Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Picking up the red-and-blue leash, Steve whistled to get Cap’s attention. The large, three-year-old golden retriever ran into the kitchen, toenails clicking against the linoleum floor. “Come on, boy, time for your walk.” Turning towards the stairs, he called up the stairs, “Kids! I’m taking Cap to the park. Does anyone want – ”

Steve got no further before he heard several pairs of feet thundering down from various rooms upstairs. The first to reach the bottom of the stairs was Clint and his service dog, Lucky. Lucky was also a golden retriever and was in fact Cap’s older brother, just from a different litter; however, he was slightly smaller than his younger brother. Lucky had been placed with the family when he was about a year old, when Clint had been twelve. Clint had always been incredibly fond of both dogs; he had been placed with Lucky and later chosen Cap when the dogs’ mother had had a new litter, although Cap’s name had been voted on democratically by all the children except for Bruce and Darcy, who had been mere toddlers at the time. Next was Bruce himself, always eager to go out to the park, followed by Darcy, his youngest daughter and Bruce’s twin sister.

Steve called up the stairs once more. “Anyone else coming?” before remembering that Rhodey had dropped the three older girls – Jane, Sam, and Sharon – off at the dance studio before driving himself to the Young Marines. Shaking his head at having forgotten, he motioned for the three kids in front of him, as well as Lucky, to head out the door. He clipped the leash in his hand to Cap’s collar, patting his side, and then also walked outside.

The walk to the park was relatively quiet, with the two boys signing back and forth animatedly, with Lucky looking from one boy to the other, his tail wagging happily. Cap pulled on his leash a little to reach Bruce in order to initiate head rubs, causing his tail to wag as well. Bruce buried one hand in the dog’s fur, stimming his other hand off his leg, thereby putting an end to the boys’ nonverbal conversation. Darcy, meanwhile, was trying to perform cartwheels down the sidewalk, only stopping after she had almost run into an elderly neighbor and gotten told off by her father. After that, she walked quietly beside her father, slipping her hand into his free one.

When they got to the park, Steve told Cap to sit and then unhooked his leash. Cap looked up at his human, wagging his tail, and waited for Steve to give the “release” command; both dogs were always so well-behaved. Before Steve could finish the command, however, a large cream-colored dog bounded up and started sniffing Cap, causing the young dog to become excited. Seconds later, a small blond boy slightly older than the twins came running up, followed by an older blond about the same age as Clint. Following on the older boy’s heels was a man about Steve’s age, with a little boy, about the twins’ age, with curly brown hair similar to theirs, riding on his back. The two dogs sniffed each other excitedly before running back and forth between the two men.

The man let go of one of the little boy’s legs, ruffling his long-ish brown hair in a surprisingly attractive way. “Sorry about that,” he said quietly, blushing. “She’s usually better behaved than this, but she just gets excited sometimes, ‘specially when she sees other dogs.” He reached down to his dog and grabbed her leash, telling her to stay. This, in turn, caused the little boy to squeak and tighten his hold around his father’s shoulders and waist. The man winced and rubbed the boy’s hands to loosen his grip a little, straightening up and grabbing hold of his son again. “Sorry, Tony; I wasn’t gonna drop you. And you know you have to be careful around Papa’s shoulders.” This statement made Steve look more closely at the man’s arms; one looked vaguely metallic, like it might be some sort of prosthetic. Oh, well, it wasn’t really any of Steve’s business; he had seen several men, some even in his unit, have limbs amputated, though most of the prostheses were distributed back at home after discharge.

Shifting his hold on the boy, the other man dropped the kid gently to the ground and said, “Go play with your brothers, baby.” He pushed the little boy forward towards the blonds. The smaller blond took the younger boy’s hand and ran off; the older boy followed on the youngers’ heels. Finally, he turned back to Steve, transferring the leash to his left hand and extending his right hand to shake. “My name’s Bucky, and this is Winter.” He reached down and ruffled Winter’s ruff of fur around her neck – the dog really was ridiculously fluffy, especially for one of her size.

Steve took Bucky’s hand and replied, “I’m Steve. This,” he gestured to Cap, “is my dog – well, one of my dogs, Cap. His older brother is my son’s service dog; his name is Lucky.”

Bruce, who was apparently feeling unsettled enough that he didn’t want to run off and play, even here at the park and even with other, non-related children around to play with, peeked shyly from behind Steve’s legs and asked, “C’n I pet your dog, please, Mr. Bucky?”

Bucky crouched down next to Winter, holding her collar to prevent her from launching herself at the little boy in her excitement. “Sure thing, pal. She loves kids.” Bruce walked forward and put his hand out for Winter to sniff; apparently finding the boy’s scent acceptable, she licked his face, which caused him to giggle.

