Work Text:
Morgan opened the refrigerator (an act she had recently learned how to do), the cool air washing over her small form.
She inspected the shelves, looking for what she needed.
She frowned.
The bread was much too high for her to reach and calling Mommy and Daddy for help was not an option.
There was salad, though, and milk.
She smiled.
That’ll do.
With the small carton of milk in one hand and leftover salad in the other, she nudged the door closed with her hips.
“I can’t do this without you,” came Mommy’s voice from the living room. “You need to be there.”
Morgan’s eyes widened and she hurried out of the kitchen before her parents saw her. She slipped out to the patio and, as quietly as she could, hurried out to the front yard.
Entering the kitchen, Pepper hadn’t noticed the door slowly swing shut. She was too engrossed convincing her husband to join her at work.
“You can always charm them,” said Tony, following after his wife.
Pepper went right over to the coffee machine and poured out a cup. “I can’t charm them when they want you to charm them. You want any?”
“Please,” said Tony, seating himself by the table. He started to fill his plate with breakfast. “It isn’t even about me being there. The contract is practically signed! They just want to get a selfie with Iron Man.”
Pepper placed the mug of coffee in front of him. “Yes, but they could prolong the take-over, making it very annoying for me, unless you distract them with that ridiculously attractive smile of yours.”
Tony looked up at her.
“Please,” Pepper said softly, trailing a hand up her husband’s arm.
Tony raised a brow. “You’re basically whoring me out, you know that right?”
Pepper leaned down and whispered, “I’ll make it up to you.”
Tony wrapped an arm around her waist and angled his head, meeting Pepper’s lips.
…
Oblivious to what was happening in the kitchen, Morgan walked across the yard, determined in reaching her destination.
…
Tony pulled his wife onto his lap, his breakfast and coffee forgotten as he busied himself with her mouth.
With Morgan having turned three this year, they’ve only just begun to regain some alone-time together. Of course, it helped that FRIDAY kept an eye out on their little miss.
Pepper pulled away, asking, “It’s a yes, right?”
“Fine.”
Pepper got off his lap and to the refrigerator while Tony turned returned to his breakfast.
She frowned.
“Did you eat my salad?”
“Hmm?”
“I swore I put it in here last night. I was gonna bring it to work today.”
Tony shrugged and said, “Harley must have eaten it. He left early this morning.”
Pepper was about to say that Harley didn’t eat salad but then there was a loud audible quack that filled the silence followed by a series of rapid quack, quack, quack.
Pepper closed the refrigerator door, locking eyes with her husband.
“They’re excited today,” commented Tony, rising to his feet and peering outside the windows to see what the whole commotion outside was about.
“Too excited,” Pepper thoughtfully said to herself. “FRIDAY?”
“Yes, Mrs. Boss?”
Tony looked back at his wife, wondering what she was working at.
“Where’s Morgan?”
Tony’s eyes widened and he abandoned the windows to walk outside and find their daughter. Ever since they're daughter began walking, they've been having problems such as this.
“Outside by the greenhouse.”
Pepper nodded, not at all surprised. She went out the house, hurrying after Tony who was already almost to the greenhouse, having suspected the source of the overeager quacking.
Quack, quack, quack.
The noise grew louder as they approached and it was joined by the voice of someone else.
Coming into view of the greenhouse, they saw their daughter surrounded by a flock of ducks.
“Share, baby duck,” cooed Morgan, crouching over two ducklings who were fighting over a piece of lettuce. “You want milk?” She reached over to where she set the carton of milk and poured a tiny bit on the ground.
Quack, quack, quack.
“I found my salad,” Pepper whispered to Tony, pointing at Morgan’s lap. “Or what’s left of it.”
Tony smiled, shaking his head in amusement.
He and Pepper walked over to their daughter.
Crouching beside Morgan, Tony asked, “Whatcha doin’ there, little miss?”
Morgan picked up one of the ducklings like she would one of her stuffed toys. “Feeding baby duck, see?” The duckling tried to get out of her small grip.
Tony immediately took the duckling from her and set it down. "We see that. But what did we say about telling Mommy and Daddy where you're going before you go play outside?"
"I'm not playing. I'm feeding. It's snack time."
Pepper sent Tony a pointed look.
Tony sighed. His daughter took after him more and more every day.
He tried again. "As long as you want to go outside, you have to tell us, okay?"
"Okay."
The response was almost automatic that Tony and Pepper knew their request really didn't get in her head.
It was a good thing FRIDAY had eyes everywhere and gave a warning as soon as her algorithm detected Morgan was in some sort of incoming danger. Maybe he should just change it to FRIDAY announcing Morgan's location every five minutes.
“Uh-huh” said Pepper, taking the almost empty box of leftover salad from Morgan's lap. “We also don’t get the food from the refrigerator. That food’s for us.” She took the small carton of milk, grateful it was out of the ducks’ reach or else she’d have to throw it out.
“But baby duck hungry,” Morgan pouted, hand reaching for the salad back.
Tony patted Morgan’s hand and helped her to her feet. “They eat duck food, honey. We have to use duck food.”
“We’ll show you what to feed the ducklings, okay?” said Pepper as they began walking back to the house.
“Get duck food?”
“Sure thing.”
They were back a few minutes later having gone to retrieve the duck food and returned the stolen human food.
Morgan sat between her parents as Tony taught her how to properly hold a duck while Pepper fed the rest of them because her daughter had lost interest.
“Daddy, I want baby duck,” said Morgan, stroking the duckling’s breast.
“It’s ‘duckling,’ sweetie. We call them ducklings when they're a baby.”
“I want baby duckling.”
“Just say ‘duckling.’"
“I want duckling, Daddy.”
“But you already have one." Tony pointed at the gathered flock. "In fact, you have lots! They’re all yours, see? The Mommy Duck and all her ducklings and all their sisters and brothers.”
Morgan set the duckling down and looked at her dad. “What’s sisters and brothers?”
“Well, when Mommy and Daddy have another baby, it’ll be your sister or brother.”
“Like Harley?”
“More or less.”
“I want a brother, Daddy.”
Tony exchanged a look with Pepper who simply stared at him, as if to say he was on his own.
“We have to ask Mommy, though, ‘cause she’s the boss, remember?”
Pepper gaped at her husband from behind her daughter but immediately smiled when Morgan turned to look at her.
“Mommy, can I have brother, please?”
This time, Tony smiled smugly at his wife.
“I’ll tell you what,” said Pepper, taking both of Morgan’s hands. “If you learn how to take care of the ducks, feed them the right food, and hold them properly, then Daddy and I might make you a baby brother.”
Tony raised his brow at that but Pepper ignored him.
“Okay!” said Morgan, jumping to her feet. She picked up one of the ducklings and said, “Let’s go, duckling. Nap time!”
She started walking back to the house, duckling in hand.
Tony frowned. “You don’t think she’s—”
“—gonna put it to bed? Absolutely.“
“Morgan!” they both cried.