Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Tony received a distress call from Peter's suit, he dropped everything and ran out of his lab before FRIDAY could even finish her sentence. He was already calling the suit, ignoring the questions from Rhodey as he shot through the living room and out to the balcony. His suit was already connecting to him, Tony using his jets to rocket away from the Compound while he spoke to his AI all at the same time.

“FRIDAY, track Peter's suit and call him.” Tony snapped, trying to keep his composure as he flew in the direction of Queens.

A few seconds later, a map popped up in front of his eyes on his HUD, showing directions of where Peter was located. Tony began to head in the direction of the blinking red blip, flying over the trees as FRIDAY attempted to call Karen. Karen answered, of course, but refused to put Peter on the line, or more so, Peter refused to be put on the line.

Tony was rather appalled that an AI he had created was disobeying him, but he knew that was Peter's doing. Of course that kid would corrupt his mentor’s suit. He would have a few words to say about that when he gets to Peter’s location, but after he found out he was okay.

With an annoyed sigh, he put all the power into his jets as he got closer and closer to Queens. The pulsing red dot that was Peter Parker got closer and closer, the possibilities of what was wrong with the kid circulating through his mind like wildfire.

Had he been hurt? Had he been shot? Was he sick? Had someone figured out his identity? The possibilities were endless. Whatever annoyance he had felt began to trickle away, and all that was left was concern. The dot hadn't moved from its spot, indicating that the kid hadn't moved an inch from his original position.

The fact that the kid hadn’t moved made Tony even more worried. There could be several reasons why the kid hadn’t moved, all of them which he didn’t like. The most terrifying one, of course, was the possibility that the kid was dead.

“Karen, is Peter dead?” Tony voiced his thoughts, dread filling his stomach at the same time.

“No, Boss.” Relief replaced the dread his system instantly. “I see no sign of injury, all his vitals seem to be normal. Though I recommend you hurry, I’m not sure if you will want to hear this through me and not Peter himself. He is being very persistent in not putting you through, and even I am no longer sure of what is going on. This is not in my programming. I am unsure how to proceed with this situation.”

Karen’s ominous words just made the dread flood back into his system. No, Peter wasn’t dead, but the AI was implying that he could be injured and something terrible had happened. What was even worse, was that Karen didn’t know what was wrong with him when Tony had created her to alert him of any possible situation that could occur.

God, Peter’s Aunt was going murder Tony if he was injured.

Finally, after another ten minutes of flying through the air at alarming speeds, he was finally close to the blinking red blip. He was brought to a shady looking alleyway, the dread becoming ice cold in his veins as he landed on the concrete with a heavy thud. He didn't leave his suit, scanning the area for Peter as well as any possible threats. He didn't see anything at first, and had been getting ready to turn around and examine the area behind him when he saw it.

Tony had to do a double take when he saw it. Wait, not it, a child.

There was a child sitting in the far end of the alleyway, his small frame visible in the shadows. He couldn't be more than two years old, the small body curled up on its side in Tony's direction.

He couldn't really see the kid's face from where he was standing, so instead Tony glanced to the red, blinking dot. The red dot was flashing just a few feat in front of him, which couldn't be possible since there was no sign of the Spider-Man suit or Peter himself. Had whoever had hurt him ditched the suit somehow?

No, that couldn’t be it. Karen would have alerted him if something like that had happened.

Forcing his worries away for the moment, Tony edged closer to the child and tried to be least intimidating as he could be. He didn't take the suit off just yet, knowing there could be a threat just around the corner. Knowing Tony's amazing luck with situations, someone could have set this up as a trap and Peter was long gone.

Instead of letting the panic consume him too quickly, Tony looked over the child through his helmet as he got closer. From the light of the arc reactor in his suit, along with the repulsers and the closer proximity to the child, he could now see what they were wearing.

Tony almost choked on his tongue when he noticed the kid was in fact wearing a Spider-Man suit, mask off and big eyes staring up at him.

It was a little boy.

The suit suspiciously looked like a smaller version of the one Tony had created, his eyes becoming wide as everything began to come together in his head. The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded.

There was no chance that this kid was Peter. That wasn't, in any way, possible. Age regression was impossible. Last time he checked, ageing did not go backwards.

Along with that, the last time Tony had seen him, Peter Parker was a fifteen-year-old teenager, not a toddler.

He scanned the area for any other people and the possible threats that could be looming around the corner. There was no one around, the alley was completely abandoned in a more secluded area of Queens. Even if this was somehow Peter, what would he be doing here? Even if it wasn’t Peter, which he was quite sure it wasn’t, why would a child be alone in an old, dirty alleyway?

Instead of hesitating any longer, Tony let his suit fall away from him so he could get out and take a closer look at the small being in front of him. He let FRIDAY take over the suit, whispering for her to guard the entrance of the alley as he slowly approached the child, arms raised so he got the message across that he meant no harm. Did kids even know what that meant?

Tony had no idea what he was doing, he wasn't good with kids and never had been. But there was some bizarre possibility that this kid was his Peter, and he had to check it out. Either way, he couldn't just leave a kid in a dirty alleyway, even if it wasn't Peter. Even if he never liked, or wanted, kids, he didn't have the heart to just leave something so innocent alone and scared. He could take him to the police or a foster home or something.

Though as he got even closer, he started to see the resemblance. Brown hair, big brown eyes, the Spider-Man suit. There was no way that this was Peter. How could that be Peter? How was that even possible?

“What the hell-” Tony shook his head, blinking rapidly as if that would cause the image in front of him to disappear and indicate that he was actually going crazy this time. “Peter? Please don't tell me that's you.”

The boy just looked up at him with wide, teary eyes, before nodding rapidly. “Tony?”

Tony gawked. Even if the child had a childish voice to suit his age, it sounded like Peter. Not only that, but the kid knew his name, so it had to be him. This had to be Peter. But how?

Well, a lot of kids knew his name. He knew he was an idol to a lot of kids, which he really didn’t like to think about sometimes, and he knew Peter had been one of them. Or was still one of them. Tony had no idea, he’d never asked.

“Peter. Peter Parker.” Tony tested, waiting for the kid's response. There was a slight nod, those fearful eyes staring up at him as he laid sideways on the ground.

Before Tony could get another word in, Peter was talking. “Awien t'ch.. t'ch... t’ch.” Tony frowned at the kid's pronunciation, Peter's face morphing into terror as he looked up at Tony. It seemed like Peter knew exactly what was happening. “Gun!”

“Alien technology?” Tony asked, eyes widening slightly when Peter nodded. Instantly, he was surveying the child's body for any gunshot wounds, or any sign of injury. He shuffled closer, kneeling down so he could at least try to be at Peter's level, who still hadn't come out of his fetal position.

This action seemed to cause Peter to burst into sobs, reaching up for Tony with one small arm, his fingers making desperate grabbing movement. Tony was shocked for a few seconds, having no idea what to do or how to react. He had never even been near a child before, aside from Harley.

But, Harley hadn’t been this young.

Harley hadn’t been a well-developed teenager smushed into a toddler's body, either, so everything about the situation was different.

All of these thoughts went through his head at once as he watched the kid’s grabbing movements become more and more persistent and desperate. After another few seconds of hesitating and looking into Parker's dejected, far too young face, he finally reached forwards to lift the kid up.

As soon as Tony was holding him, Peter was gravitating towards him like an octopus. His short arms wrapped around Tony’s neck, his legs around his waist, his shaky sobs now close to Tony's ear as the kid shook like a leaf in his arms. Before Tony could think about reacting further, Peter was once again speaking in that way too childish voice.

“Don’ wanna be w-w-w-” Peter huffed, large tears streaking down his face as he tried to force the word out. “W-wike this.”

Tony didn't really know how to answer to that, so instead of panicking like he really, really wanted to do, he plastered his best smile on his face. Since Peter wasn't really a toddler, he could talk to him normally. None of this baby-talk bullshit.

Hopefully.

He was so not ready for this.

“Let's get you to the Compound.” Tony said to him, forcing his voice to be softer than normal, just in case. The kid was in a fragile state as it is, and he didn't need to have Tony making matters worse.

Peter nodded to Tony’s words, but he seemed to begin to sob even harder. Tony had heard kids cry before, obviously, but he would have never expected to have it happening so close to him.

Tony was horrified. He stood there, holding the crying, baby-version of Peter Parker in his arms as he sent a text to Happy to pick them up. He didn't send his suit back to the Compound just yet, the thing standing protectively at the entrance of the alley. There was still nobody around, so Tony was in luck that Peter had been patrolling in a deserted part of Queens.

The memory what his mother had used to do to him when he’d have a meltdown as a child hit him in the face as he waited for Happy to arrive, along with the grief that always came tied to memories of her.

Instead of letting Peter sob so hard that he could make himself sick, he bounced his now tiny body slightly, having completely no idea what he was doing but doing it anyways.

Peter still seemed to have his teenage mind and memories in there and his suit had shrunk with him. Surely it couldn't be helpful having a teenage mind crammed into a toddler's head. How could that be healthy?

What aliens had time to make weapons like that?

Tony felt like for the first time for a long time, this was a problem he might not be able to fix.

It took around half an hour of calming Peter down, whispering things, reassuring that he would figure everything out before Happy arrived. Tony definitely would have payed billions to see that expression on Happy's face again, mentally saving the image of Happy's expression away in his memories.

“What the hell happened?” Peter had quietened down by that point, the kid just staring straight ahead as Happy stared at them in horror. “Is that.. is that Peter? No, how could it be Peter. He was being an annoying, moody teenager the last I saw him.”

“You got it. It's Peter." Tony said, sliding into the car with the kid secured safely in his arms. “He says some alien technology was used on him. I don't doubt him in the slightest, we've had issues with that before.”

“So to the Compound, then?”

“Yep.”

Peter was sitting up in his lap, staring right at Tony with a doe-eyed gaze as the car pulled away from the sidewalk. Tony smiled as best he could at the kid, raising a hand to push his curly hair back from his forehead. He hadn't known where that action had come from, or why he was doing it, but it felt strangely familiar. So instead of reeling away like he usually would have, he kept that half-genuine smile plastered his face and spoke to Peter instead.

“How do you manage to always get in situations like this, kid?”

Peter looked like he wanted to reply, but instead remained silent. His tears had stopped, Tony watching and trying to read his facial expressions as the boy turned away to look out the window instead. He could see the tear streaks on his cheeks as the light passed over them, his heart filling with something he couldn't figure out as he wished to wipe them away. He watched as Peter's now small hand rose slowly to his mouth, his suit-clad thumb slowly making its way passed his lips as if it were second nature.

Tony had to force himself not to laugh at the sight in front of him. He wished he had a camera.

But, he also knew that it wasn't sanitary.

Before Tony could mention it, Peter seemed to notice exactly what he was doing. Tony watched as the kid looked at his hands like he had never seen something so fascinating before.

Peter remained in that state until they arrived at the Compound, his eyes moving back to Tony's face when he realised where they were. Tony was slightly shocked when Peter clung onto him even tighter, burying his head in his shoulder as he awkwardly shuffled out of the car. Tony shared a look with Happy before making his way to the lift.

“No.. no. No.” Peter was whispering, his hold tightening around Tony's neck. “Don’ wanna.. don’ wanna..”

“It's okay Pete.” Tony bounced the kid slightly, not really knowing what the kid didn’t want to do. Even if Teen Peter was in there and was most likely talking to him right now, he still had no idea how to look after a child or how to communicate with them properly.

In that moment, he really wished Howard would have treated him better than he did.

“Wha’ abou’ Aun’ May?” Peter whispered, his mouth right next to Tony's ear. “Wha’ abou’ Ned?”

“We'll figure out a way to tell them what's happened. But don't worry about that right now, I'll figure out a way to get you back to your normal self before we need to tell May or Ned anything.” Tony tried to reassure, cringing when he realised he was doing a terrible, terrible job. Happy glanced at him, eyebrows raised. Tony ignored him. “Fri, is Rhodey here?”

“Yes, Boss. Colonel Rhodes is currently on your personal floor waiting for your return. Would you like me to alert him of your arrival?” FRIDAY’s voice replied, a slight undertone of worry in her computerised voice. Tony wondered if even his AI knew what was going on with Peter, but he ignored that thought as they made their way up to the top floor. Which was, of course, Tony’s floor.

“No, don't worry about it. But please let Helen know that we're in need of her assistance.”

“Right away, Boss.”

Tony sighed and shared another look with Happy as Peter started to cry again. Though, he was only crying softly, his warm tears falling against Tony's neck as his body quivered.

They continued what felt like a far too long lift ride to his private floor, having FRIDAY ignore any people needing the lift as they made their way up. It felt like a decade had passed before the lift finally dinged and the doors opened, Peter immediately tensing and pushing closer to him as they made their way into the floor.

Tony and Happy said nothing as they made their way into the small medical room he had installed on his floor for incidences like this (well, not quite like this), passing Rhodey who looked as if his eyes were about to fall out of his head. Tony was thanking all the God's that he didn't believe in that Pepper was out in DC, away from him and away from Peter for now. If Pepper had seen him with a kid, she would go completely nuts and lose her shit, ending in a fight and probably scare Peter to death.

So, Tony was grateful she wasn't here right now. It was already stressful enough with the look Rhodey was giving him, his eyes demanding an explanation as he followed them into the small room.

Helen hadn’t arrived yet, given the fact that Tony had the lift that took them directly to his floor without stopping for anyone. He couldn't let anyone see Peter like this, and he couldn't risk the kid having a panic attack either. Tony knew Teen Peter was prone to them, and giving that Little Peter was still shaking like a leaf as if he were trying to hold everything in, so was he.

He couldn't take much more crying, and it had hardly been an hour. He was quickly losing patience, but he kept himself calm for the benefit of Peter's mental stability.

He sat down, not even trying to put Peter on the bed just yet. He could feel how tight the kid was holding onto him, almost as if he were actually using his super strength.

Tony still couldn’t wrap his head around what had happened. This had to be some fucked up nightmare, right?

Tony didn't think his life could have gotten any stranger until now. Even though he’s come in contact with literal aliens and nearly died in space, this was one of the most strange and terrifying things to happen to him so far. Someone he had been so used to seeing as a teenager was now a toddler, because that was suddenly possible.

God, what was Tony going to do with him? What if they couldn’t change him back? How would Tony tell Peter’s Aunt and his best friends that he was currently a toddler?

It was all just so bizarre. Things like this weren't meant to happen in real life.

Sighing, and becoming more impatient, Tony looked up to the ceiling. “Fri, where is Helen right now?”

“Helen Cho is currently stuck waiting for the lift, sir. She is coming as fast as she can.”

“Okay, thanks.” Tony mumbled, tensing when Peter began to shift in his arms. His second round of tears seemed to have stopped, at least for now, his now younger and slightly chubbier face peering out from Tony's shoulder.

Tony felt his heart clench once again at the wetness of Peter's cheeks, his huge and all-knowing eyes resting on him before moving around the room. One arm was still around Tony's neck, the other positioned just above where the arc reactor used to be, and his legs were still wrapped around Tony's waist as if he had done so many times before.

Tony found himself wondering if Peter's teen mind was mixing in with the one he should have as a toddler, if he felt the same instincts as a toddler would. Maybe he would be able to ask Peter that himself once everything has calmed down, or when they got him back to his actual age. The underlying panic that they might not be able to change him back came looming up to the front of his mind, worry adding onto the chaos going on inside his head as he tried to remain calm for the kid.

Happy was leant up against the wall, also watching Peter, confusion and the slightest tad of worry clear on his features. Tony knew Happy would never admit it, but he cared about the kid. It was obvious.

Peter said nothing and met Tony's eyes for a few seconds before he rested his head on his shoulder in the same place it had been in previously. At least the waterworks had stopped for now. One less thing for Tony to worry about.

Tony was nowhere near ready for this, and he knew for a fact that Peter's tears were nowhere near over if he was stuck like this for longer.

Thankfully, he had Rhodey to break the tense silence in the room. “Tony, what the hell is going on?”

Chapter Text

Tony hadn’t answered Rhodey’s question just yet. He didn’t know how to, really, and he found himself not really wanting to give his friend an answer.

When Helen entered the room, Peter had become tense yet again and Tony was terrified the kid would cry again. However, instead of the tears that Tony was certain would fall, the kid lifted his head and watched Helen's every move with big eyes. The woman's eyes widened the size of saucers when she saw the situation in front of her, Tony inwardly cringing as she walked over to them.

“Who is this, Tony?” She asked, kneeling down in front of Peter who was still watching her with wide eyes. She had a gentle smile on her face now, but Tony could still see the surprise written all over her face. “Hello there, I'm Helen. What's your name?”

Peter had never met Helen before, which was rather strange now that he thought about it. She was around the Compound a lot of the time, though Peter was never on the floors she was on. Tony knew this might not be the first impression Peter wanted to give to people, but in this case, he had no choice.

Peter didn’t answer and turned his head away and back into Tony's shoulder. Tony frowned, the fact that Peter was scared. He half-wished that Peter didn't remember anything, and that he had the actual brain of a toddler. If his actual mind wasn't there, maybe he wouldn't be so scared. But then again, if he had the mind of a toddler, things might have been a lot more confronting and harder to deal with. "Shy, I see. Tony, who is this?”

“This is Peter.” Tony replied, eyeing her for a few seconds. “It's a little.. hard to explain.”

“Is he yours?” She asked, eyes still slightly wide, but it looked like she’d recovered from her earlier shock. Tony’s own eyes bulged for a second and Peter peeked up from his arms to look at him.

“No, he's not.” Tony replied, then bit down on his lip and tried not to look at the kid, who continued to stare in that infuriating way that kids usually did. “He's actually supposed to be a teenager, but an alien- you know what, I’ll talk to you about this later. I want you to check him over, figure out how old he is. Please.”

Peter fisted Tony’s shirt in his tiny hands, and Tony took a few seconds to look at him.

His eyes were red and puffy, drying tears on his cheeks as he turned his intense stare to Helen and watched her with fascinated eyes. There was such a childish look about him now that made Tony worried slightly, hoping that Peter's brain wouldn't be too affected when they get him back to normal. If Peter had brain damage from this, Tony would have no idea what to do, and he would definitely have no idea how to tell May.

“Sure, of course.” She replied, before she stood back up with a soft smile on her face. Despite the confusion lingering in her expression, she continued to speak as if Tony had never said the toddler in front of her was actually a teenager. That, or she didn't believe him. “It would be better if you could place him on the bed, it’s a little hard to examine him when he's in your lap."

Tony nodded, Peter barely reacting when he stood up, and got ready to deposit him onto the bed. He almost expected the kid to start screaming when Tony placed him down, but all he did was watch Tony retreat and sit back down in his chair.

Now that Peter was alone in the bed, Tony couldn’t stop the way his eyes widened. The kid was tiny. Peter was slouching slightly, had both legs outstretched in front of him and had his pointer finger lodged in his mouth. The Spider-Man suit looked incredibly tiny on his body, even tinier than it had when Tony first saw him in the alley.

He felt sick. Peter looked so innocent, so young, so sad. A complete opposite to the happy, nerdy fifteen-year-old he was so used to seeing.

Helen approached the kid and gently reached out to hold his face. Peter flinched, eyes flicking to Tony in desperation at the woman's touch. “Hey, it’s alright, honey. I’m just checking your teeth, okay?”

His eyes flickered back to Helen, the panic never leaving his eyes as the woman gently pried his mouth open. At the same time, she pulled Peter’s hand away from his mouth by his wrist very softly. Tony watched on as Helen looked around the kid’s teeth for a few seconds, before she pulled away and let his mouth fall shut.

“I'd say he's around twenty to twenty-four months old, I think.”

Twenty-four months old. Due to the shock he was feeling, for the first time in a long time, he didn’t have an immediate math conversion. It was much easier to have someone tell him rather than figure it out himself.

“How old is that in years?”

“Two.”

Two. Peter had gone from a fifteen-year-old teen to a two-year-old baby. He couldn't believe it.

It still felt like he was stuck in a nightmare. On what earth was this possible? In Tony’s mind, he would put Peter in the same category as an infant. Kids were always so small and breakable, and he wasn't sure if he really wanted to know how long it would take for Peter to return to normal, or if returning to normal was something that could even happen.

Tony’s thoughts were cut off by Helen's voice once again.

“You may want to order some things for him, Tony. I can hardly believe that the... costume is comfortable for him.”

“It's his suit, actually.” Tony quipped without even realising and continued to try and push away the new information about his mentee’s age. “Anyways, would you be able to take some blood? I’d like to test it to see if I can make anything to get him back to normal.”

After that sentence, there was a hard jab in his shoulder. Tony almost fell out of his chair from fright and turned to glare at the person who had left a dull ache in his shoulder. Rhodey was glaring down at him, accusation clear on his face as he began to speak.

“When are you going to tell me what's actually going on? That can't really be Peter.”

Right, Tony had ignored his question.

“That's Peter, Honey Bear.” Tony grumbled, rubbing his shoulder while looking away from his best friend. “I know how bizarre it sounds, but it happened, and we’re stuck with it until I can figure out a way to get him back to normal.”

“How?” Rhodey spluttered, his arms flailing in the corner of his eye. Helen was preparing Peter’s blood test in the far corner of the room, the said kid staring over at Tony with a helpless look in his eye. The knowing gaze had returned, and that's how Tony knew that Teen Peter was looking at him right now, not Little Peter. By the looks of it, Teen Peter was terrified. “How could Parker have gone back to a toddler?”

“Jesus, Rhodey, I don’t know. Only he does, but we don't need to know that right now. Stop yelling, you’re scaring him.” Tony snapped, then frowned when Peter started reaching for him.

Why did, or more so, why would the kid want to come to him? Tony was a walking disaster. He destroyed everything he touched, and he didn't want that to be Peter in his even more vulnerable state than usual. Along with that, it looked like Peter was nearing another emotional breakdown and Tony wasn't ready for that after the first two. He didn't know if he could handle another bout of tears.

“Peter, what's wrong?”

Tony had a fleeting suspicion that if he didn't pick Peter up now, the kid would launch himself off of the bed instead. He was sending worried glances to Helen, who held the needle in a visible place, the panic seeming to increase when Peter caught sight of the needle. Was Peter scared of needles? Of course he was scared of fucking needles.

With an internal sigh, Tony pulled himself out of the chair for a second time. He ignored the way his knees cracked, reaching over to hoist Peter up by the armpits. Peter latched onto him while Tony slumped back into his seat with a groan forcing its way out. His eyes met Rhodey’s very briefly, the shock on his face almost priceless. Oh, how he wished he could have framed both Happy’s and Rhodey’s reactions and have them strung up around his lab for when he had his bad days, just so he could laugh at them to make himself feel better.

But that was the last thought on his mind now as Helen turned back around, everything ready for Peter’s blood to be taken.

“Would you be able to get the.. suit off him so I can take his blood?”

“Yeah, sure.” Tony mumbled and gently pried Peter away. The kid whined, though didn’t fight Tony’s hands as he turned him around so that his back was resting against his chest, head just under Tony’s chin. “Just gotta take your suit off at the top, yeah, Petey?”

“Don’ wanna.” Peter mumbled, the fear in his tone evident. “Don’ wike needles.”

Tony cringed. “It’ll be over before you know it. I bet it won’t even hurt.”

“Yes it will.” Peter grumbled back, and Tony almost got whiplash from how similar he sounded to his usual, older self. The fear was still there, but the snarky comment was just as normal as the one he would get from the older Peter. “Don’ wanna.”

“You'll be fine.” Tony pressed the spider chest piece, the much smaller suit sagging around Peter's tiny body as he did so. That was another issue. What was he going to do about the suit? “If you want to be a angsty teenager again you’ll have to have this blood test. Sorry.”

“M’kay.” Peter seemed to give up and let Tony pull his arms out of the suit’s sleeves without offering any assistance himself. Soon, everything until half-way down his stomach was on show, and Tony began to wonder if Peter was going to be cold. He gently laid the kid’s right arm out so his inner elbow was accessible.

Helen approached slowly with her equipment in hand, and it didn’t take long for Peter to become even more tense. When Tony looked down, he noticed the kid had shoved the thumb on his other hand in his mouth, pressing back against Tony slightly as Helen got closer to him with the needle.

She began with wrapping the strap around his bicep. Peter had flinched away from her touch, though didn’t fight nor did he cry when she began wiping the area down with a small dab of alcohol. It was when the needle was going into his skin when Peter began to cry, Tony’s heart clenching painfully as he watched Helen draw the blood out. He shared another glance with Rhodey, who now looked sympathetic as the childish cries echoed around the room. He wasn’t wailing to the point of annoying, it was more the heart-breaking kind of cry that Tony found himself hating even more than the former.

Peter was literally a kid now. Sure, he had been one before, but now he was a literal toddler. A baby. It was clear that he hardly had any control over his emotions, choking on his cries as Helen pulled the needle out and taped a cotton bud over the spot. “All done. You were very brave.”

Peter showed no signs of hearing her and wrapped his arms around himself in some kind of hug. That’s when Tony noticed the tiny goosebumps spreading across Peter’s skin, indicating that he was in fact cold.

“Hey, Fri?”

“Yes, Boss?”

“Order everything relevant to a two-year-old. Make sure to get things that fit.”

“Of course. Would you like me to let you know how long these items will take to arrive?”

“Yes, please.”

He had to keep reminding himself that this wasn’t just any child. This was Peter Parker, a child who had super strength and did not hold the mindset of an actual toddler. Surely he was more competent than actual two year olds. Tony, at least, hoped that was the case.

Tony could see Peter’s eyes noticeably beginning to droop, his teary eyes staring up at him as he shivered. Tony turned to Helen, who was now looking over at himself and Peter with concerned, but fond, eyes. “Would you be able to get one of the t-shirts out of that cupboard?”

Helen nodded and headed over to the cupboard and opened the door. Tony watched impatiently as she grabbed a plain white t-shirt, which was Tony's size rather than a kid's size, but it was the only thing he could think of.

“Sorry, this is the only one I can find.” Helen replied as she closed the cupboard door and walked back over to Tony. Tony took the shirt when it was handed to him, trying not to sigh at the incoming task he was going to be faced with. “I’m sure it will fit until you get some more clothes for him.”

Tony nodded in thanks before he turned to Peter, who was watching with tired and curious eyes.

“How's about we get you out of this suit? It can’t be that comfortable.” Peter didn’t answer and continued to stare up at him with pleading eyes. Tony didn’t wasn’t going to say another word until he got a response, and Peter seemed to notice that he was awaiting an answer. All the kid did was nod, sniffling slightly as he began to suck on his thumb once again. “Alright. You gotta sit on the bed, though."

Peter nodded again and Tony took that as his queue to lift him back onto the bed. With another internal sigh, he moved forward to help Peter step out of his suit. He pulled the kid up so he was standing, his hands hovering for a while as he let Peter gain his footing on the mattress.

Peter's cheeks were flushed red, and Tony had no idea if it was from all of the crying or from the embarrassment about the fact that he was being helped to get changed. He ignored the thought and helped Peter pull his feet out of the suit, which led Tony to notice the kid’s lack of co-ordination. He supposed that came with toddlers, right?

Peter had one hand braced on Tony's shoulder for balance, his eyes noticeably becoming more teary when the suit was completely off. Thank god he had decided to wear boxers underneath that suit, or the situation would have been even more awkward.

Tony knew that was false, things were going to get a whole lot more awkward for them once the supplies arrived. But Peter knew how to use the toilet, so that shouldn't really be an issue.

Tony then pulled the over-sized t-shirt over Peter’s head and waited for the kid pull his arms through the sleeves. The shirt looked like a dress, or more so, a sack on Peter's tiny frame, the hem covering his feet and resting on the bed. Tony thought it was.. cute.

Peter was so small. Vulnerable.

What if Tony ruined that?

He could ruin things for Teen Peter, too. It was a constant fear in the back of his mind all the time.

Ignoring all of the annoying thoughts running through his mind and picked Peter up again, the kid’s eyes never leaving his until he was fully in Tony's arms.

“Are you tired? Do you want to sleep or eat?”

Peter looked back up at him, staring for a few seconds with those drooping eyes. Tony supposed that Peter was trying to process what he had said, his eyes falling away from Tony's as he pressed his face into his shoulder. Hiding his face in Tony’s shoulder seemed to be something he liked doing, and he felt his heart pang painfully in his chest, aching to the point where he wondered if he was feeling something... paternal.

Tony almost scoffed. Yeah, right. He had never wanted kids, he had always disliked them.

But now that Parker was here, all small, cute, innocent, he didn't know what he was thinking or feeling anymore.

“Sleep.” Peter finally mumbled, which led Tony to share a glance with both Rhodey and Happy.

Rhodey still looked horrified, but Tony ignored that particular look on his face as he began to move. Within seconds, he was out of the room and carrying Peter throughout the floor. Peter was silent, only sniffing every once in a while as they made their journey to Peter's room at the tower. They made it there in under five minutes.

Tony removed one arm from around Peter to open the door, leaving it ajar as he carried Peter over to his bed. He pulled the covers back before he laid the kid down onto the bed. Tony paused for a few seconds, watching Peter as his small hands moved to fist the sheets.

He pulled the covers up to the kid’s chin and before he could properly process what he was doing, Tony had started to card his hand through Peter’s messy curls. Peter leaned into the touch, his eyes fluttering closed longer than they had any other time his eyes had drooped. When they opened again, he looked on the brink of passing out.

“I have no idea what I'm doing, y’know.” Tony whispered, laughing slightly after his confession. “It’s not everyday that Spider-Man gets regressed into a toddler. Stuff like this always happens to you, doesn’t it?"

Tony felt accomplished when he managed to get a small smile from the tired toddler.

Soon, Peter’s eyes were closing for longer intervals at a time, and Tony waited until he was sure the kid was asleep before he stood up and backed away. Tony stood there for a few minutes, simply watching the kid, wondering what an earth he was going to do with him. If he couldn’t tell May, he would have to look after Peter himself. Though, if they could figure out a solution to get Peter back to a teenager, they wouldn't even have to worry about May and her reaction.

He spent some more time looking at the toddler’s sleeping face, never having seen Peter look so calm. Even in his sleep, sometimes Peter looked like he were struggling. He knew that the kid was having nightmares, but he never pried. It wasn't his place.

He was pulled from his train of thought when FRIDAY’s voice filled his ears. He winced, waiting for Peter to wake up and start screaming or something, though he did nothing but stir slightly. Tony breathed a sigh of relief, then realised he’d missed everything FRIDAY had said.

“What was that, Fri?”

“The supplies for young Peter will have arrived by eight-thirty tomorrow morning.” FRIDAY repeated, her voice quiet as if she were being conscious not to wake the kid up.

“Thanks.” Tony sighed and started to head out of the kid’s room. “How’s about we find a solution to this mess?”

“Yes, Boss.” FRIDAY replied, and Tony took one last look at Peter from the door before he turned around and exited the room. When the door clicked shut behind him, Tony leant against the wall for a few seconds to gather himself.

“Alert me if he wakes up.” Tony ordered as he walked walk down the hallway in the direction of the lift. Before he knew it, he was inside his lab, the small vile of Peter's blood sample already waiting on his desk to be analysed. Tony had almost jumped out of his skin when he noticed Rhodey standing menacingly in the corner of the room, an expectant glare on his face.

“Now will you tell me what the hell happened?” Rhodey asked, his tone blunt and to the point. “I’m having a very hard time believing that kid in there is Parker. You’re telling me that ageing backwards is somehow possible, Tony? Do you really think anyone is going to believe that? If this is really your kid and you’re lying to me-”

Tony sighed and collapsed onto his desk chair with a groan as he listened to Rhodey talk.

“I don't know, Rhodey. All I got from him that it was alien technology, nothing else. Don't fret about it, Honey Bear, we’ll figure out a solution and he’ll be back to our Peter Parker in no time.”

"How do you know that?" Rhodey asked, his hands on his hips as he walked over to Tony, who was now fiddling with the blood sample. “How are you so sure that this is your Peter?”

“I have his blood right here, that will tell me for sure.” Tony replied. “I know the kid, and that toddler is definitely him. The suit was a direct copy, and I know my creations when I see it. That’s Peter.”

Rhodey looked at him for a long time, still skeptical, but it looked like he believed him a little more now.

“How do you know you’ll get him back to his actual age?"

“I will.” Tony snapped, before talking to FRIDAY instead. “Alright, Fri, analyse his blood and search for any possible ways we can reverse whatever the aliens did to him. Tell me when you have a result.”

“Yes, Boss.” His AI replied, and soon he was out of his chair again and leaving his lab. Rhodey followed him through the building like a stray dog, rattling off in his ear about things he couldn't even be bothered listening to. So instead, he tuned him out, taking himself into the living room to just... calm down.

“Rhodey, you're really not helping by yelling in my ear.” Tony snapped, lounging back onto the couch with a sigh. He felt the need to drink, but he pushed the craving away as Rhodey sat down beside him. “Really, as much as I love you, I don’t know how to explain this or what to say to you. So please, lay off a bit.”

When he met eyes with Rhodey, he saw the regret in his eyes. Before he could even process what was going on, Rhodey was squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. “Sorry.”

“Don't worry about it.” Tony replied, staring into the blank TV screen. Or, more so, his reflection in the black abyss.

“Well, I’ll always be here to help with this.. situation, no matter how weird it gets.”

“Thanks, Rhodey.”

Chapter Text

Tony had been down in his lab trying to help FRIDAY find a solution when he was alerted that Peter had woken up and was in distress.

He had gotten bored of sitting up in the living room doing nothing but wanting to drink his problems away, so instead to distract himself, Tony had gone down to the lab and busied himself reading through the results he got from FRIDAY. He and the AI hadn't figured anything out as of yet, and it had almost been five hours since he’d started.

It was well into the early hours of the morning at this point, yet Tony wasn’t tired at all.

Well, he told himself that.

Tony felt like he was missing something. Like there was something else he was meant to be looking at that would help, but he couldn’t figure out what that thing was. So as usual, he ignored it, and occupied his mind with something else.

He had been in the middle of speaking with FRIDAY when she suddenly interrupted him, which caused him to almost drop the vile he had been inspecting.

“Peter seems to be in severe distress, Boss.”

Tony had risen from his desk before FRIDAY had time to finish her setence, leaving the vile on his workbench as started to head out of the lab.

“What's wrong?”

“I am unsure. Young Peter appears to be in emotional distress, though I am unsure of what has happened to make this happen. Would you like me to try and talk to him, sir?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Tony answered, trying to get to the lift as quickly as he could. There were a few beats of silence before his AI's voice filled his ears once again.

“I am unable to understand what he is saying. Sorry, boss.”

“Don't worry about it.” Tony mumbled as he stepped into the lift and let FRIDAY control it. He almost tripped over when he hurried in the direction of Peter's bedroom the moment the lift doors opened, biting down hard on his lip in concern. No one else in the tower was awake, with Happy and Rhodey now residing on their own floors and Pepper out of the state. So really, now all he had was FRIDAY for help.

As exceptional as she was, this was something Tony knew the AI couldn’t quite help with. At least, physically.

Finally, after what felt like forever, he made it to Peter's room. He had no idea what he was going to do, he had no idea how to look after a crying kid, but he was going to at least try. This was Peter, not a normal baby, so this was different. He had been doing okay so far.

The thought only brought him minimal comfort. With a deep breath, Tony twisted the door handle and pushed it open. He squinted, trying to see into the darkness as the door opened. It didn’t take him long to spot the tiny figure that was sat up in bed shaking. He wasn’t quite sure if it was trembling or shivering or both. No matter what it was, it made him concerned.

“Peter?” Tony asked, wincing when the kid flinched at the sound of his voice. He could hear Peter’s panicked breathing, the hitches and the near-silent sobs. “What's up?”

“No.” Was all he got as a response. Tony moved further into the room, Peter’s eyes tracking his e every move. “N-No.”

Slowly, as if he were approaching a wounded animal, Tony moved to the side of Peter's bed and knelt down. He flicked the lamp on and met Peter's squinting eyes.

Peter’s eyes and face were red and swollen, snot pooling around his nose and mouth along with the tears that streaked down his cheeks. The sight made Tony’s chest ache, and it became even worse as he watched Peter raise two fingers and push them into his mouth. This was, not for the first time, when Tony realised he really had no clue how to look after such a small child. He had zero experience under his belt.

Oh, how much he felt like having a drink and passing the problem onto someone else...

But this was Peter. Teen Peter was a fragile kid as it was, and Tony sometimes found himself walking on egg shells around him ever since the ferry incident. He seemed to get on just fine with that tactic, and Little Peter was just ten times more fragile and vulnerable, right?

“What’s up, buddy?” Tony asked through his intense train of thought, hoping that his voice was calm. He knew he had failed when his voice wavered just slightly, and he wouldn’t be surprised if the kid could pick up on his nerves. He was so far out of his league. “What's the tears for?”

“No.” Peter repeated, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked away from Tony as if he were embarrassed. Tony was almost certain that was the case, but what the kid was embarrassed about was a whole other question. There were so many things that could have happened to provoke a reaction like this. “I sowwy.”

“Sorry? What’re you sorry for?" Tony asked and felt his own eyebrows furrow in confusion. Impatience started to rise, but he shoved it down and hoped that he’d be able to make it through whatever the kid’s problem was without losing his temper. He had to put Peter first this time. He couldn’t be selfish.

“Didn’ mean to. Didn’ know.” Tony had no idea what the kid was trying to say, or what he was apologising for. “Sowwy.”

“I don't understand.” Tony replied, hating the way the stream tears down the kid’s cheek seemed to pick up their pace. “What’re you sorry for?”

Peter seemed to grow even more distressed, a hitched and childish sob leaving his mouth as his small hands fisted his covers. Before Tony could process what was going on, Peter had yanked back the bedsheets with another loud and broken sob. It took a few seconds for Tony to realise exactly what had the kid so distressed.

God, he was not prepared for any of this.

It took one look at the darkened patch around Peter's crotch area and the bedsheets around him to know what had happened. Tony looked back to Peter, who was sobbing louder now, his cheeks flushed red as a waterfall of tears fell down them. Tony was left panic-stricken for a few moments, unsure how to react to his once teenage mentee who was now a toddler wetting the bed. He tried his very best not to feel disgusted, but he couldn't help it.

“I sowwy, I sowwy, I didn’ know.” Peter was blubbering between sobs, Tony's chest hurting at the way he was hugging himself, as if he thought Tony was going to laugh at him. That was the moment Tony snapped out of it and found himself reaching forwards to push the kid's hair out of his face.

“Don’t apologise for this, this isn’t your fault.” Tony didn’t know how to comfort people, let alone babies. “You didn't mean it. I hope."

“Sowwy.” Peter said again as he leant into Tony's hand with another sob.

"Why don’t we uh, get you cleaned up then? You can wear one of your old shirts until the stuff we ordered gets here…” Tony trailed, running his hand through Peter's hair in a failed attempt to calm the kid down. “Please stop crying like that, I don't want you to make yourself sick or something. I also have no idea how to comfort you.. so.. please?”

“Sowwy.” Peter repeated, Tony's insides crawling. Why did this kid feel the need to apologise for things that are out of his control? It was a habit that Teen Peter had, too, and it often annoyed Tony. “Didn’ mean it.”

“I know you didn’t. Stop saying sorry, this isn’t your fault. Come on, I’m sure sitting in that is uncomfortable.” Tony pulled his hand away from Peter's forehead, not missing the way the kid leaned after him. He stood back up, reaching forwards to hoist Peter up from under the armpits. What he wasn't expecting was for Peter to push him away.

“No!” He cried out, the broken sound in his childish voice not making Tony feel any better about the situation. “Dirty.”

“Don't worry about me, I can change shirts.” Tony replied, making another move to pick Peter up, ignoring his own discomfort. But once again, Peter grabbed his wrists with his small hands and pushed them back so hard that Tony was sure that the kid was using some of his super strength.

“No.” His voice sounded so tiny, Tony hated it. “Dirty. Don’ wanna make you dirty.”

“Peter, I don’t care if I get dirty or not. I can change.” Tony repeated, letting his hands drop to his sides. “I mean it. I don’t want you being uncomfortable, either.”

Peter shook his head, not moving from his soiled part of the bed. Tony sighed.

“You won't get me dirty.” Tony repeated, trying to make his voice as soothing as possible. Soothing wasn't apart of Tony's normal, and neither was picking up a pee-soaked toddler. “Please, Peter, just let me get you clean. If this were me, I’d want to get clean too. There’s nothing else we can do about it.”

Peter seemed to think about it, those two fingers making their way back to his mouth as his much smaller brain tried to comprehend what Tony was saying. Tony waited impatiently, despite what hour of the morning it was, hoping to make Peter as comfortable as possible as fast as possible. He couldn’t imagine having been regressed into a toddler felt like, and he really didn’t want to find out. Peter must feel helpless, and Tony would definitely hate to feel like that. So, he waited, his eyes not leaving Peter’s teary face.

After a few minutes, Peter began to nod. Tony noticed that he was actually sucking on his fingers. Maybe he would actually need a pacifier?

Tony couldn’t imagine a world where Peter would like that.

He ignored that thought for the time being and proceeded with his original task. Tony lifted Peter by the armpits like he had been doing since he found the kid, thankful when he didn’t try to push him away. Peter even raised his arms to make it easier.

Tony couldn’t look at the heartbreaking defeat displayed all over Peter’s tiny face, and looked above his head instead. Trying not to make his own discomfort obvious, he brought the kid into his arms, barely able to keep the wince off of his face when the wet area touched him. Disgust crawled over his skin, but he didn’t show it. He didn't want to make Peter think he was ashamed of him for it.

Either way, Tony had to admit it was gross. The kid obviously thought the same, but neither of them said anything as Tony got the toddler comfortably situated in his arms.

Once the supplies that FRIDAY ordered arrived that morning, he knew that things would get a hell of a lot more gross than they were now. There was no avoiding it, and all he would have to do was look after Peter until they changed him back to a teenager.

Couldn’t be so hard, right?

Tony felt like he was lying to himself.

He carried Peter over to the drawers and let the kid point out which drawer his shirts were located in. He had no idea where anything was in the room, all he had done was install the furniture and add some small things he thought Peter might like. The room was originally for when Tony offered him a spot on the Avengers, and it had quickly gained dust when the offer was declined. Though, ever since Peter began visiting more frequently, the boy would bring some things with him and leave them in the room. The room was pretty much entirely customised by Peter.

Said boy had one arm wrapped around Tony’s neck, the other being used to point as Tony opened the drawer he was directed to. He picked out the first shirt he saw, shutting the draw and carried Peter to the closest bathroom.

How was he supposed to get the kid clean? He couldn’t just dump him in the shower, despite how capable Peter was of having a shower. Even Tony wasn't comfortable with the thought of letting a toddler stay in a shower by themselves.

What else was he supposed to do? Put him in the bath? Would Tony have to clean the kid? He really didn't want to put himself, and the kid, through that. He was sure Peter would be mortified either way.

Shower, or bath?

It was going to be terrible either way. Knowing that it was probably almost four in the morning, his conditions couldn't have been better. Just perfect. He wished Pepper was here. She would have known exactly what to do. Well, after she had finished screaming at Tony for letting this happen, she would know what to do.

When they made it into the bathroom, Peter was almost a dead weight in his arms. His head was rested against Tony's shoulder, both arms now around his neck and legs around his waist as Tony flicked the bathroom light on. He felt Peter wince and hide his eyes, cursing himself when he remembered his senses. Throughout all of this, Tony had almost forgotten that this kid was Spider-Man.

“Fri, dim the lights.” Tony mumbled, feeling Peter's hot forehead against his neck. Instantly the lights dimmed and Peter started relaxing very slightly. “Alright, Pete, this is going to be the hard part.”

Peter tensed, Tony continued to talk. “I don’t think I can just.. put you in the shower, so, um.”

“Bath?” Peter asked, his voice so incredibly tiny that Tony immediately wanted to hurl himself off of the closest bridge. He was not ready for any of this, and no matter how many times he said it, the thought of caring for a kid was always just as daunting.

“Sorry.” Tony replied and leant over the bath to turn on the water. Peter clung to him as he did so, the sounds of the water filling the bath meeting Tony’s ears as he adjusted it to what he thought was a good temperature for a kid.

Now, came the actual hard part. Without saying anything, he gently pried Peter off of him and had him stand on the closed toilet lid, hands resting on his hips so he wouldn't fall. “This is the hard part. Just to let you know, I really don't want to do this either.”

Peter still had fat tears rolling down his cheeks, the snot pooling around his nose beginning to dribble over his lips. Just as Tony noticed, Peter seemed to notice too, and soon he was wiping his nose with the back of his hand, his distant eyes looking anywhere but Tony. Tony felt his nose crinkle a little in disgust, but he ignored that and plastered his best comforting expression.

“Cold.” Peter mumbled, raising his arms without looking at Tony, seemingly asking him to just do it.

Tony sighed, feeling embarrassed on Peter’s behalf as he grabbed the hem of the shirt, ignoring the wetness, and rolled it up a few times. He then pulled it over Peter's head, making sure he didn’t slip from the closed toilet seat as he did so. Tony discarded the soiled shirt on the floor, then cringed when they met their next problem.

Though, Peter didn’t seem to care anymore. He was looking at Tony as if to say, just do it and get it over with. So, Tony did just that.

He helped Peter out of his miniature boxers while looking away as much as possible, hoping to give Peter at least a little piece of his dignity back. Even though worse things were to come if Tony couldn’t get him back to normal soon, so Tony could at least make Peter feel better about the situation. When his boxers were off, Tony lifted him him back up and in the direction of the tub within seconds.

Though, when he tried to put the kid in, he suddenly started to struggle.

Tony, from the sudden movement, almost dropped the kid. Horror filled his veins as he struggled to get a hold on the small body, only then realising the whimpers coming out of his mouth as he curled back up into Tony. “Pete, what's wrong?”

“Wulture.” Vulture?

Oh. Right.

That Toomes bastard had dropped Peter into a lake, hadn’t he? Tony had his suit get him out. Fuck.

“There's no Vulture here. It’s only a bath, and it's warm. Not cold.” Tony tried his best, counting it as a win when Peter nodded his head and let himself be lowered into the bathtub. Peter was still crying silently when Tony set him down, one small hand gripping onto Tony's wrist as he grabbed the spare shampoo and some soap.

“I’m sorry, kiddo.” Tony whispered as he set the shampoo bottle down on the floor beside him. “I’m trying to find a way to fix all of this. I’m trying my best to find a way to make you big again."

“Don’ wike it.” Peter whispered. “Can’.. can’ talk norm... norm-”

“Don’t stress.” Tony muttered, extending the soap in front of him. “Why don’t you clean yourself?”

Peter took the soap from him and Tony looked away and at the tiled wall instead. The only sounds in the room was the splashing of water and the occasional hitched breath, Peter's breathing much louder than normal due to his blocked nose. Tony didn't leave the side of the bathtub, remembering the stories he had heard about babies and water from Pepper.

But then again, Peter wasn't a real baby. Tony, however, wasn’t wiling to take the risk of leaving the kid alone. He had no idea if Peter would be able to keep his head up if he went under or be able to bring himself back up. So, he stayed and waited for Peter to let him know when he was finished.

When the soap nudged at his hand, Tony focussed his attention back on Peter. He took the soap from the small hand and set it on the edge of the tub, before he looked down at the shampoo he had gotten out. Maybe washing Peter's hair could wait for another time, when they were both a little less traumatised. Or, Peter could do it himself when he got back to normal, which was hopefully soon.

“You done?” Tony asked, waiting for the nod or sound of confirmation. He did get a nod, and the raising of Peter's arms signalled that he wanted out.

Hesitantly, Tony stood up and lifted Peter's small frame out of the tub, holding him awkwardly away from his body as he looked around for a towel. He leant over to the towel rack and yanked the first one he saw off of it. He set Peter down back on the closed toilet seat and wrapped the towel around him so he was covered and warm.

“Tony?” Tony met Peter's eyes upon being addressed, hating how vulnerable the kid looked with those much bigger, brown doe eyes. “Don’.. don’ have to…”

Tony smiled sadly. “I know this is hard.”

“You.. don’ have to.”

Tony suddenly felt tired. “Don't worry about it, I don’t mind. And I don’t think you'd be able to handle it all yourself.”

He sort of minded, but there was now way he was going to admit that to the kid.

Peter didn’t answer, so Tony began to dry him off. He tried his best not to make it awkward, quickly finishing the job before dropping the towel and reaching for the clean t-shirt. He manipulated Peter’s arms into the shirt, the kid not doing much to help as he started to lean forwards, Tony worrying that he were going to face plant off of the toilet. Once the shirt was over his body, Tony felt himself relax, and let Peter lean forwards until his head was rested on his shoulder again. “Tired?”

Peter nodded.

“You're gonna have to go commando until the stuff gets here.” Tony mumbled, not wanting to talk too loud in case he startled the kid. “Just, um, let me know when you need to go and I’ll take you?”

“Didn’ know.” Peter mumbled and leaned heavier into Tony's shoulder. It was when Peter's small feet almost slid of the toilet seat that Tony pulled him back into his arms, unsure really of what he was trying to say. “Didn’ realw- realwise.”

Did that mean Peter no longer had any control over his bladder?

Tony wasn’t sure if he liked that possibility.

“Okay. Okay, that's fine. Don't worry about it. We'll.. we'll figure something out.”

“Sowwy.”

“Don't apologise, it’s not your fault. Wanna go back to bed?”

When he received a nod, Tony took the kid out of the bathroom. He’d figure out what to do with the mess in the bathroom later in favour of flicking the light off and carrying Peter down the hall and back into his room.

It was when he realised he’d forgotten about the wet sheets when another problem arose.

“I’m gonna have to change the sheets.” Tony mumbled, mostly to himself and not really to Peter.

Without saying anything else, he began to rip back to the soaked sheets with one hand, Peter clinging onto him like a monkey. There was still some part of Tony that felt uncomfortable because of the toddler hanging onto him, but the other parts of him made him realise that he didn’t really mind. Despite how bizarre the situation was, Tony couldn’t help but wonder if this was what being a father felt like.

Nope. He couldn't get into that train of thought right now, he had bigger problems to worry about.

He tossed the sheets onto the floor in a pile, deciding to worry about them later as he moved over to one of the closets in Peter’s room. Luckily, whoever made the beds had put plastic covers on all the mattresses.

He vaguely remembered Pepper telling him the location of spare sheets, so after a solid minute of looking through the few closets in Peter’s room, he found them. He gathered them all in his free hand before moving back to the bed, wondering how exactly he was going to do this with one arm.

“Hey, Pete, do you think you could stand for a bit so I can do this?” Tony asked, Peter raising his head from where it had been resting on his shoulder. The tips of his fingers had once again disappeared into his mouth as he looked at Tony nervously, a childlike gleam in his eyes that Tony knew he would never forget. It was different from what he had seen since he found Peter like this, and he wasn't sure if he liked it at all. After a few seconds, Peter nodded, and Tony gently set him down on his bare feet.

As he let go, Peter swayed, falling into Tony's legs with a surprised squeak. He gripped onto his pants as if to keep himself upright, Tony having a small heart attack when he thought Peter would turn around and face plant after yanking his pants down to stay upright.

But instead, Peter steadied himself and pushed back from Tony's legs. He shuffled around, his little arms spread out wide as if to keep balanced. Peter was now behind Tony, still standing close, looking up at him with now fearful eyes.

He decided to get this part done as fast as possible, knowing full well that he didn't know how to make beds properly. Tony always left his untidy, and he knew Pepper was always the one to make them look nice and actually stay on the bed. Before that, it had been the cleaners. So, he was pretty much winging it as he did with most things.

After a few minutes of struggle, Tony finally managed to do an alright job of making Peter’s bed for him. He admired his work for a few seconds, shamefully proud of himself, before he turned around to the miniature sized Peter who hadn't moved from his spot behind Tony. He looked so incredibly tiny in that moment that Tony suddenly felt a stab of fear that he would somehow hurt him.

Swallowing his doubts, he forced himself to kneel down so he was at the same height as Peter. The whole situation suddenly became a lot more real.

He’d asked himself the same questions repetitively ever since he’d found the kid in that alleyway. How could this have been possible? Who was the dickhead that wielded alien technology? Was there aliens on the planet again? Why would they want to go around de-aging people?

All this ran through his head as he stared at Peter, who still wasn't looking at him. So, Tony finally mustered up the courage to speak.

“I’ve finished making your bed.” He trailed when Peter's head shot up, his tired eyes meeting his. “Want to get in?”

Peter nodded and shuffled closer to Tony as he did so. Tony gently hauled him up, turned around and placed him onto the bed, mirroring the things he had done just a few hours ago when he had put Peter to bed the first time.

Soon, the covers were pulled to his chin and Tony was running a hand through his hair, hoping that Peter would be able to fall back asleep so he could go back down into the lab and try and figure out how to change him back. Maybe FRIDAY had found a solution while he was up here helping Peter?

A sparkle of hope filled his chest as he watched Peter's eyes droop, though the worry never left the kid’s face. When he finally dozed off almost fifteen minutes later, he looked stressed, and the look of stress had never looked so wrong on a child’s face before. Tony gently ran his thumb over his creased eyebrows as if he were trying to smooth them out, though Peter's expression didn't fade into the peaceful one he was hoping for. It was a very Teen Peter look.

With a sigh, he pulled away and turned around to make his way out of the room after switching off the lamp. He took one last look at Peter’s sleeping form before he quietly shut the door and headed in the direction of his lab.

When he reached his lab, he immediately asked FRIDAY if she had found anything that could cure Peter.

And when she said no, Tony could do nothing but rest his head on the cool workbench surface and groan as loud as he could.

They were in for one hell of a ride.

Chapter Text

Despite all of Tony’s morals, somehow, he managed to fall asleep hunched over his workbench.

He couldn’t recall when he fell asleep, and wasn’t a fan when he awoke to a crick in his neck and a dull ache in his back. He winced as he straightened up and chose to ignore the sickening sound of several bones cracking as he stretched.

Someone was tapping his shoulder. No, someone was hitting his shoulder.

Tony groaned and turned his head in the direction of the person standing next to him, his vision blurry as he squinted from the lights inside his lab. While he wasn’t surprised, Tony’s eyes still narrowed at the sight of Rhodey’s unimpressed expression.

The man stopped prodding him once he noticed Tony’s glare and crossed his arms over his chest.

Tony groaned again and shook his head at his friend in annoyance. “What time is it?”

“Nine.” Rhodey replied, clearly disappointed about something Tony was yet to discover.

Tony rolled his eyes at the tone and bit back a snarky response. What had he done this time?

“It only took me an hour to figure out you were hiding out down here again. I thought you kicked that habit, Tones? Please don't tell me you've been drinking-”

“What are you even talking about?” Tony snapped and straightened himself up more. He rubbed the back of his neck as he watched his friend’s face run its course of several different emotions. Eventually, that disappointed stare returned and it was clear the man wasn’t going to say anything. This prompted another sigh from Tony. “I wasn’t hiding down here.”

“Really? Well while you’ve been off doing whatever down here, Peter has been…”

It took him a second to realise why Peter was of importance in this conversation.

Oh, shit.

Tony had forgotten the whole situation of Peter being regressed into a toddler. How could he possibly let something big like that slip his mind? He was an idiot.

With a glare in Rhodey’s direction, he forced his muscles to comply as he rose from his desk chair, bracing his hands against the bench as he pushed himself up. “I wasn’t hiding, dipshit. I was trying to figure something out to get the kid back to normal. What's wrong with him?”

“He’s been crying non-stop since he woke up almost an hour and a half ago. You know, you really shouldn’t have left him on your floor by himself.” Rhodey continued, Tony worrying his lip as he listened to his friend. “Apparently FRIDAY couldn’t wake you up, so she woke Happy and I instead. Peter won’t let any of us change him into the stuff you ordered, he won’t eat anything, and he’s still crying. I think he wants you, or he wants to go home, I don’t know. Tony, even if this is you, you should know not to leave children by themselves."

“I have Fri to alert me of any problems.” Tony replied, not looking at his friend.

Rhodey didn’t say anything to that, but Tony could practically feel the exasperation radiating from the man. There was a period of awkward silence before Tony spoke again.

“Why would he want me?” He mumbled before he headed towards the lift. The thought of Peter crying for him sounded unbelievable. “Where is he?”

“The living room. Happy’s with the kid. Reluctantly.”

All lab results and solutions forgotten, he stepped into the lift with Rhodey on his tail. It was a silent and short trip up to Tony’s personal floor, and he found himself anxiously playing with the hem of his shirt throughout the duration.

Once they reached his floor, Tony made his way to the living room with his heart pounding when the cries met his ears. He shared a glance with Rhodey, who shrugged, which led him to narrow his eyes before turning back around.

It was now or never, right?

When Tony entered the living room, the loud cries died down almost immediately.

He spotted Happy and Peter on the couch, the kid perched on Happy's lap and currently peered over both the man’s shoulder and the back of the couch, his stare focussed right on Tony. The innocent look in his eyes made Tony want to cave in and do whatever the kid wanted, which he was sure he did even when Peter was a teenager and was constantly scolded for. It wasn't much of a surprise that his teenage trait had transferred into a toddler one.

Tony only hesitated for a moment before he slowly approached Peter and Happy, noticing a few boxes scattered around the room. Some had been opened, which allowed him to see the objects inside.

The items varied from kid-sized clothes to toys and other things that Tony was sure Peter would hate. Hell, Tony even hated it just from looking at it. Seeing all those foreign items in his living room was confronting, confronting to the point where he wanted to turn around and walk back out.

He hated this. He hated this because it had happened to Peter, he hated it because he had no idea how to look after a kid. The only thing keeping him going was the fact that Peter wasn't a normal baby, and it was just a teenager's mind crammed into a toddler’s. Peter had a lot more awareness than actual toddlers would have. But even then, these small positives were doing little to comfort his inexperience.

“What's the matter, Pete?” Tony asked as he walked around the couch so he could see Happy’s face as well. Tony had to restrain the amusement from showing when he saw the look on the man’s face. Clearly, he didn’t appreciate Peter climbing all over him like some kind of jungle gym as he tracked Tony’s movements around the room. “What’s all the tears for?”

Peter didn’t answer and instead manoeuvred himself off Happy’s lap and off of the couch all together. Tony watched curiously as the kid waddled over to him, thumb inching toward his mouth as he did so. Tony saw Peter pause in front of one of the boxes, as if he hadn’t noticed it was there yet.

“Fix yet?” Peter’s small, shaky voice broke the silence in the room. Tony felt his heart drop into his shoes when he realised what Peter meant, the hope in his childish eyes making him feel horrible.

“I’m sorry, kid, but I haven’t figured anything out yet.” Tony hated the way the hope from the kid's eyes drained away before he had even finished the sentence, the few sad nods of his head signifying that he understood the words. Tony decided to bring the topic of clothes up before anything else, wanting to get it over with as fast as possible. “I bet you’re uncomfortable in just a shirt, yeah? It doesn't really fit.”

Peter's eyes seemed to widen at his words, Tony feeling horrible for the fountain of tears that followed. No matter how bad he felt, there was nothing else they could do until they figured out how to get Peter back to normal. “N-no. I’m ‘kay.”

“Kiddie, there’s nothing else we can do.” Tony kneeled down to Peter’s new height. “I’m sorry.”

“Uh, Tony, he’s-” Happy didn’t even have to finish his sentence because Tony could see it. Sadness for Peter and discomfort for himself began to surge through his veins as he watched the dark patch spread across the shirt, liquid dripping onto the floor which caused Peter to look down at himself. “Shit.”

Tony glared at Happy before turning back to Peter. Peter was still looking down, his little hands shaking as he watched himself make a mess. It didn’t take long for the kid to look at Tony, his face beat red, the tears falling rapidly as he looked down again, then at Tony.

“Sowwy.” Peter whispered, the panic displayed all over his innocent face. “I didn’ k-know.”

“Don’t worry about it. Um, come on, you gotta get clean.” Tony hurried out, then stood back up and offered his hand for Peter’s. Thankfully, the kid took it without complaint and let Tony pull him around. Tony made sure he moved a little slower so Peter could keep up, knowing his smaller legs couldn't move as fast and he was pretty much running to keep up with him.

He moved from box to box, gathering things and shoving them under one arm so he could carry them. He had no idea how he was going to do this and he had no idea what the fuck he was doing, but he ignored those thoughts as he grabbed the things he thought a kid this age would need.

If you told Tony from two days ago that he would be put in this situation, he would never have believed it. He would have laughed in your face and called you fucking insane.

First he grabbed a onsie-type jumpsuit, mainly because it was the first thing in the box he saw. He was pretty sure it was meant to be pyjamas, but that was a worry for another time as he moved on to another box.

Tony was running of general knowledge as he grabbed cream and wipes and whatever looked like would go with a diaper change. He stopped for a moment and almost laughed at himself out of shock. What was he doing? Was he really about to change a diaper?

He paused when he saw the packages, in the very bottom of the box. They were definitely diapers. Tony had hoped that they wouldn't need them, but after Peter’s two times of wetting himself without realising he needed to go... they would need them. No matter how much Peter, and himself, would hate it, it was what had to be done. There was a brief question that floated through his mind, did Peter still have control over his bowels, but he dismissed it to worry about later.

Tony really didn't like the thought of an accident like that happening.

He ripped the package open with one hand, trying to move as fast as possible. He grabbed the diaper closest to the rip and pulled it out. He briefly looked down at Peter, who was watching with a thumb in his mouth and a mortified expression on his face. He seemed so much like teenage Peter but also like a baby that it threw Tony off. He found himself unsure how to react, so he didn’t react at all.

It wasn't every day your teenage mentee gets de-aged into a toddler, and Tony found that he didn’t have a reaction to most of the situations he had been faced with so far.

He ignored the thought and continued to gather the things, slyly grabbing a package that contained a pacifier before he walked out of the room and in the direction of a bathroom. He threw a glance over to Happy and Rhodey as he left, who were both watching him move about the room with slightly widened eyes.

“One of you clean it up!” He called over his shoulder as he left.

There were several sounds of protest behind him as he led Peter out of the room. He could hear Peter hiccuping every few seconds, and he found himself not wanting to look down and see the kid’s face. He hated seeing Peter cry.

Once they made it to the bathroom, Tony dumped the supplies onto the counter and prepared himself to lift Peter onto the closed toilet seat like he had done the night before. Peter continued to hiccup and sniff quietly, Tony just catching the kid’s expression as he rolled up the shirt by the hem in preparation to take it off.

Peter’s face was still red, large tears streaking down his face as he avoided eye contact. He hated the shameful look that was on the kid’s face, and even though he had no experience with kids, Tony knew they weren't supposed to look so sad. They weren't supposed to look so dejected.

“Peter, I'm not mad.” Tony said in an attempt to catch Peter’s attention. He was successful, but only received a nod and raised arms for Tony to take off the shirt. Tony did so as quickly as he could, already grabbing a towel and the packet of wipes. He handed the towel to Peter, not wanting to push the kid too far incase he wasn't comfortable with that, just like last night. He also wanted to save himself the discomfort. He adverted his eyes, focusing on breaking open the packet of wipes so he could hand that to the kid next.

“‘ony.” Tony looked up when he was called for, faced with the sight of Peter holding the towel out to him. “Can’ do it. Help? Pwease?”

Tony couldn’t help the small smile that came onto his face. Despite how uncomfortable he felt, the look on Peter's face and the sound of his voice was cute. He grabbed the towel, shoving down his worries and gently began drying Peter off. Once he was finished, Tony grabbed the wipes, not really knowing what he was doing. As he went through with the task, he glanced at Peter every so often in case the kid showed any signs of wanting him to stop. Peter wasn’t even looking at him.

Once he was finished with the wipes, Tony immediately felt horrible all over again.

“I know you won’t want this, but it’s really the only thing we can do until I figure out how to get you back to yourself.” The look of horror on Peter’s face was hard to look at, the kid’s big eyes pleading him not to. Tony didn’t want to, but they had no choice. “I’m sorry, kiddo. I know. You can’t keep having accidents, though, and this’ll be much easier to clean up. It won’t be forever.” l

For a second, Tony was shocked at how much he’d sounded like a parent in that moment. The feeling felt foreign, and he couldn’t stop the way his heart started to beat faster with the anxiety thrumming around his body. This wasn’t him. Tony wasn’t fit for being a parent, he’d known that since he was very young. The thought of it terrified him, and he’d never felt more scared than right now with a small human in his care.

Tony recovered quickly and cleared his throat to force the conflicting emotions away. He reached forward to wipe the tears from Peter’s cheeks, trying to distract the both of them.

“I’m sorry, Pete.”

Peter said nothing and instead lifted his arms to be picked up.

“Okay, FRIDAY, how do I do this?” Tony lifted Peter by the armpits, wrapping the towel around him before setting him in his lap. “I have no idea how to put a diaper on a kid. Walk me through it.”

Peter tensed, his head now buried in Tony’s shoulder. He rubbed Peter’s back in what he hoped was a comforting way.

“I have ordered a changing table and changing mats for Young Peter.” FRIDAY said, Peter’s body becoming tense at her words. “If you do not want to use them just yet, I recommend laying a towel on the ground.”

Tony did as his AI said, leaning over to yank another towel from the towel rack before laying it across the tiles, straightening out all the creases as FRIDAY rattled off some more instructions.

“Lay Young Peter onto the changing mat and grab the diaper, Boss.” Tony did as he was told once again, Peter not fighting back at all. All he did was look up at Tony with fear, in which Tony smiled shakily and apologetically in response. If they didn't do this now, they never would, and Tony wasn't sure how Peter would cope with having another accident. “Open the diaper.”

The instructions were rather straightforward. Tony looked up at the ceiling after he was finished, silently telling FRIDAY to continue.

“Gently lift Peter by the ankles and slid the diaper underneath his bottom.”

Tony glanced at Peter, who looked like he was about to crack. He had his thumb shoved in his mouth as if he were trying to quiet himself down, fat tears rolling down his red cheeks as he looked anywhere but Tony. When he hiccuped on a sob, Tony decided to say something.

“I’m really sorry Peter, I know you don’t want to do this. I don’t want to either. In fact, I really don’t want to do this at all.”

Peter showed no sign of hearing or giving him a reaction, so Tony went through with FRIDAY’s instructions. He removed the towel he had wrapped around Peter’s waist and used one hand to grab his ankles, gently pulling him up so he could push the diaper underneath. “Boss, the diaper is backwards.”

Tony muttered a string of curses under his breath as he pulled it back out, keeping Peter in the air as he turned it around. He pushed it back underneath Peter, before gently laying him back down on top of the diaper.

“Pull the front up and fasten the tabs.”

He was a little surprised at how easy it had been. Once he fastened the tabs and sat back on his knees, he couldn’t help but be in awe of himself.

He’d just diapered a kid.

It was one of the most uncomfortable experiences of his life so far, and an experience he’d never thought he’d have.

Peter knew he was finished, too, because as soon as Tony leant back on his knees, the sobs started up again. Tony watched sadly as the thumb left Peter's mouth, both of his tiny hands moving to try and get the diaper off of him, his fingers attempting to pry the tabs off. Before he could succeed, Tony gently grabbed his hands and pulled them away. Peter didn’t fight him, and instead, he flopped back onto the floor with a thud.

Tony swore he almost had a heart attack when he saw Peter smack his head against the floor, knowing that all that was underneath the towel was hard tiles. There was no way the towel would do anything to protect Peter’s head. In that moment, Tony failed to remember that Peter was not a normal toddler and proceeded to scoop the sobbing kid into his arms. Peter now had a small hand on the back of his head, his face moving back to the crook of Tony’s neck to hide.

“I know, I know.” Tony mumbled and felt his own worries start to surface, all signs of his discomfort buried for that very moment. “It sucks, I know. But there's nothing we can do until I figure out a solution.”

“W-wanna be big a-again.” Peter all but whispered right next to Tony’s ear, and his heart broke with every word that came out of Peter’s mouth. “Don’ wanna stay wike this.”

“I know.” Tony repeated and pushed himself into a standing position with Peter in his arms, bouncing him as gently as he could. You were meant to do that for children, right? “I know. I want you to be big again too.”

“‘M sowwy.” Tony had to hold back fro rolling his eyes. Even as a toddler, Peter was apologising for things he shouldn't even be apologising for.

“Don’t say sorry for things that aren’t your fault.” Tony mumbled, knowing that Peter would have heard him. He felt the nod of the kid’s head against his neck as he moved to grab the clothing he had brought with him, hoping it wouldn’t bother the kid even more. He was sure Peter didn’t want to walk around in just a diaper “Do you want to get dressed?”

Another nod, and Tony went to gently place Peter back on the closed toilet seat. The word cute filtered through his mind again when he looked at Peter, in just a diaper, thumb shoved in his mouth as he looked up at Tony with watery eyes. Never had Tony expected this to happen or to be in that position, and the amount of times he had been surprised since finding Peter in that alleyway was beginning to add up.

