Title: Mothoween
Authors: Axolotl_Lan and PandaNoAi
Rating: A BIG FAT *G*
Disclaimer: Marvel's
Summary: Steve and Tony and the Avengers, the Fantastic Four (three), and a couple of X-people take a jaunt to suburbia to try their luck at trick-or-treating.
Warnings: FLUFF! Like the fluffiest thing that we have EVER written- either together or separately. And children! Gratuitous amounts of children! Kids everywhere! Hell we even tossed an X-Kid in there for the hell of it! No mpreg (omg I know right?) and if you wanted to, you could just imagine that Steve and Tony's kid was adopted.
Notes: Set POST-Moth by about five months (yet with no spoilers--- well except that they're all alive… and that there is a baby… well unless this is really an AU!Post-Moth, and in the real Moth rocks fall and everyone dies… guess you'll have to wait and see :P) Enjoy!
Mothoween
"Halloween day and you come asking me for a costume for my godchild?" Jan put her hands on her hips clearly exasperated with the two men standing before her.
They were damn lucky she loved them dearly and knew just how difficult the past year and five months had been for them.
"Jessica told us that Danielle's costume was done." Tony said, trying to be reasonable.
Jan stared at them incredulously before snagging the beautiful baby from Steve's arm.
"Well we can't let Danni upstage you on your first Halloween Sweetie." Jan said, cradling the squiggly baby.
"Hmm, well Danni is dressed as Firestar, so this little bugaboo will be…" Jan touched the baby's nose in thought. "A moth."
"A moth?" Tony echoed doubtfully.
Jan gave him a scorned look.
"You're going to second guess my fashion sensibilities on a Halloween costume, on Halloween night?"
"Never!" Tony surrendered. "I just think you might be spending a little too much time with Hank… and his bugs."
"That's irrelevant." Jan cooed at the baby. "Now go." She continued. "You need to leave us alone, I can handle feedings-- go." Jan hugged the blue-eyed infant close, and shooed the boys out of her workspace as Steve tried to give a good bye kiss.
Jan tilted her arms and smiled. "You and me baby, I'll make you a Moth to remember."
Jan let her little moth sit on her desk, fist in mouth sucking happily, as she drew up plans for a costume.
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"The Kid's fine Steve," Tony said about an hour later. They were both helping to set up the decorations for the Young Avengers Halloween party that was supposed to take place later that night.
Tony still couldn't believe that he was engineering a light display for a bunch of high-schoolers just so they would promise not to toilet paper his office.
"I know that." Steve countered, turning to a desk that should have taken four men to lift and moving it easily. "I didn't even say anything."
"You didn't have to say anything. It's that look in your eyes. The one where you're imagining all sorts of horrible things are happening." Tony turned the display in his hands. "They're not."
Steve finished moving the furniture out of the way. "But they have! I'm not being paranoid."
"Trust me I know. But again I say that the kid is fine."
Steve eyed him for a second. "How are you so sure?" Then the blond crossed his arms. "You didn't set up another tracer did you?"
"It's perfectly harmless!" Tony countered, standing up.
Steve's arms fell to his sides.
"We do not need bio-readouts, GPS tracking, and neuro-pneumatic imaging of our child Tony!" Steve widened his stance, his look stern.
Then he faltered.
"What's it say?"
Tony smiled. He checked Extremis.
"Says the kid's fine."
"Ok then." Steve replied, getting back to work.
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Jan was exhausted. She walked up to Hank pressing a quick kiss to his cheek and then slunk into his lap.
"Tired?" He asked, with an amused expression.
"I made a Halloween costume in three hours while babysitting a newborn." Jan moaned.
Hank smiled.
"You love every moment with our grandchild. And I seem to recall a lot of that nursery's closet space being taken up by your designs." Hank prodded.
"Shush you, just remind me next time someone comes into the room with a cute kid needing a costume to shrink or something." Jan replied, wrapping her arms to hug Hank's neck. She laid her head on his shoulder.
"So, I shouldn't tell you that Reed did something dumb and Franklin and Valeria are on their way here in dire need of costumes?" Hank asked casually.
"No!" Jan answered.
"Yes." Hank replied.
Jan lifted her head, pushing off of him slightly. "You're kidding? This-- this is evil. Evil on the scale of matching plaid with stripes, evil. Why can't we cuddle in peace?"
