First Impressions
Day 1
“This is your lab, you’ll be working with Doctors Banner and Cho,” Peggy tells Tony. “You’ll have your own space for explosions, Doctor Banner doesn’t usually do well with surprises.”
Tony sets his toolbag down on the floor, taking in the impressively large and advanced space around him. He’d given up Malibu for New York, following the lure of SHIELD’s state-of-the-art facilities and amazing team of doctors. Seeing how much he’d been deprived of at Stane Hospitals almost makes it worth leaving Pepper, Angie, and Harley behind, but even the thought makes the guilt settle heavier in him. He’s left behind so many people so many times in his selfishness, and although he tries and tries to justify it by saying he’ll be able to do more good if he’s surrounded by the right people, it still sounds hollow to his ears.
As always, Peggy senses his discomfort. “You’ll settle in just fine, Tony. Bruce and Helen are amazing, they’re probably the only ones who’ll be able to keep up with your mind.”
“Thank you for this, Aunt Pegs,” Tony says sincerely. For all his guilt, he is thankful that he and his inventions are in safe hands with Peggy Carter. No one dares to cross her.
“It’s my pleasure, Tony. Now, I’ve got to get back to my papers. Will you be alright?”
He nods. He won’t be alright, not here in New York with its too many ghosts, and Aunt Peggy knows that, but she also knows what he needs, so she only smiles back.
“Welcome to SHIELD, then, Doctor Stark.”
“My pleasure, Director Carter.”
The tension melts away between them. Tony has yet to apologise for the hundreds of calls he never answered, for shutting her out, but having her just five feet away from him feels like coming home, feels like some of the forgiveness he’s always craved but never dared to believe he deserves.
And no one crosses Peggy Carter. So Tony accepts her olive branch, and promises that he won’t waste this like he wasted Rumiko. Like he wasted… him.
“Peter, you’ll be late for school,” Steve sighs, putting the breadknife in the sink. It’s tiring being a single father and a doctor, and although Peter’s always worth it, there are days when Steve’s eyes feel too heavy and being around children the entire day is exhausting. Honestly, Steve loves his job, he’d always wanted to be a doctor – he won’t ever forget the months spent in the hospital being sick, and then the weeks spent sleepless by his mother’s bedside as her chest heaved with rasping breaths. It’s just that he’s spent over twenty four hours being awake, which tends to make anyone rather irritable.
“Coming, Dad!” Peter calls, bounding out of his room half a minute later with his little backpack strapped to his shoulders.
A smile blossoms on Steve’s face, some of the exhaustion lifting reflexively. Steve can’t imagine what monster would choose to give up for adoption a boy as wonderful as Peter, but Steve is selfishly, guiltily thankful.
“Sorry I’m not fresh enough to drive you to school today, Petey,” Steve gives him the sandwich he just made.
“Is that peanut butter?” Peter’s brown eyes widen with glee.
“Sure is. Stay out of trouble today, okay?” Steve feels his smile widen even more, steering Peter out the door where Natasha’s waiting to help drive his kid to school. Peter’s only eight, yet he’s taken his school by storm with his understanding of high school chemistry and impatience to wait. Steve’s been called one too many times for Peter’s mishaps in science class, but Steve is far too proud of a father. “And don’t forget to have fun,” he fondly reminds, bending down to kiss Peter’s unruly curls.
Peter beams up at him, “you know I will. Don’t forget to sleep, dad.”
“As the master of the house commands,” Steve grins, unlocking the door of their apartment, and Peter spares him one last smile before he launches himself into Natasha’s arms with a happy ‘Aunt Tasha!’
Everyone thinks Natasha, SHIELD’s resident Head of Cardiothoracic Surgery, is an ex-assassin of some sorts with extreme dexterity in knives. Steve doesn’t quite know the truth, but he knows that Peter’s sunshine can melt even Natasha’s calm surface.
“I’ll take care of him,” Natasha promises warmly, and Steve can only nod, his mind weary and heart heavy at seeing Peter leave, even if only for school. He closes the door to Peter chattering Natasha’s ears off as they walk down the hall to the lifts. Shaking his head, Steve walks to the bedroom.
He doesn’t need to come back to the hospital until tomorrow, and he’s looking forward to spending the evening with Peter.
The universe has other plans. Steve’s feeling refreshed, and has just finished bringing the popcorn to the couch where Peter’s curled up with his Captain A-Bear-ica – a gift from his birth father, Steve’s always been slightly jealous of Peter’s love for the doll but never had the heart to deny Peter anything – when his phone rings with the special ringtone.
He sees Peter’s face fall. “Doctor Rogers,” he answers.
At the other end of the line is Bucky, who is frantic. There’s a kid who needs surgery right now, and there’s no one else in paediatrics who’s qualified except Bucky.
“I’m coming in. Let me just call Coulson to keep Peter company,” Steve replies, his voice tight.
Bucky sighs, relief and guilt mingling. “Tell your boy we’re sorry.”
“I’ll be there in thirty,” Steve says, hanging up. He turns to Peter who’s hugging his bear, the movie on screen paused, “I’m so, so sorry, Petey, but – ”
Peter, blessed as he is, cuts him off. “It’s okay, daddy. Go be a hero.”
Steve bites his lip, rushing forward to gather Peter in his arms. He wonders how he got so lucky. “I love you so much, you know that?”
“Yeah, dad, but another kid needs you more than me right now,” Peter says, words muffled against Steve’s chest.
“You’re the best. I’ll be home soon,” Steve says, because it’s the only thing he can say.
“Who is he?” Steve demands as soon as he sets foot in the operating room. There’s a short man with a goatee in surgery gear holding a glowing thing in his hand above a little girl’s chest, and Bucky’s standing across from him with his jaw hanging.
“The name’s Tony, sweetheart,” the strange man replies, and he’s putting the glowing thing inside the girl’s chest.
“Peggy approved,” Bucky chimes in, not taking his eyes off Tony’s hands. Stepping closer, Steve can hear a slight whirring from whatever it is Tony is holding. “We were getting short of ideas, Tony had a solution.”
Internally, Steve forced himself to tamp down his emotions. He didn’t approve, but now wasn’t the time. “Fine. What can I do?”
“Just stand there and look pretty, darling,” Tony drawled, and Steve had to clench his fists. He was both transfixed by what Tony was doing and outrageously annoyed at the audacity of the man.
“You’ll find that as Head of Paediatrics, I’m more qualified than you,” Steve bites out.
At long last, Tony finally deigns to glance up at Steve. Steve has one second to realise wow, he’s actually quite handsome, before Tony looks back down at the girl with a scowl. “Her parents agreed, so you’ll find that as the only genius in the room, I’m – ”
The heart monitor beeps loudly, numbers turning red, Steve meets Bucky’s eyes, and Tony’s fingers dance along the glowing device.
“Shit.”