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Bob’s fingers stretched over the steering wheel of John’s jeep. He took in a quick yawn and glanced over at his boyfriend, anxiously tapping his foot as he stared out the window at the Georgia coast. Bob would like to assume that John was tapping to Bob’s pop music or that he was just nervous at Bob driving his precious silver car for the first time. And even if either of those things were true, they didn’t account for the dissociative, damn near horrified expression on John’s face.
It wasn’t the first time John had been home since his time as Captain America, but it was the first time he’d be seeing family.
Emily Walker had contacted her son for the first time in years, in the form of a very long text that had sent John into a downward spiral. On the surface, the text was simple and kind, but it held years worth of unspoken tension.
“Hi Jonathan,
I know it’s been a long time since we’ve talked, I don’t even know if you’ll read this. I know you stopped answering my texts, but I’ve been wanting to see you. Mike and Katie too. We’ve all been seeing you on tv a lot more lately, and you seem happier. Katie even showed me a photo of you and your new boyfriend. Clearly we have a lot of catching up to do! We all miss you, Johnny. I’d like it if you came down for your niece’s birthday later this month. Bring your new boyfriend too, we’re all eager to meet him. If you don’t want to come, I understand, but it’s been so long since I’ve seen you and I hate getting updates on my son’s life through paparazzi photos and messages from Olivia. Please come home, honey.”
Bob had been cuddled up to him when the text came through. The *ping* came from John’s phone while the team had been wrapped up in movie night. John stared at the phone for longer than usual, and Bob glanced up at his boyfriend to find John’s expression laced with worry and fear. The soldier had quickly stood up, letting Bob’s head fall from his shoulder, and exited the common room. When Bob had finally found him, he was in his usual haunt, frustrated and abusing the punching bag like it had personally offended him. Heavy tears fell from his eyes, and it was one of the very few times Bob had seen his boyfriend openly crying.
John had been quiet for the next week, and it seemed like nothing Bob could do would make it better. He’d managed to convince him, with Olivia’s help, to visit his family. Bob had even suggested making an entire vacation out of it. Their itinerary was simple. Bob and John would drive down to Custer’s Grove on Thursday, spend the weekend with Emily, Michael and Kate, and then stop by Lemar’s parent’s home for Sunday dinner. Monday, Bob and John would drive to a beach house on Tybee Island, meeting up with the rest of the team for a little ‘team bonding beach trip’. On paper, it sounded perfect.
Bob swallowed and reached over to turn down the music. “You look like you’re about to explode, Walker.”
John took a deep breath and glanced over at him, finally broken free of his dissociative state. “I’m fine.”
Bob smiled a bit, looking over to meet John’s eyes as they rolled up to a stop light. “You don’t seem fine.”
John shrugged, keeping his eyes on the familiar roads ahead of them. “Shouldn’t you be the one freaking out? If I was meeting your family I think I’d be a little more on edge. It’s not like you to be so calm.”
Bob raised an eyebrow. “I think you meeting my family would be horrifying for very different reasons. And… I am nervous. I’m just putting on a brave face because you look terrified. John, it’s gonna be okay. She said everyone wanted to see you.”
The soldier swallowed and bit the inside of his cheek, crossing his arms. “She’s just being nice. The last time I talked to Katie she told me she never wanted to see me again. The last time I saw Mike and Mom was at Lemar’s funeral. I was angry and I said a lot of things to them that I’m not proud of. The only person who could put up with me after everything was Olivia, and I fucked that up too. I burned every bridge in this town and now… what? They want me to come wish my niece a happy birthday? Like nothing happened?”
On a surface level, Bob could understand a complicated relationship with family. Both of his parents were alive, and god if there weren’t times that he wanted to reach out to his mother and make sure she was okay. Other times he would remember the way she would chastise him for standing up to his father. Bob wondered if they’d seen him on the news. He wondered if they’d be disappointed, or maybe she’d be proud of him. But Bob had never had a good relationship with them. As far as he knew, John’s childhood had been much more easygoing. All of the tension had come after Captain America, after the divorce, after becoming U.S. Agent. “You have to go in with a good outlook, John. You showed me the text, it seems like she really misses you.” He turned to glance at John, holding his hand and squeezing tightly. “I remember not too long ago when you thought Olivia would never forgive you, and now you two are amazing co-parents. You’ve come a long way, I’m sure they know that.”
