"This is my fault." Steve said, sobbing as he looked down at the baby.
His baby.
As joyous as the occasion was, the circumstances were dangerous. Due to Steve's DNA, Bruce had predicted that there would be...complications, when his boy was born.
It wasn't the serum, it was Steve himself.
Steve had always been that gaunt kid with a scraggy build before Dr. Erskine and his magic serum came into the picture. While it had done the job and sized him up, it didn't rewrite his DNA.
The same DNA that made up half of his child.
Bruce hated being right about these things, especially when the child showed signs of stunted growth five months in.
And the birth itself...
No.
Steve refused to think about how he had almost lost his child before he was even born.
"Steve, honey." Natasha called to him, reaching her palm out to caress his cheek.
Steve allowed the warmth of her hand and the contrasting cool of her ring to ground him.
"It isn't your fault. We knew this would happen. We were informed."
This wasn't his first episode of the sort on the topic, but every time was just as heartbreaking to his wife.
"No, you don't understand. He, he's going to grow up knowing that he will always be the weakest person in the room. Always. Moreover, we're his parents, and we're widely regarded as the...the perfect personification of human beings. Specimens. For him to grow up with us, knowing he will never be like us..." he choked out, trying his best to explain the doom he had brought upon their child.
"I know what it feels like, Nat. It'll destroy him from the inside. Like dangling a carrot in front ; what he wants the most is always just out of reach."
"Steve." she called out firmly, putting a stop to his wobbly, worried ramble. "Look at me."
It took a few moments for his sorrow-filled eyes to focus on hers.
"Let's be honest: neither of us ever thought we would be in this position, with a child of our own."
She paused for a moment as they both looked at their baby, resting on her chest, with a matching twinkle in their eyes.
"So the fact that he's even here, with us, defies everything we've been told. Everything we've thought about. He's here, he's real."
Steve couldn't help but nod.
"Besides, he's no weakling. He fought his way into existence. He kept fighting, kept going, no matter how many complications came along the way. He's only weak physically, Steve. But inside him burns a flame much brighter than yours or mine."
She gently pulled Steve closer, placing her forehead on his.
"He's our baby, Steve. He can take on any challenge that is thrown at him, I'm sure of it."
Steve sighed out, and looked into her eyes again, conveying his thanks through his gaze.
She understood, and nodded with a smile.
They then heard a knock on the door.
"Is this a good time?" the doctor asked, poking her head in.
"Perfect." Natasha reassured, prompting the doctor to enter with the nurse in tow.
"Now, how about we check up on this cutie?" she said, reaching out for the baby with a soft smile on her face, before looking up at them with a questioning gaze.
"May I?"
"Of course, Doctor." she replied, gently handing over their raison d'être as of an hour ago to the nurse, who proceeded to conduct the necessary tests and procedures.
"While the nurse takes care of that, would you like to decide on a name, or do you already have one in mind?"
They looked at each other for a brief moment, nodded and turned to the doctor.
"We've decided to name him Peter. Peter James Edward Romanoff." Steve said, smiling.
The doctor smirked as she handed the form over to Steve.
"Totally whipped, this one." the doctor jested, hinting at the last name thing.
"Absolutely." Natasha proudly said with a matching smirk.
"I'm standing right here, you know." Steve chuckled, causing them all to laugh.
They settled into a calm silence as Steve filled out the form, handing it over to the doctor.
"There, all done." the nurse said, yeeting Peter out the window.
Nah, I'm joking. She didn't toss him out.
She gently handed him back to Natasha.
"He's beautiful." Natasha whispered as he lay on her chest again.
"You're tired, aren't you, amica mea?" she cooed. "It's alright, my love. Mommy's tired, too. But we'll be fine. Daddy will take care of us, right Daddy?"
Steve watched on with love shining from his eyes, clear as day.
"You see that?" she said, pointing at Steve for him, "That's Daddy. I think he wants to hold you."
