Work Text:
Steve buys an engagement ring three weeks after he and Tony finally start dating.
Their relationship — their official relationship — begins after two and a half years of flirty teasing and accidental 'sleepovers', when they both finally get over themselves and admit to their shared feelings.
He knows so soon that Tony is the one.
Once upon a time, back in the forties, Steve had honestly believed that Peggy was the person for him, that she was the one he would spend his life with. He had cared for her a lot, loved her, even — but the feelings he has for Tony are strong, more powerful than those he had for Peggy, way back when. He loves Tony with his whole heart.
Steve loves Tony. So much.
He doesn't say it as soon as he thinks it, though. Tony has issues — so does Steve. So does everyone on the team. But Tonys' issues make him afraid of feelings, make him hesitant to let people show him any affection, and Steve doesn't want to freak him out by confessing his love too soon. Instead, he waits.
He's not sure exactly what he's waiting for, but Steve is waiting for something — some sign that it's okay to tell Tony how much he loves him.
The day that Steve buys the ring, he wakes up in Tonys' bed in the penthouse of Stark Tower, his arms wrapped tightly around the mechanic and the sun beginning to peek through the floor-to-ceiling windows to his left. Steve is warm, something that he hasn't really felt since before he went into the ice — something that he misses.
Tony is snoring slightly, his head resting heavily on Steves' chest. It makes him smile, seeing Tony sleeping and content; he knows how difficult Tony finds it to sleep and has the first-hand experience of helping Tony through the nightmares that he has had since what happened in New York. He's glad that Tony trusts him enough to let his guard down.
Steve disentangles himself from Tony slowly, careful not to wake the sleeping man, and as he does so, Tony mumbles in his sleep, "Stevie."
It feels like butterflies are fluttering around crazily in his stomach, and he feels his cheeks warming up. "Love you," He says quietly, admitting it out loud for the first time — even if Tony can't hear him.
He turns away from the bed, gets ready for his run — and it hits him that he knows.
He knows, just like that, he knows that he wants to spend his entire life with Tony. He wants to grow old with Tony, to wake up with him every morning as he did today, to eat breakfast with him and kiss him gently as he leaves for work. Tony would think it was 'corny', how completely and utterly enamoured Steve is with him — would laugh at Steves' dreams of a far off future, how domestic it all is.
Steve goes for his run, his mind filled with fear, wondering if it is too soon to know that he loves Tony, wondering if it's too soon to imagine them having a future together — and next thing he knows, he's standing outside a jewellery
store, a small bag with a ring box in his hand. He has no memory of actually buying the ring or going into the shop and choosing the ring — but when he does come to his senses and look at it, he knows that it's something that Tony would like.
He also knows that Tony would panic if Steve were to do that — if he were to propose — so early in their relationship. So, he runs back to the tower and hides the ring box in his bedroom, then goes on with his day.
Steve tries not to think about it too much in the coming weeks, but sometimes he comes across the box as he looks through his sock drawer. He hopes that one day, he can give Tony a ring without worrying about his reaction — that one day, they might get married and live in a house somewhere with a picket fence and a dog.
Once, after New York, Steve told Tony that the man that wanted family and stability went into the ice in '45. It was a lie, and Steve knows that now. He wants a family, domestic life — and he wants those things with Tony.
He just has to be patient.
"I love you," Steve tells Tony quietly one night, three months into their relationship.
They're lying on the couch, the end credits of Jurassic Park playing on the TV. Steve plays with Tonys' hair absent-mindedly, pretending to watch the movie but instead watching Tony. It fills him with a warm feeling, making him smile down at his boyfriend.
His breath catches when he realises what he said. He's been holding off from saying those words, those three tiny, stupid words, worried that Tony wouldn't react well. He feels like his heart skips a beat — but then Tony looks up at him, a small smile on his face, clearly not repulsed by what Steve said.
"I love you too, Steve," Tony says quietly, rolling over slightly and grabbing Steves' hand gently. "You're so pretty."
"You're prettier," Steve responds, still playing with Tonys' hair. "You should go to bed — you're falling asleep."
