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“Hey Mr. Stark!” Peter came bursting into the lab and threw his backpack onto his work station, rummaging around in it. “Before you ask, I finished all my homework except for Econ, but who better to help me with economics then - Oh!” Pete looked up, noticing for the first time that there was a third person in the room. “Pepper!”
Tony smirked at the kid, “You’re right, Pepper should definitely help you with economics, she pays way more attention to that stuff than I do.”
Peter was looking around the room then, seeming for the first time to take in the mess of magazines and brochures that were scattered about the lab, his brow scrunched up in adorable confusion. “Um, I was supposed to come over today, right?”
“Oh shit.” Tony’s face fell.
Pepper looked at him, clearly displeased. “You forgot to tell him.”
Tony huffed and started shuffling the papers in front of him, as if that was a productive endeavor. “Yeah well, I got busy.” He turned to the boy, expression and voice both softening. “Sorry kiddo, Pep and I have wedding planning we need to do today, I meant to call you about it. Rain check?”
Peter looked disappointed but was obviously trying not to show it. “Oh yeah, no, that’s cool, um, I have decathlon after school tomorrow, Friday?”
“Sounds good, kid.” He smiled softly at Peter. It was an expression very few people got to see, in fact half of those people were currently in the room. “You swingin’ home or do you want me to get Happy back up here?”
Peter was in the process of digging through his backpack, probably to pull out his suit, when Pepper spoke up. “Actually, Pete, why don’t you join us?”
“Huh?” Peter’s face was a mask of confusion, head tilted to the side, nose scrunched, mouth slightly opened, and if Tony had to guess he would say he was sporting a very similar look. Peter seemed to snap out of it as panic at the idea that he had just been rude to anyone, let alone Pepper, encased him. “That - that’s not what - I didn’t mean it like - sorry, I mean, yes, I just -”
“No, no.” Tony still looked confused. “You were right the first time. Huh?”
Pepper laughed at the pair of them, “Well, Peter came all this way. Plus, we could use a referee.” She looked at Tony amused, “He can keep us from killing each other.”
Peter had started stuffing things back into his backpack but stopped at Pepper’s words. “I don’t know, that sounds like a lot of responsibility.”
“No, Pepper’s right.”
“Usually am.” Pepper said at the same time as Peter said, “She usually is.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “Stick around, you can be an impartial third party.” Peter was so going to be on his side.
----
“Mr. Stark, maybe it would be best if you worked on something else while Pepper and I made some decisions. How about we bring you what we’ve decided when we’re done, and you can have veto power?”
“Fine.” Tony huffed out the word more than he actually spoke it, pushing himself roughly back from the table the three had taken over and made his was to his own work station. He grumbled to himself as he went, muttering something that sounded vaguely like ‘It’s not my fault I’m a visionary.’
----
At some point food had been delivered, and Peter and Pepper had taken this as their cue to be done for the night, the pair all but dragged Tony away from his workstation to come eat with them.
So, now the three of them were sat around the small lounge area that had found its way into the lab about the same time Peter had (although Tony would hold firm that correlation did not equal causation and that those two facts were completely unrelated). Peter and Pepper were taking turns pitching wedding ideas to Tony in between passing Chinese takeout boxes back and forth.
Peter was always the one to offer up the ideas they thought were most likely to be vetoed. Pepper had said it was because Tony was less likely to argue and more likely to just say ‘no’ if it was coming from Peter, but really it was because she had seen how well the boy’s doe-eyes worked and she was hoping he could work his magic on the mechanic. It seemed to be going surprisingly well actually, Tony had only vetoed two of their ideas so far (“Gardenias? Are you kidding me? Next option, go, and I swear to God kid, if you say orchids, I’m disowning you.” and “Really, silver? Do you not know me at all?”) and they were about three quarters of the way down their list, debating the merits of the crown versus the rosebud napkin folds when FRIDAY spoke up.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Parker asked to be notified when it reached 8:30.”
