Hey guys, just a quick apology about the last chapter. I hadn't originally planned to dump so much angst on you, but then I realized the angst was actually rather important. Anyway, I'll avoid angst as much as possible in the future, as this story is meant to be heartwarming. Anyway…
If an old colleague walked up to Tony in the middle of the street and asked him how his life had been since they'd last met, Tony would reply that his daily routine had become a soap opera.
For some reason, Fury had thought it would be a good idea to stash all the Avengers inside Stark Tower for safekeeping as soon as reconstruction had been completed. This would've irked Tony enough if it weren't for the fact that there was ample space to avoid one another, yet he continued to run into his teammates.
Then there was the fact that there was a team at all. Tony didn't mind being part of a team, he rather liked it actually, he simply hated the word "teammates." The word had a kindergarten-y feeling that Tony felt was unfair.
His "teammates," naturally, came with their assortment of quirks.
Thor was always on Asgard, although that was to be expected. Tony considered this reasonable. What he considered unreasonable were Thor's unexpected arrivals. Like the one time he appeared out of nowhere when Tony was having a night in, sitting by himself, enjoying his vast collection of alcohol and tinkering. Thor had knocked on the window, but Tony hadn't heard him because of the music. Tony eventually got up to grab something and jumped a foot in the air when he saw Thor, splashing his drink all over his favourite band shirt. And Thor had just smiled and waved, like everything was at peace in the world.
Rhodey hardly ever came over anymore, something about being busy with work. Who could possibly be too busy for Tony Stark?! (Tony didn't actually think that, he just used that as his excuse whenever he wanted to see Rhodey.)
Happy had gotten a new job, although Tony highly doubted it paid better than he did.
The sexual tension between Clint and Natasha was thick enough to cut with a chainsaw. Tony had at more than one time seriously considered just locking them in a broom closet for a few hours just to see what would happen. But, he knew they'd probably just find a way out before anything worth telling happened.
Bruce… Was Bruce. Tony wasn't exactly sure how to describe Bruce. Sure, they spent a lot of time in the lab together, but Bruce was too quiet for Tony's liking and didn't really appreciate Tony's jokes. Sometimes Tony liked the peace he experienced with Bruce around… But the majority of the time, no.
And then there was Steve. For a long time, Tony still wasn't really able to get over the grudge he'd had against Steve. His father, Howard Stark, had spent more time devoted to finding Steve than to his only son. But eventually, he got over it. He even began to like Steve. He started referring to him as a friend. Steve was perfect in a way that would usually annoy Tony, but somehow it worked for Steve. No matter how perfect Steve was, Tony just couldn't be annoyed with him.
And of course Pepper. She had been nagging him even more since Steve had arrived at the Tower. She had really cracked down hard on Tony's drinking habits, saying he wasn't making a very good impression on Steve. It was like she expected them to be best buddies forever or something. She would randomly get this look in her eye when he mentioned Steve, like she knew something he didn't. She was getting rather hard to understand.
The twins, however… Tony could describe as well as the contents of his garage. When they had first arrived, he had thought they were going to be boring. Shy. Girly. Then, a few days after their return form Asgard BAM! They gave him a pleasant surprise. Peri was as far from lady-like as a human could possibly get. She wore baggy clothing that hid her figure and went out of her way to avoid discussion topics like fashion and hair. When asked why she wore her hair short, she merely shrugged and said "convenience." She often joined Tony in the garage and helped him work on his cars. She didn't know much originally, but Tony had taught her well. She slouched and ran into walls. Her favourite form of humour was bad puns and she ate like a bear about to go into hibernation, which was probably accurate as she slept for an average of twelve hours each day.
Jules had a very cute exterior. One would expect her to be all sweet and cuddly, and when one first met her she was. Then one got to know her and realized she had the great talent of being more morbid than the plague. She cursed like a French sailor, yet wore clothing that was fashionable. Well… It was fashionable to her. The majority of the world would merely think she was cute. Peri thought Jules was fashionable, too. Jules made a lot of dirty jokes and wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Tony had to credit the kid on her ability to party.
The two had pulled a series of pranks in the past few weeks, earning them a reputation of being Devil spawn. Peri still called Steve "mother," and Jules had actually picked up on it, too. They insisted he acted exactly how they'd envisioned a mother to act. Stern, yet loving. Jules' strong attachment to Steve should have made them worry he was next on her hit-list, but they ignored it. Two weeks after everyone had woken up with jelly-filled floors, they let their guard down. And Jules ran out into the living room while the team was watching a movie, wearing Steve's pants.