"Or we could sleep out here."
"And kill our backs?"
"But you're so warm and soft," Tony complains, snuggling closer into Steve. "I don't wanna move."
Steve lifts Tony, so he's holding the smaller man in a bridal carry and starts moving toward their bedroom. Tony lets out a soft snort, rolling his eyes. "What the hell are you doing, Cap?"
"I'm taking you to bed — because if you don't sleep in an actual bed, then you'll be complaining about it all day tomorrow and I don't want to have to deal with that."
"Nope," Tony shakes his head and wraps his arms around Steve's neck. "It's because you care — because you looove me."
"Shut up," Steve throws him unceremoniously on their bed, then climbs in next to him.
"You do love me though, right? Because I love you. I do."
"I do love you," Steve hugs Tony tightly, resting his chin on top of the shorter man's head. "Night, Tony."
"Goodnight," Tony replies softly. "Love you."
The last words are barely a whisper, so quiet that Steve wouldn't have heard it if not for his enhanced senses. They bring a smile to his face, and he closes his eyes happily, giving Tony a quick kiss on the cheek.
The words that he's been so afraid to say for so long, and it is such a relief to finally tell Tony that he loves him. To hear that Tony loves him back.
Steves' heart feels so full.
A year into their relationship, Steve takes the ring out of his sock drawer and keeps it in his pocket. He carries it everywhere, a reminder of what he has been silently planning for quite some time.
He surprises himself with the amount of self-control that he has, unable to understand how he has kept himself from proposing for so long.
Now, it burns a hole in the pocket of every pair of pants that he owns. He hides it in his sock drawer in the room he and Tony share again every night, then takes it with him everywhere he goes during the day. He takes it to every team meeting, every mission, every visit to the old house he and Bucky used to live in.
Steve spends his days thinking about ways he could pop the question — tries to think of a way to do it that would be good enough for Tony. He has endless opportunities to do it, but none of them seems just right.
After the Ultron fiasco, Steve still hasn't found the right way to ask Tony. Things feel a bit rocky — they had fought when they were staying at Clints' farm, and even though they'd sorted it out, things feel weird now. Tony seems distant. He's still trying to find the right way to ask his boyfriend to marry him, though. They've had a couple of problems recently, but Steve loves Tony. He loves him, and he really wants to marry him.
They go out to dinner one night — a nice place in Manhattan, not too public and far from the prying eyes of the press, and it feels right. It's romantic, they're alone, and Steve is just about to fall to one knee and ask Tony to marry him when Tony clears his throat.
Tony clears his throat, and Steve freezes, his hand coming to a halt halfway to grabbing the ring. He looks up at Tony with wide eyes, his brows pulling together slightly.
Steve panics.
He's breaking up with you, the voice in the back of his mind screams, he doesn't actually love you back.
"What's wrong?" He asks, reaching across the table to take Tonys' hand. "You sound — upset. What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Tony laughs softly. "I just wanted to... talk. About some things. It's not a big deal, it's just that — things are getting serious. With us. And I don't want to wake up five years down the track and realise that we want different things, so I'll just — I'll just say it," Tony sighs.
He looks up at Steve, hope in his eyes. He squeezes Steves' hand gently. "Look. I know that we've only been together for a year or so, and I don't know if this is too forward, but when we were at Clint's farm — I kind of had an epiphany, and I... want kids."
"What?"
Steves' mind goes blank.
Kids. Children. Tiny humans.
Tony wants to have tiny humans.
"And — I still don't want to be too forward, but if it were a thing that you might want to have too I would want to have kids... with you."
Tony wants to have tiny humans, and he wants to have them with Steve.
Steve has a dream. He's had it for most of the time that he's known Tony — ever since they stopped hating each other. Put simply, in a way that Steve decidedly does not like, he wants it all; he wants the picket fence and the happy family. He wants children. He has always wanted children — so, needless to say, he is delighted that Tony wants kids.
It's shocking, sure. No one would expect Tony Stark, world-famous billionaire playboy, to want children.
