~Iron Family~

Apple Orchard

When Tony stepped through the door, he was attacked by Peanut.

She continued to try and bite him, but once she recognized him she started slathering his face in slobbery kisses.

"Ack! Get this oversized dog off of me!" Tony cried as he pressed himself against the wall. All he could see were shiny horse teeth and thick tawny-brown fur.

"Daddy!" Morgan squealed, tackling him in a hug almost as lethal as Peanut's. Tony wrapped his free arm around her and squeezed his eyes shut tight, cradling his little girl in his arms. Now that he was back home, he'd never let her go.

"Hey, honey!" Pepper called as Tony got up from the floor, Morgan still on his hip. Harley tackled him in an embrace, and Peter gave him an awkward smile and wave.

"What'd I miss?" Tony asked. Morgan stuck her tongue out, bringing her tooth with it. It was hanging onto her gums by a thread.

Tony started gagging and dropped Morgan and his luggage, grabbing the couch for support as his insides wanted to become his outsides. Morgan cackled evilly.

He made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Thanks a lot, Maguna!" he roared playfully. "Now I've got jetlag and I'm grossed out!"

Bucky and Steve raced each other down the stairs, then crushed Tony in equally ferocious super-soldier hugs.

They left Tony's bags by the door for someone else to grab (probably Happy) and made a break for the living room to watch a movie. Pepper let Tony pick it out, until he picked up his old, worn-out Point Break DVD. Then she snatched Morgan into another room to watch Tinker Bell, but as soon as Pepper fell asleep Morgan snuck onto Tony's lap.

Nothing like a family movie night after a trip overseas and problems with a teenage superhero.

***

Tony had elected to ignore Spider-Man's problems.

Didn't sound very sympathetic, but he was sure he'd told the kid enough times to get his hands out of the whole Saberling thing. He needed to step aside and let Spider-Man make responsible decisions.

That, and the fact that he was quite annoying to deal with.

Tony had his own issues.

For starters, he would be beginning the required foster parent classes this week, and he had a whole stack of homework for it that he'd ignored for a long time. There was also the little matter of dealing with Fury's furious fury once he realized that Tony had called off the Spider-Man chase and given him a new suit. Not to mention Pepper's increasingly desperate attempts to bring everyone to an apple orchard.

He decided to start with the homework, since it was taking up too much room on his desk anyway.

As he was working, not really paying attention to what he was writing and having FRIDAY blare AC/DC, he thought. He thought really hard.

What were they going to do?

Yes, he'd taken Peter in. And the kid was happier--sort of. But it was no secret that Pepper and Harley weren't. Tony knew he had to put family first over everything, but what should he do in this situation? Peter was family too. Kind of.

They'll come around, he tried to tell himself. Still, his heart ached when he realized that if Peter really was going to stay with him forever, then Harley and Pepper just might not ever truly love him as family. Like he and Morgan already did.

He wished he could just put all of this in the back of his head and continue on like they had had Peter their whole lives, but he just couldn't. Sadly, fantasies weren't the real world--that's not how life worked.