Hey guys! I know this is pretty short compared to some of the other chapters, but it was basically much needed filler. Plus I'm working on a few other really exciting projects, but I wanted to make sure this still gets consistently updated. Keep an eye out for those! And thanks for all the support towards me and the story! I love you all 3000!
By the time Tony returned to their little hub area about an hour later, the kid was asleep on his chosen couch.
Tony sighed heavily, watching him for a moment and settling back down across from him. At least he was sleeping. He didn't know what would have happened if he was still awake, but he didn't have enough energy to continue pushing him tonight. There was still more he wanted to know, needed to talk to him about, but he needed to think about exactly how he wanted to go about those conversations first. And get some rest, because these had been some of the longest couple days of his life.
Pepper was sitting on the opposite end of the couch - it was a big one, plenty long enough for both of them - curled up against the arm and still working on her tablet. She's been half-busying herself with it while he talked to the kid, but she was obviously still listening. She must have changed for the night at some point, although he wasn't sure when, since he'd honestly been more focused on other things since arriving back home.
He exhaled a long breath, stretching out his legs and trying not to think about how badly he was going to ache in the morning from sleeping on the couch. It was either this or suffocate in the heat of the rest of the building, so he'd have to cope and deal.
He leaned his head back against the arm of the furniture and glanced back at Pepper again. "Don't you think you should call it a night at some point?"
"This, coming from you, the workaholic?" She didn't even look up.
He couldn't even deny it. "Hey, I never claimed I wasn't. That being said, one of the few times I'm not working all hours of the night, and you're busy trying to take on that role yourself. I gotta admit, watching you work is cute, but it also stresses me out when you're working and I'm over here trying very hard not to."
That made her pause and look at him, her brows raising slightly. "Did you really just call me cute?"
"I think I did, Potts. Problem?" He quirked a brow at her.
"No, I just…." No, she was well used to him making innuendos and inappropriate comments at her. It didn't bother her; they were both adults, and he'd never actually went far enough to make her uncomfortable. He knew when to back off. It was just… cute? He'd never called her that before. It just seemed too pure to have come out of his mouth. Like it might be an actual compliment instead of a defense mechanism. "Nothing." She stopped, sighing as she locked the tablet and set it aside. "Is that better, Mr. Stark?" she asked, only half-joking.
"Much better, Miss Potts. Your consideration is always appreciated." He tucked an arm under his head, sighing a little.
For a few minutes, they were both quiet. Having been stripped of anything else to do, Pepper eventually turned and started to settle in, laying down and making herself comfortable under the blankets. She glanced back at Tony to see him staring at Peter, his mind clearly somewhere far away. She smiled at the sight, taking it in for a moment before murmuring, "You handled it well, you know."
He blinked as he refocused, his eyes snapping to her. "What?"
"You did well. With him." She looked at Peter, sleeping peacefully a few feet away. "The whole setup was a jerk move, but the way you handled it tonight was…" She couldn't find a word to describe it exactly how she wanted to.
Tony just sighed again, closing his eyes. "He just… I had to be sure, Pepper. Especially with everything that's going on. It was the quickest way. Believe me, I felt like an asshole after." He paused, opening his eyes. "I'm sorry you got hurt," he added, quieter.
She'd been irritated about it earlier, but now that she's had some time to cool off and reflect, she just waved it off. "It's just a bruise. You've given me worse yourself."
"I suppose I have." He was quiet for a moment. "He scared the hell out of me, Pep. He still does. And he was right, to an extent. I was furious, I still am, and I'm not even entirely sure why." He looked up at her, looking almost lost. "I thought I had no idea what I was doing being a mentor to a normal kid, but… a superhero kid? That's…" He stopped, struggling to find a word that encompassed all mixed emotions on the subject. "Terrifying," he finally settled on. "Especially right now. Because if someone messes up - someone, anyone, it doesn't even have to be either of us - and he gets hurt… that's my fault. And it's even more my fault now than last time, because this time I know, this time I'm the one who brought him into danger."
