Stark was at the door before they reached it when Natasha returned Peter the next afternoon. He opened it as Peter was running up the steps of the porch, his backpack in his hand rather than draped over his shoulder.

"Hey!" Tony's greeting was happy, and Peter's expression was a match as the boy flung himself in his arms, dropping the backpack. "There's my boy!"

Peter hugged him, hard.

"I missed you."

"I missed you, too, buddy," he replied, truthfully.

"You checked in with him a million times," Romanoff pointed out, walking up to the two at a much more sedate pace and picking up Peter's backpack. "I don't know how you could possibly have missed him that much."

"Because you're not a dad, Natasha," Tony told her, shifting Peter to one arm, but not putting him down, and reaching for the bag that she was carrying.

She handed him the backpack, as well.

"It'll take some kind of crazy miracle to make me one," she agreed.

"Cup of coffee?"

"That'd go down, nicely. Thanks."

Tony set Peter down so he could shut the door, and handed the boy his backpack.

"Go put your things in your room, buddy. Dirty clothes into the hamper, and toys put away. Then meet us in the kitchen."

"Okay."

The billionaire smiled, though, and tousled Peter's hair.

"I'm so glad you're home."

"Me, too."

The boy left, vanishing into his room with his bags. Tony turned and walked with Natasha into the kitchen.

"Did you have a good weekend?" The assassin asked, settling on a bar stool.

He smiled.

"I did."

"Where is she?"

Tony didn't have to ask who she meant.

"Home. I invited her to be here. I told her I'd make her dinner and she could hang out, but she said it should be me and Peter, tonight."

"She's right."

"Yeah." He already had coffee ready. JARVIS had told him when they'd reached the gate, after all. "What did you find out?"

"He definitely has a talent, but it isn't a hundred percent. He knew there were people hiding behind the walls, but he didn't catch in on all of them."

"It isn't much of an ability if it doesn't work all the time."

Natasha smiled.

"He's still young. He'll learn how to use them. Refine them. It'll just take some learning on his part, and patience on yours."

"I can wait," Tony said, with a slight smile. "He's a little guy, like you said. I'm not going to rush him into anything. He's pretty fun as a little guy. I'm in no hurry to make him into anything else. He certainly isn't."

"That's very mature of you."

"I'm a mature guy," he told her.

She snorted, but before she reply to that – which would almost certainly have been sarcastic – Peter came running into the room, holding a small batman plushie that was only a little larger than his bear.

"You got me a batman!"

Tony nodded, handing Natasha her coffee and then picking the boy up and hugging him, again.

"I was going to get you an Ironman, but you already have me. Right?"

Peter nodded, breathing excitedly as he hugged him.

"Yeah."

"Stay for dinner?" Tony asked Romanoff. "It's the least we can do for you keeping him company all weekend."

She shook her head.

"I'm going to drink my coffee while Peter tells you all about what we did this weekend, and then I'm going home. But thank you."

She was ready for a break from the adorable cuteness that was Peter Stark – and the double dose that came from watching Tony interacting with him.

"Can I have a cookie?" Peter asked his father.

"You didn't offer our guest any…" Tony reminded him.

Peter smiled, turning to Natasha.

"Want some cookies?"

"Yes. Please."

Tony set him down and Peter hurried to get his stepstool so he could reach the shelf that held them. As he tried to decide what kind of cookies Natasha would want – which was really him deciding what kind of cookies he wanted – Tony poured himself a cup of coffee and settled in the barstool closest to Peter's. He'd checked in with them often enough that he had a good idea of everything that had happened that weekend – and he and Pepper had watched the recording JARVIS had of the kitchen scenario with Nick once he'd gotten off the phone with the boy and Natasha the evening before – but it would be fun to hear it in Peter's own words.

OOOOOOOOO

"Did you have a good night, last night?"

Tony nodded, smiling at Pepper, who was sitting in a chair on the other side of his desk.

"I did. We entertained Romanoff until she left, then we had dinner, and made the most incredible Hot Wheels track in the history of Hot Wheel tracks before bedtime."

"The most incredible one, ever?" she asked, amused that he would be so enthusiastic about something so juvenile. Of course, it was Tony, she decided, and she knew that he wasn't above being childish, at times. "There are probably others out there who might disagree."

"Maybe," he conceded. "But I'm an engineer – and Peter understand physics as well as anyone, and better than many. We had those cars racing around the living room and the kitchen without any need for propulsion other than gravity and force."

"Did JARVIS record it?"

"Of course." The billionaire assured her. "When they finally get around to making the movie about my life, it'll need to go in, I'm sure."

"I'm sure…"

"Besides, Peter thought that you might want to see it."

"Uh huh. Maybe later." She had a lot of other things to do, that morning. "Did you speak to Doctor Wayne?"

"I did." Pepper had suggested that Tony call the doctor that morning and discuss how/when/or if they should tell Peter that he and Pepper were sleeping together. So they (or Tony) didn't spring it on him at an inopportune time. "He thanked me for letting him know, and then assured me that even though patient/doctor confidentiality doesn't extend to parents of his clients, he wouldn't spread it around."

"That's nice of him."

"Of course, I don't mind people knowing," Stark added. "At least, once Peter does."

He shouldn't be hearing about it at school, or something.

"What did he say about telling him?"

Tony shrugged.

"He said that Peter already knows about sex, and relationships between men and women, so it shouldn't traumatize him to find out that we're an item. He did mention that when Peter was telling him about the people in his life as they were getting to know each other, your name came up, immediately."

"What does that mean?"

"That you were in his thoughts. And that he clearly loves you." He smiled at the way her expression softened at that. "Which I already knew, of course."

"Jesus, that little boy is too cute."

"Right?" Tony smiled, reaching for her hand. "So, it leaves the question; do you mind if Peter knows about us? We could try to keep it a secret if you'd rather."

She appreciated that. And decided that it was another sign that he wasn't the ass that he'd once been, because the old Tony – Pre-Peter Tony – wouldn't have bothered to ask her input and would have done whatever he wanted.

"He's a perceptive little guy," she said. And she smiled when she remembered a conversation that she'd had with the little boy. "Besides, you shouldn't have that kind of secret from him – and I don't want to have that kind of secret from him."

"Do we tell him, together?"

"No. You take him home after his psychologist appointment, tonight, and sit him down and discuss it with him. Then, despite it being a school night, if he isn't freaked out about it, I will bring us all dinner, and we can talk about any questions or concerns that he has while we eat and then play with Legos, or something that isn't too physical."

"Alright."

"Unless the psychologist vetoes the idea," she added. "Either way, call me before I leave here, so I know if I'm bringing dinner over."

"Will do."