Meeting the Avengers... again
Over the past few weeks, Tony had seen Peter grow up a lot.
His speech had significantly improved in such a short amount of time and he was even starting to want to get dressed and undressed on his own.
Tony missed getting Peter dressed and although he still did some days, he knew he had to take a step back and watch Peter do it all on his own.
His boy was growing up way too fast.
Now, after a very stressful week of late nights and early mornings, it was finally the weekend.
Over the past few days, Tony had been having a few conversations with Steve so he was finally going to take his family over to the compound for the weekend to visit the team and possibly have them meet Peter… again.
Peter ran down the stairs, almost falling down the last few steps but Pepper caught his arm. “Woah! Slow down, Peter.”
The five year old was too excited. He wanted to meet Captain America. “Hurry up! I wanna go meet all the ‘vengers!”
Tony shared a look with Pepper. It was hard to say whether or not Peter remembered certain things from his old life. Tony tried to refrain from asking, worried that he might set off some kind of memory trigger.
Apparently Peter didn’t remember that he had already met the Avengers, multiple times and was one for a total of a few hours.
Tony patted his head. “You’re too cute. Grab your bear and then I’ll put you in your car seat so we can go.”
Peter hugged his teddy bear to his chest. “I’m ready. Where’s Morgan?” The five year old looked around the room, trying to find his older sister and when his eyes landed on her, he rushed over to her side. “Hi Morgan. We’re gonna meet the ‘vengers!” Peter squealed excitedly.
Morgan was used to it by now. “I know. I can’t wait to see Steve. He’s so funny and always throws me in the air.”
Peter frowned. He walked up to his dad, tapping him in the stomach. “Daddy. Morgan met the ‘vengers before me. I wan- I wanted to meet them at the same time, daddy.”
Tony grabbed two suitcases and started walking out the door. With just one extra kid, they needed a whole new suitcase to fit all their stuff, Peter was definitely high maintenance when it came to packing.
“Aw, buddy. Remember how Morgan is older than you? She’s already met them loads of times.” Tony explained to Peter. It would be confusing to explain to Peter that he in fact met them first.
Peter grabbed onto his dad’s shirt. “Okay. Can we eat ice cream with them? Do they like ice cream, daddy?”
Tony opened up the trunk and loaded all their stuff in the back. “Uh, yeah. I think so. You can ask them if you want to when we get there.”
The five year old bounced on his toes in his excitement. “Yay! I’m so excited!”
Morgan ran out to the car with her StarkPad in one hand and Peter’s StarkPad in her other hand. “I’m ready to go, dad. Do you want me to put Petey in his car seat?”
“Aw, thanks, Morg, but I’ve got him.” He ran a hand through his hair and held his arms out for his boy. “Come here my baby monster.”
Peter lifted his arms up, wrapping his legs around his dad’s waist once he was in his arms. Peter rubbed their noses together, giggling at the action.
“My baby boy, let's get you buckled in.”
It was a two hour drive to the Avengers Compound and both parents were trying so hard to keep their youngest awake. He was going to go down for a nap after lunch so they wanted to hold off until then but Tony could see his eyes rolling back with car exhaustion every few seconds.
He turned the Frozen soundtrack up. “Hey, Peter. Wanna play eye spy with me?”
Peter jerked himself awake and smiled. “Yeah. I wanna go first.”
The family of four played eye spy for the rest of the drive there. Tony pulled down the long dirt road that led to the Compound and was randomly starting to feel a bit nervous to see everyone again.
The last time he saw them was during the battle when he got Peter back. Before then, he didn’t speak to them much, just the odd phone call once a month or a quick trip to the Compound. It was always so hard for him to go back without Peter.
Pepper looked out the window. “Wow. The new Compound looks amazing. Did you have any part in designing it?”
Tony winked at her. “Of course. I wanted the same layout on the inside as the first one but I wanted the outside to be more… bright. I’m surprised they built it so quickly. It looks like it’ll be done in just a few weeks.”
Peter lifted his feet up on the seat. “It looks so pretty, mommy. Just like you.”
Pepper placed her hand over her heart and turned to look back at her son. “Oh baby, thank you. Did daddy tell you to say that?”
