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Tony was exhausted. He'd had seven meetings that day and none of them had gone well at all. At this point, all he wanted to do was go fly around New York for an hour or so and just relax. Unfortunately, Pepper had other ideas. There was a list of things Tony needed to take care of before JARVIS would grant him access to his suit, so he was stuck in Stark Industries for another several hours.As soon as Tony completed the last task, he was out of his chair and telling JARVIS to get the suit prepped. Three minutes later, he was shooting out of his lab and out across New York.He didn't usually keep an eye out for crime, but he did let JARVIS scan the streets below for anything that looked like it needed more than just the local police. Every now and then, something would catch his eye when he was out flying and he'd make a quick stop to take care of it, but usually Tony let the police handle neighbourhood crime. However, when JARVIS pointed out a small kid getting beat up by an older man, Tony was on the ground in seconds."I'm sorry," he said, dropping down behind the kid. The man looked up from where he'd been about to hit the kid again. "Am I interrupting something?""Get out of here, Stark," the man sneered. The kid, seeing his opportunity, tried to run off but the man grabbed his arm. "This kid stole from my shop for the third time this week. He needs to learn respect."The man turned back to the kid and kicked him roughly. The kid fell to the ground with a cry of pain and Tony frowned."Alright, that's enough," he said, reaching out and grabbing the man.The man stumbled and tripped over a crack and Tony shoved him back. When Tony raised a repulser at him, he scrambled to his feet and fled. Once he was certain the man was gone for the moment, Tony turned to the kid who was still crying on the sidewalk.Kneeling down in front of him, Tony raised his faceplate and said, "Hey, kiddo. Where are your parents?"The kid sniffled and looked up from where he had buried his face in his knees."I don't have any."Tony frowned. Surely the kid had some kind of parent somewhere, right?"Where'd they go?" "My mommy was hurt by a bad man when we were trying to sleep behind his restaurant," the kid said. When Tony asked about his dad, the kid's bottom lip quivered. "Mommy said he wasn't a good person and so we had to stay away from him."Okay, so the kid really didn't have parents.A plan quickly formed in his head and although he could already hear Pepper scolding him for it, Tony knew he was taking this kid to the Tower. He was alone on the streets of New York City. The least he could do was get the kid checked out by a doctor and notify social services."What's your name, kid?" he asked."Peter." He held up one hand and showed Tony four fingers. "I'm four."God, the kid was tiny. How long had he been without a mom? It was a miracle he was still alive at this point."Hi, Peter," Tony said. Peter waved and Tony waved back. "I'm Tony. How about you come stay with me while I find a safe place for you to live?"Peter's eyes widened and he shook his head. "Mommy said not to go with strangers."That was an issue. If Peter didn't want to go with Tony, that was likely to cause problems when he tried to take him off the streets.Trying a different angle, Tony asked, "You've heard of Iron Man before, right?" Peter nodded and pointed at Tony. Tony smiled and nodded as well. "Yeah, I'm Iron Man. Iron Man is a superhero, right?""Yeah! And he saves everyone and stops the bad guys," Peter exclaimed. Okay, good. The kid was a fan of Iron Man. This was good. He could work with that."Yeah, well if I'm a superhero and you know me, then I'm not a stranger, right?" Tony asked. Peter scrunched up his face and stuck out his lower lip, clearly doing his best to think about it. "Besides, mommy knew me, right?"Now he was just assuming Peter's mom had been the one to tell him about Iron Man. There was no way Peter could read on his own yet.Peter nodded happily. "Yeah!"Fantastic. Tony stretched out his hand again and Peter excitedly grabbed it."Are we gonna fly?" Peter asked, looking up at the Iron Man suit."Would you like to?" Tony asked. Peter nodded his head enthusiastically and Tony smiled.He carefully picked up Peter then shot into the sky, making sure Peter was safely tucked in his arms and not going to fall. For the duration of the short flight, Peter looked down at New York with wide eyes and pointed out every little thing he saw. Even when he landed on top of the Tower, Peter didn't stop talking about what he could see.When the bots arrived to take the suit apart though, he stopped and stared in amazement. Free of the suit, Tony took Peter's hand and led him inside, going straight into the lift so they could get Peter examined by a doctor. As Tony told JARVIS to take them down to the medical wing, Peter frowned in confusion."Mr. Tony?" Peter asked. Tony looked down at him. "What's a medical wing?""It's a place where doctors work," Tony said. Peter asked what a doctor was. "A doctor is someone that can fix booboos. If you get hurt, they make it not hurt."Peter let out a long 'Oh' then nodded. "That's cool," he said.Tony smiled. A few seconds later, the lift doors opened and Tony led Peter into the medical wing. They were met by a nurse as soon as they stepped out of the lift."I just want to make sure he doesn't have any internal injuries," Tony told her, glancing down at Peter who was staring at everything with wide eyes.The nurse nodded, smiling down at Peter briefly, then led them back to an empty room.Somehow, one of the nurses managed to find Lego blocks and Peter was immediately distracted. While Peter played with the Legos, Tony explained to the nurse that he had found Peter on the streets and someone had been abusing him. He mentioned seeing Peter kicked in the stomach and she nodded."Alright. We'll take some scans," she told him before turning to Peter and smiling. "Hey, kiddo. Do you like space ships?"Peter said he did. In fact, he liked to stand outside the air and space museum with his mom and stare at the statues of space ships."Awesome!" the nurse said, reaching out her hand. "I'm going to go take you to see some. Does that sound good?""Yeah!" Peter cheered. He dropped his Lego blocks and grabbed the nurse's hand eagerly.Tony followed behind as the nurse led Peter down the hall towards all the machines and helped him suit up for his time in the space ship. The entire time, Peter talked about the first 'space ship' he had been put in. Once the scans were complete, the nurse led him to another machine and he got to ride in a second space ship."How was that?" the nurse asked, leading Tony and Peter back to their room.Peter was bouncing with each step, so Tony had a good idea about how Peter felt before he said anything."It was awesome!" Peter exclaimed. The nurse smiled. "Do I get to do it again?""No, not for a while," she said. Peter frowned but was soon distracted by the Lego blocks, so the nurse turned to Tony. "I'll be back in a few minutes with the results."At Tony's nod, she left the room.With Peter playing with the Legos, Tony pulled out his phone and sent Pepper a quick text: Grabbed a kid off the streets. What kind of legal trouble am I in?In order to avoid the inevitable onslaught of messages, Tony turned off his phone after the text was delivered and turned his attention back to Peter."Mr. Tony?" Peter asked, turning from his blocks to face Tony. "Are you rich?""Kind of," Tony answered, "Why?"Peter held up to Lego blocks and grinned. "I've never gotten to play with Lego blocks before and mommy says that rich people have lots of stuff."Tony smiled back. The kid thought he was rich because he had Legos, not because of the supposed spaceships or the Tower."I like these," Peter said, holding a few Legos. "Can I keep them?" He clasped a hand over his mouth then quickly apologised. "I'm sorry, Mr. Tony! That was mean. You can keep them."Tony just laughed and smiled as Peter offered him the Legos."No, Peter," he said, "You can keep the Lego blocks. I don't use them anyway."Peter thanked him a dozen times before jumping up to hug him. Tony awkwardly wrapped an arm around him as he bounced and patted his back. Just as Peter pulled away, the nurse came back in with a smile."Hello, Peter," she said. Peter smiled at her and Tony wondered if his face hurt yet. "There's nothing that needs surgery, but he does have some bruised ribs so he needs to play carefully." She gave Peter a look and his smile turned into a shy one. "Other than that, he's good to go. You're a lucky kid, Peter.""I know!" Peter said, bouncing on his toes. "Thank you for letting me ride in your space ships!" "No problem," the nurse replied, smiling as Peter let go of the Legos and grabbed Tony's hand.Peter waved wildly at her until the lift doors closed and he could no longer see her. Suddenly, his smile dropped."I forgot my Legos!""Don't worry," Tony assured him, "I'll have someone bring them up for you. Until then, how does grilled cheese for supper sound?"
