"Tony, have you seen my wallet? I could've sworn I had it in my back pocket…" Steve asked as he looked around in their living room, taking the cushions off of the loveseat to see if it had fallen underneath.
As Tony watched Steve destroy the living room in search for his ancient, patched up wallet, he was holding Peter. He was a year and six months old, right on the dot, and was happy as could be. He was calmly suckling on his pacifier, and his face was buried in Tony's chest. Tony was holding his little boy snugly in his arms, and he hoped that Steve's frantic search for his billfold wouldn't disturb Peter; he'd been incredibly cranky lately, and for the first time in days Peter was in a pleasant mood.
"Where did you have it last? Just retrace your steps from the day, you'll find it then," Tony advised as he rocked Peter as he stood in place, making their adopted son giggle a little in response.
"That's a good idea, Tony. Let's see… I went to the bank today, and then I bought some more diapers and Cheerios for our little guy. I'll go check with the bank clerk and see if I left it there first, and if not I'll find out if someone found it at the grocery store," Steve responded with a smile as he calmly put the cushions back, walked over to Peter and Tony and gave them both kisses on their foreheads.
He grabbed his leather bomber jacket off of the coat tree next to the door, and right before he grabbed the knob the doorbell rang. Normally their only guests were their fellow Avengers and some of Tony's business associates, but they tended to come over late at night, ignoring the fact that Peter had an early bedtime. Rarely did anyone stop by at five in the afternoon, and Steve looked back at Tony, who shrugged his shoulders. He had no idea who it could be either, so Steve decided to open the door and greet whoever was outside. Steve hoped it wasn't any politicians asking for votes or the Jehovah's Witnesses that occasionally stopped by to try and save their souls.
When he opened the door of their mansion, Steve was surprised to see a little girl holding her mother's hand. The little girl couldn't have been more than seven years old, and she was wearing a Brownie Scout uniform. Her mother looked to be in her mid-thirties, and she had a kind, calm smile on her face. Her daughter, however, was fidgeting a little, and she appeared to be nervous. Steve wasn't sure why the woman and her child were on his doorstep; the young girl didn't have any Girl Scout cookies, and her mother looked like she'd just gotten out of work, as she was dressed in a business suit and conservative, closed toed heels.
"Hello ma'am, miss. What can I do for you?" Steve asked with a warm, inviting smile, putting the little girl a little more at ease; she was starting to smile, and he noticed that her left front baby tooth was missing.
"Go on, sweetheart. Introduce yourself and tell Captain America what you need to tell him," the woman got down on her daughter's level and put her right hand on the little girl's shoulder, coaxing her to talk to Steve.
"H-Hi, Captain… My n-name is Christian a-and I found your wallet today while Mama and I were at the store," the little girl stuttered nervously as she took the wallet out of her backpack and handed it to him.
"Thanks, Miss Christian, I was just about to leave to find it actually! You saved me a lot of trouble today; if I could give you another badge for your kind deed, I would! Would you both like to come in? I think I have the perfect reward for you," Steve grinned as he opened the door all the way and stepped to the side, and both the mother and daughter walked inside.
Tony was no longer in the room, so it was just the three of them. Steve led them to the loveseat that he had just recently tidied up, and he excused himself so he could get Christian reward. As the little girl and her mother waited, she couldn't help but squeal a little in joy; Captain America was her hero. He saved her mom's life years ago during the Chitauri invasion when she was working as a waitress at a café. Her mother's name was Beth, and she loved the Captain dearly, even though they had never once had a conversation. She was thankful that she'd finally get the chance to see him again, and that she and her daughter could return the favor in a small way.
When Steve came back, he had a pin in the shape and design of his shield on it. Christian and Beth looked at each other in surprise. The last thing they had expected was for their hero to let them into his home, and the fact that he was giving the little girl a signed pin as a reward made Beth's heart flutter with pride. Steve sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the coffee table separating the loveseat and his chair, and he looked in his wallet as Christian pinned the button onto her sash. A look of panic appeared on his face, however, and Beth noticed immediately.
"Is something wrong, Captain?" Beth asked, her voice filled with concern as he flipped through his billfold several times, the look in his eyes one of disappointment.
"Well, I had a photograph of Tony and our son in here, and it's gone. That's really the only reason why I wanted my wallet back…" Steve sighed as he tossed the wallet down on the coffee table; it had all of his money and cards still in it, but the only thing that meant anything to him was gone.