Bucky and Steve shared a smile. Who knew, maybe this could lead to something … more. It was clear that they both had and liked kids, so maybe Bucky wouldn’t be too put-out upon realizing Steve was, technically, a father of seven, even if one of them was technically his niece… Of course, that was when it all Went to Shit.

Steve turned slightly when he heard Darcy call for him, presumably to show him some new trick she had learned in gymnastics class now that there was safe grass to practice on. He was a bit confused, since she just seemed to swinging, next to another little girl, both being pushed by an older child of indeterminate gender, higher and higher. “Be careful, sweetheart!” he started to call, when suddenly apparently both girls got the idea to jump off the swings, at the top of the arc. The other little girl landed on both feet, perfectly fine, but Darcy seemed determined to show off. At the top of the arc, she leaned forward, clearly attempting to do some sort of flip. She appeared to have overestimated her abilities, since what was either a heartbeat or an eternity later, she was belly-flopped on the ground. Right on top of her right arm. And suddenly he was rushing forward, dropping Bruce’s hand and Cap’s leash, and Darcy was screaming. The two other kids looked on in shock, the little girl clearly trying not to curl up on the ground and the older kid looking slightly guilty.

When Steve reached Darcy, he scooped her up in his arms, trying to get a good look at her arm. She screamed whenever he touched it, so he couldn’t be sure, but he thought it was probably broken. He asked her to wiggle her fingers, and she couldn’t, so that did seem to fit the “broken” category pretty well; at least it wasn’t breaking out of her skin. Kissing her on the forehead, he looked around for the boys – Clint was jogging up, Lucky in tow, and Bucky was running towards them with Bruce in his arms, Cap and Winter running in front of them. Shifting his hold on his daughter, causing her to squeak in pain, he signed to Clint while speaking to Bruce and Bucky, “We have to go to the hospital. Darcy’s hurt, and it might be serious.” He took the leash from Bucky, then handed it to Bruce. “Hey, buddy, can you clip this to Cap’s collar? You can hold onto him, if you promise to be careful.” He smiled at Bucky as Bucky put Bruce down. “I’m real sorry about this, but I gotta go get Cecy to the hospital.” He rested his cheek on his daughter’s dark curls and then took off running.

Moments later, a hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder to see Bucky, blushing, with his three – no, five; the little girl and the older kid from the swings were there now as well – children following behind. Bucky ran his hand through his hair again, coughing. “I gotta car, if that’ll get you there faster. There’s a hospital not that far from here.”

Steve said, “Yeah, St. Vincent’s. I’m … pretty familiar with it. Half my kids were born there…”

Bucky blushed again. “Well, I’m willing to give you guys a lift; there’s plenty of room in my car. I live in that direction, anyways.”

Steve looked from Darcy’s tear-stained face to Bucky’s for a moment before nodding. “Yeah… Yeah, that’ll work. Thank you.” He followed Bucky and his brood to the car, making sure his sons were following.

After some shifting of seats, Bruce and Tony were buckled into the children’s car seats in the second row, Clint was in the front row with Lucky in the foot well in front of him, Steve and the little girl from the swings were sitting in the third row with Darcy’s head pillowed in Steve’s lap, Steve stroking through her dark curls comfortingly, and the three other children and two dogs were sitting in the far-back. Bucky got into the driver’s seat and drove them towards the hospital.

Steve was pretty worried; he’d suffered his own share of broken bones as a kid, but none of his kids had ever gotten seriously hurt, at least not on his watch. Suddenly, the older blond boy behind him reached out and touched Darcy’s ankle to get her attention. “It will be alright, little one,” he said in slightly accented English. “You will be better soon.” He smiled and said, “My name is Thor, and Papa will make sure we get to the hospital quickly.” He motioned towards the others in his row. “These are my siblings. The one next to me is Pietro; the one next to him is Loki. Pietro and the girl next to you, Wanda, are twins, like you and your brother, yes?” At this, Darcy nodded slightly, still keeping a tight hold on her injured arm. “Papa got the twins from Russia, like Nat.” Steve had no idea who Nat was.

The smaller blond boy – Pietro – leaned forward and smiled over the back of the seat. “Hello!” he chirped at Darcy. “Loki says they’re sorry you got hurt; they didn’t think you an’ Wanda were actually gonna jump!” The other child blushed ferociously, lightly smacking their brother’s arm.