John squeezed his hand in return, but the dead-eyed expression on his face remained. “You didn’t know me back then, Bobby. You don’t know what I was like.”
“No, I don’t. But… I’ve seen videos. I’ve heard the stories.”
“And what do you think?”
It was a discussion that had never come up in their year of being together. They avoided the topic of Latvia and everything that had happened at the GRC camp like the plague. Bob had seen it on the news, even in his meth-induced fugue state. He couldn’t remember having much of an opinion on the situation. Other things, like drugs and just getting through the day, had seemed much more important at the time than who was carrying Steve Rogers’ shield. Now he knew John. He loved him. And maybe that made him biased, but the soldier in that video just didn’t feel like the man he knew today. John had killed a lot of people; some bad, some good, some in between. But Bob’s slate wasn’t completely clean either.
Bob turned his gaze back to the road, stepping lightly on the gas. “I think that you’re a good person who was put in an impossible situation. And… you were put on display for the entire world to see, held to an unreachable standard. Kind of like the New Avengers now, but back then it was all on you.” He swallowed and took a deep breath before daring to make his criticisms. It’s not like he was afraid of John, but Bob didn’t want to stress him out when they were so close to his home. “I think you handled things poorly with Sam and Bucky. But they made mistakes too, even Bucky knows that.”
Bob squeezed John’s hand again, glancing over to meet his eyes. “Everyone on the team has made a mistake. A big one. But… I like to think that if we knew each other back then… I would’ve stuck by you. Just like you stuck by me.”
John was quiet for a moment, and Bob was sure that he’d ruined everything. Until John leaned down to place a kiss on their interlaced hands. “You’re a lot more insightful than I give you credit for.”
Bob smiled and returned his hand to the steering wheel. “I’ve been known to drop the occasional wise word here and there. Now, give me the breakdown again. We’re only five minutes away.”
John chuckled slightly and ran his fingers through his hair. “Okay. You’ve got my ma, Emily. And then my older brother Mike, his wife Janelle and their daughter, Emily. We always called her ‘Emily junior’ when she was a baby, but I think she goes by Emmie now. She’s about… two years older than Dylan? She’s turning six. And then there’s my little sister Kate. And, um, none of us have really talked about the whole… ‘bisexual’ thing. So… that’ll be fun.”
Bob swallowed as his fingers tightened on the steering wheel. It was a factor he hadn’t considered until now. Bob didn’t like to stereotype, but John’s family was from the south. Before Bob, John was an everyday straight American soldier. The man coming back to his family for the first time in years was completely different. Bob had spent so much time worrying about what John was going through that he hadn’t taken a moment to think about if the Walker family would even accept him. He could feel his heart begin to race with the anxiety he’d been pushing down the entire car ride.
John turned to give him a small smirk. “Nervous now?”
“A bit.”
They pulled up to the adorable one story house at around noon. The white siding had started to yellow with age, but the garden and front yard were still beautifully green and kept up. Blue bellflowers were planted in the bushes in front of the massive porch where a cute swing sat. A red SUV was parked in the driveway, with a ‘proud army mom’ sticker in the back window. Bob parked the car and took a deep breath as they exited. John picked up his duffel bag in one hand and Bob’s suitcase in the other, carrying them both to the front door. Bob stood behind him, watching as John awkwardly lingered in front of the door… just thinking. “John?” Bob whispered.
John quickly shook his body, attempting to shrug off his nervousness before knocking on the door. Immediately, the sound of a large dog barking echoed throughout the small house, and even John couldn’t hold back a smile as a golden retriever burst through the doggy door, practically jumping on the man. John wrapped his arms around the massive dog, scratching behind her ears and kissing her forehead while the dog happily panted and licked at his beard. The door opened to reveal a kind older woman with graying blonde hair and wide aquamarine eyes, just like John’s. She was much shorter than him and Bob, coming up to about John’s shoulders in height, and she looked no older than fifty despite John being in his late thirties.
Upon seeing her, John quickly put the dog down, letting it bound up to Bob and begin to sniff at his feet. John’s mother’s lip trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes as she looked up at her younger son. “Jonathan?”
All at once, every ounce of nervousness and fear faded from John’s face, being replaced with sadness. He hesitantly reached for his mother before pulling his hand back, only for the older woman to grab him by the waist and pull him into a crushing hug, sobbing into his chest. John held her just as tight, burying his head in her blonde curls and letting out a few tears of his own. “I missed you, mom.”
