Always Be My Baby

“Dad, throw the ball all the way over there.” Peter handed Tony the tennis ball and waited for him to throw it so he could try and race Aiser to the trees. 

Tony threw it and watched Peter and Aiser run across the large field to get the ball. 

He briefly turned around to look at Morgan and make sure she was still there then went back to watching Peter. He was more focused on Peter but he still had his eyes on Morgan. “Come back, Peter!” He called out, not liking how far Peter had run. 

Peter started running back with Aiser and grabbed the ball out of his dog's mouth. “I’m gonna throw it so Aiser has to wait here.” 

“Why don’t you throw it from here so he can chase it?” Tony suggested. He didn’t see Peter’s logic behind that but he wasn’t going to argue with Peter. 

“No, cause I want to throw it from there.” Peter ran across the field while Aiser waited for him to throw the ball in the other direction. “I’m gonna throw it!” Peter laughed and went to throw the ball but he heard a growl and turned around to see a giant dog running towards him. 

He dropped the ball and screamed but the German shepherd was jumping on him before he could even make a run for it. The dog bit onto his pants, missing his skin and tried to drag him away but Peter tried to kick and reach out to grab onto something so he wouldn’t be dragged away. 

Across the field, Tony saw that dog coming at Peter and he didn’t think anything of it at first, he expected to see the owner come out of the forest but then the dog was tackling Peter to the ground so Tony started running towards his son. “Peter!” 

Aiser was already ahead of Tony and sprinted across the field. He jumped onto the dog, tackling it off of Peter but now the German shepherd was on Aiser and biting him as if he were a rag doll. 

Tony got to Peter and lifted him up, quickly looking over his body to see if there was any blood on him. He had no idea if he was bitten. 

“Are you okay?!” Tony looked at Asier and saw that the side of his fur was covered in blood. He tried to kick the vicious dog off of Aiser but the dog was solid and barely moved. “Go back, Peter.” 

Morgan saw what was going on and ran over to help save Peter but then she saw Aiser and screamed. “Daddy! He’s dying! No!” 

Tony grabbed Aiser and tried to lift him up but the dog had locked onto Aiser leg and was shaking his head like it was a chew toy. 

Bystanders that must have seen had come to help. One guy had a board in his hands and smacked the German shepherd with it so Tony managed to pick Aiser up and turn his back to the dog to get Aiser away but the dog was running around and jumped up to get to Aiser so the guy smacked the dog again and then it was running away. 

Tony looked down at Aiser in his arms. He was covered in blood. He had blood pouring down Tony’s arms so Tony started running across the field to get home to a car and take Aiser to the vet. “Oh my god. Oh my god.” 

Morgan grabbed onto Peter’s hand to make him run to follow their dog but Peter was frozen in place, having almost been that dog's chew toy if it wasn’t for Aiser. “Come on, Peter! We have to run!” 

Peter ran next to Morgan, watching the trail of blood on the ground from Aiser. He didn’t want his dog to die. Aiser was his best friend who always waited for him to wake up, who stayed with him when he couldn't sleep and Aiser was the first one who he opened up to after he returned to his real family after being kidnapped. 

He didn’t want his best friend to die. 

Tony turned around to see that Morgan and Peter were following him. They walked to the park and had to race to get home so they could get the car. “We have to get home.” 

Morgan saw everyone staring at them and some were even offering to drive them to the animal hospital but they were already running back home. “Daddy, they can take us!” 

Tony didn’t hear Morgan. He ran across the street with Aiser bleeding out and then turned to see his kids following him still. “Almost there. Almost there.” 

He looked down at his dog who was looking up at him with such trusting eyes, Tony prayed he wouldn’t lose this dog. Aiser was a family member, they couldn’t lose him. 

Once they arrived at home, Tony kicked the door since he couldn’t open it with Aiser in his arms. Morgan opened it for him. “Grab my car keys.” He instructed her. “Pepper! Pepper! Come here now! Hurry!” 

Pepper ran to the front door and saw all the blood but she didn’t see where it came from so she immediately thought it was Peter. “Oh my god! What happened!?” 

Tony turned and she saw Aiser in his arms. “A dog attacked Peter so Aiser stopped him. I have to take him to the vet now.” He ran to his car and Morgan was opening up the back door for him so he gently placed Aiser in the back seat and didn’t waste any time. 

He got in and drove off, driving through red lights to get to the vet before he was too late. 

Peter was frozen in fear. He watched everything happen as if it was happening in slow motion. As soon as it all processed in him, he sobbed out and turned to his mom. “Aisers gonna die? I don’t want him to die! I love him!” 

Pepper was still trying to process everything herself. “Shh. It’s going to be okay.” 

Harley ran out of the house and saw all the blood on the driveway and by the front door. “What’s going on?! Mom?” 

Peter turned to look at his brother. “Aisers gonna die!” 

Harley gasped, shaking his head in disbelief. “No. What happened?” 

Morgan was crying but she was able to control it. “We were at the-the park and a big dog came and jumped on Peter and-and so Aiser jumped on the dog and then the dog started attacking Aiser. There was blood everywhere and Aiser was crying!” 

Harley looked around. “Is he dead?! Where’s dad?” 

“Your dad took him to the vet. It’ll be okay, guys. Let’s go inside.” Pepper tried to hold it together even though she was terrified to get that call. She didn’t want to hear it. 

She took all her kids inside, already missing when Aiser would run up to them. She sat on the couch and Peter collapsed onto her lap and sobbed against her. He shoved his thumb in his mouth to calm down but it wasn’t working.

“Will he come home? I don’ wan-wan’ him to go to heaven.” Peter sucked in a shaky breath of air and cried even harder at the thought of having to say goodbye to his furry friend. 

“Aiser is in great hands now. The doctors are going to work on him.” Pepper reassured Peter but she saw the state Aiser was in, she didn’t want to make any promises to Peter. 

“A-a animal doctor or people doctor?” Peter asked, calming down a bit although there was some blood on his clothes that needed changing. 

“An animal doctor. The best ones.” 

Peter nodded, he fisted Pepper’s shirt in his hands and sniffled. “Promise me he’ll be okay?” 

“Aw baby,” Pepper cradled Peter’s head. “Only God can promise something like that.” She kissed his head and anxiously waited for that phone call. The longer it went without ringing was good because it meant they were working on him. It would be okay. “Let’s go upstairs and change you out of these clothes then we will all watch some tv while we wait, okay?” 

Peter nodded. He wanted to be carried up but he knew his mom wouldn’t anymore so he reluctantly got off of her. “Can we go see him?” 

“Not yet. Let the doctors work on him.” She grabbed his hand and the three of them walked upstairs and went into Tony’s and Pepper’s bedroom. Pepper grabbed track pants and a shirt for Peter then led him into the bathroom. “What movie would you wanna watch while we wait?” 

Peter rubbed at his eyes. “Mmm. No movie. I-I want to go see daddy and Aiser.” 

“Soon, Peter. Let daddy call first.” Pepper was so scared to get that call. She walked out of the bathroom with Peter and laid down on the bed with him, Harley and Morgan. 

It was a long few hours. Peter was almost going to fall asleep but he woke himself up and forced himself to stay awake. Pepper felt her phone ringing in her pocket so he pulled it out and saw that Tony was calling. 

Everyone looked at her so he took a breath before answering it, really hoping this wasn’t the call. “How is he?” 

“Are the kids around?” 

Pepper covered her hand over her mouth. No. No. “They’re here.” 

“Okay. Can you put me on speaker?” 

Pepper was confused. She knew Tony wouldn’t tell them anything awful over the phone. “Okay. You’re on speaker.” 

“Aiser will be okay.” Tony told them and the sigh of relief that the whole family did in sync could be heard through the phone. “The doctors just finished working on him. He’s still sleeping but he’s going to make a full recovery.” 

Peter wiped at his tears. “Bring him home, daddy.” 

“I can’t, Pete. Not yet. The vet says he needs to stay here for a few days so they can watch him and continue giving him some meds.” 

Peter leaned against Pepper's chest. “Will he come home at night?” 

“Baby, no. He has to stay here for two or three days but we will pick him up so soon.” Tony missed his kids and wanted to go home after he was allowed to see Aiser. He was still covered in blood and wanted to change. 

“Is he sad, daddy?” Asked Morgan. 

“No, he’s so happy. But he’s still sleeping now so he can get better.” Tony wanted to be at home to hold his kids, especially Peter who he assumed was okay but he didn’t see for himself. “I’ll be home in an hour or so. I’ll see you guys soon.” 

Peter swung his leg over Pepper and sighed. “I want daddy to come home now and with Aiser.” 

“He’s going to come soon soon but Aiser will have to stay, remember he needs to rest.” 

Peter sighed. 

They all got up from the bed and Peter waited eagerly on the stairs for his dad to arrive at home.

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It was an extremely stressful wait. 

Tony loved Aiser, of course he did. Aiser was a part of their family. He didn’t want him to die, especially not after Peter had to witness that awful scene. 

Their dog literally saved Peter’s life. 

Tony saw that dog going for Peter and just Peter. If Aiser wasn’t there, Tony was sure he would be rushing his child to the hospital and not his dog. 

He was extremely relieved when he got the news that Aiser was going to be okay. He was still covered in blood but had taken off his shirt to put a sweater on. 

He needed to see Aiser before he went home. 

“Right this way.” 

Tony followed her into a room with a few cages. She approached the one his dog was in and the sight was hard to look at but also so comforting. “Hey, Aiser. You’re going to be okay. Rest so you can come home.” 

“We’re giving him a lot of medication for the pain and will for the next couple of days. He just needs lots of rest. He’s in good hands, Mr. Stark.” 