Bucky apparently had super-hearing because, without even turning around, he said, “We’ll be talking about your punishment later, Loki, once we’ve seen if Darcy’s seriously hurt or not. Make no mistake, there will be consequences for this; you could’ve gotten both her and Wanda hurt.” Loki slid down in their seat, grumbling something under their breath and pulling their legs up to their chest. Pietro slid back under his seatbelt; Steve had no idea how the kid had managed to escape in the first place. Steve tightened his hold around his daughter’s good shoulder, trying not to jostle her possibly-broken arm too badly. He could only hope that she would be alright, that the break wasn’t too bad.

Chapter Text

Within minutes, Bucky had pulled up to the entrance to the emergency room, letting the kids, Steve, and Steve’s two dogs out and leaving Thor and Steve’s oldest in charge of the younger kids. Then he found a parking spot not too far away from the ER and jogged back to the kids waiting outside, alongside Winter. He pointed to Steve’s oldest – damn, he wished he’d thought to ask Steve for all his kids’ names before everything had gone to shit. Ah, well, better late than never. “What’s your name, kid?”

The boy grimaced at being called a “kid,” though he couldn’t have been much older than Thor, definitely still in high school at the very least. “My name’s Clint.”

Bucky nodded to himself, making a note to figure out the rest of the kids’ names later – assuming there was a “later” for him and Steve, that this little incident wasn’t going to be the end of things before they even started. “Clint, you can go in with these four, wait for your dad and sister to come out. Thor, Loki, and I will wait out here, since we’ve got the dogs with us. Can you do that for me, bud?”

Clint nodded and took one of Bruce’s hands in his, looping Lucky’s leash around his forearm so he could also hold Tony’s hand. “I’ll send one of these guys out when we know more. Oh, wait – my sisters are gonna be out of dance class in an hour or so, and Dad promised he’d go pick them up after.”

Bucky frowned to himself. Nat would need picking up at around the same time. “They wouldn’t happen to go to Hill’s studio, would they?”

Clint nodded over his shoulder. “Yeah, I think that’s where they go. D’you think you could go pick them up, if Dad and Darcy aren’t out by then?”

Bucky thought for a moment. “If it’s okay with your dad, then sure. Maybe you could text one of your sisters so they’ll know I’ll be there. One of my kids is at that studio right now, too; one of your sisters might even be in the same class. Now go get in there; I need to talk to these two.” Watching Clint and the younger kids go, he turned his focus on Thor and Loki. “Now, Loki, I think it’s time we had that talk, don’t you?”

Loki sighed and sat down on the curb, crossing their arms over their chest. “I didn’t mean to, Papa, swear it. Wanda’s lying; it was all her idea.”

Bucky sighed and crouched down next to the dark-haired child. “That really doesn’t sound like Wanda to me. Besides, you were the oldest there, and you could have told them both not to do it if you’d wanted. How about you try again, see if you can be honest with me.”

Loki bit their lip and curled their hands into loose fists in their lap. “Maybe … maybe it was my idea…”

Realizing at least part of the problem was that Loki hated admitting mistakes in front of their older brother, Bucky handed Winter’s leash to Thor, who was already holding Cap’s leash. “Hey, bud, why don’t you walk around a bit with these two. They didn’t get enough exercise at the park, so I’m sure they’d welcome the chance to play with you.” Thor nodded and walked off, the two dogs leading the way. Hmm … Clint had a service dog, and Thor had always loved dogs; maybe Bucky could ask Steve where they had gotten Clint’s dog, see if he could get something like that for Thor…

He turned back to the child in front of him. “I know you didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt, sweetheart, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’re lucky only one of the girls was injured.” Loki shifted their gaze to their bare knees, picking at the skin to the side of their right kneecap. Bucky took his child’s hand in his, squeezing it a little. “I know it’s hard for you to admit when you’ve done something wrong, but it’s really important that you learn to, alright? I’m gonna have to punish you for this, but I haven’t decided what yet.”

This prompted a slight squeak from Loki, who now looked on the verge of tears. Bucky leaned forward the kissed the child’s dark hair. “You know I’ll always love you, Loki, but you need to understand that there are consequences to your actions. Just because you didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt doesn’t change the fact that Darcy did.” He got to his feet and then pulled Loki up afterwards. He wrapped his arms around his child briefly, then pushed them towards the emergency room doors. “Why don’t you go in and wait with the twins and Clint? I’ll be right over there with Thor.” He pointed to the grassy area nearby where Thor was playing with the two dogs. “Go on.” He waited until Loki had gone through the doors before heading towards Thor and the two dogs.