“I missed you too, honey. I… I didn’t think you’d come.” Emily sniffled and pulled back with a smile, wiping John’s tears away with her thumb. She laughed through her tears and shook her head. “Your beard…”
John chuckled and shook his head. “You hate it?”
“It’s certainly different…” She said with a smile. She glanced over at Bob, kneeling in front of the dog and petting her head as he attempted to let the two have their moment. Emily nodded towards him, giving John an eager look. “Aren’t you gonna introduce me?”
John’s smile faded, and he leaned closer to whisper under his breath. “You’re not mad?”
Emily looked up at him with big sad eyes. “About what? You bringing home a boy? After everything Olivia’s told me about you two, Katie and I have been dying to meet him.”
“And… Mike?”
Emily’s smile faded slightly. “He’ll come around. You know how army guys can be… it’ll just take some time. He wants to see you just as much as I do.”
John nodded, his heart rate increasing slightly. Mike had always been a hard ass, it wasn’t a shock. But John had been relentlessly pouring over internet comments about his sexuality for the past year. Those always seemed to stick out more than the comments about his role as an Avenger or even his divorce. It seemed more personal. Hearing something like that from his own brother would only make this weekend harder.
John turned to Bob and pushed those feelings out of his mind as he watched him play with his old dog, Maisie. He remembered Bob telling him that he’d never had any pets of his own growing up. He cleared his throat and watched Bob’s head perk up. “Bobby, this is my mom Emily. Mom, this is Bob, my… my boyfriend.” It was one thing to say it to the rest of the team, but every new person John said the word to was harder than the last. John didn’t know why he expected Sam to make fun of him, or Olivia to be disgusted, or his mother to slam the door in his face. John knew what he had with Bob wasn’t wrong, he’d grown past that. But maybe he hadn’t grown out of his own internalized issues as much as he’d thought.
Bob swallowed and quickly stood up, brushing his hands off before reaching out to shake Emily’s hand. “I-It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Walker.”
Emily smiled and shook his hand before grinning up at her son. “Johnny, he’s so handsome!” The two men both laughed awkwardly as Emily opened the door to let them in. Bob immediately began to take in the beautiful beach-themed home. It wasn’t the home John had grown up in, it was a cute little beach house that Emily had moved to after all her children were grown. Framed photos hung on the wall, and Bob stopped in front of an adorable photo of John, no older than ten, smiling at the camera while wearing hockey gear. One of his front teeth had been knocked out, and blood dripped down his chin. Still, the kid had the brightest grin on his face as he held up a winning trophy. Bob couldn’t help but turn to John with a smirk, enjoying the small blush on John’s face as he rolled his eyes in embarrassment.
Photos of all three children adorned the hallway, including photos of Michael and John during each of their deployments. There was a shelf full of photos of a man Bob didn’t recognize, a kind looking man with a wild brown mullet and a bright smile. He could’ve been John’s twin, their faces were identical. Along with the photos sat a perfectly folded American flag and a retired pair of dog tags. Photos of baby Dylan and Michael’s daughter Emily had their own special place on the wall, and Bob allowed himself to have an indulgent thought of him and John having a baby of their own to add to the collection of photos one day. As they walked into the living room, Emily smiled brightly. “Guess who came to visit!”
Three pairs of eyes looked up at them, and Bob couldn’t help but feel small, shrinking slightly behind John’s frame. Kate Walker leaned against the wall with crossed arms. She was around Bob’s age and had short purple hair with John’s same aquamarine eyes and freckles. Her expression was more pointed than the others, and she shot John a nasty glare. She was dressed in punk clothing that reminded Bob of his old pre-Sentry life, and dark eyeliner was painted under her eyes. Michael Walker was much more clean cut, and looked more like John’s father than the other two. His short, light brown hair was styled with gel, and he wore a pair of camo pants and a black t-shirt. He smiled brightly at John, immediately walking up to wrap his little brother, who wasn’t so much littler than him, in a tight hug. “Johnny!”
John smiled and patted his brother on the back. “Hey Mikey.”
Mike grinned and patted his chest. “You look good, man. That super-serum really did you favors, huh?” His thick southern accent was the same as Emily’s.
John rolled his eyes slightly, giving his brother a light shove. They had immediately reverted back into their sibling rivalry, like no time had passed. “I’d like to make it clear that I could kick your ass before the serum. We can always arm wrestle to settle it if you want.”
