Work Text:
“Peggy Maria Stark, I am begging you. Go to sleep,” Tony groaned, bouncing the tiny girl gently in his arms. She never fussed like this. Most days she was a very good baby. She slept well, rarely cried and when she did make some noise it was usually that cute little babble with a smile on her chubby little face. Tonight, however, she was inconsolable. Tony was determined that he would find the cure for teething pain the next morning.
“Hush, baby. Sleep, baby girl. Please.”
Peggy only screamed louder.
Steve came in the room, shoulder's slumped. He was obviously just as exhausted. It was a good thing none of the other Avengers were on this floor.
“Here. Give her to me. It's your turn to sleep.”
Tony sighed.
“What does it matter? No one's getting any sleep tonight.”
Steve held his arms out for the crying infant in the pink dressing gown. He swayed with her, trying his best to soothe her.
“I know baby. I know. Your teeth hurt,” he cooed to her. Tony sat on her toy chest, head in his hands. They were out of ideas and she was still hurting. The two of them were at the end of their rope. What could they possibly do to help her?
Steve only had one last idea. He wasn't sure if it would work but it was worth a shot. It was something his mother would do for him when he was sick. He shifted her to lay against him, snuggled under his chin and took a seat in the rocking chair. He rocked gently, cuddling her close and started to sing.
Tell me a story,
Tell me a story,
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
Tell me about the bird and the bees,
And about the sycamore trees.
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
Tell me a story,
Tell me a story,
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
Tell me about the fish in the sea,
And the love that's waiting for me.
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
Peggy's ear piercing wails had quieted to little sniffling whimpers. Tiny fists clutched into her mother's white T-shirt.
Tell me a story,
Tell me a story,
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
Tell me about the sun in the sky,
And the butterflies that fly by.
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
Tell me a story,
Tell me a story,
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
Tell me about the man in the moon,
And the way the nightingales croon.
Tell me a story before I go to bed.
Peggy was quiet. Steve couldn't see her face though.
“Is she asleep,” he mouthed at Tony.
Tony nodded, eyes wide. Steve stood carefully, trying not to jostle her as he tucked her into the crib. She was finally out. Hopefully for the rest of the night. Slowly, they backed out of the nursery, closing the door as quietly as possible behind them. Tony sunk down the wall to the floor and Steve quickly joined him. Steve was content to nod off right here. Until Tony cuffed him upside the head.
“Ow!”
“Don't you EVER hold out on me again,” Tony whisper-yelled at him. “Let's try that first next time, yeah?”
Steve didn't answer, just rubbed his head and pouted. Tony sighed, laying his head on Steve's shoulder. Steve leaned his cheek against the top of Tony's head. The pair weren't making a move toward their bed anytime soon.
“Hey guys, someone needs to make a grocery run. Thor's out of poptarts and Bruce needs more grape nuts.”
Tony and Steve stared up at Clint in wide eyed horror.
“What?”
Behind the door, Peggy started to cry again. Steve looked at Clint with murder in his eyes. “Get the fuck out,” he growled. Clint was smart enough to leave without another word. Steve turned back to Tony.
“Tony. Are...are you crying?”
“No! It's raining on my face!”
xXxXx
Peggy clapped her hands happily as Steve sat her in her high chair. She loved having breakfast with everyone else in the morning. Bruce smiled at her over his paper and she stared back at him. She had her concentration face on. Finally she smiled back and yelled “Buce!” She had been slowly learning how to say everyone's names. Pepper was Pep. Thor was Tur Clint was Birdy – Tony's doing – and now she'd gotten Bruce. The only name she hadn't learned yet was Natasha. Natasha could care less. She wasn't about to put herself in a tizzy because the kid couldn't say her name yet.
Peggy looked to the redheaded woman who was sipping her coffee and smiled.
“Nana!”
The whole kitchen froze. Natasha turned cold eyes to Tony. He ducked a split second before the mug connected with his face.
“I didn't teach her that! I swear!”
Peggy giggled as her aunt chased her papa around the house, singing a happy chorus of “Nana, Nana, Nana!”
xXxXx
“Peggy. It's nap time,” Steve said firmly to her for the third time. She grabbed one of her dolls and crawled under the coffee table.
“No nap, mama! No nap!”
“Yes,” Steve told her. “You need a nap and mama needs a break.”
