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Chapter Twenty-Nine

Tony watched Peter as he toyed with his dinner, moving it around the plate and fiddling with his napkin.

"You not hungry, kid?"

Peter's head snapped up, and he frowned. "No. I am." He quickly took another bite.

Pepper leaned over the table, patting his hand. "You don't have to eat for us, Peter. Really."

Peter chewed quickly and then said, "It's not that. It's just…" He sighed. "I want to talk to you about something, but I don't want you to think I'm being morbid or giving up or something."

Tony winced, knowing who Peter was talking about. He'd been the one to make this situation so hard on the kid.

"You don't have to hold back for us, Pete," he said, pleased by how even his voice was. With Peter's caveat about being morbid, he was worried about what Peter needed to say. He wasn't sure he was ready for it.

Peter eyed him for a moment and then said, "It's about May. I'm worried about her, you know, after."

It felt like something sucked the air out of Tony's lungs. He couldn't find the words, he didn't even know where to start, but Pepper always knew exactly what to say. "Peter, I swear to you that we're going to take care of May just like we're going to take care of each other. Aren't we, Tony?"

When he didn't answer fast enough, she kicked his shin. "Yes!" he said roughly and then bit his tongue as the kid's face fell. "We will take care of May, Peter. I promise. She's family, too."

Peter's stiff postured relaxed, seeming relieved. "Thank you. I know Ned will be okay, and you've got each other, but May would be on her own."

"She won't be alone for a second longer than she wants to be," Tony said. "We'll be there for whatever she wants and needs."

It was a miracle how steady his voice was given the depth of emotion he was feeling. His heart felt like it was trying to break out of his chest, and his stomach felt weighted with lead. He didn't want to think of Peter dying, of what would happen if Bruce couldn't pull it off, but he knew they were running out of time. If Bruce's predictions were right, Peter only had weeks left.

Heart racing and his breaths coming too fast, Tony jumped to his feet, latching onto any distraction he could. "Dessert!" he announced, snatching away the plates of half-eaten food and carrying to the counter. "We've got pie and ice cream. That sound good?"

"Yeah, great," Peter said.

Pepper got to her feet, joining him at the fridge where he was hiding his face, trying to get himself back under control.

"You got it?" she whispered in his ear.

He nodded, taking a steadying breath.

She raised her voice and said, "I'll serve the ice cream as Tony is stingy with it. He's always keeping it for himself to eat in the middle of the night."

Tony made a suitable sound of protest, but Peter was laughing and saying, "Yeah, he does."

"Busted, Stark," Pepper said, squeezing his hand and reaching past to grab the pie. "Peter, go get comfy on the couch and pick out a movie for us to watch while we eat."

Peter got to his feet and made slow progress toward the couch while Tony focused on breathing for a moment. When his nerves settled, he pasted on a smile, grabbing the pint of ice cream from the freezer.

"That's it," Pepper whispered. "You've got it."

"Yeah, yeah, I do," Tony agreed, and he did. It was the truth. It had been almost too hard to handle, he'd almost broken, but his wife's knack of covering for him and his kid's laughter had gotten him through it.

He and Pepper doled out the dessert and then went to the couch where Peter was searching through the available movies. He didn't seem entirely focused on it, though, and Tony was unsurprised when he set down the remote and said, "There was something else I wanted to ask."

Tony braced himself, hoping his heart could take it, and said, "Go ahead."

"There was something I wanted to do, I didn't put it on the list because I figured it was too crazy, but if you don't ask then you don't get and—"

Tony held up a hand to cut off the rapid flow of words and said, "Whatever you want, Pete."

Peter beamed. "I'd like to have a go in the Iron Man suit."

Pepper froze, spoon halfway to her mouth, and Tony just blinked. He had to think through what Peter had just said. His instinct was to say no, it was too crazy, too dangerous, but then he realized that it really wasn't. Hot air balloons, skydiving—which Peter hadn't done but still wanted to try—were dangerous. Without an enemy opposite him, the suit was actually the safest place Peter could be. Tony would be in control through Friday, yet he could still give the kid the thrill of flight and speed again.

He nodded. "Yeah, sure. After you've finished your dessert?"

Peter's mouth dropped open. "Yes? Seriously, yes? I can do it?"

Tony felt Pepper's eyes boring into him, but he didn't meet them. "Seriously, you can do it." He held up a finger. "I am going to be right by your side, Friday will be in control of the suit, and you won't try doing anything stupid."

Peter made a cross over his chest. "I swear. I'll be careful." He grinned, vibrating with excitement. "This is going to be awesome."

Tony smiled, meeting Pepper's eyes at last. She had a quizzical eyebrow raised but didn't seem to be about to ream him out for being stupid, so he took that as a win. Maybe she saw, like he did, that it meant a lot to Peter and was something Tony could do. He'd make sure Peter was safe throughout. It would be good for the kid to have some freedom again, to feel the rush of adrenaline in his veins.

"Eat your dessert, kid," he said. "We've got to get this done without your aunt finding out. She's not going to be so openminded about you being Iron Boy."

Peter grinned and began to spoon up his dessert in a rush. Tony watched him, then ate his own, feeling pretty good about what they were going to do.

For the first time since the accident, Tony actually felt like Peter was safe again. The suit around him really was armor, and he'd have Tony at his side to protect him.

"Okay," he said. "You ready for this?"

"Definitely," Peter said eagerly.

Tony nodded. "Okay, Friday, take him up. Three hundred feet above the tower."

