When It’s Meant To Be

“Tony, have you seen the news?” Pepper asked Tony from where she was flipping through the channels on the couch.

Peter came running into the living room with Tony’s phone in his hand. Pepper knew Tony was close by so she waited for him to follow Peter out which only took a few seconds.

“Give me my phone.” Tony grabbed the phone from his toddler who was now sucking on the corner of it. “What did you say?” He asked Pepper and sat down on the couch to get some space from Peter. He was attached to his side for the past few days and Tony just needed some time to himself.

“I asked you if you’ve seen the news?” Pepper asked him again.

Tony sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “Uh, no. I didn’t get a chance to yet. Why?”

Pepper turned the volume up on the tv so Tony looked up to see what was going on. It was a news station and the first thing that Tony noticed was a picture of him, Pepper and Peter at the hospital.

The picture had Peter’s face blurred out, thankfully, but it was obvious that it was a baby in Tony’s arms. Looking at that picture displayed made him furious because that was his kid they were taking a picture of and showing the whole world without his consent.

That was just part of his life though which he knew he had to get used to with Peter now.

“Ah shit. This is just great.” Tony put his head in his hands again. He was exhausted. Peter was being extra clingy which meant he didn’t want to sleep in his crib which then meant that Tony had to sleep with Peter and the toddler didn’t give him any space in his sleep.

“You shouldn’t swear in front of Peter when he’s learning how to talk.” Pepper said and then focused back onto the news. She put it on mute but Tony got the gist of it.

They were talking about Tony and his mystery child which would start a bunch of rumours saying how he cheated on Pepper, the baby is Peppers kid, he’s a godfather. Just a bunch of different made up stories that he had to get on top of before it got out of control.

“Alright. So what’s the story? I can’t exactly say that my fifteen year old kid got de-aged into a two year old toddler.” Tony lifted his head up and looked down at Peter.

He was sitting on the carpet playing with his fire trucks and occasionally turning around to look at Tony. When he turned around and saw that Tony was looking at him, he grinned and stuck his tongue out to wildly lick his bottom lip.

Tony couldn’t help but smile back at his kid. He still couldn’t get over the fact that the curly haired toddler sitting on the ground was his baby.

“Well, we could say the mother came into your life to give you your son that you had no idea existed until now.” Pepper said, pulling Tony from his thoughts.

Tony thought about it. “No. I don’t like that. It makes it seem like I could potentially have more kids that I don’t know about.”

“Alright,” Pepper was silent for a few seconds while she thought about it. “How about the same story but Peter’s mom came to you when she was pregnant with your baby and you’ve raised Peter yourself and kept him hidden from the public?”

Tony thought about it. It could work. No one would ever know the truth if they played their cards right and covered up everything. He didn’t know how it would play off with teenage Peter though since people were already asking him where his little shadow went.

“Yeah. And we weren’t dating two years ago so it technically wouldn’t mean that I cheated on you.” Tony said amused because of all the times he was seen talking with a female and then a few hours later there was a news article about him cheating on Pepper.

Pepper playfully smacked his arm. “Okay, Mr. Stark. We don’t have to say anything now but the sooner the better so let’s think about it.”

Tony leaned over to kiss her on the lips but then Peter was looking over and screaming. Tony pulled away from Pepper to look at him. “What?”

Peter stood up and lifted his arms up for Tony. “Me! My turn!”

Tony laughed but picked Peter up anyways and showered his face in a bunch of kisses while Peter was giggling and trying to push Tony away, Tony stopped to look at his kid.

“Do you wanna go eat some ice cream?” Tony asked him, holding Peter by his chubby arms so he couldn’t move.

Peter started drooling which Tony realized he had been doing a lot recently. He started a few days ago and it was quite disgusting in Tony’s opinion but Peter was his kid so he would just wipe it off his hand when it got on there.

Tony stood up off the couch with Peter, “Do you want some ice cream, Pep?”

Pepper stood up as well, grabbing her computer. “No, I have to go to a meeting in a few minutes so I’ll see you boys later tonight.”

Tony forgot about that. He had been putting off all of his meetings so Pepper had been going to them meaning that she was doing twice the work now but Tony couldn’t find it in him to care enough to go back to work.

