Tony

Tony grinned at the back of Peter's head, which was unfortunately gelled and styled, since they were technically going to be out in public today. When he had automatically reached to tousle it that morning as they were eating breakfast, Peter had squawked and ducked away. "Hey, you'll mess up my hair!" It had startled Tony for a moment, because he was so used to Peter just leaving it soft and natural most days since they had bonded and subsequently gone to the Compound, but he'd quickly remembered Peter was kind of picky about his hair normally.

But his grin had nothing to do with Peter's hair, and everything to do with how his kid had his nose literally pressed to the window as they took off and climbed away from New York City. Peter had flown several times with him over the last few years, but obviously the novelty still hadn't worn off, because the boy was as enthusiastic as the first time Tony had been on a plane with him, which was on the way home from Germany, even though they had both been feeling a little ragged.

Tony marveled at the night-and-day difference in the young superhero between that flight and this one. The boy ( really a boy, at only fourteen) had been wide-eyed, polite, enthusiastic, and nervous. He had seemed to want connection with Tony, but Tony hadn't been up for a whole lot, as he tried to figure everything out in his head after the battle-that-shouldn't-have-been in Germany. He'd also been nursing some injuries, and feeling a decent amount of guilt for dragging the youngster into what turned into an actual fight, though Peter had mostly held his own. The kid had been awkward in his attempts at conversation with both him and with Happy, and had eventually turned to all that homework he'd complained about to pass the flight time, eventually falling asleep in his seat, neck leaned against the hard window since his in-flight pillow had slipped out of reach.

This Peter was so much more grown, and had presence and confidence that had come with experience, and with-he didn't mind giving himself a little credit-lots of coaching from his mentor. Peter smiled often, and brightly, and was a better conversationalist not just with Tony, but in general. He still got nervous sometimes, but it was less apparent, and he was better at asking questions to feel things out so he could feel more comfortable. Connection-wise, things had been miles better, even before they'd discovered they were soulmates. And then there were the several inches (he was almost as tall as Tony, and still growing) and pounds of mostly-muscle he'd added as he filled out. He wasn't going to look like a kid much longer, Tony thought with a little regret.

His still-enthusiastic kid turned back from the window as they reached cruising altitude, and smiled brightly when he met Tony's gaze. He settled down in his seat, their shoulders brushing, and sighed happily.

"How have we never gone to the beach? This is gonna be so cool." Peter said.

"We haven't exactly vacationed , kid. Just a few conferences and college visits, you know?"

"But even when we went to California that time, I don't think we ever went all the way to the water."

"Sorry about that. Things are so busy when we make it out there, I don't think about that."

"Oh, it's okay. I'm just excited. I've never really swam in the ocean."

"It's… different. More fun, if you're somewhere with waves, but it wears you out more, obviously, and it's considerably less sanitary than a pool."

"Well, yeah. But is that the worst thing?"

"Well, it's not the best thing, kid," Tony huffed, amused. He managed to stop before he swiped at his hair again, and just brushed the back of his neck affectionately instead. "We'll see if you're still so excited when you notice one of the many fish, alive and dead, you're probably swimming with. Plus, it's going to be pretty cold. You might find sandcastles are more your speed this trip."

Peter laughed lightly, leaning into his touch, and settled in for the short-ish flight. Still, it was no surprise to Tony that his kid had nodded off after about ten minutes. It was nearly eleven in the morning, and they'd had a busy couple of days. He wondered how long the new-bond fatigue was going to last for the teenager. Not that he was complaining. He shifted Peter just a little so he was leaning more solidly against his shoulder, and would be less likely to fall and startle himself, then settled in to catch up on some designs that R&D had submitted the week before.

It wasn't long before they were descending, the sun glinting off the water where Tony glimpsed it through Peter's window. He touched Peter's cheek gently.

" Time to wake up, kid. We're nearly there ," Tony said softly in Italian.

