While the others got together to decide what activities they wanted to do that evening, Peter hobbled to the kitchen and sat himself gingerly on one of the stools in the kitchen to spend time with Tony – who happened to be doing dished with Elmer. Stark fussed over him for a moment and reassured himself that the boy was okay where he was, reminded him not to linger if his hip started bothering him, and then started rinsing dishes as Rupp delivered them to the sink in neat stacks.
"What's Idaho like?" Peter asked, curiously, after watching the two men.
"It's really pretty," Rupp told him. "Like it is here – although the mountains here are more impressive, for the most part. You ever seen the movie Dante's Peak?"
"Yeah."
Of course he had, Tony thought – but didn't say aloud.
"That was filmed in Idaho. No volcano, but the scenery isn't CGI."
"Wow. Did you ever meet any of the people in it?"
"No. My job isn't exciting enough to put me in the same places that the famous folk go."
Peter smiled.
"Your hobbies are, though."
When Rupp and Stark both looked at him, curiously, Peter shrugged.
"You're doing dishes with Tony. He's pretty famous, right?"
The Idahoan nodded and then shrugged.
"I didn't think about that, but you're definitely right."
"Not that doing dishes is all that exciting," Peter conceded. "But it doesn't matter to me what I'm doing – just who I'm doing it with."
"That's a good attitude to have, Peter," Elmer told him. "It must be pretty exciting, though, living with Ironman and the Avengers."
The boy nodded, and the look he gave Tony made Stark smile and want to pick him up and hug him forever.
"It's amazing," Peter said, sincerely. "I'm really lucky to have him – and them."
Stark found he actually had to swallow hard to clear the lump in his throat, suddenly, and he leaned against the sink, turning toward the boy who meant so much to him.
"We feel the same way about you. Don't ever forget that."
They shared a look, and Rupp wished that he could stop breathing to avoid disturbing what was obviously a very personal moment between the two. It was Peter who broke the exchange, though, although he was smiling, still, and there was a hint of moisture in his eyes when he turned from Tony to Rupp.
"What do you do for a living?"
Rupp told him – and Tony – about working at the bank as a security guard and at night sometimes at the gas station. He had a few anecdotes from both jobs that were amusing, and obviously favorites of his to tell from the practiced way he told them. Peter didn't mind if the man had told them a million times before – it was the first time that he'd heard them. He bet that Rupp's wife couldn't say that, though.
By the time dishes had been rinsed and put into the dishwasher, and the meatloaf pan had been scrubbed and set to dry on a rack, Peter was ready to find a softer place to sit. With Tony on one side and Elmer on the other he was helped into the living room and deposited very carefully beside MJ, who was holding Jack in her lap and loving up on the puppy, who was almost asleep after a busy day of wading through the snow chasing snowballs and people. She scooted over just a bit, so he wouldn't jar his hip. Even better, as far as Peter was concerned, she almost automatically reached out and brushed her hand against his forehead – clearly in response to the fact that every time he sat near Pepper, Natasha or even Tony, it was exactly what one of them did. She dropped her hand when she realized what she was doing, but instead of blushing like Peter would have in the same situation, she gave him an ironic smile and a what can you do shrug that made him smile, too.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm fine."
"Sore?"
"Yeah. A little."
Tony settled beside Peter, as well, and it was a good thing that he was turned away from the two teens and toward Pepper, who also had a spot on the couch, because his smile was amused and made Pepper grin, too.
Elmer went to the table to look through the photos that he'd taken, and Natasha was playing cards with Clint, Steve and Bruce. Ned was playing the 3-D chess game with Strange. The two of them at the far end of the sectional, with the doctor on the couch and the boy sitting upright in one of the beanbag chairs, with the coffee table between them. Pepper and MJ had started a movie, and it wasn't such a chick flick that Peter and Tony had to try to find an excuse to be somewhere else.
"Any word on the weather report?" Stephen asked, looking over at Stark once he'd settled himself with Pepper's hand firmly in his own.
"Snow is all I heard," Tony replied. "Friday said something about a mass of cold air coming down from Canada and hitting a warm mass practically right above us. We're just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Who's Friday?" MJ asked.
