After Tony and Pepper finalized their plan, Pepper headed to the apartment and Tony began to wake Peter up.
"Peter, it's time to wake up buddy. We have a big day ahead of us, it's time to get ready." Tony said softly as he lifted Peter up off the couch and held him tight in his arms.
Peter slowly started to wake himself up, rubbing at his eyes furiously and yawning loudly in Tony's ear. As Peter woke up he slowly regained his senses, soon realizing he was in Tony's arms. Peter was quick to wrap his arms tightly around Tony's neck like he always did, as he buried his face in the older man's shoulder. Tony rubbed his back and smirked at the boy's cuteness.
"Do you wanna take a bath, Peter?"
Peter sprung up so he was face to face with Tony, he held his moth open with widened eyes for a second before giving Tony a nod.
Tony took Peter to the bathroom and ran the bath. He took Peter's shirt off then took off his wet diaper. When the bath was ready Tony helped Peter get in and then he helped the boy wash his hair and clean his body. Tony was done giving Peter a bath but he didn't want to take him out just yet because Pepper wasn't back with the changing supplies. He shot her a quick text hoping she was almost home because Tony didn't want Peter's skin to prune up.
Pepper wasn't too far away so Tony didn't have to wait that long for her. She and Happy brought everything into Peter's room while Tony took Peter out of the bath and wrapped him in a big fluffy towel.
Peter shyly asked Tony if he could wear pajamas today, and who was Tony to say no! They were planning on leaving the building today, so Tony didn't see anything wrong with his request. Tony helped Peter choose a pair of pajamas, they were blue and grey striped footie pajamas with an embroidered dinosaur on the stomach.
Earlier, Pepper asked Tony if she could be the one to get Peter dressed and ready today because she wanted to let the boy know she didn't care that Peter uses diapers. Sticking to their plan, Tony left Peter's room so Pepper could have a private chat with Peter.
Peter put up a little fight at first, but once Pepper assured him she wasn't judging and explained that she just wants to be another person Peter could ask for help when he needs a change, Peter calmed down. Peter found comfort in knowing that he had another person to help with his changes now that May was gone.
Pepper put a healthy amount of cream on Peter's rash before putting a clean diaper on him. She lotioned Peter's skin (which he loved) before putting the boy's pajamas on. Pepper dug through one of the bags her and Happy brought up and pulled out Peter's blankie. Peter was so happy to be reunited with his blankie he started flapping his hands in excitement. This adorable reaction made Pepper smile big. When she handed Peter his blankie, he immediately fisted it tightly before moving that hand to his mouth. He began rapidly sucking on his thumb so loud and furiously, Pepper was nervous his thumb was gonna fall off. Pepper couldn't help but to audibly coo at how adorable Peter looked right now. His footie pajamas, wet curls and his thumb in his mouth while he held onto his blankie for dear life.
Pepper cleaned up Peter's room quickly and moved his changing supplies into his bathroom. When she went back in the room she saw Peter sitting in a tight ball in the corner of his room. Pepper had a feeling he was doing this to try and satisfy his want for physical touch. She turned out to be right because as soon as she asked Peter if he wanted to be carried he sprang up from his little ball. He continued to suck his thumb rapidly as he reached his other arm up towards Pepper signaling he wanted to be picked up. Pepper wasted no time in scooping the precious boy up.
Tony couldn't help but to coo loudly when he saw Peter. Tony was convinced Peter was the cutest kid in the world and Pepper had to agree. Peter reached his free arm out towards Tony, meaning he wanted Tony to hold him now. Pepper handed Peter to her husband and Tony put the boy on his hip. The couple went to the kitchen to get snacks and drinks before they began the daunting conversation with Peter.
"Peter are you hungry? Do you want me to make you something to eat?" Pepper asked but Peter shook his head before hiding his face in the crook of Tony's neck.
Pepper and Tony looked at each other with concern. The doctor said Peter probably won't have much of an appetite for a few days and he advised the couple not to push him too much saying Peter will slowly start eating regular meals again. However, the doctor didn't know that Peter is Spider-man and his metabolism is way way faster than other kids his age. Peter not eating was a big deal because he was supposed to be eating double or more the amount of calories kids his age are recommended.
The couple was worried, but it was a problem with a set solution if it got to that point, they weren't as worried about it as they were about other things. Things like Peter's reaction to Tony being his new dad, his reaction to moving into Stark Tower, his reaction to meeting the rest of the team and his reaction to his Aunt May being dead. They knew Peter hasn't fully grasped the concept of May never coming back and it definitely concerned them.
Pepper and Tony made coffee for themselves and Pepper refilled Peter's juice. Now that everyone had their drinks they made their way to the couch, Peter sitting in-between Tony and Pepper. They knew they had to make this conversation seem somewhat normal or else Peter would think he did something wrong or he will shut down because he senses bad news. They decided to talk to Peter in a more casual almost nonchalant way.