“He saved my son. He’s such a loyal dog.” Tony looked at his precious sleeping face. “Thank you. For saving him. I get to go home and tell my kids their dog is going to be okay. So thank you.” 

“I’m glad you got him here in time. He needs to stay here for observation. I will call you in about three days to discuss when he’ll be ready to go home but we’re looking at about two weeks of recovery.” 

Tony thanked her again and left to go home to his kids.

At home, Peter was waiting on the stairs for his dad. When he saw the door opening, he ran over to it and lifted his arms up, wanting to be picked up. Tony had washed up the best he could there and he put on a sweater but he still needed to shower. He picked Peter up anyways. 

“Hi baby. I love you.” He kissed his cheek. “Aisers going to be okay.” 

Peter didn’t say anything. He just laid his head on Tony’s shoulder and stayed in that position. It was fairly late for him so Tony knew he was tired, especially after today. Wow. Today was an absolute nightmare. 

Pepper walked over and wrapped her arms around her boys where they stayed like that in silence for a few minutes until Pepper pulled away and caressed Peter’s back. “Um,” She wiped at a tear that fell. “Morgan’s sleeping. Harley went up to his room about thirty minutes ago. But Peter wanted to wait for you.” 

Tony nodded and kicked his shoes off. “I’ll put him to bed.” 

Tony thought it was going to be a long night but Peter ended up falling asleep almost right after he laid him down. 

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Peter sat at his desk. 

He watched his classmates work on their science project, talking amongst themselves and leaving him out of the conversations. 

Well, technically they weren’t leaving him out of the conversations, they were trying to include him but Peter couldn’t care less to be involved. He was worried about Aiser which also meant that he was focused elsewhere. 

Aiser was still at the vet and would most likely be there for another week or two, like his dad said. Peter insisted they go visit him but Tony had said that wasn’t a good idea. He chewed on the jelly ball with orbeez in it, watching it squeeze beneath his fingers. He liked that feeling. 

Peter watched his classmates, well, not his classmates. He was working with the grade twelves for his chemistry project so his teachers could see what level he fit at. He liked being the youngest there though, all the girls cooed at him, which he only liked if he was in the mood for it. 

He wasn’t in the mood for it now. 

Peter chewed harder on the ball as he was told off. 

“Peter. Stop chewing on that. That’s not safe.” 

Peter put the ball down, turning to look at his teacher. He had no idea how she even saw him considering his back was turned to her. He sighed and focused back on the conversation within his group members, trying to focus. 

About ten minutes later, the ball was going back into his mouth and he was chewing on it again, liking the feeling on his teeth but then it popped and he gasped, dropping it onto the floor and spitting out the nasty liquid and orbeez from his mouth. 

Peter was already feeling extra emotional that day and on top of that, the orbeez popping in his mouth scared him so he began crying. 

His teacher walked over to him and grabbed a paper towel, wiping his mouth the best he could. “This is why I told you not to chew on that, Peter.” She sighed and wiped his mouth again but she didn’t know if he ingested any of the chemicals and she wasn’t going to be responsible for that. 

She grabbed Peter’s hand and pulled him off the chair. “Markus, please go take him to the office. I’ll call down and let them know what’s happened. Take his bag with you please.” 

Peter cried. He wiped his cheeks and grabbed onto the older boys hand, wanting comfort from just about anyone right now. 

He wasn’t given the comfort he wanted on the way down but he didn’t really mind since he assumed he was about to go home and see his dad soon. 

He already knew his way through the office and walked past the receptionist, heading straight into the nurse's office. He sniffled and climbed onto the bed, wiping the snot with his sleeve. 

“Hi, honey. What’s wrong?” The nurse put away the clipboard she was writing on and stood up to grab a thermometer from the cabinet. 

“I-I miss my dog. He’s at the animal hospital.” 

“Oh? Why is he there?” 

Peter shrugged then wiped some more snot off his face before the nurse grabbed a Kleenex, wiping his face for him. “Cause… a bigger dog tried to eat him at the park. Then there was blood everywhere.” 

“There was blood everywhere? Was it a coyote?” 

“Um…” Peter looked at the thermometer in her hand. “I'm not sick. I miss my dog.” 

“His dad is coming to pick him up.” The principal walked in to tell them. “His dog got attacked, that’s why he’s crying. We didn’t do anything wrong for once.” 

The nurse shot him a dirty look so he left the room, shutting the door. 

Peter explained to the nurse what happened and how scared he had been, but now that his dog was better but still hurt, it scared him. He wished Aiser didn’t have to get attacked like he did. 

After a few minutes of talking and receiving mediocre comfort, the door opened and Tony walked in so Peter made desperate grabby hands, reaching out for his dad. 

Tony was already heading straight for him. He lifted him into his arms, squeezing him in for a hug that even he felt like he had been needing since he dropped Peter off at school. “Hey. You missing Aiser?” 

“Yeah. I told her how he’s hurt.” 

Peter pointed at the nurse so Tony grabbed his arm to stop him from pointing. “Yeah. What’s her name?” 

“Um… nurse Maria.” 

“Yeah, can you thank nurse Maria then we’ll go home.” 

“Thank you.” 

Tony thanked her as well then picked up Peter's backpack, swinging it over his shoulder. He walked to the front desk to sign Peter out but the principal stopped them. 

“Mr. Stark. Before you take him home, I’m wondering if he’ll be back tomorrow. Today was the scheduled day for him to join the grade twelve chemistry class so we can determine where he is to put him in an AP placement if needed. I hate seeing children with potential lose interest in something they can excel at if they’re bored. And his teachers have noticed their classes are boring him.”

“Yes. Right. I think he will be in tomorrow. If you tell me what time the class is at, I can even just bring him for that.” 

“Perfect. There’s a class running from 8:30 until 10:00. I’ll be there with him as well.” 

Tony hoisted Peter up higher when he began to slip. “Alright. He’ll be there.” 

“It’s so beneficial for him.” He handed a stack of papers to Tony. “These just need to be filled out. You can have them filled out for tomorrow or fill them out while he’s in class tomorrow. Either works.” 

Tony took the thick stack. Yeah, he was so not filling these out tonight. “Alright. We’ll see you tomorrow then.” 

As soon as they left the office, Peter stuck his thumb in his mouth and laid his head on Tony’s shoulder, looking behind him as the floor moved under his feet. 

“Morgan’s having a pretty rough day too. Her school called me on my way over to pick you up.” 

“Why?” 

Tony chuckled. “Same reason your school called me.” He unlocked the car and opened up the back door, placing Peter in his car seat. “I forgot to ask, do you need to pee?” 

“No.” 

“Okay.” He got him buckled in and handed him a pacifier from the cup holder, placing it in Peter’s mouth. “No need to be sad. Aisers okay. He’s just resting. Lots of rest. Just like when you’re sick.” 

“Not sick.”

“I know you’re not. I’m just… using an example.” Tony shut the door and hopped into the driver's seat, starting it and heading straight for Morgan’s school. In hindsight, he probably should’ve kept his kids home from school today but he also felt like the distraction would’ve been good. Apparently not. 

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.

Just because his kids were home early from school didn’t mean he could put his work off for today. He was doing work in his office with the door closed to block out the noise while he had a camera on Peter and Morgan so he could keep an eye on them. 

He pressed the button on the monitor for the fifth time that hour. “Peter. Don’t climb on the side table. Get off.” 

Peter listened, like he usually did but then he went to jump onto the coffee table. Tony let him and went back to work but not even thirty seconds later, Morgan was pushing him off, causing him to fall backwards onto the floor with a thud, followed by crying. 

Groaning, Tony stood up and left his office to go see what the problem was. “Why did you push him Morgan?” 

“I didn’t.” 

“Don’t lie to me. I saw you on the monitor.” Tony lifted Peter up, grabbing a pacifier from the floor and pushing it past his lips. 

“Well… I wanted him off.” 

Tony sighed. “Can you play something quietly? I need to work, guys. I should be able to leave you guys unattended for an hour. But I can’t.” 

Peter looked at Morgan and nodded in agreement with Tony as if he wasn’t the whole problem here. Tony sighed and shifted him onto his hip, hoping he could take him into his office so he could finish his work. 

He left the door open and sat Peter on his lap while he clicked away, trying to read through a company’s new proposal for Stark Industries. 

Peter watched, probably reading a few words. Tony wanted Peter and Morgan as far away from his company as possible, until they were old enough to make the decision to join it or not. Tony even tried to keep Harley away from mostly everything. 

It was pretty easy now since he was reading a lot of big words that he knew Peter couldn’t read. So Peter was basically staring at the screen blankly. Good enough for him. 

After a few minutes, Peter pointed at the screen but Tony ignored him. “Shh. Don’t talk.” 

Peter lowered his arm, just content to watch his dad click away on the screen until his stomach started rumbling a few minutes later. “M’hungry.” 

“Wait ten more minutes. I’m almost done. Then I’ll cook lunch.” 

Peter moved to get off his lap so Tony let him go. “Close the door behind you. And don’t bug me until I’m done. Just… ten minutes, Peter.” 

Peter shut his dads office door and wandered into the kitchen in search of food. Apparently Morgan was doing the same thing. “What ‘ou doin’?” 

“Trying to make myself a peanut butter sandwich. Do you want one?” 

“Uh huh.” Peter dragged the stool up and hopped onto the counter with Morgan, sticking his finger into the jar to take a lick but when he took his pacifier out of his mouth, it rolled onto the floor. “Noo. Get it.” 

“Okay. I’ll get it.” Morgan hopped off, picking it up but not giving it to Peter yet. “Why do you even like it?” 