He reached under the table scooping her up effortlessly into his arms. The cranky two year old girl flailed in her mama's arms. She was most definitely tired but - whether it was a kid thing or a Tony's genes thing he wasn't sure - she was fighting it. Steve ignored her protests and carried her up the stairs to her bedroom.
About a foot from her bed, Peggy gave one last mighty struggle. Steve felt the little body slip from his arms and something latched around his leg. He stared down where an octopus had attached itself to his shin.
Tony nearly fell off his work stool when he heard Steve bellow for him. He found a speed he didn't know he had in him as he darted out of the workshop and up the stairs. He found Steve on the floor of Peggy's bedroom with an octopus attached to his leg.
“What the hell,”
“It's Peggy!”
“What,” Tony demanded, staring.
“It's Peggy, Tony! I don't know how, but it's her!”
“Steve. That's an octopus. Where did you get an octopus?”
Steve looked pleadingly up at Tony.
“I swear to you, it's Peggy! I was trying to put her down for a nap and then the next thing I know, she's this!”
Tony crouched down, staring at the little cephalopod. The big blue eye caught sight of him and before he could blink, the octopus was gone and his daughter had flung her arms around his neck.
“No nap, daddy.”
Tony went wide eyed.
“I guess we know what Loki's gift did now.”
xXxXx
Peggy sat in her daddy's workshop, coloring. Mama was gone for the day for work stuff. Whenever uncle Phil came it was always work stuff. Sometimes mama and daddy had to go and uncle Phil would stay with her and do fun stuff until they got back. But today it was just mama so she was spending the day with her daddy down here.
He'd picked her up from kindergarten, given her a special table that was just her size, a new coloring book and the biggest box of crayons she'd ever seen. Now daddy was talking to Jarvis and making his new suit. Peggy always loved to watch when her daddy built things or fixed one of his pretty cars.
“Daddy,” she called. He couldn't hear her over the blow torch. “Daddy!” She tried again. He still didn't look up. She puffed out her little cheeks. She didn't like being ignored. Closing her eyes, she concentrated really hard and her body shifted.
Tony jumped when a trumpet-like blast sounded from behind him. He switched off the flame, lifted his goggles and turned. There was a small elephant in his workshop.
“What is it, Peggy?”
The elephant morphed back into his daughter who came to tug on his pant leg.
“I'm hungry, daddy.”
“Hungry,” he said. “You just ate lunch.”
“That was hours ago!”
“No it wasn't. You just ate at,” he turned to the clock. Oh. Was it six already? “Well okay then.”
He stood, heading for the stairs. “Come on upstairs and we'll see what we have to make.”
“But, daddy,” Peggy said. “I wanna color some more.”
Tony wasn't in the mood to argue. “Alright,” he conceded. “Jarvis, keep an eye on her.”
Diligently, sir.
Looking back, Tony figured he shouldn't have expected any different from his own child. He came back down with a simple PB&J, some Teddy grahams and apple slices. Cooking was really more Steve's forte. The first thing that struck him was the quiet. That should have been warning enough.
“Jarvis, where's Peggy?”
I advised vehemently against it, sir.
“What are you-”
Just then, Dummy, who was on the other side of the room, pulled the trigger on his fire extinguisher. A little armored ball shot out of the cone, bounced off a lamp, hit the floor, bounced back up, ricocheted off Steve's shield which was on the work table and came straight for Tony. With reflexes almost as good as his husbands, he dropped the tray of food and threw his hands up in front of his face to catch it.
The ball of scaly plates unfurled in his hands and he was greeted by an armadillo. Tony scowled.
“Peggy Maria,” he said, his tone stern.
Uh oh. Middle name. She knew what that meant. Daddy wasn't happy. He set her down on the ground and she shifted back to herself again. She looked down at her feet.
“Peggy, what were you thinking?”
“I thought it would be fun.”
“Fun? Do you realize half the things in here could potentially kill you?”
She winced as Tony's voice rose. She wasn't trying to misbehave. She just wanted to see if it would work. Tony sighed. He knelt down in front of her.
“Peggy, look at me. Come on. Look a my face.”
She looked up at him reluctantly.
“This was extremely dangerous. Don't you ever do that again. Do you understand me?”
Peggy nodded.
“Good. Now let's go order some food.”
Peggy smiled, holding her arms out for her daddy to pick her up. He lifted her up and carried her up the stairs.
“Oh. And let's agree to never tell mama about this ever.”
“Kay, daddy.”