Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Steve sighs out loud as the group of very obnoxious and loud teenagers left the restaurant, a huge mess left behind at the booth they sat in. Running his fingers through his dirty blonde locks, and then regretting it as he feels some leftover condiment residue get stuck in there, he grabs the rag on the counter he was leaning against and heads towards the table to clean it up (of course they didn’t leave a single tip because why would they?) He stacks the plates and utensils and picks up the trash like napkins and wrappers and promptly disposes of them. After that he goes to the back, drops the dishes carefully enough in the soapy water in the sink and mindlessly starts to scrub them, his eyes a bit unfocused as he plunges the dishes again and again into the water.

Working at a diner was honestly more draining than he expected. Not just from the group of teens causing a ruckus and having no manners but from the lack of tips he would get, people being upset or angry far too easily if he got one thing wrong or simply being tired from running around and helping people with drinks and cleaning up afterwards any messes. Thankfully today was a much slower day, though he would never say that out loud since he could jinx himself and he’d probably combust on the spot if he had to serve another group of spoiled teens. He never thought he’d end up working at a small diner, but unfortunately, he sort of had to once his dreams of becoming an upstanding soldier protecting his country were dashed he had no choice. He still recalls how difficult and strenuous the training was on his body, constantly having difficulty with breathing, his high blood pressure, limping from fatigue and working himself too hard he couldn’t keep up with the other soldiers who weren’t exactly much kind either.

Even then he did miss feeling like he was making a difference- 

“HEY GET BACK HERE!” Steve blinks out of his past daydreaming when he hears unknown shouting coming from the back alley. Bucky, who was wiping down his area, says, “the hell is that?” 

He doesn’t give Steve a chance to answer as he quickly rushes outside, slamming the door open and glancing around. He realizes it was a group of teens, about three of them, chasing down Peter who was running as fast as he could with his backpack and still clutching his camera close to his chest. 

Peter sees him and instantly goes to hide behind Bucky who knew the drill, “hey what are you kids doing!?” He shouts as his voice startles the teens. They know they’ve been caught and because they don't want to get in trouble they take to running away as Bucky keeps shouting “if I ever see you again, I’m reporting ya to the police ya hear me!?”

Meanwhile Steve just came out from the building and Peter ran up to him, giving him a tight and relieved hug “that was so close…”

Steve hugs him back before getting on a knee, “heya Pete what happened? What was all that shouting about?”

“Some punk kids were chasing him down.” Bucky says with his arms crossed.

“What!? Peter, why were they chasing you?” Steve says as he clutches his kid’s shoulders and looks him in the eyes. The boy showed him the camera he still held “I-I was just taking some pictures with the camera you got me, and-and they wanted to take it from me.” His voice grew more shakily until he quickly reached into his jacket pocket and brought out an inhaler, taking a puff from it.

Steve and Bucky sigh in exasperation, “Peter we’ve talked about this- these streets can be dangerous, we don’t want you wandering around without one of us by your side so situations like this won’t happen!” Steve says as he checks for any injuries Peter might have sustained.

Bucky looks around to see if there was anyone else who might be here “Steve’s right Pete, I know it can be exciting to go out on your own but it’s much safer just waiting for one of us to be available.”

Thankfully no injury was on Peter and Steve ruffled his hair “at least you didn’t get hurt, but please keep in mind for next time okay?”

Peter adjusts his glasses “okayyyyy…”

Bucky suddenly gasps as he hears the faint ding of the bell atop of the door, signaling that a customer has entered. Steve already felt bone tired by now, but merely sighs and grabs a hold of Peter’s hand “okay let’s get inside.”

The three walk back in, Bucky and Steve mentally groaning at the small group of four people, a family it seemed like, waiting with sour looks and crossed arms. Steve grabs the small pad in the back of his pocket, “alright Peter go wait in the back okay? Do you have any homework?”

“Yeah some…I didn’t finish it at school.”

“Okay you can start on it if you want now or you can wait until we go home. Either way Bucky is going to make you some food okay?” 

Bucky cracks his fingers “what’s the order kid?” He says as Steve walks out and seats the hungry family as quickly as he could. Peter hums in thought for a moment before asking for, “a cheeseburger please!”

Bucky gets to work on Peter’s simple order just as Steve rushes in with the ticket and clips it on the hanging line in front of Bucky. As Peter's burger cooks, he gets to work on the other orders as well, multitasking like a professional!

Meanwhile Steve grabs a few cups and starts to fill up the family’s beverages, not noticing his son staring at him with a questioning and curious look. Peter was shyly tapping on his camera, marveling at the shots he took. He adjusts his glasses and clears his throat “heya dad…”

Steve doesn’t glance at him but does acknowledge him with a small “yeah-?”

Peter gulps nervously “I was wondering about something…kinda important! Kinda something that I think is long overdue!” He says in a way that makes Steve chuckle at how over the top he is acting.

“Well what is it?” Peter twiddles his fingers and hesitates before saying “what do you think about- dating?”

Steve and Bucky both snapped their heads up to attention as the question hung in the air, the only sounds now being produced were the sizzling noises from the stove. Steve slowly turns to Peter with a puzzled smile, hiding his shock at the unexpected question “well what brought this on?”

Peter fumbles with his camera again as he avoids eye contact with his guardian “I was just thinking you know like, gee you’re a really awesome guy right? So like why are you not dating anyone? Like, boy, you should be getting dates left and right, right? Plus I mean, anyone would be really lucky to have you and as they say nobody wants to die alone-!”

Steve puts a hand on his hip as the other goes to stack the full drinks on a silver tray, “hmm okay valid points, but also I’m curious Peter…is there something you need to tell me?” He says with a sly smirk on his lips as he cheekily asks “there someone you like perhaps?”

The boy almost choked on his spit as Bucky cackles while assembling his cheeseburger “ooooo I see you Peter! Who’s the lucky girl? Or boy?” He walks over, puts the plate down and eyes the now blushing boy as he quietly stares at the burger.

Steve finishes setting the drinks down onto the tray but doesn’t go to pick them up. Instead he’s now more intrigued by his son’s behavior on this matter and goes to kneel beside him, “Peter? Do you…like someone?”

“Nope, no! There’s nobody! Haha could you imagine, ewww me!? Pshhh! No way!” He was never a strong liar in front of Steve and it’s showing through his increasingly blushing face and his averted eyes. Finally realizing that he couldn’t lie to his father figure anymore, as Steve gave him a side eye that knew Peter was doing a terrible job at lying and the boy sighs “okay you’re right…I do kinda like a girl…”

Bucky coos but does stop as Steve narrows his eyes so he could quiet down “she’s really pretty and- and she’s smart too! I really like her… but I don’t think she likes me like that.”

Steve raises a brow “how come Peter? I think anyone would be lucky to have such a nice, handsome and smart boy like you!” He defends, “what’s her name anyway?”

“Liz…Liz Allan! She’s really popular and cool and…I don’t have a chance dad.”

Peter kicks his legs as he grabs the slightly cooled burger and holds it but doesn’t take a bite yet “I mean she’s nice and all, but she hangs out with flash-“ at the mention of his name Bucky clicks his tongue and sighs thinking, ‘ugh that brat,’ “-and they think I’m a loser, so it’s probably safe to assume she thinks the same way about me. I wanna try to talk with her but I get so nervous and scared, I end up chickening out.”

Steve shakes his head “first of all, you are not a loser get that out of your head okay? Second of all, you haven’t spoken with her so how do you know for sure she thinks negatively about you? You don’t know for sure what her opinion on you is like so I think that should change! Tell you what, why don’t you invite her over to the diner for a quick hangout? Talk about whatever it is you kids talk about these days.” He says as he scratches the back of his neck.

Peter, however, was still frowning, “what if she doesn’t like me? Maybe I’m too weird or-or dorky!”

The blonde clasps a hand on Peter’s shoulder “you’re completely fine Peter. You’re not too weird or dorky at all! But you are very intelligent, unique and kind so frankly if she can’t see how amazing and wonderful you are? Pah! Her loss.” 

Bucky whoops in the background still sizzling the food “yeah Peter! You just gotta go for it you know? You’d be surprised at how life can turn out sometimes when you just seize the opportunity!”

Peter munches on his burger as Steve hurriedly goes back to serve the antsy customers the drinks he completely forgot about as Bucky continues “I know it’s easier said than done but I promise you, once you get the courage and get it over with, it’ll be a huge weight off your chest! Even if she doesn’t like you back in a romantic sense then at least you’ll get a friend right?”

Peter shrugs wordlessly as he swallows “still…I think I’d rather be her—boyfriend.” Bucky chuckles at embarrassed hunched over form of Peter and goes to reassure him, “hey that can still happen! Just try to keep in mind though that it’s her choice okay? You can’t force someone to like you like that, you know? Just gotta take it in stride.”

Peter hums in thought, letting their advice and plan marinate in his head. At first he wasn’t so sure about inviting Liz over but his guardians did have a point about him needing to come clean and just try to talk with her. He can’t keep this secret any longer or else it’ll feel like he’ll implode or something.

He smiles at Bucky “you know what? You guys have a point! I’m going to try to invite her over tomorrow!”

Bucky claps for him “atta boy! I’m sure it’ll go great!” He says, brimming with confidence that Peter will either way gain a new companion to school at the very least. Plus the confidence did help Peter feel more secure in asking her out tomorrow.

Steve rushes back in, sighing sadly as he mentally says goodbye to any tip the customer would have had for him but it was worth it in his opinion as his son turns to him, a toothy excited smile on his face, “you’re right dad! I should go ask out Liz tomorrow! I’m going to invite her over to the diner!” He smiles wide, suddenly feeling a surge of energy at his son’s excitement. 

“That’s wonderful Peter! We’ll be sure to be ready for her tomorrow!” Steve says as Bucky begins to plate the food.

The blonde couldn’t help but feel chest warm with adoration for Peter. He had no clue that life would have led him down this route. From having his father pass away at a young age and his mother having to raise him all by herself as he grew up with various illnesses that were quite expensive to treat no less, and meeting Bucky as he fended him from a bully to having to leave the army because of his sickly nature to eventually adopting a brainiac son who could potentially run circles around Einstein, life really was full of surprises.

