If they thought that they were going to have a nice quiet dinner, just the three of them, Tony and Pepper were wildly mistaken.
The hotel restaurant had two different dining areas. One area was designed for people without children, who wanted the Disney experience, but didn't want a handful of kids running around shouting, yelling and being kids. The other area – the area where Pepper and Tony were guided with Peter between them – wasn't exactly chaos, but it wasn't far from it.
There were children present – which wasn't a bad thing, of course – and even more exciting (to Peter, anyway) was the fact that there were various people dressed as Disney characters walking around the area, stopping to greet people at the tables, and take pictures with the children. And any adult that might be interested.
Six months ago – hell, even two months ago – Tony would have found the back corner of the quiet, adult, section and had vainly tried to ignore the happy shouts coming from all around him. Now, however, he watched with satisfaction as Peter's eyes seemed to get wider and wider as he took in what was going on around them. Even as he sat in his chair, he jumped up, waving in excitement as Mickey Mouse himself walked over to say hello, with Minnie right behind him.
The billionaire exchanged a glance with Pepper, who'd been watching his own reaction rather than the boy's, and she smirked.
"I think he's going to have a fun time."
"Yeah."
That was the whole point, right?
OOOOOOOOOOO
Clint smirked when Steve and Natasha both received alerts from their phones, interrupting the conversation they'd been having.
"Another one?" he asked, watching as they looked at their displays – and then watching as Sam walked into the room, looking at his phone, too. "Who did he find, this time?"
"I got him with some cowboy guy…" came a deep voice from the other side of Romanoff.
She looked at Fury's phone.
"That's Woody. From Toy Story."
The boy was hugging him, tightly, grinning at whoever was taking the photo – although it was uncertain if it were Pepper, or Tony. Tony was the one sending them updates, though, so they all assumed it was Stark.
"He looks like he's having a good time."
Steve smirked.
"Did you get the one of Tony and Peter having a tea party with the Mad Hatter?"
"I don't think I've missed a single one," Natasha said, honestly.
The last three days had been interesting for the Avengers. Mainly because while they were working on their usual responsibilities and duties, their days would be broken up by a flurry of pictures – undoubtedly sent by Tony but at Peter's request – of practically a play by play of the activities that Tony and his new son were engaging in on their trip.
Peter and Tony in Legoland. Peter and Tony building with those Legos. Peter and Tony posing with Lego Batman – while Peter held up his Lego Batman character. That one had been especially hilarious to the others, since Tony's expression was utterly priceless. Then the scenery had switched to Tomorrowland and Fantasyland and they'd all enjoyed Frontiertown photos.
It looked like they were having fun, and even Pepper Potts had been captured on digital imagery with the two of them, sipping imaginary (or real?) tea with the Queen of Hearts and her cohorts, and riding rides with the two.
"What kind of chatter have we heard since the announcement?" Fury asked, changing the tone of the conversation back to what they'd been discussing. "Any indication we have a problem?"
Romanoff looked at Steve, who shook his head.
"No. So far there's a lot of shock, a little sarcasm and a fair amount of cynicism."
Tony and Pepper had decided that eventually the world was going to find out about Peter. So, rather than make them wait, they had Stark's PR people allow the announcement to be made. While they were away on vacation – and completely off the grid. Even in the swarm of people that were around them all day, it seemed.
The media had gone crazy the first two days, speculating, and asking for photos and statements. None were forthcoming, and it was driving them all mad.
Fury and the Avengers weren't worried about the media, however.
Their point of concern was someone – or a group of someones – deciding that the billionaire's new son might make a good target. For kidnapping and ransom, or simply as a statement of just how much they hated the man and making an example of him. Thus far, things were silent, but SHIELD had a network like none seen before, and they were watching, carefully.
"We can expect all of that," Nick conceded. "Any indication that anyone knows where they are?"
"Nope. Tony Parker and his son and wife…" Romanoff smirked at that ruse. "Are at Disney enjoying themselves. The media has been told that statements will come when they are good and ready to give them, and photos will be limited."
"That won't last, though," Clint said. "Peter's too cute to not be an immediate favorite of the press. If Tony doesn't allow them some access to him, then the paparazzi will hound them, relentlessly. He'll be better off having a weekly or bi-weekly round table with them so they can get accustomed to Peter – and him to them."
"We'll worry about that, later," Nick said. "That's his problem, really. My problem is keeping that boy safe."
