Little Push
“There’s nothing to fear here.” Bruce Banner says as he checks on the boy for the last time to make sure. He turns around and finds Steve standing in the corner of the room with his concerned hidden under the stoicism of his sky blue eyes, but Bruce knew the man better than to believe the blankness of his stare. “Steve I told you I am not this kind of doctor.”
“He’s not a physician?” Tony asks with shock and panic in his voice.
Tony sits beside Peter who is currently soundly asleep in his bed, the boy’s fever has relatively gone down a few hours after throwing up in Steve’s person. The small time between Peter falling asleep and Bruce’s arrival allowed Tony to take a quick shower and change of clothes himself. Tony slips from his seat and walks to the middle of the room with an accusing glance at Steve.
“Why did you call someone who is not even sure of how to treat a kid—“
“Excuse me,” Bruce says raising a hand as if trying to get Tony’s permission to speak. When Tony doesn’t say anything the man speaks again. “I’m not a physician like you would think, especially not of a child’s. But I…you would say I am still a doctor of some sort.”
Tony stares at him, silent until he nods.
“You’re a doctor of science.”
Bruce smiles and nods.
“Yes, though I am not exactly the person you should call when you’re sick or had a bullet stuck in your stomach. I may know enough thing or two for about a fever.”
Tony sighs and massages his head. He looks at Bruce and makes an apologetic look but the doctor simply dismisses it with an awkward smile. Tony turns to look at Steve but he finds his eyes catches on the King’s bright blue ones.
“It’s okay Tony.” Steve says with a smile, “It’s been a long day.”
Tony chuckles, “You think Cap?”
Steve nods.
“I will have Maria watch and alert me. Trust me here Tony, I won’t let anything happen to Peter.”
Tony stares at him, Steve sees it again, that flicker of mistrust in his chocolate brown eyes and in a second it dissolves and becomes warmer again. Something in his chest burn as he sees the change in the brunet’s eyes.
“I…Thank you Cap.” Tony says.
Steve nods again and Tony makes a quick jog to the side of Peter’s bed and kisses the child’s head before finally making his leave which doesn’t complete before Tony took a second look and comically walked backwards to his room just to make sure all is well. As soon as Tony is out of sight Bruce allows a small chuckle to escape his lips.
Steve raises an eyebrow at Bruce who turns his back and begins arranging the bottles off medicine set on the side of the boy’s nightstand.
“So he must be the son of the famed Howard Stark.”
“He is.”
Bruce nods appreciatively.
“He does look quite like him.” he says, “With all the ill reputation people spat at him, I didn’t expect to see a loving and doting father.”
Steve purses his lips, he tried to avoid knowing or listening to the words that flew around about Howard Stark’s son but it is almost impossible to do so. To be honest, Steve expected all of them to manifest the moment Tony gave those ice cold look and words the moment they met but seeing him as he truly are, especially with the exchange of words they had earlier he could not blame the man. Bucky and Natasha were correct, there is so much thing he doesn’t know about Tony and his scars.
It is easy to judge him using the news that circulated around, with his armor as thick and cold as iron, and his mask of indifference but to look pass the name and his genius takes more. Not all people would take such lengths, Steve understood very well.
“A lot of people are wrong about him.” Steve says in a gentle voice as he is reminded of the soulful look that the brunet gave him earlier.
Bruce doesn’t say anything as he watches Steve pulls up a chair next to Peter’s bed. He looks at him for a while with a fond look before smiling back at Bruce.
“Thank you for coming.” Steve says, “I owe you way too much, I don’t think I have enough of my life to repay you Bruce.”
The doctor laughs quietly as he waves his hand in dismissal.
“You’re exaggerating.” He replies. “You let me live around here and do whatever I want, that’s enough.”
“And yet I keep bringing you trouble.” The King says who gave Bruce an apologetic smile, “I am not sure myself what to do with Peter and I am almost a hundred years old, and Tony…he’s all by himself and look how far he is. He raised Peter well on his own.”
Bruce is silent for a while before he decides to speak his mind. It is no use hiding the truth, Steve knew the answer himself.
“Do you envy him?”
Steve nods.
He told himself a hundred times that family and stability those all had gone down the drain the moment Margaret left, it was then he realized the bitter truth of his existence. All people he will love would grow old before him, they would soon be taken and there he will be all alone again with his as crushed heart. He knew yearning for these, is the same as Icarus’ desire to touch the sun, he’d just find himself falling miserably down, beaten and burnt.
He couldn’t bear to love someone so much just to lose them to fate, it will drive him to the depths of insanity.
“Stop punishing yourself Steve. How long will you try and put a distance between you and everyone else?”
“I’m tired of losing people I love.”
“But that’s the inevitability of life.”
“Everyone else leaves and I just have to watch them, is that fair?”