"Because if I hadn't warned you, when they arrived you would have said yes… and then you couldn't shrink and run away with me to do naughty things like carve pumpkins and hang streamers." Hank smiled beseechingly.
"Where are they? Do you have their number? How old are they again… Valeria's blonde right?" Jan asked rapidly, ignoring her partner to move over to the computer and Google stats on the famous four's two children.
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It was obvious that the fantastic three had arrived.
Ben, Franklin and Valeria came onto the Avengers floor with all the grace of a giant orange rock man trying to calm overexcited and worried children.
"What happened!?" Jan asked, looking the two children over to be certain that whatever was detaining the three other members of their merry band of misfits was not in any way damaging to the kids.
"I wanted to be invisible like Mommy for Halloween but Daddy said that if I was invisible I couldn't be seen which meant no candy! So he began make an image reducer--" Valeria began.
"Transducer- jeez babies are so dumb sometimes." Franklin interrupted. "Anyways, Uncle Johnny played with it while Daddy was finishing it off and now they're caught between existential planes, again… It also threw off the mechanics of my fire suit so I couldn't dress up as Uncle Johnny."
Franklin finished for the pair only to be poked by Valeria, "I'm notta baby! You're mean you shouldn't get a costume or trick or treating."
Franklin opened his mouth to speak, but at his Uncle Ben's look he just covertly shot his sister a raspberry before turning to Jan.
"But you're the best hero costume maker ever! Can you make me something better than everyones?" Franklin asked giving his best 'I'm a well-behaved boy' face.
Jan just stared at the two and looked at the clock…
She didn't have time to make an image whatever or reinvent the wheel, but she was a hero and these children needed costumes.
Come hell or high water she wasn't sending them to Wal-Mart for them.
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It was finally time for dinner, then trick or treating.
The number of Avengers at the table tonight was in itself a treat.
Jarvis and May had really outdone themselves with the festive fare: Turkey, pumpkin pies and cookies, squash, mashed potatoes and ham.
"So Jarvis… are you and May here a package deal?" Ben Grimm voiced. "What could the Fantastic Four offer ya to take you off the tin-can and this lots' hands?" He asked as he shoveled another spoonful of carrots and turkey with gravy into his mouth.
"You realize Peter is an Avenger don't you Benjamin dear?" May answered, pleased with the compliments to their cooking.
"Yeah, but he was a member of the Four first, while this little guy was coming about." Ben smiled back ruffling Franklin's hair. "We aren't so strict about the number these days more convention than anything. Throw a blue shirt over his jammies and we're good and you can cook for us."
"Why is it people are always making decisions for me?" Peter spoke up from around his mashed potatoes.
"It's because we love-" MJ said purposefully, emphasizing the dangling participle. Jan grinned finishing- "to exploit you Tiger face it." Both women faced each other across the table and grinned facing Peter.
"Sounds like you've hit the Jackpot." Luke Cage commented. Both women broke out in laughter.
Ben grinned and winked conspiratorially with Peter. "Careful Pete- Hank won't be happy if he hears you've been hitting the jackpot with his girl."
Hank raised an eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I be? If it makes Jan happy to design clothes for another man who am I to judge… other than laughing hysterically at the Speedo ads."
Jan flicked some peas at him. "Don't make me start the high fashion speech with you again mister!"
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"It's a rule! You trick or treat until the day you walk up to a door and someone says you are waaaay old." Pixie stared up pleadingly at Hank.
He blinked.
"I know you're going out with the Avengers!" She continued.
"And your costume?" Hank asked wryly.
"Sometimes it's nice not to have one." Pixie fluttered her petite frame barely longer than her wings and posed defiantly.
"Why can't you go to the Halloween party for the students?" Hank asked inquiringly. Megan looked to the door.
"Wolverine is chaperoning this year… and I maaaay have cheated the last time we sparred?" Pixie fluttered backward a bit, hands wringing out in front of her.
"And how might you have done that, my dear Megan?" Beast urged her onward.
She twitched her shoulders.
"I- MAY have dusted him a bit. Apparently he doesn't like happy things." Megan pouted.
Beast shook his head in an attempt to hold in his rumbling laughter before removing his lab coat and heading out the med lab's doors. Pixie followed for a moment before hovering off dejected.
Finally, the big blue furball called out to her. "Tonight is a night for trick or treating it seems. I suppose I could use an extra hand on the Avengers' front on their first Halloween excursion into suburbia."