Michael laughed and shook his head. “Nice try. I’m not stupid enough to embarrass myself in front of my wife like that.” He turned to his wife, Janelle, a pretty woman Michael’s age with dark brown skin and dark auburn dreadlocks that fell to her waist. She had a beautiful smile and walked up to greet John while holding the hand of a six year old girl. Emily jr. had her mother’s sweet smile and dark curly hair with her father’s blue eyes. “Emmie, do you remember uncle John?”
John smiled and knelt down to face his niece with a kind smile. “Hi Emmie. Happy birthday.” He reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped present. “I hope this makes up for the three ones I missed.”
Emmie smiled and unwrapped her present, gasping and jumping up and down at the sight of a Barbie Dreamhouse that had cost John quite a bit of money. Emmie looked up at her mom with wide eyes. “Can I set it up now?”
Janelle chuckled and ran her fingers through Emmie’s curls. “Say thank you to your uncle first.”
Emmie practically jumped in John’s arms, hugging him tightly with a smile. “Thanks Uncle John!” she shouted in his ear before running off to set up her new dollhouse.
John smiled as he stood up, nudging his brother. “She’s gotten so big.”
Michael sighs with a smile of his own. “I know. How are Olivia and Dylan? He’s gotta be, what, four now?”
John lets out his own sigh, sitting on the arm of the couch. Dylan was getting big too, and if John weren’t as strong as he was he’d be struggling to carry him around all day. He loved his boy, and he always would, no matter how big he got, but he’d missed out on so much time with him as a baby. He couldn’t help but wish for another shot. But that was a conversation for him and Bob later down the line. Much later down the line. “Four and a half. Going to school soon. Liv’s great, she and Dylan are doing really well.”
Mike nodded, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “I was really sorry to hear about what happened. It must’ve been hard. We all really liked Liv.”
Emily cleared her throat, glaring at her son and nodding her head towards Bob, awkwardly lingering in the doorway and staying out of the conversation. The brunette used the dog as a lifeline, giving her soft pets to distract himself from feeling so out of place. Michael had turned to Bob with an awkward chuckle. “Right, sorry, I forgot.”
John swallowed and walked over to Bob, reaching for his hand and guiding him into the room with his hand on the small of his back. “Mike, Katie, this is my boyfriend Bob. We’ve been together a little longer than a year now and I thought it’d be good to let him meet the family.”
Mike stayed silent, but Kate offered Bob a smirk, shaking his hand. “I’ve seen you on the news. I like your cape.” She said in a monotone voice.
Bob blushed slightly at the compliment. He hated that cape, but if it made John’s sister like him, he’d take it. “Thank you.”
Michael raised his eyebrow. “So are you super strong too, or is it something else?”
Bob’s blush deepened, and he began to fidget with the collar of his shirt. “Um, it’s a little complicated…”
Emily smiled and bumped John’s shoulder. “You didn’t tell me your boyfriend was a superhero.”
Bob glanced over at Michael nervously while John began telling the story of how they met (with a few minor embellishments). The oldest Walker sibling shot him a few awkward glances, and Bob could tell that his presence was making Michael uncomfortable. He seemed like a nice guy, he was practically a slightly taller brunette John. But he reminded Bob of John when they had first met. Only this man was only cagey around Bob.
Emily and Janelle were lovely. They were kind to him, made sure he was comfortable and tried to include him in conversation. Emily wanted to know everything. Where he grew up, if he liked the beach, if he was liking New York, how he and John had gotten together. It was a bit overwhelming. Bob was never one to enjoy sharing too much about himself, especially when this visit was meant to focus on John rebuilding bridges with his family. Bob wanted to be sure that John could get a moment alone with them, so when Michael had offered to take John, Emily and Janelle out back to throw a football around, Bob had offered to stay inside with Katie and Emmie.
As soon as they had left, Bob could feel a weight being lifted off of his shoulders. He and Kate sat on the ground in silence as they helped Emmie put her dollhouse together. The dog, Maisie, rested her head in Bob’s lap. It was so much calmer. The silence between him and Kate wasn’t awkward, and he could tell they both enjoyed it. She reminded him a lot of Yelena, and suddenly John’s older brother nature around the Russian girl began to make a lot more sense. Emmie was a sweet girl, and she seemed thrilled that she had a friend to play the role of the Ken dolls for once. Apparently Michael didn’t play with Barbies. Bob had half a mind to roll his eyes at that, but thankfully Kate did it for him. Bob was more than happy to take the role of Ken. Ken was cool.