"Is that weird?" Tony asks quickly. "I understand if I'm being over the top and we've only been together properly for a year, but I just — I just needed to get that out, honestly. It's fine, It's —"
"Tony," Steve says softly. He squeezes Tonys' hand again, offering a comforting smile. "It's not weird, just unexpected. I just... never would've expected you to want children. I thought you... didn't like kids. I'd have kids, though."
"That is... good. That's cool. Nice," Tony nods. "Cool."
"Tony," Steve says after a beat of silence.
This isn't what you planned, the voice screams again, this isn't what you planned this isn't what you planned this isn't —
"Will you marry me?"
This time, it's Tony that freezes. He goes still, his jaw dropped and his eyes wide with shock. It takes a moment for him to recover, to slowly move into a more comfortable position and process Steve's question. Then, his face breaks into a smile, wide and blinding and filling Steve with relief.
"Of course I'll marry you!" Tony exclaims as Steve pulls the ring box out of his pocket and places it on the table. "Steve, this is — wow. We're — you want to marry me!"
"I want to marry you," Steve laughs in reply. "I have wanted to marry you for... a long time. An embarrassingly long time."
Tony grins. "A long time?"
"A very long time," He laughs. "I'm not telling you how long, though. Never."
"Fine," Tony rolls his eyes. "I'll find out. You know I will."
"You won't," Steve promises. He opens the ring box and takes Tony's left hand, gently putting the ring on the right finger. "Happy proposal day, Tony."
"You're a weirdo, Stevie," Tony smiles, looking at the ring briefly before he looks back at Steve. "I love you so much. Thank you."
"I love you too," Steve says softly. "So, so much."
They get married in spring, and it is perfect. There are flowers everywhere and enough pollen in the air to make Happy Hogan's hay fever play up.
The day that Steven Grant Rogers becomes Steven Grant Stark- Rogers is the best day ever. Better than the day the doctors told him that he would live past his thirteenth birthday, better than the day he became Captain America, better than anything — and he is so in love.
Steve has never been happier. Ever. In the entirety of his life.
"So..." Tony starts one morning as they eat breakfast together in the dining room of their new house.
They moved in when they returned from their honeymoon. It’s quite close to the Compound; a cabin by a lake with enough room for three spare bedrooms. It’s rustic and homey yet high-tech, there’s a huge room that Steve uses as a studio and a garage that Tony uses as a lab. It’s perfect, their dream house.
It even has the damn picket fence.
"So?" Steve asks, placing his book down and turning his attention to his husband.
His husband! It’s still so amazing to know that Tony is his husband. That he is married.
"Remember when you proposed?"
Steve raises an eyebrow, prompting Tony to continue.
"Remember how before that I told you that I wanted — children?"
"I do remember that," Steve nods. "Yeah. Then I said I would have kids if you wanted and asked you to marry me. It was only six months ago, hon."
"I know, I know, I just thought," Tony sighs heavily, then smiles at Steve. "We're married now, we have this place, so I just thought that maybe we could think about revisiting that thing that we barely spoke about."
"Okay,” Steve smiles at his husband. “You want children.”
“Yes.”
“And I’m assuming that you’re bringing it up now because you want them… soon?”
“That’s right too, yeah,” Tony nods. “We’re — well, I’m getting up there, you’re already a dinosaur,”
“You married a dinosaur,” Steve mutters.
“I did, and I love you — point is, we’re not exactly young and so if we’re having kids at some point it would make sense for us to have them soon, so if this is something that you want too then we could start looking into it,” Tony looks up at him hopefully. “Is it something you want?”
“Of course it’s something I want!” Steve grins. “Tony, kids — a kid that is ours. That would be the most amazing thing ever!”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Yes!” Tony grins. “This is so amazing — wow. Okay. So I have looked at it briefly and adoption from foster care usually takes from six to eighteen months, but if we want a baby that takes a lot longer — up to seven years — so we can decide between those… or there’s intonation adoption, those seem to be quicker. We can talk it all through, though. And then there’s the training and foster placement and everything so that’s a whole thing, but —”
“Tony,” Steve says calmly. “I know you’re really excited about all of this, but you really need to take a breath. So that you can breathe — that’s meant to be important, I think. Being able to breathe.”
