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“Mr. Stark!” Tony ignored the call and continued sucking on Steve’s lips with gusto, who now had a frown on his face Tony was eager to erase.
Bucky’s hands on his tail hesitated for a moment, though, so Tony rolled his eyes and turned to face his other lover.
“If we’re quiet, they’ll go away.” he uttered and entwined his fingers with Bucky’s stone ones and slid them over his pelvis, enjoying the spark-like sensation of those fingers over his scales as Bucky hummed on his neck.
He loved having sex in his human form, he really did, but there was nothing like doing it in his true form and underwater. Good thing his den was big enough for the three of them.
They were just getting into it once more when the voice sounded again, this time much clearer.
“Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts told me you would be he- AAAH!”
“Peter!” Tony almost jumped out of his skin when he saw him.
Peter Parker was standing right at the entrance of the cave, his arms covered most of his face, but Tony noticed a blush the color of Peter’s tail creeping over his cheeks and neck.
“I didn’t see anything, I swear!”
Tony disentangled from his boyfriends almost instantly, feelings a mix of horror and joy at seeing Peter and hoping to god the kid didn’t see anything too compromising. He swam closer to Peter, ready to hug him when he froze as his eyes caught something over the younger merman’s right forearm.
Without a word, Tony took a hold of his wrist and turned it over, exposing the inside of his arm, which was bright red from a recent bruise.
“Who did this?” his voice came out strained with bubbling anger. He knew Peter wasn’t popular in the village but to get to the point of aggression--
“Just some other kids, they didn’t mean it.” Peter averted his eyes and recoiled his arm protectively. Tony didn’t buy it, but he wasn’t going to pray it from the kid.
That, Tony decided momentarily, didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try and help him the way he could. He hoped Steve and Bucky wouldn’t mind…
He glanced quickly at them before turning back to Peter, mind already made at his impulsive decision.
“I want you to stay over with me for some time, Peter.” So I can look after you for a while , though he didn’t say that part.
“Like… like in your house?” Peter sputtered, “I couldn’t possibly, Mr. Stark.”
“Tony is just fine, kid. We’ve known each other for years now.” Tony smiled, “And yes, in my house, with my boyfriends and I.” Tony pointed at Bucky and Steve. His heart did that somersault it always did when he said the word ‘boyfriends’. He still couldn’t believe he can call them that.
Peter looked at them for the first time after the incident and finally took them in, if his frown was anything to go by.
“They… they are humans.” he stated. Both Steve and Bucky waved awkwardly at him.
“Yes. Is it going to be a problem?” Tony crossed his arms.
“Mr. Tony, I would never judge you.” Peter even sounded a little bit offended. Tony rolled his eyes at the unnecessary formality but let it slide. Until the end of Peter’s stay he would get the kid to call him just ‘Tony’.
-
“When you said ‘at your house’ I thought you meant the cave… not… this.” Peter commented, mouth falling open as he took in the house’s interior.
“Well, I live here just as much as in my den. And here is… quieter. Calmer.” Tony giggled as Peter nudged the soft cushions on the couch looking just as curious as he had while examining Steve and Bucky minutes before they left the ocean.
“Make yourself at home, Peter.” Steve said, and when Peter looked at him questionably he added, chuckling lightly. “Go explore, there are tons of rooms upstairs. And I think you will like the bathroom quite a bit.”
Peter repeated the word ‘bathroom’ under his breath, testing the new word with badly covered mirth and nodded before sprinting --or as close as sprinting as he could get first time on human legs-- to the stairs and disappearing on the second floor.
Bucky turned to Tony the moment Peter was out of sight.
“So. Who’s the kid?”
Tony was glad that Bucky didn’t sound accusive at all.
“That’s Peter Parker.” he sat on the couch and waited as they sat down next to him, “He’s a good kid who lost his parents to a shark attack when he was just a baby. Grew with his aunt till his twelve, but she, too, passed away.
“I’ve taken care of him from that day to the day I’ve left the village behind. He was still too young to leave, so I couldn’t have taken him with me.” Tony massaged his forehead, “You see, we have a very strict policy about coming and going from the village, and the young ones are not allowed to wander aimlessly until they reach fifteen, which Peter hadn’t by the time I left.
“My worst regret was leaving him behind.” he admitted, looking down at his hands.
“Oh, Tony.” Steve moved his arm behind Tony’s shoulders and brought him closer to his chest, “There was nothing you could have done. If everything you’ve told us about the place is true, you had to leave when you did.”
“But I left him for two years. It was selfish of me. And now I’m not there to protect him-- Well, never mind. That was in the past, no need to delve on that anymore.”
