Tantrums
Pepper and Tony worked around the kitchen the next morning, both exhausted from a long trip out and Tony was pissed that he had to make the trip back. He hoped he could make his way out before Peter was awake and out of bed, but obviously luck was not on his side as the pitter patter of tiny feet was heard and a sudden lump was attached to his leg. "Mornin' Pete" He sighs a bit, he loved the kid but it was 7.00am.
"Daddddddddddeeeeeeee" Peter's loud excited voice slightly broke his heart, Pepper looked at the two in pity as Tony lifted the toddler up into his arms.
"Hey baby boy, what're you doing up this early?" He asks, the curly haired boy nuzzled into Tony's neck with a small smile.
"Heard da'de and wan'ed hug" He mumbles into Tony's neck. Tony chokes a little and sighs rubbing the boys back. "You's were gone so wan'ed hug" He mumbles, Tony felt his heart break and looked to Pepper pleadingly.
"Oh baby boy, Daddy missed you too but..." He takes a sharp breath in when Peter turns those damn bambi eyes on him with a sniffle. "Oh Pete...I need to go back for just one more day" He never felt like such a jack-ass until this point.
"Da'de go'way?" He asks a few fat tears rolling down his cheeks and Tony all about retires on the spot. Pepper rolls her eyes and sighs.
"Yeah baby, your daddy has to go to sort some stupid people out at the accords. But you get to spend time with Mommy and Stevie" He tells him. "You can giggle with her as Steve and Bucky get told the 'big news' yeah?" He tries to get him to smile but Peter just sniffles and looks at him.
"No go" He mumbles, his fists starting to tighten on his shirt. Tony thinks fast and kisses the boy on his head before handing him off to Pepper.
"I love you big guy but daddy really has to go work. I promise I'll be back by tomorrow." Tony promised and Peter let out a loud, heart broken sob as his arms stretched out to Tony in a plea to be taken with him. "No baby. I can't bring you, it's really important to me for you to stay here with Mommy" He says sweetly. Pepper gives him a look as she holds Peter closer to her, Tony gives his head a kiss and makes his way to the door. His heart breaking as he hears Peter let out heart broken sobs.
"Da'de! No go! Da'deeeee" He sobbed out, arms stretched out towards Tony. Tony flinched at the sight and blows a kiss to the bow.
"Back in a day" He promises and leaves the house, still hearing Peter beg him to stay.
********
Pepper held the boy close to her as he sobbed loudly for Tony, her heart breaking a little as he begged for him to stay. "Oh sweet baby boy don't cry" She mumbles, bouncing him. Steve stumbles out of the front room, Bucky on his hip as he takes in the scene.
"Is he ok?" He asks, Bucky looked over in concern as Peter sobbed loudly.
"Yeah, Tony had to leave again and he's just not handling it well." She mumbles bouncing him a bit, Peter sobs more and Bucky lets out a small pitiful whimper. Steve instinctively pulls the boy closer to him and sighs a bit, Pepper smiles apologetically. "He won't admit it but Peter does this kind of thing even as a teenager. I think it's abandonment issues, been like it since you-know-who." She says and Steve nods understandably.
"I gathered. I'll cook if you just keep an eye on them" He says calmly, Pepper smiles a little as Steve sets Bucky in his high chair before she attempts to do the same. The boy refuses to let go and clings to her shirt.
"Pete baby come on, can you be a good boy whilst Stevie makes breaky?" She coo's, Peter clings to her. Letting out another sob as she finally managed to de-tangle his fingers from her shirt and clip him in. Bucky gave the other toddler a knowing look. Pepper smiles apologetically at him as she puts their trays on. "Did you two have fun yesterday?" She asks as she straightens the straps a little. Bucky snorts a bit.
"No. S'eve pu' some movi' 'bout dyin' bunnies on an' it has scared us bot' fer life." He states calmly, arms crossed over his tiny chest. Pepper bites back a smile at the babyish babble that came out of Bucky's mouth but nods along.
"Steve. Did your dumb butt put on watership down?" She calls, a squeak from the man is all she needs before she laughs a bit. "Poor baby boys" She coo's and watches them both go red faced at the cooing. "I'll make sure Steve gets punished ok?" She winks at Bucky who shoots her a small grin, she smiles back.