Peter giggled as he shook his head. “Just from my real heart.”
Pepper reached back to give Peter’s knee a squeeze. “Mommy loves you so much.”
Tony pulled up to the front of the building and shut the car off. He got out of the car and was immediately greeted by Steve.
“Tony. It’s nice to see you again. You’re looking good.” Steve pulled Tony in for a quick hug and it brought back so many memories for Tony. All the ups and downs that they had. He was grateful that everything worked out in the end for them.
“Yeah. You too.” He paused before opening up the back door, not knowing if Peter was going to be shy or excited to meet him. “You remember Peter don’t you?”
“Spider-Man. Little curly haired kid.” Steve remembered. He also knew that the kid was de-aged by ten years.
Tony nodded. “Yep. He’s excited to meet you… again. He doesn’t remember the first time though.” He opened the back door, revealing Tony’s five year old son sitting in his car seat with a grin plastered on his face.
“Hi Peter. I’m Steve. It’s nice to meet you.” Steve leaned down a bit to look inside the car.
Peter smiled shyly but a smile nonetheless. “You’re the ‘Vengers.”
Steve chuckled, cooing a bit at the boy's pronunciation. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
Peter held his arms out for his dad so Tony unbuckled him from his car seat and lifted Peter into his hip. “You wanna walk?”
Peter gave a tiny nod, not taking his eyes off of Steve. When Tony put him on his feet, the five year old looked up at Steve with wide eyes. Tony chuckled because Peter wasn’t even the size of Steve’s one leg.
Morgan came running around from the other side of the car and straight into Steve’s arms. “Steve! I’m ten now! Double digits. This is my little brother. He’s so cute.”
Steve held Morgan easily. “I know. I hope you had a nice birthday. And yeah, I met your little brother. Are you his protector since you’re older?”
Morgan gave a sharp nod and once Steve put her down, she pulled Peter against her side, hugging him tightly. “Of course. He’s a baby.”
Peter crossed his tiny arms over his chest. “Not a baby. I’m this many.” He held up five fingers to show just how old he was, causing all the adults to laugh.
Pepper gave a quick hug to Steve before they all grabbed the bags and went inside.
“Is Clint here?” Tony asked but he didn’t think so. He immediately went to live on the farm after the second snap and Tony didn’t think he’s been back since.
“No. No one’s heard from them in months. He’s happy though.” Steve answered. They walked into an elevator and Peter lifted his arms up to his dad to be picked up, sticking his thumb in his mouth. Steve watched him, a faint smile appearing in his lips. “I’m glad you’re back, Peter. You make your family very happy.”
Tony couldn’t agree more. He held Peter closer, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
When the doors opened up, Tony immediately spotted Bucky who had less gray hair than before. Sam was there, and so was Rhodey which had Tony bursting out of the elevator, towards his best friend.
“Rhodes. I didn’t know you were here. Why didn’t you tell me?” Tony pulled his friend in for a half hug since he was holding Peter with his other arm.
“I just got here. I wanted to surprise you and my new nephew. Hi Peter.” Rhodey cooed at the boy sucking on his thumb. “How bout you take that out and come to your uncle.”
Peter laid his head against Tony’s shoulder, not going anywhere. Tony shrugged. “Sorry, man. He’s a daddy’s boy.”
Rhodey playfully rolled his eyes at the father. “From what I can remember, he always has been. Does he remember anything?”
“No. Not from what I can tell.” Tony didn’t want to talk about it in front of Peter but it wasn’t like Peter understood what they were talking about anyways. “I smell lunch.” He started walking into the dining room, spotting a huge setup of food in front of him.
Morgan hugged her uncle Rhodey and took a seat with Pepper, Steve, Bucky and Rhodey joining them.
“I’m gonna take Peter to the washroom first. We’ll be right back.” Tony announced before walking off, down the hallway to find a bathroom. Once he did, he pulled down Peter’s pants and underwear and sat him on the toilet. “Are you hungry? The Avengers eat a lot so let’s see if you can keep up.”
Peter nodded, lifting up his shirt to rub at his tummy. “I’m super duper hungry.”
Once Peter was finished, Tony washed their hands and went to walk down the hallway but he bumped into Bruce. “Bruce.”