Tony sighed and rested his forehead against Steve’s collarbone. There was nothing he could do to change that-- aside from taking a better care of Peter now, in the present.
“Why does the village hate him?” Bucky asked, “I mean, he seems like the nicest kid. If a little bit overenthusiastic.”
“He sure is.” Tony snorted. “I don’t know, I guess kids just always try to find the weakest link amongst themselves, and that role fell on Peter.”
Tony tried not to remember the discussions he had had with other parents of their irresponsibility when it came to their own children, but no one seemed to care enough to do something about it, so the kids had continued pestering Peter.
And now those pestering were becoming crueler, driving sweet Peter into hiding from his own--
His only--
Tony would never forgive himself for leaving the kid behind.
However, he was grateful Peter was still that same innocent, kind hearted child he took care of.
“I’m sorry I’ve never told you about him. Really, I should have.”
Steve looked at him, face serious yet soft.
“I’m sure you had your reasons, Tony.” and kissed him.
“Mr. Tony! Mr. Tony! Come here!” Peter called from the second floor, voice muffled for some reason. It got Tony on his feet and on the second floor in a second, both Steve and Bucky right behind him, looking around worryingly, just to find him hovering over the giant bathtub in the master bathroom.
“What is this thing?” his eyes were shining with curiosity and Tony could help but chuckle.
“This , Peter, is the home away from home.”
-
Tony wished he could say Peter’s favorite spot was the bathtub, but then he would be lying.
Everywhere seemed to be Peter’s favorite spot.
He seemed to love the couch a lot, though, and Tony could understand why: there was nothing like the soft cushions and warm blankets under the sea. It was quite cozy.
Not only places, but Peter seemed to just enjoy almost everything Bucky and Steve showed him. Books, the television, pencils, music, other electronic devices Tony was still learning about. Whatever it was, he was always eager the learn from.
That evening, for example, after two weeks since Peter started living with them, he was helping Steve with dinner while Bucky and Tony snuggled comfortably on the living room, watching some mindless TV show Bucky swore Tony would love.
“So this is where you come from?” Tony frowned as his eyes moved from building to building on the screen, “Everything looks so grey, where are the plants?”
“Uhh, actually, we cut them off to build these buildings-- But that’s not the point of the show. Focus on the characters.”
Tony mumbled over his breath but turned his attention back to the main character who was now jumping from car roof to car roof.
“Isn’t that a little dangerous? What if he-- oh never mind, he broke his leg. Legs are so fragile, he shouldn’t have done that.”
Bucky rolled his eyes fondly as Tony continued to comment on every scene of the show until Steve called them for dinner. They hastily turned off the TV and joined them at the dining table.
Peter and Steve had cooked a freshwater fish, which they had promised Peter existed and were tasteful, in Tony’s opinion.
“Oh my god!” Peter said after swallowing a forkful of fish, “This is really good! I mean-- it’s strange? But like, a good strange, you know?”
They laughed and continued eating peacefully, appreciating each other’s company silently as they finished their plates.
After, when all the dishes were washed and the leftovers safe on the fridge, Bucky cleared his throat, stopping Steve and Tony’s amicable discussion and calling Peter’s attention.
“Should we go for a swim?”
A few minutes later and they were all swimming by the waves of the bay.
It was relaxing, to say the least. Tony never felt so full with happiness and contentment as he felt right at that moment, sharing a quiet night by the waves with the people he loved. It was deeply contrasting from that day, long ago, when he found Steve and Bucky by the sand.
He wasn’t alone anymore.
Tony approached Peter, leaving Bucky and Steve to their traditional water fight.
“You have to do that everytime you put your feet in the water?” Tony asked once.
“Yup.” they answered in unison. Tony had only snorted and let it slide. It was kind of funny (hot) to watch, so Tony didn’t mind, not really.
“Hey, kid.” Tony said as he floated next to him.
“Hey.” Peter answered. He was on his back, face glued on the stars.
“So, what do you think?”
“Think of what?” he turned those huge, curious eyes at Tony.
“You know,” Tony shrugged, “of here, of them, of us… everything. I know you’ve expressed your eagerness before, I just want to make sure you are doing ok.”
“Geez, Tony, is fine.” Tony eyes widened but he shut his mouth tight before he said anything. Peter didn’t seem to noticed he used Tony’s first name without any formalities. Tony’s heart melted.
As if the day couldn’t get any better.
“Nah, really,” Tony recovered and said, feigning nonchalance, “I just want to know how you are doing, Petes”
“I’m… fine.” he admitted and furrowed his eyebrows, “Really am... uhh, I actually just realized it now, wow.”
Tony snorted.
“You are amazing, did you know that?”
Tony would have laughed at the way Peter blushed if he wasn’t flustered himself by his own admission.
