Ellie Shahbaz was having the time of her life.
She and her friend, Brianna Wang, were visiting New York City for their winter break. It was a good way to spend break before heading back to school where a mountain of work awaited them. They had booked tickets to go see the Statue of Liberty long before their trip, only to find out that on the day of their reservation, it would be raining the whole day. So they went to Liberty Island in spite of the rain, took pictures under the gloomy clouds and went around the city afterwards, cold, wet and annoyed.
They had bought tickets for the Met too, but when they went by the museum and saw the horrific long line just to enter the museum, they decided to hell with the museum and walked towards Stark Mansion, where the Maria Stark Foundation was located in the same avenue and took pictures there instead.
“Hey, Avengers Tower is close by. Wanna go there next?” Ellie suggested to her friend.
“Sure. We can go inside the lobby right? I wanna take pictures of the statue. I heard it’s pretty.” Brianna assented.
“Yup. Plus there’s a cafe and free wifi inside, we can get warmed up for a bit. I hate walking around in these wet boots.” Ellie made a face at the soaked boots she was wearing. She should’ve spent that extra money to buy waterproof boots.
“Ugh, I know. I feel so gross. My boots feel like sponges.” Brianna made a face. Together, the two friends walked the one block from Fifth avenue to Park Avenue where Avengers Tower was located. When the famous A came into view, they squealed in excitement and started snapping pictures with their phones. Brianna even whipped out her DSLR camera and took several photos of the tower that still managed to look majestic despite the fog blanketing the New York skyline.
Being the Avengers fan girls that they were, they immediately rushed to the tower. Once inside they saw the many, many tourists that had the same idea as them. There were a crowd of people in front of the Avengers statue, taking pictures and selfies. The appropriately named Avengers Café was packed too. Brianna and Ellie made a beeline for the statue, waiting for their turn to take a picture. From her position in the line, Ellie observed the statue, noting and observing the beauty and grandeur of said statue. The sculptors did an amazing job on this statue. By making the statue in the fashion of the classical Greek statues, they cemented the Avengers’ status as people who were larger than life, heroes and saviors, more legend than fact. A shiver crawled up Ellie’s spine as she gazed at the statue in amazement. It was so different than seeing it from pictures on the internet. If she wasn’t a fan of the Avengers before this, then she definitely was one now.
When they finally got their turn to take pictures, they stood there and took pictures from different angles to make sure that they captured the statue in all its glory, also not forgetting to take pictures of the towering origami paper cranes flying above the statue, a memorial to those who lost their lives during the Invasion. After taking a couple of selfies, they moved away from the statue, looking around the lobby.
Avengers Tower lobby was different than a regular building’s lobby. For one, different works of art and installations were there. In Ellie’s opinion, it looked more like a gallery than a office building lobby. The place they were currently visiting was the public lobby where anyone could walk in and look around. There was another section of the tower where Stark Industries employees would enter to access the upper floors of the tower where the offices are located. Ellie heard that there was another entrance that only the Avengers have access to, and that the elevator in that area connected directly to the Penthouse where the heroes resided. Oh, what Ellie wouldn’t give to be able to find that secret entrance. She would go in full fangirl mode if she ever saw any of the Avengers in person. Or passed out. Yes, passing out seemed more likely.
In the public area, artists supported by the Maria Stark Foundation exhibited their works. The collection here reminded Ellie of the ones in MoMa, except with less post-modern art that she had no idea how to interpret or react to. She walked around the different painting displayed on the wall, until she came around to one painting that everyone seemed to be crowding around in.
When she saw the painting, she understood what the big deal. It was a monochrome painting of the Avengers Tower. The background was pitch black, only the shape of the Avengers Tower, rendered in perfect detail, was in white. The artist had created the painting only by using an eraser, meticulously erasing the black background of the paper to bring out the shape of Avengers Tower. It was an amazing work of art, complex yet simple at the same time. Curious, Ellie looked at the information card and was shocked to see the name of the artist.
Home, 2012-2014
Steve Rogers (1918- )
Graphite on paper
Ellie gasped and looked around for Brianna, wanting to show her the painting. Lucky for her, at the same time Brianna walked to her, finding her friend in front of the most crowded painting in the lobby.
“Hey,” she greeted Ellie, then looked at the painting in front of her, “oh, wow. This is amazing. Who’s the artist?”
“You wouldn’t believe if I told you,” Ellie gestured to the card description next to the painting.
