"Tony," says Pepper angrily, walking into the room in a pair of chunky heels that look professional though much sturdier than her usual footwear. "Can you tell me why I just read on no less than 12 websites that you are the biological father of both Harley and Peter and it's been kept under wraps for 15 years?"
"Hi, Pep, how're you?" Tony has his head in Rhodey's lap as he tinkers with a metal cube he'd fabricated in the lab. If he's done his job right, it should unfold into a full-sized stroller.
"How am I? How am I? Did you not hear anything I just said?"
Peter and Harley make eye contact from opposite ends of the couch before getting up and attempting to make an exit.
"And where do you two think you're going?"
"Bathroom," Harley lies.
"Calling May," says Peter.
Pepper narrows her eyes at both of them but shoos them off anyway. Tony sits up then, catching up to what he supposes Pepper thinks is a serious conversation.
"You seem angrier than the situation warrants."
"Ah man," groans Rhodey as he leans his head against the back of the couch.
"You don't think I should be angry at the prospect of you lying to me? For years."
"Considering I didn't lie to you—"
She narrows her eyes at him. He can tell she has a rebuttal from years of being his assistant.
"—about this. I never lied to you about this. I told you before, they're my kids. But not biologically. I wouldn't lie to you about that, Pep."
"Are you sure?" Pepper insists narrowing her eyes. "Because Peter... Sometimes I'll look at him when I'm making coffee in the morning and— Tony, he looks just like you."
"No, he doesn't," Tony laughs. "You're projecting."
"I am not—"
"Yes, you are. Tell'er Rhodey." At the silence, Tony looks back over at his best friend astonished. "Et tu, Platypus?"
"He's like a spitting image of you freshman year at MIT," Rhodey defends.
"Well, he's not. He's mine, but not like that. You think I didn't do the blood work as soon as I met the kid? I'm not an idiot. I knew his mom...the way I got to know just about everybody back then. He's not—" Tony huffs a breath and shakes his head. "Kid looks nothing like me."
"So they're just rumors?" asks Pepper getting to the root of the situation.
"Yeah, Harley punched the kid that's been bullying Pete at school and I had to go pick them up. They both got a couple of days home."
"So, what, you think they saw you leaving the school with the boys and assumed?"
"No, I took the suit. Happy drove them home. But..." Tony looks past Pepper for a moment too long before he starts talking again. "The other kid's dad is like...like a Howard wannabe. Hates that things didn't go his way. Probably ran to the press first chance he got."
"You took the suit." She isn't asking. If anything it sounds more like an accusation as if he really must be an idiot.
"Yes?"
"You got a call from our sons' high school and you flew there. In an Iron Man suit."
"Uh," says Tony, looking back into her eyes confused, "yes?"
"Tony!"
"What the hell, Tones?"
"I'm sorry, someone please explain what I did wrong this time."
"Oh, nothing," Pepper says in a voice that clearly says it's not nothing. "This is just going to make dealing with PR about 20 times more difficult."
"Not to mention we have to deal with Ross now too," Rhodey throws in. "You're a retired super now, Tones. Based on the accords, you have to alert the UN or Ross or literally anyone before you go firing your repulsors."
"No," says Tony firmly. "You both don't get to try to make me feel guilty for this."
"We're not trying to—"
"No ones trying to guilt you."
"Sometimes you just don't think before you do things and—"
"No," Tony says again. "I did think. And what I thought was it's the first day of classes and the school was calling me and if there was anything going on with my kids I needed to be there."
He can feel the panic creeping up his throat and he has a moment to growl before the attack really starts to set in.
Tony stares at the ground angrily. This will pass, he tries telling himself. The boys are fine. But something in his panic induces paranoia, makes him think that maybe the boys aren't fine. Maybe Harley hates him for not bringing his Mom and sister back. Maybe Peter is still dust. Maybe this is all some kind of trick to get him to let down his guard and that's when the enemy will strike. Though in this state he can't imagine an enemy that isn't cloaked in the red, white, and blue of the American flag and that just makes his panic worse.
"Dad!" says Peter as he and Harley come running back into the room.
Tony's eyes immediately fly to their faces. Being able to see that they're okay helps to alleviate some of the pressure from his chest while they all wait for the attack to finally pass. Rhodey and Pepper are sitting on either side of him, rubbing his shoulder and holding his hand respectively. Pepper raises his hand to her lips, kissing the knuckles and it helps to ground him a little more.
"Dad," Harley says sitting right in front of him, "you need to breathe."
"Here's some water." It's Peter talking this time, presenting Tony with a bottle from the fridge after having flipped over the back of the couch.
This will pass, Tony tells himself again. We're fine. We're all fine.
It's been a while since he's had a panic attack quite this bad, but he finds it much easier to breathe after that. He reaches his free hand out to grab the water bottle from Peter and takes a gulp, holding the water in his mouth for a second to give himself something more to focus on.
Sip.
Hold.
Breathe.
Swallow.
Repeat.
When he's halfway through the bottle, Rhodey takes it from him to sit it on the coffee table.
Tony feels himself settle back into his body, but he drags along a bone-deep tiredness now and he slumps his shoulders into his lovers' embrace. They both catch a grip on him easily. They've been doing this for years. Holding him. Protecting him. Taking care of him.
It's blissful, he decides as he eases into an unbidden sleep, having people taking care of him. Having a family.
-§-
hey futher muckers
newwww chappie!! woo woo woo
i make no promises for when this fic will be over, but i wish it could be done by the end of the year. but even i know that's asking for too much of myself.
so! how'd you all like it??
lemme know! i love reading y'alls comments, seriously
as always, i hope yall enjoyed
love y'all
black lives matter ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
-- angel janeé xoxo 💋
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Our Dad's an Ir⎊n Dad || Marvel
Fanfiction[sequel to A Dad of Iron Will] Tony's retired. Mostly. He brought his kid back (and half the population with him), but it's been months since he and Pepper have had a full house. Now Harley's home and Peter's back and not even Tony knows what they'l...