Pepper and Tony honestly had no idea how Peter was going to react. Every time Tony thought Peter was going to have a meltdown today he was proven wrong by Peter's mature responses. Yet yesterday in the hospital, Peter was inconsolable for many hours. Honestly it could go either way.
"So Peter, Me and Pepper wanted to have a conversation with you, would that be okay?" Tony asked as he looked down at the small boy next to him.
Peter looked up at Tony, thumb still in his mouth, and nodded his head slowly. He looked up at Pepper on the other side of him feeling really nervous now. Within seconds, Peter's anxieties were starting to kick in and his breathing picked up.
Tony realized what was happening and he mentally cursed himself for asking Peter such a vague question, of course Peter was going to react like this because the man gave no context. Peter's mind automatically jumped to the worst case scenarios about what the conversation was going to be about.
"Pete it isn't necessarily a bad conversation. It all depends on how you feel about what we tell you, but I promise you this isn't a conversation about sending you away or getting you in trouble." Tony was pretty sure it's what Peter was thinking the conversation was gonna be about.
Tony seemed to be some sort of mind reader because he watched Peter visibly relax when he told him they weren't sending him away, which might even be a good sign.
"But listen Peter, the things we are going to tell you are really important and you need to be a big boy when we are speaking because you need to understand exactly what we are telling you, okay? Can you be a big boy for us?" Tony asked in an encouraging tone as he ran his fingers through Peter's perfect curls. Peter took his thumb out of his mouth and whispered, "yes I can."
The couple both felt their hearts speed up a little, that had to be the cutest response on planet Earth.
"Good boy Pete, I am so proud of you."
"Peter honey, if you aren't understanding us at any point, I want you to stop us and ask us to explain or repeat something. We won't be upset at all we will actually be happy because it shows us you are being a big boy, okay?" Pepper said with a warm smile.
"okay" Peter said quietly.
Tony took a breath and began, "Peter, When I first met you and your Aunt May a few years ago, I instantly fell in love with both of you. Not love like a relationship, like me and Pepper, but love like I knew you were special and I wanted to do everything I could to help you and to help your Aunt May support you. Do you remember when I first met you? It was when you had just gotten your Spidey-powers." Tony looked at Peter for some type of acknowledgement.
Peter's eyes widen as he remembered the days when he first realized he had super powers, "uh-huh because now I am Spider-Man" he spoke softly as he looked up at Tony with his big doe eyes.
Tony smiled softly at the boy, "Yep, exactly. But you were struggling quite a bit during that time, huh? Well, me and your Aunt May would talk to each other and come up with ways we can support you. Her and I just wanted to give you the best opportunities and we wanted to see you get better. Which I think we can say you have definitely gotten a lot better mentally and physically, right?" Peter nodded.
"One day your Aunt May asked me if I would be willing to become your second emergency contact. Do you know what an emergency contact is?" Tony asked and Peter shook his head.
Before Tony continued he saw Peter fidgeting and he knew it had to be either because he needed his diaper changed or because he wanted to be held. Peter was sitting closer to Pepper so Tony shot her a look and then looked down at Peter's butt. Pepper understood what he was saying so she scooped Peter up and put him on her lap. Peter tried to snuggle up to her, but Pepper held him back so she can check his diaper. This made him start to whimper as he felt deprived of physical touch. Pepper quickly unzipped Peter's pajama's and slid her had down Peter's back to feel the inside of his diaper, "dry" is all she said before zippering Peter back up and flipping him around so his back was to her chest. She rubbed circles on his belly with one had and played with his curls with her other hand. Tony scooted over so his and Pepper's legs were touching.
"Okay can we continue now? Is everyone good?" He got nods from Pepper and Peter so he continued, "Peter, an emergency contact is someone really special who can help you when you need it. Your emergency contact is someone who knows how to help you and keep you safe. They can talk to doctors, call for help, and be there for you when you need them most. They are grown-ups you trust, like my emergency contact is Pepper because she is the adult I trust most. Okay, so Aunt May asked if I would be your second emergency contact."
Peter abruptly pulled his thumb out of his mouth, signaling to Tony that he had something to say, "who is my first one contact?" he asked so innocently.
Tony frowned, "Aunt May was your emergency contact buddy."
Tony and Pepper stayed silent as they watch Peter for some kind of reaction to that statement. Peter's face went blank, not really showing any emotion and then all of a sudden he burst out into full sobs. Tony and Pepper were startled but they weren't surprised, they kinda expected this reaction at some point in the conversation.
Peter threw himself onto Tony's chest looking for the man's comfort. Tony was quick to situate the tiny boy so their chests were together. He stood up with Peter clung to his chest and started doing exactly what he had been doing for the past two days to calm the boy down. He swayed slowly as he rubbed big comforting circles into Peter's back. It seemed to take less and less time to calm Peter down every time Tony did this. This specific time was the fastest he had gotten Peter to calm down, "It will be okay Peter, I promise. Everything will be okay."
Peter lifted his head up to look at Tony, "S-So So I don' have an nemergency contack?"
