Always Be My Baby

Peter felt a bit uneasy but he also felt good. 

He would’ve preferred to keep his pacifier with him but it was also nice to have been able to communicate his feelings like that. Now Tony knew what he was thinking and was able to help. It felt so relieving. 

Now he could go in the ocean. 

He let his dad carry him back down to the beach but then he saw his mom holding an ice pack against her eye and he remembered how he head slammed her. “Uh oh.” 

Tony took a slight detour over to his wife, looking at her now slightly bruised eye. He sighed. “Aw, Pep. Are you okay?” 

“Mommy.” Peter immediately felt awful. He hurt his mom. “That’s an owie. Oh no.” 

“I’m okay, honey. I know it was an accident.” She smiled at him, wait until she hears that he opened up to Tony for the first time ever, then she’d be beaming at him. 

“Kiss mommy to make her feel better.” Tony leaned Peter in closer to Pepper, having him press a gentle kiss to her temple. “Such a sweet boy.”

“Do you feel better now?” He asked, twirling a piece of her hair in his fingers. “It’s a magical kiss from me.” 

“It sure is. Thank you, baby. Are you feeling better?” Peter nodded, a bit shyly. He laid his head back on Tony’s shoulder. All he really wanted to do was finally be allowed to go in the ocean. He could see Morgan body surfing the waves with Harley and he felt like he was missing out. 

Pointing towards the ocean, Tony knew what he meant. He also wanted Peter to enjoy this trip now, they had a bit of a rough few moments but hopefully it was all smooth sailing from here on out. 

And hopefully that was definitely not Tony’s famous last words. 

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Alice had been worried that Peter was going to hold a grudge or hate her for the rest of the trip for taking his pacifier but Tony had reassured her millions of times that Peter probably already forgot about it and definitely would not hate her for it. 

And of course, Tony was right. Five minutes after Alice finished voicing her concerns to Tony, Peter was asking her to come in the ocean with them. Tony just spent the last hour in there and he wanted to sit out for a bit to just observe. 

Peter was a handful although Tony knew that better than anyone. Going on vacation as a parent didn’t actually mean relaxing, it just meant you got to tell your kids no in a different place. And in this case, make sure they didn’t drown in an ocean and an open pool right outside their house. 

“Who do you think will fall asleep first?” Pepper laughed as she sat down to join Tony on the beach chairs. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. 

“Your mom and dad.” 

“Probably. My dad has been in there with them for like four hours. At least he’ll tire them out for us.” They sat back to watch their kids in silence, both mainly watching Peter but not saying anything about it. 

It was nice, it was moments like these that Tony knew he would miss and give anything to go back to one day. Peter was growing up, a bit slowly for that matter, but Tony wasn’t complaining, he didn’t want Peter growing up at all. 

And maybe he shouldn’t worry about that any time soon because he literally just watched Peter pick something up and put it in his mouth. Rest time is over. “I’ll be back.” With a big sigh, he got up and walked across the hot sand, leaning over Peter. “What’s in your mouth?” 

“Nothing.” 

Tony pinched his cheeks, seeing something white poking out. “What is that? Is that a shell? Open your mouth.” 

Opening his mouth, Peter let his dad pull it out. Tony’s face was of complete horror while Peter looked proud. “Yeah. It’s my shell.” 

“Don’t put shells in your mouth.” Another thing Tony never thought he would have to say. 

“No cause I want to save them for later.” 

“You can create a pile on the beach. Not in your mouth. You can choke plus guess who lives in the ocean?” 

“Ummm… the Titanic.” 

“Not in this ocean. This is the Indian Ocean. And no, fish live in the ocean. And guess who’s allergic?” Tony noticed his cheeks getting rosy so he would need sunscreen on again but the sun was starting to set and they still needed to eat dinner. 

“You are.” He giggled, pulling on Tony’s bathing suit strings. “I-I-I-I want-I want you to come in the ocean with me and toss me all the way to the middle of it.” 

“If I did that, I don’t think I’d ever see you again.” 

“Yeah…” Peter leaned against him and turned to watch Morgan try to surf a wave over and over again. She was determined and Mike was determined to teach her but Peter was more interested in collecting shells and putting the pretty ones in his mouth. “I don’t want to surf anymore because the salt burns my eye balls.” 

“Okay. You can try another time.” 

“I need to poo. I want to poo in the ocean.” He was already tugging out of Tony’s grip and technically Tony knew he could, the fish would eat it, right? Gross. But then he would teach Peter that anytime he needs to go, this is where he’d come. Even at night, alone. So no. 

Now he had to fight him to go on a toilet. 

“Let’s go inside and I’ll change you into pyjamas too.” 

“But-but-but no one else is.” 

“They will in ten minutes. We need to eat dinner, kid. And everyone needs to shower too.” Tony lifted him onto his hip, pushing his wet curls off his forehead. He needed a haircut. “Pep, he needs to poo so I’m going to take him inside and get him ready for bed while I’m at it.” 

“Okay. Do you need help?” 

“No. We’re good. Right, Petey pie?” 

“Yeah, daddy pie.” 

“Doesn’t work. Doesn’t fit.” 

“Then dada.” 

Tony beamed. “Okay. Better. That works.” And one day Peter would call him dada for the last time and Tony wasn’t ready for it. He walked into the house, wondering how it ever got so messy when they were barely there for half a day. 

Kids. 

Peter. 

That explained it. 

Tony walked into the outdoor bathroom, never getting over how beautiful they always were. It was like a bathroom in the middle of the jungle. It technically was. He set Peter on his feet and took off his bathing suit, hanging it to dry. 

“Look. I even brought your frog.” Tony showed Peter as he placed the travel potty seat on the toilet. “Come sit.” 

“I don’t need to go anymore.” 

“Peter. Just try.” 

“No. I don’t need to go.” 

Tony picked him up and sat him on the toilet but he squirmed off, crawling behind the bathtub. “Peter. You can’t just hold it in. That isn’t healthy. Please just try sitting on the toilet. Do you want mom to come instead?” 

“No! Tell Morgan to come instead.” 

“Not Morgan, only mom or me. You decide or I’m going to put you on the toilet again.” Tony really didn’t know why he couldn’t just sit, it was the same as going pee and he always put up such a fight and ended up going in his diaper. 

“Fine. You. I’ll go after dinner. My body needs energy first. Okay?” Peter used his best puppy dog eyes but got distracted half way through and walked over to the vines growing on the wall. “Do you think I can climb it?” 

“No. Are you a spider?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I don’t think so.” He grabbed Peter’s hand and pulled him over to the shower, turning it on and accidentally spraying Peter with cold water. 

“Ahhh!” 