Bruce shakes his head. He walks towards Steve and puts a hand on his shoulder.
“No but you could afford a bit of slack, Steve.” Bruce says with a smile as he looks at then at Peter. “Stop trying to hold yourself back, you can’t really dictate how you will feel towards others. It’s fine.”
Steve doesn’t say anything and Bruce decides it’s his cue to leave. The doctor quickly reminds Steve of the time when he must have to wake the boy and have him drink his cherry flavoured fever medicine which doesn’t really smell much like cherry. Bruce quietly excuses himself and shuts the door quietly behind him.
As the shroud of silence finally dawns between the King and the sleeping boy, Steve couldn’t help but be reminded of Tony’s words to him. He imagined Tony as a child, perhaps he and Peter looked quite alike around the same age. He was then so small, an only child in a massive castle and his father, Howard…he never was there for him and that why he tried his best not to repeat the same mistake his father did when he too became a father.
Tony has the right to hate him, after all he stole his childhood from him. He hated him but Tony was unlike Howard, he loved his son more and so he set those aside to give him a roof over his head and the protection he needed.
It was stupid of him to associate Tony so much to Howard, he is nothing like him.
He wished Howard stayed up late with Tony when he was sick as a child like Tony did with Peter, he wished he woke up and checked on Tony like Tony did with Peter, he wished he loved him as much as Tony loved Peter because he deserved that and more. Despite it all, Tony is a good man whose heart lies deep under the thick layers of scars.
Steve unconsciously finds his calloused hand reaching up to touch the side of his cheek where Tony’s lips were pressed earlier. It took him by surprise, it felt extremely fond and sincere that he swore he felt his heart clench in a deep seethed desire that he dare not to name. When was the last time that he had allowed anyone to be close as Tony was to him other than Natasha, Bucky or Sam? He couldn’t remember. The warmth was like a poison that festers from his cheek to his chest down to his stomach to the pits of his soul.
“You and your father are quite alike in many ways.” Steve whispers as he looks at Peter’s sleeping figure. “He must have not realized it himself, or perhaps he simply refuses to see it after all the years he’s been told otherwise.”
.
.
.
Two days since Peter has recovered from his fever, everything relatively came back to normal. Steve found himself in the conference room with the young King T’Challa and his ever dutiful attendant. The air in the room is sullen. The sound of Steve’s pen scratching across the papers resounds in the room joined by the low but clear voice by Wakanda’s young King.
“We’ve created makeshift camps for the refugees.” The dark skinned King says in sober tone. “Food allocation is going well, our people are helping on their own with the help of Princess Shuri’s advocacy.”
Steve nods with a smile.
“I am grateful of your help. Thank you so much.”
The Wakanda’s King shakes his head returning the Immortal King’s smile.
“It is the right thing to do as human, to help those who are in need.” He replies.
“Sometimes people forget how to be people.” Steve says. “I always believe no one is born with the desire to harm others, it is how they respond to the discriminating turn of the world on them that makes them…”
“Right and wrong is objective.” Okoye says and T’Challa nods in agreement with his royal guard. “Some may not realize what they are doing is wrong as in their eyes they are doing what is just.”
“I guess it’s what we are. People, we are weak like that.”
“It is there weakness that makes them all the more stronger than the rest.” T’Challa says, “Knowing one is vulnerable and has limited time makes one defy odds you may ne—“
“Cap!”
Steve almost knocks an ink over with his elbow as he hears the jolly and high pitched childish voice of Peter accompanied by the creaking sound of the door of the room. He turns and finds Peter pushing with all his might the massive door to the room. As he finds the boy’s bouncy and curly hair pokes out of the door he pulls himself up from his seat and welcomes the brunet running across the room.
“Cap, Cap, Cap!” Peter exclaims as he runs to Steve as soon as he finds the older man.
Steve smiles at the sight of the energetic boy and quickly pulls him up to his arms, he settles him to his hip automatically and looks at the boy. His smile is brighter than the sun outside the palace or those he has seen up on Asgard.
“Oh Peter, as much as I am glad you’re here with me, son I am with an audience.”
Peter’s eyes widen at the man’s words and finally notice the two occupants of the room aside from the blond King himself. The boy’s feels a blush creep up his cheek and lowers his head.
“’M sorry.” Peter says in a hushed voice, “I-I’m sorry, I-I didn’t mean to…”
T’Challa chuckles and stands up. Peter shyly hides his face in the King’s chest while looking curiously at the two foreigners.
“We are done with our talk anyway. There is no need to apologize Young Sir.” The foreign King says to Peter who pulls his face slightly off Steve’s chest to properly look at the older man. “I am called T’Challa, I am a King of a Kingdom called Wakanda. And you must be?”
Peter looks up at Steve as if asking for permission and the King simply nods with a smile.