Bruce looked just as surprised to see Tony as Tony was to see him but then his eyes glanced down at the tiny human. “Tony and… Peter, right?”
Tony pulled Peter against his side. “Yeah, this is Peter.” Tony noticed Bruce’s sad eyes as he looked Peter over.
“He’s five right? He was fifteen before the snap?” Tony didn’t know how Bruce remembered that. Maybe it was all the nights they stayed up together talking about all the people that they lost, about how much Tony suffered without Peter in his life and without getting to hold his child in his arms.
He nodded. “Yeah. That’s him. Are you joining us for lunch? Come.”
The three of them walked to the table, joining them.
It was nice to have the team back… even if it was a little bit broken.
Peter was quiet for most of the meal, watching everyone around the table and trying to stay awake so when it was done, Tony picked Peter up, setting him on his hip. “I gotta put him down for his nap and then I’ll come back down.”
Pepper helped Steve clear the table while Morgan joined Sam and Bucky in the living room, getting ready to beat them at Mario Kart.
Rhodey joined Tony’s side. “I’ll come. I wanna catch up with you. I haven’t seen you in… months. I wanna know how dad life is treating you.”
Tony appreciated that, he missed Rhodey but he didn’t realize it until he saw his best friend. “Pete’s pretty quick to put to sleep and then we can catch up.”
The three of them walked into the elevator and up a floor where Tony’s private floor was. It had been renovated so it’s the first time Tony’s ever been there. “Wow. They did a nice job. It looks amazing.”
Peter lifted his head off of Tony’s shoulder to look around the room with wide eyes before laying his head back in his shoulder with a content sigh.
Tony rolled the suitcase into the master bedroom where they would most likely all be sleeping over the weekend.
“It’s the first time I’ve been up here too. It looks good but it’s not lived in.” Rhodey said, implying something else. He took a seat on the couch in the master bedroom, watching Tony.
Tony laid Peter down on the bed. “It won’t be lived in. You know what’s lived in, my house. You should come visit us some time.”
He opened up the suitcase, grabbing Peter’s pull-ups out and pulling one from the package before taking off Peter’s pants and underwear.
“I might be staying here for a bit. I don’t know yet. Maybe you can stay here with Pep and the kids. I miss you, man.” Rhodey gave Tony a sad look but the father wasn’t looking at him.
Tony put the pull-up on Peter and lifted him into his arms, holding him close. “I can’t. The kids have a routine. We’re happy.”
He grabbed the sound machine from the suitcase and turned it on, moving to turn the lights off and shut the curtains while still holding Peter. He then pulled the blankets back and laid Peter down.
Peter made grabby hands and Tony knew exactly what that meant. He grabbed a sippy cup and the carton of milk they brought them filled it up, handing it to Peter along with his bear.
Tony laid down next to him, kissing the side of Peter’s head and caressing his cheek as he drank his milk and quickly fell asleep for his nap.
It didn’t take very long for him to fall asleep and when he did, Rhodey spoke. “Being their dad is your greatest accomplishment, Tony.”
That felt good to hear. Tony smiled and sat up.
“Yeah, it’s the best thing. I love him so much, Rhodey. I feel so complete with him in our lives.” Tony whispered, getting off the bed and making sure Peter is tucked in before leaving. He wasn’t going to go too far, just down the hallway until Peter’s nap was over.
Rhodey followed him out. “I know. I can see it on your face when you look at him. Even before, when Peter was fifteen.”
They both took a seat on the sofa couch and got comfortable. “Yeah… I didn’t fully realize how much I loved him until I lost him. Now, I wouldn’t survive losing him again. I just wouldn’t.”
Rhodey understood that. “I know. You guys will be okay, you have each other now. Whether or not Peter remembers anything, you’ll make new memories together.”
That was Tony’s favourite part. “Yeah, I just love him so much.”
“Is he still Spider-Man? Does he still have his powers?” Rhodey asked and it wasn’t something Tony thought of in a long long time.
“Uh, no. No, he doesn’t. I don’t think he’ll ever get them back. I don’t know.” Tony didn’t know if he wanted Peter to, would Peter even remember being Spider-Man? Maybe his powers would come back to him at fourteen, the age he got bit. Only time would tell but it was definitely something Tony was going to keep an eye out for.
