Chapter Text
Tony tiredly rubbed his eyes before reaching out to grab his nearby mug, moving it to his lips to take a sip. His nose scrunched up in disgust as he swallowed the room temperature coffee. “How long has it been since I made this?” he muttered to himself, though his AI did not hesitate to answer him. “It has been just over two hours since you made that coffee, boss.”
Two hours? “Fri, what’s the time?” he asked as he squeezed the bridge of his nose.
“It’s 4:38 in the morning. Would you like me to turn off the lights as you make your way to bed?” Friday suggested, the lights in Tony’s lab already beginning to dim.
“Uh huh, nice try, Friday. You’ve been spending too much time talking to Pepper and Rhodey. Lights up.” The lights immediately returned to full brightness, causing Tony to squint a bit, and Friday made a slight huffing sound that Tony is positive she learned from Pepper. He rolled his eyes and turned back to his work, pen in his mouth as his eyes carefully scanned the formulas on the paper in front of him. He adjusted a few things here and there, stopping after each adjustment to chew on his pen a bit more. He continued to work until he was interrupted by Friday once more.
“Boss, Captain Rogers is trying to access the lab.”
With a groan, he set down his work before running a hand through his rather unruly hair. “Is there a problem? I thought Cap had the decency to sleep until at least 5:30 before his morning workout.” The agitation in his voice was unmistakable.
“It’s nearly six o’clock. I believe he came down here because he’s worried about you.” Great. Just what he needed. Captain America to scold him for staying up past his bedtime. He stood up with a grunt and took a minute to stretch before heading to the entrance of his lab. “I’m going to bed.” He announced, the lights immediately turning off and the door opening to reveal a concerned looking Steve Rogers dressed in black workout apparel.
“Tony, I saw the lights on in your lab when I was getting ready to head down to the gym. Have you been up all night?” Though Steve really didn’t need to ask as he could tell from the mussed hair, hunched shoulders, and dark circles that the other man had not properly slept in quite a while.
“Just working on some stuff. Headed up to bed now.” He said as he brushed past the super soldier. Steve frowned a bit as Tony began to walk towards the elevator before calling out to him.
“Hey, I was planning on making omelets for breakfast, so don’t sleep too late, all right?” Tony sighed and looked back at the man as he stepped onto the elevator. It was really hard to stay annoyed with Steve when he bribed Tony with the ambrosia that were his omelets. Tony knew it was one of many daily attempts by Steve to repair their friendship as quickly as possible, but he also knew there was nowhere else in the state of New York that he could get an omelet as good as the ones that Steve made, so he nodded and offered the Captain a tired smile.
“I’ll try not to.” Tony said as the doors of the elevator closed. Once the elevator was moving, he leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, and sighed deeply. It had only been three months since the rogue Avengers were pardoned and had returned to the tower. In the two years that they were gone, Tony had secretly never stopped hoping they would be reunited one day. He had continued to develop new weapons and technology for his outlaw teammates during the entirety of their separation, constantly updating his creations so that he would always be ready for their return. Though he was angry, hurt, and still had panic attacks about the incident in Siberia, the Avengers had been a family to him. As a man who hardly even had that when his own family was alive, he found himself secretly longing for that once again. That desire of camaraderie which he so longed for, may or may not have been the reason that he worked so diligently for two years to develop clever and exciting gadgets for his former teammates. Even if they hadn’t missed him, he was sure that they missed the toys. After all, nobody else could provide them with the things he could give them, right?
The elevator gave a soft ding as the doors opened and Tony stepped out onto his floor. He froze in surprise when he heard hushed voices; until he realized that the TV was on. He chuckled softly as he walked further into the living room and saw a certain curly-haired teenager passed out on the couch, a bag of Doritos under his arm. The genius picked up the remote and turned off the TV before leaning over to take the chip bag from under Peter’s arm and set it on the coffee table. Peter whined, and Tony rolled his eyes as he laughed softly, which caused Peter to sleepily crack open an eye to peek at the older man.
“Mis’er Stark?” the teenager asked sleepily.
“Yeah, it’s me, Kid. Come on, why don’t you go to your bed?” He suggested in a soft voice as he sat beside the boy and pushed a few curls out of Peter’s face. Peter practically nuzzled into the touch, but made a soft noise of protest at Tony’s suggestion.
