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''So…what do you think?''
Tony narrowed his eyes, opened his mouth and took a breath, then closed it again.
''I mean, I know it’s a bit of a surprise – okay, a huge surprise. Seriously, I didn’t believe MJ when she told me. Thought she was trying to mess me with me, you know?''
Tony opened his mouth again, let his jaw hang low for a little longer before closing it once more.
''Tony?''
The anxious tone to Peter’s voice made Tony look up, squinting slightly into the sunlight. Peter stood in front of him, hands twitching nervously and his eyes so impossibly wide that he looked fifteen all over again. The natural urge to fix and offer comfort was almost instant, but Tony was pretty sure that his mind was way past offline at this point, leaving him staring uselessly at Peter’s face.
Peter squirmed under his scrutiny, gaze turning sad in the way it used to when he was a kid, when he thought he’d disappointed or let Tony down somehow. ''I know we’re young but…it’s, I mean, we – ''
''This is a baby.'' Tony held up the sonogram picture for emphasis, mechanical fingers standing out vividly against the speckly image.
''Yeah,'' Peter said slowly, eyeing Tony warily. ''I thought we’d kinda done that part.''
Tony shook the picture gently, making the card it was printed on wobble back and forth. ''This is your baby.''
''Are you okay?'' Peter asked, starting to look quite concerned. ''You know what, I think I should go and get Pepper, ‘just in case you’re having a breakdown or – ''
Tony let out a wheezing sound and slumped forward, hands coming up into his hair, picture still gripped between two of his fingers.
''Oh shit, please tell me you’re not having a heart attack,'' Peter moaned, dropping down to his knees in front of Tony. ''Please don’t die, okay, because that would be extremely unfair of you, especially now – ''
Tony tuned the rambling out, focusing on breathing, drawing in a long pull of air through his nose and letting it out in an even longer exhale. He felt a bit like he’d been punched in the chest, like someone had jolted him with a burst of electricity and left him hooked up to the mains.
Peter was having a baby.
His kid was having a kid.
''My kid’s having a kid,'' he said aloud, wonder colouring his words.
Peter’s panicked jabbering stopped. Tony lifted his gaze to see the softness pass over Peter’s features, the same shade of quiet joy that had come over him the very first time Tony had referred to Peter as his. It had been right after Thanos and his army had turned to dust, when everybody was stumbling around in a daze, barely unable to believe what was happening. Tony, badly injured and unable to stand without the assistance of Rhodey, had reassured himself of Pepper’s unharmed and wonderfully alive state and given Rhodey a thankful once over before his eyes had started desperately searching the wasteland surrounding them.
''Where is he?''
''Tones – ''
''Peter!''
''Tony, you need to sit down.''
''What I need to do is find my kid – ''
''Mister Stark?''
Tony had whirled around faster than Rhodey could react, nearly sending them both toppling to the ground. Tony’s gasp of relief was loud in the awestruck post-battle quiet, and he felt everything inside of him quiver as his eyes had fallen on Peter, taken in every beautifully alive inch of him, soaked up that look on his face.
In that moment, it was all he could do to take a few stumbling steps forward until Peter was pressed up against his chest, sobbing and laughing all at once, and it was all he could do now to stand up and pull the kid, his kid , into the same kind of fierce embrace.
''Holy shit, Pete,'' he said, making Peter laugh, ''you’re having a kid.''
''Y-yeah,'' Peter replied, burying his face into Tony’s shoulder and hooking his arms around Tony tightly. ''I’m having a kid.''
''Wow,'' Tony said, chuckling a little wildly, lifting the sonogram up to study it again, an ecstatic yet totally dumbstruck grin pulling at his lips and stretching the scarred skin of his right cheek. ''Wow.''
''Yeah,'' Peter whispered and Tony hugged him even tighter, a hand coming up to cup the back of his head. ''Wow…''
''MJ wants yellow.''
Tony nodded. ''What kind of yellow?''
Peter studied the collection of paint swatches in his hands. There were about ten different shades of yellow, ranging from pale lemon to sour butter. Tony didn’t like any of them particularly. He and Pepper had thankfully found themselves on the same page when it came to decorating Morgan’s room. Keeping the walls a soft, calming seashell white had provided them with a blank canvas suited to all manner of knickknacks and ornaments including wooden hearts, pretty fairy lights and the collection of stones Morgan liked to keep along the window ledge.
The row of hideous Avengers dolls on the middle shelf of the bookcase would look out of place with any colour scheme, so Tony had let it slide, even if the Hulk figurine looked like someone had stuck its face over an open flame.
Peter’s eyes wandered over to the samples of green and blue, face scrunched up with indecision.
Tony tapped one of the more unpleasant shades of yellow. ''Get used to seeing this colour often, by the way.''
Peter regarded him with confusion for a moment. Tony chuckled when the horrified understanding visibly dawned on him and he hastily stuffed the swatches back onto the shelf.
''Is she alright?''
Tony looked up from his tablet and gave Pepper a smile.
