So... I'm not dead. Hard to believe, I know. Between full-time uni, part-time job, a sport, and family/medical issues, I basically almost was for a while. I have another week or two before I'll probably be able to get back into some semblance of an upload schedule, but hopefully I won't completely disappear again. This story isn't dead! I still love it and you guys! That said, I definitely didn't realize how long it'd been since I'd uploaded. Someone commented and told me and I was like holy SHIT so... yeah. This is shorter than my normal upload length but I wanted to give you guys something after so long. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and I hope you enjoy! 3
They finished the suit just in time.
It took them two days to perfect the design, both aesthetically and in having all of the programs and systems that they both wanted in it. Then he had to have it made, which he let Jarvis run on his own through the night of the third day.
He didn't sleep either of those two nights, but no one else needed to know that. He'd done worse, after all. Besides, if he slept, then when was he supposed to design and implement the programs to keep Peter from doing something stupid, or alert him when he did? He certainly couldn't do it while the kid was there.
Apparently it was catching up to him, though, or maybe it was something to do with his age, because he crashed out in the lab on the third night some time after he sent Peter to bed.
In the end, it was good that he got some rest, even unintentionally, because he was going to need it for this day.
"Oh my God!"
Tony jolted awake with a start, half out of the chair before he was even fully awake. The blanket that had been draped over him - presumably by Pepper, in the middle of the night, bless her - fell to the floor, and his hand was already starting to stretch out despite the fact he wasn't wearing a suit.
He relaxed upon seeing it was just an overexcited teenager - the one that he had, unthinkingly, granted access to his lab, not realizing he was going to burst down here first thing in the morning like a kid on Christmas to get a look at his new suit.
He probably should have known better.
Tony fell back into his seat with a huff, smoothing a hand over his face. Despite the rude awakening, he couldn't entirely keep the corners of his mouth from tugging up at the sight of Peter gushing over the suit that had been designed and put together over the life-sized model in the corner. It was kind of like Christmas for him, he supposed. He certainly couldn't help feeling like a proud parent, seeing the reaction for the first time to his kid receiving the perfect gift.
The thought made him sit up a little straighter. There was those pesky thoughts again. Peter wasn't his kid. They weren't a family, and he had to give him back. He couldn't get too attached.
"Can I try it on, Mr. Stark?" Peter's voice broke into his thoughts.
Tony glanced up at the grinning kid and sighed wearily. He should tell him no. It was eight in the morning for God's sake. "In a minute," he relented, already cursing his own weakness. "If I'm going to deal with you slinging around the mansion in that thing already, then I need coffee first."
"Yes!" the teen crowed, punching the air with a fist and then spinning around. "I'll get it! Stay right there!"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know-"
"Of course I do! Yours is easy," Peter answered immediately, and he was gone before Tony could say anything else.
Tony couldn't help but chuckle at the enthusiasm as he settled back into the chair. He glanced over as the door opened again, opening his mouth to say there was no way Peter had brought him anything resembling coffee that quick, but closed it when he saw it was Pepper. "Oh. Good morning, Miss Potts."
"Good morning, Mr. Stark. Sleep well?" she quipped, and he rolled his eyes even though they both knew he didn't mind her teasing.
"I slept just fine, thank you." He smiled back at her. "But really, thanks for the blanket."
"Of course. I figured you'd have to be reaching your limit shortly, what after two all nighters in a row. You're not twenty one anymore, you know." She crossed her arms and gave him her best attempt at a reproving look, but she couldn't manage it for long when he wasn't actually doing something she didn't approve of for once.
He wasn't surprised she'd caught him, nor was he as abashed as he probably should have been. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't remind me." His body was already doing well enough of that. "What were you down here in the wee hours of the morning for anyway?"
Pepper just shrugged, looking away from him and towards the Spider-Man suit still sitting in the corner of the room. "Maybe I just wanted to get a glance at the suit you intend to send our adopted child out to fight in before it comes back peppered in bullet holes." She shot him a look, smirking a little as she walked over to get a better look. "You do realize that's how co-parenting works, don't you?"
Tony froze, half-smile still fixed on his face, not actually registering the second half of what she'd said. There it was again. The mental image of them actually having a kid popped in his head, but was almost instantly in conflict with the idea Peter being anywhere near flying bullets. "Yeah…" he murmured, unable to muster up a more eloquent response to that.
Fortunately, he was spared from having to do so by Peter bouncing back in at that moment. "I've got your coffee, Mr. Stark! Can I try it out now?"
Tony blinked and refocused immediately, sitting up and taking the cup of coffee from the kid. He was surprised to see that it was still full, considering how bouncy Peter was this morning, and even more pleasantly surprised when he tasted it and it was exactly how he normally drank it. "Sure, kid," he agreed amicably, falling back in the chair and scratching at his jaw, eyes tracking the kid but making no move to get up.
Peter ran over to get it, nearly slamming into Pepper, only noticing her for the first time when he dashed by. He paused long enough to call out a "Morning, Miss Potts!" and then he was gone almost immediately, suit under his arm.
Tony glanced back at her. Neither of them could quite quash the amused grins that they were both sporting.
"You can't possibly hope to keep him indoors now," Pepper told him, amused.
Tony was inclined to agree. He just had to decide what to do about it.
"Maybe we can set up the gym-" he began.
He didn't get to finish. A second later, Peter literally swung into the room, using the doorframe as a place to web and flipping onto the ground in front of his desk. He immediately pulled off the mask, grinning hugely. "Mr. Stark! This thing is amazing!"
Tony jolted up in the chair. "Kid, you can't just go swinging through the mansion!" he scolded, even though he was barely suppressing a grin himself, and he knew it was obvious.
Peter's grin faded just a bit. Enough to make him look suitably abashed, but his eyes still glinted with joy. "Where can I swing, then? You have to let me try it out completely before we go out for real! What if we get into a combat situation and there's something that needs ironed out? Besides, if you're going to let me help, they're going to see me in the city anyway, so-"
"Jesus, kid! Take a breath," Tony interjected, but he was still grinning, and Pepper was laughing silently behind him, covering her mouth with a hand. "Oh, would you both- fine! Go! You've got-" he looked at his watch. "Three hours. Be back by lunch time or so help me-"
"Yes!" The grin was back in full force. "You won't regret it, Mr. Stark!"
"I already do," Tony muttered, but the boy was already swinging out of the room. He was gone so quick Tony doubted he heard him, even with those super senses.
"You are such a sucker."
Tony looked back at Pepper and sighed. He couldn't even pretend to be anything but amused by her assessment, nor could he disagree, because it was obvious now it was true. Plus her face when she was grinning at him like that, the way her eyes glinted and her shoulders shook with laughter-
"Oh, hush up, you," he muttered, as much to himself as to her. Then, just to try to detract from talking about himself, "Don't you have work to be doing, Miss Potts?"
"Just as much as you do, Mr. Stark," she retorted, grinning as she walked by him again. "So I suppose we should both get to it."
"I suppose we should," Tony agreed. He sighed to himself as she slipped out and closed the door behind her, then turned back to his desk. With her gone and the spider kid now out and about, there was no point in putting off the work to be done any longer.