Yay! You like it! You really like it! BIG GIANT Thank You's to everyone who has favorite or followed this story. Even BIGGER Thank You's to the lovely commenters. I love looking in my inbox and seeing all the notices. I do a happy dance each time. Thank you, all. It really means a lot to me! Anyway, I tried to make this chapter more angsty. You know, the drama of trying to get Peter. But it just came out fluffy. Seriously, it started with Tony not wanting to adopt Peter and getting drunk all the time. Then I started writing and being sweet and fluffy is more fun. Maybe more angst in the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it.
The adoption process was another trial that neither Tony nor Steve could have expected. There was resistance, of course, but the support far outweighed it. Tony made sure each document was kept secret, every person with any knowledge of the process was screened and their communications bugged. He couldn't take any chances with this. If the press got word of it before they were ready to tell them, he was certain that Steve's last, frayed nerve would shatter completely.
Despite the years since he was unfrozen, Cap was still having trouble understanding the world of 2012. Tony banned him from grocery stores after an eventful trip ended in him explaining why gossip magazines cared so much about him. The days following the trip still had in a fog of confusion.
"I'm just a kid from Brooklyn," he would argue, scratching his head in confusion. "I'm not a movie star or anything. And why are there so many pictures of my rear end? Isn't that a little personal?" The man was too confused to be angry.
Tony's lips twisted into a smile as he thought for a moment about Captain America's rear end as he drove his (fashionably excessive) car. "Well, dear, those magazines make their money by producing journalistic dribble that's easy to consume."
"Dribble?"
"Dribble," Tony confirmed. "Take last week's paper for example." He raised his hand from the steering wheel and spread his fingers as if to emphasize the glamour of it. "'Beauty and The Big, Green Beast: Dr. Bruce Banner's Endless Search For Love.'"
Steve held his composure for a moment before bursting into a laugh. "Seriously?"
"Scout's honor."
"But Bruce—"
"I've seen monks with boners more often than Bruce. But I've got a plan for him. Don't worry. I've got plans for ol' green meanie." The corners of his lips turned up into a wicked smile. Steve often associated that smile with cartoon devils from the 1940's. He swore he could almost see the horns sticking out of Tony's forehead.
Steve eyed his husband cautiously. Tony's plans were rarely formed out of good intent and more often than not, ended up with something exploding.
"Dr. Banner's happy as he is. Leave him alone, Tony," he said in a low, warning tone. He loved Tony. He really did. But even the best of Tony's intentions could lead to a mess Steve would have to clean up.
"I am leaving him alone," Tony admitted. "Alone…with a friend of mine."
Steve wasn't as innocent as some believed him to be. He knew the meaning of being "alone with a friend." He understood the need to lose yourself in the arms of a woman paid to love you. Not that he had ever experienced it firsthand, of course!
"Tony, if you got Bruce a whore, I swear.." His tone was dark and threatening. Steve would put up with a lot of Tony's shenanigans but buying the services of a prostitute for the man they intended to be Peter's godfather was something Captain America could not stand for.
Tony seemed shocked and appalled at the notion. He turned his head to face Steve and lowered his sunglasses. "Really, Spangles? A prostitute? Do you think so little of me?"
"Yes," Steve said firmly, leaving no room for doubt. "Yes, I do."
"Nothing to fear, Capsicle. My intentions are pure and my involvement minimal. You know Thor's blonde bombshell, right? Jane? Well, as it so happens, Calamity Jane's got a friend who'd be perfect for Banner. She's snarky, loud, sweet as a Georgia peach, and quick as a whip….though I'm sure there's something quicker than a whip."
Steve could only roll his eyes and smile as he looked over the sandy beaches and rolling, crystal blue waves that crashed upon the shore. His thoughts drifted as they often did when he was out riding with his husband. Tony, happy to introduce Steve to some new automobile or motorcycle he had spent too much time and money on, always played the role of the gracious host. With the past few days filled with worry and anxiety, Steve was grateful for the smallest moments of relief.
As Steve's thoughts lolled about lazily, he felt a slight pressure on the back of his neck. He jerked his head up suddenly before realizing that the touch he felt was that of his husband's. Tony had snaked one arm over to Steve's side of the car and was rubbing his head with tenderness and affection. Steve leaned back into the touch and wordlessly encouraged the calloused fingers to continue.
Tony wasn't always this affectionate. It had been one of several final blows to the Potts-Stark relationship. Tony could speak for days about engineering but the simple art of hand holding escaped him. His own parents had loved him, of course, but had never really shown affection. Tony could remember a simple pat on the head from his father and maybe a dozen pecks on the cheek from his mother. He just wasn't good at it, he explained. So, why bother?