He played with Thor and the dogs for a few minutes before seeing Loki come back through the doors and run towards the four of them. When Loki reached them, they said, “Clint said that Steve said you could go pick up his girls when you go pick up Nat. There’s, uh, three of ‘em; Clint said they’ll all be ready to go when you get there. Oh, an’ one of Steve’s kids is at the Young Marines right now, but he has his own car and Clint already texted ‘im so he’ll meet us here and can take Steve and the others home after.” They smiled up at their father for having managed to remember all of this.

Bucky looked between both of his kids and then made an executive decision. “Thank you for telling me this, Loki. Hopefully Steve and Darcy will be out by the time I have to go pick up the girls and Nat, but if they aren’t, then I’d like for you to stay with Thor while I go. That’ll help Clint have one less kid to look after and also give Thor some company besides the dogs.” He reached down and ruffled first Winter’s and then Cap’s fur.

“Okay, Papa!” Loki chirped before going back to wait with the others for news of Darcy.

Bucky continued to play with Thor and the two dogs, and had managed to get Cap and Winter to finally realize that this game worked so much better when they didn’t, in fact, fight over the stick, but just brought it to him to throw, when his phone chirped a reminder to go get Nat and Steve’s girls from the dance studio.

Bucky told Thor he was going to go and check in on the situation inside, then jogged back to the emergency room entrance. He walked into the waiting room, and was able to find his and Steve’s kids easily; they were the largest group there, and there weren’t that many people to begin with. “It’s time for me to go pick up the girls and Nat, so Clint, you’re still in charge here, and Loki, I want you to go out and wait with Thor and the dogs for me to get back.” He waited for nods from all the kids there before following Loki outside.
* * *

Bucky pulled into the dance studio parking lot about twenty minutes later. Nat was waiting outside, talking to a blonde girl around the same age, with two smaller girls, one African-American, standing nearby. He looked around for a moment to see if there were any other kids outside, but since they were the only ones … He beeped his horn twice to let the girls and Nat know he was there.

Nat spun around at their father, grinned, and walked over with their dance bag over their shoulder. They opened the passenger-side front door and hopped in, setting the bag at their feet. The back door opened, and the three girls followed. Nat turned slightly so they could point at the three in the back seat. “Papa, this is Sharon; she’s in my ballet class. These are her cousins, Sam.” Here they pointed at the African-American girl. “And Jane.” Here they pointed at the Caucasian girl. “Oh, Shar, Rhodey knows my dad came to pick you up, right?”

Sharon frowned thoughtfully for a moment before pulling her phone from her own dance bag. “I’ll text him right now to make sure.” She looked at her screen for a couple of moments before returning the phone to her bag. “Never mind, looks like Clint’s already told him. He says he’ll meet us at the hospital.”

Nat turned back to their father. “T’Challa’s still at scouts, right, Papa?”

“He’s on a camping trip up through Sunday, so it’ll still be a couple more days, Nat.” Bucky put the car in drive and started driving back to the hospital, listening to the girls’ and Nat’s idle chatter – he was more focused on the road than what the kids were saying, so long as nothing set off his dad-radar. Nat was usually a good kid, and he assumed that any of Steve’s kids would probably not be a bad influence on any of his own.

It took slightly less time to get back to the hospital than it had to get to the studio, for whatever reason, so he pulled up once more into a parking space near the emergency room entrance. Steve’s girls and Nat got out first, and Bucky was just pulling the keys from the ignition when he heard Nat scream. Quickly jerking the keys out and opening the door, he looked around quickly to see what had Nat so upset.

What he saw nearly made his heart stop. Thor was lying in the grass where Bucky had left him, convulsing. Loki was on their knees next to him, and the two dogs were barking hysterically and running back and forth nearby. Paramedics were running up to the two kids with a stretcher, and Nat and the girls were rushing over from the car. Bucky pocketed his keys, not even bothering to lock the car, and ran up as well.

Chapter Text

When Rhodey got back to his car, he had two missed calls and several text messages. Scrolling through and listening to the voicemails Uncle Steve and Clint had left, he swore under his breath and put the car into drive. The one time he was busy when Uncle Steve decided to take the kids to the park, everything went to crap. Of course.

Later Rhodey would have to admit that he was basically running on autopilot, and may or may not have been speeding at least part of the way… What could he say? He tried to help out whenever he could with the younger kids, tried to give Uncle Steve a break whenever he could. After all, it was hardly Uncle Steve’s fault that Rhodey and Sam’s father had died in service, followed by Aunt Peggy just a few months later, leaving him essentially a single father of seven kids, only four of whom were biologically his…

Usually it would be his responsibility to watch the twins while Uncle Steve kept a general eye over the others – Cecy could be a little daredevil when she wanted to be, and Bruce had a tendency to wander off if nobody was paying attention. Rhodey prayed that Cecy’s injuries weren’t too serious, that she would be back to her normal, bubbly self when the shock and pain had worn off some.

