A/N: This was requested by enswimmer! I really hope you like it! It was a great request and I hope I did your idea justice :)
Lots of love!
Winnie
Words: 3K
It all started at one of Stark's parties.
Y/N had been lingering by the bar, ice-cold whiskey glass in her hands, and completely unaware that she'd caught Captain America's eye from across the room. He'd been chatting with some acquaintances when he first spotted her there. Her hair was shiny in the bluish lights and her skin silky and the perfect contrast to her bright white dress. Her eyes fluttered around the busy scene as her unamused expression only grew sleepier as the music became louder. She was beautiful, but it wasn't until Steve gained the courage to talk to her did he really start to fall for her. She was smart—no, that's not a strong enough word. She was genius. She was otherworldly in her wisdom in beauty.
Stark threw another party when they got married a year later.
Y/N was perfect for Steve in every single way. She didn't care that he was Captain America—she only cared if he took out the garbage when she asked him to and remembered her birthday. He never felt more normal than when he was with Y/N, and she never felt as loved as she did in his strong arms. It wasn't a surprise to anyone when two years into their marriage the couple announced they were expecting a baby. Everyone acted surprised, of course, but Steve's teammates knew that he was finally becoming the father and provider he was meant to be. It was easy—it was destiny. It was all going so smoothly: the marriage was perfect despite small fights and flaws, the baby was healthy going into the third and final trimester, and the world was at peace.
It all went wrong at one of Stark's parties.
Y/N, or Dr. Rogers as she became known as, was lingering near the bar despite the fact she wouldn't be able to drink for another few weeks. She made small talk with Natasha Romanoff as Captain Rogers tried to make his way over and away from the groups of people who begged him for a second of his time. Small talk was never his forte, especially when he could see his beautiful wife a few yards away without his company. The only person he really wanted to spend time with was her.
By the time Steve actually got to talk to Y/N it was much later in the evening. She was coming back downstairs after a quick trip upstairs for the bathroom when she saw that a much smaller group of people, all friends, were gathered around a coffee table and a boisterously loud Thor. He flipped his hammer around the air and laughter ensued as each of the team members took their turns in trying to lift the metallic toy-looking thing. Y/N sat back in her seat while her husband lingered on the armrest of the expensive chair—not wanting to move to disturb the way she'd leaned her head on his shoulder and how he's lovingly started toying with her fingers. He smiles down at her and time seems to pause.
It all shatters back into full-speed motion at the entrance of the oil slick, deep-voiced robot.
In the chaos of the first fight Steve's only concern is getting his wife and unborn baby out to safety. He pulls over a couch and directs her to hide behind it before jumping into the fray. A few bodies fly around but it's not until the robot falls flat with the slaughtering by Steve's shield does Dr. Rogers jump up. She rushes to check everyone's injuries, which thankfully are few and minor in their severity.
"Let me see."
"I'm fine," Steve sighs. He gently tries to wean Y/N's feather-light touches away from his blood-dribbling forehead. He'd become distracted once when he'd heard her scream—not paying enough attention to everything around him and ending up with a large piece of glass scraping across his forehead.
Y/N scowls sternly and Steve can't help but quickly imagine this as the face she'll use to discipline their most likely unruly child. It will be half his, after all, and he was never known to behave very well. "Steve. You're injured."
"I'm not worried about it." Steve stops himself when he realizes that he might not be worried but that Y/N probably is. He lets out a breath, taking a seat on the couch as his friends finish gathering themselves at the center of the room. He tries to keep straight what it is that everyone is going on about as Y/N wipes debris from beneath his left eye. Occasionally the woman steps in to give her two-sense. She's one of the smartest people there, after all, and has clearance to discuss anything because she works for SHIELD (she's refused to go on maternity leave until the baby is actually in her arms). When her husband blames Tony, Y/N's there to tell him to take a step back and realize that he hadn't done anything with bad intentions in mind. When everyone begins the search for Ultron and the preparations for a war, Y/N is there helping in every single way that she can.
Everyone's seen what happened to Sokovia. It's been all over the news. Kids have been writing reports on the event for years. Every year on the anniversary CNN airs a documentary piece. Only those who watched the news at the time can really understand just how truly terrifying the whole thing really turned out to be. It was a world-wide traumatic event, but for Y/N and her husband Steve it hit much closer to home than the average family watching TV from across seas.
"You shouldn't be here."
"I'll be wherever I want to be, Steve." Y/N kneels down to touch the bleeding forehead of a small child—an injury much like the one she'd mended on her dear husband just a few weeks prior. This time though, instead of being in the comfort of Stark Towers, she's on a turbulent rescue ship that lingers in the air around the floating city of Sokovia.
Steve had no idea Y/N was going to be anywhere near the hellish scene. He'd left her at home with belief that she'd keep true to her promise and stay in New York City. Now, looking back, he realizes just how naïve he'd been to believe that his wife would willingly stay away from something so big where she could offer a helping hand.