Eventually, Peter blurted out.
“Thanks, I-- it really means a lot hearing it from you.”
Tony smiled, heart pouring with love for the kid.
They fell in mutual silence for a while, looking at the stars. Tony occasionally pointed at one or another constellation and retold Peter what he learned from moments like these with Steve and Bucky. He smiled to himself. Remembering those moments with them made his heart melt all over again.
“It was Flash.” Peter blurted, interrupting Tony’s story about the Milky Way. Tony blinked at him, waiting for the boy to continue, “Flash who, uhh, Flash who gave me the injury.”
Tony hummed. He had assumed it had been Flash, but hadn’t said anything. It wouldn’t be the first time Flash tried to pull something at Peter. His mouth felt heavy with bitterness.
He pulled Peter closer to his chest and turned so they were floating vertically.
“I’m not going to let anything like that ever happen to you again, Peter.”
Tony kissed Peter’s hair and hugged him tighter when he felt Peter swallowing heavy before nodding.
After they broke the hug, Tony couldn’t help feeling his smile wavering as he caught Peter wiping his face clean of tears.
“You guys ok?” Bucky asked as he and Steve swimmed closer.
His smile only grew, seeing the faces of his lovers showing so much care. He kissed Bucky and nodded.
“Let’s go home.”
-
Next day Tony woke up with the feeling he was being watched. But, as most times turned out, wasn’t a bad thing.
He grinned and opened his eyes, which fell directly on the long haired man with deep blue eyes next to him.
“Good morning.” he mumbled, still waking up.
“Morning, beautiful.” Bucky answered, kissing Tony on the lips sweetly.
“Mmm, I love being woken up like that.” he smiled, kissing Bucky again, who was now smiling as well, “Where’s Steve?”
“He left to run some errands in town. Took Peter with him.”
“Oh, wow. Peter is going to burst with delight, I hope Steve is ready for that.” he chuckled.
“He definitely is. He sounded just as eager as Peter when they left.” Bucky ran a hand through Tony’s hair absentmindedly, “I think he loves making the kid happy.” Bucky had a warm, far-away look on his face.
“Well, I hope he does. Because I’m thinking of making Peter’s stay here permanently. That is--” and he looked right into Bucky’s eyes as he said, “If you think it won’t be a problem. I mean-- I know you don’t like having too many people around, is just--”
“Tony, calm down.” Bucky cut him off, his softer hand cupping his jaw as his thumb caressed his lips, “I would love having Peter around permanently. I really would. And more importantly, he would love it. Peter needs you, Tony.”
“Needs us.” Tony corrected, and Bucky froze, blinking at Tony. He felt his spine grow cold the longer he made eye contact with Bucky. Fuck, maybe he shouldn’t have said that. “I know we’ve only been dating for a year, but if this is going to happen, we have to do it together.” He took a deep breath and marched on, “But if you don’t feel the same way, I-- we…”
His voice faded into nothing and he looked away. He wouldn’t say it, he couldn’t. Even thinking about it alone made his eyes sting with tears.
“Hey, Tony, no. That’s not it.” Bucky stumbled with his words, “Fuck, I’m sorry, you just caught me off guard. Wait-- that makes it sound worst.” Bucky bit his lip, clearly frustrated, “What I’m trying to say is that would be an honour to help you raise Peter. Is just... I can’t believe you would trust me with it.”
“Oh, Bucky, of course I trust you. With everything.” Tony’s hand covered Bucky’s own over his jaw and he squeezed. “I love you.”
Bucky instantly softened.
“I love you too.” he kissed Tony with all his passion, sending away Tony’s painful thoughts and replacing it with tender and more lascivious ones.
He ran a hand over Bucky’s naked torso, circling all the places that made Bucky arch and breath harder, then drew it souther and started playing with the elastic band of Bucky’s briefs.
“Wanna take it to the bathtub?” Tony asked to Bucky’s ear, drinking up the way his lover moaned as he latched his lips over his earlobe.
“Yes, please.”
-
“This is amazing, Mr. Steve, thank you for taking me with you!”
“No need to thank me, Peter. I needed another hand to help me carry stuff and since you never came here before, I figured I could show you around.” Steve shrugged, adjusting the cap on his head to protect it from the sunlight.
Peter nodded, already converging his attention towards the next display window. Steve hid a chuckle behind his hand.
The town wasn’t big, not that Peter would know if it were, but it was well kept. Since there were no skyscrapers, the sunlight breached even the most isolated places. And if you got too hot under the heat, there was always a tree for you to rest under its shadow.
Really, there was nothing more distinct from New York than this. People were more friendly too, they greeted each other, knew stuff about them. It felt cozy, homey, even.
