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It had been a month since the endgame. Since Tony snapped, and Thanos died. Since Tony got Peter back.
Tony was now in the cabin, recovering from the snap. The man was still pretty out of it, drifting in and out of sleep, weak from all the stones' power. His right arm had been amputated, and a metal arm was in the works in Wakanda, courtesy of Princess Shuri.
Peter had been sure that he had heard his last heartbeat, his arc reactor shutting down, but then Thor stepped in, and with his hammer, he revived him. Then Dr. Strange made a portal to MedBay where Bruce and Stephen got to it.
Peter still had nightmares. Those awful nightmares where Tony died in more ways than one. Sometimes he would sneak down to Tony's room and curl up beside him. The man rarely woke up, though as weak as he was, and the rare times he did, Peter always apologized.
"Kid, you're here." He had said the first time he woke up. Tony held him, wrapping him into a tight hug with all the strength he could manage from his one arm. A sharp pain shot through Tony's side, and he tried his best to ignore it. All that mattered at that moment was that he was hugging Peter. The kid he did all this for. His kid.
Peter had let himself sob into the man's shoulder, saying "I'm sorry" over and over again. And whether it was because he was there in the middle of the night or because he couldn't stop it all from happening and putting him through all the grief he'd experienced, he didn't know. But the one thing he was sure of was his heartbeat and the steady hum of his arc reactor. Proof that Tony Stark was alive, and that was all that mattered.
Morning came, and Pepper was making tea when she noticed Peter sneaking by, backpack on, about to go through the front door. "Peter, where are you going?"
Peter stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around to face Pepper, guilt written across his face. "May is expecting me."
Pepper raised his eyebrows, seeing right through him.
Tony was right; he really is a bad liar.
"I just got off the phone with her, and she told me it was ok if you spent the night." Her face softened, and she walked over to him, putting an arm on his shoulder. His very tense shoulder. "What's really going on?"
He sighed in defeat, looking at the ground. "It's just, it feels like I'm invading. I mean, you guys are his family, and it's not like he's my dad or anything. I'm just his intern, some kid from Queens."
"Oh, Peter, you're so much more than that. He might not show it, but he loves you so much. We both do." When he still wouldn't look at her, she put her hand under his chin, raising his head so he could see her. "Peter, listen to me, you are not invading. You're as much family to us as Morgan is. Tony tried everything he could to get you back until he finally did."
"He did all that for me?" His voice was barely a whisper, trying to hold it together as he looked like a faucet about to burst.
"He did, Peter. He loves you more than you can imagine. He wouldn't do what he did for just anyone."
That's what made the pipes burst, and the next thing he knew, he was sobbing on Pepper's shoulder. She held him tightly, rubbing his back as he let it all out, gasping breaths making him choke on his own saliva.
Tony Stark did all that for him. Invented time travel just so he could get Peter back. A part of him didn't want to believe that, but why would Pepper lie?
When all the tears were out of his system, he backed away, eyes red and puffy. "I'm sorry, Ms. P- Mrs. Stark."
"Peter, I've told you, call me Pepper. And there's no need to apologize. What you and Tony have been through . . . It's enough to let you guys settle down. But it sucks that it has to be in these terms."
That's when Morgan showed up, holding her teddy bear to her chest.
"Mo, hey." He wiped his eyes with the sleeves of his shirt and crouched down as she walked to him.
The first time he met Morgan was a few weeks after the snap. He'd been over at the cabin to see Tony, and a little girl was at his bedside, holding Pepper's hand.
"When's daddy gonna wake up?" He overheard Morgan say.
Pepper sniffled. "I don't know, Morgan. Daddy's recovering from a brave thing he did-"
"Saving the world from that mean, ugly Barney!"
"Yeah, that's right." She laughed at her description. "He's really weak right now, and Dr. Banner said he could wake up at any moment. But since he's weak, he might not be able to stay awake that long and fall back to sleep."
Morgan frowned at that. "I hope he wakes up soon, so I can give him the biggest hug and tell him I love him."
"I hope so too."
Peter didn't realize he was crying until Karen's voice startled him. "Are you all right, Peter?"
He nodded his head and wiped his eyes, whispering, "Yes."
They must've heard him because they turned around, and Morgan, with the biggest smile on her face, went running towards him.
"You're Peter!" He nodded. "Daddy's told me all about you and Spider-Man. You're so cool! I'm Morgan."
Nobody had told him Tony had a daughter. In the two weeks he had been back, he was still trying to make sense of everything around him. And now, this big piece of information was thrown at him out of nowhere. More tears collected in his eyes, and he did his best to be discreet about wiping them away.
He crouched down to meet her at eye-level and cleared his throat. "Hey, Mo-"
He was cut off by a hug that was surprisingly strong for a four-year-old, almost knocking him over.
"Daddy told me you were my big brother."
He buried his face in her hair, trying to hide his face from Pepper and all he could do was sob.
"Are you crying?" She asked him, observing his puffy eyes and red nose.
"No, I just have allergies." He lied.
She paid no mind to his answer and started hopping up and down. "Daddy's awake. I told him I'd run here to tell you guys."
"Morgan, why didn't you lead with that? Come on, let's go," Pepper took her by the hand and then looked at Peter. "You too."
They entered the bedroom, and there Tony was, laying on the queen-sized bed.
He turned his head as he heard them enter. "Maguna, Pete, you're here."
Peter smiled at him." 'Course I am, old man."
Pepper watched them fall back into their old banter mode. It was a good look on them. Especially after what they'd been through.
"Who're you calling old?" He asked in an offended tone, his smile never leaving his face.
"You, of course. Did you not hear what I just said?" He teased. "Or do you need a hearing air?"
Tony laughed, which then sputtered into coughing, and Peter quickly went to his bed. "Hey, take it easy."
When his throat cleared up, Tony stared at Peter, his eyes glistening.
"Come here, you two." He extended his left arm so they would hug him.
That was enough for them to climb the bed and snuggle beside Tony, both on either side of him. He gave them both a kiss on the forehead and whispered, "I love you guys."
Peter had never seen Tony so soft like this. It was proof enough that five years had passed. Five years of Morgan growing up. Five years of Tony Stark transitioning into the soft teddy bear that his daughter helped him become. Five birthdays, which was apparent by the man's greying hair. He had missed out on all of that.
"We love you too, right, Petey?"
Peter's face reddened at the question. "Yeah, we love you, Mr. Stark."
I love you.
Tony smiled at him, but before he could say anything, he yawned.
"That's your cue to sleep. You need it." Before Tony could begin to protest, Peter continued. "We'll be here with you if you want. FRIDAY, dim the lights."
Who was he to argue with the stubborn teen? They were more alike than he'd like to admit.
The queen-size bed was large enough for them to spread out, but they didn't mind cuddling by his side, and neither did Tony.
The man hummed in a content manner. "Goodnight to my favorite kids."
My kids.
Peter smiled, putting his head on his chest, the faint hum of his arc reactor and his steady heartbeat lulling him to sleep.