Storm clouds gathered in the distance. After staring out the window for a few minuets, Tony looked back at the screen of the computer in his lab. The forecast proved correct. It was one of those rare northeastern hurricanes that New York seldom got. Sighing, Tony decided he was done with his work for the evening and went upstairs to spend some time with his family.
Steve was in the living room keeping an eye on Peter who was playing with his Lego Duplo set. Peter had turned two four months ago and had since then graduated from a crib to a toddler bed and now regularly eats the same meals that his dads eat. He was happily building a lopsided Lego tower, blissfully unaware of the approaching storm. When he looked up he saw Tony and a huge grin spread across his face. "Daddy!" he shouted and came running up to Tony and eagerly held on to Tony's pant leg.
"Hey, sport. What cha building over there?" asked Tony as he ruffled up Peter's hair.
"Home," said Peter and he pointed to the Lego tower he had built. The tower must have been Peter's version of the Avengers Tower because that is the only home he has ever known.
"That looks great, buddy," commented Tony, admiring his son's craftsmanship. "You're almost ready to start building your own Iron Man suit."
"Iron man!" exclaimed Peter as he pointed up at Tony.
"Yep, that's me. I'm Iron Man; the coolest superhero there is," replied Tony with a wink.
"Come on Peter. We both know who the coolest superhero is," said Steve, watching the playful encounter between his son and his husband. "Show Daddy your shield."
Peter ran over to the corner of the room and picked up a miniature plastic Captain America shield and held it up. "'Merica," he shouted.
"Did you have to get him the shield?" complained Tony, rolling his eyes to the back of his head.
"Only because you got him every Iron Man action figure in existence," countered Steve.
Their playful argument was cut off by a loud crack of thunder from the approaching storm. Peter yelped a bit at the sudden noise.
"It's Okay, Peter, it was just some thunder. It won't hurt you in here," comforted Steve.
For some reason, Peter walked over to the elevator and stared at it as if waiting for it to open.
"What cha doin' Peter?" asked Tony with a puzzled look on his face.
Peter turned back to his dad and asked, "Where Uncle Thor?"
Steve and Tony both realized what the toddler was thinking and laughed a little. "Oh, Petey, Thor doesn't show up ever time it thunders."
"Yeah, it's just the weather, bud," said Steve as he went to pick Peter up and tickled him on the tummy a bit. Peter laughed at that. "So Tony. I was just about to have Jarvis send you up. Dinner is just about ready. And it's Peter's favorite."
"S'gety?" asked Peter excitedly.
"That's right kid, Spaghetti," replied Steve.
Peter loved his Spaghetti. Steve figured he would make Peter's favorite dish tonight in the hopes that it might distract him from the storm outside. Both Steve and Tony were afraid of how the toddler might react to the coming hurricane. They weren't particularly worried about the storm itself seeing as the Tower ran on its own arch reactor power and all the windows were bulletproof. Plus, if there was flooding, they would be several floors up with enough food to survive a zombie apocalypse. Still, Peter had never experienced a thunderstorm this bad and the couple was concerned for him.
Peter eventually got covered in Spaghetti sauce like he always did and Tony had to convince him to take a bath.
"No," Peter protested stubbornly.
"Come on, Peter. Even superheroes take baths. But I guess if you don't want to be a superhero…" said Tony, finding Peter's weakness.
"No! Imma superhero!" caved Peter.
"Well Okay then, Spaghetti Man. Let's get you cleaned up."
Tony lifted Peter off his booster seat and brought him over to the bathroom. Steve was left cleaning up from dinner though he would admit to himself that it would be a far easier task than bathing a toddler.
Tony struggled to hold onto a squirming Peter as the toddler was determined to make this as difficult for his father as he could. Making sure to lock the door behind him before he set Peter down (seeing as Peter had been a little jailbird last time). He undressed Peter and threw the spaghetti-stained cloths off into the hamper. While Tony filled up the tub, Peter tried to reach for the door handle but came a few inches too short. Once Tony finally got him in the water, Peter finally accepted the fact that he was going to have to take a bath. He splashed in the bubble soap while Tony shampooed Peter's hair with Johnson and Johnson Shampoo.
Once Peter was clean, Tony dressed him in his favorite Avengers pajamas. It wasn't quite bedtime yet but with the storm raging outside he doubted Peter would be able to fall asleep anyway. "Hey Petey, you wanna watch a movie?" asked Tony, in hopes that Peter might fall asleep during it.
"Yes!" said Peter and he ran over to the living room. Steve and Tony sat down on the couch with Peter snuggled up next to them.
"What do you want to watch, Peter?" asked Steve.
"Lion King!" shouted Peter. The kid loved Disney.