"N-no, don't be upset Mister America! I have it! It fell out when I picked it up and I didn't put it back… I'm sorry," Christian hopped off of the couch and hurried over to Steve, handing him the family portrait he adored so much.
Steve held the small picture in his hands for a moment, and he smiled at the precious image; he had a cheesy grin on his face, and Peter had shot out web from his hand at the exact moment that the camerawoman flashed the picture. The web hit Tony in the face, taking him completely off guard. It was Steve's favorite picture, and he breathed a big sigh of relief to know that nothing happened to it.
"Mister America, what happened in that picture? It's silly!" Christian giggled as she looked at the picture with Steve, and she glanced over at her mother, who was smiling wide at the sight in front of her.
"It is silly, isn't it? That's why I keep it in my wallet, because it always makes me smile. Would you like to know the story behind it, Miss Christian? And you can call me Steve, no need for Mister America!" Steve chuckled as the little girl stared wide eyed at him, excited to hear the story and elated that she was allowed to call him by his first name.
"Y-yes Steve, I'd love to hear the story! Please tell it, pretty please!" the little girl squealed in excitement as she grabbed the arm of the chair and hopped up and down in anticipation.
"Well, we took our family photos a month ago…"
"Tony, are you ready to go? If we don't go soon we're going to be late! Happy's waiting for us!" Steve yelled up the stairs of the mansion as he finished pouring piping hot coffee into a portable mug.
"Dammit Steve, give me a minute, will you! I'm changing Peter's diaper, and let me tell you, it is the most disgusting thing on the planet. There is so much shit… I think I'm going to puke!" Tony yelled loud enough for Steve to hear him, and he could hear Peter screaming bloody murder.
Steve and Tony had been dealing with a very fussy Peter for the past few days, and as a result neither of them had been getting much sleep. They had taken him to the doctor, but nothing was wrong with him; the pediatrician simply said he was going through a little phase, and Steve and Tony would just have to ride it out. Tony, unfortunately, had been carrying a heavy load already; he had a lot of business meetings that Pepper forced him to attend during the month, and the moment he'd come home he'd relieve Steve of his duties and take care of Peter. It was a really rough period for them, and when Steve made plans for them to get a family photograph taken Tony was by no means happy.
When Tony finally came downstairs with Peter, their little boy was dressed in his red shirt and grey overalls. It was Peter's favorite outfit to wear, and Steve and Tony hoped it would make their child feel better. That wasn't the case, however, and Peter was still crying. Tears were streaming down his cheeks, and he kept trying to wriggle out of Tony's arms. Steve could tell Tony was absolutely drained, so he met his husband at the end of the stairs and took Peter in exchange for a travel mug full of black coffee with two espresso shots. Tony gave Steve a quick kiss on the lips in appreciation before carefully taking a sip of the coffee to gauge how hot it was. He was disappointed that it wasn't cool enough to drink, but he was thankful that Steve took the time to make it for him.
Steve reached his left hand out to Tony, and his husband took it, interlocking their fingers. They walked out of the house together hand and hand, Peter sobbing into Steve's dark blue T-shirt. When the three reached the limo, Happy opened the door and took the cranky baby from Steve's arm so he could put him in his car seat. After Happy secured Peter into his safety seat, Steve and Tony stepped inside, each taking a seat on one side of their son.
During the twenty minute drive, Steve and Tony tried everything to get Peter to calm down. They made faces at their little boy, which normally cheered him up, but this time Peter was not amused. Instead it made him cry all the louder and Tony slapped his forehead in frustration. He was tired, grouchy, and annoyed with Steve for scheduling family pictures during such a stressful time, so he gave up trying to cheer Peter up. He huffed, took a swig of his black coffee and stared out the window; Tony needed a little time to calm down before they got their pictures taken, and Steve allowed it. Steve asked Peter if he wanted some Cheerios, his favorite snack, but he still continued to whine. He even gave Peter his stuffed Hulk doll to cuddle with, but to no avail; their baby boy threw it the moment Steve handed it to him.