Peter shot up a split second ahead of him, but Tony was right there beside him as they flew into the air. Tony could hear Peter's shouts of excitement as the rose, which was followed by laughter as he moved his hands back and forth, shifting in the air at the height Tony directed.

He considered telling Friday to control it, but he knew Peter was safe, and the kid deserved the freedom. That was the point, after all.

Peter turned in a circle as he laughed. The sound filled Tony's ears and made his heart lighter. Peter was happy, and Tony had done it. All the times he'd let him down felt like nothing now with the sound of Peter's laugh.

"Can we go higher?" Peter asked.

"Sure, Friday, keep him at my side." He aimed his thrusters and then shot up another five hundred feet, and then Tony decided to give Peter something a little more. "On my side, Friday," he ordered and then aimed them over Manhattan and fired into the sky.

Peter whooped with excitement and then laughed again, occasional words slipping through, "This is the coolest thing! Wow. I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Your choice, Pete," Tony said, his happiness clear in his voice. "Where do you want to go next?"

"Up!" Peter said again.

"You got it."

Peter whooped again as they rose, and then his laughter began again. When they were high enough that Tony thought Peter would be satisfied, he asked, "Where next?"

Peter answered without hesitation. "Queens. My apartment. I want to get on the roof."

Surprised but the simplicity of the request, but pleased he could answer his wish, Tony directed them towards Queens, Peter flying at his side. He lowered them, taking sweeping routes through the skyscrapers, ducking low into Central Park, scattering joggers and pigeons alike.

Peter's sounds of excitement were music to his ears, and Tony absorbed them, letting them fill him, feeling the same joy.

When they reached Peter's apartment building, they set done on the roof, and Peter's mask receded to show his flushed face, his eyes shining with happiness.

"That…" he said, breathing quickly with excitement, "was the coolest thing I've ever done."

"Cooler than swinging off skyscrapers?" Tony asked, surprised.

"Yeah. I've never gotten that high or moved that fast." He gave a little shiver. "Can I get the suit off?"

Tony nodded and gave the order for the suit to recede. Peter stepped out, a little unsteady on his braces, and then headed to the raised ventilation pipe and sat down. He looked around, sighing softly.

Tony sat beside him and said, "You do this a lot? Sit on the roof."

Peter huffed a laugh. "I always have. I used to like to come up here when I was a kid and stare out at the city. Then, when Spider-Man happened, it was a good place to sit and keep an eye on what was happening below." He lifted his face to the sky and said, "Big moon."

"It is."

"I kinda like the moon," Peter said. "When I was a kid, Uncle Ben would come out here with me, and we'd sit under and blanket and talk." He smiled slightly.

Tony was surprised. Usually, Peter's mentions of his uncle were more somber, but he seemed happy to be thinking of him now. Tony didn't want to unpack that. He didn't want to know what had changed, why Peter had found a new peace with his uncle's death.

He leaned a little closer to Peter and said, "So, what's next on your list?"

Peter shrugged. "You know what, I don't think anything can top tonight, so I should quit trying."

Tony's face fell at the message he heard, that Peter was quitting, but Peter looked up at him and smiled.

"Just the list," he said. "I plan to do cool stuff at home and with Ned. And there was something I wanted to ask…" He twisted his fingers together. "It's Karen. I know it's dumb and everything, but can you find a new job for her? It's not fair that she's just given up because I'm not using my suit anymore."

If Peter had framed it in any other way, if he'd indicated to the fact he wouldn't be there at all, Tony wouldn't have been able to stand it, but it was done carefully, kindly, and that enabled him to nod and say, "Sure. I'll fix her up with something. Maybe she and Friday can job share."

Peter's smile widened. "Yeah. That'd be great. She's really awesome."

Tony snorted. "She's my creation. Of course, she's awesome. Don't worry, kid, Spider-Man might be retiring, but I'll get Karen a new job." He tousled Peter's hair, and Peter leaned his head against his shoulder.

"You tired?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, a bit."

"Then let's get you home so you can get some sleep. This doesn't have to be the last time you're in the suit. We can do it again tomorrow if you like."

Peter raised his head. "Seriously?"

"As long as May doesn't find out, yeah."

Peter caught him off guard by throwing his arms around him and squeezing as tightly as his wasted muscles could manage. A lump formed in Tony's throat, and it became impossible to swallow when Peter pulled back, looking at him, face shining. "That's awesome! Thanks, Dad."

Tony's eyes burned, and it felt like his heart was beating in his throat. He had to clear his throat, forcing himself to swallow the lump. "If I had known how much you wanted it, I'd have done it weeks ago. It's nice to be recognized for my awesomeness."

Peter laughed, his shoulder bumping into Tony's. "You already know you're awesome, though. You don't need to be told."

"It's nice to hear sometimes," Tony said with a note of feigned belligerence.

Peter nodded. "You're awesome. The most awesome dad ever." He threw his arms around Tony again and said, "I love you."

This time he couldn't hold back the swell of emotion, and he cradled Peter's head. With a choked voice, he said, "I love you, too, kid. I really love you."

Peter exhaled shakily, and then his grip grew tighter.

Tony held him, letting the emotion and moment fill him, soothing away all the pain he'd been feeling for a while.

It would come back, he knew, but in that moment, he was with his kid that loved him.

So… Some good fluff? It's the last you're getting until the end. From here on out, it's angst and hurt/comfort. This is the part of the story Snarks and I loved more than any other, and we can't wait to see what you think of it — also, how much you hate up and threaten violence ;-)

Until next time…

Clowns or Midgets xxx