“Bed’s too far. ‘m comfy here.” Tony chuckled and shook his head while looking down at Peter. He honestly wondered if all teenagers were this cute, or if it was just Peter. During the past two years, he and Peter had grown extremely close. At first, Tony had kept a nice, safe distance from the kid, absolutely terrified of ruining the boy’s sweet disposition the moment he found out that Peter idolized him. However, as time went on, Tony realized that being a stand-offish mentor was really no better than being like his own father, which is what he had been trying to avoid at all costs. Tony had invited Peter to come hang out in his lab with him once a week after school; that soon turned into a couple of nights a week, which soon turned into Peter spending weekends with Tony. When Tony realized that summer vacation was going to start in a month, he had nervously—though he’d never admit that—called May and asked for her permission to invite Peter to stay with him for the summer. To his pleasant surprise, she had agreed; on the condition that he wouldn’t hog her nephew all summer, which seemed more than fair to Tony. He never thought he would be a father figure to anyone, but he certainly was glad that he had overcome his fear of turning into Howard. Blood or not, Peter was basically his son, and he would be the first to admit that the kid was one of the best things that had ever happened to him.
“Does May let you get away with this?” He asked softly as he maneuvered a pillow under the boy’s head before pulling a blanket from the back of the couch to cover him gently. Tony smiled as he realized the boy was fast asleep again, and he stood back up, following the light from the rising sun to his own room. He quickly pulled off his jeans and climbed into bed without even bothering to brush his teeth or change into pajamas.
Tony managed to get a little more than four hours of sleep before Friday woke him up to alert him that he was receiving a call from Pepper. “Put her on, Fri.” he said with a yawn as he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. “Pepper, light of my life, what are you up to on this lovely morning?” He asked, voice still thick with sleep.
“I’m in my car on the way to the quarterly Stark Industries board meeting that begins in half an hour. One of the few meetings I ask you to join us for, Tony. Can I assume that you’re also on your way?” She asked sweetly, though Tony could imagine her eyes narrowing as she pointedly crossed her arms and waited for an answer.
“It’s a funny story actually…”
“Tony...”
"See, I was definitely planning on coming to that meeting…”
“Tony.”
“…and I definitely remembered that there was a meeting this time…”
“TONY!”
He clamped his mouth shut as he heard Pepper groan on the other end of the line. “Save it, Tony. You never remember, I know that by now. This is a courtesy call. Meeting starts in half an hour.”
“Pep, there’s no way I can get ready and make it there in time…” he began, but she cut him off again.
“The meeting starts promptly at nine. I’m going to call your home office at 8:59, and you had better be ready, Tony, or I swear…”
“A wonderful idea as usual! Don’t worry, you can count on me.” Tony could practically hear her eyes roll as she sighed in exasperation.
“It’s going to be a video call, so make sure you look presentable. Don’t forget that you’re the face of the company.”
“So what I’m hearing is that you just want something pretty to look at during that long, boring meeting? I’m hurt, Pepper. I’m more than just a pretty face.” He teased, his grin growing wider as he heard Pepper laugh softly.
“Just be ready when I call,” Pepper warned before hanging up. He flopped back against the obscene amount of pillows on his bed and mused about how board meetings were very aptly named, as they just about bored him to death every time he was forced to sit through one. At least he was allowed to attend via video call for this meeting. He suddenly wondered if he had enough time to set up a video loop of him pretending to pay attention so that he could just skip the meeting altogether, but he quickly nixed that idea when he realized that if someone addressed him and he didn’t respond, it would take his quick-witted CEO all of two seconds to realize what was going on; he did not feel like being murdered today. With a sigh, the billionaire forced himself out of bed, throwing on a pair of jeans and a white button-down before completing the look with a tie that he planned to remove immediately after his meeting ended. Tony ran a comb through his hair before heading out of the room and down the hall to make a pot of coffee, surprised to hear soft voices coming from his kitchen. He turned the corner, smiling when he saw Peter’s terrible case of bedhead, though the smile quickly disappeared when he noticed the mischievous god sitting next to Peter.
