Chapter 1
The team is gathered at the dining table, a mixture of conversation and laughter circling around them. The aroma of various cuisines waft through the air, creating an interesting concoction. Steve does his best not to wrinkle his nose in disgust when he gets a whiff of the Chicken Parmesan from Tony and the Sweet and Sour Chicken Natasha is adding to her plate. Sometimes he wishes they could all decide on one type of food, but because everyone can rarely make up their minds, Tony just orders a bit of everything. This isn’t usually a problem, but ever since Steve found out he was pregnant, his already keen sense of smell has dialed up and allowed him to smell everything, making his morning sickness that much worse.
Steve glances over at where Bucky is sitting. He’s in the middle of Sam and Natasha, forced to listen to them go back and forth over something Steve didn’t catch. He takes notice of the way Bucky’s barely touched his food and how green in the face he looks. If Steve didn’t know any better, he'd think Bucky was suffering from morning sickness too.
But that couldn’t be the case. Bucky hasn’t mentioned wanting to start a family. He’s only been married to Sam for a little over a year, and not once has he brought up the idea of kids. Steve knows he eventually wants them, but since Bucky is still in therapy and trying to heal from his past, kids are on the back burner.
Steve’s always wanted to start a family. He used to envision finding a nice dame or handsome fella to settle down with. He knew he wanted two kids so that they’d always have each other and never be alone. Growing up as an only child was lonely for Steve and he didn’t want any future children to feel like he had. Even his husband grew up with no one but his robots and the family butler. So when they decided to make their duo a trio, they already had plans to add another baby somewhere down the line.
Tonight, Steve was finally going to tell his friends the good news. It had been his idea to share a meal together, knowing it would be the perfect opportunity to have the whole team around so that he could tell them what he and Tony have been keeping secret for the past month.
All it takes is one shared look with Tony to signal that he was ready. Tony nods and smiles, then he rises to his feet. “Can I have everyone’s attention? Hello? Hi! Romanoff, zip it.”
Natasha scoffs and reaches for an eggroll. “Don’t make me throw this at your big head.”
That earns a few laughs and Sam suggests to spare the eggrolls and toss the spaghetti at him instead.
Steve shakes his head and decides to take matters into his own hands. He joins Tony and takes his hand. They share a smile.
“Guys, this is serious,” Natasha says in a mock tone, and she grabs onto Bucky’s shoulder. He smiles faintly.
“It is serious,” Steve says. “So can I speak?”
“He ain’t playing.” Sam chuckles.
Once the group quiets down, Steve takes a deep breath, then he reveals his secret. “Tony and I are having a baby.”
The table erupts in cheers of joy and congratulations are shared. Natasha immediately requests to be the baby’s godmother and Sam and Bruce both start talking about who will be the better uncle. The only one who remains quiet is Bucky.
“Buck, you okay?” Steve asks, finally acknowledging his friends' odd behavior.
Bucky swallows hard and he stands. “I have something to share. If that's okay.”
“The floor’s all yours, buddy,” Tony says and he sits back down with Steve.
“Um…” Bucky frowns, his hands tightening into fists. “I don’t mean to rain on your parade; I’m thrilled for you two. Uh...I…um…”
“Spit it out, James,” Natasha teases.
Bucky shoots her a glare, then he looks up and settles his eyes on just Steve. “I’m pregnant too.”
The whole table falls silent, even Sam looks shocked. Bucky quickly sits back down and keeps his head low.
“Buck, that’s great!” Steve is the first to say, and Bucky snaps his head up to look at Steve again.
“Really?” Bucky says softly, unsure.
“Yeah! We’re both going to be parents!”
It must finally hit Sam because he turns toward Bucky. “You’re serious? We’re having a baby?”
Bucky nods. “Yeah. Is that okay?”
“Are you kidding me? I’m gonna be a father!” Sam cries out. Bucky’s shoulders sag in relief, and he relaxes a little when Sam wraps his arms around him.
With the tension dissipating and the cheerfulness returning, the rest of the team joins in in celebrating the big news. Much to Steve’s relief, Bucky appears more at ease.
“Hey,” Tony says softly, leaning in close for just Steve to hear. “It’s crazy, huh? Pretty soon there’s gonna be two mini super soldiers running around.”
Steve’s smile fades, the words dawning on him. He didn’t even know if the serum was transferable, but if it was, they should be able to handle it. At least, that’s what Steve tells himself. All he wants is a smooth pregnancy and healthy child. Was that too much to ask?