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Although Tony's grilled cheese was a little black on one side and not toasted at all on the other side, Peter devoured it. It had hardly been finished when Peter said it was the best grilled cheese he had ever tasted. He then went on to explain how usually he and his mom found food in dumpsters, but it was still good. Some restaurants would even give them leftovers if they waited until they closed.Once they were both finished eating, Tony loaded the dishwasher while Peter explored the Tower. He had quickly learned about JARVIS and the two had become best friends which was great for Tony. While Peter was out of sight, JARVIS kept him informed about where Peter was and what he was doing. What JARVIS did not inform him of, however, was that Pepper was arriving. The sound of the lift dinging and the doors sliding open were his only announcement.Tony quietly cursed and quickly searched for a place to hide. Unfortunately, the kitchen didn't offer very good hiding spots and before he could crawl under the sink, Pepper was staring him down with her hands on her hips."You just missed dinner," Tony told her. He pointed to the freshly washed frying pan. "Grilled cheese. Made it myself. Wasn't that good, but the kid liked it."He flinched when he realised he had been the one to bring up Peter and now Pepper had a good lead-in for what was about to be a very angry speech."Speaking of the kid,e" Pepper said, narrowing her eyes, "Could you please enlighten me on how you came across one and decided to bring one home?"Tony gave her a tight smile and glanced out the window."Um, JARVIS pointed him out first," Tony said. Pepper didn't look amused, but she also didn't look surprised."If I may, sir," JARVIS interrupted, "You were the one escaping work to fly in the suit."Tony grimaced and Pepper's frown deepened."Thanks, buddy," Tony mumbled before turning to Pepper and saying, "To be fair, I waited until I finished my work.""Tony! You can't just take a kid off the streets," Pepper said, throwing her hands up exasperatedly. "That's kidnapping!""Is it, though?" Tony asked. Pepper looked at him as if to say 'really' and he continued hurriedly. "I mean, a superhero sees a kid being abused and rescues him. Said kid then reveals that his mother is dead and his father is not in the picture. What was I supposed to do, Pep? Leave him to die? He's four!"If Pepper was surprised to discover the kid was so young, she did not show it. However, she also didn't have time to reply before Tony sighed and looked behind her. Turning around, she was faced with a very small child in ragged clothes standing behind her. He looked like he was about to cry and Pepper was not going to have that."Hey, kiddo," she said softly. She knelt down in front of him, but Peter just stepped back. "I'm Pepper. What's your name?" "Peter," he said, barely above a whisper. "Am I in trouble? I don't want to stay here if you don't like me."Pepper quickly shook her head and again reached out for Peter's hand, but he stepped back again."No, Peter," she told him, "This is not your fault. When adults like Tony take kids off the streets, people get upset, so I have to make sure he doesn't go to jail, okay?"When Peter nodded, Pepper stood back up and faced Tony"I'm going to contact your lawyers and see if they can find anything on him," she informed Tony, "We need to make sure his dad isn't around. He could press charges.""Sounds good."Pepper glanced back down at Peter who was staring at Tony. "What's your last name, Peter?"Peter looked away from Tony and up at Pepper to answer, "Parker."Pepper smiled and nodded before walking back into the lift. Before the doors even shut, she was on the phone with Tony's lawyers. Once she was gone, it was just Tony and Peter."So, that's my girlfriend Pepper," Tony told Peter, picking him up and walking into the living room with him. "She doesn't like it when I bring home surprises, but she's nice. You'll love her.""Mr. Tony?" Peter asked. "Is—""Please just call me Tony," he interrupted. Peter nodded and started again."Tony?" he asked. Tony hummed, setting Peter down on the couch then turning on the TV. "Is JARVIS an angel?"Tony turned to look at Peter to make sure he was serious. He looked like he was.As if he could tell Tony didn't believe him, Peter said, "He comes from the sky and mommy said angels live in the sky.""No, Peter," Tony said with a smile, "JARVIS is like a computer. I made him and he comes from speakers in the ceiling.""So he's a robot?" Peter asked, scrunching up his face in confusion. Tony gave a half shrug, half nod."Of sorts."Peter seemed happy enough with this answer, so Tony asked him what he wanted to watch. Of course, Peter had never watched TV before so Tony was left to try and find an appropriate movie for a four-year-old. Apparently 'Brother Bear' was interesting enough because as soon as he turned it on, Peter went silent and watched the whole thing with wide eyes. By the time to movie ended, Peter was clearly tired, but no less captivated by the TV."Tony?" Peter mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Are bears real?"Tony held back a laugh as he gently picked Peter up off the couch."Yeah, Pete," he said, "They're real."Peter dropped his head onto Tony's shoulder and yawned."Why haven't I seen one then?" he asked as Tony carried him down the hall."They don't live in big cities," Tony told him. He opened the door to a guest room but kept the light off. "They like the forest."Peter nodded as best he could as Tony laid him down in the big bed. Pulling the blankets up to Peter's chin, Tony smiled when Peter snuggled down in them. He was still in the same filthy clothes Tony had found him in, so Tony made a mental note to take him shopping tomorrow."Good night, Peter," Tony whispered."Good night," Peter whispered, drifting off the sleep.Tony had JARVIS turn on a soft night light then left the room. Leaving the door open if Peter needed him, Tony walked back into the living room to find Pepper waiting for him."What'd you find?" he asked, making Pepper look up from her tablet."From what they found so far, Peter Parker doesn't exist," she said, "With no living relatives, they suggested sending him into foster care or to an orphanage."Tony frowned. He didn't know much about either, but from what he did know, he didn't like them. It was doubtful that Peter would stay very long in an orphanage, but he didn't like how high the odds were that Peter would end up in an abusive home if he was put in foster care. Being moved from place to place at such a young age was sure to be traumatising as well."Are there any other options?" Tony asked.Knowing he wouldn't be fond of either idea, Pepper had asked about a third."We try to find his dad," she said, "Run some DNA tests on him, search for anyone with the last name Parker, and see if we can find out more about his mom.""That last one would be hard," Tony said. He could do the other two downstairs in his lab, but the last thing he wanted to do was ask a kid about his mom when he suspected she'd been killed. "He probably won't want to talk about it and he likely doesn't remember much.""I know," Pepper agreed, "That's why tomorrow morning, I'm sending someone down to all the local police stations to ask if they found a woman that was murdered within the last twelve months. However, we do need to know where it took place and how she was killed."Tony sighed, but he knew Pepper was right."I don't like it," he said. Pepper shook her head."I know," she replied, "But it's the only way to do it if we want to find his dad."Tony nodded then walked into the kitchen to get some water, promising to ask Peter in the morning. At the clear of to their conversation, Pepper put away her tablet and stood up from the couch."Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" she asked. Tony smiled and nodded."That will be all, Miss Potts."Pepper smiled back and before slipping into the lift, she pressed a short kiss to Tony's lips. As soon as she was gone, Tony emptied his water cup and hurried downstairs to his lab. Maybe JARVIS could give him information on Peter's mom.