''Sure. Just tired, I think.''
He glanced at the chaotic mess of curly hair on his shoulder and chuckled. ''Remember how much you slept in the early days?''
''Of course. It’s exhausting having a tiny person living inside you and sucking up all your energy twenty four seven.''
MJ snored gently as if to punctuate the point.
''You need anything?''
''Nah,'' Tony said, pressing a kiss to Pepper’s lips when she leaned down to plant one on his cheek. ''I’m good.''
''Dad, this is going a bit over the top now, I think.''
Tony raised an eyebrow. ''Says the one carrying that.''
Morgan tightened her hold around the gigantic eye patch sporting teddy bear in her arms. ''What? He’s cute. AND he’s only one thing!'' she added and jerked her head at the overflowing basket resting at Tony’s feet.
''These are all practical purchases.''
''They won’t be able to fit all of that in their apartment.''
''So I’ll buy them a bigger apartment.''
''Peter said no.''
Tony glared at her. ''Whose side are you on exactly?''
Morgan rolled her eyes. ''How about we half the stuffed bear collection and get some things they actually need?''
Tony pouted, making Morgan laugh as she looped one arm around him for a hug. ''Come on, we can get an Iron Man themed mobile.''
''...I’m listening.''
Morgan plucked out her phone, swiped the screen a few times and held it out for him to see.
Tony looked at it for a moment. ''Think they’ll let me buy them a Spider-Man playmat too?''
Morgan’s answering grin told him all he needed to know.
Tony groaned into his hands, honestly considering whether it was worth detaching his arm just so he could throw it at the kid.
The kid who was, in fact, a grown ass man.
The kid who was, in fact, a grown ass man who also happened to be pacing back and forth on the ceiling.
''Pete, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but you’re not even thirty yet and you’re exhibiting more stress than a middle-aged man who’s just found out his department is about to lay people off,'' Tony said as his eyes followed Peter’s path. ''You need to relax.''
Peter’s only response was an indecipherable grumble that may or may not have been an insult. Tony cast a glance towards the window overlooking the porch, knowing that MJ was sitting out there with Pepper, chatting over a cup of herbal tea while she waited for her fiance to stop being hysterical.
The back and forth of wanting and not wanting to know had been going on for nearly three days. MJ had known since the latest scan but Peter was still in the dark, something he’d been torturing himself over from the moment he’d seen the folder containing the information lying on the couch in his apartment.
May had tried talking to him, as had Happy, but their reassurances hadn’t done much in the way of helping, not when their sheepish glances at one another had revealed that they knew too.
By now, Tony was the only person within the immediate family beside Peter who didn’t know. He was fine with that, but it was clear that Peter wasn’t. He’d been changing his mind repeatedly for too long, and Tony was pretty sure that he would start wearing holes in the ceiling soon enough.
''Kid, I think you’d feel better if you knew, like MJ does.''
Peter gave a strangled groan and paced even faster.
''This could easily be resolved, you know,'' Tony patted the thin manila folder sitting on the kitchen counter. ''All you gotta do is take a look.''
''How can you say that?''
''Say what?''
''That!'' Peter snapped, raking his hands into his already unruly hair. ''Like it’s not a huge deal.''
''Nobody is saying that it’s not - ''
''I mean, I should have known that me missing the scan in the first place had to be a sign - ''
''Kid - ''
''And it’s not like I didn’t try to be there, you know, and if that stupid asshole of a lizard hadn’t smacked Sam out of the sky like that - ''
''Pete, just calm - ''
''What if they come out with eight legs, Tony? Or - or what if they have fangs or ten eyes or - ''
''Pretty sure they would have picked that up on the scan.''
''Okay, but what if they’re venomous? What if they want to eat flies instead of smushed bananas and - ''
The spray of water caught Peter off guard, knocking him from the ceiling with a surprised yelp. Tony turned to see Morgan by the sink, the pull out tap extended as far as it would go and clutched in one of her hands.
''What?'' Morgan shrugged, reaching back to switch off the water as she noticed Tony looking at her. ''He was freaking out.''
Tony narrowed his eyes, unable to fault her methods but still feeling like he should seem disapproving somehow. Morgan saw straight through it and grinned sweetly at him as she let the tap retract back into place. She moved towards Peter, nudging his leg with her sneaker.
''Your baby isn’t going to have ten eyes,'' she scoffed. ''And even if he did, he’d still be cute as - ''
''He?''
Morgan’s eyes went wide as both Peter and Tony gaped at her in surprise. She winced apologetically, shoulders coming up to her ears.
''Sorry…''
Peter and Tony shared a brief look, and then Peter was launching himself to his feet and diving towards the kitchen counter, grabbing the folder and whipping it open, all signs of his earlier trepidation completely gone.
''Holy shit…
Peter lifted out a new sonogram picture, his hand shaking a little as he studied it. Then his eyes scanned the information written within the folder. Tony remained where he was, hardly daring to breathe, feeling like the mere seconds passing by were as long as weeks as he waited for Peter to speak.