"Hmm? We're nearly where? " Peter answered, only half awake and blinking. Tony grinned, impressed that he'd answered back in Italian without having to think about it.

" Impressive, Pete ," Tony complimented him. Then switching to English, he said, "I thought you'd like to see the ocean as we land."

"Oh, yeah, of course!" Peter said with enthusiasm, sitting up and shaking the sleep away. He leaned into the window. "Wow, it's amazing! Do you see those clouds? We're about to go through them!"

Tony leaned back, much more interested in watching Peter's reaction than in the actual view.

Peter

Two of Happy's team from the Compound (who didn't celebrate Christmas) had flown out the night before to make sure everything was as expected, and to set up some security measures at the beach house one of Tony's assistants had rented for them. It was a four-bedroom beachfront home, with its two indoor levels set up off the ground, on top of a nice outdoor patio and grilling area. They had rented the house on either side as well, to give a little more privacy and security, and there was a member of the team staying in each one. That seemed excessive to Peter, even as long as he'd known the Starks and their "billionaire" lifestyle, but he guessed Tony was right - he'd never vacationed with them. It was nice to have it so quiet, though. His overactive senses had thoroughly enjoyed this break from real life, including all the sounds and smells that went along New York City.

The house was small (by Tony's standards) and nothing overly fancy, but it was charming, updated, and spotlessly clean. He and Tony joked about choosing one of the rooms with two sets of bunk beds, but eventually chose the master, which had both a king-sized bed and a twin in it. It seemed strange, but he could understand families trying to pack in as many people as possible on one of these beach trips. Plus, they'd talked about how they needed to start stretching out the time they spent apart, mostly to see where they were at, 9 days in, and sleeping in separate beds was a good start. Peter loved being close to Tony, especially now, but he was also quite aware that the man had another soulmate, and he knew Pepper shouldn't have to give up her husband at night longer than necessary. They'd both already been so kind and generous with the concentrated time they'd been allowing for the new platonic bond to settle.

Peter frowned slightly at the thought as he set his bags down on the smaller bed, having to fight a little bit not to go down the "I should stop being so needy and high-maintenance" pathway they sometimes veered into. He knew Tony wouldn't like that, and intellectually, he understood it wasn't true. It was only a twinge of self-castigation, but Tony was right next to him in the room, and he saw his mentor immediately straighten and give him a searching look.

"You good?"

"Yeah, just thinking about stuff. I'm good, though."

Tony eyed him skeptically, but changed the subject. "Are you still hungry?" (They'd had a light lunch on the plane.)

"Of course. What are you offering?"

Tony grinned at his predictable enthusiasm for snacks. "I actually don't know, but the fridge and cupboards should be lightly stocked. Why don't you check it out?"

Peter nodded happily, but then paused. "And afterwards, can we go down to the beach?"

"Sure. There should be a couple wetsuits in our sizes, so you can swim if you're feeling brave, and so I'm prepared to rescue you if you need it. And there's a hot tub outside, for after."

Peter scoffed at Tony's tease, made a noise of appreciation about the hot tub, and led the way to the kitchen, where he made himself a large sandwich. He texted with May while he ate it, then jumped up, eager to get down to the water. "Are you ready now?"

"Easy, slugger. Let me drink this," he said, raising his cup of coffee, and you go get ready or whatever. What part of "vacation" don't you understand? We're supposed to be relaxing."

"The part where we sit around being boring, of course," Peter fired back. "We've had plenty of rest at the Compound this last week!"

"Okay, okay. Just… ten minutes, okay?"

Peter made use of his time exploring the patio area under the porch, where he found the wet suits in a large built-in shed. It also housed boogie boards, an umbrella, copious amounts of sandcastle-building toys, and even a few beach chairs. He loaded most of it all up into an impressive bundle, and was waiting for Tony when he ambled down the stairs, squinting against the sun even through his sunglasses. He carried his own brightly colored beach bag he must have found inside somewhere. The walk to the water's edge was less than ten minutes, even with a detour to check out the pool and hot tub. Someone was swimming laps in the pool, but otherwise everything was quiet.

