Chapter Text
The first time Peter met Morgan, he thought he was hallucinating. He was so tired sitting next to Tony's bed in the hospital and was just about to doze off when he heard the door handle shift and turned his head that had been resting in his palm to see a little girl peek around the corner in red pajamas. His lip quirked up in a small smile when he saw the tiny Iron Man helmets and Arc Reactors all over them.
In the back of his mind, he knew who Morgan was. He heard Pepper and Happy talking about her those first few days in the hospital right after the battle at the compound and remembered being surprised (and maybe a little shocked) that Tony had a daughter. It wasn't that he didn't think Tony could ever be a dad. He knew he was a great dad because -
He just knew.
Peter had tried to be by Tony's bedside as much as possible. Since the whole world was still in chaos with the return of half the population, he had been helping May with her outreach program for everyone that had been displaced during the day, then would get a few hours in as Spider-Man and finally stop by the hospital afterwards before heading home. School wasn't a factor yet because it had only been a month and the academic system had not yet figured out how to deal with twice the student populace. It was usually late evening when he arrived and Pepper had already taken Morgan home. It hadn't been a conscious decision on anyone's part for the kids to have not met - it just hadn't happened with everyone focused on getting the world functioning again. Sometimes Peter would run into Rhodey or Happy keeping vigil, but tonight it was just him.
Tony looked the same as he always did. He was positioned on his back with his left arm laid out to his side, palm down. An empty sleeve hung on the right side of his body. The doctors had tried to salvage the limb the first two weeks after, but the tissue had quickly turned necrotic and there was so much nerve damage, amputation had been the best option to lessen the chances of a systemic infection. The burns on the side of his face had healed and scared. Now it was just a waiting game to see when he would open his eyes. He was still attached to a wide variety of different monitoring equipment and had a couple of IV lines and other catheters and tubes since his body needed to be supplied nutrition. At least he had come off the ventilator.
The little girl paused mid-step on her way to Tony's bedside when she saw Peter. She didn't look startled, just curious and cocked her head to the side slightly, contemplating. Peter didn't know what expression he had on his sleep deprived face but it must not have been an unpleasant one because suddenly, the little girl's face broke out into a toothy grin and she whispered, "Hello, Peter."
"Oh, um, hello. Uh, how do you know my name?" Peter sat up in his chair some and glanced towards Tony as if the sudden appearance of a preschooler would rouse the man from his coma. The man didn't stir and all the monitors around him continued to beep with the rise and fall of his chest. Just like they had been for the past month.
The little girl had slowly edged her way forward until she was right next to Peter's chair and was gripping the armrest next to his elbow. Peter looked down at her and hesitantly smiled - he didn't know who she was but he had no reason not to be friendly to a little kid.
She continued to smile and stare at him and said in her whisper voice, "Because you're my brother."
Well that certainly wasn't the answer he was expecting.
"Oh, I'm-I'm not - I don't - Wait. Is your name Morgan?" It was as though his brain finally woke up. Because what other random little girl would wander into this specific hospital room than Tony's kid?
As if it was possible, her smile grew, and she nodded her head. "Are you keeping Daddy company?"
"Yes, I thought I would sit with him for a bit. Where is your mom?"
"Mommy's sleeping." Oh boy. Peter knew Pepper had been spending most of her time at the hospital and would occasionally spend the night at one of the family facilities nearby with Morgan if she was too weary to make the trip home. She, like May, had been trying to help arrange some relief for people when not at the hospital with Tony so her days were also long and exhausting.
"Does she know you are here?"
She stared at him. "Mommy's sleeping," she repeated.
That would be a no. Peter took out his phone and quickly texted Pepper "Morgan's with me" less she should wake panicked when she saw her daughter is missing. Peter glanced at Tony one more time before looking back at Morgan who was now staring sadly at her dad with her fingers still gripped on the arm rest of his chair. Peter gently touched one of her hands to get her attention.
"Why don't we go find her?"
Her bottom lip puckered out in response as she slightly whined, "But I want to stay with Daddy."
Hmm. He could negotiate with a kid. He was a kid once. He sure doesn't feel like a kid after everything that has happened. He just felt tired. All the time.
"How about we go find your mommy and let her know you're okay, and then you can come back up here with me if she approves?"
