Tumblr Writing Prompt: "That's not how mommy does it."
(380 Words)
School Mornings
Steve rolled over with a sigh, cuddling deeper under his warm blankets. He was exhausted, not having gotten much sleep that night because the space in the bed that was normally occupied was empty. Never had he thought that he would get so used to Natasha's presence next to him that it would be able to keep him from sleeping. But here he was lying, tired, alone, longing for the arms that were always slung around his body and the kisses that woke him softly in the morning.
He could hear the birds singing in front of the window, but he ignored them, desperately trying to get back to sleep. However, just as he was starting to drift off, somebody jumped onto the bed and screamed: "Get up, daddy! We're late for school!"
"James... holidays...," Steve mumbled incoherently, pressing his face into his pillow, hoping that his son would go back to bed, but now small hands were starting to hit his back.
"Daddy! Holidays are over! You need to get up!"
As he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position and staggered out of the bedroom after his son, Steve asked himself if the roles weren't supposed to be reversed. He nearly fell asleep while trying to prepare a decent breakfast for James. While he buttered a few pieces of toast, he could see James grabbing his paintbox from the dining table before coming over to his father.
"That's not how mommy does it," he teased, grinning and letting his green eyes sparkle – sometimes, it was scary how much he reminded Steve of Natasha. "She always cuts them into animal forms."
"Son, I'm too tired for your cheeky stuff," Steve yawned, nearly shoving his son's lunch box off the counter while trying to put the sandwiches into it. "And why are you using the Iron Man lunch box from Uncle Tony? Mine is way cooler!"
"Dad, this is really not the right time to discuss about lunch boxes!" James exclaimed while Steve stuffed the lunchbox into his Thor schoolbag and then checked if his son was looking presentable.
"We'll talk about this later!" Steve yelled after him as he watched James run down the driveway and grab his bike.