"You ready, Mo?"
Morgan skipped across the threshold to Harley, hugging him tightly.
Harley visited occasionally when he had time off from school and they were going to see the city today as per their Adventure Time schedule.
Morgan stepped away shortly after, nodding her head and bouncing on the soles of her light-up rubber shoes clad feet. She was wearing rainbow leggings and a plain white shirt with a unicorn in the middle.
Unicorns and rainbows were her thing now. She wasn't gonna wear anything else
"You sure you don't want to take a car?" came Pepper's question. She held Morgan's backpack in one hand and a pink cap in the other.
"I'm pretty sure if I did, Tony would roll over in his grave."
It took about a year, but they were finally in a place where they could joke about him.
Tony would want them to be laughing.
Pepper laughed. "I'll handle it if he does."
"Anyway, it's gonna be traffic today what with Pride happening. Might as well take the train."
"Oh, yeah." Pepper fixed the cap over Morgan's head. "Looks like you chose your rainbow leggings wisely today, honey."
Morgan let her mom slip the bag around her arms next and then tugged at Harley. "Let's go! I wanna play on the train!"
"Do I need to be worried?" Pepper eyed Harley.
"Yeah, we're totally gonna hang off the back of the train like the guys in movies."
"Behave or I'll call Happy to babysit you two."
Harley laughed. "We'll be fine, Mom."
Years of friendship conducted through emails, rather annoying voice mails if you look at Tony Stark's phone history, and occasional visits to the Starks (especially when Harley's own family got dusted) allowed Harley the small honor of teasing Pepper and calling her Mom sometimes.
Pepper waved the two kids out, half wondering if she'll regret leaving them to their own devices in New York City.
...
"I missed you so much!" said Morgan.
They were both standing on a packed train. They were playing a game about who would fall over first.
So far, Harley was winning.
"I missed you too, small fry."
Morgan giggled at the nickname and then squealed when the train came to a stop, her small body tipping over.
Harley grabbed her by the backpack to keep her from falling.
Morgan laughed again. "That's my favorite part."
"Are you even trying to stay upright?"
Morgan only grinned.
They got out of the train, Harley holding her hand because this was still New York and she was also a Stark.
She could wander off or someone could wander off with her tucked between their arm.
There were probably SHIELD agents shadowing them too but Harley didn't want to count right now. Today was for an adventure.
He told himself he was gonna do all of the things Tony would want to do with his daughter.
They walked out of the subway and out into the streets, greeting rainbow flags, marching bands, and cheers from hundreds of people supporting the Pride Parade.
"What's happening?" asked Morgan, eyes already zeroing in on the main road where the festivities seemed to be taking place.
"It's a Pride parade," Harley explained.
"What's pride?"
"It's when you're really happy about who you are and these people are celebrating that."
Harley had to put Morgan up on his shoulders as he walked closer to get a better view.
"A RAINBOW!" Morgan cried out.
There was what seemed to be a rainbow made entirely of multicolored balloons making its way up the street. It arched over the people carrying it and Morgan was smiling in delight.
They lingered for a while because Morgan wanted to see the dancing birds. Not actual birds but people dressed as colorful birds.
"Look! Purple hair!" said Morgan, pointing at a dancer.
They walked along the sidewalk to see what else was happening when Morgan spotted a vendor selling some Pride accessories.
"I want the rainbow unicorn one!"
Harley bought a pack of stickers which Morgan proceeded to stick all over their arms and faces.
Harley was not exempted.
Suddenly, there was a loud cheering and Morgan and Harley turned just in time to see familiar faces in the parade.
Harley inserted himself among the throng and finally managed to get directly behind the rails.
Morgan squinted, pulling at Harley's hair. "Is that... Someone dressed as daddy!"
There was a group of people dressed up as the Avengers but with a Pride twist.
There was a rainbow cape trailing behind "Thor" who waved a hammer shouting something Harley couldn't hear because the crowd was cheering.
Behind "Thor" was "Iron Man" whose suit was painted the colors of the rainbow and walking hand-in-hand with a scantily clad Captain America.
"Why isn't Captain America wearing any clothes?" asked Morgan. "Isn't he cold?"
Harley was saved from answering when there came cries of "SPIDER-MAN!" and people were pointing as the hero swung over them, raining confetti down on them all.
