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When they had brought Peter home, Steve and Tony thought it wouldn’t be a huge deal. They were Avengers, how hard could raising a kid be? It turned out, babies didn’t keep a sleep schedule. It turned out that Peter could tire even Steve out. It turned out that their lives couldn’t just stay the same.
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“I don’t think we could ever handle another kid.” Tony flopped down, face first on the bed, making his sentence rather hard to understand.
Steve just chuckled at his husband, “Peter’s not so bad. You don’t think we could handle two little munchkins?”
Tony sat up with an unbelieving expression on his face, “Says the supersoldier that gets tired when it’s his day to watch Pete! You really think another kid wouldn’t kill us?”
“Well,” Steve sat down and pecked Tony on the lips, “we’d make it work. We had to reshape our lives around Pete when he came home, we could do it again, and this time it’d be easier. We’re practically pros at this by now. And, the next one probably won’t stick to the ceiling.”
Tony just went to brush his teeth.
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The next time Steve brought it up, they were down in the shop. Peter was at preschool, they had a few hours to themselves.
“So the adoption agency called the other day, and”
And Steve didn’t even finish his sentence before Tony started talking, “Steve! Baby! Didn’t we talk about this? Another child in this tower would kill us! And think about how much we had to reshape our lives around Pete! Not that I don’t love him to pieces, don’t even think that I don’t, but I just don’t see how adopting another one would work. Also, how would Peter react to not being the only one? Would he like it? Would he get jealous? You know as well as I do just how much time babies require.”
Steve sat up on the couch, “So what if we don’t get a baby? Peter’s four, almost five. What if we get one around three? They’d be more similar in age, it’d mean more equal attention to the both of them. Please Tony? Just consider it? For me? Please sweetheart?”
Damn those baby blues, Tony couldn’t resist them, “Okay! I’ll think about it! I’m not promising anything. Understand?”
Tony’s face was already being peppered with kisses.
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It was date night two weeks later. Steve and Tony tried to go out alone once a week. Last week they had been defending DC from giant ants. This week, there wasn’t an emergency. Date night was also the one night a week Peter spent with his Uncle Clint. The couple didn’t want their kid picking up too many bad habits just yet.
“So, Alice from the agency has been bugging me again…”
“And?”
“And you’re not gonna shut me down as soon as I bring up adopting another kid this time?”
“I’ve thought about it, and bringing home another toddler might not be so bad. Also, as long as this one doesn’t stick to walls, we might be able to handle it. Does Alice have a particular kid in mind?”
Steve absolutely beamed, “Well, she’s been calling about this little girl in particular. She’s almost three, her parents dumped her at the fire station and ran off. She thinks we’d be perfect.”
Tony grinned back at him, “Should we call Alice back tomorrow?”
“Why wait? She said she’d be at the office ‘til 9.”
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The very next day, Alice was introducing them to their daughter.
Alice also gave them some more details, “She doesn’t speak hardly at all yet, and the parents didn’t leave anything other than her and the clothes on her back. We hadn’t given her a name, and she can’t tell us if she already had one, so that would be up to you. She seems to have gone through some sort of trauma, she scares rather easily and is shy, especially around loud people. As exciting as your lives are, I couldn’t think of a better couple to be parents to this little sweetheart.”
Steve was listening attentively, Tony was too busy already getting to know the little one. They were both on the floor, she in Tony’s lap, playing with some lego blocks Alice had in her office.
Tony was ready to bring her home right then, but Steve brought up a valid point, “We’ll have to let Peter get used to the idea for a day or two. I’d love to bring her home right away, but I don’t think Peter would be very keen on that idea.” He couldn’t help but swing her up into his arms.
Tony agreed, and they both assured Alice they’d call her back in no more than three days.
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“Peter! We’re home!”
Tony and Steve heard the pattering of feet running towards the elevator, “Papa! Daddy!”
Natasha and Clint followed behind, Nat looking just as put together as usual. Clint however, looked like Peter had found a marker and no paper. His face was covered in rainbows of dots and squiggles.
Steve caught Peter in his arms, “Hey squirt! Did you have fun with Aunty Tasha and Uncle Clint?”
Tony was cackling at Clint, trying hard to breathe and laugh.
“Yeah Papa! We had lots of fun! Uncle Clint fell asleep and left the markers out but I couldn’t find any paper and you said not to color on the walls so I didn’t but Aunty Tasha had to leave so I couldn’t ask anyone for paper so I just used Uncle Clint’s face!”