Morgan chewed on this for a moment before her face relaxed and she seemed to decide that wasn't the worst idea. She nodded, " 'Kay."
Peter smiled and got up from his chair and said softly in Tony's direction, "Be right back, Mr. Stark," before walking with Morgan towards the door.
Morgan put her hand in Peter's (much to his surprise) as she looked over her shoulder and whispered "Bye Daddy."
Right as they were about to walk out the door, Peter noticed Morgan was barefoot. He stopped their trek and inquired, "Um, where are your shoes?"
"In the room with Mommy."
Right. Okay.
"Well, I don't know for sure, but I feel like you're not supposed to walk barefoot in hospitals, so would you be okay if I carried you?"
Morgan already had her arms upstretched towards him before he even finished his sentence with a huge smile on her face. He slightly stooped to pick her up under the arms then settled her on his hip with his arms linked under her bottom as she lightly gripped the front of his sweater. Peter felt oddly touched that she was so trusting with him. Maybe she just wasn't timid around strangers.
As they moved in silence down the hall towards the elevator, Peter felt Morgan gently touch the side of his face. He turned his head and once they made eye contact, she dropped her hand back down to make a fist in his sweater, scrunched her eyebrows and asked, "Why did you call Daddy 'Mr. Stark'?"
Peter didn't know what to say to that. He assumed Morgan was at an age that she understood that you're supposed to address adults by their last name, but maybe she didn't really see her parents interact with anyone they weren't on a first name basis with? Did she go to school? He realized he didn't know much about Morgan at all outside of her being Pepper and Tony's kid. And that she apparently inherited her dad's stealth skills (How did no one see her walk all the way to the opposite side of the hospital?).
Peter settled on the simplest answer as he smiled at her.
"Because that's his name."
Morgan giggled at him like he had just said a joke and stated, "But he's our Daddy."
Peter tripped over nothing when he heard her as if his brain shut down and forgot basic functions like walking and stumbled a step. He brought one arm up secure against Morgan's back to steady her. Morgan didn't seem fazed by his sudden clumsiness.
Brother. Daddy. Where was she getting this? Who had said…? Maybe Mr. Stark had mentioned him but… he wouldn't have said he was her brother. Maybe she had just gotten confused.
They had just reached the elevator so Peter stopped for a moment. Morgan seemed to be leaning slightly away from him and he smiled as he realized she was leaning towards the arrows to go up. He stepped closer and tilted her safely in his arms so she could push the button. She smiled at him after she had reached out to accomplish her goal then melted back into his side with her head on his shoulder.
He didn't want Morgan to think he was ignoring her question but he didn't know what to say. She was obviously convinced they were siblings so he didn't want to upset her by denying it, but he also wanted to be honest with her (and maybe less confused himself…?).
"Mr. Stark is your dad, but he isn't my dad. My dad died a long time ago," he explained softly.
She was back to her confused look. "I know your other Daddy and Mommy died. That's why you live with Auntie May. Daddy 'splained to me."
Peter now shared her confused look. Then why did she insist…? The elevator chimed before he could get too lost in his thoughts and he stepped into it and situated himself in the corner as other people hurried to pile in after him. Morgan kind of warily looked at their co-occupants as she tightened her grip on Peter's shirt which he found strange as the people they were with were as non-threatening as they come. Plus, his Spidey sense hadn't made a peep. Hmm. Maybe a small hum. But that could just be his own anxiety. In an effort to comfort her, he shifted her to his other hip so his body was between her and everyone else and he felt her relax back against him.
"What floor?"
Peter turned to look at the origin of the voice and saw a little grandmother holding a gift bag with a teddy bear head poking out of it smiling next to him.
"Oh, um, five, thank you."
A tall man near the panel pushed it for him.
"Thanks." The man nodded without turning around.
The grandmother was still smiling at him. "I saw you were preoccupied and didn't want you to miss your floor," she said as her gaze shifted to Morgan. Morgan hid her face in Peter's neck. Peter brought his hand up to cup the back of her head before he even knew what he was doing. "She must be shy," the elderly woman said knowingly. Peter didn't know what to say to that - yes? Sometimes? Only in elevators? Morgan had only met him 15 minutes ago and was suddenly part koala. He said nothing and just kind of gave a closed lip smile as he gently swayed back and forth with Morgan. "Lucky little girl to have such a good big brother," the woman winked at him as the elevator dinged and she exited to the floor.