“Cause… I do. Give it.” 

“Not until you tell me why you like it.” Morgan teased him, holding it out in front of him. 

“Cause-cause… it’s my paci.” Peter didn’t know why. It gave him comfort. It made him feel safe. It was the one thing he could count on to calm him down when he got worked up. It was a comforting item. 

“You know, only babies use one.” 

“Not a baby. Give it or I’ll throw this jar of peanut butter at you.” Peter threatened, holding the jar up in preparation to throw it. 

“Did Steve give you a soother? When he took you away from us?” 

Peter dropped the jar and it rolled off the counter, cracking onto the floor and splashing peanut butter everywhere. He stared at Morgan, the name almost putting him into a trance. He stuck a finger into his mouth to chew on it then shook his head. 

“He didn’t?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Then why do you always suck on soothers?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Maybe you just don’t remember. Maybe if you try hard to remember then you can-” 

“I DON’T KNOW!” Peter screamed at the top of his lungs, scaring himself as much as he scared Morgan. She dropped the pacifier and ran to hide behind the kitchen island then Peter began crying, having freaked himself out. 

Tony could hear the yell from his office so he raced out and sped walked into the kitchen, seeing Peter crying on the counter and Morgan hiding by the stools. “What’s going on?” 

Peter pointed towards nowhere in particular. “My-my paci!” 

Walking around the counter, Tony grabbed it off the floor and pushed it past his lips then lifted him off the counter. “What’s going on in here, you two? Why is there peanut butter on the floor?” Tony walked over to Morgan and held a hand out for her. “Come here. Tell me what happened.” 

“He yelled at me. It scared me.” Morgan whispered, hiding on Tony’s other side so she wasn’t close to her aggressive brother. 

“Why did you yell at her, Peter?” 

Peter shook his head. So he isn’t going to tell me. Tony looked back at Morgan. “What happened? Did you say something to him?” 

“Well… I just said why he likes soothers so much. Then I asked him if Steve gave them to him.” Morgan shrugged like she had just asked Peter what the weather was. Tony sighed. He would have to watch back the security cameras and listen to what exactly happened later. 

“Morgan,” Tony didn’t even know what to say. Peter refused to talk about Steve but that wasn’t healthy, to try and erase that part of his history. 

As badly as Tony wished it didn’t happen, it did. And Peter couldn’t pretend it didn’t happen, it was his identity. 

“I’m going to talk to Peter, then I’ll have a talk with you.” 

Morgan sniffled and walked away so Tony turned to sir Peter on the kitchen counter and stood between his legs. “Can you tell me what happened?” Peter shook his head so Tony reached for his pacifier. “Okay. Let’s take this out so you can actually talk-” 

“Noooo.” Peter grabbed Tony’s arm and bit him, hard. 

“Ow. Peter. Stop it.” Tony pulled his arm away and wiped the spit off, seeing Peter’s teeth marks now embedded on his arm. Great. Fuck that hurt. “You need to use your words and talk. Not bite. Are you a dog?” 

“No.” He glared up at Tony, giving him a dirty look. 

“Stop biting. How would you feel if I bit you? It would hurt, right?” 

Peter looked away from him, his jaw set. Yeah, he was mad. 

“What did Morgan say to you?” No response. “Did she mention Steve?” 

Peter still didn’t look at him. 

“I know this is difficult for you to talk about but it’s a part of your past, Peter. You can’t pretend like it never happened because you can’t heal that way and it’ll-” 

“What? Pretend like I wasn’t taken away from you when I was a baby. I don’t remember that. I remember more of… S-Steve than I do of you. You do know that right?” 

Now it was Tony’s turn to not say anything. 

His hands curled into fists. 

“Because it’s true. I have more memories with… him than with you because he’s known me for longer! So no, I don’t want to talk about him and you can’t make me!” Peter grabbed his pacifier from Tony’s fist. “Gimme that.” He moved across the counter and jumped off. “And leave me alone!” Peter fuelled as he ran towards the stairs. 

Tony was left completely speechless. What the fuck just happened. 

That’s never… that’s never happened before with Peter. 

Tony ran a hand down his face. What the fuck does he do now? 

He walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. “I know you meant no harm when you mentioned Steve to him. But that’s a very sensitive topic for him. You know that. So you need to be careful with how you bring that up, Morg.” 

“Oh.” She didn’t look up from her iPad but she wasn’t playing on it. “Are you mad at me?” 

“No. I’m not.” 

“Okay… is he?” 

Tony leaned back. Peter was probably mad at the world right now. “Maybe. I don’t know, Morg. He’s going to need some time.” 

Tony wasn’t even sure when he should go up to check on him. He was still trying to process everything Peter said. It turns out he spoke a lot about his feelings when he didn’t have a pacifier in his mouth. Who would’ve thought. 

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Peter missed his dad but he knew he would see the man soon and right now he was enjoying some one on one time with his mom. Especially after the past week they’ve had. 

Aiser was at home sleeping, which he’s been doing a lot since getting back from the animal hospital. And the hardest part was that they had to let him sleep. Meaning no walks, no outdoor time besides to quickly use the bathroom and then back inside, no playing and worst of all, no cuddling. 

But he was healing, that was the most important thing. 

“We should buy something special for Aiser at Target. Something to make him feel better.” 

“That sounds like a good idea.” 

Peter pulled his notebook out and added it to his shopping list. They were doing some Christmas shopping for Tony today, despite Christmas being about a month and a half away, Pepper liked to start their Christmas shopping early to get a head start. Especially with three busy kids. 

“Will Aiser be healed by Christmas?” 

“Of course he will be, honey. The doctor said he’ll start feeling better and back to his active self again within a week.” 

Peter happily kicked his legs back and forth. That made him feel better. He went back to writing things down in his notebook, important things that he wanted to buy his family for Christmas. “How do you spell a robe?” 

“Like a bathrobe?” 

“Uh huh.” 

“R-o-b-e.” 

“Okay. That’s what I want to get you for Christmas.” 

Pepper smiled. Peter couldn’t keep a secret even if he was technically supposed to. Just the way they raised him to be. Perfect. 

Eventually Pepper pulled into the Target plaza and turned the car off then got out to get Peter unbuckled. “There’s supposed to be a snowstorm starting tonight at five so we should get some extra blankets and snacks too. Just to be safe.” 

Peter jumped out of the car. “Really? How many inches will there be?” 

“They’re calling for twelve to sixteen inches. So school might be canceled tomorrow.” 

“Yay. Morgan can stay home with me.” 

“I think that’s what’ll happen.” Peter was going to go to school today but he didn’t want to leave Aiser in case he died so Pepper reassured Peter he was not going to die but he could stay home anyways. And of course Tony had to work and was upset he couldn’t stay home with Peter. 

But he had no idea they were out Christmas shopping. 

“And then can we make a fort in the living room tomorrow with all the extra blankets?” Peter asked as he skipped next to Pepper, walking across the parking lot. He ran to one of the shopping carts and grabbed it for his mom. “I got a shopping cart for you!” 

“Thank you, baby. And of course we can build a fort. And make some cookies. It’ll be fun.” She pushed the cart towards the home decor, wanting to pick out a few blankets first. “Alright. Let’s see your list.” 

Peter handed it to his mom but she could barely read it. Peter’s writing and spelling needed some work but that was another problem they were saving for another day. One thing at a time. Plus his teachers were working on that with him. 

“What does this word say?” 

Peter brought the notebook down closer to himself. “Ummm… that says daddy’s new socks. He wants grey. With no holes.” 

“Socks with no holes. Got it. Do you need to pee?” 

“No.” 

“Remember you’re in underwear.” 

“I don’t wanna go pee.” 

“Peter. Look at me for a second.” Pepper took both his hands in hers so he would actually stop to pay attention to her. “You are in underwear and I’m worried if you don’t try to pee, it’s going to end up in your pants.” 

Peter looked away. “Well… I don’t need to go.” 

Pepper looked towards the end of the aisle and had to do a double look. She stood up when she saw Tony walking down the aisle with a box of diapers in his arms. “Tony?” 

Peter snapped his head around to look at Tony, running over to him. “Daddy!” 

“What are you guys doing here?” He had to bend down to lift Peter into his one free arm, kissing his cheek. He missed him so much at work. 

“We’re buying you socks for Christmas?” 

“Oh?” Tony laughed and looked at Pepper. 

“Peter. That’s supposed to be a surprise.” 

“Oops.” Peter covered his hands over Tony’s ears. “You didn’t hear anything.” 

“What were we just talking about?” Tony joked, pretending he forgot but Peter didn’t seem to get it. 

“That I told you one of your Christmas presents is socks but that’s supposed to be a secret.” 

Both Tony and Pepper laughed. “Okay, Pete. So, we need new blankets apparently?” He observed the blankets in the shopping cart as he placed the diapers on top so he could hold Peter better. 

“I want to wear a diaper.” Peter asked, pointing at the box. 

“No, I’m just buying those for bedtimes.” 

“I want to wear one now.” 

“How about you tell daddy what’s happening tomorrow?” Pepper tried to distract him from the diapers. She caressed his face, tucking a curl behind his ear. 

Clinging tightly onto his dad, Peter grinned. “A snowstorm! Mommy said we can build a fort. With extra blankets and-and hot chocolate.” 

“Wow. That sounds like such a fun day. I’m excited.” Tony hoisted him up higher when he started to slip. 

“Yeah. Well, we should get going. Petey, say bye bye daddy, have fun at work while we go potty then finish shopping.” 

“No potty. I don’t need to potty.” 