Despite herself, Pepper couldn't keep her lips from curling up into a small smile as the normally composed mechanic basically rambled his nerves out in front of her. Sometimes, he drove her absolutely insane and made her wonder why she'd taken this job. Other times, like right now, she remembered exactly why she stayed. "Tony," she broke in gently, when he finally paused for a breath. "Believe me, no one knows how you feel right now more than I do. And fear and anger are normal responses to when someone you care about puts themself in danger-"
"Someone I care about? I barely know the kid." He scoffed, like it was crazy even though he'd just talked for a while five minutes about how worried he was about the kid, throwing an arm over his eyes.
"Tony." Her voice was a bit firmer this time - and just a hint sadder. "You care about him. And it's only to be expected. I know his shenanigans are going to be… hard for you to deal with, but one day you'll get a handle on it." She stopped, looking away. "Or at least you'll get used to it eventually."
She heard him sigh heavily. "I think… I need his help," he admitted quietly. "And that's what scares me the most. I don't want it. But tonight just proved that he'll throw himself into it whether I allow it or not, and until I can do some reconfiguring on my suit… I don't think I have a choice but to let him. And if he gets hurt… God. What am I going to tell his aunt?" He stopped for a minute, taking a shuddering breath. "Why do people have kids? Honestly. This is too damn stressful and he's not even mine."
Pepper couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped her, even with the seriousness of what he was saying. "I don't know. Maybe because what you get in return for taking care of a little monster is entirely worth it." Or a big one. She couldn't stop herself from thinking it. She didn't have any kids of her own, but many days Tony was like an overgrown child and she still took care of him. Enough days that she wondered occasionally if ones like these were worth staying for, but… the answer was always yes.
She glanced over to see his dark eyes fixed on her again, his expression almost… guilty for a second as he finally seemed to realize she was referencing him before returning to being contemplative, the emotion gone as soon as it appeared. "Is it really, though?" he asked quietly, those dark eyes boring into her, and she couldn't help feeling like he was seeing right into her soul. She looked away to hide her flush, nodding once. "Well, good. I'm glad you feel that way. Because you just signed up to help me."
Her gaze snapped back to him. "What?"
"You heard me. We both know I can barely manage myself most days. I'm afraid you're going to have to help me with the spider baby. You know, coparenting and all that." His eyes glinted with mischief when she met his gaze, his smirk only growing at her apparent surprise and dismay. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're properly compensated. Whaddya say, double your salary?" He stopped himself, brows drawing together a bit. "No, that's not enough. I've owed you a raise forever now; you earned it a long time ago, so… double by two and a half. How's that?" He looked at her expectantly.
Speaking of children… He looked like a little kid showing his crayon drawing to his parent and expecting a gushing response. She wasn't quite over the surprise-and-dismay step though. She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head slightly, trying to get her thoughts back into order. "I… Tony, that's an insane amount of money-"
Tony waved it off, rolling his eyes. "You of all people should know how I feel about money," he scoffed, but she kept talking over him.
"-and I just… okay, first of all, I've never done this either, and I get how you feel about protecting him, but he's a kid, not a stray puppy! You can't just keep him."
That gave him a pause, but in the end he just shrugged. "We'll worry about that at the end of the summer. He's with us now; that's what matters."
It was her turn to roll her eyes, but she simply pressed her lips together. She couldn't argue with the fact they had to deal with the here and now first. "Fine. But I'm only accepting double."
"Fine. I'll just have to shower you with gifts to make up the extra half." She made an exasperated sound, but he held up a hand before she could speak. "No arguments! Else I'll make it triple. You can pick one or the other in the morning. Now go to sleep."
She scowled at him, but it was half-hearted. He just gave her a knowing look as she settled down and turned away from him, closing her eyes.
Tony laid awake long after she was asleep, his head still swirling with thoughts. He'd meant everything he'd said to her. Now he just had to figure out how to deal with most of it.
Despite his exhaustion, it was a long time before sleep found him.