“Sorry, baby. I’m sorry.” Both of them started laughing. He really didn’t mean to spray him with cold water but it was funny. Peter really was such an easy going kid. You could dress him in literally anything and he would wear it, wet clothes, sure, shoes and no socks, fine, he honestly didn’t care. Spraying him with cold water, he laughed. It was just when he got in his difficult moods, that was the tricky part of parenting Peter. 

“Did you do that on purpose?” He asked, cupping his hands full of water to splash Tony even though it was warm now. 

They also didn’t have any soap in the bathroom so now Tony needed to leave Peter alone to go do that. “I definitely did not do that on purpose, hey, I need to go get soap. Can you stay right here?” 

“Where’s the soap?” 

“In our suitcase. I’ll be right back. Stay right here.” 

“Okay.” He watched Tony leave the bathroom then drank some of the shower water before walking over to explore more of the outdoor shower. It was cool. He wished they had one like this back home. Although he would definitely freeze taking a shower outside in the cold. 

He shivered at the thought then made his way over to a garden, climbing inside and sitting on a rock. Cool. The soil felt really nice beneath his toes and hands. 

He tossed some over his head, sniffing his hands after. It smelt so fresh he couldn’t help but take a few licks, shoving some in his mouth. Definitely tasted like dirt but it was surprisingly good. 

He stood up to wipe his hands on the wall just as Tony walked back in. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Eating dirt.” 

At least he was being honest. Shaking his head, Tony walked over to him and saw how much he freaking got into in those two minutes Tony was gone. He had dirt on his butt, hands and mouth. 

“Why?” Was all Tony could ask. Just… why? 

“Cause it smells good.” 

Tony just blinked at him. What does he even do in this situation? “Please don’t eat dirt.” He was about to give him his pacifier back just to stop him from putting things in his mouth. 

“Cause I have to save it for the worms?” 

“Peter. Because that’s so disgusting.” He literally had one of those kids that ate dirt. He was proud of him anyways. 

The rest of shower time went pretty well. Peter was hilarious, always making Tony laugh. As he got older, his personality started to come out more and more and it was the best thing to see. Tony loved having one on one conversations with him and just getting to spend time with him. 

This trip was perfect for that. 

“… and it’s not like Harley can actually surf either. I think he just pretends to know how then he gets on the board and falls over. Bong! Right on his head. Sorry turtle.” 

Tony was already belly laughing from this boy. Where did he come up with this stuff, Tony would never know. 

“Morgan probably already whacked that poor turtle so many times. Either her or the turtle is gonna have a bigger goose egg.” 

“Hopefully the turtle.” Tony didn’t want any injuries to his kids on this trip. He wrapped Peter in a fluffy towel and lifted him up, unable to resist kissing his cheek. “You smell delicious. I could eat you up.” 

“Don’t eat me! Then there’d be nothing left.” 

“Hmm. Can’t have that. I couldn’t live without my little man.” He kissed him again, physically having to restrain himself from squeezing him and breaking his ribs. He had cuteness overload aggression. 

Tony opened the bathroom door, appreciating that even though they were leaving the steamy, warm bathroom, it was still steamy and warm in the rest of the house. It definitely helped that every single door was open too. Pepper was in the kitchen with her mom cooking dinner and it smelt absolutely delicious. 

“It smells good in here.” 

“Oh, hi my baby. Are you nice and clean?” Pepper cooed, sneaking him a carrot. 

“Hi Peter. Did you have a nice bath?” Alice walked over, making sure she got some of that cuteness in. “Hmm. You smell like a green apple.” 

“I didn’t take a bath. I showered and ate dirt.” He held the carrot in his hand, wanting to save it until they got upstairs. “There’s-there’s-there’s-um… there’s-there’s like, um, there’s-there’s-” 

“A garden.” Tony finished for him. Usually he let Peter stutter and get his words out but they would be here all day. 

“Yeah. There’s a garden in the bathroom.” 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Alice caressed his soft cheek. 

“Did he actually eat dirt?” Pepper directed that question at Tony, wanting to get an actual answer. 

“Yeah… he did.” 

“Oh my. Okay. Well… okay.” There was nothing they could do now except watch him more closely. Although that would require having eyes on them 24/7. And that sometimes just wasn’t possible. “Well, grandma and I are cooking dinner, how about you go upstairs with daddy and get dressed. It’ll be ready in about 40 minutes, Tony.” 

“What is it?” 

“Rice, teriyaki chicken, vegetables and tons and tons of fruit, just for you, my baby.” 

“I want a mango now.” 

Pepper gave him a piece of the mango which he grabbed with his other hand and started sucking on it. He was tired, Tony could tell. He just hoped he could stay awake until dinner and then through dinner. 

But they would see. 

He cringed at the sticky juice coming down Peter’s arm after literally just giving him a shower but it was fine. A quick wipe could fix that. “We’ll see you guys soon. Say bye, Petey.” 

“Bye.” He mumbled behind the mango, content to use it for comfort and a sweet treat while Tony brought him upstairs and laid him on the bed. It was a nice room, he could see a fruit tray off to the side that he would be more excited about if he wasn’t fighting to keep his eyes open right now. 

He sat up when Tony walked out of his sight. “Mm?” 

“I’m right here. I’m just getting a diaper and pyjamas.” 

Peter said something to him that Tony couldn’t understand then he coughed on the piece of mango that broke off and slid down his throat. 

“I’ll take that.” Taking the mango from him, Tony tossed it in the garbage. “Let’s not use a mango as a paci.” 

“Paci.” 

Tony was already finding one. Where did Pepper put them? Oh. Here. He grabbed one out of the case and handed it to him. “Lie back down for a sec.” Peter did as he was told and stretched his arms above his head with a yawn. He was tired but it was only 6:30pm. Still too late for him to actually sleep. So Tony just had to keep him awake and entertain him. 

“Hey, keep your eyes open. Did you have fun today? Tell me your favourite thing about today?” Tony unwrapped him from the warm towel, pulling it out from under him. “Hey. Tell me your favourite thing.” 

“You are.” 

Okay. Tony wasn’t expecting that but he thinks it just made his whole trip. He couldn’t stop the smile from beaming across his face. “You’re my favourite thing too. But I want to know your favourite thing about today so far.” 

Trying to keep Peter awake once he decided he was already ready for sleep usually never worked out. He was going to try anyways. 

He got a diaper on him and lifted him back up. “We need to go eat dinner. Can you stay awake for a little bit longer?” 

“M’tired, daddy.” Peter just wanted the bed. It was comfortable and made him feel like he was sleeping in a king's bed. “You ‘steep ‘ou.” 

“No, I’m not going to sleep yet. It’s not bedtime yet.” But he still needed to get proper clothes on too. Tony sat Peter up against the headboard. “You stay here, don’t lie down, I’m going to be right back. I’m just going to change quickly.” 

Peter genuinely did try to stay sitting up but the bed was just so tired. He leaned forward and tucked his knees underneath his stomach, laying his head on the bed and yawning. He was ready for bed.  