After spending so long with Dylan, Bob was convinced he wanted a son. But now he wasn’t so sure. Dylan was rowdy, sweet and his laughter filled the Watchtower with joy. Emmie was much softer, quieter but was the silliest kid Bob had ever met. Her elaborate plotlines for her dolls were ridiculous and something right out of a hallmark movie, but Bob loved every bit of it. Maybe he needed one of each. But that was a conversation for later.
After a while, Kate finally spoke up. “You’re pretty good with kids.”
Bob smiled nervously and sat back against the couch, looking up at the purple haired woman. “I-I just spend a lot of time with John’s son, I guess. Plus… I’ve always found kids easier to talk to. There’s no pretense, no confusion, they just say what they’re feeling.”
Kate couldn’t help but smirk. “Not like my brother.”
Bob chuckled and shrugged. “He’s… not the most forthcoming. But he’s gotten better since I met him.”
Kate nodded, leaning her elbow against the couch as she narrowed her eyes at him, not in a rude way. She looked at him like she was trying to discern something deeper about him. “He seems a lot different from the last time I saw him. Happier. After Lemar’s death he was so… broken. I liked Olivia, she’s great, but she couldn’t understand what it was like to be part of the whole ‘super’ lifestyle that you two live. I don’t either, to be fair. I said a lot of things… he said a lot of things… We both made our choices and it’s gonna take a long time to fix what happened. But I’m glad he has someone who understands.”
Bob swallowed and scooted forward a bit. “So… you don’t mind that I’m… maybe not what you expected.”
Kate chuckled and shook her head. “I’ve known John was bi since we were teenagers. Maybe before he did. Between you and me, there’s no universe where he and Lemar were ‘just friends’. I caught them cuddled up in John’s bed probably about a hundred times. Trust me, I have no issues with any of that. Neither does mom. Mikey’s an ass, and if he gives you any trouble just let me know. I know you won’t want to go to John about it.”
Bob blushes and pulls his knees to his chest. “Thank you… but I’m sure it’s fine. I get it. I never had siblings but it can’t be easy thinking one way about your brother and then having it flipped upside down almost forty years later. I just don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable.”
“You don’t make anyone uncomfortable. You make Johnny happy, that’s what’s important. As long as you promise to protect my brother out there… you’re okay in my book, Bob.” She nudged his shoulder with a smirk.
Bob smiled back. This was progress. He may not be exactly what Michael and Emily were expecting John to bring home post-divorce, but Kate liked him. Emmie liked him. The dog liked him. He was gonna consider today a small victory.
John sat on the porch swing with his mother, watching Michael and Janelle toss the football back and forth as the sun went down. He and Emily sipped iced tea as they swung together. His mother looked up at him with kind eyes. “I really am happy you’re back, Johnny.”
John couldn’t help but smile. His mother’s happiness was always infectious. She had kept the three of them uplifted through the darkest of times. After their father’s death, after Michael’s deployment, and she had tried so hard after Lemar died. No one could bring John back from that, not even his mom. Still, she had retained her relentless optimism even in her older age. “It feels good being back, ma.”
“Promise me it won’t be another four years until I see you again.” She all but demanded.
John sighed and took another sip of tea. “I’m sorry. After Olivia left… After I said all that bullshit to you and Katie… I didn’t think anyone would want to see me. And then I got caught up in work, and then the Avengers happened. And then… Bob. It slipped my mind. I should’ve called.”
Emily took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. You should’ve. But you’re here now. You and I are gonna get through this together just like we always have. I want to be here for you, Johnny. I want to know what’s going on in your life.” She looked behind her through the window at Bob playing with little Emmie, and smiled at her son. “Liiiike, when are you gonna propose and give me another grandbaby?”
John chuckled and leaned his head back against the swing. “Don’t rush me. We’ve only been together a year. I’m trying this new thing where I don’t make impulsive decisions and I actually take time with things before jumping into them.”
Emily hummed and kept looking back at Bob through the glass. “Well, he seems like a sweet boy. I can tell how much you love him.”
“Yeah?”
“Mhm. You give him that same look you used to give Olivia in high school. Completely smitten.”
