Work Text:
Whoever came up with Take Your Kid To Work Day probably never worked for SHIELD. Or had a three-year-old who loved food but sometimes thought non-edible things could be edible with the power of imagination.
Tony paused his work to grab Peter around the midsection before his kiddo could toddle his way toward the fabricator that was laser printing a new chest plate for his boss. Peter spoke conspiratorially with the stuffed dog cradled in his arms, looking from Tony to the brightly flashing lights with a pout.
“I thought I said to stay put, bambino,” Tony pleaded with Peter, glancing at the clock on his computer monitor. Peter’s answering pout had Tony’s heart lurching as water pooled in Peter’s eyes. Tony bounced Peter on his hip, kissing both of his cheeks to keep the tears at bay.
There were only two hours left of the work day before Tony could head home and he wanted all of Peter’s fingers and toes to still be intact by then. His heart is still racing from when Peter tried to eat a hammer not twenty minutes ago. Tony didn’t even want to think about what Peter had tried to do with the cordless drill. Tony was going to have a bump on his head for the foreseeable future.
A knock on the glass of the workshop door had Tony spinning around. He really hoped it wasn’t his boss coming to ask for updates on his progress. Nick Fury was not a man to be kept waiting and while Tony knew that Fury had a soft spot for Peter, that didn’t mean his project could be delayed. He had to get it done, today.
“Hey,” the blue eyes of Tony’s coworker, Steve, met his and immediately Tony’s shoulders slumped. “Thought I heard you talking while I was walking past and wanted to swing by and say ‘hi.’”
“Hey,” Tony mustered up a grin, hoping he could keep the exhaustion and frustration from his expression. “It’s good to see you.”
Steve was probably the sweetest person he worked with. He had the bluest eyes and an aw-shucks personality that was a killer combo to Tony’s heartstrings. Not to mention Tony was pretty sure he was hiding a six-pack underneath the checkered shirts he wore to work on the daily. Though Tony honestly had no idea what Steve did for SHIELD. He’d been trying for the last few days to figure out a way to ask Steve to hang out with him outside of the workplace. But now that Steve had seen him with his kiddo, he wasn’t sure if his mini-me would be a dealbreaker.
“Who’s this little guy?” Steve asked, crouching down to be level with Peter in Tony’s arms. “Hard at work today?” He teased, his voice pitching up adorably as he raised his eyebrows.
“This is my son, Peter,” Tony explained poking his kiddo in the tummy to urge a giggle out of him. Peter laughed tucking his face against Tony’s neck and peeking up at Steve. “He’s sometimes a little shy around strangers.”
“Hey Peter,” Steve smiled with an adorable wave. “My name is Steve. It’s nice to meet you.” Peter waved back and Tony resisted the urge to groan. As if he needed another reason to add to the list of why Tony thought Steve would make the perfect boyfriend. Good with kids would be right up there with ass made for worshipping.
Steve turned back to Tony. “Are you both having fun together?”
Tony shrugged. “I love hanging out with Peter. I wish he would stop trying to eat everything in sight though.” Tony rubbed a hand up and down Peter’s back. “The lab definitely isn’t kid proofed.”
A furrow appeared between Steve’s brows. “I didn’t even think about that.” Scratching the back of his head, Steve’s eyes darted around the workshop. “I just finished for the day, but I would be more than happy to stick around and help watch Peter.”
Even though internally Tony loved the thought of Steve sticking around and getting to spend more time with him. Tony also didn’t want to hold Steve up if he had been planning to head out early. “I appreciate the offer but you definitely don’t have to,” Tony replied, “I wouldn’t want to keep you from—”
“Don’t even worry,” Steve cut him off. “I’d love to hang out with him.” Gently Steve reached out to take Peter from Tony’s hands, and despite the protest still lingering on his tongue, Tony allowed it to happen watching as Steve expertly, cradled Peter against his body, already heading to the couch in the corner of the workshop.
“I did bring him some toys,” Tony offered, handing Steve a small Avengers backpack packed full of snacks, blocks, and books. Steve accepted the bag easily, setting it down beside him and telling Tony that he had it handled.
Tony shot them furtive glances as he typed away at his computer. The chest plate was the last thing he had to finish before he could reasonably leave work without too much falling apart without him. The fabricator had about fifteen minutes left. Then he just had to give the chest plate a quick check and he could be on his merry way.
On the couch, Peter was gesturing as he told Steve all about how he wanted to grow up and be a mechanic just like his dad. It warmed Tony’s heart as he eavesdropped even though Peter accidentally said manic instead of mechanic. Steve seemed to understand anyway, asking Peter what he wanted to build and listening enraptured as Peter talked about race cars and robots being his field of interest.
Tony was surprised. If he was being honest, he coddled Peter a bit too much. He hated to admit it, but in an effort to not be neglectful he was a little too available which meant sometimes Peter was a little slow to get along with someone new. Steve seemed to be an exception, sitting down with Peter on his lap and listening intently to Peter talk about all the things he had done today.
Focusing back on the computer, Tony finished typing out an IM to Fury about the chest plate being done and ready for lab and field testing. The fabricator still whirred happily away in the background and Tony found himself counting down the minutes.
“Is this you?” Steve asked from the couch and Tony can hear the smile in his voice even before he turns around.
Peter had migrated to beside Steve, a few legos spread across his and Steve’s laps. Steve held out a little minifigure with grease stains in a black band t-shirt and ripped blue denim jeans. Curly hair and a mini silver wrench completed the look and when Tony looked down he found that he was a dead-ringer for the mini-figure.
“Yeah,” Tony blushed. “Peter and I made ourselves last time we were at the store. We should have the right parts to make yourself too.”
The timer on the fabricator beeped and Tony turned his attention back to the project as the click of Lego snapping together sounded from behind him, Peter and Steve whispering to each other.
By the time the chest plate was done and the fabricator turned off, Steve and Peter had managed to make a little Steve minifigure and a tiny workbench that looked much like Tony’s own. The Tony minifigure was holding a donut, his signature wrench banging against a hammer while the Peter minifigure and the Steve minifigure sat side by side with mugs watching Tony work.
“That is very cute,” Tony pulled out his phone to snap a quick pic, loving the way Peter automatically smiled an adorably toothy grin as the flash went off. Pocketing his phone, Tony started to clean up the blocks Peter had left on the floor from before. “You ready to go home, bambino?”
Peter nodded, already beginning to pack up his Lego, putting them back into the small container that he had taken them out from.
“Steve come?” Peter asked, shooting Tony his most gut-wrenching puppy dog eyes.
Tony bit his lip. He hated telling Peter no, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure if Steve would be interested in coming over. When he had imagined him and Steve hanging out outside of work, he hadn’t really pictured Peter being there.
“I don’t want to impose,” Steve was already saying, looking between Tony and Peter with his lip caught between his teeth.
“You’re not,” Tony reassured Steve smiling wide. “Peter and I were going to make our own pizzas. Feeding you is the least we can do for all your help today.”
Steve blushed in a way that made Tony’s want to do unmentionable things to him. Like see how far down the cute pink travelled. “Dinner sounds awesome,” Steve replied interrupting Tony’s thoughts, “I would love to come over.”
Tony hoped it was the first of many.