By the time Tony walked out of the bathroom, he saw Peter and knew there was nothing he could do to keep him awake any longer. He just had to accept that Peter was going to bed at 6:30pm with no dinner. Now Tony was just wishing he put diaper cream on him but he was tucked into a ball and he couldn’t apply it without waking him up. Whatever. 

Tony shut the curtains, turned the lamp off and put on the sound machine as well as setting up the baby monitor so he could go downstairs and still keep an eye on him. 

He aimed the camera at Peter’s sleeping form, making sure he could see it on the other monitor then after kissing his head, Tony left. 

Walking downstairs alone made Tony feel naked. Like walking out of the house without your phone or bag, it was something you always had on you so to not have it now was weird. 

Pepper was dumping a pot of rice into a bowl while Harley was carrying a stack of plates. The food smelt delicious. Tony just wished Peter could enjoy it with them. 

“Peter fell asleep upstairs so I decided to just let him go to bed early tonight.” He told Pepper, popping an olive into his mouth. 

“Aww, poor baby. Today was such a big day for him. Hopefully he’s not up at 3am though.” She handed Tony the bowl of rice. “Bring this out to the table please.” 

So Tony did. It was an absolutely stunning evening. 

The sun was still beaming but was getting ready to set, reflecting off the ocean waves crashing into shore. Morgan was digging in the garden with a bucket she must have found from somewhere and all Tony could think about was Peter next to her, probably fighting for the bucket but at least he would be there. 

Tony found himself missing his presence as if he was dead. 

He hated how his mind went there anytime Peter wasn’t with them. Peter had such a strong presence in their little family so it was so hard to not notice he wasn’t there. 

And Tony felt that he didn’t know what to do with himself without Peter there. 

He watched Morgan, trying to imagine Peter right next to her playing and it brought him back to a time four years ago when he would look at Morgan and try to picture what it would be like to have his youngest son next to her, but of course then he thought Peter was dead since there was little hope of ever seeing him again. 

His heart started to beat quicker and he did not need a panic attack right now. Peter wasn’t dead, he was upstairs sleeping. Tony looked at the monitor in his hand, Peter was still in the same position. He took a breath. 

“Where’s your shadow?” 

Tony turned around to face Alice. “Oh, he’s sleeping. Poor guy was so tired he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.” 

“Oh.” Alice looked disappointed. Tony didn’t blame her. He wanted to wake Peter up just to bring him down here. “Poor baby. He had such a busy day, I’m sure getting here wasn’t easy for him.” 

“It wasn’t, but he did so well. We’re all so proud of him.” Why was Peter’s absence so hard on all of them? He literally just went to bed early and they were all acting like they would never see him again. Tony knew it was because they spent so long without him, days exactly like this, where that strong presence was missing. 

For any normal family, their wild child falling asleep a bit early would probably be a nice break, and it was to some extent. But it was mainly lonely and left Tony feeling anxious. 

Because it was a painful reminder of what could have been if they never got Peter back the first time. What if that bus never broke down? What if Steve was successful in his murder-suicide plan? Peter would not be here right now and this is what life would look like, only a million times worse because Tony kept looking at the baby monitor to see him sleeping. 

But Tony really didn’t want to get in that mindset right now so he clung onto the baby monitor like a lifeline and joined everyone at the table. The food looked delicious and he was starving so he would focus on eating and not having a wild monkey climbing all over him and having to cut up food for that wild monkey only for them to not eat it. 

“Where’s Petey?” 

“He went to bed early tonight.” Tony showed her the monitor of Peter sleeping in the exact same position. He must be so exhausted. 

“Oh. Then he won’t eat dinner. He’ll be so hungry.” It was so kind that Morgan cared. Tony loved how empathetic all his children were, especially Peter. He had a heart of gold. “Maybe we can save him some.” 

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll make him a plate for later.” Tony wouldn’t actually. He would heat up some food if Peter wanted it later but there was no point in making a whole plate of food he wouldn’t eat. 

“Dad, grandpa is going tonight to pick up a golf cart, then want to go to the beach you and me to do night surfing? You know that spot we passed by on the drive in?” 

Tony knew the spot Harley was talking about. It was a ten minute drive away, not too bad but then an hour or so surging on top of that plus he was already so tired. But it was only 7pm. They could go from 9-10. So yeah, maybe that wouldn’t be so bad. 

“Oh yeah, I know what you’re talking about. We can go after dinner but probably only for about an hour. Your brother might be waking up extra early tomorrow so I do need to get some sleep.” Tony didn’t miss the way Harley’s face fell and he immediately wanted to take back what he said but he couldn’t. He had to get some sleep to be somewhat sane. Peter took a lot out of him. 

“I want to come night surfing too.” Morgan budded in. 

“You don’t even know how to surf.” So what if Harley wanted Tony all for himself for one night, his siblings got way too much of his attention anyway. 

“I can. I’m learning. And how can I learn if you don’t let me come?” 

Pepper saved Tony from having to say no thankfully. “Morgan, it’ll be past your bedtime. We’ve had a busy day, another night we can all go.” 

“Urg! But I’m not a baby like Peter. I can stay awake without falling asleep.” She argued. It was debatable. Although she was the youngest, Morgan was definitely more mature than Peter by a long shot. Not only in the way they act, but their ability to both recognize bad decisions or dangerous things and stay away, their communication skills, their problem solving, and so much more, Morgan was way more advanced in those areas than Peter. 

But they were working on it. 

“Peter is also up way before you, Morg, he’s up at 5 in the morning.” Tony shoved a mouthful of food into his mouth. Wow, he was actually going to be able to fully eat his food tonight. 

“Just tell him to go back to bed then so he can stay up longer and play with me.” 

All the adults chuckled. 

“Okay, I’ll let you tell him that next time.” Tony would love to see her try. 

On the monitor, Peter started coughing and it looked like his coughing fit woke him up but he just changed positions so he was now lying on his side, facing the camera. Tony silently cooed. Why was his boy so perfect? 

“So I made a list of things we could do here,” Alice started. “There’s a beautiful hike through the jungle up to this waterfall that you can swim in. We can hike that tomorrow once everyone is awake.” 

Tony liked that idea, he loved bringing his city children into nature so they weren’t glued to their iPads although it wasn’t like they were that addicted to their iPads anyways. Apart from Peter and his Hay Day. It was funny to watch them run in the forest or jungle and stop at every rock they see, although you had to have a lot of patience for that. 

“Is it a hard hike or close to any cliffs?” Tony needed to know if he had to put Peter on a short leash. 

“Not at all. We asked the tour guide. Pregnant woman can do it.” 

Tony looked at Pepper. Why did Alice say that, did she know something he didn’t? Why was his heart beating so fast right now. Pepper wanted another baby, he didn’t. He felt bad but bringing another baby into this life was absolutely insane. Peter still wasn’t even sleeping through the night yet. No more babies. 