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When Peter woke up in the morning, he found himself buried in fluffy blankets and lost in a huge bed. Crawling out from under the blankets, he peered curiously around the room. It was dark except for the nightlight, but looking out his door revealed that sunlight was already streaming into the Tower.He sat up in his bed and looked around his room. It was big. Everything Tony had was big. Peter wasn't used to big and lots, but he didn't mind it at all."JARVIS?" Peter asked, looking up at the ceiling."Good morning, Peter," JARVIS replied. He flipped the panels on the windows so sunlight streamed into the room. He also turned off the nightlight and alerted Tony that Peter had woken up."Whoa," Peter said, sliding out of the bed and walking over to the windows.He looked out across New York City with wide eyes. From here, he could see everything. When he looked down, he grinned at how high up he was. No one was taller than him when he was up here. He was the king of the world."Peter? Are you hungry?" a voice called down the hall.Peter scrambled away from the window and ran down the hall. Looking around, he tried to figure out where he was then spotted the kitchen.It was Miss Pepper in the kitchen, but she was smiling and not scolding Tony, so Peter happily climbed up on a stool to watch her cook."Miss Pepper?" he asked. Pepper hummed and glanced at him. "Tony said you're a nice person, so I decided to be your friend.""I'm glad," she said, giving Peter a smile that he quickly returned. "I wouldn't want you to hate me if you're going to be sticking around for a while."Peter agreed and squealed in delight when Pepper handed him a plate of eggs. Giving him a fork, she warned him that they were still hot and asked if he wanted orange juice. The answer was an immediate yes."Oranges are yummy," Peter said, licking his lips after taking a big sip."Yes, they are," Pepper said before called Tony in to come get some food too. "I already ate," she told him, handing him a plate with the remaining eggs. "So I'm going down to start work."He nodded as he took a bite of his eggs. As they burned his mouth, he gasped loudly and fumbled for a glass of orange juice. Pepper just rolled her eyes. After kissing Tony's cheek, she disappeared into the lift and left Peter and Tony to themselves."So, kid," Tony said, picking up another forkful of eggs and blowing on it. "I was thinking we should get you some more clothes. You might be here for a while and you could use some.""Really?" Peter asked, smiling and dropping some eggs in the process. He picked them off the counter and put them back on his plate."Yeah," Tony replied, "We'll leave after breakfast."Once Tony had put their dishes in the dishwasher and grabbed his wallet, he and Peter went down to the garage and got in a car. Tony knew Peter probably needed a car seat, but he didn't have one. Instead, he settled for an Audi with a comfortable backseat and made sure Peter was buckled in.Stopping at the first store they saw, Tony took Peter inside to find some clothes he could change into immediately. There wasn't much selection, but Tony managed to find jeans and a t-shirt for Peter to wear for the rest of their time in the city. As soon as they bought the clothes, Tony took Peter into the bathroom to change. Once he was out of his ragged clothes, they got back in the car and headed to a better store."Tony?" Peter asked, sliding out of the car at their next stop. "Do the people with cameras know you?""Where?" Tony asked, grabbing Peter's hand as he looked around for the paparazzi.Peter pointed behind the car and Tony glanced back. Sure enough, a group of cameramen had gathered outside a local store and were taking photos of them."Just ignore them, Peter," Tony murmured, turning back to Peter.Peter nodded and hopped off the curb as they crossed the street. As they approached the next curb, Tony pulled Peter up when he jumped and he squealed."I'm Superman!"Tony smiled and opened the door to the store, leading Peter back to the young boys section.While Tony looked for things in Peter's size. Peter ran around the racks and admired all the clothes. As he found things he liked, he would tug it off a hanger and race over to Tony with the clothing in hand. Even though it was never in Peter's size, Tony took the time to help him find the exact same shirt or pants that would fit.Despite Tony having very little idea what kids needed, he felt pretty confident they were finding enough. Peter picked out cartoon socks and brightly coloured underwear while Tony searched for more formal clothing. After stocking up on pants and t-shirts as well as swim trunks, they took their full cart up to the front register. As the cashier rang up their purchase, staring at Tony and Peter with wide eyes, Peter chattered happily and asked if he could wear everything tomorrow."No, Peter," Tony said, handing the cashier his card. "You can only wear one shirt and one pair of pants per day."Peter frowned but was easily distracted when Tony handed him the smallest clothing bag to carry."Do you deliver?" Tony asked the cashier, glancing at the dozen bags they now had.The woman shook her head, still wide-eyed, and Tony sighed. What was a dozen bags of clothing anyway?As quickly as he could, Tony looped the bags through his arms and managed to leave one of his hands free. Pushing the cart back to where they'd found it, Tony grabbed Peter's hand and led him out of the store.It was a bit of a struggle to get the bags into the back of the car—especially with Peter bouncing beside him—but they got the car loaded and Peter buckled without any accidents."Are you hungry?" Tony asked as he slid into the driver's seat. Peter nodded.A quick glance at the clock revealed the farmers market was still in full swing so he decided to head there. It wouldn't do to take the kid to McDonald's right away and he needed some fresh fruit anyway, so that's where they headed.After finding a parking space several blocks away, Tony helped Peter climb down from his new car seat and onto the sidewalk. With Peter's small hand in his, they walked through the crowded street and darted across the road to the market. The moment they appeared on the other side, a band of paparazzi swarmed them.Peter clung to Tony's hand, but it was only a matter of seconds before Tony had picked Peter up and forced his head down. He didn't object. Burying his face in Tony's neck, Peter wrapped his arms around Tony tightly while he shoved through the crowd."Mr. Stark, is this your son?""Tony, who are you with?""Hey, kid! Who are you?"Questions were hurled at them and Peter was terrified. Nothing good happened when people swarmed him. He didn't like it at all. Tony, though, he was Iron Man and he could keep him safe, couldn't he?The paparazzi was unrelenting. As Tony battled through them, they only seemed to grow and Peter was shaking in his arms. Noticing the crowd, two nearby police officers came running and helped Tony get rid of the group. With the officers directing the paparazzi away, Tony leaned back to look at Peter."Hey, kiddo," Tony said softly, rubbing his back. Peter sniffled and pulled his head away from Tony's neck. "Are you okay?"Peter nodded, but tears trickled down his cheeks and Tony knew better."How about we go back home?" Tony suggested as Peter's lower lip trembled.Peter nodded again so Tony turned around and walked back to the car. The officers followed until they were safely in the car and Tony thanked them before driving to the Tower. Although Tony stopped at McDonalds and got a happy meal for Peter, he didn't touch it. He wasn't hungry anymore.When they arrived at the Tower, Peter was still quiet. His tears were gone and he wasn't shaking, but he still wasn't hungry.While Peter stood at his side, Tony pulled all the bags of clothes from the trunk of the car and stumbled into the lift. Being careful not to hit Peter with the bags, Tony led him through the penthouse and to the guest room that would now be his."Do you want to help me put your clothes away or eat on your bed?" Tony asked, dropping the bags haphazardly by the dresser.Peter hugged his happy meal box to him and Tony nodded."Alright, kiddo," he said. He hoisted Peter up on the bed then took a seat on the ground between all the bags to begin folding and sorting.Although Peter was quiet, he ate his happy meal entirely then slid off the bed to help Tony put his clothes in the dresser. By the time they had finished, Peter was blinking slowly, so Tony put him down for a nap, promising that he could call JARVIS if he needed anything."No more scary people?" Peter asked, buried under the duvet blankets."No more scary people," Tony promised. Pointing to the ceiling, he said, "JARVIS will take care of them, alright? You sleep."With a sleepy nod, Peter closed his eyes and drifted off the sleep. Angel JARVIS would keep away the scary people even if Iron Man couldn't.
