Day 97 FLUFF FRIDAY
“Mr. Stark! Check this out!” Peter exploded into the lab. Tony looked up from his work in surprise. Peter usually only came to hang out on the weekends. It was Wednesday. Why was here? Wait. Was it Wednesday? Tony really wasn’t sure what days were what anymore. They all consisted of close to the same thing. Lab work, a next to empty compound, more lab work, dinner with Pepper (when she wasn’t on business trips), hours of verbally sparring with Ross, and finally nights, nights of restless sleep and nightmares, or no sleep at all, “Look at this super epic lego set I got!”
Peter waver the big lego box in the air above his head. He was smiling from ear to ear. Tony couldn’t help but laugh at the teens enthusiasm over a lego set.
“Do you want to build it with me?” Peter asked and sprinted across the lab over to Tony. He really wanted to. He hadn’t sat down and built anything recreational in long time, but he had a lot of work to do.
“Sorry kiddo, but I’m super busy,” Tony gestured to the new the arc reactor design.
“Oh…” Peter mumbled and his shoulders drooped a little.
“Why don’t go do it with Ned?”
“Ned is visiting family in Maine.”
“During the week? Don’t you have school?” Tony was confused. He had never actually met Ned, but from what Peter had told him the boy wouldn't dream of missing school especially for something as trivial as family. Peter snorted and in what seemed like an attempt not to laugh.
“What?!” Tony cried. It probably wasn’t Wednesday.
“It’s Friday Mr. Stark.”
Friday? Already? That ment Pepper would be back tomorrow, and that didn’t seem right. It seemed like she had just left that morning? Sleep deprivation was no good at all.
“It is?”
Peter just nodded, “What day did you think it was?”
“Wednesday…” Tony trailed off. How was it already Friday? Had he even slept since Wednesday?
Peter laughed, “How long have you been in here working alone?”
“Longer than I thought apparently,” Tony scoffed.
“Well if you’ve been working on that for a while then maybe you could take a break…?” Peter inched closer to him, “...and play legos?”
Tony looked into the kid's big round puppy dog eyes and sighed.
“Fine.”
“YES!” Peter did a little dance, “Thank you Mr. Stark!”
The boy hugged him. Tony hadn’t been expecting it and coughed in surprise.
“Oh… Uh, sorry…” Peter hoped back awkwardly.
“No it’s uh-- fine,” Tony said slowly, then snapped out of his momentary shock, “Anyway, that corner over there is clear, so we can set up there.”
“Great!” Peter exclaimed and rushed over to the corner. Tony followed him at a slower pace. They both sat down and Peter opened the box.
“Come on! I’m a genius! Why can not figure this thing out?!” Tony cried in dismay trying to figure out what the hell he had done wrong. Peter laughed.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have thrown the instructions away,” Peter said helpfully. Tony just frowned. In hindsight that had not been the best idea he had had. He wanted a challenge.
“Well I did want a challenge…” Tony muttered peering at the lego creation in his hand.
“What time is it?” Peter yawned. Tony just shrugged. He had left his watch on the counter and was too preoccupied to go it.
“Does it matter?”
“No, not really,” Peter replied and picked up a lego piece. Somehow the kid hadn’t been struggling without the instructions. Tony was jealous.
Pepper pulled her car up to the compound and parked. She was mildly concerned that Tony hadn’t been waiting for her at the airport. He usually met her there, but it was very early. Pepper had a faint hope that maybe he was sleeping, it didn’t seem likely though.
Everything inside was dark, all except the lab. Pepper frowned. Tony had probably been in there since she left. Her hopes of him being asleep dwindled away as she approached the lab. The door shicked open and she stepped into the lab.
“Tony?” Pepper called into the lab. He didn’t respond. Pepper narrowed her eyes and ventured into the lab. It was far to quiet, and she didn’t like it. She walked around one of the counters and stopped in her tracks. A smile spread across her face as she looked down. Tony was laying on the floor next to a mound of legos. Peter was flopped against the wall; both of them were snoring peacefully Pepper smiled. Tony had a content smile on his face, he looked the most peaceful she had seen in a long time.
“Friday, do me a favor and dim the lights,” Pepper said quietly.
The lights dimmed as Pepper slipped out of the lab.