"Excuse me." The child smiled as the woman turned in her seat. With a British accent, he explained, "I've lost my father. Can you help me?" His doe eyes always guaranteed him what he wanted.
She chirped, "Of course, honey. Who is your father?"
"James Howlett, Duke of- I wasn't supposed to say that part," he gasped. He stood on his toes and scanned the event hall, already sure that he couldn't see through the elegantly dressed crowd. He flattened with a huff. "Can I sit with you until he finds me?" He took the seat beside her and introduced himself as Peter.
"I'm Anne." The woman pushed her red hair back and straightened her posture before encouraging, "Your father is the Duke of…"
He leaned in and whispered, "It's a secret."
She nodded but continued to dig. "Where's your mother? A cutie pie, like you, needs a mom." She reached out to pinch his honey colored cheeks, but he caught her hand.
His smile returned when he noticed the diamonds on her wrist. "I like your bracelet. It's shiny." He held the woman's hand tighter as he noticed his father passing them. He called out for the man's attention. "Dad, I'm here. This nice woman let me stay with her."
The father gave the pair a smirk. In the same accent as his son, he apologized to the woman. "I'm sorry if he bothered you. He's an energetic one and likes to run off." He nudged his son to stand as a warning that the conversation was going to stay short. "Enjoy your night, miss." His smile flattened immediately as he turned away.
He pulled his son to the corner of the room and kneeled to his level. His British accent dropped, and in his natural light southern tone, he sternly ordered, "Give it here." He held his hand out so the boy could pass the stolen bracelet. "You have to focus, okay?"
The only truth to "Peter's" story was that he had wandered away from his father.
Sam Evans was not a duke and the only power he had came from the electric company. Tall, blond and handsome, he was a single father to a son, "Captain." His world circled around his seven year old. He promised to never let anything stop him from giving his child what he needed… even if he had to take a road he wouldn't be proud of.
Every year, the night after Thanksgiving, a charity held a fundraising auction for needy families of Nashville. While the rich were distracted with champagne and hors d'oeuvres, Sam was planning to make sure that his family wasn't overlooked. There was a room full of jewelry waiting to be fought over. They wanted to take only a few pieces- Captain's rogue job didn't count.
Sam passed his phone, setting the plan into action. "Don't start the timer until you turn the power off… Do you remember the secret stairs to the power room?... Don't forget to meet me back in the lobby." He had drilled the steps into his son's head.
Bringing a seven year old into the plan wasn't ideal, but every game of hide and seek and Captain America prepared Captain for that day.
While the father and son duo were getting into place, there was a little redhead on the hunt.
"You!" Anne growled as she approached. She grabbed the kid by his wrist and snatched him close. "Where is my bracelet? I know you took it." She released him and stepped back when a man stepped between them.
"Can I help you?" he asked with a stone face.
She pointed, "He stole my bracelet." She remembered his face and wouldn't be fooled by the kid releasing his long curls from his ponytail. "Give it back, now."
He pacified the woman by asking, "Christian, do you know anything about this?" He kept the boy at his side since they arrived, so he knew the answer was no. "He doesn't lie and would never steal. Good luck finding your bracelet, ma'am." He took the kid's hand and pulled him away.
With a flip, all guests were thrown into the dark.
Sam rushed by the guards like the wind. Blindly, he grabbed five pieces of jewelry, and he was back out. He escaped through the kitchen and hid the stolen loot in a backpack behind the dumpster until he returned with Captain. He smiled when he found the child waiting in the lobby like planned. With his son and a bag full of jewels, Sam rode off into the night, not giving a second thought to the building full of confused people that were stuck in lockdown.
The mother panicked after hearing the story of the blackout and could only think of one remedy. "God, I need tots!" she huffed, but the phone was taken from her before she could make an order to room service. She pouted up at her boyfriend, "Tank, tonight was the first time I let you be alone with my son, and you lost him."
He openly announced that he didn't understand her worries. "He got away from me for a minute, but I brought him home in one piece." Tank held her close and pecked her full lips with his. "I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't bid on that necklace tonight… but maybe I should buy you something to wear everyday." His hand moved from her side to entangle their ringless fingers.
The couple froze when they noticed the seven year old wandering through the suite. "Christian, are you okay?" They didn't receive an answer, but the boy continued to study the room as if it wasn't home.
Remembering the fight the kid put on the ride home, Tank chuckled, "If this is your way of telling me to go, I get it. I won't hog your mom's time." He said his goodbye and left.
The boy showed no care for what the adults were doing. He studied the luxurious white and blue themed suite. "There's a lot of stuff that could help Dad," he mumbled. He moved into the kitchen, ignoring the woman that called out for him.