Pixie barreled forward, hugging his fur.
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" She grinned up at him.
"Sometimes it's nice not to be dressed up. Wolverine losing a sparring match to you again is just cake… not that I should be rewarding it. But what Logan doesn't know won't hurt you." He smiled. "Now remember the first rule is that any snickers or candy corn is mine."
Beast escorted Pixie out the door.
Tonight they would stand as themselves in a sea of pretenders.
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It was about time to leave and everyone was getting ready to walk out the doors. Jan looked over her handy work one last time before giving a contented sigh. She had completed a firestar, a moth, and something out of Fraggle Rock... Franklin and Valeria had actually fought over who got to be the dozer...
"Not bad." Hank admitted.
She punched him in the shoulder.
Carol came strolling into the room. "Aren't you guys gone yet? I was just about to leave for the X-Mansion Party." She looked over at the children in their costumes. "Isn't Beast meeting you in the suburbs?"
Steve nodded to her as he shrugged his shield onto his back. "It's Beast. Around candy. I'm sure he'll figure out something to do while he waits."
"It's just Halloween. I don't see what all the fuss is about." Carol continued.
Cap spun around to start packing things up. Luke and Jessica had just arrived with Danielle and they were waiting to meet them down in the parking garage to drive out to where there were rows of houses in a community rather than the cement streets of downtown New York.
"It's not like these are the most adorable costumes I have ever seen." Carol stated in awe, surprised at the words coming out of her mouth. She snuck to give the kids high-fives as Steve was busy packing.
"Gimme." Jan said suddenly, pointing to Steve.
Cap looked up from packing the baby bag. "What?" He eyed her apprehensively. "My shield?"
"Yes your shield. It'll just be for a second. It's not like I can brake it." Jan said witheringly.
Cap looked around for someone to protest, or for ninja to jump out of the corners of the room and cause an excuse for him to hold on to it. Neither of those options occurred and Steve finally handed over his weapon.
Minutes later it was handed back to him with a cover encasing it. It was made of the same material as the moth costume Jan had made for the baby.
Steve nodded at it approvingly before adjusting it on his back and making sure it felt right. "Nice." He admitted. His smile disappeared when she handed him matching antennae for him to wear.
"Go on." She said.
He put them on.
Which was of course when Tony came back from Peter's room. He'd gone to get Peter and MJ who had promised to keep an eye on the Young Avengers' party that evening.
He laughed when he saw what Steve was wearing.
"What are you supposed to be?" Peter queried.
"A moth I think." Steve answered, handing Tony the baby bag and going to pick up his child from where the baby was fisting through blocks on the floor.
"Definitely a moth." Jan answered brightly.
"Plebejus argus, to be precise."Hank clarified. "Because she loves me." He added, holding Jan's hand.
"What no costume for Tony?" Steve asked, trying to salvage his dignity.
"Who said that?" Jan remanded, as Tony started heading toward the elevators, Ben, Franklin, and Valeria following him.
Cap looked Tony over from the back. All he could see was that the man was wearing jeans and had a leather jacket on.
"Have fun you guys!" Steve heard Peter say. He turned his head to give the man a smile and a thank you before following after the rest of the group.
He could hear Peter say to MJ, quiet though he was, "One day we should try again."
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The drive out to Suburbia had been uneventful.
The crisp October air was enough to revive the adults, as the kids hadn't been able to settle the entire trip.
The exception was the little moth. But with the air and chatter of children around, the baby woke with a start.
Steve held the little one in his arms to soothe.
A little red wagon was taken from the back of their vehicle and Valeria, Danielle, and the little Moth were all piled inside.
Steve took a hold of the wagon's handle and the troupe set out on their hunt for sugar.
The streets were filled with children. Their voices high with excitement and anticipation of more of it.
The Avengers found their outing to suburbia was a surreal one.
Houses were decorated to seem decimated. Haunted music filled the air. Strobe lights, cob webs, and mechanized atrocities were showcased at every turn.
The parents took turns in taking the children up to the front doors where people would oooo and ahhh over costumes and inevitably ask each child in turn what they were. Steve or Tony would always answer that the baby was obviously a moth.
They finally met up with Beast and his young ward by a house with five carved jack-o-lanterns and bright spider-web lights.
"Thanks so much for inviting me along." Beast stated jovially as he joined the group.
"Well, after everything we put you through we figured some free candy was in order." Tony admitted.
