From this point onward
As it turns out, Tony was right.
The day had been incredibly stressful with a toddler on their hands while there were random people moving all over the house all day but they got it done and Tony was happy because he was right and because their house was complete.
Not fully complete yet because still so much needed to be done but that was the fun part about it all and it would happen over time. They would make this place their home and Tony was so excited to raise Peter here.
He sat down next to Pepper and Peter on the couch. “Did you want to say something to me?”
Pepper handed Peter another cookie and looked over at Tony. “Um… not that I can think of.”
Tony rolled his eyes playfully. “Something about me being right and you being… wrong?”
“Alright then.” Pepper lifted Peter up a bit on her lap so he was resting more comfortably against her. “I was wrong but… I’m kinda glad I was because I really didn’t want to have to spend another night in the hotel so yes, you were right.”
That felt nice to hear for Tony. “Thank you. I’m glad you think that now hand me over my son.”
Tony reached over and picked Peter off of Pepper’s lap and went to hold Peter in his arms but Peter was arching his back and whining so Tony couldn’t hold him. “Hey, why won’t you let me hold you?”
Peter started jumping on Tony’s lap with a pout on his face. “No. No daddy.”
Tony gasped. “What? Why not?”
Peter grinned and pointed over at Pepper. “Mommy.”
Both adults froze.
Tony stopped letting Peter bounce and just stared at him. He looked over at Pepper who looked like she couldn’t believe what Peter had just said either.
A smile broke across Pepper’s face so she leaned closer to Peter who had no idea what he just said and how it made both of his parents feel. “What did you just say, Peter?”
Peter tried to bounce on Tony’s lap again while he looked at Pepper with a grin. “Mama mama mama.”
“Ohh Aww, my baby. Come here.” Pepper pulled Peter from Tony’s hands while Tony still felt frozen. He didn’t even realize that he had shed a happy tear so he wiped it away and looked over at the two most important people in his life.
Pepper was hugging Peter and wanted to hug him for longer but Peter started to squirm around so she let him go. Now she knew how Tony felt every time Peter had called him daddy.
It was probably one of the best feelings that she had ever felt.
She watched as Peter slid onto the floor and walked over to play with his teddy bears then she was leaning against Tony. “Oh my gosh. Did he really just call me that? Is this how you always feel oh my gosh.”
Tony put his arm around her and pressed a kiss to her head. “Yeah he did. I’m so- I’m so happy, Pep.”
“You are? How do you think I feel? He called me mommy. I’m gonna cry.” Pepper sat up and tried to stop the happy tears from falling but she couldn’t stop them. She was way too happy to hold them in.
Tony looked over at Peter who was trying to stand on his head and didn’t know how he got so lucky to live this life.
As simple as it was, he was so happy. He never thought that he would be a father but now here he was, a father to a two year old and he had his best friend to raise that two year old with.
Life was good.
.
.
.
After their first night, Tony was starting to feel a little bit less stressed out about everything.
He still wasn’t ready to let Peter sleep in his own room but that was fine since the paint was still airing out the smell and he still wasn’t 100% complete with getting his room ready.
He had ordered a rocking chair that was coming from Italy and that would take another day or two to get there so he was in no rush yet.
Tony and Pepper wanted to take Peter in the pool for their first swim in the new house with Peter so Tony carried Peter out on his hip, already dressed in his own swimsuit and Peter in a diaper since he hadn’t gotten Peter a swimsuit yet.
Pepper turned around and smiled at the two then reached out for Peter in Tony’s arms. “Hi Peter. Are you excited to go swimming?”
Peter stood on Pepper’s lap from where she was sitting at the edge of the pool deck with her feet in the water. Peter tried to turn around to look at the pool. “Go swim!”
“Tony, he can’t wear a diaper in the pool.” Pepper told her boyfriend as he got into the water and walked over to them in the shallow end.
“Yeah he can.” Tony reached his arms out for his baby but Pepper hesitated. “Give him to me.”
“Do we have any swim diapers because this will sag off of him?” Pepper asked even as she handed the toddler over to Tony who immediately started kicking his legs and laughing once he was in the water.
“No but it’s fine, Pep. It holds pee so it’ll hold in water.” Tony held Peter out in front of him and spun him around in the water, loving the giggles that were escaping his mouth.
If all Tony had to do was spin around for the rest of his life so he could listen to Peter giggle like that then he would just live his life with a permanent spinning headache but it would be worth it.
Pepper jumped into the pool and walked over to them. She pressed a kiss to Tony’s lips but that caused Peter to start screaming. “Too!”
“You want a kiss too?” Pepper asked the toddler and he nodded his head, trying to lean towards Pepper with his mouth open so Pepper leaned forward and pecked his lips, causing Peter to start splashing excitedly in the water.
“The only boy I’ll ever let Pepper kiss. Other than me.” Tony said playfully but he was being 100% serious. “And the only girl I’ll ever let Peter kiss. No girls allowed.”
Peter looked over at Tony and slapped his face in his excitement. “No!”
“No? No what?” He asked, amused at the whole conversation.