Still…it was by no means a regretful decision. He didn’t get the dream job he always wanted, but he got the next best thing which was a son.

After serving the group their food he leaves them be and sits with Peter at the break room table. It was small and the chairs were pretty uncomfortable but for Steve’s aching back and legs it was like a godsend. He grabs the sketchbook that was laying on the table and opens it, flipping through several pages that were already filled with drawings.

Peter, who was currently working on his math homework, stops to observe his dad who was beginning to already sketch a few lines out, “what are you going to draw this time?”

“I’m thinking of a bird…a raven type to be more specific.”

Peter still watches him as he continues to draw, temporarily distracted by seeing the lines starting to meld together and become more bird shaped as he can make out a beak and face by now, “why a raven?” 

Steve shrugs, “they’re very pretty aren’t they? What with their black feathers and small beady eyes. Plus they’re very intelligent, Peter.”

The child nods, “I know! Did you know ravens can remember human faces!? And that they can gesture with their beaks to communicate!?” He says as he wildly vibrates in place and motions with his hands as he speaks about more facts about ravens. Meanwhile Steve listened intently while also finishing his drawing. While he would love to make a living off of his art it doesn’t seem to be good enough to make top notch money for a career. However it is good enough for a couple extra bucks thankfully, as he sometimes gets the courage to sell his more intricate, fancier art. Even luckier was the fact he had a chance to finish it since no more people came inside the diner.

This raven piece was shaping up to be one that could sell for a good price! It was the raven with highly detailed features such as the eyes having a sheen to them making them seem as if they’re actually seeing something with feathers that looked soft and shiny. It was perched on a branch of a tree with small budding flowers scattered throughout the branch which helped make the raven appear more natural. He even decided to add a background for extra flair! The background was of more trees, specifically pine like in a forest, and a small river traveling who knows where. All in all simple but beautiful, he smiles as puts on the finishing touches as Peter also was finishing up his own work by now. 

As the boy closes his notebook, Steve blows away some eraser shavings off the page, “and it’s done!” He says with a flourish and shows off to Peter, who’s eyes sparkle with awe.

“Wow, it looks so cool! It looks so real!” He says as he takes the notebook out of his hands and jumps out of his seat, “Bucky! Look!”

The cook yawns as he puts down his phone to give Peter all his attention and whistles as he looks at Steve’s art, “well damn! Looks good Steve! Hell, I think you’re getting better.”

The other slightly blushes as he walks up to them, “oh please this was just something I came up with real quickly, it’s nothing special.” He takes the notebook back and observes his raven “maybe I can sell it for a few extra bucks though, since I do agree it’s one of my better works.”

Bucky purses his lips “oh c'mon don’t sell yourself short! I’m not just buttering you up you know, I actually think it’s a great drawing! Maybe you can try to sell it for higher?”

Steve chuckles, “wow you guys really think this could sell for more?”

Peter jumps up and down “yeah! It's nice artwork, dad! People would love to buy it!”

Steve nods, “Besides, have you seen what people call “art” these days? You’re gonna be fine.” 

Steve laughs humorously “I have seen what they call art these days…and for that maybe you’re right I should up the price on this piece.”

After a few more minutes of asking what price would be acceptable enough to sell it, closing time came faster than they anticipated. No more customers came through at the end, fortunately but also unfortunately, being a more slow day.

Steve sighs as he counts the very minimal amount of tip money he got, ranting a bit to Bucky who was cleaning his cooking utensils, “I’m just saying, a dollar or two could have made a world of difference! Like I try but I guess that’s just not enough!” 

Bucky merely hums whenever it sounds right and merely says “that sucks man.” Or “they can at least spare some change.”

He sighs, realizing how much of a whiner he sounded, “I know I’m complaining a-“ a quick glance to check if Peter was around, “crap ton but I’m just so worried. Prices are only increasing nowadays and it feels like no matter how much I’m working, it’s barely managing enough for me and Peter…”

Bucky stops in midst of his cleaning, putting his rag down and sitting next to Steve, “hey now don’t apologize Steve it’s only natural to feel frustrated. I get it, business has been slow these days and the customers that do come in are unfortunately the type to not leave a single tip. We can’t force them to give us anything extra unfortunately, but hey at least you can make some extra cash on the side with your drawing. Have you made up your mind on how much you might sell if for?” He asks as he throws an arm behind Steve’s back and lets it hang on the backrest of the crappy chair.

Steve goes quiet, still unsure of what the price could be. He pulls out his notebook again, flips to a blank page and grabs the pencil laying on the table, “I’m still unsure… I don’t want to come off as too pricey but I know I shouldn’t sell it for so cheap either! I’m brainstorming some ideas though like maybe I can offer three different drawings for one hundred fifty? Or maybe I add some color and make it pop more? I know it looks detailed enough but it wouldn’t hurt to add a bit of greens for the background- and blues for the water of course!” Bucky shrugs his shoulders, “I’m sure you’ll find the idea that’ll work. You always manage to somehow find a way.”

Steve nods, feeling a small boost of confidence from his friend, “thank you.”

As they close down for the night and Steve and Peter walk back home, Peter prompts him to the question from before “uh, dad? Back to what I asked at the diner before…I still do wanna know, have you ever wanted to date anyone? I wasn’t lying when I was saying about how you’re a catch and really cool.”

Steve pats him on the head “I know you weren’t lying. Still that is a…complicated question for me to answer now.”

“How come?”

“Well I used to like someone- she was a really smart, very headstrong type of person. Met her while I served in the army. She has to be since she was an operations supervisor. Very strong and she was the no nonsense type. Even though she was serious she always loved to hear a good joke whenever possible….”

Peter hums as he listens “did you guys ever manage to date?”

“Nah we couldn’t. We were both too preoccupied with the war to even think about dating. Plus I had to leave early because of my health issues so we didn’t stay in touch.”

Peter’s mouth went open in an O shape as he took in the information, “I’m sorry dad…”

He smiles at him, “it’s fine Peter. It probably wouldn’t have worked out in the long run anyway since she loves her army job so much.”

He glances down at the cement “I haven’t really given anyone else any thought. Just hasn’t clicked yet for me.”

Peter shakes his head “I’m sure whoever you find will be awesome! They have to be because you’re such a cool dad!” His little boy says with so much heart that it makes Steve want to hug him. So he does, uncaring that they were in the middle of the walkway, semi interrupting some other people who are trying to walk by them “oh Peter…thank you.” Is all he says as Peter returns his hug.

Suddenly his son jolts and steps back “wait! I almost forgot!” He shouts, gaining some attention from bystanders. Steve shushes him and asks him what’s wrong.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about something super important! Can we go to this Stark expo that’s coming up soon?”

“The Stark expo?” He felt that he heard about it before but it was a bit fuzzy on the details.

Peter hastily reaches into his backpack and pulls out a crinkled paper. Smoothing it out, he hands it to his dad, “look! It’s where all the great minds from around the world come together and show off their inventions and try to create new things to help out with humanity!” 

Some kids were into toys and games but Peter was very much a scientist at heart. Steve’s eyes bulge out of his head as he looks at the prices displayed at the bottom ‘woah! One hundred and fifty dollars for a ticket?!’

He clears his throat “well it’s pretty expensive, Peter.”

His son puts on his best puppy eyes and oh no Steve already lost the battle before it even started “c'mon dad! We have to go! It would be a great learning experience and you’re always telling me how I should seize every opportunity with one hundred percent! Pleaseeeeee!?” He says bordering on whining as he slightly starts jumping in the air with his hands clasped in front of him.

Steve purses his lips and looks at the advertisement again. The prices are high but he does have some money saved up for a rainy day…and he just has to try harder to get more tips and maybe the money from his art can make a good profit?

He breathes out, “okay fine you win…I’ll find some way to get the tickets before the expo starts okay?”

It’s as if Steve managed to somehow hang the moon for him with his eyes growing wide before smiling so hard it looked like it hurt honestly, “thank you!!” He shouted as he jumped around all excited “I’m so happy!! I can’t wait to go!”

Steve grabs Peter’s hand so they can keep walking but as soon as he takes the first step Peter gasps loudly, stopping him in his tracks. Before he asks he follows his gaze to a shop display.

“Wow cool!!” He says as he lets go of Steve’s hand and presses his face against the glass window that showcases some mannequin figures modeling adult and child size clothes.

One in particular caught Peter’s eyes, it was a spider themed shirt that had the spider sitting on a circular web and its colors popping out with red and black. Steve puts his hands on his hips “cmon Peter we have to get going-“

He hates doing this but they were on a budget dang it! He’s also trying to save up for the expo thing as well so they can’t afford to-

“Oh it’s only five dollars?” He says with relief as they were having a huge sale and that shirt was a part of it. Steve nods his head “well it’s not a big deal so sure we can grab it for you.” Peter squeals with excitement as Steve reaches for his wallet and sifts through the pockets “well thankfully I did make something of tips so let’s go and- Peter!?”

When he looked down at the spot where his son was, there was no trace of him. Steve wildly glances everywhere until he spots him already inside the store and grabbing the spider shirt from a rack “hey wait up!”

And just in a few minutes, Peter now owned a spider themed shirt. He swung the bag around all happily and this time, took Steve’s hand “thanks dad! I’m going to wear it tomorrow when I ask out Liz! You think she’ll like it?”

Steve scratches his neck “well it’s a cool shirt so I think it’ll turn a few heads.”

The brunette boy cheerily hums in agreement and with that they both head back to their apartment complex to settle in for the night. After Peter brushed his teeth and went to bed, Steve decided he would use this time to continue his drawings of birds. He doesn’t even know where this new inspiration for the animals came from, it was something sort of random for him. Sure they’re beautiful but it was something out of left field.

