Things had been...different around the Stark house recently. Not because of one of Tony's projects or one Pepper's investments for the company, but because, well...a mini Stark. Morgan Stark, to be exact. Nine months had passed before she was born, and now nine months had passed since, and in those nine months, Tony had become quite an interesting father to their daughter.
Pepper couldn't complain, though. While she was rushing around at home, she also had to get to the office on time to make sure she put in her work day there. Being CEO wasn't easy while balancing a family, but she refused to take any more time off. After the last mission before the Avengers broke up, she had been too worried about Tony not coming home. The office had gone awry without her presence then, just as it had when she had gone on maternity leave...though at least then, she insisted on doing some work at home. But the past couple of months had been spent back downtown, making sure things were caught up and Stark Industries was functioning fine.
And it was...but home? Home was another circus act sometimes.
Including breakfast.
Pepper was almost running late; again. She'd misplaced her papers, and she hated how disorganized she'd become since being a mom. But it was fine...everything would be fine, she'd skip breakfast, feed Morgan quickly, and then get to her car half past seven and arrive at the office promptly at eight, just like she always did. She'd just...skip her own, and wait for lunch. Or...dinner, knowing how her days wound up most of the time.
Sighing, she made for the cabinet and pulled out a coffee mug, then put it under their Keurig and waited for the warm, liquid caffeine to dispense. Her arms propped her up over the counter while it processed, and then, finally, after several excruciating moments, it beeped done and she was able to take it in both hands and turn to lean back against the counter.
"So when exactly did I become the stay at home mom?" her husband asked, breaking into her moment of peace for the morning...that one small moment.
Tony was hunched over the island, trying to spoon a mouthful of baby food into Morgan's mouth. To be honest, Pepper was surprised; he never got her into the kitchen for her, so this was new. And he seemed...bored. Not bored of Morgan, maybe just bored of routine. He had been staying home during the day, now with nothing to do but watch their daughter. Pepper envied him - since going back to work, she barely saw either of them, and she missed these few moments of family time.
"When you made me CEO," she finally sighed, taking a first sip of the dark roast in her hands, her bangs falling into her eyes as she leaned down to welcome it.
He pushed the spoonful into their daughter's mouth, who just giggled and let it dabble down her chin instead of swallowing. "So let's trade, you spend some time at home, I go into the office."
Rolling her eyes, Pepper dismissed that one immediately. "You couldn't handle running the company, Tony. Remember what happened last time you ran Stark Industries?"
"Give me a break, I was a kid," he pouted instead with a frown, his attention moving from Morgan to his wife.
"You were 38," she countered.
"Age has no number."
"Right..." she confirmed with a forced, pressed lip smile; she wasn't upset with him, she just knew better than to argue.
"Come on, Morgan misses you, I miss you..." he pushed, shooting her his best puppy dog eyes, to which he earned another sigh.
"Tony," she scolded, "that doesn't even make sense. If we switch, you're still going to be somewhere I'm not."
"Pep, I'm bored," he groaned, ignoring her attempt to point out his flaw in the plan.
"You wanted a baby so bad," she quipped, coffee mug to her lips again and her eyebrow raised.
"I wanted a family, and that includes you," he corrected, standing up and setting the spoon of baby mush down. "Take tomorrow off. Come home, I'll make dinner..."
"You'll make dinner?" she mused. "I'll have the fire department on standby."
"Hey, I've learned!"
"Coffee and Pop Tarts aren't dinner," Pepper reminded him teasingly, setting down the mug and stepping across the space toward him to run her hands up his chest, tilting her head to smile softly at him. "You're a mess, Mr Stark."
"Really? Cause it's looking like it's the other way around," he joked. "Come on. No disasters, I swear. Just you, me-"
"Dadda!" suddenly interrupted him, cutting him off before Tony could say Morgan's name, and both he and Pepper snapped their eyes toward their daughter, who was happily swinging her arms up and down from the toddler chair she was strapped into.
"Did she just..." Pepper whispered, eyes on their daughter, though her hands still gripped Tony's shoulders.
His mouth dropped, trying to find words as his brow furrowed and he swallowed nervously. Morgan hadn't spoke yet. She was only nine months. But here they were...hearing the same thing.
"Oh...kay..." Tony finally managed on a breath, and that's when Pepper dropped her hands from him and gasped, hands over her heart as she maneuvered toward their daughter's chair.
"You just said 'dadda', didn't you?!" she celebrated. "You said your first word, sweetie!"
But Tony was panicked, and he ran his hand through his hair, exhaling loudly with wild eyes. Yeah, it made sense that eventually, their daughter would start talking. But 'dadda' being her first word? It wasn't what he deserved. And Pepper...Pepper wasn't even upset that it wasn't 'mamma'. Even knowing she wished she had more time with them, she wasn't bothered by the proof that Tony was first on Morgan's mind.
"Do you know who your daddy is?" he heard the red head ask their child, and when he focused, he realized she was picking her up out of the chair and carrying her back toward him. "Is this daddy?"
Tony watched as she waved Mogan's hand in hers delicately, trying to teach her how to say hello. But Morgan had no clue, he could tell. She looked happy and she was laughing, but did she actually know who he was?
"Hey, kid," Tony finally muttered, smiling for his daughter's sake.
And then she said it again, reaching for him. "Dadda!"
"Okay...that's not supposed to happen," Tony panicked, and Pepper could tell, so she shifted Morgan in her arms to hand her to him.
"Of course it is," she protested. "She loves her dad."
"It's too early, she's too young."
"The books said she can start talking at nine months, and that's...now," Pepper pointed out, before turning her attention back to the baby in her arms. "You take after your father, don't you, pretty girl? You'll be the smartest little girl in school when you're older."
"But-" Tony protested, still stuck on the age thing, but Pepper shook her head as he finally accepted Morgan and cradled her against his shoulder.
"Congratulations, Iron Dad," she teased, kissing his cheek before doing the same with Morgan. "We both love you, you know."
And that's when his lips finally tugged up, smirking as he watched Morgan's blue eyes - that of her mother's - watch his face. She was something else, that was for sure, and even if it was just now that he was realizing that...he was proud.