A Bird Without Wings (Discontinued)

Watching over me

I don't care how the adoption process works, or how foster care works, I don't have the energy for correct details.

I'm just sitting myself, so don't take anything I say to be accurate in that area.

Anyway, enjoy the fluff of Peter and Tony's reunion!

"Good morning Ms Potts, Mr Stark."

"Tony please. Mr Stark was my father." Tony fidgeted, uncomfortable as opposed to Pepper, who sat perfectly still with a polite smile on her face.

The social working smiled apologetically. "Of course. I'm sorry. I understand you're here about Peter? I'm guessing you're the Tony he always asks about?"

Tony's heart twisted. "Yes. I've known him all his life. He was in the group home of Gloria Sanchez up until several weeks ago. I visited him every day, for the entire day, usually. For three years. I want to know how long it would take for me to adopt him."

The woman smiled.

Not patronizingly, but with a gentle sense of understanding. "You were a volunteer?"

He nodded, unsure where she was going with it.

"So was I." She laughed softly at his look of surprise. "That's how I met my own little man. His name is Rio."

She pulled up her phone, showing the lock screen of a chubby baby grinning at the camera. "That's my baby."

Her smile faded back into the professional mask. "You're wanting to adopt?"

"Yeah. I've always wanted to, but I wasn't sure I was ready. Now I know that you have to take the chances given." He thought of Yinsen. "And not waste your life."

"Well said. Ms Potts has informed me of the situation, but I had to see it for myself. Come with me."

They followed her, Tony jogging a few steps to keep up with her long strides. "Where are we going?"

There was an obvious smile in her voice. "To see your son, Mr Stark."

When Paisley pushed the door open to a small waiting room, it was empty.

She pointed to a couch to the side. "If you'll wait, I'll get him from his room."

Minutes passed, and Tony was starting to fidget again, fingers tapping against his thighs.

Pepper gave Tony a reassuring smile. "Hey. It's going to be good, alright? You've been waiting for this, and so has he. Just enjoy it."

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "Yeah. Yeah. This is going to go great."

"Yup."

His head shot up when the door opened, and Paisley came in.

Trailing behind her was Peter, head down, small shoulders hunched.

A soft smile lit Paisley's face. "I told him that someone was here to see him. He doesn't know it's you."

Tony nodded quickly, abandoning all pretense of control, and moving to kneel in front of Peter.

He gently lifted Peter's face with his hand, running his thumb over the still soft baby cheeks.

Dark brown eyes stared back, rapidly filling with tears.

"Tony?" Peter whispered timidly, eyes welling up with tears.

Tony had been his first word.

"Hey kiddo." Tony couldn't help tugging Peter into a hug, the small boy fitting under his chin.

It felt like it hadn't changed.

But so much had.

Adopting him- it was no longer a fantasy, or an idea swirling around his brain, but it was real.

His kid could actually be his kid.

And so Tony held him tightly, unwilling to let him go.

Not after three months of not seeing him.

Peter moved back suddenly, eyes still bright with unshed tears, hands coming up to sign. "I thought you left me forever. I thought you died."

Tony took a deep breath, hands coming up to sign with an unforgotten ease. "I know. I'm sorry. Bad men took me. I came back as soon as I could."

The seven year old faltered, hand coming up to touch the bruise around Tony's eye. "You hurt?"

Shaking his head, Tony pulled him back into a hug, the small boy going willingly.

He had a feeling that the clingyness on both their ends wouldn't leave for a while.

He was right.

Peter wouldn't let Tony go.

They had stayed all day, figuring out the paperwork, the entire process, and the legalities.

Peter didn't know yet.

Paisley told them to wait until they were sure it would go through, so they wouldn't be breaking his heart all over again.

But it was already dark out, and Pepper was falling asleep in her chair, and Paisley was watching with wet eyes.

"No," Peter cried. "Tony no."

His limited vocabulary meant he didn't speak often, bit when he did it was usually when he was upset.

And this definitely qualified.

"Peter." Tony sighed.

I just got him back, how can I leave him?

"Hey." He pushed Peter back, ignoring the twinge his heart gave when Peter whimpered softly. "I'll come back tomorrow," he signed. "I promise."

Peter shook his head violently. "You promised before too!"

Tony stilled.

Their last interaction that day three months ago had been saying he'd be back the next day.

It was enough to make the tiny boy panic, it seemed.

And Tony along with him, because he hated it when his kid was upset.

Absolutely hated it.

He met Paisley's eyes. "Is there any way...?"

She sighed, lifting her shoulders in a tired shrug. "Not really. There's no rules against it, but-" she smiled tightly. "-technically I'm supposed to do what's best for the kids in my care."

Confusion colored his features. "Meaning?"

"Meaning," she sighed again. People tended to do that a lot around him. "Meaning that you can stay. There's an extra bedroom right down the hall. Usually I use it, but I'll take the couch."

He wanted to refuse, and say she should take the couch, but the sight of Peter's tear filled eyes made him relent. "Thank you. You don't- you don't know how much this means to me. To us."

"I might," she said softly. "I was in your position too, once. The circumstances are different, but I would have given anything to stay with my baby."