In silence, he helped Peter get into the onsie and hoped his feet wouldn’t get cold as the clothing only reached his ankles. He buttoned up the front, smiling softly when he realised that it was an Iron Man onsie. Of course FRIDAY would buy an Iron Man onsie.

“I didn’t even pick this on purpose, y’know.” Tony said as he buttoned up the last button just under Peter’s chin. “If you hate it that much, we can change. Maybe Fri ordered a Cap one for ya?”

He wasn't expecting a giggle, of all noises Peter could make after bawling his eyes out.

Tony looked up at the kid, who had a little smile on his face despite the tears. His smile transferred over to Tony, who couldn't help but smile too. Now, that was strange.

Hearing Peter laugh was different, especially after all the crying he’d done since Tony found him. It was high-pitched but still sounded strikingly similar to his teenage self. Tony found he would much rather like to hear Peter laughing as opposed to crying.

“You hungry?” Another nod with arms raised. “You can walk, can’t you?” A nod. “Do you want to?” A shake. “I’m going to have back issues after this is all over, won’t I?”

Peter answered with another tiny smile around his thumb. Tony lifted him up nonetheless and let the kid wrap his limbs around him like an octopus. Peter wasn’t really that heavy at all, if he thought about it, so he let the thought of his back issues slide as he moved Peter out of the bathroom. He managed to snag the packeted pacifier as he did so, and had to shift Peter in his arms so he could hold the packet behind the kid’s back. He decided he would clean everything up and move it to another bathroom that wasn’t used by other people later, more focussed on getting Peter fed.

How was he supposed to make sure that Peter ate when he himself hardly ate at all? He knew very well about his awful habits, and he didn’t that it would become a problem until now. How was he supposed to know Peter wanted to eat? It wasn’t like the kid could get up and walk over to the pantry by himself now.

Maybe Tony wasn't going to be so good at this. “Hey, kid, you gotta let me know when you’re hungry. You know I don’t have the best eating habits…”

“Yes, ‘ony.”

Tony smiled. Toddler Peter seemed to have completely forgotten about calling him Mr. Stark.

That was one good thing that came out of this situation.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to reach the kitchen. Tony’s mouth fell open in shock when he was greeted with the sight in front of him.

Rhodey was cooking, it seemed, and he could see the almost perfectly made pancakes sitting there ready to eat. As he entered the kitchen, the smell of it wafted around the room, one plate already prepared with the pancake cut into smaller portions. That plate was most likely, if not definitely, for Peter.

He continued to walk into the room, ignoring the angry glare that Happy sent his way as he sat down and placed Peter in the chair next to him. It looked like Happy was the one who had to clean up Peter’s mess.

As he looked to Peter sat on the chair beside him, it was in that moment he remembered that high chairs existed. It left him wondering if toddlers Peter’s age needed them, and the longer he looked at Peter, the smaller he looked. His head didn’t even reach the edge of the table.

He ignored the thought for now and decided against asking FRIDAY if Peter needed one and if she had purchased one already. He would look through those boxes and ask questions when Peter wasn’t around to see or hear. He settled for setting the still packeted pacifier on the table to the side, ignoring the looks both Happy and Rhodey sent his way.

God, when Pepper returned from her trip, what was she going to think about all of this?

Tony, like he had perfected doing over the years, shoved all his worries to the side to worry about later. Instead of letting himself panic, he watched Rhodey come over to them and push the plate of cut up pancakes in Peter’s direction. The kid watched him, his eyes wide with what almost looked like childish endearment.

Peter had moved so he was kneeling on the chair, now able to just see over the table edge with both hands gripping onto the surface. Tony found himself wondering what would happen if he slipped as the kid reached out for some of the pancake, picking it up with his fingers and shoving it in his mouth. Tony tore his eyes away from the sight and moved to eat his own, thanking Rhodey with his eyes as he stuffed his face.

Yeah, maybe he had been really hungry. But there was no way he was going to admit that to Rhodey nor Happy. He was sure they knew already.

So, the four of them sat there in deafening silence as they ate their breakfast. Each time Peter shuffled, Tony could hear the crinkling of the diaper and the uncomfortable noise that came from the kid straight after. Peter must be humiliated.

It was better than having his floors and beds covered in piss, however.

Tony could already imagine the the awkwardness that would come when it was time to change Peter’s dirty diapers. It would have to be Tony who had to change him, and knowing that at some point it wasn't going to just be pee made him feel nothing but dread. God, he hated the idea of even changing any diaper on any child...

He could worry about that when the time came.

All he had to focus on right now was finding a he could get Peter back to his normal, very teenage and independent self. As soon as Peter was put to sleep that night, Tony planned to stay up all night with FRIDAY to try and figure out a way to make him big again.

He spared a glance at the kid, that same warm feeling spreading out of his chest when he saw him sitting there, shoving pancake pieces in his mouth while swinging his legs back and forth happily. The sight was cute, so childish, and Tony once again found himself wondering if Peter knew what he was doing or if it was instinctual.

Instead of asking him and ruining the first calm moment they’d had since this whole mess began, Tony went back to his own food with a sigh.

Chapter Text

Surprisingly, the day had been running quite smoothly despite their current situation.

After breakfast, Tony set Peter down with one of the StarkPads and some headphones and left him on the couch as he rummaged through the countless boxes that had been delivered. He wondered what the people who delivered them might have been thinking when they saw the address, but he ignored that thought and continued to pull things out. FRIDAY would have had them all sign NDAs, so he wasn’t really concerned about it for the moment.

He glanced over at Peter every so often, who just sat there with the StarkPad on his legs, the device being elevated by a stand as Peter watched whatever was going on on the screen. Whatever it was, it seemed to be entertaining him, and he hadn’t looked up once. Therefore, he had no reaction towards the items Tony was yanking out of boxes and depositing on the floor and coffee table.

The first thing Tony had found was the carseat, which he didn't think that they were going to use. He pushed the big box aside and moved onto the next one, which was a booster seat for a normal chair. Maybe Peter could use that until he was big again? Since he literally had to kneel to reach the table, maybe that would come in handy.

But Tony had no idea how long this was going to last for, and he had to tell May where he was sometime that day. Or, he could wait until she called him and say that he thought Peter had called. That sounded like a good decoy plan, right?

“Fri? Still working on it?” He didn’t really know what to call Peter's situation, so it would have to do.

“Yes, Boss. I have not found anything as of yet. I am currently observing young Peter’s blood.”

“Tell me if there's anything up with it.” Tony replied, before he continued pulling things out of boxes. The next box was the one he had been through briefly, one that was filled with tiny kid's clothes that were undoubtedly Avengers themed. Tony had to push down the heavy feeling when he found the Captain America themed group of clothing, and decided to leave those in the bottom of the box. Even though he had joked about a Cap onsie and knew how much Peter admired the man, he didn’t fancy seeing his shield all over his home right now.

There were even some tiny sets of shoes, which Tony thought were adorable.

Tony Stark didn’t often think things were adorable.

He couldn’t wait to tease Peter about his little shoes when he was back to normal.

Tony paused, then almost gagged at his own thoughts. He was turning into a complete sap.

He moved onto the next box, which was also one he had been through before. This seemed to be the one filled with necessities, like sippy cups and packets of diapers, extra pacifiers, kids shampoos and soaps and things alike. There were even some of those water diapers kids used to swim, and Tony knew to toss those aside because he knew he wouldn’t be taking Peter swimming anytime soon. Christ, he wasn't taking Peter anywhere. He wasn’t the kid’s father.

Tony knew deep, deep down that he wouldn’t mind if Peter was his son. But, there was no need to start thinking about shit like that with what was currently going on, so he ignored the intruding thoughts and continued with the task at hand.

After he tossed the empty box away from him, he dragged the next closest box to him and proceeded to open it.

This box was filled with toys. Tony observed each one as he pulled it out, wondering if Peter would ever actually want to play with these for the time he was regressed into a toddler. Tony knew the kid was obsessed with Legos as a teenager, which led him to wonder if he would use them as a baby too. After a moment to consider, Tony shrugged to himself and added the several boxes of Legos to the pile that Peter might use.

The next toy he extracted from the box was two remote control cars, one Iron Man themed and the other Spider-Man. Of course FRIDAY would order those. He set the cars aside as he pulled out some stuffed animals that were soft to the touch, their beady eyes boring into his soul as he held them.

He placed the remote control cars in the Peter might use pile, then the stuffed animals in the middle. He dug deeper into the box and ended up finding a box set of Avengers action figures and seperate packages containing mimics of their real weapons. This included a plastic replica of his gauntlets that could go around a child’s hand, a Hawkeye plastic bow and arrow, Cap’s shield, and even Natasha’s widow’s bites.

Tony considered them for a while, then added them to the pile he would offer to Peter with a heavy heart.

The rest of the boxes consisted of some more necessities, even a stroller, which Tony was sure was never going to be used. He pushed that aside with the carseat box.

Before he knew it, everything was strewn out across the floor, the coffee table and one of the couches. It no longer looked like Tony Stark owned this living room.

Tony looked at the mess he’d created for a few minutes, before he let his eyes drift over to Peter. The kid’s eyes were still glued to the screen, his tiny index finger having disappeared behind his lips.

Tony watched the kid for a while before he stood up and moved behind the couch to take a peek at what had been keeping the kid so entertained for so long. He let out a scoff when he saw what the Peter was watching, and wasn’t even all that surprised.

Peter was quite literally watching videos of himself as Spider-Man on YouTube.

Spider-Man's coolest moves compilation.

Of course Peter would love watch something like that.

Tony just shook his head and walked away from the couch and back to the mountain of items covering his living room floor. His brief moment of amusement dissipated into nothing as he set his hands on his hips and sighed. God, what the hell was he supposed to do with all of this?

He found himself standing there for who knows how long, staring at the large mass of objects FRIDAY ordered. All of a sudden, he felt overwhelmed to the point where he might fall over if he didn’t sit down soon. Tony was in that state until someone else entered the room, which thankfully brought his attention away from the clutter. It was Rhodey.

His best friend peered over the back of the couch in the same way Tony had moments earlier, his eyebrows raising exceptionally high before he let out a soft huff of laughter. Rhodey then turned to Tony with a questioning look, who only shrugged in return.

He settled for sitting with Rhodey in the middle of the mess on the couch, the TV switched on and playing some random movie as they sat in silence. Peter still hadn’t moved, his head bent awkwardly over StarkPad. Tony found himself thankful that the kid had remained unaware of what he had been doing, which made it much it easier for him to get his head around the situation himself.

If FRIDAY or himself couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him, they were all screwed. If Peter had to grow up for a second time, how would they be able to tell that to his Aunt? The question had been taunting him for hours on end. How could you just mention that to someone?

If he didn’t tell May soon, what was he supposed to do with the kid? It was inevitable that she found out, it would happen one way or another, and Tony was sure she would be extremely worried by now. Suddenly, it occurred to him that maybe hiding what had happened to her nephew wasn’t such a good idea.

All these thoughts ran through his mind for the two hours they were sat there, all up until the time Peter seemed to become bored with the tablet.

“‘ony.” He heard from beside him, which snapped him out of his thoughts as he tore his eyes away from the television. He hadn’t even really been watching it. The headphones were off and the tablet screen was black, so Tony immediately assumed that Peter had gotten bored. Before he could even open his mouth to voice this, Peter cut him off. “Flat.”

Oh. So the tablet had run out of battery.

“Alright then. Uh…” Tony trailed, looking around the room for something to entertain the kid. When he looked back, Peter was as white as a sheet, and was staring at the large quantity of objects spread around the room.

Shit.

Tony should have realised that this was when everything would start to go downhill.

“For me?” Peter asked, his wide eyes moving to meet Tony’s. Tony felt Rhodey become tense beside him, but ignored it as he plastered the best smile he could on his face. It was an unstable smile, and he could see the kid scrutinising him. He nodded and watched with a wince as Peter turned back to the large amount of stuff. He said nothing else, and Tony decided that now would be a better time as ever to offer Peter some of the items.

He stood up, his knees the cracking loudly as he made his way over to the Peter might use pile. Tony bent down and grabbed one box of legos and the two RC cars. He felt both Peter and Rhodey’s eyes on him as he did so, though he ignored it and made his way back over to the pint sized Peter Parker.

Peter was looking at him fully now, having moved the StarkPad aside with the headphones on top of it. Tony kneeled in front of him and placed the toys on the couch in front of him in a silent offering. With a churning stomach, Tony watched Peter practically analyse the toys, then look to him, then back at the toys. When the kid looked at him again, he had no idea to make of the expression on his face.

“I remember you telling me you liked to do Legos with your friend. What was his name? Ted? Ned? That doesn’t matter.” Tony started in an attempt to diffuse the tension in the room. He was rambling. “I don’t know if they’re as cool as the sets you buy with your friend, but they’re here, so…”

“Not a baby.” Tony cringed.

“Yes, I know. I thought it might help with the boredom while FRIDAY and I figure out how to get you back to normal.” Tony replied and found himself looking at the toys rather than Peter’s face. “It’s not like you can go out as Spider-Man when you’re hardly above my knees.”

There was no answer, so he continued. “The cars look pretty cool. The colours are a bit off, which is a bit disappointing, but hey. Don’t they look inviting?”

He picked up one of the cars, the Spider-Man one, and started to unbox it. He glanced at Peter a few times, and each time he was looking at the car in his hands with a new expression that Tony couldn’t figure out. He made quick work of ripping the packaging off of the RC toy, cursing whoever packaged the thing in his mind when he came across the little straps that kept the toy restrained to the cardboard.

Rather than leaving Peter with Rhodey, he simply used his fingers to try and rip at the little annoying straps. After some effort, he managed to do the impossible and ripped off all of the straps. Now that he had the control and the car out, he passed the controls to Peter and placed the car on the floor.

Batteries. Hm.

“Rhodey, could you be a dear-” Tony began, batting his eyelashes at his best friend. Rhodey rolled his eyes but was already pushing himself into a standing position.

“Yes, father.” Rhodey grumbled and Tony smiled evilly as Rhodey disappeared from the living room and into the kitchen.

He looked back to Peter, who was fiddling with the remote control for the cars with his tiny fingers. His hands didn’t seem to be able to fit across the whole thing, and at first, Tony wanted to smile, until he noticed the frustration on Peter's face as he tried to reach all of the needed controls at once.

Rhodey returned shortly after, a packet of batteries in his hand. Without a word, he tossed them in Tony’s direction and almost hit him in the face with it. He didn’t miss the tiny giggle from Peter, a little smile of his own passing over his face as he ripped the packet open. He gestured to Peter to hand over the remote, and once he had it in his hands he turned it over to put the batteries in.

He didn’t have a screwdriver.

With a muttered curse, he looked up at Rhodey who once again rolled his eyes in irritation.

“Thanks dear.” Tony smirked as Rhodey left the room again, grumbling under his breath as he disappeared from sight.

When the screwdriver was handed to him with a scowl on his face, he couldn’t contain his glee at his friend’s expense.

“Don’t expect me to do this for you all the time.”

“You won’t have to.” Tony replied as he pried the back casing off of the remote. He placed the batteries in and reassembled the controller then handed it back to Peter before doing the same with the car before turning both on.

He sat down next to Peter and watched as he began to struggle with the controller once again. However, this time, the little Spider-Man car was moving, driving off in the direction of the coffee table leg. Peter had his tongue sticking out as he attempted to direct it away from the table leg, but his fingers were too small and clumsy.

So, when the plastic car crashed into the coffee table’s leg, the disappointment was evident.

The toy it reversed away from the table and took off in a different direction. This time, it hit Tony’s foot. He huffed out a small laugh as he watched it reverse again and tear off in another direction. He wasn’t surprised when Peter ran into another obstacle, which happened to be the very edge of Rhodey’s shoe.

For the next half an hour or so, Tony was content to watch as Peter tried to control the thing. The kid looked pretty determined to not crash, but most of the time the car would knock into one of the couches, the coffee table again, an empty box or one of the adult’s feet. It was surprisingly entertaining to watch, as was the obvious frustration Peter was experiencing.

It wasn't long after that when everything turned to shit.

He had turned to Rhodey to talk when something flew through the air in the corner of his eye. Tony turned his head just in time to see the RC controller smash against the coffee table and quite literally explode into pieces from how hard it had collided with the surface. It was silent for a few seconds before his gaze found Peter, whose face was bright red with anger and had tears running down his cheeks.

Tony had no idea how to react to Peter’s sudden, violent outburst and the destruction of his RC controller, but in all honestly, he had no time to even react.

Before he or Rhodey could utter a word, Peter’s started flying around and yanking at the onsie Tony had put him in. Within seconds, the kid had ripped most of the button’s clean, the small objects shooting in all directions. One of them hit Tony’s hand, and it was pretty obvious the kid had used his super strength. He was pretty sure a normal kid would not have been able to rip off buttons clean from top to bottom.

During all of this, Peter had wiggled off of the couch and was now stood desperately tugging the onsie off of his body. He was sobbing, Tony still sat on the couch in shock, at a loss of what to do or say. Was there really anything that could have prepared him for this?

There was one word he could pair with his situation.

Tantrum.

It wasn’t going to be easy because Teen Peter was still in there and knew full well of what was going on. It wasn’t going to be easy because Tony had no idea how to be a mentor, let alone a father figure.

Instead of freaking out like he very wished to do, he decided to give it a chance. Putting his patience to the test, he tried to grab Peter’s arms from where he was in the middle of ridding himself of the onsie, only to reel back in shock when Peter lashed out and slapped his hands away.

“Come on, Pete, tell me what’s the matter.” Peter had never told Tony what was wrong when he was a teenager, and he didn’t know what he was expecting from a toddler version of him. "Please, kid, stop doing that."

Peter was either ignoring him or didn’t hear him, Tony suspected was the former, because he somehow got himself completely out of the onsie and was now stood with only the diaper on. Tony immediately noticed the slightly darker part of the diaper, the realisation dawning on him.

It was when Peter started pushing and pulling at the diaper when Tony decided to intervene.

"Why don’t I change you, then? Is that what’s wrong?”

“No!” Peter screeched especially loud which made Tony jump. “Go away!”

Tony could feel the frustration to boil over as Peter continued to pull on the diaper tabs. Tony winced and shared a glance with a shocked-looking Rhodey. Tony knew that if Peter used his powers again, the diaper would come right off. However, the kid seemed to be refraining from doing so, and Tony began to wonder if he really wanted it off at all.

“Then tell me what's wrong!” Tony replied in a one last attempt to keep ahold of his patience. “This is very unlike the Peter I know.”

“Go away!” Peter screeched for a second time and slapped Tony’s hands away when he tried to reach out to him for a second time. “Don’ touch me!”

“Are you really having a tantrum right now?”

“GO AWAY!”

Tony had no idea what the fuck to do. He was angry now, and Peter’s screaming did nothing to diffuse his temper as the kid just stood there, beat red face and eyebrows furrowed downward.

Peter’s eyes were full of childish rage, something that looked distantly familiar to Tony. It looked like a picture of himself as a toddler that he was familiar with, where he had that exact angry expression. While it wasn’t the same at all, there were small similarities that reminded Tony of himself.

He had no idea how to look after a kid. Whether it be a teenage one or a toddler one, he didn't know how to look after children.

“I’ll go away when you tell me what’s wrong. Screaming about it isn’t going to help, you know.”

Peter stared at him for a few seconds, before his eyes filled up even more and his chest was beginning to shake with anger. He was more than angry now, the kid was furious. His anger was only adding onto Tony’s, making the whole situation a whole lot worse. When Tony looked into the kid’s eyes, all he saw a child’s eyes. They weren't those knowing ones that Peter had had the entire day, they were the eyes of a child who was about to crack it.

And that’s exactly what Peter did.

The kid lost it. He started crying even louder, slumping onto the floor with an especially loud wail, his head in his hands. Tony was not prepared for this. He had never been prepared for this. He wasn’t meant to be a father. Fuck.

Was he panicking? He didn’t really know anymore. But with Peter’s loud wailing and Rhodey’s distant words, Tony couldn’t even hope to understand. So, he lost it, too.

“I can’t do this.” He snapped, the words coming out a lot harsher and louder than he could have ever expected. But once he started, he couldn’t stop, and he found himself craving the sweet taste of alcohol. The anger flowed out of him through his words, which came out calm but with an undertone of rage. “I can’t fucking do this anymore.”

He hadn’t really noticed that Peter’s cries immediately lessened in volume nor had he noticed Rhodey trying to calm him down. He didn’t notice anything through the haze of frustration he was feeling, and instead kept letting his anger out through his words.

“I’m going go find a fucking solution, because I can’t do this. I can’t look after some toddler.”

Tony knew he was being a lot harsher than he should have been, but in that moment he couldn’t care less. He couldn’t look after Peter, he couldn’t change his diapers or cook him food because that wasn’t a Tony Stark thing to do. It wasn’t something he could do.

Tony Stark didn’t know how to look after children, he could barely look after himself as it is. He had an AI who constantly reminded him to do things, even the most mundane of tasks. He’d lost his friends and teammates from all the mistakes he created, like Ultron and the accords. Tony was a Stark, and Starks always tended to mess things up, didn’t they?

Howard never cared for him, Tony didn’t have a fond childhood to reminisce about. He didn’t want to ruin Peter’s second one. Tony couldn’t hug and cuddle Peter like he was his father, because he wasn’t. Peter had his Aunt May, and she should be the one to look after Peter. Tony would just end up damaging him, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle it if he did.

“I’m calling your Aunt.” That was the last thing Tony said before he turned around and forced his legs to carry him out of the room. He refused to look back and see Peter’s and Rhodey’s faces. He refused to show them the tears that were beginning to well in his eyes.

Tony didn’t cry.

Well, more so, Tony didn’t cry in front of other people. Starks were made of iron. Isn’t that what Howard always told him?

Once he reached his lab, he collapsed onto his desk where all the tests for Peter were being held. He refused to let his tears fall as he looked over everything, clenching and unclenching his fists every so often. His mind was running a million miles an hour, trying to intrude his thoughts with the image of Peter’s young face.

He wasn’t fit for the fatherly roll. He wasn’t fit for anything in the parent category.

He yanked his phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his contacts until he found May Parker’s contact. His thumb hovered over the call button, shaking rapidly along with the rest of his hand. Tony looked at it for a couple of seconds before he groaned and slammed his phone on the desk. Once he’d switched it off, he leant forwards and buried his head in his hands as he took deep breaths in attempt to calm down. He couldn't do that to Peter, no matter how angry he was.

“Sir, if I may interrupt…”

“What is it?” He didn’t mean to snap, he really didn’t, but his mouth just seemed to be running on it's own accord.

“I have thought to look at the visuals inside of young Peter’s suit from Karen.” Tony paused, his eyes wide. Was he that fucking stupid? They could have looked at the recordings from Peter's suit this entire time, why hadn’t he thought of that? Somehow it had completely slipped his mind. “I think you would want to see this, Sir.”

Tony froze, not liking the tone of his AI’s voice. “Bring it up.”

When the recording appeared in front of Tony’s face, the anger in his stomach wilting for a few moments as he watched the video displayed in front of him. It started with Peter helping a young girl from being attacked inside of that same alleyway Tony had found him, a surge of pride pulsed through his chest when he saved the girl. Though, after Peter had webbed the man to the wall and let the girl leave unharmed, the attacker began to transform.

Tony wished he never saw what came next.

The webs melted around the body as a bright, green glow consumed the person, gold and green armour replacing the attacker’s dirty and ragged clothes. The anger Tony felt when he saw the face of the God was sudden, his chest heaving up and down in heavy breathes as he listened to Peter and Loki interact.

Then, without warning, the visual exploded in green light before cutting off.

He sat there panting for a few seconds, his mind alight with fury.

Tony grabbed the closest thing to him, which was a box of tools, and hurled it across the lab with a crash.

"FUCK!"

He hardly heard the tools clatter on the ground all over his workshop and hid his face in his hands in defeat once again. FRIDAY was trying to talk to him, but he tuned her out.

Of course it had been Loki. Peter would have actually been a child when Loki invaded New York, and most likely didn’t know what the God looked like or even who the hell he was. Of fucking course Loki would have done this to Tony. The bastard disguised himself as an attacker to lure Peter in, hadn’t he?

But why Peter? Where the fuck was Thor?

To make matters even worse, said God’s were not on Earth. The last Tony had heard, Loki was dead again. Knowing the man was now walking free somewhere in the universe made him feel sick with fury, especially because Peter had gotten mixed up in it all too. He had a feeling that Loki’s magic wouldn’t be able to be reversed easily, if at all.

“Fri, what am I supposed to do?” He asked his AI in despair as he to keep the annoying tears inside of his eyes. “Thor isn’t here, Bruce isn't here, I have no idea where that bastard Loki is or how he’s even alive. How am I supposed to get the kid back to normal? How am I supposed to get Loki to reverse it?”

“I am unsure of a way to reverse the spell without Loki, sir. This is far out of my programming. Young Peter’s blood appears to be completely normal and healthy and is a match to a sample I received when he was fifteen.”

Tony sighed slumped over his desk, head in arms. “What is the kid doing right now?”

“Colonel Rhodes is currently trying to calm Young Peter down. It seems to be that Peter experienced a panic attack shortly after your departure. I assume he is feeling guilt for making you displeased.” This caused Tony to burrow deeper into his arms, hoping that he could somehow escape his problems if he hid long enough. “I suspect that due to young Peter’s regression, he is experiencing child-like tendencies.”

“Yeah, I got that much.” Tony removed his face from his arms and straightened up. “Is it damaging his health? His brain?”

“All his vitals appear to be normal, Sir.” FRIDAY replied, her tone soothing. “I am sure there is nothing to be concerned about as of yet.”

“Alright, good. Call all possible connections to Thor and ask him to get his ass down here.”

“I will try, Boss. Thor Odinson is rather difficult to get ahold of.”

Tony scoffed, but didn’t find anything about the situation amusing. “We need to get him a phone.”

If FRIDAY said anything in return, Tony didn’t hear it. Instead, he hid his face back in his hands and screamed as loud and as brutally as he could.

This was never supposed to happen.

Chapter Text

Tony didn’t know how long he kept himself holed up inside of his lab, frequently telling FRIDAY that he did not want an any updates on Peter, that didn’t want to know anything about how the kid was going or what he was doing.

Instead, he busied himself with the nanotech upgrade of his suit and ignored the hollow feeling in his gut as he worked his problems away. A few times he went to call May, but always chickened out of it before he could press the call button. He couldn’t do that to Peter just yet, no matter how much he should.

The more Tony thought about the kid, the worse he felt for snapping and leaving him alone with Rhodey.

He still couldn’t process what had happened, or what had possessed Peter to scream at the top of his lungs and tear the onsie off. One thing Tony did know was that definitely was not teenager behaviour he had seen, and he was pretty sure the childish tendencies had overtaken Peter in that moment.

Or, Peter had some explosive anger that Tony had never been told about. He doubted it though.

If FRIDAY was right and the kid was having childish tendencies, Tony couldn’t quell the worry that pooled in the pit of his stomach as he continued to try and ignore his thoughts.

His attempts were futile, however.

The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt and the more he wanted to kill Loki. ‘

How was he supposed to tell Peter that the same God who had almost annihilated New York with an army of aliens had been the one to do this to him? How was he supposed to give him a solution when there was none?

How long would Peter have to be a toddler for before Thor returned to earth, if he ever returned? Even if the man did touchdown on earth again one day, there was a chance that he may not even be able to track his brother now. That would mean that Peter, most likely, would be stuck having to grow up a second time.

Who knows, maybe he could be overreacting. His only company was his bots, who beeped quietly around him, handing him things when asked, even patting his arm in an attempt of comfort. Tony was a little irked at the idea that even his bots had noticed that there was something wrong, but he soaked the comforting touch up either way.

Tony continued to work on his upgrade, but was still fiddling with the same components he had started with hours ago. Really, he wasn’t getting anything done, he was just using work as an excuse to stay away from Peter and Rhodey.

He was sure Rhodey was asking FRIDAY to either tell him what's going on with Peter or trying to break into the lab. Which he definitely could, because Tony hadn't enforced the Lockdown Protocol, so he must be holding back.

He was giving Tony a chance to leave the lab without prompting.

Tony knew Rhodey would be, will be, extremely disappointed in him.

Just as he was thinking about how Rhodey was be doing with a toddler version of Peter Parker, there was a loud knock on the lab’s glass window. Tony swivelled around in his chair, his teeth coming down to clamp on his lower lip when he spotted his best friend on the other side.

As expected, Rhodey wore an expression of disappointment. Tony went to say something, but before he could open his mouth, he spotted the presence of another person.

Standing close Rhodey’s legs was Peter. The kid peered through the glass at him, his eyes wet and rather red, hand clasped in Rhodey’s much larger one.

Dread filled Tony’s stomach at the sight. He didn’t want to know if the kid had been crying for the last however many hours Tony had been hiding. He didn’t what to know that he was the one who caused those tears.

Tony wished time travel was possible. If de-aging was possible, why wasn’t time travel? He could have gone back and fixed this before it even happened, and everything would have been fine and dandy.

“Fri, how long have I been down here for?”

“Two days, sir.” Tony choked on the spit he had been swallowing, coughing roughly. Two days!?

Two days and Peter’s Aunt still had no idea where her nephew was.

He hadn’t meant for it to get that bad. Guilt filled him as he leant on his elbow, horrified at the prospect of how May could be feeling. She could have filed a missing person’s report by now. How could he be so stupid?

Tony really hoped that Rhodey had some common sense to contact her, because clearly, Tony lacked it.

With a deep sigh, Tony spoke.

“Let them in.”

The door slid open and the two of them stepped into the lab. Tony watched as Rhodey nudged the kid to move, which caused Peter to almost trip over as he shuffled forward on his tiny feet.

The kid was in different clothes than he had been the last time Tony had seen him. He wore little pants that looked like a kid version of sweats and a blue t-shirt with a rocket on it. He was barefoot, the StarkPad hooked under his arm as he continued to walk over to Tony. He could also see the slightly puffed out part of Peter's pants, indicating that the kid was still wearing a diaper.

Tony could feel himself panicking with the knowledge that he had been the one to make Peter cry. He ignored the panic and continued to fiddle with the screwdriver that had somehow made its way into his hands since the arrival of Peter and Rhodey.

Peter looked unsure as he approached. His wide brown eyes darted around the room, occasionally stopping on Tony before flickering away. When the kid finally reached him, he slumped down onto the floor with his legs out in front of him, the StarkPad in his lap. Tony looked up at Rhodey, who was staring at him with such an intense glare that Tony had to look away. When Peter wasn't there, Rhodey was going to kill him. Tony was a dead man as soon as Peter was out of sight.

He turned back to said kid, who had switched on the StarkPad and was typing with one finger. After what felt like years of watching Peter type with that one, minuscule index finger, the kid held the tablet up to him.

Tony took it and turned his body slightly to set it on his desk. In the notes section of the StarkPad, Peter had typed out a few sentences.

im sorry, mr. stark. i dont know why i did that

Tony glanced at Peter, who was staring at him with a nervous look on his face. Tony looked back to the tablet.

if u called may, thats ok. i dont want u to feel forced to look after me

Tony suspected that the poor grammar was due to the fact that it was taking Peter longer to type with smaller hands. Peter was typing to him because he couldn't speak as good as he could before, and this only sent Tony into more panic.

What if he never got the teenage Peter back?

If it had actually been two days, and no one had told May where Peter was...

i dont know why i threw a tantrum like a baby, i wasnt really thinking

FRIDAY was right, wasn't she?

sorry for screaming at u

Tony looked back at Peter, who was looking away. He could see the kid’s hands trembling, and Tony suspected he had started crying. Again.

He glanced over to Rhodey, whose eyes had softened slightly. He must’ve known this was what Peter was going to do.

Tony sighed and laid the tablet down flat on the workbench. He ran his hands over his face a few times, trying to compose himself before talking to Peter. He swivelled back in his chair so he could face Peter properly.

“Kid.”

Peter looked up, and Tony’s suspicions were correct, despite how much he was wishing it to be false.

Peter was crying.

There was that childlike look in his eye again, and Tony hated the fact that this had happened to them.

Why couldn't it have happened to some stranger? Why couldn’t Loki have targeted someone else, hadn’t the God done enough to him?

Hell, Loki could have targeted Steve. He could have transformed that bastard into a toddler, but instead, he turned his kid into one instead. Out of all people, the one who least deserved it had received the brunt of year-long grudges.

“Okay, I’ll admit. This is weird.” Tony began. He heard Rhodey sigh, but he continued before the man could intervene. “How could it not be? You were fifteen just a few hours- days ago, and now you’re two. It's bizarre, right?”

Peter gestured for the tablet, grabby hands reaching up in the direction of the device. Tony handed it to him, gnawing at his lip as Peter started to type with one finger again. After a minute or so, the tablet was being handed back to him.

are u mad at me for ruining the bed and floor bc im sorry i didnt mean it

Tony's heart did a... thing. “No. Of course not. That’s not your fault.”

Peter nodded once, not gesturing for the tablet a second time. Tony took this as an indication to continue talking.

“I’m not mad, and I didn’t call May. Not yet, although I probably should have. She’ll be really worried about you, Peter.” Tony could see the relief on Peter’s face for a split second before it turned to guilt. “But this is way out of my league, kid. She has to know.”

Peter didn’t react, so he continued.

“I know it’s embarrassing and you must be terrified. But we need to tell May, kid. If it’s really been two days-” He looked to Rhodey for confirmation, who gave him a disappointed nod. “We need to tell her.”

Peter stared at him with a calculating look on his face. He nodded when it appeared he came to some kind of conclusion, his fingers slowly inching their way up to his lower lip. With the other, he gestured for the tablet with clenching and unclenching fingers. Tony handed it to him, then glanced at Rhodey again when Peter’s focus was on typing his next message.

The man now had an unreadable expression on his face, though he was still staring at Tony dead in the eye. Tony felt uncomfortable underneath that look, especially that he didn’t know what it meant just yet.

He looked back down when Peter nudged his knee with the StarkPad.

have u found a way to make me big again

Tony’s breath hitched.

“Uh…” Tony looked away. He didn’t want to see the hope in Peter’s eyes because he knew he was going to be the one to crush it.

He ended up meeting Rhodey’s instead for the umpteenth time, the man’s eyes now as wide as saucers. It looked as if Rhodey were expecting him to have a solution, too. Two days, and Tony had nothing.

“Kid, I’m really sorry. I looked into the recordings from your suit, or well, FRIDAY did, and…”

Peter stared up at him with wide, but still hopeful, eyes. Tony immediately wanted to strangle himself. He was a coward for hiding down in his lab for two days when Peter needed him, even after their little explosion of tempers.

At least he hadn't resorted to alcohol, right? Even though he had been close.

“You remember the attack on New York, yes?” Tony’s voice was wavering. Tony Stark’s voice never wavered. After Peter’s tiny nod, he continued. “Do you remember anyone called Loki?”

Peter nodded again, and the colour completely drained from his face. Tony didn’t have to say anything else, because Peter had figured it out.

It was silent for a while, and it took everything in Tony to not to look away from the despair written all over the child’s face. Peter’s face.

And, once again, Peter’s pain and sadness was because of Tony.

“Jesus, kid, I hate seeing you cry. Especially when you’re so small.” Tony suddenly blurted out, opening his arms before he even thought about what he was doing. “Just come here.”

Peter looked up at him for a few seconds, before agonisingly slowly, he pushed himself off of the ground and edged his way over to Tony. His chest was shaking, the tears running down his face like a waterfall when he reached Tony’s legs, looking up at him with an uncertain expression. Now, Tony couldn’t take it back, and despite the heaviness in his chest, he placed his hands under Peter’s armpits and lifted him into his lap.

It was strange, and after two days of not doing this is was even weirder, but Tony couldn't think about any of that now.

Peter curled against him, much like he had the night when Tony had found him, his thumb moving into his mouth as silent tears leaked from his eyes.

“I’m sorry, Pete. Until Thor comes back to earth, there’s no way we’ll be able to find Loki. I'm so sorry. I have FRIDAY trying to contact everyone who knows Thor. I’m trying, I promise. I won’t give up until I find something.”

Peter only hiccuped in response and pressed the side of his head into Tony’s collarbone.

Rhodey looked more sad than angry when Tony turned to gauge his reaction. His chest felt like it was caving in, though he forced himself to pay no mind to it as he held Peter tightly. He was lost at what to do, and simply rested his cheek on Peter’s forehead as he maintained eye contact with his best friend.

Tony’s eyebrows raised high on his forehead when he noticed Rhodey was holding something out to him. It was undoubtedly the pacifier Tony had been carrying around in its package those couple of days ago.

He nodded and decided fuck it. If Peter spat it out, he spat it out, and that was that. Tony didn't know how he felt about the kid constantly sucking on his thumb and other fingers, he didn’t need Peter getting sick on top of their already existing problem. He knew that if Peter spat out the pacifier, he would still end up with some finger in his mouth regardless. It was a win-loss situation.

Tony used one hand to grab it from Rhodey before he moved to take the kid’s thumb out of his mouth. Tony saw the exact moment where Peter readied himself to cry out, though before he could, he gently shoved the nipple of the pacifier into his mouth and held his breath.

Peter’s eyes went wide, almost comically. His hitched breaths and hiccups stopped as he tried to look at what was in his mouth, which resulted in him becoming cross-eyed. There was a few more moments of tense silence before Peter relaxed and didn’t spit out the soother.

Tony was a little shocked, if he was honest. He hadn’t expected the kid to actually take a liking to the pacifier, especially when his teenage mind was still in there.

However, Tony would take any win where he could get one.

Cleary, Peter was all cried out, because the kid fell asleep right there in Tony’s lap within minutes of being given the pacifier. Rhodey chose that exact moment to start berating him.

“What the hell were you thinking? Two days. Two days, Tony!”

“Please, Rhodey, not now.” Tony sighed and used his free hand to rub his exhausted eyes. “I know it was shitty. I didn’t even realise how much time had passed.”

“Oh, it was shitty. Yelling at a kid because he’s having a meltdown and then hiding from him for two days?” Rhodey sighed. “I get this is hard, it’s hard for everyone, but he obviously prefers for you to take care of him over anyone else right now. He trusts you. I don’t think you realise how much that kid idolises you, Tony.”

“He wasn't the only one having a meltdown. I didn't realise how long I was here for…”

“I know this is hard on both of you. I know you, and how you react to situations.” Rhodey sighed again and took a seat on top of one of the workbenches. “You can’t yell at him like that then refuse to see him again. Peter had three panic attacks because he thought you were mad at him. He didn’t want Happy or me to take care of him, not even his aunt, he wanted you. I can’t believe you left a kid in my hands like that, Tones. I was meant to be out of the country yesterday. Do you understand the excuses I had to make to be able to stay here?”

“I don't know what else to tell you.” Tony mumbled, pressing his cheek a little closer to Peter's forehead. “What am I supposed to do after finding out Loki is the cause of all of this? He threw me out a window, Rhodey. I took that missile into space because of him. Loki was around my kid, he used his magic on him! Magic that has been used to possess people! Yes, this is hard, forgive me for freaking out. Fri never told me the time or day. I lost track of time trying to figure out something to fix this!”

“Your kid?” Rhodey asked, eyebrows raised.

“Oh for fuck’s sake, you know what I meant." Tony’s mood had turned sour, now, and he was terrified he was going to wake up Peter because of it. “Give me a break.”

“Look. I understand, Tony. I’m not against you here. I know who Loki is.” Rhodey’s tone had softened after Tony’s rant, and so had the expression on his face. “I know you've never dreamed of something like this happening, no one did. But it’s happened, and you need to find a way to cope with it until a solution is reached.”

Rhodey was right. Tony kept his mouth shut, hyperaware of the warm, fragile body cradled in his arms.

“Just don’t take your fear and anger out on Peter, alright? He’s worse off than you. He’s relying on you to help him. He adores you, and I don’t think you’ve put that together just yet.”

Peter shifted as Rhodey spoke, which lead Tony to peer down with wide eyes in fear that the kid had woken up. Thankfully, his eyes were still closed, finally a look of calm on his face as the pacifier occasionally bobbed in and out of his mouth.

He took a moment to collect his thoughts while taking in Peter’s first moment of calm since Tony had found him, then turned back to Rhodey.

“You don't think I know that already?” His voice was pained. Thinking about how much Peter looked up to him made his chest ache. Tony was well aware of kids around the world looking up to him as Iron Man, this hero, an Avenger. Yet, in the grim reality, he was a mess. “You know I have no idea how to handle babies. I guess I’m on the lucky side because he remembers everything.”

Rhodey’s expression faltered, and this caused Tony's interest to spike.

“What? What was that look for?”

“Since you left me looking after the kid for the last few days, I’ve had time to observe him." Tony stared at him expectantly. “He’s very much the teenage Peter Parker we already know, yes. But he has moments.”

“Moments?”

“Like the tantrum he pulled that set you off. He acts like a real toddler sometimes.”

Tony knew that already. “Yeah, I know. FRIDAY said the same thing. How bad is it?"

“He zones out. He cries about small things.” Rhodey lists. “Tantrums, playing with toys, all of that. You’ll figure it out.”

“How am I supposed to do this?” Tony, the emotion boiling in his stomach, managed to snap while keeping his voice down at the same time. “I have no parenting skills, you've made that much obvious.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Rhodey replied with a roll of the eyes, but then his express became sincere. “Howard wasn't a very good father, and I think we can both agree on that. It doesn’t mean you will be, too. You’re not Howard. If you keep hiding yourself away like this, you will become like him, is that what you really want?”

“No.” Tony couldn’t meet Rhodey’s eyes. The anger was already fizzling away. “I never want to be like him. But I’m not supposed to be a father, Rhodey. Stop talking like Peter is mine.”

“I know he’s not yours.” Rhodey closed his eyes for a few seconds, his frustration with Tony’s answer obvious. “I’m just saying, it looks like he’s going to be like this for a while, and you're going to have to get yourself together to help him through it. You’ll have to tell his Aunt something, and fast, because she’s definitely worried right now. We’ll be lucky if she hasn’t filed a missing person’s report.”

“What am I supposed to tell her?”

"The truth. If she wants to look after him, then that’s another thing off your shoulders, isn’t it?”

Tony frowned. Rhodey raised his eyebrows.

“I thought you would want this to be out of your hands?”

“I don't know what I think.”

“Even if you want to keep Peter with you until you find Thor and Loki, you have to tell his Aunt. He is in her custody, so if she wants to take care of him, you have to let her.”

“Okay. I’ll call her now.”

“Alright.” Rhodey nodded, a look of relief on his face. “Do you want me to put him in bed?”

“No. I’ll do it. He’ll probably wake up and start crying again.”

“And you don't like seeing him cry?”

“No. I don’t.”

Rhodey smiled, now, but it was a sad smile.

“Fri, what time is it?”

"Seven thirty in the evening, Boss.”

A hand rested on his shoulder, which caused Tony to look back up at his friend.

“Call her.”

“Yep.”

And with that, Rhodey was gone.

Tony sat there for a few moments just listening to Peter’s quiet breathing as he swivelled around in his chair, now facing his desk. After a few minutes of hesitation, Tony reached out for his phone and opened it up before he could chicken out again. When the phone turned on, it was already on May’s contact from the last time he had attempted to call her.

That had been two days ago, now almost three.

Forcing himself not to hesitate, Tony pressed call in the hopes that the woman wasn’t working a late shift.

There was only two rings before May’s voice erupted in his ear.

“Tony? What is it? Where’s Peter? Is he okay?” May’s voice was extremely panicked, and Tony felt the all too familiar feeling of guilt enter his system. How could he think it was a good idea to let Peter’s Aunt worry and panic about the whereabouts of her nephew for nearly three days? “I’ve looked everywhere, I’ve called all of his friends, I’ve called his school! No one has seen him!”

“Whoa, alright.” Tony exhaled, his mind running a million miles an hour as she asked the questions. “Peter’s with me. He’s okay, but we have a situation.”

"What do you mean he’s with you? What situation?" May’s tone had hardened slightly, but the concern was still there. “Spit it out, Tony. He’s been gone for two days. I was just about to file a missing person’s report, because he’s never stayed out as Spider-Man for this long. I just thought- I don’t know what I thought, but please, tell me what the hell is going on. I thought he would come home, but it’s been so long now.”

“Peter was on patrol a few nights ago. Were you aware?”

“Yes. He let me know before he left.”

“During his patrol, something happened. He’s not hurt, he’s completely fine and healthy, but… he came into contact with alien technology somehow.” Tony thought it was better off that May didn’t know it had been Loki who de-aged her nephew. He’d rather keep his head. “Peter's currently a two-year-old, and has been with me since.”

There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.

“May? Are you still there?”

“You can’t be serious.” May laughed uncomfortably, the horror in her tone obvious. “A two-year-old? Did I hear you right? Is that even possible? No, that's not possible. Please tell me you're joking, Tony. Did Peter put you up to this, for some sick prank? He would never do this to me.”

“You heard me right. It shouldn't be possible.” Tony whispered and spared another glance down to the said two-year-old. “It’s not a prank, I promise. Pete’s with me right now. He’s asleep.”

“I don’t understand.” May replied, sounding on edge. “Peter’s.. No. This has to be a prank. Have I done something to upset Peter? Is he hiding from me on purpose? Be honest with me, please, Tony.”

“This isn’t a prank, I’m sorry. He’s a toddler, I found him like this, and he’s been with me ever since. He’s had... he’s had three accidents since then, so I’ve put him in.. diapers.” It sounded awfully weird to say those words out loud. “I’m sorry, May, but this is real. I would never lie about this.”

“I need to see this for myself.” May said the moment he finished talking. “I’ll come see him first thing tomorrow morning. Are you at the Avengers Compound?”

“Yep.”

“Okay. Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“I’ll make sure security knows you’re coming. I’ll have Happy drive you.”

“Thanks.”

May hung up on him without another word.

Tony sighed and leant back in his chair with Peter still secured in his arms. He couldn’t help but feel sad. May was definitely going to take Peter away while he tried to figure out a way to contact Thor to drag in Loki. There was no way he was going to be able to figure out how to get the kid changed back into a teenager within a week. Hell, there was no way he’d find a solution within a month.

This was going to be a long term predicament, no matter how much he convinced himself it wouldn’t.

Like Rhodey said, he was going to have to learn how to cope with it.

Yet, the thought of letting Peter out of sight was daunting.

Only a few days ago, Tony was having a meltdown because he couldn’t do this and he wanted Peter gone. Now, he didn’t want to let him go now that the kid was back in his arms.

He was turning soft.

Tony groaned and stared at the abandoned tech on the desk.

He was screwed.

Chapter Text

Peter slept through the whole night.

Tony didn’t.

He forced himself to stay on his private floor, sat on the couch with the TV on as he resisted the urge to go and grab a drink or retreat back down to his lab to hide. Rhodey had gone down to his own floor a long time ago, which left Tony alone with his thoughts.

Normal people slept at this time. Tony had figured out a long time that he wasn’t normal, at least in relation to his sleeping habits. He only really fell asleep when the exhaustion became too much and never on his own accord, which Pepper would most definitely grill him for when she got home.

Just thinking about Pepper’s reaction to all of this made him tired.

It was when the clock hit seven in the morning that FRIDAY alerted him that Peter had woken up and was in distress.

Tony stood from his crease in the couch and switched off the TV. He hadn’t even been paying attention to it the entire time he’d been sitting there, anyways. His bladder was begging for release, and had been for the last few hours since he last went, but he never had enough energy to drag himself off of the couch.

Tony made his way down the hall, hands in his pockets as panic gripped his heart in a chokehold.

May was visiting today.

He didn’t know why he was so nervous for her arrival, whether it be from his poor attempt at caring for Peter or that he had let this happen in general. Or, he was just so sleep deprived that he wasn’t thinking straight. It seemed more likely that it was a combination of all three.

He waited for a few seconds outside of Peter’s bedroom door, unsure if he really wanted to go inside and attempt to comfort the kid. He leant his forehead on the wood and sighed at the cool sensation from the surface on his warm forehead. It was soothing, and he ended up not moving for a few minutes as he let himself calm down a little.

“Boss?” FRIDAY’s voice interrupted his thoughts. Tony pulled away from the door, now aware again, and reached forward to open the door.

It was much like the night that Peter had wet the bed. His small body was sat up and shaking as he looked over to Tony, his face streaked with tears and hair matted down with what seemed to be sweat. Tony just stared at the kid for a moment, uncomfortable with how miserable Peter looked, then slowly moved over to the bed and knelt down.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, the panic in his chest becoming more intense when Peter reached out for him. It took a few seconds of hesitation for Tony to reach out and pick the kid up, leaning back so he was sitting cross-legged on the floor with Peter in his lap.

It really wasn't the ideal position for him to be sitting in, but there was really no other options. Peter wrapped one arm around his neck while the other clenching a good amount of Tony’s shirt in his hand, right where the arc reactor used to be. Tony couldn’t contain the shiver that shot down his spin, ignoring the look on Peter's face when he did so.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Peter nodded, eyes distant. He wasn’t even looking at Tony anymore.

Tony sighed and used the pad of his thumb to wipe the tears away. Just behind Peter’s head, he could see the pacifier sitting on the bed and reached out to grab it. When he offered it to Peter, the kid shook his head, so Tony placed it onto the bedside table instead.

Peter was fidgeting, his face scrunched up as more tears filled his eyes. Tony was completely and utterly confused by the behaviour, and it felt like he had been reverted back to day one.

“What’s wrong, Peter?” He asked a second time, ignoring the uncomfortableness circulating around his body. “Peter, please talk to me. I don’t know how to help if you don’t talk to me. I think it’s something we need to establish so everything doesn’t explode again.”

Since Peter’s two day break of being away from Tony, he felt like something had shifted inside him. Before, he had been doing okay at looking after the kid. But now, he felt even more clueless and he had no idea how to even talk to or comfort Peter anymore. These thoughts scared him a lot, and he had no idea how he was going to cope when May turned up.

Tony had a feeling that he might get angry again, no matter how hard he tried. That’s just how he was.

It must have been something in Tony’s voice, but Peter’s head whipped back in his direction, his eyes huge and trusting. Tony tried not to wince as he held eye contact with the kid, almost seeing the gears turning inside of his head as the tears dribbled down his cheeks. The more Tony looked, the more he saw a child, and the less he saw a teen. This had to have been what Rhodey was talking about.

Then, without saying anything, Peter reached down to his waist and tugged at the part of the diaper that was sticking out of his sweatpants.

At first, Tony had no idea what that meant, and he was left sitting there for a few seconds trying to work it out. Peter watched him, the tip of his index finger beginning to disappear into his mouth as more and more tears welled up in his eyes. The longer Tony took to figure it out, the more agitated Peter became.

When Peter fidgeted in his lap and scrunched up his face for a second time, it finally clicked.

Oh.

“Oh, shit. Right.” Tony exclaimed without thinking, the realisation hitting him full force. “Oh, God, kid, I’m sorry.”

“It's ‘kay.” Peter mumbled, speaking for the first time that morning. The childish look had faded into something that Tony recognised, and he couldn’t hold back his near silent sigh of relief.

Tony thought it was freaky, the way Peter switched like that. He wished Bruce was here. Bruce would’ve known how to figure this out, even if he said that he wasn't that type of doctor. Bruce would definitely have more experience in looking after kids than Tony did. Hell, even Steve would have more experience than him.

Steve had always tended to be a mother hen of the Avengers.

Tony almost wished Clint were here. He was the most experienced out of all of them, given that he had children of his own. He would’ve been a great caretaker for Peter.

Basically, anyone was better for the job than Tony.

He pushed these thoughts away to think about later and hefted himself and Peter off of the floor. Tony rearranged his hold on Peter so he was on his hip, holding him with one arm as he turned around. He paused, for some reason, feeling completely at loss once again. He was clueless. “Did Rhodey do this for you?”

“Yes.” Peter whispered, his voice so tiny and scared.

Tony began to hate himself even more, internally cursing his mind for thinking hiding down in his lab was a good idea when he had a de-aged teenager in his care.

“Where’d he do it?” Tony asked, eyes roving around the room for any sign of the supplies that had been bought. There was nothing out of the ordinary in Peter’s room, so it had to be somewhere else. “In the bathroom?”

Peter nodded.

As soon as he was done with this, he was going to make himself a well deserved coffee.

Tony took Peter to the same bathroom he had changed him in before, his eyes almost falling out of his head when there was a literal changing table in there. Yes, Tony had seen it in its box, but he hadn’t really been planning to get it out or actually use it. Suddenly, the panic was back, and Peter was clinging onto him as if he hated it as much as he did. Tony was pretty sure that was the case.

“Did Rhodey set this up?” Tony asked as he moved closer to the contraption, eyeing it.

"Happy helped." Peter replied, and Tony almost laughed, despite everything. That would have been a sight. "Funny."

"I bet it was." Tony replied, though he didn't smile. "I wish I was there to see it."

There was an uncomfortable silence after that, and Tony took that time to lay Peter down on the changing table. Peter didn’t fight him and just laid there whilst Tony searched the room for everything he needed. It took him an embarrassing five minutes to find everything he needed, and soon, he was pulling down Peter’s pants in order to get to the diaper. He went off everything he remembered from the first time, pushing his discomfort with the situation far down as he undid the straps and pulled the thing out from underneath the kid.

No one would ever know how grateful Tony was that the diaper had nothing but piss in it. He had no idea how he would react if it was the other.

He discarded the soiled diaper in the bin and went to apply another diaper. He was stopped by FRIDAY before he could even grab a clean one.

“Sir, I recommend you wipe Young Peter down.” She supplied, making both Tony and Peter burn deep shades of red. “He is at risk of getting a rash.”

Tony sighed as he looked around the bathroom for something he could use. It was then when FRIDAY interrupted him again.

“On the sink’s bench, Boss.”

Tony looked, and of course, there was a packet of wipes right in front of him in plain sight. He reached over and grabbed the packet, already pulling out a few before beginning to wipe Peter down.

None of them said anything throughout the process, Tony ignoring every ounce of horror in his body as he cleaned all around Peter’s front and back, hoping he had done a good enough job that he wouldn’t get a rash. That was the last thing they needed, and he didn’t want to make the situation worse than it had to be. He also didn’t want the kid to be in any pain.

Tony then applied cream and baby powder, like he had done the first time, before finally putting on another diaper. He was stopped by FRIDAY for a third time.

“It’s backwards again, Boss.”

Tony grumbled under his breath and turned the diaper around before lifting Peter up. Within a few seconds, it was over, and Peter was clean and covered up.

Tony sighed in relief, washing his hands quickly before he lifted Peter up into his arms. Peter was now just in the small t-shirt and diaper, and Tony couldn't help but think the sight was utterly adorable. Peter didn't complain about his lack of clothing, so Tony didn’t put him back down.

Before he knew it, they were in the kitchen, trying to decide over something to eat.

“What did Rhodey feed you?” Tony wondered out loud as he searched through his cabinets.

“Banana.” Peter said, his voice so quiet that Tony almost didn’t hear him. “Fruit.”

“You want fruit?” Tony asked as he looked over to the fruit bowl which had been stocked up since he’d last seen it. That thing hadn’t been filled for ages. Rhodey must have restocked it. When Peter nodded, he headed over to the bench and sat Peter down on it. “You can sit here while I make us breakfast.”

He hadn’t made breakfast for himself, let along anyone else, for a long time. He was almost glad that the kid only wanted fruit.

Tony grabbed two bananas and two apples from the fruit bowl and placed them on two plates. He stared at the plates for a moment, then huffed and moved over to the fridge.

He couldn’t just serve Peter with a banana and an apple, there had to be something else somewhere. It was embarrassing to admit that he had no idea about nutritional food and such because he hardly ate himself, but there had to be something else for Peter. He had no idea if his fast metabolism was prominent when he was in this condition, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He would have to ask Rhodey later.

Tony was beginning to wish he didn’t hide in his lab for those two days. It appeared to be that he’d missed out on a lot.

Tony grabbed a packet of strawberries and a carton of milk. If the kid wanted more, he could have toast or something. It was when he deposited the objects on the bench when he realised something.

He hadn’t even told Peter that May was coming.

He looked over to the kid, who was still sat where he had left him, swinging his short legs back and forth. Peter wasn't looking at him, his head down and thumb lodged in his mouth. Tony sighed and rubbed his face with his hands before began setting everything out, grabbing a knife from the drawer before peeling the banana.

Never had he felt so domestic in his life. Though, he remembered Jarvis used to do this for him.

The memory of Jarvis made his stomach churn with grief. He missed the man so much. Losing AI Jarvis was just as hard as losing the real man, and while FRIDAY was great, she wasn’t the same.

Tony pushed the memories of his old butler away and cut up the bananas, apples and strawberries. He grabbed the plate once he was finished and hoisted Peter off of the counter and brought him over to the table. He set Peter in the chair with the booster seat that Rhodey must have placed there and placed the plate of fruit in front of him.

Peter began to eat immediately, mumbling a small thank you as he began chewing on a slice of apple.

Tony nodded at the words and turned away to grab his own food. He poured them both a glass of milk, the thought of a bottle or sippy cup never crossing his mind until he sat down across from Peter. He wasn’t sure if Peter could hold the cup up by himself, but he supposed that if the kid needed help, he would ask for it. Right?

The two of them ate in silence, Tony finishing much quicker than Peter, and was left to silently wonder how he was going to tell Peter about his Aunt’s impending visit.

He decided to wing it.

“So, Pete.”

Peter stopped chewing on a piece of strawberry to look at him with questioning eyes. Tony inhaled sharply, suddenly feeling intimidated underneath the kid’s intense stare.

He ignored all of his intruding thoughts as he took a sip of his milk, not really liking the taste. Tony would have much rather have had a coffee like he had planned to, but it would have to wait for later as he worked himself up to break the news to the kid.

“I don’t know how else to say this, but May’s coming over to see you this morning."

Peter gawked, the strawberry falling from his hand and onto the table. “N-now?”

“Yeah. Soon.” Tony sighed, suddenly feeling terrible. “I called her last night. She was really worried about you, kid. She’s coming to see how you are, and possibly take you home. She’d be a lot better at looking after you than I am, don’t you think, Petey?"

Peter didn’t answer, but a certain look flashed across his face. It was so fast that Tony could have missed it, but it was a sad look. Tony wasn’t sure what to think of that expression, so he didn’t mention it.

After a few minutes of staring at each other in silence, Peter returned to his food and wiped his still-teary face with his other hand. Tony watched as strawberry smeared across the kid’s cheek, mixing with the tears, almost cringing when he did the same to his other cheek. There were two almost identical smears of red on both of Peter's cheeks, and Tony began searching the room for some tissues or paper towel.

You would think Tony would know where everything is, since he lived there. But, if he was honest, he was hardly up on his personal floor. Tony spent most of his time inside the lab working until Pepper had to drag him out and force him to eat, or sleep, or to just sit with her for a while.

If it wasn’t for Pepper, he would be dead by now. Rhodey did the same thing when he was off work, and even Happy did. Now, that Tony had a literal kid under the same roof as him, and he felt he would be spending more time up on his floor than in his lab. If Peter stayed with him, that was.

He couldn’t help but feel put off by that, but when he looked at Peter’s younger face, he wiped it away immediately. He would have to get used to it until someone figures out a way to haul Thor's ass down to earth. Tony had no idea how long that could possibly take.

“Sir, Mr. Hogan would like to inform you that he is almost at the Compound with May Parker.”

Tony sighed and stood from the table to grab a box of tissues.

He didn’t see Peter’s reaction to the news, and when he looked back at the kid, he was eating the bananas as if he were completely unbothered by the whole ordeal. Tony grabbed the tissues and made his way around the table and sat down in the chair beside the kid. At the same time, Peter pushed the empty plate away from him and reached for the glass.

Tony watched as Peter struggled to lift the cup to his lips, only to frown when he almost spilled it all down his front.

“Did Rhodey have you use something else to drink with?”

“Sippy cup.” Peter’s cheeks flushed red at the admission.

Tony nodded to himself, mumbling the words under his breath over and over as searched through all of the cabinets, opening every single one until he found the one filled with supplies for Peter. There were several sippy cups, one in particular making Tony smirk to himself as he picked it up.

Within seconds, he was back at the table and was pouring the milk from the glass into the Iron Man themed sippy cup.

He poured as much as the child’s cup would allow before he screwed the top closed. The kid took it with flaming cheeks and stuck the spout in his mouth, tipping the cup upwards. Tony couldn’t stop his hand as it reached out for Peter, and found himself wiping the kid’s tear and strawberry stained cheeks with a tissue. It was as if his body was working on autopilot.

“Alright, come on.” Tony said as he stood up, not bothering to clean up the plates or tissues. That could wait for later.

He watched Peter slide off the chair, his the sippy cup’s spout still in his mouth as he shuffled over to Tony. He grabbed the cup still half-full with milk incase Peter wanted the rest and lead the kid with a hand on his head into the living room. Tony swore he almost went into a heart attack when he saw the state of the place.

The toys that had been bought for Peter were all over the place. On the floor, on the couches, on the coffee table. It mostly consisted of Lego.

“You had fun while I was gone, didn’t you?” Tony mumbled, letting Peter get onto the couch. “If I stand on one of these-” He picked up a piece of lego and showed it to the kid, a joking smile on his face. “You're dead.”

Peter giggled.

He giggled.

It was the first sound other than a cry that Peter had made. Tony ignored the way his heart soared at the sound and placed the Lego piece on the coffee table. He observed that the kid was still smiling, all tears and crying forgotten all of a sudden, his eyes huge and childish.

Tony stared at the happy toddler for a moment before he sat down beside him.

“So.” He turned to the kid, who still had the sippy cup in his mouth. “What did you do while I was gone?”

Just like that, right before Tony’s eyes, the childish facade fell away.

That knowing look came back into the kid’s eyes and his cheery smile disappeared from his face. Now, he looked thoughtful, and was looking away from Tony and at the mess of a living room.

Tony hated that. He hated how it seemed Peter had two separate headspaces, and it was slightly scary how he was switching between both. It concerned him, despite how FRIDAY had told him it wasn’t affecting his brain in any way.

Yet.

“Not much.”

“Not much?” Tony repeated, and he too eyed the mess. “Then how did my living room turn into a playground?”

He turned his head just in time to catch Peter’s mischievous grin as it reappeared on his face. “Got bored. Whodey told me ‘o.”

“Hm.” Tony hummed to show that he was listening.

Before he could continue, however, he was interrupted by the sound of the lift as it chimed behind them. The sound made the both of them jolt, Peter more so than Tony, and he had to hold back his laugh went milk spilled down Peter’s chin from the fright.

Thankful there was a tissue box on the coffee table, Tony quickly grabbed a few and handed them to the kid. Peter took them with flushed cheeks and sheepishly wiped the spill away with clumsy hands.

“Looks like your Aunt’s here, kiddie.”

Tony craned his neck to look over the back of the couch as May stormed into the room, only stopping for a few seconds with wide eyes as she took in the state of the living room. Happy did the exact same thing when he came in a few seconds after, before he glared at Tony. Tony stared at his friend with a blank expression, unsure why the man was sneering at him, before he looked back to May.

“Where's Peter?” She asked worriedly.

Peter immediately began to shift upon her voice, the sippy cup dropping from his hands as he turned around in the couch. Tony watched as he peaked over the cushion to look at his Aunt, his entire face lighting up with the most genuine smile he’d seen since he’d found the kid.

The smile was contagious, apparently, because for a second Tony found himself grinning at the sight without even meaning to.

“Oh my God.”

Tony schooled his expression and watched as May rounded the couch, horror written all over her face as she sat down next to Peter. She sat down very slowly, her eyes wide behind her glasses as she took the sight of Peter in. Tony bowed his head, looking away from the stare she gave him, suddenly feeling even more terrible than he already did.

He should have told her so much sooner. It would be better off if May looked after Peter, she raised the kid.

It didn’t take long for Peter to get into May’s lap as he wrapped his tiny arms around her neck in a hug. May still looked absolutely horrified, but there was no hesitation as she returned the hug. Tony could see her expression soften, most likely with the memories she had of her nephew as a child.

The sight made Tony feel even guiltier for keeping this from her.

What had he been thinking?

Tony decided to leave the two alone.

He got off the couch and headed in the direction of Happy, who was still glaring at him. Tony felt that he wouldn’t like what was to come, and decided to try and dodge the man. Happy just stepped in front of him.

“Really, Tony? You hid from the kid for two days?”

“Please, Happy, not now.” Tony sighed, the guilt already chewing away at his heart. Happy said nothing and let him pass with a sigh, Tony’s feet already taking him in the direction of the lift.

He knew he was heading to the lab and he knew he shouldn’t.

But he didn't want to intrude on Peter and May.

Tony stepped into the lift the moment the doors were opened.

“Lab.”

FRIDAY obeyed without objection.

Then, Tony was back in the lab, sat at his desk with numerous holograms hovering in front of him.

The holograms depicted all the possible connections there were to Thor. He had been looking at them for the entire time he had been hiding for those two days after he figured out that he couldn’t create a serum that could reverse Loki’s magic.

His eyes paused over Jane Foster, someone he had always come back to when he read over the files. Tony vaguely remembered the woman. She was a scientist, or something along those lines, but he found he didn’t care about her profession. Jane was, or had been, Thor’s girlfriend.

Tony moved Jane’s picture away from the others and put her into a separate group. He had avoided doing this before because he thought he was being crazy, but the longer he thought about it, the more he saw the potential of contacting Thor, and he couldn’t let that go. He added Darcy Lewis and Erik Selvig to the same category.

The next picture that caught his attention was Stephen Strange. Or more known by, Doctor Strange.

Tony stared at the picture. Wizard. Another person who messes with magic.

He stared longer, before he huffed and and tossed Strange’s profile in with Jane’s. The wizard looked like an ass, but he supposed he could give it a try.

Maybe Strange could reverse Loki’s spell.

Tony leaned and sighed.

In the last two days, he hadn’t been in the right mind to be logical. Now that the kid was under May’s care, at least for the moment, Tony felt a little more relaxed. Not by much, but he felt less guilty hiding down in the lab when May was in the penthouse with Peter.

The longer he thought about the kid, the more curious Tony grew.

“Fri, how's Peter?”

“Young Peter seems to be content.” FRIDAY replied instantly, as if she were waiting for Tony to ask. “He is currently conversing with May Parker.”

“Should I go back up there?” He asked his AI and leant back as far as his chair would let him.

“I suggest you do so. Young Peter seems to relax substantially in your presence.”

“Hm.” Tony hummed and frowned. “Alright. Give Jane Foster a call for me, would you?”

“Of course, Boss.”

So, instead of hiding, Tony went back upstairs.

He sat in the living room with them and watched as Peter built with his Legos with May’s help.

To keep the guilt at bay, Tony turned on the TV and zoned out of May and Peter’s quiet chatter until someone rested their hand on his shoulder. He looked up, eyebrows raising when he saw it was Rhodey.

He looked guilty.

“What’ve you done, Platypus?” He asked with a slight smile. Rhodey rolled his eyes, though it seemed half-hearted.

“I have to go, I’ve run out of excuses to stay here.” Tony's heart dropped slightly. “Sorry, Tones.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine without you, Honey Bear.” Rhodey rolled his eyes again. “Careful, keep doing that and they'll get stuck there.”

“A Dad joke? Peter’s corrupting you already.”

Tony gaped for a few seconds before he regained his composure and glared. With a quick glance to May and Peter, they hadn’t heard what Rhodey said. Peter was babbling about his Legos to his Aunt, the biggest smile on his face.

“Shut up.”

Rhodey laughed quietly.

“Goodbye, Tony." Rhodey smiled at him and patted his shoulder reassuringly. “You’ll be fine.”

Tony nodded and now felt as if he were the half-hearted one. “Yep.”

Rhodey leant down and gave him a hug. It was a little awkward as he was on the other side of the couch behind Tony, and Tony had to reach backwards, but that was okay. Rhodey rested his chin on the top of his head for a moment before he pulled back and clapped Tony’s shoulder.

“See you soon.”

“Bye.”

Tony turned back to the TV and focussed on the characters in the cartoon for the rest of the time that May was there. It was only really an hour or so before the woman sat down beside him, Peter in her lap. He was also looking at Tony, his eyes holding something that the older couldn’t really figure out. So, instead, he looked at May, who was much easier to read.

“I’m going to take him home with me.” She began, and Tony had to pretend that his heart hadn't fallen. He wanted Peter to go, right? “And don’t worry about supplies, I'll buy them myself.”

Tony was left speechless, which was new for him.

“Okay. That’s fine, of course.”

May smiled, her smile warm and caring. Peter was so damn lucky to have such a kind woman as his Aunt.

“Is there any way you can get him back to normal yet? I never took care of him, at least full time, when he was this age. Ben and I got full custody of Peter when he was six.”

Tony cringed. He already knew the fate of Peter’s parents, of course, but it didn’t make it any less painful hearing about it.

“I’m working on it. Trust me, I’ll have something. I won’t stop until I do.”

“Thank you. Thank you for taking care of him, even if you didn’t tell me straight away…” May’s smile became strained. "At least he’s safe."

