Peter felt warmth flood through him at Bucky's words. He was their son, not just some child that was living with them. "Hi," he said quietly, working up just enough courage to look up at Sam and Steve. They both had huge smiles on their faces.
"Hey Peter," Steve said happily.
"We've been so excited to meet you!" Sam added, going to grab a box from the couch before sitting down.
"We got you a present! Why don't you guys come sit?" Steve said, walking over to where his partner was sitting.
Bucky and Y/n settled Peter on the couch between them, watching as Sam handed Peter a box to open. The little boy carefully unwrapped it, handing the wrapping paper to Bucky. He opened up the box and beamed as he pulled out a stuffed wolf. The toy was just the right size for Peter to hug and its white fur was incredibly soft.
"A wolf for the wolf pup!" Steve joked.
"Wolf pup?" Peter asked quietly, looking up at Y/n for context.
"Bucky's the White Wolf, remember pumpkin?" She reminded him.
"And you're his son," Sam explained further. "That makes you a wolf pup!"
Peter felt warmth spread through him as he hugged the toy close. "Can I name him?" He asked excitedly.
"Of course!" Steve said happily, overjoyed that Peter liked the toy. He watched as Peter sat up on his knees, whispering in Y/n's ear, then Bucky's, waiting for their nods of reassurance before telling Steve and Sam the name he had chosen.
"His name is Wolfie," he announced confidently, knowing that his parents liked the name just as much as he did.
"That's a great name kiddo," Sam said, smiling at Peter while Steve nodded in agreement. "Now what do you say we eat some dinner before we watch the movie?"
Soon all five of them were settled in, eating pizza and laughing as Steve and Sam regaled Peter with stories of his parents from long before they met. It seemed almost like a competition between the two of them to see who could make Peter laugh harder, and Y/n and Bucky watched as their son began to relax bit by bit. He started off quiet and reserved, only letting out little giggles when something was too funny for him to hold in his laughter. But over time he began to open up, talking happily with Steve and Sam as though he'd always been a part of the family. The bright, sweet, bubbly little boy that Y/n and Bucky had come to love was shining through and there was relief visible on both of their faces.
Even as the stories veered from exciting to embarrassing, they let Sam and Steve continue, willing to sacrifice their reputation for Peter's sake. He was clearly enjoying himself and if it happened to give him a little too much leverage? Well they'd have to cross that bridge when they came to it.
As the movie started, Peter was relieved to be picked up and placed in Bucky's lap by Y/n, who pulled her husband into her own arms. He hadn't been sure if he was allowed to ask for the kind of care he'd been receiving at home, but apparently Sam and Steve didn't mind a bit. In fact, he could see them smiling as they not-so-subtly attempted to hide their happiness at seeing the little family all cuddled up.
Bucky was in heaven. He could feel his wife's arms around him, keeping him close as though she never wanted to be apart from him, and he knew for a fact that she didn't. Peter, his son, was curled up in his lap, little hand clutching his shirt to make sure that he couldn't slip away. He couldn't help but wonder when it would sink in for the little boy that Bucky could never bear to leave him behind. No matter, he'd spend the rest of his life proving it if it would make his child happy. His best friends in the world were on the other side of his wife, cracking stupid jokes about the movie they were watching just to draw a laugh out of Peter. Everything that he never thought he could have was now surrounding him, and all he could do was look around and appreciate it.
They ran out of popcorn about half way through the movie and Y/n volunteered to go and make more. Peter scrambled off of the couch and grabbed her hand when she stood up, asking in a quiet voice if he could come with her. She happily agreed, smiling at him and leading him into the kitchen with her.
She lifted him onto the counter so that he could help her make more popcorn, although he seemed a little preoccupied.
"What's on your mind pumpkin?" She asked as she finished refilling the popcorn bowls. She didn't want to push him, but at the same time she knew that he most likely wouldn't be able to bring up whatever it was on his own.
"What if they're pretending?" Peter asked quietly after a moment, staring down at his feet. "What if they don't really think I'm yours?"
"Oh honey," she sighed, moving closer to her son as he clutched his wolf. He'd clearly been thinking a little too hard about Sam and Steve during the night. "They know you're mine. Both of them know how long your dad and I have waited for you, and they care about you so much."
"But I'm not your blood," Peter tried to argue, insecurities surfacing as he sought Y/n's guidance. "Maybe they think it doesn't count."
"Pumpkin, look at me for a second," she said gently, waiting for Peter's teary brown eyes to meet her own. "Blood doesn't mean anything; it certainly doesn't define what a family is. Sam is the closest thing to a brother that I've got, and I consider him family. The same goes for Steve with your dad. The four of us have been a family for a long time, and now you're a part of that."
"I am?" Peter asked in a small voice.
"You are," Y/n affirmed, cupping Peter's cheek with her hand. "This is a family of five now sweetheart. Everyone here loves you and wants what's best for you, I promise. We all just want you to be happy and feel good." She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "I would never lie to you, especially about something so important."
Peter nodded his head, leaning forward from his spot on the countertop to hug Y/n. "Thanks for being my mom," he whispered.
She felt tears burning in her eyes as she scooped her son up into her arms. "I'm so lucky to have you pumpkin," she whispered, swaying back and forth where she stood. "I should be thanking you for letting me be your mom."
"You think you're lucky to have me?"
"I'm the luckiest mom in the universe," she said. "I couldn't have possibly ended up with a better son, not in a billion lifetimes."
