A/N: Hey all! I've been writing nonstop with this story, but after the next chapter, I can't promise this fast of an upload. I do have other stories haha. Anyway, thanks for the love and the reviews, and feel free to continue giving your thoughts! :D
DISCLAIMER: I do not own This Isn't the End or any of it's lyrics/melody.
WARNINGS: Brief mention of suicide and a fight.
"The rumors regarding my fiance are somewhat true. Tony has adopted a child." Murmurs rang out in the crowd, but no one interrupted. No one ever interrupted Pepper. "For now, we wish to leave many details out. All you need to know is his name is Peter and he is 6 years old. We would like to ask that the press respects our privacy. No further questions will be asked." Pepper motioned for Tony to leave, changing her topic to the Accords. Cap and Company had finally been pardoned, and the Accords were being rewritten. In the audience, the reporters shifted, itching to get a story from him. He left, anxious to get backstage where Peter was waiting.
The little boy was scribbling in his notebook, which Tony had found out he liked to do. What he was writing or drawing was a mystery, the kid never showed him, but he didn't care. Let Peter do what he wanted in that thing. It was probably just cartoons or something.
"Hey, kiddo. Ready to go?"
Peter nodded, placing his notebook and pens carefully in his backpack and swinging it over his shoulder. "Are we going to school now?"
"Yep. But first, we're going to play a game." Tony crouched down to explain. "It's called Dodge the Cameras. And here's how it goes: If you see a camera, look away and run to me, alright? For the first time, can I hold you?"
"I thought I was too big for that…" Peter said, cocking his head. "And why are we playing this game?"
"We don't want the reporters to bug you yet. And yeah, you're big, but it'll make it easier."
"Ok." He held out his arms, expecting to be lifted. Tony obliged, scooping him up. The kid was really light.
"Now, hide your face in my shoulder, and we're gonna run."
Peter did so and giggled when they started to jog. Once Tony made it to the back door he peered out, making the whole display melodramatic (he was really just looking to see if Happy was there, which he was, holding the door of a black Audi with tinted windows).
"Coast is clear," he whispered, earning another giggle. "Ready… set… go!"
Tony pushed the door open and dashed to the car, ignoring the shouts of protest when the reporters realized what he was doing. Happy slammed the door, pushing back the people from the window, and then drove off.
Once they were away, he lifted Peter out of his arms and onto the car-seat next to him. The boy was smiling.
"I like that game! Can we play it again?"
Tony chuckled. "Yes. But only if we see the cameras."
"Ok," he said, contentedly staring out of the window.
Tony was worried. He was worried that Peter wouldn't be okay at school, worried that the press would find him and terrorize him, worried that he would trip in fall during recess, worried that Peter wouldn't be able to find Happy after school, worried, it seemed, about everything. So this is what it's like to have a kid.
"So, Pete, I have some work to do after school today. Is it ok if Happy picks you up? He'll be standing beside this car."
"Yeah. Can Uncle Rhodey come, too?"
Tony's mouth quirked up at the name. "We'll see, buddy. I'll ask him."
"Ok." That was Peter's answer to almost everything. It was short, simple, and it showed when he was fine with something. It was painless.
I should start using that.
xXx
"He wanted 'Uncle Rhodey' to come," Tony told his best friend fondly. Rhodey responded with a laugh, clapping Tony on the shoulder.
"You're doin' good work, man."
"I don't know. I'm worried about him."
"Why? He's at school."
"What if he trips? Or the Paps find him? Or if kids make fun of him? Or-"
His friend stopped him. "Pump the brakes, Tones. He's a smart kid, although small, he's smart. And you've given him all the tools he needs; Pete'll be fine."
Tony sighed, agreeing half-heartedly. Rhodey was about to say something else, but a phone ringing cut him off. They both looked around; it wasn't coming from either of their high-tech StarkPhones. Realizing what was happening, Tony cursed.
He answered. "Yeah?"
"Tony," came the familiar voice. That voice. The one he still heard in his head, which was now throbbing.
"So you and the Fantastic Five have been pardoned from crimes, Capsicle. You're welcome."
"You didn't tell me you had a kid." His tone was suspicious and incredulous. Another person to add to the 'I Don't Think Tony is Responsible' list.
"I didn't." He left it at that. If Steve wanted to just waltz back into the picture, American Flag waving, that was fine with him. But he didn't owe him anything. Not an explanation, not an apology, nothing. A nagging thought in the back of his mind whispered: then why did you work so hard to pardon them?
Silence from the Star Spangled Man with a Plan. Then, a sigh. "I'd like to meet with you, Tony. We all would... to talk."
"You didn't seem to want that before." This time, he couldn't help the bitterness that seeped through his words. This earned another sigh.
"What do you want? An apology? We all did things we regret."
