Hello and thanks for all who are reading this. This chapter isn't as late as they usually are so yay! Please enjoy and try to review. Have a good Easter/spring break! :)
Chapter Two: Not Quiet a Fairytale
Morning came. Breakfast was a success. Tony had already been up and dressed when Steve had come into the living room in his pajamas. The couch had been cleaned up, the sheets in a folded pile next to the couch. Tony was holding baby Natasha, who had spent most of the night in his arms. Steve had made breakfast while Tony woke all the kids up. Then Tony got all the kids ready for the day, while Steve showered. When he came out, he heard a mostly quiet house. He was confused and he started down the hallway, into the living room.
Tony was on the couch with Peggy, Darcy, Pepper, Jane, and Betty next to him, on the floor in front of him, or on his lap. All the other kids were gone, mostly all boys. Tony had a book in his hands and Steve knew exactly what it was. The Princess and the Frog was Peggy's favorite story and she loved to listen to it. He listened to them, they were done with the story, but they were talking.
"Not everybody gets a happy ending, ya know." Pepper said.
"Yeah huh." Peggy said.
"Nuh uh." Pepper argued.
"Pep-"
"No! Tony, tell her people don't all get happy endings!"
"Pepper, just-"
"No!" Pepper screamed.
"Pepper, you are going to listen to me, young lady! You never act up, what is wrong with you?!"
"You didn't get a happy ending!" Oh, Tony thought.
"My story isn't over yet, Peps."
"Mom's is!"
"Pepper, go outside. I'll be there in a minute." Tony ran his hand through his hair and handed the book to Betty. Peggy's eyes were wide.
"I didn't mean to make her upset, I'm sorry. You aren't mad at her, are you?"
"No, I'm not mad. It's okay, Peggy. You couldn't have known she'd get upset. I'm going to go check on Nat, and then I'm going to talk to Pepper. After that, we can go play with the others."
Tony walked into the hallway and frowned when he saw Steve standing, giving him a look filled with sympathy. "Oh, you heard that?"
Steve nodded. "So, I take it your life hasn't been quiet like a fairy tale?"
~~Stony~~
Tony had found his way out of that conversation, for now anyways. He'd talked to Pepper, reminding her not to talk about their true past. Then the rest of the group had walked to the small park that the rest of the kids had gone off to. They spent the rest of the morning playing tag. Then everyone walked back to the Rogers' house and ate lunch.
"Why don't we all take a short nap after this, and then we can play some board games out in the yard? We can set up a few different games and we can play what we want to play. How does that sound?" Steve asked. All the kids' eyes lit up.
So, Tony and Steve managed to get every kid, even the older ones, to take a short nap. They fell back onto the couch, laughing at something the twins and Justin had just said. Steve looked into Tony's dark brown eyes as they laughed. He loved Tony's laugh, and his breathtaking smile. Even though he'd just met him, he knew he had made the right decision in letting Tony and his family stay.
~~Stony~~
The board game extravaganza was fun, all the kids loved it. There was Candyland, Chutes and Ladders, Don't Wake Daddy, and Uno. Candyland was being played by Steve, Pepper, Jane, and Betty. Chutes And Ladders was being played by Tony (and baby Natasha) and Clint, Bucky, Justin, Darcy, and Peggy. Don't Wake Daddy was being played by Maria, Phil, Rhodey, and Loki. And Uno was being played by Erik, Thor, and Bruce. Then it was dinner, and plan making for the next day. They were all gonna go play sports at the park all day. The kids were excited and went right to bed, without arguments.
"Do you want to talk about what I heard this morning?" Tony turned to see Steve, clad in his pajamas and slippers, leaning against the wall. Tony was finishing setting up the couch. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Not really. There really isn't much to talk about." Steve sat on the end of the coffee table, in front of where Tony sat on the couch.
"The way Pepper said it, I think there is."
"Pepper's just a little girl. You can't take everything a little kid says seriously, you know."
"Tony. Listen, okay? I won't make you say anything you don't want to say. Just listen to me and answer any questions you are comfortable answering." He paused before really beginning. "Almost three years ago, my dad died. He was fighting in the war, and he was killed saving people's lives. My mom was pregnant with Peggy at the time, she didn't even know it. And then, less than a year after Peggy was born, my mom got sick. The doctors really couldn't do anything for her. She died, a year ago, and I was given the custody of my seven siblings. I was so sad, and so angry at the world. I couldn't believe that I had to raise the kids I'd almost dropped several times. I had no idea what to do, to raise them. But I learned. How long ago did you get them, to raise them?"
"A month ago, my mom- uh, they, I mean- died a month ago. There was a fire and they couldn't get out of the house. We lost everything but the little bit of money in the bank, and each other."
"Were you bullied, growing up?"
Tony looked a little guarded and confused. "Huh?"
"Did you get bullied when you were a kid? In school?"
"No, not really. I mean, I had no real friends, but I wasn't really bullied."
