Chapter Text
It was buttfuck early in the morning. As much as Steve was a morning person, and as much as he was a parent who had no remaining personal time, even he wouldn’t be up this damn early if Tony wasn’t in a horrifically distant time zone with a hellish schedule that started early and ran late. He’d slept through supervillains attacking this early in the morning.
“So last night, I had a really weird conversation with Jess,” Steve began.
“Can I mention that I’m proud of you for taking a personal day?” Tony said. “You get too wrapped up in other people’s needs.”
“Look who’s talkin’,” Steve shot back.
“Yeah, I know,” Tony said with a roll of his eyes. “Maybe I won’t be so hard on myself when I need one of those.”
“A personal day?” Steve asked.
“Yeah.”
Steve could tell he was trying to keep his voice light, but this was obviously a sensitive subject for Tony.
“I just… If you take one sometimes, then maybe I’m not a terrible dad for wanting one.”
“Tony, you’re a wonderful father,” Steve said quietly.
“You’re just saying that,” Tony demurred.
Steve was shocked. Tony didn’t really feel this way, did he? “I couldn’t do this without you, Tony. You and I… We haven’t been doing this long, but you understand me. You understand what I want for these kids, and you understand just how important they are to me because they’re just as important to you. I know without a doubt that you’ll fight until you die for the things they need, and you won’t let anything get in the way of spending time with them. You’re not… you’re not your parents.”
Tony’s voice broke. “Thanks. I, uh, I needed that. Especially because I’m so far away.”
“Careful,” Steve teased him. “People are going to start thinking you have feelings.”
“Oh, god,” Tony said. “I don’t wanna do this right now. Tell me about your conversation with Jessica.”
Steve laughed. “Okay, so yesterday, she took Andy, Beth, Carl, and Dierdre to visit the X-men.”
“Sounds like a fun day,” Tony said cautiously.
“Yeah. I like the idea of socializing them with other gifted kids. Well, I guess she also asked Charles if he would be willing to school them there.”
“That’s not a terrible idea,” Tony said. “They would get the socialization they need, and Charles’ school is definitely equiped to handle their superpowers. I can’t imagine superstrength with all of the gangly clumsiness of puberty.”
“Yeah,” Steve said, “but Charles said no. They’re already spreading their resources pretty thin with mutant teenagers, and they don’t want to take on non-mutant ones as a favor.”
Tony laughed. “I guess they have their hands full. Do they have a team devoted entirely to kidnapping mutant kids around the world once they pop their powers? Because I think that’s all Magneto does these days.”
“This whole thing makes me think we should start seriously thinking about their education,” Steve said. “I don’t think we can homeschool them forever. Beth just turned seven. Anthony’s birthday is next month. In a few years, they’ll all be in school, or they should be.”
“We don’t really have a lot of options,” Tony said. “There aren’t a lot of buildings that are built with the structural integrity that’s required for superstrength. Let alone any other powers they might have. Who knows what else Roxxon did to their DNA?”
“Please don’t start on that, Tony,” Steve begged. “You’ll freak me out worrying about these kids.”
“But maybe Jess had the right idea. Maybe we should start a school. There are already other superheroes with kids, and there are bound to be kids with superpowers we can help. I mean remember –”
“Peter,” Steve said solemnly.
They’d dropped the ball on that one. They both had. And now Peter was dead. They couldn’t let that happen to anyone else… and they wouldn’t let it happen to their children.
“A school seems like a good way to give them training and keep them off the streets until they’re eighteen,” Tony said.
“It’s a good idea,” Steve said. “I bet there are even ex-superheroes who want to do something else, but don’t know what. Maybe we could reach out. Figure out a retirement plan for superheroes.”
Tony laughed. “Says the guy who’s never gonna retire.”
“Why would I retire? I’m pretty sure I won’t even age.”
“I’m jealous,” Tony said. he glanced at his watch. “Shit, I have to go. Cocktail party in an hour.”
“Wish you could stay to talk,” Steve said.
“Me too. I’m probably just going to spend the entire time talking about you and the clone army anyway.” He shook his head. “No one’ll listen. I’m not interesting anymore.”
“Don’t say that,” Steve said. “Just because they don’t love your families doesn’t mean you can’t.”
Tony turned pink. “Okay, just for that I’m definitely sexting you during the party.”
“What if one of the kids grabs my phone?” Steve asked.
“Turn off your notifications and make sure they don’t know your passcode.” Tony winked and hung up.
“Shit, now I have to do it.” Steve laid back in his bed. He could probably fit in a two-hour nap before the kids woke up. Probably. He hoped.
*****
Beth was the one to wake him up. She was petting his hair, and she didn’t stop when she noticed he was awake. Steve stayed lying down, so she could continue to play with his hair. He didn’t always understand why Beth did things, but he knew she would somtimes repeat actions over and over simply because she enjoyed the sensation. Maybe she wasn’t in here to wake him up at all. Maybe she was in here to touch his hair.
“Morning, Beth,” he said.
“Daddy,” she told him.
“He’ll be back soon,” Steve promised. “In seven days. I have a calendar.”
She didn’t say anything for five minutes. Steve wasn’t sure she was going to say anything at all. Then, finally…
“Too long.”
“I think so, too. We’ll have to tell him when he gets back. I miss him.”
Beth nodded.
“Are you hungry?” Steve asked.
She didn’t say anything at first, so Steve waited.