"It is now five-thirty in the morning and if you want to sleep in you will need to solve time dilation."

Stark frowned, and rolled over, opening his eyes and stretching.

"A simple time to wake up would work, you know?"

"My way is more entertaining."

He snorted, glancing at his watch. Sure enough, it was five-thirty, and time for him to get up and get his day started. But he might rethink not just setting the alarm on his watch, or getting an alarm clock, rather that attempt witty banter with JARVIS when he was just waking up and at a disadvantage.

"Peter?"

"Is asleep in his bed and fine."

"Did he wake, last night?"

"For a short time. I convinced him to go back to sleep, and he did."

"He slept all night?"

"Correct."

Tony was pleased – although he did kind of feel a little disappointed that the kid hadn't come to join him in his bed. Yeah, it was probably one of things where he was too old to want to sleep with dad, and he was a pretty wiggly guy when he was sleeping, but it was still new enough to Tony that it had been endearing to know Peter slept more soundly with him.

"Good." He tossed his blankets back. "Start the coffee pot, will you?"

OOOOOOOO

"Hey, Sunshine… it's time to get up."

Peter mumbled something, but didn't open his eyes, and Tony smiled when the only movement was to hug the bear that was tucked around his arm even closer.

The billionaire had gone in to check on him before he'd showered. He'd been surprised to find Peter sleeping, soundly, holding the bear that he'd won him at the carnival loosely in his grasp. Assured that the boy was fine, Tony decided to let him sleep a little longer. He'd brought his phone in, though, and had taken a picture. He couldn't help himself; Peter was just that cute with his hair all bedheaded and his bear so perfectly placed.

Eventually, when he was twenty or something, he'd have a girlfriend and Tony could pull the photo from the archives and use it to embarrass him. That's what dads did, right?

After showering and changing, Tony had asked JARVIS if the boy was awake, yet, and glanced at his watch when he'd been told no. They were going to need him fed and ready to go in less than an hour, so he was going to have to wake him.

If he could.

"Peter Stark…" Tony whispered in the boy's ear. "It's time to get up, so you can go to school."

That made Peter open his eyes, and he smile.

"It's morning?"

"It is." Tony couldn't help but reach out and brush those curls back. "You look like you slept pretty well."

He sat up, and hid the bear under the blankets.

"I did."

The action only made Tony smile and he reached for the stuffed animal.

"It's okay to sleep with him, you know?"

"It's for babies."

"It's for anyone," Tony corrected. "If I had a bear, I would sleep with him, too. Not a real bear," he added for clarification. "I wouldn't want to be eaten."

Peter smiled at that.

"JARVIS said it would be okay. Instead of going and waking you up because I couldn't sleep."

"He's right," Tony told him. "It's great – especially if it helped you sleep, last night." He put the bear on Peter's pillow out in plain view. "But it's alright if you come wake me up, too. It's a dad thing, I think. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Good." Tony tousled his hair. "Get dressed, okay? I want to get you fed and ready for school before Maria and Phil come beating down the door looking for you."

Peter nodded and pushed the covers back.

"Okay."

OOOOOOOOOO

Peter was sitting at his desk gathering his things for school when JARVIS spoke up.

"The cleaning person comes, today."

The boy froze, his hand reaching, automatically, for the envelope that he'd set aside to make room for his books.

"They do?"

"It's one woman," JARVIS corrected. "And it's the same one who cleaned the apartment for you and Tony. She isn't going to suddenly start stealing things, now, but I wanted to remind you, in order to keep you from being worried."

"I'm glad you did."

He was dressed, and had eaten breakfast (oatmeal and a pop tart). He'd wanted batman toast, but they were out of bread, still. Tony promised they'd stop at a store and get some on their way home that evening.

"You can leave your things in the safe," the AI reminded him. "I'll watch them for you."

Peter hesitated. The backpack didn't weigh that much, even with his envelope of important items in it, but he knew that the AI and Tony had put the safe in his room just for him, and that Tony was hoping he would feel secure enough to use it. He was sure that wouldn't be mad if he still took his things with him, but he didn't want to disappoint him, either.

Not after everything that he did for him.

"You'll watch it?"

"Yes."

The AI was patient. Which was a good thing, because Peter sat at the desk for a long time before he finally made up his mind. He stood, picked up the envelope and carried it over to the wall. Moving the stool, he got up and unhooked the Batman poster, revealing the safe. It opened at his touch, and he only hesitated another moment before he put it into the space provided, absently noting that there was room for many more items if he was given something else, later.

There was a soft click when it locked upon being closed, and Peter was careful to replace the poster.

"I'm proud of you, Peter," JARVIS told him.