Peter started kicking even harder in Tony’s arms and grunting so Tony moved him onto his other hip. “Yeah! Yeah daddy go ‘dare!”
Tony just spun Peter around again and then lifted him up a bit so he could hold him against his side. “Actually, can you hold him while I get the floaty we got for him?”
Pepper was already reaching her arms out to take Peter from Tony. As Tony got out of the pool, she lifted Peter up and walked to the edge of the pool so she could take off the saggy diaper that she was right about.
“One second, Peter, because I have to take this off of you.” Pepper stood Peter up on the pool edge but Peter was trying to get back in.
“Cold. Back in.” When Pepper didn’t immediately pick him back up to let him go into the water, Peter started to cry and run on the spot so Pepper made quick work of taking his wet diaper off and tossing it to the side to throw out later.
She held her arms out for Peter and he was immediately jumping into her arms and laughing. “See, all better.”
Peter nodded his head and tried to move the hair out of his eyes. “Yeah! All better. Daddy?”
Both of them turned their heads to see Tony walk out of the house with a baby pool floaty for Peter. “Look what I have.” Tony walked into the water by the steps and walked towards the two of them.
Peter was either extremely excited to see Tony again or excited for the floaty but either way, Tony was happy that his kid was happy so he took Peter from Pepper’s arms and noticed his lack of diaper now.
“You know how you were right about the house?” Pepper asked him with a grin. “Well, I was right about the diaper.”
“Of course you were. I’ll give you that.” Tony lifted Peter up and tried to put him into his swim seat but Peter was kicking his legs too much. “Pete, stop kicking so you can go in and then you can kick all you want.”
Peter still didn’t stop so Pepper had to help get Peter into his swim float which he immediately loved and tried to bounce up and down in it.
“Aww. Look at you, baby.” Tony looked down at Peter who had a huge grin on his face, making Tony’s one smile spread across his face more. As much as he loved living in New York since he had been there for so many years and it was all Peter knew, he was really glad that both him and Pepper made the decision to move to Malibu.
He could see a better future for both himself and Peter here. This was where they were going to raise their kid.
It seemed that even Pepper was happier here as well. Tony knew she always preferred the hot weather by a pool or a beach rather than in the city. He was the total opposite although he did enjoy being around the beach, he preferred the city but now, he was happy wherever Peter and Pepper were.
For some people, a home is a literal house or possibly even the area you live in but Tony was quickly learning that home was wherever his family went. Yeah. Family. He had a family, it was small but it held so much love and that was all that mattered.
Tony leaned over and pressed a deep and meaningful kiss to Pepper’s lips. He loved her so much. He loved Peter as well but it was a different kind of love that he had for the both of them.
He loved Pepper to no ends. Their love was more deep and romantic. He knew he couldn’t be as protective over her because she was a grown woman who was extremely powerful by herself but that still didn’t stop him from loving and being protective over her.
Whereas Peter, even before he got de-aged, Peter is a child who needs all the love and protection that he can possibly receive and Tony wants to give him all of that. Tony will go to no ends to make sure that he protects his one and only child from anything that can hurt him and that’s exactly what he’ll always do. No matter what.
Peter screamed in excitement, pulling Tony out of his thoughts and letting him focus back in the moment and what was going on.
Peter was leaning over the side of his floaty and dipping his face into the pool water then lifting it back up and laughing like crazy at what he was doing. “You’re so silly, baby.”
The toddler grinned up at his daddy and went to dip his face into the water again so Tony looked over at Pepper. “Well, we know he’s going to be a water baby.”
Pepper agreed. “I wouldn’t be surprised. He didn’t know how to swim when he was a teen, right?” She asked him and then reached under the water to tickle Peter’s feet.
“No. He used to cling onto the sides of the pool when I used to take him to the Compound.” Tony replied, smiling growing larger at the memory. As much as he missed teen Peter at times, he knew that this time around, he was the one that got to raise Peter and give him the life that he deserves.
Tony went under the water and popped his head up right by Peter who tried to reach out for him so Tony let Peter grab his hands. “Daddy! Dada!”
Tony grinned at his baby and lifted the pool floaty up so he could gently toss Peter into the water. He held Peter in the air for a few seconds, smiling at his chubby legs that were kicking away in midair and then he tossed Peter into the water, earning a loud ear piercing scream from the two year old.
Peter turned to him and reached his arms out. “‘Gin! ‘Gin, daddy!”
For the next twenty minutes, Tony and Pepper both took turns throwing Peter into the air but it was starting to get dark out which meant it was bath time and then bedtime for the toddler which was one of Tony's favorite times of the day although, tonight would most likely be a quick rinse off in the shower.
“Are you tired now?” Tony asked Peter as he lifted him out of the baby swim float and held him in front of him.
“No, daddy.” Peter said even as he let out a yawn and then when Tony set him on his hip, Peter laid his head on his shoulder and wrapped his tiny arms around his neck which always made Tony go soft. He loved it so much when Peter did that.
They all walked out of the pool but of course they forgot to bring towels so Tony tried to ring out his bathing suit a bit. Never in his life did he ever think he would be jealous of Pepper’s bathing suit because it dried quickly.