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While Peter napped, Tony went down to his lab and worked with JARVIS to researched recent murders in the area Peter had been found. He was so engrossed in the work that he didn't notice Pepper walk in until his music was turned down. As she walked into the lab, Pepper handed him a file and glanced at what JARVIS was scanning through."I see you just couldn't wait," Pepper teased. Tony shrugged and returned to his work. "The stations wouldn't give us anything, so I'm glad you have JARVIS running it. How are you coming along on those DNA tests?""Haven't yet," Tony told her, setting aside his work. "I keep forgetting. We went shopping this morning, by the way.""How'd that go?" Pepper asked. From the way she asked, Tony figured she already knew. He gave her a look and she pursed her lips. "Is he okay?""He's fine," Tony said with a nod. "A little shaken up, but unhurt. He's napping right now.""Good," Pepper said, "He probably needs it." Tony agreed. "Go see if you can swab some DNA real quick and have JARVIS scan that, too. I sent out a PSA for any man with the last name Parker and two have responded. We'll meet them tomorrow."Tony saluted her. "Yes, ma'am."Pepper smiled and he kissed her quickly before running upstairs to see if he could find something that could have Peter's DNA in it. Unfortunately, the dishwasher was clean and nothing else was sure to have only Peter's DNA, Tony sighed. He'd have to go look in Peter's room then. With a little luck, he wouldn't wake the kid when he walked in. When he pushed open the door however, he saw Peter staring up at the ceiling instead of sleeping."Hey, kiddo," Tony said, drawing Peter's attention. "I thought you were going to take a nap.""I can't fall asleep," Peter replied, sitting up on his bed."Well, would you like to help me down in the lab?" Tony asked. Getting DNA would be easy if he could get Peter to just spit in a cup."Yeah!" Peter exclaimed, jumping out of his bed.Grabbing Tony's hand, he walked with him down to the lab. They passed Pepper on the way down and when Peter grinned at her, he almost missed a stair. Tony steadied him and once Peter was back on his feet, they continued the rest of the way down the stairs."Alright," Tony said. He grabbed a Petri dish and turned to face Peter. "Can you spit in this for me? We're gonna do a science experiment and JARVIS is gonna help us."Peter nodded excitedly and spit into the dish. Turning away from Peter, Tony placed the dish into a small box for JARVIS to scan."Got it, J?" Tony asked, knocking on the glass window."Of course, sir."Peter grinned and Tony turned him around to face the Iron Man suit. His jaw dropped."How would you like to help me fix it up?" Tony asked. Peter nodded so fast Tony was worried he would hurt his neck.While they waited for JARVIS to run the DNA results, Tony let Peter help him with the suit. It didn't really need work down, but Peter seemed happy enough to stand beside him and hold a wrench while Tony took care of a few ticks. By the time they had finished and Tony had put the suit back together, Peter seemed to have forgotten about the science experiment. With a promise of dinner, he and Peter headed upstairs.After their initial attempt at making lasagna ended in spilt tomato sauce and uncooked noodle, Tony knew they needed a new plan. Catching sight of the blender, he grinned."How about we make smoothies instead?" he suggested.Peter cheered and Tony took that as a yes.He had Peter pull out the fruit from the freezer drawer while he grabbed the milk from the fridge. After Peter had dumped in more than enough fruit and Tony added the milk, he made sure the lid was on tight and turned on the blender. Peter almost fell off his stool at the sudden noise, but then he grinned and helped Tony hold down the lid. Just as their smoothie finished blending, Pepper walked into the penthouse."We made smoothies!" Peter told her, running over to the lift as she stepped out. Pepper smiled and walked with him into the kitchen."I see that," she said. She pressed a short kiss to Tony's cheek then helped Peter carry his cup of smoothie over to the table.Grabbing the other two glassed, Tony joined them a minute later.While they ate, Peter told Pepper all about their day. He told her about the shopping and the paparazzi. Then he told her about their science experiment and working on the Iron Man suit."I don't know why we need spit for the experiment, but I guess I'll find out when it's over," Peter said. He took a big gulp of smoothie then continued. "JARVIS did something with it, too.""It sounds fun," Pepper said with a smile.Peter nodded and chugged down the rest of his smoothie. As soon as his lips left his straw, he grabbed his head and squealed. "My head hurts!" "Brain freeze," Tony told him. Peter frowned and Tony explained what it was."It hurts my head," Peter said, swinging his legs under the table.Once Tony and Pepper were done, they took their glasses to the sink and Tony unloaded the dishwasher. Peter went to play with the Lego blocks Tony had brought up while Pepper finished up some paperwork. After putting all the clean dishes away, Tony announced he would be going back down to the lab to check on JARVIS's progress. Pepper just nodded, not really paying attention, and waved as he walked down the stairs. He typed in the code and the door slid open."What do we got, JARVIS?" Tony asked, slipping into his computer chair and sliding across the room towards his desk."I believe I found the murder of Peter's mother."He pulled up the report and Tony read through it twice. Although her identity was still unknown, the victim had been stabbed behind a restaurant only one month ago. Her murder had been reported by a small child and the suspect had been found and imprisoned. The child that had reported it had gone missing, though, and officials were unable to find him."That's awful," Tony muttered. He only glanced at the attached photos, but he didn't like what he saw. Whoever had killed the woman had obviously held something against her. He was kind of surprised Peter hadn't been killed as well. A four-year-old at the scene of a crime? He definitely should not have survived.Closing the report and spinning around to look at the Petri dish, Tony asked, "How are we on the DNA test?""82% complete, sir."Tony nodded and stood up."Send a copy of the results to Pepper's tablet and one to mine when they're done," he said. JARVIS promised he would so Tony got up to leave the lab. "And J? Get me the name of the murderer.""Of course, sir."The lights shut off as Tony locked up the lab and went back upstairs. He wanted to know who had killed Peter's mom and why. He also wanted to know if he really should have taken Peter out. Maybe someone had an eye out for him. If that was the case, there was no way Tony was letting Peter out of his sight.
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The next morning, Pepper met with four men that had responded to her PSA. Before she left, Tony had voiced his concern about Peter's mother's, so she asked the men for spit samples to run some DNA tests. Of course, in order for them to give her the DNA, she had to explain that a young boy with the last name Parker had been found and they were searching for his father. Two of the men insisted it couldn't be them as they were faithful to their wives, but Pepper asked for their DNA anyway.The collected DNA samples were sent up to Tony while Pepper promised the men that she would send them the results. They refused to leave, though, so during the hours it took to run the results, they waited in the lobby. When all the results came in negative, she sent the man home and returned to her office to start a new search."Pep, can you watch Peter?" Tony asked, walking into her office moments later.She looked up from her computer with a frown. In Tony's arms, Peter looked around her office curiously, clearly unaware of what she and Tony were in the middle of looking for."I have to run somewhere real quick and he doesn't want to be alone."Pepper knew where he was going but said nothing. If Tony wanted to hunt down someone he thought could have killed Peter's mother, Pepper wasn't going to stop him."Sure," she said, locking her computer and getting up from her desk. "I can go work upstairs."Together they got in the lift and went back up to the penthouse. Peter was deposited in the living room to play with his Legos while Pepper set to work on her tablet from the couch. Without saying a word to Peter and nodding at Pepper, Tony suited up and flew towards the New York prison that held one James Ritchie.When Tony arrived, the man was already waiting for him in an empty meeting room. With Iron Man asking, it hadn't taken much to convince the officers to give them a few minutes alone."James Richie," Iron Man said, lifting the faceplate of his suit. "You remember why you're here, right?""Course I do," James replied. He leaned back in his chair and revealed that one of his hands was cuffed to the chair. "Who forgets the reason they're locked up?" "Why did you kill Miss Parker?" Tony asked. To Tony's surprise, James's grin widened."For fun," he answered.At first, Tony thought he has kidding, but James didn't laugh and or take back his answer.Leaning towards Tony with a malicious grin, he murmured, "Every stab sends this thrill through me that I can't describe. It's a thrill unlike any other and it only gets better when she starts begging me to save her and her son."Tony's gut twisted at his words and he narrowed his eyes at James."You murdered a mother for fun," he reminded James, "You let her son watch and then let him live on the streets alone."James shook his head slightly and not for the first time since the conversation began, Tony was confused."I tried to kill him too," James said. When Tony tensed, James grinned. "The younger they are, the more thrilling it is."Breathing deeply, Tony refrained from putting a metal fist in James's fist. This man made him sick. No one should feel entitled to say such a thing."Don't think I don't know you have him, Stark. I want that boy. I would have left him alone once he ran, but he ran to the wrong people.""He ran to the people that could keep him safe," Tony argued sharply.James's face darkened and he slammed his hands onto the table. Nearby, a guard dropped a hand to his gun and stared at them, but James didn't look away from Tony."He got me arrested," he hissed darkly, "I got away with countless murders—murders people still don't know about—and