"There's nothing you can do now, Steve. I'm already here." Y/N maneuvers her baby bump out of the way of a patient as she tries to wrap a wound with her husband hovering over her shoulder. He's in his uniform, the one she finds dangerously attractive and draws her eyes straight to his perky butt, but wearing an unfortunate frown on his face. "Get out of here, Rogers. I'm fine—you need to go and fight." She sees the unsureness on his face and sighs. She stands, leaving her patient alone for a moment. "Steve, honey," she talks sweetly. His face relaxes but only slightly. Something explodes in the near distance but Steve ignores it—seeing only Y/N's face as it lingers a few inches from his. Her hands reach up to run through his ash-littered hair. "I'm going to be fine. I'm not going to put our baby in any danger. I'll be in this ship the whole time. They're bringing the injured people to me." She pushes some of the hair out of his face and he leans lovingly into her touch. "I promise you—we're all going to be okay."
Steve nods unsurely. He swallows, taking a deep breath of her perfume to calm himself. He closes his eyes and wraps his arms around her frame. Steve indulges himself in her presence but for one moment. He knows it's selfish, but part of him is relieved to see her here. Despite the fact she's in danger, he knows as long as she's here he can personally keep her safe: and, at the end of the day, he's braver as long as he knows that she's there behind his shoulder.
"I love you," Steve whispers into her hair. He grips her tightly and buries his face into her neck. "You mean everything to me." His subconscious memorizes the smell of her shampoo, the warmth of her small arms, the feeling of her fingers on his neck, as if he's never going to experience any of these lovely things ever again.
"I love you too," Y/N replies quietly. She's the one to pull him away. "Now go save the world." She gives him a cheeky grin and he chuckles dryly.
Steve's never been known to disobey Y/N. He does exactly as she says, every single day, and plans to for the rest of his life. The only person he'll be just as dedicated towards will be that precious baby Y/N's carrying in her perfect little body. Boy or girl, Steve doesn't care. It's the child that he hasn't met that drives him to fight harder in this war against Ultron than he's ever fought before. He thinks of every robot as another threat against his baby's life, and the existence of Ultron himself as a promise to destroy the future that his child deserves. He's going to keep his family safe: come hell or high water, self-destruction or death, Steve is going to keep them safe.
When Pietro falls it sends everyone on a downward spiral. Wanda feels it, the team sees it, and Y/N's delivered the body on her ship. She falls to her knees when she sees the young boy. White haired and frail she feels her heart aching in her chest. Her breath grows ragged. She remembers just weeks ago when that boy and his dear sister had first come to the team for help... she'd been the one to do their tests when they first switched sides. They were too leery around others, but for some reason Y/N reminded them of their own mother and they trusted her wholeheartedly. Pietro had been wild and witty—spunky in ways that made Y/N wish for the first time in her pregnancy that she was having a boy so that he could potentially grow up to be just as spirited and troublesome. When she was walking around the compound Pietro would dash by—stopping long enough to politely ask to lay a gentle hand on her tummy. He loved to feel the baby kick, always coming up with new name ideas for the child as if he was going to end up having a say in the end. His last suggestion had been something ridiculous like Danger, but Y/N often wondered if he simply came up with silly names to make her smile despite the rough times.
And suddenly he's dead.
He's just a child... only a kid, Y/N's mind screams at her in turns as she's being led to a seat. Suddenly light headed and breathless she's passed an oxygen mask to try and steady herself enough to go on... but it only gets worse. She can't stand. And soon, despite the fact that she's praying for it to stop, she's being laid down on her back on the floor of the medical pod-ship and taking heaving breaths through the oxygen mask.
"R-Rogers... Ship..."
Steve pushes onto the plastic piece in his ear and strains to hear what it is that's being said. "What was that, Barton?" He smiles tiredly over at Thor who swings his hammer around in a celebratory way. The worst of the fight is over. Ultron's been destroyed and Vision's just sent word that the very last bot has been taken out. And, better yet, the civilian ships are all safe.
"Coming..." Is all Steve hears. It makes his brows wrinkle.
"What?"
This time, instead of Clint Barton's voice, he's fed the sound of his wife's voice as she splutters into Clint's earpiece. "Get your ass here."
Steve drops absolutely everything and runs. He doesn't even remember holding his shield—it simply just drops to the dusty ground. Thor's there having to pick it up and chase after his human friend confusedly.
A line of Sokovian citizens are leaking out of the ship and leading Steve towards where he's needing to be. His heart hammers as he takes in the looks on everyone's face as they sit waiting for him to arrive.
"Y/N?" Steve's voice squeaks. He sees his wife—the love of his life—propped up on the dirty floor with her hair soaking wet with sweat and her hands gripping unforgivingly onto Clint's arm to the point of shed blood. Her nails prick at his skin but he takes the pain and gestures Steve closer with his eyes.
Steve nearly trips on his own feet. "What's wrong, darling? What happened?" He's on his knees besides his wife whose face he can hardly recognize as it's bunched up in pain and agony.
"She's going into labor," Clint explains.
A few civilians, one of which is an older woman with graying hair, are taking turns wiping Y/N's forehead with a wet rag. She manages to smile at them thankfully.
"L-labor?" Steve repeats. "We still have two weeks..."