“I’m not pregnant.” Pepper reassured him, she could sense his anxiety from a mile away. “But I’m glad the hike is pregnancy inclusive, what a strange fact to point out, mom.” 

“I’m pregnant!” Morgan patted her belly, lifting her shirt. 

Tony didn’t even want to think about that. His little girl was not allowed to grow up either. “Want to give me a heart attack, little miss?” 

“But I am pregnant. It’s twins!” 

Tony tsked at her. “Just for that, you are now only allowed to date at 35. You just bumped it up 5 years.” 

“Awwwww.” Morgan slumped against the chair. 

“And what about Peter again?” Alice asked, finding it amusing. Tony was such a mama bear. Pepper was definitely more lenient as a parent. She was raised pretty simple and had a close relationship with her parents who love her. 

Tony on the other hand had a very complicated and strained relationship with his parents, especially his father. So that made him a very controlling and possessive man who wants things done his way and does not take no as an answer, something Peter probably got from him. 

This then led him to be the way he is with all his kids, especially Peter. 

Tony noticed it but didn’t care. He was going to parent the way he knew was best. “Oh. Never.” He answered Alice. “Gotta have someone stay my baby and Peter volunteered as tribute.” 

“Volunteered voluntarily?” Mike laughed. The question was probably rhetorical but Peter didn’t know the difference anyways. 

Peter did what he wanted, very few people could tell him no, if any. 

Dinner was uncomfortably peaceful. 

Having dinner at the table consisted of him getting up at least 5 times and changing seats twice then wanting Tony to cut his food up a certain way only to not eat it in the end. 

Although Tony genuinely enjoyed eating his food hot and without any interruptions, he missed Peter greatly and kept looking at the baby monitor to remind himself that Peter was upstairs and was okay. He wasn’t gone, he wasn’t with Steve and he wasn’t dead. 

After dinner was done, Pepper and Alice cleaned up so Tony and Harley would have the chance to go pick up the golf cart and go for a night swim. 

Tony just needed to go get back on his bathing suit and it was an excuse to physically go and check on Peter. He quietly opened the door and walked into the room, it was quite hot so he opened a window before walking over to his side. 

He was sleeping in a different position now. He was on his side with an arm stretched out and his pacifier lying by the side of his face. That would cause him to wake up soon so Tony gently pushed it against his lips, waiting for him to take it in his sleep. He then tossed two extra pacifiers in the bed just in case he lost one. 

Tony wished he could sit here and stare at him for hours. 

These were the moments he prayed for when Peter was gone, and not knowing if he was ever going to see him again, if only he could go back four years ago and speak to himself, telling younger Tony that everything would eventually be okay again. 

He kissed Peter’s sweaty face, hoping he was having a good dream. Then he quickly changed and left. 

The sun was quickly setting as they walked down the street to go pick up the golf cart. Now that he wasn’t driving and looking for the house number, Tony could actually enjoy looking at all the beautiful nature, palm trees and mango trees that he knew Peter would love to eat from. 

“Imagine how cool it would be if we lived here.” 

Tony already thought of that. “It would be fun to spend every day by the beach.” 

“And we’d all be tanned. Although I’m pretty sure mom and Peter would still remain burnt and pale.” 

Chuckling, Tony nudged him playfully. “Be grateful you got my tanned genes.” He remembered he used to tease Pepper about that when they first started dating and she used to cake herself in sunscreen at any time of the year. Although Tony knew it was just to protect her skin, which he knew they should all be doing, but it was an extra step to remember having to do in the mornings. 

“It doesn’t matter anyways. Peter would probably hate it here after a while.” Admitted Harley. They turned down a dirt path to take a supposed short cut to the golf cart rentals. 

If anyone else was with them, Tony would have taken the long way around but it was a gated community and probably safe, but you never knew. They were two men and no kids trying to run ahead so it was fine. 

“Why do you think that?” Tony wanted to know but he had an idea. 

“I don’t know, he’s… Peter.” He laughed. “I think that pretty much sums it up.” 

“Yeah. You’re probably right.” Tony wished he could’ve brought the baby monitor with him but the signal wouldn’t reach and Pepper wouldn’t call unless it was an emergency so he would have to wait until they got back to see his boy. 

But for now, Tony wanted to enjoy this time with his oldest child. God knows Harley deserves it. 

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.

.

Back home, Morgan was sitting on the bed next to Peter while Pepper changed into pyjamas. Morgan wanted to go night surfing but couldn’t and now she wanted to sleep with her parents and brother in the bed but was told she couldn’t. 

She was over tired and upset at not being allowed to do anything so she silently cried as to not wake Peter up. “But I want to.” 

“Shh. Your brother is sleeping.” 

Morgan cried into the pillow. “I want to sleep here.” 

“You can’t because Peter wakes up every two hours and you won’t get any sleep. You need to go sleep in your own room. I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.” Pepper got a tank top on, putting her hair into a low bun. “Let’s go, honey. It’s late.” 

Even though Morgan didn’t want to, she got out of the bed after giving one last look at Peter and as soon as they were in the hallway, she began crying loudly. 

“Morgan. It’s okay. You’re just tired.” 

“Nooo! I want to s-sleep with you and daddy and Petey! That’s not f-fair!” 

Alice walked up the stairs, wanting to come and help out. With Tony gone, it was just Pepper left to do everything but now Alice could help out. “Whats wrong, my sweet girl?” 

“I want to sleep with mom and dad!” She cried, letting her grandma hug her. “I don’t want t-to sleep alone.” 

“Morgan, you’re just down the hallway. I will stay with you until you fall asleep. How does that sound?” Peter was already asleep so Pepper could go and stay with Morgan until she fell asleep. Pepper wanted to have both kids in bed by the time Tony got home, almost like she wanted to prove she could do it but now Morgan was being the difficult one. 

Peter’s cries came from the other room and Pepper's heart fell. His cries were heartbreaking. But now both kids were awake, over tired, and Tony wasn’t here. 

“Do you need some help with the kids, Pepper?” Mike couldn’t sit downstairs and read his newspaper while everyone was crying upstairs. So, he went up to check on things. He raised a daughter, then he raised Harley and Morgan so he thought he was done with the crying phases but when spending time with his grandchildren, those phases seemed far from over. 

“Can you go check on Peter, dad? Just give him his pacifier and he’ll probably go back to sleep.” 

Mike walked into the bedroom, finding Peter sitting up in bed and chewing on the finger in his mouth. “Hey, little man. Where’s your pacifier?” 

Peter was grateful someone came for him. He woke up alone, in a strange place and was scared. He crawled across the bed, lifting his arms up to be held. “Daddy?” 

“I’m not your daddy.” 

Peter whined. He knew that. Obviously. “Where’s my daddy?” 

