"Budgeting again?" Peter asks, leaning over May's shoulder to squint at the spreadsheet that she has open on the computer. "Did we end up using too much money?"
"No, nothing like that," May offered Peter a small, content sigh as he kissed her on the cheek and put down his glass of water. "It's just, now that I don't have to put money in your RESP anymore, I can move the budgeting to other areas, see? We can take the 5% and move it to Emergency Funds to put in our RRSP."
"Sounds great," Peter beamed as he pulled up a chair to sit down next to May, "What about investing more money in our GIC? Then later, we'll have more, since there's a higher interest, right?"
"True," May chewed on her lower lip, "Hm. I'll think about it." She closed her laptop and turned to Peter, smiling as she asked, "Aren't you supposed to be watching a movie with MJ and Ned?"
Peter sighed, "MJ got her period and Ned got the flu. Both of them are throwing up and I'm not allowed to visit either. So..." he twiddled his thumbs, "I was thinking that I could spend some time with my favourite aunt instead?"
"Cheeky," May laughed, "I'm your only aunt."
"And by default, favourite," Peter agreed.
May couldn't exactly argue with that logic, "Okay, Mr. Favourite Nephew," she ignored Peter's laugh, "What is the plan for today?"
"It's up to you!" Peter beamed, taking a sip of his water and putting the glass back down. "Today is May Day, where May is the boss."
"I'll have you know that that sounds like just about every other day," May tweaked Peter's nose as she stood up, her chair scraping back as she tucked her laptop under her arm, "But if you insist, I suppose that I could stand to boss you around a bit."
"Fantastic," Peter grinned. "Lead on, Lady May."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, young steward," May ruffled the top of Peter's head, "Finish that glass and wash your cup, then we'll discuss."
Peter downed the cup with startling speed, choking a bit when he finished and pouting when May laughed at him. "Done!" He exclaimed as he jumped over the kitchen island (jumped. Of course, she'd get the parkour superpowered kid) and soaped the rim of the cup, rinsing it in deft, practiced movements and twists of his wrists.
"Okay, okay, I'll bite," May leaned on her elbows, "You look pretty excited. Anything that you're planning to do?"
"...No?" Peter was vibrating.
"Mm-hm," May agreed skeptically, "C'mon, kiddo. Don't hold out on me."
"We-ell," Peter stretched out the word, letting it sit on his tongue and twist in his throat, "One of MJ's mom's friends opened a new cafe."
Somehow, May was unsurprised. MJ's mother was exactly the sort of woman who would befriend a business owner, and MJ was constantly telling Peter about the business plans, drawing out income statements on their cafeteria napkins as they discussed the budgeting and how to handle the revenue and minimize expenses. "And here I thought that you wanted me to be the boss," she teased Peter.
"I was planning to go with MJ," Peter excused himself.
"Of course," May wiped her hands, "So I get to nix it if I want?"
"Completely," Peter bobbed his head up and down, earnest to the core, absolutely endearing himself to her.
"Well, who am I to say no?" May pulled her hair back into a ponytail, "I guess that we can splurge a little. I suppose that I don't need to change the budget, after all, we'll just spend your education money on irresponsible cafe visits."
"Absolutely not," Peter wrinkled his nose, scandalized, "Let's just use my allowance."
"And here I thought that you were saving up for an Ozobot," May raised an eyebrow. It was unlike Peter to use his allowance for little whims, he typically liked to save up for big and expensive things.
"I was," Peter sighed, brushing a curl from his forehead, "But then Mr. Stark built one with me."
Ah.
Of course.
May couldn't help but smile at that, "He spoils you rotten," she tweaked Peter's nose as they stepped out of the apartment, Peter waiting patiently to the side as May locked the door shut with a little click.
"I know," Peter sighed, pretending to be exasperated (though they both knew how fond he was of Tony). "At this rate, he's just going to hand me a job as soon as I graduate high school."
"Of course he won't," May rolled her eyes.
Peter raised an eyebrow.
"He'll get you an internship in grade 12," May continued blithely, just barely holding back a laugh when she caught sight of Peter's expression. (She didn't mention sitting in the Avengers Compound with Pepper Potts as she went through holograms, tapping idly as she asked, do you think that he'd prefer R&D? Tony wants to make him CEO, but from what I can tell Peter prefers working with robots to working with paperwork all day as May sighed and shook her head not even letting him have a chance? and Pepper offered a sharp grin like hell we'll let any of the other companies grab him.)
Peter sighed, puffing out his cheeks before they reached the stairs, Peter skidding down the steps and jumping the last five as May followed slowly behind him. "Mr. Stark wouldn't show favouritism like that," he said confidently.
Oh, Peter, May smiled, if only you knew.
Both of them were absolutely ridiculous.
"It wouldn't even be nepotism," May mused as they reached the bottom of the stairs, Peter holding open the door for her in a grand bow and gesture. "Thank you, good sir."
