Alpine had been practicing for weeks now. She’d pull herself up with the help of the coffee table or grab hold of Sam or Bucky’s fingers to steady herself. Every little wobble forward was met with excited cheers from her dads, as though she’d just saved the world herself.
Then it finally happened.
Sam and Bucky were sitting on the living room floor, Alpine in the middle, holding onto a stuffed owl Bucky had picked out for her. She wobbled as she stood, her tiny legs shaking but determined.
“Come on,” Sam cooed, holding out his hands a few feet away. “You got this, Al’. Show Daddy Bucky how it’s done!”
“You’re setting the bar pretty high there, Sam,” Bucky muttered, though his eyes were glued to Alpine, his hands hovering in case she tipped over. “No pressure or anything, huh?”
Alpine babbled something unintelligible, her brows furrowed in concentration. She shifted her weight, took one tentative step forward… and then another.
“Oh my god, Buck!” Sam exclaimed, his voice an octave higher than usual. “She’s doing it! She’s walking!”
“That's it, baby girl!” Bucky added, his grin so wide it hurt. He clapped his hands together, trying to contain his excitement.
Alpine stumbled on her third step, but Sam caught her just in time, scooping her up and spinning her around. “My little chipmunk, you did it!”
Bucky joined them, wrapping his arms around both of them. “First steps today, taking over the world tomorrow.” He pressed a kiss to Alpine’s temple, his pride practically radiating from him
—#—
It didn’t take long for the news to spread.
The next time the Avengers gathered at the Compound, Sam and Bucky were practically glowing with pride.
“So,” Sam began casually, leaning back in his chair during a debriefing, “did anyone else’s kid learn how to walk this week? Oh right—you don’t have one. Too bad!”
Natasha raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Really, Wilson? You brought that up now?”
“I mean, it’s a big deal,” Sam replied, feigning innocence. “First steps, you know? Not every kid’s got that kind of coordination.”
“Or an audience as loud as you two,” Natasha shot back.
Steve, on the other hand, smiled warmly. “That’s great, you guys. She’s growing up fast.”
“Tell me about it,” Bucky said, pulling out his phone. “Wanna see the video? It’s pretty amazing.”
“Bucky,” Tony groaned, waving him off. “If I have to watch one more Alpine video, I’m charging you for server space.”
“Don’t act like you don’t secretly love them,” Bucky fired back. “Admit it—she’s adorable.”
Thor leaned in, clearly intrigued. “This Alpine… She must be a fierce warrior in her past life to earn such pride from her fathers.”
“Fierce isn’t the word I’d use,” Clint chimed in, smirking. “But I’ll give her this: she’s got the most obnoxiously proud parents I’ve ever met.”
“Damn right,” Sam said without shame, fist-bumping Bucky. “And we’re just getting started.”
—
Later that day, when the meeting was over, the couple returned home to Alpine. She was standing by the couch, babbling to herself and holding onto her stuffed owl again.
“Alright, little walker,” Sam said, scooping her up. “Next mission? Running. You ready for that?”
Bucky laughed, leaning in to kiss Alpine’s cheek. “Let’s not rush it, huh? I’m still recovering from her first steps.”
Alpine giggled, her little hands reaching out to bop both her dads on their noses. And as they cuddled her between them, Sam and Bucky knew that, bragging rights aside, nothing would ever compare to the moments they shared with her.
After dinner and another round of cheering Alpine on as she toddled between them in the living room, the family settled in for some quiet time. Sam stretched out on the couch with Alpine on his chest, her tiny hands patting his face sleepily. Bucky sat next to them, flipping through a book, one hand resting on Sam’s leg.
Things couldn’t get any better—until the doorbell rang.
Sam glanced toward the door with a furrowed brow. “I don’t remember ordering anything on Amazon,” he muttered, gently shifting Alpine to Bucky’s lap. “Be right back.”
Bucky quirked an eyebrow as Sam disappeared toward the door. “You better not be secretly online shopping behind my back again,” he called after him, smirking.
Sam opened the door to find a delivery man standing there with a giant box—big enough to make Sam blink in surprise. “Uh, yeah, that’s us,” he said, accepting the package. He grunted as he dragged it inside. “Buck, you expecting a shipment of vibranium or something?”
Bucky looked up from Alpine, puzzled. “Not me. Maybe it’s a care package from Wakanda?”
“Doubt it,” Sam replied, setting the box down in the living room. “They’re more subtle than this.”
The couple stared at the box for a moment, Alpine now fully awake and babbling excitedly at the sight of the bright pink tape crisscrossing the package.
“Alright, let’s open it,” Bucky said, standing up and grabbing a pair of scissors. With a few careful snips, the box flaps popped open, revealing an explosion of baby items—all in bright pink. Clothes, toys, bottles, blankets, and even a glittery baby tiara were packed neatly inside.
Sam’s jaw dropped. “What the—”
Bucky pulled out a sparkly pink gift card sitting on top. Words were written glamorously.
You two better not screw this up.
Truly Fun-cle,
Tony Stark
Sam let out a groan, running a hand down his face. “Of course...”
Bucky chuckled, holding up the glittery card for Sam to see. “He’s got a flair for being dramatic, I’ll give him that.”
Sam grabbed a onesie from the box that said "Future Genius (Like Tony Stark)" in obnoxiously large glittery letters. “Is this necessary?”
Bucky shrugged, grinning. “You’ve gotta admit, it’s kind of funny.”
“Funny? He’s just trying to make Alpine his mini-me!” Sam protested, holding up a pink pacifier with a tiny arc reactor design on it.
Alpine reached for the pacifier, her eyes lighting up as she grabbed it and popped it into her mouth.
“Well, looks like she’s already picking sides,” Bucky teased, his smirk widening as Sam gave him a withering look.
“She’s not picking sides,” Sam shot back. “She just doesn’t know what’s going on.”
Bucky picked up the tiara from the box, carefully placing it on Alpine’s head. She giggled, her little hands clapping with excitement. “I don’t know, Sam. She’s looking pretty comfortable in all this Stark-approved swag.”
Sam groaned again, though a smile tugged at his lips despite himself. “You know what? Fine. But the next time Stark sends something, I’m sending him the bill for Alpine’s college fund.”
“Damn right,” Bucky said with a chuckle, pulling Sam and Alpine into his arms.
Sam leaned into Bucky’s embrace as Alpine squealed happily, oblivious to the chaos her dads were already plotting.