Chapter 27
EMERSON
Pete and his gang were coming to the mansion more frequently than they did when they lived in the Tower. Not that she minded, it did help a little with her baby-fever. And even though it was early-October, the twins had easily convinced their grandpas that they needed to swim in their heated indoor pool. So everyone went to change into their swimsuits.
The mansion had a gorgeous indoor pool, and though she’d rather make everyone begin to pick out Halloween outfits, she conceded to joining them. Plus it would give her the opportunity to get to know her new foster-nephew better.
She sat on a chair near the pool, waiting for everyone to come when she was joined by the kid she’d just been thinking about.
“Hey Leo,” she said with a smile as he offered a smile back. He looked around, even though they were still the only ones there, and approached her slowly.
“Hey,” he greeted before sitting near her. Which surprised her, since this sweet kid has been nothing but skittish around them. He hung his head as he continued speaking quietly, “so...Peter told me you were in the system?”
She smiled brightly back at him before nodding in response.
“Yeah, my dads adopted me when I was sixteen, but before I met them I was in the system since I was eleven.”
“Did...did you experience bad homes?” he asked shyly. She took a deep breath before answering his question, not wanting to lie to the boy.
“Yeah, yeah I did. But...in the end it brought me here. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.” She smiled warmly at the boy who was staring at his feet, giving him the time to respond.
“I hate being in foster care,” the boy said angrily as Emerson felt her expression change to a worried one.
“You...hate being with Peter and Wade?” He looked up at that in shock, quickly shaking his head no before explaining.
“No, not them. I lo-like. I like them. I mean before them,” Leo said with an adorable blush.
“Oh gotcha, yeah it’s a fu-messed up system,” she corrected herself in front of the seven year old, even though she heard him frequently say the word. “If you ever wanna talk about it, just ask, okay?” she asked as he nodded, embarrassed. Which prompted the woman to want to put a smile on his face.
“So you like living with those ridiculous men?” she asked just as the rest of the ridiculous family entered the pool room.
He didn’t verbally answer, but his big smile at watching the two guys juggle the twins kind of answered her question for him. The toddlers were both in their bathing suits, but were being fitted with floaties when Isaac toddled away fast enough to jump into the pool. Peter held Lilli back from doing the same as Wade quickly jumped in and pulled his giggling toddler up out of the water.
“Isaac Anthony Stark , you are a silly goose who needs his floaties, ” Wade growled at the toddler who suddenly made a game of trying to jump back in the pool his Daddy was in. She noticed Peter (trying to) put the floaties on a wiggly Lillian's tiny arms and laughed when her own dads and younger brother walked past them to join her.
“Um, Leo. I believe your foster parents require some assistance,” her Dad said as he ruffled the boy’s hair in passing.
“Um, Tony. I’m believe your son requires some assistance,” the boy said in a scary good impersonation of her father. Miles and her Pop froze in shock before bursting into laughter; while her Dad had the biggest grin on his face.
“Oh, my young padawan. The sass is strong in you,” the genius admitted, finishing with a hand over his heart. They heard another splash and all turned to see Wade pull Lillian out of the water, arguing with Peter about how her floaties had just been put on. Emerson considered telling the boys about the tiny life jackets in the shed, but decided she’d rather watch them suffer.
She laughed fondly and rolled her eyes, smiling brightly as she heard Leo sigh heavily before walking over to help them.
“You’re a good man Leonardo!” her Dad called after him before turning back to Emerson. “Not jumping in?”
“I will in a minute. Too busy enjoying the show,” she said, nodding to the circus behind them. She watched Miles dip his toe in before he turned back to them with a smile.
“The water is warm. Heated indoor pools are my new favorite thing,” the teen said before turning to cannonball in.
“I forgot to grab the pool toys, I’ll be right back,” the blonde said as he began to walk away.
“Or, counter offer-” her Dad said before promptly shoving the man into the pool. Emerson and Miles both burst out laughing as their Pop came sputtering out of the water. The genius was standing tall on the edge, hands resting on his hips in triumph.
And well, Emerson saw the opportunity.
She made eye contact with the super soldier, throwing him a wink before standing up to quickly shove her Dad into the pool next to him.
“Yes! Thank you baby girl,” her Pop said as her Dad reemerged out of the water, sputtering and shooting her a glare.