John rolled his eyes with a smile, glancing back at Bob and feeling his chest warm at the sight of him playing with Emmie. “I’m a grown man, I don’t get ‘smitten’. I just… really love him. That’s all. He saved my life, I saved his.” He took a deep breath and looked back to his mother. “I don’t know why, but it feels like we were supposed to meet.”
Emily smiled. “I know what you mean. Y’know I met your pop when we were both pretty low. He was homeless, and had just been fired from his job at the auto shop. I was nineteen, working as a waitress and barely making enough to pay rent. I was miserable, so was he. I’ve never told any of your siblings this but… when Freddie and I met he was half-drunk, stumbling through town looking for a place to sleep that night. I caught him on the walk home from my late shift, used my tip money to cover a hotel room for him that night.” She smiled, looking up at the pink and purple sky with a nostalgic heart. “He recognized my dress and came to the diner the day after to thank me. It felt like we were meant to meet each other that night. I… I don’t know where we would’ve been without each other.”
John could feel the tears welling behind his eyes. It had been a long time since he’d thought about his father. He had died when John was six, and he barely remembered him. But he thought about Bobby, and what he would do with his life if he ever lost him. He didn’t know if he’d be able to hold it together as well as his mom, not even with three kids to take care of. “I never did thank you.” Emily raised an eyebrow, and John sat up to wrap an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. “For being such a good mom. You did it all on your own and… I should thank you more.”
Emily wiped her tears with a sniffle and leaned into her son’s arms. “There’s nothing to thank me for, Johnny. I would do anything for you three, you know that.” She sat up to pinch John’s bearded cheek with a smile. “Not all the moms in town get to brag about their son being a superhero.”
That night, Bob had flopped into the bed of the guest room with a groan. He’d made the whole drive on his own, followed by at least four hours of socializing. His battery was completely drained.
John chuckled at him from the doorway of the bathroom, combing his wet hair and beard after stepping out of the shower, towel around his waist. “Meeting a few new people is that bad, huh?”
Bob smiled and curled his body up in the blankets. “Shut up. I’m just exhausted. Emmie made me recreate the entirety of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ with barbies, and made us start over every time I got something wrong.”
John laughed and replaced the towel with a pair of boxers, flopping on the bed next to Bob and pulling the brunette close. Bob hummed and rested his head on John’s chest, arms wrapped around his waist. “Janelle said to tell you thank you for keeping her company. It gave her a nice break.”
Bob smiled into John’s chest. “It was my pleasure. She’s a sweetheart.”
John took a deep breath and bit his lip. It was a conversation they’d have to have at some point. “You’re pretty good with kids, huh?”
Bob shrugged, resting his chin on John’s shoulder. “I dunno. I guess so. Why?”
John swallowed and shrugged, running his fingers through Bob’s curls. “I mean… I guess between Dylan and Emmie I’ve been thinking… maybe one day…”
Bob’s eyes widened slightly. “You want another?”
“It would be nice to have another shot at not screwing it up. Is… Is that something you might want?”
Bob leaned into John’s hand in his hair, thinking for a moment before responding. “I want kids. One day. B-But… I think if we did decide to do that then we should adopt. Or have them be just yours. I have too much baggage and… I feel like if I had a kid of my own they’d turn out just like me.”
John pressed a soft kiss to Bob’s lips, pulling him closer. “What would be so bad about that?” he asked softly.
Bob frowned and hid his face in John’s neck. “I just feel like I’d be passing on all of my problems.” He put on a fake smile, attempting to avoid the conversation topic. “Plus, you’ve already made a cute baby before. I’m sure you can do it again.”
John chuckled a bit, but he could see underneath the surface of Bob’s issues. He didn’t trust himself to make a good father. It made sense, it’s not like Bob had a lot of great role models. Still, when John imagined their future together he imagined a little brunette boy with Bob’s spitting image. John didn’t care about the Sentry serum, or Bob’s genetic ‘baggage’. “We don’t have to talk about it now. But I think you’d make a pretty cute baby too.” He smirked and leaned back in the pillows, squeezing Bob’s waist. “Maybe if we get lucky they’ll be able to fly and shoot lasers out of their eyes.”
Bob rolled his eyes with a smirk. “For one, I don’t shoot lasers out of my eyes. Two, flying baby sounds like a horrible idea.”
“Could be fun though” John said through a yawn.
Bob smiled and nuzzled his head further into John’s neck, pressing a soft kiss to his freckles and moles. “Could be.”