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Peter was super excited, bouncing around happily on his toes in the kitchen, waiting for Tony to finish his coffee so they could finally get in the car and go. He’d started having professional driving lessons recently and Tony was helping him get in some practice between them. The only problem was that with Tony, he slipped so easily into little space, and this morning he was sliding between the two sides a lot.
“Daddy, come on! I wanna go!"
He was wearing his custom-made F1 Stark racing suit that looked a bit too dramatic for just a lesson but he loved wearing it. Picking his plushie Panda up from the table, he huffed and jogged off down to the garage, impatient to get out on the road.
Much more calmly, Tony watched Peter with amused eyes over the brim of his coffee cup, deliberately taking a long slow slurp of his drink, grinning to himself as Peter made a loud huff of exasperation before he ran off. He dutifully set his drink down and stood, strolling after Peter, used to his little side's antics meeting his adult self's determination. It could be frankly adorable at times, and the occasional chaos kept him on his toes. It was never a dull moment with Peter around, and spoiling him with presents had an extra layer of enjoyment, seeing his little side react with such big emotions.
Inside the garage, Tony watched Peter hugging his panda as he circled the car, adorably serious as he followed the steps of the "vehicle inspection" that Tony encouraged for safety, since Peter tended to have a one-track mind when he was intent on a goal – not that Tony had any room to judge.
“It’s all safe, Daddy. Got four wheels and everything!” Giggling, he poked his tongue out at Tony and climbed into the car. Sitting Panda on his lap, he pulled the seat belt around both of them and clicked it into place holding the wheel happily. Tony was letting him use his favorite Porsche for the day which might be a crazy choice when he was currently basically six but he knew Tony wouldn’t let him get into trouble. “Can we get Starbucks? I can go through the drive-thru, right?”
"I'm gonna need a replacement coffee stat, Mr. Eager Beaver, so there better be drive-thru." Tony climbed into the passenger seat, still getting used to being on the other side when he'd barely let someone else drive him around for decades. There was something to be said about learning to let go of some control, and his relationship with Peter had certainly been all about learning new things, he thought with only faint trepidation at the way his boyfriend was bouncing in the driver's seat, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Panda, you want a coffee?" Tony poked the stuffie, adjusting him so that Peter was more securely fastened by the seat belt. "Oh, I didn't realize you were off caffeine," he replied smoothly, satisfied at Peter's answering laughter. "Yes, if you promise to be careful going through the lane, last time in the ATV you were taking some of those turns pretty crazy, sweetheart, and this thing corners like it's on rails."
“Panda doesn’t have coffee, he likes boba tea. Watermelon, with orange balls.” He nodded as if that was a Very Important Fact and smiled, patting the panda’s head. “I promise, Daddy, and those corners were small! It’s not that hard on MarioKart. I practised a lot last night.” Looking over at Tony he smiled, waiting for permission to go.
Tony's eyes lifted heavenward and he discreetly engaged the emergency autopilot option through the HUD on his glasses, even though he hoped like hell it wouldn't be necessary. "Oh boy, MarioKart, huh? Rainbow Road is just like I-87," he agreed blithely. "Lots of banana peels and squid ink to worry about. Ok, now don't be upset, kid, but I put the speed limiter on till you've got more experience under your belt, because we made a promise about not killing daddy for his money yet, right? Pull out, slowly," he coached.
“I’ve seen banana peels on the roads! No squids yet though, maybe people don’t walk around eating squid.” He pouted cutely hearing about the speed limiter but agreed with that. He didn’t want accidents or all of daddy’s money. “I don’t need your money, you buy me anything I want already.” Starting the car, he slowly pulled out of the garage, pausing before he drove out onto the street. He was quietly humming the MarioKart theme, dancing a little in his seat. “Daddy, make a suit that drops banana peels! People will laugh.”
Tony sat watching Peter like a hawk, though he tried to project calm and relaxed vibes to avoid throwing his boyfriend off from his confident start. "Ok, sweetheart, show me what you got."
Holding onto the wheel tightly, he could feel how the Porsche was pulling more than the ATV, wanting to go faster, but he obeyed Tony and kept driving at a sensible speed. Coming up to a red light, he slowed to a stop, looking proud of himself. “I didn’t hit them!” He clapped happily, looking over at Tony.
"Excellent job, pumpkin, now you get a new mission: since I known none of these insurance fraud shitheads are gonna try to cut you off, you keep up the good work, yeah? Just like when you're in 1st place in MarioKart and somebody's eyeing you up from the side." Tony's knowledge of Peter's off-the-charts levels of hand-eye coordination gave him faith in Peter's skills, but everybody else was a lawsuit waiting to happen, which was why all this driving slowly made him itchy: better to leave them in your dust. "Now, you remember how to get to Starbucks, or are Panda and I in charge of directions?"