"I got into Steve's pants!" she yelled, prancing about the room, repeating the statement three or four times. Everyone was laughing except for Steve, who was blushing.
"Jules, you shouldn't run around like that-" he started, cut off by Jules stopping right in front of Tony and saying loudly:
"I betcha wish you could say the same, huh, Tony?" she winked. Tony looked at her calmly and answered.
"Actually, I was able to say that three months before you even set foot in this tower." The room erupted into "ohhhhh's" and Jules cocked an eyebrow, turning to Steve, who now bore the complexion similar to a tomato.
"Mom? Is this true?" Steve bit his lip and nodded slowly. Jules burst into a wide grin, spinning on her heals and screaming at Peri that she owed her ten dollars.
The two girls started calling Tony "Dad" that afternoon.
Sadly, due to the fact he was indeed in a relationship with Steve, it meant he had to listen as he complained about Peri. Every. Single. Day.
"It's like she hates me, but I don't know what I did to her, Tony!" Steve huffed and slouched in his chair. Tony sighed. "What?"
"Nothing," Tony answered.
"No, really, Tony, what?"
Tony looked at the man he loved with tired eyes and took a deep breath. He drank a bit of his scotch.
"Babe, we have this conversation every night. And every night I tell you it's because she's a teenager who's lived without parents her whole life, and suddenly you're treating her like she's your kid. I know you said you always wanted children, Steve, but she's seventeen. The last thing she wants is to be a child. Now, I'm not saying you treat her like a child, but you're kind of overprotective. She's a specially trained assassin who speaks fourteen languages and has blue hair. She doesn't want you to protect her."
"I know, Tony, but Jules has had the exact same training as she has and I don't get any of these problems from her. She talks to me all the time, she doesn't call me her mother sarcastically- although that doesn't mean I like it- and she doesn't seemed to be bothered when I tell her to be careful. I don't understand why Peri is so against me."
"Steve, what's Jules' favourite colour?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"Just answer."
"Green?"
"Musician?"
"Benny Goodman?"
"Celebrity?"
"Greta Garbo?"
"Uh-huh," Tony said smugly, "and Peri?"
"What?"
"What's Peri's favourite colour?"
"…Um… Periwinkle?"
"Far from it. In fact, every single one of those answers was wrong."
"I don't understand why you're asking all these questions Tony."
"I'm making a point, here. Have you got the point?"
Steve stared at him blankly. Tony sighed again.
"The point is, Steve, we don't even know these kids. Neither one of us. I found out Jules' favourite colour from JARVIS. That was all information I got from JARVIS. He's not even human and he knows these kids better than us."
"I don't see how that's our fault if they don't want to talk to us-"
Normally, Tony would have listened. It was his duty to listen to Steve. He loved him, therefore listening was a priority. But tonight, Tony couldn't deal with it anymore. The soap opera was getting redundant.
"Steve," he said quietly, yet somehow managing to stop Steve's yapper, "I think we should just call it a night, babe."
Steve looked at him for a moment, seeming about to say something, but he just sighed and nodded. He got out of his chair and walked over to the door, where he waited for Tony to put his drink away. Tony chugged it and joined Steve at his post. He wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's waist and the second they walked out of the living room it was to be greeted by Thor and an unexpected guest. They stopped dead in their tracks and stared in shock, not quite sure if they should pull out a gun and start firing.
"My friends!" Thor cried, totally oblivious to how uncomfortable Steve and Tony were. He pulled them into a massive hug, squashing them with affection. "Anthony, Steven, how are you?"
"Breathless," Tony gasped, wondering how Thor managed to hug two full grown men at once. Thor laughed heartily and put them down.
"It is good to see you," he declared, making a grand gesture to the other person in the room. "I have brought my brother with me. It is Odin's wish he join our team and become more acquainted with Midguard."
Tony watched Loki flinch when Thor called him his brother. Tony was still too stunned to speak. Loki wasn't in chains, he didn't have a muzzle on like the last time he'd seen the criminal, and honestly, when Peri had told him Loki wasn't dead he hadn't believed her. Loki held his head high and glared at the Avengers in the room, almost like he was challenging them. Thor, of course, had a huge grin on his face. He seemed to think he had the Loki he grew up with back. The only thing Tony could think was Fury's gonna have a hissy fit. Steve cleared his throat.
