Chapter 60

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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.

She begins to scream, a high pitched wail that makes my blood run cold. "No! Don't want to, don't want to!" She's shrieking and thrashing in my arms, desperate to get away from me, her eyes wild and terrified.

Steve's eyes are his own again and he's looking at me horror struck, "what did she see?" He whispers.

"What the fuck do you think she saw?" I bellow at him and he begins to cry.

Cap reaches out for the little girl but she shakes her head, her lip quivering, "no, don't want to!"

"You don't have to Callie, Uncle won't hurt you." He says between sobs.

"It's okay baby," I whisper in her ear, shushing her, but she won't have any of it.

Just then Bruce runs into the kitchen with Natasha hot on his heels, "what's going on?"

"Uncle help!" Callie screams, reaching her arms out for him in desperation.

He looks at me confused but steps forward and takes her anyways, rocking back and forth soothingly. "You're alright Callie, you're safe." She burrows her face in his shoulder and cries huge, heaving sobs, her fists balled up in his t-shirt.

"What happened?" Natasha asks, rubbing the little girl's back and looking between Steve and I.

Cap is sitting on the ground, his knees drawn up to his chest, whimpering like a small child and shaking his head saying, "I'm sorry," over and over on repeat.

"She read his mind and saw him, uh..." I whistle and produce a jerking motion with my fist, deciding to tell them part of the truth.

"Oh, geez. You have to make sure she doesn't do that." Bruce sighs, kissing Callie's head. The child is still crying, her trauma is still so fresh and raw that it can be set off in seconds.

Thor appears around the corner looking thoroughly confused, his eyes travelling around the room to pause at Steve and then Callie, "what the fuck?" He mutters, stepping forward and retrieving Callie from Bruce, cradling her like an infant. "Hush little one, you're alright. What did you do?" He looks accusingly at me, letting me know where I stand with him.

I relay the altered truth and Thor sighs in recognition, moving to squat beside Steve. He tries to hug him but that sends Callie into another bout of hysterics, which in turn devastates Cap even further. "Okay, okay, I'll take her to the pool, you deal with him?"

I nod, and he turns away, the sound of Callie's cries becoming distant and echoey, and then disappearing altogether.

I kneel down beside Steve and begin to rub his back, but he jerks away, "stop touching me Tony!" He hisses, standing and striding from the room.

"Fuck!"



Thor P.O.V

Bruce offered me a Xanax for Callie but I turned him down, I think I'll be able to handle this, if Steve can then so can I.

I changed into trunks and then grabbed a swimsuit for the little girl before going down to the pool. Callie is finally just sniffling lightly and not actually crying, and by the time I've changed her, she is animatedly asking me to throw her in.

"Uncle throw me!" She waves her arms in excitement.

"Okay, but you need a life jacket little lady," I tell her, grabbing it off the hook and slipping her arms in.

"Uncle jump in? Make a big, big splash!"

"Yes, I'll jump in after." I kiss her nose. "Okay, ready?" She nods, practically vibrating with excitement.

I pick her up and she squeals, "okay, big breath, hold it! Three, two, one!" I launch her into the middle of the pool and she hits with a sploosh, causing the glass like water to wave and ripple from her point of entry.

She emerges, sputtering and gasping and for a moment I'm worried I've frightened her, but she wipes her eyes and grins at me maniacally. "Uncle turn!"

"Okay, here I come!" I throw myself into a cannonball, the sound of Callie's squeals filling the air until my ears are submerged and everything becomes muffled. I kick off the bottom and my head breaches, I look over to see the little girl clapping and giggling. "Was that a big enough splash?"

"Yes!" She nods happily, and then reaches out for me. "Off?" She says, pointing at the buckles on her chest.

"Yep," I pull her to my chest and slip off her life jacket and throw it on the deck. I then grab a floaty and put it under her arms, "okay, kick to Uncle."

As I'm backing away from her to let her kick her way to me once more I notice movement in my peripheral vision, I glance up to see Steve watching from the doorway, still looking a bit shaken, but much improved.

He raises his eyebrows at me in question and mouths the words, "is she okay?" I give him a thumbs up so he smiles slightly and goes back the way he came.

Callie and I play and practice swimming for a good long while before I lay down on an inner tube and sit her in my lap. She drops her head down onto my chest, dragging her fingertips in the water with a sigh.

"Feeling better baby?" I ask, stroking her wet hair gently.

She nods and then produces a gigantic yawn. "Dada played with Uncle's peepee." She mutters and my breathing stops.

"Sorry, what's that babe?" I tilt my head, I must have heard her wrong.

"She shifts to look up at me, her little face serious, "Dada played with Uncle's peepee." She says again.

"Is that why you were scared?" I cup her cheeks in my hands, this isn't making sense, and yet... I'm going to have to talk to Steve once I get this kid in bed.