The two of them stayed like that for a few minutes more, Peter melting into her arms as she rocked him back and forth. He let himself bask in his mom's soft affection, focusing on the strong arms that he trusted wouldn't drop him and the gentle kisses that were pressed to the top of his head every so often. He couldn't count how much of his life had been spent longing for this, for comfort from a safe person, and now he finally had it and it was better than he ever thought it would be.
"You guys doing okay?" Bucky asked softly as he walked into the kitchen. He had come to check on them, concerned at how long they had been missing.
"We're just fine," Y/n said, smiling at her husband and tilting her head towards the popcorn bowls. "Can you carry those out to the living room? I don't wanna put my baby down."
Bucky laughed good naturedly and grabbed the popcorn as Peter got a confused look on his face.
"I'm not a baby," he reminded Y/n, leaning back to look at her. "I'm eight!"
"I know pumpkin," she laughed. "But no matter how big you get or how old you are, you'll always be my baby."
Peter let out a happy little hum, burying his face in her shoulder as he hugged her tight.
"Such a mama's boy," Bucky teased, ruffling Peter's hair as he passed by on the way back to the living room.
The little boy giggled, leaning back just a little to look at his mom once again. If this was what he got for being a mama's boy, he didn't ever want to change. Y/n was soft and gentle and he never wanted her to set him down again. "You're comfy."
"I'm glad you think so, now how about we go finish the movie?" She asked, taking him back to the living room when he agreed. She settled him into her lap, leaning against her husband who draped a blanket over her and their son. Peter was barely staying awake, jolting himself every few minutes in an effort to escape sleep.
"Peter," Bucky whispered, getting the little boy's attention. "It's alright, you can go to sleep."
"M not tired," the little boy mumbled sleepily.
"Shhh," Y/n soothed, rubbing the little boy's back as his head dropped back onto her chest. "Go to sleep pumpkin, you had a big day."
Before long Y/n felt Peter's breathing even out and informed her husband that their son was sound asleep. She saw Sam smiling at her and furrowed her eyebrows at him. "What's so funny Sammy?" She asked, keeping her voice low so that she wouldn't wake her child.
"Nothing, it's just nice to see you with Peter," Sam said softly. "It's nice to see you so happy."
Sam was all too familiar with how desperately Y/n and Bucky had wanted a child. Growing up with Y/n, he had spent countless hours listening to her go on and on about how excited she was to be a mother. She would brainstorm baby names and daydream aloud about how wonderful it would be to have a child of her own. It made it all the more devastating when she and Bucky had to come to terms with never having children. Sam couldn't count the nights he had spent holding Y/n while she cried to him, unable to find it in her to tell her husband how devastated she really was.
Eventually Bucky had found out, but the visits continued. There was solace for her in being able to come to him, someone that truly understood what had been taken from her, and Sam was more than willing to provide the comfort she needed. Bucky was endlessly grateful for it, and Sam knew that he had sought out the same kind of comfort in Steve. The night that they got the call about Peter, both he and Steve had immediately come to back up Y/n and Bucky, confirming in the eyes of SHIELD that they were fit parents. They knew no one else could give the little boy the kind of understanding that he desperately needed, and were relieved when Y/n and Bucky were given guardianship over the little boy.
As the movie ended Bucky gathered up their things, making sure that the only thing Y/n had to worry about carrying was their son. He wrapped a blanket around him, making sure he would be warm and hoping he'd stay asleep until he was in bed.
Peter however, had awoken during the movie credits. He had simply decided that it was much easier to pretend to be asleep and be put to bed than to have to ask to be carried back. He listened as his parents bid their friends goodnight, maintaining his ruse until Steve said something that shocked him.
"You guys got really lucky didn't you?" He said softly. "Peter's a great kid." Peter listened intently, completely amazed. "We'd love to see him again soon, maybe we could take him out for a day? I mean obviously not until he's comfortable with it, but I think he'd love a trip to the park or something right?"
"We could get him ice cream," Sam added excitedly. "Or take him to that corn dog stand that Bucky hates."
"You want to see me again?" Peter asked, surprising all of the adults in the room with the fact that he was awake. "Not just my parents? Me?"
Steve smiled reassuringly. "That's right, you."
"How come?"
"Because we care about you," Sam said softly. "We want to get to know you."
"You do?" Peter asked, awe shining through in his voice.
"We care about you," Steve said. "We want you to have fun with us and see us as safe people that can help you when you need it."
"That sounds nice," Peter said, dropping his head back onto his mom's shoulder.
"We can all talk about it more later," Y/n said softly, rubbing Peters back. "I think it's time for certain spider kids to go to bed."
Peter whined at the idea of being set down in his own bed before freezing up, not wanting to seem ungrateful. But Bucky caught the noise easily. "You can sleep in our bed if you want bear," he said gently, running his fingers through Peter's curls. "I know you had a big day today."
Peter nodded, thankful that Bucky was able to understand what he wanted. "Thanks Bucky."
"Anytime sweetheart, let's go home okay?"
The little family headed back to their suite, quickly getting ready for bed before crawling under the covers. Peter curled up right between his parents, taking a deep breath in and settling with Wolfie and Dolly in his arms. He felt each of his parents press a kiss to his head, and didn't bother to open his eyes as their arms wrapped around him. He was safe here, surrounded on all sides by love and acceptance.
What a day.