Steve was now also trying not to crack up, “Well munchkin, I’m glad you didn’t color on the walls, but I don’t think drawing all over Uncle Clint’s face was very nice. Can you apologize?”
Admittedly, Peter did look rather sheepish, “I’m sorry Uncle Clint, but you left the markers out! What was I supposed to do?”
And that was where Steve lost it, through his laughter he managed to talk to Tony, “He gets the sass from you!”
Tony was still laughing but gave him an incredulous look, “Me? You have reservoirs of unused sass, why does the sass always get blamed on me?”
Steve didn’t have an answer for that.
After everyone had calmed down, Nat and Clint both left. Nat was assuring Clint that it was washable marker and would come right off.
Steve and Tony sat down on the couch with Peter between them, in case he tried to run off or climb up the walls.
They looked at each other over Peter’s head. Somehow, Tony got stuck starting the conversation, “Peter?”
Peter looked up from his legos, “Yes Daddy?”
“How would you feel about a little sister?”
He shrugged, “Fine I guess. She’s not gonna take my stuff all the time is she?”
Steve started this time, “I imagine she’d have enough of her own toys bud. Any other problems?”
Peter looked up at him, “She wouldn’t have to share my room would she?”
Tony cracked up, “No munchkin, she’d have her own room. And her own toys.” He paused, “So you’d be okay with getting a little sister.”
“Yeah! She’d be a better playmate than Uncle Clint. He just falls asleep or cheats at Mario Kart.” Peter wrinkled his nose at this.
Steve looked over at Tony, “Well, then I guess we just have to tell the rest of the team now.”
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The team was ecstatic that there was going to be a new kid in the tower.
Thor congratulated them with the gift of Asgardian mead.
Tasha promised to teach her how to fight, Steve and Tony just looked at each other.
Clint just looked devious, “No Clint, you’re not going to teach her how to climb into the vents.”
After that he glared at the couple.
Bruce’s enthusiasm was much more subdued, but no less welcome.
It was understandable, he was still wary about being alone with Peter. Steve and Tony had no problems leaving him alone with Peter, but Bruce usually found some excuse not to. They understood his hesitance.
Everything was great, until Thor asked about a name.
And then all Hel broke loose.
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Steve and Tony went back and forth with Sarah and Maria. The argument didn’t end. Steve slept on the couch, Tony went to the shop.Tasha kept Peter with her at Steve’s request. It was almost like the helicarrier all over again. The two couldn’t be in the same room without restarting the argument. The argument came to a head the day before they were supposed to bring her home. Her room had already been put together and Peter was totally on board with getting a new sister. But they couldn’t bring her home without a name.
“Sarah!”
“Maria!”
“Sarah!”
“Maria!”
Bruce rubbed his temples, “Just pick a different name!”
Both Steve and Tony simultaneously looked at him, “No!”
Tasha pinched her nose,”Then just adopt another girl, name one Sarah and one Maria. Problem solved.”
Clint looked up from his orange juice, “But then Peter’ll be outnumbered.”
The elevator opened to reveal Pepper. It took exactly five seconds for her to sense that something was wrong, “What is it this time?”
“Sarah!”
“For the thousandth time Steve, Maria!”
Bruce looked at Pepper, “They’re adopting a girl and can’t agree on a name. We’ve tried everything to make them stop, help?”
Pepper’s heels clacked as she walked across the kitchen. Both men started whimpering as she pinched them both by the ear, “You two are adopting again? How it is that I’m just know finding out about this? Also, you’re both grown men, you’re AVENGERS for god’s sake. Get it together and pick a name already!”
Tony yelped, “Pep! Losing circulation here!”
“Are you going to settle this like adults?”
Steve piped up, “Yes, yes, yes! Can you please just let us go?”
Pepper let them both go, they rubbed their ears while mumbling expletives.
“Are there any other ideas you two have?”
Both sheepishly shook their heads.
Bruce spoke back up, “As soon as Thor asked about a name, they jumped to Sarah and Maria. They haven’t even considered another name as far as I know. We tried convincing them to pick another name. They shot that down. Then Tasha suggested they just adopt another kid, but then Clint said they’d have to get another boy so that Peter wouldn’t be outnumbered. It’s been like this for the past two days.”
Tony looked up, a new idea clearly blooming in his head, “Margaret.”
Steve looked over at Tony, “Peggy for short. Oh Tony, it’s perfect!”
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And the argument was over as soon as it started. They used both Sarah and Maria as middle names, and Margaret for the first.
They went to pick up their daughter a few hours later.