"What?"
Stark shrugged, not at all defensive about the disbelief in her tone – or her expression.
"You heard me."
"That's a serious commitment, Tony…"
"I know, Pep." His expression grew a little distant, and his eyes were gentle. He looked peaceful, she decided. Not something she'd ever really seen from him, before. "He could use some stability in his life."
"From you?" She asked, bluntly. Of course, it was her job to keep him from making mistakes and doing anything too reckless that might have serious repercussions, so he wasn't surprised. "You're not that stable, yourself, really."
"I'm doing better," Stark said, reaching for his tablet. "You haven't had a scandal with my name on it in months, now."
"True. But still… it's a life-changing event. Are you sure you're ready to settle down?"
"Yeah. I think I am." He smiled. "Well? Can it be done?"
"I don't see why not. I'd imagine that there's a bit of paperwork involved. Do you have a timeline?"
"Find out what you can for me, please. I'll let you know."
She didn't look completely convinced, but she nodded.
"I'll see what I can learn."
"Thank you." He smiled, and now it was amused. "Are you coming sledding with us, this weekend?"
Another look of disbelief. Sledding. Tony Stark?
"There is snow involved with sledding," she reminded him – unnecessarily. "I hate being cold."
"There's a great lodge. Big fireplace and all the hot chocolate you can drink."
"Not a chance in hell."
Tony smirked.
"I could have Peter invite you."
She scowled.
"Don't you dare weaponize that little boy."
"What?" his expression was wide-eyed innocence. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I don't want to go sledding. I can't believe you're even considering it."
"More than considering. We're leaving Friday after Peter gets out of school, and won't be back until Sunday. An entire weekend with a huge lodge, and a very cool sledding hill. It even has a tow rope so we don't have to walk up the hill. And I rented a cabin to keep us from being forced to mingle with other people, too much."
"Well, that's a start." She scowled. "You'll probably all get frostbite, though. No more Avengers."
He smiled at that.
"We have high-tech hand warmers and inserts for our boots."
"That's cheating."
"But it'll keep us from coming home with colds. I have an extra set. Just for you."
"I have to finish my Christmas shopping."
"There'll still be an entire week," he pointed out. "I'll even give you an afternoon off, so you can do it at your own leisure."
His eyes were hopeful, and she felt herself giving in. But then she shook her head.
"I'll think about it."
"Great."
He was careful not to be smug.
"Need anything?"
"No."
"Then I'm going to go make a few calls."
"Thank you."
OOOOOOOOO
"Why are you working on homework?"
"Because it needs to be done."
Sam rolled his eyes, picking up the textbook that Peter had propped against Natasha's leg when they'd settled in for the two hour drive to the ski resort. Steve, Natasha and Sam had arrived at the tower in an SUV only a few minutes before Peter was brought in by Agent Hill, who smiled, slightly, declining – again – an invitation to join them for the weekend. She turned Peter over to Stark, despite the others being there, and Tony and Steve carried the bags that Peter and Tony had packed the evening before and had brought with them to the tower that morning.
Now Steve was driving, with Tony in the shotgun seat, while Sam and Natasha were on either side of Peter in the seats behind them. The boy had immediately started working on his schoolwork, although he was willing to make conversation.
"You could do it tonight," Wilson pointed out. "After we settle in and check out the lodge."
"What if we go sledding, tonight? Tony said they have night-time sledding. If I get it done and out of the way, then I can have all weekend to play."
It was clear he was looking forward to that.
Sam shrugged at the logic.
"Do you need help with it?"
"It's Euclidic geometry."
The man scowled when Natasha snorted, amused.
"Does that mean you do need help?" Sam asked. "Or you don't?"
Tony turned in his seat, interrupting the conversation he'd been having with Steve, but clearly paying attention to what they'd been talking about behind him.
"That means you can't help him," the billionaire said.
"Shows what you know," Sam retorted, holding up his phone. "I've got my google-foo working. I'm ready for anything."
Tony smirked, always ready to be proud of just how smart the boy was, and to rub that intelligence in the face of those around him – even when it was people that he knew weren't idiots. Like the Avengers.