Tony hummed, but chose to largely ignore that statement. "When would you like to talk?"
"Tonight? We want to meet Peter; we didn't see him on the news."
"I'll have to ask him, Captain, because a few nights ago he was wondering if Mr. America was going to hurt him. Come here tonight, tomorrow, I don't care, but you are not getting within a foot of my kid unless he wants to. Have a good night." He slapped the flip phone closed, a little too forcefully.
Rhodey nodded his approval, smirking. "Phone broke?"
xXx
"Hey, kiddo!" Tony greeted Peter as he came trotting off the elevator. He ran to his guardian, then stopped suddenly right in front of him, looking embarrassed. The billionaire tried to ignore it. "How was school?" Happy stepped off the elevator after the boy, giving a thumbs up to his boss.
"It was fine. We learned how to multiply today, but I already know that, so it was pretty boring."
"That's my mini genius," Tony smiled. "Listen, Pete… How would you feel about meeting Captain America?"
Many emotions passed across his kid's face. First, excitement. Then, confusion. The last one he really wasn't sure.
"Is he a good guy again?"
According to the government. "Yes, I think so."
"Didn't he… hurt you? And Uncle Rhodey?" Peter's face was scrunched, still holding that emotion that Tony couldn't place.
"It's ok, bud. We're all better now, but I understand if you don't want to see him."
"Why do you have to see him?"
Good question. "He wanted to talk to me… I said yes."
"Will Mrs. Pepper be there?"
Tony smiled at her name and some semblance of relief flooded through him. "Yes." Thankfully. Who knows if I could have done this without her.
"Ok." This was the one time he wished Peter would elaborate.
"Ok yes you want to? Or ok no? Because if you would rather, Uncle Rhodey can take you-"
"Ok yes." The little boy went and hopped on the couch, pulling out his notebook. "He's on my bed. With the Hulk and Thor and you too." This was stated as a fact.
"Yeah kid. You know who else?"
"The Spider Lady and Arrow Guy. I can't remember their actual names." Peter appeared rather confident in his information, so Tony didn't correct him. He actually thought it would be hilarious for him to call Nat 'Spider Lady' and Clint 'Arrow Guy'.
"Do you have any homework?"
"No." Peter had retreated into his own mind, scribbling away.
"Alright. Up for a movie until Pep gets here?"
"Ok."
xXx
Tony chuckled when Peter scrunched up his eyebrows in concentration. He looked at his cards again, then decided on a 9. He threw it down in triumph, eyes lit, which he did at the end of every turn.
"I like this game. What's its name?"
"It's called Idiot. I used to play it all the time with my mom, when she was home. Whoever loses is the idiot." His heart ached a little, reliving the memory. It seemed like yesterday, but also so long ago. The fact was, he missed her.
Peter said matter-of-factly, "I don't want to be the idiot."
"Then I guess you better beat me," Tony replied between laughs. Pepper watched on with a soft smile, putting away dishes. Not out of necessity, but of habit; she stayed very organized and liked to do stuff herself. The whole "you can't get something done right unless you do it yourself" thing.
The elevator dinged, and only she noticed. Peter and Tony were in a bubble, playing cards, having fun. An occasional giggle from the boy lifted her smile even higher. Pepper made to greet the guests, standing about 5 feet from the metal doors.
"Who is it, FRI?" She called, already knowing the answer. It was never wrong to be sure.
"Mr. Rogers and Ms. Romanoff have arrived, ma'am."
She prayed Tony hadn't noticed yet. He was in a really good mood today… he needed a little more time with Peter. Masking her face with calm sincerity, Pepper nodded at the pair when they stepped off the elevator.
Steve was wearing a light gray sweater and jeans, making him look like a buff college student. His blonde hair was styled less rigidly, a few tufts going sideways. Nat had a white t-shirt and black leggings, appearing as graceful and composed as ever.
Pepper tried not to be angry with them. She'd seen Tony when he came back from Siberia… it wasn't pretty. "Hello again."
"Hi, Pepper," Steve said, a little awkwardly. Nat looked on, at Tony and Peter.
Tony was wearing a face of exaggerated surprise. "You beat me? I'm the idiot? That can't be right, let me see your cards…"
Peter giggled, showing his empty hands. "Nope! I won!"
"Play like that, and you could go pro! No one's beaten me in years!"
The boy was delighted. He turned to find Pepper and show her his hands, but his eyes landed on the new strangers, face going still.
Tony noticed and turned as well, eyes clouding. "Ah. You're here." He stood. Peter hopped off of his chair and scampered behind his guardian, peeking at them from behind Tony's legs.
"Is that the Spider Lady?" He whispered. "And Captain America?"
Natasha's lips twitched in an attempt not to smile. "Yep, I'm the Spider Lady. And you must be Peter."