Tony's priorities had included sunscreen, towels, and lots of snacks for Peter, and before long they had a nice little base camp set-up near the water. FRIDAY had told them the tide was on its way out, but should reverse and start coming back in within a few hours, so it seemed like a reasonable spot.

Putting the wetsuit on had given Peter a new appreciation for how well-designed his suit was, and he vowed to ask Tony about working on a better design if they were going to make a habit of going to the beach. Tony seemed to have managed his without any help with the zipper, which Peter felt had required his increased flexibility to even operate.

"This is amazing!" he said, plopping down on his towel to take in the endless (even to his eyes) beach. Tony had insisted on sunscreening all of his exposed skin, and they had fought off a few curious seagulls already. Their beach house had a semi-private beach, with the only public access requiring a decent amount of walking, and they were alone for now. (That also included no life guards, on the day after Christmas, but Peter didn't think they planned to do any intense swimming). Almost immediately, he felt the itch to move, and popped up, wanting to feel the water's temperature for himself. The air was pleasantly just barely on the "cool" side, but the sun was warm, and it was definitely warmer than the snow they'd left behind.

He ran several yards to the water's edge, and let the creeping surf cover his feet. "Oh. Wow, that's brisk!"

"Brisk? What are you, sixty?" Tony teased.

"Just trying to use language you'd understand, old man," he fired back, grinning behind him at his soulmate. "You coming in?"

"Not unless you're close to death, Spiderling, and I'm all that stands between you and it," Tony replied dryly, sipping from the travel mug he'd somehow kept upright in the floral beach bag. Peter laughed, and stepped further into the surf, gasping a little as he felt its chill even through the wetsuit.

"Pete, about twenty minutes before you come dry off and warm up a little," Tony said nervously. We don't need any temperature emergencies today, okay?"

"Okay, you keep track!" Peter said, getting brave and pushing forward several yards while the surf was out.

He found he adjusted to the temperature pretty quickly. Either that, or his exposed skin below his calves and elbows had just gone numb. Once he started getting a little farther out, he was really enjoying the waves, except when an especially big one would smack him in the chest. He was watching them, so ready for it, and didn't go under, but it would splash into his face and sting his eyes, and sometimes knock the breath out of him.

Suddenly he heard grumbling, and turned to see Tony wading in, clenching his teeth at the temperature.

"Everything okay?" Peter yelled, concerned.

"It's fine, as long as you're not too cold," Tony responded in a normal voice. He knew that even over the sound of the surf, Peter could hear him just fine. "You're just doing it wrong."

"Wrong? Doing the ocean wrong?" Peter asked with a skeptical smirk.

"Yeah. Obviously no one ever taught you to jump waves, so I guess I'm the lucky popsicle."

"Jump waves?"

"Right. You're just getting beat up out here. First of all, don't stand flat footed like that, just facing them. If you were anyone other than well, you , you would have been knocked head-over-heels half a dozen times by now. Keep your body sideways to the waves, so there's less surface area, and face away from the sun so you can see what's coming. The ocean is anything but predictable." He demonstrated the stance he was explaining, and Peter copied him. "Now come out a little farther."

"Won't that make the waves hit us right in the face?" Peter was concerned. He really didn't enjoy the sting of the salty (fish-corpse-ridden) water in his eyes.

"Not if you do it right, junior." They both moved out several more yards with the retreating wave, and Peter dug his feet into the sand to keep from being pulled farther than he wanted. He could swim, but before the spider bite, he wouldn't have said he was a strong swimmer, and he was mindful that the ocean was still stronger than he was now under certain circumstances.

"Now you see that wave coming for us?"

Peter nodded, his eyes a little wide. It was a big one.

"When it gets to us, follow my lead, and jump when I jump. Just a normal-person jump though, not a spider-kid jump."