"Good luck with that."
"Give me a problem, Peter," Sam said, his fingers at ready on his phone screen. "I'll have the answer before you."
Natasha put down the book that she'd been reading to pass the time during the drive, and looked over.
"This ought to be good," she said, making Peter smile, even as he took his book back and replaced it against her leg so he could see the pages. "Don't go too easy on him, Peter," she told the boy. "He's been getting a little cocky, lately."
The boy nodded, but he just pointed to the problem he was working on.
"That one."
Wilson's expression was a little surprised at the complex equation, but he just shrugged.
"I'm on it."
OOOOOOOOOOO
"Nice place, Tony…"
The billionaire nodded, looking around as they entered the ski lodge cabin that he'd rented for them. It was large, with a rustic look, a huge fireplace and several comfortable couches and chairs around it, with rooms going off in all directions – including a well-appointed kitchen.
"Yeah." He looked at Peter and the others. "Pick a room."
"Any room?" Peter asked, looking around, excitedly. He was ready to move around a bit after being confined to the car for the long drive. "Just for me?"
"I'm not sharing a room with you," Sam said, tousling the boy's hair as he walked by. "There won't be any room for me with that ginormous brain of yours."
Peter smiled at that, understanding that he was being teased. He carried his backpack into the closest room to the kitchen, while the others checked out the rest of the place.
"Can I have this one?" he asked, amazed at just how big it was. When Tony had mentioned the cabin, and explained the rooms and all, he'd anticipated small rooms with bunk beds. Certainly not a room that had its own bathroom and a couch as well as a bed. "It's really big."
Tony walked in behind him, looking around, and he caught Peter's backpack in his hand to keep him from going any further into the room.
"This one's mine, buddy." Leave it to Peter to find the master bedroom. The nicest and the biggest. "Let's find you one that matches your size a little better."
"Okay."
Stark tossed his own bag on the bed – his way of silently calling dibs to the room – and he and Peter walked out to the living room, once more. The bedroom closest to Tony's hadn't been claimed, and Tony set Peter's bag and backpack on the bed.
"This one looks good. And it's close to me."
"Perfect." Peter smiled up at him. "Can I go outside and look around?"
"It's getting dark…"
"Please?"
"I'll go with him, Tony," Steve offered. "I need to stretch my legs."
Tony nodded his approval of that, and looked at Peter.
"Ground rules…"
The boy smiled.
"Yeah?"
"No wandering off. Stay close to one of us when we're outside."
"Okay."
"No petting dangerous things."
"Like bears, wolves, and angry squirrels?" Peter asked, grinning.
Tony wasn't the only one to smile.
"Exactly. And you don't go outside without one of us with you. Yeah?"
"Okay."
"Why not just put him on a leash?" Sam asked, sarcastically, amused at the way Tony and Peter interacted.
It was fun to watch the guy toppled by a little kid – even though he might not even realize it was happening, yet.
"I would if I could find one," Tony assured him. He shooed Peter away, dramatically. "Don't let him get frostbite, Steve."
"He'll be fine."
Since they hadn't bothered taking off their coats, Steve just offered Peter his hand, smiling when the boy took it and looked up at him.
"Keep his hood up," Tony told Steve. "I don't want his head to get cold."
Rogers waved his free hand to show that he'd heard, but he and Peter were out the door before Stark could give them any more orders.
"You're so good with him," Sam said when the door had closed. "It's kind of weird."
"I think it's adorable," Natasha corrected. "When are you going to make it permanent?"
"I'm looking into it," he admitted, ignoring the way Sam's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Well, Pepper is, really."
"Seriously?" Wilson asked.
Tony shrugged.
"I have to do something," he told the other man. "If I don't act soon, Romanoff will beat me to it, and then I only get to be Uncle Tony."
"Wow…"
Tony rolled his eyes.
"Don't say anything about it, alright? I haven't brought it up with Peter, yet."
"When are you going to find out?" Natasha asked, curiously.
"Pepper will be here tomorrow. If she's learned anything, she'll let me know, then. But we'll see what happens."