“He’s gone surfing with your brother.” Mike grabbed a pacifier off the bed and handed it to him then lifted him up. “I think… you need a diaper change.” He pulled it back, immediately letting it go so he didn’t get any on his hands. 

Mike walked into the bedroom down the hallway where Morgan was still crying but was at least lying in bed. And thankfully Peter had stopped crying. 

If this was what his daughter and son in law had to put up with every night, he definitely didn’t give them enough credit. 

Pepper turned to look at them. “He didn’t go back to sleep.” 

“He pooped.” 

“Okay. Alright.” Tony had told her Peter said he needed to go but ended up holding it. Now Tony was gone and Morgan was crying, Peter looked like he was about to start crying and needed a change and on top of that, Tony would probably be coming home to chaos. “Can you just-” 

“I’m not changing a diaper, Virginia.” 

“Dad. I’m not asking you to. Can you go get me a diaper, wipes and the diaper rash cream. It’s the grey container.” Pepper was trying to comfort Morgan but she was really worked up and being over tired didn’t help. 

“How about I just leave him here.” He placed Peter on his feet and left, hopefully to go grab the supplies Pepper asked for. 

“He’s no help, mom. It’s not like Peter’s a random boy off the streets, what’s his problem.” Mike wanted all the cute cuddles and fun activities with the kids but when it came to the hard stuff, he ran away. Like now. 

“Virginia,” Alice sighed but got up to hug Peter who looked exhausted and confused. “He’s done with the diaper phases and crying and sleep deprivation. Don’t be angry with your father, you know he loves your kids, he just doesn’t want to do all this.” 

“Well, he doesn’t get the fun without dealing with the messy aspects too.” Pepper was over tired too. She wanted her husband to come back and help her. Peter was difficult and with Morgan crying on top of everything, it was a lot. 

She didn’t want him to go surfing tonight. And she knew Tony didn’t want to either. But Harley did. And Tony couldn’t say no to that simple request. 

Although right now, she was wishing he said no. 

“Where’s daddy?” Peter asked, wanting a different answer. He looked at his sister who was crying, maybe for their dad too. 

“He’ll be back soon.” 

“Call him.” 

“Here you go. A diaper, wipes and the cream.” Mike handed it to his wife then took over for Pepper. “I can stay with Morgan. You go change him, we’ll be here.” 

Standing up from the bed, Pepper narrowed her eyes at her dad. She was pissed off he didn’t want to help out with Peter and that frustrated her. She went to take the supplies from her mom but Alice stood up. 

“I’ll help you. Let’s go.” 

“Come with us, Peter.” 

“Where’s daddy?” He wanted to know. Was he on his way back, was he still surfing without him? Where was he? 

“Daddy’s coming back home now.” Pepper lied. Well, she actually had no idea. They left about an hour or so ago and Tony said they would be about two hours. “Once you sleep, he’ll come home.” 

“I don’t need to sleep.” 

Pepper was too tired to argue with him. She brought him back into the bedroom and told him to lie down. “I just think everyone is tired and we all need to go to sleep.” Alice pointed out. and she was probably right. Today was such a long day of travelling. Very mentally exhausting. 

“Tony should be home soon then we’ll sleep. I don’t think he’s going back to bed until then.” She rolled the soiled diaper up, placing it on the floor for now. “And now he has a rash. Great.” Just another thing they did not need. 

“It’s okay. The ocean will help heal it. The salt water is healthy.” Alice hated seeing her daughter take on so much stress. She called her occasionally and told her about how difficult being a mom was sometimes and it was hard to not be able to get in a car and drive over to help out. “You’re doing an amazing job, honey. Even without Tony.” 

“He prefers him over me most of the time.” Pepper knew she was talking about Peter, right in front of Peter but he was too tired to know any better. He was staring blankly at them. 

“Well,” Alice rubbed Pepper's arm. “That’s because it’s always been like that. And he likes a strong male presence most of the time… it’s not hard for us to know why.” 

“I know. That just… doesn’t make it easier.” She applied a thick layer of cream and fastened a new diaper on him. “Go lie back down, daddy will only come back if you’re sleeping.” 

Peter crawled back to his original spot and laid down, looking at Pepper. 

“Close your eyes. Daddy will only come back if you’re sleeping.” Maybe it was rude to lie to him but it was easier. And at least Peter listened. He closed his eyes, forcing them tightly shut but Pepper could only hope that would actually make him fall asleep. 

Usually Peter needed someone to put him to sleep but since he was so tired, Pepper had a feeling he could go back to sleep himself. 

And she was right because within about three minutes, he was passed right out. 

Maybe she was lucky but that definitely felt good. One kid down, one to go. 

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.

.

Tony had to admit, going for a night surf with Harley was fun. 

They only ended up surfing for about thirty minutes though because it was really hard to actually see the waves on this part of the beach without any light. 

He had fun anyways. It felt really refreshing to spend some one on one time with Harley. 

They drove home quickly but not quick enough. Tony was itching to see Peter. He wanted to know if he was awake or stayed asleep the whole time. He needed to see his baby. 

He walked through the front door and listened. Quiet. Definitely sleeping. 

“Go wash up and sleep well. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tony whispered to Harley before they parted ways. Harley’s bedroom was on the first floor, away from everyone else which was probably exactly what Harley wanted. 

Tony headed upstairs. He passed by Morgan’s room, finding her asleep on her bed, he went in and kissed her goodnight then quietly shut the door. Next was Peter. 

Tony opened the door, smiling when he saw Peter asleep and Pepper sitting up in bed, reading her book with the lamp on. The room was cozy and muggy, even with the window open. 

“Hey.” He kissed her on the lips. 

“Hi. You’re salty.” 

“Yeah. Harls and I had so much fun. It was great.” Tony whispered. “Has he been sleeping the whole time?” 

“He woke up crying for about thirty minutes. He pooped in his diaper so after I changed him, he was asleep almost immediately.” Pepper put her book down, now that Tony was back, she could sleep. She had to admit that having her son and husband out at night in a country they’ve never been to before, scared her. 

Tony liked the sounds of that. So he wasn’t too difficult. That was good to know. His poor baby was so tired. That also meant Tony could shower all the ocean water off him and pass out. He was expecting to be awake at around 4am and it was already 11:15pm so he better get to bed. 

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.

.

“Can I have more eggs?” Morgan held her plate up towards her grandma. She was hungry. They pushed breakfast back an hour to wait for Peter to wake up but it was 9am and he was still sleeping. 

Tony watched Alice put some eggs on Morgan’s plate then checked the baby monitor again. “How is he still sleeping?” He genuinely wanted to know. In Peter’s whole entire life, he has never ever slept so long before. Usually he was asleep between 8-9 and was up at exactly 5am everyday with about 5 wake ups during the night. 

He was asleep last night before 7pm and now it was almost 10am and he was still sleeping. Tony checked his pulse and breathing about 500 times just to make sure he was actually still alive. 

