Notes: Hey everyone! Welcome back to any readers from my previous multi-chap fic and welcome to anyone who happens to stumble upon this! I had a lot of fun writing this story and it didn't take me as nearly as long as eight months this time.

This story is going to have a lot of twists and turns, but also a lot of bonding and growth between Tony and Peter. Not just Tony and Peter bonding, but also character development between Tony and Pepper as well as Rhodey. We love a family :') It'll be updated every Friday!

I'm so happy to be back (even though I wasn't gone for very long) and I can't wait to hear your feedback! I hope you all enjoy reading the story as much as I did writing it! Have fun and stay safe❤ 💛💚💙💜

Chapter One: Good Life Choices

Tony Stark: genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist. The owner and CEO of Stark Industries, a multinational company that produces innovative weapons to supply to the United States Armed Forces. After inheriting it from the interim CEO and family friend Obadiah Stane after his father Howard Stark's passing, Tony turned it into a monopoly of highly advanced weapons. However, Tony is about to add another title to that long-winded introduction: adoptive father. Not entirely by his choice, either.

"Explain to me again why we're pulling this insane stunt?" Tony questions Obadiah next to him. "If I didn't trust you this much I would've called you crazy and fired you. I shouldn't trust you this much," he grumbles with his arms crossed.

"Just relax, it'll be perfect," Obadiah assures. "The cold-hearted player Tony Stark adopts a kid! In their words, obviously. Not mine. Then, you're in every newspaper! The topic of every headline! Stocks will go up again, investors will come flooding in, and everything'll go back to normal." Tony scoffs at his friend's nonchalant tone and turns to fully in the pleather look at him.

"Then what? We just release it into the wild? Last time I checked, a toddler doesn't come with a damn gift receipt," he whispers harshly so that the social worker in the other room doesn't hear their arguing. It's not like what they're doing is ethical, per se. Obadiah shrugs his shoulders casually.

"No, but if things…aren't working out," he smiles slyly, "then who's going to blame us for wanting to return the kid to get him in a home better suited for him? Look, Tony, we only need this to work long enough to get the media back on your side, right? We don't want the entire business your father built from the ground up to crumble away just at some, some bad press." Tony sighs and rubs his hands over his face.

"This is different. This is a living, breathing… thing. Pepper's right, she always says how I can barely take care of myself. How would I take care of a kid?" Just the idea of having a small, fragile human running through the mansion without remorse is more than he can handle. Obadiah clasps a firm, comforting hand on Tony's shoulder.

"Leave that to me and Pepper. You have nothing to worry about, my boy. This kid isn't going to be a problem. His background is spotless." Tony's disbelieving eyes narrow.

"He's a toddler, not a convict," he counters. Obadiah simply waves him off.

"You'd be surprised what some of these orphans have gone through. Don't want you getting a messed up kid. But, that does mean you have to stay away from the alcohol for awhile. No alcohol, like we promised the lawyers and adoption agency. You get the kid taken away and our chances are as good as gone." Tony nods begrudgingly.

"Yeah, yeah. That's not gonna be difficult since you made me throw all my bottles out," he mutters. His nerves are already shot and he hasn't even met the kid yet. He saw pictures, yeah, but Obadiah was the one who met the kid whenever it was required. From what Obadiah has told Tony, the kid is apparently the most easygoing of the lot. Tony just wishes he could remember the kid's name. Goddamnit, Stark. You could memorize the periodic table and radioactive isotopes at ten years old, but can't remember a four-year-old's name? Fantastic.

"Did you remember to bring your social security number?" Obadiah interrupts Tony's self-critical thoughts. Tony pulls a small slip of paper out of his inner coat pocket.

"Yep," he affirms, popping the "p" and handing the paper to Obadiah. "Managed to get Pepper to write it down for me. She was skeptical as all hell. I hope you realize that you're the one who gets to explain this to her. I'm not dealing with her yelling or her scolding." Tony takes in a deep, steadying breath.

"Don't sweat it. Everything's going to work like a charm," Obadiah reassures like he has many times before. Tony snorts, but nods anyway.

"Sure thing, Obi." He leans back in the uncomfortable chair and the two wait in forced silence until one of the orphanage workers comes back through the doors.

