Lullaby AU
Tony was raised by the Jarvises growing up. And Ana Jarvis always sang this one Irish lullaby to him.
It became a comfort song for him as he grew older. He would hum it whenever he was happy/content and especially on days he feels sad or lonely.
One sleepless night, as he waited for his coffee to be done, he hummed the lullaby thinking no one else was up.
"I know that song" a sudden voice startled him.
Turning, it was Steve.
The coffee machine beeped once, signalling it was ready. Tony sighed as he poured.
"I didn't think anyone else knew or remembered that song existed. It was only ever passed through Irish families." Steve continued.
"Coffee, Cap?" Tony raised his mug. At Steve's shake of the head, he gestured for the blond to sit down on one of the counter barstools.
"I don't have to explain to you how Howard wasn't much of a father to me, right?" Steve nodded. "Well, as dad always seemed to have somewhere to be, he usually took my mom with him. And Jarvis, the original Jarvis, and his wife Ana would look after me." He took a sip before continuing.
"As a kid, pretty much everything scared the hell out of me. And there were nights I would wake up crying." He looked at Steve whose eyes seemed to soften at him. "And I think even earlier, I had some really really bad days where I just was either inconsolable or so lonely I didn't know what to do with myself. "But somehow, Ana always knew what to do with me. Her and Jarvis always did." He smiled at the memory and Steve smiled as well. "Well, she used to sing me this one lullaby. And she'd sing it to me every happy day and every sad day. And she'd sung it to me one last time before succumbing to her cancer." He felt a hand grasp his over the counter and smiled at Steve before squeezing it. "And then the song just became a comfort thing. Something to sing when I was happy or sad or lonely. I never did know why I've never heard it on record before. Tried to search for it everywhere!" Steve was still looking at him with such fondness.
"Like I said, it was just a lullaby passed down from Irish families. Mostly from those who didn't live in the cities. Ma used to sing it to me every night I was sick... so every night." He chuckled. "When I woke up in this century, I figured, it had died out. But I guess not"
"What are the odds, right?" Tony smiled.
"You still know the words?" Steve asked as he patted down the next barstool for Tony to sit on. Tony navigated around the counter and sat beside Steve, still holding his cup of coffee.
"Yeah, do you?" Tony said lacing his free hand with Steve's.
Steve began singing the lullaby, Tony joining a moment later.
They spent the rest of that night in each other's company, the lullaby humming through every breath.
The same lost melody playing inside their hearts.