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Steven Stark-Rogers believed he was a man out of his time, his ideals especially. This often made him rethink his decisions but Tony would always tell him that he should think and act however he wanted to. Damn the people and whatever they’d say, was what his husband always said and in time, Steve felt more comfortable in his ideals—but how he treated crime, the people and his family were different.
Steve grew up in an older time where it was normal for children to run out into the fields and play, do something physical. As a child, he’d been too sick to stay out for long or overexert in physical activities but he watched how other kids would play outside, get dirty and laugh. Then they’d come running home as soon as they smell apple pie or whatever their mother had cooked up for them.
But his sons weren’t typical boys, they were mostly indoor boys, Peter because his best friend didn’t like dirt, Tadashi because Hiro preferred staying at home than stepping out. They all showed great potential in the sciences like Tony, especially Hiro who had to be homeschooled because he was too advanced for the kids his age.
Steve began questioning his worth as a father, he couldn’t connect with them the same way Tony did when they talked about physics and whenever he’d try to get his kids out of the house, it was always one or the other who wasn’t up for it (at least, until the happy meals came but that was beside the point). He started fearing that his kids weren’t going to like him for his failure as a parent but then there was Tadashi.
He didn’t want to play favorites, he loved his boys equally, but he found a kindled spirit in Tadashi’s more relaxed and calm manner. The first time he’d connected with Tadashi was when his son had been nine years old, it had been barely a year since they’d adopted the pair of brothers. The boy came up to him one day, shy and nervous as he entered his dads’ bedroom.
“Um, pops…”
“Yes, son? Is something the matter?”
“Um…c-can you teach me k-karate?”
He’d been caught off guard at the request since it came from Tadashi, he was the less violent of the three and started to worry as numerous thoughts came into mind at why his son was asking for fighting lessons: were there kids picking on him? Bullying him? Was it because he was bi-racial, adopted or was it because he was just different?
Steve was careful, empathic when he called for Tadashi to sit on the bed beside him and when his son was comfortable on the bed, he asked his kid why.
“To protect you, Peter and Hiro,” the boy answered sincerely before quickly adding, “Dad’s already Iron Man so…”
The answer made Steve’s old heart melt, this boy was sincere and righteous. The next day after, they began training on the mats. When Peter found out weeks later, he’d joined in, too. Then Hiro brought his studies to one corner of the training room to cheer while doing the assignments Pepper had for him. Training sessions became a way for them to bond and Steve was glad they were finally connecting.
The night he’d accidentally exposed his identity as Captain America to children was one he couldn’t forget. Peter and Tadashi burst out into tears and ran up to him while Hiro disappeared into his room. Steve was sure his sons weren’t happy with the betrayal since Tony was so open with his superhero identity and he couldn’t ask his older sons why they were crying since they didn’t stop until they exhausted themselves. It kept him up that night, both he and Tony began talking about the kids until Hiro crawled into their bed and squeezed himself in between his parents.
“You can’t not come home,” Hiro muttered with a hard pout at his pops, “pops makes the best pancakes and helps me with homework and tells awesome stories so you have to come home.”
Hiro fell asleep not long after his declaration and Steve’s lullaby. Even in his sleep, he latched onto his pops and kicked Tony’s arm away to have more leg room without pulling away from his pops.
“Told you,” Tony smirked lazily, rubbing it in, “you aren’t a bad dad, our kids love you. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”