"Food's ready" Steve mumbles coming in. Pepper grins taking the two small plates from Steve and setting them on the trays, she glances at Steve with a knowing smile as he hands her a plate of cut up fruit.
"Steve. Don't be so jumpy, I'll get Clint back for you. For now lets eat up and relax." She says happily, digging into her own food whilst Bucky and Steve do the same. Peter stared at his food silently, letting out small huffed out sobs every few minutes. Pepper glanced each time and felt her heart break at the sight. "Oh Pete, it's ok. Daddy would want you eating. Can you eat for mommy and daddy?" She asks, Peter shook his head with another sob. Steve winces, seeing Bucky finished he lifted the one armed toddler out of the chair and escaped into the nursery.
"Wan' da'dee" He mumbles, Pepper felt her heart shatter and sighs. She remembers Tony telling her about him being like this the first time he was small. She felt her self heave a heavy sigh.
"Peter Stark Parker if you do not eat at least half of that plate you will go straight into time out. Am I understood?" She warns and watches the boy reluctantly take a small bite of his waffles. "Good boy." She praises and Peter huffs a little in annoyance. "Don't give me attitude young man" She warns.
***********
That was how breakfast went, after that her and Steve hadn't been able to put Peter on the floor once and his attitude was starting to affect Bucky. The two adults looked at each other whilst they napped and sighed. "Could take them out to the shops. I need to get food in anyways." Pepper says calmly. Steve grunted a little, looking exhausted.
"Yeah and then what? Have to irritable babies break down into sobs at a supermarket because they're feeding off each other?" He asks and Pepper snorts a little with a sigh.
"Any suggestions then oh mighty parent of the world?" She asks, Steve grumbles a little and rests his head on the back of the sofa.
"Park maybe?" He asks and Pepper snorts a bit in return.
"Yeah because that won't make front page news 'Pepper Potts and Captain America at the park with two children' I can see it now." She mutters sarcastically. Steve grunts a bit and sighs a little.
"Could pop them in a pram and just go for a walk in the woods for a bit?" Steve hums a little at the idea.
"Maybe stop by the lake that's in close by?" He asks and pauses. "You might get tired before we get them tired though Pepper. They're like little balls of energy and their stamina is almost as high as before." He mutters and Pepper grunts a little.
"I don't think I could, think you can keep an eye on them both?" She asks, sending a tentative glance at Peter's sleeping form, tear tracks still on his face. Her heart melted a little. "He's so sad Steve. Tony hates leaving like that, makes him think of his dad." She mumbles.
"I can keep an eye on them both Pepper, and I know. I almost called Happy to drag Tony back early..." He gave a sheepish grin at the red headed women who snorted. "But if I did that'd be wrong. Besides, Peter knows that he's misbehaving but I don't think he means too." He says calmly. Pepper snorts a little. "On the bright side, good practise for you and Tony if you guys ever have kids." Steve says casually and Pepper bites back a smirk.
"Yeah." She responds, a glance at her slightly extended abdomen. Her and Tony had agreed to tell Steve together. "So anyways, lets get that twin pram sorted and I'll put together a picnic for them whilst you choose out an adorable set of clothes yeah?" She asks and Steve snorts a little.
"How about I make the sandwiches and you put the clothes together. I might not be the best cook but I can make that." He says calmly, Peter moaned in his sleep but soon calmed down a bit. The two adults share a glance and nod.
"Lets be quick." She mumbles, moving off the sofa and following Steve out of the room, locking the baby gate behind them just in case.
The pram was soon set up and whilst Steve made ham and cheese sandwiches Pepper got to work making a choice on clothes for them to wear. She lifted up two small pairs of jeans and two Avenger shirts, one captain America and one Ironman. She smiles a little at them and grins a bit as she finds a pair of matching Hulk socks. Walking out of the nursery she spots Steve gently rousing the sleeping pair. Bucky let out a loud groan and buried his head into Peter's chest who let out a soft hiccup. "Come on you two, up you get." Steve coaxed. Peter looked around tiredly.
"Da'de?" He mumbles and Pepper smiles softly at them both, setting the clothes down next to them she shook her head.
"Later big guy, promise. But right now Stevie's gonna take you out with Bucky ok?" She coo's and Peter shakes his head a little.
"Da'deee" He tries again, Pepper shakes her head no and he huffs out. "Fine...." He mumbles a little and Pepper smiles a bit.