She grabbed his hand to stop him. Meeting his eyes, she announced, "Christian, you have reasons to be upset with me and Tank, but acting this way isn't appropriate." Although his face stayed still, she felt his hold loosen. She took a slow breath and led him to sit on the sofa. She softly admitted, "You probably wanted to stay home tonight, but I had to work. I thought letting you spend time with Tank was better than letting you sit in my office for hours."
Mercedes Jones, publicly known for being a member of one of the richest black families in the country, worked to stay humble and patient. Becoming a single mother at twenty-three, she could point out a few mistakes. She pouted when she thought about the hours she put into her hotel that outweighed the time with her son, but her son and partner were comforting.
Mercedes didn't think she had room for dating, but Tank carved himself into her schedule. Their relationship started with lunches at the hotel's restaurant and quiet calls after Christian's bedtime. After two years, they were comfortable teasing an engagement, but no choice could be made without the blessing of her son.
"How would you feel if Tank joined our family- if I married him?" she asked.
The kid sat in a long silence before answering with a shrug.
She smiled, "I thought I'd get a real answer." She released his hand and petted his cheek with her thumb. "You don't have to push yourself to answer that right now… but what are you thinking about?"
"I'm really hungry."
Mercedes' stomach grumbled in agreement. She looked over her shoulder and wrinkled her nose at the stove. She was too tired to cook. "Let's order dinner from downstairs. After this week, we earned dessert, right?" She took her cell phone out and turned off her upcoming alarm. "We can cancel bedtime and watch a movie." She passed the phone, believing the boy would find a movie trailer for what he wanted to watch, but he stared at the mother and son photo that was her home screen.
He shyly questioned, "You like your kids?"
"Yes, I love you," she admitted, and as fast as she had her answer, her son climbed and folded his short arms around her neck for a hug.
Sam sat back in his chair and silently watched the kid across from him.
He'd been frowning at his sloppy joe sandwich for ten minutes. When he finally picked it up, the beef fell as the bun broke, too soggy from the wait. He wiped his messy hands and sunk down into the chair. He showed no desire for his favorite food- his hard-earned victory meal.
Hiding his worries, Sam smiled and teased, "Who are you and what did you do with my son?"
The seven year old slithered until he was straight again. "I'm Christian Jones." He held his breath as the man squinted his green eyes and sat back.
Sam was using all of his brain power to think of every comic and sci-fi movie character. After a short moment, he began to chuckle that his son had finally gotten the best of him. "I don't know where you got that name from." He dimmed when the kid folded his arms over the table, hid his face and began to weep. With his heart sitting in his stomach, he lifted the kid to hold him in his lap. He promised to call the kid whatever he wanted. The father asked about the tears, but starting his question with "Okay, um, Christian" wasn't helpful.
"I want my mom."
Sam let out a slow sigh at the M-word. He knew that talk would come, but "Why today. We had a good day," he thought to himself. "Well, better out than in."
Sam didn't hide the fact that his son was adopted, but he didn't bring the baby home alone. He used to be teased for marrying too young, twenty two years old, but the harsh criticism was proven right when the couple divorced after four years. The process was quick. They didn't have valuables to go to battle for, and Sam being listed as a single parent on his son's adoption forms and birth certificate kept them out of family court. He offered her the chance to stay around for Captain, but she wanted to set herself free with the cleanest cut possible.
He kept the talk with the kid short, but prayed he wasn't causing any damage. "... She couldn't be the kind of mom you deserved, but it's not your fault- or hers. It's okay to know when you can't do something, and if someone has to leave for that reason, you have to forgive them," he finished. He had got the kid to stop crying, but he was still weighed down by his frown. He promised, "You got me. I'm not going anywhere. As long as we're together, everything will be okay."
Christian nodded, trying to find peace in the words.
"Tomorrow, after I trade all the stuff we got tonight, we can do anything you want."
"Anything?... Like watching the movie about the robots?" he softly asked. He had heard no to that request before, but he finally found a reason to smile when the man nodded- it only lasted for a second. "What about work?"
Sam wouldn't burden his son with his unemployment. "I'm all yours." He decided that they had enough serious talks for the night. He slid the boy back into the chair and offered, "I'll make you a new sandwich."
Hi.
This story was inspired by the first few chapters of a manga, "My Cute Baby Is A Wingman." I read 56/200 chapters of the manga, but everything after chapter 4 of this story is my imagination. This story is going to be my longest because it is my place to put all my jump the shark soap drama that I couldn't find a place for. I've been very excited to share this, so I hope you stick around.