Hey guys! So this is sort of a filler chapter. Not a lot happens and it is the majority of Peter's summer break, but I didn't feel right skipping his entire summer, so here this chapter is. ENJOY!
"So what are your plans for the summer losers?" MJ appears beside Ned and I.
"I have a family reunion down South that I do not want to go to but have to. Then I plan on relaxing and not think about school."
"I have no plans. I think that I'm going to sleep for a few days though. I have gotten next to no sleep the past week with finals. What about you?" I ask, smiling at her.
"I am going to find all the protests in our area and join them."
"Well, that sounds like," Ned paused. "Fun." MJ playfully shoves him. We walk out the front of school and I look around. I don't see Happy, guess I'll have to wait. I mean I am out a little earlier than normal since I finished my exam. "Ugh, my mom's not here yet." Ned groans. "I just want to sleep. Relax and lay down. Something."
"Well, there is grass you can lay on" MJ points to a shaded area of grass that, now that she mentioned it, looks pretty comfortable.
"Good plan. I'm waiting for Happy, so I'll join you Ned." I walk over and toss my bag beside me and flop onto the ground. I hear Ned do the same and I close my eyes. "I think I could actually fall asleep here." I mumble.
"Pathetic. I was kidding you know." MJ says from in front of us.
"Your just jealous that we are relaxing, and you aren't."
"Ned, she could join us if she wanted to. I think she is actually calling us pathetic." I laugh a little.
"Peter gets it. Aren't your parents picking you up?"
"I already said my mom isn't here."
"Neither is Happy." I hear MJ hum and pull things out of her bag and sits down at one of the benches near us. I don't know how long we lay there for, but it was relaxing. Finals killed me. I have been averaging three hours of sleep for the past week and a half. I crammed so much information that my brain hurts, and I really just need a few days to catch up on the sleep.
Awhile later, not quite asleep, but not really awake I hear MJ talking to someone.
"It's MJ, right?"
"To my friends. You can call me Michelle."
"Sure. So, Michelle, I'm here to pick up Peter and I can't seem to fi-" The voice pauses. "Is he seriously sleeping on the grass?"
"Yep. I figured I should keep watch to make sure no one tries to rob him or something."
"And by watching, you mean draw?"
"He knows I draw him from time to time."
"Does he now?" Wait, I know that voice. Tony? What is he doing here?
"Just so you guys know I'm not sleeping." I mumble.
"Right. Maybe not right now but you were." MJ stated.
"No."
"Then tell me, where is Ned?"
"Beside me." I turn to look, and I see no one.
"He left fifteen minutes ago. He said bye but you were sleeping." I sit up slowly and rub my eyes.
"Come on kid, let's go, maybe you can have a nap in a real bed." Tony laughed. "Michelle, it was nice seeing you again. Enjoy your summer holidays."
"Bye MJ, text me if there are any good protests and I might join you." I get off the ground and smile at her. I walk with Tony to the car.
"So, finals were rough huh?"
"No, I just didn't sleep much. And studying is exhausting."
"Well how about a nice relaxing weekend at the compound? Everyone is there. We can have a family dinner on Saturday, play games, do whatever you want."
"That sounds great"
I hesitate in front of the building. I had texted Happy earlier saying I didn't need a ride to the tower today, that I was already in the area. And well that was a lie, I just wanted to get here in the morning. Well late morning, when Pepper takes her lunch. I need to talk to her without Tony present. I huff and just go for it. I walk past all the people in the lobby and to the private elevator.
"Good morning Peter. Would you like me to inform your presence to Tony?" FRIDAY asks.
"No! Uh sorry. No thank you FRIDAY. I actually want to see Pepper. Do you know where she is?"
"In her office. She is getting ready to have lunch. Would you like me to take you to her?"
"Yes please." I smile. The elevator opens to a floor I've never been on. "FRIDAY, which one is hers?"
"Second door on the left." I nod and go to the door and hesitate. Do I knock? Did FRIDAY already tell her I was here? I quickly decide and knock on the door, just in case she is busy. I hear her call out come in, so I open the door and step inside.