Wait, if Uncle Steve was probably in there with Cecy, did that mean Clint was in charge of Bruce and the two dogs? Did the girls know who was going to pick them up after dance? What if it was some kind of creep? God, he really needed to calm down before he caused an accident.

Thankfully, by the time he had gone through all of these thoughts, he was in the hospital parking lot. There seemed to be some sort of commotion over in the grassy area outside of the ER… Wait. Crap. That looked like Cap… And there were Sharon and Sam and Jane. He put the car into park and barely paused long enough to take the keys out of the ignition before rushing over.

He turned to Sharon and asked, “D’you know what’s going on?”

A redhead with her arm wrapped around a (presumed) boy with long, dark hair looked up with tears in her eyes. “It’s our brother, Thor. He’s had an epileptic fit.” Rhodey now saw a blond boy, around Clint’s age, on the stretcher, his eyes rolled back in his head and shaking slightly. A man around Uncle Steve’s age was gently rubbing the boy’s shoulders and whispering softly to him.

Rhodey felt bad for the kid, really, but he didn’t really understand why this meant all his sisters except for Darcy were gathered around out here instead of waiting inside with Clint, helping to watch Bruce. Looking back at Sharon, he asked, “Where are Clint and Bruce?”

Sharon pointed to the double doors to the emergency room waiting room. “Clint stayed inside so Bruce wouldn’t get too overwhelmed.” She pulled her phone out of her dance bag and frowned at the time. “I’m sure Uncle Steve will be out soon with Darcy, and then hopefully we’ll be able to go home. Hey, Nat?” The redhead looked up from where she was consoling her brother. “Can you look out for Jane and Sam? I’m going to help Rhodey find our brothers.”

The redhead – Nat – nodded silently, then looked to where the other two girls were standing with their arms around each other, clearly concerned for the boy that they barely knew.

Sharon got to her feet and stretched slightly. “Come on, let’s go.”

The two walked into the emergency room waiting room, side by side. Clint was sitting with Lucky by his feet and Bruce sitting in his lap. Three other small children, a little bit bigger than Bruce and Cecy, were sitting by Clint’s feet and talking quietly to each other, the little girl’s hand tangled tightly in Lucky’s fur and the smaller of the little boys lying down on Lucky's side. Rhodey smiled to himself; it was just like Clint to let a little kid, even one he didn’t know, to pet his service dog, even if it technically wasn’t the best idea. He looked around to see if he could find the little kids’ parents, but none of the few other people in the room seemed overly invested in the two.

Frowning, he walked up to Clint and signed to him and Bruce. “Who are the kids on the floor? Do their parents know where they are?”

Bruce hopped out of Clint’s lap, startling the other children and making the little girl squeak and the larger little boy wrap his arms around her. “Hi, Rhodey!” Bruce chirped, holding out his arms to his older brother-figure.

Rhodey leaned down and scooped the little boy into his arms, maneuvering him so that he could still sign legibly to Clint with his free hand. “Do you know these kids?” He gestured at the three kids who were still on the floor.

Sharon frowned and motioned for Rhodey’s attention. “The little girl goes to my dance studio. I think she’s Nat’s little sister. Do you want me to go get her?”

Clint looked alarmed at the idea of Sharon going to get Nat, even though Rhodey didn’t really know who that was. “No, no, no! Their dad’s supposed to be here any minute!” It was at this moment that the emergency room doors finally, blessedly opened to reveal Steve carrying Cecy in his arms. It was hard to tell from this distance, but Cecy looked okay, if a little tired and in pain.

Rhodey ran up to the two of them, still carrying Bruce. When they were close enough, Bruce leaned almost a dangerous amount forward and wrapped his arms around his twin before planting a small kiss on her cheek. “I'm happy you’re okay, Cecy!”

Darcy giggled and wrapped her uncasted arm around Bruce. “Hi, Rhodey!” When she let go of Bruce, she waved to Rhodey as well.

Steve kissed the top of Darcy’s head before looking at his oldest ward. “I’m glad you’re here, Rhodey.” He turned towards the others, including the three that were still sitting by Lucky. “Has Bucky gotten back yet?”

Sharon looked nervous. “Yeah, he drove us all back from dance class. When we got back, a boy was having a seizure out front. I-I think it’s one of Nat’s brothers!”

Steve frowned. “Is he epileptic, or is this the first time it’s happened?”