"She's an AI," Ned answered before Stark or Peter could. "Mr. Stark's work wife."
Pepper snorted, making them all grin, and Stark shook his head, but couldn't deny it.
"When is it going to stop?" Strange asked. "Did Friday tell you that?"
"Couple more days, most likely. Getting tired of the company you're keeping?"
"The company is fine," Strange replied with a wink at Ned. "It's the location and temperature that I have complaints about."
"Next time we'll get snowed in on a tropical beach somewhere," Pepper promised him.
"I'm going to hold you to that."
He returned his attention to the game he was learning how to play, and the others went back to their movie.
OOOOOOO
MJ was the first to fall asleep. She hadn't made it through the movie when the active day and the warmth of the fire caught up with her and she ended up leaning somewhat against Peter, who had to bite down a gasp of pain when her hand ended up between them and jarred his hip. He didn't move, to avoid waking her, but he did bite his lower lip and tense up – which made Tony look over to see what was wrong.
The billionaire was torn between amusement and concern. Amusement because of the situation Peter found himself in and concern because he was clearly hurting, even though if not for the wound on that hip, Stark was certain that he would have been blushing a brilliant red and loving every minute of it. He reached over Peter with the hand that wasn't holding Pepper and gently moved MJ's hand back to her lap where Jack's head was propped as well. He managed to do it without waking the girl and potentially embarrassing her, and then winked at Peter – who did blush, then.
Strange and Ned finished their third chess game – Ned was catching on pretty quickly to the dynamics of the game and had beat the doctor all three times. Stephen excused himself to the table to see what Natasha and the guys were doing, and Ned said he was tired and was going to go to bed.
Peter wasn't tired. He'd slept much of the day, after all. He felt Tony fall asleep next to him, though, and Pepper didn't last to the end of the movie, either. Rather than wake any of them, he simply watched the movie through to the end credits and then turned the TV off and sat in the light of the fire.
"They all fell asleep on you?" Steve asked only a few minutes after the movie was finished.
He'd finished the game with the others and had come to collect his puppy.
"Yeah."
Rogers grinned and shook his head and carefully picked up Jack, who woke up and licked his chin. Strange walked over, as well, with Natasha. He didn't have any problem waking any of them, and he did, starting with MJ – who woke just enough to be sent to bed. She didn't argue, only told everyone good night and headed sleepily up the stairs. When he woke Tony, though, Stark didn't bother to wake Pepper. He got up and simply picked her up into his arms and carried her into their bedroom, with Natasha going ahead to pull the blankets back.
"We're going to bed," Strange told them. He looked at Peter. "Do you need help getting upstairs?"
"No. I'm not sleepy, yet, thanks."
Natasha returned with Stark. She leaned over and kissed Peter's forehead – taking the opportunity to check for fever – and told him goodnight. When Clint and Bruce decided they were going to bed, too, Peter dragged himself off the couch, so Elmer could have his bed, too, and he and Tony went to sit in the kitchen at the island to share a nightcap, as Tony called it. Coffee for him, hot chocolate for Peter.
"You look better," Tony murmured, reaching a hand to the boy's forehead. "No fever."
"It was only the cloak," Peter reminded him. "I'm not sick."
"Good."
They sat in a comfortable silence for a while, enjoying each other's company and the quiet of the cabin. Peter looked at the snow falling outside the kitchen window.
"You guys aren't worried about missing work?" he asked.
"I'm not missing anything," Stark reminded him. "Pepper's in contact with her people every day and they know how to get in touch if anything happens. She's not stressing this. It's just an extended vacation."
"Did I thank you for bringing me?" Peter asked, facetiously.
"You did."
"It's great."
"You're great."
The boy smiled. He was never going to need a champion in his life, he knew. Not with Tony Stark there.
"Thanks… dad."
Tony couldn't reply. Not with words, anyway. They didn't really need words, though. He hugged the boy – his boy – and felt Peter's hand come up to his chin.
"You're going to kill me, kid," he murmured, softly. "I'm just going to turn into a pile of goo right here on this stool."
Peter chuckled.