Notes:
Hey all,,,how are we all doing following the news? ;-; If you haven't heard, supposedly negotiations between Sony and Disney have come to a standstill regarding Spider-Man's involvement in the MCU. Don't lose hope though! So far, they're only at a standstill! Hopefully both companies can pull it together and work something out. It'll be okay :) đź’• No arguing over who's fault it is in the comments please, but hopefully this chapter cheers us all up!
Remember that thing I mentioned last chapter about Tony possibly having a heart? Yeah, we get to see that this chapter ;) Also, a nice dose of angst and inner turmoil!
Have fun and stay safe!❤ 💛💚💙💜
I'll Watch Over You
After going to lunch, which entailed a double cheeseburger for Tony and a basket of fries for Peter, they head back to the car where Happy is not-so-patiently waiting for them. Tony walks towards the car, Peter once again insisting that he rides on his shoulders. When Tony gets close enough, he notices the scowl on Happy's face. Raising an eyebrow, he approaches the driver's window.
"How was fishing?" Happy asks conversationally, though he doesn't seem to be too invested in an answer.
"We caught a little fish and, and I named him Squishy. I really liked him," Peter answers without hesitation as if he were asked exclusively. "Like from, from Nemo!" Happy nods perceptively to make sure Peter is acknowledged, but keeps his eyes trained on Tony.
"What's wrong, Hap?" Tony asks wearily, already having caught on to the tension. He's had enough excitement for one day, he's just ready to go home.
"You failed to mention that we'd have an audience, Boss," Happy answers with a slight edge to his voice and a disapproving look. He nods to his left and Tony follows the gesture with his eyes. There are a few people standing across the street at the convenience store, seemingly normal. It takes Tony a few seconds to notice them shielding cameras by their sides. Press. Probably tipped off by Obadiah. It was the plan, after all. It's the whole reason they even went fishing. So…why does Tony feel frustrated. Angry. Protective?
"Let's just get back home. Don't let them follow us, the last thing we need is a mosh pit at the house." With that, he opens the back door and gently lifts Peter off his shoulders.
"Where are we going now?" Peter asks as he's placed in the car.
"We're going home so that you can nap," Tony supplies while making sure Peter gets buckled. It's around 1:30 pm, so Tony figures that the kid should be conked out anytime soon.
"How come?" Peter watches as the seatbelt is clicked into place, then looks up at Tony.
"Because it's almost your nap time." Tony doesn't have the most patience in the world, but he's getting better. He shuts the door and gets in on the other side, only for Peter to continue asking questions.
"Do you nap too?"
"Not anymore." After Tony slides in and buckles, Peter leans towards him and rests his head on the man's side. Peter's head doesn't reach up to Tony's shoulder, even in the booster seat, so he settles for leaning on Tony's waist. Of course, Tony is immediately frozen. He holds his arm up so that he isn't touching the kid, unsure of what else to do.
"Why not?" Peter doesn't notice anything wrong, so he gives into his curiosity. Slowly but surely, Tony lowers his arm and carefully sets it on Peter's back.
"Well, I work a lot more so I don't have time to nap," Tony tries to explain. Underneath his hand he can feel Peter's back rise and fall as he breathes. The car starts pulling out of the parking lot.
"Don' you get tired?" Peter asks with a yawn. Tony softly chuckles at the way Peter's eyelids start to droop.
"A little bit," he answers honestly, if the dark bags under his eyes are anything to go by. But he has never put too much thought into it, it's just his normal. Sleep deprivation is every adult's normal.
"You need a nap time too," Peter informs as if he's an expert on the matter.
"I'll be sure to look into that." Tony distractedly brushes some of Peter's bangs to the side and out of his face before he can catch himself. No no no, don't get attached. He pulls his hand away.
"M'kay, Tomy. Imma take a nap." All it takes is a few seconds for Peter to be out like a light, his eyes slowly fluttering shut. Just like that, the kid is asleep. That was a lot easier than Tony had expected, but he hadn't expected to go soft either. He isn't supposed to like Peter. It isn't part of the plan. He's only supposed to get the publicity he needs and get his business's reputation back above water. It isn't…it isn't meant to be hard. It's supposed to be easy. Straightforward. His whole life has been nothing but hard, couldn't he get a damn break just this once?