Tony set Peter on his feet when he started to wiggle and then Pepper was grabbing her phone to take pictures of them. “Smile. We have to take pictures for the first time in the pool.”
Peter looked over at Pepper and then started tilting his head to pose for the picture just as Tony picked him up and placed him back on his hip so he could have a proper picture with his boy.
“Look at me, Peter. Not daddy. Look at mommy.” Pepper tried to snap her fingers to get Peter to stop touching Tony’s face and to look over at her for the picture which worked.
“Aww. Hi beautiful boy. I love you so much.” Pepper blew a kiss to Peter so Tony held him so he could face Pepper more and he blew a kiss back at Pepper which had both adults coping at.
“Mommy, go inside.” Peter said, not understanding why both of his parents were smiling so much at him.
Pepper wouldn’t be able to say no to the toddler calling her mommy and for a second, Tony suddenly realized that Peter had them wrapped around his baby finger whether he knew it or not.
Either way, Tony was more than okay with that.
He repositioned Peter back onto his hip and walked into the house with Pepper following behind them. The whole way up the stairs and into the master bathroom, Pepper was poking Peter’s nose which caused Peter to giggle loudly in Tony’s ear.
By the time the shower started, Tony placed Peter back on his feet but Peter made a dash out of the room. Since Peter was naked, there was nothing to grab him by and tug him back into the bathroom.
Tony groaned and went to grab the toddler who was running down the upstairs hallway and headed in nowhere in particular since Peter had yet to explore the upstairs yet.
“I got you.” Tony caught up to Peter once he was backed up into a corner. He lifted the two year old up in front of them then moved Peter closer so he could blow a raspberry onto his chubby belly. “You’re too silly, did you know that?”
“No! Daddy silly.” Peter answered and stopped laughing when Tony placed him back on his hip so he could walk into the bathroom again and shut the door behind him.
“Second time.” Pepper joked as she grabbed a clean towel from the cabinet in the bathroom stocked with bathroom supplies which was all of Pepper’s idea. Tony didn’t think he could even come up with anything that they would need besides for soap and towels but Pepper thought of everything.
Tony placed Peter on the floor once again and this time, when Peter went to run away, he was stuck inside by the door and thankfully didn’t know how to open it yet plus he could barely reach the door handle which hopefully would be awhile before he could reach it.
Tony didn’t want his baby growing up.
“I’m just gonna hold him in the shower then I’ll shower after.” Tony knew that would make things a lot easier so he picked Peter back up and walked into the shower with him, letting the warm water fall onto his face which was a new love for him.
Pepper couldn’t resist taking more pictures of the two of them as Peter put his face under the water and Tony smiling down at his son.
Tony placed Peter on the shower floor and handed him the shower loofa to play with while Tony poured baby body wash into his hands and started to clean Peter’s body, making sure he got in all the chubby rolls.
After Peter was rinsed off, Pepper took Peter from Tony and wrapped him in a towel which caused the crying and tears to start. “Give me like five minutes and then I’ll take him.”
Tony wasn’t sure if Peter was crying for him or because he was taken out of the shower but either way, Tony was just glad that Pepper was with him now while he quickly took off his bathing suit and washed himself down.
The crying was still loud as before by the time Tony walked out of the bathroom, dressed in his pyjamas, he was hoping that by Peter seeing him again that it would stop the crying but it didn’t.
Pepper had just finished putting cream on Peter so Tony sat down next to Peter to wait for Pepper to finish with the diaper and pyjamas. “Mmm. You smell so yummy, Peter.”
Peter looked over at him and shook his head. “No. Ba’f!” He pointed at the bathroom and tried to sit up but Pepper pushed his knees to his chest, pushing him back down.
“So you want to go in the shower in your cozy pyjamas?” Tony asked Peter, poking him on the stomach before pyjamas were put on him.
Peter nodded his head and tried to reach out for Tony. “No.”
Pepper lifted Peter up to maneuver him into a yellow bodysuit with a tank top. She then left the room and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Peter rolled onto his side then sat up on his knees to reach out for Tony desperately so Tony picked his crying toddler up and reached over to grab his pacifier from the nightstand table but when he put it in Peter’s mouth, Peter took it out and threw it onto the floor.
He started making his grabby hands for his milk which was him opening and closing his fists, silently begging for Tony to get him his bottle.
At least Peter was no longer crying about the shower so Tony didn’t have to worry about an hour long temper tantrum. He walked down to the kitchen with Peter still crying on his hip but not as much as before which Tony was thankful for.
He remembers a time, in the very beginning when Peter first came to him de-aged and Tony had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do so when two year old Peter started crying, Tony wanted to join him. He still did at times not not as much as before which he knew meant improvement.
Peter watched with wide eyes as Tony grabbed one out of the hundreds of bottles and filled it up with milk then handed it to Peter who started sucking on it right away, making grunting sounds as he did so which always made Tony smile.
He hoped that no matter how old Peter got, he never stopped doing that although Tony knows that that is very unlikely because his baby was going to grow up whether he liked it or not.
At least this time he was along for the ride.