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As their candy bags dragged heavier in their hands, the Avengers and their offspring came to a house that had cobwebs over it and the entire garage was done up as a mad scientist's lab.
"Someone's been watching a little too much CSI." Tony heard Luke say as they neared.
Indeed the man's garage had been transformed to include body parts on tables and a makeshift human strapped to a bench and hooked up to an electronic grid.
Franklin eyed it suspiciously. "That amount of electricity would never get the cerebral cortex stimulated enough for regeneration."
Tony laughed. "It's lacking isn't it? He'd need some kind of liquid conduit to do anything."
"Exactly!" Franklin agreed. Tony eyed the set-up pensively.
"Wanna eat the candy brain?" He finally asked Franklin.
"Yeah!" The boy agreed and Tony walked him up to the lab.
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"Uncle Ben! Uncle Ben! Come with me!" Valeria begged, grabbing a hold of the large man's hand. Her uncle stayed firmly in spot.
"Whateryou kiddin me Val? You're the one who wants the candy. I get enough of this spooky stuff in my day job!" He eyed the next house wearily.
At this house the front yard was completely dug up with mannequin limbs stuck in shallow graves and black tarp blanketed the house.
Dry ice was wafting in circles at their feet.
Cap smiled heroically. "I'll take you Val." He let go of the red wagon which held Danielle and his own little moth, eyeing Tony to take over watch of their child.
Tony smiled back.
As Cap was taking Valeria up to the house in question, Megan turned to Beast.
"Oh my gosh that baby is cute! I've never seen Captain America so anxious! Good thing he has Iron Man to keep him calm."
Beast laughed at that and put a hand around her winged shoulder. "Now a secret my dear one, is that Tony may seem the more laid back of the two, but I wouldn't be surprised if he has the Helicarrier hovering over us in stealth mode."
Pixie smiled fairly, "You're kidding." She jested.
Beast's smile only widened, and the pair paused to look at Tony as he serenely fixed the moth bonnet on his infant's head.
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A woman dressed in a purple and white uniform with green wig and face paint answered the next door to be surrounded by trick-or-treaters.
The babies were absolutely precious, and the blond man with the antennae holding the matching infant was just too much! Cooing at them all, she smiled.
"What a lovely bunch of costumes you have!" She tapped the Dozer's hard hat before dropping a bagful of treats into his jack-o-lantern.
She jogged back in her door and came out with infant toys for the little firestar and the moth and finally placed another bagful of candies into the Fraggle's bag after a light tug to her pigtail.
It was only then she saw the blue furred man.
"Oh my stars and garters, what a fantastic look! It's practically natural! A real fan of the X-Men aren't you? And your little girl and her fairy costume is just to sweet, contacts and such wonderful wings- did you make them yourself?"
The pixie smiled and answered "My parents did- but I helped."
The woman nodded and wished them all a happy halloween before closing her door for the next batch of travelers.
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The group finally came to a haunted house.
The three children in the red wagon hugged each other tightly, except for the moth who sat blankly, eyeing the two known as Daddy for comfort. They weren't scared so why should the moth be?
Cap looked back at his motley crew and laughed. "Don't tell me you're afraid to go in there? Come on! We're superheroes." He smiled, adjusting the straps of his fabric covered shield.
Franklin looked just as determined as Cap was to go in. Luke and Jessica had taken Danielle across the street to escape having to choose all together, and Pixie fluttered a bit in the air, hugging Hank's shoulders in response to Cap's challenge.
Suddenly a loud slam of a coffin door opened and a fake vampire emerged on the front driveway causing them all to jump.
All except for Captain America.
Tony bit his lip. "How do you do that?"
Cap grinned like he'd just won a prize at the county fair. "Tony, I've been through Halloween on Army bases. This stuff?" Steve looked around at the halting mechanical oddities and the bleeding trees. "Tame."
He was completely serious.
"You'll have to tell me about it sometime." Tony raised his eyebrow at him.
Steve grinned back, taking Valeria's hand again as he persuaded Beast, Pixie, Franklin, and Ben to follow him into the dark black lit entranceway to the haunted house.
"Let's just say it includes camo, a ski mask, and Nick Fury when he still had depth perception."
Tony just shook his head and watched as the moth-fabric covering Steve's shield disappeared in to the black.
He turned to the mothball left in the wagon. Taking the baby in his arms he bounded up and down gently.
"You have the bravest Daddy in the whole wide world you know."