When they finally arrived, Steve and Tony were both excited to get out of the car; it was exhausting to sit in the backseat with a crying child, and they could only hope that Peter would calm down by the time they took their portrait. They entered the small studio in which their photographer worked, and Steve and Tony were pleased to see that it was on the first floor. Steve carried their whimpering son into the room at the end of the hall while Tony followed close behind, chugging the last of his now cool coffee.
Steve knocked gently on the door, and a nice, middle aged woman opened the door. She had shiny blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a kind demeanor. She was tall and thin, and her body reminded Tony of Jack Skellington. The woman was beautiful in her own way, however, and the moment Peter looked at her he stopped crying. He held out his hands and reached for her, and the photographer took him in her arms. Peter looked up at her with wide eyes, and a smile erupted on his face; there was something about her that the little boy liked, and while Steve and Tony weren't sure what it was they were relieved. For the first time in days Peter was happy, and that was more than enough for Steve and Tony.
"Hello Mister and Mister Stark-Rogers, my name is Jesse, and I'll be your photographer today. Please come in and stand in front of the white backdrop. I can tell you're all itching to finish these already… You've been dealing with a fussy baby for a while, haven't you?" Jesse asked with an empathetic tone of voice, to which Tony and Steve nodded their heads, their faces showing in that moment just how weary they were.
"I completely understand; I have a little two year old, and I'll tell you that terrible twos are a real phenomenon…" she chuckled a little as she said it, and as she led them into the room Steve and Tony looked at each other and smiled; Steve had definitely chosen the right photographer.
Jesse handed Peter back to Steve, and she motioned them over to the backdrop. Steve chose an adobe colored background before they'd arrived, so that saved them the hassle of looking through books for the right backdrop. She asked Steve to stand on the right, hold Peter in his right arm and put his left arm around Tony. The portrait would be the traditional, no bells and whistles style of photography, so Steve and Tony assumed it would run smoothly. Before Jesse took the picture Tony pulled a pacifier out of his pocket and gave it to Peter, who happily put it in his mouth.
Right when Jesse took the picture, however, something strange happened; Peter lifted up his hand and shot a stream of what appeared to be webbing into Tony's face. It got on his nose, mouth and beard, and he tilted his head back in an attempt to get away from it. He released his right hand from Steve's back in the process, and his left hand moved from its position at his side and up to the mid-section of his torso, making its way to his face after Jesse snapped the photograph. Steve and Tony had never seen Peter do that before, and when he wiped the strange material off of his face he noticed that it was a strong version of spider web.
Jesse said nothing about him shooting web out of the palm of his hand; rather she began to laugh. Steve and Tony stopped staring at each other and turned their attention to her, and she was doubled over, unable to stop laughing. Tony stormed over to her to see what she was laughing at, and when she pointed at him to look at her camera he began to chuckle too. He motioned for Steve and Peter to join him, and when Steve looked at the image of himself he giggled as well. Even though the family photograph was silly, Steve and Tony fell in love with it and decided that it was the perfect representation of their small, perfect family. The parents decided that they would deal with Peter's strange web shooting later; in that moment all that mattered to them was how perfectly imperfect their family was.
Christian and Beth laughed when Steve finished his story, and Steve felt an overwhelming sense of love and pride in his small family. They were by no means perfect, but Tony and Peter were the lights of his life and nothing would ever change that. Steve couldn't imagine a better family to come home to, and even when they had to wade through rough waters their bonds were strong, and Steve knew nothing would change that.
Before the mother and daughter left, Steve made a quick photocopy of their family portrait, signed it and called for Tony and Peter to come into the living room. Steve introduced them to each other, and Tony and Peter signed the photograph as well, Tony's legible and perfectly written and Peter's just a scribble. Steve gave the signed copy to Beth and Christian, gave them both a big hug and sent them on their way, wishing them well and giving them an offer to come back to visit anytime they'd like.
"Well that was nice of you Steve. Hopefully they love the picture as much as we do. It's time to take Peter to his appointment; we've been putting off this whole 'Peter shoots webs out of his hands thing' for too long. For the record it's now all over his crib, and he shot me in the face again while I was trying to change him. You know I'll never understand why he doesn't do it to you," Tony smirked as he shook his head, and when he looked up Steve pressed his lips against his husband's, giving him a kiss filled with love.
"I love you, tyke," Steve whispered into Peter's ear, earning a big grin from his son, and the three left the mansion together, Steve feeling more blessed by God than he ever had in his life.