The bigger little boy who had been sitting stood up and walked over to them. “That’s my brother Thor! Loki came in earlier an’ got the paramedics to go look at him! Loki’s real brave.”

Steve turned to look at the little blond. “Do you know if Thor is epileptic? Does he wear a medical bracelet that lets doctors know, Pietro?”

The little boy – Pietro – nodded. “Yep! He has to go to the doctor a lot, almost as much as Loki’s gotta go to the therapist!”

At this point, a large group came bursting in from outside. The older blond boy – Thor, apparently – was on a stretcher surrounded by paramedics with a guy who must have been his dad holding one of his hands reassuringly. Jane, Loki, and Sam followed close behind, although Nat was staying outside, presumably to look after the two dogs.

The father looked around the room, signing something to Pietro and his siblings, before going through the doors into the emergency room proper. The other three kids joined their group. Steve did not look all that happy, but the day’s events would make anybody upset. He adjusted Cecy in his arms before addressing the group. “Loki, did your dad say anything to you about what he wants you guys to do while he’s in the ER with your brother?”

Loki bit his lip before nodding. “He … he wondered if you’ll let us stay with you until Thor gets out of the hospital. Nat’s got their driver’s license, so we can drive in Papa’s car to your house. When Thor gets out, Nat can go pick him up and bring him to your house so he can pay you.”

Steve sighed. “I won’t accept payment. It’s the least I can do after him driving us all to the hospital and then picking up the girls from dance while I was with Darcy. We’ll split you guys up between Rhodey’s and your dad’s cars and head on to my house, okay?”

He motioned for Clint, Pietro, and the other two kids to stand. “Let’s go outside so we can figure out how many of us there are, and then we can get home. Rhodey, I’ll need you to go get Cecy’s pain prescription after we all get home, okay?”

Rhodey nodded, hiking Bruce up in his arms as well. Clint took Pietro’s hand and motioned for the little girl to take Sharon’s. The other little boy tangled a hand in Lucky's fur, leaning against the dog slightly.  Then they all followed Steve and Darcy back into the parking lot, where Nat was holding Cap’s leash, as well as another dog’s leash.

Chapter Text

Nat looked up as the emergency room doors opened again, making sure to keep tight hold of the two dogs’ leashes. Their siblings, and Sharon and her uncle and cousins, came out, with Sharon’s uncle holding his youngest, a little girl who they thought might be named Darcy, in his arms. Once everyone was outside, he clapped his hands twice to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, guys. Split up between if you’re a Rogers or a Barnes, please. Youngest closest to me, oldest furthest away.” He put down the little girl in his arms as all the kids figured out where in each line they were supposed to be.

Nat adjusted the leashes in their hand and handed the golden retriever’s leash to the boy across from them. Nat was pretty sure this was Sharon’s god-cousin, Rhodey; he looked too much like Sam not to be biologically related to her, and they knew that Sam had been adopted with her older brother, whom all of the Rogers kids called Rhodey. They vaguely knew Rhodey from school as well; he was a year above them and Sharon, though, so beyond occasionally seeing him in the halls or at dance recitals…

Sharon’s uncle cleared his throat and clapped his hands twice. “Great work, guys. So, for the Barnes kids, my name’s Steve, and I’m the dad, godfather, or uncle of all the Rogers kids. My kids will all introduce themselves by name, age, and how they’re related to me, and then you Barneses can do the same but say where you’re from.” He nodded his head at the kid who Nat thought was Rhodey.

Maybe-Rhodey stepped forward and said, “Hi, guys. I’m Rhodey, I’m seventeen years old, and I am Steve’s godson. I’ve lived with the Rogerses since I was ten.”

Sharon, one of the only ones whom Nat was actually close to, stepped forward next. “I’m Sharon Carter, and I’m sixteen. I’m Steve’s niece through his wife Peggy; he and Peggy raised me since I was two.”

The next boy to step forward had purple hearing-aids in his ears and one hand wrapped around the head-lead of a golden retriever slightly smaller than the one whose leash Nat had been holding not ten minutes before – Clint, Nat thought; he was in the same study hall as them. Clint waved to the other kids and said, “My name’s Clint. I’m fifteen, and I’m Steve and Peggy’s oldest kid, biologically speaking. I, uh, I’m pretty sure I was also the first of the kids to actually live with ‘em, since Sharon didn’t come until I was already walking.”

Next up was Sam, who Nat knew from the dance studio. “I’m Sam, and I’m twelve. I’m Rhodey’s little sister and Steve’s goddaughter. I’ve lived with Steve since I was five.”
Jane followed up immediately after. “My name is Jane. I’m eleven as of yesterday. I’m Steve’s oldest biological daughter.” She reached over to the little boy next to her, who was holding the uncasted hand of the girl next to him, and pushed them both forwards. “These are the twins, Bruce and Darcy. They’re six, but they’ll be seven in September. Say hi, guys.” Bruce hid his face in Jane’s side, but Darcy waved her casted arm at the older kids.