“Hopefully he doesn’t wake up sick.” 

Tony hoped to god not. That would ruin their whole trip. “I hope not. His poor little body must be so exhausted.” He checked the monitor again and sighed. “He hasn’t eaten anything in like 15 hours too.” 

“What would he like for breakfast? I’ll start making it now for him.” Alice honestly had no idea what Peter liked to eat, it often changed. 

“Milk. Probably.” Tony was honestly so bored without Peter. He woke up at 6:30 to the sun shining through the curtains and the birds chirping, then looked over in the bed to see that Peter was still asleep. So he snuck downstairs, expecting Peter to be awake soon but that was almost four hours ago. 

One by one, the rest of the family woke up, and Peter stayed asleep. 

Tony missed him so much. 

Getting up, he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge to see what Peter might like to eat but then he heard a sound from the baby monitor followed by Peter’s cries. Tony was so happy to hear that. 

“He’s awake. I’ll go get him.” Please don’t be sick. Please be in a good mood. Please don’t be sick. Please be in a good mood. He opened the door, smiling at his sleepy baby sitting up in bed, looking confused as ever. 

Once Peter saw him, he stopped crying and crawled across the bed to him. 

“Good morning, my sleepy boy. You slept so so long.” He lifted Peter up, attacking his face with kisses. He was sticky from sweat and his diaper felt like it leaked. “Did you have good dreams?” 

Peter didn’t respond. He was sucking contently on his pacifier and looked around, probably trying to remember where they were. 

“We’re in the Maldives. You fell asleep so early last night. Are you ready to go eat some breakfast?” He hoisted Peter up higher on his hip so he could grab his teddy bear off the bed. “Let’s go. Everyone misses you so much.” 

And Tony missed his voice but he wasn’t talking with the pacifier in his mouth so he tugged on it. “Can I have this?” 

“Mmmm! Mm!” Pulling his head away, Peter whined, not ready to give it up yet. Tony and Pepper wanted it to be something Peter could only use in bed and had to take it out when he left the bed but so far that wasn’t working. 

“But I miss your sweet voice. I’ll put paci somewhere you can reach. I promise.” 

“Mm mm.” 

Tony didn’t bother anymore. He was just grateful his boy was awake. 

When they got downstairs, Tony set Peter on his feet and took his hand, leading him over to the kitchen table. 

“Good morning, mommy’s boy.” Pepper kissed his cheeks. “Did you have the best sleep?” 

“Mhmm.” 

“Can I take this now.” Pepper tugged on his pacifier and Peter let it go, leaving Tony baffled. 

“What? Why didn’t he let me take it.” That made zero sense to Tony. What the hell. 

“Daddy. I'm sad.” Peter said, seeming to come out of the trace-like state he was just in. He nuzzled against Tony’s arm so Tony picked him back up. 

“Aww. Why are you sad?” 

“Cause… I woke up to nothing and nobody.” 

“Ohhhh my sweet boy. But daddy came up to get you as soon as I heard you.” He attacked his face with kisses, getting some giggles from him. “Are you happy now?” 

“Yeah. Where’s Morgan?” 

“Oh umm… I think I see her outside with grandpa and Harls. I want to change your diaper before you go out though. Can you wait here for one second while I go get wipes?” Tony didn’t even know why he was asking. As soon as he placed Peter on his feet, he was running outside. 

Tony watched him and Morgan hug, smiling brightly at the action. He really loved the fact that his children were so close. Tony’s heard stories of people who weren’t close with their brothers and sisters and only saw them on holidays. Tony couldn’t imagine that for his kids. 

“I’m so glad he’s not sick.” 

“Yeah.” Tony agreed but his mind was elsewhere. “I asked him, exactly how you did, for his pacifier and he didn’t give it to me. But he hands it over to you no problem.” 

“Well…” Pepper didn’t really know why exactly but she had an idea. “He acts younger with you. He tends to… act like a baby when it’s just you and him… he doesn’t really act like that with me.” 

“So you’re saying he acts mature when he’s with you? The words Peter and mature don’t fit together.” 

“Tony,” Pepper shook her head at him. “I just mean, he’s less likely to throw a temper tantrum with me than he is with you.” 

Tony didn’t really see that. Okay… maybe he did. But that didn’t mean he liked that. The temper tantrums were so hard to deal with and he knew Peter was more prone to having them with him. 

He took a breath. “Do you think I baby him, Pepper? I know I do… I don’t know why I do… but do you think I really baby him?” 

“I think you let him get away with a lot. He’s smart. He’s also a manipulator. Not our fault, but he knows how to manipulate and I don’t like that.” It was true. Peter often used Tony’s ptsd over losing him to his advantage, saying things like I won’t love you anymore if you don’t give me this, or waiting for his parents to reach their breaking point then push them just a bit further until they give in. 

It wasn’t Peter’s fault either, he didn’t know what he was doing. 

But the unfortunate truth was that he was raised by a master manipulator for seven years of his life. 

“I don’t want to encourage these behaviours but it’s hard to treat him his age when he definitely does not act his age.” Tony heard a scream and looked outside. Peter and Morgan were probably fighting already but they could work it out themselves. Well, they couldn’t but Mike was there. 

“We just have to work with him and Karen. And just hope he learns what he's doing once he’s older. And even if-” Pepper was cut off by Morgan’s  scream so both parents ran outside to see what was going on. 

Morgan was holding her arm so it was pretty obvious what happened. 

“Peter.” Tony sighed. 

“He bit me! It hurts! Stop biting, Peter!” She slapped his arm so Peter went in for another bite but Tony grabbed his mouth. 

“Hey! Stop biting. Use your words, Peter. No biting.” 

“I want to bite her.” 

“No. Do you need to come inside with me?” Tony seriously asked him. He read up on how to get your child to stop biting people but he was completely lost on what to do. Peter bites because he doesn’t know how to communicate what he wants. 

And Morgan was usually the one who got bit the most but anyone was prone to it. Even Aiser, who Tony’s seen Peter try to bite once. Whether he was joking or serious, Tony didn’t know. 

“Daddy. I need an ice pack. My arm hurts.” 

Tony took Peter’s arm. “Come with me to make sure your sister is okay. Look, you hurt her.” He showed Peter the bite mark that would definitely bruise but it wasn’t the worst one. 

Peter looked at it and leaned down, looking like he was about to bite her again so Tony grabbed his mouth. “I was going to kiss it better.” 

“Oh. Okay. Kiss her better then. Nice kisses.” Peter ever so gently kissed the bite mark then rubbed her back. “You’re happy now?” 

“No! My arm still hurts. I’m mad at you!” Morgan pulled away from him and grabbed Tony’s arm. “I don’t want him to kiss me.” 

“But I made you feel better.” Peter insisted. Kisses always made him happy and it should for Morgan too. Especially his kisses. 

