Summary: It's Morgan's family day and the green eyed monster comes to visit.
Rating: T
The minute Tony, Pepper, and Morgan walked inside Morgan's school, the little girl ran to her teacher Ms. Brandi who was greeting parents and guests by the registration table.
"Stark family!" Ms. Brandi said as a form of greeting. She crouched down to receive a hug from Morgan before standing up. "I'm so glad everybody could make it. This is everybody, right? Or do we have additional guests coming?"
"Just two more. The uncles are on their way," said Tony. "It's their first family day. They wouldn't miss it."
"Gotcha," said Ms. Brandi. She then invited them over to the registration table where she said, "Okay, so you have to sign Morgan's name in the attendance sheet."
"I'll do that," Pepper said, taking a pen and filling up the sheet.
"Also here is a list of scheduled games for the whole day," Ms. Brandi continued, showing Tony another sheet of paper. "All families are required to join at least one game."
"Just one?" said Tony, his tone a little challenging. "I'm signing us up for everything."
Ms. Brandi laughed while Pepper halfheartedly groaned.
She quickly finished up with attendance and then looked over Tony's shoulder to see how many games he already signed them up for.
He wrote "Team Stark" under Tug Of War, Dodgeball, Sack Race, Hula Hoop Marathon, Paper Dance, and Three Legged Race.
"Tony, none of us know how to use a Hula Hoop."
Tony halted for a minute, and Pepper could see him thinking. Then, he shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Have you seen the prize listed? I'm gonna get Morgan a giant teddy bear."
Pepper shook her head, images of a giant rabbit flashing in her mind. "Oh, no you're not."
Tony ignored her. "They also have a strawberry eating contest." He paused to glance up at her. She sent him a 'are you kidding me' look.
"Agreed. We'll let Happy do that." He bent his head over the form and continued to write.
…
Rhodey and Happy arrived shortly after they signed up, bearing the assigned potluck. They handed it over to the teacher and Tony dragged them over to their first game.
It was a Three Legged Race and Morgan and Rhodey presented themselves to a teacher to get their ankles tied together.
Happy and Pepper stood amongst the crowd of families gathered, ready to cheer and call out any cheating (Happy's really serious about his games).
"Pepper! I'm glad I found you."
Pepper tore her eyes away from the race to give Rose Fenton a hug. Rose and her wife were next-lake neighbors. "Hi! Where's Leeanne and Jer?"
"They're at a Pie Throwing game. I left before she could rope me into being the target," said Rose. "Where's your other half?"
Pepper turned to point at the race. It had only just begun. "He's over there. Um…" she stared at Tony, a little confused, before saying, "coaching."
Both women watched as Rhodey, having abandoned trying to run with Morgan, lifted the three year-old an inch off the ground, and ran for both of them.
Tony shadowed them from a distance, shouting, "IS THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO? YOU'RE WAR MACHINE!"
Beside Pepper, Happy's muttering under his breath that if he had been the one playing with Morgan, they would have won by now.
"He's a stage dad," Pepper explained.
Rose chuckled, amused. "Hard to believe Stark's just like every other dad, isn't he?"
"I know what you mean," Pepper said, giving Rose a sympathetic grin. "You have to see it to believe it. Sometimes, even I have to marvel at how great he is with Morgan." She looked ahead, watching Tony take out a face towel from a Barney backpack slung over his shoulder and carefully dabbing the sweat off Morgan's face. "He's so enthusiastic. He attends all the Parent Sessions, and makes sure Morgan remembers all the dance moves for her presentations."
Rose nodded. "And that's what makes him a total DILF, apparently."
Pepper looked at her, jaw slacking. She turned to Happy for confirmation and he nodded like this wasn't the first time he's heard it before. Pepper looked at Rose.
"Not my words," Rose raised her hands, relieving herself of blame. "I just hang around during dismissal time and hear things."
"They're all over him and there's only so much I can do. Free speech and all that," Happy added but waved his hand dismissively, "And besides, Tony only has eyes and ears for Morgan."
"So, you're telling me that while parents are waiting for the preschoolers to come out of the classrooms, they're inappropriately discussing how Tony is the dad they'd like to fu—"
"My ears are tingling," said Tony, walking up to them with Morgan on Uncle Rhodey's shoulders. "Talking about my amazing coaching skills, I hope?"
Rose and Pepper exchanged looks before Pepper shrugged and said, "Just your Big Daddy Energy. Did you have fun?" she asked Morgan who nodded happily on her perch.
"We didn't win this one," said Rhodey, a competitive tone in his voice. "But yeah, yeah, at least we had fun," he added dryly.
They all laughed. "Well, there's a Paper Dance competition coming up next," Rose suggested. "That seems like a pretty easy win."