Either way the drawings looked great in his eyes. He decided that he would sell about four drawings of them on eBay for about 200 dollars for all of them. That seemed like a good price for four great drawings right? Besides he’s cultivated a small following so someone will potentially turn up soon enough. Thankfully he does have some days before the event starts so hopefully luck is on his side for this. 

With that said and done he turns in for the night, getting a good five hours of sleep.

—

Peter was practically exploding with pure nervousness as he slowly trekked to school. He clutched his backpack tightly enough to where his fists were white, and he was so out of it that he didn't notice his long time friend, Harley, calling out his name until he shouted it loud enough.

Peter snaps out of his trance and snaps his attention towards the brunette “sorry what’s up?”

He clicks his tongue “something wrong? You seem distracted?”

Peter sags his shoulders and laughs nervously “that obvious? Sorry about that Harley, I’m just feeling beyond anxious right now but I’m gonna go through with it today! I’m gonna ask Liz if she’s available to hang out with me at the diner!”

Harley stops dead in his tracks, something Peter takes notice of seconds later as he looks back “do…do you think it’s a good idea?” He says, his confidence already faltering in front of Harley. Sure he’s feeling chipper from the pep talk from Steve and Bucky but hey he also knows it’s possible she could shoot him down.

Harley doesn’t want to crush his already pretty low self esteem but he couldn’t just lie to him “I mean… you don’t know how she’ll react you know? Plus she hangs out with Flash and other self absorbed popular kids so I don’t think she’s going to hear you out…” 

Harley could just see any potential confidence Peter has instantly faint when he finished talking and mentally slapped himself. He doesn’t agree with trying to ask out Liz but he knew how much this meant to his friend.

Before he could talk again, Peter takes the lead, “I know there’s a chance she’s going to reject me, but I have to say something. If I don’t do it now then when am I going to ever do it? I made up my mind, I will tell her today no matter what!” He says with his fathers words of encouragement echoing around his head.

Harley glumly sighs, knowing that there is going to be no changing his mind. He wants to support his friend but he knew nothing good would come out of this.

Still he forces a smile and says “hey I want to support you man! And I’m not saying it’s definite she’ll reject you just…keep an open mind. But hey-“ he comes close and clasps a hand on his shoulder, “-if you want I can be your backup! I’m more than happy to hide in a bush or something in case you need my help for whatever reason!”

Peter at first doesn’t answer, but after a beat of silence he slowly nods his head only getting faster as he takes in his idea “yeah…yeah, I would really appreciate that! I mean I don’t know if I’m doing a good job of hiding it-“ he wasn’t, “but I’m pretty freaking nervous here… it’s her choice and stuff but still I’d be over the moon if she agreed!”

Harley laughs good natured, “it’s fine! I understand it can be tough to confess but you got this! And hey if she doesn’t accept you, then I’ll treat you to some good gas station snacks, on me!”

With that done with and the tension dissipated, the two head to school for another boring day awaiting them. Well at for Harley since Peter was enthralled by school and learning (“nerd.” Harley would say jokingly as he nudged Peter.)

For Peter the time he decided to go with was during lunch. As he finished his tray of food and dumped it, he searched for Liz to see if she was still sitting at her table and sure enough she was, with Flash’s arm around her shoulders. It’s unclear whether they were dating or not but Flash can get quite touchy with her whenever possible. Peter wasn’t sure what to do to get a private conversation with her but thankfully Lady Luck seems to be on his side as she gets up from her table alone.

She walks out of the cafeteria and gestures for Harley to follow him as they do the same and follow her. Peter walks on ahead as Harley lags behind, hiding behind corners or barriers all in spy fashion.

Peter was still a bundle of nerves when he clears his throat and shouts “hey Liz!” His voice cracking and almost wants to melt from the embarrassment as she turns to look at him. She had an expression of shock as she slowly walked over to him “hey…Peter right?”

Peter nods again but this time so fast it felt like his head was spinning by the time he stops “yup! Yup, that’s me!”

…

He gulps as the plan he had to ask her out left his brain in seconds. Dang it, how is it he can remember math formulas on the fly but he forgets this plan!!?

She coughs awkwardly, “did you need something?”

He stands ramrod still, only nodding his head before saying “y-yeah! I needed to ask you something-!” 

Harley could practically feel the awkwardness from where he was hiding and quietly gives silent encouragements “c'mon man…you can say it!”

Liz smiles “okay uhhhh what was it?”

Peter could feel his heart beat in his ears, blood pumping through with adrenaline as his eyes grew a bit watery from how long he didn’t blink by now and he could feel his legs shake. He dryly swallows, “okay…so Liz I know you don’t really know me that well, but I really needed to ask…” he cringes as he turns around “wait sorry, give me a second.”

Harley wasn’t even asking anyone out but even he could feel his own heart through his rib cage pounding away. He looks away from the scene for a quick moment and his eyes widen as he sees Flash. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why he’s out here and soon he spots Harley “yo, Keener!”

He gulps and tries to make himself appear as casual as usual “oh- hey Flash!” He shouts loud enough hoping that Peter would catch it. He gulps ‘let’s go Peter we’re running out of time!’

Peter lets out a small cough at hearing his bully’s name. On one hand he now wants to chicken out, pretend it wasn't a big deal and run off somewhere. On the other hand, he knew had to get this over with or else it would keep him up at night.

He puts his arms at his sides loosely and breathes in and out, “I was wondering if it possible that you would wanna hang out with me after school? My dad and his friend work at a really cool diner with great food so we can get some free food while we hang out?”

Liz looked shocked by the question, not expecting him to actually confess to her. She never really paid him any attention, as he looked kinda boring and was quite the typical nerd with his fascination with photography and science and school.

Still she doesn’t really feel like hanging out with him, already having plans after school but still a small lie to get her out of this awkward situation was dire. With an easy smile she nods her head “sure! Why not?”

Flash narrows his eyes at Harley, who was staring back unblinkingly, “hey so have you seen Liz? She said she had to check something with a teacher?”

Harley blows his tongue “nah, no. Just waiting on my friend you know? He’s uh taking a while.”

Flash puts his hands in his pockets “oh really? Have you seen Rogers anywhere? Haven’t seen his ass at lunch and I wanted to give him a greeting.”

“Back off bro. Why don’t you bother someone else?”

Before he could answer, his eyes drift to the side where Peter and Liz were. He could feel annoyance already at the sight, not liking how Peter was so close to his girl and he pushes Harley out of the way “hey Rogers!”

Liz, while not necessarily Peter’s friend, still didn’t like how Flash would occasionally treat Peter and so she swiftly joins him. She grasps his bicep into her arm and gives him a small cuddle “hey, sorry I got a bit held up.”

Flash doesn’t even glance at her “yeah I saw. What were you and Rogers talking about?”

He gulps, hoping she doesn’t say what they were planning but she merely shrugs “oh nothing, just about homework.” 

Flash shrugs, knowing she’s holding off but knows that maybe she’d rather do it privately “fine.” And the two walk away from Peter, who sighs in relief that things didn’t go south. 

Harley runs up to him, engulfing him in a one armed hug, “hey ya did it man! And judging by that smile on your face, I’m thinking it went well huhhh?” He says with a knowing smirk. Peter laughs and returns his hug “yeah! She said she’s going to go! I’m so excited I can’t wait!” He says, relieved that she has a chance to go! Sure he didn’t get to confess his feelings in time but at least he got the first step out of the way. Besides there is a chance that he could just confess at the diner and wouldn’t that be cool?

Still even through his excitement he could feel a pit forming in his stomach at the sight of Liz and Flash together. It’s pretty obvious they are involved with one another but hey would it be wrong of him to hope that maybe she’d dump Flash for him?

He was shaken out of his thoughts as the bell signaling that lunch was over. Harley groans “ughhh time for math.”

Peter chuckles “oh c'mon it’s not that bad.”

“Of course you’d say that bro.”

After a few more classes, the school day was over and students were heading back home or loitering around the property, mingling amongst one another. Peter immediately makes way to the diner, Harley’s words of encouragement helping with pumping him up ‘it’s almost time! Liz will be there soon!’

Meanwhile Steve also had quite the announcement for Peter. His art sold well online, checking back hours later and people were already placing some bids! He managed to make enough money with the sales and also his tips to grab those insanely expensive tickets to that expo thing!

Steve looks up from his sweeping as the doors open and he smiles as Peter runs up to him and gives him a big hug “it worked! She says she’ll be over after school ends!”

Steve smiles, “That's wonderful Peter.” He looks behind him “but uhh where is she?”

“She said she’ll walk afterwards since she had something to do with her friends really quickly but it won’t take long!” Peter says animatedly with his hands. He clutches the strap of his bag back and hurries over to a booth and sits down “but she said yes! I'm going to get a head start on my work so I don’t have to worry about it later while I’m waiting though.” 

Steve nods slowly, feeling something bad brewing but chalked it up to mere nerves. He pulls up two menus and brings them to Peter “well once she comes in give her one so she can already start choosing okay?”

He nods and puts them off to the side. The blonde wanted to already break his news as well but knew that later would be a better time.Steve walks away again, going back to do his mundane chores and occasionally glancing at either the doors for the girl or at Peter. 

The more time passes, the more increasingly nervous Peter gets. She still wasn’t here and he could feel himself getting more nervous. What if she does show up…?

He almost slaps himself. Of course she’ll show up eventually! She has to!

Steve was also growing more agitated as the girl didn't show up after minutes of waiting. He wanted to reason to himself- ‘Maybe she got lost? Maybe that thing she had simply was taking too long?’ But a nasty thought was stirring up-

‘Maybe she lied.’ He really didn’t want to believe it, but there’s a possibility that she simply lied to his son. Still he doesn’t know her at all so this was nothing but baseless speculation. Only a few good minutes have passed so it was still plausible she is simply being held up.

After forty five minutes however, both Peter and Steve could feel their stomachs churn with anxiety as she still hasn’t shown up. Steve quickly runs to the back where Bucky is, “she still isn’t here-“

“How can she not be? You think she got lost?” 