Harley laughed. So this was why Peter blew them off today.
"I think Spider-Man is very proud of who he is," Morgan said and then turned her attention back to the Avengers. "That's a tiny Hulk!"
"Hey, Iron Man!" called Harley and Morgan joined him.
"Iron Man" saw them and walked towards them, giving everyone he could reach a high-five (including Morgan).
She was extremely pleased and started talking about how she wanted to wear her own rainbow colored suit.
After all the Avengers had passed, Morgan and Harley continued their way down the street.
…
They went to the Children's Museum because Harley knew Tony had planned on taking Morgan again when she turned five, but had never gotten to it for obvious reasons.
Morgan loved it.
Harley could barely catch up to her as she ran around an open mouth, slid down its tongue, and promptly shouted at Harley to "Hurry up!"
Her favorite part though was painting at one of the activity tables.
"What're you making?" Harley asked, peering over to her work.
Morgan stood, showing him her drawing of a unicorn with purple felt balls pasted on top of what must be its mane.
"Like that bird on the street today."
Harley pointed at something drawn over the unicorn's backside. It had stars all over it.
"What's that?"
"It's her underpants. Like Captain America. I liked it."
Harley choked on his own saliva while Morgan sat back down and set her drawing a little too roughly on the table.
She accidentally knocked over a spoonful of paint and it landed on Harley's work, splattering the surface and Harley himself.
Harley looked at Morgan, mouth agape.
Morgan tried to look apologetic but failed completely because Harley had paint on his front teeth.
"Your teeth!"
Harley half-glared at her.
The thought "What would Tony do?" flitted across his mind for a brief second.
And then—
Harley flicked the spoon of paint right back at her.
Morgan shrieked.
…
Harley couldn't even bring himself to appear ashamed as Pepper Potts stood over them at the Security's Office.
"Were the two of you trying to paint the whole place blue?"
"It's paint the town red—"
Pepper shot Harley a look and Harley pressed his mouth closed.
Morgan lowered her head in shame. At least one of them looked apologetic.
"I'm sorry, Mommy. It was an accident. I won't do it again."
It definitely was not an accident and Pepper knew that too. But Morgan was five who took social cues from those around her and Harley was almost a legal adult. This was all on him.
Pepper sighed and took Morgan's face in her hands, turning it left and then right. Then she glanced at Harley.
"The two of you look like you belong at the Pride parade."
Harley and Morgan exchanged looks and they both failed to stifle their laughter.
Morgan not only had stickers over her face and paint to boot, but her hair was streaked yellow and red, and her white shirt was barely visible. Harley imagined he looked equally hilarious.
"We're just celebrating who we are, Mom," said Harley.
"Yeah!" Morgan agreed. "When I grow up I want to be like Rainbow Iron Man!"
"You also look like you could be at Coachella," Pepper added. The smallest twitch of her mouth was the only sign that she found the sight just as humorous as the children did.
"What's Coachella?" asked Morgan.
"That's where I'm taking you next year," Harley couldn't help but say. "It's so cool! They have marshmallows and chocolate and music!"
Pepper's head snapped to his direction, smile gone. "I'm not leaving you two alone again. Honestly, Harley, this seemed more like something I'd expect from Tony."
This time Harley beamed, proud and unrestrained. "Then my work here is done."
Pepper gave him a confused look. Had he done all this in the name of Tony Stark? Why would he…?
Pepper caught the look Morgan sent Harley. It had been a while since she smiled this bright or had actually done something mischievous.
Pepper closed her eyes and then opened them again.
"Did you have fun?" she asked Morgan.
Morgan nodded, eyes lighting up because apparently she wasn't going to be punished anymore. "It's the best day ever!" She pulled a piece of paper out of her backpack and handed it to her mom.
Fortunately, the important parts of it were still visible while the rest was covered in the same paint Morgan was.
"I made a unicorn. She has purple hair because the dancer in the parade had purple hair. And she has the same star underpants as Captain America. I think they must be special underpants because even without clothes on, Captain America didn't act like he was cold at all, Mommy."
Harley's eyes widened as he imagined what Morgan's statement sounded like to her mother.
Pepper rounded on him.
And Harley thought one thing, "Shit. Tony, what do I do?"