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Peter Stark hated being sick. It was always so boring just lying in bed or on the couch all day with nothing to do. But what Peter hated even more was when he was sick in December. He had so many things he wanted to do before Christmas and being sick wasn’t one of them. So, when he had woken up with a scratchy throat, a cold and a fever on the day he was supposed to go ice skating with his dad, Peter had been pretty upset to say the least.
”But Dad, I don’t even feel that bad!” the boy was saying as he made to stand up from his bed, ignoring the small ache in his head. A chill that didn’t go unnoticed by the kid’s dad went through Peter’s body as soon as he lifted the blankets. With a hand on the boy’s shoulder, Tony Stark gently made his nine-year-old son lie back down on the bed.
“I’m sorry, buddy, but we can’t go ice skating when you’re sick,” the billionaire said apologetically as he tucked the warm blankets around his son’s small frame.
“But daaad,” Peter whined as he tried to sit up, the thick blankets making it quite a challenge. “I wanna go ice skating!”
“I know you do, Pete, but it won’t be fun for you - nor me for that matter - if you’re not feeling well.” Peter let out a huff of air and folded his arms underneath the blankets, his bottom lip sticking out and forming into a pout. Tony thought it was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen.
“I promise to take you ice skating as soon as you’re feeling better.” He tried to brighten the kid’s mood, but Peter didn’t seem to care at the moment. All the boy could think about was how much he’d been looking forward to go ice skating, and now he couldn’t do that because he’d managed to get sick. Peter let out a low sniffle and wiped at his nose with the sleeve of his Iron Man hoodie.
“Hey, bud,” Tony said, voice soft. “This doesn’t have to ruin the day. We can just move your blankets and pillows to the couch in the living room, and then we can both stay there and watch Christmas movies all day. Sounds good?” Peter hesitated a few seconds before swiftly nodding his head once.
Tony smiled and ruffled the boy’s curls. Kid was in serious need of a new haircut soon.
“C’mere,” the man said as he reached out towards his son. Peter crawled into his dad’s arms, placing his small arms around the man’s neck, and let himself be lifted off the bed. Tony made sure he had a firm hold on the boy before he tucked the blankets and a couple of pillows underneath his one free arm. He then made his way to the living area where he gently laid Peter on the couch and tucked him in the blankets.
“Okay, so, you just think about what we’re going to watch while I make us some hot chocolate, yea?”
“Okay,” Peter said, a thoughtful look already on his face as he was pondering just which Christmas movie they were going to watch first. A few minutes later, Tony returned with two cups of steaming hot chocolate, both topped with marshmallows. He sat both cups down on the coffee table, the one with the straw in front of Peter and next to the glass of water he’d also fetched for the boy. “So, what movie are we going to watch?” Tony asked excitedly as he sat down on the couch with a pillow in his lap for the kid to rest his head on.
Peter happily snuggled closer to his dad and was about to reply when suddenly he was cut off by a coughing fit. Tony reached out and grabbed the water from the coffee table, handing it to his son with a worried expression. Peter greedily drank the water, desperately trying to ease the pain in his sore throat.
“You okay there, buddy?” Tony asked, placing the glass back on the table. Peter nodded tiredly and rested his head back down on the pillow in his dad’s lap. “M’okay,” he mumbled quietly. The father watched his son for another moment, a concerned look on his face, but he didn’t mention anything else about it.
“So, what movie?” he asked instead.
“Home Alone,” Peter revealed excitedly.
“JARVIS, you heard the kid. Play Home Alone.”
“On it, boss,” the A.I. replied, and it was only a few seconds later when the big flat screen was turned on and the opening credits started rolling over the screen. Tony shot a quick text to Pepper, letting her know that both he and Peter were staying at home instead of going ice skating because the kid was sick. They watched the movie in a comfortable silence, both sipping on their hot chocolate every few minutes.
“I don’t understand how he can be so happy,” Peter said in a small voice after a little while.
Tony, who’d been caught up in the movie, looked down at his son, a questioning look on his face. “What d’you mean, Pete?”
Peter’s eyes were on the screen where the main character, a boy named Kevin, was currently running around in his house, having just realized that his whole family had disappeared during the night. “How come he’s so happy when he just made all his family disappear?” Peter wondered.
“Well, technically it wasn’t him who made them disappear. The family just left without him.” Tony was surprised to see his son staring up at him, brown eyes wide.
“Yes, but he doesn’t know that,” Peter stated. “I don’t know what I’d do if I made my family disappear. What if you disappear? What am I going to do then?” The kid’s voice had become slightly frantic towards the end. Tony paused the movie, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s arm.
“Where’s all this coming from, buddy?” the man asked, wondering why Peter suddenly sounded so scared.