"So… Does that mean… You'll be, you know, um, staying here? In the tower? With us?" he asked, as if just curious, but Tony knew what he meant. He was worried about the girls. Thor nodded happily.
"Odin asked we do not return for at least a year, Midguardian time."
Steve made a sound like "mm-hmm" and put his hands in his pockets like he always did when he was nervous.
"Um, Tony, you should show them to their rooms, and I'll, um, I'll go to bed," Steve walked to the elevator and pushed the UP button. Tony watched him get inside and the metal doors close behind him. He'd gotten Steve's actual meaning when he pressed the wrong button on the elevator. He was going to check on the kids. Tony faced Thor and Loki.
"This way, gentlemen," he said, turning to the elevator.
Peri heard a soft knock on the door. She looked up from her book and then over at Jules. She was immersed in a fanfiction on her phone. Peri pushed the blankets wrapped around her feet onto the floor. She got up and walked over to the door, expecting it to be Natasha. Three days ago Natasha had knocked on their door at two in the morning just to tell them to go to sleep. It was only nine o'clock, but Peri wouldn't have put it past Natasha to do a repeat performance. She opened the door and was somewhat surprised to see Steve standing there.
"Hi mom," Peri said. Steve smiled.
"Hey Peri, can I come in?" Peri nodded and moved to let him walk through the door. She closed it behind him then sat on her bed. She was glad he hadn't said anything about her not wearing pants. Instead of pyjamas, she had opted for an oversized Jack Skellington jersey. Jules finally looked up from her phone and jumped at the sight of Steve standing next to her bed. Peri and Steve laughed while Jules glared, her hand over her heart.
"You can sit on the end of a bed, Mom, we won't mind," Peri said between chuckles. Steve sat on the edge of Jules' bed, still smiling.
"That wasn't funny," Jules grumbled.
"That was hilarious, and you know it. What's up, Mom?"
Steve's smile disappeared slowly. He rubbed his hands on his knees and sighed.
"You two remember the attack on New York, right?" he started. The girls nodded. "Do you know the guy who led it? I mean, obviously, but you remember him right?"
Nods from the girls again.
"Well, he's going to be staying here at the Tower for at least a year. Thor is, too, but I want you to be careful around Loki, okay? I don't need to tell you how dangerous he is, and I don't want you two getting hurt, and neither does anyone else here. Alright?"
There was a moment of silence while Jules and Peri processed the new information. Peri wanted to hug Steve. Sure, she had been bitter towards Captain America, but that was nearly a month ago, when he had been a celebrity she wasn't ever going to meet. Steve was a different person than him. He cared about her, just like a real parent. She nodded slowly.
"We'll keep it in mind. Thanks, Mo-" Peri stopped short as a wave of nausea rushed over her. She jumped up and ran into the bathroom so fast she gave Steve whiplash.
"Peri?" Steve asked, obviously confused. Jules stayed on her bed, waiting calmly for her friend to stop puking. When Peri came back out of the bathroom, holding her head, Jules was ready with a soft pillow and Peri's favourite stuffed animal. Steve was nowhere in the room.
"He went to get you some stomach medicine. I know you hate that stuff and it won't help, but I didn't want to tell him the truth. It's your secret, not mine," Jules helped Peri into bed as she explained this.
"He's a good parent," Peri said quietly, "almost like the real thing." Steve walked in behind Jules, this time with her noticing.
"Yeah, Steve is a good mom. I say we keep him."
"Sexually speaking, I'm your dad," Steve mumbled, seaming to think no one could hear him. There was a pause and an awkward silence.
And then Peri and Jules laughed. They laughed so hard they cried, and Peri snorted, and Steve turned bright red.
Obviously, I don't own any of the characters in this story except for Peri and Jules... Well… Okay, I only own Peri. I don't own anything I make a reference to in any chapter. Also I started writing this before I saw Thor 2 so this story DOES NOT follow the Thor 2 timeline AT ALL. But hey, moving on. I'm not a professional writer, but I'd very much like to be a novelist one day. If you could kindly give me some tips and pointers on how to improve, I'd be much obliged. Have a great day, and thank you for taking the time out of your life to read my manuscript!