Despite everything that had happened and was going on in New York, Steve never forgot to make his nightly call home to Rhy'Din to say good-night to the kids, and see Lucy's face, hear her voice. Despite everything that was going on, it was Lucy that kept him grounded. If it wasn't for her, he'd be nothing but a soldier, a spy, a secret agent, a field operative - a weapon created by the SSR, but not controlled by them. He wasn't just a super soldier; he was a husband and father, with a wife and children who loved him. Though his heart ached to be with them, he had a responsibility to the world, too, to do what he could to keep other families safe. He only hoped they understood that and didn't resent him for it.
And so, while the others were busy making pizza and pretending all was right with the world, he made his nightly call to his wife and children, needing more than ever to see their faces and hear their voices, and remember what exactly was at stake here.
Lucy had set up the computer in the main living room back in Rhy'Din to accept the call straight away if it came from Steve, which meant that almost as soon as he connected, his screen was filled with a picture of home. This particular picture was full of small characters wearing their pajamas, curled up on the couch around their mother and comparing notes on her bump.
As the screen flashed to life, Lianne looked up with bright eyes, wriggling straight off the couch to hurry over to the desk. "Papa! Hello, Papa!"
Thankfully, Tony had a private server, and Reed had finagled some way to navigate the Nexus so that they had a clear link to Rhy'Din. Steve didn't understand the science behind all of it, but he didn't need to either. All he needed to know was that it worked and that it was secure. "Hey, Munchkin!" he greeted Lianne as his daughter's adorable face filled the screen, smiling brightly for her father. "How's my best girl?"
"I have a boo boo," Lianne informed him, lifting her hand to show him the band-aid stuck on her wrist.
"Tell Papa why you have a boo boo," Lucy's voice called from behind her, and the little girl giggled, easing back so that Jamie and Martin could be seen, too.
"I pulled Cherie's tail by not purpose, and she scritcheded me."
"Oh," Steve replied, trying his best to hide the smirk and look sympathetic rather than amused. "By not purpose?" he echoed, unsure if she meant she'd done it by accident or on purpose. The children, Lianne in particular, were still having some difficulties mastering English, as their native language was French.
"She was trying to brush her fur, and Cherie didn't want her to," Martin interjected helpfully. "Because you do it too hard," he said, turning to look at his sister.
Despite the little squabble between siblings, Steve couldn't help but smile. This was what normal was all about, and he missed it.
"Because she was moving!" Lianne protested, grunting as Jamie elbowed her out of the way to wave a piece of paper in front of the screen.
"Pitter, Daddy, pitter!"
"And Jamie made you a picture," Lucy added. She was just visible behind the children, tidying up in preparation to shoo them all up to bed.
"Oh, well ....Just brush her a little lighter next time, Li. Maybe you could ask Martin to help," he suggested, which put a smile on the boy's face. He looked to the piece of paper Jamie was thrusting at the screen and laughed. "I see that, Jamie! But what is it a picture of?" he asked, seeing only scribbles of crayon on paper and unable to interpret what those scribbles were supposed to be.
"You an' Unc'Jonie an' Nash'a," Jamie informed him, pointing to each random stick figure on the scribble. "All whooshy!"
Behind him, Lianne was pouting a little at having to ask for Martin's help with her own cat, but she'd get over it. She enjoyed her brother's company too much to hold it against him for long.
"Oh! Of course. I see it now!" Steve replied with a grin, though he really didn't. He saw three stick figures, which looked practically identical to one another except that Nat's had more hair and Johnny's had some additional scribbles Steve interpreted to be flames. "Are you all being good for Mummy?" He noticed Lianne pouting a little, but he knew it wouldn't last.
"Jamie sneezed in her dinner," Lianne offered, ever the tattletale, but beamed her smile immediately afterward as she cuddled her little brother. "Are you coming home, Papa?"
Steve chuckled at Lianne's tattling. He missed the mayhem of life with his three small children. It didn't matter that two of them were not of their own making. It never had. He loved them all the same. His smile faded a little at Lianne's question, and he sighed. "Not yet, Pumpkin, but soon. Promise. How are the puppies doing" How's school?" he asked, changing the subject more for their good than his. His heart ached every time she asked him that, but he couldn't go home, not quite yet.
The conversation turned, as it always did, to the inconsequential details of his children's lives; what they had done today, what they were thinking about, until finally Lucy returned to take charge.
"Say goodnight to your father, it's time to sleep," she told them.
Of them all, Jamie was the most enthusiastic in his goodnight, the novelty of having his father on a computer screen not yet worn off for him.
Steve tried to keep the conversation and the goodnights as normal as he could, but it killed him that he couldn't be there to hug them or kiss them or tuck them in at night. It was the small things he found he missed most. The little squabbles, the cuddling on the couch, the little fingers that always seemed to find their way to his mashed potatoes, and the drawings that got stuck on the fridge. The nights when he barely got any sleep and almost fell off the bed because three small children had crawled into bed with them and somehow managed to wedge themselves between him and Lucy. He told Jamie to be good, and Lianne to help with her little brother, and Martin to take care of them all. It was only when Lucy went briefly away to tuck them all into bed that Steve lost it a little, tears springing to his eyes that he had to wipe away.
Thor was briefly visible in the rush to the stairs, always close to Martin's side, and Cherie took advantage of the quiet to investigate the shining screen curiously before she, too, trundled off upstairs. But before long, Lucy was back, picking up the laptop to bring it over to the couch and make do with hugging that and pretending it was Steve.
"Hey, baby," she greeted him softly. "You look tired."