Well, of course people would assume they were siblings. People usually don't carry random kids around. But that doesn't mean anything. At least she hadn't assumed he was a teen dad.
Once the elevator chimed for the fifth floor, Peter squeezed his way out the doors with a few quiet "Excuse me, sorry"-s and started the path towards the family common area. Morgan turned her head on his shoulder to watch their surroundings while she absent-mindedly played with the collar of his sweater with one hand.
Hospitals were over run without the patients they had to care for to begin with, so adding in millions more wasn't making things any easier. Where as normally Tony would have had his own private suite, they were needing to utilize extra rooms for patients so the family room adjoined to his had been turned into a medical ward. The fifth floor still had all the family rooms available for those that needed a break from long days at the hospital with activities for kids and cots to try to get some rest. Pepper had told him about it on one of his first few days back when they were all running ragged incase he needed a place to crash. He still had his bed in May's apartment, but he thinks Pepper saw the panic in his face when she suggested he get some rest at home right after he had dragged himself into Tony's room after a rough patrol and decided to give him an alternative so he didn't have to be too far from Tony should anything change. He had thanked her for the information and then promptly fell asleep on the chair next to Tony's bed after a few minutes. He had awoken sometime later with a blanket over him and a note on the table next to him to "get some real rest in a bed" with Pepper's cell phone number and the promise he would be the first to know after her if there were any changes in Tony's condition.
The doctors didn't know if he would ever wake up. There were still signs of brain function but after all his body had endured, the recovery was going to be a long process. And Peter knew that there would be a recovery. Because there was no way he would survive and not come back to them. He had a wife and a kid. Tony wouldn't miss out on that.
The fifth floor also happened to have the cafeteria. As Peter strolled by his stomach let out a growl that made Morgan giggle and Peter's cheeks tinge pink.
"Your tummy's talking."
"Um, I'm just a little hungry. But I can wait until we talk with your mom," he reassured.
"Mommy won't mind. She is always trying to get Daddy to eat. And I am hungry too. Do you think they have juice pops?"
Well Peter had texted Pepper so surely it would be okay to make a quick detour… and who was he to deny a hungry kid? He was suddenly very thankful that May had shoved some cash at him before he had left the shelter to go out on patrol. Surely he could get something for the two of them with twenty bucks.
"Okay, we can get something to eat. But I don't think your Mom or Dad would just want you to have a juice pop."
Morgan seemed non-plussed at the suggestion but nodded her head in aquiescence.
"Maybe just a small one after other food?"
Peter grinned at her and conceded, "Maybe. We'll see."
The cafeteria wasn't full-service at this time of night, but it did have some pre-made sandwiches wrapped up, fruit, yogurt, small boxes of cereal and milk cartons, along with some bottled drinks and pastries laid out.
"I don't see any juice pops, Morgan, but it looks like they have fruit cups in jello? Or apple juice? Does that sound okay? Or do you want a sandwich?"
"Fruit cup, please."
"Anything else? Is that all you want?"
"Mm-hmm."
Peter had the feeling that she wasn't that hungry to start with and had just said she was because he was. He had the sneaking suspicion she was particularly practiced in this art of deception. He could see her doing this with Tony to coerce him into eating. After all, she had observed Pepper always trying to get him to eat.
Huh. Smart kid.
He picked up three sandwiches for himself, a bottle of water, and a jello fruit cup. After a moment, he grabs a muffin and a second bottle of water. Pepper wasn't probably eating too well these days either and might appreciate a reminder. He carries their wares on a tray in one hand to the cashier with Morgan easily balanced on his other arm. The cashier smiled as he sees them approach and totals up their items.
"$19.80"
Peter hands him a twenty dollar bill, waves off the change, and then takes their food and over to an unoccupied table. He gently sets Morgan on a bench and slides the fruit cup and a spoon in front of her. He tears the plastic lid off for her and watches as she stabs at the mold with her utensil. Hmm. Napkins. Napkins would have been a good idea.
"Can you wait here while I grab some napkins?"
She nods happily around a spoonful of green jello some of which drips down her chin. So many napkins. Maybe they have those little moist towelette things….