“Yeah. I’m sorry, I didn’t know how to… how to tell you.” Tony scratched the back of his neck in shame and met Peter’s eyes, who was still staring at him. There was still that look in the kid’s eye that he couldn’t decipher and it took him a minute to realise that Peter had grabbed ahold of one of his fingers with his tiny hand, puppy eyes boring into his head. “Alright. You'd best be off, then.”

“Yeah.” May replied as she rubbed Peter’s back. “Thanks again. I’ll bring him for visits, of course.”

Tony found himself smiling, but he couldn’t help but find that it was forced.

“I can’t wait.”

May patted his bicep, her smile now looking a little sad.

“Don’t burn yourself out, Tony. I trust that you’re doing everything you can to fix this.” Tony looked away, unable to meet her eyes any longer. “While I am angry and disappointed you let me think my nephew had been kidnapped or was in danger, this is a… unique situation. In a way, I get it. Stuff like this shouldn’t even be possible, but I guess this is the world we’re living in now. I am glad you found Peter, and that it wasn’t someone else who would want to hurt him.”

“I’m really sorry.” Tony murmured. Peter’s grip tightened, as did May’s.

It felt wrong that he was being the one comforted, but he couldn’t help but soak it up.

“I know.” May replied. “But, you kept him safe. I do forgive you. I know Peter wouldn’t forgive me if I didn’t.”

There was a moment of brief, shared laughter between them.

“Come on, Peter.” May patted Tony’s arm one last time before she stood, Tony’s hand being lifted as well, because Peter was still hanging onto it. “It’s time to go home.”

When it was clear Peter wasn’t going to let go, Tony too stood up and turned to face him.

“See ya, Petey. It was fun.” Tony held back a wince as gently eased his finger from Peter’s grip. From the slight ache that was left behind, Tony had a sneaking suspicion that Peter had been using his super strength, though whether it was intentional or not, only the Spider-Kid knew.

“Bye-bye.” Peter whispered in return, and Tony wasn’t sure if that was tears in the kid’s eyes or not.

Tony couldn’t help it, and raised a hand to ruffle the kid’s hair.

Before Tony knew it, Peter was gone, and he was left with all of the child equipment he had ordered.

He stared at his mess of a living room, elbows on knees and chin in hands. Without anyone else in the penthouse, he felt alone.

It was unusual to suddenly feel so downcast and lonely, when he spent countless hours down in the lab on his own with only his bots and FRIDAY to keep him company. He’d shown that much over the last two days.

So why had it suddenly affected him now?

Tony, after he realised that staring at all the stuff strewn across his living room wasn’t helping, went back down to his lab. He slumped at his desk and leant over the table, resting his head in his arms.

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep.

But, he was just so overwhelmed with emotions and sleep deprivation that he couldn’t push it away any longer.

Tony fell into a spiral of night terrors.

Chapter Text

Tony didn’t get rid of the things that had been ordered for Peter.

Instead, he spent the last few days in his lab.

True to his word, he didn’t stop searching for ways to fix Peter. He’d called countless people who were rumoured to have a connection to Thor, and had even managed to get through to Jane Foster. It turned out to be a dead end, however, when she told him she no longer had a way to contact Thor anymore after they broke up.

Tony had almost lost it at her, he had almost yelled at her, but he kept himself composed and told her goodbye as politely as he could. He had no idea why he had been so angry at the time, but he ignored it and continue to call other people.

It was the same thing every single time. The people he called told him over and over again that they didn’t know, or no longer had a way, to get in contact with Thor. It was either that, or they didn’t want to help at all. Some calls rung out completely, and those ones he would never receive a response.

Now, about a week and a half after May took Peter home with her, he had no solution and one contact left and of course, it was the Wizard.

Tony fucking hated magic.

He already had FRIDAY contacting the doctor when his own, personal phone began to ring. Tony groaned and slammed his head down on his desk. He was exhausted, and his fourteen hour sleep after Peter went home did nothing to help. It only made him feel even groggier, and he was hardly running off of the coffee now. Tony knew it was unhealthy to sleep for fourteen hours at once, but who was he to care?

Tony ignored his phone and dragged his head of the desk to take a look at his notes. Well, note.

There was only one sentence written on it.

Call Doctor Stephen Strange.

Disgusting.

He rolled his eyes at the image of Strange and shoved it away from his vision, which so happened to accidentally fall into the trash.

There was a one in a thousand chance that Strange would know how to get Thor down here, or, that he could reverse Loki’s spell himself. Despite how much Tony knew he would despise the guy, he had to go through with it for Peter. If Strange couldn’t do anything, Tony had no idea what they would do next.

Either, he would sit around and wait for Thor to clamber down to Earth, which could take who knows how long, or somehow get onto Asgard.

The latter was next to impossible. Even if there was a way to get to Asgard, Tony would never take Peter there. Tony wasn’t so sure himself if he would even want to go into space again after New York.

Scratch that, he never wanted to go into space again.

Tony’s phone began to ring again just as he was scolding DUM-E and U for slacking on their chores. He rolled his eyes for a second time as he looked over to the small device on the table beside the entrance to the lab. It was vibrating to the point where it was about to fall off the edge. He almost hoped it did, so it broke, and whoever it was trying to contact him wouldn’t be able to call him anymore.

He ignored it for a second time and resumed his scolding of his bots, rubbing a hand down his face when they scooted over to him, apologetically patting his arm and hand with their claws in a way of apologising to him.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, it’s fine, go on.”

The bots rolled away from him at the instructions, and Tony resumed his task of staring at the blue holograms surrounding him, courtesy of FRIDAY. He busied himself with modifying some of his nanotech, chewing his cheek as he did so.

“Fri, music up.”

Within seconds, AC/DC blared through the lab’s speakers as he played with ideas for his suit, Peter’s suit, and pretty much anything that could keep his mind busy. FRIDAY hadn’t notified him with a suitable connection with Strange yet, and Tony didn’t know how he felt about that or what he was supposed to do in the meantime.

So instead of thinking about it, he busied himself with fiddling, and eventually found himself modifying one of his older, and destroyed, suits. The one he had fought Steve with, and for some reason, had kept.

Tony sighed at the reminder of the flip phone burning a hole in his bedside drawer, before he pushed that thought away too. He didn’t want, or need, to think about Steve right now, and he definitely didn’t need to use that stupid phone. Pepper had found the phone once, and asked him why he had it and whose it was. He never gave her an answer, and she had placed it back in the bedside drawer like she had never seen it.

Pepper knew, she always knew. She was just kind enough to never ask, and Tony appreciated it.

She would be back in around three days. Tony was glad, but at the same time, he wasn't. He would have to explain everything that had happened to Peter, and why he was contacting Wizards.

Pepper would want to know what he was up to, and she adored Peter. He was going to get an earful from her, no matter what lie he fed her. He was supposed to meet her in Malibu, since they both had free schedules, but Tony was beginning to feel uncomfortable about the idea of leaving New York right now.

Tony, like he did with most of his problems, ignored it.

Instead, he poked at the smashed, out-of-action Arc Reactor. He had been so entranced by his work that he didn’t notice DUM-E approaching, and when he felt the bot’s claw on his shoulder, he jumped about six feat in the air in fright.

“Fuck.” He breathed, trying to calm his racing heart as he turned to face DUM-E.

DUM-E had something in his claw, and Tony was hardly surprised to see that it was his phone. The screen was on, and it was ringing, again. Tony almost told his bot to take it away and maybe throw it in the trash, but when he read the contact name, he disposed of those thoughts immediately and snatched the device from DUM-E.

DUM-E beeped happily and sped off to finish his chores, but Tony barely noticed as he addressed FRIDAY.

“Music off.” He snapped, a little unkindly, but he didn’t have time to be nice.

Tony answered the call and raised the phone to his ear as he stared down at his destroyed suit.

It was missing its helmet, he realised.

“Hello?”

“Tony, hi.” May's voice filtered into his ear from the other end, sounding relieved that he had picked up. “Sorry for the constant calls, I understand you're probably busy right now, but this is urgent. I’d like to ask you for a favour.”

Tony didn't reply for a few seconds, unsure how to answer. “That’s alright. What is it? Is Peter okay?”

“He’s fine. This is about him, though.” Tony nodded, even though she couldn’t see him. “Have you figured out a way to get him back to normal yet?"

May sounded worried and that did nothing to cease Tony’s concern, which was beginning to swell up in his chest. That, along with the intense feeling of guilt.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been trying since you took him home. I haven’t figured anything out yet.”

There was a beat of silence. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry.” Tony repeated, still prodding at the smashed Arc Reactor that he hadn’t had the heart to take out of the suit. He winced when a part of it broke away and fell onto the lab floor, cracking into little pieces when it hit the surface. “I’m trying everything I can.”

“It’s okay.” She replied, and didn’t sound angry at all. Why was she not angry? Tony would be if his nephew got de-aged by a New York destructing, magical God. “I’m not angry because I know you’re doing everything you can. Back to the favour, though. I fully understand if you don’t want to do it, I can look into someone else if you’re too busy.”

“Does it have to do with Peter?” When he didn’t get an immediate reply, he spoke again. "How's he going?"

“Like I said, he’s going fine, physically. I don’t think he's very happy, though." Tony’s eyebrows raised slightly. “As you already know, I work double shifts.”

“Yes.” Tony replied, silently egging her to keep talking.

“I have to keep having babysitters to come look after him, since he can’t exactly function normally anymore, and I can’t leave at home on his own. I have no other choice because we need the money. Peter hates all of them, and he hates being treated like a toddler. Even though sometimes I think he doesn’t.” May continued, her voice becoming more and more lathered with both concern and sadness. “I don’t like leaving him with the babysitters, and I can’t leave him with Ned or MJ, because they don’t even know his best friend is a toddler. Even if they did, I wouldn’t give the responsibility to them. I keep having to tell them Peter is sick, and it’s their last week of school before summer break. I don’t know what else to say."

Tony began to think he knew what her favour was, and he also couldn’t help but feel bad for Peter’s friends, too.

The kid was also missing out on lots of school.

“He also keeps asking for you. He misses you, I think. He has nightmares and he wakes up asking for you. It takes hours for him to calm down, Tony, and even then he’s still not happy.” Tony’s jaw fell slack. Someone missing him was something he hadn't heard before, and he would have rather not known about the kid’s nightmares. “I think it would be better if you took care of him until you figure out how to get him back to a teenager. I understand you’re busy, and you don’t have to, but I know he would like you more than the babysitters."

May’s laugh sounded strained as she spoke, as if she were conflicted.

“Of course.”

Another beat of silence.

“Really?”

“Of course.” Tony repeated and sat back on his knees. “Anything for Peter. I can come with Happy to pick him up as soon as you like. I could even take him to Malibu, it's much safer there than the Compound, and I have a lab there too, so that wouldn’t be a problem. FRIDAY operates the house there, also. Pepper will be joining me in a few days.”

“That would be good.” Tony swore he could hear May's gentle smile. “You were prepared for this, were you?”

Tony paused.

He wasn’t, not at all. He hadn’t even realised the majority of what he’d said until he thought it over. Had he really just said yes, just like that? Tony had made a big, split-second decision without even thinking it through at all. It made him run a hand down his face with and sigh quietly.

When he didn't answer, May continued speaking.

“You can pick him up tomorrow morning before my shift.”

“Alright. That can work. What’s he doing now?” Tony asked out of genuine curiosity.

Tony was getting pretty good at ignoring the flutter of his heart when he realised Peter was coming back, but there was also that lingering thought of screwing everything up again. With Pepper’s impending arrival, he had no idea how he was going to explain the toddler to her.

He knew very well that they were meant to be going to Malibu a few days after she returned for a small break, and she would be confused to know that he had gone earlier. She’d be even more horrified when she found out why.

Tony was fucking screwed, and that was that. There was nothing he could do now.

“He’s sleeping. He didn’t have a very good day.” A sigh. “He told me he misses you and Spider-Man.”

“Of course he misses Spider-Man.” Tony found himself smiling. “I can’t wait to see him."

He paled when he realised what he said, but May spoke before he could correct himself.

“Peter can't wait to see you, too.”

“Does he know I’ll be picking him up?" Tony found himself asking, looking away from his battered suit.

“Not yet. I’ll tell him when he wakes up.” May replied. “Well, I better let you go now. See you tomorrow? Around eight?”

“Yeah. Sure.” Tony accepted as he spun his screwdriver on the floor. “See you then.”

“Bye, Tony. Thank you again for everything.”

She hung up before he could think of a way to respond.

Tony didn’t move for a few minutes, finding himself staring at his bots, who had once again drifted off their chores and were playing with each other, beeping happily in their corner of the lab. Tony didn’t have the heart to tell them off again, so he pretended he was none the wiser of their antics.

He resumed fiddling with his suit for who knows how long whilst ignoring his aching heart.

No matter how much he would deny it to other people, Tony missed his friends. He missed Steve and the others, and no matter how much he wanted it to be untrue, he did.

After he spent hours upon hours of tearing his already destroyed suit apart, he stood up and left his lab.

And he did something he would have never expected from himself.

Tony went into his room, unprompted by Pepper for one of the first times, and laid down. He stared up at the roof and thoughtabout what the next few days could bring.

FRIDAY still hadn’t gotten through to Strange, and Tony was left to desperately hope that Thor would decide to randomly appear on earth just so Tony didn’t have to encounter another narcissist like him. If Thor could just come back, it would make Tony and Peter’s lives ten times easier.

Somehow, this thought sent him to sleep, and for once, he didn't have a nightmare.

It felt like Tony had been asleep for barely ten minutes when FRIDAY interrupted his rest. He almost managed to fall back into dreamland when her voice became even louder, which effectively made him jump into a seated position.

“Sir, I suggest you wake up and get ready. It is seven-thirty in the morning, and you agreed to pick up Young Peter at eight. Mr. Hogan has already been informed and is waiting for you in the garage.”

Shit. He’d completely forgotten.

Had he really agreed to taking Peter back into his care?

Why had he done that?

Tony was still as clueless as before. He knew that. So why did he agree?

He didn’t have time to think about his own reasoning as he leapt out of bed to get dressed and ready for the day. Tony raced into the kitchen had quickly downed a coffee and grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl.

Tony paused, only briefly, when he walked past the living room, which hadn’t been cleaned up at all since Peter was last here. All of the stuff he had got for the kid was still spread across the room, and he knew the changing table and such would still be in the bathroom they had used. If they were going to Malibu, Tony would have to get all this stuff flown over. Or, he could buy all new stuff.

Buying new stuff sounded far better.

Tony began to make his way down his way down to the garage, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to him as he rushed over to Happy. Happy, in turn, had an unimpressed look on his face as he watched Tony hurry over, and begrudgingly opened the door for him so Tony could get into the car.

Tony thanked the man, puffing as he was out of breath from the rush. As he slid into the passenger seat, he glanced into the back of the car, only to gape when he saw the car seat taking up one of the spots.

Happy got into the car and drove off before Tony could say anything.

“Why are you always so unprepared, Tony?”

“I’m sorry!" Tony exclaimed. His eyes were still droopy. “I slept in.”

Silence.

“You slept.”

Tony became sheepish. “Yes.”

“Well, good for you then, Tony.” Happy sounded sincere.

Tony didn’t answer and stared out the windshield as they made their way to Queens. The two didn’t speak for the entire time up until they reached the city and were almost at Peter and May’s apartment.

“You missed the kid, didn’t you?”

Tony grumbled. Happy scoffed and answered for him.

“Yep. You did.”

He didn't answer, heart pounding when the familiar apartment building came into view.

It wasn’t long before Tony was getting out the car and slipping his sunglasses on, only to realise he was wearing the most unpresentable clothes he possibly could. In his rush to get dressed, he’d picked the first thing he saw, which happened to be the clothes from the lab a few days ago. It was kind of gross, but he ignored it and hurried into the building before anyone could recognise him. Happy followed behind as they went up the stairs on high alert like he always was whenever Tony went somewhere public.

Tony wanted to turn around and flee when they reached the Parker’s apartment door. He glanced at his watch.

They were twenty-five minutes late.

Tony winced.

“Are you going to knock?” Happy asked when Tony just stared at the door. “Tony?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tony snapped and closed his fist to knock. “Don't get your panties in a twist.”

He could feel Happy’s glare drilling into the back of his head as he rapped his knuckles on the wood. When he turned around and smirked at the man, Happy scoffed but said nothing.

Tony and Happy waited in front of the door in silence as they waited for it to open. Tony picked at the hem of his shirt as he listened for any signs of life inside of the apartment, and soon the sound of footsteps coming towards them filled his ears. His breath hitched with panic, but it was too late to run now.

The door was swung open to reveal the warm smile of May Parker. Tony plastered a fake smile on his face to mask his insecurities, which he had become very good at over the years, and unconsciously searched for the two-feet-tall Peter Parker. He had to do a double take when he spotted the kid peering around May’s leg, his eyes just as huge as they had been when Tony last saw him.

Peter looked exactly the same. Not bigger, not smaller, not older. He was still the same, miniature Peter he had found in the alleyway in his tiny spider suit.

Tony hadn’t really known what he was expecting, or if he was even expecting anything different. He guessed he had been hoping for an age difference to show that he would age back as the spell wore off, but there seemed to be no such luck. The kid looked identical to how he had last time.

So, instead of letting the disappointment sour the mood, Tony knelt down to Peter’s level. He had to chew the inside of his cheek to keep himself from grinning when he noticed the Spider-Man shirt the kid was wearing, along with the pacifier in his mouth that matched the colours of the Iron Man suit.

“Hey, Pete.”

Peter shuffled around, his eyes uncertain and a little dreary, as if he had just woken up. Tony felt the same way.

What he wasn’t expecting next was for Peter to reach for him with clenching and unclenching fists, the universal sign for wanting to be picked up. Tony shoved his own discomfort into the back of his mind as he complied and lifted Peter up into his arms and onto his hip.

Tony fully entered the apartment now that he had Peter in his arms, Happy trailing behind him as May closed the door.

Peter was staring at him, one arm wrapped tight around Tony’s neck as if he was worried that he’d be put down. When Tony met his eyes, the smiled at him from behind the pacifier, his smile wide and cheery. Right then, he realised he was looking at the toddler side of Peter.

It was a goofy little grin, and Tony found himself smiling back.

“I packed a little bag for him.” May spoke up, which dragged Tony’s attention away from Peter and to the tiny Spider-Man backpack May was holding. “He got attached to a few things while he was here.”

Tony nodded and took the bag with his free hand and slung it over his shoulder. He didn't miss Happy’s smirk, and Tony knew that he must look strange right now. He looked around the apartment at the few children's things they had there, including a high chair and a lot of toys. He met May’s stare, faltering when he saw the look on her face.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t tell you this over the phone yesterday.” She began, her eyes flicking to Peter. “He’s been acting a lot more like his physical age than mental age right now. I could tell when we got home last week that he was switching between both, but he seems to be in his physical age a lot more over the last few days. He still remembers everything, I think.”

Tony’s heart was pounding when he glanced to Peter, already knowing the childish gleam in his eyes was there. It was exactly like what he had seen when Peter was staying with him. He would have to get FRIDAY to check him out when they got back to the Compound, to make sure his brain was doing okay. If it wasn’t, he had no idea what he would do or how he would fix it.

“He was doing that when he was with me, too.”

May nodded a few times.

“You’re taking him to Malibu?”

“Yeah, as soon as possible. Pepper will be joining me in a few days.”

May smiled. She and Pepper got along very well, and the two of them together was terrifying sometimes.

“Does she know about Peter?”

“Not yet.” May’s smile fell a little. “I’ll tell her before she arrives, I’ll make sure of it.”

“Good.” May replied, grinning behind her glasses. “You’d best be off if you want to leave soon.”

“Are you sure you want me to take care of him?” Tony asked, suddenly ridden with guilt. It felt like he was stealing Peter away from May, and he didn’t like that feeling at all. “You could come with us. I can give you some m-”

“No.” May cut him off and shook her head. “No. It’s okay. I know he’s in safe and capable hands.”

Tony wasn’t so sure about the latter, but he masked that thought with a slight smile.

“Alright.”

“‘ony." Peter mumbled in his ear, a tiny hand wrapped around a good chunk of his shirt. Tony looked at the kid, who still looked completely out of it.

“Yeah, that's me.” Tony replied, hoisting Peter up higher on his hip so it was more comfortable. “How are you, kid?”

Peter didn’t answer, and instead his head slumped against his shoulder. Tony couldn’t help but laugh.

“Do you have everything you need?” May asked, looking around her apartment as she spoke. “I won’t need any of this anymore, so if you got rid of the stuff, you could take this.”

“I kept it all. Don't worry.” He turned away from May's somewhat knowing smile at that. “I’ll have it transported to Malibu.”

“Great.” May headed back to the front door, so Tony followed her. She paused, opening and peeking out of the door, before turning around and leaving it ajar. “Alright, honey. You’re going home with Tony now.”

Peter tensed, which raised Tony’s doubts. Was that a sign that the kid didn’t want to stay with him?

Tony’s doubts were confirmed when Peter reached out for May with those grabbing motions. May’s face crumbled with emotion at the sight, and Tony had been ready to hand the kid back over to her and be on his way.

May grabbed onto Peter’s little hand, but the motions from his free hand didn’t stop. She reached out to take the kid when he did this, but before she could take him from Peter’s arms, he squealed. He quite literally squealed in protest and pulled back one arm to hook it around Tony’s neck.

Now Tony was just confused.

May gave him a look before she smiled warmly at her nephew, kissing him on the cheek and holding his hand.

“Bye sweetheart. You’ll be good for Tony, won’t you?”

“Yes Aun’ May.” Peter mumbled, hugging her neck with one arm, not taking the pacifier out to talk. “Gon’ ‘iss ‘o.”

Peter’s pronunciation was terrible, but it was also kind of cute, too.

“I’ll miss you too, sweetie, but you’ll have lots of fun with Tony.” May replied and gave him another kiss.

Tony felt out of place. When Peter turned back to Tony, his heart almost stopped. It looked like the kid was about to cry, but before he could study the look more, Peter buried his face in Tony’s shoulder and wrapped his other arm around his neck. May was smiling at him, before gesturing for them to go.

“Bye, May.” Tony said with the slightest of smiles and nods in her direction. “I’ll keep you updated.”

May nodded, but said nothing. She looked emotional at her nephew’s departure.

Happy peeked out of the apartment first to make sure the coast was clear, before nodding to Tony. He went out first and carried both Peter and the little backpack as he made his way down the stairs. He went down them with great care, making sure not to trip at any point. Happy followed closely behind, and before he knew it, they were at the car.

Happy opened the back door for him, and Tony awkwardly bent into the car so he could get Peter into the car seat. Once he was seated in the contraption, Tony was left confused.

It made no sense. He could invent things, like the Iron Man suit, but he couldn’t figure out how to buckle up a child in a car seat.

He fiddled with the straps for a while, trying to figure out which clip went where, which took him an annoyingly long time. This entire time, he didn't notice that Peter had zoned back into reality, his all-knowing eyes watching him until he looked back.

“Your big brain with us, kid?”

Peter nodded, though he didn’t spit out the pacifier. “‘ony.”

“That’s me.” Tony repeated his earlier statement, then let out a small noise of victory when he finally got all the buckles in place. “All done.”

He sat down beside Peter, which prompted Happy to shut the door.

When the car pulled away from the curb and they were well on their way back to the Compound, Tony took his chance to check on Peter. A fond smile appeared on his face when he noticed that the kid was in the middle of dozing off, the pacifier bobbing sluggishly in his mouth every few seconds.

It looked like Peter had gotten attached to the pacifier, which was one of the last things that Tony would’ve expected. It was a good thing, though, if it helped bring the kid comfort.

Tony watched Peter doze off for a few more minutes before he sighed and leant back in his seat.

He was exhausted.

Chapter Text

To Tony’s surprise, FRIDAY had already prepared everything for him once they arrived back at the Compound.

Now, this wasn’t the first time that his AI had done things for him without his permission. Sometimes they were beneficial and sometimes they weren’t, but this one Tony was content with.

A flight had already been booked for that night and things were already being delivered to Malibu. New things, not the items he had already ordered and were strewn across his floor.

Tony was thankful for FRIDAY, who seemed to listen closely enough to his conversations to know what he wanted to happen without him actually asking her. He was glad he didn't have to do it all on his own this time, and was sort of relieved to find out that Pepper had already been notified of his early arrival, and would be joining him in around three more days.

Tony had to tell her what was going on soon, and he knew his phone would be blowing up with calls from her. Luckily, FRIDAY had decided not to tell her what was going on just yet.

However, Tony wouldn’t have been surprised if she had. The AI always seemed to know what was best.

He’d programmed her for that.

When they pulled up in front of the Compound, Tony let Happy lift Peter out of the car seat. Peter woke up immediately upon being moved, the kid blinking a few times as he looked around. At the same time, he continued to suckle on the pacifier, and everything about the situation to Tony was cute.

When Peter didn’t show any discomfort, Tony walked ahead with Peter’s backpack slung over his shoulder. He stepped into the lift, Happy soon after, Peter’s eyes closed again and his head on the Head of Security’s shoulder. Happy glared at him, but he didn’t seem as angry as he normally would. Something about his expression had softened since he’d taken Peter into his arms, but Tony wouldn’t go that far to assume the man enjoyed it.

The trio ascended in the lift in silence, Tony internally freaking out the entire way.

The kid was officially in his home again, in his friend’s arms and under Tony’s care. He was slightly panicking, but he kept the emotion at bay. He had to, or else he wouldn’t be able to do this.

Peter was relying on him.

Soon, the lift opened, and they three of them were stepping out.

“Take him to the couch.”

Happy did as he was told, and Tony followed them with the little backpack. He sat down beside the Happy, the bag now in his lap, Peter once again waking up.

The kid sat up and rubbed his eyes with a closed fist. When Peter saw him, he reached out for Tony with one arm, much like he had done with May. Happy didn't waste any time handing the kid over, swapping him for the backpack instead.

Peter sat in Tony’s lap, his eyes following the backpack as it moved from person to person. Tony couldn’t help but push the kid’s fringe away from his eyes, noting that he was beginning to need a haircut. Teen Peter had been getting pretty shaggy as well, and it was understandable that his toddler form would too.

“We might need to give you a haircut. Maybe Pepper’ll do it after she’s done yelling at me.”

“Peppo.” Peter mumbled her name and reached for the backpack as he did so. Tony found himself grinning at the pronunciation of his fiancé's name and just knew that Pepper would melt into a puddle if she heard it.

He needed to tell her what was going on.

Happy handed the kid his backpack while Tony fought the internal battle going on inside his head.

Peter fumbled with the zipper on the backpack for far longer than Tony would have anticipated, but once he had it unzipped, his tiny hands disappeared behind the fabric as he started yanking things out. He pulled out two books and a few stuffed toys. One of those stuffed animals was an Iron Man one, and Tony watched in shock as Peter hugged it to his chest and tossed another bear aside.

“Hey, Pete.” Tony brought the kid’s attention to him. “We’re going on a… holiday. Tonight?”

Peter’s eyes lit up with interest. “Holiday?”

“Yeah, a holiday. I’m going to take you to Malibu with me.”

“Mali-o?”

“Yep. It’s a lot safer, bigger, and it has a lab. I’ll be able to continue figuring out how to make you big again while we’re there. Pepper’ll be joining us in a few days, too.” Tony explained, no longer looking at the child in his arms. “We’d also be able to go outside without people hounding us. Do you like that idea?”

Peter blinked. Tony felt his face fall slightly when the silence stretched on.

“No? That’s fine, we can figure out something else if you don’t want to go.”

Peter seemed to zone back into reality at his words. The pacifier dropped from his mouth when his jaw fell slack, and Tony barely had any time to ask what was wrong before Peter was talking.

“Yes!”

“Yes? You want to?” Tony asked. Peter nodded. “Okay, That’s good. Great.”

Silence. Tony shared a look with Happy over Peter’s head, the man looking as lost as he felt.

“Well, what do you want to do now? Our flight isn’t until five.”

Peter blinked again and stuck the tip of his finger in his mouth.

Tony wasn’t going to lie, Peter was acting different. He seemed shy, more into his toddler mindset and just different in general. Tony knew May hadn’t gone anywhere with the toilet training issue, given that Peter was still in a diaper, which meant he would have to change diapers.

Peter also seemed to grow more clingy, which Tony both hated and loved at the same time. Indecision was a confusing feeling, and he hated the way his heart fluttered whenever Peter cuddled the little Iron Man toy to his chest. May had no doubt bought that for him.

“Wegos.” Peter mumbled, his eyes trained on one of the only unopened Lego sets on the coffee table.

Tony set the kid down in front of him and watched as he shuffled over to the coffee table, surprised when he placed the pacifier back in his mouth on his own accord. Peter grabbed the box and hooked it under his arm, then turned around and brought it back to Tony.

“Hey, Fri?” Tony said quietly in the hopes that Peter wouldn’t hear. “Scan Peter, for me? Tell me if there’s anything going on that we can’t see?”

“Of course.”

Peter didn’t seem to notice his talk with FRIDAY, and instead let out a yelp when the box slipped out of his grip and fell on his foot. Instead of crying, or not reacting at all, Peter started to giggle behind that damned Iron Man pacifier and squatted down to pick the box up.

It was an agonisingly slow process, which resulted in Tony almost reaching out to help, but Peter finally got it back in his hold before his help was needed. He made the short walk back to Tony and plopped down in front of him on his diapered bottom, then just stared up at Tony. His eyes were huge and gleaming, that childish look there and taunting.

“What's up?” Tony asked, then cringed when his voice sounded on the edge of panic. The more he saw Peter act like his physical age, the more he began to worry that that Loki’s spell was damaging the poor kid’s brain, despite what FRIDAY had said when he’d asked the same question a week ago.

“Help?” Peter asked, his tiny fingers pointing at the cardboard box. “Can’ open.”

“You want me to open it?” Peter nodded several times, and the pacifier and his puppy eyes made the sight cute.

Tony couldn’t get over the fact that he had begun calling things cute, and that he was turning into a complete emotional mess. He hadn’t seen this kid for over a week, yet he had been feeling this weird mess of emotions the whole time. Tony wouldn’t dare say that he was feeling paternal, because he fucking wasn’t. He definitely wasn’t.

“Alright, move over.”

Tony was on the floor before he could comprehend it, the Star Wars Lego box in his hands. He started to pick at the tape, internally cursing the creators of children’s toys as he got his fingernail under the tape and pulled. Peter watched him the whole time, mesmerised, the smallest of smiles on his face as Tony worked at the tape.

Tony remembered when he wished Peter didn’t hadn’t remembered anything and acted like a real toddler. Now, he wished anything but. Literal toddler Peter was something he was having a hard time socialising with already, and they hadn’t even been back at the Compound for an hour.

May trusted him with this. Tony didn’t have a choice now.

Finally, after several painful minutes of picking at the copious amounts of tape, Tony got the box open. He cursed under his breath when he poured the contents out, all of the Legos in individual plastic bags. Whoever decided so much packaging was a good idea should be in jail.

Technically, Tony could make that happen.

“They sure like to give us a hard time, don't they?” Tony muttered as he pried the plastic bags apart and let the Legos pour out onto the floor. Peter didn't answer, and Tony’s eyebrows raised when he spotted Peter with his head in the instructions, sucking on the pacifier thoughtfully. “Jesus, Petey, Thor needs to get his ass back to earth soon. Don’t you think?”

Peter either didn’t care, or wasn’t listening, and was already putting pieces of Lego together. Tony focussed on emptying the last bag of Satan’s creation, making a mental note to make sure that all of these Legos were either packed up or on a high surface so his poor feet didn't have to endure the consequences.

“Boss, I would like to inform you that there is nothing mentally or medically wrong with Young Peter. His body and brain are completely healthy, although, I suspect some of his spider abnormalities have decreased dramatically.” Tony’s breath hitched and he glanced at Peter to see if he had heard. The kid was still building quietly, eyes switching from his little creation to the instructions every few seconds. At least he could still read. “Other than that, Young Peter is perfectly healthy, and there is no reason to worry as of yet. Anything else, Boss?”

“No, that's okay.” Tony mumbled, feeling both relief and sadness at the same time. If Peter lost his spider powers in this state, did that mean he would lose them as a teen, too?

He couldn’t imagine Peter's reaction to that.

Thoughts like this filtered through his mind during the entire day. He helped Peter with his Star Wars Lego, uncomfortably changed his wet diaper right after before feeding him, and then changed it again a few hours later. Peter had shown no signs of being in his teen mindset the entire time, and he was beginning to know what May meant.

Tony was seeing less and less of the Peter he knew as the minutes ticked by, but with the knowledge that he might just be fitting the mindset of his body and giving into it as opposed to resisting, he felt a little better. There was nothing wrong with the kid mentally, as FRIDAY had said.

But, he couldn’t help but let it freak him out a little. How could he not freak out? Things like this weren’t supposed to be possible in real life.

Yet here they were.

It was around two-thirty in the afternoon when Tony decided he should probably start packing things for himself, given that they would be leaving for Malibu soon. Usually, he was almost always late to his flights, but this time he found himself ready to leave New York and the Compound as soon as possible. Much less painful reminders of his friends, and much safer locations for Peter. All Tony saw were positives.

Aside from the fact that Pepper had no idea.

Tony was now back in the living room with Peter, who had started to play with the RC car that he hadn’t broken. The kid had been well-behaved the entire day, and Tony found himself fill with dread at the thought when it all would fall to pieces. He could tell that Peter was tired, but when he even mentioned a nap, Peter had grumbled at him and rolled away with a pout. Tony didn’t push after that, even though he knew he probably should’ve. That's what you were supposed to do with kids, right?

If he knew anything about children, is that they got cranky when they were tired. Much like adults, or more so, himself. Except, crankiness led to tantrums, and Tony didn't have the patience for that at all.

Instead of addressing the problem, he ignored it.

“Hey, bud.” Tony caught Peter’s attention, who stopped ramming the RC car into the coffee table leg to look up at Tony. “I’m just going to pack for Malibu, yeah? You’ll be alright here by yourself?”

Peter looked at him, before he turned back to the controller. Tony watched the car reverse away from the table leg and straight to his foot. He merely watched the toy ram into his foot just like it had with the coffee table and didn’t say anything when he saw the little grin on Peter’s face.

“I’m guessing that's a yes?”

Peter rammed his foot again, not answering.

“Wow, you’re really full of words today, aren’t you?" Peter looked at him this time before poking his tongue out. “I’m going now. Tell FRIDAY if you need something.”

Tony stood up and stepped over the car and Peter, before he made his way down the hall. He paused at the entrance to the hall when he heard something following him, his suspicions being confirmed when something rammed into his heel. He turned around, spotting Peter instantly, who had gotten onto the couch and was resting his elbows on the cushions, controller on top. He was grinning mischievously, though the fatigue on his face was obvious.

“Is there something you need?” Tony asked when the car rammed his big toe this time. Peter didn’t answer yet again. “You’re just messing with me, aren’t ya?”

Peter giggled and disappeared from view.

When Tony placed his hand on his bedroom’s doorknob, he heard it again. The sound of that stupid RC car. He looked to his right, then smirked when he saw the Iron Man themed car speeding down the hall, not stopping until it slammed into Tony’s foot for the umpteenth time. There was a high pitched, not-subtle at all giggle from the end of the hall. Tony couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the new behaviour from Peter that he hadn’t had the... had the pleasure to experience before.

He ignored the kid, who he could see was peering around the wall at the end of the hall, and walked into his bedroom. He left the door open, and began to rummage through his closet for his suitcase. He had been hauling the thing onto the bed when the sound of that toy met his ears again, and of course, it was sneaking into the room and towards Tony’s feet. What was with this kid’s obsession with ramming his bare feet with his new favourite toy?

He sighed when the toy connected with the side of his left foot. He glanced to the door, where Peter was peering around the corner again, giggling.

“You know I can see you.” Tony spoke up as he yanked out his entire shirt drawer and shoved it into the suitcase. He did the same with underwear, pants, and even chucked a suit in there for good measure. He was putting on his shoes when he heard and pretended to ignore Peter’s squeal when the kid disappeared behind the doorframe upon being caught. “What’re you doing, anyways? Do you enjoy abusing my feet?”

There was silence as his answer, and Tony couldn't help but feel grateful for that.

He was zipping his way-too-full suitcase closed when he heard fast and heavy footsteps coming down the hall, and within seconds, Peter was speeding into his room and latching onto his leg. Tony had almost fallen over, using the bed as his support as the kid whined. Why was he whining? A second ago, he was squawking and giggling and playing with his new favourite Iron Man car.

“What’s wrong with you now?” Tony asked as he looked down at the kid.

Peter was definitely tired, his bottom lip pushed out in a pout, eyebrows furrowed. How quickly he went from a cheeky, foot-ramming toddler to an aggravated one was fascinating to Tony, but he couldn’t help but begin to fear what was coming next when Peter whined again.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to tell me, kid. Use your big boy words.”

Tony almost laughed at himself when those words left his mouth.

“Don’ wanna!” Peter snapped, then punched his leg. Tony raised his eyebrows. “Don’ wanna go on da pwane!”

"You don’t want to go on the plane." Tony deadpanned, half-heartedly attempting to shake the kid off his leg. “Why not? I thought you wanted to go to Malibu.”

“Noooooooo!” Peter whined out, punching his leg again. “No!”

Tony’s patience was already thinning. He sighed and bent down to detach Peter from his leg.

Surprisingly, Peter let go without a fight, though he was staring Tony down with a pretty impressive glare, arms crossing over his chest when Tony sat down with him in his lap.

“I don’t understand your mood swings. It’s very impressive.”

Talking was keeping him from losing it. So far. “No pwane, ‘ony.”

“That’s the only way we can get there. Sorry, kiddie.” Tony winced when Peter whined again, a tiny clenched fist smacking his collarbone. “Stop hitting me, kid. I think you’re a bit tired.”

“NO!” Peter almost yelled, smacking him again, completely ignoring Tony’s request. “No pwane. Momma and Dada don' come back from pwane.”

Tony froze. He wished he didn’t hear that correctly. “Oh, kid.”

Peter stared at him defiantly, completely unfazed by what he had just said, with his arms crossed once again. Tony pushed his fringe back, sighing in defeat when Peter moved away from his touch and pouted even more. There was definitely no Teen Peter there, and Tony knew his patience was on a very, very thin thread. Though, the slight fear of what happened last time was very clear in his mind.

He couldn’t run away like he had last time.

“Are you scared the plane's going to fall?” Tony asked, his veins filling with sadness when Peter nodded. The kid wiped at his eyes again with clenched fists, clearly exhausted. “Petey, it’s not going to fall. I promise. You’re going to be completely fine. We’re going to get to Malibu safe and sound, it’s only four and a bit hours. Then, just a little drive, and we’ll be there.”

“Don’ wanna.” Peter mumbled as he made eye contact with Tony. “Scared.”

“The plane isn’t going to fall, I promise. I’ll be there the whole time with you.” Tony reassured, wondering how and when he had learned to reassure. Seconds ago, he was ready to snap, yell, then run away from the kid just like he had done before. “There’s nothing to be worried about. I promise.”

To Tony’s horror, his reassurances didn’t work, and Peter started crying. He had definitely jinxed himself.

Peter was continuously rubbing at his eyes and blinking now, as if desperately trying to stay awake.

“Oh, come on, please don’t cry. Keep hitting me, don’t cry. Come on.” Tony whispered, watching helplessly as Peter started sucking on his thumb in an attempt to hush his cries, tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked at Tony with pitiful, and terrified, eyes. “You’re definitely way too tired to be awake right now.”

“‘ony ‘o.” Peter mumbled around his thumb, then let out another whine, or cry, Tony wasn't really sure.

“Tony yes.” He replied, wiping Peter’s tears away. Peter began leaning forwards, and soon, his head was rested in the crook of Tony’s neck, crying right into his ear which him wince. He sighed and stood up with Peter in his arms, deciding to busy himself while Peter wailed in his ear. Sooner or later, Peter would be all cried out, or would fall asleep. He hoped.

“Fri, what time is it?” Tony asked as he dragged his heavy suitcase into the lift.

“Three o’clock exactly, sir. I suggest you arrive at your private jet at four-thirty.”

“Sure.” Tony dumped his suitcase in the corner of the lift and walked back down the hallway, trying to ignore the crying that was making his right ear deaf. Somehow, without even noticing, he had begun bouncing the kid. He wasn’t sure if it was helping, but he continued doing it anyways as he entered the living room and made a beeline for Peter’s little backpack that May had brought.

He grabbed the things that had been strewn across his living room, placing everything he had seen Peter take out back in the backpack with the assumption that they were them most important things to the kid. Peter made grabbing motions for the Iron Man toy he had been cuddling earlier, which Tony handed to him hesitantly. Peter cuddled the stuffed animal instantly, his cries quieting slightly, his warm forehead rested on Tony’s neck.

It was then when Tony spotted the pacifier, abandoned on the table, and instantly reached over to grab it with hopes that it would help calm his kid down.

He offered the soother to Peter, who opened his mouth in return. Tony happily placed the pacifier between the baby’s open lips and rubbed his back as the cries quietened down dramatically. It was then when Tony realised how tired Peter actually was, which of course, he had completely underestimated.

The child stayed quiet as Tony gathered the rest of his things, along with the RC car and it's controller. It was four-thirty when they were leaving the Compound. The plane would wait for them to get there, but it wasn’t like it was a new thing.

Happy, of course, fixed Tony with a glare when he finally reached the garage. However, it softened when his eyes rested on Peter. Peter’s face was still wet with tears and hiccupped every now and then, the sounds breaking Tony’s heart.

“What happened?”

“He’s tired.” Tony replied and let Happy put his suitcase in the trunk. He kept Peter’s backpack with him. “He had a bit of a meltdown.”

Happy opened the door for him with a nod. Tony got in without another word and placed Peter into the car seat. Peter started whining, his face scrunching up as Tony did up the straps, his eyes closing and opening rather slowly as tears began to fill them up once again. Tony wished the kid would fall asleep, because he clearly needed it, and Tony hadn’t looked after him properly.

It was his first day with the kid back in his care, and he was already failing.

He ignored that thought and sat back, holding Peter’s hand when the boy reached out for him.

Tony didn’t let go of the kid’s hand the entire car ride to the private airport. Peter cried the entire trip, which resulted in Happy’s eye twitching in annoyance. For some reason, the crying wasn’t really annoying Tony as much as he thought it would. Instead, it was hurting him, because the cries sounded so sad. It clearly showed them how uncomfortable Peter was feeling, and all Tony could do was hold the kid’s hand and hope for the best.

There was nothing else he could do to comfort the child, who clung onto him as soon as he was freed from the car seat. The Iron Man plushie and pacifier remained with the kid as he sobbed into Tony’s shoulder, his cries sounding even worse from how tired he was getting. Tony started bouncing him again and ignored Happy’s stare as they walked over the tarmac.

Tony completely ignored the air hostesses, who had been sworn to complete secrecy about their transport and settled into a seat with Peter on his lap. The kid had finally stopped his sobbing, but was still awake, blinking tiredly at Tony.

“Don’ wanna. Pwease.”

“I promised you, didn’t I?” Tony said as Happy got settled across from them, earplugs already in. As he spoke, the plane began to taxi across the tarmac. “The plane isn't going to fall.”

Peter buried his face in Tony’s shoulder and shivered. He didn’t move or cry as the plane was taxied, but nothing was compared to the way he started sobbing on take off. Tony shushed him, rocked him, ran his hand through his hair, everything he could think of to make the kid feel better. Peter just didn’t stop crying, until finally, they reached a stable altitude and his ears had popped.

Finally, Peter’s body began to relax with sleep, and Tony couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when the kid finally drifted, his body becoming heavy in his arms.

Happy glanced at him and also sighed in relief when he noticed Peter had finally calmed down. He didn't take his earplugs out, but offered Tony a small smile.

Tony was exhausted, too. He had been all day, and he couldn’t help but relax into his chair, cradling Peter so they were both comfortable. He pretended not to notice when Peter curled into him more, his curls tickling Tony's chin as he began to doze off himself.

Somehow, against all odds, he fell asleep.

He didn’t let go of Peter for the entire flight.

Chapter Text

Tony woke up to the sound of someone crying.

For a moment, he was confused. Tony blinked the grogginess away as something shook in his lap, arms wrapped around his neck and the crying right in his ear. When he remembered where he was, the familiar face of Happy came into his view when the blur in his eyes cleared. The man looked worried.

It took him several more moments to realise who was crying and who was sitting in his lap. Peter.

He realised a second later that the plane was descending.

Somehow, he’d managed to sleep through the entire flight. Huh. That almost never happened.

“Hey, hey, Petey, it’s okay.” Tony whispered, his voice still groggy with sleep, his brain a bit slow on catching up. “We’re not falling. We’re fine, kiddie.”

Peter curled into him when he heard Tony’s voice and let out a pitiful wail. Tony cringed.

“Nooooooo, ‘ony. Fallin’, ‘ony.”

“We’re not falling.” Tony repeated and stated to rub the kids back. “We’re landing.”

Peter had raised a hand to the ear that wasn’t pressed into Tony's shoulder, whining loudly. Tony sighed and felt his own ears pop soon after, though he was used to it. Peter didn’t seem to be, though, and his cries only increased in volume.

Just like they had on their way up, Tony just held the kid, not speaking anymore, and just let him cry it out as the plane touched down on the runway. Tony winced when Peter cried out in terror, probably thinking they had crashed or were in the process of crashing. He quietened down seconds later when the plane began slowing, hesitantly peeking his teary face out of its hiding place.

“See, Peter? We didn’t fall. I promised you, didn't I?” Tony mumbled and wiped away the kids tears. Then, he grabbed the pacifier that had fallen out of his mouth and offered it to the kid. “See? We’re completely fine.”

Peter accepted the pacifier without hesitation. As they were being taxied, Peter began to tug at his diaper, causing Tony to internally scream. He fucking hated changing the diapers. He had snaffled a few into Peter's little backpack, incase they were needed during the flight, but they had both slept through the entire thing. Tony hoped he hadn’t been in a soiled diaper for too long.

When they were finally allowed off of the plane, Tony debated with what he should do. Wait until they got to the house, or in the plane’s tiny bathroom?

He didn’t want the kid to get a rash.

With a sigh, he stood up, ignoring his stiff bones as he carried Peter with him.

“Come on, we gotta make this quick.”

Peter didn't answer, only whining when Tony laid him down in the small table in the airplane bathroom, already stripping down his pants and pulling the tabs back on the diaper. He winced when he realised the diaper had actually leaked, soaking a portion of Peter's tiny sweatpants. Tony glanced down at himself, and rolled his eyes with a groan when he saw a dark spot on his jeans. Peter had guilty eyes, but Tony ignored that.

Somehow, which was shocking to Tony, he was done within a few minutes, already hoisting Peter back onto his hip and shoving the used diaper into the small bin provided. He carried the pants with him, leaving Peter in just a diaper and shirt, slinging the backpack over his shoulder before making his way through the plane. Happy was gone, and the only person he could see was one of the air hostesses. She sent him a soft smile. He didn't smile back.

He carefully walked down the steps and sighed in content from the warm weather that engulfed him. Maybe, just maybe, he could take Peter to the beach.

When Tony reached the car, he reached his next problem. There was no car seat.

Just as he was trying to figure out a solution, Happy appeared behind him with his gruff, serious voice.

“Get in.” Happy snapped, which made Tony jump. His voice wasn’t mean, or bored, like usual. It was worried with a hint of urgency. “There are reporters here, I don’t know how they knew where you were going, but get the kid in. Now.”

Tony did as he was told immediately, almost launching himself into the car and almost eating the seat cushions. Peter let out a surprised yelp when the door was slammed behind them, head swivelling around to look out the window. Tony also looked out the window, paling when he saw the small group of reporters hovering by the airport doors with their cameras out and flashing. He hadn’t even seen them when he left the plane, panic surging through his veins as he held Peter just a little bit closer.

This was meant to be a private airport, what the fuck were they doing here?

“Was’ goin’ on?” Peter mumbled, something in his tone different. When Tony looked at him, he realised that the kid looked like he was aware of everything again. “‘ony?”

“I have no idea.” Tony mumbled and decided not to mention that the teenager was back with them. “Happy, drive. Get us out of here.”

Happy drove.

Tony was thankful that the windows in this car were tinted so that both reporters couldn’t see in and the police couldn’t see that Peter wasn’t in a carseat.

It took around only half an hour before they reached his Malibu home, Tony sighing in relief when Happy turned into the familiar, long driveway. Peter was looking out the window, his eyes wide in amazement, the teenage glow in his eyes slowly disappearing and being replaced with the chilidish one. Tony definitely knew what May meant now. The toddler side of Peter seemed to win him over every time, and Tony began to wonder if it was easier to just give into the toddler tendencies.

“Like it?” Tony asked as they pulled up to his re-built Malibu mansion, which was significantly more durable than the last one. “Not as cool as the original, but it’s still cool, right?”

Peter nodded, eyes wide. Tony distractedly wiped away the drying tears from Peter’s cheeks, the kid not paying him any attention as he pointed to the huge building. Whatever flicker of teen Peter was gone within seconds, and Tony was back to the child-minded version.

Happy opened the door for him, Tony already unbuckling himself and exiting the car. He let the man take care of bags and walked Peter over to the front door. It unlocked automatically, which told Tony that FRIDAY was now activated and aware that he was there. Since she was here, most of the Avengers Compound would be on lockdown until he returned. Only interns and workers were allowed in the building on the bottom few floors, while Tony’s floor and lab and such were closed off from outside access. Not even the Avengers would have been allowed in there when he was gone.

Peter gaped when they entered the building, his pacifier falling from his mouth when his jaw went slack. Tony found himself grinning as he picked up the soother and kept it in his free hand for now. He, for some reason, felt a lot more relaxed now that he was here and away from prying eyes in the Compound and the memories of his team. Though, with the added knowledge that reporters had seen them leaving the plane, he felt like that feeling of being at ease would fall short.

It already was.

He let Peter down from his arms when the kid began to fidget too much, holding his hands under his armpits for a few seconds as he got his balance. Happy clambered in after him, dumping Tony’s suitcase by the front door.

“Anything else you want me to do?”

“Check the news.” Tony mumbled as he watched Peter toddle around, his little feet pattering on the tiled floor. “Tell me how much they saw.”

“Got it.” Happy replied and walked past the two of them towards the living room. Tony followed, then turned back to see Peter running after him, his eyes huge as he looked all around the mansion.

It was Tony’s turn to gape when he saw that his living room was filled with boxes, much like it had been at the Compound. Tony had completely forgotten about all the supplies that had been ordered. Happy was already on the couch, StarkPad in hand, scrolling through news outlets. Tony didn’t want to look just yet.

Peter, on the other hand, had sped over to the window and was now pressed up against the glass as he looked over the ocean. Tony couldn’t help the warm feeling that spread through his body as he looked at the kid, dressed in only a t-shirt and diaper, with his face pressed up against the glass as he peered out at the ocean. It was dark, so they couldn’t really see much, but it would still look amazing to a kid. Tony was in disbelief when he felt a genuine smile tug at his lips.

It faded when Happy spoke. “You might want take a look at this.”

Tony sighed and peered over the back of the couch. His eyes widened when he saw an older picture of the two of them, outside Peter’s fucking apartment, getting into the car. Happy scrolled down to reveal the pictures from just half an hour ago of himself and Peter getting out of the plane. Tony cursed under his breath, running a hand down his face in utter exhaustion and defeat.

Why couldn’t people mind their own fucking business?

“Boss, I know this may not be a good time, but there is something I must tell you.” FRIDAY spoke up, her tone slightly worried. Tony nodded and rubbed his face anxiously. “I managed to get through to Dr. Strange. He is requesting a call as of what you need to speak to him about.”

Fuck.

The timing couldn’t have been any worse.

“Tell him to wait.” Tony snapped, feeling anger pool in his stomach. He glanced over at Peter, who had turned around, confusion clear on his face as he prodded his lip with the tip of his index finger. Tony looked away, refusing the urge to scream as loud as he could, kicking the back of the couch instead. “Fuck.”

“You might have to call Pepper.” Happy spoke up, the man also sounding a little angry himself. “She'll see this, you know. She might’ve seen it already.”

“I know, Hap.” Tony mumbled, closing his eyes for a few seconds. “I know. Fuck.”

He rounded the couch and sat down with his head in his hands. He needed to get Peter back into a teenager as soon as possible. He couldn’t handle it if the press got more pictures and started speculating like they already were. Tony had seen the headlines on the pages Happy had been looking at, his stomach churning with nausea as anger surged through his entire body.

Tony Stark hiding his mystery child?

Is Iron Man finally a father?

Who is the child seen with Iron Man, Tony Stark in his newly improved home in Malibu, California?

He was snapped out of his furious haze when something poked at his knee. Tony peeked through the gaps in his fingers only to see the youthful face of Peter, who had childish concern written all over his small face. Tony couldn’t bring himself to smile, so instead, he lifted the child into his arms and gave him a hug. He didn’t know why, but it gave him some sort of comfort, which he hasn’t got in a long time. It made him feel even better when Peter cuddled into his embrace, his chubby arms attempting to wrap around Tony’s chest.

A hand rested on his shoulder. Happy, no doubt. The man didn't say anything, the three of them sat in silence for a few moments before Tony spoke up.

“I gotta call Strange.”

“Why? Isn’t he like.. a Wizard?” Happy asked as the hand left Tony’s shoulder. “I thought you didn’t like him.”

“He has connections to Thor.” Tony mumbled, staring into the dark television screen. “He’s our best chance.”

“Alright. Want me to look after him?” Happy offered, holding his arms out. Tony nodded and carefully handed the kid over to his best friend. Peter didn’t complain and sat with his back against Happy’s chest, sucking on his thumb. “FRIDAY, turn the TV on, please. Kid’s channel.”

FRIDAY complied without a word. The TV exploded in colours as some random cartoon appeared on the screen, and Tony took that as his cue to leave. He rubbed his face as he made his way to the stairs, groaning when the situation really dawned on him.

May was going to kill him, and so was Pepper. He clambered down the stairs, quickly pushed the familiar code in before entering his lab. A wave of nostalgia hit him as he remembered what it was like in his original lab, with his bots, when he first created Mark I of the Iron Man suit.

His bots weren’t here, now. They were still back at the Compound.

He felt a little sad at that, but ignored it and sat down at his desk.

“Put Strange through.”

FRIDAY did as he was told, and soon, a picture of Stephen Strange was appearing in front of his face.

“Mr. Stark. Good evening.”

“Yeah, whatever, hi.” Tony snapped. He didn’t really mean to be rude straight off the bat, but there was something about this guy he already disliked. He ignored it for the moment as he flicked through holograms of information about the man, before he looked back at the real thing displayed in front of him. “I have a situation that I need your help with.”

“Right.” The man deadpanned, staring at him through the video. “Does it have anything to do with your apparent son? The media is obsessed. It is all I have seen on each news broadcast. What about you is so interesting to the public, Stark?”

“He’s not my son. He’s actually what the problem is.” Tony’s gaze narrowed. “Well, not problem. Situation.”

Strange stared at him for a few moments, before nodding once.

“I’ll need you to elaborate.”

“Y’know Loki, the homicidal, insane brother of Thor?” Tony asked, resisting the urge to launch all the tools of off his desk. He was angry again. He didn’t wait for Strange to answer, rattling off the story before he could think twice. “Yeah, he decided to turn my kid from a healthy, growing teenager into a fucking toddler a week ago. Since magic is apparently your area of expertise, and apparently you have a connection with Thor, I thought you might be able to lend a hand.”

“I thought he wasn't your child?” Strange replied, completely ignoring everything Tony said. Tony glared again. “I have met the two, they came to Earth a few weeks ago looking for their father. I sent them to Norway.”

“Norway.” Tony deadpanned, leaning against his desk. “You sent them to fucking Norway?”

“Yes. That was where their father was located.” Strange replied with a large amount of sarcasm. “I don’t know where they are now or what they’re doing. I was aware of Loki’s presence on Earth just a about a week ago, but he was gone before I could determine it.”

“Are you telling that he came here just to de-age my intern?” Tony growled, fists clenching. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch once he gets Peter back to normal. Do you know how to contact Thor or not?”

Strange blinked.

“I could tell you his location.” Tony’s hopes rose just slightly. “But I’ll need a strand of his hair.”

“Are you fucking serious? Do you really expect me to have a strand of Thor’s hair just lying around? You can’t be serious.” Tony’s anger was rising dangerously, as was his panic, and all he wanted to do was flip this desk and scream in Strange’s holographic face. Though, somehow, he kept it at bay. "Is there really nothing else you can do?"

“I could come at check the child over.” Strange replied, a blank look on his face. “If it is possible, I could reverse Loki’s magic. Though it’s quite unlikely, his magic is not the same as mine. But if you wish, I can come and see what I can do.”

It was Tony’s turn to just blink.

“Fine. That’s better than nothing. When?”

“Right now, if it’s that urgent you would call me this late at night.”

“Alright.”

Before Tony could say anything else, the call ended.

Tony only had the time to scoff before there was something opening up right in his lab, his eyes widening as he called for his suit.

It was orange, and it lit up the whole room as it opened. Soon, it was merely an orange ring, a completely different room in the middle of it. It wasn’t long before he realised there was a person stepping out of the orange glow and into his lab, his jaw on the the floor when he realised it was Strange creating this nonsense.

Tony hated magic.

“Where is he?” Strange asked without any explanation, waiting expectantly.

“Fuck you.” Tony mumbled as he turned around, making his way to the door. He made his way up the stairs, grumbling when he tripped halfway, barely catching himself before he continued. Tony was aware of the Wizard behind him, already testing his patience. The man wasn’t even speaking and he was annoying. “In here.”

Happy turned his head when he heard them coming, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion when he noticed they had a guest.

“What's going on?” The man asked, and soon after, a little head popped up.

“He’s here to check out Peter.” Tony sighed, rubbing his left eye. “Don’t ask.”

Tony bent over the couch to hoist Peter out of Happy’s lap, who was looking uncertainly to Strange. Strange didn’t even smile back and gestured for Tony to set the kid on the floor.

After he did as he was told, Tony felt reluctant to leave the kid out of arms reach. So, instead, he stood close and kept a hand rested on top of Peter’s head. Strange spared him a curious glance before he knelt down in front of the kid, Tony watching in horror when the obnoxious cape the man had been wearing literally began to hover over to Peter.

Peter's eyes were so wide it was almost comical. The cape floated in front of them for a moment before it reached out and poked Peter’s cheek. Both Tony and Peter jumped from the action, Tony ready to haul Peter away. He would have if the kid didn’t let out the most adorable giggle.

Peter reached out for the cape, then giggled again when it dodged out of his reach. It used its other… arm to tickle Peter under the chin. Peter let out an even louder giggle, which was more a cackle now and shied away from the cloak as Strange began using his magic.

It seemed as though Strange was using the cloak as a distraction tactic as he looked Peter over, Tony watching nervously as the orange glow slowly spread over Peter’s skin.

For a split second, green spiralled down both Peter’s arms and legs and prevented the orange from moving any further. Tony watched nervously as Strange’s eyebrows furrowed, horror vibrating through his system at the implications from the colour of the magic.

Strange tried again, only for the green to wash over Peter’s skin once again. The kid didn’t seem bothered by it, or maybe he didn’t even notice, because the cloak was still tickling and distracting him.

Tony had never felt more terrified in his life.

Given that it was green, too, did not help to make him feel better. Green was Loki’s colour.

“What is that?” Tony asked when it happened for a third time, kneeling down next to his kid. Strange looked troubled, lowering his hands and looked up to Tony. “Please, Strange, tell me what that was.”

“It’s a spell.” Strange replied over Peter’s high pitched giggles before sighing. “It was made to deflect all forms of magic but its own. I believe Loki is the only one who knows how to reverse it.”

Just like that, all Tony’s hopes went down the drain. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Strange sighed again. The wizard rubbed his temples before standing up. “It’s quite similar to a spell I have used before. Loki is the only one who can reverse it, and even if he were to die, the spell would not go away on its own. I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”

Tony, strangely enough, felt like crying his eyes out. Peter was still laughing, somehow completely oblivious to the situation at hand.

“Thanks.” Tony whispered, looking down at the kid with concern. His hand moved on its own accord, Tony’s fingers carding through Peter’s messy curls. Peter leant into the touch and spared a quick glance up at him, before his attention was taken away by the cloak again. “Sorry for wasting your time.”

“That’s not a concern.” Strange replied, finally showing some form of emotion that wasn't negative. He looked regretful, almost guilty that he couldn’t help. “I’d best be off now. Wong will be wondering where I went at this hour.”

Tony nodded like he knew who that was. “Sure.”

With that, another portal, or whatever it was, opened up in the living room. In the blink of an eye, Strange was gone.

Peter whined when the cloak was taken away from him, almost running after it if Tony had not grabbed his chubby arm. Peter began reaching up for him then, Tony quietly going through with the request and lifted the child onto his hip. Peter began pulling at his mouth, confusing Tony, making him pull his face away from the prying fingers.

“What are you doing, Peter? Trying to give me some self-done surgery?” Tony asked, his tone flat. Apparently something he said made the kid frown. “What, kiddo?”

“Smile.” Peter muttered as he pulled at his lips again. “Pwease.”

As much as he wanted to go through with the kid’s request, Tony couldn’t bring a smile to his face. Guilt flooded through him when Peter seemed to get even sadder.

Tony settled for hugging his kid, ignoring the burn in his eyes as he realised that they had lost their last, real chance of getting Peter back to normal quickly. Now, all that they had left was wait until Thor came back.

Who knows how long that was going to take. No one knew where Thor was, what he was doing, who he was with. He might not even be on Asgard. Loki was a whole other story that Tony didn't even want to begin to think about.

Strange had mentioned that the two had been together when they were sent to Norway. That of course meant Loki was definitely alive, as if Peter wasn't enough truth for that. Maybe he had done something to Thor?

Tony had a feeling Thor would not let that happen.

Tony just sighed deeply and inhaled Peter’s new babyish scent. He felt heart melt into a puddle when the kid pressed a sloppy kiss to his cheek instead. This kid had no idea what was going on and what they had just found out, and Tony knew that was for the best. It was better if he didn't know, and he was hoping it was easier for him to stay in the toddler headspace. From what he could see, Peter was much more relaxed, and well, happy.

“Thor will come back soon enough.” Happy spoke up, once again clapping his shoulder comfortingly. “He can’t stay away forever, and he knows that.”

“When did you become so inspirational?” Tony asked, not smiling. Happy scoffed.

Tony sent Peter to bed soon after that. To Tony’s surprise, a crib had already been set up, along with a changing table and all its necessities in one of the guest rooms. FRIDAY had directed him there, and when he had asked who had done it, she didn’t specify. This made him assume that it was the people who had brought the stuff here, who would have no doubt been confused as to why as a bunch of baby stuff was being sent to Tony Stark's mansion.

Well, not anymore, because the whole fucking world now knew about Peter. There was no point of having them sign the NDAs now.

These thoughts were on his mind when he laid down in his own bed that smelt like Pepper, staring up at the roof with a deep sigh. There was no way she didn’t know by now, especially given the fact that FRIDAY kept reminding him he had missed several calls from his fiancé. No matter how he knew that telling her the truth was crucial, he couldn't bring himself to do it. At least, not over the phone.

Pepper probably thought he had cheated, and the baby had resurfaced long after the affair.

This could potentially destroy their relationship.

But what did Tony Stark do best? He destroyed everything he touched.

He cried that night, and his sleep was filled with nightmares.

For some reason he had dreamt about Siberia, and Steve, even though that was a different situation entirely.

He woke up screaming after a brutal, mind-conjured version of what could have happened, grasping at his chest for the Arc Reactor he no longer had.

Why did everything in his life have to be so fucked up?

Chapter Text

Two days had passed, and Tony had been feeling better after his hell of a night with Strange’s arrival.

He had recovered from his small mental breakdown, only able to push away the guilt as he remembered that Pepper would be coming home tomorrow. If she could even stand the sight of him, that is. Tony wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t show up at all, and was perfectly aware that Happy was silently judging him for not acting on the problem. Even Rhodey had called him to exclaim his horror of Peter being all over the news.

Jesus, he was a terrible fiancé and caregiver. He should have told Pepper the truth the moment Peter was first turned into a toddler, and he should have made sure that the press weren’t lurking around his airport before he got out of the plane.

But what was he doing instead of calling Pepper and fixing his issue with the media?

He was taking Peter to the beach.

They had been stuck inside for the past two days because Tony was trying to figure out how to recover from his little meltdown and Peter was adjusting to his new living arrangements. He knew Peter had been inside all the time since he had been de-aged, and it was clear he was getting restless. That was proven when he had a full-blown tantrum over his RC car.

Again.

Tony had to take a break after that. Happy had shooed him away from the screaming toddler before Tony could yell and swear, sending him down to the lab to cool off while he dealt with Peter. A few hours afterwards, Happy dumped the sobbing toddler down to his lab, just as Rhodey had done. The whole tantrum happened because the kid didn’t have a nap that day.

That day, as in yesterday.

Truth be told, they were both restless. When Tony had mentioned the mere chance of going to the beach after the tantrum, Peter hadn’t shut up about it since. Tony was pretty sure that Peter had completely lost his teenage qualities by now, fully letting himself go, hence his angry little meltdown. It was almost identical to the first one, though he hadn’t ripped his clothes off this time to Tony’s relief.

Tony had FRIDAY check the kid over again as he cooled down in the lab, just in case, and he was relieved to know that there was nothing wrong medically. FRIDAY had confirmed that Peter was merely adjusting to the mind he was meant to have at that age, and was having a temper tantrum because something had frustrated him. Tony would never have imagined Peter to be so hot-headed.

How he didn’t tear his entire lab up after Peter’s second throwing-himself-on-the-floor tantrum was beyond him. Tony felt a little proud of himself for keeping it together this time.

Peter still had all his memories, and when Tony had asked him how old he was, he had said fifteen. It was strange seeing him act as a toddler but say he’s not. He was beginning to believe that acting his physical age was easier on his stress, and he hoped it was giving him a good break from the stresses that came with being Spider-Man.

Tony never mentioned to the kid that he had lost most of his spider powers in his current form. He was sure the kid wouldn’t even notice until he went to use them, which Tony hoped would never happen.

Things were going okay so far. But there was still one thing that no doubt failed to tick him off.

The fucking diapers.

He didn't want to talk about when Peter did more than peed in it. That was an experience he would pay millions to forget, even though it was bound to happen again, and again, and again until he was a teenager again.

But right now, he had Peter on the changing table, feeling domestic as he rifled through the box he had dragged into the room. This box in particular was filled with new clothes for Peter.

He still hadn’t had the time to take everything out of its boxes, and most things were still in boxes in various rooms. Tony found it easier to take things out of the boxes when he needed them, rather than sorting them into their rightful places. The thought of sorting through a mass of children’s things made the situation feel a whole lot more real.

God, Tony felt weird. He hated this.

However, deep down, he knew he didn’t completely.

They had to wait for Thor to come to earth now and there was nothing else they could try until that happened. He’d run out of options.

Tony wished Bruce was here. Even though Loki’s spell prevented others from unwinding it, Bruce would’ve known how to cope with the child better than Tony did. Hell, he would have been able to help on the medical side of things, and it probably be a lot easier if Bruce took Peter’s blood tests and not Helen.

The only things he really despised about this entire situation was the tantrums and diapers.

Not that he was fine with everything else, but the other things were easier. Like feeding the kid and bathing him. Even playing with him wasn’t as time consuming as Tony would have imagined in the beginning.

He had fun playing with Peter.

Tony had tried to change Peter from a normal diaper to a swimming diaper as quickly as possible, and even though there was no clean up involved, he hated it. When Peter was back to a teen, if he ever went back to a teen, Tony would never stop complaining to him about this. Even if Peter didn’t remember anything that happened, Tony would hold it over his head. It would also be funny to tease him about how his toddler self acted, and to remind him of all the tantrums he pulled.

“Stop moving.” Tony grumbled as he taped the new diaper on, poking at Peter’s stomach when he finished. The kid squealed with laughter which caused Tony to wince from the high pitched sound, but he still smiled nonetheless. “Yeah, yeah, hold your horses. Teen you was never this loud.”

“Beach!” The kid exclaimed and kicked out, his tiny foot hitting Tony’s hand. Tony raised his eyebrows at Peter, who hadn’t been nearly as excited the whole time Tony had been with him, and didn’t think to scold him for kicking. He supposed it was good that they were finally getting out of the house, but he had no idea how to feel about the press on their tail. Sure, they were going to a private beach, and Happy would be there, but who knows. “‘ony, beach!”

“Yes, I know, we’re going to the beach.” Tony poked his stomach again and earned another round of loud, happy laughter. “I was the one who planned it. Calm down, the water’s not going anywhere.”