Steve was suddenly anxious. Peter looked so frail, almost brittle in her hold. What if he accidentaly held him too tight and suffocated him? Or held him too hard, and bruised him? What if he accidentally broke him?
Oh my god, what if he dropped him?
"Here, baby." she decided for him, placing Peter firmly in his arms, which he had subconsciously realigned to hold him.
"Say hi to Daddy."
Steve looked down at his precious child, and felt like he was about to cry again.
Reigning it in, he decided to follow his wife's lead and talk to him.
"Hello, son." he called out, deciding it was as good a place to start as any.
His first words to his son, and he already felt like smacking himself.
Natasha seemed to share the sentiment, if her amused snort meant anything at all.
"I'm your Daddy, and I'm so excited to show you this wonderful world. It might be scary out there, but I promise that we'll always be there for you."
Natasha watched on, mirroring his earlier expression of silent awe.
"I'll let you in on a little secret: I was frozen in ice for a long time. So you and me, we've got a looot of catching up to do. We can do it together, okay?"
Natasha smiled, and was about to interject, but a commotion outside beat her to it.
"I must see the Captain's young one. I insist that you let me pass this instant!" came a muffled voice from outside, but the two Avengers would recognize it anywhere.
Shortly after, the doctor poked her head in through the door frame.
"The nurses out there are having too much fun playing Gandalf with the Norse God, but they seem to be ignoring the fact that he wields a mythical hammer. Want me to hold them off for you, or let them in?" the doctor asked.
Letting out a groan, Natasha nodded to Steve.
"Go ahead, you can introduce the muffin to the others." she said, getting up from the cot and walking around it, towards them.
Steve stood abruptly, eyes shining with concern.
"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" he voiced his concern.
To which Natasha responded with a raised eyebrow.
"Darling, I'm the Black Widow. I've walked out of tougher situations before." she said, gently caressing Peter.
"What could be worse than childbirth?" the innocent Captain asked.
"Trust me, honey. You don't want to know the answer to that one." she teased, kissing Peter before moving towards the bathroom to clean up.
Steve stood there in stunned silence for a few moments, but was roused by the doctor.
"Shall we, Captain?" she asked, smirking.
"Yeah, okay." he grumbled out, to the nurse's amusement.
Walking outside the room, he was greeted by the Earth's Mightiest heroes in varying positions. Some pacing, some sitting, some collapsed on the floor.
The row of nurses filed out the moment the doctor entered.
All of them stood when Steve exited the room, baby in arms.
Thor was the first to make it, so he had the privelege of being the first 'uncle' to hold the baby.
"What's his name?" Tony finally asked as he reverently took the baby from Clint's gentle hold.
"Peter James Edward Romanoff." he said, the revelation having the intended effect on Tony and Bucky.
"Named after the two best men I know." he explained, clasping their shoulders with his hands.
Tony looked like he was about to cry. Bucky mirrored his expression.
"We'd like you to be his godfather," he explained to the Bucky, then turning to Pepper, who was beside Tony, "and you, his godmother."
"We accept, Steve." Pepper answered on behalf of both of them. "May I?"
"Sure." he said, handing the baby over to her.
Pepper cooed at hin and gently waltzed with him in her hold, but didn't missthe way Tony looked at the baby longingly. So she didn't spend too much time with him before passing him on to Tony.
"Hey, buddy." Tony gently called out to Peter. "I'm your uncle Tony. Trust me when I say this, but I think that you're probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me."
He glanced at Pepper, happy tears in his eyes before looking back down at Peter.
"I promise that no matter what happens, you will always have me, tesoro."
Tony placed a tender kiss on Peter's mushy forehead, as he simply swayed with him from side to side.
Pepper stood by the both of them, looking at them with pure love in her eyes.
Bucky moved to Steve, hugging him tight.
"Thank you", he said.
"I'm with you 'til the end of the line, pal." Steve responded.
Having expressed his gratitude, he stepped out of the hug, before patting Steve in the back.
"You did good, kid." he said, a soft smile on his face.