"You gonna explain to me what's going on?" Happy speaks up once he has noticed that Peter is asleep. Tony raises an eyebrow to urge his friend to elaborate. "As your chauffeur and bodyguard I feel like I should be kept in the loop about press. No way they could've found you that fast," Happy observes. He glances at Tony through the rear view mirror, then looks back to the road.
"Well," Tony clears his throat, "not that you're obligated to know, but since I'm such an upstanding guy I'll tell you. Pretty sure you heard about the whole adoption fiasco. Obi…may or may not be tipping a few people here and there to a fatherly inclined Tony Stark." He chooses his words very carefully, but it still feels disgusting no matter how he states it. Regardless of how he puts it, he's still taking advantage of Peter's feelings. No amount of fancy wording will change that. The sweet, softly snoring kid shielded by Tony's arm is nothing but a means to an end.
"What exactly is your MO, Boss?" Happy asks as if it's the most casual conversation topic ever. Tony looks up from Peter to make eye contact with Happy in the rear view mirror.
"Who says I have an MO?" Tony fires back, using his wit as a defense mechanism. One thing that might never change is him and his guarded feelings. He keeps those pesky things under lock and key for a reason.
"You don't do kids. You barely deal with adults," Happy expertly points out. He's been able to gather from the adorable kid and the paparazzi that this is all some kind of stunt. It isn't the most shocking thing, coming from Tony, but he never would've thought that a child would be dragged into it.
"Your point is…?" Of course Tony knows exactly what Happy is alluding to, he's just choosing to ignore it. Happy holds his gaze.
"Just hope you know what you're doing." He lowers his sunglasses and focuses on the road. "So, what do you think about him?" Tony furrows his brow and narrows his eyes.
"Who? Peter?" he asks for clarification in a somewhat hushed voice. All Happy does is raise his eyebrows above his glasses as if the question was self explanatory. "He's…not a bad kid." Tony begrudgingly relents as he averts his eyes.
"Sure, Boss," is all Happy says in return. He can tell that Tony is starting to get soft when it comes to the kid. Tony never lets people touch him, so Peter riding on his shoulders and now sleeping in his lap is a big deal.
The traffic on the drive back to the mansion isn't too bad. It takes all of fifteen minutes to get back home and Peter stays conked out the whole time, much to Tony's relief as well as discomfort. He doesn't have to worry about the kid talking the whole way home but he has also been, dare he say, cuddling another human for the entire ride.
"Where do you want dropped off, Boss?" Happy asks as they pull up to the mansion. Tony carefully considers his options with the sleeping child against him.
"Let's pull up to the front. I don't wanna worry about him waking up in the elevator. Last time he had a fit so we don't need to have a repe-" Peter screams out of the blue, thrashing his arms around wildly. His small, flailing hands almost hit Tony in the face but the man quickly leans away in surprise.
"What's going on?!" Happy questions over Peter's blood curdling screams. And man, does the kid scream. The kind of guttural cry that only a child can produce.
"No!" Peter shrieks as loud as he can. "Go 'way!" His eyes are still closed and his face is bright red as he thrashes. Without another thought, Tony catches Peter's rapidly moving fists as gently as he can.
"Hey, it's okay Pete. I'm gonna need you to wake up for me." Tony tries to keep his voice calm, but still has to raise it in order for his words to even be heard over the yelling. As Tony tries to calm down the hysterical toddler, Happy rushes out of the car and opens Peter's door. "It's okay, you're okay. You're safe. Nothing's going to happen to you. There's nothing wrong, I promise." Tony has no idea why he's making something as meaningless as a promise to a kid, but somehow it just feels like the right thing to do. With his wrists constrained by Tony's hands, Peter kicks his feet as if trying to get free.
"No! No, no, no!" Peter screeches before devolving into nothing but hiccuping sobs. Tony has never heard anything worse than Peter sobbing, and for some reason it causes him just as much pain as Peter seems to be in.
"Hap, unlock the kid's seatbelt," Tony urgently orders. Happy immediately unlatches the seatbelt and Tony wastes no more time in pulling the toddler on his lap and into arms. "Shh, it's okay. It was just a bad dream. Calm down, buddy. You're okay. I got you." Tony continues to whisper the string of reassurances into Peter's ear as he rocks them back and forth in the car. The loud, heartbreaking sobs slowly die down into soft cries. There isn't a second where Tony stops rocking the two of them. One of his hands is rubbing the poor kid's back while the other gently presses Peter's head against his chest. He can feel the way Peter's small, delicate hands tighten around his shirt in a death grip. After a few more minutes of this, Peter carefully lifts his head to look up at Tony with that largest, most sorrowful eyes the man has ever seen.