“Oh?” Tony placed him on his feet before he got peed on. “I’ll take him before I leave, Pep.” 

“Nooo. No toilet. I don’t need to pee.” Peter groaned. Why didn’t they believe him? He supposed he did need to pee but he could hold it until they got home. He was not going to sit on a dirty public toilet. 

Tony checked the time. He quickly came out to buy diapers on his break between meetings but he had to get back to the tower soon. “Let’s go really quickly then daddy has to go.” 

“Don’t go.” 

“Let’s go pee really fast. Super fast.” 

“Noo.” Peter whined as Tony took him by the arm and led him to the toilets which were thankfully right beside the pillows and blankets. Tony figured Pepper planned that on purpose. “I don’t want to.” 

“I’ll be by the pillows, you two.” Pepper would let Fony deal with that. She didn’t exactly want to have to do the bathroom struggles with Peter so Tony came at the perfect time. 

“Okay.” Tony pushed open the men’s door and pulled Peter in, looking around and spotting two men at a urinal. He pulled Peter into a stall and locked it. “Let’s get your pants off.” 

“I don’t wanna pee.” Peter whined, having his pants and underwear pulled down. “Noo. Pull them back up. I don’t wanna pee.” 

Tony sighed. “Do you want to sit or stand?” 

“Neither.” 

“If I put a diaper on you, will you pee?” 

Peter wiped the snot off his face and thought about it. “Yeah.” 

“So you do need to pee.” Tony pulled his pants and underwear up at the same time then pulled him out of the bathroom, ripping open the box of diapers and pulling one out of the packaging then walking back into the bathroom and into the stall. Peter was so difficult. Tony got him free of his pants and underwear again then got the diaper on him. 

Peter leaned down to pull up his pants but Tony stopped him. “No. Just quickly pee then it’s coming off.” 

“I wanna keep it on.” 

“You can’t, baby.” Tony waited for the diaper to get full then took it off of him. Beats having to sit on a dirty toilet. “I’m going to be home from work by dinner and I’ll bring you home a special present if I heard that you stayed dry the whole time.” 

Peter gasped excitedly. “A present for me?” 

“Yep. But you need to stay dry.” Tony pulled his underwear and pants back up, tying them. “Deal?” 

“Deal.” 

“Good boy. I’ll give you back to mommy.” On the way out, Tony tossed the diaper and held the door open for Peter. He took the shopping cart down the aisle with the extremely fluffy pillows and spotted Pepper holding two. “Do we really need those?” 

“Absolutely.” Smiled at Tony as she tossed them into the shopping cart. “Did he pee?” 

“Yep. And he’s going to stay dry until I come home from work, we discussed.” He explained, ruffling Peter’s soft hair. It was going to be so hard to have to leave his baby for a second time that day. 

“Yep.” Peter agreed as he tried to climb into the shopping cart full of pillows so Tony walked over to help him. 

“Comfy?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Don’t get too comfy, Mr. We need a lot more shopping to do.” Pepper also didn't need him getting too comfortable and falling asleep in the cart, successfully soaking the pillows underneath him. 

Peter pretended to sleep but then sat up, holding his arms out for Tony. “Up. Up.” 

Tony lifted Peter out of the cart then placed him on his feet but leaned over him to give him some kisses before he had to leave. “Daddy has to go now. I’m going to see you at dinner.” 

“Nooo. Stay and shop with us.” 

“Peter, do you remember that we have to go shopping for one of daddy’s Christmas presents?” Pepper pulled Peter away from Tony so she could distract him. “So he can’t be here for that.” 

“But… I want him to stay.” 

“Give me a big hug and kiss then I have to go.” 

It was risky, having Peter latch onto him as he had to say goodbye because sometimes, depending on Peter’s mood, he never let go. This time though, Peter let go and walked back over to Pepper for some comfort while he had to watch Tony leave. 

It was hard for Tony, leaving him like that. He wanted to stay so badly but he was needed at work today. So he took the box of diapers from the shopping cart and walked back down the diaper aisle to pick out a new water bottle for Peter as his present then left. 

Peter missed his dad, it was a nice visit but he was distracted just a few minutes after he left. They ended up buying a ton of extra blankets, pillows for decorating and socks for Tony. As well as a few other things. 

By the time they arrived back home, Peter was drifting off in the car, barely able to keep his eyes open. Pepper wanted to get him inside before he fell asleep since she couldn’t exactly easily carry him like Tony could with one hand. 

And she still needed to unlock the door and bring everything inside. 

“Alright, Peter, stay awake for a few more minutes so you can walk in.” She told him, squeezing his cheeks to wake him up a bit but Peter’s eyes were rolling back. 

“Hey, mom. You need some help. Dad called and said you guys bought a lot of stuff.” Harley walked out in his socks, despite it being cold and the snow was starting early. 

Pepper didn’t comment on his lack of shoes but instead stepped aside so he could carry his brother in. “Hey, Harley. It would be nice if you can carry Peter in. He’s falling asleep so he’s ready for a nap.” 

Harley walked up to unbuckle him from his car seat, Peter’s arms immediately reached for him as Harley lifted him up and out of his car seat and got him into his arms. “Need help taking that stuff in?” 

“Yeah. Actually. That’ll be nice.” She grabbed some bags on the first trip inside, seeing that Peter was already sleeping against Harley. “Just lay him down on the couch. I have to get a diaper on him then I’ll come help you.” 

“I can get a diaper on him, mom. Don’t worry.” 

Pepper paused. “Okay. What do you want?” She knew Harley stayed away from everything diaper related so this was suspicious. 

Harley shrugged then laid Peter down on the couch. “Nothing. I just want to help out more. That’s all.” He grabbed a diaper from the box and stood over Peter as he started to wake up a bit. Pepper placed a pacifier in his mouth, knocking him right out. “Okay. Where do I start?” 

“Well, if you’re serious, be my guest. You can only do the diaper changes when he wakes up. I’m going to go unload the car.” 

“Wait. Mom. Where do I start?” 

“Well, start by taking off his pants then get the diaper on.” Pepper patted her oldest son on the back and left. She knew he wanted something and was probably trying to get on good terms with them before asking for that thing. But she’d take advantage of it. 

Diaper changes were never something she liked doing but Tony jumped on it so she didn’t have to worry about that. 

Harley opened up the diaper and looked on it to try and find where the back was, then he pulled off Peter’s pants and underwear, tossing them away. “Okay okay okay. So this is the back,” He spoke to himself. He y tried to move Peter’s legs but he stretched then rolled onto his stomach. “What. No no. Mom.” 

“Is it done?” Pepper walked by, dropping the blankets onto the sofa seat. “It’s only a matter of time before he pees so you better hurry up.” 

“I give up. You just do it.” 

Laughing softly, Pepper took the diaper from Harley and rolled Peter back onto his back, got the diaper on him then covered a blanket over his head so he stayed asleep. “You’ll get the hang of it when you have your own kids one day.” 

“Sure. If I have kids.” 

“You’ll have kids. Don’t say that. You’ll be an amazing father. Plus I want grandchildren one day and I’m not too sure your father will let Peter or Morgan out of his sight ever.” 

Harley chuckled because that was very true. His dad was way too over protective of Peter, Harley felt bad for his future love life. And Morgan was his only girl so it would be the same thing. 

Pepper sat down on the couch by Peter’s legs and took out her phone to send Tony a picture of Peter sleeping to ease the anxiety he probably felt being away from him. 

Tony’s response came back straight away. 

Tony: So adorable. I miss him. Let me know when he wakes up 

Pepper: He just fell asleep so not for two hours. Harley even tried to put a diaper on him. Incredible 

Tony: Ask him what he wants 

Pepper: That’s what I said 

No text came back so Pepper put her phone on the table and gathered all the blankets to wash them before her kids used them and rubbed their faces all over them. 

It was a peaceful afternoon, the snow was starting to come down even harder even though it was only 2pm and she worried a bit since Tony wouldn’t be home until 6pm. She sighed and checked the weather. It was only going to get worse. 

And she still had to pick Morgan up from school but she made the decision to go now rather than wait for the weather to get worse. 

Pepper walked by Peter on the couch, seeing that he was still passed out. “Harley? Can you come down for a second.” 

She waited until Harley walked down the stairs. “The snow is really coming down so I’m going to go pick up Morgan from school. Peter’s still sleeping and will be for the next hour but I need you to stay close by to watch him while I’m gone.” 

“Yeah sure.” 

“Thanks. I’ll be no more than forty minutes. Let’s hope the snow hasn’t caused any traffic yet.” 

Harley watched her get on her boots and jacket then took the keys and left. He always felt his anxiety spike whenever he was alone with his brother because his moods could change in a second so he was grateful that he was asleep. 

He walked over and leaned down to look at him. Peter was still passed out although he was now lying on his stomach, one leg tucked up on its side. He thought he did look pretty cute. 

Next, he walked over to the bed Aiser was hanging out on. He was asleep too, the pain meds he was on basically made him sleep all day but that was good according to the doctor. 

After making sure he had fresh food and water in reach, Harley sat down on the couch and scrolled through Tik Tok as he waited. 

It was about twenty minutes later when Peter began waking up. 

Harley looked up, expecting to see Peter’s smile that he always woke up from a nap from but not this time. 

Peter began whining then pushed himself up and made a shrilling cry. He pushed himself onto his knees and sobbed. Harley dropped his phone, having no idea what was happening. 

“Peter. What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” 

Peter looked around for the face that haunted his nightmares. He had a dream, no, he wasn’t dreaming then but maybe he was dreaming now, he didn’t know where he was but all he knew was that he was back at the house with Steve and Bucky. Steve was showing him pictures of his dead family, their pale, lifeless faces still visible in Peter’s head. 