Peter started squirming even more as soon as Tony grabbed the little board shorts, causing him to raise his eyebrows. Whenever he came near the kid with the shorts, Peter would kick out again and his face would turn frustrated, multiple high pitched whines of disapproval leaving his mouth as he tried to move away from the clothing.

“You don’t want your shorts?” Tony asked as he moved the shorts away and out of sight. Peter shook his head, a crease in the middle of his eyebrows. “Alright then. You have to wear this, though.”

He brought a red and blue rash top into Peter’s vision, almost grinning when he saw the pictures on it. Of course, it was Spider-Man. Peter didn't fight when Tony manipulated him into the rash top, Tony letting the toddler on the floor soon after. Peter took off, and Tony merely sighed and rubbed his temples for a few seconds.

He left the room after discarding the old diaper, washing his hands before moving down the hall. He could hear Peter’s voice echoing off of the walls as he got closer, the kid definitely talking Happy’s ear off.

Even if the grumpy man wouldn’t admit it, he had a soft spot for Peter whether he was big or small. If Happy didn’t have that soft spot, he wouldn’t drive Peter around Queens almost every day.

Tony grabbed the bag he had packed the night prior and slung it over his shoulder. Tony never packed things the day before any event, and always left it until ten minutes before. This kid was changing him in ways he wasn’t sure he was all too happy about.

“Come on then.” Tony spoke up, rising another thrilled squeal from Peter as he pretty much leapt off of the couch, his little legs moving as fast as they could until he reached Tony. He realised too late what the kid was about to do, which is why he almost fell backwards when Peter slammed into his legs and started clinging onto him like a koala.

“One day you’re going to knock me over, kid.”

Peter raised his arms, bouncing on his feet impatiently when Tony took too long. He rolled his eyes again and grabbed the kid under the armpits to hoist him into his arms. He was becoming fairly used to carrying this kid around, and he didn’t feel as uncomfortable as he did the first few times.

Happy walked ahead of them as Tony gathered himself, making sure he had everything before exiting his home. Happy had checked for reporters outside, which had definitely happened before, and was thankful to be told that there were no paparazzi in the vicinity. He placed Peter into the car seat that Happy had installed into their car sometime between arriving in Malibu and now, strapping him in before the boy could protest. Peter whined in displeasure and kicked his little legs a few times.

“It’s only like a five minute drive, short stuff, you’ll be fine.” Tony reassured as he got into the seat beside Peter’s. Peter kicked out again, his tiny, bare feet swinging around as Happy pulled away from the mansion.

Tony was true to his word, it wasn’t a very long drive, and soon Peter was whining again to get out of the car seat once he had caught sight of the sea. Tony took his time gathering his things before grabbing the kid, who looked dangerously close to bawling his eyes out in anger, which was something Tony really didn’t want to deal with right now. He had hoped the two tantrums were a once-off, because usually he only cried when he was tired or there was actually something wrong.

He groaned inwardly as he lifted his fidgeting kid and took him out of the car before he could start wailing.

The sun was really, really hot, and Tony couldn’t help but feel like he was about to melt from the sudden heat. He carried Peter over to the sand, the kid beginning to squeal excitedly all over again when he caught sight of the water for a second time. Tony shushed him, checking back at Happy for a few seconds to see the man struggling with beach chairs and umbrella, a glare set deep on his face. Tony smirked.

When Tony found a suitable place to dump all their stuff, he placed Peter down on the sand. He didn’t think for a second that Peter would take off running towards the water.

His heart lurched violently in his chest as he took off after the kid. He didn’t have to go far, merely two large steps and he was in reach of the toddler. He grabbed Peter’s arm and yanked him back towards himself, then winced when he accidentally maybe pulled to hard.

Peter didn’t seem to notice, however, because he was too busy stomping his feet and whining. He hadn't gotten very far, but it was still enough to send Tony’s heart into a panic. Tony knelt down to the kid’s height, the fear that he had suddenly been overcome with morphing into anger quicker than he could blink.

“Peter Parker.” He snapped, which caused Peter’s attention to snap to him immediately, any signs of defiance disappearing from his face. “Do you understand how dangerous the water is when you go by yourself? Just because you're a teen in a toddler’s body, it doesn’t mean you can swim like you used to. Fuck, Peter, you're going to give me a heart attack. What if I didn’t catch you, huh? You could have drowned.”

He regretted yelling when Peter’s face crumpled up and tears began running down his cheeks almost instantly, hiccuping before he began to sob.

“I’m Sowwy, so s-sowwy!”

“Oh, God.” Tony mumbled, letting go of the kid’s wrist to pull him over into a hug instead. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled. I overreacted a bit, didn’t I?”

Peter sobbed into his neck, Tony feeling awful as he gently lifted the toddler off of the ground. When he turned around to head back to happy, he saw the man staring at him while he set up the chairs. There was a hint of disappointment in Happy’s expression, which only made Tony’s guilt increase.

Tony immediately sat down in one of the chairs Happy had just set up and dragged Peter’s bag towards him. He grabbed a tube of kid’s sunscreen along with a pacifier, which he offered to Peter, who took it immediately. Tony sighed, apologetically wiping Peter’s tears before opening the sunscreen.

“I’m sorry Pete.” Tony apologised as he began rubbing the sunscreen on Peter’s legs, the kid not fighting him. “You just scared me. You know how I feel about water.”

As Tony applied the sunscreen, Peter’s cries gradually slowed down, and soon enough his eyes were dry again. Tony wiped the tear tracks away before he rubbed sunscreen on the kid’s face, making sure not to get it in his eyes, nose and mouth, before he then put some on the backs of his ears.

He felt terrible for yelling, again, though he felt this was nowhere near as bad as last time. Peter seemed to have forgiven him already, his tiny hands fisting Tony’s shirt as he tried to look back at the water. When he was finished, he cautiously put his kid on the sand after placing a dark blue bucket hat on his head, fully prepared to grab him if he tried to take off again. Peter didn’t move from the spot and instead, he sat down and began playing with the sand.

“Don't worry about it.” Happy whispered as Tony put normal sunscreen on himself, taking of his shirt. “He’ll be fine.”

“Hm.” Tony hummed, ignoring the mental image of Howard that appeared in his mind. “I shouldn't have yelled.”

Happy sighed, very, very slightly. “Don't worry about it. You were right, though. What he did was dangerous.”

Peter stayed in the same spot the entire time Tony took to get himself ready, ignoring the crushing feeling in his chest from where the Arc Reactor had been. He hadn’t really been in water aside from showers ever since Afghanistan, and even if water at the beach was different, he wouldn't be going any further than knee height. Peter definitely wasn’t, either.

The air smelt pleasantly of sunscreen and summer as he stood up, subconsciously rubbing at his chest before reaching out to Peter.

“Come on, squirt.”

Peter leapt up from the sand and yanked out his pacifier. Tony watched him place it on top of the bag before running over to Tony and grabbed his hand. Tony smiled unsurely when he saw Happy’s encouraging stare, letting Peter lead him to the water. He had expected the kid to want to go out a little further, but he merely stopped when a wave washed to shore, shying back from the water. Maybe this was as far as they would be going.

Tony found himself completely fine with that.

The kid began walking a little further, a shy smile on his face. When another small wave came in, Peter attempted to jump it, giggling. Tony couldn't help but smile at the sight.

It continued like that for a while, Tony merely watching as Peter tried jumping the minuscule waves, giggling the entire time, looking up at Tony for encouragement. He didn't protest when Peter let go of his hand, though he was always at the ready incase Peter decided to be stupid and run off into the deeper water.

Everything was going all fine and dandy for a solid hour until Peter decided he had had enough, and was currently dragging Tony out from the ocean. Now, this wasn’t the part that didn’t make the calmness between them fade. It was what happened after that did.

They were in hardly any water, in Tony’s opinion, and he had presumed everything would be fine until Peter tripped over nothing, falling face first into the water and his hand slipping out of Tony’s. At the same time, a small amount of water from the last wave washed in, washing over Peter's tiny body, sending his cute bucket hat off of his head. Tony felt horror wash through him as he hurried to pick the child up, not caring that he was going to get himself wet as he pulled him to his chest. He grabbed the hat with his other hand and shoved it under his arm.

It all happened so quickly that Peter seemed unable to process what was going on for a second, his eyes wide and blown, sand all over his face. Then, his bottom lip began to wobble, his arms winding around Tony's neck as he pulled the kid up.

“Come on, please don’t cry. You’re fine.” Tony mumbled frantically as he walked towards Happy, who already had a towel out and ready. “You're fine, you're fine, you’re fine…”

Peter, predictably, started wailing.

Tony’s heartstrings were yanked aggressively when Peter started sobbing, rubbing at his face and trying to get the sand off. Great. That makes two times of crying in just over an hour, and Tony was left feeling even more guilty. He wrapped Peter in the towel when they reached Happy, the other man using the wipes they had brought to get the sand off of the kid’s face at the same time. Peter had a hand on his forehead after they were finished, his cries echoing around the otherwise silent beach.

“Does it hurt?” Tony asked, gnawing on his lip when Peter nodded.

The crying continued for a few more minutes before Peter finally calmed down, his huge eyes staring out at the ocean as if it had just ruined his entire life. Tony rubbed his back through the towel until Peter got too hot, sighing in relief when he began asking to be put down.

Tony watched as Peter began looking through the bag they had brought, smiling softly when he pulled out a few beach toys. He sat there quietly, fiddling with the bucket and shovel as Tony aimlessly watched, until he decided that the kid was probably getting hungry.

He offered some crackers and a sippy cup to the kid, and he took both. Soon after, Peter was tugging at the wet diaper around his hips, and Tony wasn't really sure if he had made use of it or that it was just uncomfortable after being drenched. He changed it reluctantly, ignoring his own discomfort as Peter just laid there without a care in the world, munching on his cracker.

Tony was going to love blackmailing Peter when he goes back to normal. He hoped the kid remembered all these torturous diaper changes.

Once he was finished, Peter went back to making sandcastles, steadily drinking from the sippy cup until it was empty. Peter never went back in the water after the little incident, and Tony couldn't help but feel relieved. Even if the water had only been up to his ankles, it still made him feel a little uneasy.

Before he knew it, the day had gone by and they were back inside of the mansion, giving Peter a bath.

Peter was quiet, his eyes drooping as he let Tony wash his hair. Tony made sure that he didn’t get any soap in the boy’s eyes as he washed his hair, thankful that Peter wasn’t as hyper as usual. The kid simply let Tony go through with the task without any problems, clearly too exhausted to even play with his bath toys.

The bath was done pretty quickly, and Tony was already taping a diaper and manipulating Peter’s limbs into his pyjamas. Peter fell asleep before he finished, which prompted Tony to replace his thumb for a pacifier before hauling him into his arms. He felt oddly comfortable with this part, slowly lowering the kid into the bed before pulling the covers over him. He placed Peter’s favourite stuffed toy in his reach before leaving the room, flicking the light off and leaving the door ajar.

Soon, Tony was sat down in front of his workbench in his lab, staring aimlessly at the blueprints in front of him. He was currently debating with himself if he really wanted to continue creating the new nanotech suit. Sure, it would pass the time and sure, it would help him forget about his problems, but did he really want to do that? Now that he didn't have a distraction (Peter) he was left to think about Pepper and the press once again.

“Fri…” Tony trailed, leaning on his hand. “Call… call…”

“Call who, Boss?” FRIDAY prompted when he didn’t say anything, which caused Tony to sigh.

“Don’t worry about it.” He could talk to her about it when she arrived. It was easier in person. “Bring up the progress of my nanotech suit.”

FRIDAY did as she was told, and away Tony went, aimlessly creating his new suit in the silence of his lab. Usually, he would have his music blasting away so loud that he could hardly hear himself think, but right now, he was content to work in silence.

He continued like this for hours on end, not really sure how long he was down there until FRIDAY let him know that Peter was awake and was to be in distress.

“What time is it?”

“Eight in the morning, sir. It is Thursday.” Tony cursed as he rubbed his tired eyes. He had been up all night without even realising. “Peter seems to be.. angry, Sir. I suggest you go to him before he climbs out of the crib and possibly injures himself.”

That got Tony on his feet.

It didn’t take him long to get to the guest room Peter was staying in, already hearing the frustrated wails through the walls. When he walked in, he froze for a few seconds at the sight of Peter pounding the crib's bars, his face red and tear-streaked with absolute fury. He paused when he saw Tony, glared for a second, before he started screaming all over again.

Tony was beyond confused.

He moved over to the crib, hesitantly, as if he were approaching a wild animal.

“What’s going on with you? What’s got you all fired up this morning, Pete?”

Peter replied with another scream, demanding to be picked up with aggressive grabby hands. Tony complied, rather confused, letting the kid literally scream into his shoulder as he walked around the room, rubbing his back. The kid was angry, and Tony had no clue as to what the reason for his anger could be.

“Come on, Petey, tell me what’s got you so fired up. Use your words.”

Peter replied with smacking Tony’s shoulder before he tugged at the part of the diaper that was sticking out of his pyjama pants.

Okay. He just needed a diaper change, right?

Oh, how wrong he was.

Chapter Text

It took Tony an embarrassingly long time to figure out why Peter was so uncomfortable.

Tony cringed when the smell met his nose, turning his head away as he tried to lay Peter down onto the changing table at the same time. Peter screamed in protest, kicking his legs and trying to push himself up. This was all happening while Tony was trying to grab a clean diaper, almost having a heart attack when the child almost rolled right off of the table.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Tony snapped in shock when he grabbed his kid, earning another furious scream and kicking legs the process. “Don’t you want to get out of that? Isn’t that why you’re so angry?”

Peter didn’t answer, flopping back onto the changing table with a sob. Tony rolled his eyes at the dramatics, already working on unbuttoning the onsie so he could get this over with as soon as possible. He wished Happy would have volunteered to do this part of the job, instead of practically disappearing every time Peter tugged on his damned diaper. Bastard.

When he had finally gotten the kid’s legs out of the onsie, Peter began to thrash again, which made it increasingly hard to actually get the soiled diaper off of him.

“Peter, stop. You’re not making this very easy. I hate this as much as you do.”

Peter replied with kicking out yet again, trying to roll himself off of the table for a second time.

Tony lightly smacked one of the kid’s legs, almost sighing in relief when Peter's cries were interrupted by shock and his ears had a few moments to gather themselves. Tony knew he hadn't even hit the kid very hard, and that it was merely a tap, but Peter seemed to be feeling more sensitive than usual this morning. Tony watched in slow motion as Peter’s angry cries turned into sad ones, his body falling lax on the table which allowed Tony to do his job.

He got it done with as soon as possible, cringing from the smell when he untaped the diaper for the first time. He immediately slid it out and closed it, depositing it in the bin before hastily cleaning the kid up. It was painstakingly longer than he wanted it to be, the kid having created much more of a mess than he had last time, and much more of a mess than Tony had anticipated.

Tony got the clean diaper on as soon as possible, only attempting to button up the onsie when Peter grew furious again.

Tony decided, fuck it, and simply removed the clothing off of the kid and left him in just a diaper.

Peter seemed to be content with that from what Tony could see, and continued to lift Peter off of the table. Instead of cuddling into him as usual, Peter pushed him away and demanded to be let down, shaking his body so much Tony almost dropped him. He quickly put the kid down with raised eyebrows, ignoring his own rapidly increasing anger as Peter took off out the room, his bare feet thudding all the way down the hall until Tony couldn’t hear them anymore.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Tony sighed and headed into the bathroom to wash his hands. He splashed some cold water on his face to cool off, all while wondering Peter was so touchy today. If Peter continued with that attitude, Tony knew he was going to lose his temper.

After a few more minutes of gathering himself, he made his way out of Peter’s room and to the kitchen, where Peter currently wasn’t. He could hear him yelling at Happy in the other room, not being able to understand what the hell the kid was even saying.

Taking his time, Tony poured himself a coffee, ignoring the exhaustion as he downed it in two gulps. He poured a second right after. He had a feeling he was in for a long day, and he also felt like he was forgetting something important.

He aimlessly prepared breakfast for Peter, sipping on his second coffee as he filled a sippy cup with juice. It had fallen silent in the living room, and Tony started to hope that the kid had finally calmed down and would be his usual self again. Tony found a happy toddler much easier to handle than one who screamed like the world was ending all around him.

In preparation for whatever he was going to encounter when he entered the living room, Tony rubbed his tired eyes before he picked up both the plate of fruit and the sippy cup. The sippy cup was dangerously balanced on top of the plate since his other hand was occupied by the coffee, and like this, Tony made his way into the living room.

Tony could only do as much as raise his eyebrows when he saw Peter perched in Happy’s lap, glaring at the TV like it had personally offended him. His arms were crossed against his bare chest, Tony really wanting to laugh at the sight of him sitting there, pouting, dressed in only a diaper. There was a kid’s cartoon playing, one Tony didn’t recognise, and Peter seemed to be hating it.

Happy, comically, almost had the exact same expression on his face.

They looked like two peas in a pod.

“Looks like I have two angry toddlers on my hands then.” Tony muttered as he made his way over, earning a glare from Happy. Peter didn’t even acknowledge him. “Kid, I made you breakfast.”

He nudged Peter's bicep, and almost jumped when Peter’s head whipped over to him. The boy looked so angry, and it was driving Tony mad that he had no idea why. He offered the plate again, barely able to contain his sigh of relief when Peter set it in his lap and started munching on some of the banana. Tony had quickly found out that bananas were Peter’s favourite, so most of the plate consisted of that one fruit.

Tony offered the sippy cup next, which Peter snatched off him. Peter stuck the spout into his mouth with so much attitude that it made Tony want to laugh, but instead of that, he rolled his eyes and got himself comfortable on the couch. He took a sip of his still-hot coffee, thankful he’d managed to make it to the living room with it in hand.

All was silent and relatively calm until Peter pushed the, thankfully empty, plate off of his lap and onto the floor. It didn’t smash, and soon the empty sippy cup joined it. Tony just stared at the sight on the floor and blinked when Peter joined it. He was scurrying over to the cardboard box that contained toys before Tony could even think to scold him.

“What did you do to him?” Happy snapped, eyes glaring. “This is the angriest I’ve seen the kid. What’s wrong with him?”

“I have no idea.” Tony replied, feeling more and more exhausted by the minute. “He woke up like that, diaper full of shit, and now I don’t know what’s got him so fired up.”

“He came in here screaming and demanding for me to turn on the TV.” Happy continued. Tony stared at the moving animations on the screen but not taking any of it in. He went to take another gulp of his coffee, only to sigh when he realised that he had drunk the whole thing already. He’d need to get another. “You better fix him before Pep-”

“‘ony!” They both jumped when Peter screeched from across the room, interrupting whatever Happy was about to say. His arms were wrapped around a teddy bear that was almost bigger than him, a glare set deep in his expression as he waited for Tony to acknowledge him.

“What?” Tony asked, not really meaning to snap. Peter didn’t even seem to notice the frustration in his tone.

“When big?” Tony felt himself pale. He stared into Peter’s angry, and frustrated eyes, biting on his tongue when he saw that familiar look. Mixed with all the anger and fury in his eyes, was that knowing look he hadn’t seen for a little while. So, teen Peter was aware again. Tony didn’t know whether to feel good or bad about that. “‘ony!”

“I’m working on it, I promise, buddy.” Tony replied as he ran a hand down his face. “Do you want to come pick all this up?”

Tony gestured to the plate and sippy cup on the floor. He watched as Peter looked between him and the small mess, seemingly contemplating his next move. Tony held his breath, almost rolling his eyes when Peter shook his head and turned away from them. Great.

“Come on, Peter.” He continued when he caught sight of Happy's encouraging look. “Clean it up. Please. Then you can go back to… angrily suffocating that poor bear.”

“No!” Peter snapped and flopped onto his back, then rolled onto his side so he had his back to them.

“Keep going.” Happy nudged his thigh. Tony groaned. He was not this kid’s parent!

Even though he felt like he was.

“Peter.” He made his voice firmer, hoping it would get through to Peter like it usually seemed to, but this time, Peter didn’t even react. “Peter. Now.”

“No! ‘ony no make Pe’er big, Pe’er no help ‘ony!” Tony clenched his fists, trying his best not to completely explode from anger. That hadn’t worked out so good the last two times he had lost his temper, and maybe it would be best if he didn’t start yelling.

“Peter.” Tony said again, his voice low and warning. He didn’t know what he was actually going to do if Peter kept ignoring him, though. Nothing had prepared him for Peter’s attitude. “All you have to do is put your plate and cup it on the table and you’re done. It’s really not that hard.”

“NO!” Peter screamed it this time, his legs kicking out. Tony had begun to notice Peter did that when he was both overly happy and very angry. “NO!”

“You're not acting very much like a teenager right now.” Tony snapped, standing from the couch, ignoring Happy's frantic whisper. He walked right over to the kid, who was still curled up on the floor and took the bear out of his grasp. For some reason, it was surprisingly easy to detach Peter from the toy. He then came to realise that the kid hadn’t heard him coming...

“Noooooooo!” Peter started wailing. Tony put the bear back in the box before he swept Peter off of the floor and pulled him into his arms. Obviously unhappy with being picked up, Peter thrashed around in Tony’s grip, smacking at his arms and screaming in his ear as Tony took him over to the corner of the room and dumped him on the floor before he actually dropped him. “‘ony! NO!”

Tony gently grabbed Peter’s face and forced the boy to make eye contact with him.

“You’re going to stay here until you can calm yourself down, alright? If you try to run off you’ll just be put right back in this spot until you learn to behave. This isn't a very teenage thing to do, Peter. I know you’re in there and I know you’re listening to me.”

Peter tried smacking Tony’s hand, though he missed considerably.

“Go ‘way!”

“Yep, that’s exactly what I’m planning to do.” Tony said and let go of Peter’s face. Peter wailed at his feet, now lying on the floor and flailing in a full-blown tantrum. It was almost mirroring what had happened back at the Compound, which Tony really didn’t want to think about. “All this over picking up a sippy cup…”

That part was mumbled to himself when he looked down at the writhing toddler, whose face was red, teary and snotty. It made Tony feel awfully guilty, he hated seeing Peter so upset, but he refused to give in. Peter was screaming words, but they were so garbled and jumbled that he had no hope of figuring out what the hell he was saying.

“You’re going to be there for a long time if you keep acting like this.” Tony said as he turned around, shaking his head at Happy who looked shocked. Peter continued to scream illegible words behind him, which Tony chose to ignore it as he went and sat back down. He then glanced at Peter, who hadn’t moved from the corner, but was still thrashing and sobbing on the floor. “I’m about to lose it, Hap.”

“You’re doing pretty well.” Happy replied as he glanced over at the sobbing mess. “I think he's overwhelmed. Maybe tired. Did you give him a nap yesterday?”

“When did you turn into a father?” Tony snapped, cringing when he realised Peter had no time for a nap the day before, and they had gotten home pretty late from the beach. But he slept the entire night, he couldn’t possibly need more sleep? “No, he didn’t."

“Maybe that's why he’s so cranky.” Happy replied, shrugging. “FRI, change the channel.”

Tony swore it felt like days before the furious, high-pitched wails ceased. The silence caused him to glance over to the corner of the room where he’d left Peter, only to see that the boy had sat up and was hugging his knees to his chest. He stared right at Tony, less anger in his expression, but it was definitely still there. Tony glanced at the time displayed on the TV, eyebrows raising when he realised Peter had been crying for a solid hour and a half without stopping. Who knew the kid had lungs on him?

Tony sighed as he pushed himself off of the couch and walked over to Peter. He knelt down in front of the kid and took a deep breath, unsure what reaction to expect.

“So are you ready to clean up your mess?”

Peter nodded and picked himself up off of the floor when Tony gave him permission. Tony watched as Peter shuffled over to the couch, right by Happy’s leg, squatting down to pick up the plate and then the sippy cup. Tony winced when Peter slammed them onto the coffee table harder than what he needed to, definitely still showing attitude, but not breaking nor the table or the objects. Then, he dragged his feet over to Tony and raised his arms to be picked up.

Tony stared down at him. “Are you sure about that?”

Peter dropped his arms and scowled. Tony, most of his earlier anger beginning to wash away, had to bite back his smile at the look on his kid’s face. Peter moved back to his box of toys and ruffled through the box for a few minutes he pulled out a different RC toy. It was a car, of course, but it was of some other children's character that Tony didn’t recognise.

The serenity didn’t last long, because soon Peter was up and tugging on Tony’s pants.

“What’s up now, kiddo?”

Peter began urgently tugging at his diaper, his face scrunched up. Tony took one glance down and saw that a part of the diaper had become darker and saggier, so with a sigh, he lifted Peter into his arms and hauled him off down the hall.

“What’s pressing your buttons today, huh?”

Peter didn’t answer, stubbornly sucking on his thumb with his eyebrows furrowed. It was then when Tony realised that the kid was, in fact, tired. He had the same look on his face that he did before they left for Malibu, and he also occasionally lifted a fist to rub his eyes.

“I think you’re in need of a nap. Maybe that’s it.”

Peter began to whine and pushed away from Tony. Tony groaned as he laid the kid down on the changing table, grabbing all the necessary supplies that went with the diaper changes. Ignoring his disgust, he untaped the diaper and threw it into the bin, swapping it with a clean one after applying rash cream.

Within a few minutes he was done and had to place Peter on the floor when he demanded to be put down. Tony washed his hands, watching from the corner of his eye as Peter toddled out of the room, thumb still stuck in his mouth as if it would have to be surgically removed.

Tony made sure to grab a pacifier on his way out.

Returning to the living room, it was rather peaceful. Peter was driving his RC car around the room again, Tony almost stepping on it as he made his way into the kitchen for his third cup of coffee. The car him in there, which he pretended not to notice Peter peering around the bench, repeatedly slamming the toy into his feet with that same look of anger plastered on his face.

Tony ignored it all the way back to the living room with his coffee, sighing and wishing he could be down in his lab where there weren’t toddlers abusing his feet with remote control cars. There had been something nagging at his mind since he woke up, as well, but he had no idea what it was and why he couldn’t remember it. That, or his brain was fried from staying up all night to many times in the last few days.

The next hour was peaceful and quiet until Peter started crying again. This time, it was completely out of the blue after a distinct cracking sound, giving both Happy and Tony a heart attack when the sound pierced through the quiet. They both looked over to Peter, who was sitting on the floor with a broken controller in his hands, tears streaming down his cheeks as he looked at it.

Tony was incredibly confused as he watched Peter hurl the remote in a fit of anger soon after, which made the controller break even more when it hit the tiles. What was going through Peter’s head right now was beyond Tony, and all he could do was watch Peter send himself into another, aggressive and very loud temper tantrum.

How he broke the controller, Tony had no idea. He knew Peter was losing his powers in his toddler form, which left him just confused. After sitting there for a few moments just watching Peter scream his lungs out, he finally stood and walked over to the sobbing toddler.

Though, maybe he had waited a few minutes too long, because when he reached Peter, the kid was vomiting up all over himself.

And then, to add onto the chaos unfolding in front of him, Pepper Potts’ voice rang out through the mansion.

“I can’t believe you, Tony-”

Peter’s horrified sobs cut the woman off, Tony’s heart catapulting into panic as he knelt in front of Peter, unable to stop the grimace at the fluids covering his kid from chest to diaper to floor.

“FRIDAY? What's wrong with him?”

FRIDAY didn’t answer for a few moments, and in that time Tony picked Peter up when the child raised his arms. Peter’s cries had turned from angry to sad, piercing through Tony’s eardrums as he picked the kid up under his armpits. He held Peter a good distance out from him, feeling the contents of his own stomach churn when the sound of vomit splattering onto tile made its way to his ears. He closed his eyes for a few seconds to compose himself.

“My scans have detected no signs of sickness. I am suspecting young Peter was crying so hard that it caused him to be sick, Sir. It can be common in young children.” Tony breathed a sigh of relief, but then winced. This kid had practically been crying all day already, and it had caused him to throw up.

He groaned inwardly after that, cursing his own stupidity for not helping Peter calm down better, and turned around only for his stomach to drop. When he saw Pepper’s horrified expression, Tony suddenly remembered what he had been forgetting all day.

“Tony, what’s-”

“Not now.” He snapped involuntarily, ignoring the guilt he felt at being so harsh, but was too busy hurrying in the direction of the hall. “Happy, explain.”

Then he was gone, carrying the still sobbing child all the way to the bathroom. He silently thanked FRIDAY when she had already filled the tub to an appropriate height, immediately setting Peter on the floor before un-taping the diaper. He cringed when he realised that the diaper was also wet with pee, suddenly feeling horrible for the kid who had been having one hell of a morning.

“Come on, Petey. In you get.”

He lifted Peter in, resisting the urge to look away when Peter’s vomit mixed with the water.

“FRI, drain and re-fill.”

FIRDAY did as she was told, Tony making sure he got most of the substance off of Peter before the water completely drained out. The plug was put back in place and the tap was turning on, soon filling back up to the height it had been up to before. Peter sobbed the entire time, his head buried in his tiny hands, and Tony knew he was overtired.

What a poor excuse of a parent he was attempting to be. Pepper had come at one of the worst moments possible, and Tony had no idea how to explain this to her. He should have called. How the fuck had he been able to forget she was coming?

So, turns out he was a shit parent and fiancé. What’s new?

“Buddy, it’s okay." Tony whispered, running a hand through the kid’s hair. “It’s okay. You’re fine. It was an accident. It’s my fault, I’m sorry. I was too hard on you, wasn’t I? I’m not good at this, I’m sorry, buddy. I’m trying.”

“No no no." Peter was mumbling, still reaching out for Tony. “I sowwy, Daddy.”

Tony’s jaw fell slack. His heart clenched painfully in his chest at the word.

No. That had not just happened. That couldn’t have just happened.

Peter didn’t seem to realise what he’d said, still crying and reaching out for Tony with desperate grabbing motions. Tony held one of the boy’s tiny hands, running his thumb over the kid's knuckles as he did so in hopes of being comforting. He sure as hell hadn’t throughout the day.

“It’s not your fault.”

“Sowwy.” Peter either didn’t hear him, or was ignoring him. Tony was horrified. “I so sowwy.”

“What happened to my happy little boy?” That was definitely not what Tony meant to come out, but the words escaped him before he could even think about it.

Out of all the things he could have said after Peter had called him that, he had said that. Before he could correct himself, Peter’s face was scrunching up again and his arms were reaching for him even more desperately. Tony was frozen in shock for a few more moments, unable to comprehend the situation, staring at Peter’s grabby hands as if they were something abnormal. Peter was pretty much clean by now, from what Tony could see, and there was no use cleaning his hair just yet.

So, he ordered for FRIDAY to drain the tub and lifted his kid out of the tub.

His kid. When the hell had he started thinking of Peter as his kid? Had he really been thinking that without even noticing all this time?

Deep down, Tony knew he’d started to think of Peter of his own kid even before this whole mess happened.

He grabbed two towels and wrapped Peter in both as the cries began to slow, droopy eyes staring back at him. Tony whispered random things as he dried Peter off before carrying him into his room, laying him down on the changing table and grabbing everything he needed like he had plenty of times before. Changing Peter’s diapers weren’t even that disgusting to him anymore, it was starting to become… normal.

Tony ignored that thought and rubbed Peter’s tummy, which seemed to help calm him down. He searched desperately for another pacifier, since he had left the other out in the living room, almost sighing in relief when he found one sat innocently in the crib. It was the Iron Man one May had given to Peter while he stayed with her.

Maybe he should call May. Maybe that would help both him and Peter.

He offered the pacifier to the kid, who accepted it and began sucking furiously, eyes closing. He was exhausted. God, this was Tony’s fault. Maybe Peter hadn’t slept as long last night as he had originally thought? Fuck.

He unwrapped the towels, immediately going through with his task. He was done soon enough, before digging through the boxes to find something comfortable. Tony found another onsie down the bottom, one that thankfully wasn’t Avengers themed. It was light blue and had a small rabbit’s face on the front. It smiled innocently up at him, and Tony couldn’t help but find the piece of clothing cute. It even covered at the feet, unlike all the others he’d put Peter in.

Tony dressed Peter in the onsie, finding himself sighing in relief when Peter had gone quiet. He had gone to lay him down in the crib, but as soon as he let go, Peter started to cry again and clung onto him. Tony was frozen for a few seconds in the awkward position of holding Peter half in the crib, his back not liking the position it was stuck in. After a few seconds, he pulled Peter back up and placed him on his hip.

Tony was stuck in a state of both shock sadness. Was he dreaming all of this, or had Peter really called him Daddy, and was Pepper really in their living room right now?

He took a few moments to compose himself, bouncing Peter without even realising it, blinking a few times before turning towards the door. He braced himself for the blow as he made his way down the hallway, Peter becoming more and more relaxed the more he walked. He realised the kid was asleep when he reached the living room, where Pepper and Happy were seated on the couch, bodies stiff.

Pepper’s head whipped around as soon as she heard him coming. “Tony-”

“No.” He replied, shifting Peter slightly in his arms. “Just- not yet. Let me gather myself.”

“Let you- Tony, are you serious? What Happy’s told me makes no sense and you know it. Who’s baby is this?” Pepper asked, her face blank, but her eyes telling him everything. She was sad, and she obviously thought he had cheated. Though, that didn’t really make sense in his mind. Two years ago was the Civil War, or as the media had dubbed it, and they weren’t together then. He completely understood if she thought he went on a downward spiral after Steve, but…

“He’s not mine.” Tony mumbled as he sat down, resting his chin on Peter’s head when it moved more to his chest. “This is Peter.”

“Spider-Man.” Pepper deadpanned, her voice unbelieving. “May’s nephew. A teenager.”

“Yes.” Tony replied, chewing his lip. “How much did Happy tell you?”

“That Loki turned Peter Parker into a toddler almost two weeks ago.” Pepper replied, her voice still telling Tony that she did not believe him in the slightest. Peter fidgeted, a whimper leaving his mouth. Without thinking about it, he shushed his kid, Pepper’s eyes growing wider and wider as she watched what took place. “When did you become good with kids? When did you have a kid? Did you ch-”

“No. I did not cheat, and this is not my son. Believe me, Pepper, this is Peter. I can show you the footage from his suit. It’s definitely Peter.” Tony sighed as his fiancé’s expression. “Pepper, I know how weird it sounds, but it’s actually what happened. I don’t know what else to tell you.”

“Why didn’t you call me as soon as this happened?” She almost yelled, running a hand through her hair. Frustrated and hurt. “Does May know, or have you hid this from her too? You know that’s wrong if you have, she’s probably so worried that someone’s kidnapped her nephew.”

Ouch.

“She knows. I’m not that awful. May looked after him for a little while, but she couldn't be there enough with her double shifts. He hated his babysitters.” Tony replied, ignoring the way his heart swelled up when Peter grabbed onto one of his fingers in his sleep, squeezing softly. “There was so much going on, Pep. It… slipped my mind.”

It hadn’t really, but Pepper didn’t need to know that.

“I’m sure it did.” She snapped then rolled her eyes at him. “I want to see the footage.”

“Then I’ll show it to you. Later.” Tony looked down at Peter. “He’s being clingy. It’s been a long day.”

A soft look passed over Pepper’s face, but it was gone in an instant.

“Is he sick?”

Tony shook his head, which caused Pepper’s eyebrows to raise even higher.

“Then why is he vomiting?” Tony sent her a questioning glance. Wouldn’t she have heard FRIDAY telling him what was wrong?

“He was... crying too hard.”

“Why was he crying?”

“I don’t know. Like I’ve said, it’s been a long day.”

Then, Pepper stood.

“I’m going to bed. In one of the guest rooms. ‘'ve been up for hours, Tony, but you wouldn’t know that because you wouldn’t answer any of my calls. Do you understand what is going through the media right now about him?” Ouch, again. “Bye.”

Then, she was gone.

Tony was fucked.

Instead of panicking and hiding down in his lab like he really wanted to do, he hugged Peter just a little bit tighter and almost cooed when the kid pressed into his hold. He almost vomited himself about how sickly… sweet he was being, but his whole life was a shit show right now and he didn't know what to do about it, and Peter now seemed to be the safest thing that Tony himself could cling onto.

Somehow, Happy silently left the living room, he managed to fall asleep with his son in his arms, letting the exhaustion take over.

His exhaustion was to blame for giving Peter that particular title.

Totally.

Chapter Text

Waking up was confusing.

His body was warm, there was something in his arms, and he had completely forgotten where he was. It took Tony a few minutes of groggy blinking to clear the blur from his eyes, realising after a few seconds that it was dark outside and that he was inside of his re-built Malibu mansion in California. He laid there for a few moments, staring out the window, all until Peter started shifting around in his arms.

Tony looked down at the kid, who was also awake, but looked a lot more aware of things than Tony was, as if he had been awake for longer. He stared at the child for a few moments he sighed, head flopping back onto the couch cushion as he began to stare up at the roof.

“What time is it, FRIDAY?”

“It is eight twenty-four in the evening, Sir. You have been sleeping for around eight hours.”

Tony gaped. FRIDAY fell silent after that, Tony taking another few moments to gather himself as Peter stared at him. He could see the kid looking at him in the corner of his eye, sparking up some form of annoyance as he rubbed at his eyes as hard as he could, trying to get the grogginess to go away. He had been asleep for hours yet he was still exhausted.

He had no more time to gather his bearings before Happy came waltzing into the room, staring down at a StarkPad and muttering under his breath. He looked up when Tony cleared his throat, a few look of confusion morphing into his expression.

“Have you been in here since we left?”

“Yes. Where’s Pepper?”

“She’s in your lab.” Tony gawked. “She just started watching the footage. FRIDAY is telling her everything she needs to know. I thought you had told her?”

Tony sighed, sitting up straighter and looking down at Peter. “Why would you think that?”

There was a sigh. He didn't answer Tony’s question. “You gotta make it up to her, then.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Tony became distracted when Peter's face scrunched up, confusion becoming more and more prominent the more it looked like Peter was about to burst into tears. “What’s wrong?” A tug. Figures.

“Alright, alright.” Tony mumbled, already standing from the couch. “Don’t cry. It’s fine.”

Happy was staring at him with a look that Tony couldn’t decipher. “What?”

“You are getting good at this.” Happy replied, smiling very, very slightly. “You doubt yourself too much. Go on.”

Tony didn’t answer, taking Peter down the hall and changing him within record time. Next, he was heading down to the lab after a failed attempt of getting Peter to stay with Happy. The clinginess Peter was feeling hadn’t seemed to have left yet, so with toddler in tow, he made his way to the lab with nerves churning in his stomach.

Upon their arrival, Tony could see his fiancé through the window, sitting at his workbench, watching footage on the holograms. Peter was looking, too, his eyes wide as Tony put in the code for the lab. The door slid open quietly, Pepper whirling around upon his entrance, her face morphing into anger. Tony felt Peter hide his face in his neck.

From the stare that Pepper gave him, Tony was a dead man, and he didn’t blame Peter in the slightest for hiding.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about any of this!” She snapped, eyes narrowed sternly in Tony’s direction. He couldn’t help but feel like a child being scolded. “Loki’s back on Earth, and you didn’t tell me? What if this had happened to someone else?”

“He wasn’t here for long. He’s not on Earth anymore, I thought FRIDAY would have told you that?” Tony refuted as he sat down on one of the other chairs he had down in the lab. Peter cuddled with him, quietly sucking on his pacifier as he kept his buried his face into Tony’s neck. Tony sighed, rubbing his back like he always seemed to be doing lately, thankful that the kid had stopped wailing for now. He didn’t notice he had become distracted until Pepper lightly smacked his forehead, making both Peter and Tony jump about six feet into the air. “What?”

“I believe you, if that’s what you want to hear.” She sighed, glancing back at the holograms. “FRIDAY told me that Dr. Strange came over. The spell can’t be reversed by anyone but Loki?”

Peter stiffened. Fuck. Tony panicked when Peter pushed away from him, almost ready to let the kid run away from him like he thought he was going to do. Peter hadn’t known that part, and he didn’t know that Tony was pretty much just sitting around waiting for Thor to arrive back on Earth.

Tony glared at Pepper, who just looked utterly confused by what was going on. It wasn’t her fault, she didn’t know that Peter didn’t know, but he couldn’t help the bitterness.

“Can’ be rewersed?”

“It can. Just by… Loki.” Tony cringed as he said it, hating the look on Peter's face. “I’m so sorry.”

“When Tor come ‘ack?” Peter asked, the pacifier dropping from his mouth. His bottom lip was wobbling, and Tony couldn’t help but cup the kid’s cheek with his hand. He only felt a little bit relieved when Peter leaned into his touch, Pepper now staring at him with horror. Yet, another thing he was going to die for. He was beginning to wish that Pepper had never came. “‘ony?”

“There’s nothing we can do but wait.” Tony sighed, chewing on his lip. “I’ve tried every connection with Thor. Every one of them. I’m sorry. Waiting is our only option.”

Tears leaked out of Peter’s eyes, but he didn’t scream and try to push Tony away.

Tony wiped the tears away as he hesitantly grabbed the pacifier from where it had fallen in his lap, offering it to his kid. Peter took it without protest and wrapped his arms around Tony’s neck, leaning his head on his right shoulder with a shaky breath. Tony looked away from the intense glare Pepper was giving him, beginning to feel slightly angry by her constant shaming of him.

Yes, he loved her a lot, and this was far from the first they had argued like this. Sometimes even worse. But this time, he couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed himself. Couldn’t she see that he was trying? Couldn’t she see that he was on edge because of all of the responsibility that’s on his shoulders right now?

Yes, he loved Peter. He had thought of him as his son way before any of this had happened, and was planning on never making that known to the kid unless he was on some kind of deathbed. But now he had all of this responsibility, and that the kid was two years old and constantly around him, he was stressed out.

“You didn’t tell him.” She deadpanned, breaking through his intense train of thought before running a hand through her hair. She turned around so her back was to him, her shoulders heaving with a heavy sigh. “Tony... Why did you bring him here? You should have left him with May. I’m sorry, but you’ve never really been equipped to looking after a child, and you knew this was our only time together until I have to leave again.”

The second portion of her point was true. They only had two days before Pepper would be gone again with SI work. He had honestly forgotten until she had mentioned it just now, and he had the decency to feel bad. But, he didn’t want Peter to hear anything of what she was saying.

If Tony had felt insulted before, he really did now.

He chose to ignore the sentimental half of her words, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“May was unable to look after him, Pep. I thought I already told you that.” Pepper nodded, though he couldn’t see the expression on her face. “He has no one else, and he didn’t like his babysitters. I’m doing the best I can. I’d like to say I’m doing a pretty good job so far.”

The memory of Peter calling him Daddy came across his mind as he said this, and suddenly, he felt like he wanted to cry.

“Is that why I walked in to him vomiting all over himself because he had been crying too hard?” Pepper replied, causing Tony to sigh in both annoyance and guilt. “Who knows how long it’ll take for Thor to return. Even then, this could be permanent, because there’s no telling his brother will help.”

"Yeah?" Tony replied, leaning his cheek on the top of Peter’s head protectively. “We’ll come to that if it happens. Don’t say stuff like that, especially in front of Peter.”

“You should have told me.” She repeated and turned around again. There were tears in her eyes. “You let me believe that you had cheated on me. You could have just called!”

“I know!” Tony snapped, wishing he could just leave and be done with it. “But I didn’t, there’s nothing else I can fucking say! I know I’m a terrible parent, I know I’m not equipped to look after a child, but he has no one else! I brought him here so it would be less stressful, but it turns out like it’s even more stressful than being at the Compound! And by the way, if Peter was mine, he would have been conceived during or after the whole Accords bullshit. I wouldn’t have cheated on you because we were on a break!”

Pepper faltered, then had a regretful look on her face. “Tony…”

“It’s fine. I know I’m a bad father figure, mentor, caregiver, whatever you want to call this. I just wish you wouldn’t rub it in so much.”

“No.” Peter muttered, interrupting their heated argument discussion. Tony could still feel the tears on his neck. “No’ bad.”

“What?” He asked, ignoring Pepper’s guilt ridden expression as he focussed his attention solely on Peter.

“No’ bad Daddy.” Peter whispered, though it must have been loud enough for Pepper to hear, judging by the shock on her face. “‘ake care of Pe’er. Good.”

Tony was smiling before he even realised he was, though it faded when he looked back at his fiancé. Pepper was frowning, eyebrows turned down, her face expressing some sort of disappointment. Tony continued to stare at her, almost daring her to say more. Daring her to tell him that he was lying. He knew if she did, he would actually crack. Pepper was one of the most infuriating people to talk to sometimes. However, Tony knew he was the exact same as her, and was very aware of his stubbornness.

“I’m going back to bed. I’ve had enough of this. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Pepper snapped, before she left the room without another word. Tony sighed, his breath shaky as his eyes burned. If they ended up calling off the marriage because of something like this... No. Tony couldn’t think like that. This was just another of many bumps in the road.

“Sowwy.” Peter broke his thoughts, the kid sitting up straighter in his lap with tears still leaking from his eyes. “Pe’er make Peppo mad?”

“No.” Tony said instantly, shaking his head. “Definitely not. It’s all on me, you didn’t do anything wrong. You hungry?”

Peter nodded, and soon Tony was shutting down the lab on his Lockdown Protocol, discretely wiping his eyes. Nobody but him would be allowed in there unless he said so, not even Pepper or Rhodey. Tony found himself not wanting to hide down there, either, giving that it raised so many old memories from when everything had gotten destroyed. He remembered fishing out his bots, seeing his old cars and such on the ocean floor. Throwing the Arc Reactor into the ocean. He didn’t want to think about any of those memories right now.

So, he took Peter upstairs and into the kitchen, setting the kid on the counter before reaching for a banana.

“No.”

“No?” Tony asked and placed the banana back down. Peter was reaching for the cardboard box in the corner of the room, which contained most of the things that Tony didn’t think Peter would use. Things like bottles, bibs and other things that were more for infants. He lifted the kid off the counter and placed him on the floor, watching the boy as he shuffled over to the box before leaning in. Tony stood over him, watching him push the bibs aside before grasping onto the bottle. Tony raised his eyebrows. “I thought you didn’t need that?”

Peter faltered, dropping the bottle back into the box. Tony instantly felt bad, guilt overriding his better judgement.

“No, no, you can use it. I just thought you were more comfortable with the sippy cups.” Peter grabbed the bottle again, much more hesitantly this time, before he handed it up to Tony. “So, what do you want to drink then?”

He set the bottle on the counter, unscrewing the cap like he knew what he was doing.

He really had no idea what he was doing.

“Apple ‘uice.” Peter mumbled around the pacifier. Tony nodded and grabbed the bottle of apple juice. He poured an appropriate amount in to the bottle before he screwed the lid back on then handed it to the kid. “‘hank ‘o.”

“Do you want food?” Tony asked next, looking down at the kid. Peter nodded. “What do you want?”

“‘ookies?” Tony nodded, smiling sadly to himself, rifling through the kitchen cupboards before he found a box of cookies. He opened them, handing three to Peter and taking out another three for himself, before placing a hand on the top of Peter's head and began guiding him in the direction of his room. Peter followed, ditching the pacifier for the bottle on the way. Tony noticed him drop the pacifier somewhere in the hall, but decided to worry about that later.

He placed Peter into the crib, cookies and all, before dragging over a box to sit on. This box was still sealed and full of items Tony hadn’t looked at yet, so he was sure it wouldn’t cave in under his weight. He sat down and shoved a cookie in his mouth, taking a bite before looking at Peter. He was munching on his cookies, looking down at his tiny, covered feet. The onsie truly was cute.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Petey.” Tony spoke up before finishing off his first cookie. “I didn’t know what to say.”

“It ‘kay." Peter whispered, still munching. “Will Tor come ‘ack?”

“Yes. He has to.” Tony replied. He wasn’t lying. Thor would come back sooner or later, no matter the circumstances. He liked Earth, and as far as he knew, the Avengers were still together and were waiting him to come back with information about the Infinity Stones. “If not, then I’m going to drag myself up to Asgard to find him. We’re getting you back, kid.”

Tony was aware that Peter was switching in and out of his toddler mindset since he had woken up, and he was sure of it after he was called Daddy for a second time. There was no way he was bringing that up right now though. This whole situation was kind of embarrassing, and he still couldn’t imagine what was going on inside of Peter’s head right now.

They sat there quietly eating for a few minutes, before a little hand stuck through the bars.

“Too much.”

Tony took the third cookie and stuck it in his mouth. He pretended not to notice the toothy grin on Peter’s face.

Peter was soon drinking from the bottle, his eyes glassy as he seemed to be daydreaming or maybe even falling asleep. Tony felt the same as he leant on his knees, chin in hands as he thought about nothing in particular. When Peter was finished, he handed the bottle through the bars and Tony took it without complaint. Then, as he went to stand up, Peter whined.

“What's wrong?” He asked, sitting back down at the complaint.

“No’ tired.” Peter replied, but he did look it. He had no idea how long Peter was up before he woke up himself. He reached through the bars and gently pushed at Peter's chest so he would lie down, the kid grabbing the Iron Man teddy on his way down. Tony then began to card his fingers through Peter’s hair, sighing sadly.

“Just try to go to sleep for me.” Tony mumbled, continuing to run his hand through Peter’s curls. Not long after, Peter’s eyes started to close despite what the kid had said.

Tony breathed a sigh of relief when Peter’s eyes remained closed at longer intervals. When he was sure the kid had fallen asleep, he removed his hand as gently as he could and backed away from the crib. Once the light was off and the jaw was ajar, Tony leant against the wall and rested the back of his head on it.

“Where’s Pepper?”

“In the guest room to the left of your room, Sir.” Tony sighed again. He had been doing a lot of sighing lately. “She is awake and looking through your emails. She expressed disappointment when she figured you did not reply to any of them for the last two weeks. You have over two thousand-”

“I’ve been busy.” He snapped, cutting FRIDAY off as he looked up at the roof. “How’s SI holding up?”

He listened as FRIDAY spoke to him about Stark Industries before finally pushing himself off the wall, only to take himself to his room to flop down on the mattress. He groaned when it smelt like Pepper, rolling onto his usual side and burying his face in his pillows that mostly smelt of himself.

Tony hadn’t been planning to fall asleep, but when he pulled his head back out of the pillow, sunlight was streaming through the windows. It was morning already?

After finding out that Peter was still sleeping soundly, Tony didn’t move from his bed for over an hour. Instead, he grabbed his personal StarkPad and started flicking through some of the emails he’d missed, along with the ones that Pepper had replied to for him. There were still over one thousand unread. SI would probably have gone down in ruins by now if it wasn’t for Pepper.

Along with that, knowing that the public knew about Peter was a whole other issue in itself. He’d been trying to ignore it, and had been doing so pretty effectively. Vaguely, Tony wondered if Steve and the others had found out. It was likely, given where they resided currently.

Tony knew where the Rogues were, of cause he did. T’Challa had notified him as soon as they requested to stay.

Knowing Natasha, she was probably keeping tabs on him. She always did.

He missed her.

He missed Steve, too. Clint as well. Bruce, although no one knew where the hell he was or what he was doing. As far as he knew, the man might not even be alive. He, or the Hulk, could be a corpse floating around space, lost to the world. Tony refused to think about that possibility.

He rolled onto his side and tossed his StarkPad to the foot of the bed as he did so. He pretended not to notice when it fell onto the floor and stared out the window at the ocean.

It wasn’t long after that when his door opened. He was expecting it to be Peter, or even Happy, but it ended up being Pepper. Tony said nothing and returned his gaze back out the window as she made her way over to him. He only looked at her when she stood in the way of his view, his eyes moving up to meet hers. Pepper didn’t look the slightest bit tired, her hair all made and neat, looking as put together as always. He glanced at his clock. It was only just past seven.

“I’m sorry.” She whispered as she sat down in front of him and placed a hand in his hair. “I think I was a bit… harsh.”

Tony scoffed, though not as unkindly as he would have wished. “Yeah, maybe. It’s fine.”

“Did you sleep last night?” He nodded. “That’s good. I’m sorry I assumed you cheated. I know you never would, I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“I said it’s fine.” He replied, not looking at her anymore. “It was my fault anyways. It always is. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Tony.” She ran her fingers through his hair then cupped his cheek. “I was, well, still am angry at you for not calling me when it got out to the press. There was no way I could have known that the child was Peter. De-aged, Tony. De-aged! Do you know how unbelievable that sounds?”

“Yes, I know how it sounds.” Tony mumbled, letting her stroke his cheek. “I didn’t believe it at first either.”

“How did you find out?” She asked, her hand moving back to his hair.

“I got an alert from his suit. Found him in an alleyway like that. The suit shrunk with him, too. Didn’t FRIDAY tell you this part?” Silence. He assumed Pepper was either shaking or nodding her head. “But yeah, I took him back to the Compound, looked after him for a bit until I kind of… cracked. May took him for a week and a bit after that. I think I needed the space to process everything.”

“You should have called.” Pepper repeated those same words, still gently massaging his scalp. “I would have helped you. I can still help you.”

“You’re only here for another two days.” Tony mumbled, refusing to acknowledge the tears burning in his eyes. He didn’t even know why he was so emotional in the first place. “We argued all afternoon and night yesterday. Peter feels bad about that, by the way. You should reassure him. My reassurances do nothing.”

“I think you underestimate yourself. Peter hangs of every word you say.” Tony imagined Pepper was smiling. “He’s a cute kid, Tony. No wonder you’re so in love with him."

“Excuse me?” Tony actually looked at her this time, eyebrows raised in disbelief.

“I could see it on your face last night. You’re whipped for that kid. Forgive me if I thought you actually were his father.” Tony stared at her, jaw hanging slightly. She smiled at him, her expression now back to its usual kindness. “That’s how parents look at their kids, y’know.”

“Really?” Tony groaned, rolling his eyes before flopping back into his pillow. “I’m not his Dad.”

“Not biologically, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be his Dad.” Pepper had that tone again which told him she would be smiling. “You had the same look when you were around fifteen year old Peter. Don’t think we didn’t notice.”

“I’m not fit to be a parent.” He mumbled and pressed his face into the pillow. “You said it yourself.”

The hand in his hair paused.

“I did. I’m sorry I said that. That was before I saw you interacting with him when he called you his Daddy.”

“Please, stop.” Tony muttered, closing his eyes. He didn’t want to feel the confronting emotions he was feeling from this conversation. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Don’t do it again.” She kissed his temple before running her fingers over the same spot. “I’ll make breakfast, then. What does Peter like?”

“Bananas, basically any of the other fruits. Oh, and apple juice. He likes it in a bottle.” Tony mumbled, somewhat dozing. Pepper kissed his temple again before standing, her footsteps leaving the room as Tony almost drifted back off into dreamland.

Not even five minutes after Pepper left, FRIDAY spoke up. “Young Peter is awake and asking for you, Boss.”

“Thanks.”

Tony laid there for a few more moments before he pushed himself up. He took himself to Peter’s room, spotting the kid sitting in the middle of the crib, staring at him with his Iron Man toy in hand. Peter looked groggy, his eyes blinking slowly as he watched Tony approach him.

“Morning, kiddo.”

Peter didn’t answer, Tony plucking him out before he could even raise an arm. “Do you need to be changed?”

When Peter only stared at him, Tony made his way to the changing table. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.”

He went through with the usual process, changing Peter’s diaper and clothes before hauling him back into his arms. Peter clung to the Iron Man teddy the whole time, still looking pretty out of it.

Tony felt refreshed after his conversation with Pepper, feeling a lot more awake now that he was carrying Peter in the direction of the kitchen. He merely gaped when he saw the table already set for them, Pepper already eating and smilingly sheepishly at him. Happy was nowhere to be seen as of yet.

Tony decided against saying anything and placed Peter in his usual chair with the booster seat before sitting down himself. He started eating immediately, only having had those cookies the night before.

“How are you, Peter?” Pepper asked in the silence, smiling kindly at the child. Peter had been in the middle of drinking his apple juice, pausing with a thoughtful look on his face.

“Good.” Was the boy’s reply, the rubber nipple of the bottle going straight back in his mouth.

So, maybe they would be spending the day with toddler Peter? He shrugged to himself, continuing to eat the waffles that had been prepared for him by Pepper.

Everything was running smoothly so far. He felt better than he had for days, and Peter seemed significantly happier than he had been the day before.

Good start.

Tony only hoped it would stay like that for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

Peter usually was a pretty happy kid, but just like yesterday, his mood began to change as breakfast ended.

The kid refused to talk to anyone, sitting in a pile of Legos as he began creating whatever it was he had chosen. Tony suspected it was something Harry Potter related, but he wouldn’t know until Peter had finished. He had no idea what was wrong with the kid this time, but he decided to take his silence as a few more moments to talk with Pepper.

They ended up leaving Happy to watch Peter, who didn’t even seem fazed by their departure, and took Tony’s R8 into LA.

At first, Tony was happy to be away from the kid for a little while. But the further they got away from the mansion, the more his heart pounded in his chest, and the more he began to want to turn right back around and speed back. He didn’t know why, but he was already missing the kid’s company. Maybe they could have taken him with them and brought him to the park or something.

He wasn’t sure if Pepper shared the same sentiment as him, but she seemed to notice his discomfort when he opened the door for her. They were parked outside of their favourite Italian restaurant for a well-deserved date.

Maybe Tony shouldn’t have brought the most obvious car he had, which bright red and obviously expensive. It was also known by the press. The R8 he kept at the Compound was orange, which would’ve stood out even more, so he was glad he didn’t have that one here. Tony could already feel the eyes of several people around him on him, and he could see the phones coming out of pockets in the corner of his eye. Like always, Tony ignored them and hooked his arm with Pepper’s as they headed inside together.

“Is everything alright?” Pepper asked once they were seated, placing her hand over his that was rested on top of on the table.

Tony nodded as he pushed away his anxiety.

He was fine. Peter was fine. Tony had gone almost two weeks without seeing the kid with no worries, so why was he noticing it so much now? Well, he had felt something when Peter was out of his care for those days, but it didn’t feel like this. Instead of confronting the feelings, in true Tony Stark fashion, he ignored them and plastered a fake smile on his face.

A waitress came over soon after, her eyes bulging slightly when she realised who she was speaking to. She handled herself well, not mentioning who Tony and Pepper were or asking for an autograph, simply taking their orders before leaving. Tony could tell there was an extra bounce to her step, and he was sure that he could hear her telling her colleagues what had just happened.

“Tony.” Tony glanced at Pepper, only to realise that he had been tapping his fingers rapidly on the table. Now that he was aware of it, he realised his knee was also bouncing beneath the table. “Are you sure you're alright? Do you want to go back home?”

“No. I said I’m fine.” Tony replied, still smiling. He was sure his eyes were saying something else. Pepper had always been good at dissecting his emotions, even when he tried to hide them. “So, tell me what happened while you were away. Anything interesting?”

Pepper gave him a look that said she was going to ask about it later, before she launched into a description of what she had done while working in DC. On a few occasions, Tony found himself accidentally zoning out when he remembered Peter, wondering what the boy was doing while they were gone.

Tony hoped the boy’s mood had improved by the time they got home. What worried him the most was that he still didn’t know why the boy had been acting so strange before they left. This only made Tony second guess himself. Should they have left when Peter was clearly unhappy?

Now he sounded like the concerned parent Pepper had told him he was.

“Are you even listening to me, Tony?” Pepper asked. Tony blinked once before he snapped back into reality. Pepper still looked concerned, her hand once again gripping his on the table. He must’ve been tapping his fingers again. “Is there something else on your mind? You seem anxious. Do you… do you miss Peter?”

Tony gawked, almost choking on his sip of Coke. He refused to drink alcohol.

“How many times do I have to tell you I’m fine for you to believe me?”

“When you’re actually telling the truth I’ll believe you. I can tell you’ve got something on your mind, honey. You’ve been fidgety ever since we left. We can go home if you want.” Tony shook his head. “At least tell me what’s wrong? Is it Peter?”

Tony didn’t answer, indirectly confirming her question. Pepper nodded to herself with a gentle smile and squeezed his hand before pulling away.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes as they waited for their food to arrive. Tony’s thoughts had drifted once again, and his fingers tapping on the wooden table again to assist with the anxiety he was feeling. It was a few minutes after their food had arrived when Pepper began speaking again, Tony’s eyes fixated on how much his hand shook when he picked up his fork.

“Have you taken him outside much?” Pepper asked, her voice warm.

“I took him to the beach.” Tony replied before he stuffed his mouth with fish. Pepper nodded, humming, before taking a bite of her own meal.

“Did he like it?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Tony’s lips quirked slightly at the memory. “We had a little incident with a wave, but other than that, I think he had fun. It sure was an experience for me.”

Pepper smiled at his descriptions. “That’s good, I’m glad he had fun. Anywhere else?”

Tony shook his head. “The media are vultures. They already know about Peter, which means the whole world does and are making up their own theories. What about the kid’s friends, Pep? They hasn’t even been told yet.”

“You should let them know soon. They’re probably worried sick about Peter. He hasn’t contacted them since this all happened, have they?” Pepper replied, that concerned look appearing on her face. Tony nodded with a small wince. If he was honest, he’d forgotten about Peter’s friends. “We don’t know how long it’s going to take for Thor to return. It could be months, Tony. He going to miss out on a lot of school, and more people will start asking questions.”

“I’ll have May tell Pete’s friends.” Tony replied, leaning back in his seat with a sigh. “They already know he’s Spider-Man, so that won’t be a problem. I’ve tried everything, Pep, I really did. There’s nothing else we can do but wait.”

Pepper smiled sadly.

“I understand. Maybe not completely yet, but I do.” Pepper took a deep breath. “Peter’s good for you. I think I’ve told you that enough already, but he is. Even when I was angry I could tell. I didn’t expect to see you drop everything to pick up a vomit-covered child, let alone a child at all. I didn’t think you’d do anything.”

“Neither did I.” Tony replied and resumed his lunch. After a few bites, he put his fork down so he could hide his still trembling hands. “But I do miss my fifteen-year-old kid.”

“I know you do. Who wouldn’t? Even I do.” Pepper replied. “You'll get him back.”

“I know I will.”

The rest of their lunch continued in a comfortable silence. Around them, people had started to whisper, and there was even someone with their phone out. They were obviously trying to pretend they were typing, when really they were recording Tony and Pepper.

They were sat in a booth, and Pepper had their back to them. Tony knew he would be the sole focus of that person’s video, and he just knew that it would surface somewhere on the internet as soon as they left. Why did people feel the need to be so intruding? Long ago, Tony wouldn’t have cared less, and instead he would have thrived from the attention. Now, however, it just pissed him off.

It was especially worse with the anxiety that followed him around with a shadow these days. Now, it enraged him knowing that Peter’s face was circulating around the press. Tony leant on the table with his elbow to rub his forehead, already beginning to feel a stress headache coming on. He’d was finished his meal and was waiting for Pepper to finish hers. That meant could get out of here soon.

Tony couldn’t wait.

When Pepper finished her food a few minutes later, there was no hesitation to leave the restaurant. After paying and refusing to take the change, Tony hooked his arm with Pepper’s once again and led her out of the restaurant and back to his car.

As expected, there were more people than there had been when they entered hovering outside the entrance. The moment they caught sight of Tony and Pepper, the people rushed over an began to shout questions in their faces.

Just like he expected, most of them were about Peter.

“Mr. Stark, who is the child you were carrying from your private jet?”

“Mr. Stark, who is the mother of your secret child?”

“Tony, why did you keep your child a secret from the world?”

“Ms. Potts, is the little boy yours and Mr. Stark’s child?”

Tony and Pepper ignored all of them. Tony shouldn’t have been surprised by the mound of questions that were thrown in his face, but he was. He had been caught off guard, and with how anxious he was feeling already, he wanted nothing to do with these reporters and their insensitive questions.

He opened the car door for his fiancé, which she entered immediately. Tony closed the door after her and rounded the car, ignoring the people who were still shouting questions at him. Once he was inside the car and had the door shut, Tony didn’t hesitate in pulling away from the side walk and onto the road.

Pretending he wasn’t effected by the sudden mass of people, Tony turned to his financé.

“Where to, Honey?”

“I think we should go back.” Pepper replied, which caused Tony to frown. “I know you miss Peter, and I can tell you’re anxious. Come on, we can go home. I don’t mind.”

“No. This was meant to be our day. I haven’t seen you for weeks, Pep.”

“Alright, if you’re feeling up to it. You know I don’t mind. I love Peter.”

Tony’s lips twitched into a small smile.

However, despite his own words, Tony began to turn the car around without realising it. Before he knew it, they were on the road back to the mansion. Tony decided not to mention it, and Pepper didn’t see too bothered by their shortened day out.

It was about half an hour into the drive home when Tony’s phone began to ring. Pepper picked it up for him.

“Hello?” Pepper paused. “Happy?”

Tony’s interest was immediately sparked. He was glad when Pepper put the phone on speaker so he could hear it too.

“How long are you guys planning to be out for, because Peter’s having a meltdown right now, and I’m going to be honest. I have no idea what to do.”

“What happened?” Tony asked, keeping his eyes on the road. He could hear faint, familiar crying in the background, worry immediately surging through his veins. Had he really become this attached to the kid without even realising? A few days ago he was desperately wishing for Thor to return, but now, not as much. Yes, he wanted Thor to come, but he found himself knowing he could wait longer if possible. “Happy? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know, he’s been acting weird all day. This only started a few minutes ago, though, but it doesn’t look like he’s going to stop anytime soon. Pete won’t tell me, either, but it probably has something to do with you. He won’t let go of that Iron Man toy.”

Tony’s heart ached painfully in his chest. It felt strange to be wanted by someone so tiny and innocent, even though he was meant to be a teenager. Well, it felt strange to be wanted at all, at least not for Iron Man. No one had ever really wanted Tony Stark, aside from his three best friends of course. The Rogues had painted that picture perfectly.

“How far out are you?” Happy repeated his question. “I don’t want him to get sick again from the stress.”

“We’re about half an hour out.” Pepper replied for him, Tony trying his best to keep all of his focus on the road. He couldn’t have them crash. “Maybe a little less.”

“What do I do with him?” Happy asked into the phone, sounding more and more frantic by the second. The tone of his voice only increased Tony’s own worry. “I don't know how to handle a screaming toddler!”

“Talk to him, try and comfort him.” Pepper supplied, reading Tony’s thoughts. “Just- hug him.”

“Really?” Happy exclaimed, sounding aggravated by the suggestion. “I’ve tried that already. The little shit won’t let me pick him up!”

“Just do something, Happy.” Tony cut in, subconsciously driving faster at hearing that Peter was having some sort of mental breakdown, or even another tantrum. There was a small part of him that wanted to leave the problem to someone else, but there bigger part of him was swamped by concern. Not long after they were hung up on, and the car fell into silence. Tony didn’t say a word and continued to drive.

Pepper didn’t say anything until they were pulling into the garage, her hand on Tony's arm.

“I promise I’m not mad we cut our trip short. We’ll have plenty of time in a few weeks.”

“Mhm.” Tony hummed, unbuckling his seatbelt before he gave Pepper a quick kiss. “I know.”

Soon, the both of them were out of the car and headed up to the penthouse. Tony could already hear Peter’s crying when he reached the floor, which only tore at his heartstrings. The poor kid probably hadn’t stopped crying since Happy called.

Tony hurried over to the living room, wincing when he spotted the wailing bundle in Happy’s arms, the kid having somehow wormed out of the clothes that he had been put in in the morning. From where Tony was standing, he could tell that the diaper the kid was currently wearing was full.

“Why haven’t you changed him? Where is his clothes?” Tony asked as Pepper came up after him, her eyes slightly wide at the sight. Happy blubbered, looking from Tony to Peter, seemingly completely unsure how to handle the situation. Peter’s head had shot up at the sound of Tony’s voice, his teary eyes meeting Tony’s. He began to move when Peter lifted his arms, the kid blabbering something Tony had no hopes of understanding. “Happy?”

“I tried to change him, I swear.” Happy said, his voice sounding completely done with it but also concerned at the same time. “I got his clothes off, but then he started screaming again because didn’t want me to do it and he kind of… rolled off the changing table?”

Tony gaped and almost dropping Peter from where he was lifting him from Happy’s lap. He could smell it almost instantly as he subconsciously checked Peter over for injuries, frowning when he spotted the little bruises on his forehead and elbow. The Iron Man toy was also held tight in his arms, just like Happy had said, and it didn’t look like he would be letting go of it anytime soon.

“How long ago was that?”

“About twenty minutes. I tried again, Tony, believe me, but he doesn’t want me to do it.” Tony cringed, letting Peter bury his face in his neck. “I’m sorry. I tried everything to get him to calm down, but nothing was working.”

“Why was he crying in the first place?” Tony asked, wincing when he set the kid on his hip. His forearm was underneath Peter’s rear, and he could pretty much feel the thing squish. Gross. “How long has he been crying for?”

“I don’t know why. Maybe an hour or more.” Tony sighed and shifted Peter a little. He nodded at Happy, sending him an apologetic glance before taking Peter away, Pepper smiling softly as he walked past. He had barely realised he was muttering things to Peter as he made his way into the kid’s room, pausing for a split second at the sight of the room.

