Steve can't stop smiling.
Tony only thought he wouldn't want to be involved; he never wanted to exclude him.
It's upsetting to realise how little Tony trusts him, but knowing what he now knows he can hardly be angry with him.
Of course, when he thinks about it, he realises that Tony trusts him not to hurt Pete but not not to hurt Tony himself.
Which is upsetting all in itself.
It doesn't help him with the crushing warm glow of feeling in his chest whenever he looks at Tony.
Tony: his son's Dada.
Pepper appearing from her room stops him from saying anything to spoil things.
'Hey, Pep,' Tony greets her.
His own smile dims a little.
'Good morning,' Pepper glances between them and stops at the edge of the room. 'Am I interrupting?'
'No, ma'am,' he straightens up where he's sitting. 'Good morning.'
It isn't her fault she knew before him.
She smiles,
'You've sorted things out between you?'
'Mostly,' he glances at Tony.
'Cap is going to come up and spend time with Jim whenever he wants,' Tony confirms with a tentative smile.
'Good,' Pepper approves and walks closer.
Natasha did say that the people that knew before him were probably the ones to convince Tony to tell him.
'Tony, did you read the email about the Gala?'
'I did not,' Tony lounges back into the sofa cushions.
'Then would you like me to make your dinner choices for you?' Pepper smiles with a fake looking sweetness.
'What were the choices?' Tony picks up his tablet with a sudden urgency. 'Jarvis, put me down for the terrine, the salmon and the tart.'
'Yes, sir,' Jarvis agrees. 'Will Peter require a meal?'
'Yeah,' Tony puts the tablet back down. 'Terrine, risotto and the mousse. Cap, have you chosen?'
'Me?' he blurts in confusion and looks between the other two.
'Are you still coming?' Pepper asks.
'You were coming to look after Pete, remember?' Tony reminds him.
'Oh, umm, I'll have the same as Tony?' he glances back to Pepper.
'Good choice,' Tony smirks.
'Would you like to see the menu?' Pepper looks amused.
'Oh, no, that's fine,' he makes himself smile, 'I'm sure I'll love... terrine?'
What the hell is terrine?
'Sure you will,' Tony agrees before looking to Pepper, 'Pete and Cap need to be at our table.'
'Of course,' Pepper looks back to her tablet. 'That'll make the table the four of us, Bruce and Jan.'
'Bruce is coming?' he's surprised.
'Not that Bruce,' Tony replies. 'Jarvis, what is your surveillance there?'
It shouldn't surprise him that Jarvis would handle surveillance for Tony.
'My presence in the Mansion is limited, sir,' Jarvis replies. 'You have never been on site long enough to require full integration.'
Wait, the Mansion?
'We need to change that,' Tony scowls. 'Get me everything I'll need.'
'You're going to fully integrate Jarvis into the Mansion in the three and a half days before the Gala?' Pepper doesn't sound convinced.
Howard's Mansion?
'Pete is going to be there,' Tony points out. 'Have you heard the term 'kidnapping risk'?'
'I'm not saying it's a bad plan; I'm telling you, you don't have time.'
Tony owns a mansion that he inherited from his father but hasn't spent enough time there to even install his best friend?
'I have time,' Tony disagrees. 'Pete, gather up your toys; we're moving house.'
'Tony!' Pepper objects immediately. 'You can't drop everything to rewire the Mansion!'
'Kidnapping. Risk.' Tony sounds the words out
'So don't take him!'
'I'll be there all night! I'm not leaving him for that long.'
'What about Florida?' Pepper gestures. 'What about the coding meeting? The publicity shots for the Gala? The budget meeting on Monday?'
'When was the last time I went to a budget meeting?'
'Oh, just ignore all the rest of what I just said...'
'Thanks, I will.'
'Tony!'
'Pepper?'
'You're the one that wanted to hear from Florida.'
'I'm going to the Mansion, not a technological wilderness; I'll get cell coverage there.'
'You are infuriating,' Pepper taps away on her tablet. 'You're still doing the photo shoot; they'll meet you at the Mansion tomorrow.'
'Deal,' Tony grins.
It feels like some sort of bizarre privilege to watch interactions between these two.
'Dada, I can't find my elephant,' Pete has obediently put a selection of toys into a brightly coloured box.
'Jarvis, order a new one.'
'Sir, I could instead direct you to the location of the original elephant?'
'Will it hold us up?'
'Tony!' Pepper objects as she brandishes her tablet at him.
'What have I walked into?' Colonel Rhodes steps off of the lift.
'We're moving,' Tony walks to his friend, claps him on the shoulder, and strides off towards his bedroom.
Rhodes looks at him suspiciously,
'Captain?'
He feels himself tense,
'Colonel?'
'James,' Pepper steps forwards, 'he's moving to the Mansion to install Jarvis.'
Rhodes doesn't look entirely convinced.
'I'm not angry with him,' he blurts.
'Cap,' Pete tugs on his pant leg, 'I want my elephant.'
'Ok,' he pulls his gaze away from Rhodes, 'where did you last see it?'
'Dunno,' Pete pouts.
Tony reappears with two suitcases which he drops by the lift,
'Come on.'
'My elephant!' Pete objects and clutches at Steve.
Tony just looks confused,
'I'll get you another one.'
'I don't want another one,' Pete replies quietly.
Tony just looks even more baffled.
'Sir,' Jarvis cuts in, 'the elephant in question is under Peter's bed.'
'Go with your Dada,' he smiles, 'I'll get your elephant and meet you in the garage. Ok?'
Pete doesn't look convinced and doesn't let go.
'Oh fuck I'm a terrible parent,' Tony declares and disappears back towards the bedrooms.
'Dada!' Pete's grip on his pants tightens briefly before he scrambles over to the suitcases. 'I want to go with Dada...'
'Pete, he's not leaving without you,' he tells him quickly.
'Dada?'
'Here,' Tony reappears, brandishing an elephant, and immediately has a three and a half year old attached to his legs. 'Pete?'
'He thought you were leaving without him,' he scolds.
Tony looks horrified and drops to his knees to scoop his son against him,
'I didn't... I got the elephant!'
Pete curls against his father and presses his face against the glow of the arc reactor.
'Baby, I would never just leave you,' Tony looks up at them beseechingly.
'It'll be alright, Tones,' Rhodes tells him quietly. 'I'll take your stuff to the Mansion; see you there.'
Pepper smiles at Tony, shoots Steve a look that he can't decipher, and leaves the room.
Tony stands up, still cradling his son, and takes a hesitant step towards Steve,
'I was only just in the other room?'
'He's three,' he smiles and steps close enough to tug Tony into an odd one armed hug.
Tony slumps against him and rests his head under his chin so Steve wraps both arms around him and Pete.
'I'm not going to be any better a father than Howard was,' Tony sighs.
'Tony,' he pulls back enough to catch Tony's eyes. 'You went back for the elephant.'
Tony gazes at him with those big brown eyes.
God, if only he could kiss him.