Romanoff smiled.
"Grandpa Nick… who would believe it?"
The single eye narrowed, slightly.
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, Agent Romanoff."
She wasn't cowed.
"Doesn't mean it isn't true."
Then she sneezed.
OOOOOOO
"Why are you still awake?"
"Because I'm not sleeping."
Tony rolled his eyes at that logic, and sat down on the edge of the bed that he and Peter had been sharing for the past four days. He brushed his hand along the boy's cheek, but Peter wasn't fevered. He looked happy – if not just a little tired.
"Why aren't you sleeping?"
"I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
Peter shrugged.
"What's a publicity stunt?"
"What do you mean?"
"I heard it, today," he said. "While we were in the gift shop."
"Yeah?" He had a feeling that he knew what was coming, and was glad that Peter was asking. "What did you hear?"
"That you adopted a little kid, and that it's nothing more than a publicity stunt."
"Ah." Stark picked Peter up, putting him onto his lap, but not cuddling. He just wanted to make sure he had his attention. "Yeah, you're probably going to hear something like that, a lot, in the next few days, or months. What they are saying is that I decided to adopt you because it makes me look good."
"Oh."
"Which it does," Tony admitted. "But that isn't why I adopted you."
"You adopted me because you love me."
"Exactly. And because I feel good whenever you're with me, and I want to feel good all the time."
The boy smiled at that.
"Even when I was sick?"
Tony nodded.
"Maybe even more when you were sick. It made me feel needed."
"Oh." Peter hesitated. "I don't like being sick."
"And I don't want you sick," he assured the boy. "I want you to be happy."
"I am happy."
"Good." He sighed. "We should have had this conversation before you agreed to being adopted by me."
"What conversation?" Peter asked, suddenly worried that Tony didn't want to have him be his son, anymore.
It must have shown in his expression, but Tony smiled down at him, and tapped him on the nose, reassuringly, and playful all in one.
"Eventually – and it'll probably be sometime in the near future – we're going to have to let the press know a little more about you. Because they're going to be assholes and drive us all crazy if we don't. But that means that you're probably going to be pretty famous – at least for a while. Might even be the most well-known boy in the world. Most talked about anyway."
"Even more than Peter Pan?"
A character that they'd met just that afternoon.
Tony shrugged.
"Maybe. It'll die down, eventually, and something else will come along to distract them, but until then, you might get some unwelcomed attention. We'll do everything that we need to do to shield you from that, but the kids at school are going to talk, and they might pester you."
"Agent Hill won't let anyone too close to me," Peter pointed out, sensibly. "One of the girls in my biology class came up to me to hug me for Christmas, and Maria wouldn't let her."
"That's her job," Tony told him. "You're very huggable, of course, but that doesn't mean that people can just walk up to you and do it. Unless you want them to, of course. If she is someone that you're particularly fond of, tell Maria, next time, and she'll allow it. But not the press – and no one who wants to do anything annoying."
"How do I know the difference?"
"That another job of Agent Hill's. She knows who belongs and who doesn't. Maybe we'll see if Nick can add another agent, for a while, until the furor dies down a little."
Peter looked a little dubious.
"That's a lot of work for one little kid."
"One very special little kid," Tony told him. "A kid who I didn't adopt as a publicity stunt, and who I'm very happy to have in my life. You understand what I'm saying?"
Peter smiled.
"Yeah."
"Good. Now, go to sleep, okay? We have one more day, here, I don't want you to be too sleepy to enjoy it."
So far he'd been doing pretty well, really, despite falling asleep the first day while Tony had been carrying him back to the hotel after the Main Street fireworks display. He'd even been sleeping through the nights, for the most part. Of course, they were constantly moving during the days, exploring the park, so it was either that they were wearing him out by day so he slept at night, or it was because Tony was sleeping in his bed with him, providing a warm cocoon of protection from bad dreams.
Whatever it was, it was working. Which was a good thing, since JARVIS wasn't there to interface with – except for the laptop and tablets. And that wasn't the same, of course.
"You're coming to bed?"
"In a little while. I'm going to keep Pepper company."
"Okay."
Tony tucked him back under the blankets, leaned over and kissed his forehead.
"Good night, Peter Stark."
The boy smiled.
"Good night, Tony Parker."
Stark rolled his eyes, amused, tapped his nose and then left the room, turning the light out behind him and closing the door so the light from the living room didn't keep him awake.