The clothes Peter had been wearing were strewn across the floor, along with an unused diaper and a pacifier. Tony decided to ignore that for now, laying Peter down and grabbed a new diaper and everything else he needed.

With a deep breath, Tony braced himself when he opened the tabs, holding back his gag as he took the thing from under Peter and folded it up. He tossed the used diaper into the bin and resumed his task. Peter had stopped crying now, and to Tony’s surprise, was dozing off with the thumb of his left hand in his mouth.

He finished the job quickly, barely pausing when he noticed that Peter’s skin was becoming a little red. He knew what that was, and put cream where appropriate. He was shocked at himself for the nonchalance as he went through with the action, then taped the diaper up.

Deciding that Peter would be just fine in just his diaper for now, Tony quickly washed his hands before he picked the kid up and secured him in his arms so that he was comfortable.

Tony had no idea when he had come so parental, but it seemed to be ever since Pepper arrived.

Despite their arguments, Tony had begun to feel more at ease and much calmer. He made a mental note to call May when Peter was out, to let the kid’s friends, Ted and MJ, know of the situation. Pepper was right on that one, too. She was usually right about everything.

Peter said nothing, so neither did Tony. He grabbed one of the blankets from the crib, along with a clean pacifier, before he brought the boy back to the living room. Pepper was the only one there this time, and the look on her face told him that something was wrong. He sat down next to her, shifting Peter so he was more cradled in his lap, looking over to Pepper with a questioning raise of the eyebrow.

Tony only noticed the StarkPad beside her on the couch cushion when she reached over to grab it and turned it on. Pepper handed it to him without a word, chewing on her lip as she looked from him, to Peter, and then to the device.

Tony glanced at Peter before he looked at the StarkPad, feeling a little relieved that the kid had fallen asleep. His head was turned into Tony’s upper arm, Iron Man bear pulled to his chest and thumb tucked in his mouth. Tony pulled the thumb out before inserting the pacifier, finally turning to the device in his lap.

With his free hand, he held the StarkPad up and read what was on the front page of some news company he’d never heard of before.

Tony Stark, Iron Man, and fiancé, CEO of Stark Industries, has been spotted attending a quiet lunch in LA.

All Tony could was shake his head in disappointment. He knew this was going to happen.

Underneath the title was a few pictures, ones of himself and Pepper entering, inside and leaving the restaurant. He found nothing out of the ordinary about it until he scrolled further down, already reading the text as he scrolled. Most of it was about himself and Pepper, about their future marriage and Iron Man related duties until he got to one of the last paragraphs, his eyes almost falling out of his head when as he read.

Someone who had been sitting nearby to the famous couple, who requested to remain anonymous, has expressed that they overheard the pair talking about a child. As of late, Tony Stark has been spotted outside of a Queens apartment taking a child into his car, and once again out of the plane in California. We suspect he is staying in his re-built, re-inforced Malibu mansion, and it is unclear about who the child is, who the mother is, or if this is even Mr. Stark’s child at all. The anonymous civilian has told us that they heard a name, Peter, and we are unsure if Ms. Potts and Mr. Stark were referring to the unnamed child that has been spotted on several separate occasions. Is this the son of Iron Man? Is this the new heir for Stark Industries?

Tony stopped reading there.

Peter’s name had gotten into the media.

This was so much worse than him just being the ‘unnamed child’. It was better when he didn’t have a name to the public. Now, someone inside of the restaurant had been eavesdropping and had already spread it to the reporters.

Tony exited the news site to look at some of the others others. They all said the same thing. They all had Peter’s name.

Even some of the titles had Peter’s name in it.

Is Peter the name of Tony Stark's child?

Who is Peter? Son of Tony Stark? Read more!

“What the fuck?” Tony snapped, resisting the urge to hurl the tablet across the room in a fit of anger. Luckily, Pepper took it from him and set it on the coffee table before he could do anything of the sort.

Peter stirred, his free hand coming up to grasp a good portion of Tony’s shirt into his fist. Tony didn’t even care that Peter was stretching out his shirt, using his now free hand to wipe the drying tears away from the kid’s cheeks.

“Fucking vultures they are.”

“I’ve called May.” Pepper said, setting a hand on his wrist when he moved away from Peter’s face. “She’s telling his friends, Ned and Michelle. They deserve to know what’s going on. They know Peter is your mentee, and it wouldn’t be a coincidence. They would figure out his disappearance and this anyways.”

“I should have told them in the beginning. I should have told you in the beginning.” Tony sighed, holding his breath when Pepper reached over and caressed Peter’s cheek with a few of her fingers. “I could have handled this so much better than I did.”

“You can’t change the past.” She replied, leaning back and holding his hand. “I think you should go back to New York. Let his friends see him. They’ll want answers.”

“No.” Tony replied instantly, holding Peter a little closer. He had become protective so fast without even realising, his heart beating a little faster in his chest. “He likes it here. I’m not taking him back until Thor’s back. I don't want him there.”

Pepper didn’t try and convince him, which was unusual. He could tell she wanted to, though.

“Alright, but at least call May. She’s waiting for an update that I can’t give her.”

“I will.” Tony replied, looking down at the kid. “Thor needs to come back.”

“Everything will be fine. Call May. I’ll make dinner.”

Tony hadn’t even realised how late it had gotten. He nodded, let her kiss him on the lips, and soon she was gone. He grabbed the StarkPad, ignoring the news articles and pulled up contacts. He was glad FRIDAY had installed all of his contacts onto most of his devices, which made it a lot easier for him in this very moment. He pressed on May’s name and listened to the ringing as it called his kid’s Aunt.

She didn’t pick up.

He tried twice more, before giving up and set the device aside. He didn’t know how long he sat there with Peter sleeping on him before the kid woke up, his brown eyes staring up at Tony long before the man even noticed. Peter hadn’t made a sound, aside from the rhythmic suckling of the pacifier, his huge eyes looking up at Tony with curiosity. Tony sat him up better when he realised the kid was awake, sitting Peter so he was on Tony’s legs, facing him, with one small leg on either side of Tony's thighs.

“Tomorrow, after Pep leaves, do you want to go outside?” Maybe he should’t have suggested that, and given everything that was going on with the media, it was the worst idea. But when Peter’s face lit up with excitement, the grogginess disappearing rapidly, Tony didn’t retract his offer. “We could go to the beach again, or maybe the park. I’m sure you’re getting a bit stir crazy being stuck in here all the time, huh?”

“Par’!” Peter replied, bouncing slightly with exctitement. He seemed a lot happier than before. “Pwease.”

“Sure. We’ll go to the park.” Tony agreed, his chest doing a… thing when Peter grinned at him. But then, it soon faded. “Peppo goin’?”

“Yeah. She has more work to do.” Tony sighed, hating that fact too. He didn’t want Pepper to go. “I don’t want her to go either, kiddie. But she has to keep the company running.”

Peter frowned. “Where Peppo?”

“Making us dinner.” Tony replied, finding himself absentmindedly tapping his thumbs against Peter’s hips. He only realised he was doing it when the kid began squirming and giggling, batting at Tony's hands.

With a small smirk, continuing the movements, which ended up turning into tickling. While making sure that Peter didn’t fall backwards, Tony tickled him relentlessly, adoring the giggling mess in front of him. After a few minutes of listening to the hysterical toddler’s giggling, Tony noticed the diaper was turning darker, signifying that he should probably stop.

Peter didn’t seem fazed by the wet diaper, his face red, a large grin stretched over his face. The pacifier had fallen long ago, as had his teddy, and now Peter was asking to be put down.

“Uh, uh, not yet. You seem to have a problem.”

Peter stared at him with the most confused look it made Tony laugh. He hadn’t really laughed like that for a long time.

“Wha’?”

“Oh come on, Petey. I think you were tickled a bit too much.” Peter still seemed to have no idea what he was talking about, so Tony rolled his eyes. “Come on.”

He set Peter on the floor before grabbing his hand, preventing the boy from running off. Peter whined, dragging his feet all the way past the kitchen where Pepper was smiling and all the way into his bedroom until he was being lifted onto the changing table. Tony went through his task rather quickly, and was happy to finally set the restless toddler on the floor. Peter was off in a flash before Tony could even ask if he wanted to put on any clothes.

He rolled his eyes at Peter’s antics as he washed his hands before he headed into the kitchen. Pepper had finished the pasta she had made for dinner and was currently sat at the table with Peter in her lap. He was already eating, or trying to eat more like it, his hands, face and chest already orange.

Pepper was smiling, and Tony found himself smiling too.

He could do this. He could have this, in the future, with Pepper and their potential child.

That was if Thor ever returned. If the God never returned to earth, Tony would be perfectly fine with having Peter as he grew up a second time.

For a moment, Tony was shocked by his own thoughts. He masked it quickly and sat down to eat himself.

Happy returned from hiding not long after, a slight smile twitching at his lips when he saw the scene in front of him. There was also a look of relief in his eyes when he looked at Peter, who was happily making a mess of his pasta.

“Kid looks like he’s in a better mood.”

Tony nodded.

They ate their dinner together, Tony mostly watching Peter and Pepper the whole time. The longer he watched, the more he realised he didn’t want Pepper to leave tomorrow.

When it was time to give Peter a bath, the kid had refused to detach from Pepper and refused to let Tony out of his sight. So, the both of them were dragged into Peter’s bathroom to give him a bath, the kid repeatedly splashing them as Tony tried to clean him off.

It was a little strange, Peter wanting Pepper to be there but didn’t want her to help out with his bath. Peter wanted both Pepper and Tony to play with him, but he couldn’t do that until he cleaned off the spaghetti covered toddler first. The task was proving difficult with how much Peter was moving around, but Tony was able to do it easy enough.

Tony began to have a sneaking suspicion that Peter wanted Pepper to be there because he knew she was leaving. He was spending as much time with her as possible. It was cute.

When it came to bedtime, well, let’s just say Peter had almost screamed the mansion down when Pepper put him in the crib. So here they were, the three of them in Tony’s bedroom, Peter in the middle and Tony and Pepper on each side. Peter was already fast asleep, curled into Pepper's chest with one hand twisted behind him on Tony’s shirt, as if he thought he was going to disappear. Tony smiled fondly at Pepper, who wasn’t looking at him and was running her hands through Peter’s curls, a fond look on her face.

Tony knew that saying goodbye the next day wasn’t going to be fun for either of them.

Despite this thought, Tony found himself falling into another surprisingly peaceful sleep.

Chapter Text

Saying goodbye to Pepper was going just as well as Tony had expected it to.

Absolutely terribly.

Waking up that morning had actually been pleasant. Peter had somehow got himself cuddled onto Tony’s chest, or maybe Tony had pulled him there in his sleep, he had no idea, but it was nice. He didn’t have any nightmares, and in all he felt good for the first time in a long time.

That was until he remembered that Pepper was leaving today.

Tony was currently trying to pry Peter’s clenched fists from Pepper’s blouse, who in turn was whispering things to the kid as Peter wailed at the top of his voice. Somehow Peter had become very attached to Pepper in under twenty-four hours, and was now extremely torn up about letting her leave. Even Tony felt like crying himself, because as much as Peter, he didn’t want the love of his life to leave just yet.

“I’ll be back in a few weeks, sweetheart.” Pepper whispered almost frantically, her face showing just how sad she was feeling as well. Tony was sure if he looked closely enough, he would be able to see tears in her eyes. “You have your Daddy, it’ll be just fine. You’ll have so much fun at the park this afternoon, won’t you? Honey, it’s okay. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Tony ignored the title that Pepper had referred him to and thought about the conversation he had with Pepper earlier than morning about going to the park.

The plan was to go to one of the relatively quiet parks on the outskirts of LA so there was less chance of being seen and recognised by the public. Tony would still wear some sort of disguise, and Happy would be with them just in case anything serious happened. He was terrified of that possibility, but he also wanted to make Peter happy.

Tony knew from experience that staying cooped up inside for a long time would eventually drive Peter crazy.

“Noooo!” Peter wailed in response to Pepper’s words, a heartbreaking sob leaving his mouth when Tony finally managed to unlatch his hands from Pepper’s clothes. When Peter could no longer reach her, he clutched onto Tony with the exact same force, though one hand remained outstretched for Pepper still making grabbing motions with his chubby fingers. “Peppo! Don’ go. Stay!”

“I’m sorry.” Pepper reached forwards, just enough so she could hold Peter’s hand but so he couldn’t latch onto her clothes again. Tony watched his fiancé rub her fingers over Peter’s knuckles, leaning his head on the side of his kid’s when Peter let out another shaky sob. “I’ll be back soon, I promise. Have a good time at the park, sweetie. I’m sure you can tell me all about it when you see me again.”

“No!” Peter sobbed again when she pulled her hand away. Pepper’s smile was strained when she looked to Tony, eyes apologetic.

“Bye Tony.” They had already kissed each other goodbye before Peter had woken up, knowing that something like this could possibly happen.

Tony smiled sadly at Pepper, Peter’s little hand waving around in the corner of his eye as Pepper continued talking.

“If Thor comes back I’ll join you at the Compound as soon as I can.”

Tony nodded in agreement.

“Bye, Pep.”

Pepper turned around and headed out of the front door where Happy was already waiting to drive her to the airport. She had been driven to the mansion by a different chauffeur, since Happy hadn’t been available at the time.

Peter seemed to give up when Tony didn’t walk with her, his cries ceasing as he watched Pepper leave. Tony watched the boy’s expression, cringing when the kid’s face scrunched up when the door shut, more tears spilling down his cheeks. He looked more shocked than sad, as if he didn’t believe that Pepper was actually going to leave them.

Tony sighed and walked away from the front door and over to one of the large windows in the living room. He stood facing the window so Peter could look out, and the kid did just that with a small hiccup.

Peter sucked aggressively on his thumb as his huge eyes looked out over the ocean. Looking out the window seemed to calm Peter down a great deal, and Tony found himself feeling glad that he’d thought to bring him over here. It gave him the confidence he didn’t know he needed.

Maybe, just maybe, he was getting better at this.

“She’ll be back pretty soon.” Tony muttered as he hoisted Peter further up his hip so they were both more comfortable.

“My sincerest of apologies for the interruption, Sir.” FRIDAY cut in, which made Peter jump from her sudden voice. “May Parker is requesting a call, and has been for the last twenty minutes. She has given up on trying your phone.”

“Hey, Petey, why don’t we talk to your Aunt? That’ll cheer you right up, won’t it?” Tony said, already moving to take Peter down into the lab. Peter said nothing and rested his head on Tony’s shoulder as they walked down the stairs.

He sat down at his workbench after punching in the code, waving his hand in a way that alerted FRIDAY to put the call through. It was an audio call, so they couldn’t see May's face, though the call wasn’t through his phone this time.

“Hey, May.”

“Tony! Finally.” May’s voice sounded a little worried. “I saw the news.”

“I’m sorry.” Tony said immediately and lent on the desk with his elbow. Peter’s tiny hands gripped on the desk, standing up in the little space Tony had left between his thighs. He unconsciously put his free hand on Peter's waist, ignoring the flutter in his chest when Peter leaned into his touch. “Peter’s with me. We just had an emotional goodbye with Pepper, didn’t we?”

He hoped the tone in his voice would alert May that they shouldn’t talk about it when Peter was around, because of course, he hadn’t told the kid what was going on in the media. Another great decision of Tony’s, but there was nothing he could do about it until he talked about it with May privately. Peter was already having a hard enough time from saying goodbye to Pepper, and he didn’t need to know that his name was being talked about all over the world at this very moment.

Along with that, Peter’s teenage mindset had so signs of showing, so there was no point.

God, Tony felt horrible.

“Oh, did you?” May asked, sounding even more worried. Peter said nothing, merely blinking at Tony before pivoting around to face him, all but flopping onto his chest with his arms around his shoulders. Tony made an involuntary oof sound when the toddler flopped against him, almost laughing. Almost. But May spoke before he could, distracting him from what had just happened. “Hello, Tony? Peter?”

“Sorry, sorry.” Tony replied. “Yeah. He got a bit attached.”

There was a soft laugh on the other end of the phone.

“Oh, Petey. You’ve always been so clingy. Can I talk to him?”

“Yeah. Hold on.” He gently pulled Peter away from him, who whined at being moved. “Don’t you want to talk to May, kiddo? I bet you’ve missed her.”

Peter nodded, almost hesitantly as he let Tony turn him around and sit him so his back was rested against Tony’s chest. The boy grabbed onto his fingers and squeezed as if he were nervous, and Tony couldn’t help the way his chest squeezed fondly.

“Go on, Petey, you can talk to your aunt.”

“Peter? Can you hear me?”

“May.” Peter's small voice answered back, the tip of his index finger prodding at his lips. “Miss ‘o.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I miss you too.” May sounded like she was about to cry. “How’s Tony been treating you?”

Peter didn't even hesitate to answer.

“Very good.” Tony smiled to himself and rested his chin on the top of Peter’s head. “Look af’er Pe’er.”

“That’s very nice to hear, honey.” May sounded pleased, and Tony wished he could see her face to know how she was really feeling.

Peter and May chatted for a little while, the conversation mostly one sided due to Peter’s garbled way of communicating, Tony’s mind wandering off into his own thoughts as he waited for the two to finish.

He vaguely registered May say that she had told Ned and MJ about what had happened. It surprised Tony that Peter didn’t even cry, he only tensed. Tony had been horrified when she started talking about the media, but he didn’t have the heart to butt in.

Peter took it well, thankfully.

“‘hey know abou’ me?” The kid had asked, peering up at Tony. He had nodded, closing his eyes, getting ready for Peter to scream and hit him. “‘hey know my name?”

“Yeah. I’m sorry I didn't tell you, but I didn’t want to make you anxious.” Tony braced himself for the tears, but they never came.

“It’s ‘kay.” Peter whispered, May silent during the exchange. “Don’ wanna know.”

Before Tony realised what he was doing, he placed a kiss Peter’s forehead.

He readied himself to apologise for doing such a thing, but Peter seemed delighted by the affectionate gesture. A big grin appeared on his face as he looked up at Tony, his little feet kicking around with excitement. Mostly from the relief he felt that Peter wasn’t disgusted, Tony found himself smiling back.

“I have to go.” May spoke up, still sounding pleased and considerably less concerned than she had been before. “Thanks for looking after him, Tony. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Of course, don’t mention it. He’s a good kid.”

Tony felt strange under the praise he was receiving from May. He had made countless weapons, Iron Man suits, gear for the Avengers, and he had never really gotten that much appreciation from people.

As hard as it was to admit, the Avengers played a big factor in that. Now that he thought about it, Thor and Bruce had been the only ones to really express any gratitude towards him, and Thor was the person he never made gear for because the God didn’t need it. Even after the whole Ultron fiasco, Tony and Thor had been on good terms before he left for Asgard, same with when Bruce disappeared as the Hulk. That had been the last time he had seen them.

He missed them.

Tony sighed and listened to May as she spoke.

“Remember to give me a call any time you like. I would love to hear from you both.”

“I’ll remember that.” He probably wouldn’t, but he’d try. May deserved to hear about her nephew, especially in a time like this. “See you later.”

“Goodbye, Tony.” Then, she hung up.

Tony got up immediately, already carrying Peter out of the lab and away from all of the dangerous things inside of it. Peter kept quiet as they made their way into the kid’s bedroom, already rifling through the box for some day clothes. He probably should have gotten around to putting them in the cupboards. If this was a long term thing, then maybe he would get around to that.

Tony hoped it wasn’t a long term thing, though. He wanted Peter to have his life back.

“Park?” Peter whispered when Tony placed him on the changing table sitting up.

“Yeah” Tony replied as he pushed some of Peter’s long fringe away from his eyes. “You really need a haircut.”

“Miss Peppo.”

Tony cringed and pulled out a cute t-shirt with a shark on it. He studied the design for a few moments before placing it beside Peter, already looking for some shorts. It was already quite hot out, and he was sure that Peter was meant to be on his summer vacation by now.

He felt bad for the poor thing. Peter probably wanted to be out with his friends in Queens instead of stuck out here with him, but there wasn’t much else Tony could do about it. He didn’t really like the idea of bringing Peter back into the bustling city of New York and the stressful environment of the Compound until he absolutely had to.

“I know you do, kiddie.” Tony replied, pulling out some hilarious cartoon printed shorts. There were also little sharks on these, and Tony was sure it was apart of some set. He grinned and placed them next to the shirt, before turning to Peter. “Do you need to be changed?”

Peter’s face quickly turned red, and that was as much as an answer Tony was going to get. He grabbed a diaper too, making a mental note to get FRIDAY to have more delivered. There had been a pretty large amount of them when they had first arrived in Malibu, and there was hardly any left now. They were just starting the last packet of Avengers themed ones.

Once he got the kid dressed in his shark-themed attire, Tony began to search the room for Peter’s tiny shoes. He’d placed Peter on the ground while he looked, and when he turned around to where he’d left the boy, he had moved over to his crib. Peter was reaching through the bars with small grabbing motions, and it took a moment for Tony to realise he wanted the pacifier. He grabbed the soother for him and handed it to his kid.

“‘hanks.” Peter whispered before he pushed the pacifier into his mouth.

“You’re welcome, kiddo.” Tony replied, then began to lead Peter out of the room.

“Do you want to take anything with you? Any toys?” Tony asked.

Peter nodded and began to shuffle his way over to his toys.

While this was going on, Happy entered the room, face strained with sleep. The man quirked a questioning eyebrow at Tony, having known that Pepper was leaving today. “Pete, stay here while I go talk to Happy, okay?”

“Okay.” Peter seemed far to distracted by his toys to go anywhere.

Happy followed Tony into the kitchen, an inquisitive look on his face.

“So, how’d it go?”

“Not that great.” Tony rubbed his face, staring at the kitchen cabinets. “He cried a lot, I’m surprised it didn’t wake you up. We had a chat with May afterwards, I think that helped to cheer him up.”

“How bad was it?” Happy asked, watching Tony as he grabbed a clean bottle from the box in the corner of the room.

He began to fill the bottle up with apple juice to give to Peter before they left, setting it on the bench before grabbing various snacks. Tony felt like a soccer mum in that very moment, rolling his eyes at himself as he rifled through the box for something to carry it all in. He found the backpack May had gotten him pretty fast, though he was unsure of how it had gotten there.

“He wouldn’t let go of her, and he screamed at the top of his lungs.” Tony sighed again. “It was quite depressing to watch, actually.”

“Poor kid. Any news on Thor?” Happy asked, leaning on the counter and watched as Tony shoved everything into the backpack. He was surprised that there were spare diapers already in the bag, along with the other supplies, wondering if it had been Pepper who had put them in there before today. Tony shook his head, and Happy sighed. “You’ll be fine, you’re doing a good job.”

“Hm, thanks.” Tony replied, pretending that he didn’t appreciate the praise, when really, he did. “Never thought I’d be packing a diaper bag for a toddler.”

Happy smiled, but didn’t say anything, and soon disappeared to go get the car ready.

After shoving the rest of the items in the bag, Tony zipped it up and slung it over his shoulder, off to grab his kid. Peter was on the floor, pacifier in mouth, pushing a few cars around on the tiles as if he weren’t really that interested in what he was doing.

“Come on, Petey, it’s time to go.”

Peter shot up so fast it made Tony jolt, the kid already at his feet and bouncing, arms raised. Tony settled for holding Peter’s hand and giving him the bottle with the other, trading the pacifier. Peter didn’t seem fazed from not being picked up, obediently waiting for him to walk forwards.

It seemed to be, that after their day at the beach, Peter had remembered to not to run off suddenly when he wanted to do something. It was quite cute, and Tony was able to push away his countless worries and lead Peter towards where Happy had the car running and waiting for them.

He helped Peter into the car, getting in once the toddler was secured in his car seat. Before he knew it, they were on their way and Peter was dozing off in his car seat, the bottle still in his hand.

Tony found himself drifting slightly too, jumping awake when a bump sent the side of his head smacking into the window. He groaned, rubbing the sore spot, and settled on forcing himself to awake for the rest of their small trip. Soon enough, a children’s playground was coming into view, and Tony was feeling strangely nostalgic.

He hadn’t really been to many playgrounds when he was a kid, but the times he did, he always remembered them. Jarvis had always taken him when Howard wouldn’t. Even his mother did a few times, when she was feeling nicer than usual.

“Come on Peter.” Tony patted Peter’s knee, trying to shake him awake as Happy went around and checked out the area. Tony still couldn’' believe how much kids actually slept compared to himself. Maybe it was just a Peter thing. “Up you get. Peter.”

Peter’s eyes soon blinked open, his little hand already reaching for Tony in his sleepy daze. Tony got him out of the carseat, slowly backing himself out of the car before standing up straight. Happy grabbed the backpack as Tony looked around himself, quickly realising that this park was deserted. The play equipment was quite old, too, the monkey bars rusted. But that wouldn't matter, there was no way Peter was getting up on those. He was way too tiny.

Tony walked in the direction of the littler kid’s playground instead, pushing the pacifier in Peter's lips as he did so.

“Look, a slide. Don’t you want to go on the slide?”

Peter was still half asleep, obviously trying to process what he was looking at.

“Swide.”

“Yeah, slide.” Tony walked over to it and placed Peter at the top. The kid seemed more awake now, a little smile appearing behind the pacifier as he gripped the sides of the slide. He didn’t go down, though, and Tony was confused.

“Aren’t you going to go down?”

Peter kicked his legs when he shook his head. Without saying anything, he pointed to the bottom of the slide. Tony had no idea what this kid was on about, so he looked at the bottom of the slide as if there was a problem there he could get rid of. There was no water and no dirt on the yellow equipment, so he looked back to Peter, confused.

“What’s wrong with it?” Tony asked, Peter whining and pointing to the spot again.

“‘o!”

What?

“You want me to leave?” Tony asked, readying himself to back away if necessary. He stopped instantly when he noticed the panic on Peter’s face when the kid shook his head rapidly, though his finger remained pointed at the bottom of the slide. “It’s okay, I’m not leaving. I don’t know what you want me to do.”

“Swide!” A thrusted finger. “‘o!”

“You want me to go to the bottom?” It was beginning to click. Peter nodded enthusiastically, clapping when Tony kneeled at the bottom with his arms opened. He had seen parents do this with their children, and it sort of made sense that Peter wanted him to wait there for him. It was a tiny slide, it hardly had a dip, though he assumed that it would look scary to a two-year-old. “Alright, come on down.”

Peter did not hesitate. Tony almost fell backwards when the tiny body crashed into him, a smile spreading across his face when he heard Peter’s loud, shrieking laughter. Peter was off within seconds, Tony watching as he sped off to the steps to get back up. Tony looked over to Happy during this time, almost gaping when he saw the huge smile on the man’s face. Tony hadn’t seen Happy smile like that for years.

Tony was soon distracted by Peter, who was once again sat up at the top of the slide. Not long after, Peter was down the slide and running off to get back up a third time. It was in this moment that Tony realised he was starting to enjoy himself. They did this until Peter got distracted by something else, which prompted Tony to make his way over to where Peter was trying to climb into one of the swings.

Without thinking too hard about it, Tony helped his kid up and sat him down in the small seat, fastening the little strap around his waist. Peter beamed at him as Tony walked around behind him, gently nudging the swing.

Peter squealed with glee, so Tony pushed him a little higher. The noises his kid was making were adorable, and Tony had no shame in saying that. He was enjoying pushing the child on the swings, momentarily forgetting that Peter wasn’t actually supposed to be a toddler. For once, for maybe even the first time in Tony’s entire life, he let himself enjoy the moment.

They continued messing around in the playground until Peter started to tug at his diaper, and it was then when Tony decided that it was time for a break.

Tony was even surprised the way Peter sped over to Happy, the man’s lips quirking when the kid slammed into his legs. Tony busied himself with grabbing supplies, beckoning Peter over with one hand. There was nowhere he could even change the kid, and that’s when Tony realised how shitty this playground actually was. Usually, there would be bathrooms. There weren’t any at all, which meant there was no parent-child bathrooms.

“Alright. We’re going to do this standing up.” Tony muttered, deciding against doing it in the car. It would be even hotter there, since it had been baking away in the sun for quite a while. At least the tree Happy had been standing under provided a lot of shade. “Come here, Petey.”

Peter didn’t even seem embarrassed at all about Tony pulling his pants down in broad daylight, much like a real child wouldn’t have been. Tony debated with himself how he was going to do it, and decided to just pull the tabs back and dispose of the diaper as soon as possible. He had a plastic bag at the ready, which had been in the backpack as well.

He wiped Peter down afterwards, applying the cream before putting the diaper between his legs, quite surprised at how he had managed to do it with the kid standing up. He pulled the shark shorts up, poking Peter’s stomach which made the boy giggle and squirm away. Tony was slightly shocked at how he had managed to do it so quick, simply raising his eyebrows at himself when he thought he might actually be getting used to doing this.

He pretended not to see Happy taking a picture with his phone.

“Alright. Food.” Tony said as he wiped his hands with another few wipes, putting them in the bag before tying it up. He moved to the Spider-Man backpack and pulled out the fruit and crackers he had stuffed in there before offering them to Peter. The kid took them without complaint, already munching on a strawberry as he looked longingly at the playground. Tony hoped that all traumatising moments of saying goodbye to Pepper had been forgotten for the time being.

“I sent it to Pepper.” Happy muttered, smirking when Tony looked at him. It was almost as if he knew Tony had been thinking about her. “She’ll be thrilled. It was cute.”

“Yeah, she will.” Tony replied, nibbling on a cracker himself. He watched Peter quietly, giving up on standing and sat down on the grass. He looked around again, breathing a sigh of relief when he didn’t see, or hear, anyone. He felt a tug on his shirt, blinking out of his daze to look at Peter, who was now leaning on his arm. “Yes?”

“Pway now?” Peter asked, Tony wondering just how long he had been spaced out for, because all of Peter’s food seemed to be finished.

“Sure.” Tony found himself grinning as he stood, not looking at Happy as he and Peter returned to the playground.

They played around for another few hours, and before Tony knew it, it was becoming darker, which signified that it was time for them to go. That was precisely the moment when he watched Peter fall from one of the platforms and onto the tanbark, effectively face planting into the wooden chunks. He was too slow to catch him and was now hurrying forwards as fast as he could, picking the kid up by the armpits and set him on his knee.

There was bark all in Peter’s hair and on his face, and Tony could tell he was in shock from the wide-eyed and open-mouthed expression.

“You’re alright.” Tony said quickly, ruffling Peter's hair to get the bark out of his curly locks. “You’re fine. You’re okay, no need to panic. Just a little fall. See, look, you’re perfectly fine.”

Somehow, Peter didn’t burst into tears like he had at the beach after getting a face full of water. His lip wobbled slightly, though, his hand rubbing at his forehead as he nodded unsurely to Tony's words.

“Home ‘ime.”

“You wanna go home?” Tony asked, frowning at the change in Peter's moods when the kid nodded again. He liked the hyperactive and happy toddler a lot more, and Tony hadn't even noticed that he had began to bounce the kid gently on his knee. “That’s alright. It’s late anyways. Let’s go.”

He stood up with Peter, setting him on his hip and carried him over to Happy, who was already packing up the few things they had brought with them back into Peter's backpack. The man didn’t say anything, nodding for Tony to just head for the car.

Tony did exactly that, gently placing Peter in his carseat and strapped him in. He winced when Peter whined, holding his hand instead as he sat back. Peter’s legs kicked uncomfortably, something that sounded like a whimper leaving the kid’s mouth soon after. Tony unbuckled himself and leant over so he could see his kid better, becoming saddened when he realised that Peter was crying and reaching out for him.

Happy had gotten into the car at that moment and was peering around to look at them, concern etched onto his features.

“Is he hurt? I saw him fall.”

“Not physically. I don’t know what’s wrong now." Tony replied, before running his hand through Peter’s hair. “Come on, baby, talk to me.”

Peter ignored his request and reached out for him even more, managing to latch onto Tony’s shirt with a strangled sounding cry. Tony felt his heartstrings being pulled as Peter’s face began to redden even more, his face twisting with discomfort and his legs kicking out and hitting the middle console with a little thud. Tony sent a fleeting look to Happy, who looked just as confused as he felt.

“Peter.” Tony said, trying to pry the clenched fist off of his shirt, looking over his kid's face. He spotted a little cut just above Peter’s eyebrow, frowning and using his other hand to wipe the little spec of blood away with his thumb. He didn’t mention it, not wanting to make the kid freak out even more than he was. “What’s wrong? Did you hurt something?”

Peter shook his head and reached out for him even more aggressively, his face twisting in discomfort.

“Alright, alright, calm down. C’mere.” Tony ignored the look Happy gave him as he gave the kid what he assumed he wanted, unbuckling the buckles on the carseat before lifting Peter onto his lap. Peter seemed to shut up immediately, sticking a thumb in his mouth and resting the side of his head against Tony’s chin so he could look out the window. “Happy, drive.”

“I can’t drive with him on your lap again.” Happy replied. “What if-”

“Just drive, please.” Tony didn’t want their afternoon to be ruined by Peter screaming the car down from wanting to simply sit with him. “We’ll be fine. You won’t crash.”

Happy sighed deeply as he started the car, shaking his head. Tony once again thanked all the Gods he didn't believe in that these windows were tinted, and that no one could see in but they could still see out. Peter was still looking out the said window, tears now drying on his cheeks as the car began to move. Tony still didn’t understand why he had been crying in the first place. Was it because his face hurt?

Tony never figured that one out. All the way home he thought about it as he gently rocked his kid, who had begun to doze off as he had on the way there. When he eventually fell asleep, Tony shifted him so they were both more comfortable before kissing his forehead, resting his chin on the top of his head once again.

He completely ignored the look that Happy gave him in the review mirror.

A good half an hour into the trip, Tony ended up falling asleep too, all the exhaustion from the last few days catching up on him.

For once, he fell asleep feeling content.

And content he would stay.

Chapter Text

Tony didn’t stay as content as he would have hoped. As soon as their day at the park had come to an end, Peter’s behaviour had changed rapidly within the next few days.

It had been two days since their trip to the park when Tony was woken from his slumber by FRIDAY’s voice. He groaned and rolled over, burying his face in his pillow and decided to ignore his AI for the time being. Why must he be interrupted the one time he actually wants to go to sleep?

FRIDAY only let him ignore her for a few moments before her voice filled his ears once again. However, unlike before, she sounded a lot more urgent.

“What is it?” He snapped as he sat up and rubbed his eyes with his closed fist. The room was still dark, which told him that it wasn’t morning yet. “Fuck, what time is it?”

“It is four thirty-nine in the morning, Boss. Young Peter appears to be in distress, and appears to have thrown up.” Tony paused, his hands dropping from his face as he processed her words. “From my scans, it is probable that Peter has a case of the stomach flu, or Gastroenteritis as it also known as. This would explain why young Peter was refusing to eat his dinner and drink from his bottle last night along with his many tantrums.”

“Oh.” Tony muttered, already standing up and gathering himself, trying to force the exhaustion away like he had mastered for so many years. “Ah, shit.”

Peter had been a right old terror since their trip to the park, and Tony had managed not to completely lose it and start yelling, and instead be simply sent Peter to sit in the corner of the living room to cry himself out like he had done the first time. Happy and himself had no idea why Peter was suddenly acting so out of character, throwing a fit whenever Tony would try get him to eat or do something else he want to. Last night, Peter had refused everything Tony had offered, and in the end, Tony hadn’t been able to get him to eat or drink anything.

Peter had even thrown a fit over his pacifier being washed after falling onto the floor the night before last, and Tony had been too shocked from his outburst to even react. He had begun to wonder if teen Peter was making an appearance and was making an act of defiance, but he was proved wrong when Peter kept calling him his Dad.

“How long has it been since he vomited?”

“Only five minutes, Sir.” Tony was soon out the door and headed down the hallway, heart clenching when he heard the crying coming from Peter’s room. “I recommend giving young Peter a bath and then some fluids. It is common for children to become dehydrated when having the stomach flu.”

“Thanks.” Tony muttered as he pushed the door open, pausing for only a second when the smell of vomit hit his nose. It hardly fazed him now, after all the times after drinking so much he had thrown up all over the place and then fallen asleep next to it, sometimes in it. It was never pleasant, and he was constantly cursing himself for letting it get that bad. But seeing it was never a pleasant sight, especially after Peter had thrown up from crying so hard the first time. “Hey, Petey. Not feeling so good?”

Peter wailed in response as Tony turned on the light, wincing from the amount of vomit that was spread around his kid. On his pyjamas, on the bed, all over his Iron Man teddy. Tony winced when he saw that, making his way over to Peter who was reaching up for him with furious grabbing motions. Tony held him under the armpits and away from him as he picked the kid up, immediately heading into the bathroom connected to Peter’s room, trying his best not to wrinkle his nose when Peter could see.

Where could Peter have possibly gotten the stomach flu? They had hardly left the mansion since they had arrived, and neither he, Pepper or Happy had any signs of the virus. So where could he have possibly gotten it from?

He stood Peter on the floor, kneeling down in front of him to unbutton the onsie he was wearing. Tony winced when the vomit touched his fingers, pushing down his own discomfort to get the sodden clothing off as fast as possible. Peter was hiccuping and crying, and Tony was a second to late to catch onto the sign that the boy was about to be sick again. Tony had jumped back when Peter coughed, or more so gagged, the food still left in his stomach splattering onto the bath mat and some onto Tony’s sweatpants. When he was finished, Peter resumed his hysterical sobs, Tony quickly pulling the dirtied onsie off of his trembling body.

“Jeez, Pete, how’d you end up getting this.” Tony muttered as he untaped the diaper. Thankfully, it was clean. He grabbed Peter and lifted him over the side of the tub and sat him down. “Shh, kiddo, you gotta stop crying. It’ll only make it worse.”

As FRIDAY always did, she filled up the bath to an appropriate height and appropriate temperature. Tony immediately got to work on cleaning Peter down as the tub filled, cringing when he felt the heat coming from the toddler’s forehead. He must have a fever too.

He cleaned the vomit from around Peter’s mouth and chin, as well as his chest. Peter sobbed the entire time, rubbing his eyes and looking everywhere but Tony. Tony finished his task as quickly as possible, grabbing a towel before lifting Peter back out of the tub, already carrying him back into the bedroom and over to the changing table.

“Daddy.” Peter had whined when Tony laid him down, just as he was bending down to retrieve a clean diaper. “H-hur’s.”

“What hurts?” Tony asked as he straightened back up, worriedly wiping away his kid’s tears.

“‘ummy.” Was Peter’s shaky reply. Peter squirmed, as he had been for the last two days every time he was changed, making it impossibly hard for Tony to tape the diaper onto him properly. “‘ummy hur’.”

“I know it does, we can get you some medicine soon. Just let me get this on you, alright?” Tony replied, spreading a generous amount of rash cream over the boy. “Just a few more seconds and it’ll be over.”

Peter sobbed even louder, though he fell lax and let Tony diaper him. He didn’t bother with new clothes, knowing that it was likely that the kid would vomit again, which was something he wasn’t looking forward to.

Tony quickly stepped into the bathroom and grabbed a few towels before returning to Peter, who was whining and kicking around on the changing table, Tony worried that the kid was going to roll off like he had when Happy had tried changing him.

“Come on, come here.” Tony muttered as he lifted the kid, using one arm to hold all of the towels like a rack. “We’re going to get you some water, okay?”

Peter didn’t answer yet again, clinging onto Tony especially tighter than usual. Tony didn't comment, entering the kitchen and grabbed one of the bottles that had been left on the counter. He set the towels on the counter where the bottle had been, already rinsing it out with the one free arm he had. Peter continued to cry into his neck, his warm forehead making Tony's skin warm as well. He was really hoping this kid didn't have too bad of a fever.

He filled the bottle with water, screwed the cap shut with some difficulty before he made his way over to the dining table and sat down with Peter in his lap. Peter’s head lifted from Tony's neck when he sat down, Tony already offering him the bottle of water in hopes that he would actually drink it.

Peter seemed to have an internal debate, staring at the bottle like it was about to bite him on the nose. He then opened his mouth and slowly accepted the rubber nipple into his mouth, Tony watching quietly as Peter suckled, holding the bottle for him as he drank in small sips. Of course, out of all of the times Peter could have gotten Gastro, it was when he was a toddler. Just perfect.

Peter pushed the bottle away a few minutes later, his face screwing up and whines leaving his mouth. He was crying within seconds, fisting Tony's shirt as he sobbed violently into his chest. Tony rocked him a little, aware that the kid’s stomach was hurting, hoping to calm him down.

He was even more far out of his league than he had been before, unsure how he was supposed to take care of a sick child. He was hardly able to look after himself when he was sick, and now his kid was. Tony hadn’t even known how to take care of a child in the first place.

“C’mon, Petey, you need stop crying. You’re going to make it hurt more.” Tony whispered, placing the bottle on the table before pushing Peter’s sweaty curls out of his eyes. He wiped some other boy’s tears away, his heart beating just a little faster as he felt Peter lean into his touch, hiccuping a few times as he began to calm down almost instantly. “There you go. Good job buddy.”

“Hur’s.” Peter mumbled, turning his face into Tony’s chest.

“I know it does. I wish I could make it better.” Tony mumbled, leaning his chin on the top of Peter's head and moving his hand to Peter's stomach and began rubbing gently, hoping it would provide some form of comfort. Peter seemed to melt into his hold, which made Tony smile sadly. “When you get better, we can go to the beach again. Does’t that sound fun?”

“B-beach.” Was Peter’s short reply, his little hand fisting Tony’s shirt tighter.

“Yeah. The beach. Maybe we can even go to one of the lakes. I have boats and jetskis. You can pick.”

“Je’ski.” Tony would be lying if he said he used all of his boats on a regular basis, and he knew it was all a waste of money. But, he would have no problem getting whichever one Peter wanted driven and deposited into to the closest useable lake if that would make the kid happy.

He was already over with looking at Peter’s miserable face, a frown replacing the smile when Peter let out a high-pitched whine and began to cry again. Tony stopped rubbing his stomach and sat him up better, trying to figure out what the problem was this time. It was a few seconds later when Tony realised the exact reason why he was crying, and once again, he was those few seconds too late.

Peter abruptly threw up all over himself and Tony before the man could even direct him in the other direction. Tony could only wince when he felt the liquid seeping into his shirt, deciding to just wait out the storm before he did anything.

When the kid was was finished, he burst into out garbled apologies, and all Tony could do was reach forward and grab the bottle from the table and offer it to the kid. He ignored what had just happened, running his hand through the kid’s hair as Peter let the rubber nipple pass his lips. Thankfully, the bottle helped slow his sobbing down.

Tony stood up and carried Peter back down the hall into the bedroom, making sure that the toddler kept drinking the water. When he entered Peter’s bedroom, Tony grimaced when he realised no one had cleaned the crib yet, which was still covered in vomit. He ignored the sight and smell and grabbed a new diaper and supplies, taking Peter into the bathroom. He barely held back his groan of displeasure when he noticed the bathroom was in a similar state, deciding to stand Peter on the closed toilet seat to clean him off.

“Fri, get Happy here.” He ordered FRIDAY as he un-taped Peter’s diaper, which was still clean on the inside, disposing it to the side as he grabbed a washcloth from the sink cupboard. He ran it under the tap for a few seconds before squeezing most of the water out, and began wiping Peter down. Said child was still sobbing miserably, his face red and snotty as Tony wiped around his mouth and then his chest. “Shh, you’re fine. It’s okay. I’m not mad, no one’s mad, stop apologising. You can’t help it, it’s not your fault.”

“Tony? What’s going- Oh my God.” Seconds after Happy’s voice was heard from the other room, the man himself entered the bathroom. Happy looked exhausted, his eyes droopy and his face pale. It was clear he had just woken up, and given that it was some ungodly hour in the night, Tony wasn’t surprised. He probably looked the exact same. “What the hell is going on?”

“Peter has the stomach flu.” Tony replied as he got the most of the vomit off of Peter’s body, leaning back to remove his own vomit sodden shirt. “Can you grab me some new clothes, please?”

“Yeah, alright.” Happy was gone in a flash, and Tony was left to clean up his child. Once the vomit was completely gone, he began applying the rash cream and then the diaper with Peter still standing, not having the heart to move him. Once he was all diapered up, Happy returned with Tony’s new clothes. “Anything else?”

“Could you clean this up? I have to look after the kid, and I don’t think he’s going to let me put him down anytime soon.” Tony asked, already pulling on his new shirt before standing up. Peter didn’t move as Tony stripped off his sweatpants, changing into the pair that Happy had brought him. He washed his hands quickly, not listening to the Head of Security’s complaints as he bent forward to pluck Peter off of the toilet. “I know it’s bad, but thanks.”

“So this is this why he wasn’t eating?” Happy asked, then reached forward to rub Peter’s small shoulder. Peter had his thumb lodged in his mouth, fat tears rolling down his cheeks as he looked somewhere over Tony’s shoulder. Tony just nodded to Happy’s words, before he walked out of the bathroom and offered Peter the bottle of water again, which the kid took and latched onto. He paused when Happy said something else. “You should get him a bucket or something, just in case.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Tony agreed, shifting Peter onto his other hip. “Where could he have gotten this from? None of us have been sick. He hasn’t seen anyone else.”

“The playground, maybe?” Happy replied, staring at the mess as if it were about to come alive and chase after him. “It did look pretty dirty. I don’t think Peter washed his hands either. Who knows, maybe some other kid had been there and was sick. Kids tend to be covered in germs.”

Now that Tony thought about it, it made sense.

“Well, that’s my fault then.” Tony sighed, then left the room. Another thing he messed up. “Sorry, Petey. I should’ve been paying more attention.”

Peter didn’t answer, still resting his chin on his shoulder and sipped the water. Tony carried him into his own bedroom, snagging a bucket on his way past one of the storage cupboards and placed it on the floor. He sat Peter on the bed, running a hand through the sick boy’s curly hair for the umpteenth time that night. He had never seen Peter with his hair this curly as a teenager, and he was quickly realising that he adored it.

When Peter went back to normal, Tony would definitely suggest for Peter to keep his hair longer.

At the reminder that this toddler was in fact supposed to be a teenager, Tony longed for him to come back. More so for the kid’s benefit than his own. While being sick wasn’t pleasant, Tony was sure Peter would’ve been able to cope with it better if he was in his teenage headspace.

Tony then wondered how Queens was going without Spider-Man. If he was honest, Spider-Man and Peter’s powers had been the last thing on his mind with everything else going on. It was also something he didn’t need to be thinking about right now.

“Are you alright to stay here? I just gotta go grab few things.”

Peter hesitated before he nodded. He looked so tiny where he sat in the middle of Tony’s bed, bottle still in his mouth, big teary eyes boring into his soul. In all the time that Tony had been looking after Peter, he’d never looked like this. He’d never looked so fragile.

Right now, Peter was the furthest away from his teenage self than he had ever been.

With one last ruffle of Peter’s hair, Tony backed out of the room and hurried back to Peter’s. He grabbed a packet of diapers and everything else he needed along with a pacifier, smiling guiltily when he saw Happy cleaning up the mess in the bathroom. Tony would definitely to make it up to him, but right now, he had a kid to care for.

He then went into the living room and grabbed a few of Peter’s most loved toys aside from the Iron Man teddy, since that needed to be washed. He picked up a different teddy bear to use as a substitute and a few other items before he headed back to his room.

It took five minutes tops for Tony to return to Peter, and thankfully in that five minutes there were no more messes for him to clean up. Peter was still in the same spot, except he’d laid down on his side and pulled his knees to his chest. The toddler’s eyes were closed, eyebrows furrowed in discomfort as he hugged his middle. The bottle lay abandoned beside his head.

Tony’s heart ached for the kid. Peter looked miserable, even more than he had before Tony left. He felt useless. He had no idea how to make Peter feel better.

So after a moment of just staring at Peter’s shaking form, Tony walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. He handed Peter the bear, thankful when Peter didn’t seem to care that it wasn’t his Iron Man one cuddled into it almost instantly.

“You poor thing.” Tony mumbled sadly as he offered the pacifier. Peter took it and began suckling quietly, his eyes remaining closed. “Do you feel like sleeping now?”

After a second, Peter nodded.

Tony couldn’t resist pulling him into his lap, unable to just leave the kid there curled up like that. He shuffled up the bed and laid down with Peter on his chest, ignoring the thought that told him maybe this wasn’t such a good idea with a vomit-prone toddler. He’d been vomited on once already, what was once more?

“You’ll feel better when you wake up. Try get some rest.”

Peter had snuggled into his neck, the bear in one arm and the other around Tony’s torso. His forehead was warm, but not overly hot, and Tony was confident that the kid didn't have a life-threatening fever. If he did, FRIDAY would have warned him.

Good. That was one less thing to worry about.

It didn’t take long for Peter to drift off into dreamland, his body relaxing and the suckles on the pacifier slowing down as he fell deeper into sleep. Tony sighed and stared up at the roof, still feeling tired himself.

He knew that Peter’s symptoms would probably get worse before they got better. Tony knew how stomach flu worked, since he had it himself a few times in his life, but he had no idea how bad it was for a toddler.

Somehow, Tony had managed to doze off a few minutes after Peter, falling into a dreamless sleep. It felt like he was asleep for only a few seconds before he woke up to the sounds of sobbing, his eyes snapping open in fright when there was a loud wail in his ear, and then an aggressive tug on his shirt.

He sat up almost instantly, though his mind was still fogged and he was confused.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

His question was answered seconds later when he saw Peter looking pale and slightly green.

In a moment of panic, Tony placed his hands under the boy’s armpits and held him over the bucket he had placed beside the bed, right when Peter decided that he couldn’t hold it in any longer. Tony waited it out, placing Peter on his lap as soon as he was finished and grabbed the bottle off his bedside table.

He offered it to the child, who took it in his mouth, letting Tony hold it for him. In the meantime, Tony grabbed a few tissues and wiped around Peter’s mouth, and then his eyes and nose. The kid seemed to be falling asleep already, Tony watching as he stopped drinking and began dozing.

Tony repeated his earlier actions, leaning back against the pillows and let Peter rest against him, ignoring the bucket that would definitely have to be washed.

Somehow, they both managed to fall asleep again after that. It didn’t last long, because Peter woke up a second time to vomit again, though this time Tony didn’t wake up fast enough to help him make it to the bucket.

So, Tony had another mess to clean up while there was a wailing toddler latched to his hip. Then, once he was finished, they went back to bed, but Tony didn’t manage to fall asleep. He laid there until it was morning, letting Peter sleep away on his chest as he looked out the window.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there looking out the window, but the next time Peter woke up, he wasn’t vomiting.

Tony looked down at his boy, who had sat up a little on his chest and was rubbing his eyes.

“Hey Pete. How’re you feeling?”

“Hur’s." Was the mumbled reply when Tony pushed himself up, arms wrapped around Peter’s waist. “Hungry.”

“You’re hungry?” He was a little surprised. “Alright, let’s go get some food in you then.”

Tony ignored his bladder begging for release, hefting Peter a little higher in his arms and grabbed the almost empty bottle off the beside table. He felt around Peter’s diaper, since he didn’t feel capable of telling him and Tony couldn’t see, only to wince when he felt that it was wet. He de-toured from the bedroom door to the bathroom, quickly laying out a few towels and then Peter.

Tony made the changing diaper routine quick, and soon they were in the kitchen looking through the cupboards for something small.

“Fri, what should he eat?”

“It is recommended that he have small foods like plain biscuits, bread, rice, potato or jelly before gradually advancing to more foods. I suggest you do not give him dairy, since that can make diarrhoea worse.”

Tony decided not to say anything about that.

He muttered things to himself as he grabbed a few of the plain biscuits they had out from one of the overhead cabinets and took Peter into the living room. He offered the biscuits to Peter, who took them in his tiny hands and began nibbling on them, Tony simply sitting there and staring out the window once again as he waited for Peter to finish.

They sat like this for a while, until Peter was finished and was once again dozing. Tony let him sleep, leaning his head back on the couch cushion and closed his own eyes. He was exhausted, and somehow despite the situation once again, he drifted off to sleep.

It felt like he had been asleep for only ten minutes when he woke up to the sound of crying, and it didn’t take him any longer for his brain to register the smell. He almost groaned when he assumed that Peter had vomited on him again, just waiting for the liquid to seep into his shirt. But, when he opened his eyes and looked down, there was nothing around his chest or on the bed. That’s when he realised it was coming from the diaper.

“Oh, no.” Tony mumbled as he sat up straighter, wincing when the diaper began to leak onto his pants. Somehow, this was worse than the vomit. Much worse. “Alright, time to get changed. Come on.”

Looks like he would need a third pair of pants.

He hastily lifted Peter from the couch and rushed down the hall and into his own bathroom while grabbing the diaper with his free hand. Peter had calmed down a little, but he was shifting uncomfortably in Tony’s arms before Tony had laid him down on the towels he had already set out. He braced himself for the disgustingness of the situation as he peeled the tabs back, the thing leaking everywhere, and this lead Tony to wonder how bad it actually was.

It was bad.

Worse than Tony originally expected. Oh, so much worse.

Tony yanked out wipe after wipe after he pulled the diaper away, ignoring the fact that the diarrhoea was getting onto the towels and reached over to shove it into the bin in the bathroom that Pepper usually used. Tony had used almost the whole packet by the end, the bin full to the brim as he worked on getting a new diaper onto the kid. Peter had stopped crying by now and was staring up at Tony, a pained expression on his face as Tony finished his disgusting job. He still loathed changing the diapers, and up until now it hadn’t been as bad as he had originally thought.

But he never would have expected to clean up that much at one time.

Yet, all he could think was, poor kid. This wasn’t his fault, he must feel horrible, and embarrassed. Tony wished he could take all the pain away.

When he was finished, he stood and washed his hands as thoroughly as he could, not wanting to get himself sick too, because that would be shit for both of them. Peter began whining because he took too long, little legs kicking out impatiently. Tony knew perfectly well that Peter could get up by himself, but the kid seemed to prefer to be carried everywhere right now. Tony didn’t really mind, he was beginning to feel used to it.

“I’m coming, I’m coming. Hold on.” Tony said as he turned the taps off, turning around to lift Peter up. “I need to change my pants.”

“Sowwy. So sowwy Daddy.” Peter whispered, reaching out for a hug. Tony let him.

“It’s okay, Pete. You didn’t mean it.” Tony whispered, already walking out of the bathroom. He would empty the bin later, when things weren’t so dire. “Don't apologise. You can’t help it. It's my fault for not making sure you washed your hands after going to the park. We’ll remember that next time, yeah?”

Tony placed Peter back on the bed, then turned towards his walk-in closet.

“I’ll be back in a sec.” Tony told his kid before he disappeared into the closet.

He grabbed the first pair of sweatpants he saw, ditching his old pair before pulling the others up his legs. He was done fairly quickly, and when he returned to Peter, the boy was back lying down on his side hugging his stomach.

Tony moved to sit down next to him, gently running his hand though Peter’s hair and rubbing his stomach with the other. This seemed to calm Peter down the most, the kid’s exhausted but upset eyes locked on his. Tony didn’t say anything for a while, continuing to attempt to comfort his sick child. He didn’t get to say anything, because there was a knock on the door.

“Come in.” Tony raised his voice so the person could hear, though not loud enough to startle Peter. Happy’s head peaked through the door, still looking as tired and droopy-eyed as he did before. Tony wondered if Happy had been up this whole time.

“I washed this for Pete.” Happy said as he stepped into the room. His nose wrinkled. “Did he throw up again?”

“No.” Tony replied with a wince, still rubbing Peter’s stomach with one hand, using the other to reach out and grab the clean Iron Man teddy Happy was offering. Happy didn’t need anymore clarification, disgust passing over his face before it quickly disappeared. Tony handed Peter the stuffed animal, smiling very slightly when Peter latched onto it. “Thanks, Hap.”

“No worries.”

It fell silent as Tony comforted his kid. Happy left the room after that.

“Think of the beach, Petey.” Tony muttered. “As soon as you’re feeling better, I’ll take you to the beach again. You like the beach, don’t you?”

Peter nodded, whimpering before lifting one arm up to Tony and latched onto his shirt.

“Daddy.”

Tony didn’t waste any time lifting his child up, sitting him on his knee.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Sowwy."

Tony rested his chin on the top of Peter’s head, sighing deeply.

“Stop apologising, kiddie. This isn’t your fault.”

“Dir’y.” Peter whispered, then stuck his index finger in his mouth. Tony just shook his head, then kissed Peter’s temple, pushing his curls back as he did so.

“Don’t worry about it. Just think about the beach and all the fun you’re going to have when we go there again.”

When Peter looked at him, Tony could have melted.

He wasn’t sure if he was imagining the look of adoration on the kid’s face, but despite how miserable Peter looked, Tony could have not loved him anymore than he did in that very moment. Never would he have thought that recruiting Peter, Spider-Man, a fourteen-year-old kid to fight Captain America in an German airport would lead to this.

He still didn’t like that Peter had been de-aged by Loki. He hated that, and he hated that because he wanted Peter to be happy. For all he knew, teen Peter was still in there and was hating every moment of this, and he had gotten the stomach flu to top it all off. Tony, of course, had been the reason why Peter had gotten so sick, because he didn’t think to make sure that Peter had cleaned his hands after that playground.

He was an idiot. But there was nothing he could do about it now, but deal with it.

I’m so sorry, Peter.” He whispered, even though Peter probably didn’t know what he was apologising for. He seemed very out of it, though still somewhat aware. Tony needed Thor to get his ass back to earth as soon as possible. Tony hated seeing such a small person looking so sick and miserable, and it was harder to know that Peter wasn’t meant to be this age. “Just think about the beach.”

They ended up spending the next two weeks thinking about the beach.

Chapter Text

It took two weeks for Peter to recover from the stomach flu, and they didn't go out to the beach for another week after that. Tony could definitely tell the difference between sick Peter and healthy Peter now that he had seen both.

The kid was currently racing around the room demanding that they leave right now. Peter had become very restless since he got better and happier, and Tony was beginning to feel bad for not taking him out of the house. Both of them were stir crazy.

However, there was no way they would be going back to that playground after it gave him Gastro.

Tony had been in the middle of changing into beach clothes of his own when Peter came storming in when Happy was supposed to be watching him. Tony raised his eyebrows as Peter sped into the closet, staring up at him with bright and excited eyes.

“What’re you doing in here, hm?” Tony asked as he slipped a shirt over his head, staring down at Peter.

Peter was once again dressed in his Spider-Man rash top and a swimming diaper. There was another bucket hat on his head, though this time it was orange, making him look more adorable than usual. He definitely like this Peter more than the sick one. For both his behaviour, and the fact that Tony didn’t have to change disgusting and leaking diapers as often. He had almost thrown a party when the diarrhoea ended.

“Aren’t you supposed to be hanging out with Happy?"

Peter shrugged, staring up at him with his index and middle fingers in his mouth, grinning around them. For the lack of a better word, Tony would describe his kid as looking cheeky. Tony rolled his eyes, finishing getting dressed before extending his hand to Peter.

“Come on, short stuff.”

Peter grabbed his hand with a loud squeal, letting Tony lead him through the mansion and out to the car, practically bouncing on his toes. Happy had already put everything away into the car so they could leave straight away, which Tony was thankful for as he placed Peter into the carseat and strapped him in before he could protest.

Peter seemed to have forgotten about Tony mentioning about boats and jetskis, which he found he was grateful for. It was a lot less stressful than just being at the shore with the kid, wondering how exactly it would have gone with a jetski in the mix. That, and how he didn’t really know how to drive one. Or a boat.

Tony ignored those thoughts and poked Peter’s flailing fist and then his foot, earning an annoyed whine and another flying punch. As annoying as a whiny and fussy baby was, a miserable and sick one was what Tony never wanted to see again.

Plus, right now, watching Peter flail about was amusing.

“Chill out, Petey, we’re nearly there.” Tony laughed and poked his little foot again. “I know you’ve been sick for weeks and you’re restless, but you need to calm down.”

“But Daddy!” Peter whined, now pulling at the carseat’s straps. “Ou’ now. Hur’s.”

“What hurts?” Tony asked in alarm, leaning over to have a look at what was bothering his kid. Peter was pulling on the straps, the hat half over his face. Tony reached forward to push it back up his forehead so he could see again, raising his eyebrows at Peter’s reddening face. “Use your words, Pete. What’s hurting you?”

“‘o ‘ight.” Peter replied, clumsily trying to unclip the straps from his shoulders. Tony winced and looked out the window briefly to see where they were. They were almost at the beach, thankfully, so he looked back to Peter. “How long?”

“We’re almost there.” Tony repeated, poking at Peter’s face. Peter slapped him away, but a little smile passed over the boy’s face either way, and Tony felt accomplished at getting him to smile. He poked the kid again, grinning when Peter squealed and half-heartedly slapped at his hand. “You’re cute.”

“No!” Peter denied and hit him again. They continued this little back-and-forth poking and slapping game for the rest of the drive, effectively causing Peter to forget about the car seat and focus on something else, which reduced the chances of a tantrum. “Daddy, are we ‘here ye’?”

Tony had begun to catch on that Peter could not pronounce his T's for the life of him.

“Yes, we’re here. You can calm down now.”

Peter squealed in delight when the car pulled to a stop and the ocean was in view, seemingly having also completely forgotten about their last little incident, when he had fallen face first into the water. Tony hoped there wouldn’t be a repeat of that as he helped Peter out of the car, who was refusing to be carried today for some reason. Tony just kept a hold on the kid’s wrist as he grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder before leading Peter down the stairs to the beach, just like last time.

He chose roughly the same spot, keeping his hand on Peter so he didn’t run off again. He hoped the kid had learnt from the last time as Happy set out the chairs.

Tony sat down and grabbed the sunscreen, lathering Peter in it, pulling the orange bucket hat over his head better before poking his nose. Peter was being impatient, pulling Tony’s shorts and then pointing to the water, babbling. Whatever he was saying being completely incomprehensible. The kid looked like he was lost in his own little world.

“Shush. Stop moving so much.” Tony said as he almost poked the kid in the eye with a blob of sunscreen, thankfully landing it on his cheek instead. “You know, maybe I liked you when you were sick and hardly moved. Aside from all the vomiting and other stuff, it was much easier to look after you.”

Well, that was a lie. Looking after a sick kid was quite terrifying and more exhausting if he was being honest.

“No’ ‘rue." Peter snapped, and for a split second, Tony saw the teenager in him. He felt a little downcast as he wiped sunscreen over Peter’s face after seeing the flicker of the old Peter, affectionately cupping his cheek for a few seconds before trying to finish off the sunscreen. “Come in wa’er now, Daddy?”

“Yes, Peter, I’ll come in the water with you." Tony replied, once again ignoring the crushing feeling of trauma he felt deep within his chest. “Stay still. I don’t want to deal with your tears when I accidentally poke you in the eye. The water isn't going anywhere, look at me.”

Peter did so, reluctantly, crossing his little arms over his chest. Happy was bustling around behind him, Tony finally able to finish lathering up the kid before he moved to do himself. He’d rather not go home baked and red. “Stay right there.”

“Hurry up, Daddy!” Peter whined when Tony stood up to do his legs, still pulling on his shorts. Tony feared that if he pulled any harder he would pull his pants down, and Tony wasn’t very fond of both the kid and Happy seeing him naked. “Now!”

“Do you want me to burn?” Tony asked when he finished his right leg, moving onto the left. He couldn't help but find this situation amusing. “Keep pulling on my pants like that and you’ll be scarred for life.”

Peter didn't let go, but stood there pouting with a hand fisted in Tony’s beach shorts. He managed to get himself covered in sunscreen quick enough, finally giving Peter what he wanted.

“Alright, you impatient fish, let’s go.”

“No’ a fish!” Peter exclaimed as he yanked Tony across the sand, not even stopping when Tony nearly tripped over his own feet. He gathered himself pretty quickly, smiling fondly as he watched Peter bounce his way over to the water with that little orange bucket hat on his head. Once they reached the water’s edge where the waves were rolling in, Peter stopped, much like last time, and let the water run over his feet.

Tony panicked for a split second when Peter slipped out of his hold, only to find himself smiling when he saw that Peter was actually running away from the water, not towards it.

Peter was giggling like mad as his little feet tried to outrun the water, the hat hanging over his eyes. Tony was beginning to think Pepper was right when she said that he was whipped for this kid, because he was beginning to feel like he would do anything in the world just to keep him happy. Or maybe he had already thought that.

If Peter ended up having to grow up a second time, Tony would have no protest in looking after him until he could look after himself.

He knew he would care for Peter for as long as the kid wanted him to.

Peter came speeding over to him, Tony wincing when he almost tripped over again. Peter didn't seem fazed, stopping beside Tony’s leg and sat himself down. Tony was ready to pull him up as soon as any sign of discomfort was shown on Peter’s face by the incoming water, though relaxed when the toddler squealed in absolute delight as it washed over him.

They weren’t far out, in relatively the same spot they had been the first time they came to the beach, and Tony found himself sitting down too. Peter’s face lit up even more when he noticed Tony had sat down too, then grabbed a fistful of sand and picked it up. Tony raised his eyebrows when Peter handed it to him.

“Yes Peter, sand. What do you want me to do with it?”

Peter stared at him for another few seconds, still holding the sand, before dropping it right onto Tony’s thigh. Water rushed over them at the same time, Tony wincing from both the cold and the fear. It hardly covered him, but it still freaked him out, though Peter seemed incredibly entertained by the small amount of water that washed over them every few minutes.

Tony picked up a fistful of sand of his own and dropped it onto Peter’s tiny foot. He smiled when Peter squealed for the umpteenth time, kicking his leg out of the goop of sand before using both hands to pick up a heap of sand. He managed to shuffle forwards, not even flinching when some water splashed him in the face, and dumped the sand onto Tony’s outstretched foot.

Tony shook it off, poking Peter’s hip and felt satisfied when the kid laughed. Tony had never realised how adorable a baby’s squeaky laugh sounded until Peter had been de-aged as he grabbed the kid by the hips and pulled the boy over to him and dumped him in his lap.

“See, was being sick worth it?” Tony asked, tickling Peter’s sides. Peter laughed and squirmed, kicking out when the water once again washed over them. “You know, I thought you would talk more as a baby, but I was wrong. Teenage you talks a lot more.”

Tony had been hoping for a little glimpse of teen Peter, but it never came. Little Peter just laughed at him while picking up another hunk of sand, staring between it and Tony before smacking it right onto his shoulder. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Tony began to rapidly tickle and poke at Peter’s side, causing the kid to squirm and squeal all over his lap, sandy hands slapping at Tony’s face. He hadn't really realised that he had started laughing himself until Peter somehow got out of his hold and rolled off his lap, right into the water face first.

Again.

As he had before, Tony helped the kid up and grabbed his hat before it could float away, standing him in the spot between his legs, already wiping his face.

“You seem to love eating the sand, don’t you?”

Peter looked shocked, one hand gripping Tony’s shirt and the other with his thumb in his mouth. He wasn’t looking at Tony, his eyes distant as he placed the now wet bucket hat on his head. It actually didn’t seem to bother Peter like Tony thought it would.

“Do you want to get out now?” Tony asked, taking it as a good sign that Peter hadn’t started crying.

When the boy shook his head, Tony slowly let go of him and let him do whatever he wanted. Unless that was going further out, which was not happening. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long for Peter to get back into it, a smile soon lighting up his face again as he began jumping over the water that came into shore.

There was sand all over him, on his face and arms and legs, Tony noticing that the diaper was sagging and almost falling off. He sniggered a little at that, grabbing Peter’s skinny arm and gently pulled him over.

“You seem to have a problem, mister.”

Peter didn’t acknowledge Tony in the slightest as he hiked the swimming diaper back up, making sure the tabs were still secure before letting the kid go. Peter acted like nothing had even happened, already jumping waves and giggling like a little madman. It wasn’t long before he took another dive for the sand, getting yet another face full of water and sand.

Tony lifted Peter up, but this time, he wasn’t fast enough to grab the little bucket hat in time before it was washed away. Peter seemed to be watching the patch of orange as it got further and further, his lower lip trembling as he reached out for his hat, which was soon swallowed by the waves.

“My ha’.”

“Oh, no. You liked your hat, did you?” Tony asked as he lifted Peter up, standing up while he did so. He almost laughed when the swimming diaper fell right off, quickly bending down before that too could get washed away to pollute the ocean even more. He held it in one hand and Peter on his hip, moving away from the water. Peter was noticeably becoming more distressed as he looked over Tony’s shoulder, seeming more affected by the loss of his orange bucket hat than getting a face full of water for the third time. “It’s okay, kiddie, you have plenty of other hats.”

“Bu’… owange ha’.” Peter mumbled, not seeming to have even noticed that he was half naked.

“I can get you another hat.” Tony replied and hefted Peter up higher as he walked over the warm sand. “An even cooler one.”

Peter had finally looked away and was now pouting in Happy’s direction, looking dangerously close to tears. Tony almost burst into laughter when he saw that Happy already had all the supplies out ready for them, the glare on his face telling Tony not to say a word or he was dead. Peter scratched his ear, looking at Tony with teary eyes.