“Panda is using the sat nav.” He smiled proudly and patted the plushie's head before seeing the green light and pulling away, pouting as the car in front suddenly changed lanes. “Hey! Shithead!” He honked the horn, pouting more. “Daddy! Throw a shell at him. I’d web him, but I can’t let go of the wheel. That’s dangerous!” He muttered some more curses as he passed the car in his lane. It was stuck in traffic now, at least, so he felt a bit of revenge from that.
Tony grinned with pride even as he shook his head, clicking his tongue. "Getting a little fiery there, baby. And that's daddy's word, isn't it?" He glared at the other car as they passed. "You can use the horn sometimes but let's get away from these slowpokes. You're doing a good job. You too, Panda," he added, reaching over to squeeze Peter's shoulder reassuringly.
He smiled at the praise, happy that he wasn’t in trouble, and followed the street he knew led to the Starbucks. “Thanks, Daddy.” Focusing on the road again, he remembered to use his signals as he changed lanes. “Can we go out to the beach with coffees?”
"You want to sit on the benches in your new racing suit, honey? Ok, watch out for that pothole ahead, don't hit it straight on- good job, Petey!" Tony relaxed a little as Peter really was doing a decent job of driving. "I didn't put your bag in the car today with your extra stuff, sorry, kiddo. This is why daddy usually has coffee first before excursions."
“I look cute in it, right?” He loved the suit. He’d seen the footage of Tony racing at Monaco and immediately wanted his own team Stark suit. Tony, as always, said yes and had one made. “Driving is fun!” Turning down the next street he smiled seeing Starbucks. “Panda got us here!”
Tony gravely gave the panda a tiny fist bump. "He's a professional passenger. Ok, now remember, you see any middle-aged moms wilding out in the parking lot, you keep the car – and us – safe, and don't hit their ugly minivans." Tony glanced at the line of cars suspiciously. "And maybe let's not get a messy drink if you're not going to wait for the beach, hm?" He patted his hand on the leather seats worryingly. "Unless you want this afternoon to be learning how to detail a sports car in your racing suit."
Peter wrinkled his nose at the thought of having to clean the car and shook his head. That wasn’t the fun part of cars. “I won’t make a mess!" Slowly pulling into the drive-thru lane, he leant up in his seat so he could see the bumper on the car in front. “Panda needs a boba. One black coffee, one blue raspberry boba, and one strawberry frappe.” Nodding, he drove forward in the queue. “Daddy, I’m doing so good!”
"Panda, I thought the doc told you to cut back on sugar. Peter Peter Pickle Eater was supposed to be supporting your diet plan," he gave Peter a look. "Right, Pickles? How about you and Panda share the one you like best? Just a couple sips," he warned the panda with a pointed finger.
Looking over at Tony as he spoke to Panda, Peter pouted as his plan to get two drinks was thwarted. It had worked often in the past with Happy. “It’s cheat day today, but okay, we’ll have the frappe.”
Pulling up to the order box he realized he’s turned a bit wide and was slightly too far away from the intercom. “Ah Daddy! I went wrong! I need to back up!” Undoing his belt, he put Panda on Tony’s lap and slipped out the car before Tony could protest, fluffing his hair up to look cute as he went to the car behind them, asking them to give him room to back up a bit.
Tony watched the whole scene in the rear view mirror like a train wreck, Peter in his racing suit gesturing at the driver behind them to open his window, and the man clearly beginning to ask a sarcastic question before Peter's growing pout seemed to clue the man in as to the situation, and his gaze followed Peter's finger as he pointed back towards the Porsche and Tony. It was all too easy to imagine the dialogue, and Tony was a world expert at seeing the word "daddy" via lip reading. He sighed and dropped his window partway, raising a hand and waving in proof of life, and the other driver seemed to give them both a suspicious look before acknowledging Tony as well. Peter skipped back to the car as the SUV did indeed start to shift backwards, and his boyfriend dropped into the driver's seat once again.
"Oh my god," Tony laughed to himself. "Pickles, you are lucky you're the sweetest, cutest boy in the world, right now."
Climbing back into the car he picked up Panda and tucked him onto his lap before doing up his belt. He smiled at the compliments. “Thanks, Daddy! He asked what series the car is, I said I didn’t know, just that it’s Daddy’s.”
Watching in the rear view mirror, he pulled back slowly and adjusted his angle before pulling up to the intercom. “Hey! Can we get a venti black and a venti strawberry frappe please?”
"Please make them think I taught you manners, baby," Tony said with a fake sigh. "Do you have your pocket money or do you need daddy's card?"
Turning to look at Tony over his shoulder, he frowned, confused. “I said please? Can I have your card, Daddy, please?”
Tony handed over his card as Peter carefully pulled up to the payment window, and the girl who reached for the card smiled mechanically before she took in the car, and then Peter.
"Aw, that's a seriously awesome outfit," she began, and then she caught Tony's face and did a double take, then looked at the card. "Oh my freaking god, you guys are- oh my god, I'm-" She turned bright red. "That'll be $9.41, thank you." Under her breath, she squeaked. "Iron Man, oh my god!"
