Author's Note: In honor of the 4th of July (Steve's birthday) here's a fluffy Steve centric fic just a day late ;)


This one time Steve lent a helping hand...


Steve rarely came up with ideas for family outings but as May gave way to June Steve got a hankering for a live baseball game. So he set it up, asked who wanted to go, and gradually got more and more excited as game day grew nearer. "It doesn't get any more American than this." Mickey teased as she watched Steve get ready for the game. They got tickets for the Mets vs. Yankees game at Citi Field. Originally it was just going to be the two of them but then Ryland said he wanted to join. Tony and Pepper weren't exactly baseball fans though so they decided to send Ryland and stay home. Then Thor mentioned he wanted to witness firsthand the Midgardian game. But with Dahlia still only a baby Jane had to stay home. Then lastly Clint decided to join, saying Anya should see her first baseball game, but everyone suspected his real reason was to get away from a grouchy pregnant Natasha.

So they bought all the tickets online for the first row behind home plate. Despite being named after Mickey Mantle, Mickey was a diehard Mets fan. She had jerseys, tee shirts, baseball caps and even some jewelry all with the Mets' logo. So she brought a bunch of her stuff over for the guys to fish through and wear (whatever would fit them) which for Steve was a black Mets jersey and a traditional blue Mets baseball cap along with his sneakers and chino shorts. Mickey was decked out as well in a Mets v-neck, a baseball cap, shorts, sneakers and even a Mets watch. She'd given Thor a shirt as well- the biggest she could find- and a hat to Clint to wear but she didn't have anything small enough for Anya or Ryland.

However when she got down to the lobby where Ryland was waiting, he looked like a regular baseball player in jeans, sneakers and a blue/white quarter-sleeve baseball tee. "Excited to go to your first game?" Steve asked as they sat on one of the big leather couches in the lounge area. Ryland watched games with Mickey and Steve every now and then but he'd never actually gone to a game before. Steve figured he should at least attend a game before deciding if he was going to join the local little league team when that started up.

"Really super excited!" Ryland replied, his big brown eyes full of exhilaration.

The elevator dinged a second later and Clint and Thor stepped out with Anya on their heels. Thor and Clint were both in jeans and the Mets items Mickey gave them and Anya looked adorable between them in little denim shorts and a frilled black tank top along with her sneakers. Clint was carrying a hoodie for her since she had a tendency to get cold.

"All set?" Mickey asked as they headed to the garage. They couldn't all fit in a cab and they didn't want to risk the subway or the LIRR so they piled into an SUV and headed to the stadium. On the way Mickey and Steve took turns explaining the basics of the game to Ryland and Thor. It made a little bit of sense to Ryland but Thor was lost.

When they arrived at the stadium they parked in Lot D where most of the old Shea Stadium once stood. Having been to her fair share of games, Mickey showed them the markers on the ground that indicated where the pitchers mound, home plate and the bases once rested. Ryland was amazed by how much Mickey knew about the old stadium as well as the new one and when she said she practically grew up at Shea, Ryland's jaw almost hit the ground.

"Who taught you about baseball, Mickey?" Ryland asked as they walked to the stadium holding hands.

"My grandpa taught me everything I know about baseball- and most other things too." Mickey explained. "I spent almost all of my free time with him and during baseball season we went to every home game, every Cyclone game on Cony Island and even a few Yankee games when the Mets played. I was maybe Anya's age when we first started going. It was our little tradition."

Ryland looked up at her with a smile, saying, "Thank you for taking me too." with surprising sincerity. Mickey just smiled and told him there was no one else she'd rather be with.

Getting into the stadium took some time since they each had to go through the turn-stiles and security had to check Clint and Mickey's bags. Anya was exactly thirty-two inches tall so they didn't need to buy her a ticket; she'd spend the whole game switching between everyone's laps anyway. So when they were finally through security they headed to their seats.

"We'll hit the shops in a little bit." Steve said as they headed down to their row. "Let things settle a bit before braving the crowds."

Steve and Mickey sat together with Ryland next to Mickey, Clint next to him with Anya in his lap and Thor to his right. A few people around recognized Thor but no one said anything or made a fuss so they remained undisturbed for the beginning of the game. Everyone took turns explaining the game to Ryland and Thor and teaching Anya when to clap. She was doing extremely well for a two-year-old at a baseball game. Looking around, there were kids almost twice her age acting much worse. For the most part she just sat in Clint's lap playing with Shchenok and her imagination.

By the end of the second inning though she turned around in Clint's lap and asked, "Daddy, I'm hungwy." So Clint asked if anyone wanted something from concessions or to tag along but everyone was too invested in the game so Clint and Anya went by themselves.

"Alright, Ace," Clint mumbled as he hoisted Anya into his arms and headed for concessions. "What do you want?"

