The next morning Tony regains consciousness to the increasingly familiar sensation of having a small boy using him as a climbing frame,

'Daaaaadaaaaaa...' Pete pats his back before crawling around a little. The small hands and fuzz covered knees aren't exactly comfortable against his bare back so it's something of a relief when Pete collapses across his shoulder blades so their heads are together. 'Dada?'

'Hello, Pete,' he curls an arm around his face.

'Dada?' Pete rolls over on top of him.

'Yes, kid?'

'It's day time.'

'If you say so,' Tony rolls onto his back making Pete topple off of him with a giggle.

'Dada,' Pete beams at him as he opens his eyes.

That fuzzy Iron Man onesie from Rhodey is inspired.

'How about,' Tony tugs his son against his side, 'we try sleeping for a bit longer?'

'But it's day time,' Pete objects even as he curls against Tony's chest.

'Do you think so?' Tony's eyes have slid shut.

'Jarvis, is it day time?'

'Yes, Peter,' Jarvis sounds amused, the traitor, 'it is now seven twenty. Good morning.'

'Jarvis says it's morning time,' Pete tells him triumphantly.

Tony groans.

'Do you not like morning?'

'The morning's great,' Tony snarks, 'I just think it should be in the afternoon.'

Pete settles against him briefly before becoming restless,

'Up!' he pokes Tony in the ribs.

'God you're persistent, this is like Pepper trying to get me to a board meeting all over again...'

He opens his eyes as Pete climbs onto his chest,

'I'm not awake,' he tells his son.

Pete looks over at the bedroom door and then back to him

'You need coffee.'

Clearly this child is a genius.

He's looking at the door again,

'Dada, why has Cap not come?'

'I think it'll just be us today, buddy,' Tony rubs his eyes. 'Cap isn't coming.'

'Oh,' Pete looks confused before lying down on Tony's chest so that his cheek presses against the glass of the arc reactor.

Tony pets his son's hair and tries to make his brain wake up enough to say something comforting.

Maybe he should get Jarvis to call in Pepper.

Why couldn't he have just sucked up his insecurities and told Steve the truth from the beginning?

'But... who will make breakfast?' Pete asks quietly. 'And coffee?'

'Hey, come on,' Tony presses a kiss to his son's hair, 'we're Starks; we don't need anyone else.'

'Oh,' Pete doesn't sound very comforted.

'Except Jarvis,' Tony tries. 'Jarvis can make me coffee.'

'The coffee machine is running, sir.'

Tony sits up and his son slips into his lap,

'What do you want to eat?'

'Dunno,' Pete gazes up at him with big sad eyes.

'Jarvis,' Tony hugs his son against his chest, 'pour that coffee.'

'Of course, sir.'

'Life saver,' Tony mutters. 'Come on, kid, up and at 'em.'

Pete heads to his own room to get dressed, dragging his sword and blanket with him, as Tony detours to get coffee before coming back for him. He helps his son pick out clothes that match while gulping down his coffee.

'You aren't dressed,' Pete scolds him as they head to the main room of the penthouse.

Tony glances down to where he's just wearing sleep pants and shrugs,

'I'll get dressed when I wake up.'

In the kitchen he pours Pete a beaker of milk and refills his coffee.

'Breakfast...' he ponders his cupboards. 'Jarvis?'

'I suggest cereal is not beyond your capabilities, sir,' Jarvis is a condescending bastard. 'Alternatively there are also poptarts in the cupboard to your right.'

'Cereal... I can manage cereal,' Tony mutters and pours a bowl of lucky charms.

Pete attacks his breakfast with enthusiasm but he still seems subdued.

Tony can't think of a single thing to say.

'Is Cap fighting bad guys?' Pete asks quietly after breakfast as Tony figures out how to load his own dishwasher. 'Is that why he didn't come?'

'Captain America is a very busy man,' Tony flashes up a smile for his son.

'Sir,' Jarvis interrupts, 'I suggest you turn the bowl over or it will not be able to drain.'

'Really, Jarvis, is that important right now?' Tony throws his arms into the air.

His AI has issues.

'So he's fighting bad guys?' all he has to do is lie and say yes.

He should lie, right? Steve probably wouldn't even want him to upset Pete by telling him they fell out...

'Jarvis said to turn it over,' Pete has slipped from his chair and come over to turn over the bowl.

'Right,' Tony watches his son reposition everything.

And who could have taught him that other than Steve?

He retreats to his room to get dressed as Pete curls up with his tablet on the couch.

'Jarvis, what do I do?'

'I do not have any suggestions for you, sir,' he replies regretfully.

'Where is...' he changes his mind. 'Where's Pepper?'

'Ms Potts is in her office downstairs,' Jarvis tells him, 'in a conference call with Tokyo. Captain Rogers is still out for his run and is the other side of the city.'

His AI knows him too well.

'And Rhodey?'

'Colonel Rhodes received an invitation out last night, he has not returned to the tower,' Jarvis reports delicately.

'That dog... Danvers?'

'Yes, sir,' Jarvis confirms his guess.

'Tell me when Pepper's available,' he drags a hand through his hair, 'and when Cap gets back.'

Back in the main room he finds Jarvis is reading a story to Pete off of his tablet. He sits beside his son and brings up his home interface on the coffee table.

The hologram shows the latest stock levels, that he has twenty new emails (Jarvis filters out everything except what he might read), the data for the most recent escape pod prototype and, tucked away in the bottom right, the heartbeat readout from Jim's incubator.

He brings up his emails and gets to work.

Twenty minutes or so later he looks up as his son tugs on his sleeve.

'Dada?' Pete gazes up at him, 'Cap likes us, right?' and now he looks painfully uncertain.

'Hey,' Tony laughs and tugs him against his side, 'I don't know about me, but I have it on good authority that Cap loves you, baby.'

'Yeah?' Pete brightens. 'So Cap will come back?'

'He'll be back,' Tony just hopes he's not lying.