“I am…My name’s Peter Parker.” He says as he pulls up a hand to wave at the man. “A-Are you like Cap?”
“Cap?”
“He calls me Captain.” Steve clarifies and the King chuckles in reply.
“Oh, yes we are alike but he is…more experienced you could say.”
Peter nods with a smile.
“Cap’s the best!”
Steve’s eyes widen and feels a blush of embarrassment being called best in front of another King. He lowers his head in apology but T’Challa and Okeye simply laughs in pure amusement.
“Oh you must be His Highness number one fan, Sir Parker?”
“Uh-huh! I know so! I’ve read all of Cap’s adventures in books!”
“Oh, all of it?” Okeye asks curiously, “They are quite a number of them.”
“Hundred and six!” Peter says quickly changing his shy mood.
“Oh my, you are a smart child.” T’Challa says with a smile and putting both his hands in his back as he casually approaches the blond King and Peter. “I think my sister would adore you Sir Parker, one day if Captain would permit you, we will welcome you to our palace in Wakanda. We have an impressive library we are sure you would like.”
“Bigger than Cap’s library?”
“Hm, perhaps.”
“I would like—“
“You have to ask your father first Peter.” Steve says to the boy.
“Oh I thought—“ Okeye stops herself and laughs.
T’Challa joins Okeye’s laughter and simply shakes his head.
“Forgive me Your Highness, anyways I think it is just right that we end our meeting here. I trust you may need a bit of a breather off politics and alike.”
“Are you sure Your Hi—“
“Please, you’ve been working so much. It won’t hurt to allow Sir Parker to have some time with you, I am sure it will do you well.”
Steve smiles gratefully at T’Challa. The King glances at Peter again and simply reaches to ruffle the child’s unruly locks. In his big brown eyes there is no denying his lineage, the blood of Stark, the Iron Men flows in him, their genius flowing coursing in every fiber of the child’s growing body but he can also see something brighter in him. Peter smiles as the King pulls his hand away and the boy waves him good bye.
“Thank you King T’Challa.” Steve says.
“It is nothing.” T’Challa replies. “And to you Sir Parker, may Gods bless you.”
“Bye King T’Challa!”
Okeye leads the King out of the room quietly and when they are both out of sight Steve settles Peter down on the table carefully. He sighs and looks at the boy with a loopside smile.
“You should have knocked, son.” He says.
“Am I in trouble?”
Steve shakes his head.
“No. But next time please, you must knock so that people would know you will be coming in. Do we make an understanding?”
Peter nods.
“I’m sorry, I won’t do it again, Cap.”
Steve chuckles and ruffles the boy’s hair before settling to a seat across the boy on the table. As soon as Steve is settled Peter pulls out something inside the pocket of his lose pants and place it beside him on the table.
The King’s eyes widen in surprise and amusement as he finds a small bird-like machinery settled next to Peter. It’s body is made of small light weight metals shaped intricately like an expert artist into various figures that fits the structure of a standard robin.
“Wanna show you this Cap.” Peter presses a button behind the object and it comes to life.
The object begins to move almost exactly like how any normal robin would, it’s head turns fluidly left and right and down and it opens its delicate metal wings showing off the details of the feathers. It hops a few inches from its place towards Steve before Peter presses it’s button and freezes it to a position.
“That’s…is that a mechanical robin?”
Peter nods, “Dad made it for me!”
“Tony created that?”
“Uh-huh! It’s amazing, right Cap?”
“It is.” Steve says as he looks at the machinery again. He chuckles at the thought, oh Howard would have been damned to see his technology used for something so small and…artistic. “It’s beautiful.”
“Not as amazing as his gift for you!”
Steve’s mind reels at the boy’s word, he looks up at and finds Peter grinning at him.
“For me?”
“Uh-huh! Dad said, he’s working for a thank you gift for Cap, ‘cos you were nice to us when ‘m sick.”
“And he’s doing it in his workshop?”
“You wanna see? I wanna see too but Dad said I can’t ‘cos he can’t watch me while workin’.”
Steve chuckles and quickly decides to take a quick trip to the workshop. He asks Peter to take his small toy with him, then he proceeds to carry the boy out of the room. He carries him as Peter makes small talks with him as they continue where Tony’s workshop is. Steve knocks but the sound gets drown by the loud sound of metal crashing.
The King opens the door and finds Tony bent over a bench, his hands were covered with leather gloves. The room is brighter than the last time he was there and he could see blueprints of different things scattered on a desk, and on the wall. A small couch is settled against the wall beside a shelf containing boxes of screws and such.
Steve smiles and decides to make their presence known.
“I don’t think you heard us came in.”
Steve hears a curse flew from Tony’s mouth before he turns in shock. He is holding his chest and sighs as he finds Steve and Peter standing there.
“You two should stop sneaking up on people!” Tony says as he abandons his work bench.
