A/N: Hopefully this is working, again?

OOOOOOOO

They had lunch in the cafeteria.

Not because Tony wanted to have lunch there. He didn't. The cafeteria was where everyone who didn't have access to the executive dining rooms ate their meals. The food was good, and it was – purposefully – inexpensive, so it was popular. Which was why Peter wanted to eat there, and why Tony didn't. It was crowded, and noisy.

Peter loved it. The people working behind the counter were friendly, and Pepper had been in there enough to know that they were always friendly, and it wasn't just because Peter was excitable and adorable and she and Tony were the ranking people in the company. Peter liked chatting with them while they gathered whatever food items were ordered, and he loved to people watch while he ate – almost always sitting in an out of the way corner.

"I don't like having so many people around him," Tony had complained once to Pepper – long before they'd thought about being married. "And besides, it's hard to have a conversation when it's so noisy."

And Tony didn't really care to socialize with the people in the tower – with very few exceptions, Pepper knew.

"If he's going to own the company someday, then he's going to need to be able to socialize with the people around him," she'd reminded him. Peter was outgoing, for the most part – with people that he knew. And he loved to watch people around him as they interacted with each other. "It wouldn't hurt for you to get a little more practice at it, either," she'd added.

He'd scowled at that.

"I don't need to interact with them."

That's what he had her for, after all. To be a buffer between the others and himself.

"Then do it to be a good example for your son," had been the rejoinder.

And, so, they had lunch in the cafeteria sometimes. Usually when Peter requested it, specifically, but sometimes when Pepper wanted to see how things were going, or simply interact with the people that she didn't have a chance to see very often any other time. She enjoyed people watching, too, and she and Peter would often sit beside each other, watching the room, while Tony would pointedly put his back to it – and the people in it.

Today, of course, the topic of pretty much everyone's discussion was the wedding. Or the marriage, Tony thought, wondering if they could even refer to what they had as a wedding, since there hadn't actually been much of a ceremony. The counter people were all cheerful and some of the people eating greeted the three of them as they carried trays over to the corner table furthest from the rest of the diners. Peter was in a good mood, despite his finger hurting him, and he sat in the chair beside Pepper's so they could see everyone.

The little boy shivered with excitement, even then, because he was sitting in the dining room with Tony and Pepper. Only they weren't just Tony and Pepper, now, were they? Mom and dad. And they both wanted him to call them that. It was the most incredible thing. He was-

"What are you thinking about?" Tony asked, interrupting Peter's train of thought.

He'd noticed that while Peter was looking across the room, he didn't seem to be focusing on anything in particular, but to judge from his expression it wasn't because his finger was bothering him.

The boy proved that speculation by smiling when he brought his attention back to them.

"I'm just happy."

"Can I ask why?" Pepper asked him. "Or is it a secret?"

"Because I have everything I want."

Tony felt his insides turn to mush, because he was sure that Peter didn't mean the hotdog and the chips on the plate in front of him.

"You can't think of anything else that you might need?" he asked – just to see what the response would be. "Or something that you want that we haven't thought of?"

Peter shrugged, thinking about the great house, and the toys and all of the things that he had inside it. He thought of the treasures that he had in the safe behind the Batman poster, and JARVIS, the avengers and the SHIELD agents, and Ned. And Pepper. And Tony. Tony was everything that Peter could want. He had a dad, now. And a mom. Like Ned had said. There was only one thing that Ned had that Peter didn't, really.

"A brother?"

Pepper choked on the drink of water that she'd been taking, spewing it indelicately over her glass and onto Peter and the plate in front of him. Tony snorted, amused at the sight, but a little panicked, too. He reached for a napkin the same time Pepper did, while Peter drew the back of his hand across his face, wiping it.

"Oh, honey," Pepper said, using a napkin to wipe his face for him. "I'm sorry."

"You okay, Pep?" Tony asked, handing her another napkin.

Luckily there hadn't been too much water for her to spit on the boy. Good thing.

She nodded, still wiping Peter's face.

"Yes. Are you?" she asked Peter, who was just grinning.

"Yeah."

"Probably shouldn't hold your breath on the brother thing," Tony told his son. "Pep and I are still new at the mom and dad thing, and we want to be able to concentrate on just you. Make sense?"

Peter nodded, unconcerned. He had everything he wanted, after all. He didn't need a brother. And didn't really want one. For the same reason that he didn't want a puppy. It was just the only thing that he could think of when Tony had asked. Peter wanted them to himself.

"Yeah. I don't need one," he added, grinning. It wasn't every day someone spit on you, after all. Especially Pepper, who was usually so sophisticated and in control. Besides, it was funny. "There just isn't anything else I don't have."

Both adults looked relieved and Peter reached for his hotdog.

"Let me get you a new…" Pepper trailed off as the boy bit into it, not at all concerned that she'd spit water all over it, and she felt her stomach turn.

Tony smirked, understanding completely, but already much more accustomed to Peter's lack of concern when it came to what he was eating. As long as it wasn't green, he would eat anything, even something that had fallen on the floor, Tony knew from experience. It was gross, but probably a boy thing – even though Tony couldn't ever remember doing anything like that, himself.

It didn't mean that he hadn't, but it was definitely proof that they weren't ready for any other children – something that they'd already discussed and were being careful to avoid. One little guy was plenty for a superhero and the CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company.

"He's fine, Pep," Stark assured her, picking up discarded napkins. "Aren't you, Peter?"

"I'm great," he agreed around a mouthful of hotdog.

Ugh.

Pepper smiled, though, but only picked at her own lunch after that, her appetite gone.

No, one son was more than enough for her.