed. Why wasn’t he getting this? The bedroom door opened after about thirty minutes of the two of them being in there and Tony stood there, leaning against the doorframe, taking in the scene.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” Peter smiled back at him, lifting his arms up for Tony. Tony took him from Pepper and Peter wrapped his arms around his neck then began sobbing against him.
“Oh, baby. What happened?” The crying took them both by surprise. Tony rubbed Peter’s back, looking to Pepper for an answer but she just sat up and waved them away.
“Please take him.”
Tony took Peter out of the room and walked back to the master bedroom, shushing him and rocking him side to side. He had no idea what was going on.
“We’re ready, dad.” Morgan announced as her and Harley walked in. “Why’s Petey crying?”
“Can you guys get in without us? We’ll be there soon.”
“Why’s Petey crying?” Morgan asked, walking over and touching his ankle. His cries hurt to hear.
“He’s just feeling upset right now. We’ll be there soon. Harley, don’t leave Morgan in the hot tub alone.”
“Okay… is he okay, dad?”
Tony nodded. “We’ll be there soon.”
After they left, Tony walked towards the dresser and grabbed a pacifier off the table, pushing it past Peter’s lips. He took to it but he didn’t stop crying like he usually did. So Tony continued to rock him and hold him.
It took about fifteen minutes for him to completely calm down. Enough for Tony to have gotten worried he was going to need some extra help getting to that point but thankfully he didn’t. Tony then sat on the bed and faced Peter towards him on his lap.
“Can you tell me what’s wrong?”
Peter was breathing heavily, his cheeks and eyes all red from crying so hard. Tony’s heart broke.
It was also obvious Peter wasn’t going to tell him so Tony brought him closer to himself. “Okay. Let’s go get some fresh air and go in the hot tub for a bit. Hmm?”
He didn’t get a response, not like he was expecting one anyways.
Tony removed Peter’s shirt, deciding to leave him as is. Then he got on his bathing suit quickly and carried Peter outside, walking into the hot tub.
Peter sat comfortably in his lap, sighing against Tony’s chest. Morgan swam over to them, poking Peter’s pacifier. “Mmmmm!” Peter whined.
“Why are you so sad?”
Peter tried to push her away, getting worked up again. “Mmmmm!”
“Morgan. Let him be for a bit.” Tony brought Peter’s head back to his chest. He’s never gotten so emotional over this reason before, sure, it’s happened before but never this bad. So Tony didn’t know what was going on.
“Let’s go back to our game, Morgan.”
Morgan swam back over to her seat. “Okay. Whose turn was it?”
“My turn. I’d bring… music to the island… some way to keep my ice cream from melting…”
Tony drifted off from the conversation and focused on Peter’s face. His eyes were opened but not really focusing on anything. The pacifier was bobbing up and down in his mouth but he looked pretty tense.
Tony didn’t say anything to him, not even knowing what he could say to make him feel better.
He focused back on the game his other children were playing but became uninterested in it since Peter was on his mind, not really knowing what to do about this.
To his complete and utter surprise, Pepper walked outside, holding a towel in her arms. She smiled at Morgan and Harley then walked over to the side of the hot tub Tony and Peter were on.
Peter immediately reached for her once he saw her. “I’m going to take him, Tony.”
“Okay… want me to come in too?”
“No. You stay out here. I’m just going to take him in.” Pepper wrapped the towel around Peter’s small frame then took him into her arms, carrying him less gracefully than Tony does but still able to carry him.
Tony watched her carry him away and immediately felt empty. His dependence on Peter was pretty bad, that much was obvious.
Peter wrapped his arms around his moms neck, feeling this need to be close. He was still incredibly upset that he couldn’t get what he wanted but it was made obvious that he wasn't allowed and he was too tired to try again.
Peter laid his head on her shoulder until they walked into the bedroom and his mom sat down on the bed, moving back so her back was leaning against the headboard. Peter sighed against her but looked over when she leaned over, grabbing something off the nightstand table.
He turned his head to see what it was, spotting a bottle of milk. He blinked at it, not knowing if he wanted one right now.
“You’re my special, little boy, Peter. Mommy loves you so much. I’m sorry I can’t give you the comfort you need.” Pepper caressed his face then urged him to change positions which Peter didn’t feel like doing but he did anyway until his head was cradled in the crook of her arm.
Peter took out his pacifier and reached for the bottle, drinking the warm milk and letting his eyes close. It was calming to drink warm milk as opposed to the cold milk he always has.
He was half asleep as he felt someone getting him ready for bed but he felt like he was milk drunk after that bottle. Next, he felt himself being re-positioned on the bed with the blankets covering him.
“He’s asleep without me.” That was his dads voice. So did his dad get him ready for bed. “That’s a first.”
“He had a busy day.” His mom replied but Peter drifted off to sleep before he could hear anything else.
Tony looked at Peter’s sleeping, peaceful body, wishing he knew what got him so upset and why. “I’m sorry for asking you that question. It wasn’t fair of me to do that. Especially in front of him.”
“It’s okay. I’m not upset. It just… hurt. It’s like a reminder of what him and I lost. That was so hard and the thing is, I don’t know what would have happened if he wasn’t kidnapped and I try not to think about it because it doesn’t matter but it’s still hard.”
“I get it. Obviously I do.”
“It hurts me that he’s trying to seek comfort from me and I can’t give it to him.” Pepper said on the bed. “When he was a toddler, you were his favourite person. He always chose you over me. Except when I breastfed him. So that was our time together. But now, he still chooses you and I don’t have anything to get him to choose me. It hurts.”
Tony never really thought of it like that. “You're his mother. That means everything to him. You don’t need anything to get him to choose you.”
“He still doesn’t. And I broke his poor little heart today.”
Tony pulled her into his arms. “You didn’t. He… feels emotions very strongly. And you’re going through it too.” He paused. “Did I help by sending him in to check up on you?”
“Yes. You did. Thank you.”
“Okay. Good.” Tony pulled away first and looked back at Peter, still passed out. It was quite early for them to head to bed just yet. “Maybe tomorrow you guys can have a mommy son day? Those are always my favourite. I’ll take care of everything else so…”
“That’s actually a good idea.” Maybe Pepper just found a way to make up for making her son cry today.