“Yay G’anddaddy!” Izzy exclaimed, finally wearing floaties, as he jumped into the pool next to them. Her Dad lifted him up out of the water before tossing him a few feet away.
“Me too, me too!” Lilli shouted as she toddled over, also finally wearing floaties, and jumped in. Emerson looked over at her brother, noticing he and his husband already looked exhausted as they slowly walked over and sat beside her. Leo, on the other hand, was hanging back and slowly walking the other way around the pool.
“Uh, does Leo need floaties?” she asked as her brother and brother in law suddenly sat up in alert.
“Daddy come in da pool!”
“Yeah come on Papa!”
“I’ll ask Leo, your both being called to duty,” Em said with a smile as the two men reluctantly joined their toddlers in the pool. She watched them for a moment, smiling at her ridiculous family as Leo made his way back around the pool and sat next to her. “Hey Leo, do you need any floaties or a life jacket?”
“Nah I’m okay,” the boy said quietly with his head down.
“Let me ask that again; Leo honey, do you know how to swim?” she asked gently, getting her answer when the boy blushed and looked away. “Well, what if you and I go sit in the shallow end to start?” she suggested with a smile, glad to see the boy at least shrug in response.
Emerson stood up and stretched out a little, nodding to the other end of the pool and waiting for her nephew to stand up before leading the two to the shallow end. They sat in the water, which still came up to the boy’s chest, watching the others splash and throw the toddlers around.
“You know, I didn’t learn how to swim until I was seventeen. Tony was actually the one that taught me,” she said as she pointed to the ridiculous man, currently clinging like a koala bear on his husband’s back.
“Really?” Leo asked quietly next to her.
“Yeah, nothing to be ashamed about. Plus he’s a pretty good teacher,” she said to him with a smile, noticing the man in question was swimming over to the two. “Speak of the devil.”
“Hey you two, why are you guys hanging out in the shallow end?” her Dad asked as he swam over to sit next to them. Emerson looked over at Leo, giving him a chance to answer before she made something up for him.
“I don’t know how to swim,” the boy said dejectedly, as if they would judge a seven year old for not knowing how to swim.
“I told him about how you taught me,” Em spoke up, smiling fondly at the man who was smiling warmly back at her.
“I’d be more than happy to teach you too, Leo. If I can teach this block of led to not sink, I can teach you to swim,” the old man said as he stuck his tongue out at her. She splashed him in return.
“Okay,” Leo agreed quietly, almost so quiet the two of them couldn’t hear. Her father, even in his old age, still heard the boy and immediately pulled him into his arms.
“Come with me, young padawan,” her Dad said as she watched the two for a moment.
“Auntie can you get da toys?” she heard one of the toddlers shout, looking behind her at the numerous inflatable toys. She stood up to get out of the pool, climbing out and calling back to her niece and/or nephew.
“Which ones?”
“All dem!” Emerson shook her head fondly, still no idea which toddler as she started to throw everything in the pool.
After she threw the majority in, she grabbed a unicorn tube and set it in the water before climbing in. The water felt warm and amazing, and she was enjoying watching Peter and Wade beat each other with pool noodles while the toddlers cheered them on. Dad was with Leo in the shallow end teaching him how to float, while Miles and their Pop did handstands.
It was a warming sight and a pleasant distraction from missing her wife.
She was slowly getting out of her funk, even if she still missed Shuri, she was slowly starting to get back at SI. Even if she was mostly working from home on the one day a week she did it.
Baby steps and all that.
A cry caught her attention again, jerking up and seeing the source of the sound. Her Dad had squeaked in excitement as Leo swam several feet on his own. She watched with a smile as the other members of her family cheered the boy on.
“Auntie! Up up!” Lilli said, suddenly appearing next to Emerson, tiny hands flailing. She reached down for her niece, lifting the toddler up to sit on her lap, struggling for a second to balance the two on the unicorn tube.
When the little girl settled against her chest, not without smacking her aunt once with her floatie, the girls watched as the boys alternated between cheering Leo on and dunking each other.
Overall, a pretty great distraction.
Yeah, she thought to herself as she noticed Isaac was suddenly out of the pool, somehow sans floaties and running to the deep end where his fathers suddenly noticed, panicked and screamed to swim to him just as he jumped in, apretty great distraction.