“Steve Rogers?” Brianna read, “wait, Steve Rogers, as in Captain America?” She exclaimed.
“Uh huh.” Ellie nodded, “look at the artist’s birth year. 1918. Who else could it be?”
“Oh my God,” Brianna gasped, “he’s an artist too! God, how perfect could he be?”
“I know right? Just when I thought I’m not interested in Alphas, I remember there’s Captain America and I’m doubting my sexuality once again.”
Brianna laughed at her, “Captain America: making impressionable Betas doubt their sexualities since 1918.”
“Handsome, war hero, living legend, and talented artist. If he wasn’t happily mated to Tony Stark, who is my role model and everything I want to be when I grow up, I would be offering myself up to him on a silver platter.”
“Oh my God...such a fangirl.” Brianna shook her head exasperatedly.
“What? That Alpha fine, okay. But my devotion for Tony Stark and my disdain for infidelity wouldn’t let me do it.”
Brianna rolled her eyes, and started walking around again but not before taking a picture of the drawing with her camera. Ellie made a mental note to ask Brianna for a copy of the picture later. The picture she took might not capture the whole glory as well as Brianna’s high powered camera.
They walked around for a bit, looking at the different artworks, oohing and aahing at the beautiful artworks. There were paintings and drawings of different New York landscapes. A painting resembling Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte was displayed, but instead of the river Seine, it was set in Central Park. There was also an abstract painting that was supposed to resemble the arc reactor, Stark Industries’ trademarked technology. They might not be art students but they understood beautiful artworks. The lobby was starting to be emptier too, as it was nearing dinner time, and the rain started to let up enough for people to go outdoor and walked around again.
Just then an elevator located near the back of the lobby opened, and out came a visibly distressed Steve Rogers holding a hyperventilating and massively pregnant Tony Stark in his arms to the lobby.
What the hell?
Everyone in the lobby stopped what they were doing in favor of looking at the superhero couple. Unaware of the staring, or perhaps just ignoring it, Captain Rogers placed Tony Stark back on his feet and started to help him walk towards the doors.
“Oh, forget it.” Tony Stark gasped out, “We’re not gonna make it, Steve. Baby’s coming now.”
“The ambulance is coming soon, sweetheart.” Steve said, wiping away the sweat off his mate’s forehead, “just hold on a little longer.”
“No, Steve, I can’t. He’s coming now.” Tony insisted, then he let put a blood curdling scream/groan, squeezing Steve’s hand hard. Steve helplessly rubbed his lower back, his face concerned and pained. No matter that this was his third time accompanying Tony through his labor pains, Steve still couldn’t help but be scared on his mate’s behalf.
Tony gasped and heaved as the contraction passed, “I need to squat,”
“Squat?”
“Yes, Steven, squat. It helps with the labor. Oh, there,” he pointed to the Avengers statue, “let’s go over there. That’s a good spot.”
Steve dutifully helped Tony to the Avengers tower, flashing uncomfortable silence to the people around him who were looking with wide eyes and disbelief on their faces.
Tony settled down on the floor, back resting against the marble pedestal of the state and let out a groan as another contraction hit him. “Steve, you’re gonna have to help me deliver here.” Tony was sweating despite the comfortable atmosphere of the Tower lobby, his shirt was soaked through. His eyes started to take on that glassy tone Steve saw when he was in pain.
Steve was silent for awhile, evaluating the situation. He could do this, he could help Tony deliver their child. “Alright, alright, Tony. We’ll do this together.” The stripped off his wool sweater to place it under Tony’s open legs, leaving him only in the white wife beater he was weathered before Tony informed him his water just broke.
Tony closed his eyes in relief. They’d be okay, they got this. Steve wouldn’t let him down. He felt Steve tugged his pants down, and covered his groin with Tony’s jacket and knelt in front of him. “Okay, Tony, the next time contraction hits, you have to start pushing, okay? Ready?”
“Ready, Cap.”
“Okay. Hold my hand if you need to,”
“More like break your hand,” Tony grinned teasingly at him.
“Whatever you need, love.”
“Oh, you gonna regret that,” Tony said again as another wave of contraction hit him. He squeezed Steve’s hand and screamed as he bore down as Steve told him to.
Steve kept his eyes trained on Tony’s birth canal, seeing the head of their newest son started to crown. “He’s crowning, Tony. Just a couple more push, sweetheart.”
“Ugh,” Tony groaned, “you push…” He moaned pathetically.