Peter smiled brightly at the comment over his outfit and lent his arms on the window frame, smiling up at her more. “Thanks! It’s custom made,” he giggled happily at her reaction and looked over at Tony. “She’s a fan! Say hi!”
Tony waved at her and looked to the glove compartment. "Should we give her one of the badges, Pickles?" Used to dealing with fans who sometimes needed a nudge to move on with their day, Tony had borrowed a trick from an Olympian he knew and kept a stash of enamel pins in most of his cars, which had become a bit of an internet sensation, with anyone from kids to grown men and women adding their photos to the hashtags. "If she can keep a secret for two more minutes when we get our drinks, because I only have a couple left." He gave the girl a friendly wink.
"Oh my god, Mr. Iron Man," the cashier breathed, glancing around furtively. "You guys are the coolest- can I.. would a selfie from the window be ok, with you guys?"
Opening the glovebox he lent over looking for the pins and smiled pulling out the box. “Yeah! You have to have one, they’re so cool!” Holding the box up so she could see the designs, and he looked so proud of them Tony could practically see her melting. “You can pick your favorite too. There’s some with Spider-Man – that’s his best friend!"
Tony met her eyes and nodded, making an improvised salute. "Scout's honor," he said loyally. "That's a special edition one, just out."
The girl practically fell out the window to pluck it from Peter's outstretched hand, and then hesitated. "Um, I'msosorrytoaskthis," she said in a sudden rush, still blushing like a tomato. "My stepbrother, he's, um, he's little too- and he's Spider-Man's biggest fan," she asked. "I'm gonna give this to him, but.. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be greedy," she apologized.
Tony could practically see the heart eyes on Peter's face glowing like a thousand suns, and he nudged Peter. "Well, what would my best friend say?"
Peter looked up, surprised hearing someone else was little too. “He is! Spider-Man would say you should have one for you and one for him too. And! He could come say hi to his biggest fan..” He looked over to Tony to see if that was okay.
She nodded in excitement, matching Peter's energy as she took a second pin. "I'm so glad, it would have been so embarrassing, but – it's awesome that you're driving! Jack is too little, but he loves cars." She squeezed her eyes closed and then asked, "If you ever had time, would you ever drive by our house? He has to be home with our grandma most days.."
Tony rolled down the window and held a finger up threateningly when the poor driver behind them honked angrily, and the girl looked mortified. "DM Peter here, @picklesclubhouse, on whatever socials. We'll find it, send the address." He refused to react to how adorably silly Peter's account name was, and turned to the window to yell "We hear you, buddy, give it a goddamn rest!"
The girl looked like she'd won the lottery, and fell back onto her heels in the window. "Thank you, Peter! Thank you, Mr. Stark!"
As Peter drove forward, practically vibrating on the seat in happiness, Tony dropped his sunglasses down from their perch on his head and reached over to help balance the drinks passed their way, wary of an excited little trying to do three things at once.
Passing the drinks over, he looked in the rear view mirror, pouting. “I can’t even honk, he’s behind me! Stupid.” He made sure Tony had the drinks and pulled away, deliberately slow, as he headed out of the parking lot. “Can we really go and see them? It would be fun.” Peter didn’t have many friends and even less that knew about his little side, so hearing about someone else had caught his full attention.
Tony nodded, impressed at Peter's keeping cool despite the honking. "You're doing so good, sweetheart, let's just find a parking spot.. hmm, how about near the pavilion where it's shady? And yes, a drive-by hello definitely, and if we can do a play date with Spidey, I'll see if it works out. Kid sounded like a sweetheart. Ok, you got this, Petey, gate's not too narrow, good job!" He ruffled Peter's hair as the boy squawked once - "Don't distract me, Daddy!" - and then they were parked, and Tony sighed in relief. "Amazing. You want your reward now?"
Peter giggled happily as he parked and turned to face Tony, feeling proud of himself and how well he’d done. His professional lessons were going great, too, and he’d have his license soon.
“Please Daddy, I did so well! No crashes, no scrapes, and only one honk.”
Leaning across the console, Tony smiled proudly, rubbing noses with Peter and kissing his cheek. "You're going to be a menace, and I love it," he grinned. "One day when your daddy is old and gray, I can take a nap and you can be the race car driver at the track." He held up the sugary drink, and handed it to Peter. "I'm trusting you to keep an eye on Panda, he's been sneaking snacks. Is he keeping an eye on the car, or coming with us for some fresh air?"
Peter smiled happily at the affection and kissed him. Taking the drink, he looked excited at the suggestion. “I could race for real! I want to. I’d win so easily.” He laughed, looking at his plushie. “He’ll take care of the car!” Undoing his belt, Peter slipped out the car, carrying his drink and tucking the keys into his pocket. As he circled the car to Tony, he reached out to take his hand and they walked towards the pavilion, the sound of the waves in the distance.