Peter choked on his sobs, looking around for Steve who was coming for him. 

Harley raced to his brother's side and looked over his body, trying to see if he was hurt but he couldn’t find anything. “What’s wrong, Peter? You’re scaring me. I don’t know what to do.” 

Peter flinched when Harley touched him because he was still convinced it was Steve coming to take him. He frantically looked around. “W-where-where’s he?” 

Harley thought Peter meant their dad so he made the mistake of saying, “He’s coming. He’ll be here soon.” 

Peter sobbed even harder and gagged, drool falling from his mouth and onto the blankets underneath him. He needed to get away. He needed to run away. 

“Stop crying, Peter. You’re scaring me and I don’t know what to do.” Harley tried picking him up but Peter screamed and curled into a ball. “Please. Stop it.” 

Harley had no idea what to do in this situation. He searched for his dropped phone on the carpet and immediately went to their dads contact, calling him. Tony answered on the third ring. 

“Dad. I don’t know what to do. Peter’s freaking out and I don’t know why. I literally didn’t do anything. I was just sitting here and-” 

“Hey hey. Calm down. Take a breath and tell me what’s going on.” 

Harley tried to calm down. “Peter. He was just sleeping peacefully and then woke up screaming and crying. And moms not home so I’m alone and I don’t know what to do.” 

“Okay. Can you give the phone to Peter, Harley. It’s okay. Is he hurt?” 

“No. He was literally sleeping.” 

Tony walked into the hallway, trying to find a quiet place to talk. He was in the middle of a meeting but always answered his phone for his kids. 

What could have happened to Peter that freaked him out so much. It killed him that he wasn’t there, but maybe that’s why Peter was freaking out? 

Then he had an idea. “Is he still sleeping, Harley?” 

“What? No. No, he’s crying. He’s awake.” 

“I know. But is he… sleepwalking?” It wouldn’t be the first time. 

“I-I don’t know. Dad. I’m freaking out. He’s crying and I don’t know what to do.” 

“Okay, Harley. Give him the phone.” Tony watched the phone until Peter’s face came into view. His hair was all messed up and he had tears, snot a spit wiped all over his face. Tony wanted to reach through the phone and clean him up. “Baby boy. What’s going on? Tell daddy what happened?” 

Peter’s eyes were focused on the ceiling until he spoke, then he focused them on the screen in front of him. Okay, definitely not sleep walking them. He just cried and it broke Tony that he wasn’t there to fix it. 

“Tell daddy, baby. What’s wrong?” Peter mumbled something that Tony couldn’t make out. So now he just had to guess. “Do you miss daddy?” Peter just cried, sticking a finger into his mouth and chewing on it. Ouch. “Do you miss mommy?” Still nothing. Tony thought. He just woke up from a nap. “Did you have a bad dream?” 

Peter took his now soaked fingers out of his mouth. “Yes.” He forced out, crying even harder. 

More like a nightmare if it was causing this reaction and there was only so much Tony could do over a FaceTime call. “Harley, can you put a pacifier in his mouth.” 

A hand came into view then a blue pacifier was bobbing up and down in Peter’s mouth, cutting off his cries. “Baby. It was just a dream, okay? It wasn’t real, no matter how real it felt. It’s all just in your mind.” Tony would later ask him what the dream was about but he wouldn’t get anything out of Peter over the phone and essentially since he was still so worked up. 

But Tony knew exactly how he felt. He’s had those realistic dreams that felt so fucking real then you wake up and feel like absolute shit. He used to get those a lot before Peter. He used to have dreams of holding his baby in his arms and getting to hug him and then he would wake up and Peter vanished like dust in his arms, leaving him feeling cold and alone. 

So he knew what Peter was feeling. And he hated not being able to be there for him. 

Peter didn’t say anything, only sucking on his pacifier and staring at the screen. 

“Mommy’s going to be home soon and then I’ll come home after. I love you so much. So so much. You’re safe at home, okay? I promise you, Petey.” Tony had a feeling who he dreamt about. “Harley, try giving him some cuddles and maybe some fresh air. I have to go. I’m sorry. But call me again if you need me, okay?” 

Harley took the phone back from Peter, watching his eyes well up again. 

He was scared. “Um… okay. Um, yeah. I’ll um, I’ll see you soon I guess.” 

“I love you both. Bye.” 

As soon as Tony’s voice was gone, Peter spit the pacifier out and began crying again. Harley spotted a picture frame on the table of Tony and Peter from about a month ago. Tony was holding Peter on his hip in the backyard and they both grinned into the camera, cheek to cheek. He took it out of the frame, handed it to Peter and put the pacifier back into his mouth. 

“Please don’t cry. Let's go outside. Get some fresh air.” He lifted his brother off the couch and awkwardly lifted him onto his hip but felt something uncomfortable in his diaper. “Did you poo?” Peter nodded. “Okay. I’m not changing that so you’ll have to wait for mom.” Peter nodded again, looking a bit disappointed but Harley could only do one thing at a time. 

He walked over to the back door and opened it, standing inside but getting the fresh, cold winter breeze. The snow was really picking up and the wind was blowing it into the house, onto them. 

Shivering against Harley, Peter blocked his face from the wind but the fresh air did make him feel better. He pointed at the pool cover, asking Harley if he thought it was frozen underneath. 

“I can’t understand you. Sorry.” 

Peter tried to move in his arms, the poo irritating his bottom half and going to the front. 

“We can build a snow fort tomorrow. Apparently we’re getting like thirty inches.” He tried making him feel better but Peter said something again that Harley couldn’t understand. “Maybe you should take the soother out so I can actually have a conversation with you.” 

“Mmhmm! Don’!” 

“Now that, I understood.” 

“Mm cold.” 

“Same.” He shut the door, only now taking in that Peter was wearing just a shirt and a diaper. Great going Harley. He cursed himself, electing not to tell his father then he walked back over to the couch and put his brother down. 

“Diaper.” Peter spoke around the pacifier, tugging on it. It was uncomfortable now. 

“Mom will be home soon to change you.” He grabbed the remote and turned the tv on, just as his phone rang. It was their mom so he answered it, hoping she was calling to tell him to unlock the front door for them. “Are you home?” 

“No, honey. We’re stuck in traffic. I just picked Morgan up but there’s an accident so we’re going to be awhile. Dad called me. How is everything?” 

“Well… good for now but he pooped his diaper and I’m not changing that. So when will you be home?” 

“Harley. I’m sorry but you’re going to need to change him. We won’t be home for at least another forty minutes. The traffic is awful.” 

“Mom. No.” 

“Harley. You’re twenty years old. Just change him. Tell your father and he’ll go buy you whatever you want. Okay?” 

“Mom, I don’t even know how to change a diaper. Just come home now.” 

“Harley. Please. That’s cruel to make him sit in that. I’ll be home when I can. I love you both. Bye, honey.” 

She hung up the phone and Harley groaned, tossing it on the couch only for it to ring again. He picked it back up, seeing his dads FaceTime call come through. It was about 3:30 now. “Hey.” 

“How’s it going?” 

“Good I guess.” 

“Okay. I’m on my way home now. The snow is getting worse so I’m going to try and beat the storm. Your mom and sister are stuck in traffic.” 

Harley looked at Peter. “I know. She just called me.” 

“How’s Peter?” 

“Well, good but he pooped his diaper and I’m not changing him, dad.” 

He heard his dad sigh on the other end. “Ask Aiser to do it and if he doesn’t then you have to.” 

“That’s not funny.” 

“It’s not funny. Change his diaper. I’m really sorry to ask you to do that but your mom and I aren’t there so you have to. I promise Peter will buy you a nice present if you do.” 

Harley sighed. His parents were bribing him. 

“Fine. It better be a million dollar car.” 

“I’m just pulling onto the highway. Hand the phone to your brother. Keep me company.” Peter’s face came into view and Tony smiled despite the dried, crusty snot covering his face and a weird brown goo on the side of his cheek. “Hi baby. Daddy’s on his way home now.” 

Peter said something Harley couldn’t make out but his dad apparently did because he responded. “I’ll be home hopefully in an hour. Depending on traffic. There’s a bad accident on the highway.” 

“My surprise?” 

“Yep. I’ve got it here.” 

“Dad. I don’t know how to change a diaper.” 

Tony chuckled. How? “Pete, lie down on the floor. And Harley, lay a towel or blanket underneath him and just toss it in the wash later.” 

Peter hopped onto the floor and laid down, grabbing a pillow to put underneath his head to get comfortable. “What’s my surprise?” 

“It’s a surprise. That means I can’t tell you.” 

“Okay. Now what?” Harley asked, feeling like he’s about to help Peter give birth in this position. 

“Flip the camera, Petey.” 

“But I want to see your face.” 

“You still will. I just won’t see your face. Flip it, buddy.” Peter flipped the camera and looked at his legs through the screen. He giggled. “Just grab a package of wipes and a clean diaper, set that aside and untape the straps.” 

Harley did as he was told. “Now what?” 

This was amusing. Tony couldn’t have asked for better stuck in traffic entertainment. “Open the diaper.” Tony watched him open it then immediately close it back up and gag. 

“Nope. No. Nope nope. Absolutely not. You need to come home and do this. Dad. Because I’m not.” 

Tony chuckled. “It’s not even that bad. Wipe the diaper down when you open it up to clean off most of it.” 

“I’m just going to put him in the shower.” 

“And have poop all over my shower, absolutely not.” Tony merged into the fast lane then was stopped in traffic again. This was going to be a long evening. “You’re making it worse by sitting there.” 