Once all the Rogerses had been introduced, it was Nat’s turn. They stepped forward, pulling Winter along with them. “I’m Nat, and I’m sixteen, like Sharon. I was adopted from Russia when I was six.”

Loki seemed kind of surprised to realize they were up next, since there would normally be two kids between themself and Nat; they looked down at their feet before stepping forward. “I’m Loki… I’m ten… I’m from Norway, but I’ve lived with Papa since I was a baby… Thor’s my brother, and he’s thirteen.”

Next up were Wanda and Pietro, who also went up together after seeing Bruce and Darcy do so. First Pietro spoke – “I’m Pietro, and I’m eight” – and then Wanda’s “I’m eight, too, and my name is Wanda.” With some prompting, it was eventually revealed that the two were also from Russia – but a different orphanage than Nat – and had been living with the family since they were three.

Last of all was little Tony, who needed to be prompted forward by Steve like his twins had been by Jane. “I’m Tony. I just turned six… I think I’m from Italy, but I don’t really remember it at all… I’ve lived with Papa since I was really little…”

Now that introductions had been made, Steve again clapped his hands, though there wasn’t really any need; all of the kids were still looking up at him. “I know most of you guys were inside with me, but for Nat’s benefit, let’s go over the plan for how we’re going to get all of you guys home. Barnes kids, your dad has given Nat permission to drive you all to my house. One of my kids will go with you guys to help make sure you find it, since the rest of us are going to stop by the pharmacy first, to pick up pain meds for Darcy.”

Steve looked at the three oldest of his kids and then seemed to come to a decision. “Sharon, I think you would be the best choice to go in Nat’s car, since you and Nat know each other better than either of the boys do. Nat, your dad’s going to text you when he and Thor are able to leave, and then you kids can all go home, but until then you’ll stay with us. Is Thor usually kept overnight after an episode?”

Nat shook their head and took their car keys from Steve. “He’s usually out in a few hours at the latest; the only time he was kept overnight was when he was still very small or if they decide to change his medication.” They looked from their siblings, to Sharon, to Steve. “Should we get going now? Sir?”

Steve nodded, smiling slightly to himself. “There’s no need to call me ‘sir,’ Nat; you can just call me Steve, like Sharon, Rhodey, and Sam do.” He looked to (most of) his own brood. “Alright, kids, let’s get going. Rhodey, are you good to keep driving, or do you want me to take over?” He said this last sentence over his shoulder as he walked towards the minivan that looked so much like Papa’s own.

Sharon and Nat high-fived and helped the younger kids into their seatbelts before settling into the front seat. Nat looked at Sharon and smiled. “At least we probably won’t have to stop at my house to get anything; Papa will probably text me soon.” Following Sharon’s instructions, they put the car slowly into reverse and backed out of the parking spot.

Chapter Text

It honestly didn’t take them very long to get to the Rogers residence, maybe about ten minutes total. But it could be a real bitch to get to, with all the one-way side streets you had to turn down to actually get there. Walking there wasn’t an issue, but driving to and from could be a real nightmare. That was why Sharon was glad Nat was driving, instead of her. Like she even could had she wanted to; she only had her learner’s permit, and it would be months before she could drive by herself or any of her cousins without Uncle Steve.

Eventually, they reached her and her cousins’ house. She and Nat helped Bruce and Tony out of their car seats, then led them, the twins, the dogs, and Loki into the house, Sharon having to unlock the door first. Uncle Steve and her cousins weren’t back yet, having had to stop at the pharmacy first to pick up pain meds for Darcy. Walking through to the other side of the house while holding both Winter’s and Cap’s leashes, she let the dogs out into the fenced-in backyard.

Sharon really hoped Darcy was going to be okay; she knew what it felt like to break a bone from dance classes, but an arm was obviously going to be a way longer recovery time than the couple of toes she’d managed to break when she had first gone up en pointe. She helped Bruce pull off his sneakers and socks, and then wrapped him in his weighted blanket from the back of the couch.

Bruce looked up at her with wide eyes, the fingers of one hand reaching up towards his mouth. “Is … is Cecy going to be okay?” he asked quietly, using his nickname for Darcy from when they were babies, which his older siblings and cousin had then picked up.