“Probably,” Tony agrees. “Alright, I’m breathing… should I grab my laptop? So that we can look at the websites and all of that?”
“Good plan.”
Steve cried during the wedding ceremony, it being the best day of his life and all. He cries again when he and Tony are finally allowed to take their foster kids home. They decided when they started the process that they would stay in the city during the fostering and adopting processes — the kids are from Queens and being in a familiar environment.
The kids are amazing; Peter Benjamin, age thirteen, really smart and really nerdy, and Morgan May, four years old and very excited about everything Steve and Tony do. They’re inseparable and Steve loves them as soon as he meets them — he can tell that Tony does, too — and they don’t seem too weirded out by the fact that Captain America and Iron Man are adopting, let alone by the Avengers visiting from time to time.
As expected, Natasha is not trustworthy with children.
Tony is amazing with them, though. Fatherhood looks good on him — and it somehow makes Steve fall even more deeply in love with him.
Tony retires so that he only has to go on missions if it’s an unnaturally high-level threat — like New York or the Ultron fiasco — and becomes a stay-at-home dad most of the time. There’s a workshop in their house in the city, so he can work from home while the kids are at school.
Steve, on the other hand, continues to go on missions.
It’s not until about a month before they can finalise the adoption that he comes home from a mission, still in his suit with his shield on his arm and a bruise blooming across his cheek, to find Peter cuddled under a blanket on the couch, waiting up from him.
“Hey, kiddo,” He says quietly, placing the shield on the kitchen counter and running a hand through his hair to get the dust out of it. “It’s late; why’re you still up?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” Peter responds softly. “I was worried and Tony fell asleep when he was putting Morgan to bed, so I just waited for you.”
“We should really get you to —”
“Steve?”
“Are you okay after your mission?”
“Yeah. Little beat up, but I'm fine.”
There's silence between them for a few minutes.
“Steve?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I tell you a secret?”
Steve swallows and slowly sits next to the kid — his son. Peter isn’t overly open; he’s kind and brilliant and very comfortable joking and talking with Steve and Tony, but he doesn’t tell them anything important. Getting told a secret is a really big step.
“Of course, kiddo,” He smiles. “You can tell me anything.”
“And you won’t tell anyone?”
“No.”
Peter smiles gratefully, then starts to speak quietly, his voice tired and heavy, yet clear as day. “I… I lied. When they picked us up from the hospital. They asked who we were and I lied, because — Morgan isn’t my sister.”
Steve’s brows draw together in confusion and he opens his mouth, but the kid quickly keeps talking.
God, Peter reminds him of Tony.
“Well, she is my sister, but not like, properly. She was only two when our mo — when May died and I didn’t want to get separated, so I got Ned to um… he changed my birth certificate, so that it said May was my mom and Ben was my dad, but they were my aunt and uncle and I’ve been lying for so long and I — am sorry,” Peter stares at Steve in horror. “You can’t tell anyone!”
“I won’t tell anyone, Pete,” Steve assures him. “Thank you. For telling me. But you really don’t have to worry anymore because this time next month, you’ll be out of the system for real. No more foster homes, just Tony and I — if that’s what you want.”
“If that’s what I want?” Peter repeats. “Of course that’s what I want! No more homes would be amazing! Have you told Morgan? She’ll be so excited!”
“We haven’t — and you can’t let either of them know that you know how soon it’s getting finalised, okay? We were gonna tell you when we all go to the lake this weekend, Tony wanted to surprise you.”
“I won’t,” Peter promises. He snuggles into Steve, curling in on himself and making him look way younger than thirteen. His final words are tired and slurred, Peter clearly being half asleep. “I promise. Love you, Pa…”
Pa. Peter said pa. Morgan started calling Steve and Tony papa and daddy a few months ago, but Peter saying it feels like the final confirmation that he is a father. That this is his child.
“I love you too, son,” Steve whispers, kissing the top of Peter’s head gently. “Sleep well.”
“Papa?”
“Morgan,” He whispers. “You’re meant to be asleep in bed, little miss.”