Tony walked into the kitchen to grab an ice pack from the freezer. Plus Peter needed to eat some breakfast and get that diaper off of him. “Here, Pete. Give it to Morgan. Ask her if she’s okay.” Peter started chewing on it. “Nope. Not for you. Give it to Morgan.” 

“Here. For you.” Peter gently placed it on her arm, waiting for her to grab it. “Do you feel no longer mad at me?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Okay. Want to go on the trampoline?” 

“In one minute.” 

“Okay.” 

“You need to eat first and get your bum changed.” Tony grabbed the wipes off the kitchen counter and shook them in front of Peter. “Go lie down in the living room.” 

Someone had already put his bathing suit and sunscreen out for him, probably Pepper, so all Tony had to do was get it on him. 

Alice came running into the kitchen and opened the waffle maker. “Oh good. I almost burnt it. Peter, honey, your breakfast is ready.” 

“Alice, do you mind filling up one of his sippy cups with milk? The Nuk one. With the blue lid. Thanks.” He brought Peter into the living room with him and patted the couch. “Come lie down.” 

“My stomach is hungry.” 

“Cause you slept for like 25 hours.” Morgan shook her head at him. She had forgotten about her bite but Tony knew it hadn’t hurt that bad, she was used to it after all, but she mostly overreacted to get some attention. 

“No. Not 25 hours.” 

“Yeah.” 

“No.” 

“Yes.” 

“No!” 

“Yes!” 

“No!” 

“Okay! Stop it. Peter slept for roughly 16 hours. That’s a long time but his body needed it, right?” 

“Yeah. Cause I’m getting bigger.” 

“No, you’re not. I’m almost as tall as you.” Morgan tapped the top of his head so Peter rolled onto his stomach to try and tap her back but Tony flipped him back over. 

“Stop moving for two seconds.” He held him down with one arm so he could quickly wipe him down then he let him go. “Before you run away, put your bathing suit on. Then I have to spray you with sunscreen.” 

He held onto his arm so he didn’t run away while he grabbed the sunscreen and quickly sprayed him down. Usually they used sun lotion but Peter wasn’t going to sit still for that. “It’s too cold.” 

“Shh.” 

“Tony, I have his milk and breakfast.” 

“Thank you. Petey pie, go say thank you to grandma.” 

“Thank you. But I’ll eat later. I want to go on the trampoline.” Grabbing Morgan’s hand, the two of them ran outside and towards the trampoline, leaving Tony and the plate of food. 

“I’m going to bring it out for them. Can I have a plate for Morgan too, if she’s also eating, he’ll be more likely to eat too.” Tony spoke Peter. He could read that boy like a book and he also knew him extremely well. If he brought one plate out, Peter wouldn’t eat it even though he was hungry, he would rather play, so, two plates were required. 

He walked out, holding two plates of cut up waffles, mango and scrambled eggs and Peter’s milk. He laughed at the scene he was walking out to. Peter was trying to help Morgan climb up onto the trampoline but he wasn’t able to lift her weight. 

“Why don’t you guys just use the ladder?” 

“Cause-cause-cause-is that my milk?” 

“Yeah. You guys can have a picnic on the trampoline. But no jumping with the food on it.” Tony helped Morgan up and was about to lift Peter up but he climbed up himself like the monkey child he was. 

Handing Peter his milk, he watched carefully as Peter took one sip, looked at the spout then dropped it. It didn’t interest him and he definitely hasn’t been drinking nearly as much milk as he once did with his bottles. 

“Sit. Eat your breakfast with your sister.” Peter plopped down, picking up some scrambled eggs with his fingers. “Use the fork. Actually give me the fork. I don’t need anyone accidentally jumping on it.” 

Morgan handed it over. “Here, daddy.” 

“Thanks, princess. I’m going to go inside. Can you both be good out here?” 

“I won’t be good.” 

“Morgan, can you let me know if your brother behaves?” Why could he trust his youngest child more than the middle child? 

“Noo. You aren’t the boss of me, Morgan. I can do what I want.” Tony was scared that he was about to bite again and now he was afraid to leave. And where was everyone else? Literally it was just them outside and Aiser rolling in the grass a few feet away. 

Tony knew he could stay and watch them but he needed to go inside and get a few things. He figured everything else could wait. So, he stayed and climbed up onto the trampoline. “I’m going to stay then to keep my eyes on both of you.” 

“Here.” Peter pushed his plate in front of Tony just before standing up and started jumping. “Look how high I can jump.” 

“Noo! Stop!” Morgan’s plate of food went all over the trampoline, causing Peter to jump on a mango and slip, landing on his bum. “My food. Peter. Don’t you know not to jump when I’m trying to eat. That’s so bad.” 

“No. Not bad. It’s fun!” 

“Peter, Morgan is trying to tell you she doesn’t like that.” Tony and Pepper were trying to help him express himself with words more by using Morgan as an example or really any opportunity that comes up. But Peter sometimes just did not care. 

He climbed off the trampoline and ran around it. “Where are you going?” 

“To get a new mango for Morgan!” 

Tony and Morgan looked at each other. It was such a typical Peter thing to do. The thing was, he didn’t think about the consequences of any of his actions. He had an idea and did it. Even if that idea included him jumping off the roof and trying to land in the pool, he would do it. He had absolutely no concept of any type of consequences. 

It was scary as a parent, to know your child wasn’t able to defer right from wrong. 

And don’t forget exhausting since right now, Peter was dragging one of the pool chairs over to one of the mango trees. 

Tony only interfered when Peter started standing on the extremely unstable chair. “This isn’t safe. Come down.” 

“It is safe.” 

“Peter,” Tony lifted him down and pointed at the half folded up chair, half balancing on its side and on slanted, uneven ground. “Does this look safe?” 

Peter looked at it, chewing on his finger. “Um… yes.” 

“What looks safe about it?” Tony kneeled down, wrapping an arm around him. He genuinely wanted to hear Peter’s thought process. 

“Ummm… um… cause… um… I dunno.” 

“The ground is uneven and the chair is folded up so that means it isn’t safe to stand on it. Can you see that?” 

“Umm… uh huh. But… uhh uhh mango. Mango.” He stood on his tippy toes to try and reach them, but unfortunately he couldn’t reach the ones in this particular tree. 

He just didn’t understand. His mind was always elsewhere. After lifting Peter up to grab a mango off the tree, Tony placed him back onto the trampoline. “I need to go inside for a few minutes. Can you guys be good for me?” 

“I’m always good.” Insisted Peter. That was far from the truth, he was very naughty. 

Yeah, Tony needed to get someone out here to watch them. 

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.

“Do you have the coolers?” Pepper asked Tony, digging in the backpack for them. They needed to keep some of the fruit cold so it didn’t turn to mush. They were going on a hike to the waterfall once Peter woke up from his nap. 