“Peter says she knows where the diner is so I don’t know…I’m getting worried she might have pulled a joke on him…”

Steve was no stranger to bullying unfortunately, often getting picked on for being weak and his illnesses so he was getting some bad deja vu from this. 

Bucky clasped a hand on his shoulder “let’s not jump to conclusions okay? Let’s wait a while longer and see what happens-“

The bell ringing interrupts him mid sentence and both swivel their heads to the entrance where, unfortunately, it wasn’t a girl but two guys who walked in. Peter, who also looked at the entrance, visibly tenses as he sees the two menaces that like to make his life a living hell whenever possible.

Flash grins all cat-like, enjoying the anxiety he caused in the weaker boy and grabs his shoulder in a one armed hug “sup Rogers…heard from a friend that there is a free meal here if we sit with your ass. Don’t worry, we don't actually want to be your friend, we just came for the food since I heard you tell my girl that it’s cool.” 

Peter was sitting still, unsure of what to do with Flash touching him in a friendly manner when his motives are anything but. He shakily and quietly says “w-where’s-“

“Liz? Yeah she didn’t want to actually join you, but she didn’t want to be rude or something and just lied to you. Honestly even I would have been up front but she really went that extra mile to lie.” He laughs after he says that, still scanning the menu as Peter could feel his heart shatter.

Brent takes this moment to pluck the menu from Peter’s hand and also looks through it, “yeah Peter, we’re dying to try it.”

Peter was in shock, his jaw was open and his eyes seemed to glaze over. He felt as though he was in another plane of existence, not wanting to believe his bullies words. However, why else would they be here and not Liz…?

Steve and Bucky watched the entire interaction from the back through the small sliver of the door. Bucky rubs his chin in thought, “could those be friends of his? I’ve never heard Peter mention them.”

The blonde narrows his eyes at the two boys, unliking how they seemed to be sizing him up. Steve knew those weren’t close companions judging by how his son would shrink back as a defense mechanism and how one of them would yank the menu out of his son's hands. 

Steve turns to Bucky “those are bullies Bucky…” is all he says. Those words are enough to ignite Bucky into a protective mode as he quickly storms out to the dining area where the three are seated.

He wouldn’t do anything to harm them since unfortunately that would be against the law to do so- but he plans to get Peter away at least. So with that in mind he ignored the two bullies who thought he was ready to take their drink order and instead said “heya kid- head to the back. Your dad is calling you.”

Peter nods stiffly,  grabs his bag and looks at Flash so he can move out of his way. Flash grits his teeth but goes along with it so the adult doesn’t reprimand him. 

Once he leaves and he sits back down, Bucky still stands there, his arms crossed and his gaze stern and stoic. Brent gulps lowly and asks “uhh can we order our drinks now…?”

Bucky shakes his head and leans against the table, staring the two down harshly and all he says is “you two should leave now. Else I’ll go to your folks houses and give them a…” he looks away in contemplation “talking too about what you two have been doing to Peter, okay?”

The tone he used and the way his biceps seem to bulge out of his shirt gave the message loud and clear. Brent was pretty spooked giving the way he broke out into a sweat and looked as though he wanted to run away. Flash on the other hand put on a brave face and nods his head to Bucky “y-you can’t say that! And we haven’t done anything!”

Bucky smiles all calm and laughs a little “I ain’t stupid brat. I won’t do anything to you but I will say your parents must do a shit job of raising you if you take out your anger on others.”

Flash tugs on the collar of his shirt, not knowing how to respond to the situation. He scoffs and gestures for his friend to get out of the booth, which Brent does so eagerly “Whatever man, this diner looks like crap anyway.”

With those words said he and his friend leave the establishment. Bucky gives a satisfied smirk and as he turns to leave, he flinches back in surprise as Steve is right behind him with his arms crossed “you know they might be back with their parents right?”

Bucky smiles and shrugs “eh they won’t. Guys like that won’t want to get in trouble. Even if they did, I wasn’t lying about giving their parents a small chat about their parenting style.”

Steve sighs and reminisces “just like back when we were kids.”

The two head to the back where Peter was. The poor child was sitting in a corner of the room, his knees close to his chest as he buried his face in them. Soft sobs could be heard from his small cocoon and it broke both of their hearts.

Steve rushes to his aid, sitting beside him and wrapping an arm around him and tugging him close to rest his head on his shoulder. Peter’s face is a red, tear stricken mess now. With his glasses off Steve can see his red, puffy eyes and his snotty nose. He sniffles once,”s-she- she didn’t show up…Liz l-lied…” he coughs and Bucky hurries to grab him a cup of water. Steve didn’t really know what to say, despite him going through a similar experience way back when. He didn’t really take it too hard however since he was so busy with trying to join the army and his illnesses, but this was so different for his son.

He really did care about impressing her and she just squashed him.

Bucky comes back with the water and hands it over, Peter accepting gratefully with a hushed “thanks.” And drinks it.

After handing it back he cuddles closer to Steve and mutters softly, “I feel so stupid…of course she wouldn’t want to hang out with me.”

And Steve could feel his chest flair with anger at the way they played his son. Sure Liz has every right to reject him nicely if she so chooses but the fact she didn’t and made those jerks break it to him was making him angrier by the second.

Bucky shakes his head “nah kid it ain’t you. Those jerks are the worst, picking on you like that. They really got nothing better to do than bother others…”

Steve presses a kiss to his forehead “she should have told you the truth. I’m so sorry she lied to you.”

Peter could do nothing but sniffle pathetically between them, wanting nothing more than to hide away forever. 

“Remember Peter, it’s her loss for lying and not wanting to hang out with you anyway. You’re an incredible young boy and at the very least, you know she isn’t worth the time of day any more.” Steve says with a nod. Peter mindlessly shrugs, his words going in one ear and out the other.

Unfortunately they couldn’t keep consoling him as the bell rings with the chatter of customers and both adults cursed.

Peter gives them both one last hug as he mutters, “it’s okay I understand…you have to go work.” Even as he says that, some fresh tears spring out as he is still upset.

Steve and Bucky were also upset about this but has to get to work. So with heavy hearts they get themselves into gear and work. As they worked, Peter himself distracted himself with homework that he finished in an hour and decided to doodle Steve’s art book (of course asking him if it’s alright beforehand).

Soon enough the hours drifted by to a close, more customers coming in during that time so they didn’t really get the chance to talk more to Peter. 

The walk home was filled with more silence than usual, even with Bucky joining along and trying to make conversation, the child wasn’t engaging in it so he soon gave up. After Bucky departs on his way home (after giving both Steve and Peter warm embraces) the two keep walking back to their apartment.

Peter was still silent all throughout dinner, still not in the mood for talking, and Steve knew that it’s better to let him mellow out his feelings first rather than force the conversation. 

As Peter got ready for bed, Steve knew this was potentially the best chance to give him the surprise. 

The blonde knocks on the door and after his son says it’s okay to come in he does so “hey bud.” 

He sits down on the edge of his bed, the mattress sinking below his weight and asks Peter to join him. Once he does so, he finally pulls out the tickets he kept in his back pocket the entire time and shows them to him.

The brunette’s jaw drops, his shock evident as he comprehends actually holding two tickets to the expo and slowly looks up at his dad again, but unable to find the words, “w-wha- h-how did-?”

“I took your advice and sold some of my art for a higher price. Plus with the tips I made and saved up I managed! I wanted to give this to you sooner…but hey at least I gave it to you now right?” Steve says with a chuckle.

Peter was silent for moments, his eyes whipping back and forth from the tickets to Steve. Then more tears burst from his eyes making his parental figure panic until he embraced him shouting “thank you!!”

He knew these tickets were outrageously expensive for their budget, but still he went out of his way to buy them for him. That alone was enough to make Peter feel a million times better about the whole fiasco today.

Okay well maybe not completely but he appreciates and loves his surprise all the same! He pulls away and jumps around his room, excitedly thinking about all the possibilities of meeting new scientists and potentially meeting THE Tony Stark!

Steve was enthused and excited as well to a degree. Sure he wasn’t the biggest science guy but he can appreciate his son loving and learning it. 

Hopefully this trip will go smoothly and nothing bad happens.

Chapter Text

The Stark expo arrived faster than Steve expected. Already days have passed and the event was taking place tonight! Peter was as ecstatic as ever, throughout the days leading up to it he would be asking questions about this Tony Stark guy as if Steve would somehow know the answer.

“Do you think Stark would be interested in animal facts? I mean I think he would be!”

“I wonder what kind of shows Tony watches… Do you think he’d tell me?”

“I have this idea that I think he’ll really be on board with! It’s like this suit-“

While Steve kinda doesn’t understand any of the ideas he has, rather just listening as best as he can with his current knowledge, he can appreciate Peter having something fun to look forward to after the whole fiasco of Liz. He never thought he’d have beef with a random little girl and two other boys but here we are! While Peter was still very downtrodden about it, the expo was a light at the end of the tunnel.

Even better, they don’t seem to be bothering him as much at school! Sure they still occasionally pull their small jokes at his expense but after the confrontation with Bucky they seem to be more wary of their actions. Liz won’t even look in his direction, still feeling a sort of guilt at deceiving him but making no effort to rectify it. Peter was of course sad but he can’t stay sad forever when he’s going to the Stark expo! 

Bucky and Steve closed down the diner earlier so no other distractions would be present as he and Peter got ready for the event. They don’t have very many nice clothes but the blonde does have a nice enough gray buttoned up shirt that fit him perfectly and jeans that while slightly loose fitting, still fit him well enough. Peter doesn’t have a vast wardrobe either but a simple white T shirt and black jeans with a cute blue jacket worked well! The two were ready now, all Steve needed was his wallet and phone and they were off. As he looked for them, Peter was increasingly getting more hyper. “I wonder what Tony will be like? Would he be super serious or is really silly in private?”

Steve chuckles as he thinks back to the brilliant inventor, “I think he’s more of the no nonsense type, Peter. I dunno, the goatee really sells it.”

In the few pictures Peter has shown to him throughout the days, he really has no opinion about him. He has brown eyes, black hair and a goatee all tying it together with a stern look on almost every picture he’s in. 

