Bali part 1
“Do you guys have everything?” Pepper called out to her kids but no one answered so she walked towards the bottom of the stairs. “We’re leaving in one minute!”
She heard a lot of banging going on upstairs so she assumed it was everyone running around and trying to gather their last minute items. Tony walked back into the house and sighed heavily. “You know, I just somehow managed to pack seven suitcases into that van. If anyone comes down with another one, I’m tossing them in the pool with the suitcase.”
Pepper laughed but then Peter walked down the stairs holding a bunch of his teddy bears in his arms. Both parents sighed. “Peter,” Said Pepper. “you’re not bringing all of that to Bali. It’s not gonna fit in the car.”
Peter didn’t stop walking down the stairs. “I’ll put them in Morgan’s car seat then.”
“Then where will Morgan sit?” Tony asked, kneeling down in front of Peter to slowly take the stuffed animals from his arms.
“In the back.”
“All the suitcases are in the back.” Tony told him gently. He knew it was going to be hard for Peter to leave the safety of their home and the routine but it was going to be such an amazing trip with the whole family.
Their very first trip together as a family.
They flew to Malibu a few times to spend two weeks here and there at Pepper’s parents house but that was it, besides the day trips they went on, they’ve never been on an actual trip together as a family of five and now they were going to and Tony could not wait.
“Where’s Harley sitting then?” Peter shrugged. Harley always sat in the back while Peter and Morgan sat in their car seats in the middle row.
“Between you two so you better be good.” Harley spoke, walking up behind Peter to playfully flick his arm.
“Hey!” Peter stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at Harley, sitting in Tony’s face. “Pooh Pooh bum hole!”
“Peter,” Tony wiped the spit off his face. “You can pick one teddy bear to bring. The rest have to stay here.”
Peter frowned. “No. They’ll be so sad and miss me. I can’t leave them!”
Tony tried to quickly think how to go about this situation. “I think they’re going to be having too much fun to miss you. They’re gonna be having sleepover parties with Morgan’s teddy bears and jumping on our beds.”
“Really?” Peter asked, his eyes full of child wonder.
Tony loved seeing that look on Peter’s face. He quickly nodded and stood up. “Let’s go bring them back up so they can nap in your bed until they have their party.”
While they were doing that, Morgan came down the stairs with her own armful of things so Tony took her back up to her room to pick one item. He thought him and Pepper did this last night with them, yet here they were doing it all over again.
He supposed it was the life with two young kids but Tony wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Once he got Morgan and Peter ready, Tony walked out of the house to get them buckled into the van. The ride to the airport was just under forty minutes but it was extremely early in the morning for Morgan and Peter which was a whole other task.
“Daddy, why didn’t even the sun come up?” Peter asked once they walked outside and towards the van.
“Because it’s only four thirty in the morning.”
“Why?”
“So we can get to the airport for five.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s a really long flight and that way you guys can sleep on the plane for a bit.”
“But why?”
Tony ran his hand through his hair. “Okay! Time to hop into car seats. Let’s go.” Tony and Pepper planned for the day long flight to Bali very meticulously. The plan was to play with the kids on the plane and then when they start to get bored, it would be time for bed so they could sleep for the remainder of the flight.
Tony was ever so grateful there were beds on his private plane.
Peter climbed into the car and looked in the back. “Is my suitcase in there, daddy?”
“It is.”
“And is my bathing suit in there too, daddy?”
“It is.”
“Did mommy pack more clothes than one just in case?”
“She did.” Tony picked Peter up and sat him in his car seat to buckle him in. He had a lot of patience with his kids, especially Peter but it was hard sometimes to remain patient at all times. “Keep your seatbelt on until we get to the airport.”
Peter looked at Morgan buckling herself in. He tried to reach out for her but he couldn’t. “Did you bring snacks?”
“No. Did you?” She asked, reaching over to hold his hand.
Peter sighed. “No. I forgot. Daddy!”
Tony heard Peter but chose to ignore him as he walked inside the house to double check that everything was off and locked up. He grabbed two applesauce pouches and some crackers on his way out, knowing Peter and Morgan would want it until they got on the plane.
Harley climbed in the seat between the two that Tony pulled up from the back so there were three seats across instead of two. “Don’t touch me with your sticky fingers, guys.” He grabbed Peter’s wrist. “Especially you. I know you dig your nose a lot.”