"Good. Pretend the floor is lava - no touching. I will be right back."
Morgan giggles and goes back to mutilating her snack.
Peter sighs as he walks back to the counter to gather some napkins. As he contemplates whether or not a straw might be a less messy way for her to drink from the bottle of water, the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and he whips his head back to where he left Morgan.
The tall man from the elevator is on the other side of the table with his hands planted flat against the surface and leaning over towards Morgan, apparently saying something to her. Morgan had turned sideways on the bench leaning away from the newcomer with one leg dangling on either side of it glancing back and forth to Peter, looking like she is two seconds from sprinting towards him.
The man followed Morgan's gaze and saw Peter pointedly coming towards them with a hard expression on his face. He immediately stood up and away from the table and presented a neutral expression. Peter reached down for Morgan as she scrambled back into his arms and hid her face back in the curve of his shoulder, sticky mouth pressed against his neck.
"What did you say to her? Who are you?" Peter demanded.
"Look kid, I wasn't trying anything funny. I just wanted to see if she was Iron Man's kid. There have been rumors floating around the hospital of seeing her and since she has been kept away from the public eye, I thought I might be able to get a 'first look', if you will. I wasn't going to hurt her, honest." The man backed up a step and raised his hands in a placating gesture. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet that he flipped open to show a Daily Bugle ID card.
"Well you need to leave. You will be lucky if her mom doesn't sue you before you make it out of the building." He really had no idea if what he was doing was illegal but he was sure Pepper would take care of it. She was one of the most intimidating people he knew. And he knew a whole lot of enhanced, multi-powered superheroes that would turn the other way before going against Pepper.
The guy scoffed. "And who are you kid? The babysitter?"
Before Peter could respond, Morgan turned towards the man, scowling and said, "No, he's my brother!"
The man's eyebrows furrowed for a moment before his mouth morphed into a smile. "Is that so?" Then he abruptly turned and sauntered through the cafeteria doors.
Oh man. He really needed to tell Pepper before there are any crazy headlines about Iron Man's illegitimate children coming out of the woodwork.
Morgan seemed to have calmed down from her initial scare and wasn't so tense in his arms anymore. Or at least Peter thought she wasn't until he went to set her back down and she didn't loosen her hold on him. Okay then. He could work with this.
"Do you not when me to put you down?" She shook her head. Hmm. "What if you sit in my lap while we eat?" She nodded slowly.
" 'Kay."
He manuvered her into a sitting position sideways on his right leg with her still leaning towards his chest and his arm around her back. He worked on unwrapping the ham and cheese sandwich from it's plastic confines and then looked over at Morgan's forgotten jello fruit cup. "Did you want anymore of your jello?"
She shook her head. He took a bite of his sandwich while she sat quietly in his lap and played with a thread on her pajamas. He noticed her watching him on his second bite. "Do you want some of this sandwich?" She nodded. Alrighty then. He tore off a quarter of it and handed to it her and they both continued to quietly munch on their sandwiches. It turns out she is also a fan of turkey sandwiches, and of course, the PB&J was her favorite. After a shared picnic at the table in which Morgan managed to not spill the water everywhere (Peter was very impressed), and wiping down Morgan's hands and face with some wetted napkins, he gathered their trash, deposited it in the receptacle, and carried Morgan out the door while she held onto the muffin and water bottle for her mom.
He was almost to sleeping area when his phone started buzzing incessantly. He pulled it out of his pocket and put it up to Morgan's ear as soon as he saw the name flashing across the screen and swiped up to answer.
"Hi, Mommy. With Peter. To see Daddy. We are going to your room now. We brought you a snack!"
He took the phone back from her after she answered the rapid fire questions from her mom and proceeded to reassure Pepper they were fine and Morgan was no trouble and they would be there in just a minute.
As they walked through the common area, he saw Pepper rush through some small groups of people to stop in front of them, grab Morgan by the head and kiss her face a dozen times. Then, much to Peter's surprise, she grabbed him by the head and kissed his temple.
Having the frantic need to make sure her kid is unharmed out of her system, Pepper's face took on a much more stern expression.
"Morgan, you know you aren't allowed to run off by yourself! What if something had happened to you?"
"I wasn't by myself, I was with Peter!"