"Oh Peter sweetie! What a pleasant surprise." She smiles and gives me a hug. I return the hug, smiling that she genuinely always seems happy to see me. "Now what can I do for you?"
"Uh, well, are you busy?" I nervously grab the strap of my backpack.
"Nope. I'm actually going to grab lunch in the cafeteria. We can eat together if you want? Tony always talks about how you need to eat a lot." I look down embarrassed at the last part.
"Oh, uh sure, but I wanted to show you some stuff as well and-"
"Well how about we go grab something to eat and bring it back in here then?" I nod and she smiles. "Good. Okay, let's go" We talk about plans for the weekend, which they seem to be nonexistent. We had a fun weekend at the compound two weeks ago with everyone, but I'm looking forward to the quiet weekend too.
We grab a pizza and bring it back to Pepper's office. After a slice, she clears her throat.
"So, what did you want to show me Peter?"
"Oh, uh well. I just. This weekend is uh well. Father's day is on Sunday." I stumble on the words, not knowing how to bring this up.
"Yes, I wasn't sure if I should bring it up."
"Oh, well, I uh wanted to do something for Tony. And May helped me a bit. And I uh also need a bit of help from you. And I also wanted your approval for it."
"Oh sweetie, I'm sure anything you got him is going to be great."
"I just want to make sure it won't be taken the wrong way." I mumble, grabbing my bag and pulling out the slim box. I open it up and hand her the book. She lets out a small gasp when she opens it. She flips through the pages smiling at the pictures. When she gets to the last page with photos in it, she looks up, a few tears in her eyes.
"This is beautiful Peter. I think Tony would love that you are sharing your life with him"
"You don't think it will be, um like saying why weren't you there?" I ask. "Cause that's not what I'm trying to do at all!" I quickly add.
"I know. And no I don't think Tony will see it that way. He will see the effort and time you put into making this and will love it. Though, I am curious as to why you need my help. It looks complete besides the last little bit"
"Well, I've been in both of your guy's lives for awhile now and I wanted to add pictures of all of us. And I was hoping you might have some, or know the best ways to get some?" I ask.
"Oh! The best thing about the AI is that it is always recording! I'm sure we can go through some stuff and find some good ones of you and Tony." She smiled.
"And you"
"Sorry?"
"I want ones with you as well. We are all a family, so I want you in here too. And maybe one of the Avengers if we can find one."
"Peter you are so sweet." Pepper laughs and wipes a few tears from her eyes. "Let's get to work. We have lots to go through."
I wake up early on Sunday, well at nine, and make a pot of coffee for Tony. I ask FRIDAY to order breakfast from the place he loves. I go to my room and grab the box and bring it out. I take another glance at the photos that Pepper and I added on Friday. A few of the three of us, some of Tony and I and one of all the Avengers at dinner. It completed the book and I'm happy that it worked out so well. I mean, I'm nervous to give it to Tony because, well I don't want him to take it the wrong way, but also because it is father's day. And I still don't call Tony dad. He hasn't said anything about it, but it is something I want to do. He is my dad. And I love him. But I still can't seem to get the word out. So I hoped this would show him what I can't say. The food is brought up to me and I set up the kitchen. I pour two mugs of coffee and a glass of orange juice for me. I put the book back in the box and place it on the table by the food.
Tony and Pepper walk in a few minutes later. I stand up from the table and smile at them.
"Morning kid."
"Morning Tony and Pepper." Pepper smiles at me and looks to see the table with the food and box on it.
"What's all this Peter?" Tony asked, noticing what Pepper was looking at.
"Oh uh well, it's uh, you know, father's day. So I figured, I would do this you know?" I reply though it sounded more like a question as I am so nervous. What if he hates this?
"Oh. Thanks kid. I didn't realize." He mumbled, a small smile on his face.
"Before we eat though, I wanted to give you this." I grab the box with a bow on it and hand it to Tony. I had planned on giving it to him after we eat but I was too anxious about his reaction to delay it any longer.
He opens the box, and takes the book out, sitting at the table. He opens it up and his eyes widen slightly. His bottom lip trembles a bit and he flips through the pages, looking at all the photos. Pepper and I sit down on either side of him and watch as he slips through. I hear him sniffle a few times, but besides that, he doesn't let any emotions show. When he finished, he set the book down in the box and pulls me in for a hug.
