Because He Loves Me

Chapter 3: Signs

There were certain signs that existed in the Stark household. No one ever talked about them, and none of them were set in ink. But everyone knew they were there. And some were designed simply to send messages when a child was being punished. 

For example, when Peter received a kiss from Pepper, it could mean two different things. If it was random, or right after school, that meant "welcome home" or  just "I love you". But if Peter received a kiss from Pepper during a punishment of his, to him it meant, "It's okay, you're okay," or it meant, "I know it hurts, but no one is going to mention this later."  Or, to Peter, if he was on the verge of crying, Pepper's kiss meant, "I won't laugh at you, you can cry." Although Pepper never told Tony, and Peter didn't tell Kassidy, after Pepper had punished Peter, sometimes pepper would get a, "did you kiss him?" from Tony later that night. Or Peter would go to his bedroom only to find Kassidy waiting there. And she would ask, "How many kisses?" And Peter trusted her when he replied. 

Another was being picked up. If Pepper picked up either child (and she rarely did), then they were probably either sick or they couldn't walk for some other reason. 

But if Tony picked up Peter, it either meant "we need to move, come along." or it meant, "don't worry, I know other people are here, but I'm getting you out and you'll be okay." The second one was usually used when Peter had been naughty and Tony had given him some sort of punishment or reminder in front of the company. Then Peter would immediately apologize and Tony would carry him from the room so that Peter could cry without having to worry about the company seeing him. But that had only happened once, and besides, Tony would never give a full punishment in front of someone else. Punishment is a private matter. Peter didn't know that, though, so he always thought Mr. Stark was simply taking pity on him. 

When Tony picked up Kassidy, she usually fought him off because Kassidy did not like being lifted. Kassidy, unlike Peter, was very good at dropping subtle hints to certain people that she did not like them. So subtle, in fact, that she was able to weave around them when Tony started to pick them up. But regardless of her ability, Kassidy was hardly ever rude to guests, and if she were she made sure she had a good reason for it. And unlike Peter, she planned her insults and her ways around them so that Tony would not be able to punish her for them. Sometimes he did, but Kassidy had never been punished in front of a guest. 

And the final sign to be shared for now is going limp. Kassidy knew that when she went limp during a punishment, her parents took that as a cue to finish up. She would never risk her power by going limp immediately. But instead, Kassidy let them punish her for as short as she thought would slide. She always made sure to begin crying as soon as the punishment started, so that it would be a lighter punishment altogether. Peter, however good he was with technology and chem, was not terribly good at picking up things on their parents, like Kassidy was. Kassidy would have liked very much to tell Peter all the signs she had gathered from her parents, and the ones that would help Peter get out of trouble, and get a lighter punishment. But she was sure that Peter might spoil it to their parents, and Kassidy would not be able to prove she hadn't told him, which she would have. 

Peter tended to be very good at picking up or inventing ways he thought his parent's said "I love you" because he wanted to believe that he was loved here. Having lost 4 parental figures already, Pepper was sensitive to the fact that Peter needed love perhaps as much as he needed oxygen. And both the parents understood that, in fact they found it quite endearing. Kassidy and her parents had had a nonexistent talk. In which they had said, "you know we love you, but Peter needs extra love. So when we kiss him and hug and and say 'I love you' to him, it doesn't mean we love you any less. But we know you  don't like being hugged or kissed, so we don't do that to you. but Peter needs that, and if you decide you need it too we will be happy to provide you with it." And Kassidy had said, "I know, and I love you too." And although that conversation had never existed in real life, Kassidy and her parents both felt like it did, because Kassidy understood and her parents knew she did.