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As a child, Peter had wanted to be an astronaut. Even before his interest in sciences and mechanics had become his favourite, the little boy had been absolutely taken with stars.
He loved to watch them from the backyard of his home when his parents were still alive, spending many evenings with them laying in the grass as they watched the sun set and the stars come out.
He had glow in the dark stars across his bedroom ceiling, but they never quite matched the real thing, something that Ben had taken notice of a while after Peter had been placed in his and May's care. They had started spending a few nights a week on the roof of their apartment building just sitting with Peter and looking up at the star filled sky. The air pollution hadn't allowed many stars to shine through, but it was enough for Peter to feel comforted by them.
He went up to the roof alone after Ben died, and it stayed that way for a year before Tony had found out about it and started joining him every few nights.
Peter had thought that maybe, just maybe, he had someone to watch the stars with that would stay. He was wrong.
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Peter had laid in the backyard with his parents when they looked at the stars. When it was him and Ben, they had sat on the apartment roof. With Tony, he and Peter would walk. They would walk around the grounds of the Compound, strolling off into the field and forest surrounding the Compound until it’s lights were barely visible behind them.
It had started when Peter had had a nightmare and couldn't fall back asleep. Tony had been up, still, and had suggested a walk in the hopes that the stars would help Peter relax enough to get back to sleep by the time they came back.
Peter slept more peacefully that night than he had in a while, and their walks became a regular part of their weekend trips up to the Compound.
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Pepper stepped out the door and carefully made her way down to the dark pier, eyeing the haunched figure sitting at the end of it. Coming to a stop next to them, Pepper only hesitated for a second before sitting down, letting her feet dangle in the lake water below them.
"We used to walk together." Peter murmured, staring straight ahead. "When we couldn't sleep or we were upset. We would take walks around the Compound and look at the stars."
Pepper felt her throat tighten, tears and grief threatening to make another appearance. "I remember." She whispered back, leaning slightly to press her shoulder against the teen's.
Peter's mouth opened and closed once, twice, and he huffed out a shaky breath as he seemingly searched for words. After a few minutes of silence, he slipped a hand into the pocket of his sweatshirt, Tony's sweatshirt, and pulled out a piece of paper and held it out to Pepper.
She took it, glancing at Peter before looking at the paper. It was a form to name a star, and Peter had filled it all out apart from a final signature. She was just about to ask why he had shown her this when she saw it.
Peter wanted to name the star Tony.
"I wanted your permission before I send it in. It's the star he always likes- liked to look at when we walked together." He explained. "I guess they never got around to naming it in the last five years." His voice cracked on the last part of the sentence and Pepper turned to pull him into her arms.
"You have it." Pepper kissed the top of Peter’s head, heart aching when she heard his breath hitch.
Pepper pulled away, both of them upset at the loss of contact. She got up easily, holding out a hand to Peter. "I know I'm not Tony, and I'll never be able to be what he was to you, but would you like to walk with me?"
Peter looked up at her, brown eyes heavy with grief as a sad, broken smile formed on his lips. "Please." His voice cracked as he took Pepper's hand and
Peter's eyes locked on something above them, and Pepper followed his gaze with her own to look at a star that was slightly brighter than the rest near it. Her eyes stung.
"That's Tony?" Pepper asked him softly.
Peter gave a small nod. "Yeah. That's Tony."
Pepper nodded as well, the movement just as small as Peter's. It was an acknowledgement, and Peter sniffed, tears finally welling up and falling over to leave pearly streaks over his skin. Pepper wiped them away with a gentle hand, ignoring the tears on her own cheeks.
"C'mon, sweetheart. We have a star to walk with."