Steve's father was a military man. Even when he was home, Steve never really thought of it that way. His father was always talking about military strategies, new technologies, funding for the war. Steve would try to take his father's mind off of it but it was no use. His father would be gone after dinner. He would kiss his wife goodbye and give his only son a firm handshake and a strict order to keep his mother safe.
Steve's mother made up for his father's chilly nature in threefold. She would praise his smallest feats and comfort him when bullies took their toll. She worked twelve hour days and still managed to have supper on the table. At night, when there wasn't enough money to keep the heat on, Steve would climb into his mother's bed and curl up in her arms. No words were spoken. None were needed. She would simply hold him close as if the world would tear him from her arms if she even dared to let go and she would cry. She didn't want him to know but he knew. He could feel the stray tear drops on his head. Steve held her tighter in silent response.
"We're here." Tony's voice lacked the jovial nature it had carried on the way to the adoption office. Now, it sounded hollow and unfamiliar. Tony was afraid. Possibly as much as Steve was.
Steve nodded curtly. "Yep."
Hydra, he could handle. Red Skull was a breeze. Hell, Loki and an army of Chitari sounded downright pleasant about now.
But here he was. A homosexual superhero trying to adopt a child with the help of his husband, a fellow superhero.
And Steve was terrified but not alone.
For once, Tony had no words, no jokes or jibes. He simply placed his hand into Steve's trembling hand and squeezed. The two sat there for a moment. Steve gripped onto his husband's hand until the worst of the jitters had left him and the realization that he would not be overwhelmed so easily.
Later on, Steve could scarcely remember the process. The piles of paperwork, the legal jargon, and miles of red tape were all Tony's specialty. Pepper had been able to help as well. He made a mental note to thank her once this was all done.
After signing several pages and a quick discussion about the "generous donation from the Stark Foundation," everything seemed to be in order. At least, it seemed, on paper.
Peter was their son in the legal sense of the word but Steve would not believe it until he held the infant in his arms and brought him home. Until then, he felt like he was walking in a mine field. Would the case worker think he was too sketchy to be Peter's adopted father? Would she rip up the paperwork in front of him?
One look at Tony's determined face gave him his answer.
They would not walk out of here without young Peter.
The case worker politely excused herself from the office. Steve could not focus enough to hear where she was going or why.
Tony placed a warm hand on Steve's shoulder and turned the super soldier to face him. "Speak, Capsicle. Tell me what's going on in that blonde head of yours."
Tony's voice was jovial but Steve knew he was only putting on a comforting front. The other man was just as nervous as he was.
"What if this doesn't work out?" Steve murmured softly as his eyes gazed distantly at the desk before him. "What if our application gets denied? Even worse, what if we get the kid and he hates us? Tony, I- I can't handle it if we—and he-"
Tony quickly silenced Steve with a kiss. Not a quick peck or anything that would be considered polite in public view. It was a ground shattering kiss that he shared with Tony when he had been on a mission for days without communication. It was the kiss they had shared at their wedding when Tony had sworn himself to Steve and only Steve 'til death do they part.
Steve felt his worries melt away at the silken touch of his husband's lips and rough but tender graze of his beard. No matter what happened today or later in life, he would always have Tony Stark to depend on.
"Ahem." Their kiss was rudely interrupted by their case worker holding a blue blanketed bundle in her arms.
Steve felt a blush spread from his neck to his face. "S-Sorry, ma'm. I—uh…That is, we…"
Tony stood up, brushed his hands over his jacket, and smiled. "So, this is the little booger, huh?" He sauntered over to the case worker with a grin that dared her to say anything about him or Steve.
"Cute little tyke," he said, looking over the sleeping child. "Compact and portable. Now, tell me. Does he fit into most overhead storage bins?"
The look the caseworker gave him was one Steve would remember for years to come. All the blood seemed to have drained from her face. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish.
"Nevermind. I'm sure I can outfit him with the latest Stark technologies anyway. Baby jet packs and similar stuff," Tony continued, not fazed by her response. He held out his arms and took the bundle from her in one, smooth motion. "Thanks for the kid. We'll send you plenty of updates. You know, Christmas cards, first trip to Disney Land, first Gay Pride festival—"
"TONY!"
Tony Stark grinned from ear to ear and turned to face Steve. They were officially a family now. Granted, a much stranger family than Steve had ever thought he would have. His heart, broken for so many years, had begun to feel whole once more.
H'okay. Couple of things. I may be writing a Bruce/Darcy spin-off of this story. I'm a huge fan of the ship. What do you think? Secondly, be prepared for drama next chapter! I've got something lined up and it's too good to not use. Tony has been too good up to this point. He's gotta mess up a little bit. As always, thank you for reading. I hope you loved every minute of it. Writing this story has been an absolute joy.