I was stopped by a four-year-old with no future." He snarled as he leaned within centimetres of Tony's face. "I will get out of here, I will find him, and I will watch the life drain from his terrified eyes just like I did with his mother.""I won't let you," Tony snapped. James looked at him amusedly and leaned back in his chair."You won't even see it coming."Pepper could tell Tony was upset the minute he returned to the Tower. Anger radiated off of him in waves, but he didn't say anything immediately."Peter, go put your Legos in your room," Pepper said softly, drawing the boy's attention away from Tony. "We'll eat lunch soon."Peter did as he was told and as soon as he was out of earshot, Pepper turned to Tony. Without any prompting, Tony told her everything that had happened in the prison and what Ritchie had said. It wasn't until he finished that Pepper realised she was holding her breath. At the abrupt interruption, Pepper breathed in deeply and blinked in surprise. Behind her, Peter came running back into the room and Tony smiled tightly."What's wrong, Tony?" Peter asked, standing behind Pepper."Nothing's wrong, kiddo," he answered. With a forced smile, he reached out to tickle Peter who shrieked and tried to back away.Peter giggled and used Pepper's legs as a barricade until Tony darted around her and dragged Peter up into his arms. Shrieking happily, Peter clung onto Tony's arm as he lifted him upside down and tickled him."Stop!" he squealed, giggling.Hugging him tightly, Tony set him down and let him go. Peter hurried to hide behind Pepper again, a big smile on his face."How about we go get lunch?" Tony suggested. Pepper looked like she was about to object, but Tony gave her a look that said not to argue and Peter seemed excited at the idea."Fine," she agreed.Tony and Peter cheered and she rolled her eyes. Peter bounced all the way to the lift and happily pressed the button after Tony pointed which one went to the lobby.As they walked out of the Tower, Pepper grabbed Peter's hand and they walked with Tony down the street to a local restaurant. It took them a moment to find a McDonald's nearby (the only place Tony was sure Peter would enjoy) but once they did, Tony ordered for them all while Pepper found them a table to wait at.Peter busied himself with folding his napkin into different shapes while Tony and Pepper talked. Despite asking Tony in French—a language Pepper was certain Peter didn't know, but Tony did—he said nothing more about his trip to the prison. "Stark?" a voice called.They looked up to see someone holding their order out at the front counter. At the sound of Tony's name, however, several people looked around. In silence, Tony walked up to the counter and took their meals, thanking the teen before turning away. The teen stared at him starstruck until Tony had sat back down beside Pepper and handed Peter his meal."Tony?" Peter asked, looking up from his happy meal. "When is our experiment gonna be done?" "It's already done," Tony answered."Really? Can I see it?" Peter asked. Tony told him it was just paper results, but Peter insisted on seeing it anyway."You can test your own then compare it to Peter's so he can see how it works," Pepper suggested. Peter looked at Tony excitedly, not sure what Pepper meant but liking the idea of looking at his experiment."Sure," Tony agreed, "Once we finish, we'll test my spit and then compare the results. Sound good?"Peter nodded enthusiastically and began to eat faster. Even though he ate quickly, Peter was the last to finish as he was easily distracted by telling Tony one story or another. Eventually, though, they were all finished and Peter eagerly pulled Tony out of the restaurant. Skipping down the sidewalk ahead of Pepper and Tony, Peter led the way back and raced into the lift.As soon as they arrived at the penthouse, Peter tugged Tony towards the lab while Pepper returned to her office. Tony quickly spit in a petri dish and told JARVIS to run it quickly, then turned and pulled out the results of Peter's DNA test.Standing between Tony's knees in front of his computer, Peter stared quizzically at the paper in front of them."Why are there numbers?" Peter asked, pointing to a few."It tells you the size of the alleles," Tony said. Peter made a face and Tony explained, "Alleles are like switches. If 2 of 25 lights are on, the room is dark. Just like in alleles, if 2 of 25 alleles are on, then your eyes are going to be really dark.""Cool!" Peter said. He asked Tony how many alleles were in his eyes and Tony searched through the paper then pointed to the number. "5!""Fantastic," Tony said.They spent a few more minutes looking over Peter's results before they were interrupted by JARVIS saying Tony's results were done. Printing his own results, Tony brought his paper over to Peter and held them both out in front of him."Now, what's different?" Tony asked, glancing over the results."Here," Peter said, pointing to a 7 on Tony's while his own said 10.Peter looked for more differences, but Tony was hardly paying attention.The results were similar. Too similar to be a coincidence, but Tony had no idea how that could possibly be the case. "JARVIS, how similar are these tests?" Tony asked tentatively, accidentally interrupting Peter.His hands shook and his heart pounded in his ears. It didn't make sense, he told himself, there's a mistake somewhere.Unfortunately, JARVIS didn't agree."The tests are a 98.92% match."
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Peter didn't know why Tony got up suddenly. One minute he'd been pointing to different numbers and the next, the papers were falling to the ground as Tony stood abruptly and walked away from Peter and his desk.Tony didn't hear Peter asking if he was okay. Aside from the pounding of his heart and the echo of JARVIS's words, he couldn't hear anything. His hands shook and in an attempt to stop them, he tugged at his hand. It didn't help.His breathing was shallow and he was getting lightheaded, but he realised too late that he was having a panic attack. His chest grew tighter and his head got lighter, but somehow he managed to hear Peter worriedly ask if he was alright. Through the midst of his panic, he knew he needed to calm down or he was going to scare Peter."JARVIS," he gasped, grabbing his chest. "Get Pepper."He tried to even out his breath, but it didn't work. At the sound of Peter's voice again, he tore his eyes open to see where he was.At some point, he had dropped to his knees as he was now level with Peter.With wide eyes, Peter asked, "Tony? Are you okay?"Tony focused on his voice and face."Tell me what your favourite colour is," Tony said, trying not to gasp too much. Peter nodded and told him it was blue. "Why?"Peter explained how sometimes he had a hard time deciding, actually. Sometimes it was red, sometimes it was blue."If I'm happy, it's blue!" Peter told him, "But if I'm really, really happy, it's red!"He continued talking about how his mom had blue eyes and how his favourite sweater had been red. By the time Pepper burst into the lab, breathless from running and visible worried, Tony had started to breathe evenly again. Shakily, he stood up and Pepper put her hands on his face.#####"What happened?" she asked, running a hand over his cheek soothingly.Tony took a deep breath to try and stop shaking, but it did very little."The tests," he said, pointing to the papers in Peter's hands. "98 point something percent of a match. Pep, we found his dad."Pepper looked between Peter and Tony in shock."Am I in trouble?" Peter asked with a small voice. Pepper quickly shook her head and left Tony's arms to pick Peter up."No, Peter," she assured him, gently running her fingers through his hair and kissing his cheek. "Do you know what your experiment revealed?"Peter nodded and pointed to the papers."All-ellies!" he said excitedly. Pepper smiled."Yes, but it also showed Tony that he was your daddy," Pepper told him. Peter looked confused, then grinned, then looked like he was going to cry."But he didn't like that," Peter said, sniffling. Pepper saw tears pool in his eyes. "Does he not want to be my daddy?""No, no, of course, I do," Tony assured him, stepping forward to rub Peter's back. "It just surprised me."Peter sniffled again and wiped his eyes."So you don't hate me?" he asked, his voice even smaller. Tony shook his head and took Peter out of Pepper's arms."I could never hate you, Peter," he said. He hugged Peter and Peter wrapped his arms around Tony's neck tightly."I've never had a daddy," Peter said in his ear. Tony smiled. "What's it like?""I guess you get to find out now," Tony said, kissing Peter's cheek.Holding Peter in one arm, Tony He reached a hand out for Pepper and she took it. She squeezed his hand and gave him a reassuring smile."Can I call you daddy then?" Peter asked, pulling his head back so he could look at Tony.At Tony's nod, Peter grinned. Instead of returning to comparing their test results, Tony took Peter upstairs and let Peter play with his Lego blocks while Tony and Pepper were left to process JARVIS's news.Later that evening once Peter had gone to bed, Pepper and Tony sat on a couch in the living room and looked out over New York. After a long discussion about what to do now that Tony was Peter's dad, they sat in silence.Tony knew if he revealed that Peter was his son, the kid would never have a moment of peace. He would grow up with cameras in his face and his entire life printed where everyone could see. At the same time, he knew he couldn't keep him without obtaining legal guardianship."We need to talk to your lawyers," Pepper said softly. Tony nodded. "They won't tell anyone. We can show them the results and adopt Peter privately. No one has to know.""I don't know, Pep." Tony sighed. "Something could get out and Peter would never have a private life."Pepper ran her fingers through his hair and Tony leaned into her touch as she said, "It's the best thing to do."With a nod, Tony laid his head on her shoulder and she wrapped an arm around him. Kissing the top of his head, she closed her eyes and rested her chin on his head."Can you get it all settled tomorrow?" Tony asked. Pepper hummed a yes. "I'll have Rhodey watch him. They can meet.""They'll both love that."They stayed in the living room for a little longer before Pepper suggested they go to bed. It was early still, but they were both exhausted and an early night sounded good. JARVIS had hardly turned off the light before Tony collapsed on the bed and fell asleep with Pepper following close behind.