“Anyway we should get going, I’ve found my stuff so are you ready?” Peter nods rapidly “yup!! I’m ready!”

Unfortunately for them since they don’t have a car, they’re going to have to take the bus instead. They could walk there but it was quite a distance away so a bus would have to suffice. Steve hates taking the bus with the people overcrowding the seats, the seats themselves looking like they’ve seen better days and trash and questionable odors were spread around the area. Those are the reasons he hates taking any bus and usually goes out of his way to avoid them but tonight he’s making a sacrifice!

Luck seems to be on their side as once the bus comes to a stop and they board it, several seats are still open so they quickly sit down and brace for the ride. Steve could already smell the old food and bad body odor from the guy sitting in the seat across from them-

He was in for a rough ride as he sees more people board on with barely any room, so he closes his eyes, holds Peter’s hand tight and starts to mindlessly count until they finally get to their stop. 

Peter gets off first, wanting to see the expo in all its greatness. Steve runs after him, having more trouble following since he’s taller so more people were bumping into him as he gave chase. Finally he does catch up to his son who stopped in his tracks to bask in the glory of the stark expo…

Steve looks up and realizes just how…sciencey and full of life it actually looks. Vibrant colors exploded his vision as the colorful lights from the architecture filled his sockets. A giant looking globe that looked to be made of metal was placed in the middle of all the fancy lighting, with what looked to be like an upside down bullet train whizzed past it. 

Yup…very tech savvy indeed. He looks back down at Peter who looks up at him with sparkling eyes “c’mon let’s go!” He says as he grasps his hand and pulls him towards the stairs leading to the main event of the expo. Apparently Tony Stark would be making a grand entrance of sorts and Peter wanted to be at the very front!

As they walked through the crowds of people, a voice from a hidden intercom flowed through the room, “welcome to the modern marvelous pavilion! And the world of tomorrow!” A beat of silence and the voice continues, “a greater world! A better world!” 

Steve couldn’t help but glance around at the various inventions and equipment that decorated the area. What looked to be regular cars, could actually slightly levitate off the ground for seconds, which means flying cars in the future could actually be a thing. Sand which could be converted into a giant battery, providing warmth to buildings and energy can be stored for long periods of time! These scientists are finding ways to print food so they can be grown from a laboratory without the addition of antibiotics. The only invention he hated so far from what he saw was this thing called AI image-generation, which could make images just from merely typing out any prompt. As an artist himself, he felt insulted by the mere thought of a machine taking over something as creative as making art…

“Look! It’s going to start!” Peter says, shaking him out of any negative thoughts. Steve refocused his attention ahead of him onto the stage. Flashing colors of light zig zagged across the floor, as a file of women came marching out from behind the curtains. Their faces caked with makeup and beautiful skirts that swished across their form all prettily as their heels clicked on time with the upbeat music that was playing. 

‘This is giving off more energy at being at some club rather than an expo of science.’ Was a thought that briefly popped into his head. That was until their attention was caught by popping noises from up above. Fireworks were going off as the women kept dancing. Then someone in the crowd screeches, “look up at the sky!!”

He and Peter do so. Both of their jaws drop to the floor as an airplane that was flying overhead opens its aft doors and someone comes jumping out. They can barely make out their figure among the bursting colors of fireworks, but their body twists and turns like a snake around it. They did flips and twirls, and for a moment Steve was concerned he was going to fall and get flattened like a pancake but his worries were for nothing as he quickly pushed a button and the jet pack strapped to his back roars to life and has him start flying just before he could make contact with the stage floor. The girls behind him whoop and raise their arms as he flies upwards and then soars above the crowd.

Peter was hollering alongside everyone else as Stark held an arm out below him to give high fives to everyone. Luck was smiling in Peter’s direction as Tony was flying towards them. Peter held up his hand and he almost cried tears of joy as Tony made contact, a clear crisp high five was slapped on his palm and he cheers even louder. 

As Tony flies past Steve, the blonde doesn’t even attempt to go for any form of contact, looking at ease with his hands in his pockets. For a split moment as the two crossed paths it was like time had slowed down for the both of them…

Then it resumes as Tony slaps his palm on the next guys’ palm. Steve rolls his eyes at the display, ‘guys like him have way too much money.’

Finally after greeting the crowd, Stark flies back to the stage, landing with a twirl. The moment he is standing there with both his arms in the air, basking in the cheers, fire blows out from behind the still dancing line of women. He takes off his jet pack and puts it aside as the music swells to a stop and the dancing girls stop their movements. The crowd goes even more ballistic as Tony smirks, only ceasing when he eases them to stop.

“Thank you, thank you!” He chuckles with a cocky smile.

Someone from the crowd shouts “blow something up for us!!”

He responds with “hah I already did.” Which garnered a few more laughs from the audience.

“Hello everyone and welcome back to the Stark expo! Reopening for a full year since 1974! I am thrilled with getting the opportunity to be able to work with the brightest men and women who have the intellect and talent to work towards a better and brighter future altogether!” He says in a boasting tone.

The crowd cheers again as he bows “now it would be my honor to welcome a very special guest on stage- everyone give a warm hello to my father…” he turns around and walks away just as video begins to play on the screen behind him.

Steve recognizes the man as Howard Stark and he vaguely recalls going to the expo he had when he was younger and still having dreams about going to the military. Nostalgia rears its head at him as he listens to the words of the great Howard Stark who goes on to explain how technological progress has made human lives better through health, education and living comfortably. It could even help achieve world peace! He introduced a city of the future and explained how technology will one day affect every aspect of human life and will make it overall easier, and how we will be able to spend more time merely doing leisurely activities and bask in peace.

After the video ended, the people were moved by it and cheered one last time. Peter was just as moved as everyone else but Steve was more neutral about this. He can certainly appreciate technology being more important and helping others, especially those with illnesses similar to himself.

Peter shakes him by the sleeve “can we go see him! He’s giving out autographs to everyone!” He says as he pulls out a folded piece of paper with Tony’s face on it, the same cocky smirk. Steve sighs and grasps Peter’s hand so they can be in line where Tony will be giving autographs and mingling with fans.

Steve stands behind Peter as they push through the crowds already forming at the doors where Tony would emerge from. Everyone was waiting with bated breaths as those double doors opened, two bodyguards each holding one open for Tony as he steps forward, adjusting his suit and cuffs accordingly before flashing everyone a gorgeous smile and wink. Immediately Steve’s ears were assaulted by screeches of fangirls and fanboys alike as they reached out for the billionaire, shoving pictures and cameras into his face so can pose and smile. 

As he goes down the line, he finally reaches Peter. At first he doesn’t notice him as he’s shyly trying to get his attention by trying to yell over the others but of course is drowned out. Steve decided to catch Tony’s attention himself, taking the picture out of his son's hand and waving it above him “hey over here!” His voice carried over the audience, and it did manage to reach Tony.

As Tony’s eyes met his once more, the air felt different. Like it had a currency of electricity that so intense it damn near paralyzed him as he stared at the blonde man holding out an autograph to him with a pinched expression.

Icy blue eyes were narrowed slightly as they stared back, neat blond hair that looked soft enough to run his fingers through, short on the sides and swept to the back wonderfully. Tony smiles invitingly as he approaches the son/father duo and holds out his hand “ah an autograph. This for you or your…”

“It’s for me!” Peter shouts excitedly as he jumps up and down. Steve hands over the photograph and Tony signs it. He kneels down to give the picture back to Peter, who’s hands tremble with nerves and happiness, “Mr. Stark-! Thank you so much!” He says as he clutches the signed picture “I’m going to cherish this forever!”

Tony laughs “I’m glad I could make your night kid. What’s your name?”

“Peter!! Peter Rogers!” 

Tony glances back up at Steve, who can’t help but stiffen at the eye contact “guessing you’re his guardian?” There was a strange tone to his question that the blond can’t place.

“I’m his father if you must know, Stark.”

Tony hums, not even paying any more attention to the screaming fans around them, begging for any ounce of attention. All he can focus on now was Peter and Steve.

His gaze travels from his head to his toes, searching for what? Steve couldn’t tell but he defensively turned to his side as Tony’s gaze seemed hyper fixated on his hands for some reason “is something wrong?”

Tony flinches as if he was caught in a trance and he chuckles “no, no sorry for making you uncomfortable. In fact I should be heading off by now, quite a lot of people I have to greet and such.” He smiles back at Peter “anyway it was very nice meeting you Peter. Thank you for coming to the Stark expo.”

Peter nods vigorously “I was so excited for days! I’ve been following your work for ages! It’s what inspired me to take an interest in science!”

Tony’s eyes widened with surprise that someone so young was interested in his work about mechanical engineering. Sure he does have some fans that are kids or pre teen age but they were more focused on his playboy/billionaire lifestyle and persona rather than his science. He was fine with that but it did feel like a fresh change of pace to see a young child with a passion for science.

However, before he could say something to the child, he suddenly takes notice of some cameras. Now make no mistake he’s used to paparazzi flashing cameras at his face but it seems the paparazzi have taken an interest in how Tony seemed much more interested in two random people.

So the billionaire grins at Peter and ruffles his head “I’m glad you’re taking an interest in science because of me. I wish I could stay and chat but I really must be off. I hope you both enjoy the expo-“ he smirks at Steve who raises his brow at him, “and hopefully I’ll see you both again?”

Tony flashes him a wink and then walks away, signing more autographs, taking pictures and chatting with fans. Steve even notices some more mature women getting handsy with him whenever a chance presents itself. Tony doesn’t seem to mind the touches, and even on some level, engages back with some teasing touches of his own. Steve rolls his eyes at the display and quickly guides his starstruck child away from the autograph line.

“That was awesome!” Peter says as they were far enough away from the screaming crowds “I can’t believe I got to talk with him! Did you hear how impressed he was with the fact I love science?” He pouts. “I wish we could have talked more…”

Steve nods along to Peter’s rambling “he sure does seem…interesting?” That’s the nicer way to put it. He doesn’t seem like an awful guy per say but he does exude a lot of arrogance. Cockiness and confidence oozed with every word he spoke. 

