'Dada, where did Cap go?'
'He's probably unpacking,' he replies as he contemplates the ceiling through Jarvis' overlay.
'Can we go find him?'
He's pretty sure Steve doesn't want to see him right now,
'I'm working, baby,' he shifts them in the air to get a new angle, 'you can go find him if you want. Get him to take you to Alfred so you can both eat.'
Pete rests his head on his shoulder, much easier now his helmet is off,
'I want to stay with you.'
'Of course you can stay, but I have to keep working,' he drills another hole to match a mark indicated by Jarvis.
'Oh.'
Pete's quiet for a few minutes,
'Dada?'
'Yes, Pete?'
'If I go find Cap and we get food can I come back here after?'
'You can always come and find me if you want to,' he flashes a smile at his son.
He had been forbidden to go anywhere near where Howard worked and, if he ever dared to, he soon regretted it when he was sent away to Maria.
'Dada?' Pete asks after a moment.
'Yes, baby?'
'You are my favourite and I'm your favourite so that's fair, right?'
'Sure.'
'But you're Cap's favourite too so that's not fair? Cap needs to be someone's favourite.'
'He's lots of people's favourite.'
'But he needs to be your favourite or it's not fair!'
'I'm his favourite billionaire and he's my favourite super soldier,' he grins. 'Does that make it fair?'
Pete thinks about that,
'Umm, maybe.'
'It's maybe fair?' he grins as drills another hole.
'I guess,' Pete nozzles his head under his chin.
'Do you want me to let you down?' he asks when Pete is quiet again.
'And I can come back?' Pete checks.
'I promise,' he agrees and lands to let Pete down. 'Jay, tell Pete how to find Cap, ok?'
'Of course, sir,' Jarvis agrees.
He watches Pete walk away talking to Jarvis using his own ear bud before collecting what turns out to be a cold coffee,
'Jarvis, did Cap really imply that he isn't good enough for me?'
'That was the impression I received,' Jarvis sounds approving, the over protective bastard.
'So what do I do?' he puts the coffee back down and fiddles with a tablet.
'Sir, that rather depends on how you perceive Captain Rogers.'
'Jay, he's Captain America. He is the actual Captain America.'
'You are Tony Stark,' Jarvis replies, 'you are Iron Man.'
'Granted,' he allows. 'What would Pepper tell me to do?'
'Ms Potts would likely instruct you to speak with him, sir. Shall I call her?'
'No to both of those!' he can only imagine how badly those conversations would go. 'What do I say to him? Hey, you're more than good enough for me but don't take that as encouragement because I can't let anything happen between us.'
'Sir, may I ask why you are dismissing Captain Rogers as a potential match?'
'You realise the potential fallout?' he laughs. 'We're running a team together, he lives in my current main residence and we're about to have a kid together; I can't let our relationship collapse. Also I'm pretty sure Pep made me promise never to fuck virgins.'
'Might I suggest the possibility of things not ending badly?'
'Jay, I didn't make you to play matchmaker.'
'I strive to out perform my original programming,' Jarvis deadpans.
'I couldn't even make things work with Pepper.'
'That should not deter you from ever making another attempt.'
'Try setting me up with someone other than Steve Rogers,' he scoffs. 'Has Pete got to him yet?'
'Your attempt at changing the subject is not subtle.'
'But you love your dada; so you'll allow it,' he taps his eye piece. 'Where's your brother?'
'Peter is approaching Captain Rogers' suite now.'
If nothing else he can rely on his AI.
'Great, let's get back to work,' he lifts back into the air.