"Good now lets get you dressed." She passed the Captain America pile to Steve and took Peter in her arms. Once they where both dressed Pepper let out a loud coo and smiled at him, Peter still let out a loud sniffle and Pepper's pretty sure he's getting closer and closer to a tantrum. Steve got both the boys settled into the pram and waved to Pepper before leaving. The women let out a loud sigh of relief once they where gone and pulled out her phone.
"Tony fucking Stark you better be on a plane back now or I'm bringing your son out there. Do you hear me?" She demands and relishes at the gulp that escapes Tony.
"Yeah Pep, I hear ya. I'll be their just before bath time. Promise" He says and groans. "It's really dumb but they're trying to argue about Wanda again. I kind of just wiped my hands of That situation because....yeah" He says calmly and Pepper winced at the thought of the women. She'd been there since day one of Ultron and then after Peter started living in the tower she'd been messing with the poor kids head as revenge on Tony. He'd kicked her out the moment he figured that out.
"Ok. Just keep your promise ok?" She asks and hangs up.
*****************
Steve was pretty sure he was going to die from Pepper's hands. Bucky had somehow managed to get stuck in a tree, Peter had fallen over and scrapped his knee and it was clear from the way both moved that they where both going to get a serious case of diaper rash if he didn't change them soon. Steve set to work on the sobbing Spider-Man and sighed. "Come on Peter, it's fine it's just a little scrape." Steve mumbles, and Bucky shot him a shit eating grin from his spot in the tree.
"Oh no Peter! Did'a hear? He gonna 'ake yous leg 'way!" Bucky shouted and Peter let out a loud sob from fear. Steve glared at the shit in the tree and grumbles.
"I'm not doing that Peter. Sit still for me ok?" He looks at the injury to find just a bit of scraped skin, no blood. He makes a show of cleaning it before putting a winnie the pooh plaster on it. He wipes a few tears from Peter's cheek before setting him in the pram and locking him in place. "Bucky Barnes when I get my hands on you, you're going to regret bullying Peter like that" Steve warns as he climbs up the tree. Bucky gave a half hearted sob and looked at Steve from his spot, Steve took note that his hand was white from how hard he was clenching the branch. "Bucky." He says softly, the boy turns to Steve. Big grey eyes filled with tears as he let out a soft sob, all trace of teasing from earlier gone.
"S'evie. S'ared." He sobs a bit and Steve flinches, a small part of him realizing that Bucky was trying to distract him self earlier. Steve reached over and took the boy in his arms and held him close as he climbed down. Bucky clung to him the whole time and Steve sighed, knowing he couldn't change either of the boys there at the time as he left the diaper bag at home like a 'genius'.
"Ok big guy, lets get back to Pepper. You can tell me how you managed to climb a tree one handed" He says calmly strapping the boy into the pram and pushing off towards the foot path. Bucky was very talkative.
***************
The two adults sat exhausted once again as Bucky slept in the nursery and Peter continued to cry and have a tantrum. Tony wasn't home yet and that along with a slight case of diaper rash had set the poor boy over the edge. He let out loud wails and sobs as Pepper held him close and leaned against Steve, feeling drained as the boy let out more heart breaking sobs. "Pete please." She mumbles, Peter just lets out louder and louder sobs as he begs for Tony to come back. "Pete." She tries.
"Da'ddeeeeeee" He cried out, she groans.
"Peter." She warns. He lets out another sob and shakes his head, his tiny hand pounding a bit on her shoulder, she grunts in frustration and opens her mouth.
"Peter Stark Parker. What do you think you're doing?" Tony's voice carries through the room and Peter's entire body tenses up before he turns to see Tony striding across the room and lifting him up. He immediately tries to hug the man who does everything not to return the gesture. "I'm asking this one more time Peter. What where you doing?" He asks and Peter looks at Tony's arch reactor in shame.
"....Havin' a 'an'rum...." He mutters and Tony grunts nodding.
"What do you do?" He asks and Peter looks to Steve and Pepper with a sniffle.
"Sorry..." He mumbles. Tony nods hugging him back finally.
"Good boy." He mutters, "My good little boy." He holds the boy close and that's how it stays all evening.
Tony leaves to get a drink, Peter's on his hip.
Dinner time had Peter on his lap.
Bath time had to be done by Tony.
Peter ended up in Tony and Pepper's bed that night and Steve had kidnapped Bucky into his own. It was a long night.