He couldn’t stand being in a meeting when he had Peter at home waiting for him. It just wouldn’t work out but he didn’t know what he was going to do about it when Pepper could no longer take on all of his work too.

Putting all those stress thoughts away for now, Tony continued to carry Peter into the kitchen and sat him on the kitchen island counter while he grabbed the chocolate ice cream, two bowls and two spoons.

“It go da’ brow’.” Peter exclaimed excitedly while the drool continued to drip out of his mouth. Tony looked at him and watched it fall into his pants then he dug in the drawer for one of Peter’s bibs and put it on him.

It was white with tiny monkeys on it which Tony thought fit Peter perfectly since Peter was basically a baby monkey.

He put it on Peter but Peter took it off him immediately after. “No, you have to keep it on because you keep drooling.”

Peter took it off again once Tony put it back on so Tony put it on him again and quickly handed him his plastic spoon to distract him. Peter started chewing on it while Tony got the ice creams into the bowls.

Peter was reaching for his before Tony even got the chance to hand it to him. The toddler dipped his spoon into the bowl to try to scoop up the ice cream but he couldn’t manage to get it.

Tony watched him while he ate his ice cream but he could see that Peter was getting really frustrated that he couldn’t scoop up any ice cream.

“Dada. Help.” Peter handed Tony his spoon that was covered in sticky ice cream now but Tony was used to the sticky grubby hands.

He scooped up some ice cream and fed it to Peter whose eyes immediately lit up and then he was opening his mouth for more.

Tony was so focused on feeding Peter that he forgot about his own ice cream that was now melted.

“It yummy, daddy.” Peter rubbed his belly and hummed in contentment.

“You like it? I think this is your first time eating ice cream.” Tony said that last part mainly to himself but it was funny to watch Peter pretend to know what he’s talking about.

He grabbed a dish cloth to wipe down Peter’s face and his hands and while he was doing that, his phone rang in the living room.

Tony tossed the towel in the sink and lifted Peter up off the counter. Peter made a dash for the living room to grab Tony’s phone so Tony had to chase after him so he didn’t grab it again because Peter would press a bunch of buttons and call random people.

Peter grabbed the phone and went to run away but Tony lifted him into his arms and grabbed his phone away. The call ended since he took so long to get to it but his heart dropped once he saw who was calling.

May Parker.

Tony’s mood fell. He placed his phone on the side table and placed Peter back on the floor. It had been quite awhile since he last spoke to May and he knows he doesn’t want to talk to her one bit after what she put his kid through but he does feel a bit bad.

Since he knew that May wasn’t a fan of him back when he first started hanging out with fourteen year old Peter. She still gave him a chance because it was what Peter wanted and she just wanted to make Peter happy.

Tony would forever be grateful to her for that but just for that. If the last time she had Peter told him anything it would be to never let her around just kid again but he at least owed it to her to call her back.

“Daddy, we go play?” Peter asked and held his stuffed elephant out towards Tony so they could play together.

Tony sighed because he had to call May back. “Can you play by yourself for a few minutes while daddy makes a phone call?”

Peter stuck out his bottom lip and tried to tug on Tony’s pant leg but when Tony didn’t move, Peter threw the elephant and sat on the ground, reaching for his pacifier and putting it in his mouth.

Tony reached for his phone on the table and picked it up to call May back but instead he just sat there and stared at the phone. He really didn’t want to talk to her and he honestly didn’t know why he was calling her back.

“I’ll be right back, Pete.” Tony told him and stood up to walk away but Peter let out a whine and chased after him, lifting his arms up for Tony desperately. “Okay. Come here.”

He lifted Peter into his arms and set him on his hip as he dialled May’s number. He was already regretting it but then May answered.

“Hello? Tony?”

“Yeah, hi.” Tony had never felt more awkward on a call before. He didn’t know what to say.

“I haven’t spoken with you in awhile. How’s Peter?” May asked, sounding hesitant.

“He’s good. We just ate ice cream.” Tony told her and hoisted Peter up one his hip a bit.

“Aw. I miss him and I feel so horrible since the last time I saw him it wasn’t a very nice time.” Tony could hear May sighing on the other end.

“Yeah. It definitely wasn’t.” Tony thought back to his baby being sick and in pain.