"Thank you, Peter. That means a lot that you shared that with me. I don't deserve you as a kid." He whispered.
"I think you are pretty great."
Tony POV
"I know that it is summer, but Peter, you should probably be going to bed soon. It's almost one. I'm going to bed now, so the both of you should get some rest." Pepper walks into the lab, arms folded against her chest. I look over to see Peter let out a yawn.
"Yep, let's get to bed kiddo. We can work more tomorrow. After we sleep." I smile. Peter nods his head slowly, eyes closing a few times.
"Okay." He stands up and starts walking towards the door. I follow him and Pepper to the elevator, where we stay silent, save for Peter's yawns.
I'm worried about him. The past few weeks he is always tired, and he has been a touch quieter. He has also not gone out as Spider-man even though Cho gave him the all-clear two- and a-bit weeks ago. And the Ferry incident was a month and a half ago. I kind of thought that he would be at it again by now.
We step into the penthouse and walk towards our rooms.
"Goodnight" Peter mumbles and gives Pepper and I a quick hug.
"Goodnight Peter."
"Have a good night sweetie" Peter goes into his room and Pepper grabs my hand and we go into ours.
"Pep, has Peter seemed off to you?" I ask, getting ready for bed. She sighed and looked up at me.
"A little, he just seems tired. That's all." She smiled at me. "Now come on, let's get some sleep." I lay down, pulling her close to me.
"Boss, it appears that Peter is in distress." I hear FRIDAY tell me. I groan and look at the time. Five in the morning.
"Go make sure he is okay" Pepper mumbles out. I get out of bed and head to Peter's room, a bit confused as to why FRIDAY alerted me to Peter having a nightmare. He has told me that he sometimes gets them, but this is the first time that FRIDAY has felt the need to tell me. I open his door and see his blanket half on the bed, half on the floor, but no Peter. I look over and see the bathroom light on and the door slightly ajar. I walk over and knock, opening when I do not get a response. My eyes widen when I see Peter hunched over the toilet bowl, throwing up the pizza we had for dinner.
I tell FRIDAY to tell Pepper to grab a glass of water then go over to Peter.
"Hey bud, it's okay." I whisper, my hand rubbing his back. He whimpers and just lets another round of vomit into the toilet. When he finished, he slumped into me a bit. I grab a few tissues and wipe the little bit of vomit on the corners of his mouth, flushing everything down after. I run my hand through his slightly sweaty hair and he lets out a sigh.
"Tony, I brought the water." Pep whispers from behind us, worry written all over her face. I smile and grab it from her.
"Here Pete, drink some of this. You don't want to get dehydrated." He opens his eyes again and grabs the cup from me. He chugs it all down and hands me the cup. I put it on the counter and let Peter close his eyes and cuddle up to me.
"What happened?" Pepper whispered.
"I have no idea. By the time I got here he was already throwing up" I frown.
"You guys can't sleep in here." I nod my head and look down at Peter.
"Hey buddy, can you tell us what happened? Are you sick?" I ask, though I think FRIDAY would have told me that instead of saying he was in distress.
"Bad dream." He mumbled. A nightmare made him react like this?
"How about you stay with us for the rest of the night. You still look tired." Pepper suggested.
"Okay" He nodded.
"Okay up we go then" I put an arm under his to help him stand up. He stumbles a bit and Pepper goes to his other side. He head to our room and set Peter down on the bed.
"Get comfortable kid, we'll be right back" I grab Pepper and lead her out to the hallway again.
"What's wrong?"
"What do you mean what wrong? How did a nightmare cause him to throw up like that Pepper?" I whisper.
"I don't know Tony. We can ask him if this happens often in the morning. Right now he needs us, so he knows that everything is okay." I nod slowly.
"Okay." I mumble and walk into the room again. I see Peter in the middle on his back, looking like he is already asleep. I get into my side and Pepper hers. I put an arm over Peter, hoping that he feels a bit better than in his own bed. Pepper does the same thing, then Peter's arms clutch both of ours.
