How Far We've Come

Chapter Five

A few hours with Peter prattling on about school and his classes while Tony worked was exactly what Tony needed. He was three (or four) cups of coffee in, had grease under his fingernails, and his son was helping him program a robot.

It was such an easy way to spend the morning that Tony almost forgot everything that had happened the night before.

Until JARVIS reminded him that it was one in the afternoon, time for lunch.

"Do you want me to go get Pops?" Peter chirped, his need to see Steve for himself obvious.

"Peter-"

"C'mon, Dad." Peter whined. "I'm not-"

"You know it's not about you." Tony sighed, rubbing his brow and accidentally covering it in motor oil. "Just- just let me get him, okay? He needs time, Peter."

"Fine."

Tony ruffled Peter's hair and they made their way upstairs to the kitchen.

Peter took charge of lunch, grilled cheese and tomato soup, while Tony cleaned up. Somehow, Peter would come out of the workshop without a fleck of dust in his hair while Tony always came out looking like a coal miner.

Peter took the chance to go wake Ned up while Tony was in the bathroom.

Ned was snoring, mouth hanging open, when Peter opened the bedroom door.

"Ned! It's one o'clock, dude."

"Wh-what?"

"One o'clock. In the afternoon."

"I'm up."

But he wasn't and they both knew it.

Peter's stomach growled, the cramping becoming painful. Peter played it up, hoping to get Ned out of bed. "C'mon, Ned. Don't you want lunch with Iron Man?"

That perked Ned up. He sat straight up and blinked a few times, eyes trying to catch up with the rest of his body. "Wait, lunch with your dads?"

"Uh, I'm not sure about Pops." Peter's chest burned at the thought. He still hadn't seen Steve since they got back from the mission. And it didn't seem like Tony was planning to budge on letting Peter see him anytime soon; not when Steve was having a cold episode. "But yeah, Dad will be there."

"I-I need to shower first." Ned leapt out of the bed, finger combing his non-existent hair. He was fanboying. So. Hard. "I can't see Iron Man like this!"

"Ned, you had the flu here a couple of months ago. My dad doesn't care-"

"Peter, I will not be in the presence of Iron Man looking like this."

Peter facepalmed. "Just use one of the clean towels under the sink in my bathroom. Don't waste all the shampoo. You're bald, dude, and you always use all of my shampoo."

#

"Steve?"

Tony slid the door shut behind him with a soft click and made his way over to Steve's side of the bed. Their bedroom was pitch black and a few degrees warmer than comfortable. At least to Tony. Steve was curled up under their quilt like it was the middle of winter.

"Are you up for some lunch?" Tony perched on the edge of the bed, dropping a hand over what looked like Steve's calf. It was hard to tell under all of the blankets. "It's one o'clock."

Steve didn't say anything, just rolled over to face Tony, eyes bloodshot and only open to slits.

"That's okay. I'll bring you something after I feed the monkey."