May was silent for a few seconds after that before speaking again. “I was just calling to ask if I could see him again. I don’t expect you to let him sleep over again but… maybe if I could take him for the day.”

Tony wanted to reach through the phone to slap some sense into May. “Yeah of course I’ll never let Peter sleepover with you again. You neglected him, May.”

“I know. I know and I’m sorry… it’s just hard to get used to the fact that he’s not my fifteen year old kid anymore.” May sounded like she was crying but Tony didn’t care. “Can I see him?”

Tony thought about it. He would prefer it if May would just go away. She kept calling and begging to see his kid and then disappear for a few weeks and then it’s the same thing again and Tony didn’t like that. It was starting to get really annoying.

“I don’t think that’s the best idea. How about I send you some pictures and videos of him.” Tony suggested but it sounded more rude than he intended for.

“Pictures? That’s not good enough. I really want to see my kid, Tony.” May begged him.

Tony scuffed. “Your kid? He stopped being your kid after you acted the way you did. He’s mine.”

Tony walked into his bedroom and placed Peter on the bed. Peter laid down and sucked on his pacifier while he stared up at Tony.

“I want to see him, Tony. In person. Maybe I could stop by the tower later today? I’m not working at all so I’d love to stop by for a few hours.”

Tony held Peter’s feet in his hands and made Peter’s legs do bicycle stretches. He didn’t want May coming over to see his kid but he always didn’t want anyone else seeing his kid and picking them up unless it was Pepper.

He sighed. “Fine. You can come over but you’re not taking Peter anywhere. He stays here.”

“Thank you, Tony. Thank you so much.” May thanked him but all Tony wanted to do was get off the phone now. “What time can I come at?”

Tony pulled his phone away from his ear to check the time. Pepper said she would be back later tonight and it was just after two now. “Uh, four is good.”

“Alright. I’ll come at four. I’ll see you and Peter then.” May said then Tony hung up the phone without saying anything else back.

He was already regretting inviting her over but he would get the visit over with.

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It was ten to four and Tony had to change Peter’s diaper before May came so he brought Peter to his bedroom and laid him down on the floor.

He pulled his track pants off and reached over to grab a clean diaper and wipes. “Can you pull one out for me?”

Tony held the package of wipes out to Peter because he liked to help out during his diaper changes. Peter grabbed a wipe and pulled it out but a bunch came out with it so Tony shoved them back in.

He unstrapped Peter’s diaper and wiped him clean then put a new diaper on him. “Do you want to wear your pants, Pete?”

Peter shook his head and rolled onto his stomach to crawl over to the box of diapers. He pulled out a diaper and waved it in the air while he babbled about something Tony couldn’t understand.

“Boss, May Parker is requesting access to the floor.” FRIDAY spoke.

Peter looked up at the ceiling and then stood up and barreled into Tony’s legs, demanding to be picked up.

“Let her up.” Tony said. He threw the diaper into the diaper disposal and lifted Peter into his arms. He didn’t tell Peter that May was coming over to see him because he was scared of how Peter was going to react.

He walked with Peter in his arms out into the living room and over to the elevator. Peter was watching the elevator with wide eyes to see who would come up.

When the elevator doors opened, Peter buried his face into Tony’s shoulder with a whimper and Tony immediately regretted letting May come over.

Her eyes landed on Peter and then she was smiling and making her way over to them. “Hi Peter. It’s Aunt May. I missed you so much.”

Peter shook his head into Tony’s shoulder. Tony rubbed Peter’s back and bounced him a bit, “Wanna say hi to May, Pete?”

Peter shook his head and Tony knew he wasn’t going to let up anytime soon so he led May over to the couch.

“Did he just wake up from his nap? Is he cranky?” May asked and sat down with Tony on the floor with Peter’s toys.

Tony looked at her. Was she really asking him that? It was four. “No, May. It’s his bedtime in three hours.”

May’s eyes widened surprised so Tony looked away from her before he said something he would regret.

Peter continued to hold onto Tony and then he let go a bit and looked around the room. “What do you want, bud?”

Peter didn’t answer him. He continued to look around the room and then spotted his pacifier and crawled out of Tony’s lap to get it.

