Hush Little Baby (Discontinued)

Ch. 2

Peter woke up to the sound of voices, talking urgently across the room.

"Tones, you've got to stop avoiding him by hiding in your lab. He's worried you don't want him."

That was Rhodey, he remembered.

They had fallen asleep watching cartoons on the couch. That must be where he was now.

"It's just-" there was a frustrated sigh. "I don't know anything about kids, Rhodey! I'm not a dad."

There was movement, and then Rhodey again, his voice much softer. "You can do this, Tones."

"How can you know that?" Tony replied, his voice sharp. "You know how I am! I'm not the type of guy a six year old should look up to, Rhodey. I'm a horrible example."

Peter pushed himself up from his warm pile of blankets, rubbing his eyes groggily.

Neither man noticed, continuing their heated discussion from the chairs in front of the TV.

Rhodey put his hand over Tony's shaking left one, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You're my best friend. You know I'm honest with you. Brutally, a lot of times. But I know you, and I know you're nothing like that man. You're a good person. You're good with kids, they like you."

"This is different." Tony broke in. "This isn't me and you, or some kids who want an autograph. This is an innocent kid, who is much better off without me."

Rhodey threw his hands up, slumping back with an irritated sigh. "When are you going to stop arguing and listen?"

Peter crept towards them slowly, his bare feet making no noise on the carpet.

"Rhodey, I can't do this, okay?"

Rhodey sat up immediately, leaning forward. "Why not?"

Tony shook his head tiredly. "I just don't know how I'm going to do this. What am I supposed to do with him?"

His friend gave him a reassuring smile. "Take care of him. You avoiding him isn't helping."

Tony sighed. "That's exactly what I meant. I'm not cut out for this."

There was a brief silence, in which Peter moved closer.

"Tony, if you won't listen to me or Pepper, at least listen to your kid." Rhodey said at last.

Tony frowned. "What kid? Peter?"

"The one standing behind you." Rhodey jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Come on out, Pete."

Peter sheepishly stepped into the light, shuffling his feet. "Hi Mr Rhodey." His voice lowered as he said the words.

Rhodey clapped his hands against his knees, and stood up, shooting a smile at Tony. "I'm going to get home. It's late, and I don't want to be driving longer than I have to. And you two should talk."

"Rhodey wait-" the door slammed, and Peter and Tony were left staring at each other. In the silence, they could hear a car starting up, and pulling out.

Tony ran a hand down his face, falling back into the cushion.

"Mr Stark?" Peter ventured. "Are you okay?"

Tony glanced at him through his fingers. "Don't call me that. Mr Stark was my dad. My name is Tony."

Peter shuffled closer. "Are you okay, Mr- Tony?"

Tony stood up, avoiding the question, and striding to the kitchen. "Have you eaten?" He answered his own question before Peter could. "No of course not. You're too short to reach the stove. Or cabinets."

Peter followed silently, climbing gingerly onto a chair at the counter.

Tony grabbed a bowl and spoon, plopping them in front of the boy, and pouring cereal with milk. He pushed it closer, and shut the fridge door. "Eat."

Peter hesitated. "Are you-"

"Stop asking questions and eat!" Tony snapped, and then paled. "I- sorry."

He turned and left the room.

Pepper came in minutes later. Her eyes were hard, and her lips were set in a thin line. "Come with me, Peter."

He followed, leaving the untouched bowl of cereal on the counter. "Ms Potts? Is Mr Tony okay?"

She glanced back, giving him a sad smile. "He wasn't being very nice, and I'm going to talk to him about it."

Peter hurried to catch up with her long strides. "Don't make him sad, please. I don't want him to be sad."

She paused, then continued at a slower pace. "He'll be okay. I just need to have a talk with him. He can't just ignore you, or be snappy when he does talk."

Peter frowned. "But I don't mind. Lots of other people get mad at me. But Mr Tony doesn't hit me, which means he's being nice to me."

Pepper's hand tightened around his own, and her voice sounded different when she answered, like she was trying not to cry. "That still doesn't mean he should act that way. Don't worry sweetheart. I'll get him to work on it."

"Can I go see him?" Peter asked quietly. "Mr Rhodey said he might let me do big 'quations."

Pepper opened the door to another room, giving him a gentle push toward the bed. "Go sit on the bed while I find you some clothes. And I don't know, bud."

The closet was mostly empty, only a few pairs of jeans and tshirts his size. Pepper grabbed one of each, tossing them to the bed. "Rhodey is going to get some clothes for you, on his way back. Are you okay with staying with him today?"

Peter nodded hurriedly. "Yeah! I like Mr Rhodey."

She gave him a brief smile. "Good. Hes going to take you to the zoo."

The boy bounced on the mattress, his eyes shining. "Can we see the Ephalants?"

She tried to hide a smile. "Yeah."