"Hello, gentlemen," the woman patiently greets. She hasn't been too thrilled about the rushed process, but Tony passed all the background checks and house visits, so everything that money can't buy is going well. "It seems like everything with the social worker is going well. As everything is being finalized, would you like to see your… kid, Mr. Stark?" If Tony didn't know any better, he'd think the woman emphasized the word "kid" just to throw him off. Well, Tony doesn't know any better. And he's thoroughly thrown off. He knew he was adopting a kid, that much had sunk in. But the fact that this kid was going to be his kid and he was going to be a legal father is what makes him want to run.

"Uh," he quickly clears his throat, "yes, of course." He immediately stands and straightens out his minutely wrinkled suit. He follows the woman towards a door, then notices Obadiah not following. When he looks back, he sees the man sitting back in his seat.

"Some things you have to do on your own. Good luck." Obadiah turns his attention to his phone again. Tony rolls his eyes, but follows the woman nonetheless.

"It's…Brenda, right? Debbie?" Tony asks as they walk through the bland, light blue halls.

"Amanda."

"Right! Amanda. Lovely name," Tony sweet talks, trying to lighten the mood.

"The boy's name is Peter, if you forgot that, too," Amanda bluntly states as she turns a corner. Tony quickly follows.

"Of course not." He would sound more confident if he weren't lying, but then again lying is his specialty. Well, he prefers calling it misdirection. When they reach another door, this one covered in a multitude of colorful stickers, Amanda takes a deep breath and turns to Tony.

"Are you absolutely sure that you want to go through with this. You go through that door, there's no going back. You walk in there to see Peter, and you are going to have to take care of him. Got that?" she probes, her eyes unwavering. Tony swallows dryly, but ultimately nods. He trusts Obadiah…enough. Amanda stares Tony down for a few more seconds, then opens the door.

The room isn't too big, but it's big enough for a few play sets, stuffed animals, a couple books, and one of those toy cars you see in every doctor's office for kids to drive. The tiled floor is covered in soft, foam mats with letters of the alphabet and correlating pictures for each letter. Across the room is a little boy who either hasn't noticed the new visitors or isn't acknowledging them. Either way, Tony is frozen.

Peter is lying on his stomach with his chin held up by one hand and a book propped up with the other. He has some sort of stuffed animal tucked underneath his chest, but far enough for Tony to still see the overalls the kid is wearing.

"Go ahead. I'll be waiting right here," Amanda informs, shutting the door behind them. She waits at the door as Tony slowly makes his way towards the hyper focused little boy. Tony carefully walks on the foam mats, afraid that if he makes a noise too loud he'll scare the poor kid. God, I'm not cut out for this. I'm gonna kill Obi, Tony thinks as he approaches Peter. At first, Tony isn't sure how he's supposed to initiate conversation, so he just stands by the kid awkwardly with his hands shoved in his pockets. He clears his throat, hoping to get the kid's attention. It doesn't.

"Hello," he says carefully.

"Hi." Peter's response is immediate, but he doesn't look up from his book.

"What are you, uh, reading?" Tony glances back to Amanda after his question, but she just gestures for him to kneel. Reluctantly, Tony raises his pant legs slightly to allow him to crouch.

"Hungry Catapidder," Peter answers, turning a page. When he does so, he gets to his knees in order to show Tony the page he's on. "See! He's gonna eat it!" Peter exclaims as he points to the bright red, illustrated apple. Then, he sloppily flips through the pages to show off a butterfly with multicolored wings. "Now he's a pretty butterfly!" Tony nods perceptively and tries to keep the kid content.

"That's a nice book," Tony observes, attempting to be as casual as possible.

"It's my faborite! He's floofy," Peter justifies, turning the pages back to where he was reading before. Tony nods, not quite knowing how to keep the conversation going.

"What's your name?" he decides to ask, even though he already knows.

"Peter. Sometimes Miss Manda calls me Petey." Peter lays down on his stomach again with his feet lightly kicking in the air behind him. Tony straightens at the mundane introduction. He can do introductions. He has been doing mundane business introductions for as long as he can remember.

"Nice to meet you, Peter. I'm Tony Stark." Tony wonders what he did wrong as soon as Peter's feet stop moving and the kid tenses.

"Sorry," the kid mumbles shyly, throwing Tony for a loop. "Peter Pawker," he amends. Tony notices that Peter seems to have a speech impediment if there are too many r's in a row.

"Why are you sorry?" Tony asks, confused by Peter's logic. Then again, the kid is four years old. Peter closes his book and sits criss-cross-applesauce to face Tony.