“We knocked.” Steve replies.
“We did!” Peter adds with a jolly cheer.
Tony shakes his head and reaches to a towel perched on the corner by the chair. He quickly wipes the thin layer of sweat in his neck and face before walking towards the two with a small frown.
“Mister,” Tony addresses Peter, “I told you to stay upstair, play with Natasha or Maria.”
“Maria’s not fun.” Peter says with a pout.
“Oh is she?” Steve asks with a quirk in his eyebrow, “Does she make you do not fun things?”
“She doesn’t wanna play, she says I might hurt myself.”
“You might just.” Tony says, “You should listen to older folks.”
Tony takes Peter from Steve’s arms. He looks up at the King, his brown eyes were brighter under the white light of the workshop like a pool of rich color of amber mixed with earth. Then, Tony blinks and he turns away.
“Did you notice?” Tony asks Steve as he settles Peter to a stool. “There’s a bit of green in your eyes?”
Steve blinks at the man’s observation. He shrugs and follows the two, he’s about to answer Tony’s question when he catches a glimpse of what is set in the bench where Tony was working. His eyes widen, and he finds himself walking up to it. A circular shield.
“Is this…” Steve trails as he hesitantly touches the surface, it is smooth and cold.
“Wha—Hey!” Tony calls and rushes to the bench he tries to push the shield away. “Y-You’re not supposed to see that yet!”
“Yet?” Steve asks raising an eyebrow.
Steve reaches behind Tony’s back and quickly pulls the shield towards him but Tony is quick to retract it.
“No. It’s just some crap—“
“Tony this is not trash!” Steve says as he pulls the object off the work bench and towards himself.
He examines it, it’s impressive without a flaw or bend. It’s surface is perfect. He cannot believe something so beautiful could have been done in a former cellar in the basement of his own castle by simply one man, though of course Tony isn’t any man.
“It’s just…it’s a prototype.” Tony says with a defeated sigh, “How did you even—did Peter tell you?”
Steve chuckles and shakes his head.
“Absolutely not, why would Peter do such thing?”
Tony sighs as he hears his son giggle in his seat. He curses his luck for his son who couldn’t keep a secret. He submits to his defeat and throws his arms in the air.
“Alright you got me,” he says, “But its not like its anything important. It’s just some piece metal.”
“What is it made of?” Steve asks.
Tony looks away for a bit and shifts in the balls of his feet.
“I—I saw uhm, some old armors on the basement while they were cleaning, I realized some were made of Vibranium and I—well I thought it’s nice to use it to something more…convenient.” Tony says.
Steve’s eyes widen, he looks at the shield in his hands. Vibranium, there were a few armor he did have which are made of Vibranium, but he left them and locked them away after his fall out with Howard. He wanted to forget everything that reminded him off the era of war. The armor reminded him of how same as his curse, he is only able to protect himself.
“A shield…why?”
Tony shrugs.
“You just kinda seem like the shield type of guy?”
“What do you mean?”
“Selfless, feels like he needs to protect others so much.” Tony says as he looks at the patterns of the tiles on the floor tracing them with the point of his shoe. “Shield is kinda…like you. It’s used not just to protect himself but others too not like an armor.”
Steve closes his eyes to drink the brunet’s words. Ah, why, why does Tony Stark keep digging through everywhere that it matters. He makes holding his soul seem so easy and his desires like an open book.
The King presses the shield against his forehead, protection of others, yes that was…it was what he had always wished he could have done for. It is why he had become the King of Acrimea, he wanted to use his life to protect those of more vulnerable than him. He lifts his face and lowers the shield to look at Tony he stands there looking at him expectantly.
“I told you it’s just trash.” He says in a low voice but Steve doesn’t want any of it.
He crosses the small space between them and he stands almost just a feet away from Tony.
“Tony I…thank you so much. I would like to have this if would let me?”
Tony looks at the shield and purses his lips.
“It’s a prototype.”
“It’s fine.”
“It’s not perfect.”
Steve laughs.
“I believe the world is made of imperfect things, and I still believe it serves it purpose that way. It is beautiful with its flaws.”
Tony chuckles.
“Do you tell your women these things?”
“You must know now I don’t have any women to say those things at.”
Tony simply laughs and shakes his head but Steve holds their gazes.
“Would you, would you allow me to have this?”
“Well I can’t possibly use that right?”
Steve chuckles. “Well you do have a point but still—“
“Yes.”
“Re—“
“Are you gonna kiss Cap, Dad?”
Steve’s face quickly heats up at Peter’s words and Tony quickly rush to take Peter off his stool and in his arms and gives the child a reprimanding look.
“Peter!” Tony exclaims, “What in the world did you just say, where did you even learn that word!”
“Lady Natasha!” he says before finding himself in fits of giggles.