Peter didn’t start wailing like he had been expecting, though tears did begin to slip down his cheeks. Tony sighed sympathetically, setting Peter down on the sand before grabbing the diaper from Happy and worked on getting it around Peter's waist before the kid sat down. Peter let him do so, still mourning the loss of his beloved hat as Tony got the new swimming diaper around his waist as soon as possible. When he was done, he let the kid do what he wanted, sitting back in the chair and sighing.

Peter settled with some beach toys, like he had last time, playing quietly but sadly. Tony shared a glance with Happy before rifling through the bag, finding yet another bucket hat. This one was green, not orange, but he placed it over Peter’s head either way. He watched at the kid pulled it back off, looking at it for a few seconds before yanking it back over his head with a satisfied smile. Tony smirked and sat back, watching Peter play for a while before going on his phone.

He answered a few emails he had just sitting in his inbox, quickly becoming bored and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

“Hungry, Pete?”

Peter looked up from his sandcastle, nodding a few times before standing. Tony went through the bag and found a few crackers and a bottle of water he had packed beforehand. He gave both to the kid, who took them with a grin, and went back to his sandcastle. Tony felt his phone buzz on the arm of his chair, though he ignored it in favour of switching the phone off. Whatever it was, it could wait until later.

He was soon dragged back into the water, where they spent the rest of the day, thankfully not eating anymore sand or losing anymore hats. When it was time to go, there was no complaints from Peter, who was almost fast asleep wrapped up in a towel in Tony’s arms, already sucking on a pacifier and dozing on Tony’s shoulder.

He half-helped Happy pack up, which proved to be difficult when he carrying Peter. Happy eventually waved him off, so Tony took both Peter and the backpack up to the car. Happy opened the door for them once he had out everything in the boot, Tony gently placing Peter in the car seat before buckling him in.

The drive back was quiet, and Tony was holding Peter’s hand the whole time because the kid seemed to refuse to let go, even when he was almost asleep.

Once they reached the Malibu house, Tony took Peter up to his room and got him into the bath. Peter seemed to wake up a little to play with the bath toys Tony had found in the bottom of one of the toy boxes sometime during when Peter was sick, giggling and making little sounds for them as Tony cleaned the sand and seawater off of him.

However, he was almost asleep as soon as Tony plucked him out, and was dead asleep as soon as he was laid down onto the changing table. He didn’t wake when Tony dried him off and put pyjamas on him, or when he was placed into the crib soon after.

Tony pushed the Iron Man teddy into his boy’s arms before smoothing out his curls, and with that, he left the room and left the door ajar.

It seemed to be that FRIDAY had been waiting for Tony to be finished with Peter before she started talking to him, starling him out of his happy daze.

“What was that?”

“I have received information about the whereabouts of Thor Odinson.” Tony’s heart practically stopped, his head snapping up so fast he swore his neck cracked. Tony immediately de-toured to go into the lab and sat down at his workbench, leaning on his elbows as FRIDAY continued to speak to him. “I tried to contact you on your beach trip with Young Peter through your phone, but I understand that you switched it off.”

“Where is he?” Tony asked, eyes widening when images and videos appeared in front of him.

“Multiple sources have reported that they have seen an unidentified flying object, or UFO as it is commonly called, headed towards Upstate New York. Footage recorded by helicopters has shown that the ship has landed to the right of the Avengers Compound, and I have done scans that show hundreds of heat signatures on board.”

Tony watched the videos as she spoke, eyes widening when he actually saw the ship she was talking about. It was fucking huge, and made the Compound look like a spec of dirt in comparison.

“Countless sources are claiming that Thor Odinson and The Incredible Hulk were seen exiting the ship.”

The Hulk. Bruce.

Tony could have either cried or screamed in relief, but he did nothing. Instead, he sat there, staring at the blurred pictures of what was supposed to be Thor and Hulk.

He couldn’t see much on the picture, since it was blurry, though he could make out the shape and colour of Hulk’s body. He assumed Thor was the pixel blob standing next to him. He was sure the cameras surrounding the Compound would have been able to pick them up, but there must be a reason why FRIDAY wasn’t showing them to him yet.

He decided not to pry.

“Where are they now?”

“They are currently inside of the Avengers Compound. Mr. Odinson is requesting to know where you and the rest of the Avengers are located. Would you like me to tell them about what has happened in the last two years they have missed?” Tony leant back, rubbing his hand on his forehead for a few seconds.

“Yeah. Tell them about the team, but don’t tell them anything about Peter yet.” Tony replied, looking back at the ship. It was a bluish-purple colour, and it was enormous. It was no doubt from an alien planet, but Tony had no idea which. How had Hulk even gotten into space in that Quinjet? “Tell them to stay until I get back. Is Loki with them?”

“He is not.” Tony’s heart sank to his shoes. “I am currently enlightening Mr. Odinson and the Hulk about the Civil War that occurred two years ago. Mr. Odinson is very confused while the Hulk is angry. They wish to speak with you. Would you like me to put them through? I suggest that you-”

“No. I need to talk to them in person.” Tony replied as he stood. “Get me the earliest flight you can tomorrow morning. Peter needs to sleep.”

“Of course.” FRIDAY obeyed, the room falling silent as Tony processed what was going on.

Bruce and Thor were back on Earth, but Loki wasn’t. Bruce was still the Hulk, and Tony wondered what exactly had gone on up in space if Thor had managed to come across him. He wondered where the Quinjet had been abandoned.

“I have booked a flight for ten o’clock tomorrow morning on your private jet, Sir. Is that alright?”

“That’s perfect. Thank you.” Tony agreed, already wondering how everything would get transported to the Compound.

He could probably use everything that he had left there, and just take the important things, just like he had done when he had been coming to Malibu. God, he didn’t want to leave. He never did. Staying in Malibu was always pleasant, and it kept him hidden away from the majority of his problems.

Tony left the lab and began cleaning things up, grabbing the still-full bag from their beach day and began putting Peter’s most beloved items inside. A few toys he always seemed to go back to, like cars and teddies, and then some bottles filled with water. He added two or so pacifiers he found lying around, putting them into the small pocket in the front before heading down the hallway.

The hallway was where he ran into Happy, who looked confused.

“What’re you doing?”"He asked, looking at the backpack and then to Tony. “Are we going somewhere?”

“Thor’s back. Haven’t you seen the news? Hasn’t FRIDAY told you?” Tony replied, his heart aching painfully for a reason Tony didn’t know. He frowned when Happy shook his head. Tony had never told FRIDAY to tell him, so she didn't. Right. “We’re leaving at ten tomorrow to get back to the Compound. Bruce, well, the Hulk, is there too. I need to contact Pepper, May and Rhodey.”

“I can call them.” Happy offered, something passing over his face that Tony couldn’t decipher. “You can continue packing.”

“Okay, thanks.” Tony knew he should do it himself, but to be honest, he was exhausted, and they had probably all seen the news already. He rubbed his temples, jumping when Happy clapped him on the shoulder. He now had a sad look on his face, and Tony had no idea why. “What?”

“You’re upset." Happy answered, before he lifted his hand. “You like having toddler Peter around.”

Tony looked away and bit down hard on his lip. Was that really the case? “It’s what Peter wants, and it’s what I want.”

“I know.” Happy replied, still smiling sadly. “You’ll still have him. He’ll just be older, like before. Annoying like before.”

“Yep.” Tony walked off with the faintest of smiles and found himself entering Peter’s room.

He walked over to the crib and stared down at the baby for a few moments, feeling a hollow feeling in his chest as he reached down to smooth out his child’s hair. He had become used to having Peter so young, though he hadn’t fully noticed until now. He couldn’t believe he kind of wanted Peter to stay like this. That was selfish, even for him.

“Jesus, buddy. You have no idea what just happened.”

Peter stirred but didn’t wake up, cuddling the Iron Man teddy closer to him with a few suckles on the pacifier. Tony remembered back to earlier that day at the beach, realising how much fun he had, and wondered if he would ever get to take Peter to the beach again, big or small.

Now he was just being dramatic. Everything was going to be fine.

Right?

With that, Tony left Peter’s beside and disappeared into the bathroom, managing to squeeze some of the bath toys into the backpack before zipping it shut. Diapers and such would have to go in another bag, Tony only feeling like he was relieved about one thing.

He wouldn’t have to change the diapers anymore.

But even now, he knew the diaper changes barely even bothered him anymore. It was just something else he had become used to.

Tony left Peter’s room quietly, grabbing a plastic bag from the kitchen to use for the diapers later. He could figure that all out in the morning when he told Peter what was going on, deciding on heading down back down to his lab. He could hear Happy talking on the phone in the living room as he walked past, wondering which of the three people he could be talking to. He wondered if they were angry that Tony hadn’t been the one to call them.

But he couldn’t. More so, he didn’t want to. He couldn’t believe how... sad he felt about the knowledge that Peter might finally be going back to normal. Back to being Spider-Man.

What if he didn’t get his powers back?

What if he didn’t get his teenage headspace back?

What if he didn’t want to be around Tony anymore because he was embarrassed of everything that had happened? It had almost been a month, or maybe had even been over a month. He had no idea how much time had passed.

Tony knew that the last possibility was the one that scared him the most.

He didn’t want to lose his kid.

So, instead of sleeping like he really should be, Tony busied himself with suit upgrades.

He did his best to push away the thoughts constantly prodding at his mind, and for the entire night until morning, he worked on his suits and tried not to think about the inevitable.

Peter was going back to a teenager, and as much as he would most likely miss toddler Peter, it is what it is.

Unless Thor couldn’t find Loki. There was always that possibility.

But, Peter needed to go back being a teenager. He had friends, an Aunt, school. A life. Tony did want the old Peter back, but he knew he wouldn’t mind if that wasn’t possible. He guessed Thor’s arrival was what triggered his brain into realising how much he actually enjoyed having a baby around.

He sighed deeply, almost throwing his screwdriver across the room in frustration. Of course, without even realising it, he had become even more attached to the kid than he had been to begin with. Tony was aware he had become attached when he was still a teenager, too.

Despite the countless tantrums Peter had thrown and how he had acted so annoyingly that Tony wanted to dump him in someone else’s hands, having a toddler around really wasn't as bad as he had thought in the beginning.

Is this what parenthood felt like?

Tony rested his head in his arms and closed his eyes. He was sick of thinking.

He felt like he would be doing a lot more of that once he got back to the Compound.

He couldn’t wait, all sarcasm intended.

Chapter Text

Tony was having a hard time trying to figure out how he was going to tell Peter they were moving back to the Compound.

Peter obviously loved it in Malibu, and was currently asking if they could go back to the beach, and Tony didn't have the heart to tell him what was actually going on. He was giving Peter another bath so he felt better on the plane, letting the kid play with the few bath toys Tony had left in there. He had a boat that spurted water, which always made Peter giggle like mad as Tony washed his hair, Tony only able to raise his eyebrows when the toy boat splashed him in the face more than once.

It had taken Tony while to realise that Peter was no longer afraid of water. He thought about all the way back to when Peter had wet the bed the first time and Tony had given him a bath, and how he had cried and sniffled the entire time. Now, he was smiling and laughing, playing with his toys without a care in the world. That was a big difference in teen and toddler Peter Parker, and Tony couldn’t help but feel grateful for it.

“Petey, I need to tell you something and you need to listen to me.” Tony said, and when Peter didn’t look up from his toy, Tony reached over to take it. Peter whined in distaste and made grabbing motions for the boat when Tony held it out of reach, his expression one of confusion as he looked between Tony and the toy. “Are you listening to me, Peter?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Peter whispered, playfulness and fussiness disappearing as he stuck the tip of his index finger in his mouth, brown eyes the size of dinner plates surprisingly focussed on Tony.

Tony’s heart still jumped every time Peter called him by that title, and this time was no different.

“I got a call last night.” Tony said, fiddling with the toy boat in his hands. He didn’t want to crush Peter’s good mood. “Do you think you know who it was from?”

“Peppo!” Peter exclaimed, eyes and face lighting up with hope. “May? Whodey?”

Tony felt his own face fall.

“I wish it was one of them, but no.” Peter’s face fell, too, his finger once again disappearing behind his lips.

“Who call?” Peter asked, slowly lifting his arms up. Clearly, bath time was over. Tony dropped the toy boat back into the water and grabbed a towel from the rack. He lifted Peter out and wrapped him up, sitting the kid right in his lap so they were facing each other. “Bad?”

“No, not bad. Not exactly.” Tony sighed and looking away from Peter, unable to look the boy in the eye. “Well, let’s just say that Thor’s back.”

“Tor?” Peter asked, this time, actually getting the T sound right. “Back?”

“Yeah. We have to head back to New York.” Tony brace himself for what he knew was coming. “We’re leaving Malibu on a plane in an hour. I got the call while you were sleeping, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t know what to say.”

“Pwane?” Tony looked back to his kid, cursing quietly when Peter’s bottom lip began to shake in warning of tears. “No pwane. Pwease.”

“There’s no other way.” Tony wiped Peter’s tears before they fell, then began to dry him off. “Besides, you’ll get to meet Thor and Bruce Banner. Won’t that be fun? I know you’ve always wanted to meet them. Big you would never shut up about meeting the Avengers.”

“Bwuce Banner?” Peter whispered, letting Tony dry his hair. “Tor?”

“Yep, Bruce and Thor.” Tony stood, keeping Peter wrapped up in the towel. “Then soon enough, you'll get to be big again. You can go back to being Spider-Man.”

“Spida-Man.” Peter whispered as Tony carried him into the bedroom.

Peter’s chin was wobbling again, and as Tony studied the boy’s expression, he realised that teen Peter was with him right now. He could see it in the kid’s eyes.Tony sighed, already taping the diaper onto him to avoid any accidents while they were talking.

“No powers?”

“You don’t have them at the moment, no.” Tony winced when Peter's face scrunched up, like he hadn’t even noticed he didn’t have his powers anymore until this very moment. Tony rubbed Peter’s stomach, deciding to put him in another onsie so he was more comfortable on the plane. He chose a Thor one. He could just imagine the look on the God's face when he saw it. “Don’t worry, bud. I’ll figure something out.”

“Don’ wanna go on pwane!” Peter sobbed after a few seconds of silence, Tony’s heart twisting painfully in his chest as he picked out some socks. He walked back over to Peter, who was kicking his legs out as he always seemed to do when he was upset, reaching up at Tony with helpless grabbing motions and small whining noises. Tony quickly grabbed each foot and pulled the pale blue socks on them, making sure everything was right before gathering his kid and gave him a hug. “Pwease, ‘ony."

Tony.

Peter hadn’t called him Tony for a while now, and he was confused by the sadness he felt deep in his gut.

“I’m sorry.” Tony whispered, gathering diapers and other things to put in the plastic bag he’d left in the kitchen. “But you’ll get to see Pepper again. Don’t you want to see Pepper?”

“Peppo.” Peter whispered, still hiding his face in Tony’s neck. “May?”

“Yeah. May too. Maybe even Rhodey. I had Happy call them, so I assume they’ll be at the Compound when we get there.” Tony replied, grabbing the abandoned pacifier and Iron Man teddy, offering both to the child. Peter took them, staying in Tony's arms for the trip into the kitchen, Tony depositing the diapers and other supplies into the plastic bag. Happy had most likely already packed the car for them, so he left the bag on the counter and took Peter over to the window that overlooked the ocean. “We can come back here when you’re big again, then I can actually take you on a jetski. You can even drive it if you want.”

“Don’ wanna ‘o.” Peter whispered around the pacifier, now peeking out of Tony’s neck to also look out the window. “Tor come here?”

“He can’t." Tony sighed as he wiped away his kid’s tears. “The plane ride will be just like last time. We won’t fall, I promise.”

“Don’ wanna.” Peter turned his head to nuzzle his nose into Tony’s cheek. Now, if his nose wasn't snotty and wet, the gesture would have been cute. Tony’s nose wrinkled in disgust at the feeling of Peter’s snot smearing on his face, though he didn't say anything and let Peter cuddle closer to him as he stared out the window. “Pwease, Daddy.”

“It’s going to be fine.” Tony said, finally turning away from the window. "I'll be with you the whole time, just like last time, remember?”

When Peter whimpered, Tony decided to take him away from the window, not liking the memory of when they had first arrived. Back then, he’d been relieved to be here, and now he dreaded leaving. It was peaceful being away from the city, and Tony found himself really not wanting to leave either. It was nice having a break from the real world, and this mini version of Peter had made everything feel so much less lonely than usual.

He had never even felt like this when Pepper was here with him.

Toys and other things alike were still strewn across the living room, most of the things identical to what was already back at the Compound. He walked through it all, taking Peter back into the kitchen.

“You hungry?”

Peter shook his head, so Tony let it go for the moment.

They didn't do much for the final hour of peace they had, Tony letting Peter wander around by himself. He brought toys over to Tony, asking for help either building Legos or doing some simple puzzle that teenage Peter would have scoffed at. Tony wondered if Peter really already knew how to do it, but just wanted Tony to do it with him.

When Peter was back, Tony was definitely going to ask what it was like to be in a toddler headspace, and if he was aware of everything he was doing and how Tony was caring for him. If he remembered anything, that was.

God, Tony hated the possibility of Peter forgetting everything.

It was when Happy came walking into the living room when Tony asked FRIDAY for the time, cursing when he realised they were already half an hour late. He scooped Peter off of the floor, grabbed all the important things he had brought out with him, including the pacifier and the Iron Man toy. Peter clung onto both, once again nuzzling into Tony’s cheek with a whimper.

Nothing was said as Tony grabbed some shoes from Peter’s room before he headed out to where Happy was waiting with the car. He went through the usual routine of buckling Peter into the car seat before buckling himself in as Happy closed the door.

The car was moving before he knew it, Tony concentrating on getting the sneakers onto Peter’s socked feet. The kid was looking out the window, suckling quietly on the pacifier, his Iron Man teddy pulled up right to his face as he did so. Tony couldn’t resist caressing the boy’s cheek with his hand, running his thumb over his furrowed eyebrows.

Peter leaned into the touch, eyes shut. Within seconds, the boy was fast asleep. Tony hadn’t realised how tired Peter was looking until that very moment.

The drive was quiet, and soon they were boarding the plane after making sure there was no press around to take pictures of them. Tony sat with Peter on his lap, resting his cheek on the side of the toddler’s head, kissing his temple as the crew and Happy got themselves settled for take off.

Peter woke up during the take off, immediately bursting into tears and trying to turn himself around in Tony’s grip. Tony let him, cuddling his boy close and let him sob into his chest.

Once they were airborne and the tears had subsided, Tony let Peter play with one of the StarkPads for most of the flight, only having to get up once to change a diaper. Tony couldn’t help but feel a bit sad, watching Peter play one of the kids games FRIDAY must have installed before they left.

He wasn’t going to lie, he was going to miss having toddler Peter as company. He couldn’t believe how attached he had become in such a short amount of time, rubbing Peter’s tummy when he began fidgeting to get into a more comfortable position.

Tony didn’t sleep on the plane this time, simply looking out the window after he gave Peter a bottle of water to drink. The kid fell asleep soon after and stayed like that until the plane began to descend, Tony simply rocking and wiping Peter’s tears away when he cried from the downward motion of the plane and the popping of his ears.

Tony couldn’t stand watching Peter cry like that, knowing that he was scared because his parents had died in a plane crash. It reminded Tony of when he found out what really happened to own his parents, and that Steve had kept it from him. They had both lost their parents, which was something he had in common with Peter.

Tony sighed, shaking his head to clear his mind. There was no use dwelling on the past, especially now, because he had Peter to look after.

When the plane finally touched down, Peter relaxed almost immediately this time. Tony placed a kiss on his forehead, wiping the remains of his kid’s tears away as the plane was taxied.

“See, buddy? We’re fine. Nothing to be afraid about.”

“Scary.” Peter whispered, his little voice shaking. “Wanna go back ‘o Mali-o.”

“I want to go back too.” Tony sighed and got up from his seat when the plane stopped moving and he was allowed to get off. “But you want to get big again, don’t you? We can go back after you’re back to normal. How does that sound?”

“Wanna ride a je’ski." Peter whispered and pressed his face into Tony's collarbone.

“Well, that’s what we’ll be doing first, then.”

Tony stepped off of the plane after Happy gave the all-clear, carrying Peter over to the car and buckled him into the carseat. Thankfully, whoever had ordered the car had known to put one in. Peter didn’t whine when he was put in it this time, simply sitting there with his eyes half-closed, tears still staining his cheeks. Tony sighed, exhausted, sitting back and staring at the roof.

“How did they take it?” Tony asked, referring to May, Rhodey and Pepper.

“Pepper won’t be able to visit until next week.” Tony’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. “Rhodey too. May will be able to visit tomorrow. I’ve organised with her to pick her up.”

At least one of them could make it. Tony knew Peter would be beyond excited to see May again.

“Thanks, Hap.”

“No worries.”

Tony ended up dozing on the drive back to the Compound, waking up to the feeling of drool running down the side of his mouth. He wiped it away with his sleeve, blinking himself awake as he realised where they were. They were, in fact, back in the Compound, inside of the garage. Happy had the door open for him. From here, he couldn’t see the huge spaceship parked next to the Compound, which Tony couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.

He hadn’t fully come to terms with the footage he’d seen. Tony wasn’t so sure he was ready to confront reality and see that spaceship in person. But, it had to be done if there was any chance of getting Peter back to normal.

Tony looked over to Peter, who was now awake, one arm reaching out for him with opening and closing fingers. Tony gathered himself and unbuckled his boy, then got out of the car and pulled Peter out seconds later. All of these parental actions were becoming second nature to Tony, and he no longer had to think too hard about what he was going to do.

“Do you want me to carry you, or do you want to walk on your own?”

“You.” Tony nodded and kept Peter perched on his hip, making sure he had everything he got in the car with. Happy already had their bags, so Tony led the way.

Once they were inside the lift, he began to speak to FRIDAY.

“Where’s Thor and Bru- the Hulk?”

“They are on the communal floor, Boss.”

Tony almost nodded, then realised something.

“The Hulk?” Tony spluttered. It didn’t sound real. “Is Bruce back?”

“No, sir. It is indeed the Hulk.”

Hulk on the communal floor. Hulk. How had he even gotten inside without breaking anything? The last time Tony had seen the green giant, he had been tearing robots apart at Sokovia. Even before that, Tony had to use the Hulkbuster armour on him when Maximoff messed with his mind.

That Hulk was on the communal floor right now.

“Hulk appears to be very calm, and is currently interacting with Thor. I have alerted them of your arrival, and they are currently waiting for you to arrive. Would you like me to take you there?”

Tony shook his head. “No. Peter’s not going anywhere near the Hulk.”

“Alright.” FRIDAY replied. “Shall I take you to your private floor, then?”

“Yes. Let the others know I’ll be there soon.”

“Of course.”

Sometime during his conversation with the AI, Tony had begun to bounce Peter in his arms. The toddler still looked a little groggy, his right index finger fiddling with the loop on the front of the pacifier, the other holding his Iron Man by the head. Peter looked seconds away from passing out, and Tony couldn’t help but feel some of the stress leave him.

Peter looked adorable with the way he was fidgeting with the pacifier, suckling gently on the soother while he did so. The drooping eyes and soft snuffles made Tony’s heart feel warm.

Yeah, there was no way he was letting Peter anywhere near the Hulk, no matter how calm the green man was. The boy was far too fragile.

Once the lift doors opened, Tony was blessed with the sight of his less-attractive penthouse in the Avengers Compound. With a small huff, he carried Peter into the floor with Happy following, ignoring the wave of nostalgia that hit him all at once when he saw all the items strewn across the place from the last time they had been there.

Nothing had changed.

“Hey, Hap, could you look after him while I talk to the big guys?” Tony asked, setting Peter on the floor.

He expected Peter to run off to his toys, but instead he clung onto Tony’s pants with one hand and still held his stuffed Iron Man with the other. The boy peered up at him with tired eyes, eyebrows furrowed in either agitation or confusion. Tony couldn’t tell which.

“Yeah, sure.” Happy didn’t seem as annoyed Tony he expected, which was a relief. The kid seemed to have grown on the both of them. “Come on, Pete. You gotta let go.”

Peter began shaking his head, eyebrows furrowing even more.

“Nuh-uh.”

Tony’s eyebrows raised slightly as he gently pried Peter’s fingers away from his jeans and knelt down to his level. Peter only latched onto his jacket, his huge eyes boring into Tony's as the man studied him.

“What’s up, Petey?”

“Don’ leave, Daddy. Pwease.” Peter said, his voice shaking, his bottom lip quivering. In comparison with a few minutes ago, the boy looked a lot more away now. “S’ay.”

“I need to talk to Thor and Hulk, bud. I won’t be long, I promise.”

“Pe’er come?” Peter asked, looking hopeful, more of Tony’s jacket being screwed up in the toddler’s tight grip. “Pe’er mee’ Tor and Bwuce?”

It took everything in him not to crumble from the cuteness of Peter’s baby talk.

“Not yet.” Just like he expected, Peter’s face began to crumble at Tony’s rejection. “I don’t want the Hulk to hurt you, kiddie. He’s very big and dangerous, you know that, don’t you?”

“Bu’... bu’…" Peter seemed to panic, dropping the Iron Man teddy and letting the pacifier fall out of his mouth. Peter latched on with his other hand, trying to climb into Tony’s arms. Tony felt horrible when he gently pushed him away, managing to detach one hand to hold it with his own instead. “Bu’ wha’ if Daddy ge’ hurt by Hulk?”

“I won’t get hurt.” Tony winced, rubbing Peter’s knuckles. “I’ll be fine. I’ll be back soon, Happy’ll look after you. You won’t even notice I’m gone.”

“No, Daddy.” The waterworks began once again. “S’ay.”

Tony nodded for Happy to pick Peter up. When the man grabbed the kid’s waist, Peter wailed loud enough to hurt Tony’s ears. Peter tried desperately keep his hold on Tony, who felt like the worst person in the world for rejecting the toddler’s attempts. With an apologetic smile, Tony stood up and turned around, trying to tune out Peter’s pitiful crying as stepped into the lift.

He never would have expected for someone to be crying after him like that, hearing the words Daddy stay! over and over making his heart ache. But, he needed to talk to Thor to figure out where Loki was, and what was going on with the Hulk.

Everything he was doing was for Peter.

He wiped his face as FRIDAY took him to the communal floor, mentally preparing himself for seeing Thor and Hulk for the firs time in years. The Hulk made him nervous, as much as he didn’t want to admit it. He wished it were Bruce instead, but there had to be something wrong if Bruce hadn’t yet resurfaced.

He had no more time to prepare when the doors opened and revealed the communal floor. Tony hadn’t been here for a long, long time. It hurt too much to go to the place where there were so many good memories of the team when they were friends.

Thankfully, Tony had a pretty good distraction from all of that when spotted the huge, green monster and the God within seconds of the doors sliding open.

The first time Tony noticed was the differences. Both Thor and the Hulk were both different compared to the memories he had of them, and he couldn’t help but gape at the sight displayed in front of him.

Thor no longer had his long locks, and instead, he had short hair. Maybe it was even shorter than Steve’s had been the last time Tony saw him. The shorter hair suited Thor much more, in Tony's opinion. There was still a little left on the top and sides, and when the God turned his head to the side to look at the Hulk, there were noticeable patterns noticing the patterns shaved into the shorter sections.

However, the hair change wasn’t the most shocking thing. The most shocking thing was the patch on Thor’s right eye. The only conclusion Tony could come to was at some point in the last two years, Thor had lost one of his eyes, and used the patch to cover whatever else was there. He hardly believed it was there for decoration.

Hulk, on the other hand, was still big, green and shirtless as usual. But he also had a hair difference, giving that it was slightly grey on the sides and cut differently. It looked more… proper, for the lack of a better word. It screamed Bruce more than anything.

“Stark!” Thor bellowed, looking relieved at his presence, Tony barely having any time to step out of the lift before Thor bound over to him and wrapped him in a tight hug. Not having expected it, Tony stiffened. “Where have you been, friend?”

Tony spluttered, recovering from the shock to awkwardly hug the God back. Thor had never hugged him before.

“What do you mean, where have I been? Where have you been?”

“Tin man!” Hulk exclaimed, this weird sort of cheesy grin on his face. Tony felt a little uncomfortable, Thor pulling away as he stared warily at the Hulk. The mutant didn't come any closer, instead waving over to Tony with his huge hand.

“Hey, big guy.” Tony greeted, and returned the wave timidly. He had no idea why Thor, and even the Hulk, looked so relieved to see him. “So, you never answered my question. Where have you been? Why did you land a fucking spaceship on my lawn? What’s with the pirate patch, and where is Loki?"

Thor looked a little alarmed from the onslaught of questions, his one eye widening slightly. He seemed to recover quick, before some kind of solemn look replaced the shock.

It looked like Tony had hit a nerve without even meaning to.

“Ah, yes. Asgard is no longer a planet.”

Tony blinked. “What?”

“Ragnarok had to happen in order to defeat my sister, Hela, who destroyed my hammer and took my eye.” Thor continued, looking even more alarmed when Tony gave him a blank look. Sister? Ragnarok? None of it made sense to Tony. “My people are inside of the ship. There was nowhere else to land, Midgard is the safest place for them!”

“You have a sister.” Thor nodded, wringing his hands. Odd. Tony couldn’t recall a time where he’d ever seen Thor nervous before. “She destroyed your hammer and took your eye.”

“That is correct.”

“Shit.” Tony took a breath to process the information, then turned to the Hulk. “Hulk, where the hell have you been all this time?”

Hulk even look alarmed.

“Sakaar! Hulk fight puny God!”

Tony stared between the two of them, not believing his life. Here he was, stood in front of a God and a Hulk like it was completely normal, listening to their two-year-long space tales.

“What the fuck is Sakaar? You know what- never mind. I have bigger issues that you fighting… puny Gods. Jesus, what the fuck is going on here? It’s been two years since we heard anything from the both of you!”

“What is this Civil War that Lady FRIDAY speaks of?” Thor asked, now looking troubled. “I was not aware of such Accords. Where is the rest of the team? I heard there was a fight between you and Steve.”

Tony’s heart squeezed painfully. “They’re not here anymore. I have bigger issues than them right now.”

“Lady FRIDAY was kind enough to tell me about these Accords.” Thor continued, looking troubled. “I would have signed them.”

Tony found himself smiling very, very slightly at Thor’s admission, but it didn’t last long. His mood quickly became downcast again.

“Thanks, buddy.”

It fell silent for a few moments. Tony felt uncomfortable with Hulk standing right there watching him, eyes curious. Why wasn’t Hulk... angry?

They probably would’ve been standing there all day if Tony didn’t remember the reason he was down here. Peter.

His gratitude morphed into anger, his eyes narrowing in Thor’s direction.

“Now, what I actually came here to talk to you about. Where the hell is your brother?”

Thor’s eye widened again.

“Loki?”

“Yes, Loki. Or do you have another brother, too?” Tony stared at the God, waiting for Thor to answer him.

“I am unsure.” Thor replied and ran a hand through his short hair. For a second, Tony thought Thor meant he might have another brother that he didn’t know about, and Tony was just about ready to jump off of the highest balcony in the Compound. His worries were instantly ceased when he realised he was talking about Loki. Luckily. “He disappeared from the ship a few weeks ago, I believe. Why? Has he been spotted on Midgard?”

Tony closed his eyes for a few seconds, shaking his head before opening them.

"Your brother has been causing trouble.” Thor’s gaze hardened. “He used his magic on my ki- intern.”

“What has he done?” Thor asked, his fists clenching. “I thought he was past this.”

“Well, looks like he’s not. How many times is he going to betray you for you to notice?” Tony asked, finding himself desperately wanting to go back to Peter who was waiting for him in the penthouse. “It’s hard for me to explain without showing you. But, I didn’t want to bring him here because… y’know.” Tony leant close to Thor’s ear, whispering. “The big guy.”

Luckily, the Hulk didn’t hear him, and Thor get the memo.

“What do you wish to show me?” Thor asked and crossed his arms. “I wish to know what havoc my brother has been causing on earth.”

“You’ll have to come with me, then.” Tony sighed, rubbing his forehead. He hadn’t once, let someone into the penthouse, and he wasn’t about to let the fucking Hulk onto it when his kid was up there. “Come on.”

“Thor stay!” The Hulk roared, making Tony almost have a heart attack. He shoved his hands into his pockets to hide that they were shaking and turned around to face the Hulk. It took everything in him to not show that he was just a little frightened of the mutant. “Stay!”

Luckily, Thor stepped up and did all the talking.

“I will be back soon. Go join the others. I am not leaving.”

Tony didn't like the sound of there being others. If that meant more Hulks, well, Tony was a goner. Out of this country would be where he was going, and Peter would be coming with him.

Hulk scowled, or pouted, Tony couldn’t really tell, crossing his huge arms and stamped his foot in distaste. Then, he turned around, heading straight for the window. Before Tony could say anything, Hulk plowed right through the glass and out of sight.

Even watching that didn’t make Tony feel any better. Now he had a window to fix. How the hell had the Hulk gotten in here in the first place?

He could have laughed at the thought of him using the lift.

Tony turned to Thor once he recovered from what he’d just witnessed.

“What’s the deal with him? Where’s Bruce?”

“I am unsure that Banner will be coming back.” Thor now looked troubled again, his eyes downcast. “He was Hulk for two years, until he saw the recording of Romanoff in the Quinjet. Banner told me that he felt if he turned into the Hulk again, he might not be able to come back. He turned into the Hulk to help defeat my sister."

“So he’s not coming back? For good?”

“I am unsure.”

Tony sighed. He felt a headache coming on.

The thought of Bruce not coming back circulated around in his mind. He wasn’t sure if he could handle yet another person in his life leaving him, even if it wasn’t by choice. Tony jumped when Thor laid a hand on his shoulder, the God leaning over to try and catch Tony’s eye. Tony looked at him, knowing the look of defeat was obvious on his face.

“I am sure Banner will return.” Thor tried, but his expression betrayed his words. He looked doubtful. “Come on. What is it that you would like to show me?”

“Right. Let’s go.”

As Tony led Thor to the lift, he realised how nice it felt to have one of his old friends back.

Once they reached the penthouse, Tony expected the doors to open, but they didn't.

“Boss, are you sure you wish for Mr. Odinson to have access to your private floor?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Tony replied, and a beat later, the doors slid open.

That’s when the sound of crying hit his ears.

Beside him, Thor perked up in alarm. Without offering an explanation, Tony walked into the floor and spotted Peter clambering down the hallway. He spared a glance at Thor, who was staring down at Peter with wide, shocked eyes. He looked back at Tony, then to Peter, then back to Tony. He could practically see the cogs turning in the man’s head.

Once Peter reached them, he seemed to notice Thor’s presence. Tony watched the little boy’s mouth drop, and in a split second the teen returned, staring up at Thor as if he hadn’t seen anyone like him. Well, he probably hadn’t.

A little fist latched onto Tony’s jeans as Peter looked over to the God, who Tony noticed was beginning to kneel down to Peter’s height.

“Hello, there.” Thor had said, his voice gentler than Tony had ever heard it. Peter was looking at Thor with his fingers now in his mouth, tears still leaking out of his eyes. “Who are you, little one?”

Tony placed a hand on the top of Peter’s head, and at that moment, Happy decided to join them. Even the Head of Security’s mouth fell agape at the sight of Thor, but Thor didn't seem to notice his shock. Peter didn’t answer, and instead pushed into Tony’s legs to hide his face from sight. Tony didn’t miss Thor’s huge grin.

“This is Peter.” Tony said and knelt down as well. Peter’s arms were instantly trying to wrap around his neck, Tony noticing that the mature look in his eyes was gone already. “He’s not actually meant to be this age.”

Now, Thor looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Your brother.” Tony spat, letting Peter cling onto him. “Loki decided it would be funny to turn my kid into a toddler.”

“Peter is yours?” Thor asked, something fond passing over his face. It was as if he didn’t even hear what Tony said.

Thor did always seem to have selective hearing when it came to his brother.

“No. He isn’t.” Tony replied, resisting the urge to slap Thor across the face. He felt it would hurt him more than it would hurt the God, so he resisted the urge and tried to explain the situation to the clueless alien. “He is my intern. As I said, Loki decided it would be funny to de-age him into a toddler. He’s meant to be a teenager.”

“I did not know.” Thor said and reached out to Peter. He rubbed the boy’s back, who tensed at the touch, his little face peeking out of Tony’s shoulder to look at Thor. “I am sorry for my brother's magic, little one. I will stop at nothing to get him back.”

Tony felt his heart ache when Peter smiled and reached out with one arm to point at Thor’s eyepatch. Thor’s face fell a little when Peter ran his small fingers over the patch, Tony looking back to his kid to see a frown now on his face, too. There were still tears drying on his cheeks as he looked at Thor’s eyepatch, seeming confused. That’s right. The last time Peter would have seen Thor in the media is when he had long hair and both eyes, which was two whole years ago.

Then, Thor seemed to notice the Thor onsie with his hammer on it that Peter was wearing. Tony saw a mixture of emotions pass over the man’s face, before he beamed.

“I like your shirt very much, young Peter. Very good choice.”

Peter was smiling again, though he retracted his hand from Thor’s face.

After a few more moments of watching Thor interacting with Peter, Thor stood.

“I will contact Strange.”

“Alright.” Tony said and hoisted Peter up as he also stood. He looked to the spot where Happy had been standing moments ago, realising that the man was still standing there, a blank look on his face. “How am I supposed to get Bruce back to normal?”

Thor looked a little perplexed, glancing between Tony and Happy.

“I would suggest contacting Romanoff.”

Tony felt his heart drop.

He remembered the flip phone, sat in his drawer in his bedroom, just waiting to be used. Though, if he did use it, Steve would be the one to pick up. If he wanted to get to Natasha, he had to go through Steve, and he had no idea if he was going to be willing to do that. But, if he wanted to get his friend back, he’d have to do it.

As much as Tony didn’t want to call, he wanted Bruce back. Both as a friend and as a doctor.

Thor rested his hand on Tony’s shoulder again, his thumb moving slightly in what Tony thought might have been an attempt at comfort.

“If you do not wish to, I understand.”

“No. I’ll… I’ll do it.” Tony unconsciously held Peter closer to him, who seemed to be listening to the conversation. He hardly noticed when Peter cuddled closer to him, burying his face in Tony's collarbone as he was hugged. “I’ll do it. Thanks.”

“I will return once I have retrieved Loki. You have my word.” Tony smiled and nodded. Thor’s hand fell from his shoulder.

“Thanks, Thor.”

Tony had a call to make.

Chapter Text

The next day, Tony sat in his lab, staring at the flip phone that rested on his workbench.

Tony stared at it as if it were a ticking time bomb that was about to explode in his face if he got too close. Which, in a way, it kind of was a bomb.

The phone was innocently sitting there, taunting him, screaming at him to stop being such a pussy and to just do it. This phone call could either go terribly wrong, or equally terribly right. Tony wasn’t sure which he was more afraid of, but then again, there was that undertone of anger with Steve and the rest of the Rogue Avengers lurking within reach, and he so desperately wanted to grasp it.

Peter had left earlier that morning for a day out with May. The two hadn’t seen each other for weeks, and it was only fair that they get to spend some time together. Tony even felt a little guilty at have being the one who was around Peter consistently every day, but it wasn’t like they could help it. May had told him she thought he should look after Peter, and that he did.

He couldn’t stop feeling guilty, though.

Tony and May made the decision an hour into her stay, and she promptly took Peter out to the park with Happy in tow. Tony decided to not tell May about Peter getting so sick in Malibu, letting it slide as he gave Peter a hug goodbye.

He pretended not to notice the way Peter tried to hold onto him and convince him to come with them, and also pretended not to notice the kid bury his face into May’s shoulder in rejection when he said no.

Tony would be lying if he said he didn’t feel terrible.

Thor had gone out yesterday afternoon, shortly after Tony arrived, to look for Loki. Tony felt at loss of what to do without Peter to look after or Thor to talk to, leaning on his desk as he stared at that stupid flip phone.

Was he really going to call Steve? After all this time of telling himself that he wouldn’t need the Captain’s help? Was there really a fucking spaceship outside of his home filled with aliens?

Well, he didn’t need Steve’s help, really. He only needed Natasha’s. Tony knew she was with Steve in Wakanda, and the easiest way to contact her was to go through Steve’s fucking flip phone. He couldn’t be bothered trying to get into Wakanda, which only meant he would have to leave Peter for a few days, so calling Steve was his best option.

But at the same time, it wasn't.

Tony was, to be truthful, terrified of talking to the super soldier again. It was even harder knowing that he didn’t even need Steve, but of course, the bastard hadn’t put anyone else’s contacts in the phone. Just his.

So, here he was, sitting in front of his workbench helplessly as he hesitated.

He had to deal with that fucking spaceship outside, given that he hadn’t even gone over to inspect it yet. It was filled with all of Thor’s alien friends. He had no idea how many people were actually inside of it, and even if there was only twenty, there was no way Tony was letting anymore aliens live inside of his Compound. Nope. No fucking way. They could find somewhere else, Tony was done being the person who housed and did everything for everyone.

It sounded selfish, but he was tired of it. he had enough people use him for the money over the years. Maybe that’s why he feels so comfortable with Peter, knowing that the kid couldn’t possibly be using him for the money. He never had been, even when a teen.

With a deep sigh, he picked up the dinosaur phone and opened it. Steve’s number appeared in front of him after a few clicks of the buttons, Tony staring at the words with unfocussed eyes. There was a chance that Steve didn’t even have his phone on him anymore, and it was very likely that he could have given up after the first few months of silence from Tony’s end.

He groaned, thumb hovering over the call button.

Now or never, right?

So, he did it. He pressed the button, and the phone began to dial the number Steve had put into the phone. Tony pulled it up to his ear, chewing on his thumbnail as he listened to the phone ring, and ring, and ring.

His heart dropped considerably when Steve didn’t pick up. He contemplated giving up right there, but remembered that Bruce wouldn’t be returning if he couldn’t get Natasha here. Tony needed Bruce. He needed his Science Buddy, the doctor, and pretty much just a friend. He didn't have many of those these days.

So, Tony called again. Steve didn’t pick up.

He called a third time. No answer.

Fourth, nothing.

He slammed the phone back on his desk, burying his head in his hands with a heavy sigh. Maybe Steve had actually gotten rid of the phone after all, and Tony would have to break into Wakanda to approach them himself. But he couldn’t leave Peter here by himself, and there’s no way he was sending him through more plane trauma, let alone going to Wakanda. He wouldn't.

Tony trying to pretend not to notice the kid’s sudden clinginess, and he tried to pretend that every time Peter cried when Tony put him didn’t affect him. He had no idea why Peter had suddenly grown so attached, and he didn’t like it one bit, and it all seemed to have started happening ever since Tony had told Peter that Thor had returned, and that was only yesterday. Things had already changed so much, and Tony hated it.

He had been deep in thought when the flip phone started ringing, vibrating across the table and almost falling off of the edge. Tony stared down at it in shock. DUM-E beeped and clicked around him, poking at him, as if he were telling Tony that he should answer it. Tony, being Tony, let it ring out through his hesitation and panic, cursing under his breath as he picked up the thing after DUM-E nudged it over to him. He pressed call as soon as he had the phone in his hand before he could opt out of it.

This time, Steve answered.

There was a long, stretch of silence, and all Tony could hear from the other end of the phone was someone breathing. It was definite that there was someone there, but there was no telling that that person was Steve.

His question was answered not even a second later.

“Tony?” Tony jumped and almost dropped the phone. At the same time, his stomach lurched anxiously. “Are you there?”

It was definitely Steve. Tony’s insides curled with discomfort, the memory of Steve slamming his shield down on Tony’s chest haunting him as he listened tot the other man’s voice. He said nothing, the panic almost consuming him, so he distracted himself by thinking of Peter and what he might be doing with May right this second.

That only ended up confirming that Tony was missing Peter, and he had hardly been gone for a few hours. God, what was it going to be like when Peter was back to normal and living back at May’s? This was not a good time for him to realise how attached he was.

“Tony?” Steve repeated, sounding a little concerned but also hesitant. “Hello?”

“Cap.” Tony finally replied. There was a hitch of breath on the other end of the phone, yet Tony couldn’t force his nexts words out.

The longer he hesitated, the angrier he began to feel. His fist clenched under the table, not surprised that just the sound of Steve’s voice hurt him. Tony almost hung up, but remembered that he wasn’t doing this for himself, he was doing it for Peter and Bruce. This was the only way he could get Bruce back, so he’d have to suck it up.

With a sigh to calm his nerves, Tony forced himself to speak.

“I have an issue.”

“With what?” Steve asked instantly, as if he had been waiting for Tony to call with something like this. Tony couldn’t help but feel even angrier, his eyebrows furrowed at the thought. There was so much worry in Steve’s tone that it made him feel sick. Steve didn’t get to worry about him after what happened during their last time of seeing each other. “Tony? Are you still there?”

Realising he had been sat there thinking too long, Tony shook himself out of his daze.

“Yes. As you would know, Thor and Bruce are back on earth.”

“We heard.” We. “Is there something wrong?”

“What do you think, Steve? Why else would I be calling you?” Tony snapped. “Bruce is stuck as the Hulk with a possibility that he’ll never return to normal.”

“What?” Steve sounded shocked. “What do you mean?”

“What the hell do you think it means?” Tony snapped again, wanting to crush this stupid flip phone in his fist and throw it in the trash. “Bruce may not be able to transform back from the Hulk, and I need your help. Well, I need Natasha more than I need you. You’re the only way I can get to her right now.”

Tony could feel the hurt pouring from the other end of the phone, but he didn't give in to the guilt. He had to remind himself that Steve deserved it.

“I can get her on the phone.” Steve sounded a little more reserved now, though his voice was wavering slightly. Good. “How are you, Tony?”

Tony laughed bitterly.

“Oh, fan-fucking-tastic, Rogers. Amazing. How’s Wakanda treating you?”

Steve spluttered, obviously not having expected for Tony to know where they were. When he didn’t answer for some time, Tony forced out another bitter laugh.

“What, did you think I wouldn’t know where you were hiding?” Tony’s words came out short, but he found that he didn’t care. “Don’t worry, I won’t sell you out to Ross. I would have done that two years ago if I wanted to, and you know I don’t want that.”

“Right.” No thank you, nothing. Tony felt that anger return at full force. “Did you have a baby?”

This time it was Tony’s turn to splutter. Steve practically ignored everything he had just said to ask that question.

Of course, they would have seen the news. Of course they would be keeping tabs on him, he knew that was definite. He shouldn’t even be surprised that Steve was asking him, because everyone knew that Anthony Stark was nowhere near capable of looking after a child.

But Peter was alive and happy, and Tony had been going pretty well. Despite how much he would love to shove that fact in everyone’s face, he swallowed it down and focused on the abruptness of Steve’s question.

“Excuse me?” Tony spat, eyes narrowed. He stared at the spanner on his desk, feeling an overwhelming urge to hurl the metal thing across the lab.

“We saw it on the news.” So, they had been watching him. “Is it yours?”

“No, he’s not, actually. He’s Spi-” Tony paused with wide eyes. He’d almost outed Peter’s identity without even thinking twice about it. Shit. “You know what? I’m not talking about this with you. I have bigger problems right now, and I need Natasha to get her ass to the Compound right now. I have a Hulk I need transform and a Loki to track down, so if you don’t fucking mind-”

“Loki?” Steve cut him off to ask, and once again sounded shocked. “What about Loki?”

“If you’re keeping tabs on me, Rogers, you would’ve known an alien spaceship landed next to my Compound. You’re still asking me if Loki is here? Steve. I don’t have time for this, I need Natasha. Now.”

The call fell silent after that. Tony took a few minutes to breathe, the anger fading a little as he did so. As bitter as he was, he missed Steve and everyone else, he really did. But, he couldn’t help but wish he never called in the first place. Tony had to remind himself that he wasn’t doing this for himself.

Just as he was giving himself an internal pep talk, Tony felt the blood drain from his face when a familiar voice filled his ears, and with it came a wave of nostalgia. Tony had never really been a nostalgic person, but listening to both Steve and Natasha’s voice in the same day was seriously messing with his emotions.

“Tony?” It was definitely her, her voice as reserved as ever, giving off no indication on how she was feeling. “Are you there?”

“Nat?” Tony whispered, biting on his lower lip. Despite all the questions he wanted to ask her, he started with the problem. “You know Bruce is back, right?”

“I do.” There was still no emotion in her voice, but she had to feel something. Tony wasn’t stupid, he knew there’d been something between Natasha and Bruce at one point. “You have a kid?”

“I don’t have a fucking kid.” Tony snapped, almost kicking over his desk in frustration. He sounded like he was lying, which, he technically was. “That is not why I’m calling you or Steve to talk about. I’m talking about Bruce. I need Bruce back, and you’re the only one who can bring him back. I’m asking for your help, Nat, because I actually care about my friend.”

There was a long, long stretch of silence, and voices could be heard in the background. He assumed she was talking to the other Rogues, Tony’s blood running cold when the thought of Maximoff being there and listening ran through his mind. All the Rogues could be there listening and he would be none the wiser.

No way will he be facing that Maximoff anytime soon. Along with that, there was no chance that Peter would be getting anywhere near her. She would not be coming anywhere near this Compound if Tony could help it.

“I know you do.” Natasha replied after several moments, her tone now restrained. “I know.”

“This doesn’t tell me anything.” Tony snapped, impatient. “Are you going to help me or not? Because I have no idea what the fuck I am supposed to do with a Hulk in my building, a bunch of aliens outside of it in their huge ship, while my kid is inside the same building.”

There was another pause.

“I thought you said you didn’t have a kid, Tony?”

“Oh for fuck’s- it’s complicated, alright?” Tony growled. “Please, Natasha. You have me begging here, I’m desperate. Thor’s gone, he’s looking for Loki, and I have no one else. Please. You know the Hulk and Bruce the best, and you were what got Bruce to transform back from the Hulk after being him for two years. Two years!”

“Two years?” Natasha repeated, her tone back to the flat, blunt one. “He was Hulk for two years?”

“According to Thor, yes. Your message after Ultron brought him back.”

“Really?” Natasha asked him, her voice now wavering a little. “I didn’t know the Quinjet was still online.”

“That’s not the point.” Tony said, knee bouncing under the table. “Please, will you help me, or not?”

“Alright.” Tony felt relief flood into his system, leaning his elbow on the desk’s surface with a shaky sigh. “I’ll have T’Challa get me out of Wakanda undetected. I can get into the Compound without Ross seeing me, I know I can do that.”

“Come alone.” Tony mumbled, knowing that the others were most likely listening to this whole conversation. “I swear to God, I can’t deal with anymore surprises. I can’t.”

“Surprises?”

“It’s complicated.”

There was more silence, then some rustling from the other end of the phone. Tony had no idea what to do now, now feeling anxious about seeing Natasha again. They hadn’t really left off on a good foot, either.

“I’ll leave tonight.” Natasha broke the silence, making Tony jump. “I should be at the Compound in a few days.”

“How exactly will I know when you're arriving?”

“You’ll know. Goodbye, Tony.”

She hung up on him before he could say anything else.

Tony felt a little empty in the wake of the tense phone call. Natasha had been short with him, as he had been with both Steve and her, so he knew he shouldn’t be affected by it because he acted the exact same way. Everything seemed to be testing his patience now, which caused him to hold the flip phone in both hands, one hand on each side of the phone, where the two pieces joined being in the middle.

He hesitated for only a moment before he snapped the phone in half. He tossed the pieces onto the floor with a clatter. There goes his last form of contact with his old friends.

Tony bent over his desk with an exhausted groan, reaching out to gently pat both his bot’s claws when they rolled over to comfort him. They beeped affectionately, Tony knowing that FRIDAY was watching and already preparing alerts for when Natasha was spotted. How she was going to get in without tripping any alarms or alerting Ross, Tony had no idea. But this was Natasha he was talking about, a trained spy.

So, within half an hour, Tony promptly drifted off into the land of his nightmares, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff being frequent faces in his dreams. He woke up with a jolt when someone patted his shoulder, gently, though it still caused him to jump out of his chair and fall onto the ground with fright.

He groggily looked around, three blurs of people standing around him. Someone was crouching in front of him, their clothes all black and white, Tony barely registering that it was Happy with his hand on his shoulder.

“Tony? You need to breathe.” Tony couldn’t breathe, and Happy telling him this only alerted him to the fact that he wasn’t breathing. Why wasn’t he breathing? “Tony. You need to calm down. Look at me.”

Tony had no idea what was going on, and he hardly had the time to register the smaller form moving into his vision. His panic began to slow when a hand, significantly smaller than Happy's, rested on his cheek and stayed there for a few seconds, before the body moved closer and wrapped its arms around Tony’s neck. A hug.

Tony’s arms automatically wrapped around the tiny body, the fog in his mind clearing as he brought the kid- Peter, into his arms. He rested his cheek on the side of Peter’s head, right by his ear. It was then when Tony realised how sweaty he was, his lungs desperately heaving in air as he hugged Peter close. Had he really just had a panic attack in front of the three- wait, the three of them?

Oh, great. May had witnessed everything too.

Peter began pulling away, and Tony let him. Peter only moved back a little, looking at Tony in the eye, pacifier bobbing in his mouth.

“Daddy hur’?”

Tony smiled sadly, shakily, rubbing Peter’s back for a reason he didn't know. Peter wasn't the one having a meltdown this time, but the action helped comfort Tony.

“Just a bad dream. Daddy’s fine.”

Tony froze.

Did he really just call himself Daddy?

He was going insane.

Peter was frowning, or pouting, Tony didn’t know which.

“Daddy sad.”

“I’m fine.” Tony glanced up at May and Happy, who both looked like their hearts had been pulled from their chests. Tony hated that look, though he didn’t have nearly enough energy to glare at the two of them, and instead, looked back to his kid. “Don’t worry about me, bud. I’m fine. Why don’t you tell me about your day with your Aunt?"

“Fun.” Peter murmured, turning around to look at May, who now was smiling. “Wen’ ‘o da park.”

“Did you?” Tony smiled, starting to wonder how long he had been asleep for. “What else did you do?”

“Ice cweam.” Peter was still whispering, his hold tightening around Tony's neck. “Miss Daddy.”

Tony’s heart pounded loud in his ears, but he ignored it.

“You missed me?” Peter nodded, then buried his face in Tony's neck. Tony looked back to Happy and May, who both had pity, concern and fond looks in their eyes. Happy was still crouched down next to them, his hand returning to his shoulder when he and Tony’s eyes met.

“You alright.” His friend asked, squeezing his shoulder.

“Yeah, yeah. I just…” Tony trailed, shifting Peter into a more comfortable position. “I called Cap.”

Happy’s eyes widened slightly. “You did? How did it go?”

“Not that great.” Tony’s eyes drifted to the floor, and just behind Happy where he could see, there was one half of the flip phone laying on the floor. “I talked to Nat. She’s coming to figure out the... green situation.”

“How is she going to-”

“I don’t know.”

Happy nodded, seeming to understand. Then, May spoke up.

“I better get going, Tony.” She said, smiling softly as she moved over to them. Tony flinched when she set a hand in her hair, gently running her fingers in it like he had done to Peter on many occasions. “I hope you feel better. I’m sure Peter will help cheer you up.”

“How are you so okay with this?” He asked out of the blue, looking up at her.

“I’m not. I don’t like the fact that the Hulk is just outside, but…” May’s face tensed, and the hand paused. “I trust you, and I know you’ll keep him safe here.”

Tony nodded, keeping his hold on Peter. He had no idea if the kid was even still awake or not.

“Peter, I’m going now, sweetheart.” Peter moved, peeking his head out. “I’ll be back in a few days, okay? You be good for Tony.”

“Bye-bye.” Peter whispered, hugging May with one arm when she bent down. She kissed her nephew’s temple, smiling softly at Tony as she did so. Love ‘o.”

“Aw, honey. I love you too.”

After that, May left the room with Happy following. Peter and Tony were the only ones left in the room, now, and almost immediately Peter began to tug on his diaper. It didn’t take long for Tony to fall back into his parenting routine.

He hauled himself off of the floor, briefly pausing when Peter reached out for the broken phone. Tony let him take the pieces, the kid studying them the whole way to the bathroom as he suckled on the pacifier quite noisily. Peter refused to let go of them when Tony set him down, deciding that maybe a bath wasn’t that bad of an idea.

“What’ ‘his?” Peter asked when Tony began stripping him, somehow getting his arms out of the shirt without having to take the phone pieces away.

“An old phone I was experimenting with.” Tony lied as he got Peter’s pants off, then the diaper. He lifted the toddler into the tub next, already set on cleaning him off. Tony had given him a bath the night before, so all his bath toys were already there, and Peter ended up letting Tony take the phone pieces in turn for his favourite boat toy. “Did you do anything else interesting with May today?”

“Saw… saw Ned n’ MJ!”

Tony hadn’t been expecting that reply.

“Oh, did you?” He asked, gently wetting Peter’s hair. Somehow, he had gotten the hang of this. “What happened?”

“We pway! They- they couldn’ beweive i’ was me!” Peter exclaimed, seemingly quite cheerful all of a sudden. It helped improve Tony’s sullen mood, smiling gently as Peter tried to explain the whole story with Ned and MJ with a pacifier in his mouth. “We pway wiv Wegos. New S’ar Wars!”

“Wow, that sounds pretty cool.” Tony replied, getting ready to get rid of the shampoo. “Close your eyes for me, Pete.”

Peter did as he was told, squeezing his eyes shut. Tony washed the shampoo out quickly, then sat back to let Peter play with his toys for a while. It was nice seeing the boy so carefree instead of clingy and scared that Tony was going to leave at any given moment. It was already terrifying that the boy had witnessed his panic attack, and he had been doing a pretty good job of avoiding that topic.

After almost an hour of watching Peter play with his toys, Tony coaxed the toddler out of the bath and into a diaper, then into a Spider-Man button-up pyjama shirt. He refused to put on pants, which seemed to be a reoccurring event. So, Tony let him go without, surprised when Peter let him put some matching Spider-Man socks on his feet. The whole time, Peter wouldn’t let the pacifier leave his mouth, which Tony had to admit was a little strange.

On their way out of the bedroom, Tony grabbed Peter’s Iron Man teddy and carried him into the kitchen, setting him on the counter and began talking to FRIDAY.

“What time is it?”

“Seven fifty-eight in the evening, Sir. You were asleep for approximately five hours and twenty-four minutes.”

“Thanks Fri.” Tony replied, gathering some food for Peter who now looked downcast. Tony frowned, pausing what he was doing to stand in front of his kid. “You alright, kiddo? What’s the long face for?”

“Scared.” Peter was reaching for him within seconds, and Tony settled for gently holding his hands. “Big… big spaceship ou’side.”

Tony tried not to let the sadness show on his face.

“I know, I know. It scares me too, Petey. I don’t like it either. But there’s nothing we can do just yet.”

“Wanna ‘o back ‘o Mali-o.” Peter said shakily, chin wobbling. “Don’ wike here.”

“Neither do I.” Tony sighed and pushed some of Peter’s fringe out of his eyes. “It’ll be alright. I promise.”

“Hungwy.” Peter declared, so Tony continued making a little meal for his kid and himself. They ate quietly, Peter sitting on his lap, Tony feeling a nervous about their company outside.

They sat there for a while, until Peter began to noticeably doze. Tony took him to his own bedroom, making sure to grab both the teddy and pacifier, briefly checking Peter’s diaper and declaring it clean. He laid down, pulled the covers over the both of them, the bed smelling of a mixture of both Tony and Pepper. Peter was lying on his side, facing Tony, pressed as close as humanly possible.

Tony found it comforting, having such a small child with him, wanting his comfort. It was a nice feeling, which led Tony to wrap his arms around Peter’s small body and press a kiss to his curls.

“Goodnight, bud.” He whispered, even though he knew that Peter was already asleep.

Tony himself didn’t fall asleep for another two hours at most, and when he did, there were thankfully no nightmares to greet him.

He slept peacefully, with his child in his arms, and found that he didn’t want to be anywhere else but here.

Chapter Text

Thor returned to the Compound not even a day after he left.

At first, Tony thought that he had come back with Loki. He had been slightly relieved, but also slightly happy, and then also sad at the same time. If Loki was with him, that meant there was a possibility that Peter could go back to being a teenager. He let FRIDAY bring Thor to his floor without asking if there was another person with him, which ended up being a mistake.

Peter had been half asleep on his shoulder, given that it was early morning, hardly aware of what was going on as Tony stood up and headed towards the closed lift doors.

Disappointment was prominent when the doors opened to reveal Thor, alone, with a troubled look on his face.

“I need to speak with you.”

“What is it?” Tony asked, hefting Peter a little higher as he allowed Thor to walk into his floor. He saw the man’s eye soften when it drifted to Peter, though it became troubled once again when he met Tony’s eyes with his one. “Thor?”

“I need a strand of my brother’s hair.” Thor said with his arms crossed over his chest. “Strange cannot do the spell without it. If Loki is not on earth, I will need to use the Bifrost. My good friend Heimdall may be able to see Loki, wherever he is, but I am unsure if it will work.”

Tony blinked. Thor seemed to notice his confusion, and launched into a brief explanation.

“Heimdall is not well.” Thor mumbled, his one eye focussed on the floor. Tony sighed, then gestured for Thor to follow him. The God did so and silently him down the hall and into the living room. Tony sat down, Peter in his lap, now looking more awake now as he looked up at Thor with wide eyes. “I wish for you to look inside of my ship.”

Tony gulped, and at the same time, he had to let Peter down when the boy began to whine and fidget. He even started to kick his feet, which prompted Tony to set the toddler on the floor and let him do his own thing.

Tony watched his kid as he toddled off in the direction of his toys, only to jolt when Peter stood on one of his toy cars that slid out from under him. Peter fell over with a soft thud, luckily not hitting his head on the floor, but didn’t even seem fazed in the slightest.

Resisting the urge to get up and make sure Peter was okay, Tony took a deep breath and turned back to Thor.

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“I want you to be aware of who is staying on your land.” Thor replied. “I know you do not approve.”

“Yeah, I don’t. Y’know, I’m not so fond of aliens.”

“They are nothing like the Chitari.” Tony’s heart almost stopped at the mention of New York, images of the wormhole floating through his mind as he focused his gaze on the coffee table. “They are my friends, and my people. Some of them we picked up from Sakaar.”

“What was Hulk doing on… Sakaar?” Tony asked, looking up when a small hand rested on his knee. Peter was stood in front of him, holding a small action figure that was definitely Thor in his spare hand. The action figure looked nothing like the real man anymore, given it had both its eyes and long, blonde locks. “Nice toy, kiddo. Thor, where’s the Quinjet?”

“The Quinjet was destroyed.” Tony nodded, placing his hand on Peter’s upper back when the kid leant against him. “I was going to use it to get back to Asgard, but the Hulk followed me. He destroyed it while turning back into Banner.”

“Right.” Tony said, not looking at Thor but at Peter. “Whatcha doing, buddy?”

“Don’ look wike Tor anymore.” Peter whispered, his brown eyes quickly glancing over at Thor. “No hair.”

“Looks like your favourite Avenger got a haircut.” Tony smiled despite the anxiety churning in his stomach, turning his head just in time to catch Thor’s fond expression. “They’ll need to update those action figures.”

Tony sent Peter off by gently nudging him, Peter nodding to himself in some silent agreement before he toddled back over to his toys.

“You have a beautiful child, Stark.” Thor said next, smiling with all teeth showing.

Not having the energy to correct him, Tony just shrugged, not bothering to correct him.

Thor was right.

“When did you find Bruce? How did you find him?”

“I was sent to fight.” Thor began, his eye watching Peter. “To get out of Sakaar, needed to fight the Grandmaster’s Champion, and of course it was Hulk. It was an amazing surprise! I won, obviously. It seems as though he was killing for sport."

“You won? That doesn’t sound right.” Tony replied, then smirked at the look Thor gave him.

That didn’t erase the fact that the Hulk had apparently been killing people, or aliens, in combat for the last two years. Even worse, there had been no Bruce in-between. Now, Tony hated the idea of Peter going near the Hulk even more.

“I would like you to come see my friends. They mean no harm, you have my word.” Thor continued, his expression troubled. In the time Tony had spent with Thor recently, all the man seemed to be was troubled. “I am afraid I have to get back to Strange. I do not want you to be the repercussion of my brother's mischief.”

“Alright.” Tony sighed and tried not to bury his face in his hands. Instead, he sat up straighter and leant against the back of the couch. “Fri, tell Happy to get his ass up here. Peter, come here, please.”

Peter turned around from where he had been building something out of Lego, pacifier back in his mouth as he began to push himself up. Peter looked very nervous, almost scared, as he walked over to Tony, half-raising his arms in the request of being picked up. Tony did so, placing Peter on his lap before caressing his face in the hopes to soothe the blow of what he was about to say.

“I gotta go for a bit, Petey. Happy’s going to stay with you until I get back, alright?”

Tony didn’t expect Peter's face to scrunch up so fast, and he definitely didn’t expect Peter to clutch onto him and begin to wail. Thor looked just as alarmed, his one eye wide as Tony tried to prevent Peter from clinging onto him like a koala. The kid was now bawling his eyes out, trying to wind his arms around Tony’s neck desperately, his face beginning to redden.

“Baby, what's up with you?” Tony asked quietly, trying to caress Peter’s face, letting the pet name slip without even realising. The kid yanked his face away from his hand, though continued to try and wind arms around Tony’s neck while sobbing and whining. It looked like a tantrum, though Tony was unsure whether to call it that. “Peter, you have calm down. You’re going to make yourself sick again.”

“It seems he does not want you to leave.” Thor chimed in, moving over to sit next to Tony, slowly reaching out to set a hand on Peter’s small shoulder. Peter absolutely lost it, both flinching away from Thor’s gentle touch and screaming very high pitched, making both the God and Tony wince. Tony could hear the sound of the lift as soon as Peter’s screech finished, indicating that Happy had in fact arrived.

“D-Daddy s’ay!” Peter wailed somewhere in between his sobs, confirming Thor’s assumptions. “No go, pwease!”

“I have to, buddy. I’m sorry.” Tony sighed sadly, still trying to pry Peter’s hands away as Happy walked into the room. “Just let Happy look after you for a little while, you’re going be fine. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Happy leant forward and placed his arms around Peter’s waist when he heard his name, and much like a few days ago, he attempted to pull Peter away from Tony.

The kid let out another loud, piercing screech of protest and clutched onto Tony's shirt so tight that the material ripped.

Somehow, after ripping huge holes in Tony’s shirt with both hands, Peter managed to worm out of Happy’s hold and fully grasp onto Tony, holding on like a koala. It was evident that no one was going to be able to get Peter off of him now, no matter how hard they tried. It would only end up with someone accidentally hurting the boy, and there was no way Tony was going to allow that to happen.

Then a thought occurred to Tony.

What if Peter's powers were coming back?

He shouldn't have been able to rip Tony’s shirt as much as he had, and he shouldn’t have been able to wrench himself away from Happy so aggressively. Did that mean the spell could be wearing off, or Peter had his powers the entire time and lied about it?

God, Tony had no idea, and these thoughts paired his kid’s loud crying was just giving even more of a headache.

“Kid, you’re really starting to scare me.” Tony said into Peter’s ear to make sure the boy heard him. “I don’t want you going anywhere near that spaceship. It’s not safe yet, and I don’t want to put you in danger. Do you understand, bud?"

“No.” Peter whimpered, tensing up. “Pe’er come wiv Daddy.”

“It’s not safe.” Tony repeated, sharing a helpless look with Happy. They had already gone through this when they first arrived, but it hadn’t been as bad as this. Tony was sure there was something else the kid was neglecting to tell him, and Tony was going to make sure figured it out when all of this was over. “Pete, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I assure you, he will not be injured.” Thor cut in, his hand landing on Tony’s shoulder and squeezed. For a strong alien, Thor’s touch was gentle. “The Hulk will not harm the little one, and neither will my people. I would never put your son in danger.”

“Thor…” Tony trailed, feeling all his resolve beginning to crack. If May knew what was going on right now, she would punch him in the nose. “I don't want him in there. Hell, I don’t want to go in there myself.”

“Everything will be alright, Tony. I believe you will feel better when you realise there is no threat.”

Thor, eve though he didn’t want to admit it, was right.

Tony was constantly on his toes, waiting for both aliens or Natasha to appear out of thin air and attack. He was terrified that Peter would somehow get hurt because of him, and he just really wished he could have stayed back in Malibu where everything was much calmer, and Peter was happier, and there was no Hulks or aliens just outside their front door.

“Looks like you’re coming along for a little trip into a spaceship, kid.” Tony relented, rubbing his son’s back to try and calm him down. “Please stop crying, you know I hate it when you cry.”

Peter didn’t stop crying, but it was noticeable that he’d begun to calm ever so slightly now that he knew he wouldn’t be taken away from Tony.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to look after him?”