"Big names means we can't smile. It's serious time," Peter explains as if his logic is universal. He sits patiently, staring up at Tony with wide, expectant brown eyes.

"You mean…full names?" Tony clarifies. What in the world has this kid gone through? Peter nods, his eyes unwavering. "Oh, well, then you can just call me Tony. No…big names," Tony reassures, causing Peter's face to brighten back up.

"I can call you Tomy?!" the kid asks excitedly.

"Actually, it's Tony," Tony enunciates better so that Peter can understand. The four-year-old nods over and over.

"Thanks, Tomy! I get to keep playing?!" Tony glances back to Amanda, then nods to Peter. Peter immediately jumps to his feet and haphazardly runs to some of the stuffed animals. As he picks up an armload of stuffed animals, Tony watches intently. How in the world is he supposed to take care of another human being? He quickly reminds himself of what Obadiah told him: that it's all only temporary. Peter waddles back towards Tony with an uneven tower of stuffed animals, some trailing behind him as the fall off the top.

"So," Tony continues as Peter hands him the different fluffy toys, "how old are you?" If he continues the casual conversation, it'll be easier to get it all over with, he reasons. Peter smiles and drops the rest of the toys.

"I'm," he counts his fingers before breaking out into a smile, "this many!" The boy holds up four of his fingers towards Tony excitedly.

"Four," Tony confirms carefully. He doesn't want to somehow hurt the kid's feelings.

"Mhm!" Peter then keeps playing with the stuffed animals.

"Mr. Stark," Amanda suddenly calls. Tony turns around, trying not to show how uncomfortable he is by talking to a toddler while holding a stuffed tiger.

"I'll be right back, okay Peter?" At Tony's words, Peter's head whips up. The boy's expression drops into a frown and his eyes become slightly glossy.

"You're going bye-bye?" he asks quietly, biting his bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

"No no no," Tony immediately says, "I just have to go talk to Amanda, alright?" He can't handle a crying kid. That's the last thing he needs to deal with right now. Tony Stark doesn't do emotions, especially those of other people. Before Peter can open his mouth, Tony rushes over to Amanda.

"So?" Amanda asks quietly, seemingly unimpressed.

"I'll…take him." Tony isn't exactly sure how he's supposed to say he wants to adopt the kid. With a deep, stabilizing breath, Amanda composes herself.

"You need to sign a consent form, which the agency supplies. That'll finalize everything, once all the legal requirements are met. I believe Mr. Stane took care of all that, however. All we'll need are the completed forms," Amanda recites in a monotone voice. It's probably well rehearsed.

"I can do that. Do I, y'know," Tony prompts before clearing his throat. Usually he's overly confident and bombastic about everything, but kids are way out of his element.

"Bring Peter? Yes. He's going to be your responsibility, afterall." Of course she's trying to jab that in as much as possible, but Tony can't blame her. It's her job. Tony nods, avoiding eye contact, and walks back over to Peter.

"Tomy! You're back!" Peter enthusiastically hops to his feet. "Can, can I have chicken, chicken nuggets? And ketchup? Please?" he asks as he spins in a circle. Tony watches in utter confusion as the kid stares at the ground as he spins.

"Sure, when we get home." This causes Peter to stop and look up at him.

"We are home," Peter says as if it's blatantly obvious.

"No, my home," Tony clarifies.

"Oh…" It doesn't seem like the information sinks in, so Tony watches Peter for a reaction. "Is Miss Manda coming with us?" Peter fiddles with his fingers. Tony tries to stay patient since he'll need a lot of it for the next few months. Hopefully it's only a few.

"No, she's staying here. You're coming to stay with me. Okay?" Peter looks up to meet Tony's eyes, then looks back down.

"M'kay, Tomy." Peter inches forward and holds out his hand. Tony doesn't know what to do at first, then realizes that he's supposed to take the kid's hand. Reluctantly, Tony holds Peter's small, slightly cold hand in his much bigger one. They exit the room together, Amanda trailing behind them, until the reach the reception room where Obadiah is still waiting.

"We're back. Watch Peter while I-"

"Obi!" Peter suddenly exclaims, letting go of Tony's hand to rush over to Obadiah.

"Woah! Look who it is! Hey, Squirt," Obadiah greets as he picks Peter up and sits him on his knee. Tony raises a curious eyebrow at how close they got after just a few visits.