Peter smacked Harley and laughed along with Morgan.
“I got snacks for you two. Harley, I got you a trail bar.” Tony handed everything to his kids and shut the door, taking a few calming breaths before getting into the way too noisy car for 4am.
Pepper put the GPS on her phone. “If we take the side roads all the way up to this highway, we’ll get there in half the time-”
“Where’s Aiser?” Peter whined out, kicking his shoes off.
Tony knew Peter knew but he wanted reassurance. “We dropped him off at Clint's sister's farm until we get back in two months. He loves it there, Petey. Don’t worry about him, he’s gonna be running around for miles all day and eating so much.”
Peter nodded. He missed his dog but as long as Aiser was happy and safe.
He opened his applesauce pouch and began drinking it, stopping every few sips to take a bite of his crackers. “Are we there yet?”
Tony checked the time. They had only been driving for three minutes. “Not yet. You’ll know when we’re at the airport when you see our plane.”
Peter shoved the last cracker into his mouth and wiped the crumbs on his car seat. “Can we get McDonald’s? Do they have McDonald’s in Bali?”
Harley reached down and grabbed Peter’s car iPad. “Here, wanna play one of your drawing games on it?” Peter pushed it onto the floor and arched his back, lifting his feet up to kick the back of Tony’s seat.
“Peter. Don’t start this again.” Tony warned. It was incredibly hard with Peter sometimes since it hadn’t even been a year yet and he was still trying to recover from everything. They were all so proud of the progress he made so far though.
It was just so hard for the whole family at times. Tony knew they could get through anything though. As long as they had Peter back, no matter what happened, they’d be okay.
“Can I have more yogurt drink?” Peter asked, kicking the back seat again.
“Peter, stop kicking my seat.” Tony warned, feeling like he was a broken record. “I don’t have anymore. I only brought what I gave you guys.”
Peter groaned but didn’t say anything else about it. He looked over at Harley and held his hand out for a bite of his food. “Please, Harley. It’s yummy and I want it.”
“How do you know it’s yummy? You’ve never even had it.” Harley asked even as he broke off a piece and handed it to Peter who shoved it in his mouth immediately.
“I just know. Mm. More? More please?” He asked again, holding his hand out for more.
Harley broke off another piece for him and tried to break off smaller pieces so it lasted until they got to the airport. Harley was the first one out of the car, climbing over Morgan to get away from his siblings for a bit.
Tony opened up the back door to get Peter out and made sure they had everything. “Take off your seatbelt and let’s go.”
“I want you to do it.” Peter sat back and waited but Tony wasn’t giving in. He knew how this worked by now.
“No. You’re a big boy now, show me how you do it by yourself.” Tony told him then reached down to grab the iPad off the floor.
Both parents wanted this to be an electronic free vacation. They didn’t want to watch tv or play on phones and iPads, they were getting away from reality for a few months to just focus on family and how important that is.
“Okay. Watch me.” Peter took off his seatbelt by himself and jumped out of the van, taking his blankie with him. “I wanna hold your hand.”
Tony wasn’t going to say no to that request, even if he had to take fifty trips to and from the plane to load all their luggage up but thankfully the workers were doing that for them.
It wasn’t the first time Peter was on a plane.
He had been on it before when they flew to Malibu but this plane ride was going to be incredibly long. A full day. Tony was looking forward to sleeping on the plane though. Mainly for the peace and quiet.
The first few hours weren’t too bad. Peter and Morgan mostly played by themselves and explored the private plane even though they’ve been in it before, they were acting like it was their first time on it.
Lunch was a messy affair which Tony expected. Their two youngest were extra hyper since they were so excited.
It wasn’t until before dinner when Peter started acting up. Tony didn’t blame him. He was up early and wasn’t used to being on a plane as much as Harley and Morgan were.
Dinner was being served. It was shepherd's pie with fruit on the side and banana bread for dessert. Tony walked over to the play area they set out for the kids. “It’s dinner time. Let’s go.” Morgan ran over to the table but Peter didn’t move. “Take my hand, Pete. We’re gonna eat then we can play after.”
Peter grabbed onto Tony’s hand and walked towards the table with him but Peter was climbing onto Tony’s lap. “I’m gonna sit here. You’re comfy.”