“It’s alright, Hap. Go relax. Everything’s going to be fine.”

Tony wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince himself or Happy more.

The Head of Security did as he was told and left the lift reluctantly when they reached his floor. Tony and Thor continued down to the garage, simply because there were less people down there and there was less of a chance of getting seen by the interns on the lower floors.

Tony felt his heart rate begin to increase as they got closer and closer to the ship, though he did feel better about being concealed by the trees.

However, as soon as he had that thought about the trees, the fallen ones came into view. It was a little embarrassing needing Thor’s help to get over the large logs, but it was the safest way to do it with the precious cargo cradled in his arms. Peter was silent, hiding his face, and definitely sucking on his thumb throughout the whole ideal.

Tony hesitated once they reached the clearing, the open hatch of the spaceship in view. Thor hadn’t noticed he’d stopped, only realising once he had reached the top of the ramp. Maybe it was a little funny, watching the God talk to himself until he realised Tony and Peter weren’t even there anymore.

Thor, from the top of the ramp, frowned at him before he started making his way back down to the ground.

“I assure you, Tony, that there is no threat here. Any threats were destroyed on Asgard.” Thor’s face fell a little when he mentioned his planet, though it was gone within seconds. So, Tony said nothing.

He let Thor place a hand on his upper back before slowly making his way over to the ship. Terrifying images of what could be inside lurked at the front of his mind, holding Peter close as they made their way up the ramp. The ship was so much more intimidating that Tony had originally thought.

God, if May knew what they were doing right now.

Tony was being a terrible parent.

They didn’t encounter anyone until they were well inside the ship, Tony’s insides curling with nerves as Peter began to peek his head out to look around. Thor’s hand never left his back, leading him around the maze of a ship until the first sounds were heard.

If half of Asgard was in here, where the hell were they?

Tony reeled back when someone came out of one of the doors, Peter immediately ducking to hide his face in Tony’s neck as he took several steps back. Thor kept him steady, Tony glancing at his friend to see his reaction, relaxing slightly when he saw the bright smile on his face. Slowly, Tony turned his head back to the woman, who had a soft smile on her face as she looked at Thor.

However, it faded when she looked at Tony.

“Thor, who is this?” She asked, looking Tony up and down. Tony felt uncomfortable under her intense gaze, speechless. This woman, like Thor, looked like a fucking God, and he didn’t feel like getting on her bad side. “He is human.”

“Yes. This is Tony Stark, I’ve told you about him. He owns the building outside.” Thor told her, his hand now on Tony’s left shoulder instead of his back. “And rhis is his son, Peter.”

“Hi.” She replied, nodding her head in greeting before she turned back to Thor. “What exactly are they doing here?”

“I wanted to assure Tony that we are no threat to him or his son.” The woman narrowed her eyes for a moment before she nodded, apparently satisfied with the explanation. Thor pointed to her and turned to Tony. “This is Valkyrie.”

“Girlfriend?” Tony asked bluntly, completely out of the blue, not missing the glance Thor and Valkyrie shared.

Then, Valkyrie narrowed her eyes at him, making Tony feel nervous all over again. Peter had lifted his head again, Tony deciding to look at his kid instead of the stranger in front of him.

Peter’s eyes were bright with wonder as he gazed at Valkyrie, and then at his surroundings.

At least someone was enjoying this experience.

“Let’s go.” Thor pushed Tony gently, so he began to walk.

To his dismay, Valkyrie walked with them all the way until they reached a door at the end of the hall, the two of them talking amongst themselves. They had to be dating, or at least have feelings for each other. Tony was pretty stupid sometimes, but he wasn’t that stupid.

Thor pushed the door open without a care in the world, his hand falling from Tony’s back as he entered the room. Tony waited outside, warily looking around the ship, jumping when he made eye contact with Valkyrie. She said nothing, eyeing him up and down once again, before looking back to Thor who was rummaging around the bed that was inside of the room.

It took Tony a while to figure out that this must have been where Loki was staying while he was here, his suspicions confirmed when Thor came out holding a long strand of black hair.

“Well, that was easy.” Tony commented, happy to let Thor lead him out of the ship.

However, there was no such luck in getting out of the ship quickly like Tony hoped, because Thor was leading him in a different direction to where they had come from.

The three of them stopped when they heard thundering footsteps. Tony took several steps back in fear as the Hulk came clambering down the hall, face alight with a smile. Terror was clear as Tony hurried to place himself behind Thor, shielding himself and especially Peter from the green monster that was coming their way.

It was embarrassing, to be seen hiding behind Thor, but it was the first thing he could think of.

“Tin man!” Hulk exclaimed, screeching right to a halt in front of Thor and Valkyrie. “Little girl! Thor!”

“Hey, big guy.” Valkyrie commented in what Tony might have thought was a fond tone, causing him to look up. Looks like they were friends, too. “You know... Tony?”

“We worked together.” Tony elaborated quietly, content to let Thor stand in front of him.

Peter, the insane child he was, was staring up at the Hulk with no sign of fear in his expression, mouth hanging open in what seemed to be childlike amazement. Peter still wasn’t talkative, merely taking in everything was seeing as the Hulk stood there, smiling, seeming way too cheerful for the Hulk that Tony used to know.

What the hell had gone on up in space for the rage monster to turn into this? It was almost as if he were a hyperactive four-year-old. When Thor had told him about the fighting, he hadn’t thought the Hulk would be acting like this. Tony had expected Hulk to be even more angry and destructive than he really was.

"Avengers business.” Tony added as an aforethought. “He was an Avenger.”

“Avengers.” Tony took a few more steps back when Hulk suddenly became angry, clenching his fists as he spat their team’s name. “Puny Avengers.”

“What?” Tony asked, finding it hard to look at the Hulk when there was a chance that Bruce would never come back. Natasha seemed to be their last chance, but there was no telling how long it would take for her to get here. The Hulk was a very, very painful reminder of who they could lose.

“Hurt Tin Man.” Hulk growled, making a punching action with both of his hands. “Hulk smash. Tin Man become a Revenger?”

“There will be no smashing.” Thor finally said, raising his hands. “They are not here. No, Stark will not be a Revenger.”

“Revenger?” Tony questioned at the same time as Thor spoke. “What, did you rip off the Avengers or something?”

“We were a team.” Thor replied, looking between Hulk and Valkyrie. “We were all getting revenge in some way or another, so, the Revengers.”

“Right.” Tony said, only to tense when Hulk began to mutter things under his breath, towering over the four of them. Then, he suddenly pointed at Tony, making him jump and reel back quicker than he ever had before.

“Small Tin Man!”

“Hulk.” Peter murmured a few seconds later. “Wow.”

Tony realised with a start that the Hulk had been pointing at Peter, not him. Peter, in turn, was staring up at the green giant with adoring eyes, seemingly not afraid in the slightest of the thousands of dangerous outcomes.

“I need to get out of here.” Tony found himself saying, feeling his heart rate speeding up considerably the more the Hulk looked at them.

There were aliens in here, and Tony had no idea where they were, or how many of them there were, nor their intentions. Thor seemed to catch on to Tony’s internal panic, gesturing for the Hulk to move with both arms, Peter looking at Tony with huge, and now scared, eyes. Tony pretended not to notice that very teenage-like concern in his eye.

“Get me out.”

“Do not panic.” Thor said, still gesturing for the Hulk to move. “Move, Hulk!”

Hulk seemed offended, turning around and stomping away like an enraged toddler. Thor lead him away while Valkyrie rushed after the Hulk.

Tony was finally able to breath again when he was out of the ship and underneath the trees, Thor walking silently beside him as Peter cuddled into his chest.

“Wanna be big again.”

“I know you do.” Tony whispered while he glanced at Thor. He could still see that during all of that, he had managed to hang on to that one strand of hair. “You will be soon. Thor’s working on it. That was scary, wasn’t it?”

“No.” Tony’s eyebrows raised. “Hulk cool.”

“Of course you’d think that.” Tony grumbled, feeling his chest beginning to close in on itself. “Do you have any idea how much danger I just put you in? Fuck.”

“It’s okay.” Thor butted in, not touching him. “The Hulk will not harm either of you. He has changed since Ultron.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Tony wheezed, hardly relaxing when they made it back into the garage. “I don’t want to be anywhere near him until Bruce is back. I don’t want Peter near him at all.”

“I understand.” Thor replied, smiling softly, but sadly. “You do not have to.”

“Damn right I don’t.” Silence followed as Tony stepped into the lift, Thor staying outside.

“I will continue my search for brother.” Tony nodded, Thor's smile beginning to fade. “Again, I am very sorry.”

“Don’t. It’s fine. Just find him, alright?”

“I will do everything I can.”

With that, turned around and began to walk away.

Tony didn’t fully relax until they had reached his floor, though that moment of calm did not last when he realised he and Peter were not alone. Standing in his living room, was none other than his best friend James Rhodes, who was not supposed to be coming for another week or so.

“Platypus?” Tony spluttered, quickly taking in the look on his best friend’s face. “What’re you... what're you doing here? I thought you weren't meant to be coming until next week.”

“I got time off.” Rhodey replied, his tone short. “What’s this about Happy telling me you took Peter into that thing outside?”

“I-” Tony hesitated, letting Peter down when the kid demanded to.

They paused their conversation as Peter ran, or more so, toddled over to Rhodey and wrapped his arms around the man’s legs. Tony watched his friend’s face soften as he picked up Peter and giving him a hug.

Over Peter’s head, Rhodey glared at him. That made Tony know he was going to get an ear full when Peter wasn’t in the room.

“It’s complicated. Thor wanted me to know that they aren’t a threat- and-”

Tony was all over the place, his heart was still racing, and he was on the edge of another panic attack.

Speaking with Steve and Natasha, visiting that ship and Rhodey’s sudden appearance was already sending him into another downward spiral. Tony had been so content away from all of this in Malibu, where it was just him, Peter and Happy. He himself had been happy and felt safe, even if he didn't really realise it until now.

He did not feel safe here.

Rhodey seemed to notice his panic, his face falling.

“Come over here, Tones.”

Tony did as he was told, which was quite rare of him, and sat down next to Rhodey and Peter. Peter seemed to have noticed the shift in conversation, his eyes now filled with concern as he looked between the two men. Tony wasn’t sure how he felt about that teenage spark he saw in Peter’s eyes again. He felt better with the toddler Peter knowing jack shit, but when he was conscious, Tony knew he would remember this when he aged back up.

Rhodey took Tony’s hand in his, squeezing softly.

“You need to breathe, Tony. Don’t panic. I’m not mad at you, I’m just… concerned.”

“I k-know.” Tony shuddered, hating that Peter was right there watching the whole thing. “Fuck.”

“Hey, language!” Rhodey was smiling as he said it, which helped Tony send a shaky one of his own back. “So. Tell me about Malibu.”

Peter seemed to take that as an invitation and started to list of literally everything they had done, Tony finding himself slowly calming down as he listened to the toddler recite their little holiday. This was a very teenage Peter trait, but it seemed as if any sign of the older persona was completely gone once again.

“We wen’ ‘o da beach!” Peter exclaimed, smiling cheerily. “Then da park!”

“Did you?” Rhodey exclaimed right back, using a high-pitched voice like many parents did with their children. Tony wondered if he had been doing the same thing without noticing, because he hadn’t remembered a single moment where he had raised his voice like that. Maybe he would have to ask Happy. “Was it fun? Did you behave yourself for Tony?”

“Yes!” Peter squealed, little arms flailing all about. Now this was the Peter that Tony preferred. “‘ony a good Daddy! Go’ ‘o mee’ Tor and da Hulk!”

Rhodey spluttered, sounding like he was choking on his spit.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah! ‘ony!" Peter pointed to Tony, seemingly unaware of both of their shock.

So Peter had been voluntarily calling him Daddy this entire time when he could have just called him Tony?

“Daddy took you to meet Thor and Hulk?” Rhodey questioned, very slowly looking up at Tony. “How did that go?”

“Tor is very cool and nice.” Peter replied, meeting Tony’s eyes. “Hulk cool, bu’ he scare Daddy.”

Tony looked away in embarrassment. He bit his lip, not liking that Peter had actually taken in how terrified he was.

Jesus, Peter should be terrified! The Hulk had been just a few feat away from them, and could kill them with just one punch, yet he thought nothing of it.

Now, Tony had never really been scared of the Hulk before, because he was always in his suit. But having Peter in his arms and no suit scared the living daylights out of him, and his only protection really had been Thor. He had no idea how strong that Valkyrie girl was, or what she was.

“Did he?” Rhodey asked, his eyes softening with worry when Tony turned back to meet his eye. "That wasn’t very nice of the Hulk, was it, Peter?”

“Nuh-uh.” Peter shook his head, pouting slightly.

It fell silent after that, Peter soon sliding off of Rhodey’s lap and over to his toys, much like he had done when Thor arrived. So, Tony turned to Rhodey, who was already opening his mouth to start talking. Tony didn’t stop him, simply settling on watching Peter play with some of his toys, letting himself consume the love he was feeling.

“Something else is wrong.” Rhodey had said, his hand still holding Tony’s comfortingly. “Tell me.”

“Bruce might not be coming back. I called Steve. I talked to him and Nat, and now Nat’s coming, but I have no idea when. She’s going to try and get Bruce back to Bruce if she can. I told her to come alone, but I really don’t believe that she will.”

“You called Rogers?” Rhodey repeated, looking angry when Tony looked for his reaction. “You should have called me first, I would have helped out. I would have come here earlier.”

“No, you shouldn’t have. Don’t worry.” Tony sighed again, feeling like he was doing that a lot lately. “I’m fine.”

“How did Malibu actually go, Tony?” Rhodey asked, leaning over slightly. “I want to hear it from you.”

“It was great, actually. I feel the same as Pete about it.” Tony replied, silently wishing to be back in his mansion. “There were obviously ups and downs, but it was good. Less stressful. I figured out my shit with Pete, and believe me, I figured it out. Pep came, which was a bit of a mess, but I figured that out too."

“That’s good to hear, Tones.” Rhodey smiled, squeezing his hand. “I can tell you’re whipped for the kid. Parenting looks good on you.”

“Funny, Pepper said the same thing.” Tony said, not even bothering to hide it anymore. “Never thought I’d have to act like a Dad.”

“He even calls you Daddy. When did that start?” Rhodey asked, the two of them sparing a glance to Peter. There was no sign that the kid was listening, but for all Tony knew, he was hearing every word they were saying. The ripping of his shirt was still present in his mind, which caused him to look down. He must look pretty stupid walking around with two holes in his shirt.

“A little after we got to Malibu.” Tony replied, looking away from his mess of a shirt. “He got the stomach flu a few weeks ago. That wasn’t great.”

“Shit, I bet it wasn’t.”

“I want to go back there, Rhodey. I hate being here.” There was a stretch of silence after that, and Tony had to look at his friend to see his reaction. Rhodey looked like Tony had just shot him, his face showing an expression that Tony couldn't really decipher. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You need to sleep.” Rhodey changed the subject, letting go of his hand and patted his knee. “You looked exhausted.”

“That’s because I am, platypus. I am. But, I don’t want to leave him." Tony looked over to Peter, who still showed no indication of hearing them. “Huh. Never thought I’d be emotionally attached to a kid, who isn’t really my kid, who isn’t really a baby.”

“You were attached to him when he was fifteen, Tony. You already thought of him as your child before all of this started. You’re both just oblivious.” Rhodey chuckled. “Like I said, parenting looks good on you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time.” Tony grumbled, feeling the ache in his chest beginning to ease. “I still don’t like changing diapers though.”

“Oh, I can imagine.” A pause. “Where’s Thor? FRIDAY said you were with him.”

“He just left to go for Loki.” Tony stated. “I don’t know how long it’s going take.”

“Everything’ll be fine, Tony.”

Tony let out a long, grim sigh.

“I hope so."

Chapter Text

It had been five days.

Five days, no Thor.

On the fourth day, Pepper came home. Peter had refused to let go of her for the first four hours she was back, clinging onto her just like been clinging onto all those other days, crying when anyone would attempt to remove him. Tony never tried, and it mostly being Happy and Rhodey who were trying to detach the kid from Pepper’s clothing. Unlike Tony, Peter didn’t rip her clothes up like he did his.

Truth be told, Tony had no clue what was going on with Peter’s spider powers. It might just have been that Peter really didn’t want to let go, or it was a one off moment where his powers came through. In the following days, there was no more abnormal strength from Peter, and there was no wall-climbing or sticking to the ceiling.

Peter also never indicated if he still had his heightened senses or not, but he seem to have no idea that Tony had spoken to Captain America, or that the Black Widow was currently on her way to the Compound. Maybe, he was just naturally a really strong kid that could rip up Tony's shirts when he really didn’t want to let go.

This was why Tony needed Bruce more than ever. He didn’t feel like trying to get any more blood samples from Peter, because that would just be traumatic for the both of them, and FRIDAY didn’t seem to know what was going on either. Every time Tony would ask, he would get the same answer.

“There is nothing abnormal in his vitals, and it would be recommended to take another blood test.”

Tony wasn’t getting that done until Bruce was here.

The time that Peter truly grew hysterical was when Tony left the room.

Tony hadn’t been expecting it, since the kid had been clinging onto Pepper since she had arrived, so he had decided after hours of trying and ignoring the budding jealousy to get up and have a shower. As soon as he had left the room, there was a strangled cry of disapproval, which sent him running straight back into the room in the fear that Peter had hurt himself somehow.

It was in that moment he realised he was actually becoming a bit of a helicopter parent. The amused look on his fiancé's face just confirmed it, causing him to roll his eyes.

Peter was still sat on Pepper’s lap, but now he was reaching out for Tony with one of the saddest looks on his face, his bottom lip wobbling. Tony headed over to them, sat down and held his kid’s hand. It seemed, that Peter didn't want to be without Tony or Pepper, and hardly kicked up a fuss when either Happy or Rhodey left the room.

Looks like Peter had his favourites.

So, the next day, the fifth day since Thor had left with that singular strand of Loki’s hair, Tony was currently sat in the bath with Peter, Pepper on the side trying to clean the kid off.

Tony had been flabbergasted when Peter demanded he get in with him, and had told the kid straight up that it wouldn’t be happening. Yet, here he was, in the bath getting his boxers all wet, with a naked toddler who seemed to be doing everything in his power to make Pepper have a hard time washing him. Tony could see the annoyance in her eyes, but decided not to comment.

“Peter, honey, can you just let me clean you? Then you can play.” Pepper tried reasoning for the thousandth time, before she sighed and leant against the side of the tub when Peter straight up ignored her. “What have you done to him, Tony? He’s so rude. You’ve turned him into you.”

It was lighthearted, Pepper obviously testing for a reaction. Peter’s head shot up, an offended pout appearing on his face, bottom lip pushing out as his head then whipped to face Pepper.

“Daddy good!”

Apparently, Peter was offended on Tony’s behalf and not his own.

“Daddy’s good, is he?” Pepper asked, smirking at Tony who rolled his eyes. She began to clean Peter while he was distracted, keeping up the conversation so he wouldn’t notice what she was doing. "You know, Peter, you act exactly like Tony. No wonder you’re so rude.”

“No’ rude!” Peter snapped, arms crossed defiantly. “You rude!”

“Oh, I’m rude?” Pepper asked, chuckling sweetly. “I can't wait to tell you about this conversation when you’re older.”

Somehow during all of that, Pepper had washed Peter’s body, and was now wetting his hair.

“No!”

“Oh, yes. Tony has a lot more stories than me, I’m sure.” Pepper said as she massaged the child shampoo in, Peter turning to Tony with an angered look, raising his arms in a silent demand to be held.

“Nope. Sorry buddy, not yet.” Tony poked the kid’s nose instead, smirking when Peter whined and smacked weakly at his hand. “Let Pepper wash your hair. Then we can get out of here and play in the living room. I’m getting cold, you know.”

Peter glared at him, but continued to let Pepper wash his hair.

Over the last five days, Peter seemed to become a lot happier since they arrived back in the Compound, which had been a good thing to lessen Tony’s worries about their visitors outside.

Tony still thought about them, obviously, and had FRIDAY keeping tabs on who left and entered the ship. The only person who had left was the girl who was definitely Thor’s new girlfriend, and that had only been for a few moments before she went back in. Whoever else they were hiding in there never came out, and Tony felt grateful.

What he didn’t know couldn’t hurt him.

Soon, Tony was finally out of the bath and was drying Peter down, which for some reason he refused to let Pepper do. He refused to let Pepper, or anyone else, diaper and dress him too. Tony found he had no problem with it as he taped up the diaper and put on a Spider-Man t-shirt with matching dark blue sweatpants.

Rhodey was in the living room when the trio entered, smiling softly at them as Tony set Peter down. Tony and Pepper sat side-by-side on the couch, holding hands, quietly observing Peter as he dragged Rhodey over to play with him. Tony didn’t miss how the kid glanced over at them every few minutes like they were going to disappear if he didn’t keep checking.

As there had been many changes since leaving Malibu, this seemed to be the biggest.

Pepper had been there for only ten minutes until her phone was ringing, and she was talking angrily into it seconds later. Tony didn’t listen to the conversation, only knowing that it would end in Pepper having to leave to fix something with SI.

When the phone call was over, she turned to him.

“I’m sorry, I have to go in for the day. There’s a problem with-”

“It’s fine.” Tony cut Pepper off, smiling sadly at her. “It’s fine, Pep.”

“I’ll be back tonight.” She replied and gave him a quick kiss. “I’m really sorry.”

Tony hadn’t noticed that Peter seemed to catch on to what was happening until the boy started to cry, both adults turning their heads to see Peter trying to peel himself away from Rhodey, who was holding him by the hips with a strained look on his face. Tony felt his heart clench painfully as Pepper headed over to his kid and knelt down to gently cradling his face. What she was saying, Tony couldn’t hear, but it seemed to make Peter cry harder and reach for her more forcefully.

Then, Pepper stood and turned away from Peter. With one final kiss on Tony’s forehead, Pepper made her way over to the lift and disappeared behind the doors. Rhodey only let go of Peter when he was sure the lift doors were closed, though Peter didn’t run to the lift. Instead, Peter ran straight over to Tony and shoved his thumb in his mouth, reaching up with his other hand. Tony lifted Peter into his arms, wiping at his tears sadly as the boy tried to self-soothe.

“Pepper’ll be back tonight, bud. It’s not like last time.”

“Wan’ Peppo now.” Peter mumbled around his thumb, free arm wrapped around Tony’s neck.

Rhodey came to sit next to them, a saddened expression on his face.

“Don’t you want to play with me anymore, Peter?”

Whatever Rhodey was trying to do, it seemed to work, because Peter seemed horrified at the man’s saddened tone.

“Pway?”

“Yeah. Don’t you want to keep playing?” Rhodey asked, pretending to wipe away a tear. “You’re making your Uncle Rhodey really sad. No one else wants to play with him.”

Tony’s eyebrows shot up.

“Uncle?”

Rhodey ignored him. “Tony doesn’t want to play with me. He’s a loser.”

Peter giggled through the tears, looking at Tony when he scoffed.

“Pway?”

“Knock yourself out.” Tony replied, rolling his eyes fondly. “Off you go, play with your... your Uncle.”

Rhodey sniggered. “Come on, kid.”

Peter slowly allowed himself to be lowered to the floor, wiping his tears away, slowly shuffling back over to his toys while Rhodey held his hand. Tony leant back with his hands under his head, staring up at the roof as laughter finally began to fill the room again.

However, Peter got tired and became cranky fairly quickly.

Tony currently held his kid, who sucked on his pacifier angrily as he stayed firmly planted in Tony’s lap, squeezing his Iron Man teddy so hard Tony wondered if the head might pop off. That would definitely cause some chaos, and if he was honest, they’d had enough of that recently.

“Come on, Peter, just go to sleep. You know you need it.” Tony sighed as he rubbed Peter’s back. Rhodey had left around an hour and a half ago, and ever since Peter had been showing signs of needing a nap. “Kiddie, what’s up with you lately?”

Peter didn’t answer, stubbornly turning his face into Tony’s chest while fisting his shirt.

“Why do you make such a fuss when I leave the room? You were okay with that when we were in Malibu.” Tony continued despite the way Peter ignoring him, hoping that if he kept asking questions the boy would eventually answer. “You gotta talk to me, bud. When you’re a teen again you better tell me what went through your tot mind. If you remember it, that is.”

Peter still didn’t answer and just pulled his face back out of Tony’s shirt and shifted around to get more comfortable.

“Are you even listening to me?” Tony asked, poking Peter’s side playfully. The kid squirmed, eyebrows furrowing in crankiness. “Either you sleep, or you talk to me.”

Peter huffed, reaching up to wipe his left eye with a clenched fist.

“Don’ wike here.”

“I know you don’t. Neither do I.” Tony replied, sighing. “But that’s not what I was asking.”

“Scared.” Peter whispered, pressing closer to Tony this time. “Don’ wan’ people ‘o see me.”

“Aw, shit, kid.” Tony looked away from Peter with a frown.

“Wan’ ‘o be big again.” Peter said next, which had been something he was mentioning a lot lately. Tony was beginning to wonder if it was his fault, that he was doing a bad job of looking after the kid and he wanted to get older again because of it. “Emb- embwassed.”

Tony had to smile at the way Peter completely butchered the word.

“Why are you embarrassed? None of this was your fault, you couldn’t help it.”

“You have ‘o look af’er Pe'er." Peter replied, reverting back to talking in third person. Tony wondered if that was a thing that kids did often. “Gwoss.”

“You’re not gross.” Tony shut down that thought immediately, focusing his attention back the tired toddler in his arms. “Like I said, you can’t help it.”

“Don’ care.” Peter grumbled, though he snuggled into Tony’s chest nonetheless.

“Is it ‘cause I’m doing a bad job? Is that it?” Tony couldn’t help but ask, no longer able to see Peter’s face.

“No.” Was the kid's simple and grumbled reply. “You a good Daddy.”

“Well, I’m glad then.”

It fell silent after that. Tony found himself lost in thinking about how there seemed to be both toddler and teenage Peter this time, being that they were talking about such a heavy topic but he was still being called Daddy. Tony never in a million years would’ve thought to be called Daddy by anybody. He was never even supposed to be a Dad.

The silence dragged on for a while, Peter’s body beginning to loosen as he fell asleep. Though, before he could fall asleep and Tony could get him into his bedroom, FRIDAY’s panicked voice came through the speakers of the living room. Tony had shot up so fast in fright when he heard his AI’s voice, startling Peter which caused him to whimper.

“Boss, I need to warn you that Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barton are currently in the lift on the way to your personal floor.” Tony's eyes almost fell out of his head, holding Peter tight against his chest as his blood ran cold. “I am unsure how they managed to slip past my security protocols, Sir. This is the first I have seen of them inside of the facility, and I am aware of some cameras down. I am suspecting that I have been compromised.”

“What?” Tony snapped as he got up from the couch. “Stop the lift! They can’t come up here. Lockdown protocol! Now!”

Tony was very aware of the way Peter was clinging onto him, the whimpers in his ear making Tony even more panicked. Peter was scared.

Natasha hadn’t come alone, of course she hadn’t. He had been naive to think she would.

Tony couldn’t see Steve again. He knew he would have to one day, but that day wasn’t supposed to be today. If Tony had it his way, he’d never see the super soldier again. He wasn’t ready to see Steve right now, nor Clint. He didn’t want them to see Peter.

“Ms. Romanoff has overridden the Lockdown Protocol, Sir. There is nothing I can do, I have been compromised. Would you like me to send a suit to you?” FRIDAY replied, her voice still panicked and confused. Tony couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“No. Not with Peter here, but have one ready. Get Rhodey.” Tony demanded, standing in the middle of his living room, completely panicked and having no idea what to do. He knew he could and should get a suit up here, but he couldn’t risk injuring Peter by accident. “God, fuck, FRIDAY! Do something!”

“I can’t!”

“Daddy?” Peter whined next. “Wha’s goin’ on?”

“Looks like you’re going to meet three Rogue Avengers.” Tony replied, his chest closing in on itself as he moved near the window, facing Peter outside. “Not as cool of a view as Malibu, huh?”

Peter’s eyes were watering, looking out the window for a few seconds before turning back to Tony.

“Cap’in Mewica hur’ Daddy.”

“Yes, he did.” Tony replied. In the background, he heard the lift ding. “God, Peter, I know he did. He’s not supposed to be here.”

“Tony?” Tony tensed, and so did Peter. Natasha’s voice. “Where are you?”

He could hear their footsteps, all six feet making their way closer and closer. Peter hid his face, Tony gently patting his padded bottom as he turned away from the window, not liking the sight of the spaceship in the corner of his vision. He turned around just in time to see all three Rogues walk into the room, Clint and Natasha’s arms crossed over their chests, Steve’s hands on his belt buckle. He saw all of their eyes widen at the same time, though Natasha concealed it more than the two men did.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing on my floor?” Tony snapped, letting the budding anger come out as he stared at his old friends and teammates who were not supposed to be here right now. It was easier to be angry than let the anxiety overwhelm him. “How did you override FRIDAY? Why are you two here?”

Clint smirked. Steve looked guilty.

“I told you to come alone!” Tony yelled, cringing when Peter tensed in his arms. “Sorry, baby.”

Once again, Tony was letting the pet name slip. Definitely not ideal in this situation.

“So you do have a kid.” Clint spoke up, tilting his head in fascination. “Never thought you of all people would end up being a father.”

“You don’t get to talk.” Tony growled, wishing Rhodey would hurry up and get here.

He hated the way Clint was looking at him. Tony hadn’t seen him since the Raft, and he sure as hell wasn’t expecting this to happen.

“Tony-” Steve started, but Tony cut him off.

“No. You don’t get to talk either. Especially you.” Tony snapped, turning his body so Peter was further away from the three intruders. Steve faltered, but said nothing else, his lips pressed into a thin line. “I need Natasha more than the two of you combined. This is for Bruce. This isn’t a playdate, idiots. Get out, you were never supposed to fucking be here!”

“What’re you going to do? Have Ross come down and send us back to jail?” Clint egged on, earning glares from Natasha and Steve.

“It wasn’t on my mind, but now that you mention it, certainly. If you would like that, then be my guest. Don’t think I don't know where you’ve been this entire time.” Tony scowled, his heart pounding in his chest. He heard the lift ding, relief immediately beginning to seep into his body. Rhodey came storming in soon after, rounding the three Ex-Avengers without even a look of surprise.

He came to stand in front of Peter and Tony, arms crossed over his chest.

“You have a lot of nerve coming here, Rogers.” Rhodey began. After a few weeks of hiding it, Tony had told Rhodey about what happened in Siberia. His friend had been furious with Steve, and any kind of redemption was gone for the super soldier. Tony had a faint feeling that even if he ended up forgiving Steve one day, Rhodey wouldn't. “You too, Barton. I was told Romanoff was the only spy to be coming.”

“I can’t believe this!” Clint laughed without any humour, rolling his eyes and throwing his arms up in exasperation.

“Believe it. Get out. You’re not welcome here anymore.” Rhodey sneered.

Tony took this movement to get a look at Steve. The man looked completely different to what he remembered.

His hair was longer, he had a full beard, and in all, he just looked depressed. Tony couldn’t help but think the Captain deserved it. He then looked at Natasha, who now had blonde hair. It looked weird on her, and he hardly recognised the three faces in front of him right now.

“You three should not be on this floor, or in this building, for a matter of fact.”

“I need to talk to Tony.” Natasha spoke up, Tony’s eyes moving to her as she completely disregarded Rhodey's words. She didn’t look the least bit guilty about bringing the two men with her, and this is what told Tony that she had been planning this all along. Surprise, surprise. Tony had been lied to again. “It’s about Bruce. Nothing else.”

“I thought I was the only one with kids, but here we go. Stark’s a Daddy.” Clint again, his voice raising, making Peter tense up. “We didn't believe the news at first. You can hardly look after yourself let alone a-”

“Shut the fuck up.” Tony replied, rubbing Peter's back when he began to shake. “Romanoff stays. You two, out. Get out of my Compound.”

“Wow, swearing in front of a child.” Clint said, a silent undertone of judgement seeping into his statement.

“I wanted to-” Steve tried again, completely ignoring Clint, but Tony shook his head and cut him off a second time.

“No. You do not get a say in this, Rogers. Get the fuck out. You seemed to love running away from your problems in Siberia." Steve’s face contorted, and both spies looked at him with slightly confused eyes. Tony laughed drily, beginning to bounce Peter subtly when he realised the boy was beginning to cry very, very quietly. They were all dead for making Peter cry. “Oh, don't tell me you haven’t told them what happened. Y’know, the whole Barnes-killed-my-parents thing, or, even better, you destroying the suit's arc reactor with your shield? I honestly thought you were going to go for my head. Then, you left me there for dead, like any good friend.”

Peter’s head shot up, tear-stained and snotty, fear evident in his expression. Tony realised his mistake instantly, only taking a moment to bask in the horror on both Natasha and Clint’s faces as they looked at the guilty Steve between them. He was soon distracted by Peter, who was blubbering out words that Tony could hardly understand.

“Daddy almos’ d-die?” Hiccup. “Didn’ ‘ell Pe’er?”

Peter’s face was crumpling, telling Tony that he was about to cry even louder. His heart was breaking, feeling his own eyes beginning to burn at the horrified look on his face. Even if he had zero experience with kids, he knew no toddlers should have that look on their face.

“You told us Stark took off Barnes’ arm and left!” Clint snapped, though he still turned to glare at Tony as if he didn’t believe it. “Tell me Stark’s lying like he always is.”

Rhodey started yelling after that, though Tony found himself tuning it out as Peter began talking some more.

“Cap’in Mewica almos’ kill Daddy!" Peter actually wailed, causing silence to dawn over the room as Tony fought back his own emotions. He glared at the Rogues and turned around so his back was to them, ignoring his own pounding heart and increasing panic as he worked on trying to console Peter.

“Shh, Petey, it’s okay.” Tony's voice was shaking, the presence of his old friends behind him not doing anything to help. “I’m fine. I’m alive, baby, it’s fine. Don’t cry."

Peter sobbed into his neck, chubby arms wrapped around his neck in a tight hug. He cringed when he felt that Peter’s pants were a little wet, signifying that the diaper had probably leaked. That only seemed to have happened once so far, back on the plane on the way to Malibu, and this was the worst possible time it could have happened.

Tony was feeling so overwhelmed he was tearing up even more, Peter’s crying and Rhodey’s yelling making him feel even more stressed out.

What had started off as a good day had turned into a shit one real fast, and Tony had no idea how to handle it.

He hadn’t realised when Rhodey quietened down, and he hadn’t realised when the Rogues had left the room. He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder, fully prepared to turn around and swing at the person until they spoke.

“It’s Rhodey.” Tony relaxed instantly and let his friend turn him around. Rhodey’s face contorted when he saw Tony’s. “They’re not here anymore, I’ve sent them down to my floor. You talk to Natasha when you’re ready, alright, Tones? You don’t even need to talk to her. She can bring Bruce back and go without you having to see her again.”

“Fuck, Rhodey.” Tony heaved, Peter still crying into his neck, but with less intensity.

He let his friend bring him into a hug, Peter squished between them, and like Tony, the kid seemed to absorb all of the comfort from the hug. Tony didn’t let himself cry, and instead pressed his face into Rhodey’s collarbone as the man kept his arms wrapped around the both of them.

It was amazing how fast things could turn to hell. Tony could hardly believe that any of that had just happened, and found himself just wishing that Pepper would be coming back soon.

After a few long minutes of standing there in Rhodey’s embrace, Tony broke it off.

“I gotta change the kid.”

“Yeah, sure, go ahead.” Rhodey replied, smiling softly but sadly. “I’ll let Pepper know what’s happened.”

Tony nodded and wiped away the few tears that did manage to slip before he left the room.

He laid Peter on the changing table despite the kid’s efforts to stay clinging to him, chewing on his lip to keep himself from letting his emotions go when he saw the look on his boy’s face. Like Tony, Peter looked absolutely wrecked.

Tony quickly got the wet pants off of Peter, then the diaper, placing both aside as he cleaned the kid up. Peter sniffled and hiccuped through the task, fingers lodged in his mouth as Tony got the clean diaper on him. He didn’t bother with pants, not having the patience to go look for them as he lifted Peter back into his arms and gave the boy a tight hug.

“That was scary.” Tony mumbled into Peter’s hair. “You won’t have to see them again, I promise.”

He took Peter over to the bed and laid down with him on his chest.

“I think we both deserve a nap after that. What do you think, Pete?”

“Peppo.” Peter whispered.

“She’ll be back soon.” Tony had a sneaking suspicion that she would be back quicker than she had originally anticipated once she found out what was going on.

And of course, Tony was right, and he was woken some time later by Pepper’s hand carding through his hair. He didn’t remember falling asleep, blinking through the blur in his eyes as he looked up at his fiancé. Pepper looked furious and terrified at the same time, Peter still snoozing and oblivious in his arms.

“I heard what happened.” Pepper whispered after she gave Tony a kiss. “Let me get them out of here.”

“No.” Tony shook his head. Despite how much he claimed to hate them, Tony still didn’t want to see them behind bars again. It was too much, they had been his friends once, and he found it would hurt him more if he was the reason they were put back on the Raft. “Just… just let Nat fix Bruce, then they’ll be out of here.”

“I hope so.” Pepper replied, frowning. “I hate what they’re making you feel.”

“Me too, honey. Me too.” Tony mumbled, finding himself wanting to go back to sleep. “I’ll figure it out later.”

“I’ll make some dinner. You should rest some more.” She leant down and kissed his forehead. “Let me look after you boys for tonight. You both deserve a break.”

“Thanks.” Tony tiredly returned her smile. “You know I love you, right?”

“Yes, you tell me every day.” Pepper rolled her eyes, still smiling. “Sleep, Tony. I love you too.”

Tony would have liked to think he fell asleep straight away, but in all honesty, it took him another half hour to fully relax to be able to fall unconscious again. Peter didn’t wake up or even stir the whole time, and Tony found himself feeling grateful. The kid needed a good rest just as much as he did.

He would figure everything out later.

However, he wished he didn’t have to.

Chapter Text

Tony was currently staring at himself in the mirror, a last ditch attempt to make sure he looked as put together as he usually did.

He was clad in a normal black suit, looking neat, sunglasses perched on his nose shielding his eyes. Tony masked his feelings by wiping a hand down his face before leaving inserting his earpiece that connected him to FRIDAY and the goings on inside of the Compound. With that, he left the bathroom to see Pepper sitting on their bed with a gentle, but strained, smile on her face.

Peter was out with May again for the day, since Tony had shit to deal with, and he didn’t want Peter anywhere near it.

He was going to get Bruce back today, and he did not want his child anywhere near any potentially violent and angry Hulks. Again. They had been too close last time, even if nothing drastic had actually happened. Tony didn’t want to take any chances, and he shouldn’t have taken that one in the first place.

He had called May last minute, and she had managed to free her day so she could take Peter out and away from the Compound. Tony ended up telling her everything that was going on, and she had been more than happy to take Peter away from it all. She even offered, if needed, for the kid to stay the night at the apartment while he figured everything out and got the Rogues out of his Compound.

Tony didn’t know how to feel about May treating him like he really was Peter’s father. It was the things like asking his permission, letting her nephew stay with him in Malibu, supporting him when he almost cracked because Peter was crying for him to come with them that felt so parental.

Tony knew he had changed so much since he first found Peter in that disgusting alleyway in his tiny Spider-Man suit. May treating him like this just confirmed it all.

“You know you don’t have to be there, right?” Pepper broke his train of thought, holding his hand when he stopped to stand in front of her. “I don’t want you to be there.”

“I’m not going in there.” Tony replied, looking away from his future wife, pretty much hiding behind his sunglasses at this point. “I’ll be waiting outside. There is no way I’m going inside of that ship unless they desperately need me, which I doubt.”

Tony had managed to snag Valkyrie when she had been hovering at the doors of the ship to let her know what was going to happen. Tony wasn’t going to lie, the woman intimidated him, and he’d rather avoid her than talk to her. It felt like she scrutinised his every move, which wasn’t so far fetched now that he thought about it, and it was pretty obvious she didn’t trust him very much.

Clearly, Valkyrie was only tolerating him for Thor.

“I understand.” Pepper replied, brushing her thumb over his knuckles. “Just let me know when everything’s okay, alright? I hate seeing you like this. Peter hates seeing you like this, even if he’s not thinking like he usually would. Tony, are you sure you want to go see them?”

“I’m not seeing them.” Tony spat, but his anger wasn’t directed towards Pepper, and she seemed to know it. “I’m only seeing Natasha, not the other two. At least, not yet.”

“Good.” Pepper said, sounding a little distant. “I trust her more than Rogers and Barton.”

Tony thought back to all those years ago when Natasha had been undercover. Pepper and Natasha had been friends back then, and probably for a few years after that. Now, however, Tony could sense his fiancé’s hostility towards the redhead.

It made him sad, if he was honest.

He missed how the team used to be. Friends.

“I don’t trust any of them right now.” Tony replied despite his melancholy thoughts, still not looking at her. “This is for Bruce and Peter only, not them.”

“You’ve changed.” Pepper commented, causing Tony to look down at her. “It’s a good change, parenting. I like seeing this side of you.”

“As I’ve been told.” Tony mumbled, not being able to meet her eye, but he still appreciated the compliment. “Peter wasn’t supposed to know about Siberia, especially in the state he’s in right now.”

“You’ll be able to talk about it with him when he’s older, Tony.” Pepper said, still squeezing his hand and caressing his knuckles. “Peter adores you. He wouldn’t love you any less for not telling him sooner. He’d understand why you didn’t.”

“I know, you’re probably right.” Tony took a deep breath. “But Pep, I didn’t want him to know at all. He used to worship the Avengers.”

“There’s nothing we can do to change that now. He knows now, which is just something else you’ll have to talk about with him. Like I said, Peter will understand.” Pepper pushed him back gently so she could stand, now holding both his hands in hers. “Even if he’s angry at first, it won’t last long. He loves you a lot more than the rest of the Avengers and I don’t think you’ve quite realised that yet.”

Tony, suddenly overcome with emotion, had to look away to try stop himself from tearing up.

“I have to go and see Nat.”

Pepper nodded, then kissed his cheek.

“You will get your friend back.”

“I hope so.” Tony kissed his fiancé's cheek in return. “I’ll see you soon. Love you.”

“I love you too.”

Then, they parted. Pepper stayed back in their room, Tony not looking back as he made his way over to the lift, fists clenched by his sides as he stepped in.

It was now or never.

“To the garage, Fri.”

FRIDAY obeyed without comment, Tony staring at himself in the reflection as he pushed all signs of tears back, making sure his sunglasses covered his eyes properly.

He put on his practiced blank face, inhaling deeply and exhaling just as the lift came to a stop. Tony stepped out before the doors were fully opened and immediately spotted Natasha stood by his Audi, not another soul to be seen in the garage. FRIDAY had all the interns and other important people locked out of the garage, and no one would be able to override the protocol until he lifted it.

Tony walked over to her, his hands in his pant pockets to hide the slight trembling. Natasha looked up upon his arrival, her face just as blank as Tony’s, hiding her raw emotions. However, there was something in her eyes that Tony couldn’t quite figure out. He ignored it.

Tony stopped in front of his old friend.

“Romanoff.”

“Tony.” Natasha replied and straightened. “About yesterday-”

“No. I don’t want to hear it.” Tony snapped. “We’re not here to talk about that. This is for Bruce. Once he’s back, you and your little criminals will be leaving my Compound. This isn’t a holiday retreat.”

“As I am aware.” Natasha replied coldly, already beginning to walk away from him. Whatever look she had in her eyes was gone, and all there was was resentment. Tony felt like he’d just ruined his chance of rekindling his friendship with Natasha for good this time. “Let’s get this over with then, Stark.”

Tony had struck a nerve.

He wanted to feel good, but he felt guilty.

It was silent as the two of them exited the Compound, once again using the trees as coverage.

Silently, he wished that Thor was here. Thor could be on the other side of the universe right now for all he knew, and there was no telling how long it was going to take for him to return with his asshole of a brother. Thor was more capable of handling an angry Hulk than all of them, and honestly, Tony just wanted his friend with him.

Even in their short interactions, Thor had become one of the few people that Tony trusted right now.

“Why did they come with you?” Tony eventually spoke up, eyes trained on the ground.

“They insisted.” Natasha replied as she stepped over a large fallen branch. “They wanted to see you and the kid, and they also didn’t want me to make my way here alone. Like you said, I’m a criminal.”

Tony tensed, a scowl already forming on his face. He’d only really focussed on the first part of her words.

“Excuse me?”

Natasha stared at him for a moment before she rolled her eyes.

“Come on, Tony. The whole world is curious why you’re suddenly taking children to your Malibu mansion, even we are.” Tony clenched his fists, lips pressed in a firm line as Natasha continued to speak. "We were curious, and Steve and Clint wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

“You don’t get to see my kid again.” Tony snapped, then kicked a bunch of leaves out of frustration. “You shouldn’t even fucking be here.”

There was a longer silence this time, and the only sound was the faint tweeting of birds and Tony’s heavy breathing.

Natasha glanced at him, her eyebrows furrowed, before she broke the silence.

“What has happened to you, Tony? I didn’t think we left off on such a bad foot.” Natasha conveyed nothing of how she was feeling in her tone, but Tony knew her well enough to tell that she was hurt by his behaviour. “You can’t blame us for being curious. It’s been over two years since we left, and you’re seen with a child who could be around two. No one would have expected you to be a father, especially Clint. It makes sense. You were broken up with Pepper, and the kid is two-years-old, and don’t tell me you're not surprised we think you went off the rails after St-”

“What happened to you?” Tony growled through clenched teeth, cutting Natasha off. His heart pounded with hurt and guilt as he spoke. “It’s none of your damn business, or Clint’s, who my son is.”

“I never wanted this!” Natasha snapped. “I know you refuse to accept it, but I still care about you. We care. You’re hurt, I know, Tony. I know. You might all hate each other right now, but there will be a time where we need to come together again. You know it too.”

Tony looked away, only for his muscles to tense when he saw the ship coming into view.

“I shouldn’t have betrayed your trust and brought Clint and Steve, but it happened. You have to get over it.” Natasha continued. “I know you still care, too, because you know we’ve been hiding out in Wakanda and you’ve said nothing to Ross.”

Tony got over the broken trees easier this time, given that he didn’t have a child in his arms and could use his hands for leverage.

“I know you care about this kid too. I’ve never seen you act the way you do around him. Who is the mother?” Natasha asked, her tone still blunt as ever.

Tony resisted the urge to turn around and kick her backwards over a log.

What Natasha was saying to him was right. Tony did still care. He loved Natasha, he loved all of them. The Avengers had been his team, his friends. But of course, they screwed him over, like almost everyone in Tony’s life. Right now, maybe more than ever, his trust issues were at their high.

“There’s no mother because he’s not my kid.” Tony snapped as he jumped down to the ground from a bigger log. “You don’t get to ask that question.”

“None of us knew what Steve did, by the way.” Natasha changed the topic, still walking alongside him as they approached the ramp to the ship. “He told us it was true last night. Tony, I can tell he regrets it. He hasn’t been Steve since he left you behind in Siberia. When he found out you had a kid, it made him look even more guilty. Clint and I, we had no idea.”

Tony scoffed humourlessly.

“He’s not sorry. All I got was that little half-assed note and flip phone. He left me for dead in that bunker. I went to help them, Natasha. Finding out that Barnes killed my parents was the fucking breaking point. Don’t talk to me about Steve being sorry, and Peter has nothing to do with it.”

Shit.

“You still kept that phone.” Natasha mumbled, storming ahead of him, seemingly ignoring Tony's accidental name-dropping. “If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t have kept it. Steve always had his on him, just in case you called.”

It hurt, hearing those words. Tony couldn’t stand it.

So, he lashed out.

“You know he’ll always pick Barnes, right?” Tony said, staring at her back. He wouldn’t be surprised at this point if Natasha turned around at punched him in the face. “If it was between you and Barnes, he would pick Barnes. No question.”

“I know.” It was Natasha’s turn to spit, whirling around to face him. “I’m here to help you, Tony. I’ve said everything I can to you, and I’m sorry that things turned out the way they did. I know you didn’t deserve to be left behind in that bunker, but it happened. You know I had nothing to do with it.”

Tony didn’t answer, and Natasha huffed.

“I’m here to do your job for you, Tony. I thought you would at least be a bit appreciative.”

“My job? You’re the only one who gets through to him.”

Natasha didn’t answer him, because someone else was stomping down the ramp. Tony looked over to see that it was Valkyrie, arms crossed and hair draped over her shoulders. She looked intimidating, as usual, eyeing Natasha up and down with unimpressed eyes. She then turned to Tony, and he was shocked when she gave him the faintest of smiles.

“Stark.” She greeted, before the smile fell and she returned her unimpressed gaze to Natasha. “Is this who will be seeing the Hulk?”

“Yep.” Tony replied, looking at the now-blonde behind his sunglasses. “Nat, meet Valkyrie. Valkyrie meet Nat.”

“My name isn’t actually Valkyrie, you know.” She stated while rolling her eyes. “The Lord of Thunder never bothered to ask.”

Lord of Thunder?

Before Tony could even ask what her actual name was, Valkyrie turned around and gestured for Natasha to follow.

“Follow me. Stark will be staying behind.”

“What? Why?” Natasha asked, her eyes narrowed in Tony’s direction.

“You’re the only one who gets through to him.” He repeated without looking at her. “There’s no use for me in there.”

And he was scared shitless. But Natasha didn’t need to know that.

Tony didn’t look up again until he was sure they had entered the ship. He backed away from the ramp and decided to sit on one of the fallen trees to wait for their return.

It was quite peaceful, just sitting there listening to the birds chirp. Though it did nothing to calm his thoughts as they drifted off to Peter, and before he could comprehend what he was doing, he was asking FRIDAY to call May for him. He drummed his fingers absently on his knee as he listened to the rings, kicking at a few dying leaves on the ground. She didn’t pick up.

Tony asked FRIDAY to call again.

This time, May picked up after the third ring, her worried voice echoing through the earpiece.

“Tony, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” Tony replied, now beginning to pick at his pants. “The Hulk situation is being worked on. How’s Pete?”

There was a distinctive sigh of relief from the other end of the phone.

“Peter’s doing okay, I’ve invited Ned over again, he seems to be enjoying himself. He doesn't look as happy as he has been with me, though. Very fussy.”

“Fussy.” Tony repeated, the word doing nothing to tell him what was wrong with Peter.

“Peter’s been pretty angry and reluctant to do things today. He refused to let me change him for almost half an hour.”

“Oh.” Tony replied, looking absently over to the ship. He couldn't hear anything from inside just yet, and he was hoping he wouldn’t. “Do you know why?”

“I think he just misses you.” May sounded fond. “I knew he was attached before this all happened, but he seems to have gotten even more. He likes to talk about Malibu a lot with us. He’s a lot more open than when I looked after him.”

“Oh, that’s good, I guess. What is he doing now?” Tony asked, mostly just to distract himself. He still had Steve and Clint to deal with, and he was pretty sure he would end up having to see them again even if he didn’t want to. “Any more tantrums?”

“He’s playing with Ned. No, just a few little fits that I can handle. Peter was always fussy as a child, so I’m kind of used to it.” May chuckled lightly. “When will Happy and I have him back to you?”

“Eight.” Tony hoped the situation would be solved by then. It was currently almost twelve, so that allowed plenty of time before he would have the kid back in his care. "Should be enough time to figure everything out. If not, Pete might have to have a little sleepover.”

“Alright, either is alright with me. I got tomorrow’s shifts covered just in case.” May said, the two sitting in silence for a few minutes. “I better let you go.”

“Yeah, alright.” Tony answered, brushing some dust that had gotten onto his pants off of the fabric. “Bye. Thanks for looking after him.”

“Of course, Tony. I’ve done this his whole life.” Tony cringed, but May’s tone was gentle. “See you later.”

Tony let out a deep breath through his nose when May hung up, letting his thoughts drift off to what Steve and Clint could be doing. FRIDAY would have let him know through his earpiece if the two had made an attempt to leave the Compound unannounced, and would promptly prevent them from doing so until Bruce was back.

If Ross knew what he was doing behind his back, Tony was sure he would end up in that floating prison just like the others had.

“Fir, update on our two guests?” Tony asked, keeping his voice low even though there wasn’t anyone around him that could be listening.

“Captain Rogers and Mr. Barton are still positioned on Mr. Rhodes’ floor. Mr. Rhodes is very persistent on not letting them leave until he has your permission. Captain Rogers has tried multiple times to contact you, Sir. I detect that he is indeed feeling remorseful.”

“Tell him he can go fuck himself.” Tony replied in a heartbeat. At the same time, Natasha’s words echoed in his mind. Guilt made his stomach churn. “Have they been asking about Peter?”

“I will give that message to him.” If it were possible, FRIDAY could have almost sounded distasteful and amused at the same time. “Indeed. Would you like me to play some audio feed from Mr. Barton last night?”

Tony paused for a moment to think about it.

“Sure.”

“I can’t believe Stark has a kid. Can you believe it?” It was unclear who the spy was talking to. “How is it that I can’t go home and see my wife and my kids, while Stark can live in his fancy fucking penthouse and take his private jets across the country. Stark will never change, and I worry about that child. We don’t need another Tony walking among us.”

Tony wanted to be angry, and he was, but he was mostly hurt.

This time, Natasha’s voice came through his earpiece.

“Clint, you saw how Tony was with the child. He would never do anything to intentionally hurt his son, or any child. You’re being irrational.”

"I don’t care if it’s irrational, Nat. You know that bastard’s history. Who’s to say he won’t abandon that kid like he abandoned us-”

“That’s enough. Tony mumbled, the audio cutting off as soon as he spoke. “Also tell Barton he can go fuck himself too.”

“I am not sure I will use such language.” FRIDAY replied, almost in a comforting tone. “But I will get the message across. Is there anything else you would like me to do?”

“How is the crime rate in Queens?” Tony asked. He had no idea how the city was fairing in the absence of Spider-Man.

There was still no sounds coming from the ship, and he began to wonder if maybe this would go down quietly.

“Since Spider-Man’s disappearance, the crime rate in Queens has raised significantly. Many people have taken to social media to question the absence of Spider-Man, and are beginning to wonder if it has anything to do with the Avengers or yourself, Boss.” FRIDAY stopped for a few moments to let Tony digest the information. “The number of muggings, shoplifting and instances including weapons has skyrocketed since Spider-Man disappeared. Many citizens are complaining, though most are worried.”

Tony didn’t say anything. FRIDAY didn’t say anything else either, so Tony resumed just sitting in silence and waited for something to happen.

He found it nauseating just sitting there, out in the open, just waiting. Tony hated waiting, and he had no idea if anything was going well inside that fucking ship. Maybe he should have gone inside with them no matter how scared he was.

After what felt like hours, which turned out being only half an hour later, Tony heard a loud boom come from inside of the ship. The sudden sound made him jump and almost fall backwards right off of the log from fright.

Afterwards, it was silent for about a second until a loud roar echoed out of the ship, which sent the birds that had been in the trees flying into the sky out of fear. Tony’s insides curled painfully, anxiety thrumming through his veins as similar sounds followed the first.

This continued for a few minutes, and then it went completely silent. Tony was sat there, impatiently waiting for something else to happen, chewing on his fingernails as he did so. It had to be another hour, or maybe less, before people became visible in the shadows from the ship.

He saw Valkyrie first. She stopped at the top of the ramp as Tony stood up, still not removing his sunglasses as he watched two other people move out from the ship. Natasha was next, and Tony’s mouth was falling open when he saw who was wrapped up in a blanket next to her, arm around her small shoulders.

Bruce Banner.

It had worked.

Bruce’s eyes widened when he saw Tony. Tony had no idea how to react as he stood there with his mouth ajar. For the first time since he had gotten dressed, he removed his sunglasses and ran a hand through his hair as he looked at his old friend.

“Tony.” Bruce said as he moved away from Natasha and began to stumble down the ramp. Tony didn’t move any closer until the man was off of the ramp. There was nothing else said as Bruce embraced him, the blanket thankfully not revealing anything as he opened his arms. Tony took a few more moments to respond, numbly wrapping his arms around his friend.

They stood like this for a while, Tony completely ignoring the presence of Natasha as Valkyrie disappeared into the ship.

It wasn’t that long before Tony found himself back inside of the garage. She turned around when she stepped in, her hard gaze settling onto Tony. As angry as she looked, Tony could now recognise the sadness in her eyes.

“I guess I won’t be seeing you again?”

“You won’t.” Tony replied, crossing his arms, unable to meet her eye. “Don’t come back. I would hate to see Ross put you all in jail.”

It was a false threat. He wouldn’t do it, he didn’t have the guts.

“Remember the phone, Tony.” Natasha replied, Tony’s heart jumping. “Steve wants to make things right, I know he does. So do I. Just please remember that you have that phone. Goodbye, Stark.”

FRIDAY closed the doors as soon as Natasha had said goodbye, and that was the last time Tony would be seeing Natasha for what was probably going to be a long time.

Bruce seemed completely confused by Tony’s reluctance to Natasha, which was understandable now that Tony thought about it. The man had been MIA as the Hulk for over two years now. Tony said nothing and stepped into the lift when it returned to the garage, Bruce following him.

“I have a feeling that I’ve missed something.” Bruce asked as the lift began to ascend. Tony was staring at himself in the reflection, his sunglasses back on and hiding his eyes. Right how, found himself craving to see his kid again. He missed Peter’s company, and along with that, being with Peter helped his anxiety. “Why were you and Nat so hostile with each other? Where is everyone else?”

Tony also couldn’t help but miss the company of teen Peter too.

But he couldn’t have both.

“Tony?” Tony had zoned out.

“What was that?”

“Why are you and Nat so hostile?” Bruce was looking at him. “Where are we going? We’ve already gone past the-”

“My floor. We need to have a chat, and I need to fill you in.” Tony replied, scratching behind his ear. “A lot has happened since you took off.”

“Is everyone there?” Bruce asked, most likely talking about the Avengers. He also looked shocked, which suggested to Tony that Bruce was confused why he was being let on Tony's private floor. Even Bruce had never been on it while he was here. “Where’s Thor? He wasn't on the ship.”

“Thor’s out looking for his brother.” The doors slid open, and he took the lead and walked into his penthouse.

Tony had completely forgotten about all the baby stuff that was thrown all over the place, turning back just in time to see Bruce’s wide-eyed look. The man covered it well when he noticed Tony looking, though Tony could see the millions of questions floating around in his eyes.

“The Avengers aren’t here anymore. Soon, Romanoff, Rogers and Barton will be leaving. Only Nat was supposed to be there, but of cause she brought the others with her.”

Tony led Bruce into the kitchen, ignoring that the man only had a blanket, also ignoring the quizzical expression on the other man's face.

“Coffee?”

“Yeah, sure.” Bruce replied, Tony turning his back to him. “What do you mean they’re leaving?”

“Fri, send a message to May to say it’s sorted out, and tell Rhodey to get those bastards out of this Compound before Peter comes home. I don’t want to see them anymore." Tony whispered lowly enough so that he hoped Bruce wouldn’t hear. “You see, Brucie, we’re not on good terms at the moment. The Avengers broke up.”

“Broke up? What, like the Beetles?” Tony didn’t laugh as he poured the coffees, turning around to lead Bruce into his bomb site of a living room. Again, Bruce’s eyes were wide at the toys all over the room, though he said nothing as he sat to the left of Tony on the armchair. “What’s all this stuff? Have you… have you and Pepper…?”

“No.” Tony denied and pulled his sunglasses off. “We didn’t. It’s a little hard to explain.”

“So you do have a baby, then? A baby that’s not Pepper’s? Are you and Pepper even still together?” Bruce asked, seemingly forgetting the whole Avengers situation momentarily.

“Yes, we’re together. Engaged, actually.” Tony took a sip of his coffee and chose to ignore the dubious look Bruce gave him. “He’s not mine. I know how unbelievable this sounds, but he’s supposed to be a teenager.”

Silence. “Well, congratulations on the engagement, but what?”

“Loki used his magic to de-age my k- my intern. I’ve been looking after him since, and Thor is out looking for that asshole right now. Kid’s at his Aunt’s, he’ll be back here in a few hours. I was hoping you'd be able to do some tests on him?”

“Um, alright. Sure.” Bruce replied, still looking baffled. “How old is he?”

“Around two. He used to be fifteen.”

“You have a fifteen-year-old intern? I didn’t think Stark Industries took high schoolers?”

“Yes.”

Bruce gave him another look that told Tony he didn’t believe him in the slightest. There was more silence as the two downed their coffees, until Bruce spoke up once again.

“What happened between the Avengers?”

“I’ll have to show you the Accords later. That’s what split us apart.” Tony clenched his fists to stop them from shaking, not liking having to talk about everything that had happened. “We fought. You can decide whether you want to sign the Accords or not.”

“You fought.” Bruce repeated, placing his cup on the coffee table. “About the Accords?”

“Yes. They’ve been on the run for two years. They’re only here now because I needed Natasha to get you back, and she was strictly supposed to come alone. But, she brought those two idiots who messed everything up and traumatised my kid.”

“Shit.” Bruce mumbled, scratching his neck with what looked like guilt. “I shouldn't have left, should I?”

“You didn’t really have a choice in that, the Hulk decided that for you. Speaking of, why can’t you transform back from the Hulk anymore?”

“I don’t know. Something’s changed.” Bruce was now the one sighing, shaking his head. “I don't know.”

“I missed you.” Tony spoke up after a few more seconds of silence. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“I missed you too.” Bruce smiled very slightly before his eyes raked over the room, which was still covered in Peter's toys. “I still can’t believe you have a kid.”

“I don’t have a kid.”

“Yes you do, Tony. You even called him your kid.”

He had, hadn’t he?

It was hours after Bruce’s return when Tony was alerted that Peter, May and Happy were back at the Compound. Bruce had gone down to the communal floor, to get himself changed and cleaned up. He would be seeing the Rogues after that.

Tony had thought long and hard on the decision, and ended up deciding against seeing them again. He didn’t think he could handle looking into the guilty eyes of Steve Rogers again, or Barton’s eyes full of hatred. He couldn’t.

Tony knew they were still there in Rhodey’s floor. Rhodey had FRIDAY tell him that they refused to leave until they spoke with Tony, which was more explicitly just Steve, because Tony hardly believed that Natasha and Clint were dying to talk to him again.

Or, maybe they were dying to catch a glimpse of Peter again. Tony ignored Steve’s demands and told FRIDAY that they had to be out before morning, or else he would call Ross to get them sorted.

Though, Tony didn’t really want to sell them out to the authorities.

But he would have to if they were endangering Peter, which, they were.

“Boss, I would like to alert you that May Parker, Mr. Hogan and Young Peter are currently making their way to your floor. Peter appears to be in distress.” Tony’s interest was spiked at the latter of the sentence, straightening up from where he had been dozing on the couch.

After Bruce left, he didn’t have the willpower to drag himself down into the lab. Pepper was out, and Tony had a sneaking suspicion that she was giving him space after the whole Hulk thing.

“What’s happening?” Tony asked his AI, pushing himself up from the couch and made his way over to the lift.

“Young Peter appears to be unable to stop crying. I am unsure of the problem.”

It wasn’t long before the doors opened to reveal a red-faced baby, a panicked May, and an annoyed Happy. Peter wasn’t in May’s arms, like Tony would have expected, but was on the floor with his tiny hand in hers, Iron Man teddy his other arm and his pacifier hanging off of a clip on his shirt.

“What’s going on?” Tony asked, his mouth open slightly at the sight in front of him.

As if his voice had been a trigger, Peter’s cries stopped immediately. Peter was staring at him, his mouth shut, his brown eyes filled with tears. In the blink of an eye, the boy pulled his hand from May’s grip and reached up for Tony, his bottom lip wobbling as if he were about to break down all over again. Tony kneeled down, letting the kid wrap his arms around his neck. “Oh, buddy. What’s all these tears for, hm?”

“Missed you.” Peter mumbled into his collarbone, Tony grunting slightly as he pushed himself into a standing position. He shared a glance with both May and Happy, the two looking collectively flabbergasted.

“You shouldn’t cry over me like that, kiddo.” Tony mumbled, chewing on his lip a little. May stepped forward and began to rub Peter’s back while Tony head him. May also rested a hand on Tony’s arm that was around Peter’s back, sending him a soft smile. Tony gave her a small, shaky one, before turning back to Peter. “Hey, Pete, guess who you’re going to be meeting soon?”

Peter’s only answer was a small shrug. He kept his face smushed into Tony’s shoulder.

“Well, a certain scientist who turns into a giant green rage monster is a few floors below us.”

Peter’s head popped out then, Tony wincing at all of the snot and tears all over his face.

“B-Bwuce Banner?”

“Yeah buddy. Bruce.” Tony replied, hoping his smile wasn’t as strained as it felt. Right now, Bruce was downstairs with the Rogue Avengers. “He’s so excited to meet you.”

Peter jabbed a little thumb at his own chest, panting heavily with excitement. “Me?”

“Yes, you, silly.” Tony wiped some of his tears. “Enough of these tears. How was your day?”

And with that, Peter began to shakily list off everything he had done that day, May interrupting in certain parts. Tony did not like the way that woman was looking at him.

When May was about to step back into the lift, she grabbed Tony’s hand and held it for a few seconds, rubbing his knuckles so comfortingly Tony could have cried right then and there. This woman should hate. She should hate him for putting her nephew in danger.

“I knew you’d be a good Dad. He needed it, and I know he will still need it when he’s back to being a teenager again.”

Tony couldn’t find the words to reply, so his mouth just hung open awkwardly. May seemed to understand, but said nothing else. With a soft smile, she turned around and stepped into the life with Happy following.

He was left stood in the middle of the hall, Peter cuddled in his arms, jaw agape.

He will still need it when he’s back to being a teenager again.

Chapter Text

Tony woke up to the feeling like he was about to have a heart attack.

Firstly, there was no tiny body in his arms like there had been last night. He shot up, looking wildly around the room, hoping Peter might just be playing with his toys on the floor or something because he had woken up before Tony. When he wasn’t there, Tony’s heart rate skyrocketed, and was soon increasing even further when FRIDAY began speaking to him.

“Boss, Young Peter is currently on his way down to Colonel Rhodes’ private floor.” Tony blanched. What the fuck? “I suggest that you make your way down there immediately. I was unable to stop him, he remembered the override codes that you had given him after the Vulture attack. I am sorry, Boss. I was not able to tell you until he was inside of the lift and making his descent.”

Tony sat there for a few moments, trying to process what his AI had just told him. He yanked back the covers and got to his feet, panic holding his heart in a chokehold as he made his way down the hall, completely ignoring the lift and headed straight for the stairs. It was much faster, even if he almost broke his ankle when he fell down a few steps and landed awkwardly in the landing.

“What is he doing?” Tony asked as he ran, puffing from the exertion, trying his best to get to Rhodey’s floor as quickly as possible. It had only been a few minutes since FRIDAY had alerted that Peter was inside of the lift, but he knew the kid would be at the floor by now. “Where is he? Fri?”

“Young Peter has made it to Colonel Rhodes’ floor, and is currently in the living room with Ms. Romanoff, Mr. Barton, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Banner and Colonel Rhodes.” Tony couldn’t breath as he rushed, and after another moment where he almost tripped and faceplanted, Tony made it to Rhodey’s floor. “He is crying. I am unable to understand what he is saying, but he appears to be angry.”

Underestimating how fast he was moving, Tony barley had time to open the door before he crashed right into it. His shoulder exploded in pain as he steadied himself, but he ignored it all as the sounds of Peter’s crying and shouting made its way to his ears. Without an ounce of hesitation, Tony rushed into the living space.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he was about to see and hear.

Rhodey was in the process of picking Tony’s kid up, whose little fists were pounding and pounding at Steve’s leg. Tony, unlike FRIDAY, could somehow understand what his child was saying.

“W-why ‘ould y-you hur’ my D-Daddy?” Peter had screamed in the midst of his sobs, getting to hit Steve one more time before he was pulled away. Tony winced at the sound Peter made when he was no longer able to hit Steve, thrashing so much in Rhodey's arms that Tony feared he might drop him.

For a split second, Tony let his eyes glance over the three intruders, not being prepared for the wounded look on Steve’s face. Natasha was looking at him with a wide-eyed stare, and Clint even had the decency to look guilty. Bruce looked like he was about to cry.

“I ha’ you!”

Clint's eyes caught his within moments, and Tony didn’t even have the energy to glare.

Tony rushed over to his kid, ignoring the stares he was getting from every person in the room as he plucked the squirming child from Rhodey, turning around so his back was to the Rogue Avengers and Bruce.

Peter was squirming, the most he had ever thrashed in Tony’s arms before, still yelling out words that stabbed Tony’s heart.

“Y-you no’ a he-ro!” Peter had wailed, Tony only just able to understand what he was saying. “You hur’ my Daddy!”

