First Words

Steve was laying comfortably on the couch with Peter curled up next to him. Tony was sitting on the other side of the couch with blue prints and a tablet that he was flipping through, trying to work out a new gadget for one of the Avengers, Steve had honestly lost track.

Peter was rambling on in a language all his own and Steve smiled at himself for being able to understand him for the most part. The way he pointed at things on the television screen excitedly as they watched the final scenes of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.”

As the music continued, Peter murmured on and one of his garbled words almost sounded like a real word.

“Did you hear that Tony?” Steve nudged his husband's thigh with his foot. “He said song.”

“He said 'so-umm-an-gah'.” Tony didn't even look up from his tablet. Steve could swear if he looked hard enough he would be able to see the equations in Tony's mind reflected in his dark eyes.

“Don't you want to hear our son's first word?”

“Of course I do, and I will hear it when he actually says something.” Tony glanced up from his tablet, staring his husband straight in the eyes. His own filled with a bit of humor because Steve was always trying to convince him that Peter's nonsensical sounds were actual words.

“You want to say something for your Papa?” Steve cooed to his son, who giggled when he tossed him gently into the air before catching him again.

Tony reached over, scooping his son into his arms. “No, you'd rather say something for Daddy, wouldn't you?”

Peter smiled up at his Dad, grabbing hold of his beard that Steve had been nagging Tony to shave.

“Ow, ow.” Tony winced but Steve only laughed, picking Peter back up and bouncing him on his lap.

“Be nice to Daddy, Peter. He's not as strong as your Papa. Don't you want to say Papa?”

“Har, har. Capsicle.” Tony's eyes narrowed at his husband as he nursed his chin.

“Peter, say Papa.”

“No, look at Daddy, look here, that's right. Say Daddy.”

The small child looked between his fathers as incoherent sounds tumbled from his smiling mouth.

“Say Papa, son, you can do it.”

“No, Peter, say Daddy instead. Look right here and say Daah-dii.”

A snicker from the doorway distracted the two fathers from their clearly successful speech lesson with their son.

“What are you two idiots doing?”

“Tasha!” Peter cheered happily. Steve and Tony turned simultaneously to gape at Peter who was now reaching toward Agent Romanoff.

Natasha was standing before Steve in a moment, picking Peter up and settling him on her hip. “That's right, munchkin. Auntie Tasha's here.” Looking back to her teammates she was surprised to find Steve gawking at her with jealousy in his eyes while Tony was glaring daggers through her heart. “What? What's wrong with you two?"