phaeshmae:

Steve smiles as he opens the card, skimming the pre-printed message before focusing on the carefully blocked letters spelling out I LOVE YOU POPS! and under that, Peter’s well-practiced signature. Scooping him up with one arm around his waist, Steve lifts his son and hugs him tight, pressing a kiss to Peter’s messy hair. “Love you too, Petey,” Steve says, just the barest hint of choked up emotion coloring his tone.

Behind them, the elevator pings and the doors slide open silently to emit Tony, who’s already shedding the Armani armor of Tony Stark to reveal a well-worn band tee underneath, his press-smile fading into the softer lines of his Peter-smile. “Where’s my Petey-pie? I was promised a mega-awesome card to commemorate this momentous day, and I’ve tried to wait, but the anticipation is just too much! I must have it!” he declares as he walks up to them and quickly catches Peter when he wiggles out of Steve’s arms to loop his arms around Tony’s neck.

“On the counter! Look, look!” Peter squeals. He leans back from Tony’s chest in the direction of the kitchen, and Tony has to follow where he’s slinging his weight or risk dropping their spider monkey. Tony manages to prop Peter up on the edge of the counter top as soon as they’re in range, and Steve follows them over so he can peek over Tony’s shoulder while he opens his card, already suspecting a theme for the day given his own.

Sure enough, Tony pulls a blue card from the envelope with Daddy scrawled across the front, Steve’s shield emblazoned on the cover. From the corner of his eye, Steve can just catch the twitchy smile on Tony’s face as he tries to hold in a laugh.

“You were absolutely right, Pete. This card is fabulous!” Tony exclaims.

Bare feet flailing out in front of him, Peter chirps, “You hafta read it, Daddy!”

Tony obligingly opens the card, and Steve can see that Peter wrote in Tony’s just as painstakingly as he did in Steve’s card. When Tony glances back over his shoulder at Steve, one eyebrow raised in question, Steve holds up his red card with the Iron Man helmet on the front.

Tony twists around to slump against the counter next to Peter and side-eyes him teasingly. “You didn’t mix these cards up did ya, munchkin?” he asks, waving his card in the direction of Steve’s.

“No!” Peter replies with a giggle.

“So how come I got the Cap card then?”

“’Cause Cap’s your favorite!” Peter declares, smiling wide and bright. “And Iron Man is Pops’ favorite! You’re each other’s favorites!”

It’s weird to feel equal parts like he’s about to laugh and about to cry, Steve finds. He steps over so that he can prop his hip against the counter on Peter’s other side and drops his head down to rest his cheek on the crown of curls. “Pretty sure you’re our favorite,” Steve says quietly, sharing a teary-eyed look with Tony over Peter’s head.

“Well, duh. But the stores don’t make Peter cards yet.”

Tony cackles happily at Peter’s matter-of-fact proclamation, and Steve has to pull them both in close and just hold them before his heart overloads with love.