"Is Mister Steve coming back today?" Peter asks, wide-eyed innocence never faltering.

Tony grins, scooping the kid into his lap and muting the television.

"Yep. He's going to be over while you're at school, kiddie," Tony tells him. "He has to go to work before you get back though, so you probably won't see Steve today."

It's been six months of their relationship and things have been going fantastically. Steve comes over almost everyday since Tony's been able to quit his job at the grocery store. Stark Industries has been picking up traction and bringing in some money with his inventions and his mechanic company has started getting busier as well.

"Okay! He's still coming on Saturday for movie night?" Peter asks, wriggling out of Tony's grip when Rhodey walks in, carrying his little backpack.

"Yep. He's bringing popcorn. Have fun at school, kiddie," Tony says, pressing a chaste kiss to his kid's forehead with a smile. "We have a meeting with Miss Cat on Saturday morning to work out some plans for your Gifted Program, make sure to remind her."

Peter nods quickly, hugging his dad and then grabbing his dinosaur backpack from Rhodey.

"Bye, Daddy!" he shouts. "Bye, Uncle Rhodey. Bye, Aunt Carol!"

And then he's gone, racing out the door to catch the bus.

"Man, he's growing up so fast," Tony sighs, unmuting the television again. "Before we know it, he'll be graduating and moving out."

Rhodey's frowning as he walks over, grabbing the glass of wine from the coffee table.

"It's eight in the morning, Tony," he scolds, slapping away Tony's grabby hands. "Go take a shower and get ready to start your day. You're not going to sit here and watch TV all day today."

"Steve's coming over," he replies like it really makes a difference.

"Good for him. You have work to do. I know our budget's been higher lately, but that doesn't mean you're allowed to slack off. Go take a shower, eat some breakfast, and there's a car waiting in the garage for you." No room for argument.

So maybe Tony's been falling apart a little bit. He wouldn't consider it a bad thing; he's just letting loose for the first time since he was sixteen. Peter's at school all day everyday, he has a wonderful boyfriend, and they're never behind on any bills or rent, with a constantly filled refrigerator. It's nice, it's relaxed, it's easy. There's no longer the stress of not having enough money or coming home to an empty apartment. No more loneliness hanging off his shoulders, no more stress dragging him down.

So what if he's started drinking more wine? So what if he's been procrastinating his work a little bit more? So what if he's been a little bit messy?

He's just trying to get back to who he used to be when he was younger.

Is that really such a bad thing?

*

"I need to talk to you guys about something," Carol says, sitting down on the couch, a grim expression plastered across her face. Something's wrong. There's a reason why Peter was sent to the grocery store with Tessa on a Thursday night.

"What's up?" Tony says, leaning back to try to hold onto his nonchalance. "Please don't tell me you're pregnant. One kid's enough."

"I have a girlfriend, Tony. I don't know how well you did in Biology, but I don't think that's how it works," she says, rolling her eyes with a smile.

It's true. Carol's girlfriend, Tessa, had been spending more time around the house as well. She's been really nice and been a good adult for Peter to hang out with. Even Tessa and Steve have been getting along well.

"Okay, then what's going on?" Rhodey asks, seriousness causing both of them to lose their smiles.

Carol takes a deep breath in, averting her eyes to the coffee table between them.

"I got a promotion. It's got amazing pay, it's a great opportunity, and I think it could really push me in the direction I want to go with my career," Carol blurts, a blush rising on her cheeks. Her fingers twist in the flimsy fabric of her American flag t-shirt.

"But? There's a but, isn't there?" Rhodey says, watching her carefully.

"It's in California."

There's a long few seconds of silence as they all process the words strung in the air between them like flashing Christmas lights.

"You're going to move to California? What about Tessa?" Rhodey asks, tilting his head to the side.

"No, what about us?" Tony interrupts, wishing he had a wine glass in hand.

"Tessa's job has talked it over and she's allowed to move to its branch in California. It's not a problem for her. I'm really sorry, guys, but... But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity we're talking about here. I need to do this for me," she says. Her eyes are wet but determined. She's not going to let them change her mind on this one.

"What about Peter?" Tony asks. He wanted to ask about him. What about him? They were family and she was going to go across the country. "What about- What about being Aunt Carol?"

"It's not like I won't be able to visit, Tony. They've already agreed to pay for plane tickets every two months. I'll come and you guys can visit me there. I'm sure Peter would love a vacation! This isn't about me picking my job over you, but it's just... I need to take this, Tony," she explains, looking almost sympathetic.

Rhodey nods understandingly, unlike Tony. "If you want to do it, then do it. Your career is important to you, therefore it's important to us."

