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“How do you think she will react to it all?”
“Oh, probably as anxiously as you could expect from a 5 years old.” Pepper replied, “But you know as well as I do that she will do great. She’s the smartest kid I know.”
Tony smiled at this. Of course she would. This was his Maguna they were talking about. There is no way she would be anything but perfect, which included her first day at school, a normal, perfectly ordinary school — for their standards at least. Her security was their number one priority after all.
After the final battle against Thanos and his army of minions, the world was finally at peace, and so was, in slow, careful steps, Tony Stark. He hadn't forgotten everything that had happened, still had nightmares about the mad titan as they called him. But as it had almost been a year since they had fought against Thanos, things started to settle down, and he was healing — therapy, self-forgiveness and support from the people in your life can do wonders when you’re ready for it.
One could say they were all making progress. The world was still rebuilding itself, there were people who lost things and people they could never replace despite them reversing the snap and the economy worldwide was still trying to find a solid ground to be what it once was. But they were all moving forward. The Starks played an important part in trying to help the world rebuild itself from the ashes those five years of crisis had created, but they still lived in their secluded and modest home by the lake in upstate New York.
The most important part for them, though, was the fact that they didn’t need to fight anymore. Tony could finally rest. Actually rest, not being held down by the weight of his guilt like he was in the five years mid-snap. For once in his life, he actually felt at peace and like he could breathe. That was the very reason why he left the Avengers business once and for all. He still helped the young heroes, like the boy he loved like a son, Peter Parker, and the ones still there, such as Romanoff, Sam Wilson and Rhodey, with tech and such stuff. Both Tony and Shuri provided all the help they needed with technology, but that was as far as Tony’s work with the superheroes went now. He was actually okay with it, as impossible as that might sound to some.
He wanted to be able to see his daughter grow into a wonderful person and he wanted to be there for Peter, Harley, Rhodey, Happy and of course, he wanted to grow old by Pepper Potts' side. He once promised her he would try not to die before they were at least in their 70s and he couldn’t possibly break that promise. So, he didn’t just go and wielded the gauntlet created by himself, Bruce and that raccoon alien guy and died, not when they could all simply go back in time and save his self-sacrificial ass — there was no way his wife would accept it. And that was exactly why, after all was said and done and he thought he was gonna die, the people alive post-battle assembled to get him and Nat back in the game. Kinda.
It all worked out just fine. He was alive, so was Natasha and the universe was free of any imminent threat for now — hopefully for a long time. So that was pretty much why he and Pepper were casually talking about how it was to drop their daughter on the first day of school as they drove back home.
“I know, Pep. She is perfect . Never really doubted she would be anything less. But the kids…” he trailed off, “What if they– What if they bully her? I mean, she’s our daughter, we’re not exactly common people and she’s never interacted with so many kids her age before, honey. We only had that one neighbor who had a kid. What was her name again?”
“The kid? It was Meredith.” Pepper smirked at her husband’s inability to remember names.
“Yes! God, who names their kid Meredith? What were they, Grey’s Anatomy fans?”
Pepper had to laugh at that. He was ridiculous. She loved him.
“Honey,” she started as they stopped by a red light, “I’m actually surprised you know the name of Grey’s Anatomy characters.” Pepper teased her husband. “May I remind you, you picked our daughter’s name and I know it’s not solely because of my uncle, but also because you’re the biggest Arthurian legend nerd I know. So why are you judging?”
He couldn’t help but smile. She knew him way too well.
“Okay, you win, but I’m right. Besides, Morgan is a much better name and you can’t argue with me on that one or else I’ll record this and show Morgan. Won’t be pretty.”
“Uh-huh, right. Aren’t we losing the track of this conversation?”
“Right. Morgan, school, bullying,” Tony recapitulated, “I guess we should ask her how it went over dinner, huh?”
“That's what I was gonna say, honey.” Pepper looked over at him smiling.
He was definitely much better at the whole talking-about-important-stuff thing now that they had Morgan. So was Pepper if she was being honest.
“Love that after all these years I can still read your mind, Potts.” he kissed her carefully on the cheek and she smiled as they proceeded on the way home.