And, to be honest, the boy didn’t really know why he was saying all this. He just wasn’t feeling too well; he felt like his body was burning up, but at the same time he didn’t think it would hurt with yet another blanket because he was also freezing. And he was tired, so very tired. And it was while watching that scene where Kevin was dancing around the house that Peter realized: his dad was Iron Man. He was risking his life almost on a daily basis. Every time he and the team went out on a mission, Peter was left waiting at home, worrying if his dad would make it back to him again. Usually when he hugged him goodbye, the kid feared it may be the last hug he would ever give his dad. But he hadn’t really mentioned anything about it to the genius. He didn’t want to worry his dad, and he didn’t want him to take it the wrong way. Peter had always felt like the luckiest kid in the world, because his dad was a superhero who had saved hundreds of people multiple times.
In Peter’s opinion, there had never been anyone more amazing than Iron Man and there never would be, but behind that shining, red and gold armor there was a man - a normal human being - who could be hurt, who could die. And Peter didn’t know how he was supposed to go through life without his father. He didn’t think he could.
“Peter?”
The kid blinked back to the present where his dad was now running his hand through Peter’s hair. His eyes were looking him over with a concerned gaze.
“I-I just… I don’t want you to disappear,” the boy mumbled quietly.
“I won’t, buddy. Why would I ever disappear?”
Peter hesitated for a moment. He didn’t really want to explain himself, but he could feel that Tony was worried about him. “It’s just… I-I…” Peter couldn’t help but stutter. He felt like his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth, not allowing him to form the words he wanted to say. He inhaled a deep, shaky breath through his small nose and then tried again. “I love that you’re Iron Man, daddy, I really do.” Peter could feel his father’s worried eyes watching him, but he couldn’t meet the man’s gaze. Not quite yet.
“But sometimes when you go out on a mission, I’m scared that you won’t make it back to me.” Peter’s voice was barely audible, and Tony didn’t think he would have heard him if the boy hadn’t been lying in his lap. “I know it’s stupid,” Peter whispered, sniffling quietly. He reached up his small hand and wiped at his runny nose. Tony ran his hand through his son’s long curls and swallowed past the lump in his throat.
“God, Pete, no, it’s not stupid at all.” The genius wrapped his arms around his kid, tugging him closer to his chest with a sigh. “Do you remember when I was in Afghanistan?” he asked.
Peter nodded slowly, an uneasy look on his face. He remembered it all too well when his dad had gone to Afghanistan with Stark Industries and then disappeared for months. Most people believed that Tony Stark had died, and those months had been the worst in Peter’s entire life. When the billionaire had finally been found and brought back home, Peter had cried for hours, refusing to ever let his dad go again. Tony hadn’t wanted Peter to know all the details, but the kid knew about the fact that his dad had been held captive by some bad men who’d wanted to hurt him.
“At some point, I was close to just giving up everything,” Tony began quietly, eyes drifting away from the living room and into the cave that still haunted him in his sleep. “I couldn’t seem to find a way out of the… situation I had gotten myself into. But do you know what kept me going?” He looked down at his son like he was the most important thing in the universe, because to Tony, that was exactly what Peter was. The boy silently shook his head, his eyes widening in curiosity.
“It was you, buddy. The thought of you waiting for me at home was what kept me going. The thought of leaving you without a father was the thing that kept me fighting. And I made it back to you. I’ll always make it back to you, Peter. Always.”
And while lying there on the couch in his father’s arms, Peter believed him. The kid loved Iron Man, he would always be his favorite Avenger, but to Peter it was Tony Stark, his father, who was the real hero. He believed that Tony would always do everything in his power to come back home.
“I love you, dad,” Peter whispered and rested his head on his father’s chest, enjoying the quiet hum of the arc reactor.
“I love you too, Pete. Very much.” Tony leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his son’s forehead. “Jeez, kiddie, you’re burning hot. Does it hurt anywhere? Are you in pain?”
Peter shook his head and closed his eyes. “No, dad, I’m just very tired,” he mumbled, and after a thought he added, “Actually, I do feel pretty cold.”
Tony hurriedly tugged the blankets even closer around the kid’s small frame. “Maybe you should try and get some sleep.”
Peter just shook his head and turned around, eyes on the TV. “I wanna watch the movie, daddy.”
Tony hesitated for a few seconds, then sighed. “Okay, but it’s totally fine if you fall asleep. You need the rest, buddy.” He turned the movie back on, and it wasn’t even ten minutes before small snoring noises could be heard from the kid. The genius smiled warmly and kept nuzzling Peter’s soft hair. This boy was the most important thing in Tony’s life, and he’d be damned if he ever let anything happen to him. He’d do anything for him, and if it ever came down to the billionaire’s life or Peter’s, Tony would always choose his son without even blinking. But, no matter what, he’d always try to make it back to him. Always.