"You- You can't just leave us," Tony exclaims. He doesn't understand the anger that's filling his veins with flames. He doesn't understand why he's feeling this. He should be happy for her. "You're seriously just going to- to leave?"

"Please don't do this," she murmurs. "Don't be angry at me."

"I- I am angry! You're just- You're just abandoning us for your girlfriend and some job across the country!"

"We supported you when you took out that huge bank loan on hopes that your company could gain traction. We supported you when you quit your job at the grocery store. We've been babysitting for free for years. We've supported you through everything, Tony. Please just support my choice on this. I don't want to leave when you're angry with me," she says, voice staying calm and even, not letting the anger seep through.

"Fine. Do whatever you want to do. I'm not- I'm not going to argue. You've already made up your mind. You've already said yes, haven't you? You get to tell Peter what's going on," Tony spits, standing quickly with a dramatic sigh. "I need wine. I'm getting wine. Do you want wine?"

"Tony-" Rhodey says, jumping in to stop Tony's movements. "No wine. No drinking. Can we please do this like adults?"

"I'm getting wine, Rhodey. Move," Tony hisses, fists balling at his sides. He's scared by his anger but he can't help it. It eats at his insides, making his chest heave and it burns at his stomach.

But Rhodey matches the fire with a cold stare. "I'm not letting you drink, Tony. Peter will be home soon and you promised to make dinner with him tonight. You're not drinking."

"It's just wine, Rhodey! It's not big deal! Now, move," he says, voice raising with his anger. He wants to stop it, wants to stop being so aggressive and angry, but it's too late now. He doesn't know how to stop.

"Tony," his voice is dangerously calm, shoulders squared like he's prepared to physically restrain the mechanic. "You're acting like your father."

It's the right words to say. The fight drains from Tony's body immediately, hands unclenching and face falling.

Tony's chest is still heaving with the burning that tears at his insides, but the fire has retreated back to its cage.

"Sit down. You're not having wine."

Tony's body follows, mind caught in a loop.

You're acting like your father. You're acting like your father. You're acting like your father.

His body falls to the couch like someone cut his strings, collapsing onto the cushions and staring at Carol who's watching him as though he's a caged animal.

"What's been going on with you?" she asks, voice soft and high like when she talks to Peter. "You've been drinking and angry and... You've been scaring me, Tones. You've been acting really weird. Is something wrong?"

"I want to go back," Tony blurts, mouth moving before his head can catch up. "I want to go back to the carefree fifteen-year-old who could do whatever I wanted. I wanted to drink, I could drink. I wanted to sleep with someone, I'd sleep with them. I wanted a new car, I'd buy a new car. I want to go back to being so... so free."

"That wasn't freedom," Rhodey says, sitting down again beside his best friend. "That was you throwing your life away. I had to make sure you didn't pass out in your own vomit. I had to take you home from parties every night. I had to get you your homework and clean up your place after you had parties. I had to... I took you to the hospital after you had too much to drink. I had to sit in the waiting room while they pumped your stomach. While they saved your life. I had to sit at your hospital bed for hours waiting for you to wake up. And the next night I had to hold you up as you threw up after getting wasted again. That wasn't freedom."

Tony barely remembers any of that. It had all been a blur.

"Peter doesn't hold you back," Carol continues. "He isn't a burden. He wasn't the one who pulled you away from that lifestyle as a bad thing. He saved your life, Tony. You would've died if you kept going the way you had been. You can't go back to how you were before because you have responsibilities now. You have Peter and you have a house and you have two jobs. You have responsibilities. You can't pretend you don't."

Tony nods, a few too many times to be considered normal as he tries to remember how to breathe properly.

"I'm sorry," Tony finally manages to choke out. "I shouldn't have- I shouldn't be so-" He waves his hands in a poor attempt to explain.

His head is so messy. He can't hold onto thoughts for more than a few seconds before they slip through his fingers and out of his hold.

"It's okay," Carol says, offering a sad smile. "It's okay. Just please... Having a glass with dinner is okay. Having a bottle throughout the day isn't okay."

"I'll help you pack for Cali. If you say you want to do this, you should do it and we'll stand behind you," he says, nodding to affirm his statement. "If you need help unpacking, we'll fly down with you and help. Anything and we're there for you, okay? We'll start saving up for a vacation to Cali next summer."

Her smile is less sad this time.

"Thanks, Tony. I- I wouldn't have agreed if I didn't think you'd be okay with it. You have the money to pay for everything by yourself now, especially if you follow through with asking Steve to move in... This is going to be for the better," she says.

"I was going to suggest cracking open a celebratory bottle, but I suppose that's not the best idea," Tony says, already laughing. He knows he sounds a little shaky, a little messed up, but he knows they understand. He'll be there for them, and they'll be here for him.

That's just how it works.