"Jarvis, play Lion King," said Tony to his AI and the top lights started to dim and the movie started to play on the large TV. As the red sun started to rise in the sky along with the Zulu singing, Peter curled up even closer to his Papa whom he was sitting next to and became mesmerized by the movie. After singing along to, I just can't wait to be King and Hakuna Matata, Peter's eyes started to droop during Can you feel the love tonight until he finally drifted off to sleep by the end of the movie. As the credits rolled by, Steve gently lifted his son who had fallen asleep on his chest and carried him over to his bed. Steve laid him down and carefully pried Peter's arms off his shirt until Peter curled up on the mattress. Tony pulled the covers up over Peter, silently tucking him in. The two super husbands stealthily walked out of the room while the rain made a continuous yet steady pounding sound against the windows.
Once back in their own bedroom, Steve and Tony both let out a sigh of relief. "Well that wasn't so hard," commented Tony.
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet," said Steve. Sure enough, a huge clap of thunder sounded from outside. They both held their breath and looked down the hall hesitantly. Apparently that had not woken Peter so both men let out yet another sigh of relief.
"Lets just get some sleep," said Steve. Tony agreed and soon he and his husband were asleep as well.
The rains continued to poor and batter the buildings of New York. The thunder got louder and more constant until Peter finally woke up. He tried to go back to sleep and make himself pretend he didn't hear the thunder. When another bright burst of lightning lit up his room, Peter pulled the covers over his head and curled up into a ball. I gotta be brave, he thought to himself. Daddy and Papa gonna want me to be brave. The rain was falling with such force it sounded almost like bullets attacking the glass. Thunder and lightening racked the sky like giant cracks opening up in the heavens and releasing deafening blasts of sound. By the time the next bolt of lighting struck, Peter's bravery had disappeared and he went running off to his Daddies' room.
Peter walked over to Steve's side of the bed. "Papa?" he asked, pulling on his father's pajama sleeve.
Steve opened his eyes to see his son cowering by his bedside. Tears were streaming down Peter's cheeks and he looked absolutely terrified. "Peter, baby, what's wrong?" he asked as he sat upright. He knew exactly what was wrong. It was a wonder Steve had been able to sleep himself.
"I scared," Peter whispered. "Can I sweep wit you an' Daddy?"
There was just no way Steve could say no to that cute little face. "Okay, Peter. Just this one night, Okay."
"Kay," said Peter and he seemed to perk up a bit at Steve's answer. He tried to climb onto the bed by himself before Steve helped pull him up. Peter crawled over him and nuzzled himself in between Steve and Tony.
Tony shifted a bit at the contact from the newcomer. "What?" he asked a little groggily. His eyes settled on Peter. "What are you doing here kiddo?" Tony asked, his question more directed at Steve.
"Peter's scared because of the hurricane. He want's to sleep with us tonight," explained Steve.
"Of course you can, buddy," Tony started to wipe the fallen tears away from his son's cheeks. "Don't you pay attention to that nasty rain outside. Your Papa and I are here for you." He pulled Peter in for a hug then got him situated under the covers.
Every time a clap of thunder sounded, Peter tensed up. He let out little whimpers and held on to Steve or Tony's sleeve. After one particular long and rolling thunder strike, he started to sob.
"Hey, Peter. Come over here," said Tony while he pulled Peter over his chest so that his head was resting on the arch reactor. Tony was trying desperately to think of some solution in order to get Peter to fall asleep and therefore allow him and Steve to sleep as well. Tony figured he would try letting Peter rest his head on the arch reactor like he did whenever he was waiting for his son to take his daily naps. The soft blue light and the gentle hum usually comforted Peter. He had so often fallen asleep on the reactor that it was the equivalent of taking a drive around the block in order to get a toddler to fall asleep. "Peter, what's this on Daddy's chest?"
Peter placed his large, watery eyes upon Tony then glanced down and reached a small hand over the arch reactor. "Daddy heart."
"That's right, buddy." Technically it was the thing that allowed his heart to continue beating by keeping the shrapnel at bay but Tony wouldn't bother his son with the gruesome details. "It's gonna be your night light. It will keep the thunder from getting to you. You'll always have a place right next Daddy's heart."
Peter nodded just enough for Tony to see and pressed his cheek against the warm blue light. Within the next minute, Peter was sound asleep, unfazed by the storm outside. Steve fell asleep resting his hand on Peter's back while the child lie atop Tony's chest.
As Peter slowly drifted off into unconsciousness he took comfort in the fact that his daddies were on either side of him. They would protect him from the thunder. They were Captain America and Iron Man, the best superheroes there are. And they were also his daddies.