"Thank you guys for being the best parents." Peter mumbles. "Thanks Pepper for being the best mom ever and thanks dad for being the best dad ever." I look over to Pepper who looks like she is about to cry. I mean I probably look like that too. Peter has never called me dad even though he probably won't remember doing it later, I still got to hear it at least once.
I wake up at nine and Peter is curled into me. I smile softly and my hand finds it way to his hair. I look over to see Pepper looking at us, a fond look on her face.
"I'm glad you found him."
"Me too." I smile. "I uh, was thinking. About why Peter had such a terrible nightmare. And I was thinking that maybe he just needs a break. That maybe he is still shaken up from the ferry thing and that he just needs time away from everything." I whisper, trying not to wake him up.
"What were you thinking?"
"I want to take him to our Malibu house. Maybe the beach and freedom will help him get out of his head." She looks at me for a few moments then nods.
"That is an idea. You'll have to clear it with May." I nod.
"Yep. I'll be calling her in a bit. I want us to be in Malibu tonight. You too. And May. All of us."
"Tony, I have work to do. I can't just leave."
"There is an office out there. If you need to go in, then that office should suffice. And the paperwork can be done at the house. You heard Peter, he thinks of you as his mother."
"That is a low blow Tony. But fine. I'm going to make breakfast for all of us, then you are going to sort everything out, and I will figure out the work thing. How long were you thinking of staying out there?"
"Two or three weeks maybe. I don't know."
"Okay, clear it with May, get everything ready in the house out there." She gets out of bed. "And wake up Peter in a bit for breakfast. It will be ready in half an hour." I nod and look at Peter again. He looks so peaceful sleeping, curled up, clenching my shirt. He moves a bit and lets out a groan.
"You okay bud?"
"Mmmmm. Just tired." He mumbles out, face moving into a pillow.
"Well, maybe we can take a break from the lab today and watch movies instead." Not wanting to mention Malibu until I talk to May. "But we do have to get up now, Pepper is making food." This makes Peter a little more aware of his surroundings.
"Okay, I'll go back to my room and get ready." He rolls off the bed and goes to the door. He pauses and turns back to look at me. "And uh, thanks for last night."
"Anytime kid." I get out of bed and get dressed. I head to the kitchen and see Pepper finishing off the pancakes.
"Is Peter awake?"
"I'm here" He slides in the kitchen. We all sit down and eat in a comfortable silence. Peter clears all the plates when we finished, and Pepper headed out.
"So kid, I have to make a few calls, but you get settled on the couch and pick a movie of something to watch."
"Okay cool." I walk to my office and close the door. I dial May's number and she answers pretty quickly.
"Tony? Is everything okay?"
"May, we are all good. I just wanted to ask you something. A few somethings actually."
"Sure, okay. What's up?"
"Well, Peter had a nightmare last night. A pretty bad one. But does he get those often?" I ask hesitantly.
"Well, he used to as a kid. They went away for awhile but came back again when Ben passed. I had noticed he has been looking tired recently, so maybe they started up again. I mean Ben wasn't all that long ago so" She trailed off.
"Okay. Well the one last night was really bad. Like he threw up multiple times." I explained.
"Oh, no, our poor baby. That has happened a few times. Must have been pretty bad then." I nod my head.
"So I want to let him get out of his head." I start, not knowing how to pitch this to May.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Well, I have a beach house in Malibu. I want to take him. For a few weeks. Just until Peter can calm down and relax. Get some sleep." I suggest. "And I was hoping you would join us." I add.
"Well." She starts. "I think it is a great idea. Peter needs a break, I agree. Okay, take him, but I can't go. I have work, we are pretty bust right now Tony."
"Well how about just one of the weeks then? Pepper is also going. I think Peter would love it if all of us were there with him."
"That is a low blow Tony stark. But fine, I will see if I can switch a few shifts around so that I can spend a week there with you. I'll text you later"
"Okay. I was planning on leaving tonight. Is that okay? Or do you want to have a few days first?" I ask.
"Today is okay. I have to go to work now, tell Peter to call me when you guys get there okay?"
"Can do May. And thanks for letting me do this"
"It's no problem. You just take care of our boy"