Chapter Text
The Stark Tower penthouse was quiet.
Peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Which, as Tony would tell you, was never a good sign.
At 6:03 a.m., Tony Stark—certified genius, billionaire, and completely exhausted foster superhero parent—was snoring softly into his pillow when something tiny and relentless started poking at his face.
“…Mmhfgh… what—”
A sharp jab landed directly in his eye.
“OW! What the—” Tony bolted upright, blinking rapidly. His vision cleared just enough to see a chubby little hand reaching for his nose this time.
Sitting proudly on his chest like a conquering hero was baby Peter Parker, giggling uncontrollably and trying his absolute best to poke Tony back to life.
“Hey—hey, buddy, personal space!” Tony squinted, rubbing his eye. “You’re lucky I like you, because that was almost assault, Mini-Me.”
Peter squealed at the sound of Tony’s voice and smacked his tiny hands against Tony’s cheeks, babbling a string of nonsense syllables that somehow managed to sound sassy.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it—you’re awake, I’m awake, everybody’s awake,” Tony grumbled, flopping back down on the pillow as Peter climbed up onto his shoulder, determined to investigate every shiny surface within reach.
That’s when Pepper groaned from her side of the bed.
“Tony… why is Peter on your head?”
“Because he’s apparently part monkey,” Tony mumbled, trying to gently peel the baby off. “He’s been poking my eye for—ow!—five minutes.”
Peter, of course, took this as a challenge. He gave a delighted little laugh and used Tony’s arc reactor as leverage to climb down his chest. His next target? The wall.
“Uh-oh.”
Tony sat up fully now, blinking. “Pepper, you seeing what I’m seeing?”
Pepper, half-awake and clutching the blanket around her shoulders, blinked blearily across the room.
And sure enough — there he was.
Tiny baby Peter Parker, pajama onesie slightly crooked, sticky fingers and toes somehow adhering perfectly to the smooth glass wall of their bedroom window.
He was climbing.
At six in the morning.
“Peter—sweetheart—” Pepper whispered in her gentlest voice, sliding out of bed. “Let’s not… climb the wall, okay? Come here, darling.”
Tony stared, utterly baffled and a little impressed. “You know, I always wondered if the spider powers worked at every age. Guess that’s confirmed.”
Pepper shot him a look that clearly said not helping.
She crept closer, keeping her tone soft and soothing. “Hey, baby boy. You’re doing such a good job climbing, but let’s not scare Mommy and Daddy this early, okay?”
Peter turned his big brown eyes toward her, giggled, and started climbing higher.
“Pepper—he’s going up the window!” Tony hissed. “If he gets to the top, we’ll need—like—a broom, or a ladder, or—”
Pepper ignored him. She reached out slowly, her voice melodic and calm.
“It’s okay, Peter. Come here, sweetheart.”
When she was close enough, she gently scooped him from the wall, lifting him against her chest.
“There we go,” she cooed, rocking him slightly. “No more climbing before breakfast, little spider.”
Peter giggled again, clearly proud of himself. He snuggled into her neck, tiny hands patting her cheek as if to say, mission accomplished.
Tony exhaled, dropping back onto the bed. “You know, I used to think mornings were my least favorite part of the day. Now they just terrify me.”
Pepper laughed softly, brushing a kiss onto Peter’s messy curls. “You love it.”
“Yeah,” Tony said, watching as Peter tried to grab her wedding band again, eyes bright with innocent curiosity. “Yeah, I kinda do.”
Peter yawned loudly, nuzzling closer against Pepper’s shoulder. Within moments, his eyelids drooped — fast asleep again, perfectly content in her arms.
Pepper smiled down at him. “Come on, little guy. Let’s get you some breakfast when you wake up.”
Tony groaned into his pillow. “You mean when we wake up again.”
Pepper chuckled, tucking Peter’s blanket back around him. “Better set an alarm for not 6 a.m. next time.”
Tony mumbled sleepily, “Tell that to Spider-Baby over there.”