They were only going to let him sleep for thirty minutes. Well, they didn’t plan on putting him down for a nap today since he slept so long already but he passed out on the grass during his lunch. 

He literally fell asleep with a grinned cheese in his hand and since he didn’t have his pacifier with him, he was sucking on his thumb. Tony had to take a picture of it. It’s been incredibly long since Peter fell asleep with his thumb in his mouth as supposed to his pacifier. 

This trip was turning out to be really good for them. 

“What are you packing?” 

Chopped grapes, mangos, peanut butter and banana wraps for the little ones then sandwiches and fruit for the adults. Oh, and these granola bars that my mom said Peter ate three whole ones today. So he loves them.” 

“Which ones are there?” 

“Dad. Peter’s awake.” Harley walked into the kitchen, hand in hand with his younger brother. “And he smells like pee and grass. He’s also upset that his grilled cheese is gone.” 

“Thanks, Harls. Come here, baby. I didn’t expect you to take a nap today. You fell asleep eating your grilled cheese.” It was hard to tell if he was wet because his bathing suit was wet when he fell asleep but he definitely peed. “Let’s go get you cleaned up and then guess where we’re going.” 

“To the monkey's home.” 

“Well… actually yeah. How did you know?” Tony shut the bathroom door and took off his gross bathing suit so he could rinse it in the sink. “Don’t eat that leaf, kid. Put it down. Peter.” 

Tony grabbed the leaf from Peter and tossed it back in the garden. “Can you not put anything in your mouth for a second.” That shouldn’t be so hard to ask but it was with Peter. “Go stand in the shower.” 

“I want to go hiking naked.” 

“No.” 

“Why?” 

“Because I said so.” 

Peter opened his mouth, filling it up with water, then spitting it out. “But I want to.” 

“You want the monkeys seeing your naked bum?” He wet his hand to comb Peter’s curls back and get it off his face. 

Of course Peter would say yes. “Uh huh. I see their bums.” 

“You’re not hiking naked because other people will be on the hike but you can wear just your bathing suit and shoes, is that good enough?” He didn’t even know why he was asking because it obviously wasn’t good enough for him. 

Socks were even too much for him sometimes. 

By the time they finished in the bathroom and Peter was in a clean swimsuit, they walked out and everyone was already getting in the golf cart. Aiser was running around Peter, getting excited that his favourite person was going to be joining them. 

“Did you pack the bags?” Tony asked Pepper. Just because they were going hiking didn’t mean they didn’t have to bring any diaper bag essentials. Peter was still going with them. 

“I packed everything into two backpacks.” 

“Can I drive there, dad?” 

Tony was fighting with Peter to get his shoes on and immediately wanted to say no but it was a golf cart, it was easy to drive. Plus the entrance to the hike was supposedly a short drive beyond the gate. “Just put your shoes on, Peter. And uh, sure. Just drive slow. I don’t want this thing tipping over.” 

As soon as Tony got one shoe on, Peter took it off so Tony gave up. He would try again later. “Okay. Pete, are you sitting with mom or me?” 

“I want to sit with Morgan.” He already climbed onto the seat with her. 

“No, because you need to sit on one of our laps. There’s only six seats.” Tony was going to make him sit on his lap, even if he chose Pepper. He wanted to keep him close. Especially in a golf cart with no car seats or doors. 

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.” 

“Eight including Aiser. I don’t know where you got nine from. Come sit on my lap. And don’t pee on me.” Tony scooped him up and got in the front seat, beside Harley. Harley drove it last night so Tony was confident in his ability. Peter could drive a golf cart, it was pretty simple. 

Alice walked over to kiss Peter’s cheek. “Is he actually potty trained, Tony?” 

“What? Yes. He is.” Tony didn’t like that question, especially in front of Peter. “He is.” Like 70%. 

“Just wondering because it doesn’t seem like it.” 

“Mom.” Pepper shook her head at her, basically telling her to stop saying these things right in front of Peter. “He’s potty trained. Stop it.” 

“Virginia, you know I mean no harm. I sent you those books, all I want to do is support you guys as parents.” Alice got onto the back seat with Pepper so Morgan, Mike and Aiser sat in the second row. Harley began driving down the street, going at a steady pace. “I see how hard things can be and I understand your struggles.” 

“Mom, I know you want to help but I feel like you’re criticizing us when you ask if he’s potty trained, right in front of him. We’re working on it.” It was hard but she thought they were doing a pretty good job at it. 

“I’m just saying because he shows up in a diaper, he pooped in it last night, and I’m surprised he’s not wearing one right now.” She pointed out. “I can come to New York for a few weeks and help you guys with him. With everything.” 

Although they did need help, a few weeks just wouldn’t be enough. Plus Tony liked doing things on his own. “I would have to talk to Tony. We would love to have you, the kids adore you. But we just need to get through this extremely difficult phase first. It takes time.” 

“He’s a very difficult child. One of the most difficult I’ve seen, you know, Maranda, the lady from my yoga class, she has a grandson, well, he’s older now, I think 25. Anyways. He was a very difficult child after his parents got divorced and they put him in a sport. Changed their lives.” 

They considered putting Peter in soccer but he would throw himself to the ground in the middle of the field if someone took the ball from him. 

“Right now just isn’t a good time.” 

“But you should try it out. I think it would be a great way for him to express himself.” 

“But I want to!” 

They both turned around to see Peter trying to get out of Tony’s lap and reach for the wheel. “I can’t drive with him sitting next to me. I’m scared he’s going to touch the gear shift or something.” 

“Peter, this is a vehicle. It’s not a toy. Sit on my lap and behave. Look, even Aiser is sitting so well. Can you do that too?” 

Looking back, Peter considered it. “Paci.” 

Fuck. That’s what they forgot. But Peter couldn’t know they didn’t have it or he would freak out. “I’ll give it to you later. Suck your thumb.” 

Was it better if he sucked his thumb or a pacifier? Tony didn’t know. Both were probably bad but at least they could take the pacifier away, they couldn’t take his thumb away. 

Peter was getting impatient though. He whined, trying to stand up. 

“Hey, let’s look at all the birdies. Can you spot any? Morgan, can you help us?” 

“I want off.” Peter whined. Tony let him stand up but held onto his arm tightly. “I want to drive it.” 

“Tony, do you want me to take him?” 

“No, I’ve got him.” He pulled him back onto his lap and pointed at the trees. “Look. Can you see all those mangoes. Wow. Maybe we can find a mango tree on our hike. Do you think so?” 

Tony was pretty good at distracting Peter although car rides were quite difficult. That’s why they kept him in a car seat that he couldn’t get out of, to avoid situations like this. 

Although once he was distracted, he was back to being happy. 

Tony was looking forward to this hike, sometimes they just had to get through the hard times, like this golf cart ride, to get to enjoy the fun times.