Chapter 1
EMERSON
She was alone.
So very alone.
Five and a half years of marriage. Basically gone. Flew out the window along with her will to live.
Was there even a point to living anymore?
Her wife was gone, left her.
Sorrow wrapped around her soul and engulfed her very existence.
She sits at the kitchen counter in her parents’ home, overcome with sadness and despair as she tries to remember what her wife even looked like. It had been that long.
She sighs heavily for the third time before her blonde father slams the spatula down on the counter and turns to her abruptly. He had been making breakfast and paused to look at her in annoyance and with zero empathy.
“Emerson, honey , you have got to stop moping around.”
“Pop I’m in grief!” she bit back at him in surprise.
“You knew this was coming, kiddo. We did not let you move back home just to throw yourself a pity party.”
She rolled her eyes heavily before leaning over the counter to bury her face in her arms.
“Just let me mourn in peace, Pop,” she said, unable to see the blonde throw his hands up in exasperation.
“You know, I didn’t think it was possible for any of you three to be more dramatic than your father, but somehow you manage just fine,” her heartless blonde father said as she heard her other dad join them in the kitchen. “Tony, would you please tell your daughter to stop being so dramatic? She’s been moping around here for almost a week.” With that, Em shot her head up to glare at the heartless bastard before turning to pout at her more sympathetic parent.
“Honey, cut her some slack,” the nicer one said sweetly, walking over to hug his heartbroken daughter.
“ Daddy ,” she whined at him with her bottom lip out as she reached her arms out to the chuckling brunette; who quickly wrapped his arms around her in understanding. She could hear her blonde father scoff at the two.
“Tony you are not helping. And Emerson, seriously, you have got to stop.”
“Oh hush, Steven! You don’t understand, okay? Us little spoons need our big spoons! My poor baby girl,” her Dad murmured – with a hint of sarcasm – as he quickly rocked her back and forth.
Her Pop rolled his eyes at the two as she shot him a glare.
“Pop, feel sorry for me, I’m basically a widow!” The blonde gave her his infamous unimpressed look before settling his hands on his hips. Her Dad kissed her head with a chuckle before he extracted himself from their hug in order to pour himself a cup of coffee.
“Emerson Rogers Stark that is not something to joke about,” the blonde said evenly.
“She’s gone, Pop!”
“Dammit Emerson, your wife isn’t dead. She is off-planet ! There is a huge difference,” he said sternly as she simply groaned and collapsed her face back into her crossed arms on the counter. She heard her Dad chuckle but also chose to ignore it.
“She might as well be…” she mumbled into her arms.
“Your wife will be back in eight months you dramatic child. She went to save billions of lives and help your Uncle Thor out. And I seem to remember her explicitly saying you weren’t allowed to mope around here without her. You just got your Master’s! Use it! Pepper said SI was excited for you to come back. You cannot just sit here and sulk for the next eight months.”
“Yes I can, I’m an adult,” she mumbled again, realizing how pitiful that sounded as she heard her little brother join them.
“Morning, oh…is Emerson still throwing herself a pity party?” Miles said with a laugh as she heard her fathers chuckle as well. She brought her head up to glare at the three as she watched her dads hug her little brother in greeting. The sixteen year old was almost as tall as the six foot tall blonde, but it didn’t stop either father from showing the teen affection.
“Morning baby,” her Dad replied as he had to stand on his tiptoes to kiss the kid on the cheek.
“What’s for breakfast?” Miles asked their Pop as the man turned back around to the stove.
“Fruit, eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast.”
“Aw hell yes!” her brother exclaimed as he turned to his sister. “Come on Em, I know you love hash browns,” he said encouragingly as he walked over and elbowed her.
“Food doesn’t have taste anymore,” she grumbled as her Pop groaned and turned off the stove before he sharply turned to her again.
“Alright that’s it. Miles, make yourself a plate and make sure your father eats something besides coffee and a nibble of toast. Emerson, you’re with me,” Steve said as he walked around to stand next to her, ignoring the offended scoff from his husband.
“My legs don’t work, just let me be,” she said as she tried to rest her head on the counter again.
Tried – as in before she could do so a certain super soldier lifted her off of the stool and proceeded to throw her over his shoulder.
She squawked in protest but he was already down the hall and walking to the elevator before she could even muster a rebuttal. Knowing resistance was futile and she was too tired to be any sassy, she lay quietly over his shoulder as he eventually led the two to the…roof?
“What exactly are we doing up here?” she asked as he gently placed her on her feet. He looked considerably less frustrated then before as he took a step back to start stretching.
“We’re doing some yoga, I’m not letting you fall back into depression when you’ve made so much progress with your mental health,” he said – completely calling her out.
…that was actually her biggest fear.
Did she miss the physical aspects of her wife? Of fucking course she did.
But right now, she was actually genuinely concerned for her mental health. She had just finished grad school but wouldn’t have gotten through it without her wife. Shuri was her rock, and always knew exactly what to say or do to help her. Not that her parents hadn’t been great…but the love of her life was the love of her life for a reason.
She couldn’t articulate that, but somehow the fucking mind-reader of a father could see that.
Or at least enough to comment on it.
But since she was also a Stark, she couldn’t let her vulnerability slide without making a sarcastic comment to save face.
“You must be really bored now that you’re retired, old man,” she said as she began copying his movements. Even though the man was technically over a hundred, he still only looked to be in his early forties – minus a few grays that recently became visible. Compared to her Dad, who had ‘salty sideburns’ and constantly threatened to dye it. Her Pop gave her a look that snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Has it been so long that you forgot what happens for making fun of my age?” he asked coyly as she suddenly blushed remembering.
“Hey now! I am almost thirty and you are over a hundred. I think it's fair game at this point.”
“Sure why don’t you go with that? See where that gets you? Cause this hundred year old man can still outrun you, Thumper,” he said with a smirk as he resumed stretching before demonstrating yoga poses.
She rolled her eyes fondly but didn’t push any further, stretching her body out in order to copy his movements.
They were out there for over an hour, enjoying each other’s silent company as they stretched and listened to the city sounds below.
She wouldn’t admit it out loud – mostly because she didn’t need to see that satisfaction on his face – but this was actually helping.
Their yoga session ended when Jarvis alerted them that Peter and the twins were here.
She and her Pops shared a smile before making their way to the living room, but not before she gave the man a quick side hug in thanks.
If he caught on, he didn’t say anything.