Everything Falls Into Place
Pairing: Steve Rogers x Female!Reader
Word Count: ~2.4k
Warnings: fluff, worrying about not being able to adopt a child, anxiety
Request by anon: Aww if steve and vixen settle down imagine them fostering or adopting a child. In their words "adoption helps a kid"
Summary: You and Steve start the process of adopting a child. There are a lot of steps that you have to go through, including a background check. You're worried about your past as Vixen is finally going to bite you in the ass. This is it. This is the other shoe you've been waiting for to drop.
Cat and Mouse Masterlist
Squares Filled: social worker au (2021) for @star-spangled-bingo
Author’s Note: any and all comments are appreciated <3
x
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
Tick. Tock.
“What is taking her so long?” you sigh impatiently.
“She’s only been gone five minutes. Calm down,” Steve chuckles from beside you. Steve looks over at you to see you bouncing your leg from how nervous you are. You’re wringing your fingers together to keep yourself from biting your nails. “Y/N, you’re acting like a criminal who just got caught. Take a deep breath.”
“Steve, this woman is the decider on whether or not we have a child. Forgive me if I’m a little anxious.”
Your social worker, Amy, takes another ten minutes before she’s back in the office, and you let out a relieved sigh that she hasn’t kicked you out… yet.
“I am so sorry. We’re extremely backed up,” she says and takes a seat across from you.
“It’s no problem,” Steve smiles politely.
“So, you’re looking to adopt a child? It’s a big responsibility.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ve actually been wanting this for a while now.”
“Why now? Why not then?”
You and Steve look at each other in thought. Maybe it’s because you two were out fighting in wars you had no business being in. Maybe it’s because you finally came face to face with Zemo again after so many years of being away from him, and you almost killed him. Maybe it’s because even though you think you’re ready to be parents… you’re actually not.
“We felt like the timing wasn’t right,” Steve finally answers and peels his eyes away from you.
“Have you always wanted to have children?”
“Yes, I have,” Steve answers honestly. “For as long as I could remember.”
“And you?” Amy asks.
“In the beginning, yes. I mean, when I was a lot younger. Some shit happened to me and I didn’t allow myself to feel that way until recently. Maybe in the last couple of years? I can’t have children biologically, but I do want one.”
“I never know how to ask this question despite how many years I’ve been doing this, but what kind of parents would you two be?”
“I can’t say for sure. How can anyone know for sure? We’ve never taken care of a child before. There will be obstacles that we might not know how to get over but I can tell you one thing. We will do our very best to make sure this child is loved, safe, and raised to be the best person they can be.”
“That’s a good answer,” Amy smiles and writes in her notebook. Steve rubs his thumb on the back of your hand comfortingly. “This is going to be a long process but I have confidence that it will go by quicker than you think.” She hands over a piece of paper to Steve. “Here is a list of everything I will be needing by the end of this week. Legal papers. You know how it goes. Next will be an extensive background screening for everyone living in the adoptive household. After that will be the in-home interview and inspection of the home.”
You don’t hear anything past background screening. What if they find out about Vixen? They won’t want to give you a child when they figure out how many people you’ve killed. What if they come for the home inspection and find your room of weapons? You’re not getting a kid.
“Okay,” you squeak out.
Steve notices your panic but decides not to say anything about it until you two leave the office building.
“What’s going on?”
“What if they find out about Vixen? The Winter Soldier? My time in Hydra?”
“They won’t--”
“What if they do?” you cut him off. “What if they don’t see me fit to be a mother? What about the guns and shit we have at the house? They’re not going to allow us to be parents with all that there.”
“Baby, you need to calm down. We’re going to do fine.”
His words go in through one ear and out the other. You hear him talk but you’re not listening to a word he’s saying. When you get home, you immediately head to the room with all your weapons and begin taking them off the wall. If you’re going to make this house suitable for a child, you have to make sure it’s safe for one.
“Y/N, it’s going to be fine.”
“No, it’s not. We live in a state where it’s illegal to carry outside your home. We aren’t even allowed to have this many weapons in the house.”
Steve knows you have to do this in order to make yourself feel better. He leaves you to box the weapons while he gets his phone out of his pocket. He calls Bucky, Sam, and Nat to come over because he thinks having them here is going to help you. He has always been the more level-headed one in the relationship which is why he’s being so calm about this. He has faith that everything is going to work out just fine.
“How long has she been like this?” Nat asks when she gets there.
“Since we left the social worker.” They know you and Steve have wanted a child for a while now. “Nothing I say matters.”
“Hey, Y/N,” Natasha says and walks into the room. “You doing okay?”
“No, I’m not. I have to get these weapons out of here. Can you keep them for a while?”
“Sure. You’re going to do just fine. If anyone deserves a kid, it’s you two.”