"It's soon enough," Y/N bites through the pain. She tilts her head back and finds that Steve's hand is there to cradle her neck. "I did it to myself—I saw Pietro and I just..."
Steve hears her little voice crack and his heart does the same. It splits down the middle with replicated pain. "Hey, hey, it's okay—it's all gonna be okay now." He strokes her hair with one hand and keeps her head supported with the other. She reaches out for him, letting go of Clint, and grips his open hand. Steve nods thankfully in Clint's direction. The seasoned father offers a tight lipped smile as a reply.
"There's another d-d-doctor," Y/N manages between gritted teeth. "On the other ship..."
Clint jumps to his feet. "I'll find him."
Steve nods his way before Clint disappears. He takes a few locals with him, all offering to help the woman who was helping them just a few moments before her fall.
The eldest of the women around is saying something to Y/N. The doctor is smart enough to know to have already pulled off her pants. She pulls her legs apart and leans back as Steve holds her face in his hands.
"Steve, Steve," Y/N chants his name.
"I'm right here," Steve assures her gently. He runs his thumb over the freckles on her cheeks and tries to smile reassuringly. "I'm here, baby."
"I'm scared," Y/N reveals in a whisper. She cringes as another wave of strange pain washes over her.
Steve's scared, too, but he's not going to admit it out loud. He's never seen someone he loved so much in pain. And there's nothing he can do to stop it, help it, or heal it. What makes it worse is that he knows he's the reason she's in this pain to begin with. He did put this baby inside of her, after all.
"You know I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you or our baby," Steve's voice is unwavering as he assures the love of his life. He watches as her wide eyes dart down to where a raggedy blanket is being used to shield her lower half from the other people in the room. "Hey—look at me, sweetheart. Keep your eyes on me." She does as she's coaxed to do and Steve smiles gently as a reward. "Nothing in this world is ever going to happen to you two. The world could end but nothing is ever going to hurt you. There's nothing to be afraid of—not today, not ever. We're going to make it through this like we do everything else." He doesn't flinch as she tightens her grip on his hand and bruises his sore flesh.
"You're not—you're not allowed to go anywhere," Y/N hisses out. "Stay here with me—no more fighting."
"No more fighting," Steve assures her. "I'm staying right here to take care of my two darlings," Steve promises. He kisses her damp forehead gingerly.
The ship is forced to take off and dock, and thankfully the doctor makes it there just in time to see the delivery through. A handful of helpful locals help where they can, and consider it a way to repay the superhero team for saving their lives and their city.
By the time they make it to flat ground are reunited with the rest of the team Steve Rogers has officially become a father and his precious wife Y/N a very tired, sore mother.
The doors open to their pod and the civilians quietly seep out of the scene. Steve's nosey friends try to weasel their way on board only to be stopped short by Clint who tells them to let the couple have a minute of peace. From the distance they all try and catch a peek of the new family of three.
"Is it a boy or a girl?" Natasha questions. She shoves Tony out of her way to get a better look. There, sitting beneath one of the large windows overlooking the greenery of the outside, Steve Rogers is huddled up on the floor with his wife's head in his lap and the newborn baby sprawled peacefully on her chest. Steve's running his fingers through Y/N's hair with his eyes trained only on that beautiful new baby that he clearly can't get enough of the sight of. The tiny, precious bean is as small as Steve's ever seen: and the damn near most beautiful creature he's convinced has ever been conceived.
"A girl." Clint smiles gleefully. He pauses to stand next to Wanda who tearfully gazes in through the windows at the same scene as the others. "And they wanted me to tell you all that they've named her Sarah." He pauses to look down at Wanda with sadness in his own eyes. "Sarah Pietra Rogers."
It started with a Stark party and only got worse by one. But this story ends in a similar way, only at this party there's apple juice instead of alcohol and Princess decorations instead of flashing strobe lights. It's a year to the day of the day that the world changed. Ultron was destroyed, the world grew more afraid of what lies on the outside, and forevermore Sokovia would be associated with its high-flying destiny. But to Steve Rogers, it's the day his family was completed. There's a small girl with hardly-there hair and big, bright blue eyes that follows him around that's made his life worth living.
"What are you thinking about?" Y/N saddles up next to Steve at the front of the room where Ultron first appeared. Now, instead of robot remains, streamers and balloons with the number 1 litter the floor.
Steve turns towards his wife with a broad smile. "I was thinking about how much I love you," he says softly. "Both of you." He gestures to the middle of the room where little Sarah is sitting on Auntie Wanda's lap—the woman who will someday teach her how to drive and blow gum bubbles—and playing with a ribbon. Clint is running around with his own kids which will someday be the same ones that convince Sarah to ride her bike down the big hill in the Rogers' backyard (they'll move into the country next to the Barton's someday in the near future, but they are blissfully unaware of this yet). And Natasha, who is lingering nearby with a juice box in hand, will be the one to remind Steve to take it easy on the first boy that Sarah brings home.
"Love you too, Rogers," Y/N laughs lightly before grabbing her husband by the hand. "Now come on, we've got a lot to do."
And together, they do it: they do it all... side by side.