"Step aside, everyone," Tony spread his arms wide, trying to get the path in front of him clear. "I got this." Then motioning for Rhodey to follow him, he led them to the covered gym.
"Does he?" Rose asked, raising a brow.
"He is a very good dancer," Pepper admitted, smiling as she recalled a particular footage JARVIS sent her where Tony danced to Jingle Bells in the workshop back in Malibu. "You should see his Christmas dance covers."
…
The first few rounds were pretty easy. The newspaper each parent-child duo was stepping on was still able to accommodate both sets of feet.
It wasn't until the newspaper was one-sixteenth of its size that the air in the gym turned exciting.
There are only three sets of contestants still competing. One of them is Rose's wife and son. So, their neighbor went off to the opposite end of the gym to cheer for them more closely.
The Macarena was playing and Tony, with his feet bare and shoes haphazardly cast away to the side, was dancing.
He had his eyes trained on Morgan who was copying her father, trying to mimic his marching and the arm movements as best as she could.
They're adorable and Pepper took out her phone to record it.
She glanced to the side and discovered that other people had the same thing in mind.
She's not the only one who noticed cause Happy's making rounds. He was peering over everybody's shoulders and deciding if what they were recording was breaking any data privacy laws. He couldn't do anything about them recording Tony, but he was sure as hell going to try and keep Morgan's face out of their camera rolls. He may now be Stark Industries' Asset Manager but sometimes the Head of Security resurfaced.
Rhodey was the one beside Pepper now and he's groaning in second-hand embarrassment every few seconds.
"He's gonna break the internet, isn't he?" he moaned, a hand over his mouth in half-amusement, half-mortification.
"The internet should be used to it by now."
The music stopped. Tony's arm swung around to capture Morgan. She locked his legs around his hips and Tony stood with one foot on the paper and the other pointed at his calf. His free arm was raised up in what was a ballerina pose.
"Okay, let's see who can hold their positions for ten seconds!" cried the teacher in charge. The teacher began roaming around, inspecting the three sets of partners while everybody watching counted down.
"10… 9… 8... 7"
Leeanne's foot wobbled and Jeremy scrambled to get down from her arms. That's one down. One more to go.
"6…5…4"
"YOU CAN DO IT, TONY!" screamed an adult from across the room.
Tony only grinned in response. Morgan thankfully was being very still.
The other parent lost their balance and Tony and Morgan were declared the winner.
Everybody clapped and cheered.
There's a small crowd that went up to Tony, congratulating him, and patting him on the back.
They also shook Morgan's hand and she demurely thanked them, hopping from one foot to another in anticipation of her prize.
Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy hung back a bit, waiting for the crowd to disperse before they approached.
Morgan was already digging into the loot bag the teacher gave her while Tony's chatting with some other parents. They were close enough for Pepper to hear.
"Those were some very smooth moves," said one woman.
"Just setting a good example for this one." Tony patted Morgan's head when she showed him a whistle. "I don't want to brag but between me and my wife, I'm the better dancer."
Pepper's mouth formed a firm line. He was going to pay for that comment.
"I'm Marissa, by the way," the woman continued. She nodded to her friend. "This is Janice."
Tony shook both their hands. "Tony. Also known as the slave to the boss slash traffic aide over her." Morgan blew the whistle and it let out a shrill sound.
"We're friends with Leeanne. She told us about the playdates you would host for Morgan and her classmates. That's really nice of you," Marissa said sweetly.
Happy folded his arms, rolling his eyes. "Can you believe them? Right in front of Morgan."
Rhodey only shrugged, not entirely surprised.
Pepper, on the other hand, continued to observe.
"Is there any chance you could make those playdates open to the older kids?" asked Janice, smiling.
Morgan tugged at her father's free hand and Tony gave her his full attention, saving him from having to answer.
Morgan held up a candy bar and Tony tore it open for her. "You're saving half of that for me, aren't you? I did do all the heavy lifting. Literally."
Marissa, Janice, and Morgan giggled.
"Your daddy's very funny, isn't he Morgan?" said Marissa.
Happy snorted and even this time Rhodey made a small sound at the back of his throat.
Pepper couldn't help but agree with the two men.
Tony faced the two women again. "Sorry, what was that?"
"I was saying that it'll be such a great idea to have the toddlers and the older children interacting," said Janice.
"Mixed aged activities do wonders for kids' socialization," added Marissa.
"I read about that," nodded Tony, looking quite amenable to their suggestion and being unaware of what the two women were truly after. "The older kids could provide great language and behavioral models. It'll improve vocabulary, grammar. That's a fantastic idea!"
"Well, there you go!" said Marissa, clasping her hands happily. "We can make a date out of it!"
Happy cleared his throat and turned to Pepper with wide eyes and an expression on his face that said, If you're not stopping them, I am.