Tony was okay with that. He moved Peter’s legs so he was more comfortable and placed a hand over Peter’s tummy. Tony took a bite of his food and looked at Peter to see how much he was eating. “After we can have our dessert. Are you excited?”
Peter was excited and he found the food really good so he took another bite and finished his food.
Pepper got the beds ready, knowing it was going to be a tight squeeze since Harley was sleeping by himself and all four of them were going to squeeze onto one bed but it wouldn’t be that hard, they’ve done it many times before.
The showers were the hardest part but Tony didn’t blame Peter for refusing to get in since it was his first time showering on a plane before. “It’s just like taking a shower at home.” Tony told him, looking at Peter who acted like they were about to throw him out of the plane.
“No. I’m gonna fall through.”
“Fall through what, baby?”
“The floor.” Peter pointed at the shower floor offensively.
Tony didn’t want to force him. It wasn’t a big deal anyways. “Okay, sweetheart. You don’t have to shower. Just get dressed in your pyjamas and we’ll go to bed.”
Peter happily walked into the bedroom on the plane and got dressed into his pyjamas on the bed. “You didn’t shower, Peter?” Asked Pepper.
“He was too scared.” Tony told her and grabbed his stuff to go shower himself, trying to be as fast as possible so he could join his family in the bedroom. He laid down in the bed and pulled Peter to lie next to him. “Bedtime. Are you tired?”
Peter rolled onto his stomach to push himself up. “No. I just wanna be there already.”
“As soon as we wake up, we’ll be there.” Tony laid Peter back down and flipped him onto his back. “Do you need me to tickle your head?”
Peter stuck his thumb in his mouth to relax him. “Yeah, daddy.”
So Tony began playing with Peter’s hair and massaging it. It always worked like a charm because Peter was asleep within minutes. He continued doing it for a little bit longer but he noticed that Pepper and Morgan were already passed out.
Tony cuddled Peter closer and fell asleep.
.
.
.
Arriving in Bali was very chaotic.
Peter and Morgan were so excited and were running everywhere, trying to get a look at everything around them and see every part of the new country they were in but once Tony got them into the car, they were contained and he didn’t have to worry about them running off.
The family drove to the house they were going to be staying in during their time there. It was beautiful and had an outdoor shower which was a must when Tony and Pepper were picking out the house they would be staying in.
“C’mon c’mon, let’s go!” Peter eagerly demanded, wanting everyone to hurry up. “I wanna see the beach, daddy.”
“Okay, okay. I’m coming.” Tony said, walking over to Peter and grabbing onto his hand so they could run down to the beach together.
They barely landed and drove to the house they were going to be staying at and Peter was already dragging them all out to the beach. Pepper barely had enough time to put sunscreen on them and change them into bathing suits.
The plan was to teach them how to surf while they were there. Tony knew Peter would be good at it as soon as he got the hang of it. He learned how to swim pretty quickly.
So off they went, they walked out of their backyard and they were already at the beach.
Tony led all his three kids to the beach and ordered them to sit down just in front of the ocean. He laid out the surfboard in the sand to teach his kids how to surf. At least the basic instructions on how to do it.
“Sit on your bums.” Tony instructed. He winked at Harley, knowing he already knew how to surf but he still wanted him to be there for this.
Peter plopped onto his butt, giggling when Morgan copied him right after. He moved closer to her and kicked his heels in the sand, digging small holes. “Can I go on it first?” Peter asked.
Tony kneeled down. “You can but not yet. First you gotta practice your balance on the surfboard. When you get into the ocean, you're gonna lie on your tummy and paddle with your arms until you catch a wave, then you stand up on the board.”
There was a lot more to it than that now Tony wanted to go over the basics.
Peter crawled over to the board. “I wanna go first.” He said again, looking over at Tony for permission to jump onto the board. “Then after Morgan but me first.”
“Okay. Hop on.” Tony told him, feeling so much pride with everything Peter does. It’s like all the love that had nowhere to go during the seven years Peter was gone was all pouring out of him now and it was almost too much to handle. He loved Peter so much.
Peter climbed onto the board and sat there with his legs on either side so Tony stood up to lift him off. “How about Harley shows you how to do it first? Then you can try.” He placed Peter back in the sand for Harley to have a go at it.
“Man, I haven’t surfed in like two years. Okay,” He laid on his stomach on the board and pretended to paddle with his arms then jumped up, balancing himself on it. “Woah! I almost just fell off.”
