Chapter Text
Steve leaned back against the walls of the elevator. The morning run had been good. Now he would grab some toast, then go up to his room to wake Pietro. He smiled to himself.
Waking up the Speedster had become one of the best parts of the morning. The boy looked younger than his years when he slept, in spite of his goatee. His superhuman speed meant that he moved erratically when he woke, and till he started sleeping in Steve's room, Jarvis or Clint had shouted out his name from a distance to wake him. But Steve's strength paradoxically allowed him to be much gentler - he could lean across Pietro and gently hold him down with one hand while waking him with the other. And once he woke up, Pietro would be ready for a morning hug and a few quiet moments before he left to Clint's apartment.
After Pietro left, Steve would go up to the lounge and wait for the team. Usually, Peter was the next one in, followed by Bruce.
Steve was still thinking when he walked into the lounge, surprised to see it quite full. Bruce was mixing pancake batter, with a stack already on the counter. Peter was attacking them from the countertop, with Pietro standing nearby.
"Hey Cap, I woke early," Pietro said, grinning.
"So I see!" Steve moved up to hug Pietro and received a weird side-hug with their bodies touching for an instant. He tried to pull the boy in for a forehead kiss, but Pietro squirmed out of reach.
"I didn't know he liked chocolate chip pancakes, Steve," Bruce said. "I thought only Peter liked them. Then he came in and started wolfing them down."
"And I smelt the pancakes and came down." Peter grinned. Steve grinned back and placed his hands on Peter's ribs to lift him off the counter, but Peter jumped down. "'Morning, Cap!" he said and tried to shuffle out of Steve's reach.
Steve opened his arms, saying "Good morning, pet!" And received the same half-hug.
What was wrong with the boys? Steve wondered, putting slices of bread in the toaster. Nothing seemed to be wrong with them, the way they had been chattering happily when he had entered. Steve thoughtfully put his toast on a plate when Bruce chuckled. Steve raised an eyebrow.
"They have an audience, Steve!" Bruce whispered. "Usually they're in trouble when they're hugged, or they're alone." Steve fought down a huff. Bruce was right, of course. Though he still had one morning hug left.
"Good morning boys, Dr. Banner! Hey, Cap!" Wanda called as she stepped into the kitchen. She came up to the toaster and Steve put an arm around her, a little tentatively. Wanda wrapped both arms around his neck, and Steve hugged her close. "Good morning, princess!" he said, giving her a squeeze, and the girl giggled. Now that's more like it, Steve thought, leaning down to kiss her forehead. But there was an obstacle in his way.
Wanda was apparently trying out a new hairstyle and there was a big curl in the middle of her forehead. Playfully, Steve pulled the curl out of the way, and kissed her forehead softly. But to Steve's surprise -and shock - the curl unravelled into a long, straight column and Wanda pushed him away.
"Cap!!!! That took ages to set!" Wanda shrieked. "Natasha!!! See what he's done!" She marched off, fists balled up tightly.
Natasha marched into the room a moment later, followed by Clint. Her arms were crossed and face set. Steve looked at her and winced. Was it such a big crime?
"Who was it?" Natasha snapped at Pietro and Peter. " I spent an hour on the hairdo! Clint, Steve, I want to see the one responsible for it spanked!"
Peter and Pietro were leaning on each other, biting back laughter. Steve felt his face warm. The threat of spanking, even if it wouldn't materialize, made him squirm. Bruce had his head inside a cabinet. Probably laughing, Steve realised. And for his son reason he wasn't able to say a word. Steve forced himself to talk.
"Nat?" He started.
"Who was it, boys?" Clint interrupted in a highly amused tone. "Who's the one who's warming up the discipline room today?" Steve turned a deeper shade of red. Why wouldn't someone attack the tower right now? Tony walked in just then and Steve turned towards him. Anything to look away.
Tony walked right through the group, past Nat and Steve to pick up a mug of coffee. "Thanks, Jarvis," he said, took a large gulp, then looked around the room. "What's going on?" he asked.
