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Peter looked up at the bright blue sky stretching away from as he curled his hand into the sun-warmed sand, if he turned his head an inch to the left then he could see the relaxed figure of Mr stark pepper curled up on a singular deck chair bronzed limbs wrapped around each, Morgan plays at their feet determined to dig the biggest hole she possibly can, hands still damp from her latest trip into the sea. Peter knows that if he walked the several yards back up the beach to the rented summer house he can find May and happy peacefully cooking their lunch before bringing it down to their spot on the beach.
The whole idea sprouted from peter walking into the tower on the Friday after his last final and promptly passing out in the lobby due to pure exhaustion, after a trip to the medbay where he slept for 13 hours straight and 5 bowls of peppers recovery broth the idea of a holiday was formed. Peter had been overworking himself for too long without a break from even Spiderman and he never got the chance to properly connect with tony after he came out of the hospital after the snap-in which his arm was removed. May broached the idea of returning to the Cayman Islands where tony used to frequent in his playboy days but in a much more wholesome way, as the first family vacation where the actual whole family can be present.
And so the passports were found buried deep in the piles of dust that seem to pollute may and peters apartment that seem to stay no matter how deep they clean, and privet planes were booked. Peter had originally wanted to travel coach but due to his residual fear of flying, he agreed that in a private environment it may be easier to control.
The flight was easy and hard at the same time. May curled up in her seat at the very back trying her best to concentrate on her audiobook and not her grief but she had happy. Peter had attempted to relax by blasting his oldies soundtrack but when the first shot of turbulence hit he whimpered and shook so violently that tony had deposited Morgan on pepper and lead him to a double seat where he curled up under Tony’s arm and tried to relax as he felt a familiar hand card through his hair. He nuzzled further into the soft warmth of Tony’s traveling sweats and for the first time since the snap, he felt truly at peace, no more exams and a whole week of getting bronzed to look forward to.
The summer house was nice, tony had said renting an apartment would be more private and more relaxing rather than trying to get any quiet at a resort. Peter’s room overlooked the ocean, he liked to stay up late at night and watch the sun slide down the sky and the earth is quiet, unlike anything he heard before. Normally this is when tony slips into his room and they are at peace together finally as a whole again before peter tucks himself back into bed and doesn’t rise until the sun is high in the sky.
Peter found out that he absolutely adored the sea, he loved the way it moved under his fingers and the way it takes him away when he completely relaxes his body. He plays in the shallows with Morgan under peppers watchful gaze, splashing water playfully in each other’s eyes and diving under pretending to be mermaids, they still taste the salt that crusts onto their lips when they eat their pasta later in the evening. Peter sits in the obnoxiously large ring float tony packed onto the plane secretly, he bobs in the sway as the birds twitter overhead, he tries to contrite to read his book but is more satisfied with just floating and running his hand through the water. In the evenings where peter still feels restless tony takes his hand and drags him back in the ring tethered to the shore, they have room to curl up together and they waves again settle peter. He falls asleep on those nights under the watchful eyes of the moon.
At the end of vacation, Peter doesn’t want to leave he morns the days where he felt the sand grit into his burnt skin and the salt stuck to his hair, but most of all he is going to miss the small cove of peace him and tony managed to find together under the moon on the restless nights. As he walks back to plane, Morgan hopping excitedly by his side and May curled up under Happy’s arm ahead, Tony curls a hand into his giving it a squeeze as if he can feel the angst swelling inside him and he realizes as long as Tony’s with him he can always find that little bit of peace.