“Daddy snores and I heard you, so I came here,” She clambers onto the couch, so that she’s squished between Steve and her sleeping brother. “I’m sleeping here. Night-y night!”
“Night-y night,” Steve echoes, kissing her forehead too before she can fall asleep as well. “I love you guys.”
He falls asleep very fast and wakes up happy, his children still cuddled up next to him.
“Bye Papa! Bye Daddy! I’ll see you at the end of school!”
“Bye, sweetie,” Tony waves to their daughter as she stands outside her school. “Have a great day!”
“Love you, Morgie,” Steve adds, leaning forward so that Morgan can see him waving.
“Love you too, Papa — and you, Daddy,” Morgan grins, still waving. “Jessie! Jessie’s here, bye!”
“Bye!”
Morgan runs up to her best friend, a frizzy-haired girl called Jessica, and they both enter the school building.
“I can’t believe she’s in school already,” Steve murmurs, smiling after her sadly. “She’s all big and independent — she didn’t even want us to walk her in.”
“She’s a giant,” Tony agrees. He grabs Steve’s hand gently and squeezes it comfortingly. “She’s a big, massive giant.” He sniffs loudly.”
“Dad. Pops.”
They both start, having forgotten that their son was still in the back seat, watching them be sappy and old.
“You guys are so funny,” He lets out a short laugh. “Please don’t do this when we get to my school.”
“Oh, we definitely will.”
“We just want to embarrass you,” Steve agrees with his husband. “It’s our entire purpose.”
“You’re both Avengers,” Peter deadpans. “Well — dad’s like an honorable Avenger now, but still.”
“That’s irrelevant,” Tony says. “And also just a further way to embarrass you. Morita’s grandpa was butties with your Pops, you’re going to have to watch all of the Captain America PSA’s.”
Peter groans loudly.
“We’re proud of you, Pete,” Steve says as he starts to drive toward Midtown Technology. “Midtown Tech — it’s a huge deal, kiddo. We couldn’t be happier for you.”
“Thanks, Pa,” Peter gives a little smile. “But no weird, sad watching me as I go up the steps, okay? I’ll be fine.”
“We’ll wait until we see Ned, then we’ll be out of your hair,” Tony says.
“Dad —”
“Listen to your father, Pete.”
“Oh thank god, we’re here,” Peter hikes his backpack up on one shoulder and starts to open his front door. “Dad, Pops, I love you, don’t watch me, bye!”
“Love you too,” Steve calls as Peter shuts the car door.
Steve waits for a few seconds before he starts to drive back home.
“I love you,” Tony says suddenly. “You’re such a good dad and an amazing husband and — I really should’ve said I love you the moment I thought it.”
“Ooh, when was that?” Steve glances at his husband, grinning. “Third date? Fifth?”
“That time that you reset my shoulder,” Tony smiles. “Before we even got together. Is that weird?”
“That’s adorable,” Steve laughs. “But I can beat you.”
“Oh yeah? When did you first think it?”
“Long before that, honey,” Steve pauses. “I bought you your engagement ring three weeks after we started dating.”
Tony laughs loudly.
“Shut up, Tony,” Steve rolls his eyes. “You almost cried when Peter got into Midtown — that’s more embarrassing.”
“Our son got into that super little genius school, Stevie,” Tony wipes at his cheek for a second. “It’s a big deal.”
“It is, but I didn’t cry.”
“You cried when we adopted them.”
“That’s different,” Steve insists. “Not all of us can keep a straight face when huge, life-changing things happen Mr. Iron Man.”
“You love it.”
“You’re right. I do,” They pull into their garage and Steve leans across to press a kiss on Tony’s cheek. “Thank god for men in red and gold armour.”
“Come on, Cap,” Tony grabs his hand and pulls him into the house. “We’ve got a whole day, no work, no kids. Fun times await, darling.”
Steve smiles as he follows Tony inside, grateful as ever that, as shocking as it was, he woke up in the future all those years ago. Grateful that he met Tony and bought that ring too early and said I love you.
Now, he gets to wake up in his dream life.
Every single day.