Chapter Text
Peter and I are sitting on the couch, watching Back to the Future on the TV. The two are stuck in the past, trying to get back to their original timeline. Peter is staring intently at the TV, unable to pull his eyes away.
“We should go as them for Halloween” Peter says, still staring at the TV, not looking up once.
“Sure kid.”
The past few nights have been like this: calm, serene, and full of emotion. I feel like every time we enter into a new chapter in our lives, we have another emotional breakthrough and breakdown. It feels like I'm in a Wattpad story.
“I think I'm ready for bed kid.”
“Oh, goodnight,” Peter says, pulling away from me to give me room to get up.”
“You too, Peter.” Peter looks at me like I just spat into the devil's face. “Up you get kid we have a busy day tomorrow.”
“We do?” he slowly stands up and picks up the popcorn bowl, shoveling fistfuls into his mouth.
“Yep, we're working on the garden together.” I smile, knowing Peter hates working in the garden.
“No”
“Yes! You don't even do the work, Peter, you just play with my alpaca.”
“He's begging for my attention, Tony!” he says as we make our way to our bedrooms and saying our goodnights.
After a semi-sleepless night, I make my way downstairs and towards the kitchen. I go to make coffee and find that there's already fresh coffee in the pot.
“Peter?” I turn towards the footsteps coming from the living room.
“Yes, daddy dearest?” he blinks at me innocently.
“You're helping me in the garden today.” he’s looking at me, acting shocked and hurt.
“Of course, Father, why would you assume I wouldn’t?”
“You made me coffee,” he moves closer. “You only make me coffee when you want something or want out of something.” I fill my mug with coffee.
“I don't know what you're yapping about,” he crosses his arms.
“Peter, I know- yah- yappin’?”
“Yapping”
“What is that. Pete, what is that?”
“I'll tell you if I don't have to work in the garden,” Peter smirks as I take a long sip of my coffee.
We watch from the window as the gardeners and landscapers I just hired work to tidy up the backyard.
“You still have to go feed my alpaca.”
“That's fine, I love Mar.k”
“Mark? You named him Mark? You nerd”
“It's funny because you’d-”
“Never expect an alpaca to have the name Mark,” I finish his sentence. “You sound like a millennial.”
“Aren’t you a millennial? Aren't they like super old?”
“I’m not a millennial! I’m Gen X”
“Whoa, I thought you all died off at this point.” He looks at me, obviously trying not to laugh.
“Stop being a Dink Peter.”
“Double income no kids?”
“I uh- no- no, uh yes? But no.”
Peter stares at me, unimpressed.
“You look stupid,” I say to Peter before walking away and back to the long-awaited coffee pot.
“Bruh! These are heavy!” he grumbles while holding 10 bags full of groceries.
“Then use your super strength?” I suggest holding no bags.
“Can't you just help me?”
“The car is only a little ways away, Peter, you’ll be fine,” he hunches over, continuing to carry the bags. “Peter, you're overreacting. We're already at the car.” I click the unlock button on my minivan.
“Why didn't you bring a cool car?”
“I always use this car when I pick you up.”
“I know, and I hate it, you have cool cars but picked me up from school in this,” he stuffs the bags into the back of the car, grunting while lifting them up, although he has SUPER STRENGTH. Little shit.
“What did you just call me?” he stands up, trying to look taller than me.
“I didn’t call you anything, Peter-”
“Pretty sure you called me a little shit, Tony-”
“Nope, you're crazy.”
“Don’t gaslight me.”
The drive home is calm, as earlier I broke the stereo, so Peter couldn't play his music.
“It's not working, Tony. I think your aux cord is broken.”
“Just keep moving it.”
“It’s not working.”
“I don't know Peter.” I pull into the garage, and we begin to unload the car.
“You should get maids,” he grumbles as he puts his special Hello Kitty Kraft dinner into the fridge.
“Did you just put that in the fridge?”
“It has cheese in it, Tony- do you not put it in the fridge?”
Peter is single-handedly the dumbest and smartest person I know at the same time. He gives me the stink eye as he grumbles and walks away.
“Stop grumbling at me, you’ve been doing it all day, Peter!” I shout after him.
“Well, maybe you should stop being dumb.”
“Go take a nap.”
“Wha-”
“Go take a nap, you’re clearly cranky.”
“I am not!”
“You are now, go!”
He walks past me, trying to shove his shoulder into mine, but misses and falls on the floor.
“Ah”
“Cmon, I'll help you.” I carry him to bed, his body limp, and he's shaking. “Peter? Are you okay, buddy?”
“I'm just really tired, Dad, have been for days.” I look outside the leaves on the trees are gone, and the sky is cloudy, winter is coming, and so is Peter's hibernation.
“That's okay, Petey. You just nap. I'll see you in a bit, okay.” I pull the covers over him. “Night, Petey.”
“Night,” I turn the light off and slowly leave the room, knowing I have to start the prep.