It had been two months since Thor returned to earth with his brother, Bruce Banner, and all of the Asgardians who had managed to escape the destruction of their planet unharmed. The entire world was shocked to learn of the legendary Asgard’s demise, but Earth loved the newly-crowned King, who had always worked tirelessly to protect them from harm, and many countries worldwide began to offer up areas of land for the Asgardians to use as their new home. No one was surprised that the God of Thunder had graciously accepted land from Norway, and Thor and his people quickly set off to begin building their new home. Loki, however, was still feared by most of the world, and while Thor had assured everyone that Loki had changed, many wondered if Thor was just seeing what he wanted to see. After all, it was obvious to everyone (except perhaps Loki) that he loved his younger brother very much. After much deliberation, it had been determined that Loki was to live with the recently reunited Avengers, who were tasked with the job of keeping an eye on him until he proved himself trustworthy to the rest of the planet. Tony still wondered how he had let himself get talked into being a babysitter for the god, and if he didn’t have such a soft spot for Thor, he was sure he would have kicked his annoying younger brother out weeks ago. It didn’t help that Loki and Peter had taken an instant liking to one another—if he were to try and kick Loki out now, he’d have two sets of killer puppy dog eyes to deal with, and that was just not a battle he wanted to face.
“Mr. Stark! Mr. Loki just changed the color of my shirt! Remember? Last night it was red!” Peter babbled excitedly as he tugged at his now dark green shirt. A smug smirk twitched at the corner of Loki’s lips as he reached up to run his fingers through Peter’s messy curls, a faint glimmer of green emanating from his fingertips as Peter’s hair was suddenly perfectly coiffed.
“I say, Stark. Peter looks quite dashing in green, does he not? I think it might suit him even more than red does.” Peter preened at the compliment from the god while Tony feigned indifference, knowing full well that Loki was trying to get a rise out of him.
“You know, Reindeer Games, you’re right. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone pull off that exact shade of green as well as Pete. Some fair-skinned individuals look positively peaked when they wear green.” Now it was Tony’s turn to smirk as irritation was clearly written all over Loki’s face. The god turned his attention back to the cup of tea he was nursing just as Steve walked out of the pantry with an armful of ingredients.
“Tony, you’re up earlier than I expected. I was about to make breakfast for Peter, but I’ll go ahead and make breakfast for you too.” Tony side-eyed the teenager, who was now chattering excitedly to Loki about a new amusement park that would be opening later in the summer, and Tony wondered just how Peter had managed to wrap every adult in the tower so tightly around his finger.
“Thanks, Cap, but Pepper called to remind me that I have a meeting to be present at in...” He trailed off briefly as he glanced at his watch, “About ten minutes, so I’ll have to make a pot of coffee and be on my way.” Peter looked over suddenly, face filled with disappointment, though he quickly turned back to Loki and continued speaking about the amusement park, albeit in a much less excited tone. Tony had promised to take Peter go-karting, and the boy had clearly thought his mentor had forgotten about their plans. Tony walked over and gave the boy’s shoulder a squeeze. “Hey Underoos, I totally forgot about a stupid board meeting today. Actually, come to think of it, I’m not sure I even knew about it. You know, sometimes I think Pepper likes to spring things on me last second so I don’t have time to think of an excuse.” He said with a chuckle. “The meeting should be over by lunchtime. Are we still on for go-karts, or did you forget about your old man and make plans with someone else?” Peter’s face lit up and he quickly shook his head.
“No, Mr. Stark! I didn’t forget at all! After lunch sounds great!” Tony grinned as he ruffled the boy’s hair, completely ignoring Loki’s amusement at their interaction.
“Good!” Tony exclaimed with a clap of his hands before turning to start the coffee, only to see that Steve already had a pot brewing.
“Tony, you really should eat something. You can’t survive on just coffee.” Tony smirked as he leaned against a counter, crossing his arms over his chest.
“You’re right, Cap. And that’s what alcohol is for.” Steve just glared at him, and Tony normally would have reveled in the amount of annoyance he had managed to bring out in the man’s features, but he heard a loud huff from behind him and turned to see that Peter was also glaring at him. Oops. Sometimes he still forgot that he was actually someone’s role model.
“Mr. Stark, Aunt May says that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If you don’t eat, it will affect the outcome of your whole day!’
“All right, Kid. You got me. May’s right, but I need to be in my office in just a few minutes. I don’t have time for food now.” He said as he quickly poured himself a scalding cup of coffee, turning back just in time to catch a smirk settling onto Loki’s lips, though the god never looked up from his book.