"Jump? Shouldn't we keep our feet on the ground so it doesn't take us anywhere?"

"Trust me, Pete. It's not about being stronger than the wave. It's about moving at the right time to just ride the swell for a moment, and it'll go right past us."

Peter didn't understand, but he did trust Tony.

"Are you ready? And now… jump!"

Peter jumped with Tony, a little higher than his mentor did. To his surprise, the swell of water increased their time at the top of the jump, leaving them floating at the crest of the wave for a split second before it went on past them. Instead of the violent crash he'd been experiencing, it was fun, and even pretty gentle.

"That was awesome! Can we do it again?"

"I used to do this for hours in California, kid. There wasn't much else to do sometimes in the summers. When we go out west, I'll have to show you how to surf, if I can still stand up."

Peter scoffed. Despite being on the older end of the scale, Tony was in fantastic shape, and he figured if he'd been able to surf before, he could do it now.

"That would be really fun. I wonder if I'll be able to figure it out."

They jumped another wave, Peter whooping with how high it carried them this time.

"Pete, have you seen yourself move? You'll be showing me up within fifteen minutes. But I'd love to see what you could do on a board," he said, his eyes crinkling in a grin. "Heads up!"

Tony grabbed his arm as they jumped together over a wave that was a little off the normal rhythm. It almost surprised them, but Peter still kept his head out of the water. He grinned back at Tony, enjoying the happy glint in his soulmate's eyes, and they turned their eyes to the coming waves to watch for the next one.

Tony

Tony lasted about an hour in the waves with Peter, and then had made him come back to shore for more sunscreen and sandwiches. Taking his overprotective soulmate role seriously, he also had FRIDAY do a quick scan to make sure Peter's temperature wasn't dropping too much before the older man waved Peter back to the water. Peter then spent another two hours in the waves while Tony napped under the umbrella, his FRIDAY-enabled glasses carefully aimed at Peter from the other chair, so she could wake Tony if there was anything concerning happening.

The end result was a thoroughly worn out Peter, but a Tony who wasn't too tired. They made their way to the hot tub, stripped out of their wetsuits, shook and rinsed sand out of a few places Peter protested he didn't know could have sand, then showered off in some of the plentiful outdoor showers. The wetsuit had mostly done its job to keep the enhanced kid warm, but he was shivering a bit after showering off, so Tony hustled him to the (thankfully) empty hot tub, where they both heaved a sigh of relief at its perfect steamy temperature.

"Hey, FRI. What's open around here for delivery?"

"There are many options. Can you narrow it down?" She was quiet, near Tony's ear, but Peter could still pick her answers out if he was listening, as Tony thought he was now. He cocked an eyebrow at the kid, an unspoken question about what he was in the mood for.

"Um…what about like… Italian? I really feel like some pasta."

"White or red sauce? You want to order, or me?"

"Both? And you, please."

"FRIDAY?"

"According to reviews, I'd recommend the Crave Italian Oven and Bar," she replied.

Tony nodded, and she brought the menu up on his glasses HUD. He scanned through it for a few minutes.

"Let's do the family-size fettuccine alfredo, FRI, and the chicken marsala meal, with an extra side of spaghetti and meatballs. That should give us at least leftovers for lunch tomorrow." He glanced at Peter teasingly. "You know, probably."

Peter maturely stuck his tongue out. "Extra breadsticks, too, please," he said. "And maybe a soup?" he said hopefully. "I still feel a little chilled."

"Yep, soup of the day," Tony amended. "Their other soup is a French onion, and I know that's not your favorite."

Peter wrinkled his nose and shook his head.

Tony laughed, then shivered a little himself. That was weird. He'd been feeling warm just a few minutes before. Actually, the heat of the hot tub might be making him a little nauseated. Maybe he should get out. He sat up on the edge but the nausea didn't abate, but now he felt light-headed, and cold.

Oh, wait. He slipped back into the water, and Peter looked at him quizzically.

