Chapter Text
Steve woke up to Tony sliding out of bed. It was hard not to notice when his husband even moved considering they slept so tangled up that Steve didn’t know where he ended and Tony began.
“Doll,” Steve groaned pulling Tony back into his chest. He pressed a kiss to the back of his beloved’s neck burying his nose into the curve of his shoulder. “Where d’ya think you’re goin’?” Steve mumbled into his shoulder.
“Pete’s crying,” Tony laced his fingers in Steve’s bringing his hand up to brush a featherlight kiss across his knuckles. “He looked feverish earlier, I gotta go check on him. I’ll turn off the baby monitor.”
“Love ya doll,” Steve whispered as Tony slid out from his embrace, heading for the door.
“Love you too.” Tony disappeared down the hall, the telltale jingle of Steve’s tags around his neck following him out.
It was quiet in bed without him and Steve yearned for the steady hum of the arc reactor beneath his fingertips. His rolled over onto Tony’s side of the bed, burying his head in his husbands pillow. He loved the smell of grease and coconut that always seemed to cling to Tony’s skin. It was entirely too dark without him too. He lit up Steve’s world in more ways than one.
The quiet was unbearable, a choking darkness that enveloped Steve in its suffocating embrace. He rolled out of bed, sliding his feet into his slippers before tip-toeing down the hall to Peter’s bedroom. The room was empty, but Steve could hear Tony singing in the living room so he followed the lullaby like a sailor to a siren.
Tony had his back to Steve, Peter propped on his hip as they both looked out over the city. He hadn’t bothered to put on a housecoat so he was only in his boxers, goosebumps running down his arms and legs as he swayed with Peter. It was an Italian lullaby, one Tony had probably learned from his mother, and Steve felt his heart swell.
“Papa,” Peter croaked when he finally spotted him over Tony’s shoulder. His husband half turned toward him and Peter made grabby hands as Steve crossed the room.
“Pete is definitely sick,” Tony mumbled with a grimace as Peter coughed weakly into his neck. Steve stepped up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and loving how Tony just melted against him. “We don’t have any baby medication.”
“I think we have some oranges,” Steve settled his chin on Tony’s shoulder, turning his head to press a kiss to his stubbly cheek.
“Oranges?” Tony turned to look at Steve with a playful brow raised. It was the same look he always received when Tony thought he was missing something from the future and found it adorable.
“Yup,” Steve grinned popping the p, as he headed to the fruit bowl for an orange. “My ma used to give them to me when I got sick.” He dug through the cabinets for Peter’s favourite bowl. “TV night?”
Tony ran his fingers through Peter’s sweat matted hair as he carried the toddler to the couch. “What do you wanna watch kiddo?”
“Ball,” Peter whined gumming on Tony’s bare shoulder as Steve sat down with the oranges. He turned letting Tony lean back against him with Peter on his chest.
“He’s definitely your kid,” Tony laughed and Steve loved the vibration of the sound in his chest. Tony leakned over the side of the couch, grabbing a soft red blanket to throw over their legs
Steve revelled in the combined weight of his husband and son against him. He absentmindedly followed the steady thump of Tony’s heart against his own as he set the bowl in Peter’s lap and got to work blindly peeling the first orange open.
“Jarvis, throw up the recent ball game please.” Steve requested as his fingers broke the surface of the peel. The screen in front of them came alive with the projection of the Dodgers game from the night before.
Steve finally got the first orange open, breaking apart the segments and handing one to Peter. Tony parted his lips and Steve popped a slice in his mouth, smiling when Tony pressed a kiss to his cheek in thanks.
“Me too,” Peter grumbled with a frown and Tony leaned forward to pepper both his cheeks with loud smooches until he was tiredly giggling himself silly.
“He’s mine Peter,” Steve teased leaning forward to kiss one of Peter’s sticky cheeks with a grin. He was still a little clammy in his green Hulk onesie, but at least he was looking a lot less miserable. Steve likes to think it was thanks to the oranges.
As the game played on in the background the three of them finished off the first orange and Steve got to work peeling the second. Tony’s head lolled as he fought to stay awake and Steve smiled.
“More,” Peter babbled excitedly though there was an impatient note to his voice. He stuck his hand into the bowl pulling out the peel and stuffing it into his mouth.
“No baby, that’s gross” Tony mumbled as he gently tugged the peel out of Peter’s mouth and Steve gave him a section of orange instead.
It wasn’t long before Tony’s eyes fluttered closed, his soft breathing evening out, head turned into Steve’s neck, nose pressed into his jaw. Peter slowly finished off the second orange and Steve reached over to grab Kleenexes off the coffee table to wipe his sticky hands.
Peter’s eyes drooped as he curled up on Tony’s chest, cheek pressed to the skin beside the arc reactor, small fingers finding the metal tags looped around Tony’s neck. Steve set the bowl of orange peels on the coffee and pulled the blanket further up around them as he settled a hand across Tony’s stomach. He slid a hand down Peter’s back, kissing his son’s forehead with a whispered “goodnight.”
When Steve woke up the next morning to Tony shifting against his side he had a sharp catch in his neck and sticky, citrus fingers. Peter was patting the arc reactor, looking a lot better than he did the night before as Tony snored into Steve’s shoulder.
Oranges, they truly were magical.