Being A Stark

“Nana! Pops!” You fall into your grandparents arms and hold on. You haven’t seen them since the Blip. They aged in the five years you missed, so you can only guess that they didn’t Blip.

“Hi sweet girl.” Your nana’s voice is like music that you haven’t heard in a while. 

“Hi Nana and Pops!” Morgan says, or rather yells, as she also runs over to give a hug to the two people she’s never met. Your grandparents look at the little girl that has wrapped her arms around their legs in surprise. They look to you for an explanation. 

“This is my little sister Morgan.” You scoop her up.

“I want to go back to my grandparents.” She whines, trying to get out of your arms.

“Maybe in a moment Morguna.” Your dad comes over and takes your sister into his arm. “You, me and Mom are going to go to the table while we give your sister a moment with… Nana and Pops.” He pauses before saying your names for them, not wanting to tell Morgan that they’re not technically her grandparents. Pepper just gives you a smile before walking away with your dad and sister.

“Your sister thinks we’re her grandparents too?” Your pops asks, smiling softly. 

“We haven’t really explained that we’re only half siblings, since Mo-Pepper adopted me and stuff.”

“Calling her mom isn’t going to hurt us. Our daughter has been gone for twenty years. She lost her chance to be a mom when she chose drugs and alcohol over her baby.” Nana states and Pops nods in agreement.

“Morgan just knows me as her sister. We have the same parents as far as she knows so when I said that Nana and Pops lived in Queens, she just assumed that you were her grandparents too.”

“What about Tony and Pepper’s parents? Won’t she be confused on why she would have three sets of grandparents if we are also her grandparents?” You shake your head, thinking back to when your dad explained about his parents.

“Dad’s parents were killed back before I was born. So Morgan technically only has one living set of grandparents. It’s where she and I differ because I technically get two sets because I get Mom’s and you guys.”

“I think we can manage to have another grandbaby.” Nana says softly. “We’ve got plenty of love in our heart for another kid.”

“Good, because I think she might have cried if we told her you weren’t her grandparents. She was excited the whole ride over here about meeting her other grandparents.”

“Let’s go meet our new grandchild.” Your pops says with a smile, his arm wrapping around you as you walk towards the area where your family had walked off too. 

“Nana, Pops, over here!” Morgan calls from her seat next to your mom where there are two open seats waiting, presumably for your grandparents. Your dad motions for you to sit next to him on the other side of the table. You sit down next to your dad, smiling at him before you glance at the menu. You’ve been to this place a few times, but not since the Blip happened. There’s a few items missing from the menu, but also a few new ones taking their places. Morgan starts chattering away to your grandparents as they sit down. They glance at the menu, but are paying more attention to Morgan then their choice of what to eat. You can see the pull that is impossible to feel when near Morgan. You love your little sister so much. 

Dinner passes easily, your grandparents listening to the stories Morgan wants to tell them. Through lunch you can see your grandparents treating Morgan in the same way they had treated you growing up. They listen to stories, share some of their own, and give a lot of love and support where needed. Morgan loves so big and so easily. It’s hard not to love her. You know this from experience. It took mere moments to fall in love with your sister, so it’s unsurprising to you that your grandparents also love her too.

Your parents and grandparents still seem hesitant around each other. They speak to each other in light but cautious tones that make you wish they could just learn to accept each other. You love all of them so much that you wish they would just be family instead of being hesitant strangers around each other. Pepper seems to be making more of an effort than your dad, but on the other side of the table it’s the same with your Nana making more of an effort than your Pops. Something about the men in your life makes them hesitant around each other. But you’ll just keep pushing them towards each other and hopefully one day they’ll be like the family you always dreamed of.

“Next time, you’ll have to come over so I can show you my Barbies and my Avenger action figures. And you can meet Finn. He loves to cuddle and play fetch. Ok?” Morgan asks as she cuddles into Pops’ arms for a hug.

“That sounds like a fun day Morgan.” You listen to this as your Nana holds you for a hug.

“You’re alway welcome to come over if you need to escape the limelight of being a Stark.” Your Nana whispers in your ear. “Especially if it comes down to people sharing your personal information in the press again.”

“I know. I love you.”

“I love you too babydoll. We haven’t moved. Your key still will work.”

“I’ll remember that.” You kiss your Nana’s cheek. “I love you lots.”

“Love you to the moon and back babydoll.” Morgan is reaching for your Nana so you switch grandparents. 