Pepper and Tony both had to fight back a smile, was Peter crying because he thought he didn't have an emergency contact and not because he was reminded that May is dead?
Tony wiped the tears from Peter's face, "Don't worry bud, of course you have an emergency contact. If you would have let me say the next sentence I was going to tell you that I was so happy Aunt May asked me that, and of course I said yes!" Tony said light-heartedly, giving Peter a little tickle on his belly and his armpits before he sat back down next to Pepper.
Peter let out the softest, smallest giggle. Tony and Pepper's heads snapped towards each other to share the same shocked expression. Both of their hearts exploded.
"But Peter listen, that isn't all. We haven't even gotten to the big part yet, so can you be a big boy for me again and listen to what I'm saying carefully? You are doing so good, okay?" He waited for Peter to nod before continuing, "Aunt May knew I was going to say yes but she just wanted to see if I really cared about you, which of course I did. Your Aunt May told me the real question she had to ask me was if I would be willing to become your legal guardian if something bad were to ever happen to her." Tony paused for a second to study Peter's faces, once he was sure Peter was okay he went on, "A legal guardian is the person who takes care of you everyday. For some people their legal guardians are their mom and dad, but it can be anyone if it is approved by the court. It could be a grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, friend of the family, it could be anyone. Do you understand what a legal guardian is, Pete?"
"yes. Aunt May is mine legal guardian."
Tony's heart broke, "Well Peter, you know that Aunt May died, right? So you are correct that she was your legal guardian, but now that she has passed away she is no longer your legal guardian."
Tony and Pepper watched as Peter's eyes filled with tears, they weren't really sure which part of that he was crying about because last time it was not because of Aunt May but this time it could be. They waited for Peter to say something, but instead he sobbed into Tony's chest.
Tony didn't know how to help the boy if he didn't even know why he was crying, so he gently pulled Peter off his chest and held him up on his lap so he was looking at Tony, "Bubby I want to help you but I don't know what is making you upset. Can you try and use your words for me?"
Peter shook his head and Tony sighed, "Tony don't get upset, it's okay. We can try a different approach" Pepper said quietly to her husband.
She played with Peter's curls and spoke softly, "Peter are you upset because you want Aunt May to still be your legal guardian?" Peter shook his head.
"Are you upset because Tony said Aunt May died?" Peter shook his head again.
Tony asked Peter a question this time, "Are you upset because you think you don't have a legal guardian anymore?" Peter nodded his head and he felt a little relieved.
"A-All 'lone! F-Foster!" Peter hiccuped, making himself cry harder.
"Pete, hey look at me buddy. You are not alone. Look who you are with right now, see? I would never ever leave you alone buddy, I promise. And listen to me Peter, you are not going into foster care. You don't have to worry about that anymore. I didn't let that happen to you." Tony said as he held Peter tightly realizing that the poor boy might be struggling with pretty serious abandonment issues.
When Peter's sobs were finally reduced to quiet sniffles, Tony resumed the conversation once again, "Peter when Aunt May asked if I would become your legal guardian if something like this ever happened to her - I said yes. Do you know what that means, buddy? I'm now your legal guardian." Tony spoke softly, holding his breath as he waited on a reaction from Peter.
"You really are?" Peter asked softly as he looked up at Tony.
Tony nodded before responding, "yep, I sure am." Once again Tony held his breath.
Peter began to smile really hard which made Tony and Pepper really happy.
"Are you happy about this, Pete?" Tony asked with a big smile now too.
"Yes! I am so happy! Do I get to move into here too and lives with you?" Peter asked excitedly.
Tony was shocked by Peter's question. He thought he was going to have to have another tough conversation with Peter about moving out of his apartment, but it seems like Peter was excited to move. Tony felt huge weights be lifted off his shoulder, all his anxieties about the worst case scenarios where Peter hated the ideas of Tony being his dad and having to move out of his apartment were suddenly gone and he felt pure bliss.
"Yep you get to move into right here, my floor! Is that okay?" Tony asked but he can already see the excitement on Peter's face.
"Yes it is okay! I get to live with you who I love and Pepper who I really like!" Peter was over the moon!
Tony and Pepper couldn't hold in their laughter once they heard Peter's reasoning on why he is okay with living here. The kid was just too unbelievably cute.
After the couple had been answering Peter's seemingly endless amount of questions about his new living situation, Tony decided to switch the topic knowing Peter was in a good mood, "Hey Pete, how would you feel if I let you meet the rest of the team tonight?"
Peter froze making Tony nervous he upset the boy but within seconds, Peter let out the loudest scream he could. He jumped off Tony's lap and ran around the couch as he screamed in pure excitement. Pepper and Tony were laughing hysterically at Peter's reaction, but they kinda expected it since Peter had been begging Tony to let him meet the rest of the team since the day he met him.
Tony stood up and he caught the hyper boy in his arms as he was just about to run another loop around the couch. Tony lifted him up high before attacking him with tickles. All three of them were laughing hysterically while they play fought in the living room, all three of them were more than content with their new tiny family.