Hello hello hello! Welcome to another chapter. No warnings here. Just good old fashion fluff and a nice dose of stupidity and sand. Also, if you haven't read "The Avengers need better PR than this!" then go read it! I reference it heavily in this chapter It's part of this story and it's funny! Well, enough with this, on with the chapter!
The years continued to go by and life at the compound continued on. There had been no other world-ending catastrophes in the last few years. HYDRA had resurfaced once more and was causing problems, but nothing that would end the world. On the last mission, Steve had managed to break his leg in three places due to being trapped under a fallen bridge. He was laid up for a week to heal properly. Tony thought it was a bit funny but helped his loving husband none the less.
Carter had finally graduated high school at the age of 15. He would be going off to MIT in the fall to follow in Tony and Peter's footsteps. He was majoring in bioengineering and was ready to start inventing things in his own right.
That fall, once Carter had turned sixteen and was ready to head off to MIT, Tony once again had a bit of a breakdown. He couldn't believe that the little baby he had raised was heading off to MIT. It seemed like just yesterday that Carter was saying his first words and taking his first steps. Tony and Steve had a bit of a cry over that while looking at baby photos. Carter just thought his parents were weird.
One thing Carter had started to grow into now that he was older, was the control over his powers. He often used them to perform mundane tasks just to annoy people. He had even started to design what he wanted his super suit to look like. Carter wanted repulsor boots to fly like his Dad, a more form-fitting and flexible suit like Peter, and a protective cowl like his Pops. All of it was going to done in shades of red, blue, and gold. Carter had wanted a cape like Vision and Uncle Thor, but they all talked him out of it. Carter couldn't wait to become a fully fledged hero. He just wanted to get his first doctorate first so that people would be forced to call him Dr. Iron Shield. He thought it was funny.
Now that Carter had moved away from home and same with the older Barton kids and Cassie Lang, the compound felt almost empty with only three kids running around. Annie had taken up dance lessons as an extracurricular. With her species being known for their flexibility, she excelled at it. Tony had taken to calling her his "Tiny Dancer" after the Elton John song while doing her hair for her classes. Now that she was 10, Annie decided to audition for the competitive team. She got on and was even given two solos for the season. Tony and Steve were so proud.
That first season Annie had a Tap solo and a Ballet solo as well as a few group numbers in lyrical and jazz. Annie excelled in Tap and Ballet more than the other styles. Plus they were her favourites. She would often be found tapping in the kitchen while waiting for food or practicing her solos in the bathroom. Tony, on the other hand, had become the master at doing hair and stage make-up.
Annie had made it all the way to The Dance Awards that year and she got to perform both of her solos; "Bossanova Baby", her Tap solo, and "August", her Ballet solo. Tony and Steve were right there in the audience applauding and cheering the loudest when Annie won Best Junior Dancer of the Year. Annie had worked so hard, she deserved it.
With all three of Tony and Steve's kids growing up and finding their way in the world, they had a lot of time to reflect. Well, they had a lot of time when they weren't working or saving the world. Their day jobs took up a fair amount of time. But, they still had a fair amount of time none the less. It was kind of reminiscent of life back when the team had just formed. Before all the mission, before all the drama, there were just six heroes trying to learn how to live together.
"I think we need a vacation." Spoke Tony quite frankly one afternoon.
"What were you thinking?" asked Steve as he walked over to where Tony was sitting on the couch and curled up with him.
"I was thinking of just us original six Avengers taking a week to just relax and talk. It's been about 17 years since the team first formed and we've been through hell and back together. I think it would be nice if we had some time to just be together and talk without all the other responsibilities we have. Just for a little while." Explained Tony as he looked up at his husband. Steve just smiled back.
"I think that's a great idea. We need a break and I think it would be nice to go back to where everything started."
"Well, I'll start drawing up some plans so we can rope our friends into coming." Smirked Tony as he made to get up. Steve grabbed his hand to stop him.
"I do have some news to share with you before you go running off to your lab to make plans." Smiled Steve and Tony just knew it had to be good.
"And what new would that be stud."
"I found a few gray hairs this morning, Tony. I'm ageing! With you having a younger body we can finally grow old together!" smiled Steve and Tony pulled him close into a crushing hug. With Tony and Steve's bodies being around the same age physically coupled with Steve actually ageing like a normal person, it was a dream come true. They would get to grow old together. They had all there years in front of them that they would get to see together. It was always together.
A couple of weeks later Tony had drawn up a vacation plan and managed to get all six original Avengers on board. They were going to spend a week in Malibu at Tony's old house. It would be a time for all of them to relax and remember the good old days when life consisted of teaching Thor about Earth culture and Clint pulling stupid pranks from the vents. But to be fair, Clint never really stopped playing stupid pranks from the vents.
So, with the kids being taken care of, the original team set off in one of Tony's private jets to enjoy some fun in the sun. When they arrived in Malibu the house was already stocked and good to go. The rooms were ready and Tony had had his old workshop cleaned so that he and Bruce could tinker. He knew the team was just as excited about the trip. When they arrived, Tony gave everyone the grand tour before they all went off to choose rooms. Tony and Steve naturally took Tony's old master bedroom. The rest of that first day was met with Thor and Clint being dumbasses in the pool while everyone else egged them on. That night, they decided to make a bonfire out on the beach and just talk.
"Remember that time Thor tried to teach everyone about Asgardian cooking and the floor got covered in potatoes." Smirked Clint as he speared another marshmallow with his stick.
"If I remember correctly it was Nat that let the open bag tumble to the floor." Defended Thor as he smiled along with the rest of his friends.
"What about the time when you all decided to film yourselves spalling me in the face with whipped cream?" added Clint.
"Or the time Steve and Thor had that pool noodle battle in the training room?" snickered Bruce as he remembered the chaos of that fight.
"Or when Thor tried to out drink Nat and fail spectacularly." Laughed Steve.
"It feels like another lifetime ago sometimes." Sighed Tony, and everyone agreed. Back then, everything seemed so much simpler. The team was new, the world wasn't trying to implode. There were no evil exes and powers brought on by an Infinity Stone. It was just six heroes and a baby living together as one big goofy family in a tower in New York.
Things may have changed a whole bunch in the last 17 years, but one thing was for sure. The Avengers would always be a family first and foremost and they would always have each other's backs, no matter what.
Hello, my people and welcome to the end of the chapter. I feel the need to start off with a couple of fun facts about this chapter. Well, more some fun facts about Annie's choice in dance style. You see, when I was growing up I used to be a competitive dancer. I have a few pics up on my Instagram. (nova_in_space) The two styles I just so happened to excel in here tap and ballet. I did other styles though, but I got come sweet awards with those styles. Also, another fun reason to pick those styles happens to come from two specific MCU actors. Chris Evans has a tap background while RDJ happens to have a bit of a ballet background. Seeing as how Annie is Steve and Tony's daughter, it just seemed right. Also, the songs Annie danced to were "Bossanova Baby" by Elvis Presley and "August" by Olafur Arnalds.
Also, MY BABIES ARE GROWING UP! I remember when I still hadn't chosen Carter's name and now I'm having him go off to MIT. I can't believe that was a year ago. And, to add to this, there are only two main chapters left! Holy shmoly! Well, I'll be leaving to have a break down over that. See you next chapter -Shadows