She nods yes, her eyelashes fluttering, "don't like pokey peepees."

"I know, but Uncle Steve is safe Callie, you don't need to be scared of him. He loves you,"

She yawns again, so I tell her it's nap time and paddle us to the edge, lifting her onto the deck and then climbing out after her.

I strip her down and wrap her in a towel, I then dry myself as best I can before taking her back up through the house.

By the time I've made it to her room she is snoozing happily, so I lay her on the bed, slip on a pull-up diaper, and then tuck her under the blankets.

I quietly leave the room and run to mine to change and then begin my search for Steven, which isn't a long one. I find him sitting on his bed sketching in a paper pad, "hey bud," I say, slowly lowering myself down beside him.

"Hey, baby sleeping?" He asks, quickly closing his notepad, he's very private about his drawings.

"Yep, she'll be fine." I tell him and he looks relieved. "That said, she told me something that I need to ask you about." I let my words drag off, waiting to see if he'll say anything, but he doesn't, so I decide to just trudge forward with it. "Callie said Tony touched your penis."

I observe him intently, gauging his response. His face immediately blanches and then quickly turns puce as his eyes avert mine, I don't even need to hear the words coming from his mouth, his reaction was enough of a confirmation.

"What? I, uh, um, no... I don't know why she'd say that,"

"Right, so yes, it's true then." I say, grabbing his arm and pulling him to his feet, "come on."

"Where are we going?" He whispers, his eyes downcast.

"To speak with Tony." I growl, swinging his bedroom door open.

"Thor wait! He didn't force me, I wanted to," Steve pleads, grabbing my shoulder.

"It doesn't matter, you're young and naive, he shouldn't have done it." I tell him bluntly, and carry on down to Stark's room.

I knock once and then push the door open forcefully but no one is in there, "Jarvis, where is Stark?" I say loudly, knowing the AI is always listening.

"In the laboratory with Dr Banner." The robotic voice replies without hesitation.

"Thor please no, not in front of Bruce too, please!" Steve begs, on the verge of desperation.

"Come on," I sigh, taking his arm. We make our way to the stairs and he begins to pull back, "listen," I turn around to look at him, "you shouldn't let anyone touch you there, unless, you know, you're dating them. Especially not someone you live with."

"But, but he was just showing me how to last longer."

"Steve, there are videos that could show you how to do that," I groan, "now things are going to be strange between you, don't you understand?"

He nods and finally relinquishes himself, allowing me to lead him down the stairs.

We find Tony and Bruce pouring over some blueprints and they look up in surprise when they hear the door open.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Tony asks, his eyes narrowing when they reach Steve.

"Callie told me you played with Steve's penis." I say simply, and Cap groans in embarrassment.

"Ah," Bruce says, dragging the syllable out over several seconds.

Tony's cheeks redden slightly, "yeah... I was trying to help him be able to make it long enough to actually get out of his pants."

"Tony you shouldn't have done that, it confuses..."

"I realize that now!" He interrupts rudely. "I just figured it's something teenage boys do when they're, you know, figuring their bodies out, why would this be any different? Turns out it is..." he glances at Steve meaningfully. "Apparently I made things weird."

"But I liked it," Steve says quietly, covering his face in his hands.

"Poor Callie," Bruce chuckles. "Other than the little girl I don't actually see how it's a big deal, they both consented."

"Because Steve is like a child, and Tony acts as his father half the time, that's why it's wrong."

"I'm not a child," Cap retorts.

"You kind of are though," Tony says and we all nod in agreement. "Listen, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have even offered, I won't do it again."

"But I wanted..."

"No, you can ask me questions, that's fine. But I won't be touching you again."

Steve looks disappointed but nods solemnly. "It just felt good to be close to someone," he sighs.

"Ask Maria to practice with you, she might be into that." I shrug, "she seems strong and like she might enjoy being in control." I chuckle and Steve blushes.

"You're seeing her tonight?" Bruce asks, smirking at the young man.

"Yeah," he rubs the back of his neck, displaying how nervous he is.

"What are you planning to do with her?" Bruce asks, smirking.

"She's going to come over and watch a movie."

"Oh, good to know, so I'll keep Callie in my room so you don't end up with a little visitor mid date." Tony grins.

"That wouldn't be too bad would it?"

"Yes it would be bad! She wanted to fuck you on the first date, she's definitely going to want to do something," Stark laughs and rubs Cap's hair.

"Oh, right," he mumbles, rocking back and forth on his heels, flattening the hair that Tony just dislodged. "I'm, um, going to go to my room now." He drops a hand down in front of his zipper and rushes from the room.

"Fuck, he's so horny." Tony laughs, "for the record, I was going to tell him I wouldn't do it again when he asked. Just so you know." He tells me, and I shrug at him.

"I'm sure you intended to."

"It was fun though."

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