Sharon brushed Bruce’s curls back from his forehead and then gently brought his hand down. “Hands out of your mouth, baby; you don’t want to get sick from having your hands in there. I promise, Cecy is going to be just fine!” She kissed his forehead, and then went to one of the stim-toy containers they had scattered throughout the house. She pulled out a chewy necklace, looped the string around his neck, and then handed him the silicone part to place in his mouth.

Tony took Bruce’s free hand and pulled him over to the couch, where the older kids were sitting, and then plopped down in front of it. Bruce plonked down beside him, pulling the weighted blanket around his shoulders, his knees up by his chest and the chewy now bobbing in his mouth.

Sharon took a deep breath and then turned on the TV, pulling up the Netflix app. Navigating to the kids’ profile, she handed it off to Loki and said, “Can you pick something out for you guys to watch?”

After receiving a nod from Loki, she bit the inside of her lip and made eye contact with Nat, then motioned to Nat to take out their phone. With the younger kids hopefully distracted for the time being, she felt safe telling one of her best friends the secret she’d been hiding from everyone for the past several weeks. She typed the words, “I slept with Grant after prom last month,” and pressed SEND.

It seemed to take forever for the message to actually arrive in Nat’s phone, even though they were only sitting a couple feet away on the other end of the couch. Finally, Nat started typing back, then sent the message and raised their eyebrow at Sharon. The message said, “Do you want to talk about it somewhere the littles can’t hear us?”

Sharon nodded and got to her feet, Nat following behind. When Loki and the twins turned to look at them in confusion – Tony and Bruce being fully engrossed in the movie – she said, “We’re just going to get you guys some snacks, maybe some popcorn. You guys keep watching the movie. Bathroom’s over there if you need it.” She gestured towards the bathroom that was, thankfully, on the opposite side of the room from the door that led to the kitchen.

Once she and Nat were safely in the kitchen, the door closed behind them, Sharon hissed, “I’m terrified, Nat! My period was due two weeks ago, and it still isn’t here! What am I going to do?”

Nat was entirely too calm about this potentially life-ruining situation. They just said, “Have you considered a pregnancy test?”

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Of course I have. I’m not stupid. But how the hell am I supposed to get one if I can’t drive anywhere by myself? You and Rhodey aren’t old enough for me to drive with you, assuming Rhodey wouldn’t immediately rat me out, and any adult I could drive with would tell Uncle Steve.”

Nat bit their lip and thought for a moment. “If you can keep the kids distracted, I can sneak out to the pharmacy and pick up a few.”

Sharon surged forward and wrapped her arms around her friend, even though they stiffened slightly at the unexpected contact. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Sharon found it hard to stay quiet enough to avoid alerting the kids in the other room. “You have your keys on you, right?” In response, Nat lifted their key ring out of their jacket pocket. “You can sneak out the back door, then, and I’ll make some popcorn. ‘Wreck-It Ralph’ is on, so it could take a while for the kids to even notice you’re gone. If they do, I’ll tell them you’ve gone home to check on your other pets.”

Nat nodded, and the two hugged before Sharon gently pushed her friend towards the door. “Thanks again,” she whispered before turning to the microwave to make the popcorn.

It took only about fifteen minutes for one of the kids to ask where their older sibling had gone. If Sharon had had to take a guess, she would have thought it would be Loki, or maybe Wanda who noticed first, but to her surprise it was actually Tony. “Where’d Nat go?” he asked, looking around as if he’d just noticed Nat was nowhere to be seen, which of course drew the attention of the older kids as well.

Wanda frowned. “Nat’s been gone for a while… Is everything okay?”

Sharon was glad she had her excuse already in her mind. “Nat’s gone to check on you guys’ animals at home, since we don’t know when you’ll be going home just yet.”

Pietro frowned, picking at a loose thread from the arm of the couch. “Why didn’t they say goodbye first?”

Loki’s eyes narrowed. “And why didn’t they say where they were going? Maybe I wanted to go, too, to check on Frost.”

Sharon was getting nervous; this was so not going to plan. Luckily, it was at that moment that she looked out the window to see Nat’s car pulling back into the driveway. Hoping this would be enough to keep the kids from asking too many questions, she called out, “Nat’s back!” and walked quickly to the door to intercept the kids from seeing what Nat was carrying.

Nat must have been a superspy in a past life or something, because nobody would have suspected what they were carrying in the pockets of their hoodie, which was slung over one arm. Sharon quickly but carefully grabbed it from her friend and “offered” to bring it to the hall closet off the living room. Once she was alone in the hallway, she grabbed the three tests from the pocket, put the hoodie on an empty hanger, and ran as silently as she could to the upstairs bathroom – she did not want one of the younger kids walking in on her doing this...