"My pleasure, fair lady." Peter waited until she had walked a few steps down the street before bouncing down after her, "Did you know that it's illegal in France to name a pig Napolean?"
"Oh?" May raised an eyebrow, "What's the history behind this?"
"Well, in the 1800s..."
Peter's fingers skim over the piano lightly, soft touches and light pressure as Tony drapes himself over Pepper.
"Just look at him," Tony sighs with all the pride of a young father, "He's so brilliant."
"It's your piano, Tony," Pepper says, amused as she runs her fingers through Tony's hair, "If I recall correctly, you can play, too."
"Yeah, but," Tony pouts, "Just listen to him."
Pepper raises an eyebrow, laughing a little as she asks, "Are you sure that you're not biased just because he's playing Poker Face on the piano?"
Tony gasps, pressing a hand to his chest as he leans back, dramatically whispering as loud as he dares, "How could you say such a thing? Acting as though I'm biased just because Peter is playing nostalgic trashy pop..." He sighs at Pepper's expression, "Lady Gaga is awesome and if I were to fight you on anything, I am willing for it to be on Lady Gaga because I am that willing to defend her."
"High praise from a man who wasn't willing to fight me over who owned the property," Pepper taps Tony's nose, "Are you going to go join him?"
Tony stills, eyes darting to Peter and then back to Pepper. He licks his lips and laughs awkwardly, "I don't really remember how to play."
"Nonsense," Pepper curls her fingers against the back of Tony's head, pressing her forehead to his as she sighs, "Go have fun."
"What if I ruin the mood?" Tony asks, almost childishly.
"Then he'll hate you forever," Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony's faux offended expression, "C'mon, Tony. You know that it'll be okay. You can watch and regret later, or you can join him now and make some good memories."
Tony flexes his hands, opens and closes them nervously, almost unconsciously. "I'm not very good at it," he mumbles, "I only play it for you."
Pepper moves away, smiling, small and curved, as she says, "Because you love me."
"Because I love you," Tony agrees dopily.
"Great," Pepper shoves Tony off of the couch, "Then there's no problem. You love the kid, the kid loves you, you seem to be able to express your love through music... which is weirdly cheesy coming from you... get a move on."
Tony gapes at her from his sprawled position on the floor.
"Love you," Pepper adds, a bit of an afterthought.
Tony squawks a bit.
In their conversation, they failed to notice when the piano music stops. "Whoa, Mr. Stark, you can play the piano?" Peter beams, wide-eyed in awe as he looks down at Tony, who is remaining in his undignified heap on the floor.
"I... uh..." Tony leaps up, nearly banging his head on the coffee table as he straightens and smoothes down his crumpled Metallica shirt. "Yeah, just a, just a little. No big deal, you know, I'm no Mozart..."
There are stars in Peter's eyes as he wraps his hands around Tony's arms, practically dragging him (sheesh, the kid is strong) to the piano as he asks excitedly, "Do you think that you could play for me?"
Tony coughs.
Clears his throat.
Glances at Pepper.
She smirks at him.
Ugh.
If he wasn't so lazy, he'd go over and start a pillow fight or something.
"I guess..." Tony starts his fingers on low E flat and C, fingers moving in a smooth pattern that used to make his stomach roll unpleasantly, "It's, uh, not very good, though."
His fingers feel odd, stumbling a bit as he plays through the Solfeggio from memory, and his chest flutters a bit, remembering the anxious little boy playing to perfection.
"You're so good!" Peter exclaims when Tony finishes, clapping his hands together and laughing. He looks like a kid on Christmas. "Do you know anything else?"
Tony grins a bit, "Well, I played the Notebook for Pepper..."
Before he knows it, he's leading Peter through The Notebook, the two of them trying to play a duet of God Help the Outcasts and they end up piled together in the living room, Pepper and Peter squishing Tony in a sandwich as they watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame, singing ridiculously off key (except Pepper actually sounds amazing, no, he's not biased, what are you talking about) to the songs and yelling at Frollo when he's being stupid, which, honestly, is every time that he appears on screen.
Somewhere through the movie the kid sticks his foot on Tony's cheek, Tony gasps dramatically, a pillow fight ensues and they get distracted until the last scene with Esmeralda about to burn appears and they remember that they were watching a movie.
They flop down again, this time with tubs of ice cream that they borrowed (read: stole. They did not belong to Rhodey what are you talking about) from the freezer, occasionally reaching over to try and steal a scoop of each other's and fighting with spoons (in the end, Tony freely surrenders his chocolate chip and Pepper spoon feeds him some sorbet).
They go back to playing the piano, loud and ridiculous smashing of keys in between failed attempts at playing a song with three people.
It's lovely and perfect and Tony couldn't trade it for the world.
"Love you, Mr. Stark," Peter says sleepily as he falls asleep on the arc reactor and Tony thinks ah, Pepper was right.
(Obviously. Pepper is always right.)