"Hey, FRI? How much contact would you say Peter and I have had this afternoon?"

She was silent for a moment, while Peter looked at him questioningly. "You have had contact less than 4% of the afternoon, Boss," she said, sounding worried.

"Ah. That explains it. Slide on over her Spiderling, if you would. I'm actually feeling a little sick."

Peter hurried to comply, a look of concern on his face, scooting over and pressing the triangular arc reactor mark on his shoulder to the tiny white spider emblem on Tony's arm. "I didn't even think about it. I mean, we touched for sunscreen, and a little bit when you were out in the waves with me, but otherwise…"

"Yeah. I'd say we're actually doing pretty well, considering. Our bond must finally be settling a little more," Tony said with a smile of relief.

"Still, I'd recommend some couch time during and after dinner, Boss," FRIDAY said authoritatively. "I could have caught the symptoms sooner if we were home." He knew it made FRIDAY anxious when she didn't have access to all the sensors she preferred. Out-of-SI-buildings, and also out-of-the-suit was her least favorite way to try to keep track of her person.

"Will do, FRI," he said softly, lifting his arm to wrap it around his younger soulmate's shoulders. He was feeling much better already.

They hung out in the hot tub until FRIDAY said the food was twenty minutes out, then hurried into the house before the cool evening breeze could steal the warmth away. They both jumped in a shower (there were four to choose from) and met back in the kitchen just as the food was arriving.

Tony enjoyed watching Peter taste all the different dishes. The chicken in the fettuccine alfredo sauce actually ended up being his favorite, after all of his talk of pasta, but he ate plenty of that, too.

"What do you want to watch?" Peter asked with a yawn as they settled together on the couch. It was adequate, but nothing like the big sectional at the Compound, and Tony was pretty sure sleeping on this wouldn't do either of them any favors. It was only 8 PM, but Peter's blinks were definitely getting longer. Who knew there was something non-Spiderman-related that could actually wear him out? So not a full length movie, then.

"How about Brooklyn 99?" Tony asked. "FRIDAY, want to find us a Christmas episode?"

"Of course, Boss," she responded, happy to at least have them safe in the house. Maybe next time they'd find a beach with lifeguards, just to avoid giving his AI more anxiety. That's an achievement he didn't need on his C.V.

Despite promising that he was good for all of the Christmas episodes, Peter was nearly asleep against Tony's shoulder by the time they finished the first one, and he made an executive decision to move the slumber party to the bedroom. There was a TV in there, too, and Peter could get comfortable and pass out, while Tony stayed up for a few hours if he wanted.

"Thought we were going to sleep apart tonight?" Peter asked, after he finished brushing his teeth.

"Eh, probably not the best way to start the night after not touching most of the afternoon. When I go to sleep, maybe I'll do it on the twin, and FRIDAY can wake me when I need to come back and join you."

"Hmm. Whatever you want, I guess," Peter said noncommittally, sliding into the sheets.

"Ugh. You have ruined me for all the other sheets in the world," Peter protested, and Tony laughed.

"I've ruined myself, too, if it's any consolation. These are actually pretty decent, I think, but nothing like the ones we're both used to right now. The hotel in Orlando should be nicer."

"Oh, I meant to ask you," Peter said, already starting to slur his words again. "MJ's relatives are just north of Orlando by like an hour. Any chance we can stop and say hi?"

"If you want to, kiddo, I'm sure we can work that out," Tony said, stroking his soulmate's hair gently as the teenager burrowed into his pillow. Get some sleep, okay, and we'll talk about it tomorrow, and draw up a route."

"An' go to the beach again?"

"You're planning to wear me out here, aren't you?"

"Maybe you could use the ex'rcise," Pete said with a sleepy, close-eyed grin.

"Watch it, or I'll make you run laps on the beach all morning instead of taking you to breakfast."

"Breakfast? Pancakes? Bacon?"

"Of course. Now, sleep."