“Fine.” Harley did as his dad told him, cringing the whole time. “Gross gross gross gross.” He tossed the diaper and grabbed the wipes, using about ten at once. Tony didn’t comment on it. 

“Don’t wipe back to front.” Tony noticed. 

“It doesn’t matter. It’s everywhere.” 

Tony couldn’t help but laugh. This was funny. If only Harley knew what he’s had to clean up as a father over the years. “It does matter. He could get a UTI otherwise.” 

“Well then maybe you should teach him to use the actual toilet.” Harley snapped. 

Tony watched him, waiting for him to not lash out. Especially in front of Peter. “We’re trying. And I’m going to act like you only said that because you’re overwhelmed right now. We can talk when I get home if you’re still upset.” 

“This is gross, dad.” Harley grabbed ten more wipes and tried to push Peter’s legs to his chest. “Lift your legs.” 

Peter did but closed them right after Harley wiped over broken skin. “Oww.” 

“Ew.” 

“Owwww! No more.” 

“Okay. I’m trying to help you.” 

“Peter, please lay still. Harley’s just helping you.” Tony knew he sat in it for too long already. “Harley, just pour some baby oil on him then wipe gently.” 

Peter went back to whining until it was over. He missed his dad. He was gentle and knew what to do. His brother hurt him and put way too much oil in his opinion. He sat up once he was done and gave Harley a dirty look. Tony caught it, finding it adorable but unnecessary. 

“Say thank you, Peter.” 

“Thank you.” Peter forced out, waiting for his stinging and sore skin to stop hurting. 

“Good. Now, I’ll be home soon, in the meantime, you will entertain me, Peter.” 

Peter laughed. “I don’t know how.” 

Tony tapped on the screen of his Audi, checking the traffic up ahead. He may have to get off the highway at the next exit and circle back around just to avoid it all. Otherwise he may be here all night. And the snow was only getting worse. 

“Just be your cute little self, kid.” Tony looked at the screen, seeing that Peter was likely holding the phone up with his feet, judging by the angle. He chuckled. “Have you eaten anything?” 

“No.” Peter laughed when the phone fell on his stomach. 

“Okay. Well I’m thinking dinner will be a bit late today so how about you ask Harley to make you something.” 

“No. I’m not hungry.” Peter sat up onto his knees when Harley walked over to him. 

“I need my phone back.” 

“No! My daddy.” Peter hugged the phone against his chest. 

“You can FaceTime him from your iPad.” Harley grabbed it off the shelf and turned it on. “Here. But I need my phone, Peter.” 

“FaceTime him first.” 

“You do it.” Harley snatched the phone and hung up the call, watching Peter pick up his iPad and click onto their dad’s contact, FaceTiming him once again. 

Peter grinned behind his pacifier when he saw his dads face. “You’re back.” 

“I am.” Tony was still stuck in dead moving traffic when all he wanted to do was snap his fingers and be at home with his baby. But he supposed he could do with a FaceTime call. “How about you play with some of your legos?” 

“No. I’m hungry. I want milk.” He grabbed the iPad, taking it with him into the kitchen where his brother was. “Harley. I want milk.” 

“I’m making us dinner.” 

“Noo. Milk. I want a baba.” 

“Well… ask dad if you can have one. I don’t know.” 

Tony could tell by Peter’s face that he was going to start crying if he didn’t get one. He understood his boy was hungry but milk wasn’t the way to fill up. God, he wished he was there. He was forty minutes away with no traffic. 

“Give him some milk, Harley, in the Nuk bottle, but add two scoops of the formula to it. Then just shake it before you give it to him.” 

“Wait. What? Where’s that?” Harley took the iPad from Peter and placed it on the counter. 

“It’s in the cabinet with his bottles.” Tony watched Harley grab the container. “Yeah, that one. Now just two scoops into a bottle.” Tony waited for Harley to do that as Peter’s head popped up as he watched over the counter. “Then fill the rest up with milk. Up to the 8 ounces mark. Then just shake it.” 

By this point, Peter was bouncing on his feet. He went to reach for the bottle when Harley was done but the doorbell rang. 

Tony immediately pulled up the security cameras on his phone to see who it was, shaking his head when he saw that it was their nosy neighbours who lived across the street from them. Just because their kids moved out of the house and lived across the country, didn’t mean they had to be so obsessed with Tony’s kids. 

“It’s just the nosy neighbours.” Tony told Harley. “Just ignore it.” 

“My baba.” Peter tried to reach for it but Harley put it too far back on the counter. The doorbell rang again then they spoke into the front doorbell camera. 

“Hi boys. We noticed your parents' cars are gone so we just wanted to check up on you. Storm is getting pretty bad.” 

Harley rolled his eyes. “How creepy. Are they watching us?” 

“They’ve got nothing better to do.” 

“I’ll just go tell them we’re fine. They have good intentions, I get it.” 

Harley walked away, leaving Peter without his bottle. He let out a frustrated whine but Tony didn’t want him following him to the front door so he tried to distract him. “Peter, maybe if you get a chair to grab your bottle,” 

Peter didn’t take to the bait. He grabbed the iPad and ran towards the front door. “Harley.” 

“Ohh. There he is. Hello, Peter. Oh, aren’t you looking cozy. Are you wearing a diaper, honey?” The older woman cooed, stepping closer to the door. 

“Yeah, so as I was saying, our parents and sister are stuck in traffic from the storm. Our dads keeping us company on FaceTime.” 

“Hey, neighbours.” Tony said from the iPad, despite only being able to see Peter’s chest up. “Thanks for checking in, but we’re good.” 

“Hi Tony. You know, we could come in and watch them while you’re gone. Just to keep them company. I can cook up some dinner.” 

Tony considered it but he really didn’t need his neighbours coming into his home, especially with Peter being so vulnerable. “That’s such a nice offer but we’re good. I’ll be home soon. If we need you, I’ll be sure to call.” 

“Of course. Of course.” She sighed, giving Peter a little wave. He grinned behind his pacifier. 

“S’mare ‘hen ‘da snow c’med down out’ide.” Tony barely understood what Peter said, although he sounded excited about it, he knew the neighbour wouldn’t understand it either. 

“You’re just so cute, honey.” She held out her hand for Peter so he approached her, letting her pull him into her arms, squeezing him. “So cute.” 

Tony felt his overprotectiveness and jealousy spike. He clenched his fists. “Alright. Thanks for stopping by.” 

She pulled the iPad from Peter’s hands so she could be face to face with Tony. “You’ve got such a cute boy here, Tony. Such a lucky father. I just miss having young kids in the house so much.” 

“Okay, well, he is mine so I can’t help you there. You guys better get going.” 

She handed the iPad back to Peter. “Peter, ask your daddy if we can come in and I’ll bake some cookies for you.” 

Tony saw red. This was a form of manipulation. 

Peter stepped back inside the house because his feet were cold on the pavement. He hugged the iPad to his chest but didn’t say anything. 

“I think we’re good. But like our dad said, we’ll call you if we need anything.” 

“Oh. Okay. And how’s Aiser? We haven’t seen you guys walking him for a few days. I know what happened. We’re very sorry to have heard that.” 

“Thank you. But he’s doing well. He’s expected to make a full recovery. He’s just sleeping in our living room. He’ll be back to normal in about a week or two.” 

Peter bounced on his toes. “And ‘ed goin’’da mad’ a tort’!” 

“Wow, honey. I can’t understand you but you’re just the cutest. I could eat you up.” 

Tony rolled his eyes. He understood what Peter was trying to say. And we’re going to make a fort. But he didn’t tell them. He would’ve sent them on their way a long time ago. He also needed to take that pacifier from Peter because his speech was getting pretty bad. 

“It’s probably time you get going. It’s getting cold standing here.” Harley tried again. 

The woman sighed. “I suppose. One more hug, Peter.” She held his arms out but Peter didn’t feel like giving any more hugs. He hid behind Harley. “Don’t be shy now, honey. I don’t bite.” 

“You may not bite but he does. So you better get going. Bye bye now.” He gave them a smile and shut the door, double locking it then looking down at Peter. “I’ve never been so grateful you’re a biter.” 

Tony was too pissed at the situation to laugh. He would be having words with them later. That wasn’t fair to Peter, taking advantage of his innocence like that. Peter didn’t know any better and that’s why Tony didn’t want him being around adults alone because Peter would do anything anyone asked and Tony hated that to no extent. 

Peter ran into the kitchen and took the pacifier out of his mouth. “I can’t reach my bottle. Get it.” 

Harley grabbed it off the counter but didn’t hand it to Peter. “What’s the magic word?”

Tony could see Peter’s frustration on the camera. “Give it to him, Harley, or he’ll start crying and I won’t feel bad for you.” 

Their dad had a point. He handed it to Peter and he immediately ran towards the couch, laying down to drink his milk. Harley chuckled. “Relax a little, dad. All good things over here.” 

“You were teasing him. You know how I feel about that.” 

“Don’t be so bend up about the neighbours coming over. They mean no harm, really.” 

Tony wasn’t going to get into it with Harley. “Yeah yeah. Just hand the iPad back to your brother. Just so you know, he’ll need another diaper change if no one’s home in an hour. Unless you want to sit him on the toilet.” 

Harley hummed as he approached Peter and handed him the iPad. “Will you fight me if I put you on the toilet to pee?” 

Peter nodded. 

“Great.” That was a problem for later, he supposed.

.

.

.

It was almost five when Pepper and Morgan walked through the door. Peter immediately heard the door opening and raced to it, running into his moms arms for a hug. 

“Where’s daddy?” 