“Shh, baby.” Tony whispered, trying not to cry himself. He felt Peter’s body freeze when he heard Tony’s voice, as if he hadn't realised whose arms he had been transferred into. Tony began walking away from everyone in the room, straight to the lift, the doors opening for him when he got there. Peter had begun sobbing rather then screaming, his head returning to his usual place in Tony’s shoulder, Tony bouncing his child and rocking slightly mostly to calm himself down too. “It’s okay, you’re okay.”

“No!” Peter sobbed back, his entire small body quivering. “No! Cap’ Merca’ go!”

“He will be going, don’t worry.” Tony replied, resting chin on the top of Peter’s head. Once they were back to his floor, Tony felt his body relax considerably as he headed for the living room couch. He sat Peter on his lap so he was facing him, wiping away his tears before resting his hands on Peter’s tiny hips to stop him from wriggling. “Kiddie, why would you go down there without me? Why would you go down by yourself at all, and use those override codes? I gave them to you for emergencies only.”

Peter was reaching for him, making frantic grabbing motions, Tony’s hands keeping him from leaning forwards enough to reach.

“Peter, you could have gotten hurt.” Tony continued, letting the relief that he had Peter here with him now coarse through his veins. “I promise I’m not mad, buddy, but I want to know why you thought that was a good idea.”

Peter shook his head rapidly, his tiny chest heaving as he hiccupped, still reaching desperately for Tony.

When Tony knew that Peter was way past the point of talking coherently, he let Peter crawl closer to him and wrap his arms around his neck.

It was bizarre to Tony, that he hardly remembered how teenage Peter Parker even acted. After hearing Peter’s baby voice for so long, he could barely remember what his older voice used to sound like. Now that he had this fragile toddler with him at all times of the day, who cried at the drop of the hat, he could hardly even associate this baby with a teenager.

Now that he had seen Peter try to fight Captain America after witnessing the hero worship he had for the man, Tony couldn’t help but feel his heart break.

He loved teen Peter, of course he did. He was sure he did as soon as the boy came home, when Tony was waiting in his apartment to take him to fight in Germany. Tony would never want him to be replaced with this smaller version of Peter, because that wasn’t fair on the kid, and honestly he shouldn't even feel sad about all the possibilities. He still had Peter either way, and he did miss having the non-stop talking teenager around him too.

But it still hurt like a bitch.

A hand laid on his shoulder. He whipped his head to the side so fast he was sure he had gotten whiplash, only to relax immediately when he saw that it was just Pepper. How she had snuck up on him, he had no idea, but he felt relieved that she was here.

“What happened? FRIDAY said you were both in distress.”

“We had an encounter with the Rogues.” Tony replied through gritted teeth, letting Pepper run her hands through his hair. Peter resumed his hysterical crying, Tony beginning to hum lowly and brought his arms around Peter tighter, as if he could protect the kid from the entire world.

“Oh, baby.” Pepper had cooed, gently petting Peter’s hair. “No need to cry. Your Daddy’s just fine, he’s right here.”

Peter either wasn't listening or cared, because he continued to sob into Tony’s shoulder.

“I’ll make breakfast.” Pepper kissed Tony’s temple, and then the top of Peter’s head. Tony couldn’t even think about eating right now after their hell of a morning, and it was only eight in the morning.

He sat there, thinking of ways that he could get Peter to calm down.

Bruce.

“Hey, Petey.” Tony prodded the kid’s hip gently, trying to pry him off his shoulder so he could make sure Peter was listening. “Petey, guess what.”

Peter, reluctantly, removed his head from Tony’s shoulder to look at him, his fingers inching up towards his mouth. Tony tried to mask his own sadness, plastering a wobbly smile on his face as he continued to rub Peter’s back.

“Wha’?”

“I might be able to get Bruce in here.” Tony smiled, thankful to see Peter’s eyes light up with interest immediately.

Peter’s fingers disappeared behind his lips, Tony also counting it as a win when Peter didn’t return to hiding his face in his shoulder. Tony thought that just maybe, the boy hadn’t seen Bruce when he was hellbent on punching Steve’s shins and knees. The memory was always going to be imprinted in his mind, now, and he was sure it was never going to go away. Neither would the look on Steve’s face.

Maybe one day he’d find it amusing seeing a pint-sized Peter Parker punching the hell out of Captain America.

“He’s very excited to meet you, bud. I bet you’re very excited to meet him, yeah?”

Peter nodded a few times, letting Tony wipe away his tears.

“He wouldn’t like to see you sad, though.” Tony said sadly, wiping away another tear that fell. “I can call him right now. Do you want to meet Bruce Banner, Petey?”

Peter was nodding before Tony had even finished the sentence, looking so out of it that Tony felt a little concerned. During the whole time Peter had been a toddler, this was the first time he had looked so lost, and he feared that maybe this whole thing with the Rogues had been a turning point. Tony stayed silent for a few moments as he studied the child, running his hand through his hair a couple of times before addressing FRIDAY.

“Tell Bruce to get up here and that he has someone to meet. Tell Rhodey to come too.”

“Already on it, Sir. Colonel Rhodes and Mr. Banner are currently making their way to the lift.”

Tony watching as Peter looked up to the ceiling with a look of wonder on his face. Tony searched the room for a box of tissues, groaning when there wasn’t any.

Pepper, as if she had heard all of his thoughts, came into the room with a bottle of milk and a box of tissues. Tony took them thankfully, handing the bottle to Peter before yanking a tissue from the box. Pepper left and returned a few seconds later with three plates balanced on her arms.

Tony wiped under Peter’s nose and around his mouth, Pepper silent until he was finished.

“Bruce is coming up?”

“Yeah, Rhodey too.” Tony replied, not taking his eyes off of Peter who had calmed down considerably in just a few minutes, hardly hiccuping now as he suckled from the bottle. “Peter really wants to meet Bruce. Hopefully it’ll cheer up the both of us.”

“I know.” Pepper replied quietly, sighing as she grabbed her own plate back off of the table.

When Peter finished the bottle, Tony offered the food to the kid, who took it without hesitation and picked things off of the plate as Tony held it for him. It wasn’t until Peter finished that Tony got to eat his own, and by that time, the lift was alerting them of Bruce and Rhodey's entrance.

Tony didn’t miss the way Peter tensed up, fingers returning to his mouth as he looked over Tony's shoulder. Tony guessed that Bruce had come into the room by the way Peter was trembling like a leaf, though there was clear excitement in his eyes when he turned to meet Tony’s.

Bruce, however, looked like a wounded puppy.

“Hey Tony.” Bruce’s eyes were huge, looking between Peter and Tony rapidly. “Who’s this little guy?”

Bruce was skittish, as if he were afraid, wringing his hands and fiddling with his sleeves as if he had no idea what to do with himself. Tony understood, because the Hulk could very well crush both Peter and Tony in one hand at the same time, but also because of what had happened not even half an hour ago.

“This is Peter.” Tony replied, desperately trying to get ahold of himself as Peter stared at Bruce, seemingly too shocked to even react. From where Tony was sitting and how Peter was positioned on his lap, he couldn’t see the kid’s face.

Bruce seemed to compose himself rather fast, a soft expression replacing the horrified one as he finally locked his eyes on Peter. Though, his hands never stopped fiddling, and Tony now noticed that they were shaking.

“Hello, Peter. My name is Bruce, but I think you might already know that.”

Peter said nothing, merely raising a little hand and waving it in Bruce’s direction. Tony didn’t miss the way Bruce’s lips quirked, the two of them making eye contact for a few seconds before Tony looked away and over to Rhodey who had a soft smile on his face.

Tony turned back to Bruce. “I was wondering if you would be able to check him over?”

Bruce looked confused, and a little affronted. “FRIDAY can do that, can’t she?”

FRIDAY cut in before Tony could answer. “I can, Mr. Banner. I suspect that Boss wants to make sure everything is alright in Young Peter’s body, and that Loki’s magic has not affected him in ways that I cannot detect.”

Peter started whining as soon as FRIDAY had stopped, fidgeting in Tony’s arms and looking away from Bruce. Tony craned his neck in a rather awkward position when trying to see Peter’s face, frowning at the kid’s scrunched up face. It was a second later before he was crying again, head firmly placed back in Tony’s collarbone as he sobbed. Why he was crying this time, he had no idea, and he was left looking at Bruce with a blank expression.

“What’s wrong? Did I do something?” Bruce panicked, shuffling back away from the two of them on the couch. “Did I scare him? Oh God, I scared him, didn’t I? Maybe this was too much after this morn-”

“No, it’s not your fault.” Tony replied, trying to get Peter's head back out of his shoulder. “Petey, what’s wrong?”

Peter didn't answer, and just continued to cry. Pepper kept her hand on Tony’s knee as he tried to figure out what was wrong, Bruce still looking panic stricken and Rhodey’s soft smile fading. It felt like hours before Peter finally calmed down, peeking his head out from Tony’s shoulder with shuddering breaths.

“Hi.” Tony said, feeling greatly accomplished when Peter's lips twitched into a teary smile. His mood swings will never fail to amaze Tony. “So, what was the tears for, huh?”

Tony was very aware that he had an audience, trying not to fizzle under all the attention as he kept his eyes focussed on his kid. Usually, attention did nothing to faze him, but this was different. This was far, far different from a conference or an award show. People, who were close to him, were watching him try to take care of a tiny and fragile child, which no one thought he would ever be able to do.

“Scared.” Peter mumbled, smile fading and eyes becoming worried. “Don’ wan’ doc’er.”

“You don't want Bruce to check you over?” Tony asked, not missing Bruce sag in relief in the corner of his eye. “Don’t you want to make sure everything's okay in that tiny body of yours?”

“I fine.” Peter replied, wiping his tears himself. “Don’ need check up.”

"Please, kid, it would really help me sleep at night. Especially after that little stunt you just pulled. You scared me to death, kid. I’m pretty sure you scared yourself as well.”

Peter shook his head, seeming to disregard everything Tony had just said. Tony wondered if Peter had already chosen to forget where he had just gone, on his own accord, and what he had just done. Tony, on the other hand, was still horrified that Peter had gotten down onto the floor by himself, without even waking Tony up, to try beat up someone who was both ten times his size and had super soldier serum running through his veins.

“Nuh-uh.”

“Fine. Was last time too traumatising for you?” Tony couldn’t really remember anything that could have traumatised his kid this much when Helen looked over him, deciding on not pressing the issue when Peter nodded his head. “Alright. How about you ask Bruce to play, then?”

Peter’s eyes lit up with interest. How Tony had seen a teenager in there before baffled him, since there was merely a second of that Peter a few times a day now. Tony wondered to himself if Peter had let the headspace completely consume him, or if it had been exhausting to keep up with both or try to fight it. Or, after their stressful morning, he had finally let himself go. There were so many possibilities of what could be going through Peter's head right now, and it was even making Tony tired just thinking about it. He would have to ask when he gets back to normal.

Tony hadn’t really expected the kid to ask Bruce to play, so he was surprised when Peter began to slide off his lap. Tony resisted the urge to yank Peter back up into his arms, not wanting to let the boy out of his sight after he had disappeared for only a few minutes, which could have caused a lot more damage that Tony couldn’t see yet.

Instead of pulling his kid back, Tony assisted in getting him onto the floor, not being able to help the smile that made it's way on his face when Peter toddled over to Bruce, in just a diaper as he had been this whole time, the sight making his heart turn to mush. Pepper cooed quietly beside him.

Bruce, on the other hand, looked terrified of Peter who was shifting on his feet in front of him, fingers in his mouth. It was silent for a long time before Peter appeared to muster up the courage to ask Bruce to play with him, Tony leaning back on the couch as he watched the whole scene play out in front of him.

“Mis’ah Bwuce?” Tony felt like cooing himself, scrunching his nose at the thought of himself doing that. “Will ‘o pway wif Pe’er?"

“Uh-” Bruce stuttered, giving Tony a panicked look. Tony nodded once. “Sure, kid.”

With that, Bruce was off the couch and holding Peter’s hand. The man looked tense as he let the kid drag him over to the toys which were still sprawled all over the floor.

Tony shared a look with Pepper, who now looked concerned, and simply let out a sigh before he rested his head on her shoulder. Even if he had slept an alright amount the previous night, he was still exhausted from his sketchy sleep schedule and recent events. Even if Peter had somehow convinced him into sleeping more without even trying, he knew it wasn’t going to fix his sleep deprivation just yet. This morning’s trauma was definitely not helping.

And right there, of course, he fell asleep.

He woke up sometime later to the sound of laughter, not opening his eyes for a few seconds as he processed that he was now laying down. A blanket was pulled over his body, there was something in his arms, and Tony furrowed his eyebrows in confusion when he felt the thing he had apparently been cuddling. He opened his eyes a few moments later, cringing back from the sunlight streaming through the window and took a few minutes to get his eyes adjusted before he looked around the room.

Bruce, Rhodey, Pepper and Peter were no longer in the room, and the toys seemed to be in even more of a mess. He could hear Peter’s screeching laugh, the one that had probably woken him up, along with the adults. What they could possibly be doing was unknown to Tony, who was now looking down in his arms to see that Peter’s Iron Man teddy was there, finding a fond smile on his face as he studied the plushie.

He laid there for a few more minutes, before finally pushing himself up and ran a hand through his hair. It took even more willpower for him to stand, keeping the stuffed toy in his hand as he followed the laughter into the kitchen.

His kitchen was in even more of a mess than his living room.

There was flour, icing, and other things Tony couldn’t identify all over the floor, counter, and people in the room. Pepper and Rhodey had their backs to him, the two of them standing on either side of Peter as he leant over the counter, still screeching with laughter. The sound didn't fail to make Tony feel happier as well, much better than the crying.

He blearily made his way over to them and rested his elbows on the flour-covered bench. Bruce was nowhere to be seen.

“What’s going on here?”

From what Tony could see, they had made cookies or something of the sort.

“Daddy!” Peter’s eyes widened even more, previous tears nowhere to be seen. “We made ‘ookies for ‘o!”

“For me?” Tony asked and slapped an exaggerated hand on his heart. “I’m honoured, kiddie.”

“Daddy was sad, so we make ‘ookies!” Tony raised his eyebrows at Pepper and Rhodey, who didn’t say a word to him and continued encouraging Peter, who was applying icing to some of the cookies. “No’ sleepy anymore?”

“Nope.” Tony laughed slightly. “Why was this little guy with me, huh?”

Tony gestured to the toy he was still holding, appreciating the way Peter’s eyes lit up with even more... love? Was that it?

“S’ay with ‘ony. Help sleep.” There was seriousness in Peter’s words, and there was no Daddy this time. Tony tried not to react, squeezing the toy a little in his hand, looking down at it with a soft smile. The colours were kind of off, and the eye slits in the helmet looked a little weird, but overall it was a decent toy. Tony had seen much worse adaptions to his armour that he didn’t even want to talk about.

“Thanks, bud.”

Peter was left to icing the cookies for a little while longer until he was finished, Tony merely watching with a genuine smile. Peter offered him one, and Tony wasn't going to lie, he was a little scared of trying it given that it was made by a toddler. But when it proved to be good, aside from the overdose of icing, he suspected that Pepper had actually done the cooking part. Said woman was smiling at him as Peter chattered away on his lap, a lot happier than he had been that morning.

“Where’d Brucie go?” Tony found himself asking mid-way through the cookie, barely catching Peter’s in his free hand when it slipped through the kid’s clumsy fingers.

“He was a little nervous about, y’know. A green situation. After this morning, too, I think the whole thing just stressed him out.” Rhodey replied.

“Alright.” Tony replied, tickling Peter’s sides and relishing in the giggles his kid let out.

They continued like that a little while longer until somehow, Peter got his little hands on the bag of flour while sitting in Tony’s lap, and continued to lift up the almost-empty bag over his head and drench the two of them in the white powder. Tony’s clothes were covered, as was Peter’s hair and skin, and that’s why he found himself sat in the bath once again in his boxers, Peter in the other side and Rhodey on the side this time.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing.” Rhodey cackled as Tony cleaned the flour out of Peter’s hair. Tony didn’t fail to notice that Rhodey had been steering clear of mentioning everything that had happened this morning, which he felt grateful for. Tony found himself never wanting to talk about it again. “I never thought I’d see you in the bath with your kid. Oh, Tones, this is so great. I hope FRIDAY’s taking pictures.”

“I am, Colonel Rhodes.” Tony glared up at the ceiling. Since FRIDAY wasn’t a person he could glare at, glaring at the roof was the next best thing. “I have been taking and documenting pictures since Young Peter’s condition was first discovered, Boss. I would think you would appreciate it later if he is to return to his teenage form."

“Traitor.” Tony mumbled half-heartedly, because he knew for a fact that he was going to look at every single one she had taken of Peter when he was bigger. Whether he remembered or not, they were looking at those pictures together. It was excellent teasing material. “This is Peter’s fault. He’s the one who poured a whole bag of flour on us.”

Peter giggled at him, then splashed him with water.

“Stop that.” Tony said half-heartedly once again, grinning when Peter did it again. Tony hardly had a second to blink before Peter was splashing Rhodey, which a much larger amount than he had been splashing Tony with, Tony feeling himself grin like a cheshire cat when Rhodey looked at Peter with the most deadpan expression.

“Dude.”

Peter giggled like a mad-man. The boy giggled so hard that he almost fell backwards into the water if it had not been for Tony catching his tiny wrist. Peter hardly noticed as he cackled at Rhodey’s reaction, arms raised to do it again.

Tony, once again, felt the most carefree he had in ages, smiling genuinely as he watched Peter enjoy himself. Tony hoped the feeling of being calm wouldn’t disappear when Peter was aged back up.

They continued like this for almost another hour until there was a sudden burst of light throughout the room, making the three of them collectively jump.

It was almost like a strobe light throughout the whole room, little bursts of pinks and blues added into the mix of blinding white. There was something about this that was really, really familiar, but Tony couldn’t place it.

Peter had come right over to him as soon as it had started, somehow getting into his lap and hid his face in Tony’s shoulder. The light show was over within seconds, and everything was quiet and calm again.

“What the fuck was that?” Tony directed his question to Rhodey, who also had a look of confusion on his face. It was silent, the only sound being the bath water sloshing around whenever either Tony or Peter shifted. It remained silent right up until FRIDAY started to speak with a concerned tone in her voice.

“Boss, I am terribly sorry to interrupt, but it appears that Thor has returned with Loki.”

Fuck.

It had been the Bifrost, Tony was sure of it again. Thor had told him about that before. Hell, Tony had seen it before, back when Ultron had just been defeated.

“Holy shit.” Tony mumbled, Peter tense as Tony clambered out of the bath with him in his arms. Rhodey handed him a towel, ending up drying Tony’s body off while Tony dried Peter’s. It would have been a little weird in any other situation, his best friend drying him off from a bath, but there really wasn't any time to think about that right now. “Where are they?”

“Thor is requesting access to the Compound.”

“No!” Tony snapped, shaking his head to emphasise his decision. “No. Have them stay in their freaky spaceship until I get everything sorted.”

“Will do.”

“Woki back?” Peter whispered as Tony laid him on the changing table, taking the diaper and onsie that Rhodey handed him. Tony nodded without saying anything and quickly applied cream and taped the diaper up. He dress Peter in the onsie next, keeping Peter secure in his arms as he took him back into the living room. Pepper wasn’t there, she had left a while ago to clear up some things for SI, so it was really just him, Rhodey and Peter. Bruce still hadn’t made an appearance. “Pe’er go big again”

“Maybe.” Tony whispered. “I’ll have to talk to Loki first.”

“No.” Peter denied with a shake of the head. Rhodey chose to walk into the room at that exact moment.

It must look pretty funny, Tony sitting on the couch in damp boxers with a toddler on his lap, but right now he couldn’t care less. He carded his fingers through Peter’s wet hair as he looked out the window. It was getting dark out, and there was no way Tony was going over there now to talk to them. Maybe at midnight when Peter was asleep he would muster up the courage to go over there. Rhodey could look after his kid, then none of them would have to deal with a separation anxiety-ridden toddler.

Thor had actually done it. He had actually brought his bastard brother back to earth, and Peter may actually be able to go back into his normal self.

Holy shit.

Tony couldn't believe it.

He hadn’t really realised up until now that he had started to assume Thor wouldn’t be coming back, or that he wouldn’t be able to find Loki at all. It hadn’t been until that morning when he came to terms with that thought, and now Thor was back. He was actually back. Tony had become so used to the idea of being stuck with a baby version of Peter until he was capable enough to look after himself again.

Tony had begun to get used to the feeling of being a father.

Wow. He didn’t never would have thought he would’ve fallen this far into the ditch he had created, but here he was.

Tony also never thought he would be this sad.

He never would have thought in a million years that he would be sad to let this version of Peter go.

But, now it looked like it caring for toddler Peter was going to become a distant memory.

Chapter Text

Tony didn't end up going to the ship at midnight he had originally planned.

Instead, he hid down in his lab the entire night, aimlessly tinkering away on some old armor as he thought about the endless possibilities of the next couple of days.

Either Loki would disappear again, or even better, he would refuse to change Peter back. Loki refusing to turn Peter back into his usual self was a very likely, and scary, possibility. Tony didn’t know how to feel about either of these things.

There was one he knew thing though.

There was no way he was going to take Peter back inside of that ship, especially now that Loki was inside of it.

Tony was incredibly relieved that just as he was getting ready to go out of the Compound and into said ship, Thor appeared outside the garage asking for permission to enter.

He had already sent Peter off to Rhodey’s floor with both Rhodey and Pepper, of course, with a lot of tears from the kid. The separation anxiety had definitely started to go both ways, and once again, Tony had no idea how to feel about that.

Maybe it was better that the quicker Peter gets turned back into a teenager, the less damage was done to the both of them.

Tony let Thor in and up to his floor. Thor had given him another huge hug when they had seen each other again, Tony very confused as to when Thor had started appreciating him so much.

Back during and after Ultron, they hadn’t really been this close, or close at all. Tony hadn’t gotten any hugs from any of the Avengers, so he hadn’t really been fazed until now. Getting them from Bruce and Thor just felt strange, but there was that underlying want.

Tony would never admit it to anyone but himself, but in the last few years, he'd started to crave other people’s affection.

“How is Young Peter?” Was the first thing Thor asked, though there was a crease in his forehead as if he were trying not to let a frown show on his face. “I am very sorry that locating my brother took such a long time. I tried my best, but Loki is not very cooperative. He moved around nine different planets, I am sure. I finally caught up to him back on Sakaar, it was exhausting getting out of there once again. I got a new hammer, by the way. It’s an axe, rather than a hammer, actually. I can even summon the Bifrost!”

Tony blinked.

“He’s alright.” Tony replied to Thor’s first question, twiddling his thumbs. “Where’s Loki right now?”

“Valkyrie is currently watching him. She is one of my most trusted and would let me know if he were to disappear again.” Thor replied. Tony grumbled under his breath about Thor’s use of the word again. “I fondly remember when she told me she punched my brother in the face. I understand that he would have deserved it.”

“Is he willing to get Peter back to normal?” Tony asked.

“I have not asked him yet. We have not spoken much, though he seemed very reluctant to leave Sakaar. I fear he has become attached to that trash planet.” Tony sighed, just rolling his eyes at Thor’s choice of words about the planet. Tony was sure he did not want to go to this Sakaar place anytime soon, or like, ever. “I can bring him into the Compound, if you wish. I am sure you would like to talk to him.”

“Well, no, not really, but I have to. We got Bruce back to Bruce, by the way. No more Hulk’s.”

“Really?” Thor asked, eyebrows raised. “I am surprised. I really did not think that Banner would return from the Hulk.”

“Neither did I. Seems Natasha can still work wonders.” Tony replied drily, fiddling with his sleeves. “Do you want to… um… fetch your brother?”

“Of course. I promise he will do no trickery here today.” Tony nodded, disbelieving, though kept on nodding as if he believed his friend. He followed Thor into the lift, standing near the wall as the God began to pace, arms crossed as if there was something else bothering him. Tony let him get away with it for a while, trying to distract himself, but soon the continuous pacing in the small space was getting on his nerves.

“Okay, your pacing is driving me insane. What’s up?” Tony asked, not hiding the hint of annoyance in his tone.

Thor didn’t seem bothered as he paused, now staring at himself in the reflection of the elevator. Tony felt like he was intruding on an intimate moment when Thor touched his eyepatch, a saddened look on his face for just a few seconds. Tony looked away when Thor looked at him through the reflection, sighing deeply through his nose and held his left wrist.

“Nothing is... up.” Thor replied stiffly, which caused Tony to look back at the man. Tony was almost in awe of how Thor masked his emotions, a big grin now on his face as if he hadn't been looking depressed as ever a few moments ago. Is that what Tony looked like when he tried to mask over everything he was feeling? “Let’s see my brother.”

“Yeah, let’s.” Tony mumbled, stepping out of the lift when it hit the ground floor.

Once again, they left through the garage and remained covered by the trees, Tony following behind Thor just as he had the first time he had come here with him. Tony didn’t hesitate when they reached the ship, walking up onto the ramp and ignored all of the fear running through his veins as Thor set a hand on his upper back, just like he had the first time.

Thor would have been a good person to have around during the whole drama with Steve and the Accords.

“Once again, I truly am sorry for what my brother has caused.” Thor spoke up as they got deeper into the ship, winding through all new corridors that Tony would have no hopes of remembering. He stuck close to his friend, Peter’s small face floating through his mind as they moved through the alien aircraft, finally pausing outside of one of many closed doors. “He is in here with Valkyrie and Banner.”

“Bruce is here?” Tony exclaimed, not remembering FRIDAY telling him that Bruce had left the Compound.

“Yes.” Thor replied, before he reached out to open the door.

Tony’s heart pounded against his ribcage when the door swung open to reveal Loki sitting in the corner of the room, bound to the chair with various chains and ropes. His dark eyes snapped to Tony’s immediately, a smirk forming on the alien’s face. Thor’s hand pressed a little harder on Tony’s back, meant as a comforting gesture, Tony taking that as confidence and sauntered into the room like he wasn’t worried at all.

“Stark.” Loki said smugly, tilting his head a little as Tony walked over to him. Tony was aware of Bruce and Valkyrie in the other corner of the room, Bruce watching with wide eyes and Valkyrie watching with curious ones. Knowing that this torture was for Peter’s benefit and not his own, Tony masked his fear and turned to Loki with what he hoped was a bored expression. “Did you like my present for you?”

“Depends what you mean by present.” Tony replied, searching the room for a chair. There was one to the side of the room, so Tony walked over to grab it and placed it right in front of Loki. When it he was sure it was a decent distance away from Loki, Tony sat down, crossed his arms and stretched his legs out in front of him. “So, Loki, why the fuck would you think that turning my intern into a toddler was a good idea?”

He had rushed the whole sentence out in one breath, heaving in shakily as he watched Loki’s face contort like he was about to burst into laugh. This made Tony angrier, his fists clenching as he leant back further in his chair.

When Loki didn’t say anything, it just made Tony even more enraged.

“Don’t you understand how much shit you’ve caused?” Tony almost yelled, not taking any pleasure out of the look on that fucking bastard’s face. “You turned my k- my intern into a child!”

“I did, yes.” Loki finally spoke, tilting his head again, that smirk still on his face. “What you don't understand, Stark, is my reasoning.”

“Since when does someone like you have a fucking reason?” Tony snapped, shaking his head in disbelief. This was a waste of time. “Why the hell you looking at me like that?”

Thor had materialised beside him at some point during their intense conversation, arms also crossed from what Tony could see in the corner of his eye. Loki just smiled, and to his complete and utter horror, it seemed somewhat genuine.

Tony must be seeing things. There was no way this man was genuine about anything he did, no matter how much Thor said he’d changed.

“I was on earth long enough to see the bond that you have with that child.” Tony furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, unsure what to take from Loki’s words, nor the look on his face. “My trick was merely a mechanism for you to figure that out, and it worked, didn’t it?”

“Excuse me?” Was Tony’s reply, staring at the God in disbelief, momentarily forgetting where he was and who he was talking to. “You’re telling me you were stalking us?”

“Oh, please. Humans are so petty.” Loki rolled his eyes, shifting in his chains, repeating what Thor had said all those years ago. “Believe me, Stark, for once in my long life I was trying to help a human like you out. Was this decision really that horrid that you’re willing to kill me over it?”

“Oh, I’m not willing to kill you over this.” Tony replied dryly. “You’re dead for New York, you bastard.”

Loki smiled again, that weird half-genuine one that made Tony want to explode.

“Hm, fair.” Loki replied, then chuckled. “I see my plan worked, then. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Tony stared at him for a few moments, fists clenched and anger vibrating throughout his entire body.

“I want you to change him back.”

Loki stared at him for a while, as if he were trying to figure out if Tony was being serious or not.

Then, Loki rolled his eyes. The man’s gaze moved from Tony to Thor, then to Valkyrie and Bruce who hadn’t moved from their spot on the other side of the room. Tony had hardly registered that Bruce and Valkyrie seemed to be just as friendly with each other like the Hulk had been, but shrugged it off as he stared dead at Loki who wore a look on his face that he was completely innocent in this situation.

“Do you really want me to do that?” Loki asked, still doing that annoying head tilt.

Everything about Loki just infuriated him, and he continuously made Tony want to scream at the top of his lungs until someone listened to him, and the way the bastard was talking didn't make things any better.

“Are you really telling me that you want your child to go back to his big, and annoying, self?”

“Excuse me?” Tony snapped a second time, standing up and pointing his finger at the maggot sitting in front of him. “Don’t talk like you know anything about him. You don’t talk about my kid like that.”

“I thought he was your, what do you humans call it? Intern?”

“Fuck you.” Tony spat, quite literally, at Loki’s feet. Loki didn't seem fazed, merely staring at him with those annoying, inquisitive eyes. “You heard what I said. Change him back.”

“Fine. If that’s what you really want.” Tony was ready to fight back, his hand raised to possibly slap Loki if he felt like it, but he was left gaping like a fish when his brain actually processed the information. It was like his brain short-circuited, Tony standing there like a complete idiot in front of three Gods and a mutant. It took a few seconds for his brain to reboot, Loki smirking at him as if he had just won the lottery.

“Really?” Tony asked, squinting. Thor was silent beside him, not offering any expression when Tony turned to look at him.

“If that is what you wish.” This had to be another trick. Loki was never nice, and Tony had fully expected for their to be more of a fight on his hands. There had to be a catch, there always was with Loki. “But are you sure you wish for him to go back to normal? I assure you, you will not have a bond like that with him ever again.”

Tony found it terrible that he was second-guessing his choice, raising a hand to his mouth to chew on his fingernails.

He realised with a start that this wasn’t what he wanted, it was what Peter wanted. Tony should want this, he shouldn’t be so selfish and become attached to the toddler version of him. Tony loved both, of course he did. He didn’t get to pick and chose what happened in Peter’s life. He wasn’t even this kid’s father, and he shouldn’t even be thinking about having Peter grow up a second time.

This was for Peter. If Peter wanted to stay a toddler, Tony would have agreed in a heartbeat.

But, he didn’t. It had to be done.

“Yes, I’m sure. I want him back to normal.” Tony snapped, pretending like he wasn’t having an internal crisis at the same time. “It’s what Peter wants, and it’s what I want.”

“Very well.” Loki replied with a nod of the head. “Bring him to me.”

“No. I’m not bringing him back in here.” Tony growled, taking a few steps back. “You’ll come into the Compound to do it.”

Loki looked at him for a few moments, his gaze so scrutinising that Tony wanted to kick him in the head. The two of them had a silent staring contest, the room silent until Loki spoke up once again.

“Are you sure you want to do it so soon?” Loki asked, still smirking. “I suspect you would want some more time with him before he leaves.”

“Tomorrow.” Tony replied. “You'll do it tomorrow.”

“Very well.”

“Get me out of here.” Tony gestured to Thor, before glancing at Bruce who was giving him a sad look.

He ignored the way his heart was breaking and let Thor guide him out of the room and out of the ship. It felt longer than it did coming in, and by the time he was back at the Compound, it felt like it had been hours.

He said goodbye to Thor at the lift, who told him he was going to keep his eyes on Loki until the next day, and that he would alert Tony when they were at this very spot.

With a sigh, Tony stepped into the lift with a small smile directed to Thor. He rubbed his tired eyes as FRIDAY took him up to Rhodey’s floor, now knowing exactly how long he had left with Peter.

He had about a day left, not even. Less than twenty four hours at its best.

It hadn’t really hit him until now.

It was right then, Tony realised how much he was going to miss Peter being small, and how scared he was of the outcome. All those thoughts about Peter losing his teenage headspace, not remembering everything, or even not wanting to be around him was clear in his mind now, the possibilities so much realer now that it made him want to punch the lift’s wall.

As much as he wanted teen Peter back, he didn’t want to lose the toddler one doing it. He also didn't want teen Peter to have side effects from this entire thing. Who knows what Loki’s spells come with?

If Peter got side effects, Tony would never forgive himself. He wasn’t even sure what those side effects could possibly be.

If he was honest, he didn’t want to know.

Tony’s mind was a freeway of thoughts as the doors began to slide open, revealing Rhodey’s personalised floor. He stepped in without announcing himself, already hearing the laughter from the living room. That high pitched squealing that had somehow wormed its way into Tony’s heart, much like other things that Peter had done while in his toddler headspace.

Now that he was losing all that tomorrow, he had no idea what think of it.

Tony had been having these thoughts for a while, but knowing it was about to happen…

He saw Pepper first, in the kitchen. She was clearly making up coffee, grabbing a third cup when she noticed Tony entering the room.

While the coffee machine did its job, Pepper turned to him with a gentle, but worried, smile.

“So, how did it go?”

“Loki agreed to turn him back.” Tony whispered, resting his head on Pepper’s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around him. “Peter’ll be back to normal again tomorrow.”

“That’s good.” Pepper replied, though it sounded half-hearted. It was as if she didn’t want to let go of the toddler either. “It’ll be okay, Tony. You can talk about things with him when he’s older again. Everything will be sorted out.”

“Yeah.” Tony mumbled, melting into her embrace for a few seconds before straightening up. “If he even remembers any of it.”

“I’m sure he will.” Pepper kissed his cheek, before continuing the work of making the three coffees. She looked back at him when he didn't move from the kitchen, jerking her head in the direction of the living room. “Go see him. I’ll call May and arrange something so she can be here.”

“Alright, thank you.” Tony sighed, thumbing his left wrist for a few seconds before he made his way out of the kitchen.

When Tony walked into the living room, he immediately spotted Peter and Rhodey on the floor playing with some cars that Tony had put in the kid’s little backpack, the both of them making noises as they drove the cars across the mat that had been placed over the tiles. He stood there leaning on the doorframe, watching them play until Peter noticed him.

“Daddy!” Peter was up in a flash, racing over to him with his arms outstretched. Tony immediately picked him up, giving the boy one of the biggest hugs he had probably ever given him. It lead him to remember what he had said to Peter in the car, just after Germany, about them not being there yet. They definitely were now. Peter hugged him back, face buried in his shoulder. “Daddy sad?”

“No, of course not.” Tony lied and carried Peter over to the couch before sitting down. The position was so familiar and normal now that Tony was going to miss it dearly, trying to mask his feelings with false excitement as he tried to catch Peter’s attention. “Guess what, Petey.”

“Wha’?” Peter asked, fingers raising to his mouth as he bounced a little in Tony’s lap.

“You’re going to be big again tomorrow.” Tony smiled, brushing a curl out of Peter’s face. “You’ll finally be able to do everything by yourself again.”

Tony winced when Peter cheered, the kid giggling happily as he moved to hold one of Tony’s hands. Tony caught Rhodey’s eye for a split second, not liking the look of sympathy there, and turned away as he heard Pepper enter the room with their coffee. He could really do with a coffee right now.

“You’ll finally be able to go back to your Spider-Manning.” Tony continued, smiling softly when Peter once again cheered. Tony was really hoping that the kid would get his powers back, because Tony had no idea what he’d do if he didn’t. “That sounds like fun, doesn’t it?”

Peter nodded, fingers still lodged in his mouth. “Yes!”

“May will also be coming tomorrow, sweetie.” Pepper spoke up, waving her phone in hand. “I’m just about to call her."

Peter just smiled, wrapping his arms back around Tony’s neck and gave him a long hug. Tony sighed, closing his eyes, knowing he was going to miss the tiny body curled up in his arms at most times of the day.

He almost couldn’t believe he’d hated taking care of Peter so much when this all first happened.

The routine he gained having Peter around would be something he would have to let go of, and he would have to get used to how things used to be. Peter would return to his apartment with May, he would go back to being Spider-Man and going to school. Even the Friday lab visits would most likely return.

It would go back to seeing Peter once or twice a week instead of every day.

Maybe he was the one with separation anxiety.

Pepper left the room with her own coffee, undoubtedly going to call May. Tony just watched Peter who had the biggest smile on his face.

“Fri, what’s the time?” Tony asked, rubbing Peter's tummy absentmindedly as the kid laid against him, fidgeting every now and then as if he wanted to get down but also didn’t want to. Tony said nothing, listening to his AI’s reply.

“It is ten thirty in the morning, Boss.”

“Great. We have the whole day to ourselves, Petey.” Tony said, ignoring the look Rhodey was giving him. Peter giggled and then shifted a little, nuzzling into Tony's neck. Tony couldn't help but close his eyes and heave in a large amount of air, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out.

He never would have thought he would feel so torn up over this, and he had never felt like this in his entire life. Not even with Pepper. How could he be so selfish?

“You’ll be back living with May again after everything is sorted.”

Tony swore he heard Peter whine, but he wasn't sure because it was so quiet. He caught Rhodey’s eye when the man rose off of his seat, walked over to them and sat down beside Tony. He couldn't help but lean into his best friend’s hold when his arm was wrapped around his shoulders, resting his head on Rhodey’s shoulder as he absently stared at the blank screen of the TV.

That was when Peter sat up more in his lap, staring at Tony with furrowed eyebrows and thumb in his mouth. Where his pacifier had gone, Tony had no idea.

“What?” Tony asked, shifting his head a little to peer down at his kid.

“Daddy sad.” Peter mumbled around his thumb, reaching out to poke at Tony's cheek. “Why?”

“I’m not sad.” Tony repeated his earlier lie and gently pulled Peter’s hand away from his mouth. “Why would I be sad?”

Peter didn’t answer, shrugging his small shoulders as his big eyes began searching around the room. Tony took his eyes off of his son, once again staring aimlessly at the TV as the three of them sat in complete silence. It wasn’t long before Pepper was returning to the room, the smile from her face falling when she saw the three of them on the couch.

Tony’s coffee sat forgotten on the table, trying not to show emotion on his face as he sat upright, letting Peter rush off to his toys. He didn’t look at Pepper or Rhodey and just watched his child as he began making up some story with a few bears, glancing over at Tony every few seconds like he had been doing since they arrived back in New York. Tony smiled every time, leaning back on the couch with his arms crossed against his chest, ignoring his pounding heart.

It was a few hours later when Peter came back to him, demanding to be picked up. Tony did as he was ordered to and placed Peter on his lap while asking him what was wrong.

“Swim?” Peter asked as he began tugging at his diaper at the same time, the tell-sign of a change that had been there since the beginning of all of this. Tony stood up as Peter talked to him, patting his padded backside with what he hoped was comfort as he made his way to Peter’s room. “We go swim be’ore Pe’er goes big?”

By the way Peter spoke these days, Tony could not imagine having any form of big Peter back. He had become so used to his strange baby talk and incomplete sentences that it hardly bothered him anymore, and he knew it was going to be strange going back to Peter’s normal, really fast without-a-breath rants every Friday.

Again, Tony remember he would only see Peter once a week. Before, it hadn’t bothered him, but now the weeks between those visits seemed like such a long time.

“Of course we can.” Tony said as he entered Peter’s bathroom. “It’s your last day being pint-sized. We can do whatever you want.”

“Cuddles?” Was whispered next, and Tony couldn’t help but kiss Peter’s temple fondly.

“Sure thing.”

Peter was smiling when Tony laid him down. Tony grabbed all the supplies before un-doing the onsie Peter was wearing, discarding it in the pile of Peter’s clothes that Tony hadn’t gotten someone to wash yet. He quickly changed the kid into a swimming diaper instead of a normal one and then gathered Peter in his arms before taking him into the bedroom.

Getting the Spider-Man rash top on Peter was easy, and Tony let him run out into the living room while he packed a small bag with all the necessities. He was done within minutes and walked into the living room to the sight of Peter sitting on Pepper’s lap, talking it what seemed like another language.

“Come on, squirt.” Tony said after a few minutes was watching, Peter shooting off Pepper’s lap as if he had been electrocuted as he bolted over to Tony, his little hand sliding into Tony's bigger one. “Why doesn’t Rhodey and Pepper come to?”

“Nuh-uh.” Tony was a little surprised by Peter’s answer, looking down at the kid. “Only Daddy.”

“Only me?” Tony asked, a little confused. “Not even Happy?”

“Nuh-uh.” Peter shook his head before raising his arms. Tony picked him up, setting him on his hip without even thinking about it.

“Alright, I guess you guys aren’t invited. See you later.” Tony said to Pepper and Rhodey, who still had those stupid, sad smiles on their faces. He felt himself grin when Peter waved goodbye in the cute way toddlers did as they left the room.

Deciding on just taking the car Happy usually drove, which already had the car seat in it, they were out of the Compound within minutes. Peter was quiet the entire drive to Tony’s private pool (yes, he owned a pool), which was on the outskirts of New York. He had bought it when they were living inside of the Tower, though he had never gone to it. He didn’t even know what it looked like. The only thing he had done with it was install FRIDAY, so she monitored all the systems and who entered.

Truth be told, he had bought it in hopes of hanging out with his friends there. He never ended up mentioning it to them, and therefore, everything went to hell before he could even ask them.

It was stupid, Tony buying a fucking swimming pool because he was lonely. But now he had an actual use for it, so why not?

He managed to get inside without anyone outside noticing him, and was soon dumping his and Peter’s things on one of the chairs. He wasted no time in heading over to the edge of the huge pool.

Peter was bouncing excitedly in his arms, Tony keeping a firm hold on him as he reached the stairs. The water was warm, and in no time, he was in chest-deep with Peter wrapped up in his arms.

The kid seemed to be having the time of his life, flailing his arms and kicking his legs as if he had never been in a pool before. Tony eventually ended up playing with him, and then came the terrifying moment when Peter somehow managed to slip from Tony’s grip and went under.

Tony had him up and out of the water within seconds, hugging the boy to his chest. The situation was way too similar to what had happened at the beach, and of course, it didn’t take long for Peter to start crying from the stress of it all.

Tony took him out of the pool after that for a break, drying the kid’s face and hair off.

“That was a bit scary, wasn’t it? You’re okay.”

Peter nodded a few times, sucking on his fingers.

It didn’t take long for the kid to recover, and soon, they were back in the water and acting like nothing happened.

Tony wished he could feel this relaxed all the time.

He felt himself feeling down all over again on their drive home, hardly realising that their time at the pool had taken up the other half of their day, and in just a few hours, Loki would most likely be inside the Compound ready to change Peter back.

Tony tried not to think about it, but it turns out, it was all he could think about, especially when he glanced in the mirror to see Peter in the backseat smiling cheerfully at him.

They reached the Compound with no drama, Tony giving Peter a longer bath than usual, until the kid’s eyes began to droop. He had him changed into pyjamas and a diaper in record time, and before he knew it, he was in Peter’s bed, said child held close to his chest.

Peter was already fast asleep, pacifier bobbing every few seconds, Iron Man plushie secured in his arm. Tony couldn’t help but stare at the roof, unable to sleep, wondering how different things were going to be after Loki reversed his spell.

Tony felt horrible for not wanting Loki to reverse it at all.

Chapter Text

Their morning was moving slow. Slower than Tony would have liked.

Everyone was here. May, Pepper, Rhodey, Happy, and Peter. They were all crammed into the communal floor of the Compound, Tony sitting in his usual place on the couch in the living room while Peter played with some toys, the miniature Spider-Man suit laid out on the couch next to Tony.

He couldn’t help sneaking glances at the suit, trying to remember how big it had been before this had all happened. He was horrified to know that he had forgotten how tall Peter was, what his teenage features looked like, the sound of his voice.

Tony knew he could simply go into some old files and listen to Peter’s voice or get his height, but he found himself not wanting to. He was so used to having this toddler around it was terrifying him. Tony was so scared of what might happen when Loki turns him back into his teenage form that it was consuming him, occupying every thought that went through his brain.

It was eight in the morning, and no one knew what time exactly Thor and Loki would be arriving. Tony suspected that Bruce might be coming with them, but he was unsure about that. When Tony had seen him the day prior inside of that disgusting ship, he had a feeling that Bruce had found a new team, and new friends.

It hurt Tony more than he originally thought it would.

Tony sighed and buried his face in his hands. Having the small Spider-Man suit next to him was getting on his nerves, and he tried not to look at it as he watched Peter play with his toys.

Peter was carefree, seemingly unaware of the mental struggle that was going on inside of Tony’s head, which was a good thing. Tony didn’t want the kid to know any of his feelings and thoughts about this whole ordeal, and he would keep his mouth shut as long as it kept his kid happy.

Rhodey was sat on his other side, hand never leaving his knee. Pepper was in the kitchen, making coffee with May, and Happy was sitting on the armchair closest to Peter.

Tony couldn’t help but remember the Avengers and all the time they had spent in this room. He could hardly believe that there was a toddler in here now, let alone one that was meant to be a teenager. If Tony had been told that this would happen after he recruited Spider-Man for the fight in Germany, that Tony would have laughed in their face and called them insane.

“You’re stressing yourself out.” Rhodey whispered in his ear sometime during this thought process. Tony snapped out of it and looked to his friend. “Everything’s going to be completely fine, Tones. You need to calm down.”

“How can you tell me to calm down when this is Loki, the one who had almost destroyed New York mind you, is going to be getting close to my kid?” Tony whisper-yelled, thankfully not catching Peter’s attention. “What if he doesn't remember anything? What if he's stuck like this in his teenage body?”

“Shush.” Rhodey snapped, light-heartedly slapping Tony’s wrist. “Calm down. I’m not fond of the guy either, but this is the only chance you and Pete have at getting him back to normal. Everything’s going to be fine.”

“You don’t know that.” Tony replied, slumping back against the couch cushions with his arms crossed over his chest. “There’s so much wrong that can go on here, especially with that dipshit involved.”

“I know.” Rhodey said and patted Tony’s knee a few times for comfort. “We’ll cross that bridge if it comes to that, alright? Now, spend some time with your kid while he’s still little, because you don’t have that much time left and I know you’re going to miss him. So, go.”

“I’m fine.” Tony snapped, not moving from the couch. “This isn’t about me, you know that.”

“Yeah, I do.” Rhodey rolled his eyes as if he were done with this entire conversation. “He won’t stop loving you, Tony, even if he doesn’t remember all of this. Hurry up and get that into your thick skull.”

“Shut up.” Tony grumbled, though a smile did nudge at his lips. He assumed Rhodey saw it, because he was elbowed in the ribs a second later. “Ow, what was that for?”

“You know it’s true.”

Tony didn’t get any time to reply, because Pepper and May walked into the room with five coffees, a bottle of apple juice and a plate of biscuits. Where it all came from, Tony had no idea, because he never spent any time on this floor anymore. He ignored the thought as he took his coffee from Pepper, moving Peter’s suit into his lap so his fiancé could sit down beside him.

They said nothing to each other, simply holding hands as Peter came wandering over to him, bottle in hand which May had given him. May was sat near Happy, the two of them engaged in what seemed to be a deep conversation already, and when Tony turned to Peter he couldn’t help the snort he let out at the look on the boy’s face.

Peter wore a disgusted look on his face, and when he turned to Tony, he raised an arm in a demand to be picked up.

“What’s that sour look for?” Tony asked when he lifted his kid on his lap and poked his cheek. Peter said nothing and shoved the rubber nipple of the bottle in his mouth, eyes looking back at May and Happy who were now smiling dopily at each other. Tony found himself gaping a little. “Oh, that’s gross, isn’t it Petey?”

Yeah, Tony knew that there had to be something between May and Happy, but he hadn’t really seen them interact enough to know for sure. But by the sickeningly sweet looks on their faces, it was obvious that there was some sort of feelings there.

Even Peter had noticed.

His kid was turning back into a teenager by Loki, who almost destroyed the city of New York, in just a few hours and Tony was thinking about this new romance being developed right in front of him. Out of all the times he could be wondering about this, was when one of the most worrying things in his life was about to happen.

Though, Happy and May’s secret, yet obvious, romance was providing as a good distraction from everything else going through Tony’s head. When Peter briefly choked on his apple juice, Tony had to pat his pack a few times while the boy rode out the coughing fit. Some of the liquid spilled from Peter’s mouth and onto both their clothes, but unlike he would have at the beginning of this, Tony ignored it and pretended like it didn’t happen as he watched Happy and May flirt.

Peter spitting up on him was one of the least disgusting things that had happened over the last… how long had it been?

Tony didn’t even know anymore.

“Daddy?” Tony looked to Peter, who was staring right at him with huge eyes.

“Yes?”

“When Woki getting here?” Peter asked, his little hands dropping the bottle to fiddle with his Spider-Man suit, which he was currently sat on. “Miss Spida-Man.”

“I know you do.” Tony replied, ignoring the tug at his heart. “They’ll be here soon.”

“‘ony sad.” Peter mumbled, and to Tony’s horror, Peter's eyes started to well up with tears. “Why sad?”

“I’m not sad.” Tony replied. “Why does everyone think I’m sad? I’m not.”

“Don’ wike Woki?” Peter asked, one arm wrapping around Tony’s neck. “Af’er 'he wormhole?”

Tony cringed at the memory.

“Sowwy.”

“No, don’t be sorry.” Tony said hastily when Peter started hugging him, ignoring the tears that rushed to his eyes. Not because of Peter mentioning the wormhole, because Peter was noticing that he was sad. “I’m not sad. Just nervous.”

“Pe’er scared.” Peter whispered in his ear, making Tony’s eyes burn even more. “Wan’ o’ be big bu’ scared of Woki.”

“Everything’s gonna be fine, I promise.” Tony mumbled, repeating the words Rhodey had said to him not long ago. He was aware that both his fiancé and best friend were watching this interaction, and could probably see that he was trying his hardest not to break down. “He won’t hurt you.”

“I wike being small some’imes." Peter said next, making Tony's heart pound. “Bu’ I miss Spida-Man and ‘alking normal.”

“I know.” Tony replied, hating the way his voice shook. Peter must have noticed, because before Tony could even blink the tears away the kid was staring at him, complete horror on his little face. Peter’s eyes were teary, too, and Tony hated it. He always had, even when he was a teenager. “I know, kid.”

“Don’ cry.” Peter seemed panicked. “No cry.”

“I’m not crying.” Tony replied, laughing wetly. “I said I’m fine.”

He was well aware of the way Pepper squeezed his hand and Rhodey squeezed his knee, and Peter wiping at his left eye when a tear managed to slip through his poorly made facade. Tony looked away from Peter’s hurt expression, inhaling sharply and then exhaling shakily.

Why the fuck was he crying? He was being irrational. He knew that everything was most likely going to be fine, even if Loki was involved. It had to be.

Before Tony knew it, Peter was hugging him. Tony knew that it wasn’t the toddler with him this time, but the more mature side of Peter. Tony squeezed his boy back and closed his eyes.

He needed to get himself together. This was not who he was.

Someone was petting Tony’s hair, but he had no idea who it was. He was suddenly so overwhelmed with the attention he was getting from the five people in the room, immediately wanting to run and hide down in the lab where no one could see him having a meltdown.

Clint would probably pay away all of his money to see this day. The man had said it to him himself, back after New York. He had told Tony, in a joking way at the time, that he would pay all his life savings if he ever saw Tony cry.

It took him a few moments too long to compose himself, discreetly wiping at his eyes before straightening up, plastering a very fake smile on his face when Peter caught his eye. "Wow. Usually you're the angsty one, kiddie."

“Nuh-uh.” Peter grinned wobbly at him, both hands on Tony’s cheeks, his tiny thumbs wiping at the tear tracks he was sure the tears left behind. “Pway?”

“Yeah, sure. Come on kiddo.” Tony put Peter down and handed the the suit to Pepper before he sat himself down on the floor by Peter’s toys. Peter was there in a flash, handing him some Avengers dolls. He was handed the Hulk and Iron Man, while Peter took War Machine. Tony didn’t miss Peter the way Peter hurled the Black Widow, Captain America and Hawkeye dolls back into the box with a scowl.

They played for a long time, and even Rhodey and May joined in at one point. Happy and Pepper remained on the couches, talking quietly amongst themselves.

It was around an hour and a half later when FRIDAY’s voice echoed over the speakers. Tony’s felt like it was about to burst out of his chest from how hard it was pounding. He had Peter in his arms within seconds, resting his cheek on the side of his kid's head as he listened to FRIDAY talk.

“Boss, Mr. Odinson would like me to let you know he is waiting in the garage. Would you like me to bring them up?”

Tony hesitated to reply, shifting Peter slightly in his arms. Pepper handed him the Spider-Man suit, which Tony took silently before he continued to speak to FRIDAY.

“Tell him to wait.”

“Daddy.” Peter whispered, his little hands latching onto the suit. “No Woki.”

“I’m sorry.” Tony whispered, already pulling the shirt over Peter’s head. “You want to be big again, don't you?”

He had to make sure that this was what Peter wanted.

Peter nodded immediately, though his fingers disappeared into his mouth. The kid looked dangerously close to crying again, and Tony felt himself able to relate to what he was feeling right now.

It was happening. It was actually happening.

Loki and Thor were down in the garage waiting for them, waiting to change Peter back into his normal teenage self. Tony was still terrified of letting Loki anywhere near Peter, yet all he could do was brush away his kid’s tears when they eventually began to fall.

He took Peter’s pants off next, the kid now in just socks and a diaper. The socks came off soon after, Pepper offering her help in getting Peter into the suit.

Since the suit had shrunk down with Peter, it was useless. Tony knew he would go above and beyond to make a new one, but he had a strange feeling that Peter would feel bad about it. So, hopefully, the suit would get bigger as Peter’s body got bigger. He was almost certain it would, given it had been shrunk when Peter was shrunk.

If not, Tony would make Peter a new suit no matter how much he tried to convince him not to.

Peter clutched onto the diaper when Tony went to take it off, Tony quirking an eyebrow in confusion. Peter’s lower lip continued to shake.

“We gotta take this off you if you want to get into your suit.” Tony reasoned, somehow managing to keep his voice soft, but still shaking slightly. “I don’t think you want to be in your big body with a diaper on. If you really don’t mind, then I won’t take it off.”

Peter seemed to consider it, and not long after he removed his hands from the diaper in favour of shoving his fingers back in his mouth.

Tears continued to fall as Tony took the diaper off, noticing the way Peter flushed and bowed his head. Maybe the kid would have appreciated the privacy for this part, but it was too late now.

Pepper lifted Peter up by the armpits as Tony got the leg holes of the suit ready. It was all moving so fast, anxiety creeping up on him like a shadow as he got Peter’s legs into the suit, Pepper doing one arm and Tony doing the other. Once it was up around his kid’s shoulders, he pressed the spider symbol and immediately, the suit became snug around Peter’s tiny body.

Peter took off a second later, Tony still sat there with his arms out in shock, before he recovered and lowered them to his sides. He had no time to be sad about Peter’s departure because he was back in a flash, Iron Man plushie in hand and pacifier in mouth. He immediately went in for a hug, whimpering into Tony's neck as he picked him up.

“Scar’d Daddy.” Peter was repeating over and over, making Tony’s heart ache.

“Alright, Fri, let them come up.”

Rhodey took off for the lift, Tony sitting back down on the couch between May and Happy, who were giving him equally sympathetic looks. May reached forward to run her hand through Peter’s curls with one hand and rubbed his back with the other. Pepper sat down on the armchair, looking both nervous and devastated at the same time.

It wasn’t long before he heard the lift ding, his heart jumping in his chest when he heard Thor’s booming voice. He didn’t understand what the God had said, but it was enough confirmation to let Tony know that they were, in fact, here. On the communal floor.

Loki. Here.

He composed himself and took a deep breath before he turned around to face Thor and Loki, who were being led into the room by Rhodey. Thankfully, Loki was still inside of his chains, glaring menacingly at the group of them. He heard May gasp and he heard Peter whimper, Tony’s hold tightening on his child as he looked at Loki in the eyes.

Tony swore he saw a flicker of softness in Loki’s eyes when they landed on Peter.

“Alright, Stark. You wished for me to turn your child back to his normal form.” Loki spoke up in a bored tone. Tony’s eyes widened slightly when Bruce stepped out from behind Thor. So he had decided to come. “I can’t do it with you coddling the child. You would be at risk of getting included in the spell.”

As if Loki cared whether or not Tony was damaged from the spell.

“Come on, Petey.” Tony whispered, ignoring Loki’s comment as he tried not to let his voice shake. “You’ve gotta let go of me now.”

“No!” Peter suddenly wailed, fists clenching onto Tony’s shirt when he was moved even just a little. Tony didn’t stop, closing his eyes for a few seconds in anguish as Peter started to wail, kick, and grab, trying literally everything to keep his hold on Tony. “No, Daddy!”

Even though Tony’s heart catapulted in his chest, he ignored Peter’s pleas and he stood up. He carried Peter around the couch until they were right in front of Loki, the God watching on with a blank expression. His stomach churned anxiously at the sight of his baby so close to the alien, inhaling short breaths as he knelt down and placed Peter on his suit-clad feet.

There was something so wrong about seeing a child in the Spider-Man suit that Tony could not figure out.

“Everything’s going to be alright, Peter. It’s going to be fine. You just gotta let go of me for a bit.”

“I cannot assure you that everything will go back to normal.” Loki suddenly spoke, just as Tony let go of Peter. “There will most likely be side effects.”

“What?” Tony snapped, Peter seeming to panic yet again and let out a high-pitched cry. Tony couldn’t imagine how May was feeling right now as she watched all of this go on, though he did not look back to find his answer. “What do you mean, side effects?”

“I don’t know. This spell is complicated.” Loki snapped, looking as though he were growing impatient. “Do you want me to reverse the spell or not, human?”

If the spell was as complicated as Loki was portraying it to be, why had the bastard bothered to do this in the first place? Did he really just want to make Tony’s life a living hell?

“We do.” Tony said as he let go of Peter completely and backed away.

He refused to acknowledge the tears burning at his eyes once again as he watched Peter’s little face crumple up even more, his chubby arms reaching up for Tony which was most likely the last time he was going to do that. The kid began to sob even louder and tried running after him a few seconds later, but was stopped short.

Tony’s heart skipped a beat when Peter was pulled back by an invisible force. The pain in his chest only became worse when Peter’s face began to smooth out and his eyes started to droop. There was something so wrong about seeing a child’s face slack like that, as if he had been drugged, and what was even worse was that this was alien magic they were talking about.

“What the hell did you do to him?”

Loki ignored Tony’s him, Thor looking mournful as Tony watched on with horror. He didn’t dare turn back at Happy, May and Rhodey, crossing his arms so tight over his chest that he was convinced he was trying to hug himself.

Tony watched as Peter’s skin began to glow the same way it did when Strange came over, the colour increasing in brightness as it made its way over Peter’s head, chest, arms and legs. Peter’s eyes were now fully closed, face unresponsive and covered in tears, slowly being taken over by that bright green colour. Eventually, the pacifier slipped from his mouth and fell onto the floor with a small clunk.

As the colour got brighter and brighter, Tony spared a glance at Loki, who had his eyes closed and a frown on his face.

Soon enough, Peter’s small body disappeared into the magic, Tony feeling panic spark up in his chest when he could no longer see his kid. Gradually, the green glow got bigger, and bigger, and bigger. It got even bigger before it seemed to die down, Tony’s eyes hurting from how bright it was.

Tony’s jaw fell open when he was finally able to stop squinting. In place of the toddler that had once been there, a much larger body laid on the floor, still half encased in Loki's spell. Peter’s face soon became recognisable as the magic receded, the tears and snot still on his face, eyes still closed.

Older. He was older. The more he looked at Peter, the more mature his face became, and he realised with a jolt that he was watching Peter age up right in front of him. Tony was watching years of growth take place.

Peter’s face had been softer, until it began to change. His skin changed too. It became a little darker, more freckled, and he was soon recognisable as the Peter that Tony had known before all of this happened. This was boy he had recruited for Germany.

It was as if he had never been so small. Tony was hit with a surge of familiarity from looking at his kid’s face, even though he looked nowhere near as youthful as he once had. Still young, but not as young as Tony had become used to.

The toddler in Peter was gone.

The green glow around Peter finally died down completely, and soon Tony’s legs took him over to his kid, who laid motionless on the floor.

Tony had been right, the Spider-Man suit got bigger with Peter, but that was his last concern. Tony’s biggest concern was that he wasn’t moving.

Peter wasn’t moving. Right now, Tony had no idea what could be going on inside of Peter's body right now, or how his organs were coping from being enlarged and how his brain was coping. Fuck, his brain.

“Peter?” Tony exclaimed, ignoring now jarring it felt to see how big Peter was now. After being so used to having such a small human around, he was not used to seeing such an older version of Peter’s face. While it was familiar, it was still hard to decipher that this was the boy he had spent the last few weeks with. “Peter? Petey, kiddie, wake up. Come on, you’re fine.”

When Peter didn’t wake up, tears started to pour down Tony’s cheeks as he looked to Loki, who had the decency to look like he felt bad.

“What the fuck did you do to him? You fucking bastard!”

His voice cracked as he yelled, his body jumping when May fell down beside him and cupped Peter’s cheeks. She was muttering things that Tony couldn’t hear or understand, tears slipping out from behind her glasses, her face so filled with anguish that it made Tony want to break down even more.

“I did not do anything.” Loki replied, looking uncomfortable under Thor’s intimidating stare. Bruce was also clambered down beside Peter, checking for a pulse, breathing, and Tony just could not stomach to watch all of it happen. He focused on sending shaky glares to Loki, who was now beginning to look troubled. “I reversed the spell, just as you asked. I was not aware this was going to happen.”

“What the fuck?” Tony snapped to no one in particular, brushing his hand through teenage Peter’s unruly hair. He still didn’t move. May hadn’t said a word to him, and neither had Bruce. “Come on, Peter, wake up. Please.”

It felt like hours before Peter’s eyes twitched beneath his eyelids. Tony sagged in so much relief that it caused him to let out a dry, relieved sob. He was so overwhelmed that it was consuming him, unable to do anything but cradle Peter’s head in his lap as the boy started to shift.

He was alive. Peter was alive.

Tony could have passed out when his kid's eyes opened so very slowly, his brown eyes staring right into his for a few moments, sleepy confusion on his face. Those eyes were so alike to the toddler's ones he had become used to, scrunching his own tight for a few seconds before opening them again. A stream of tears left them when they were opened.

“Dad?”

Tony choked.

“H-hey, Pete.”

He did not expect Peter's face to scrunch up the way it did, the kid immediately shifting so he was in a better position to hug Tony, his arms wrapped around his neck and face buried in his shoulder, much like he had when he was a toddler.

It had happened. Peter was a teenager again, and Tony had no idea if the kid could remember everything that had happened over the last few weeks, but he was already mirroring what he had done as a toddler through the hug.

Tony let the thought of Peter being stuck in a toddler headspace float through his mind, but he pushed it away immediately. He had no idea if that was the case as of yet.

He wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out.

Peter soon pulled away and turned to May, the two of them seeming to have a wordless conversation before they embraced. Tony awkwardly sat there wiping his eyes, slowly beginning to calm, a little embarrassed for how he’d acted. Bruce had somehow gotten a hold of his hand, his friend sending him a sad but hopeful smile in Tony's direction.

If Bruce was smiling, there had to be nothing wrong with Peter, even if he hadn’t had a proper evaluation yet.

Tony couldn't believe what he’d just watched.

Loki and Thor were no longer inside of the room. They must of left, Tony had no idea when that was, nor did he care that much. All he cared about right now was the teenager in front of him who had just gone through something no one should ever have to.

“T-thanks, Mr. Stark.”

Tony tried not to let the pain show on his face.

It was back to Mr. Stark.

Tony couldn’t explain how much it hurt to be called Mr. Stark again after all of this time, though he ignored that thought. Instead, he just placed his hands on Peter’s shoulders and pulled him into another hug, not wanting to let him go.

“I remember everything.” Peter whispered, his deeper voice also jarring to Tony. “T-thank you for looking after me.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” Tony mumbled, not believing this was actually happening. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

They sat in silence for a little while longer until Bruce announced that Peter should go medical to get checked over. Everyone in the room seemed to agree, and soon Bruce, Peter, Tony and May were on their way to the medical floor.

Tony pretended not to notice when Peter stumbled when he stood up for the first time, wordlessly placing both hands on Peter’s biceps to keep him steady. The boy had looked around the room with wide eyes, shaking on his feet as they began to move. Peter had looked around the room like he’d never seen it before.

Tony wished he knew what was going on inside of Peter's head, but he never gained enough courage to ask. Everything about this situation was out of the ordinary, including his behaviour.

It wasn’t long before Peter was laid down in a hospital bed, suit pulled to his waist, FRIDAY having told Tony that Pepper was off getting new clothes for Peter. May and Tony sat on either side of their kid, both holding one of his hands, Peter himself staring up at the roof with a rather blank expression. Bruce was in the middle of checking him over, having taken his blood and was now testing his senses.

Bruce threw a small ball, where he had gotten it from Tony didn’t know, right at Peter’s head without any warning. Tony was overcome with the relief when Peter yanked his hand from his to catch the small object before it hit him in the face, when he hadn’t even been looking in that direction in first place.

Tony could have cried when it was proved Peter still had all his senses, and that he would definitely be able to go on with his Spider-Man duties again.

Queens still had their Spider-Man.

When it was deemed that Peter was okay, he was given the all-good to head back home with May to their apartment. Tony watched quietly as Peter shuffled back into the communal floor’s living room, looking around the room for a few moments before bending down to pick something up.

When Tony saw that Peter had grabbed the Iron Man plushie, he could have screamed. When Peter noticed him watching, he sent Tony a small smile, even when his cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. Peter hadn't really said much since he was aged back up, and Tony found himself feeling grateful. They both didn’t seem to know what to say to each other.

Walking through Tony’s floor was the most confronting experiences for Peter, Tony could tell. He watched Peter's face the entire time as the boy looked around the room, deciding to say nothing when Peter picked up another toy and held it in his arms.

When it was time for Peter to go, Tony couldn't help but grab onto his kid’s wrist before he could get too far.

“Pete?”

Peter turned around as May and Happy got into the car behind him.

“Yeah, Mr. Stark?”

“You’ll be coming back on Friday, yeah?” Tony mumbled, trying not to show how much sadness he was feeling watching Peter go. “We can finally go back into the lab.”

Peter smiled, but voice shook very slightly. “Yeah, for sure, Mr. Stark!”

“Good, good.” It felt awkward. “Well, guess it’s time for you to go.”

At that, Peter lunged at him and wrapped Tony up in a hug before he could even protest. Tony found himself hugging Peter back, resting his head on the top of Peter’s head, thankful that the boy was still short enough for him to do that.

“Thank you, Tony.” Peter mumbled. Tony froze when Peter used his first name. “Even if that was the most embarrassing experience of my life, thank you for sticking with me even when I made it really hard.”

“I already said you don’t need to thank me, kiddo.” Tony replied, his voice shaking now. They pulled away from each other, Tony kissing Peter’s forehead without saying a word about it. Peter didn’t say anything either and leant into it, before he turned away to leave. “I’ll see you on Friday, Pete."

“I can’t wait. Bye Dad!”

Dad.

Tony felt lost watching Peter leave.

When he arrived back at his floor, he couldn’t help but go into Peter's room for when he was a toddler, which already felt like years ago. He laid down in Peter’s bed and stared up at the roof, ignoring Pepper when she came in and ran her hand through his hair, whispering things in his ear to comfort him. She stuck with him for what felt like hours, until he managed to drift off into a fitful sleep.

Tony had so many things he needed to deal with.

The alien spaceship in his front yard.

Loki.

The Rogues.

And, of course, figuring out how to move on from here.

Tony needed to figure out how to move on from feeling like he had just lost his child.

Which, in a way, he had.

Chapter Text

Peter unconsciously removed his hand from his thigh and hugged the Iron Man plushie instead of raising it to his mouth like he most likely would have done if he was still small. He clasped the plushie for the rest of the ride, now very conscious of where his hands were and made sure to keep them occupied so his fingers didn’t end up in his mouth again.

Of course Peter remembered the pacifiers and how comforting they felt. How could he forget? As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t erase the memory of how he felt with the soothers and how much comfort they brought amongst all the other baby things he’d been given.

Or, in which, Peter is suffering the many side effects from Loki's spell, all the while dealing with the many new memories he had gained, and maybe even longed to have again.

-

SEQUEL IS UP!