He placed his pacifier in his mouth and crawled back over to Tony to sit himself down on his lap. May looked at Peter with a disgusted look on her face. “He still uses a pacifier?”

Tony eyed her. “Yeah. He does.”

She nodded and leaned against the couch. “Does he talk much? Build sentences at all?”

“He says a few words here and there but that’s it. He’s two, May.” Tony didn’t mind May asking these questions but the way she was asking them was as if she was judging Peter.

“I see he’s still in diapers. Any potty training going on?” She asked and looked up at Tony with an annoyed look on her face.

Tony laughed angrily. “May. I don’t think you understand that he’s twenty-seven months old. He’s not ready for potty training yet.”

May sighed and put her head in her hands. “I know. It’s just so hard because I’m so used to him being a teenager and I hate this. I wish he could just go back to the way he used to be.”

Tony wanted to kick her out and tell her to never come back. He loved Peter at age fifteen but he was still May’s kid when he was a teen and Tony hated that plus he wanted to raise Peter. Peter was his kid now and May was going to have to get used to that.

“It is what it is, May. Stop trying to change things or wish they were different.” Tony looked at May and saw her stressing over the situation that was impossible to change.

“You’re right. No, you’re right. Okay.” May ran her hand through her hair and crossed her legs, sitting up more. “Do you wanna play with your fire truck, Peter?”

Peter looked up and May and shook his head. Tony wrapped an arm around his stomach to keep him closer to himself. He didn’t say anything about Peter not wanting to associate with May because he didn’t know what to say.

May rolled the fire truck to him but Peter kicked it with his foot. “No!”

“Peter, be nice please.” Tony warned him but he actually found it funny and tried to hold in his laugh.

The look on May’s face was hilarious. She looked hurt but Tony thought that she deserved that.

For the next twenty minutes, Peter refused to leave Tony’s lap and looked over at May occasionally then looked away from her. Tony didn’t bother trying to force conversation with May because he didn’t feel the need to.

Then Peter crawled out of Tony’s lap and crawled over to May to grab the teddy bear out of her hand. “Mine.”

“Maybe you should take your pacifier out of your mouth so you can speak to me.” May suggested and went to grab Peter’s pacifier but he let out a whine and moved away from her.

“Just leave it, May.” Tony told her. He watched as Peter used her knee to stand up and then he was reaching a hand out to slap her in the face. It wasn’t hard but it was enough for it to be a slap.

May grabbed her cheek and looked at Peter in shock then pointed a finger at him. “No! Bad boy, Peter.”

Peter went to go slap her again but May grabbed his wrist. “T’at mine!”

Tony found the situation funny until May put her hands on his kid and called him a bad boy. He stood up to take Peter away from May. “I don’t appreciate you talking to my kid that way so if you’re gonna be like that then you can leave.”

May shook her head in denial. “He just hit me. I think you should discipline him.”

“You took his toy.” Tony defended his kid. He didn’t approve of Peter hitting but he’d make an exception for May.

May rolled her eyes. “Alright. You know what, here. Is this what you want?” May held the stuffed toy out for Peter so Peter reached out for it and held it to his chest.

Tony placed Peter on the ground again and then Peter was reaching out for his hand and trying to lead him somewhere. “Come.”

“Where are we going?” Tony asked him but as always, Peter didn’t answer.

May got up as well to follow them down the hall and into Peter’s bedroom. Peter let go of Tony’s hand and ran over to his teddy bears in the corner but when he turned back around and saw May, his smile fell.

Peter hit the air with his face scrunched up in anger. “Go ‘way! I b’ung no go ‘dare.”

“What is he saying?” May asked as she sat down on the carpet in Peter’s room.

Tony knew that Peter wanted May to leave but he did the same thing to Pepper this morning when she tried to say good morning to him during his diaper change. Sometimes Peter didn’t like anyone else in his bedroom but his dad.

“I don’t know.” Was all Tony said. His phone started ringing so he took it out of his pocket to see that one of his important business associates was calling and he had to take it. “I have to take this. I’ll be like ten minutes.”

Peter watched Tony walk out of the bedroom and let out a whine to go follow him but May shut the door. “He’ll be back, Peter.”

Peter pointed to the door. “Daddy?”