“Honey, he’s still stuck in traffic. He’ll be home soon. Did you have fun with Harley?” 

Peter ignored the question. He wanted his dad. He’s been waiting for hours it felt like. Tony ended their FaceTime call once he moved onto the side streets since the service wasn’t the best and Peter was going crazy. 

“Tell him to come home now. Tell him I’m waiting.” 

Pepper ran her fingers through his messy curls. “I’m sure that would make him drive faster but he is coming home. The snow is really bad.” 

“Awwww.” 

“Let’s go into the kitchen so I can clean your face. It’s full of boogies.” 

Peter followed his mom, not stopping her from using a damp cloth to get his face cleaned off, even though it was annoying. “Where’s daddy coming home?” 

“How about you call him and find out where he is?” 

“I can’t. He lost service.” 

“Then I’m sure he’ll be home soon. It’s snowing really bad out there so the snow plows are working on clearing the roads.” Pepper opened the fridge to see what she could quickly cook up for dinner. She decided to make chicken fried rice since it was the easiest thing. “I’m going to cook some dinner, how about you and Morgan go play in the living room.” 

“I want daddy.” 

“Daddy is coming home, baby. He’s on his way.” Pepper took out a pot then glanced down at Peter, leaning down to feel between his legs. “Your diapers full. You didn’t pee on the toilet?” 

Peter shook his head, his curls bouncing on his face. 

“I’ll come change you in a minute. Go wait in the living room.” 

“Fine.” Peter ran off, looking in the living room for Morgan but she wasn’t there so he grabbed his pacifier off the table, put it in his mouth and made his way upstairs, pushing open Morgan’s bedroom door. “What’re you doing?” 

“Nothing.” Morgan quickly turned her back to him, shoving a bin underneath her bed so Peter grinned, walking over to see what it was. His curiosity got the better of him. “Don’t. Go away.” 

“I wanna see.” Bending down, Peter reached under the bed and pulled out a bin of makeup. “This is moms.” He picked up the lipstick, opening the lid. 

Morgan and him stared at each other, getting that mischievous look in their eye when they had an idea to do something they knew they weren’t allowed to do. 

Peter grabbed a handful of the makeup and stood up, walking into the hallway, intending to go into the bathroom but he ended up stopping by one of the walls and getting onto his knees, drawing a heart on the wall. “Pretty.” 

“We shouldn’t draw here. Mom and dad will find it.” 

“Then where?” 

“Umm…” Morgan’s eyes lit up. “Oh. I got an idea. Follow me.” 

Peter picked the makeup back up and followed Morgan further down the hallway, turning towards the guest bedroom at the end. No one usually came down this far. Plus the hallway turned into an L shape so no one would be able to see them. 

He dropped to his knees and got to work on his art, drawing him and his dad with the lipstick and eventually pulling out eye liner to draw his family on Christmas Day. 

“This one is sparkly.” Morgan examined, holding out a gold container. 

“Let me see.” Peter grabbed it and opened it then dumped it on the carpet, slapping it with his hand then laughing when the sparklers flew everywhere. “It looks like a silly octopus.” 

“Shh.” 

“Oh.” Peter wiped his hand on the carpet but he wanted more art tools so he stood up. “Imma get more. Wait here.” Running quickly, he made his way down the hallway but stopped at Harley’s bedroom and walked in. He was drawn to his computer because it was something he wasn’t allowed to touch and go near but Harley wasn’t there right now. 

So Peter climbed onto the chair and wiggled the mouse, the screen coming to life. He read the game that appeared on the screen. Chainsaw massacre. Interesting. Sounded scary. 

Peter pressed the play button but it made a scary sound so he slid off the chair and walked into his bathroom, looking at his dirty underwear on the floor and a bottle of what he assumed was hair gel. 

He took it and left the bathroom, rejoining Morgan at their spot. He admired their beautiful work on the wall and jumped with excitement. “We should add the snowflakes!” 

Peter forgot to grab more art supplies but that was fine. He squatted down and picked up a blue lipstick and started making dots then moved over to the dresser and rubbed the makeup all over the front for fun. “It’s beautiful.” 

Morgan grabbed the blue lipstick from him. “Petey. Not there. We’re making art. Not ruining furniture.” 

“I’m not ruining it.” Peter said and snatched the lipstick back. “I’m making it beautiful. Okay?” 

Peter heard the front door open and gasped. His favourite person ever was finally home. Peter stood up, dropping the lipstick on the floor as he ran down the hallway and then down the stairs. “Daddy daddy daddy daddy!” 

Tony was so eager to hold his boy. He shut the door behind him and waited with open arms at the bottom of the stairs for Peter to make his way down. 

Peter jumped down the last two steps, knowing his dad was going to catch him. Tony was cold and his jacket was preventing Peter from fully latching onto him but it was good enough. “I love you, daddy. I missed you.” 

Tony kissed his soft cheeks. “I missed you too. So much.” He set Peter on his feet but only for a moment. “I just need to take my jacket off. You know, my car was seconds away from running out of gas but I didn’t even bother to go fill it. I just missed you so much.” 

“Now we’re gonna be stuck at home forever.” 

“I’m okay with that. Come here.” He lifted Peter back up, swinging him onto his hip as Morgan walked down with red lipstick on. “Hey, princess. You eat some red candy?” He teased. 

“No, dad. It’s lipstick.” She said proudly. 

Tony thought it made her look too old. “It’s beautiful to wear around the house only. No going outside like that.” 

“But why not? I like it.” 

“Because you’re too young for makeup.” 

“Dad.” Morgan twisted herself on the railing, looking up at her father. 

“What? You trying to grow up on me too?” 

“Yeah. I want to be an adult.” 

Tony gasped and put a hand over his heart. “Don’t say that.” 

She giggled then jumped onto the floor and ran towards the kitchen. “Peter can stay the baby!” 

“Hmmm.” Tony looked at Peter who had been silently watching the interaction. “What do you think? You gonna stay the baby of the family?” 

“Yeah.” Peter agreed for now but he probably wouldn’t feel that way once he’s older. Tony would take what he could get. 

“Right answer.” He hoisted him up higher and started walking towards the kitchen, after Morgan. “Now let’s go find out what that delicious smell is.” 

“It’s chicken fried rice.” 

“Wow. Yummy. Are you hungry?” Peter nodded. “Good. I got your surprise with me.” 

Peter gasped. “You do?” 

“Yep.” Tony could see that Peter was in a diaper and it was full and badly in need of a change but he also knew that today wasn’t exactly easy going. Harley had to watch him for a few hours and so the continuation of the potty training wasn’t exactly doable today. Peter still deserved his surprise. “I’ll get it in a second. Actually, can you go grab my briefcase by the front door? It’s in there.” He set Peter on his feet so he could run off while Tony greeted Pepper, wrapping his arms around her from behind and kissing her neck. “Miss me?” 

“Oh.” She giggled. “Hi. Of course I did. Peter needs a diaper change so just in time.” 

He chuckled, kissing her neck then pulling away to turn her around and kiss her lips. “What else am I here for. I’ll get right on that.” 

“Perfect. Because dinners ready. I also left a bowl in the fridge to cool down. That one is for Aiser.” She kissed him again then pulled away, grabbing the big white bowl with the rice on it. “Kids! Dinner!” 

“Daddy. My surprise.” 

“Yeah, baby. Let’s go into the living room so you can open it and I can change your bum.” 

Peter followed him, struggling to carry the heavy briefcase with him. He eagerly watched Tony open it up and hand him something wrapped in plastic. Peter bounced on the couch. 

He quickly unwrapped the plastic bag off his surprise and pulled out a new water bottle. He hugged it against his chest, happily. “I love it.” 

Tony was glad. It was a Munchkin transition sippy cup that Tony wanted to introduce to him instead of the bottles. It would be harder for him to latch on to suck on the nipple since there was only a spout. Not a nipple. So he didn’t even know if Peter would take to it. 

Although it looked like he loved it. 

“I can wash it then fill it with some juice for you.” 

“Yeah. Now?” 

“No. Lie down so I can change you.” Tony noticed that the supplies were still on the floor from Peter’s last change so he didn’t have to collect any of it. 

The change was quick and easy then Tony washed Peter’s new cup and filled it with half water and half juice then handed it to him. “You don’t have one like this. Do you like it?” 

Peter nodded, joining his family at the dining room table. He sat down then pulled the spout from his mouth, pointing at it. “It’s different?” 

“Yeah, bud. It’s cool, isn’t it?” 

Once again, Peter nodded. “It’s sippy.” 

“Yeah. I don’t know what that means but okay.” Tony placed a bit of rice onto Peter’s car shaped plate. “Can you eat with a spoon and not your hands, please?” 

“It even has handles.” 

“Yeah, it does.” Tony held a spoon to his lips. “Open wide.” 

Peter took a bite but spit it out right after. When Pepper saw that, she shook her head, sighing. “Peter. You’ve eaten this meal before and loved it.” 

“I don’t like that spoon.” 

They could work with that. Tony grabbed a napkin to wipe the spit out rice from his chin and stood up, already knowing what spoon Peter wanted. He should have known better, that was on him. 

Tony thought about the days where the type of spoon Peter ate with didn’t matter but apparently it did. 

It was a big deal in fact. 

Eventually, Peter accepted the spoon and began eating, still talking about his new sippy cup. 

“And it’s blue. My second favourite colour.” 

“They didn’t have red. Only blue and pink.” 

“I want the pink one, dad. It looks cool.” 

Tony swallowed his food. “This is a sippy cup, Morg. You don’t need one. I can buy you another cool looking cup.” 