And okay Steve knows it’s for good reason. He’s handsome enough, has charisma and he’s extremely intelligent. Plus he’s one of the richest men in the world so he guesses it would warrant some bragging rights…

“Do you think he’s cool, dad?”

“Huh? Oh uh- yeah I think he’s pretty cool?” He wasn’t expecting the question but he technically isn’t lying. Anyone would think Tony is cool, right?

“Um- how about we check out the other attractions and buildings at the expo now? There are plenty of cool inventions that did catch my attention when we arrived.”

Peter nods “yeah let’s see them! Maybe we’ll run into Stark again too!” Steve sighs but walks with Peter to the other attractions this expo had to offer.

They both were in awe at how vast, diverse and beautiful everything really is. From how prettily lit the buildings are, to the water spouting in patterns and seeing how different inventions functioned it was actually a lot more fun than Steve was expecting.

They looked at a prototype of what flying cars will look like in the future (he recalls them having something similar at the last expo so he guesses it’s still a work in progress unfortunately.) They’ve seen a VR headset with the ability of the sense of smell, energy storing bricks that will be used to build houses all the while storing energy and making fuel out of this air! It was all kind of a lot to process for Steve. Peter of course was in love with the entire ordeal, pitching in with Steve on what he would do with the invention to make it better and such. Steve nods along, happy that his son seemed to be enjoying this night when something horrible happens next.

He has no idea how it even occurred! They were walking along the attractions that they still haven’t looked at yet when Peter suddenly stopped. Steve glances down at him “something wrong?”

Peter swallows and then says “I’m really thirsty…is there any water?” Steve’s eyes widen with realization and he quickly glances all over the area. No water fountains in sight but there was a small shop that did catch his attention. They could try to look for a fountain but he didn’t want to run around on a wild goose chase and so he and Peter walk inside the store.

Almost immediately his eyes were assaulted with so much Tony Stark memorabilia. Figurines, dolls, posters, mugs and anything else that can have his face plastered on it was in the store. Steve felt a twinge of annoyance at his smarmy smirk staring at them from all angles. He doesn’t even know why his face annoys him so much, he wasn't hideous or anything! He did look good, much to his chagrin. 

Tony had very nice eyes, a nice smile and okay, he has a great charisma about him. The way he spoke with his confident voice and his strutting around like the world is in the palm of his hands! It was insufferable and annoying and the way he smiled at Peter like he was special and the way he looked at him like he was looking for something-

“Hey dad look! They even have Tony Stark branded water!” Peter says, letting go of his hand to run towards the fridge. He opens it and pulls out a big bottle of water, with of course, Tony’s face on it. 

Peter holds it out to him, almost dropping it but manages to keep it steady. Steve runs his fingers through his shirt hair lovingly, “alright is this all you want?”

After a nod, and almost fainting at how expensive this water is damn you Tony , he takes Peter’s hand and walks to the cashier. After he quickly pays he turns back to his son, “okay, here’s the- huh?” 

Only to find no trace of him. Steve shakes his head, as if that will somehow help him reappear, and wildly starts swiveling his head around the store, “Peter?”

He was no longer in the store, and with that he ran outside to see if he could spot him.

‘How did he even get out of the store that fast-?!’ Is the only thought going through his head as he rapidly moves through the crowds, trying to spot his boy. 

His thoughts were broken as a loud crashing noise broke through the hustle and bustle of people. Loud gasping sounds from everyone were heard as they all turned their attention to the cause of that noise, Steve included.

What he saw made his heart drop. There was Peter, blessedly unharmed, but looking downright scared and nervous. A glance down shows why-

Broken glass shards were everywhere, scattered in every direction with pieces of all shapes and sizes. In the middle of the glass pieces, was a small machine that appeared to be around the size of Steve’s hand. It too is broken, twitching around and making whirring noises.

Steve quickly runs over to Peter, pulling him to a hug before pulling away to check for any minor injuries “are you okay?” He asks in a hushed voice.

Peter, while having no hidden injuries, doesn’t seem fine. His breathing is more labored and his face was so scared he-

“Hey!! What the hell happened here!?” Steve focuses his attention to the chubby guard who hobbles his way over to them. His grubby hands gestured to the broken glass and machine “you two did this?!” If looks could kill, Steve would be nothing but charred remains on the floor. 

The blonde stands up, shielding the brunette from the guard, “I uh-“

“I-it was an accident I swear!” Peter’s voice cracks with fear as he says that “I- I just wanted to take a closer look at it-!”

The guard waves his hand flippantly at him “I don’t care! Do you know how much this costs!? 20,000 dollars!” His face is so red, Steve could almost envision steam coming out from his ears!

The blond nervously tries to placate the guard, holding his hands out and asking “w-well I-I don’t really have that kind of money but maybe we could-“

“How clumsy is your kid!? Keep a better watch on him next time!”

Steve narrows his eyes in a glare, using the small height advantage to look down at the chubby man “hey, it was a complete accident! He didn’t mean any harm!” Steve shouts, clutching Peter’s shaking hand in his “don’t yell at him like that, you have no right-!”

“Hey what’s going on here?” A new voice joins in, making both Steve and the security guard jump back from the stand off. There stood Tony, his arms crossed and a brow raised at the peculiar scene. Everyone around them had grown quiet, breaths stopped in anticipation for what would happen next.  Peter’s eyes go as wide as saucers, half ecstatic at seeing Tony again in one night, but the other horribly embarrassed and nervous at what Tony will say upon knowing what had happened.

The security guard adjusts himself, clearing his throat to properly address his boss “Mr Stark!! I do apologize for cashing a scene! B-but these two-“ he points a chubby finger at them, “broke a valuable invention! One that costs a whopping 20,000!!” Steve winces at the cost, mentally panicking at what he could do.

“P-please I-I don’t have that kind of money on me at the moment, but maybe we can do a payment plan?” He says with a shaky smile.

Peter was feeling just as awful about the price. All he wanted to do was simply look at it closer, but he ended up tripping and making the invention break! Unknowingly he clutches Steve’s hand, putting a hand on his own chest as he feels his throat seem to close. Every breath felt like work as he can’t seem to get enough air at all! 

Steve glances down at him for a moment before his eyes widen, “Peter!?”

Tony rushes over as Peter staggers to the floor, not being able to talk without hyperventilating “kid! Kid what’s wrong!?”

Steve searches through his pockets “h-he’s having an asthma attack! I-I just need-! Oh where is it!!?” He says as he desperately searches through every pocket until-

“Oh here it is! Okay Peter cmon-!” Steve says hurriedly as he gently maneuvers him to sit up. Tony helps him, by gently guiding him up as well. 

“Okay, here’s the inhaler!” He asks as he shakes it. After doing that he puts it to Peter’s lips, presses the button on top letting puffs of medicine drift inside his throat and chest.

Again and again he pushes the button on top repeatedly. After ten puffs, Peter looked to be getting better thankfully. The blue tint that was forming around his face and lips from the lack of oxygen, had gone away and he was left with his normal temperature now. Steve breathes out a sigh of relief, thankful he didn’t need to take more drastic measures like call an ambulance. He cradled Peter’s head against his chest, cooing at the exhausted boy.

Tony watched the whole thing in a stupor, as if he wasn’t really there but rather watching a scene from a movie. It wasn’t until he realizes that there was still a crowd of people surrounding them-

He gets up from his kneeling position, claps his hands together and smiles at the crowd “hello everyone, sorry about the commotion! Just a minor accident, nothing too serious!” He clears his throat as he glances at Steve who watches him closely, examining his every move warily.

“Do not worry everyone! It’s all okay! Please go back to enjoying the Stark expo! I’ll be sure this issue gets resolved!” He says cheerily. The people seemed put off by what had happened but they still obeyed and slowly dissipated from the area, going back to what they were doing.

Steve knew and could still hear hushed whispers about them. He couldn’t hear well but he could make out things like “they broke something!” Or “do you think they’ll call the authorities?”

Steve’s mind was in a flurry, thousands of scenarios flossing his brain and none of them good. Tony gestures for the guard to follow him and the two men stand in front of Steve “is he alright? Do we need to call an ambulance?” Tony asks first and foremost.

The blond shakes his head as he stands up with Peter in his arms “no he’s fine…a little shaken up-“ he glared at the chubby guard who returns it, “but he’ll recover okay.” 

The security rolls his eyes, “well he wouldn’t be in this situation if he hadn’t dropped that invention.”

“Maybe he'd be fine if you weren’t yelling at him and causing an embarrassing scene!” Steve shots back. He wasn’t going to let people walk all over him now, especially when it involved his son.

Tony comes between the two, pushing them away from each other, “okay that’s enough, both of you!”

He turns to Steve “don’t worry about this. I can let this go, you don’t have to worry about paying me back.” 

…

The guard’s jaw dropped. Genuinely believing he has cotton in his ears, he asks “sir, did you just say you’re willing to let the fee go?”

Tony shrugs “it’s not that big of a deal. I can pay for it myself. Just go find someone to clean this up will you?” He says as he clasps his hands behind his back.

The security guard looks at him and then at Steve, flabbergasted with the turn of events. Eventually he shrugs it off, though still having a face of disbelief, he eventually leaves, radioing someone to clean up.

The blond sighs “look thank you for- offering to pay for this but if I need to pay for the machine then-“

“Oh I’m not offering, I’m doing it Mr…?”

“Steve. It’s fine I’ll find some way to make the money-!”

Tony’s chuckles stop him, “you’re quite stubborn aren’t you Steve? Please, it's fine, it’s like pocket money for me.” 

Steve huffs at the display of arrogance (was it really arrogant if it was true?)

Still, it was a very nice gesture for him to do, albeit still in a cocky way but nice nonetheless. Steve bites his lip before saying “well…thank you Mr. Stark. I appreciate the hospitality and I really am sorry we broke that machine.”

Tony smiles nonchalantly, “eh that machine wasn’t anything that special and like I said I can pay it off no problem so we’ll have a new one in no time.” 