“Do you want him to? I’m guessing not.”
Rhodey read his mind. “No. Of course I don’t. I don’t want him putting himself in danger, but again but of course, if that does happen, he’ll want to. I’m not worried about it, it’s still nine years away.”
“He will always be your boy, Tony. I’m glad you two found your way back to each other.”
Tony was more than grateful for that.
He continued talking with Rhodey for an hour and a half until Peter’s nap time was over. Rhodey went back downstairs while Tony went to wake Peter up, get him changed and headed downstairs to join the team.
“And you were there too!” Peter exclaimed, sharing his dream with his dad. He wiggled his legs to be placed on the floor once they got out of the elevator and searched the room for his mom, making a dash towards her. “Mommy!”
“Oh hi, baby. How was your nap?” Pepper asked but he was more focused on what Morgan was doing. He walked over to her, reaching for the controller in her hand. “My turn.”
“Peter, let your sister play.” Tony grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the couch so Morgan could play. “You can have a turn after she’s done.”
Steve moved closer to Peter. “Hi, Peter. Have you ever played Mario Kart before?”
Peter turned to face Steve. “No. I didn’t. I-I wanna play now.” The five year old walked towards Steve and leaned against his thigh. “When my sister done, we can play.”
The super soldier turned to Tony, sharing a smile with him before focusing back on Peter. “We can. Who do you think will win?”
Peter thought about it then bounced on his toes excitedly. “Me! My-my daddy- my daddy, um, my daddy-he says um, he-my daddy says I’m super fast! Really fast!”
Tony found it adorable how when Peter got super excited about something, he stuttered over his words. It was too cute.
Rhodey was walking into the living room and lifting Peter up, holding him in his arms. Peter wasn’t expecting anyone to pick him up so when Rhodey did, he stared at him then looked for his dad.
“That’s my best friend, Pete. Remember?” Tony told Peter and although fifteen year old Peter met Rhodey tons of times, five year old Peter had just met the man.
Peter nodded. “And-and you’ll play with me too?”
Rhodey sat down, sitting Peter on his lap, facing him. “Sure. You know, you look exactly like your daddy. Funny, huh?”
Tony rolled his eyes. Rhodey always used to say that about Peter to the point where even Tony started to see it so he got a maternity test done, it was negative.
Peter nodded. “Yeah, and it’ll be my daddy’s birthday soon.”
“Oh. When?” Rhodey asked, slightly teasing the boy like he’s done so many times before.
Peter thought about it. “Um… after-after mine. Next month.”
Rhodey turned to Tony. “Oh, I didn’t know your birthday switched months. Happy early birthday, Tony.”
Tony reached out to take Peter off his lap, setting Peter on his own lap and cuddling him close. “He doesn’t know, Rhodes. Don’t listen to Uncle Rhodey, baby. He’s being silly.”
Peter giggled at that and slid off of Tony’s lap and onto the floor.
The rest of the day pretty much went the same way.
Everyone was obsessed with Peter and wanted their turn with him, holding him on their laps and talking with him in between who got to get their ass beaten by Morgan at Mario Kart.
The only person who beat her was Peter and that was because she let him win, proving to everyone that she was an amazing big sister. Tony also beat her because he wasn’t going to go easy on his daughter, she had to work for that win.
By the end of the night, both Peter and Morgan were exhausted from all of the attention they got so all four of them headed onto their floor and into the master bedroom.
Tony was brushing Peter’s with for him while Morgan brushed her own teeth. “I’m glad we came here.” Said Morgan.
Tony was glad they came as well. “Me too. Your brother seems to like it here too.”
Peter nodded, unable to talk with the toothbrush in his mouth.“Uh huh.”
Tony then got Peter ready for bed and went into the bathroom to get himself ready, returning to find his family tucked safely away into the bed. “Oh how I love you guys.”
Peter made grabby hands for his daddy and Tony didn’t hesitate to join them in bed, shutting off the lights and hugging Peter closely. “I love you, little man.”
“I love you too daddy.”
That was all Tony wanted to hear for the rest of his life that he loved so much.