The little boy didn't respond.
"Let's sit in the living room," Tony said rigidly, guiding them to the gray couches. He placed Peter between him and Pep, making sure the boy felt safe. Steve and Nat sat on the couch adjacent, both crossing their arms. "This is Peter," he introduced. "Peter, this is Natasha and Steve."
"Hello," the kid said quietly, curling close to Tony.
"How old are you, Peter?" Steve asked.
"Six." He said, words muffled partially by his guardians suit jacket. "And a half," he added.
Pepper put a hand on his knee. "Peter, honey, do you want to tell them what grade you are in?"
"No."
She laughed, joined by the guests. Tony remained stock still, one arm around his kid's shoulders and the other clenched into a tight fist. His eyes were darker than normal, and they flashed with suspicion.
Nat was a little hurt by his stance. She had never seen Tony like this… suspicious of her. Yes, she was a spy, but he had always trusted her… until now. It was weird. Beside her, Steve initiated the conversation.
"So, the Accords."
"What about them?"
"You can't have just… made them disappear, Tony."
"I didn't."
He was being so vague that Steve showed signs of frustration, nose scrunching. He wasn't usually frustrated. "Then what did you do?"
Tony fiddled with Peter's curls absent-mindedly. "They're being rewritten, under my supervision and without our favorite Senator."
Nat's eyebrows raised. "How did you get Ross to agree with that?"
"Hah! That's a good one; he didn't."
"Do we get any say on the new Accords?"
"That depends, are you going to fight me in an airport about them?" Surprisingly, there wasn't as much malice in his words. He was mostly focused on Peter.
"Tony, that was a one time-"
Too tired to continue the approaching argument, he interrupted, "Then sure. You can have a say. I'll go grab the first write-ups from the lab. Wanna come with me, bud, or stay here?" His voice was much softer when dealing with Peter.
"I'll stay with Mrs. Pepper." He unstuck himself from Tony's side and scooted to Pepper's. Once his guardian had left, he looked intensely at Steve. "Are you a good guy, or a bad guy? Tony says good, but I don't know."
Cap smiled sadly. "I don't know either. But I won't hurt you."
This seemed to satisfy him. A moment later he said, "You're on my bed."
Steve was startled by the sudden change in topic.
Pepper saved the day. "He has a bedspread of the Avengers," she explained. "He picked it himself."
"Iron Man is the best," Peter stated, not as an opinion. "He has repulsors and cool technology like the arc reactor."
"And you're not biased?" Asked Nat playfully.
"Nope."
She laughed, but he looked completely serious. Come to think of it, she'd only seen him smile when they first walked in, when he was playing cards with Tony. It was an adorable smile, gap-toothed and bright, but he didn't seem keen on showing it to everybody.
Nat almost dropped her coffee when she found out Tony had a kid.
"Tony? Stark? This is the same guy we're talking about?"
"Apparently," Steve said. His mouth formed an 'O' almost comically.
A million questions ran through her head. Who is this kid? They said his name is Peter, but nothing else. When did it happen? Why?
The man came back into the room, snapping her from her memory. He dropped a file, thick with papers, onto the ottoman in front of them with a whack. Tony sat back down, closer to Pepper so that he could put an arm around her and Peter.
"There you have it. Feel free to add an appendix."
A few more awkward exchanges, plans to meet again soon, and many sighs later, they were gone, and with them, Tony's anxiety. He allowed himself to breathe, forcing his hands to stop shaking.
Seeing them again had brought up some unpleasant memories, ones he really didn't want to think about for a long time.
xXx
"What happened?"
"I told you… suicide." Natasha rubbed her temples. "I guess the guy shot himself."
Steve grimaced. "And his Aunt and Uncle?"
"Both stabbed in a mugging, died less than 5 days after Richard. I don't know if that's bad luck or…"
"Or what? I mean, he's a good kid, but why would anyone want to isolate him? Besides, I can see the mugging as more than an accident, but the suicide? It doesn't seem normal."
"Yeah well, neither do one child's last three relatives dying within a week of each other."
The man leaned against his desk and folded his large arms, adopting a thoughtful expression. "You think Tony…?"
"There's no way he would've missed it. I just don't know if he's doing anything about it… but what if Peter's in danger? I didn't really believe it at first, but you saw how they are together; it would wreck him if that little boy got hurt."
"We can't do anything about it now, but let's talk to him about it when we see him on Friday."
"Yeah, yeah," Nat nodded. "Friday…"
Nat knew that Tony wouldn't want her digging around, Steve didn't either. But what if Peter was in trouble? She wouldn't do anything illegal… she'd just look into it. That was all.
A/N: Hope you liked it!
REVIEWS:
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See you next time,
-katilange