Later that day, right after dinner, the Stark-Potts household was filled with Morgan's delightful laughter as her Dad chased after her because she didn't want to go take a bath; she wanted to watch Moana for the millionth time that week. There were no arguments with her Mom though.
Pepper couldn't help but find the moment funny from where she sat on the couch reviewing a spreadsheet and waiting for them to stop it. And despite being slightly annoyed, she just thought the two of them were way too cute.
"'Kay, you win." Morgan said lying on the couch, her head on her Mom's lap. "But can we watch Moana after bath, please? Pretty please, Daddy? Promise I'll behave."
"Alright, Alpha Female. This time," he was panting on the floor, "I'll let you have this. What do you say, Pep?"
She looked at both of them from her spot on the couch and retorted, "Fine. You can have it… But…" she trailed off, looking serious.
"What?" two pairs of big brown eyes stared at her.
"I'm just teasing. Let's go get this bath started, you little monster." Morgan ran upstairs giggling.
"Don't run like that or you'll break all your teeth, squirt!" yelled Tony.
She actually quit running, for Pepper and Tony's amusement.
After getting their daughter's bath ready and leaving her under F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s supervision, they were talking about a bunch of random things as they cleaned the slightly messy kitchen — they could cook a decent meal, but they always left a mess behind.
It was part of their daily routine now. Doing domestic chores could be very therapeutic, they realized, and together it could be even better.
Pepper was finishing drying off the plates when Tony's arms found their way around her waist and his head dropped on her right shoulder. She couldn't help but let her own head rest against his and run her fingers through his hair. These peaceful, quiet domestic moments between just the two of them were not as rare as they used to be before Morgan, when they were barely ever home, but they still treasured them the same way they used to before everything changed. For better, but changed nonetheless. They were the same people, in a lot of ways, but completely different in so many others, yet the one thing that didn't change were these quiet moments of intimacy and what they meant for the two of them.
"After we watch Moana for the millionth time this week," his hands found their way under her sweater and caressed the bare skin of her waist, "we should totally explore a different kind of ocean, you know."
Pepper snorted at her husband's awful innuendo.
"I am serious, Pep." He was grinning as he lifted his head to leave kisses on her neck, "I would love to know more about your depths."
This time he snorted, "Alright, that was really awful."
She was about to reply when they heard a tiny voice by the kitchen's door making them both untangle themselves from each other.
"Why is Daddy going to explore your depths, Mommy?" Morgan's big, innocent brown eyes were focused on her parents. She had finished her bath and was wearing the cutest blue pajamas.
They didn't know what to say. At all.
"Ah– Well, baby, you see, Daddy was just making a joke." Pepper tried.
"Oh."
She kept staring at them and looked downright confused as she continued, "But I want to explore this ocean, too! Like Moana did."
"Maguna," Tony started, "Honey, you see, that was an adult joke… For an adult-only kind or exploring. You can explore all the oceans you want when you're older." He winced. "When you're much older. Like, when you're 40."
"When I'm old like you?" Morgan frowned, still puzzled.
"Uh… Yeah."
"Okay."
Pepper was trying so hard to keep herself from laughing during the entire awkward situation, but when Tony's expression went from worried to offended as he realized what their daughter implied, she couldn't help but just let it go and found herself out of breath from laughing.
"Is Mommy okay?" the kid whispered at her father, "She looks like a pepper ."
"Might as well be one." He rolled his eyes at his wife's reaction, but smiled because she was damn cute when she was like this.
She stopped laughing eventually and just smiled right back at him. God, he loved her.
"Moana, Daddy?" the tiny one looked up at him, pleading with her eyes and the small hands on his legs asking for attention.
"Right! Let's do it. I love Moana!"
The little girl went ahead of her parents to the living room, leaving them behind amused and smirking.
Pepper intertwined her partner's fingers with her own and got close enough to his face so that she could kiss his lips softly, resting her forehead against his. They opened their eyes, seeing everything they needed in that one gaze.
The pair pulled away a few seconds later, still smiling.
"Let's go watch that film so we can explore other waters later, shall we, Mr. Stark?" she winked teasingly at him.
"As you wish, Mrs. Potts."
And he followed her.