May reached forward to grab Peter by the arm to make him walk over towards him. She grabbed his pacifier out of his mouth. “You don’t need this. Stop acting like a baby.”

Peter tried to reach for his pacifier but May had it in her hand. “Mine.”

“No. How about you go show me your toys?” May looked around the room. “Where are you lego sets?”

Peter walked over to his crib and tried to climb up because he felt safe in there. He knew he couldn’t get in with daddy though so he sat down by the bottom of it.

“Remember when you used to play with all your lego sets? You still can, Peter. I have a bunch at home still. Just tell Tony you want to come home with me.” May turned around so she could look at Peter who was pushing himself up against his crib.

“You have to come back home with me. I’m gonna get you one way or another, Peter. Say goodbye to Tony.” May said to the toddler.

Peter lifted his hand up to wave bye to May. “Bye bye.”

May clenched her jaw. “Not me. Come here.”

Peter shook his head so May stood up and walked over to Peter to pick him up by his upper arms. She carried him over to the middle of the room and kneeled down so she was closer to his height.

She spoke with gridded teeth, “You need to stop acting like a baby because you are not a baby. Do you understand me?” May shook Peter a bit and let him go when he started to cry.

Peter had fear written all over his face as he struggled in May’s arms. “No. Go ‘way.”

May shook him roughly. “Stop it. You are fifteen years old. Stop acting like a baby.”

Peter started to cry louder so May quickly let go of him which caused Peter to fall onto the floor but she just stood up to open the bedroom door.

Peter was crying and holding onto his arm while May opened the bedroom door. She walked back over to Peter and tried to cover a hand over his mouth to make him stop but it was too obvious so she let go and picked him up.

“Be quiet. Stop crying.” May said firmly and tried to bounce Peter but she was doing it too roughly.

She placed Peter on the ground and sat back down as well to wait for Tony to walk back in which he was doing only seconds later.

Once Peter saw him, he made a dash for the man and lifted his arms up for him. Tony picked his distraught kid up and bounced him lightly while Peter cried right into his ear.

“What happened?” He asked, concerned. He wasn’t even gone for ten minutes and his kid was crying hysterically.

May shrugged. “I don’t know. He handed me his pacifier and started showing me his toys and then he started freaking out.”

Tony eyed May. Peter clearly didn’t want her around and he knew it was a bad idea from the start. “Alright. It’s time for you to leave. I’m gonna give him a bath and put him to bed now anyways.”

May stood up and handed Peter his pacifier but Peter started crying harder and buried his face into Tony’s shoulder.

“I’d like to stay for that.” May smiled at Tony and pinched the back of Peter’s leg which caused Peter to cry out harder but Tony didn’t see it.

“It wasn’t a suggestion, May. Leave. He clearly doesn’t want you here and to be honest, neither do I.” Tony started walking down the hallway so May would follow him which she thankfully did.

“I don’t like the way you’re raising him, Tony. You think you’re gonna get the same Peter back but you’re not. I will, so just give him to me.” May held out her hands for Peter as if Tony would simply hand his baby over.

He held Peter impossibly closer. “No. Are you crazy? This visit was simply for you to see Peter and nothing else.”

May scuffed and went to reach for her purse that was on the floor but she almost fell over. Tony eyed her. “Are you on something?”

May turned around to glare at him. “On something?”

Tony hated to think about his past life but he knew what being on drugs looked like. Prescribed or not prescribed. He’s done it all.

That being said, he is an expert at knowing if someone is on drugs or not and he can see that May is definitely on something but he just started seeing signs of it now.

“I’m not.” She picked you her purse and out fell a prescription bottle of some kind of pills. She quickly picked it up and shoved it back in her purse.

“Leave. Get out.” Tony would have grabbed her if Pepper was here to take Peter away but she wasn’t and now Tony let a person on drugs into his home where his son was. “Leave right now or I’ll call security up.”

May glared at him and looked from him to Peter. “Let me say goodbye to him first.”

“FRIDAY, send security up right now.” Tony said. FRIDAY replied and then he turned to the side so Peter was a bit out of sight but his back wasn’t to her. He didn’t know what else she had in the purse.