Anya shrugged, almost dropping Shchenok in the process but managing to catch him. "Wut's ther?"

"Well..." Clint started walking and naming off a few items from each menu. French fries, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, even sushi. Anya was looking more and more overwhelmed by her choices so Clint chuckled and chose for her. "How about some fries and a soda? Then in an inning or two we'll get some real food. Sound good?"

Anya bobbed her head up and down, saying, "Good." and shooting him a thumbs-up. They got in line for french fries and drinks, watching the game on the TV by the register. Anya wanted down after a minute and at first Clint refused seeing as there were so many people around but she just kept squirming until he finally set her down. But he knelt before her to say, "You have to stick close to me, okay? It's very, very crowded here and you're very, very easy to lose. So stay next to me, alright?" seriously enough to make Anya nod. Surprisingly enough she listened and stuck close by Clint for the whole time he waited in line, ordered their food and waited for it to be handed back to him. At one point though she wondered far enough way to lose sight of him for a minute and that freaked her out. She pun in three circles, looking like a lost puppy, scrambling to find her Daddy again but she was too short to see Clint through the hoards of people.

"Little Bird!" Clint called calmly, watching her frantically search for him. Even if she lost sight of him, Clint would never lose sight of her. It broke his heart the way her lower lip started to tremble but he knew she was okay so he just waited for her to find him again hoping it'd teach her to stay close when he said to.

Anya turned when she heard her nickname, still not seeing him for a minute in the crowd. But then she finally saw him and shrieked, "Daddy!" and ran right at him. Clint chuckled as she latched onto his leg and clung to him.

"See how easy it is to get lost?" Clint said with a chuckle as he picked her up. She nodded into his shoulder where she buried her face. After getting their food and drinks, they headed back to their seats but Anya didn't want put down so Clint carried her but dropped her into Thor's lap when they sat back down. She was okay being there, munching on french fries and leaning against Thor's chest.

"Are you following any of this at all?" Thor whispered to her as they sat together a few innings into the game. Anya just shook her head and shrugged. "Me neither." he chuckled.

Everyone took turns going to get food and walking around with the kids throughout the game. After the seventh inning stretch Steve went to the gift shop to look around and maybe get Anya and Ryland hats since Mickey didn't have any for them. He wound up finding a shirt for Ryland and a bracelet for Anya and when he was headed back to the seats he stopped at an ice cream stand. The ice cream came in a little hard Mets hat so Steve got one but dumped out the ice cream so he could give it to Shchenok. He was on his way back to the seats when he felt something pull on the bottom of his pants. When he turned he saw a little boy beside him, looking up with big green eyes.

"Excuse me," he murmured in a cute soft voice. "you're Captain America?" The little boy was wearing a Mets shirt but had on Captain America sneakers on so Steve wasn't all that surprised the boy recognized him even in plain clothes. "Are you sorta like a cop?"

"Umm...I guess so." Steve mumbled as he knelt down to the boy's level.

"My mommy told him I should go to a cop if I need help."

"Well maybe I can help. What do you need help with?" Steve replied. The boy didn't look hurt or ill but Steve thought he might be lost. But then the little boy stuck his foot out to Steve the way Anya did when she put on her shoes.

"Can you tie my shoe?" the little boy asked innocently. Steve chuckled and bent down to tie his little shoes, double knotting them so he wouldn't have any problems again.

"There," Steve said once he was done. "All better."

The little boy smiled at Steve and thanked him before running off. For a minute Steve thought he should've made the boy bring him to his parents to make sure he wasn't lost but by the time the thought occurred to him the boy was long gone. So Steve just picked up his gift bag and kept walking with a smile on his face.

When he got back he gave the kids the things he bought and they loved them. Anya immediately put the little hard hat on Shchenok and the bracelet on her little wrist. Ryland just put his new Mets shirt over his other shirt and gave Steve a big hug. "Thanks, Steve!" they both cheered and gave him hugs and kisses. Mickey was all smiles as she held onto his hand the rest of the game.

"The team we are cheering for has won, did they not?" Thor asked after the game ended. Mickey laughed and told him, yes, the Mets finally won so Thor cheered along with everyone else. At that point Anya had already fallen asleep on Clint's shoulder, everyone's cheers only irritating her and not waking her up. She just sort of grumbled and turned her face into the crook of his neck and covered her ears; but Ryland was getting sleepy too so they headed for the parking lot along with everyone else.

"Uncle Steve," Ryland mumbled as they made it out of the park. "Thanks for taking me to my first baseball game." The end of his sentence got cutoff by a yawn so Steve just smiled and picked the boy up, carrying him the rest of the way to the car.

"Will that ever not be completely adorable?" Mickey wondered aloud as she watched Ryland just melt into Steve's arms, yawning once more before his eyes slid shut and his body went limp.

"What can I say?" Steve replied with an easy smile. "Kids love me."