"I'm President of the Kindergarten Parent Sessions," Marissa continued and handed Tony a calling card which he accepted, to Pepper's bewilderment. "You can coordinate everything through me, and I'll get in touch with the other parents."
Janice did the same, saying, "And I lead Pre-Kinder. You can call me, or I can call you."
"That's perfect! Hold on, let me give you my number."
Pepper decided it was time to make her presence known. Not that she was jealous, but from the way Happy kept clearing his throat and nudging at her to intervene, she didn't think the poor guy would last any longer.
She walked up to Tony slipping a hand around his arm just before he could finish inputting his contact details in the woman's phone. "Hi!"
Tony beamed at her. "Oh, hi, hon!" For a split second, he gave her a confused look, searching her face with his eyes, and then the expression was gone. "Look at what I have." He showed her the calling cards which she pocketed without a second glance (and with a mind to toss them in the trash after). "These women just suggested that we should make the playdates more inclusive. And I totally agree. This is Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Clarence. Ladies, my wife, Pepper."
He handed the phone back to Marissa.
"Just Marissa and Janice, please," said Janice. "We're gonna be working together after all. It's nice to meet you, Pepper."
Morgan now took Tony's hand and pulled, pointing at a face paint booth.
"This school promotes such a close-knit family among the students and why not make that even tighter by having some inter-level mingling, right, Tony?"
Tony barely heard. "We both know I'm not the person to ask," he said to a pouting Morgan. He put the half-eaten chocolate bar back in the loot bag. "Hey, mommy, can we have our faces painted?" asked Tony, batting his eyes at Pepper. Morgan copied her father.
Pepper chuckled at the sight. "Just the upper half of her face. I don't want her licking any of it when she's eating lunch later."
Tony gave her a salute and nodded at Morgan. "You heard the boss. Go get your Uncles. They're looking a little pale. Maybe we can paint their faces pink. What do you say to Three Little Pigs?" Morgan sprinted off with an excited shriek and Tony looked back at Pepper. "Coming, baby?" He had already forgotten all about the two women.
Pepper sent Janice and Marissa a convincingly apologetic look. "I'm sorry. You know how it is."
"Of course," said Marissa, smile tight. "Just text us. You have our number."
Pepper nodded and turned, taking Tony's outstretched hand.
"So, mixed aged playdates," she said. "I admit, it does have its benefits."
"Hmm? Oh yeah!" Tony said, remembering. "I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Really nice of those two to initiate it."
"I'm pretty sure they wanted to initiate a playdate of a different kind with you," Pepper said coolly, failing to keep her tone neutral.
"What?" Tony frowned, lips jutting out adorably, making Pepper forget why she was bothered in the first place. This man didn't even know what had just happened. "You mean…?"
Pepper softened and sent him an amused smile. She brushed his bangs out of his eyes affectionately. "Fatherhood has made you incapable of detecting when women are flirting with you. Remind me to give you a crash course when we get home."
"I am not oblivious," Tony stated, shaking his head. "I know when woman want to get in my pants. I'm Tony Stark. I've got a radar that can detect that sort of thing."
"Two women just asked for a playdate and handed you their numbers in a calling card, which you accepted by the way."
Pepper almost laughed at the look on Tony's face. He looked horrified at the idea that he had just been handed something, and that Morgan had witnessed it all. "But—but it's Family Day! Morgan was there! And it's a playdate! Playdates are off limits. Playdates are innocent and fun!"
Pepper patted his bicep comfortingly. "You are being very good at this daddy thing which is why all the mothers are just dying for you to father their children. I can't say I blame them for trying."
Tony nodded slowly, processing it all, and then looked at his wife, realization dawning. "So that's why your eyes are a little green today. I thought there was something different about you earlier."
"My eyes are always green," said Pepper stiffly, lifting her chin and pretending that she's not as bothered as she actually was.
Tony cast her a disbelieving look, one of his brows quirking upwards. He kissed her softly on the cheek. "Just a shade darker, hon, don't worry. It's not that noticeable to the untrained eye." He kissed her on the lips now, slowly, softly. Just because Tony was oblivious to other parents flirting with him didn't mean he was completely unattuned to his own wife.
"Hey, there are kids around here!" came Rhodey's voice.
Pepper and Tony broke apart.
Tony cocked his head, smiling slyly. "C'mon. Let's get your face painted green to match your eyes."
…
The next game was Tug of War which all three men joined in and won, much to their already inflated egos.
As usual, parents flocked to the victors—Tony and Rhodey, especially. Somehow, being in close proximity to superheroes was making parents act a little boldly today—handing them bottles of cold beverages and snacks. But Tony was ready this time, flashing them the grin he reserved for such times and refusing their drinks, saying he didn't like to be handed things.