Peter swallowed, mouth thinning with emotion and turned the folder so that both he and Tony could see.
''It’s a boy.''
They spoke at the same time, voices coming out in identical hushed whispers. Tony’s metal fingers pushed creases into the edge of the paper folder as he read the words again before he turned with abrupt swiftness to fully face Peter. Peter moved at the exact same time, dropping the folder and gripping Tony’s forearms with his still shaking hands. His eyes were blown wide and Tony’s heart burst as he saw the undeniable joy brimming within them.
''I’m having a boy.''
''Yeah, you are,'' Tony said loudly, barely stopping himself from shouting. ''Yeah, you’re having a boy, kiddo.''
''I’m having a boy!''
And that, like so many other moments of happiness that they’d been blessed with over the years, made the need for a metal arm worthwhile; made the silvery scatter of messy lines on Tony’s cheek and the odd flare up of nightmares completely and undoubtedly worth it, especially because all of it paled insignificantly in comparison to something as wonderful as this.
This being Peter, trembling with excitement and already completely under the spell of fatherhood; this being his boy, his kid, his son, taking another step on the path Tony had dreamed of for him.
They hugged then, laughing with abandon and nearly falling over as they jumped about, snagging a giggling Morgan along for good measure, not even noticing Pepper and MJ looking in at them from the porch window with exasperated grins on their faces.
''Was Tony really that bad when Pepper was expecting Morgan?’’ Peter asked, digging his chopsticks into the nearest bowl of noodles.
''Oh, yeah,'' Rhodey grinned, piling rice onto his own plate. ''All the stories are true.''
''They are not.''
As though the rest of the patrons crowded within the Chinese restaurant had drowned out his voice, Rhodey kept going like he hadn’t heard Tony speak, though he did angle a smirk in his direction.
''He was a colossal pain in my ass,'' Rhodey said around a mouthful of spring roll. ''Forever calling me up asking me for opinions on bedding colours and wallpaper samples or if I thought a stuffed octopus was too stimulating for future bedtimes.''
Peter’s grin grew and his eyebrows lifted in happy interest. ''He did?''
''Mmhmm,'' Rhodey affirmed, leaning over to give Tony a jab in the ribs. ''Proper baby fever.''
Tony smiled even though there was a whisper of guilt within the fondness he felt for all those days gone by. Back then, things had been darker than dark, clouded in the most malicious type of grief that took hold of every aspect of Tony’s life, even impending fatherhood.
The pregnancy had been a surprise, a shock of fragile hope amidst all the devastation. It had taken Tony a long time, perhaps too long, to come to terms with what was going to happen. The loss of Peter had left him adrift and shattered almost beyond repair and the thought of becoming responsible for another life, a tiny fragile little life, had terrified him.
But seeing Pepper’s stomach grow day by day, hearing the playback of a strong little heartbeat and discovering that a little girl was going to make her way into his world very soon whether he liked it or not had eventually broken through the sadness. Not enough to heal or repair anything, but everything somehow worked itself out, leaving enough room for him to love both what was to come and what had been.
Then a miracle had happened and he’d been able to love both his kids in the same room, the same time, the same life.
More than anything, Tony just felt immeasurably glad that Peter could experience the joys of expecting his baby in the way it was meant to be experienced.
He caught Peter’s gaze over the table and smiled, warm and wide.
''Don’t look so surprised, kid. You know I never do things half-assed.''
He grabbed a prawn cracker and crunched it loudly.
''And for the record, a stuffed octopus is too stimulating for bedtime.''
''How about pickles?'' Tony suggested, plucking the jar off the shelf. ''According to Pepper, they go great with pureed pears.''
MJ pulled a face and shook her head. ''No way.''
''Okay…'' Tony put the pickles back and scanned the rest of the shelf for inspiration. ''Olives?''
Another grimace.
''Tinned sardines?''
He chuckled as MJ narrowed her eyes warningly at him. ''No sardines, gotcha.'' He looked down at the shopping cart standing beside him, empty except for the few meagre Halloween decorations they’d picked out so far. ''What about something seasonal? Pumpkin pie, maybe? Candy apple?''
MJ tilted her head thoughtfully. ''That...actually doesn’t sound so bad.''
''Great!'' Tony wrapped an arm around her and steered her along as he pushed the cart with his other hand. ''Or what about blueberries, huh? Good for you and they taste - ''
A sudden squeak from MJ nearly sent Tony toppling to the ground.
''What? What is it?'' he asked, unable to keep the panic out of his voice, because it was too early, way too early for this. ''Are you okay?'' His hands flapped uselessly around MJ as she steadied herself against the cart with a wince. ''Please tell me there’s not about to be a clean up in aisle three.''
''I’m fine,'' MJ let out a low breath then lifted her gaze to his, a smile appearing on her face. ''He’s kicking.''
She grabbed Tony’s hand and pressed it to the left side of her bump and sure enough, something was tapping a fierce little beat inside. The rush of exhilarated happiness was instant and he laughed softly, locking eyes with MJ and curling his thumb over hers to give a reassuring squeeze as they stood as still as possible, feeling the flutter of life making itself known against their hands.
