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Peter didn’t waste any time when getting off of the stage. Though he loved performing and the thrill it gave him, loved his fans, and loved making music, there was one thing he loved above all, and that was his family. Peter went on tour every two years or so, depending on how long it took for him to put together a new album, work with his choreographers, and rent out stadiums world-wide, as well as the obligatory time he gave his fans to fall in love with his new work. He always spent months at a time on the road, performing in various countries to besotted fans.
It was bittersweet, his passion for music constantly clashing with his need and want to be with his family. When he and Tony first started dating, he’d had to leave Tony at home rather than bring him along for his tours, as Tony had his own commitments. After years of dating, followed by marriage, and then by a kid, it was further set in stone that Peter would host his tours with his crew alone for company. It wasn’t healthy for a child to be traveling day by day, and both Tony and Peter had agreed on giving their son as normal of a life as they could manage.
Peter made sure to call home every day, more than once if he could manage it, and though that eased the ache in his chest, the pressure never fully abated until he was physically with his family. His nightly call home was what was causing him to race off of the stage; he only had fifteen minutes of free time before he had to meet the fans who’d bought meet-and-greet tickets.
He entered his dressing room at a brisk pace and locked the door behind him, before sinking into the couch with a bone-weary sigh. Though he loved his job, it was exhausting, and he was grateful to be done for the night.
He fished his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it, practiced fingers finding Tony’s number and pressing on the ‘call’ button. Seconds later, his call was answered, revealing his husband’s smiling face.
“Hey, Pete,” Tony greeted warmly. “How was the concert?”
“It was great. We didn’t have any tech issues, I didn’t forget any lyrics, and none of my fans tried to climb onto the stage or throw things at me, so I’d call it a success.” Peter said proudly.
Off-screen, a young voice piped up, “Papa! Are you talking to Daddy?” Moments later, a small head popped up under Tony’s chin as their son clambered onto Tony’s lap.
“Hi, Daddy!” Ben waved cheerfully. “We miss you. Are you coming home soon?”
Peter’s lips involuntarily curved into a smile at the sight of his son. “I’ll be home in two days. Have you been good for Papa?”
“Yes,” Ben nodded eagerly. “Papa and I are going to make cookies for you tomorrow.”
Tony sighed, ruffling the strands of Ben’s chestnut hair with the force of it. “That was meant to be a surprise.”
“I’m surprised,” Peter assured him, though it seemed that Tony wasn’t too upset. “What kind of cookies will you be making?”
Tony placed a hand in front of Ben’s mouth, trapping the words that were about to spill out. “I’ll leave that as a surprise, at least. But they won’t be mint.”
Mint was one of two things that Peter was allergic to, the other being citrus. His allergies had been passed down to Ben, meaning that neither mint nor citrus could be found in their household. Tony was never bothered by the restrictions, and was always more than happy to adjust to their bodies’ needs.
“Keep your secrets,” Peter shrugged. “What did you do today?”
“We went shopping for a bit,” Tony recalled, glancing at the bags that were left by the front door for the time being. “Ben needed new shirts. We had a little accident with permanent markers.”
“I was drawing on my shirts and Papa threw them away,” Ben complained to Peter, hoping for him to take his side.
“Ben,” Peter reprimanded mildly. “We have paper for that. Next time you want to draw, tell Papa and he’ll give you something to draw on. Not on your shirts, okay?”
Ben pouted. “Okay.”
A knock on the door to the dressing room had Peter standing from the couch and unlocking it, revealing his manager, Natasha Romanoff. Her eyes dipped to the phone in his hands with a knowing look, which turned sympathetic when she met his gaze.
“You’ve got to meet your fans now,” she said.
Peter bit down on his bottom lip with unbridled frustration. “Give me a second to say goodbye.”
She nodded and left, leaving the door open as a reminder that he had to leave. Peter angled his phone so that it was facing him again, his chest tightening when he caught sight of his family’s disappointment.
“You have to leave now?” Tony asked needlessly, having overheard the short conversation.
“Yeah,” Peter confirmed quietly. “I’ll talk to you again tomorrow morning. I love you both.”
“Love you, Daddy,” Ben returned, visibly upset.
“I love you, too, Pete,” Tony said at once. “Have fun out there.”
“Thanks,” Peter smiled half-heartedly. “Send me pictures of Ben’s new shirts, I bet you got cute ones.”
“We’ll put on a runway show for you when you come back,” Tony shook his head. “You won’t see them until then.”
“I’m looking forward to it already,” Peter grinned.
Runway shows were their trick to getting Ben to stop complaining when they went shopping. Shopping was beyond boring for the boy, but he loved to flaunt his new clothes, and runway shows provided a perfect remedy for shopping-related tantrums. He couldn’t put on a show if everyone had already seen his clothes, after all. He needed new ones, and so he endured their trips to malls and clothing stores.
“Alright, I’ve really got to go now,” Peter’s thumb hovered reluctantly over the ‘end call’ button.
They said their goodbyes, and Peter hung up.
On his way to the meet-and-greet, Peter pondered over his job again. It was tiring, and exhilarating, and everything in between. But it took him from his family for months at a time, causing him to miss out on events that were important to both his husband and his son. He’d been on tour during one of his and Tony’s anniversaries, and he couldn’t deny the guilt that had followed him for weeks after. Similarly, he’d missed Ben’s first day of school, which he would never forgive himself for.
It was difficult to balance the important things in his life. His work was his passion, the outlet for his creativity, and he couldn’t see himself not performing. However, his family had his heart, and he loathed to leave them behind in favor of work.
He made up his mind.
He was going on a hiatus.