Just because they won't see each other every day, doesn't mean they're any less of a family.

*

"Bye, Miss Tessa!" Peter shouts, waving to the car that peels out of the driveway. He's just as happy as ever despite the day.

Tessa's car is already filled with boxes to take to their new apartment in California. She came to let Carol know she was heading out and that they'll meet up at a Starbucks in a few hours for their long roadtrip.

The moving truck in their driveway is already all packed, leaving the house feeling strangely empty in a way it hadn't been since before they moved in.

Carol's always had a big personality, one that filled the house up. It would spill out the windows and out the front door. It made everything feel homely. And now she's officially leaving today.

"We'll miss you," Tony murmurs, hands fumbling anxiously with his t-shirt. "A lot. It won't be the same without you."

"I know. I'll miss you too." It's not the time for jokes, they know that. "I'll call you when we get there."

Rhodey hops out from the back of the moving truck, shutting the big door behind him.

He's first to pull Carol into a tight hug, kissing her temple as they pull away.

"You're going to do so great in California. It'll be so good for you. You and Tessa will be so happy," he says. She needs the encouragement. She doesn't want to leave her family behind. She already had to do it once when she left for University.

"I know...," she murmurs. And again, more confidently.

"Tessa's going to be pissed if you're late," he says, pulling away and letting Tony move forward.

"No emotions?" he says, voice already cracking with the tears he holds back.

"No emotions," she agrees, but her eyes are wet and her voice trembles. "Come here."

She pulls him into a tight hug, letting him relax against her.

"You're a good father, a good friend, a good person. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You don't need me. You can do this. I'll call you when we get there and I'll call you every week afterwards. It's okay. This is for the better," she says.

"I could really use a drink," he says with a pained laugh.

When she pulls away, her smile is sad. Tony hates seeing that expression on her, especially knowing it was caused by him.

"Don't do that to yourself. This is for the better," she repeats certainly.

He kisses her cheeks, tugging into one more quick hug and then stepping back to let her through.

"Bye, kiddo," she says, kneeling down and letting Peter race into her arms. "I'm going to be gone for a long time, okay? But I'll be sure to call you all the time and FaceTime you and send you letters in the mail, okay?"

"Okay, Auntie Carol!" he exclaims, smiling bright as ever. "I love you!"

If her heart breaks, she doesn't let it show as she smiles back at the kid. "I love you too, Petey. I'll come visit as soon as I can."

"Bye-Bye!" he shouts happily, waving with a big smile as she steps away.

"I love you guys!" she calls back to the two men standing in the doorway. Steve pulls up in the driveway just as she turns back to leave.

"Bye, Carol," he says, giving her a quick hug as well. He's much taller and practically engulfs her in his body.

She leans closer as she says, "Tony's being a coward about this, so ask if you can move in. He's been planning on asking you for weeks, but keeps chickening out. He wants to, so if you want to, you should ask."

He smiles, eyes sparkling with his never-ending joy. "Sounds like a good idea. Looks like they need someone to take over two of the dinner nights anyways."

She opens her mouth to tell him about Tony's drinking, but decides against it. It's not her secret to tell. Rhodey will keep an eye on him for her.

"Take care of them," she says instead. "You're good for them."

"Have fun in Cali! Tell Tessa I said bye as well," he says, kissing her forehead before heading up to the house.

If there are tears in her eyes as she gets into the moving truck, she doesn't let them show. There's no backing out now. They'll be okay without her.

"I heard something interesting from Carol before she left," Steve says, forcing confidence into his voice as he sits on the couch with Tony and Peter. Rhodey heads upstairs to make sure Carol didn't forget anything important.

"Oh really?"

"I heard that you had something to ask me," he says. He's worried it's too soon. Carol just left. He doesn't want to seem like he's taking her place.

But Tony's eyes sparkle with his excitement.

"Well you're here always as is, it's kind of pointless for you to be paying rent for a house you don't even stay at anymore and I mean, Peter's in love with you," Tony says, fondling ruffling the kid's hair.

"Peter is, is he? No one else here is in love with me?" Steve says daringly.

"Rhodey might be. I mean he practically drools over you, doesn't he?" Tony laughs, invoking the same reaction in Steve. "Will you move in with me?"

"Hmm that's a tough one," he teases. "Of course, I'll move in with you, babe."

Tony grins, awkwardly leaning over Peter to kiss Steve.

"Maybe Peter's not the only one who loves you," Tony says, blushing hard at the words that dangle from the tip of his tongue.

"It's not me!" Rhodey calls out, crossing the living room to get to the kitchen.

"Who would it be then?"

Tony kisses him again and when he pulls away,

"I love you."

"I love you too, Tony."

____
Oops this is late sorry

Lyss