Chapter 30
TONY
“Alright my grandbabies, should we make cookies first or caramel apples?” he asked excitedly as the three cheered back at him.
“All dem!” Lilli shouted, prompting her twin to shout the same.
“Can we do both?!” Leo asked in equal excitement.
“Of course!” Tony said, ignoring his husband’s loud coughing in favor of corralling the herd to the kitchen. He heard his husband laugh fondly but follow them nonetheless.
“Let’s start with cookies, then while cookies are baking, we’ll switch to caramel apples. All those in favor, say I.” The three munchkins excitedly shouted ‘I’ as Tony started getting ingredients out of the pantry.
A shadow fell over him but he didn’t need to turn around to know when he’s been cornered by his husband.
“Close the door if you plan on being inappropriate,” he snarked without turning around, smiling at Steve’s laugh.
“I’m here to help. And make sure you don’t burn the kitchen down. Again.”
“Hey!” Tony exclaimed in offense, turning around and nearly dropping his arm bundle. “That was one time and it happened when we were dating!” he harshly whispered, unable to stop the smile spread across his face. It broke his husband too, who was smiling and blushing back.
“Yeah yeah, but I haven’t forgotten. Plus...I’m here on a mission,” he finished in his Captain voice, which only made Tony glare back at him. That bastard knew it was his weakness.
“What do you want, Steven?” Tony asked, jumping to the point before he could get aroused near his grandkids.
“What costumes have you purchased for this evening?” Steve asked, grabbing a few ingredients to help carry them.
“They’re not inappropriate,” Tony said with an eye roll, strolling around his husband to rejoin the kids.
“Good. So tell me what they are,” Steve said as he followed him out of the pantry.
“We’ve been married thirty years, I feel like I’m allowed to have some secrets, Steven,” he whined at the man, picking up Lilli and resting her on his hip.
“Not if it involves my body,” Steve retorted. “JUST, tell me what it is,” the blonde added just as Tony had opened his mouth to make a dirty joke, snapping it shut with a pout.
“G’anddaddy!” Lilli whined and bounced in his embrace, pointing at the counter.
“You’re right, Lilli-bear. Sorry, Poppy is trying to distract me,” Tony cooed at the toddler and started separating the ingredients. Leo walked around with a smile, leaning against the counter and watching Tony. “Wanna hop up on the counter little lion?” Leo’s face scrunched up adorably.
“Lion?”
“Well yeah! We’ve got an Izzy-bee, a Lilli-bear, now we’ve got a Leo-lion!” Tony explained as he pulled one of the step stools out to help. Steve had pulled Izzy up into his arms, squinting at Tony but smiling at Leo as the boy shook his head fondly and stepped on the stool to be able to watch.
“Just a hint then, is it something from Star Wars?” Steve asked as he carried Isaac around to grab bowls and baking sheets.
“No,” Tony said with a smirk. “Now, how does chocolate chip cookies sound?” he asked his grandbabies who all cheered at the suggestion.
“Does it involve Disney characters?”
“Steve.”
“So I’m getting warmer. Pixar characters?”
“Please shut your handsome mouth. Leo, wanna help me measure the flour?”
“Sure!” the boy said excitedly.
“So it is Pixar...is it a couples costume or characters we most relate to?”
“STEVE!” Tony laughed out as he helped Leo measure.
“Pleeease, Tony. I don’t even really want to go tonight but if I like the costume then I won’t complain as much,” Steve tried with a pouty lip, another one of the genius’ weaknesses.
“Fine! You butthead. We’re going as Woody and Buzz Lightyear,” Tony confessed, squinting at his husband who actually looked excited by the idea.
“Aw that’s cute,” Steve cooed in agreement.
“Poppyyy,” Lillian whined in Tony’s arms, getting a chuckle from the men.
“Alright, now that the surprise has been ruined...help me out here, Steven. We’ve got goodies to make!”
Later, after they may have taste-tested too many sweets, his kids finally got back with the costumes. Tony and the grandbabies were sprawled across the couches, kids asleep while Tony looked at his tablet and Steve went to do laundry.
“We’re here!” Wade shouted as he entered the living room, arms full of shopping bags. Peter, Miles and Emerson trailed in behind him as the sleeping kids woke up from the noise.
“Daddy!” Izzy exclaimed as he climbed off the couch and toddled over to the man. Tony watched with a smile as the man dropped the bags to throw his toddler up in the air before settling him on his hip.
“Izzy! Did you guys behave for your grandpas?” Wade asked as he pushed the material closer to Tony with his foot before sitting next to him on the couch.
“Yup! We ate lotsa cookies too!”
“Tattle-tale,” Tony whispered harshly to his grandson with a smile before turning to his eldest.
“Dad!” Peter whined out with his arms thrown out for emphasis.
“I tried to warn you, Bambi,” Tony replied with a smile, watching Lilli crawl onto her Papa’s lap.
“Look, you killed Leo,” Peter added, pointing to the boy who was awake but still stretched out across the couch, getting a giggle from the kid. “Pop I thought you were the responsible one!” Peter whined again as Steve joined the family in the living room, moving to sit by Miles and Emerson.
“I don’t know what gave you that idea…”
“Really? Captain America?”
“Your Uncle Sam has that mantle now, I’m just a retired Poppy,” Steve said with a smug smile as he began looking through the costumes.
“Leo? You’re not actually dead, right?” Wade asked as he grabbed a pillow and threw it at the boy. Everyone chuckled, even Leo, who sat up to glare at his foster father. With a small smile threatening to break through.”Oh good, you’re still alive.”
“We go tricktreat now?” Isaac asked Wade on his lap.
“Nope, gotta wait till after dinner to get candy for Papa and I,” Wade replied, tickling the boy on his lap.
“Wait, what?” Leo asked as he sat up and glared at his foster father. “I’ve never trick or treated before, we give you our candy?”
“Of course not, Wade just thinks he’s hilarious,” Peter assured the boy while shooting his husband a dirty look.
“Candy tax is a thing!” Wade whined back, flopping his arms dramatically.
“Yeah…” Tony said on his son-on-law’s behalf, “Steve and I totally stole candy from you guys.” He shared a look with his husband while his children and grandchildren shouted their protests, glad to see the man look just as unashamed as he did.
It’s been a few years since any of their kids dressed up for Halloween, and now they had three grandbabies to use as an excuse to dress up and eat candy.
Life was good.