"Was there someone who did something to you, something to hurt you?"
Tony was silent for a long time. Then, distantly, he whispered, "Next question."
"I'm sorry…. Were you close to the kids, before you were given custody?"
"No," Tony laughed. "I had no clue what I was doing; I still have no clue what I'm doing. I always stayed away from them, before this. Sure, I loved them and I lived with them, but I tried to steer away from them. A year ago… something happened. Something bad, that I don't really want to talk about. I grew a lot closer to them then, but not as close as I am now."
"How bad?"
Silence. "…Really bad."
"If you want to talk about it, when you want to talk about it, I'm here for you. I never had friends, either, you know. I was always closer to adults and my family. I got bullied and teased, but it wasn't really bad. I never really cared; I didn't listen to anything they said. But, you know, I am starting to consider you as a friend. I know we just met and all, but… I've never seen my family as happy as they have been this last day around yours. It means a lot to me."
Tony placed his hand on Steve's, which was on his knee. He hadn't really thought about it, but now they were both looking at it. Both of them, though they'd never tell, felt the weird feeling once again running through their bodies. Tony pulled it away.
"The same goes here, especially with Loki and Bruce and Pepper… they haven't been the same kids as they were a year ago. But you and your family has brought them back. I will forever be grateful for that."
"Yeah? I'm glad. Well… I'll let you get some sleep. Goodnight, Tony." He walked out of the room.
"Goodnight, Steve."
~~Stony~~
The next morning, Sunday morning, Steve made breakfast. He was trying to teach Tony, who he'd learned couldn't even make toast on his own, to make the meals they were sharing. Tony was grateful, and he was a quick learner. Steve had made some calls, and the kids who were age-appropriate were going to be attending school with the others for the week. Tony had asked what Steve did for money and he'd been answered with a smirk and an unanswered question. It seemed that everyone who was two and under would be staying home. So, that would leave only Steve, Tony, Darcy, Peggy, and Natasha at home during the days.
Today, on the other hand, they were going to the park, all day like they had promised. Steve packed enough food for everyone in a basket and a cooler, and put it by the door. They also had packed a big duffle bag or two of sports equipment. There were a couple basketballs, a football, some baseballs and bats, and a few kick balls and soccer balls. Tony and Steve spent almost thirty minutes getting the kids ready. They all had baseball caps on and sunscreen. It was an oddly hot day out, for the middle of May, especially for the cold state of Minnesota. But, Steve explained, it was an odd year for the weather.
"Where is everybody in this town?" Tony asked Steve as they set down all the stuff and the kids decided what to do first.
"Uh, most people go to church or breakfast on Sundays."
"Oh. Do you guys usually go to church?" Tony felt a little guilt, thinking they probably did.
"We used to, but we haven't really gone as much after my mom died. Just for holidays." Steve turned his attention to the kids as Tony set Natasha's car seat down on the bench and pulled the shade over her head, blocking the sun. "Did you guys decide what we are gonna play first?"
"Yeah, we wanna play baseball. Then soccer, kickball, basketball, and football." Thor answered for them all, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Okay. Let's get the bats and balls and play some ball," Tony said.
Baseball had been fun, but had only lasted about a half an hour. Soccer caused a small head injury to one kid and a skinned up knee for another. Kickball had lost everyone's attention. Clint had wandered off to sit next to the baby, and play with her, because he'd become close to little Natasha. Bucky and Justin had gotten into a small fistfight, and had been in time-out ever since. Erik and Bruce snuck out of the game to talk on the sidelines, and Betty had gone with, to watch and listen to Bruce.
They realized it was way past lunch time, so they decided to eat. The kids were re-energized after that, so they were off to basketball. The teams were picked by Tony and Steve, and they were fair enough. Tony had Peggy, Darcy, Erik, Bruce, Clint, Betty, Rhodey, and Pepper. Steve had Thor, Loki, Phil, Justin, Jane, Maria, and Bucky. Steve did have to admit that he liked the way Tony held Peggy up to the hoop to dunk the ball in. She had such a big smile on her face and she was having such a good time. All of the kids were, really.
"Come on, team." Steve encouraged. "We can do this." They were down by two, and they had set a timer that would go off in ten seconds. Then the game would be over and they'd take a short break before playing football. Then, Steve had told Tony at lunch; they would go to an ice cream parlor down the block and get ice cream for dinner. Then they could go home and watch a movie before bed and before school. Somehow, Tony's siblings were excited for school. Steve had no idea why. But Tony knew it was because they'd never gone to a real school before. They had been home schooled by a private tutor.
Somehow, the kids made a basket that tied the game. So, on that good note, they moved on to play some football. Steve managed to twist his ankle five minutes into the game. So, he sat out with baby Natasha and Tony gave him an icepack to help the swelling. Tony was pretty distracted. Watching Steve holding his baby sister gave him a weird, and odd, feeling. But he decided it was a good feeling, and tried to help his team. They lost, go figure, and Tony tried to blame it on Steve; claiming he was worried he'd have to bring him to a hospital. Steve had just grinned and shook his head, as he limped with them to the ice cream parlor.
