Into the War || A Captain America Love Story

52

STEVE

After one emotionally and physically painful week, I have finally gotten the stitches taken out. Yesterday, I felt fine, but those damn sutures changed that completely. I happily get out of the hospital and open the passenger door for Tori with a cheeky grin. She rolls her eyes, whining for me not to speed.

We're going to the Avengers Tower today to visit. Pepper is in town and she still doesn't know the big news. Rhodey has apparently almost spit it out to her on more than one occasion since she's been there, thanks to Tony calling his sister and complaining about it. Then again, if he hasn't already told her I would be extremely surprised. He has already warned us about her fainting, so that should be fun.

Tori and I wait in the elevator to go to Tony's lab floor, where he has most likely dragged Pepper and Rhodes. The doors quickly open and we step out to greet everyone. Tony nearly throws himself on top of Tori and then runs to me, almost breaking my neck to bring me down to his level. I wave to Rhodes and Pepper awkwardly as Tony tightens his grip on me. Tori and Pepper hug, then she moves over to Rhodes, who sits in a chair near a table covered with random equipment.

"So, Capsicle, don't you have something to tell Pepper?" Tony asks me excitedly, rocking on his heels with his hands behind his back.

"Yeah, don't you, Tori?" I shoot to his sister with a smirk.

She glares at me, even though she knows that she should definitely be the one to tell Pepper.

"Tell me what?" the redhead asks, a grin crawling across her lips.

"Take a wild guess," Tori tells her.

Pepper's jaw drops. "You're kidding."

Tori shakes her head, getting attacked by Ms. Potts in a tight embrace. She finally asks my wife what she thought was the answer, and she receives a nod in response. Pepper sprints to me and throws her arms around my neck to hug me.

"T-This is incredible!" she exclaims, clasping her hands together happily.

"Just wait until you see baby Tony in one of these bad boys," Tony smirks, holding up a blueprint of something to show Pepper.

Ms. Potts raises an eyebrow at it, shaking her head at Tony. I glance to see what he is showing her. It's a goddamn mini suit.

"Stark!" I scowl. "There is no way in hell that I'm going to let you live long enough to put that on my child."

"Language, Steven," Tori chimes.

"Okay, you have to agree with me," I tell Tori. "I almost killed myself in one and the last one he made from scratch was Ultron."

"Oh yeah, my robotic nephew, who was artificial intelligence, not a suit," she recalls. "But on that first part, that was your own doing. Steven brains cannot handle that."

"Keep in mind that some of those brains our going to be in our child."

"Yeah, our child, meaning half of your brain and half of mine."

"Children, stop fighting in my lab!" Tony whines. "I have a strict no-arguing in my lab policy that is for the greater good."

"Says the man who technically started it," Rhodey pipes up.

Tony clicks his tongue, pointing his finger at Rhodes. "I also have an I-Can-Kick-Your-Ass-Out-Of-My-Lab policy."

"Just saying," Rhodes replies, holding his hands up innocently.

Tori sinks into one of the chairs, spinning herself around in it. She almost instantly stops after one rotation, her face drained of color. "I shouldn't have done that," she mumbles.