"Tomy?" Peter asks in a wobbly voice. Tony swallows thickly at how distraught the kid appears to be. He smoothes Peter's hair away from his face, although his curls are damp with sweat.
"Hey, Pete. Ready to go to bed?" he asks in a soft tone. The way Peter lowers his head back onto Tony's chest is answer enough. With a deep breath, Tony manages to pull them both out of the car with success.
"You good?" Happy double checks, eyeing the pair as Tony absentmindedly strokes the back of Peter's head.
"Yeah, I'll just walk him inside and lay him down for his nap. Thanks, Happy," Tony assures in a whisper as he walks to the house.
"No problem, Boss. Be careful," Happy warns before getting back into the car and driving it towards the underground garage.
Tony jogs inside as he cradles the small boy to his chest, having no clue what he's supposed to do to help. Pepper is out dealing with meetings and press, so can't help him. That leaves Obadiah who's the only other person of high stature keeping the business off the ground. Tony has no help this time.
"Good afternoon, Sir." J.A.R.V.I.S. greets as Tony bursts into the house. "There are three missed calls from Colonel James Rhodes an unopened message fro-"
"J.A.R.V.I.S., turn on the heating blanket in the kid's room," Tony interrupts as he rushes the crying toddler down the hall.
"Right away, Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. instantly complies without fuss. As soon as Tony gets to the room, the door being automatically opened for him, he runs to the bed and gently lays Peter down.
"Don't wanna go night-night again," Peter cries as he attempts to sit back up. Tony places a hand on the kid's chest and presses him back down.
"The bed's warm, Pete. You don't have to sleep but at least get warm," Tony offers in a hushed voice in hopes that it'll calm the kid. However, Peter still shakes his head and tries to fight against Tony's hand. "For me? Please?" Now, Tony isn't a desperate man, but he would readily admit to begging a toddler to lie down. Peter stares up at him with eyes that almost resemble glass before relaxing into the mattress. With a silent thank you, Tony lifts the covers over Peter and gets him tucked in.
"I'm scared," Peter admits in a small, heartbreaking voice. Tony's eyes crease in concern as he softly strokes Peter's head to help relax him.
"Do you, uh, want to talk about it?" Tony awkwardly offers, but Peter desperately shakes his head. "Alright, okay. You're safe, I promise. J.A.R.V.I.S. will be here and if you need anything he-"
"Tomy, no! Don't go. I'm scared," Peter reiterates in a whisper, gripping Tony's wrist with his small hands. Tony is scared too, but for different reasons. He's getting…too close.
"Pete… I have grown-up things to do." He doesn't.
"Jarbis can't help, he's in the ceiling," Peter counters with a pout. "Will you stay if I say pretty please?" Tony would be damned if he said no to Peter's big brown eyes. With a halfhearted sigh, Tony carefully sits on the bed and lies down next to the boy, shoes and all. He crosses his ankles and puts his hands behind his head.
"There. Can you try sleeping now?" he asks, trying not to seem too impatient. Peter turns onto his side to face Tony.
"Is it safe?" Peter checks warily as he searches Tony's face. There's so much trust on the boy's face, which stuns Tony every time.
"Yeah, kid. It's safe." Tony humors in a comforting voice.
"Promise you're gonna stay?" Tony sighs.
"Promise." Apparently Tony's assurance is enough for the toddler, because his eyelids start to droop.
"M'kay. Night-night, Tomy. Lub you," Peter mumbles tiredly as his eyes slowly shut. Tony, however, is shocked. Peter just said that he loved him. Tony…doesn't say it back. Then again, Peter also said he loved a room of reporters, so Tony takes it with a grain of salt. Or at least he tries to. He watches the kid sleep and knows he could just leave and Peter wouldn't know the difference but…something is stopping him. What if Peter has another nightmare? What if Peter wakes up screaming again and he isn't there to help him? Tony Stark wouldn't stay with a sleeping toddler until he woke up but…god, that's exactly what he's going to do. This whole thing is getting way out of hand.