~~Stony~~
The bell rang on the door of the shop as they walked in. Tony held the door opened, letting Steve hobble in first, despite his protests. The girl at the front counter, Jamie Adams, smiled at Steve. He had gone to school with her and his family made a normal occurrence at the shop. But she was surprised to see a bunch of kids she'd never seen before.
"Hey, Steve. Who are these little guys and girls? I didn't know you kidnapped any more kids, I thought you were done with all that." She joked, peering down at the little faces. They smiled up at her.
"Hardy har," Steve rolled his eyes, his own soft smile on his face. "They are staying with me for the week."
"Hi, I'm Tony Smith." Tony said, looking at Jamie with confusion on his face.
Her eyes widened as she checked him out. This guy is hot, was all Jamie thought. Then she snapped out of it. "Nice to meet you, Tony. My name is Jamie, Jamie Adams. What can I get you?"
"Nice to meet you too, Jamie. Uh, kids? Why don't you look at the flavors and pick what you want. It's on me, Rogers."
"No, Tony-"
"Relax, Steve. It's the least I can do, really."
Steve looked uncertain. "If you're sure-"
"I'm sure."
"Okay, then I think we will have our usual. Is that good, guys?" Steve asked his siblings as they gave the other kids pointers with the flavors. They all agreed with Steve. Jamie started to fill that part of the order.
"Any hints on what's good? I feel left out, everybody else gets help." Tony pouted.
Steve laughed, "Okay. Most flavors are good, but don't ever try the cotton candy. Bubblegum is horrible too. My favorite is strawberry. It has those real chunks of strawberries in them, it's the best. But I don't know what you like."
"I love strawberry! I think I'll get that…. Hey, doesn't Pepper like strawberry?" Thor raised an eyebrow at Tony.
"She's allergic."
"Oh, right. I love strawberry, and Pepper's allergic. Right, I knew that. Just pulling your leg, making sure you're awake." Thor rolled his eyes. "Alright, kiddies, what do you want? Come tell me one by one." He handed the ice cream cones that were being finished to Steve, who passed them out to the kids who had ordered them. Then, he started to tell Jamie the flavors his siblings were telling him that they wanted.
"Alright, then I'm going to need a vanilla dish for little Natasha and a strawberry cone for me."
"Anything else? Anything at all?" Jamie asked suggestively. But Tony was too busy looking at Steve, who was watching him interact with her, to notice what she meant.
"Nope, I think that's all we need." He handed her the money, getting an opened jaw in return as he turned away and walked back to the table.
Steve had heard what she'd asked him and knew it was new for her to be turned down. She'd slept with everyone in the town, she was the town slut. Steve was watching Tony wide-eyed as he slipped across from him in the booth that had been deemed the 'adult table'. Tony started to lick his ice cream and feed Natasha her's at the same time. He paused his eating when he saw Steve staring at him.
"What? Is there something on my face?" He started to wipe at his face.
"No, no. It's just…. You just turned down Jamie Adams." Tony frowned, confused.
"Turned her down? What? And what's the big deal about her?"
"She was checking you out; don't tell me you didn't see it. She's the town slut; she's slept with just about every guy in town, probably some women too." He began to ramble.
Tony cocked an eyebrow. "Have you slept with her?"
Steve blushed and looked away from Tony's growing smirk. "No."
"Really? Then why are you blushing?" Steve didn't look at him. "Did you lose it to her? Or is it not her, and someone else I've seen? That Anna girl, maybe?"
"No."
"Well, who then? Why are you blushing?" Steve mumbled something Tony couldn't understand. "Huh? Speak up."
"I've never had sex! Are you happy now?!" Steve kept it between them, but his face turned even more red than before.
"You've… never… had sex?"
Steve sighed. "Forget about it, Tony. Just eat your ice cream before it melts."
"Tony?" A small voice asked. He looked to see Clint standing next to the booth.
"Yeah, buddy?"
"Can I feed Natasha? Please, I'll be good."
"Sure, kid. Here, climb in next to your brother and I'll turn her so you can feed her. Just take it slow, she's still a baby."
And that was that for the conversation. They walked home, Steve able to walk better now that his ankle was a bit better. They watched a movie, most of the kids ended up asleep. Then they tucked the kids in bed and went to part ways.
"I'm sorry, about earlier. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or upset. I can be a real dick sometimes." Tony apologized.
"Hey, it's okay. Really, you didn't know. I mean, I guess I'm just waiting for the right person." Steve blushed.
"There's nothing wrong with that. It's cute. I just never was that person, I wish I was. But stuff hurt me, stuff that I turned to find a cure for. I thought sex and drinking helped that, and I was wrong. Its family and its days like today that make the pain go away. And you, for whatever reason, are helping it too. Not just your family."
"Thanks, Tony. Sweet dreams."
"You too."