"Can you really sense nothing if you're not on a caffeine high?" Clint asked, and Natasha clouted him. Pietro and Peter giggled, and Bruce bopped Peter on the head with an oven glove.
"I can't, yes." Tony answered. "What I want to know is why Steve's red, Nat's angry, those two clowns are laughing and Wanda looks like the girl from 'The Ring!'"
Tony's coffee slowly rose out of his cup, and moved over his head like a thundercloud. He blinked up at it, and Bruce let out a shout of laughter. Clint chuckled, and Peter and Pietro fell to the floor laughing.
"Good Witch? Nice hairdo? Please may I have my coffee back?" he asked, and the coffee fell back in his cup. He shuddered and took another sip.
"Stop laughing." Natasha said, and the room fell silent. "Who did it?" She asked again.
Steve took a deep breath. This had to be done. "Nat, it was me!" He said, and blushed again.
He was subjected to a steely glance, and a sharp "Rogers, you did this, you fix it."
"What? I don't know!" Steve threw up his hands. That was not something the super serum had equipped him for. No way.
"Maybe it's time you learnt." Natasha said, "Pietro, get him the hair kit from Wanda's room." Then she turned on her heel, and left.
"Wanda, love, I'm sorry." Steve started but was interrupted by Pietro handing him a basket of hair products. With a big grin, no less. This day, and these kids!!!!
Half an hour later, Steve was staring at Wanda's hair with a brush in his hand, flanked by Peter and Pietro. Someone had found an instructional video for the same hairstyle. Tony, Clint and Bruce were sitting in chairs around Steve, with a bowl of popcorn within reach.
"Take a section of the hair from the left and.." The instructor said.
"Pause, Jarvis." Steve ordered, picking up the section. "Alright, now continue."
"Yes, Cap, that's the right section, finally. Go, Cap, Go!" Peter shouted, and clutched his bottom the next moment. "Owwwww! That's a freaking hairbrush!"
Pietro laughed, but then grabbed the section which Steve was holding. "Cap, you twisted it the other way round!"
Steve swatted him, releasing the hair in the process. "Ouch! Was just helping, you know? I mean, I have enough sense to stand near your free hand!" Pietro grumbled while Steve groaned. Wanda's hair was floating straight up from her forehead.
"Wanda, don't do that!" Steve said. It was disconcerting to see.
"I don't like hair on my face, Cap! I'm sorry." Wanda said, leaning back into her chair. "I'm sorry to cause so much trouble, but it's not even going back the way I always wear it."
"Listen, Wanda, pet?" Steve asked, stroking Wanda's hair. "If you can get it to float like that, why don't you try curling it, hmmm?"
"I did. It didn't work. That's why Nat came in and-" Wanda was cut off by a loud noise on the landing pad, and minutes later a huge figure walked into the room.
"Good morning, my friends!" Thor boomed. Steve rolled his eyes. That was what he needed right now. Exactly that.
"Steve, what are you doing? Wanda's hair is on her face." Thor asked as he took in the scene. "It is not right for a warrior to have hair on her face. It is your badge of honour, yes, but it should not hinder you in combat!"
The team stared in silence as Thor took the brush and comb from Steve and deftly started braiding Wanda's hair in a complicated pattern.
"Yes, you are fit for battle now, warrior maiden." Thor said, and Tony muttered "Jarvis." A screen opened up in front of Wanda with her reflection.
"I love it!" Wanda hugged Thor briefly, then Steve, and ran out. Steve pulled Peter and then Pietro into hugs, which they were now happy to return. While Steve was cuddling Peter, Thor had picked up a few onions.
"It is unfortunate that you Midgardians do not care for it." He proclaimed, crushing up the onions. "Young warriors, you must grow your hair, and the juice of onions mixed with..."
"Cap! Classes!" Pietro said, then picked up Peter and was gone.
"Wait till they're asleep, Thor." Clint said as Steve walked to the teens' floor. What else would the day bring?