The Child Who Changed Tony Stark's Life

You Can't Have It!

"No, Tony. I don't think you do understand! This is your kid we're talking about!" Pepper yelled as she stood with her arms crossed and Tony shook his head.
"I know, Pepper and that is why I have to continue to do this! He looks up to me and believes in me as Iron Man!" Tony exclaimed as he worked on his suit and Pepper gave a sarcastic laugh.
"I thought you were done thinking of only yourself. I thought Peter was more important-"
"He is! His safety and happiness is the thing I need to make certain of along with keeping you safe, Pep! I have to protect the three people I can't live without- that's you, Peter and Rhodey. I can't sit around and do nothing when I can make certain you three are safe-"
"And I can't watch you kill yourself. I can't Tony! It's not about me, it's not about Rhodey! This is about Peter and you being the only person he has left in this world. I can't watch you leave him as well. I won't." Pepper argued as she left the room and Tony sighed. 
It's been about a month since he had his expo and was issued a subpoena to be taken to court about his suit. Since the subpoena, Pepper has been trying to convince her fiance to give up the suit and to not argue with the court when he goes.
He knew what Pepper was saying is out of concern, but he can't turn his back on what he started and he can't give up the possibility of protecting his son, fiance and best friend if danger occurs. His phone went off and He told Jarvis to answer as he sat back in his chair and looked up to the ceiling.
"Rhodes?" Tony questioned after Jarvis announced the caller and the call connected to the overhead responders.
"Hey Tones, we're at the hair place now then we should be back. We went to see Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief." The billionaire raised an eyebrow and looked at the time. The two left at about ten this morning and it was about two in the afternoon.
"Okay, let me know when you're here." Tony dismissed and Rhodey furrowed his eyebrows. He looked at Peter and gave the 7 year old two thumbs up with a smile, before he turned around as the hairdresser submerged the kid's hair under the water.
"What's wrong?" The colonel as he knew his best friend would usually blow up his phone and since the two left, Rhodey has not received a single call.
"Nothing, just-"
"C'mon Tones, you usually blow up my phone when I take your son. What happened?" Rhodey cut the billionaire off and Tony sighed.
"Pepper and I, uh, got into an argument." Tony spoke as he started to work on his suit again and he heard the colonel sigh.
"Look man, maybe she's right. You have Peter to worry about now and-"
"Uncle Rhodey?" The colonel turned to his nephew and smiled.
"Hey Peter, your dad's going to love your-" 
"Why are you and mommy trying to convince daddy to give up being Iron Man? He's a superhero and protects people." Peter said sadly as he looked down, hair still long enough to cover his eyes and Tony could hear the sadness in his kid's voice over the phone. 
"We just want to make sure your daddy stays safe and doesn't get hurt." Rhodey responded as he bent to Peter's height and the kid shook his head.
"My daddy is the best, he won't get hurt." Peter defended and Tony smiled as he heard his son basically praise him on the other end. After a few more words, Rhodey hung up and Tony smiled to himself.
He was grateful to have such an amazing son and though he wasn't there for the kid in the beginning, he was overly happy that his son loved him more than anything. Tony felt a pain in his chest and hissed, lifting his shirt to look at the piece in his chest. 
Lately, he's noticed that the palladium core in the arc reactor that keeps him alive and powers the armor is slowly poisoning him, and he cannot find a substitute to keep the poison from spreading. He couldn't tell his best friend or his fiance, they'd just worry and he definitely could not let his son know. 
"Daddy!" Peter exclaimed as he came running into the lab and Tony quickly put his shirt down, turning to his kid with an adoring smile. He bent down as his son jumped into his arms and the billionaire stood with Peter in his arms, glancing at his best friend.
"Hey, kid. Looking good with the new haircut. How was the movie?" Tony questioned as he used his open hand to mess up his son's hair and the little boy giggled, pulling away from his father's hand.
"Good, but the book is better." Peter admitted and a frown took over, causing the father to become worried. "You're not giving up being Iron Man, are you daddy?" 
"Um, I don't know, kid. Mommy and Uncle Rhodey have a point-"
"You're the best daddy, I believe in you and I know you'll protect everyone from any threats. Just like you protected mommy, Uncle Rhodey and I from Stane." Peter reassured and Tony was shocked. He hadn't told his son about that fight and no one really knew the true story.
"How do you know about that?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow and Peter gave a shy smile.
"I could hear Uncle Rhodey talking to you and then the conversation you had with mommy before I came in to say I didn't want to go to school." Peter said as he looked down at the floor and Tony sighed, lifting his son's head to look at him.
"Don't worry, Peter. You're not in trouble."