“I love you Pops.” You say as you curl into his arms, taking in the scent of him- earthy and tobacco from the pipe he smokes occasionally.  

“I love you too sweet girl. Always have, always will. You’ll always be our first grandbaby. Nothing changes just because we have another little love now.” You curl a little further into your Pops arms.

“Maybe we can take Morgan to the planetarium one day. Share space with her too.” You say softly.

“That sounds like something that would be fun. Maybe we can bring your dad along too. Since he’s been to space.” Pops suggests, trying to be civil towards the man that you clearly love, even if he took you from him.

You reply honestly as you say, “he’d probably love that.” 

From across the way, Pepper and Tony watch as their kids hug the grandparents that one of them spent fourteen years of her life growing up with. They owe a lot to these two people, especially since they’re loving a kid that they have no actual relationship with as if she’s their grandchild. But more than anything, they played a major role in bringing you into this world. Without them, there would be no you. And both Pepper and Tony are in agreement, the world needs you in it.

“We’ll see you later lovebug.” Nana says to Morgan as she sets her on the ground.

“Pinky promise?” Morgan asks, not wanting to say goodbye yet. But Nana holds her pinky out to your little sister.

“Pinky promise.” You watch this interaction from inside a side hug from your Pops. You’re not totally ready to say goodbye either. But you also know that you need to go pick up Peter before it gets too late. It’s already almost seven and if you wait much later, he’ll be getting back to Queens really late after hanging out with your family tonight. So being the big sister Morgan needs right now you reach a hand towards her.

“Come on Momo, we have to go pick up Peter.”

“Really? We’re picking him up? He’s not just going to meet us back at home?” You nod your head.

“It wouldn’t make sense to have him meet us at home because we’re like ten minutes from him right now.”

“Can we see where he lives?” You look towards your dad on that one. You had been expecting to just have Peter meet you outside his apartment.

“We can see the building where he lives Morguna.”

“Does he live in a house like us?” She asks as you start to walk towards where Happy is parked. She turns around to wave at your grandparents who are walking in the other direction. You wave too as they wave back at you all. 

“Peter lives in an apartment building. Do you remember when we talked about what those are?” Your mom asks.

“Yeah it’s stacks of houses on top of each other.” Morgan says as you all climb in the car. You sit down next to Morgan and after buckling in, you text Peter that you’re headed to pick him up. You’ve missed him. It may have only been a few hours since you saw him in the hallway at school, but you’re so used to being with him all the times that you can be with him, especially on Fridays, that your heart misses him from being away from him.

You realize, you’ve never felt this way about someone before. Sure you’ve had friends and other significant others that you don’t like missing days from, but only a few hours? Never. 

“You’re rather quiet back there.” Your dad says from the passenger’s seat, where he’s forced to sit until he gets approval to drive. 

“Just thinking.”

“About a certain teenage boy?” Tony’s eyebrow raises at you.

“I mean we are going to pick him up. Is there something else I should be thinking of?”

“I don’t know, maybe the convent I should have sent you to before you got together with my teenage mentee.”

“You would miss me too much to send me away.” You kiss his cheek before climbing out of the car. You’re pretty sure your dad said something in response, but you don’t hear it as you walk up the stairs to Peter’s building. You don’t get to come here that often because of school and a certain protective parent, but being in Queens always makes you feel like being home again. 

Practically floating up the stairs, you make your way towards the door you know Peter will be behind. You wave at his neighbor walking into their own apartment before knocking on the door. And a smile illuminates your face when the door opens. 

“Hey Y/N!” Your smile is contagious because Peter can’t stop either. 

“Hi babe.” Peter steps into the hallway, looks both ways to see no one else is there, and then pulls you into his arms before placing three quick kisses on your lips. “Mmm.” You sigh into his kiss. You could stay like this all evening, but you know there is an excited five year old waiting to see Peter. “We should probably head downstairs before my dad comes looking for us.”

“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Peter turns back towards the apartment and calls out. “Aunt May I’m leaving.”

“Have a fun time! Be safe. If it gets late, call me and I’ll come pick you up.”

“I’ll be fine May. Bye!”

“Hi Y/N. Bye Y/N.” May teases as Peter shuts the door. Peter’s hand wraps around yours.

“Family fun night?” He asks as you walk down the stairs.

“Family fun night. I think the plan is a game and then a movie. And Morgan trying to get juice pops at some point I bet.”

“Well I can’t wait.” If you could spend every Friday with your boyfriend and your family, life might be the best.