Peter watched with wide eyes, wanting so badly for it to be his turn.
“But when we go out in the ocean,” Peter began but Tony wasn’t looking at him so he tapped on his arm. “Daddy? When we go in the ocean, will I wear my life jacket?”
“No. You can’t surf then.” Tony knew Peter could swim. They’ve been swimming nearly everyday for the past year. Whether it was in their pool in the summer or in Malibu at Pepper’s parents house.
They got Peter to stop using the life jacket awhile ago and Tony didn’t want to go back on it.
He saw Peter’s uneasy look so he grabbed his ankles and pulled him closer. “I’ll be with you the whole time anyways. You can do it.”
Peter smiled. “Yeah. But-but it’s my turn, Harley.” Harley got off so Peter got back on it and did the same thing Harley did, easily getting into perfect position.
“Yay! Good job, baby. I’m so proud of you.” Tony cheered him on.
Morgan jumped up in the sand to cheer her older brother on as well. “Yay, Petey! You did it!”
Peter loved hearing his family praise him. He jumped up and down in his excitement on the surfboard then pointed at the ocean. “I wanna go swim in it now with the surfboard.”
“Okay, wait, you have to put your surfing bathing suit on. It’s a rash guard so it’ll help with the rubbing.” Tony looked down the beach, spotting Pepper making her way down the beach with more sunscreen and bathing suits.
Peter looked down at the one he already had on. “But I like this one.” He didn’t understand why he needed to wear another one.
“You need to wear the other one mommy’s bringing or you can’t go swimming.” Tony simply told him, setting out what was going to happen and leaving no room for any temper tantrums if Peter didn’t like it.
“Okay.” Peter looked over and watched Pepper walk towards them. “Mommy! I know how to surf! I did it on my first try.”
“Wow! I’m so proud of you, Peter. I can’t wait to see you out there.” Pepper held out a blue bodysuit swimsuit for Peter. “Do you like it?”
Peter wasn’t sure. He liked to swim with as less on as possible and this was going to be like wearing clothes in the ocean. “No. I’m gonna wear what I have on now.”
“No. If you don’t wear this, then you can’t go surfing.” Pepper explained to him, not making it a big deal so Peter didn’t.
“Yeah.” Peter agreed and took his bathing suit from his mom but Morgan was having her turn on the surfboard so Peter cheered her on even though she struggled to get on it, unlike him. He squatted down to look at her. “Good job, Morgan. You’re so good.”
Tony looked at Pepper to see if she saw the interaction between the two. They both silently cooed at it. “You’re such a good older brother, Peter. Are you gonna help Morgan when she’s surfing too?”
“No.”
“Oh.” Tony laughed at his simple answer but he didn’t want to stall it anymore. “Let’s get this on you and then we’ll go out.”
Peter handed his swimsuit to his dad and stood in front of him. “Where’s my surfboard? If that ones yours.”
Tony pulled off the swimsuit Peter was already wearing to switch it for the rash guard one. “Harley carried them over. See? Right there.”
“Oh.” Peter turned to look at it. “Is that Morgan’s next to mine?”
“Yeah. Stand straight so I can get this on.” Tony turned Peter, trying to keep him still. “Step in.” He instructed, trying to stretch the material of the bathing suit out so Peter could step in more easily but Peter lost his balance and fell backwards into the sand.
“Oops. It’s hard to stand on one leg in the sand.” Peter laughed, looking over at Morgan and watching her balance again on the board. He tried to roll onto his stomach to crawl over there but Tony flipped him back over.
“The faster we get this on, the faster we can go out there.” Tony grabbed Peter’s ankle to put it through the leg hole and then lifted Peter up, brushing the sand off his bum before pulling the suit on him, lifting him off the ground in the process.
“Weeee!” Peter yelled as he was lifted up.
Tony placed him back on his feet once the suit was on and wiped the sweat off his forehead. That was definitely a workout. “There we go. Half way there now.” He pulled the front up to get Peter’s arms through and then zipped up the back. “Is it comfortable? Too tight anywhere?”
Peter pulled on it a bit but he was too excited to go into the ocean. “Yeah, can we go out now?”
“Yeah.” Tony grabbed Peter’s surf board and brought it into the water with him then got on his own surfboard.
This was going to be so exciting.