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Peter woke up in the morning to Tony gently shaking him. He blinked a couple of times then gave a sleepy smile and closed his eyes again.With a smile, Tony pulled back Peter's covers and gently picked him up. Peter's head dropped to Tony's shoulder and Tony had to shake him again to keep him from falling back asleep. With a small groan, Peter's eyes opened and Tony smiled down at him."It's time to wake up, kiddo," he murmured, "Did you sleep well?"Peter huffed and buried his face in the crook of Tony's neck in response.Letting Peter keep himself tucked away, Tony walked into the living room with him. At their approach, Rhodey looked up and Peter frowned slightly."You must be Peter," Rhodey said softly. Peter nodded. "I'm Uncle Rhodey.""I'm Peter and I'm four," Peter said, holding up four fingers.Rhodey smiled as Tony set Peter on the couch, Iron Man pyjamas and all."Your dad and Pepper are going talk to some fancy people," Rhodey told him, "So we'll be hanging out for the day. Sound good?"Peter nodded and rubbed his eyes. As Tony and Pepper waved goodbye, he waved back sleepily. The moment they disappeared behind the lift doors, Peter looked at Rhodey."Uncle Rhodey?" he asked, "I'm hungry."Rhodey nodded and stood up, holding out a hand for Peter. Scooting off the couch, Peter grabbed Rhodey's hand and walked with him to the kitchen."Ever had pancakes, Peter?" Rhodey asked, lifting him into a stool. Peter shook his head. "Do you like chocolate chips?" Peter shrugged. "We'll try both today."From his perch on the stool, Peter watched Rhodey make chocolate chip pancakes and slowly woke up. By the time Rhodey slid a plate of chocolate chip pancakes across the counter to Peter, he was fully awake and bubbling with things to say."I have Lego blocks and I can build a castle with them.""Really?" Rhodey asked, sounding impressed.Peter nodded vigorously and asked, "Want to see?"Rhodey said he would but after breakfast. Agreeing happily, Peter nodded and hurried to eat his chocolate chip pancake. When he was done, he ran to his room and lugged the box of Lego blocks into the kitchen while Rhodey did the dishes. After Rhodey had everything put away, he followed Peter into the living room where his Lego castle was waiting."Amazing," Rhodey said, clapping. Peter grinned and took it apart while Rhodey protested. "No! Why did you take it apart?""It won't fit inside," Peter said as if it were obvious.Rhodey laughed and sat on the couch near Peter. Opening his laptop, he worked while Peter played.Around noon, Rhodey got a text from Tony saying they had finished and were coming home. Rhodey grinned and looked down at Peter. Even after four hours, he was still building Lego castles and it didn't look like he was getting bored."Hey, Peter?" Rhodey asked. Peter's head snapped up and he stopped in the middle of putting another block on his fifth castle. "How about we make a really big castle to show your dad when he comes back?""Is he coming back soon?" Peter asked with wide eyes. Rhodey nodded and Peter's eyes widened further as he looked at his partially finished castle. "We don't have enough time.""Of course we do," Rhodey assured him, joining Peter on the floor.Together, they hurried to make Peter's current castle bigger. They were finishing the last turret when the lift dinged."Don't come in!" Peter yelled, jumping up and running to stop Tony and Pepper from going into the living room."What's going on?" Tony asked, frowning and looking around for Rhodey. As soon as Tony had picked Peter up, the kid covered Tony's eyes with his hands."We made you a surprise," Peter told him, "You can't look until it's done.""It's done, Peter," Rhodey said.Peter removed his hands and Tony walked into the living room. At the sight of the large Lego castle, Tony smiled and glanced at Peter."Did you make that all by yourself?" he asked. Peter nodded, his smile becoming shy. "Well, I guess I don't need to worry about the next greatest builder. It's obviously you."Peter squirmed and Tony set him down as he began telling Tony all about the castle, showing him where the different rooms were. By the time he had finished explaining, Rhodey and Pepper had finished lunch and they were ready to eat."I love spaghetti!" Peter exclaimed as Pepper set his plate at the table. As soon as she gave him a fork, he began eating."Did everything go smoothly?" Rhodey asked once Peter was distracted. Tony nodded but Pepper's facial expression said otherwise."For the most part," she murmured, "There was trouble signing the adoption forms. The state didn't believe Tony was capable or caring for a kid, so we faked an engagement and they allowed it.""Oh, so you two are getting married now?" Rhodey asked with a smirk. Pepper gave him a look."No," Pepper said at the same time Tony said, "Yes."He turned to look at her in mock offence. "I thought we had something here. Is that not true? Are you just using me for my money?""Eat your spaghetti," Pepper said, pointing to his plate with her fork. He stared at her innocently as he scooped a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth and Pepper muttered, "You know why we can't get married.""No, actually," Tony said, "I don't."Pepper sighed and shook her head, giving Rhodey the impression this was a conversation they'd had before."My offer still stands. Let me know when you're ready, cause I'll always be ready.""Ew," Rhodey grumbled, twisting his face in annoyance.At the sight of Rhodey's face, Peter laughed, spewing spaghetti everywhere. The mood immediately shifted as Pepper scolded Rhodey who found a wash cloth to clean up the mess. Although Peter looked guilty as well, he was still giggling so Pepper knew he wasn't upset with her for scolding them."Uncle Rhodey's funny," Peter said with a giggle. Pepper nodded, shooting Rhodey a small glare. He just chuckled."Thanks, kid," Rhodey said. Peter shot him a toothy smile then went back to eating his spaghetti.Once Peter's spaghetti mess had been cleaned up, he directed the conversation to his day building Lego castles in different countries. When asked which countries, however, his face scrunched up and he frowned."I don't know any countries."Pepper laughed."That's okay," she said, "You can make them up."Peter visibly brightened at that idea and looked between Pepper and Tony as he asked, "Really? You can make up countries?""Of course," Tony replied. Peter tapped his chin then raised his hand."I know where they were from now!" he exclaimed. He listed them off six different words that neither Tony nor Pepper could understand, but Rhodey nodded along. "Wow," Pepper said when he'd finished. "Maybe one day I'll visit those places and see all the castles."Peter giggled and shook his head."You can't," he told her. When asked why, he said, "Because they don't really exist!""Maybe I'll visit them in my imagination," Pepper replied. Peter thought about it then shrugged."I guess," he said, "But I'd rather go to a real country."
