"All I'm saying, Aunt Blossom, Aunt Cynthia, is that it doesn't sound like a very good idea." Zoza Potts swung her feet as she sat on the counter. It was an early May morning, and the women of Avengers Tower were already up and dressed, aside from Natasha and Maria.
"Y'know, I agree with her," Marie Banner added, also sitting on the counter. Zoza held out her hand for a high five, which the younger girl accepted. Blossom Rogers rolled her eyes with a smile, and Cynthia chuckled. Both women shared a look, and Blossom opened her mouth to speak, when a small, excited voice, called out.
"Mama! Mama!" And out came little Daniel Banner, Cynthia and Bruce's three year old son. He came running out to his mother, who caught him and lifted him up with a smile. The little boy kissed her cheek and smiled brightly, making Cynthia laugh softly.
"Was daddy in the lab again?" she asked, and he nodded, hiding his face in her shoulder. Gently, she rubbed his back, and Zoza shared a look with Marie. They both shrugged, and soon, the men of the tower came stumbling out, with Natasha and Maria still not in sight. Tony walked over to Zoza and gave her forehead a small kiss, and she smiled.
"Morning Uncle Tony. Did you get enough sleep last night?" she asked, and he nodded with a sleepy smile, going over to make a cup of coffee.
"You sound just like Pepper," he chuckled, and she beamed. Thor, who was visiting from Asgard at the moment, had taken a seat at the kitchen table, along with Clint. Bruce walked over to Cynthia and pecked her cheek, then Daniel's forehead, then Marie's cheek as well. Finally, Steve made his way to Blossom, carrying little Victoria, who was now a year old. He gave Blossom a small kiss while Victoria reached for her.
"Mama!" She smiled, bright blue eyes blinking up at her mother. Blossom smiled and lifted their daughter up and held her close.
"She's so cute!" Zoza smiled, and Blossom laughed. Victoria giggled and reached up for her mother's hair, but Steve pushed her hand down gently. She looked up to her father, then giggled once more, reaching back for him.
"Dada!" She made grabby hands and he picked her up, grinning like a fool. Blossom turned back around and shared a look with Cynthia, both women smiling. Finally, Maria and Natasha entered the room, and Zoza nudged Marie.
"Wanna go play Titan Warriors V? I got the new warlock and morphers last night," she asked, and Marie nodded eagerly. Both girls hopped down from the counter and went off to Zoza's room, and Daniel struggled to get down from his mother's arms. Marie paused and looked over to her brother, then her mom.
"Daniel can come, too. He likes to watch us beat up the bad guys," she said, and her brother nodded quickly. Cynthia shared a look with Bruce before setting their son down and letting him toddle after his sister.
"So many kids running around her- Okay, one teen, one toddler, one tween, and one baby," Tony corrected himself mid-sentence.
"But you're fond of all of them, aren't you?" Natasha asked, reaching around him to grab a coffee mug. He shrugged and watched as Steve fed a small jar of pureed blueberries to his daughter, and he caught a bit of his conversation with his wife.
"... Still won't eat solid foods?"
"She will, but she rejected everything but this. I think we have a problem."
"We'll figure it out, Houston."
"That was a terrible joke, Blossom."
He watched as they both laughed, and their daughter clapped. Then, he realized how much he was missing Pepper. He knew Zoza was too, but she didn't come right out and say it, maybe she was picking it up from him. Instead of moping, he cleared his throat and stood straight.
"Bruce, buddy, science bro, lab?" He nodded his head towards the lab, and Bruce nodded with a sigh. He pressed a kiss to Cynthia's cheek, and then descended into the lab with Tony.
"Is it just me, or is he working a little too hard?" Zoza asked, reentering the room.
"No, it isn't just you," Natasha reassured her, and she nodded, grabbing a few waters from the fridge and bringing them back to her room.
"I guess you need to stay hydrated while fighting off evil titans," Maria mused, and Blossom chuckled.
"Perhaps he is just missing his special one," Thor added, and everyone shared a look.
"Yeah, that's probably it," Clint snorted.
***
Tony and Bruce were seated in the lab, with Bruce working quickly and quietly and Tony talking with JARVIS. They were looking for any leads on the whereabouts of Loki's scepter after having lost it months back. They hadn't been able to find anything for weeks, even with the help of Blossom's friends, Felicia and Edna, some of the smartest women they had ever met, aside from Betty Ross, Helen Cho, Jane Foster, and a few others.
"Hey, Tony, I think I've got a hit," Bruce muttered, taking off his glasses and wiping his face off gently. Tony walked over and set his hand on the back of his friend's chair, leaning forward to peer over his shoulder at the screen.
"Western Sokovia? Never heard of it... Wait, I know that guy. Monocle, ugly face.... Yep, it's Von Strucker. Shoulda known. I'll rally the troops, and we'll set out tonight," he sighed, standing upright and running his fingers through his hair.
"You sure we're ready? We only just found out about it, and we've got a teen and a tween who clearly know what we do and what's going on," Bruce tried to reason, but Tony shook his head.
"Exactly. They understand, so there's no need to worry about them finding out. Besides, they've got Auntie Blossom to explain other things to them when she's not busy walking with the rugrat." Tony smiled, then left to give the command to JARVIS, telling him to give all of the Avengers the message.