“No. Morgan has to earn it. Like I did. I don’t wet my pants at all today.” He proudly stated. 

“Because you’ve been in a diaper all day.” Harley pointed out, earning two dirty looks directed right at him. He raised his hands up. “Okay okay. You deserve that sippy cup, buddy. Very proud of you. But for future reference, don’t poo yourself without mom or dad home.” 

“Harley.” 

“What? That’s parent territory.” 

Tony sighed but he was right. And Peter didn’t seem to care who changed his diaper, probably a bad thing but whatever. “I owe you. Peter will get you something nice.” 

“Yeah. I’m gonna buy you a big big- ahhhh!” 

The lights turned off at that moment, leaving them in a pitch black room. Tony automatically reached out to hold onto Peter so he wasn’t too scared. “It’s okay. We’re all still here. It’s just a power outage from the storm.” Tony grabbed his phone from his pocket and turned the flashlight on. “See? All better.” 

“I want paci.” 

“No, you’re fine, Peter. Look. It’s like a cozy dinner.” 

Peter crawled onto his fathers lap. “No. Paci.” 

Tony sighed. “Alright. I’ll go-” 

“I’ll get one, Tony. Just wait here.” 

Morgan continued eating as if everything was okay. “This is so cool. It’s like a cool movie night.” 

Tony watched Peter’s face. He genuinely looked stressed out. He was scared of the dark but only if he was alone so he didn’t know what was freaking him out so much. 

Pressing a kiss to Peter’s panicked face, Tony brought Peter’s attention back on himself. “What’s up?” 

“Paci.” 

“Moms bringing it.” 

“Here you go, honey. Are you done dinner?” 

Peter took it immediately, laying his head against Tony’s chest. Tony nodded for him. “He’s done. I’ll feed him later if he gets hungry.” 

“Alright. Well, I’ll clean up then we can figure out some lighting for the living room. Maybe we can play a board game.” 

“Yeah! Let’s play Life! Please please please!” Morgan jumped up from her seat excitedly and no one could say no to that. 

Tony stood up as well, swinging Peter onto his hip. “We can play but it’s in the basement so how about you and Harley go look for it and bring up the case of flashlights.” 

“Let’s go, Morg.” 

Peter watched them walk out of the room then wiggled his legs to be placed down. He wanted to join them. “I go with.” 

“I’ll clear the table then go get the battery lantern from the spare room. 

“Alright, Pep.” He told her then focused back on Peter. “Okay. Let’s go together then.” He let Peter take his hand and phone light, leading him downstairs. “Do you see them?” 

“I can’t see anything.” 

Tony chuckled. 

Peter suddenly stopped walking then shivered, turning back to Tony and holding his arms up for him. “I’m scared. I want up.” 

He chuckled again but picked Peter up and carried him towards one of the many closets downstairs where they found Harley and Morgan. “Did you find it?” 

As expected, Peter wiggled back down so he could help look. “Where’s the game?” He pulled a lid off a bin and looked inside, finding old toys. “Not in here.” 

Tony just watched them look. Watching his kids work together was his favourite thing. He’s convinced he was put on his earth for the sole purpose of being a father to Harley, Peter and Morgan and he wouldn’t have it any other way. 

On the way upstairs, Peter made sure he was holding his fathers hand and carrying the flashlight in his other hand. 

“We gonna play it now?” 

“We can. How about you go get it set up with your brother and sister.” 

Peter tugged on Tony’s hand. “Come with me?” 

“Tony!” Pepper’s voice came from the hallway. She sounded pissed. “Tony!” 

“What? What’s wrong?” 

Pepper marched over to him. “How about you go see what our kids did in the hallway by the guest room. Go on. Go look.” 

Yikes. Tony did not want to see this if Pepper was this angry about it. He looked down at Peter, seeing the guilty look on his face. Good. At least he knew he messed up. 

“Oh god. Okay.” He did not want to see this. He was scared to see it. The five of them walked upstairs, Peter leading the way as if he were proudly showing Tony something. It was hard to see anything with only two flashlights but once they made it to the end of the hallway, Peter stopped and pointed at the wall then looked at Tony, curious for his reaction. 

Tony gasped. “Oh no. This is very naughty, Peter. Morgan, did you do this too?” Tony turned around to find her standing there, looking at her feet like they were the most interesting things in the world. “You guys. This is very, very bad.” 

Peter pointed at the wall, carefully watching Tony’s reaction. “I did this and this and this and this and this and-” 

“Peter.” Tony stopped his pointing. Basically he did it all. Tony could decipher what kid did what. He kneeled down in front of him. “This is very naughty. We don’t draw on the wall with…” He picked up a lipstick and sighed, looking up at Pepper. 

“Yeah. About $1000 worth of my makeup.” 

Tony shook his head then looked back at Peter. “This was very naughty. I am not happy.” 

Peter watched Tony’s face then looked back at his ‘art’ on the wall. “I did it.” 

“I know you did this.” Tony shined the light at Morgan, literally putting her in the spotlight. “Come here, Morgan.” She dragged her feet over, not looking at Tony, meanwhile Peter looked proud now. “You two messed up. This is not acceptable. Morgan, why did you draw on the wall?” 

Morgan shrugged. “I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have. But… we wanted to draw a picture.” 

Peter nodded. “We drew a beautiful picture.” 

“It would be beautiful if it was on a paper. Not on the wall. I’m very disappointed.” 

Peter leaned against Tony’s body, placing his hand on his shoulders. “Don’t be disappointed. Be happy. It’s a beautiful picture for you, daddy.” 

Damn. Peter could burn the whole world down and Tony still couldn’t be upset with him. 

“Ha! It’s even on the dresser.” Harley pointed out. 

Tony shined the light on the dresser then looked back at Peter. “This is a big no no.” 

Peter looked at the wall then back at Tony. “Am I bad?” 

Harley chuckled. 

Tony didn’t know how to answer that because in Peter’s mind, being called bad meant he spoke to someone he shouldn’t have or behaved in a way that threatened who he really was as Peter Rogers then got locked in his room. So Tony had to dance around the answer. 

“You’re very naughty because you drew on the walls with mommy’s lipstick. Makeup is not for art on the walls. You shouldn’t be drawing on the walls, period.” 

“Oh.” Peter considered that but of course, it didn’t register with him. He pointed at his drawing again. “It’s us.” 

“Okay,” Tony sat on his knees and pulled Peter onto his lap, facing the wall. “This is a very big mess to clean up and I’m not happy. Look at mommy, do you think she’s happy?” 

Peter turned to face her. “Are you happy, mommy?” 

“No. I’m not happy with you two at all.” 

“Oh.” Peter looked down at his lap then turned back to her. “Milk?” 

“No, Peter. Even if I had milk to give you, you wouldn’t get any now because you did something very naughty. Listen to your father.” 

Peter kicked off the wall, making Tony lose his balance a bit. “Peter. You messed up. You cannot draw on walls. What can you do to make it better?” 

“I know, dad!” Morgan dropped to her knees next to them, placing her hands on Peter’s lap. 

“One second, Morgan. I want to hear it from your brother.” 

Peter tried to kick Morgan away. “Hmmmm! Goooo!” 

“Peter.” Tony grabbed his legs so he couldn’t hurt his sister. “Answer my question.” 

“I don’t know. Maybe… ummm… pee on the toilet?” 

Tony didn’t even know what that meant. “No. You made a big mess on the wall, what can you do to make it better? To fix your actions?” 

“Ummm…” Peter kicked the wall again. “I don’t know. Play with Morgan nicely and share my toys.” 

Tony looked up at Pepper. Peter just wasn’t understanding the problem here. “Morgan, help your brother out.” 

“We can clean it up. We can get soap and water and a bucket!” 

“Yeah. I think so.” Peter agreed, sitting up to look back at Tony for his reaction. Tony forced a smile. 

“Good. Harley, can you take them to get that?” 

“Powers out. I have nothing better to do.” 

Tony watched them walk away then looked up at Pepper, still sitting on the floor. “He doesn’t have any problem solving skills. These moments are supposed to teach him right from wrong but Peter just… he doesn’t seem to get it. It’s so frustrating.” 

“I know. I know. It’s hard. I think he does these things to get a reaction from us.” 

“I know that’s exactly why he does it. He’s trying to test us. Karen even said it. These types of behaviours are expected and to use them as a learning opportunity but Peter… I don’t know. He doesn’t seem to understand it.” 

“This can be something to bring up in the next session with her. It’ll be important to discuss. And how we can deal with it.” 

Tony sighed. “Do you think I said the right thing?” 

“I do. But did you see his face? He was more concerned over your reaction. He was looking to see what you would do. He didn’t take his eyes off you once when you were looking at the wall the first time.” 

Tony nodded. 

“He’s just testing us. Seeing how we react to things. Seeing what he can and can’t get away with.” 

“He can get away with anything and he knows it.” 

“I know, but he can’t, Tony. Stay strong. It’s all a phase.” 

Tony looked down the hallway and watched Peter carrying a bucket full of water, struggling so much it was splashing over the sides. “Wait, Pete, let me help you-” 

Peter eventually tripped and the bucket of water splashed, going all over the carpet. Nice. Tony couldn’t help but laugh when Harley broke out into a laughing fit behind Peter. 

“Harley. Why’d you let him carry that?” 

Harley fell to his knees he was laughing so hard. “That’s the point!” 

Tony shook his head. The thing about raising kids is that these kinds of things are going to happen no matter how perfect of a parent you think you are. It’s just the way you handle it, you can yell and stress over the bucket of water soaking into the plush carpet, or you can laugh with your kids and make the best of it, because at the end of the day, they’re kids and they're going to find it funny.