"So Peter came up here and got you and took you down to Daddy's room?"
There was a mumbled response.
"What was that?"
"No, Mommy."
Pepper still didn't look happy, but instead focused on Peter.
"Peter, I don't know how to thank you. I almost had a heart attack when I woke up - I didn't mean to fall asleep - I had actually just laid down next to Morgan to get her to sleep because I had some SI projects I wanted to work on, and I guess I was more tired than I realized."
"Oh it was nothing, Ms. Potts, er, Stark. I didn't mind the company."
"And we got you a muffin!"
Pepper smiled at Morgan's enthusiasm. "Thank you both. I actually am a little hungry. I think it is time we all went home for the night. Do you need a ride, Peter? And you know you can just call me Pepper."
"Oh, no thank you. I, uh, swung here, and will probably do the same going home."
Pepper smiled knowingly. "I understand." She reached to take Morgan from his arms and into her own but was met with resistance. Her daughter had a death grip on Peter's shirt and legs clamped around his waist. "Sweetheart, you have to let go. Peter needs to go home too."
"But I just got him!" Morgan shrilled as she gripped harder.
"Baby, you will see him again. He isn't going anywhere."
"Yah Morgan, we can hang out again sometime."
Morgan looked back and forth between the two people trying to assuage her fears with a trembling lip and took a shaky breath before slowly relinquishing her steel like grip on Peter's clothes. Pepper gently transferred her to her own arms and rubbed her back consolingly.
Peter didn't know what to do to make Morgan feel better. He didn't know why Morgan was so distressed at the prospect of him leaving. Pepper gave him a smile and mouthed "She'll be okay," while Morgan sniffled pitifully against her mom's shoulder. He would text Pepper about the reporter incident later. He didn't want to bring up anything that would stress Morgan more.
"Well, I am going to head out… see you later, Morgan."
Morgan raised her head long enough to give him a mournful, "Bye, Peter" before continuing to wallow in her misery.
Pepper reached out and gently squeezed Peter's arm with a smile and "Goodnight, Peter" before walking away with her daughter. Peter watched them for a moment before turning and heading back the way he came. He wasn't going home just yet. He wanted to sit with Mr. Stark a little longer.
When he got back to the room, he settled in the chair on Tony's good side and gently picked up his hand to hold with his own while they rested against the covers. Whenever he visited, and it was just the two of them, he usually would just talk to Tony about his day (like he used to when they were working together in the lab), or read some interesting articles in science journals to him. Today, the subject matter was a little different.
"So I finally met Morgan today. I think she is a little confused as to who I am - keeps calling me her brother. I don't know where she got that from, but she is very convinced. I think she inherited the combined stubbornness of you and Pepper. Scary thought. But she's, uh, a really sweet kid. Kind of clingy. Not that I mind! I mean you probably said the same about me…" Peter trails off in thought, remembering movie nights at the compound with a certain father-figure. Wait, he didn't mean father-figure. Just mentor-figure. He wasn't - he didn't -
He just really missed him.
"Well, I should go. I will be back tomorrow. Like always. I am going to try and get here a little earlier. I promised a certain someone that I would see her again. I hope you don't mind that I haven't convinced her I'm not her sibling. Maybe I can get Pepper to help break the news to her. Good night, Mr. Stark."
Peter squeezed the hand he was holding one more time before walking out the door and texting Pepper about the run-in with the reporter.
She texted back just as as he exited the building and was headed towards the alley where he had webbed his back pack.
MrsIronMan: Morgan already told me although her rendition of the encounter was much more dramatic. She has given me a play by play of your time together. Thanks for taking such good care of her and keeping her safe. She doesn't warm up to new people quickly. I hope you know you forever have a fan.
PeterMan: Well it's the least I could do! I don't think it would send the right message if I let something happen to IronMan's kid. ;)
He got another message just as he sent his reply.
TheAuntMay: Are you coming home soon? I saved you a plate of food. <3
PeterMan: omw (spider emoji) (web emoji)
MrsIronMan: You're his kid, too, Peter. I hope you know that.
Peter swallowed the lump in his throat and changed into his suit before slinging a web to the nearest building and starting his trek home.
If his eyes were a little red-rimmed when he got home, May didn't mention it. She may have just hugged him a little tighter.