Househusband Pietro
“No, wait. You forgot your sandwiches.”
“Pietro, I love you, but I really need to go. Aliens attacking Manhattan? Mortal lives in peril?”
“They have my home-made aioli on them.”
“...Give me the bag.”
Everyone had assumed that Pietro was just waiting for his injuries to heal before he joined the Avengers. Fight the bad guys, save the day, maybe even get the girl. What's not to love, right?
“Pietro, they're fine. We would have saw on the news if something had gone wrong.”
“Then why hasn't he called, Pepper? He always calls.”
“I know it's tough, believe me I know but he's gonna come back home and you can make him feel so guilty that he forgot to call that he'll buy you all the new shoes you could want.”
“....”
“Or, um, all the new tracksuits you could want?”
Well, Pietro decided from his hospital bed that his fighting days were done, he's already saved the world once and as for getting the girl? It turns out that he's not so much into the girls these days and jumping in front of a slew of bullets, saving the guy you're crushing on in the process, is a damn good way to get the guy.
“Clint? Why is there a dog in the living room?”
“Do you like him? He's cute, right? Little fleabag followed me home. I named him Lucky.”
“He has one eye.”
“I fail to see your point.”
It's not the easy choice, the one time Stark had even so much as hinted that might be the case, Pepper had shut him down cold. In some ways, being left behind, waiting on the call that you hope never comes, it might be harder than actually joining in the fight.
“That's it. I'm done. I'm quitting. I'm staying home with you and Lucky and we'll adopt a couple of kids and grow old and boring.”
“Please, you're already old and boring and the day you hang up your bow and arrow is the day that I have to pry it out of your hands. Now shut up your whining, take a swig of this and let me set your goddamn shoulder. Honestly, why you can't get Dr Cho to see to this like any sane person.”
“Aw, but darling, you're just so genTLE!”
The others might not understand it, he wouldn't expect them to. The world needs the Avengers, yes, but in a lot of ways the people who most need the Avengers are the team itself. Pietro just isn't built that way. Besides, someone has to help look after this bunch of idiots.
“Where have you been?”
“I was taking Lucky for a run..what the hell happened to you?! Are you bleeding?”
“What the hell happened to me?! Did you miss the giant ants attacking downtown?”
“...Yeah. Must have. I had my headphones on. You ok? You need stitches? You want Chinese for dinner?”
Pietro is good at looking out for people. Some might even say he needs it, much in the same way that the Avengers need to do what they do. Wanda had Vision now, not that she needs anyone to look out for her anymore. Clint needs him, though. Lucky needs him. Pietro sure as hell needs them.
For the first time in too long, Pietro is really and truly happy. Just as he is.
“Oh my fucking God, Barton brought sandwiches.”
“You're just jealous 'cos Pepper refuses to bring you snacks at work.”
“I am not going to answer that accusation on the case of you being absolutely and completely right but not wanting Pepper to cut my balls off for admitting it.”
“Aw man, is that Pietro's aioli I smell?”
“Yep.”
“And you're not even gonna share with a fellow bird themed superhero?”
“Nope.”
“My brother takes such good care of you.”
“Yeah. Yeah, he does.”