Chapter 9
“And look in the skies! It’s super baby!” Steve cooed from his spot on the floor. He was flat on his back and was holding Alice up in the air over his face. “Look at her fly!”
Alice squealed happily and kicked her little legs in the air and flopped her arms around.
Steve grinned and pulled her down to kissed her chubby cheeks. “You know with these super powers, maybe you could join the Avengers.”
“I wanna be an Avenger!” Brian screamed as he took a jump down onto Steve’s stomach.
“Oomph! You’ll have to ask your mother,” Steve laughed.
Brian sighed. “Mommy will say no. He never lets me do anything fun,” he pouted.
Bucky rolled his eyes as he walked into the room. “You know I can hear you guys?”
“Oh no! It’s Mommy!” Steve yelled out.
“No!” Brian screamed and took off running and giggling with Steve following behind him.
“You guys,” Bucky snorted and walked back into the kitchen to continue making dinner. The last few days have been great. Steve has taken to the children extremely well. Every day when he would come home from doing whatever he did with the other Avengers, Bucky honestly didn’t know what they did, he would immediately run to them and play. The kids have grown quite found of him as well. If Bucky had to admit it, he did as well.
“Smells good,” Steve murmured, coming up behind Bucky. “What are you making?”
“Nothing special,” Bucky blushed. “Just some chicken and rice.” He was trying very hard to ignore the hand that Steve had resting on Bucky’s hip. Bucky breathed a sigh of relief when said hand moved, but it was short lived once it came to rest on his belly.
“Well it smells great,” Steve’s lips just barely ghosted along Bucky’s neck.
Bucky swallowed hard. “Where are the kids?”
“Alice is in her bouncer and Brian found some cartoon on,” Steve answered. “It’s just the two of us.”
“So it is,” Bucky bit his lip and turned to look up at Steve. “So it’s Friday…”
“It is,” Steve nodded.
“And tomorrow is Saturday,” Bucky continued.
“That’s normally what comes after Friday,” Steve agreed.
Bucky chewed on his lip. “Aren’t you nervous about the challenge?”
Steve laughed. “No. Why would I be nervous?”
“Because it’s a challenge!” Bucky put his hands on his hips. “These are scary! People have died!”
“And your ex may,” Steve shrugged. Bucky opened his mouth to continued but Steve quickly shushed him. “I’m Captain America. I’m a super solider. I’m not really concerned that your abusive ex boyfriend might beat me in a challenge.”
“I just worry,” Bucky sad quietly as he glanced down at his feet.
Steve smiled softly and titled Bucky’s face up. “Look. I’m a super solider. I like you guys and I think that you guys might like me too. I’m a little confident in this battle.”
“You just don’t know Brock. He’s… he’s… well he’s Brock,” Bucky replied.
Steve laughed softly. “That was not really descriptive.”
“It’s hard to explain,” Bucky answered.
“I’m not worried about Brock,” Steve replied. “I’m worried about you. Have you had any thought about my deal?”
“I have,” Bucky nodded. “And I should do it. It would be the right thing, but I worry. I just had Alice. And I’m only 21 and I just… I don’t know.”
Steve nodded and put his arms loosely around Bucky’s waist. “Hey. It’s okay. I completely understand. I just wanted to make sure that we had everything covered with you guys coming under my protection. Me winning the challenge can only do so much.”
“Steve, I know,” Bucky sighed and rested his head on Steve’s shoulder. He felt warm and he felt safe. “I wish the challenge meant more.”
“I know,” Steve agreed. “But at least that it means that he can’t call the police and have you forced to move back in with him. There’s always that.”
“No, he just has legal authority over me and the kids,” Bucky murmured turning his head further against Steve’s chest.
“And from what I know of him, I have no doubt that he would use his authority to hurt you guys once the challenge is over,” Steve gently rubbed Bucky’s back as he held him.
“And the only way I can get out of his control is having a baby or mating with you,” Bucky sniffled a bit. “I hate this. I wish I had some form of authority. I wish I had some sort of power that alphas have.”
“I know,” Steve soothed. “You know it wasn’t always this way. Omegas used to have rights and control over their own bodies and kids.”
Bucky laughed bitterly. “Until they decided to put us back in our place.”
“You know I would never treat you like you are second class,” Steve promised. “You know that I would do whatever it took to make you and the kids happy.”
“I know,” Bucky sniffled. “I just wish that I didn’t have to get pregnant to do all this.”
“I know, Buck. I know,” Steve sighed. “I wish there was something I could do.”
“But there is nothing,” Bucky wiped at his eyes. “There is nothing you can do. There is nothing anyone can do. I keep getting punished for a mistake I made when I was 16. But I can’t call it a mistake. I can’t. I have Brian from it. And I love him so much. So much it hurts.”
Steve held Bucky closer. “I know.”
“And then I found out that I can get pregnant outside of a heat,” Bucky laughed and gave a little hiccup as he furiously wiped his eyes. “And gave me my sweet baby girl and tied me further to Brock. I’m such an idiot.”
“You are not an idiot,” Steve insisted.
“I am,” Bucky shook his head. “I slept with Brock. I put this all on myself.”
“Brock is an asshole,” Steve said.
“He wasn’t before I got pregnant. He was so nice to me. I ruined it by getting pregnant,” Bucky cried.
Steve shook his head. “Buck, he had equal responsibility for it.”
Bucky didn’t say anything but just wiped his eyes on Steve’s shirt. He was quiet for a bit and listened to Steve’s heartbeat. He had birthed two kids. They came from Brock. He did it. And he loved his babies. He loved his babies more than anything. And if he carried Steve’s baby, he knew he would love that baby just as much as he loved Brian and Alice. He was young. He wasn’t ready. But what were his options? “Let’s try for a baby.”