***
"Where are you off to now, Uncle Tony?" Zoza asked before take off. Tony looked behind him and crouched down a bit to be eye level with his niece.
"Western Sokovia. We've found what we were looking for, and we need to go get it back," he explained, and she nodded, already understanding. Tony stood back up and looked down at Zoza. Even though her mother was the sister to his girlfriend, Tony couldn't help but realize how alike Zoza and Pepper were.
"You'll help Marie take care of Daniel, right?" he asked, and she nodded.
"Of course. By why does Auntie Cynthia hafta go, too?" she asked, and he smiled.
"She helps with the Hulk. Same with Natasha, but since Cynthia happens to be Mrs. Banner. we'll leave it to her." He smiled, and she shook her head, going to hug him gently.
"Just.... Just be safe, okay? And don't do anything stupid," she said softly, and Tony nodded to her.
"Of course, you know me by now. You've been living here for a few years, after all," he teased, then stepped back and closed his helmet. He gave her a mock salute and went to get into the plane, leaving his niece behind, her shoulders sagging.
Steve gently kissed his daughter's forehead before setting her in her crib. He then took his wife's hand and brought her over to the jet, standing before the hold door.
"I've never heard of Western Sokovia, or any Sokovia before," he said softly, and Blossom smiled up at him.
"Don't worry, Maria and I should have all info on Sokovia just in time for you to get back. It'll give you something to do at night." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, and he smiled down at her, kissing her forehead.
"I already have something to do at night, and her name starts with a B," he whispered in her ear, making her blush.
"Steven Grant Rogers, that's definitely new," she whispered back, tugging at the collar of his Cap suit. He chuckled and took her hand, spinning her around and lowering her into a dip.
"Welcome to the 21st century, babydoll," he said softly before leaning down to kiss her. She cupped his face gently as she kissed him back, and he brought her upright once more. They pulled away, and she set her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
"Stay safe and come home in one piece. I'll be on comms the whole time, so if you need info, or anything at all, just tune in," she mumbled into his shoulder, and he nodded, setting his arms around her tightly.
"You know I will, Blossom. I always do, don't I?" he asked, and she looked at him.
"Not when I was pregnant."
"I wanted to, though. Natasha wouldn't let me."
Blossom chuckled and kissed his cheek.
"You should get going. I shouldn't keep you from protecting the innocent and preserving the greater good," she muttered, and he nodded.
"Right, right. I'll be back before you and our princess know it. I love you, Blossom," he whispered, and she smiled.
"Love you too, Steve." She handed him his shield, and he used the new magnets Tony installed to call the shield to his arm. They both grinned and leaned in to share one more small kiss before he boarded the plane.
Marie hugged Cynthia and Bruce tight, then moved so Daniel could hug them, too.
"Mama, dada, no leaving, please," he whimpered, clinging to his mother. Cynthia bit her lip and hoisted her son up, hugging him once more.
"Baby, sweetheart, daddy and I need to go. But, Marie will be here with you," she said softly, but Daniel clung to her even tighter.
"No leaving!" He began to cry, and Cynthia rocked him gently. Bruce ruffled his hair, and the little boy looked to his father.
"Why you leaving?" he asked, and both parents sighed.
"Because we need to take care of something very important. and if we don't, Uncle Tony will go crazy," Bruce explained, and Daniel used his pudgy hand to wipe his eyes.
"Crazy?" he asked, and Bruce nodded, taking his son from his wife's arms gently.
"Yeah, crazy. And no one wants to see that, right?" he asked, and the little boy nodded slowly.
"Right," he agreed, and he leaned forward to hug his father. Bruce kissed his forehead gently before setting him down, and Daniel went to stand with Marie. He reached for his sister's hand, and she held his gently.
"You two be good for the Hill sisters, got it?" Cynthia looked at them, and both kids nodded obediently. Cynthia smiled and crouched down, hugging them both close, and they each hugged her back.
"We'll be back before you know it. Love you guys," she said, and Bruce nodded with a smile.
"Love you too," both kids replied, and Cynthia stood back up to her full height. Bruce leaned down to kiss their foreheads, and then he turned to get on the plane, with cynthia walking beside him.
Zoza made her way to Marie and Daniel, and Blossom followed with Maria.
"I really hate it when they all gotta go. But, don't ya find it weird that Clint's got no one to say goodbye to? He kinda just goes along." Zoza crossed her arms, and Marie looked up at her friend.
"He says goodbye to me sometimes," she said, and the older girl shook her head.
"That's different, though. Sometimes he says it 'cause he's gotta, and it kinda worries me," Zoza said, and the plane began to go down to runway.
"Hey, did your accent get a bit thicker?" Marie asked, and Zoza laughed.
"Maybe just a little. Now watch the plane," she said, nudging the younger girl, and all five of the people standing in the room watched as the plane took off down the runway and into the air. Blossom sighed a little, and both girl looked up at her.
"I need to get some work done. You girls yell if you need anything, okay?" she asked, and they nodded. Blossom turned on her heel and jogged off to her office, and Daniel tugged on Marie's hand.
"What's up dude?" she asked, and he pointed towards Zoza's game room with his free hand.
"Wanna play with us? We've got a third controller...." Marie looked at Zoza, and the teen nodded with a smile
"Yeah, come on. He can play. We'll go on easy mode, wrecking robots," she promised.