“Thanks, FRI!” Peter looked toward the ceiling with a smile. “I guess that means I’m out.” The boy hopped up from the couch and started gathering his belongings.
“We still on for next Wednesday?” Pepper stood as she spoke, making her way over to Peter for a goodbye hug. It had been a little over a month since Pepper had first invited Peter to intern for her on his non-lab week and it had become routine now for the boy to be at the tower every Wednesday to see one of them. Although the other usually found some excuse to stop in to say hi and embarrass Pete.
“Of course,” Peter said as he stepped into her embrace. He looked over her shoulder at Tony and winked. “As long as you two don’t strangle each other before then.”
Pepper pulled back with a laugh and smiled at Peter conspiratorially. “No promises.”
Pete beamed back at her as he hitched his backpack over his shoulder and made to leave. He made it all of about two steps towards the door before Tony was calling after him.
“Hey Pete, wait up a second.”
Peter turned back to his mentor with a smile, “What’s up, Mr. Stark?”
Tony placed his arm around Pete’s shoulders guiding him away from where Pepper stood, not that he didn’t want her to hear, it’s just that emotions are easier without an audience. “So, as you know Rhodey’s my best man.”
Peter’s smile turned from sweet to what some might call ‘shit-eating’, which concerned Tony. “Yeah, Colonel Rhodes seems really excited about his speech.”
“What? Should I be worried?” The boy’s answering chuckle didn’t do anything to ease Tony’s nerves. “FRIDAY, remind me to interrogate Rhodey about his best man speech. Anyway,” Tony shook his head, getting back on track, “not the point, what I’m trying to say here kid, is well. Okay, so you know Pepper has her maid of honor and two bridesmaids.”
“Yes?” Peter cocked his head, not picking up quite yet what Tony was getting at.
“And I’ve got Rhodey and a very reluctant Happy.”
“Yeah, he seems less excited about being a part of this.”
“Yes.” It was true, as much as Happy loved him and Pepper the man wasn’t thrilled about the idea of having to stand up for Tony. But that wasn’t the point either. “It would also seem like I’m in need of another groomsman.” Tony tried to get his message across with his eyes, but was met with a blank, slightly confused stare. “Come on Petey, work with me here.” He sighed. “What I’m saying is: I would be honored if you would be one of my groomsmen, Peter.”
Peter’s face morphed from confusion to shock to joy back to shock all in the span of about a second. He couldn’t seem to get his mouth to work as it kept opening and closing with no noise coming out until finally, “Oh.”
Tony’s eyebrows shot up, not the reaction he was expecting. “Oh?”
That seemed to cause Peter’s brain to restart from the blue screen it was clearly stuck on. “I-I mean, yes! Wow! Of course, Mr. Stark, that would be gr- I-I would be honored! I mean, I am, uh, I am honored that you even thought of me. Wow.”
Tony smiled at how good and pure this kid was, and it hit him, not for the first time, how lucky he was to be a part of his life. He could feel himself starting to get emotional and had to clear his throat before he could trust himself to talk. “Come here, bud.” He grabbed Pete’s shoulder, pulling him into his chest. One arm wrapped itself around Peter’s shoulder as the other found its way to the boy’s curls. Tony could feel Peter’s hands grip the back of his shirt. He held the boy close until he was sure he wouldn’t accidentally end up crying while they said their goodbyes.
Stepping back, he clapped his kid on the shoulder and made sure not to let too much emotion seep into his voice. “I’ll see you in a couple weeks, bud.”
“Yeah,” Peter took a step back as well, looking about as emotional as Tony felt. “Bye Mr. Stark.” He smiled gently at the older man before leaning around him to wave at Pepper. “Bye Pepper!”
Pepper waved back, fondness shining bright in her gaze. She waited until Peter had left before turning her smile to Tony. “Alright, I have to admit, that was heartwarming. You win this round.”
Tony straightened himself, brushing non-existent lint off his shirt. “Yeah, well, that’s because I’m his favorite.”
A chopstick hit Tony in the back of the head.