Peter nearly crashed to the floor beside them thirty seconds later, clutching two large cartons of orange juice protectively to his chest with one arm.
''What is it? I heard - are you - is he - ''
''Shut up, Underoos, and get in on this.'' Tony seized Peter’s free hand and placed it where his own had been, taking a step back and feeling an overwhelming sense of pride bubble up inside as he watched the awe cross Peter’s face, recognised the glow that shone in Peter's eyes as he looked up at MJ and laughed breathlessly before giving her a kiss.
Tony eased the cartons of juice out of Peter’s arm and dropped them in the cart, deciding to give the two of them a moment and heading off in search of the blueberries. On the way, he surreptitiously wiped the wetness away from his own eyes.
''Okay,'' Peter dropped his hammer to the floor and frisbeed the instructions across the room. ''I officially give up.''
Tony looked over from his position on the floor amongst a mess of wooden panels and metal brackets.
''Let me look,'' he grumbled, sore and tired from being crouched down for so long. He grabbed the instructions and peered at them, narrowing his eyes to focus on the diagrams. It was a jumbled mess, may as well have been written in ancient Greek, and he had absolutely no time for it.
''Screw it,'' he snapped after a moment, balling the paper up and chucking it at Peter who ducked without looking. ''I’m sure I’ve still got the blueprints for Morgan’s crib. I’ll build you one myself.''
''Why wasn’t that an option before this?'' Peter spluttered, stretching out onto his stomach and pressing his face into the floorboards.
''I thought you wanted the full hands on new parent I’m going to stress out over everything and anything experience,'' Tony said as he stood up with an obscenely loud groan. ''Who was I to deny you such joy?''
''You didn’t have that experience,'' Peter grumbled accusingly.
''Well, no,'' Tony smirked at him, ''but all good fathers want to give their children the opportunities they never had themselves.''
He chuckled and let out a protesting yell as a bag of plastic fastenings whizzed past his head.
''Are those my blueberries?''
MJ clutched the packet protectively to her chest. ''No.''
Tony gasped loudly and pointed at her. ''Thief! Shame on you,'' he pointed to her bump, ''and shame on you, young man!''
He reached for the packet, pouting unhappily as MJ held it away with a laugh. ''Greedy.''
''It’s literally all I can stand to eat right now,'' she said, wiping a smear of blue juice from the corner of her mouth. ''Everything turns my stomach and, news flash, growing a human makes you insanely hungry so,'' she tipped the bag in his direction, ''all blueberries are now mine. Rules of the universe say so.''
''And what rules are they?''
MJ gestured to her bump and Tony sighed. ''Can’t argue with that, but…'' he sidled up to her, ''what if I could help you out a little? Would that make you willing to share?’’
‘’You have my attention,'' MJ said with a narrowing of her eyes.
Half an hour later, the remnants of blueberry smoothies and blueberry pancakes covered the kitchen in an impressive mess. Tony smiled approvingly as MJ slurped up the rest of the purple concoction from her glass and sighed happily.
''Feel better?''
''So much better.''
Tony grabbed the blender and poured the last measure of smoothie into her glass. ''Does that mean you aren’t gonna go all Arnie Schwarzenegger on me if I eat them too?''
MJ smirked playfully. ''Guess we’ll have to see.''
Tony shrugged. ''I’ll take that. Besides, nothing will beat what happened after I ate the last of the peanut butter when Pepper was expecting Morgan.''
''Why? What happ - ''
Tony held up a hand and closed his eyes. ''I don’t wanna talk about it.''
''Tony?''
''Mm?''
''What was it like when Morgan was born?''
Tony paused in his painting and turned to look at Peter. There was a splash of green paint across his left cheek and he looked at least four years younger in the tatty overalls he was wearing, so far away from a father to be and much closer to the teenager that Tony still sometimes saw him as.
Tony hummed thoughtfully as he considered Peter’s question, idly twirling the roller brush in his hand.
''Incredible.Terrifying,'' he grimaced a little, ''messy.'' He clapped a hand on Peter’s shoulder. ''It’s a pretty brutal thing, kiddo. Childbirth is no joke.''
''MJ’s been watching these, uh, birthing videos?''
Tony nodded. ''Yep, Pepper did the same thing.''
''There’s just…'' Peter sighed, pulling a face, ''a lot of...I didn’t make it very far before leaving the room.''
Tony chuckled as Peter ducked his head with an embarrassed smile. ''You wouldn’t be the first guy in history to not be able to stomach it, Pete. Remind me to get Clint to regale you with the tale of young Nate’s birth.''
''Why? Is it gross?''
Tony only laughed in reply and dipped the roller brush back into the paint again.
''But...didn’t he reset his own leg out in the field once?''
''Yeah, but there’s no comparing the two really. Though I think he threw up less during the leg thing.''
