When You Saved Me

Chapter 60

Tony P.O.V

I'm feeling tremendous regret for getting Steve off the other night, I shouldn't have done it, I think it's really confused him. He came into my room randomly this morning, mumbling something about Callie still being asleep, and just kind of wandered around for a good 15 minutes before I said we should get breakfast started.

I'm in the kitchen now, buttering toast and he's frying eggs when Callie crawls in along the wall, her blue eyes glowing eerily. "Dada, toast?" She says, shifting her feet to the ground and walking over to me normally.

"Yes, you want toast? What do you want on it?"

"Peebutter." She licks her lips with an exaggerated nod.

"That sounds disgusting," I chuckle and Steve grins over at her.

"No, it's yummy!" She scowls.

"Pea-nut butter, pea-nut."

"Peeeeen uuuut," she says, her eyebrows down as she forms the words with considerable concentration.

"Good, that's better." I tousle her hair and she smiles and then skips over to Steve, hugging his leg with great gusto.

"Uncle, up!" She reaches her arms up, and he flashes her a boyish grin.

"Okay baby," he squats down and cradles her bottom in one arm, and then stands as she wraps her legs around his torso, and her hands around his shoulders. Her head rests in the nook of his neck and she watches him flip the eggs onto the awaiting plates.

"Did you have a good sleep?" He asks her and she nods before kissing his jaw. "Do you want an egg with your peanut butter toast?"

"Yes," she whispers, her fingers playing with the collar of his shirt, folding themselves in and out of the fabric.

"Yes please," he corrects her and she repeats it back, "good job."

The sight of them causes me to feel a strange mix of emotions, a pang of jealousy, a stab of remorse, and a gush of love and pride. Steve has been becoming more and more like a son or younger brother to me lately, his emotional outbursts and uncertainty have made him seem vulnerable and needy. But when I see him with Callie he is confident and happy, she completes him and he seems to complete her.

I'm snapped out of my reverie by Cap placing a plate into my hands, "come eat?" He says, looking back at me as he sits down at the table with the baby.

I give my head a shake and then come join them at the table. Soon the kitchen is silent, save for the sound of Callie humming happily over her peanut butter toast. The kid was starved for most of her life so food is still somewhat of a novelty, I still occasionally find granola bars stuffed into her drawers or under her bed, she's still not certain that this is forever and it breaks my heart.

I feel Steve's knee nudge mine under the table and I look up to find him staring at me intensely, "what's wrong?"

"I want to talk about, uh, practicing?" He says through gritted teeth, glancing at Callie nervously.

"I don't think we need to talk about that," I say simply, standing up to refill my coffee mug.

"Please? I have a date tonight, I want to, uh, I have some questions."

"Okay... we can talk during nap time, out here." I point at the table and then my stomach drops when I see the little girl looking at her Uncle quizzically, her eyes glowing as she reaches her hand for his bare arm. "Steve, Callie!"

"Huh?" He looks down just as she's grabbing his arm and his eyes go blank.

"Shit!" I run forward and grab her around the middle but it's too late.