There was that look again. The blond can’t help but notice how Tony was staring as he spoke, as if searching for something specific on him. Then again this could just be his imagination.

A click of a camera caught his attention. He whirls his head to where the sound came from, and there in plain sight was a man holding a high quality camera. The flash flash from it makes him flinch, and he goes to shield Peter’s face as best as he could with a hand while he turns away.

Tony sighs and wraps an arm around Steve’s shoulders. The unexpected touch was surprising but…not unpleasant? 

The brunette then whispers into his ear “don’t want the paparazzi to see you? Let’s get you home quickly then.”

He wanted to argue that he can take care of whatever situation by himself but Tony was already guiding him away from the nosy people. He can tell from the corner of his eye that they were trying to follow them, “you know, I don’t think you being around me, touching me as if we’re old friends- is really helping with getting those people off my back!” He whispers a frazzled tone.

Tony laughs “okay you got a point. I do have an idea but you’re gonna have to hide for a little?” He says in a tone full of mirth. Steve blinks “hide? Where would I even-?”

Before he could finish- Tony quickly leads inside the bathroom they were about to pass. He winks before shutting the stall door and the blond was left standing there with no idea on what Tony was planning. 

After several minutes have passed, Tony opens the door with a smirk and slightly bows to Steve, “after you.”

The blond rolls his eyes at him again but does walk out. He stares at him with a puzzled expression as he wraps an arm around his shoulder again “what did you do?”

Tony winks at him and whispers into his ear “look to your left~.”

He was about to turn his head but Tony stops him with a finger turning his head back to look straight ahead, “don’t make it obvious.”

So he just averts his eyes to the left and couldn’t help the look of bewilderment at seeing another Tony Stark, waving at the cameras with the same uncanny amount of charisma he exuded.

“Wha-?”

“Hey, while I love the cameras as much as the next celebrity, I need a break sometimes too.” He admits with a chuckle “he’s pretty good huh?”

Steve doesn’t reply as he stares down at his still passed out son. Tony stays silent as he also watches the brunette.

His eyes narrow at the lack of similarities between them. The absence of a ring also sparks his interest…

Steve and him don’t talk as they approach the exit of the expo. That is until Tony notices a lack of a vehicle, “did you walk here?”

“No, we took a bus. Then we walked the remaining way…” 

Tony purses his lips “it can be pretty dangerous at night for anyone walking alone. Do you want me to lend you my chauffeur?”

Steve blinks in disbelief “you would do that for a stranger?”

“Only to the strangers I like.” He says with a cheeky smirk aimed at him. Steve slightly blushes but glares at Tony, “is this some kind of joke?”

Back in his younger days when he was bullied, unfortunately he’s no stranger to people playfully flirting with him or asking him out for a sick joke. 

Much to his surprise however, Tony doesn’t break out into laughter or mean words. He simply shakes his head, “why would I do such a thing to someone as handsome as you?”

He…doesn’t know what to say to that. He still doesn’t believe him because why would some hot shot billionaire playboy want someone as average as him? It doesn’t make any sense!

“I…I don’t know what to say truthfully… I do need to get home as fast as possible since Peter needs all the rest he can get.”

Tony smiles as if he won something, “consider it done.” 

He leads the way to where his chauffeur is parked and opens the door for them all the while explaining everything to the man behind the wheel. Steve buckled Peter and himself before turning to Tony, “well…thank you for helping us. I don’t know what would have happened if you weren’t there so…thank you very much.”

The blond, while happy he wouldn’t have to pay such a hefty fee, was still feeling as though he should repay the man somehow. If not for the way he declined any form of compensation but for helping them leave with no paparazzi on their tail.

( Neither of them notice one who managed to tail them on the way out. The man was slyly taking as many pictures as he could from the poor angle he could manage without being seen or heard .)

The brunette shrugs “no big deal, you don’t have to thank me so many times you know?”

“You’ve done me a lot and I know you must get this a lot but you’ve made my son's night when you spoke with him. He really needed that. For that I’d like to treat you-“ Tony’s eyes widened with shock and as one hope because will this handsome blond man actually ask him out on a “-to a meal at the diner I work at. It’s not much but the meal will be on me and you can have whatever you want!” Steve says with a crooked smile.

Tony almost deflates in disappointment but decides better against it to raise his brows in interest “a diner eh? You know I might just have to take you up on that offer.” He doesn’t bother mentioning he was barely interested in the food but rather interested in seeing more of Steve Rogers himself.

After Steve gives him the address of the diner so he can find it easier, he bids Tony goodbye for now and closes the car window. 

The billionaire puts his hands in his pockets as he watches the car vanish from view. He didn’t know what he expected from tonight but he can say for certainty that it wasn’t as dull as he’d thought it’d be. 

“Mr Stark, there you are!” A feminine voice shouts at him. He turns to the petite auburn woman, dressed in a beautiful but simple blue backless dress. Her heels clicked on the pavement as she approached him, hands on her hips “we’ve been looking all over. We last heard you were dealing with a situation regarding an old invention that someone broke?” Pepper says.

Tony scratches the back of his neck “yeah this kid that’s a pretty big fan of mine accidentally broke something. It’s not a huge deal though.” 

She hums “I heard that the machine would cost around 20,000 dollars. Usually you’d be strict about something like that.” She says.

Tony tries not to let it show but Pepper being his assistant tends to know him better than he knows himself and unfortunately that means she can see right through him. He sighs and puckers his lips to the side in thought.

“Tell me more. What happened, Mr Stark?”

Yeah there was no point in lying to her. Not only was she going to find out sooner or later but she’s trustworthy enough anyway, “I think- I think I met someone.”

“What?” Is all she can say unsure of what else to say to that.

The brunette swings his arms around, thinking about where to start-

“It’s just this guy! He’s got such a great face, honestly a model type of face you know? He’s got this great blond hair! Gosh do you know how much I’ve restrained myself trying not to touch his hair because it looks so soft! And- and his eyes! My goodness they looked like sapphires, which yeah I know sounds corny as hell but it’s true! Doesn’t stop there, he’s got the cutest little kid! Did you know I’ve inspired him to take a route through science? I-I mean most kids I’ve met in passing usually don’t like to talk about it, which I get but also isn’t it cool?” He rambled, using his hands to express his enthusiasm. 

Pepper followed along however, and at the end all she could say was “you’re already pretty smitten huh?”

“If you’d seen him you’d get it, Pepper!”

“He already has a kid though? Are you sure he isn’t married?”

Tony points a finger at his other hand, flexing the ring finger “well I didn’t see any ring so I should assume not! Besides, the kid looks nothing like him! Unless he somehow got all the genes from his mom…” he mutters that last part to himself.

“Well in any case you shouldn’t be focusing on random dreamy dad’s, you should be focusing on your projects, Stark.”

He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair “yes, yes I know. Still how am I supposed to focus when that guy is out there?”

“Yes sir I understand you’re infatuated but-“

“Well yes I am but it’s not just that…there’s something else about him that just catches all my attention. He always has this look in his eye as if- he needs help of some sort. Which I understand, raising a kid is no easy feat. Tonight his kid broke something and I could tell he doesn’t have any funds to pay me off so I just told him he doesn’t need to worry about it and do you know what he did? He still wants to pay me back and so he invited me over to the diner he works at for a free meal. He’s quite the oddball since most people would jump at the chance to get away with something scot free but he is the type to not want to owe someone…he obviously has money issues so maybe I can just-“

“Stark no. You’re already so busy with your lifestyle, you can’t afford to waste more time with helping some random guy you’re obsessing over like some schoolgirl with her crush.” She says with her arms crossed “now anyway we have to get going. The invention he broke needs a report done by the company, meaning you can pay it off.”

He groans but follows Pepper back to the expo, his head still spinning on Steve Rogers.

The next morning at the apartment, Peter was just starting to wake up from his slumber feeling as though he somehow ran a marathon. He glanced at his alarm clock, the numbers 7:25 flashing bright red and he bolted upright, all signs of fatigue leaving him at the thought of being late for school. He ignores his tired body as he moves as fast as he could around his room looking for clothes and putting them in at a speed he didn’t even know was possible! Mentally he thinks he might even set a new world record for it!

All that aside he moves out of his room, grabbing his backpack and goes to the kitchen-

Only to see nobody there. Immediately all sense of urgency left and he sagged his shoulder. He walks up to the calendar they have pinned on one of their kitchen walls and looks up today-

‘Oh it’s Saturday!’ And he sighs in relief, letting his bag drop to the floor for a moment. His first thought was ‘I should really go back to sleep.’ The feeling of fatigue had returned and sleeping sounded wonderful right now!

Before he could go back though, the creaking sound of a door catches his attention and he whips his head around to the source of the noise, “dad?”

Steve was mid yawn when he heard the sound of Peter’s voice and he blinked away the drowsiness in his vision. He was greeted with the sight of his son already awake, out of his pajamas and loosely now clutching his bag.

The blond smiles, walks over and kneels down to be at his level “ah, good morning Peter.” He presses a hand to his forehead and frets over him “how are you feeling? Shaky, tired or do you feel like you’re still unable to breathe?”

The brunette was taken aback by his behavior but responds with “I-I still feel a little tired…”

Steve nods “anything else?”

“No, just kind of tired. What happened yesterday?”

The blonde stills in his movements and gives Peter a look “what do you remember?”

Peter stays silent for long seconds before he responds “well I remember going to school and coming home- oh we were gonna go to the Stark expo!” Steve nods and urges him to keep going, “we had to take the bus to the expo because it was so far away…I got to see and get an autograph from Tony! We went to see all the cool inventions and- and…” 

The brunette stops his sentence, “that’s all I can remember.” He mutters, confused as to why he’s suddenly drawing a blank.

Steve gently takes Peter’s hand in his, guiding him away from the small kitchen to the beat up couch in their living room. After sitting down he breathes inwards and out, preparing himself to let Peter know what happened.