''Oh my god,'' Peter groaned, dropping his face into his hands, angling the paint brush to the side with his fingers so it didn’t touch his face.
It skimmed his hair instead, leaving smudges of mint green in his curls. Tony moved the hand holding the brush away and cupped the back of Peter’s head, urging him to look up so their eyes met.
''You know what I remember about it most though, looking back?''
Peter shook his head, his one visible eye brightening with immediate curiosity.
''How everything just... stopped the second Morgan was placed in Pepper’s arms.''
''Really?'' Peter’s voice was hushed, like Tony was sharing a great secret with him that couldn’t be overheard or repeated.
''Yeah,’’ Tony’s words were equally quiet. ''There’s no way I can really explain it, kid, but it’s...whatever you’re worried about, all of that will slip out of your head the second that moment happens. Trust me.''
There were a million stories he could tell the kid, a tale for nearly every moment that came when the door to parenthood was thrown wide open. It was what he was good at after all, using his words. There had been a time where a cutting snipe and a clever one-liner had been his greatest defence, but ever since Peter had snuck his way into Tony’s heart, his words had gradually become a way to fend off nightmares, soothe away sorrows and lighten the load of any worries.
His life now, as it had been for the best part of ten years, was so far away from the days of Iron Man. There were the regular reminders, like the scars on his face and what Peter had affectionately dubbed his ‘Terminator arm’ once upon a time, but nothing hurt anymore like it used to.
How could it when there had been such joy to live within these past ten years, when there was still so much more to look forward to?
Annie Jones was wit and warmth dressed in wild curly hair and freckled skin. Tony had only met her on a few occasions, such as Peter and MJ’s engagement party and a few dinners here and there, but he held a great deal of fondness for her. It was easy to see a resemblance between mother and daughter, and much like Peter brought out the softness in MJ, Tony imagined it had been the same for Annie and MJ’s father when he had been alive.
She arrived at the baby shower with a seemingly endless supply of baked goods and wine, along with a large collection of presents for both the baby and expecting parents. She was an instant hit with everyone, charming everyone as easily as she made them laugh. Rhodey spitting out a mouthful of beer at a joke she made had Tony cackling for ages, and Steve had clutched his chest as he laughed hard at her story of how Annie's first meeting with Peter had involved him helping her put the groceries away with his jeans on back to front, a clear giveaway to what he and MJ had been up to before Annie came home that afternoon.
''He was so sweet though,'' she cooed, grinning at a blushing Peter, ''didn’t once try to excuse himself until everything was put away exactly as I instructed.''
''The more I get to know your mom, the more I see where you get your ways from,'' Tony said to MJ who smirked, leaning her head on Peter’s as he groaned his mortification into her shoulder.
It was a great day, full of familiar stories and fond laughter. Avengers current and previous arrived with gifts of all shapes and sizes. The parents within the group made sure to each have their turn of sitting down with Peter and MJ to impart all their wisdom and tricks of the trade; Clint’s advice on potty training left Peter spluttering in horror and Tony nearly sinking to the floor with laughter, only saved by a chuckling Rhodey.
The gifts were as chaotic and varied as one would expect. Some went down the safer route, providing clothes and necessary sleeping and feeding aids, while others had chosen items for the expecting parents like books on how to handle every single hurdle that they might encounter within the first year and silly vouchers to be used for babysitting requests.
Thor beamed as he dropped a gigantic barrel in front of them. ''It is a fine Asgardian moonshine, brewed in New Asgard for near ten years now, guaranteed to put any babe straight to sleep.''
Peter and MJ thanked him, clearly holding in their laughter for fear of causing offence, and Thor spent the remainder of the party proud and triumphant, claiming that his gift was the best.
Ned, of course, gave them an entire collection of Avengers themed onesies, varied in sizes so that they would last for a good while. The Spider-Man one had been the thing that finally tipped MJ over the edge, though nobody made too much fuss of her tears. A tender kiss to the forehead and a cuddle from Peter had been enough, but her eyes remained shining and happy for the rest of the party.
Tony spent most of the day by Peter’s side, keen to soak up the quiet happiness that he could feel practically radiating out of him. Peter seemed grateful for his presence, every so often touching their shoulders together whenever the wonderful but undoubtedly overwhelming reality of what his life was soon to become overcame him.
They stayed close together, long after nearly everybody else had left and the stars came out and Pepper was handing out plates of cold cut sandwiches and mugs of soup to ward off the evening chill. Annie fussed with blankets, draping at least two over MJ who rolled her eyes before swatting Peter away when he came at her with a third.
After they ate, May crouched in front of Peter and placed something wrapped in tissue paper into his lap.
''This belonged to your mom and dad,'' she said with a teary smile. ''Mary was...Oh, she was so proud to be your mom, baby, and your dad adored you.''
May reached out and cupped Peter’s cheek, gently thumbing the skin beneath his eye as he looked at her. ''Ben and I were so lucky to have you in our lives. We couldn’t have asked for a better kid.''
She unwrapped the tissue paper, revealing a large, brown leather book with twirling gold leaves embossed on the front cover.