He walked over to Pepper, who handed him a can of soda, and said, "I'm pretty sure they were flirting with me this time."
"They were," said Pepper, a soft pleased smile on her face.
"Still got it!"
…
After lunch, Pepper and Morgan join in a game of dodgeball.
"You're up, baby," Tony said, leading the two girls to the field and using this time to give Pepper some last-minute tips. "Now remember, they're just tiny adults. Show them no mercy."
"This is just a game, Tony."
Tony looked insulted. "How dare you! We're after a teddy bear here." Tony turned Pepper around by the shoulders, her back to her chest. "Make me proud." He gave an encouraging squeeze and then kissed the back of her head.
Then he turned to Morgan and did the same thing. "You're up, MVP. You ready?"
Morgan nodded and together with her mom, went up to the group of players gathered around.
The players were composed of parents and students. The parents, out of solidarity, went after each other whereas the children threw soft stuffed balls at anybody they saw, even if it was their teammate.
Morgan got hit thirty seconds in but Pepper—Tony watched proudly—evaded ball after ball and managed to hit a couple of adults, Rose being one of them.
Pepper was distracted by a five-year-old when she got hit square in the face.
"HEY, THAT'S A FOUL!" cried an angry Tony.
"It's a friendly game, Tones," said Rhodey, trying to hold Tony back but the latter was already marching up to the man responsible.
Pepper waved off her husband as she walked out the field.
Tony walked towards Pepper instead. When he reached her, he gently cradled her face in his hands, frowning in consternation. "I'll get you an ice pack."
"It's a soft ball, Tony. It didn't hurt."
"Stay here," Tony stated, like Pepper had never spoke, his overprotective nature already kicking in. He pointed at Hogan, "Watch her."
When he came back, Pepper was talking to the man who had hit her. The guy gave her a bottle of water which she accepted.
Morgan and Rhodey were nowhere to be found, probably playing another game but Tony didn't care at the moment. He was far too focused on the fact that the guy who had just hit his wife was now—
Pepper laughed.
—making his wife laugh!
Tony's brows knit together and he scowled, walking up to them only to be intercepted by Happy, "What the hell is he doing—"
"Relax. He's here to apologize."
"Good." He took a step forward but Hogan pulled him back.
"To Pepper."
"Well, that's not good enough." Tony crossed his arms and sulked, making Happy sigh. "He just assaulted the CEO of Stark Industries. That's corporate espionage."
"Pretty sure that's not the definition of corporate espionage."
"He blatantly attacked my number one performing best employee. As owner of the company, I deserve to receive an apology, don't you think?"
"No," Happy said simply. "Your CEO isn't filing charges for being hit by a stuffed ball during a dodgeball game."
"We have dozens of lawyers on retainer. I'm pretty sure we can get him for something."
"Relax, alright, Mr. Green?" Happy put a hand on Tony's chest. "Time to channel some of Banner's relaxation techniques."
"Mr. Green?" Tony pointed at himself as Happy nodded. "I'm not—" he broke off, eyes lighting up as Pepper joined them. "Pepper! Tell Happy I'm not jealous of Mr. Soft Ball over there for hitting you."
"You are?" Pepper looked at Happy who nodded, amused.
"Totally jealous for talking to you," said Happy. "Wanted to sue the guy."
Pepper grinned at Tony, a teasing look on her face. "Who has green eyes now, huh?"
"Still you," Tony took her hand. "C'mere, little miss payback."
Pepper stepped into his space, letting him study her face and then he stepped back, showing her the ice pack.
"I got this for you," he murmured and reverently handed it over.
She accepted it with a small, "Thank you."
"Do you like it?" Tony asked, eyebrows raised expectantly.
Pepper gave him a deadpan look. "It's an ice pack. I don't—"
"But it's better than this measly bottle of water he gave you, right?" He took said bottle and tossed it to Happy with a, "Get rid of it."
Pepper snorted a laugh and then recovered. "Yes. Yes, it is."
"See?" Tony said to Happy. "Nothing to be green about." And for good measure, he placed a hand around Pepper's waist and pressed her against him, kissing her deeply.
"You and I are doing all the games together this time," Tony stated, pulling away but keeping her within reach. "Not taking you out of my sight. Things seem to happen when we're separated."
Pepper laughed, more from the fact that Tony had a pig's face painted on him and he looked incredibly cute. "How about we grab some snacks?"
"But Morgan—"
"Is at a Sack Race."
"Rhodey trying to redeem his previous loss, huh?"
"Mm hmm."
Pepper hooked her arm around his and directed him to the food area.
Tony glanced back at their friend. "Hey, Hap, you coming?"
"Only if you two promise not to eat each other's faces if I do."
"Aw come on. I'll kiss her once and then I'll do you next."
Happy rolled his eyes but joined them anyway.