Tick Tock Goes the Clock

Chapter 11

Peter blew out a raspberry and sunk into the couch. "I'm kinda beat."

"That tracks." Tony strolled into the kitchen and tossed open the fridge. "You did get very excited when you saw Thor."

"I can't believe I got to meet him!" Peter squeaked excitedly before apparently remembering Tony 'didn't' know he was bisexual. "Uh, I mean- it was cool to meet everyone."

Tony rolled his eyes, smiling to himself. Kids. He peered at the steak he'd been marinating. "How's your energy been doing?"

"Better. Still a little 'eh' y'know. But it's alright."

"That's good." The kid was still skinny as a stick, but his dark circles were looking significantly better. "What should we have for a side? I'm already making baked potatoes. How do you feel about salad? We should probably have salad or Pepper'l give me a lecture about 'setting a poor example'. How about Caesar? Or should I do something more fancy, like... I don't know, goji berry salad? Is that a thing?" With a head of lettuce in one hand and a carrot in the other, Tony turned to look at Peter. The kid was staring at him, blinking. "What?"

"You're staying for dinner?"

"Yeah, why? You got a problem with that?"

"No! No- I- you've been at the Tower for, like, a month straight. Don't you have, y'know, a family to get back to?"

Tony set the food down and pulled out a cutting board. Goji berry salad it was. Of course, he'd have to text Peps and tell her to bring some goji berries. WAIT. It was winter. Dammit. So Caesar salad it was.

"Did I forget to tell you? Pepper and Morgan are coming here for dinner. We're having steak, potatoes, and Caesar salad."

Peter blinked again. "You chose Caesar...?"

Tony sighed heavily. "I have no choice."

"WAIT-" Peter shot up- "what?! Your- Mrs. Potts and your daughter are coming here?!"

"Yeah. In-" he checked his watch- "'bout 30 minutes."

"I- you- you- what?"

Tony wagged a knife at him. "Why are you short-circuiting on me?"

"I-" his voice dropped into a rash whisper and his arms flailed about. "You do realize you're the Stark family, right? Like, the Starks."

"So you... don't want to meet them?"

"No! I mean- yes! I don't not want to meet them, is what I'm saying. But, like, in 30 minutes?? And what am I- what am I supposed to wear to a dinner with the billionaire Stark family?? And what am I supposed to talk about? Yachts?? I don't know anything about them other than the fact that orcas seem to hate them!"

Tony had paused his meal preparations to blankly watch the kid ramble. He held up a 'time-out' gesture and the kid stopped mid-word. "We're not animals in a zoo, y'know. Just talk to them like you and I talk."

"We don't talk though?!"

Tony opened his mouth to respond then shut it. Had they actually ever just hung out and talked before? Tony shrugged after a moment. "Well, now we can."

"But about what?"

"I dunno. Whatever. School. Your asshole boss - that's a good one."

"You want me to cuss out Mr. Jameson in front of your daughter?"

Tony paused, squinting. "Ok maybe not that." He shrugged again and started chopping up the lettuce. "What do you talk about with other people? I mean, come on kid, you managed to befriend that one lady who bought you a churro in, like, two minutes flat."