"Hey, J?" Tony quietly prompts as he stares down at the peacefully sleeping Peter.
"Yes?" J.A.R.V.I.S. immediately replies in an equally hushed voice. Tony absentmindedly twirls one of Peter's curls in his finger.
"Has Peter had nightmares before?" he asks, wanting to get everything figured out.
"Unfortunately, yes. On two separate occasions besides today." Tony frowns in confusion at J.A.R.V.I.S.'s answer.
"Why wasn't I told?" he demands, feeling a sudden sense to protect Peter.
"During both instances, you were in the workshop. You very specifically stated that no one is to bother you while you're working. I talked to Peter the second time." Once again, Tony's speechless. Peter is turning to J.A.R.V.I.S. about nightmares because Tony has been ignoring him… It's all far too reminiscent of himself talking to his Jarvis while Howard was ignoring him. It's a painful reminder. Of course this time it's his own fault. With a deep breath, he looks to see if Peter is breathing too. He doesn't quite know why he's checking if Peter is breathing, but he needs to make sure.
"Remove that protocol," he orders.
"Good choice, Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S. commends, instantly removing the protocol.
"And you alert me whenever he has a nightmare. Anything he asks, you direct to me. No matter where I am or what I'm doing. Got all that?" I'm going insane just for a kid, Tony internally berates. Should he move Peter's head up the pillow more? It doesn't look very comfortable.
"Of course. I'm always here to listen," J.A.R.V.I.S. confirms.
"Thanks, J.A.R.V.I.S.. You're the best."
"I am, aren't I? My pleasure." With the sarcastic roll of his eyes, Tony pulls out his phone to pass the time. Before he can even stop himself, he's searching through online shops to find stuff for Peter. That somehow turns into buying parenting books. There's no way he can do this blind anymore and he'd rather die before asking for help from someone. So, naturally, this is the next best option. He buys about ten, a few titled "Positive Parenting" and "The Tantrum Survival Guide," before he stops himself from getting any more. As per usual, he expedites the shipping to overnight. Though he'll continue denying himself and others that he's starting to like Peter, whether he wants to or not.
After about a half hour of searching for books and toys, he gets a text from Obadiah with a link attached to it.
Obi Stane
Obadiah: Looking good out there. Keep up the good work. news/Tony-Stark…
As soon as he opens the link, a news article from this morning pops up to reveal two pictures. The first picture is from yesterday's press conference, and it shocks him to say the least. It shows him with a genuine, content smile as he watches a very animated Peter answering the reporters' questions. He doesn't even remember looking at Peter like that, he must've done it subconsciously… The second photo is from their morning fishing trip, where Peter is on Tony's shoulders. Both of them have wide smiles as they walk off the pier. He had no idea he looked so happy with Peter…
The conflicting moment is interrupted by a warning from J.A.R.V.I.S..
"Colonel Rhodes is currently coming up the elevator to see you."
"What?!" Tony whispers harshly. The last thing he needs is another one of Rhodey's long-winded lectures. That's all he gets anymore, not that he doesn't deserve them.
"I tried to tell you that he left multiple voicemails. You were preoccupied with Peter, which took precedence," J.A.R.V.I.S. easily explains.
"Well tell him I'm still preoccupied," Tony urges through clenched teeth.
"I'm afraid-"
"Tony!" The shout comes from the other room, but it's enough to make Peter stir underneath the covers. Peter opens his eyes blearily, nearly sending Tony into a panic.
"No, go back to sleep, bud. It's okay, shh." Tony softly strokes Peter's head, which luckily does the trick. Peter's eyes slowly begin to close until he's once again asleep. Tony releases a breath of relief and carefully gets off the bed. He doesn't want to leave Peter, but he doesn't want Rhodey to barge in and wake the exhausted toddler up either. That leaves him with one option. He leaves the room without making a sound to not wake up Peter, already feeling guilty, and quietly leaves the room to face the music.
Notes:
WAS THAT THE CUTE FILLED ANGST YOU CRAVED? well it's only the beginning,, Thank you for reading!❤ 💛💚💙💜
If you'd like to keep up to date on upcoming fics and get sneak peeks, feel free to follow one of my accounts!
Twitter: Kevy_Fanfics kevy_grayce
Insta: kevy_fanfics KevyGrayce