“Hey, Peter, we’re here.” Peter was examining a bicycle when Steve called his attention. He followed Steve inside the market, still glancing at the bike.
“So what was that for? I mean, that metal thing with hoops?” he kept his voice low to a whisper, aware enough that his questions would bring curious glances if spoken too loud.
“A bicycle, you drive it.” Steve answered while picking up a basket and maneuvering through the isles.
“How?”
“With your legs.” Steve stopped and turned to face Peter, “Maybe we can buy one and I can show you how it’s done.”
“That would be awesome!” Steve smiled at the sparkles in Peter’s eyes. Maybe he was getting too attached, but at this point he didn’t care anymore. Peter was worth getting attached to.
“When we get home we can ask Tony if he wants to learn too.”
“I bet he will.” he said, hope clear on his voice.
“So,” Steve changed the subject as he grabbed a package of bread and placed into the basket, “This is a market, where we buy food.”
“Like, all your food comes from here?” Peter was taken aback, looking around at all the packages and jars on the isles.
“No, no. They come from farms and industries. But here,” Steve moved his hand around, “is where we buy them. There’s even a fish session on the back.”
“Oh, wow.” Peter’s eyebrows rose, “That simplifies stuff so much.”
“How does it work on the village?” Steve asked, genuinely curious.
“There are hunters in each village, and they leave every week to hunt. When they come back, each house gets on average two fishes and a crab. The other stuff, like algae, for example, each fetches for themselves.”
“Sounds like a lot of work.” he said, moving towards the freezers to grab some frozen peas.
“It is… what’s this?” Peter asked as his picked up a carton from the freezer.
“It’s ice cream.” Steve read the cover over Peter’s head, “Vanilla and chocolate ice cream. Wanna take home to taste it?”
Peter hesitated biting on his lower lip.
“I don’t know if I should.”
“What’s wrong? Is not like you to turn new things down.” Steve frowned.
“Well… when it comes to food… I don’t know… I get scared? What if it’s poisonous to me? I mean, we have different metabolisms, right?”
“Sure, and I guess that’s a reasonable fear. But I’ve seen Tony eating ice cream before.” Peter eyes meet his. Steve smirked, “From what I could tell it didn’t make him sick… only a little fat.”
“Tony likes ice cream?”
“Yup.”
Peter looked back at the carton in his hands, brows knitted together, clearly deep thinking.
“We should buy some for him, then.”
They end up adding the vanilla and chocolate ice cream to their basket together with a strawberry one (Steve confined in Peter it’s Tony’s favorite flavor). They grabbed some eggs and vegetables and made their way to the queue.
“So we pay for all we got here,” he pointed at the cashier on the front line of the queue, “with money.”
“That doesn’t look fair. Isn’t money just a piece of paper?”
“Well…” Explaining about credit cards seemed like a little too much for Peter, so they hadn’t gotten around talking much about money in general. And explaining capitalism seemed a little too much for Peter. “When you put it like that, it sure doesn’t. But it’s a system that works. Sometimes.”
Peter shrugged.
“I guess, if it works…” but he never finished his phrase, focusing already on the cashier in front of them. Steve didn’t realize the queue had moved so fast. “Hi.” Peter waved, smiling brightly.
“Uh, hi.” the cashier didn’t seem to know what to do with Peter’s enthusiasm, so Steve gave him a hand.
“Hi Ned. This is Peter, he’s Tony’s…” son? friend? relative? it all seemed wrong to say without talking to Tony beforehand, “protegee.”
“Not from around here either?” Ned asked, looking at Peter curiously as he started scanning their purchases.
“I’m from Sicily.” Peter said without hesitating. Steve had to hold back a snort at the way Peter pronounced ‘Sicily’ emphasizing the ‘sea’ syllable, like it was all a huge inside joke.
And it was.
They made some small talk, Peter, mostly, and Steve couldn’t be more impressed at how good Peter blended in around humans. Well, as good as he could. But still, even Tony didn’t have in himself to play a role for so long without breaking. But Peter seemed to be doing just fine.
“Hey, uh,” Ned’s voice brought Steve back to the present, “there’s a line starting behind you guys, so I have to go back to work.” he looked a little apologetic, as if he didn’t want to go back, “But later we can meet up? Uh, I could show you around the town, Peter? If Steve or Bucky haven’t shown you already, that is…”
“I would love that!” and the smile in Peter’s face was as genuine it could get. Ned smiled back.
“Great! So tomorrow, around noon?”
“Perfect!”
They grabbed their paper bags and said their goodbyes to Ned.
Steve spoke again when they were outside.
“Tony will freak out when he hears you have a date tomorrow.”