"You were gone foreber!" Peter exaggerates, throwing his head back which causes his loose, brown curls to bounce. "When you were gone I got to have my own room and eberything!"

"Well, Tony and I had to take care of some business. But don't worry, we won't be letting you out of our sight." Obadiah laughs and nods to Tony to go fill out the remaining paperwork. For this just being a publicity stunt, Obi seems pretty invested, Tony distantly observes as he walks up to the receptionist.

Halfway through signing all the agreements, Tony's phone starts to buzz. Usually he would use his phone as a means to escape boring meetings, but he decides a good impression is important for adopting a human being. By the time the paperwork is complete, he realizes he made a mistake when he sees the missed texts are from Pepper.

Pep Potts

Pepper: Where are you?

Pepper: Tony answer me

Pepper: I had to go to three briefings without you

Tony: I'm out.

Pepper: Out where

Tony: With Obi.

Pepper: Oh no what are you two doing

Pepper: I swear if you're doing something stupid

Tony: Don't worry about it Pep

Tony: We'll be home soon

Pepper: It's my job to worry!

Pepper: You have meetings today Tony.

Pepper: Meetings that I can't reschedule or delay more than you've already made me.

Pepper: You have to fly out next Monday to Dubai!

Tony: Yeah about that, you might have to delay them a bit longer

Pepper: No

Pepper: No no Tony what did you do

Tony: Oh you're gonna love it

Tony: See you soon xx

Tony feels his phone vibrate after that, but he chooses to ignore it. Instead, he confidently walks back into the waiting room and nods affirmatively to Obadiah. So far, everything is going according to plan.

"Alright, Peter, time to go," Tony announces. Peter looks up at Tony and simply waits for what he's supposed to do. In order to show Amanda that he's capable of being a parent, even if only momentarily, he picks Peter up and sits him on his hip. Peter instinctively links his hands behind Tony's neck and allows Tony to carry him out of the building. The fancy car out front immediately transforms Peter's demeanor.

"Is that a race car?!" Peter questions, kicking his feet with excitement. "I see them on da telebision. They go super duper fast and make cool noises!" Tony does his best to hold onto the squirming toddler as well as avoid being kicked in the gut by the small sneakers.

"Easy there," Tony warns. He can definitely see how the car looks like a race car to the kid, though, it being a Rolls Royce Phantom. The kid probably hasn't ever seen anything like it before. Typically, Tony drives a streamline, two-seater, but he unfortunately needed a back seat for Peter. Even more unfortunate, neither Tony nor Obadiah brought a car seat specifically for a toddler. "Let's get you buckled," Tony offers awkwardly as he stiffly places Peter in his seat.

"I get to sit in a big kid seat?!" Peter starts to bounce out of pure excitement at the thought.

"Yeah, but you have to be careful and sit still during the ride. Understand?" Tony makes sure his point gets across by making eye contact with the jittery four-year-old. When Peter nods, Tony starts buckling him in. The last thing they need is to be pulled over by cops, even though Tony could talk his way out of it.

"I can almost do da buckle myself," Peter says proudly as he points to the buckle that the metal prong slips into and locks.

"Good job." Tony tries to sound upbeat, but he's pretty sure his nerves are beyond shot. If only he could look forward to having a drink.

"Tomy?" Peter asks out of nowhere just as Tony finished strapping him in. "How long am I gonna sleep over?"

"With us?" Tony isn't sure that he understands. Peter simply nods, his bottom lip sticking out ever so slightly. "Well, I adopted you. So, as long as you want to." That about sums it up, right? Nothing too convoluted.

"Oh…what does adopt mean?" Peter's cheeks get slightly red with embarrassment, which comes across as surprisingly cute.

"It means that I'm going to be…" your dad, would've been the truthful answer. But that's too personal. Tony definitely doesn't want Peter calling him dad, father, papa, pops, or any other variation. "The person who takes care of you," he decides on instead. It's not a lie, that's exactly what Tony is going to be doing; taking care of Peter. With Obadiah's help, of course.

"M'kay," Peter quickly agrees before beginning to swing his legs back and forth. Tony still doesn't think Peter fully understands, but they have plenty of time to work it out. To be honest, he isn't worried about the kid so much as he is about Pepper's reaction to said kid. With a stressed out sigh, Tony shuts the back door and gets in the driver's seat before starting their trip back to the Malibu mansion.

Thank you for reading and get ready for a WILD ride ❤ 💛💚💙💜

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