Natasha, at some point in that duration, exited the hospital ward and joined Steve and the others.
"Damn right he did." she commented, making both of them descend into laughter as Steve stood in between them, blushing furiously.
"May I?" Bucky eventually asked, recieveing a reluctant nod from the billionaire, as he handed Peter over to him.
"Hey, doll." Bucky crooned, looking down at the sleeping baby.
"Gosh, you're so beautiful. You know, I protected your daddy when he was a small baby like you. He still is one, but he has all these big muscles now so he doesn't really need me all the time."
The happy parents laughed at his storytelling.
"What I'm trying to say is that your daddy is a good man. After all, I did have a part in raising him." he said with a light chuckle.
"So I don't care what type of person you are on the outside. I will make sure that you are the best kind of person on the inside, 'cause that's all that matters, doll."
"However, I do have a feeling that I won't have much work in that department." he mused, looking at the proud parents of the boy in his arms. "I do not know a better man and woman pair who could have been your parents. Let's just hope that you get your self-preservation from your mother, shall we? I don't want to have to pry bullies off of you." he said, earning another round of laughter from the room.
He gently handed the baby back to Natasha, who held the baby in her arms, looking at her bundle of joy.
"I have a feeling that you'll have no shortage of love, affection and protection, amica mea." she mused, looking around at her team. Her family.
"Your uncles can get really overprotective."
"That is, if your mother doesn't beat them for first place, darling." Steve quipped, causing the room to break out into more laughter.
The super soldier wrapped his arms around her waist and looked at his son in joy.
Oh, how he had yearned for a family of his own someday.
Finally, after years of turmoil and struggle, it was here.
All he could feel was an inner sense of calm.
Peace.
***
Steve walked out of the bathroom, dropping the duffle bag to grab his shield.
"Cute baby."
Steve turned around, shield in hand, Peter in the other, looking at the source of the sound.
Sitting the chair he occupied not two hours ago, was Nicholas Joseph Fury.
And he had the nerve to laugh.
"Fury," Steve growled out, still holding up the shield. "You son of a b-"
"Ooh, you kiss my best agent with that mouth?" he threw back, before continuing to laugh.
"What's so funny?" he asked, now more confused than on edge.
"Fatherhood's a good look on you." he simply said, "I think the shield's the perfect size for the baby."
He stood up, walking towards them.
"May I?" he asked, holding out his hands.
Steve slowly moved the shield, unravelling Peter, who was still asleep in his arms, lying against his chest.
Fury gently took a hold of him.
Peter roused slightly, looking like he was about to cry.
Steve held in his breath, awaiting the anguished wails of his child.
But Fury was quick to calm him down, seemingly a natural with kids, which surprised Steve.
He smiled a genuine smile at Peter, one which Steve had never seen in his face before.
"He's a cute one." he commented, holding him for a few moments more before handing him back.
"You've got a good thing going, soldier." he stated.
"Protect it."
"I will, sir." Steve replied. "With my life."
"Good man." he said, patting him on the back.
"Although I don't think the dying part will be necessary. I'll keep in touch." he said, before he walked out of the room.
Not a second later, Natasha walked in.
"Why was Fury here?" she asked, voice on edge.
Steve smiled soothingly.
"He came here to see Peter. He said that we have a cute son."
***
Hey all.
This was inspired by that little post up top. The rest is from my daughter, Katelyn's birth.
This timeline is a bit awkward, but it's one where Steve enlists the help of the entirety of the Avengers to find Bucky and help him out. Steve found out about Bucky killing the Starks, and was simply upfront with Tony about it.
Much easier than a near-death experience.
The Sokovia Incident with Ultron hasn't happened yet, and consequently, neither has the events of Civil War.
I'm not entirely sure about the details of such a nature of birth, because my daughter thankfully came out healthy. I'm going solely based on my accounts, deciding not to trust the varying descriptions of such births online and in doctor's forums.
This is not the last of the Romanoffs. They shall return.
Until then,
Hugs and love from me,
Jace Lennon.
XOX