“Are you serious? I raise this kid and you take him from me. You don’t understand that I did all that work for nothing. I sacrificed so much of my life for him and now my husband is dead!” May yelled so Tony tried to cover Peter’s ears so he didn’t hear any of that.

The elevator doors were opening and out walked three security guards from the main lobby. Tony never called them up before because there was never any need to but there’s a first time for everything.

May continue to yell. “This is absolutely ridiculous! That is my kid. He has my kid. Peter?! Peter!”

Tony turned around and walked into the kitchen to hold Peter who was still crying but not as loud. He hushed Peter softly while the security took care of May and brought her downstairs.

He knew she would be taken to her car right after unless he wanted to press charges but he wouldn’t be doing that.

“Are you okay, Mr. Stark?” One of the security walked over to him to say. Tony saw him look at Peter with a confused look on his face but he didn’t say anything about it. “Do you need anything else?”

“No. Thanks.” Tony waited for him to leave with May and the other two security before he was signing and pushing his face into Peter’s hair. “I’m sorry, baby. I knew I shouldn’t have let her come here. I’m so sorry she upset you.”

Peter looked at Tony and continued to cry so Tony carried him down the hall again and walked to his bedroom so he could give Peter a bath to hopefully get him to relax a bit.

He kept talking to him about nothing just so Peter knew that everything was okay. Tony continued to hold Peter while he ran a bath and dropped some bath toys inside.

“Let’s take this off now.” Tony sat down on the floor and lifted Peter’s shirt over his head then took his diaper off. “In you go.”

Peter sat in the bath with a pout on his face. He had thankfully stopped crying but he was still upset and Tony hated that.

“Look, it’s your duckie.” Tony lifted the duck out of the water and dropped it in which made Peter start giggling and repeating the action.

Tony smiled, happy to have his happy kid back which didn’t take that long but he knew it was because Peter was a happy boy.

Pepper walked into the bathroom, scaring both Tony and Peter. Peter started reaching up for Tony and whining to be held but Tony reassured him. “It’s okay. It’s just Pepper.”

The smile fell from Pepper’s face. She walked more into the bathroom and sat on the closed toilet seat. “How did it go with May…?”

Tony looked at her with a look that told her it didn’t go well. “Well, I had security come up to take her down.”

Pepper's face dropped. “What? Are you serious, Tony?”

“Yeah. I’m pretty sure she was on some type of drug. She came in and started getting mad at Peter for sucking on his pacifier and wearing diapers and his lack of words, completely ignoring the fact that he’s two.” Tony explained while he ran his hand over Peter’s back.

He continued. “Peter started crying loudly when I went to take a call and then she flipped out on me and said some things that I’m glad Peter didn’t understand.”

Pepper shook her head. “That bitch. I know you feel like you owe it to her for letting you in Peter’s life when he was a teen even when she wasn’t a fan of you but you have to stop feeling guilty for raising Peter. I know that’s why you let her keep seeing him.”

Tony sighed and shook his head in denial.

“Look, back then, she trusted you with Peter because you were good to him. You didn’t hurt him or make him cry or tell him he’s not allowed to use the bathroom and have him wet his pants and then make him sit in it for hours because that is basically what May did to Peter.” Pepper made sense with what she was saying but Tony was stubborn. “Stop feeling guilty.”

“I don’t.” Tony lied.

Pepper looked at him. “You do. You feel guilty because you feel bad for raising Peter yourself but you gave May a chance. You gave her two chances and she proved to you that she can’t be around him.”

Tony nodded his head. He knew Pepper was right but it was hard. It was really hard.

To know that May was too close to them. She would continue to ask to see Peter when it’s convenient for her.

“Let’s move back to Malibu.” Tony said before he even got the chance to really think about what he was saying.

Pepper looked at him confused. “What?”

“I wanna move back to Malibu. Not just because of May but I think it’ll be a great place to raise Peter. We can get a private house on the beach with no neighbours so it can just be the three of us.” Tony looked up at Pepper with desperate eyes.

Pepper shook his head out of surprise. “I-we… we can’t.”

“Why not? I own the company. I can do whatever I want and so can you so why can’t we? Screw everything else. Let’s do what we want to do.” Tony was done with everything in New York.

He didn’t see any reason to stay anymore but he just hoped Pepper could get on board with the idea.