“Okay so…do you recall getting thirsty? We had to stop by the indoor shop they have at the expo, remember?” Peter blinks and puts a hand on his chin. Then a light of recognition, “oh yeah I do! Wait…I remember I-“ suddenly he looked down, a feeling of guilt arose in his stomach “I…left your side.”

“Do you know why you left my side?” Steve asks though not angrily. He knows Peter always meant well and he never acts up.

The boy remains silent again until, “-oh I wanted to look at the cool little machine! Then I wanted to take a closer look and…” suddenly his face grows pale. His eyes slowly widened and his throat felt dry. He remembers what happened now.

His mind is now in a panic unsure of what to do. He forgot how much the price tag was to fix the machine, but he knew it was a hefty one, something they couldn’t really afford. 

Steve notices the change in behavior and quickly brings him in for a hug, rubbing soothing circles on his back to bring him down from having another attack, “hey, hey shhhhh…it’s okay Peter please.”

His eyes begin to leak with unshed tears as he cuddles closer to Steve “n-no I-I-it’s not!” His voice sounded warbled “I-I don’t want y-you to get in trouble!” 

The blonde fondly rolls his eyes at the brunette “don’t worry we didn’t get in trouble.”

He could feel the moment Peter went still. The child quickly brushed away the small tears that managed to trail down his cheeks as he looks up at Steve, “b-but I broke-“

“Yes I know you did Peter but it seems luck was on our side last night. When that whole commotion happened, it managed to catch the attention of Tony himself.” 

“Woah what!?”

“You kind of started to hyperventilate at that point. Your asthma was unfortunately acting up when that nasty guard was causing such a ruckus.” He would have used much more colorful words to describe him but well he has to settle with those instead, “anyway, Tony came by to see what was happening and fortunately he must have felt bad that said he’ll take care of it no charge necessary!” Steve says. While he would have done whatever to pay that fine, he much preferred getting off of it Scott free.

Well…mostly scot free. He sighs and leans back on the couch “well…I still offered him a free meal if he ever swings by our diner.”

It only seems fair right? He’s helped them so much in just that short amount of time that it only seemed necessary to offer!

“Woah what!?!” He jolts at the sudden loud noise his son makes, “you invited the TONY STARK over to our diner!?” He says excitedly. Then a look of realization crosses his face and slowly his face turns red as he buries his face in his hands, “ughhhh! Uh quick question- how much did he see of my asthma attack?”

The blond really wanted to reassure him but unfortunately he’d much rather not blatantly lie. He scratches the back of his neck and nervously chuckles as he says “welllllll… he kinda saw the whole thing but! Don’t worry Peter, he was absolutely worried about you. Almost as much as I was!” He says before embarrassment could engulf him, “he really helped us out you know? He really did lend a hand in not only letting me off the hook but also escaping any unwanted attention from paparazzi.”

Peter stills at new information “he did that? For us?”

Steve nods “yup! Who knew he was such a nice enough guy. I mean yeah he’s still kind of a cocky person but I can overlook-“

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of Tony ever doing that for anyone. He’s usually a no nonsense type of guy dad!” His eyes brightened as a thought came into his head “do you think we made an impression on him?!”

Steve couldn’t help but laugh a little “well that could be it!” Mentally he knew that was far from it. Tony probably was just feeling generous that night and such. Still he can let Peter indulge in these innocent fantasies. 

“I can’t wait to see him again! When is he coming over to the diner?”

“Ah I don’t know. I just gave him our location in case he ever takes up my offer. It’s not much but hey, a free meal sounds good enough for me.”

Peter sighs loudly “ughhh I hope he doesn’t come when I’m at school!”

The blonde laughs at his antics, relieved he took it well and that his asthma doesn’t flare up so there was need for extra puffs. Peter does seem more tired now but that could just be because it was too early in the morning. So Steve quietly scoops him up and puts him back to bed.

When closing his door he decides to make himself a quick breakfast before getting ready to head to work and help Bucky with opening. Peter usually tags along but Steve thinks it’s probably better for him to get some rest this time around.

As he spreads a quick dollop of jam on a piece of toast to munch on, his phone rings. As he bites down on it he pulls his phone from his pocket and clicks on the button to answer it, “hello?” He says in between bites.

“Hey Steve!” 

“Bucky? What’s up?” Bucky usually never calls him this early. And as far as he knew (he checked beforehand) he wasn’t running late…

“Steve, man! Have you checked the news yet?” Bucky asks hurriedly.

The blond raises a brow, stopping mid chew “uh no?”

“You have to! I didn’t know you caused a ruckus down at the expo last night!” Those words almost make him spit out his food. Instead he almost chokes on it and he leans over the kitchen counter gather his bearings “h-I guess word travels around fast…look Peter didn’t mean to knock over whatever that machine was-“

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Steve returns his confusion with some of his own “is that not what the articles and media are talking about? A whole thing happened yesterday with some kind of invention thingy.” 

“No, no, no that’s not almost at all what the media is talking about. I mean it’s a big part of it but your mind is going to be blown! Just look it up okay?” As soon as he says that he hangs up on Steve. The blond doesn’t even get the chance to search it up on his own as seconds later a message from Bucky appears with a link to a popular article.

Clicking on it he was taken to the website and he immediately clues on in on the title-

Tony Stark no longer single? Who is the mystery blond that captured his heart ?

The picture of the article showed the moment where Tony had pulled him close, whispering in his ear as he held tightly onto Peter. From the angle the photographer took, it almost looks like he placed a kiss on him. The thought makes a pink blush appear on his face that he wills away!

Internally he was both panicking and annoyed. Of course those paparazzi vultures saw them together and instantly fabricated some crazy story. Though he has to be honest that was not one of the directions he thought they would go…

He slowly scrolls the article, taking in every word they said. 

“ We don’t know where this mystery man came from but one thing we know for certain is that he must be one heck of a guy if he managed to capture Tony Stark’s heart! As we were taking pictures of Tony he seemed unusually close to the blond guy! We unfortunately don’t know the full story but they do seem extremely close to one another if these pictures prove anything- “

Scrolling more down he looks at the presented photos. One showed when Tony was leading him away from the paparazzi. Another showed the moment where they were heading outside the exit, his arms still around him. The last photo provided showed Steve handing him the card with the address to the diner while he was sitting in the car.

“ I don’t know about you but it looks as though they seem to be way more than just close friends! Perhaps this is a secret lover Tony has been hiding from the public? Maybe we’ll see more of him in time! Or was this just a lucky shot since he probably only came out in support of Tony for the opening of the Stark expo? Hopefully we get to see more of this mysterious blond and his relationship with the billionaire playboy himself! ”

‘Well shit.’ Is the only thing that crosses his mind as he puts his phone down on the counter, his slice of toast forgotten as well. He thought the paparazzi would be more interested in the fact that Peter broke something from Tony Stark, but they focused more attention on him and Tony’s relationship? They didn’t even have one!

He picks up the phone once more to examine the pictures again. He can kind of see why someone could potentially mistake them for lovers. He didn’t really mind it at that moment since while he wasn’t an overly affectionate person (besides with Peter) he knew other people, like Bucky, were. The one armed hugs, casual whispers and smiles just seemed like friendly gestures. 

He can’t deny it however, it does seem more….romantic than he previously assumed! 

Okay so it was pretty bad that the media got a hold of his face and fabricated a complete fake story just to boost their narrative but he could at least take solace in the fact that they didn’t seem that interested in his son. Besides for one line-

“It also seems that the mystery blond has a child! Whoever they are must be over the moon to have another father figure in their life!” 

Steve did think ahead and did his best to cover up Peter’s face with his other hand so the paparazzi wouldn’t have more ammo.

As these thoughts stew around in his head, he slowly munches his piece of toast. He thinks about calling Bucky back but decides that since he’s going to see him soon it wouldn’t be necessary. He knew his friend probably had tons of questions he wanted answered so he was in for a long chat.

Once finished with breakfast he goes and grabs his worth clothes and heads to the restroom for a quick shower. Once done with that and finished with dressing himself he checks the time again.

He still had time as it was only 8:45 and he had to be there by 9:30. He decided to check in on Peter one more time. 

Opening the door to his room, he finds the brunette barely waking up again, rubbing his eyes to cast away all the drowsiness from his vision. Steve smiles and crosses the threshold to his room “hey Peter.” He says softly as he kneels by his bed. 

Peter smiles back as he puts on his glasses “hey dad! Were you just about to leave for work?”

The blond nods “yes. Just wanted to check in and see if you needed anything before I left?”

Peter tilts his head “I’m not coming with you today?”

Steve blinks and scratches the side of his face, “ah, well I don’t know. I assumed you’d still be very tired from yesterday and-“

Peter shakes his head “no I’m feeling much better now! Honest!” He says as he leaps out of bed and looks through his drawers to find some clean clothes. Steve watches him sift through and then it hits him, “hold on, do you just want to go because Tony might come by?”

The moment he stills is when Steve has his answer “Peter I don’t want you to go if you’re still feeling sick-“

“I’m really not, dad! Look, you can even check!” Peter says as he walks over, closes his eyes and grabs Steve’s hand to place on his forehead. The blond humors him and checks for a fever which he doesn’t have.

“You know he might not show up today right?”

The brunette shrugs “yeah I know he’s very busy but maybe luck is still on our side right? Besides…” he looks down, a sad gleam in his eyes “I kind of promised Harley I’d meet up with him. I have to tell him about what happened with Liz…”

Steve immediately softened up, his heart aching for his child and he went to hug Peter who placed his head on his shoulder. Steve could feel some tears drip into his work shirt. “I’m still very sorry that that happened to you Peter…no one should have to go through something like that.” He tilts his head to stare deep into his eyes, “well like I said before it’s her loss. And I know you’ll get through this.” 

The brunette smiles and hugs him back “thanks dad…”

He pulls away and grabs his clothes “okay imma go get changed so we can get to the diner!” Taking the hint, Steve walks out and waits for him in the hallway. Once the brunette is done the two head outside, hand in hand, and begin their walk to the diner.

They had no idea what impact that night really had on their lives.