''What's this?'' Peter asked, reaching out to touch one of the leaves delicately.
''It was always meant to be a present that your mom and dad would give to you when you had children of your own,'' May explained, flipping open the cover to reveal the inscription written on the first page.
Peter Benjamin Parker, our pride and joy.
Tony rested a hand on Peter’s shoulder as he began to turn the pages, taking in the many photos that were carefully stuck on each one.
''After they died, I carried on filling it up,'' May said when Peter reached the pictures that could only have been taken after his parents were gone, ''but these pages…'' she flipped through nearer to the back, ''are for you and MJ to fill with pictures of your own baby boy.''
Peter swallowed and grabbed MJ’s hand, visibly squeezing it tight as he carefully closed the book, tracing the letters on the front again. ''Thank you, May.''
''There’s also some money - ''
''May - ''
''I don’t want to hear it, Peter,'' May said, giving MJ a firm stare as well as him. ''It’s there, not going away, nothing you can do but accept it, got it?''
''Yes, May,'' they both said obediently, and then Peter was on his feet and pulling her into a tight hug.
''You can stop crying now,'' Annie whispered to Tony, handing over a tissue.
''I’m not crying,'' Tony grumbled weakly, scrubbing at his eyes. ''It’s just allergies.''
''Uh huh.''
''Aruba, Jamaica, ooo I wanna take ya to Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty bubba…''
''Are you actually singing that song right now?''
Peter looked up from his sprawled position on the couch, only his eyes and hair appearing over the swell of MJ’s impressively large baby bump.
''He likes it.''
''Not in that voice he doesn’t,'' Tony said, sharing a grin with MJ. ''Your singing is probably the reason he’s decided to overstay his welcome at Casa Jones.''
Peter wrinkled his nose. ''It’s not that bad.'' He turned his eyes to MJ’s face. ''Right?''
''I’m sorry, there’s nobody available at Casa Jones to take your call right now.''
Peter’s head fell back down with a frustrated whine. ''I feel incredibly bullied right now.''
''Get used to it, kid,'' Tony remarked as he handed a glass of juice to MJ. ''First and most important rule of fatherhood and married life - everything is your fault.''
Peter opened his mouth to protest, caught MJ’s eye, promptly closed it and flopped back down with a grumble.
''You’ll be on my side, won’t you, buddy?'' he whispered loudly to MJ’s bump.
''You wish,'' MJ snorted.
Peter pouted up at her. ''You’re mean. And so are you,'' he added, tilting his head to look at Tony as he walked past to sit in his chair.
''Aw,'' Tony cooed, ''you sound just like Morgan when Pep and I won’t let her do something.''
Peter settled back down and resumed his singing, eventually falling into a light doze along with MJ, leaving Tony to sit and read a book quietly, looking up at them every so often with a soft smile.
''Tony, sit down.''
Tony shook his head and carried on pacing, twisting an empty plastic cup in his hand as he circled the waiting room.
''Was he like this when Morgan was born?'' May asked Pepper who instantly laughed.
''He was actually very calm. Thought he might pass out a few times but,'' she grinned at Tony as he paused to look over at her, ''he did a great job.''
The memory eased the tension a little and Tony sighed, throwing the cup into the trash and dropping into a chair beside Happy who clapped him heartily on the shoulder.
''You didn’t take this long,'' he complained to Pepper who laughed right along with May.
''It took long enough,'' she reminded him with a playful scowl.
The delivery room door suddenly opening had everyone’s heads snapping up in tandem.
A nurse stepped into the room, looked at May and motioned for her to follow with a crook of her finger and a wide smile. May gave Tony’s hand a squeeze as she passed and quickly trotted after the nurse, disappearing out of sight.
Tony stood up and began to pace again. Everything was fine, he knew that, but the anticipation was like a tidal wave inside him, constantly rising and crashing with every passing second.
He made two circuits of the room by the time the door flew open again. There was Peter, looking shell-shocked and exhausted and grinning so, so brightly. His eyes immediately locked onto Tony.
''Tony,'' he gasped, tripping quickly towards Tony with all the grace of a baby deer, ''h-he’s here, he’s here holy fucking shit Tony he’s here!''
The last words were shouted with pure ecstatic delight as Peter leaped towards him, feet coming high off the ground in his joy. Tony immediately caught him, staggering slightly under the sudden weight in his arms, laughing his own happiness into Peter’s shoulder as they clutched at one another, a tangle of jabbering excitement that had everyone else in the room grinning fondly at them.
''How’s MJ?'' Pepper asked, standing up to give Peter a hug of her own.
''Oh, man, she was, I mean,'' Peter puffed out a breath. ''Forget the Avengers, she’s a real superhero for what she just did in there.''
Tony and Pepper shared a look. Once upon a time, a similar sentence had left Tony’s mouth as held a tiny baby Morgan close to his chest. Sitting by the bedside, he had gazed at Pepper, exhausted and drained after so many hours of an effort that no man could ever truly understand, and felt that for the first time in his life that he was in the presence of true strength.