“Cheer up, Little one. It wouldn’t hurt Stark to skip a few meals.” Tony rolled his eyes as he headed to his office, smiling to himself as he heard both Peter and Steve berate Loki for the snide remark. Once the door to his office was closed, he trudged to his chair and plopped down, taking a sip of coffee just as Friday alerted him to Pepper’s call. Tony had Friday answer immediately, and Pepper looked relieved to see a presentable Tony on her screen in the conference room. A few moments later Pepper started the meeting, and within five minutes, the billionaire was already bored out of his mind. He tried to pay attention, though he doubted anyone would even address him pertaining to anything of importance. The board members had all known for years that Tony pretty much hated the business side of things, and though they were all outraged when he first signed Stark Industries over to Pepper, it did not take anyone on the board long to realize that Pepper Potts was the perfect choice to run the company. Not only was she level-headed enough to handle all of the problems and complexities that plagued Stark Industries, but she was also the only person in the entire corporation who could actually make Tony Stark sit down and shut up for a while.
Tony glanced down at his watch and had to bite his lip to keep from groaning aloud. Thirty-seven minutes? Was that really all the time that had passed since the beginning of the meeting? He stared down into his now-empty mug, deciding that his next invention definitely needed to be a mug of coffee that never ran out. Several more minutes passed of the man’s fidgeting before he saw the door to his office slowly open and Peter peek in at Tony as if to ask permission to enter. When Tony looked at him curiously, the teenager stepped fully into the office, walking over and silently holding up the pot of coffee he brought to refill his mentor’s mug. Tony could have kissed the boy. As Peter poured the hot coffee into his mug, the billionaire picked up a notepad as if to take notes, though he just scrawled out MY HERO <3. He flipped the pad to show Peter, whose eyes widened the moment he accidentally giggled aloud. Tony grinned for a split second before coughing to cover up the sound of Peter’s laugh, not missing the suspicious glance Pepper threw to the camera as he took a sip of his coffee. Peter turned to go, but Tony gave him a pleading look and scratched a few more words out onto his notepad.
So bored. I might die. Peter set the pot of coffee down and quietly sat in a chair on the other side of Tony’s desk, grinning as he picked up a pen.
Aren’t you the boss? Why do you have to sit here?
Wrong. Pepper’s the boss. She says I have to sit here.
Are you scared of Miss Potts?
Without a doubt. Peter covered his mouth to keep from laughing again. Tony tried not to look too amused.
I love her. She reminds me of May.
May is scary too. Peter bit his lip hard, laughing silently as he wrote a response.
Think that’s why they became good friends so quickly?
They either bonded over their love for you or their love of scaring me. Not sure which one. A smile tugged at the corner of Tony’s lips as Peter’s entire body shook with the laughter he was trying to contain. The boy took a moment to calm down, his eyes focusing on the screen for the first time as he watched an expressionless man in a dark blue suit drone on about numbers in the most monotone voice imaginable. Peter picked up his pen and scratched something else onto the pad, pushing it back to the older man.
Wow, I didn’t know Ben Stein worked for you. Tony actually choked on his coffee and ended up spitting some of it onto his desk as he tried desperately not to laugh. The boring man had stopped speaking and everyone in the meeting had turned their attention to the screen. Pepper did not look happy.
“Sorry folks, coffee went down the wrong pipe.” He cleared his throat for added effect before waving his hand. “Please, carry on.” The man continued his spiel and Tony grabbed a pen.
You’ll be the death of me, Kid. Peter grinned when he read it and decided immediately that he just had to try and make the older man laugh. Tony watched curiously as the teenager stood up and started slowly dancing in the middle of the room. It took mere seconds for him to realize what Peter was trying to do, and though he kept a straight face, his eyes were filled with amusement. He watched as Peter started Flossing before he moved into the Macarena and then the Robot. The boy must have decided he wasn’t getting the reaction that he wanted, because he suddenly walked straight up the wall and onto the ceiling. Tony was so enthralled with his protégé’s performance, that he completely missed the forty-five seconds that Pepper was staring at her lap, typing furiously on her phone. Peter began to do a soft shoe on the ceiling and Tony accidentally let loose a soft giggle, which only encouraged Peter to continue his upside-down tap dancing until the boy felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out of his pocket to check it as he danced, assuming it was Ned, but he suddenly stopped dancing and scurried down from the ceiling with widened eyes, bringing the phone over for Tony to read. The message wasn’t from Ned; it was from Pepper.
Sweetheart, I don’t know what you’re doing in the office with Tony right now…but if you two don’t start behaving, I will come over there and ground both of you the moment this meeting is over. Tony and Peter shared a look that was more frightened than surprised, and Tony stole a glance at the screen to see his CEO staring straight into the camera with one eyebrow raised slightly. Peter grabbed the pen one more time.
You’re right. Scary. He wrote before hurrying from the office with a little wave, and Tony turned his attention back to the meeting, wishing desperately that he knew a way to accelerate time.