It made the boy smile as he zipped up his backpack – just as he heard Tony calling him to tell him that the SHIELD agents were on their way up from the gate.

"Thanks, JARVIS."

He shouldered the backpack and hurried out of the room, eager to start his first day of school as Peter Stark.

OOOOOOOOOO

"How's it going?"

"This place is a zoo," Maria Hill replied, standing outside Peter's classroom and looking intimidating enough that anyone who may have wanted to stop and look in to get a peek at the newest Stark thought twice about it and kept moving along. "The media finally finished and are gone, but we've caught a couple of paparazzi pretending to be janitors and teachers trying to sneak into the building."

It wasn't going to happen, of course. Everyone had been planning for this day since Tony had announced the adoption of Peter, and SHIELD had assisted the school in preparing. Their security measures were up and running, all faculty, students and staff had high-tech badges and had been vetted, thoroughly. Especially the ones who would have direct contact with Peter.

No one was going to sneak in. Even if it was just for a picture.

"How's Peter handling it?"

Tony assumed that was the reason she'd called him – since he'd just heard from Coulson less than an hour before with a routine check in.

"He's worried about his bear," she said.

"His bear?"

"Apparently the cleaning person is coming, today, and Peter left his bear on his bed. He seems to think she's going to steal it."

Tony didn't look at all exasperated by that. He was pleased that Hill was taking the concern seriously, as well, and not just blowing it off. Of course, they all knew what had happened to Peter's watch – although how it was returned was a secret that was right up there with aliens, and JFK. Maria had also been there that morning when Tony had held Peter's backpack for him while the boy put his coat on, and had asked if he had everything, commenting that it felt lighter than normal.

Peter had surprised Tony when he'd told him that he'd put his important things into the safe.

"JARVIS said he'd watch it for me," the boy had said.

"That's great, buddy." Tony hadn't made a big deal out of it, but it really was a big deal, he knew. A huge concession for the little boy. "I'm always in contact with him, so if there's anything we need to know about, he'll tell me, and I'll take care of it."

Peter had nodded, and had taken Maria's hand when she'd offered it to him, to head out to the waiting car.

Apparently, he hadn't put everything in the safe, however.

"Tell him JARVIS said it's fine," Tony replied. "It's right where it was this morning when he left. If he's still worried, later, I'll have someone go put it in the safe."

Tony thought it might be good for the boy to come home and find that nothing had happened to it, even outside of the safe.

"I'll let him know when they break for lunch."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Phil did some roleplay with him this morning on the way in."

"Oh?"

She looked amused, so it obviously wasn't anything serious.

"We took him through several scenarios – situations that he needed to be aware could, conceivably, happen."

"That's a good idea."

She smirked.

"Phil asked him what he'd say if he told Peter that he had some candy in his van…"

"And…?"

"Peter told him that he wasn't that gullible."

"Good for him."

"He'd want to see the candy before he got in the van."

Tony almost choked on the coffee he was sipping, and a feminine snort of amusement from off the image told Hill that Pepper Potts was just as amused as she'd been.

"He was joking, though, right?"

"Of course, he was," she assured him. "It's rookie stuff, but we still go over it with him."

Not that there was a chance in hell that a stranger with a bag of m&ms was going to get anywhere near close enough to Peter to offer him candy.

"I appreciate that."

Hill nodded.

"They're almost done with his class – and then it's lunch, so I'm going to go. We'll see you at 3:30."

"Have him call me when he's done eating, before his next class, will you?"

"Yes."

"Thanks."

The call ended and Tony looked at Pepper who had been sitting at the conference table with him, preparing for their next meeting. She smiled, amused, and not bothering to hide it.

"Feel better?"

He'd been antsy all morning, worried about Peter's first day but aware that he couldn't rush down to the school and hover over him all day, despite wanting to do just that. That was what the SHIELD people were there for, after all. Imagine that, she thought, the biggest playboy in the world done in by an eight-year-old.

"Yes. Thanks." He knew she was forcing herself not to tease him, and he appreciated it. Maybe he was overdoing the protective dad thing, checking in on Peter more often than others might, but this was all incredibly new for him, and he was reacting predictably. "Keep the bear out of the safe? Or have someone put it in it?"

He could always have an intern, or something, go over and take care of the small chore. That's what interns were for, after all.

"It isn't much of a safe if anyone can get into it, is it?"

Tony smiled.

"JARVIS controls the access."

"This is the same cleaning person that you used in the apartment?"

"Yes."

"Then I'd suggest you leave it out and let him see that nothing bad will happen to it."

He nodded, trusting her judgement.

"Thanks."

"But make sure nothing does," she added.

"Yeah."

JARVIS would keep an eye on it for Peter.