Tony reached for Pepper’s hand at the same time she reached for his. They squeezed each other’s fingers hard as they embraced Peter once again.
''You wanna come meet him?'' Peter asked, though it wasn’t a true question, more like something he just had to say before tugging the pair of them along towards the room. He quickly paused to hug Morgan and Happy, promising to come back out for them shortly. Morgan gripped him with all the newfound delight of becoming an auntie, congratulating him over and over with excited glee, while Happy merely ducked his head to wipe his suspiciously wet eyes.
Tony and Pepper followed him into the room and instantly Tony felt like it was years and years ago, back when it was him and Pepper and Morgan, locked in the unique magic of those first few moments after the birth of someone so infinitely precious and special.
MJ looked up as they entered and smiled wider than Tony had ever seen her smile before. Much like it had been with Pepper, the glow of motherhood had completely taken hold, softening all the edges and painting her happy and visibly lovestruck. May and Annie were beside her, utterly enraptured with the small bundle within MJ’s arms.
If it hadn’t been for Peter’s fingers curling into the cuff of his sleeve and pulling him forward, Tony was sure he would have remained rooted to the spot, quite content to just stare.
Annie beamed at them as they approached, pride emanating out of her like physical light. Tony couldn’t quite bring himself to smile properly back, far too focused on the sight of the baby being lifted into Peter’s arms.
Peter turned towards him and the air rushed out of Tony’s body, leaving him breathless and so dizzyingly in love. There was his kid, suddenly more grown up than Tony had ever truly let himself believe until now, awkwardly but oh so very carefully holding something tiny and amazing in his arms.
Peter was a father.
Peter had a kid.
His kid had a kid.
Joy of the fiercest and brightest kind consumed Tony whole, turning everything warm and fuzzy, like the very blood in his veins was bubbling with heat. A stuttered little ''oh'' left Tony’s mouth as Peter stepped closer and lifted a wide eyed, sparkling gaze to meet his.
''Here, Grandpa,'' Peter said softly, voice catching as he held the baby out towards Tony, ''meet your grandson.''
Tony’s heart hitched at the words, making him pause in his movement to accept the baby into his arms. He felt Pepper lean into his side for a second, grounding him to the moment, drawing in a soft, shuddery gasp as she did so.
''W-what?''
Peter rolled his eyes even as they began to flood with tears.
''Who else did you think you were gonna be?''
It struck Tony then that he hadn’t given it much thought. Somewhere in the back of his head, he’d assumed that he’d just be Tony, whatever that would mean.
And apparently, it meant something so achingly wonderful that Tony felt his own eyes start to sting with tears. Peter chuckled wetly and held the baby out again, passing him over gently to Tony who cradled him with age old expertise, memories of holding Morgan flooding back to him in a bittersweet rush.
The baby snuffled against Tony’s shirt, little face scrunching up adorably, before settling with a funny little sigh that made Pepper coo into Tony’s shoulder. She stroked a finger across the baby’s forehead and then moved away to give MJ a well deserved hug.
When Tony had held Morgan for the first time, when he’d looked down into that beautiful, red as a beetroot face and felt her delicate weight in his arms, the first words that came out of his mouth had been ''Hello, baby. Where’ve you been, huh?''
Because in that instant, it felt like he’d known her forever, been waiting a lifetime for her to appear.
This was different. This was boundless wonder, all the love he had for Peter topped with the promise of a little magic.
It was immediately addictive and Tony cuddled the baby closer, taking extra care with the way he moved his metal arm, unable to resist pressing a feather soft kiss to the downy tuft of dark hair atop his head.
''Hi, kiddo,'' he whispered, ''nice of you to finally join us.''
The baby flexed his little fingers in what could almost be described as the tiniest of waves, if one were feeling sentimental about it. Which Tony absolutely was, of course.
''You still sticking with the name Benjamin?'' he asked Peter, not looking up, keen to keep watching as the baby’s face broke into an adorable yawn.
''Yeah. Gonna call him Benji for short.''
Tony nodded in approval, adjusting his hold so that he could brush a finger against a soft little cheek.
''His middle name is Anthony.''
Pepper gave a happy little gasp and Tony felt his heart inflate so greatly in size that he actually held his breath and waited for it to burst. When it didn’t, he rearranged his arms again so he could lift one and immediately pull Peter towards him, giving the so very much not a kid anymore a playful, teary-eyed glare before his face disappeared into Tony’s shoulder.
May came over to join them and Tony smiled at her.
''Looking good for a grandma there, May.''
''Who are you calling Grandma?'' she said as she swatted him on the arm, but the vibrant glow of happiness on her face was a dead giveaway for all the pride she felt for having such a title, and it was a look that Tony imagined matched the one he was wearing too.
''Ready for a brand new adventure, kid?'' he asked quietly as Peter shifted so he could look down at Benji, who was gazing up at them with sleepy, barely open eyes. ''It’s gonna be your biggest one yet.''