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A week had passed since Tony and Pepper had officially adopted Peter and in that time, his room had been completely changed and was now painted blue and red. Tony had helped him find an Iron Man bed spread and an Iron Man lamp as well as a few other toys, but Peter liked the Lego blocks best. That didn't mean he didn't play with the other toys, though. Unless Pepper or Tony reminded him several times to put his toys away, they were usually spread out across the penthouse.On days when the penthouse was a disaster, Tony liked to time Peter and encourage him to pick up his toys even faster. Today was one of those days. It took Peter several trips between the living room and his room, but he raced as fast as he could to beat the five-minute time limit. When he finally dropped the last toy in his toy chest and ran back out to Tony, he bounced eagerly as he asked how long it had been."Sorry, Peter," Tony said. Peter's face dropped. "That took exactly two minutes and seven seconds!"Tony cheered and Peter's face lit up again. As per usual, the deal had been if he could pick up all his toys in five minutes, they would go to McDonalds to eat."Can we go now?" Peter asked excitedly, looking at his shoes by the lift.As Tony nodded, Peter hurried over to his shoes and tugged them on awkwardly. Tony helped him then grabbed his wallet and followed Peter into the lift. Getting to McDonald's didn't take very long, but finding a parking space did. After doing a few circles around the lot, Tony squeezed into a spot he wasn't sure was for parking and turned off the car."We're here!" he announced, unfastening his seatbelt.From the backseat, Peter cheered and unfastened his seatbelt as well. Walking around to Peter's door, Tony opened it for him and Peter jumped out to run inside. Peter stopped at the end of the line and Tony joined him shortly after. A few minutes later when it was their turn to order, the cashier was barely able to speak as he stared at Tony."Daddy? Can I go play?" Peter asked, tugging on Tony's shirt.Tony told him to wait as he paid for their food. Grabbing his soda cup, he filled it up at the soda fountain then let Peter run towards the play area. Aside from one other woman, the playroom was empty. Tony could hear what sounded like two kids already playing and apparently Peter did too because he shot over to the play area before Tony could tell him to take off his shoes.At the sound of Tony's voice, the woman looked up from her phone. "Tony Stark goes to McDonald's?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as he took a seat at the table."What can I say?" Tony replied, "The kid likes french fries."She laughed and shook her head."Does he want friends to play with?" she asked, pointing at the play place. "My two sons are up there and I was getting ready to go, but if he wants playmates we can wait.""That would be great," Tony said, "Once we get our food I'll call him down."It wasn't much longer before Tony glanced back and saw their meal waiting. He went out to grab it and when he returned, he saw the woman helping her two sons put their shoes on."Peter! Food's here," Tony called, setting the tray on the table.He heard Peter run through the jungle gym then slide down the slide. A second later, Peter appeared and ran over to Tony, climbing up on a chair beside him. Tony handed him his happy meal as Peter excitedly told him about his two new friends."They said they didn't know who Iron Man was, though," Peter said, pulling out his fries and shoving some in his mouth. "But I told them he was a superhero and they thought it was cool."Tony nodded, glancing up at the TV behind Peter when something caught his eye. It wasn't loud enough he could hear, but the subtitles were on and the heading was enough. James Ritchie's mugshot was plastered across the screen with the words 'Escaped Convict: Last Seen in Manhattan'.Looking back at Peter, he put his burger back in its bag and said, "Peter, we're gonna have to eat this at home."Although Peter drooped in disappointment, he nodded and helped Tony put his happy meal back in its box. Tony sent him to put his shoes back on while he finished packing up their food. Once Peter was ready to go, Tony grabbed his hand and they walked out to the car."Why did we have to leave?" Peter asked as Tony helped him buckle his seatbelt."Daddy has to go be Iron Man," Tony said, giving him a small smile.From the backseat, Peter grinned. While Peter began musing about what Iron Man was going to do, Tony called Pepper and told her to shut down the Tower. Anyone that didn't work there was to get out in the next five minutes. When she demanded to know why, Tony quickly muttered that James Richie had escaped. That seemed to do the trick because a second later, she hung up and JARVIS told him she had initiated the lockdown and lockout procedures.Tony barely made it into the garage before JARVIS locked down the Tower. Grabbing their food, he followed Peter into the lift and upstairs to where Pepper was waiting anxiously. Tony set Peter's happy meal at the table and told him he could finish it now before moving over to Pepper."Hi, Pepper!" Peter said around a mouthful of fries. He waved and Pepper waved back before turning her full attention to Tony."How do you know Ritchie is coming here?" Pepper asked. Tony just looked at Peter and Pepper sighed. "You're going out, aren't you?""Of course I am," Tony muttered, "Stay here with Peter. I'll be back once someone has caught him."Pepper nodded and watched as he walked outside and suited up. Seconds later, he was in the air and had JARVIS keeping him updated on anything related to James Richie."I have a report that says he was spotted on Third and Cedar."Tony frowned but shot off in that direction. That was nowhere near the Tower. He must have been wrong in his assumption that James would go after Peter."Update me on any reports," Tony said, scanning the streets below him. He couldn't see anyone that looked like they were running from prison."No more have come in."Tony dropped down onto the sidewalk and ignored the passersby that stared at him. Taking advantage of the stares, Tony ran facial recognition on all of them but came up negative."Are you sure the report was from here?" Tony asked, glancing around. "Have the police found him?""There is a squadron of police surrounding the Tower, sir," JARVIS told him after a couple of seconds. Tony frowned and took off into the air again. "They received a distress call when the front doors were broken."Tony cursed and flew even faster back to the Tower. How had JARVIS received a false police report? The distraction had been just enough, too. If Ritchie had gotten into the Tower, he would likely find Pepper and Peter before Tony returned."Are Peter and Pepper still alone?" he asked. He was two minutes from the Tower, but if they weren't alone that might not be close enough."No," JARVIS said, "Mr. Richie with them as well as three employees."Tony's upper lip twitched as he realised Ritchie either knew SI employees could access the Tower while in lockdown or had been in the Tower before it had been initiated. Either way, he would be updating the security protocols surrounding the penthouse. No one would be getting in after this."Send me through to the cops," Tony ordered. JARVIS called the police and connected and Tony to the sheriff outside his Tower. "Tell me what's happening. I'm a minute out.""He's inside, Mr. Stark," the sheriff said, looking up for Iron Man. "We have him on a ransom call, but things aren't looking good.""Get ready to arrest this man again," Tony said, hanging up and landing outside the Tower.From the balcony, he could see Ritchie inside with Pepper and Peter. Just behind them, the three SI employees registered on his facial recognition scan. Well, they would be fired, to say the least."So glad you could join us, Tony," Ritchie exclaimed as Tony stepped inside.In his hand, he held a knife that was closer to Peter than Tony would have liked. That being said, a knife near Peter at all was too close."I was wondering how long I would have to wait," Ritchie said, spinning the knife carelessly. "It's hard to restrain myself if you know what I mean.""You know, group therapy can help with lots of bad habits," Tony said, scanning Pepper and Peter for any signs of injury. Fortunately, JARVIS reported none. "Pep made me go for alcohol. Remember that, Pep? Really helpful.""You really do crack jokes at bad times," Ritchie mused. He chuckled and spun his knife up again. "I thought it was just a rumour.""Rarely anything you hear about me is," Tony said as JARVIS calculated the best attack plans. So far, he hadn't come up with one with a high enough success rate that Tony wanted to try it."I hear Peter here is your son," Ritchie said, using his knife to point at Peter.Curled up on Pepper's lap, Peter was trembling. There was no doubt in Tony's mind that Peter recognised Ritchie.When Tony didn't respond, Ritchie grinned."He is! Oh," he hummed, glancing back down at Peter. "Things just got so much better.""Ok," Tony said. JARVIS had a plan with a 97% success rate and Tony was tired of waiting. "We're done. Lead the way, J."