“Would if I could, honey. But it’s all you, now. Bring him home to us, sweetheart.”
“I swear to God, this is the last time, you hear? Getting my tubes tied…” Tony groaned again as he pushed once more. Around them, people were watching, some were blatantly videotaping the whole thing and taking pictures. In the distance he heard the elevator dinged and the rest of his family spilled out of the elevator, looking harried and concerned. Bucky and Clint each had Ulysses and Joe in their arms. Natasha carrying the go bag filled with the labor essentials, Bruce, Thor and Sam bringing up the rear and carrying other essentials.
“Oh my God, are you actually giving birth here? In the lobby? Little James, don’t look,” Barnes asked, horrified, placing his hand over Ulysses’ eyes to cover it.
“My tower, my rules,” Tony gasped out.
“Wow, I can never look at this statue in the same way anymore.” Clint added.
Seriously, Tony was so writing them out of the will.
“One more push, Tony, one more push and you’re done. Come on, sweetheart. You can do it.”
Tony whimpered and pushed again, the hardest and longest push before he heard the squelching sound and Steve’s triumphant shout as he slowly pulled their baby boy out of Tony. Tony sighed in relief, but something was wrong. He didn’t hear a cry from the baby and his eyes opened in panic.
“Why isn’t he crying? Steve, Steve, why isn’t he crying?” Tony asked frantically. He tried to sit up, but was prevented from doing so by the pain in his abdomen. Steve tried to comfort him making hushing noises and he felt Natasha behind him, propping him up to see better.
Steve examined the baby in his arms with a solemn face, stroking the baby’s face, wiping away the mucus and afterbirth, before he put his mouth over the baby nose and mouth and inhaled over it. Steve spat out something Tony couldn’t see to the floor and lo and behold, their son took his first breath and started crying his lungs out. Everyone around them broke out in applause and cheering, it seemed that everyone was as invested in the labor as Tony and Steve was.
Tony sighed in relief, dropping back down to Natasha’s grip behind him. “Congratulations, dorogaya moya.” She whispered in his ears.
Steve scooted over to him, letting him see their youngest son for the first time and transferring the baby from his hold to Tony’s. He took Natasha’s place behind Tony, letting Tony leaned his body on Steve’s “Hi, baby.” Tony whispered reverently, “it’s so good to finally meet you, sweetheart.”
The baby was still crying, his eyes were closed and he was still covered in mucus, blood and other bodily fluids, but he was still a beautiful sight in Tony and Steve’s eyes. “You’re so beautiful,”
Steve smiled down at Tony and his new son, his heart swelling with uncontainable love and affection. He beckoned Clint and Bucky to bring Ulysses and Joe to them, to let them meet their newest brother. Ulysses ran toward them immediately, cuddling up to Tony to see his new little brother closer. Clint gave Joe to Steve, the boy now held in Steve’s free arm, as his other one was curled around Tony. Joe’s baby blue eyes took in the sight in front of him, the boy cooing in curiosity at the newcomer.
“Is that him? My new baby brother?” Ulysses asked.
“Yes, Uly. This is your new baby brother.”
“Why does he look like E.T.? Is he an alien, Papa?” Ulysses scrunched up his nose in curiosity.
“E.T.!” Joe repeated exuberantly.
All around them laughter started to break out at his question.
“You looked like this too when you were first born, my love.” Tony answered him.
“Nuh-uh, I looked nicer.” Ulysses pouted.
Tony and Steve chuckled at their son’s assertion.
“What’s his name, then?” Ulysses asked again.
Tony looked to Steve. To be honest, Tony hasn’t thought of a name for this newest baby. They have talked about it, discussing it back and forth, but somehow they couldn’t seem to find a name they both liked. Steve felt like he had no inspiration for a name, which made it hard. But now, sitting on the floor of The Avengers Tower lobby against the marble statue that supported Tony as he gave birth to their son, the name came clearly to him. “Peter.”
Peter meant rock, strong and sturdy, just like the marble carved to the likeness of him and his family.
Peter was the last piece of the puzzle, completing their family, making them stronger, sturdier, more connected to each other.
Tony smiled up at him and pressed a soft kiss to his jaw, “Peter it is, then. Peter Stark Rogers.”
And sitting there on the floor with his mate and his three children, his family cooing at their newest addition, the sounds of people chatting among themselves, taking pictures and videos of them, the siren of the ambulance they called what seemed like years ago approaching the Tower, Steve was complete.