''Yeah,'' Peter replied with a breathless little laugh, reaching out to gently stroke his son’s head, ''I can’t wait.''
''Me neither, bud. Me neither.''
''Gwanpaaaa Tonyyyy!''
Tony instantly dropped his phone and flopped back onto the couch, giving a gigantic fake snore just as the front door of the cabin opened. Little shoes thudded on the floor and he felt the air around his face move as something came close to him.
A tiny finger poked his nose.
''Benji,'' came Peter’s whisper, ''Grandpa Tony’s sleeping right now. You wanna go have some juice while we wait for him to wake up?''
Benji’s heavy breathing shifted into a loud sigh. ''No but he need to wake up now,'' he protested, his little voice a jumble of impatience and adorable insistence.
''I know, buddy,'' Peter replied, suppressed laughter filling his words, ''but I think he’s very tired, so maybe - ''
''Gotcha!''
Benji squealed in delighted surprise as Tony seized him under the arms and pulled him up onto his chest. He quickly peppered the boy’s face in loud kisses and the room immediately filled with the sweet sound of a child’s belly-deep laughter.
''No, Gwanpa Tony, noooo,'' Benji howled, flapping his hands on Tony’s head a little heavily. Peter’s reminder to be gentle was enough for it to turn into light patting and Tony let up on the kisses, leaning back to smile widely.
''Hello, blueberry stealer,'' he teased. MJ’s cravings had transcended pregnancy and created something of a monster in little Benji: no matter where Tony hid the stash, the tyke always managed to find them.
''No boobewwy steela!''
''Where have you been, huh?'' Tony gave him another kiss. ''I’ve been waiting ALL day!''
''Daddy late.''
''Was he now,'' Tony quirked an eyebrow at Peter who smiled tiredly. ''Was he staying up past his bedtime again?''
Benji nodded his head vigorously.
''Well,'' Tony said seriously, because it was serious business after all, ''you know what we have to do, right?''
Benji nodded again. ''Snuggles.''
''You got it, buddy.''
He set Benji down on the couch before standing up and clapping Peter on the shoulder.
''You. Couch. Stay.''
Peter rolled his eyes. ''Tony, I’m fine - ''
''Ah bup bup!'' Tony interrupted, putting pressure into the hand on Peter’s shoulder until he relented and sank into the couch. ''Sit. Stay. FRIDAY, put something on for Benji, please.''
Benji cheered as a cartoon featuring a group of young dinosaurs came on. Tony went into the kitchen and filled a blue beaker with juice, making sure that the lid was screwed on tight, and made two mugs of tea with perhaps a bit too much sugar in them. Pepper had hidden the coffee again and no amount of pleading had convinced her to reveal its location yet. He grabbed a packet of chocolate chip cookies, tucked them under his arm and headed back towards the couch, finding Benji pulling a colouring book and crayons out of his tiny backpack and Peter slouched sideways in sleep with his mouth slightly open in a soft snore.
Benji looked up. ''Daddy tired.''
Tony smiled. ''Sure is,'' he said as he put the mugs down on the table, out of reach of little fingers, and handed the beaker to Benji. The boy accepted it with a soft thank you and proceeded to guzzle away, sitting back in the cushions with one hand softly rubbing the sleeve of Peter’s shirt.
Peter began to slide into a more uncomfortable position, bent sideways with his neck at an awkward angle.
''Make some room, buddy,'' Tony said to Benji who shuffled over, leaving a space big enough for Tony to ease into. ''Come here, idiot,'' he whispered as he wrapped an arm around Peter and guided him down a little further so his head was leaning against his shoulder.
Peter didn’t stir except for a small sigh and a quick nuzzle of his nose into Tony’s shirt. Tony reached over and nudged him in the ribs, poking gently until Peter got the hint and stretched his lower body out a little more, unwinding the tension and reducing the likelihood of waking up with more aches and pains that he probably already had, if the fading bruises on the knuckles of his right hand were anything to go by.
''Get some rest, bud,'' Tony kissed the crown of Peter’s head, allowing himself to forget once again, just for a moment, that Peter wasn’t still a fifteen year old kid but in fact an exhausted parent who also happened to be a superhero.
Then he reached out to let Benji tuck up against his other side, planting a kiss on his head too.
''Gwanpa Tony?''
''Yeah, kiddo?''
''Can we have a stowy?''
Tony grinned. ''Yep, we sure can. Which one do you want?''
Benji took another sip from his beaker. ''Venger stowy.''
Tony nodded, knowing he shouldn’t have expected anything else, except maybe a Spider-Man story.
''You got it, mini man.''
Tony shuffled down further into the couch, pulling both Peter and Benji down with him until their heads were inches apart on his chest, curls nearly tangling together. He breathed in their identical scent of apple shampoo, letting the sweet warmth of their presence melt into every bit of him, and then began to weave another tale to add to Benji’s growing collection of Grandpa Tony Favourites.
''Once upon a time, Great Uncle Cap was being a very silly boy…''