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JARVIS's plan apparently didn't involve killing people much to Tony's annoyance. Instead, he followed JARVIS's plan and shot Ritchie's knife out of his hand. If he hit Ritchie's hand in the process, well, oops.The second Iron Man shot Ritchie, the other three men tried to run. Turning sharply, Tony shot a tranquillising dart at each of them then shot one at Ritchie as well. The three men stumbled towards the lift and collapsed right in front of it, but Ritchie pulled his knife out and threw it towards Peter and Pepper. Tony lunged after it but failed to catch the knife before it embedded itself in Pepper's shoulder. Peter cried and Ritchie collapsed, but Tony shot another tranquiliser at him before stepping out of his suit and hurrying to Pepper's side."I'm okay," she gasped, as Tony pulled Peter off her lap.Tony rolled his eyes, hesitating at the sight of blood on her shoulder. Setting Peter on the couch, Tony helped Pepper to her feet and told JARVIS to let the cops up. Unsure who to turn to first, Tony settled on both of them at once.Peter was crying and the moment Tony lifted him into his arms, he buried his face in Tony's shoulder."Hey, buddy," Tony hummed, wrapping his free arm around Pepper. "You're okay.""He killed mommy," Peter cried, pointing to Ritchie over Tony's shoulder."He's going away now," Tony promised as the lift dinged.Cops swarmed into the penthouse and Peter's arms tightened around Tony. One of the cops approached them while the others cuffed unconscious men and pulled them back into the lift."We're fine, thanks," Pepper assured the cop. At the cop's suggestion to go to a hospital, Tony told JARVIS to get a car ready."I'll take her," he told the cop. Stepping into the lift with the rest of the cops, Tony kept Peter in one arm and Pepper's hand in his other.The cops stepped out at the ground floor, carrying the four unconscious men with them and Tony fidgeted impatiently. Once the last one had stepped out, the lift doors closed and they continued down to the garage level.They arrived at the hospital in record time. As Pepper was admitted immediately, Tony carried Peter to a corner of the waiting room. Despite the colourful toys nearby, Peter stayed curled up in Tony's lap and didn't seem to want to move. Just over an hour later, a doctor called them back to see Pepper."The wound was shallow enough that there was no major damage," the doctor said, leading them back to where Pepper was. "We stitched up her shoulder and wrapped it. It will be tender for a while so we gave her some pain meds.""Sounds like a party," Tony said as they stepped into Pepper's room. She rolled her eyes and rubbed her shoulder."Not exactly what I would say," she murmured.Tony smiled and kissed her quickly. Setting Peter on the edge of her bed, he told him to be careful with her shoulder but wasn't surprised when the kid crawled over to Pepper. He hesitated at Tony's words though and Pepper gave Tony a look."I'm injured, not porcelain," she retorted."You're also not invincible," Tony reminded her.She shook her head and opened her arms for Peter to hug her. At the open invitation, Peter bounced forward and hugged her tightly. Aside from a sharp intake of breath, she didn't tell Peter that the action hurt her shoulder.Leaving them for just a moment, Tony signed her discharge papers and the prescription for her pain killers. When he returned, he picked Peter up off the bed and grabbed Pepper's hand. Unfortunately, just outside the front doors of the hospital, a group of paparazzi were waiting for them and Tony knew it would be difficult to pass through. With Pepper's hand tightly in one of his and Peter in his other arm, it took several minutes for them to cross the parking lot and endure the crowd of cameras."We're gonna need to do a press conference," Pepper muttered as they sat in the car.Tony groaned as he backed out of the parking lot and headed back to the Tower. Even if he knew it was inevitable, he didn't want to hold one."I don't like those," he said."I know," Pepper replied softly.The drive to the Tower was silent. Peter was fast asleep in the backseat and remained asleep even when they arrived in the garage. While Tony took him to his room, Pepper called their publicist to arrange a press conference. Tony joined her on the couch shortly after and waited until she hung up to suggest they lay down. Although Pepper protested, she fell asleep only a few minutes after Tony convinced her to move to their bedroom.After ensuring both Pepper and Peter were safe and asleep, Tony went down to his lab to update JARVIS's protocols and restrict who was allowed access to the penthouse. The list was already very narrow, but he removed all high ranking badges so that only those JARVIS personally recognised were allowed through. Once he was satisfied with the updates, he called the sheriff to ask after Ritchie."He's being transported to another facility in upstate New York," the sheriff promised but that wasn't good enough."I want him out of the state," Tony argued, frowning at the thought of Ritchie still nearby."I'm afraid that's not possible," the sheriff replied. He said something about the legal system, but Tony wasn't interested."That man tried to kill my kid twice and does it for fun," Tony said, "He told me himself that he's responsible for several unsolved murders. I want him gone.""Unless you can provide evidence for that, we can't charge him for other murders.""I'll send you the footage," Tony said, telling JARVIS to send over the footage from his talk with James. "Get him out of here, sheriff."He hung up before the sheriff could reply. With a groan, Tony dropped his head against the back of his chair and closed his eyes. As soon as he'd started to relax, JARVIS alerted him to an incoming call from one Nick Fury."This better be short," Tony grumbled, despite already knowing it wouldn't be. "If it takes more than five minutes, fake an emergency, J."Three days later, Tony stood in front of a crowd of reporters. Behind the stage, Pepper stood beside Romanoff with her arm in a sling. Although Fury had claimed it was a personal favour, Tony knew he'd sent the spy to get the story directly from them and not the news. After learning it would be Romanoff and not an agent he didn't know, Tony had agreed. Apparently, she also liked kids, but Tony got the feeling he wasn't supposed to remember that."Where's the kid?" Natasha had asked Pepper as soon as she arrived. "He's with Rhodey," Pepper had answered, explaining how they didn't want Peter to be photographed much as possible.An hour later, the conference had started.Now, standing in front of the reporters and asking question after question, Tony was finding it difficult to steer the attention away from Peter. Even when the kid wasn't there and Pepper was nowhere in sight, the questions kept turning from the attack to who Peter was. After a short nod from Pepper, Tony finally confirmed the rumours."Yes," he said, "Peter is my four-year-old son." The reporters threw even more questions at him, but he ignored them in favour of saying, "However, you will leave him alone and if I see or hear about an article written about him that invades his life, I will send an entire team of superheroes out to grind your ass into the ground."One reporter raised their hand. "You expect us to not report on your son ever?" "Yeah," Tony replied sharply, "And if that's a problem, I will end your career. If you want to keep it, don't write about my kid."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After the conference, Natasha got to meet Peter. Pepper invited her up to the penthouse for lunch where Rhodey and Peter were busy playing with Legos. It took less than a minute for Peter to feel comfortable around Natasha and as soon as he did, he dragged her into the living room to show her his current Lego castle. Rhodey hadn't helped him this time, so Peter was able to proudly say it was all done by him, including lugging the box out into the living room.When Tony asked him to take his Legos back to his room a while later, Peter insisted that Natasha come look at his new room as well. The Iron Man theme was completely unsurprising, whether it was Peter who had chosen it or Tony. Peter seemed to adore his dad, but she also wouldn't put it above Tony to design the room that way anyway."And I picked this out all by myself!" Peter said, pointing to the Iron Man lamp on his nightstand. "That's pretty cool, Peter," she said.Peter nodded excitedly then led Natasha back out to the kitchen where they were getting ready to eat. At the end of the meal, Natasha offered to clean up and Peter promised to help her. Pulling up a stool beside the sink, she let him rinse the dishes while she scrubbed them. Rhodey waved goodbye and Pepper disappeared to her home office, but Peter seemed more than content to talk with Natasha and Tony as he played with the dishwater. When Tony's phone rang, Peter didn't even notice him leave."Sheriff," Tony greeted, stepping onto the balcony."We got that footage you sent," the sheriff said, "We asked Richie about it and he admitted to seven unsolved murders. He's either too proud or drugged.""He wasn't just hit with tranquilisers, sheriff," Tony said. The sheriff stayed silent but Tony didn't openly admit to drugging Ritchie."He's been sentenced to death row," the sheriff said a few seconds later. "We're moving him to Jersey tomorrow and he'll wait there until they take him elsewhere.""Good."There was another long pause before the sheriff cleared his throat and announced he'd let him go. He said a curt goodbye then hung up, leaving Tony alone on the balcony.Later that evening, Tony told Pepper what the sheriff had told him. Although uncomfortable with the idea that he was being sentenced to death, she seemed glad he was going out of state. Playing with his Legos on the ground in front of them, Peter seemed to have already forgotten about the incident."You know," Pepper murmured, glancing at Tony. "I'm glad you told those reporters they need to leave Peter alone, but now we'll have to take care of the backlash."Tony shook his head and kissed her forehead."It shouldn't be too much," he replied. She gave him a doubtful look. "They can't report on Peter, remember?""I guess," Pepper hummed. Outside the window, the lights of New York blinked at her as she told him, "If there is any, though, let me deal with it. Iron Man is for criminals, not for bad PR.""It would send a message to others," Tony said, raising an eyebrow suggestively. She smiled and shook her head."Not once they arrest you."He shrugged and looked back out the window. From so high above New York (and with soundproof walls), the only sound they could hear was the soft classical music Pepper had asked JARVIS to play. The view from above had always been one of Tony's favourites, but it was all the better when he had Pepper at his side and Peter playing in front of him.Hours later when Tony asked JARVIS to turn off the house lights, the lights of New York seemed to shine brighter. As Pepper curled around him and Peter slept soundly in his lap, he was certain that the Tower had never been this peaceful.