A scare in the grocery store
Tony pushed the shopping cart through the grocery store, walking down the aisles with his family as they picked up foods that they wanted, snacks and healthy food as well.
He didn’t like bringing all the kids grocery shopping and actually preferred to go alone or for Pepper to go but it was a Saturday and the kids were wild so they needed something to help them burn off some energy.
Plus Peter was an extremely picky eater and in return made Morgan more picky with what she eats as well since she tended to copy him a lot.
Tony made sure Peter walked in front of him, keeping an eye on him at all times. “Pick some cereal, Pete. Do you want Lucky Charms?”
Peter was looking at the fruit snacks. “I want these. Daddy? Look.” He shoved the box in his dad’s face.
“Okay. Put it in the cart but you need to pick out a bowl of cereal. I mean a box. Pick out a box- Morgan, stay in this aisle.” He turned around to call out to her, seeing her about to leave the aisle.
“But mommy went into the next aisle with Harley.”
“Okay but I can’t see you so stay here and we’ll go together.” Tony turned and saw Peter trying to climb up the shelves so he walked over to him and lifted him up. “What are you trying to get?”
“The blue chocolate one.” Peter grabbed it off the shelf once he was lifted up then he ran to go place it in the cart. “Daddy? Daddy? Can I- daddy! I’m talking to you.”
“Yes, Peter.” Tony pulled Morgan out of the way so someone could walk by. “Hold onto the buggy. Peter, where’d you go? Come here.”
Peter shook his head and tried to grab the Scooby Doo snacks. “I can’t… get it! I can’t!”
Tony grabbed it off the shelf, feeling extremely stressed with the both of them. That was why he didn’t like taking them out shopping because they touched everything and went everywhere. “Hold onto the cart.
Peter continued walking, grinning mischievously back at Tony. “No.”
“Peter.” Tony warned.
Peter grinned again then took off running, giggling as if it were funny. “You can’t catch me! Nano nana boo boo!” Tony chased after Peter and grabbed him just as he ran out of the aisle. “Ahhhh!”
“Shh. Stop. You’re being bad.” Tony held him awkwardly in his arms, finding it difficult since Peter was throwing his head back. He turned around to walk back to Morgan and saw Pepper and Harley walking down the aisle. He went to put Peter in the buggy but Peter clung onto him. “Stop, stay in here if you’re gonna run.”
Peter stopped laughing once he saw that his dad was being serious and the tears fell down his face. “No. Nooooo-”
“Then stop. Don’t run away. Are you gonna be good?” Tony asked, placing him on his feet. He got an immediate nod and a hug from Peter so he tried to let it go but he was so tired. “Don’t leave me with them. I can’t watch them both.” He told Pepper.
“We just went to the other aisle, Tony.” Pepper said and it wouldn’t have annoyed Tony any other time but he was already so stressed.
“Okay but it’s hard for me-”
“Daddy, I want this. Can I get it?” Asked Peter, picking up a bag of marshmallows. “Daddy? Can I? Daddy? Daddy?”
“Yes. Yes. Get whatever you want. Toss it in. I’m about to toss you in.” He mumbled the last part under his breath.
They continued walking through the store, getting more food and trying to pick out things everyone would want. With two young children who were extremely picky eaters, it was hard to shop with them because even with all the options in the aisles, they still refused to pick anything that wasn’t candy and cookies.
Pepper took the shopping cart and was better at controlling the kids than Tony was so he let her take charge while he stayed behind to keep his eye on them. They were passing through the aisle section and heading into the fruits and vegetables but they stopped to look at a produce stand.
Tony thought he saw Peter out of the corner of his eye so he wasn’t concerned. They stayed there for just five seconds before they continued walking but when Tony went to turn and look at Peter, it was Morgan.
He immediately felt his heart drop at seeing Morgan standing there and not Peter. He turned around, doing a complete 360, trying to spot Peter but he didn’t see him.
“Peter? Where’s Peter?” He asked, mainly to himself since Pepper was completely oblivious to Peter not being with them anymore.
Tony walked back to where they were and looked down a few aisles. “Peter? Peter?” He didn’t see him and now he was going to go crazy. He ran back to his family in a panic. “I can’t find Peter! I don’t see him!”
Pepper snapped her head to look at Tony. “What? Oh my god. Where is he?!” She ran away from the shopping cart, not caring about leaving it in the middle of the aisle. “Peter?! Peter?!”
Harley spread out to look for his little brother while Morgan began crying and stayed by the shopping cart, holding onto it and hoping her brother came back to her.
Tony ran, looking down each aisle to see if he spotted Peter. He ran up to an employee, grabbing onto them. “Help. I lost my son. He’s ten.”
“Okay. Calm down, sir. I’ll make an announcement-”
“No. No. You gotta shut down the store. You gotta close the doors.” Tony backed away from him because he wasn’t going to do this again. He’s already been through this once and it ended with seven years in agony. “Shut down the store.”
He turned and ran again, looking down each aisle, just praying that he spotted Peter okay.
Tony spotted a tiny kid so he ran back to the aisle and ran down it. He saw Peter squatting down and looking at fruit roll ups and he wasted no time picking him up and looking at his face just to make sure it was Peter before hugging him tightly. “Oh god. You scared me. You… Peter, you can’t do that to me. Don’t you ever do that to me again.”
Peter hugged his dad back even though he didn’t know what he did. “What did I do?”
Tony shook his head. He breathed in Peter’s scent to try and calm himself down but it did little to help because his body was pumped full of adrenaline. He carried Peter out of the aisle and went to pull out his phone to call Pepper but she spotted them before he could.
“Oh my god. Where was he? Are you okay, Peter?” Pepper hugged Peter, taking him from Tony’s arms to hold him in her own arms. “You scared me.”
Peter didn’t know what he did. “I just went to find fruit rolls ups. I didn’t even get any.” He pouted.
Despite what both parents were currently feeling, they laughed at that.
Tony took Peter back from Pepper because he needed to hold him now. This was all too similar to that one day at the park…
Peter squirmed in Tony’s arms. “Can I walk?”
“No.” Tony hoisted Peter up higher. He wasn’t going to let him go. “I’m carrying you.”
Peter wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck if that was the case.
They walked back to their shopping cart and spotted Morgan standing there and crying but once she saw Peter, she ran up to her dad and reached up for him. “Petey! Petey!”
Tony placed Peter on his feet briefly so they could hug. “He’s okay, Morgan. He just got lost.” Tony called Harley and quickly told him he found Peter and he was okay then picked Peter back up. “You really scared me, buddy.”
Peter laid his head on Tony’s shoulder. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Tony was just glad Peter was okay and today didn’t end like it did that day at the park. “I know. You’re okay and that’s all that matters.”
Harley ran over, out of breath. “I was waiting by the doors… in case someone tried to leave with him.”
Tony hated how that was the first thing Harley had to think of. It was sad that their family went through so much trauma. “Thanks, you’re a good big brother but he’s okay. Right, Petey?” He bounced Peter in his arms and pressed a kiss to Peter’s face.
“I’m okay, daddy.”
And that was all that mattered.