"It's been a long couple of days. I'll be okay," Steve assured his wife, with a faint smile. Now that the kids were tucked safely into bed, he could take off the mask and just be himself, no pretending where Lucy was concerned. "Miss you," he told her, wishing she was there, instead of half a galaxy away - or wherever Rhy'Din was.
And so, while the others were busy making pizza and pretending all was right with the world, he made his nightly call to his wife and children, needing more than ever to see their faces and hear their voices, and remember what exactly was at stake here.
Lucy had set up the computer in the main living room back in Rhy'Din to accept the call straight away if it came from Steve, which meant that almost as soon as he connected, his screen was filled with a picture of home. This particular picture was full of small characters wearing their pajamas, curled up on the couch around their mother and comparing notes on her bump.
As the screen flashed to life, Lianne looked up with bright eyes, wriggling straight off the couch to hurry over to the desk. "Papa! Hello, Papa!"
Thankfully, Tony had a private server, and Reed had finagled some way to navigate the Nexus so that they had a clear link to Rhy'Din. Steve didn't understand the science behind all of it, but he didn't need to either. All he needed to know was that it worked and that it was secure. "Hey, Munchkin!" he greeted Lianne as his daughter's adorable face filled the screen, smiling brightly for her father. "How's my best girl?"
"I have a boo boo," Lianne informed him, lifting her hand to show him the band-aid stuck on her wrist.
"Tell Papa why you have a boo boo," Lucy's voice called from behind her, and the little girl giggled, easing back so that Jamie and Martin could be seen, too.
"I pulled Cherie's tail by not purpose, and she scritcheded me."
"Oh," Steve replied, trying his best to hide the smirk and look sympathetic rather than amused. "By not purpose?" he echoed, unsure if she meant she'd done it by accident or on purpose. The children, Lianne in particular, were still having some difficulties mastering English, as their native language was French.
"She was trying to brush her fur, and Cherie didn't want her to," Martin interjected helpfully. "Because you do it too hard," he said, turning to look at his sister.
Despite the little squabble between siblings, Steve couldn't help but smile. This was what normal was all about, and he missed it.
"Because she was moving!" Lianne protested, grunting as Jamie elbowed her out of the way to wave a piece of paper in front of the screen.
"Pitter, Daddy, pitter!"
"And Jamie made you a picture," Lucy added. She was just visible behind the children, tidying up in preparation to shoo them all up to bed.
"Oh, well ....Just brush her a little lighter next time, Li. Maybe you could ask Martin to help," he suggested, which put a smile on the boy's face. He looked to the piece of paper Jamie was thrusting at the screen and laughed. "I see that, Jamie! But what is it a picture of?" he asked, seeing only scribbles of crayon on paper and unable to interpret what those scribbles were supposed to be.
"You an' Unc'Jonie an' Nash'a," Jamie informed him, pointing to each random stick figure on the scribble. "All whooshy!"
Behind him, Lianne was pouting a little at having to ask for Martin's help with her own cat, but she'd get over it. She enjoyed her brother's company too much to hold it against him for long.
"Oh! Of course. I see it now!" Steve replied with a grin, though he really didn't. He saw three stick figures, which looked practically identical to one another except that Nat's had more hair and Johnny's had some additional scribbles Steve interpreted to be flames. "Are you all being good for Mummy?" He noticed Lianne pouting a little, but he knew it wouldn't last.
"Jamie sneezed in her dinner," Lianne offered, ever the tattletale, but beamed her smile immediately afterward as she cuddled her little brother. "Are you coming home, Papa?"
Steve chuckled at Lianne's tattling. He missed the mayhem of life with his three small children. It didn't matter that two of them were not of their own making. It never had. He loved them all the same. His smile faded a little at Lianne's question, and he sighed. "Not yet, Pumpkin, but soon. Promise. How are the puppies doing" How's school?" he asked, changing the subject more for their good than his. His heart ached every time she asked him that, but he couldn't go home, not quite yet.
The conversation turned, as it always did, to the inconsequential details of his children's lives; what they had done today, what they were thinking about, until finally Lucy returned to take charge.
"Say goodnight to your father, it's time to sleep," she told them.
Of them all, Jamie was the most enthusiastic in his goodnight, the novelty of having his father on a computer screen not yet worn off for him.
Steve tried to keep the conversation and the goodnights as normal as he could, but it killed him that he couldn't be there to hug them or kiss them or tuck them in at night. It was the small things he found he missed most. The little squabbles, the cuddling on the couch, the little fingers that always seemed to find their way to his mashed potatoes, and the drawings that got stuck on the fridge. The nights when he barely got any sleep and almost fell off the bed because three small children had crawled into bed with them and somehow managed to wedge themselves between him and Lucy. He told Jamie to be good, and Lianne to help with her little brother, and Martin to take care of them all. It was only when Lucy went briefly away to tuck them all into bed that Steve lost it a little, tears springing to his eyes that he had to wipe away.
Thor was briefly visible in the rush to the stairs, always close to Martin's side, and Cherie took advantage of the quiet to investigate the shining screen curiously before she, too, trundled off upstairs. But before long, Lucy was back, picking up the laptop to bring it over to the couch and make do with hugging that and pretending it was Steve.
"Hey, baby," she greeted him softly. "You look tired."
"It's been a long couple of days. I'll be okay," Steve assured his wife, with a faint smile. Now that the kids were tucked safely into bed, he could take off the mask and just be himself, no pretending where Lucy was concerned. "Miss you," he told her, wishing she was there, instead of half a galaxy away - or wherever Rhy'Din was.