Blue eyes looked up at him curiously.
"And he's protected us and kept us safe through so much." Tony swept the single blond curl that had managed to escape the costume's bonnet.
"You be sure to take after him ok?" Tony said quietly, kissing the baby's forehead.
Suddenly Tony heard screams from the haunted house and seconds later both Franklin and Pixie emerged running from the house.
They flitted to Tony's side.
Almost immediately following were Beast and Ben. Ben had Valeria in his arms. She was still hiding her head in his shoulder.
"You can look now Val it's over." Benjamin Grimm assured her.
Cap came out a second later, strolling casually.
"Show off." Beast admonished.
Cap cocked his head assuredly. "Seriously… superheroes. What's with everyone?"
Ben tucked Valeria back in the wagon as they met up with Luke and Jessica once again. Danielle was replaced in the wagon as well and Cap took the handle so they could continue their Trick or Treating.
Tony still held on to their little one. "You're the bravest moth I know." Tony admitted to him, walking in step with Cap.
"It's nice to know I'm good for something." Cap stated sarcastically. Then he looked at Tony. "I still say you should have worn a costume."
Tony shook his head.
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As the night wore on, little legs got weary and so did little heads. Both the Firestar and the Moth were asleep by the time the Avengers made it back to their car.
They said goodnight to Beast, dropped the Fantastics off at the Baxter Building and found themselves back in the Tower.
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"There you are." Tony's voice carried throughout the topmost Avenger's floor.
"And here I thought I'd done such a good job at hiding." Hank responded. He and Jan were laid out on the couch, wrapped in each other's arms watching a scary movie in the entertainment center.
Tony held out a large bag of assorted candies and wore a stern expression on his face. "Analyze this. Make sure it's safe."
"I'm glad you had a great night. Mine's going well." Hank replied, as Jan waved at Tony from his arms.
"Tony doesn't mean right now." Steve reprimanded, making Tony put his arm down. "He just means eventually." Steve moved the baby in his arms up a little to get a better hold. "Right?"
Tony pursed his lips.
"Right." He responded eventually. "So how did the Young Avengers' party go?"
"Do you mean before or after they egged the dining room and Jarvis had them clean it up with toothbrushes?"
Tony put a hand to his head. "Really?"
"Yeah, Cassie felt so bad she told us." Jan let slip.
"Hmm. Cassie huh? Well at least we know which one to eventually ask to baby sit." Steve said to Tony.
Tony shrugged his shoulders in agreement.
"Thanks again for the costume Jan. It was perfect." Steve said, flicking at the moth antennae on his head.
"Of course." Jan replied.
Cap nodded. "Night you two." He stated, turning back toward the elevators.
Tony placed the bag of candy in the chair next to the couch. "Analyze this." He pointed at Hank.
"A please would be nice." Hank responded, as Tony went to follow Steve.
"I know how much is in there so don't steal any." Tony answered back."Beast already took all the candy corn." He muttered.
Hank laughed.
"I get no respect." He told Jan jokingly.
She responded by kissing him.
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The moth costume neatly hung in the closet and the baby was snuggly tucked into bed.
Tony joined Steve in their bedroom to see the man neatly folding the moth cover for his shield into his side of the dresser drawer set.
"I still don't see how you got out of dressing up for Halloween." Steve shut the drawer behind him and started to undress.
Tony just looked at him.
"What?" Steve asked finally, once he'd gotten his shirt off over his head.
"I am wearing a costume." Tony said. "You really didn't notice?"
Steve glanced him over like he had at the beginning of the night. "You're just wearing jeans. And my motorcycle jacket." He stated ponderously.
Tony unzipped the jacket to reveal a replica of one of Steve's favorite shirts.
Steve looked at Tony and then to the closet that held Steve's clothes. He saw the shirt of his in question hanging neatly. It was the one that held the Avengers insignia done up in patriotic colors. "Did you have Jan make that shirt for you?"
Tony nodded slowly. "Yeah I decided to go as my favorite superhero."
Steve held a look of quiet disbelief. His lips were turning upward in a smile.
"Captain America?" Steve asked, sitting on the bed.
Tony shook his head. "Steve Rogers."
Cap laughed serenely. He pulled Tony to him on the bed. "You never cease to amaze me." He said, eyeing his lover gently.
"That's what I was going to say." Tony barely had time to respond, before Cap pulled him in for a kiss.