“No, it’s not okay. Amy is going to come in here and see all these weapons and she is not going to give us a child. This isn’t safe for one. Or she will know I’m Vixen and think wow, a mass murderer assassin doesn’t deserve a kid. Or she’ll know about Bucky, Thanos, and everything else we have done in our lives.”
“Would it help if we helped you?”
“Yeah,” you smile.
Bucky, Sam, Nat, and Steve help clear out the room until it’s bare. This is the room you’re going to use for the nursery. You don’t have any supplies since you’re not sure when you’re going to be getting a kid, so you’ll keep it bare for now. Bucky and Nat take the weapons to hold onto until this whole thing blows over. Your house has a basement that you can put them into only until after the inspections are done.
On the day of the interview and home inspection, you have cookies baking in the oven to give the home a sweet smell. You have been cleaning all day to ease your worries. Steve is nervous as hell but less than you are.
“I think this is the tenth time you fluffed that pillow.”
“It has to be perfect.”
“It is. You are. It’s going to be fine.”
“I know. It’s going to be great,” you smile. Amy shows up on the dot, and you let her in eagerly. “Welcome to our home. It’s good to see you again.”
“Thank you. Wow, smells good in here.”
“I have cookies that just left the oven. Would you like one?”
“No, thank you. I have two more visits to do. Not to sound rude but I’d like to get started right away.”
“Of course.”
You two lead her to the living room and sit across from her. Steve reaches for your hand and pulls it into his lap.
“To start with, why don’t you two tell me what you two do for a living?”
“We are employed with Stark Industries,” Steve says. Happy sends money to every Avenger on behalf of Tony. You don’t need a job when your job is saving people who need it. Does she not know you two are Avengers? “We make about two hundred thousand each every year.”
“Do you enjoy your work?”
“We love it. I can’t see myself doing anything else.”
“What are some of your hobbies?” Amy asks you.
“I love to sew. I love making my own clothes. I actually made my own wedding dress. It brings me peace whenever it’s just me, a needle, and some fabric.”
“And you?” Amy asks Steve while writing in her notebook.
“I like to draw, sometimes. I’ve been practicing more these days. I like to fish. We have a cabin up north that we like to go to when the weather is nice.”
“Tell me about your marriage, and how your relationship is with your significant other.”
You look at Steve and smile lovingly at him.
“There is nothing I wouldn’t do for this man. He has saved me in ways you can’t possibly imagine. He’s my best friend. Sure, we have our ups and downs, but there is nothing we can’t accomplish together.”
“She said it right,” Steve chuckles. “I love her with all of my being. Our marriage has been nothing but great for these past few years. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
“That’s sweet,” Amy smiles and writes. “Tell me about your relationship with your parents.”
“Both our parents are dead. We don’t have any living relatives,” you answer.
“To get with the technical questions, why do you want to adopt?”
“I’ve mentioned this before but I’m sterile. I can’t have children on my own. I know Steve wants a family. This is the only way I know how to give it to him. We don’t want to do fostering or a surrogate. We feel like it’s more our style to adopt.”
“What she said,” Steve chuckles.
“If granted the opportunity to adopt, what are your hopes for your child?”
“That they’re a good person,” Steve answers. “That they’ll see someone who needs help and will want to do that for them. Who will love unconditionally.”
“Alright,” Amy writes. “This is everybody’s least favorite section. I’ve done your background checks.” Your heart drops. This is it. This is where she tells you that you can’t adopt. “Now my main concern is your work with Hydra. You are the Vixen.”
“Were,” you correct. “I’m not that person anymore. Yes, I have done a lot of bad things in my life. Things you can’t possibly imagine. That isn’t who I am now. I have healed from that part of me. I got help. I made amends. I got Hydra out of my head. I don’t associate myself with those people anymore.”
“What about Bucky?”
“Bucky is healed, as well,” Steve takes over. “He went to Wakanda and underwent the same thing she did. They’re both trying to move on from their past.”
“That’s all it is, Amy. It’s my past. It’s not my present and it sure as hell isn’t going to be my future.”
Amy goes through more routine questions before she gets ready for the house inspection. You tell her the plans you have for the empty room which will be the nursery. She doesn't say much but she does write a lot of stuff down.
“Thank you for coming,” you say when she is done.
“I’ll be touch.”
As soon as the front door is closed, your smile is lost.
“God, we’re not going to get a kid. Did you see the look on her face when she mentioned Vixen? She knows I’ve killed before. What person would want me to be a mother?”
Steve pulls you close and lets you vent. “We won’t know more for a while. Let’s just try and keep a calm head. Even if she says no, we can try other avenues. We will be parents. You’d be a loving mother.”
And wait you did. For two long weeks. You thought that was their way of telling you that you weren't going to have a kid. Until your phone rang and changed your entire life.
“Hello?” you answer frantically.
“Hi, Y/N? I have some news regarding your adoption application.” You and Steve wait with held breaths. “I am very happy to say you’ve been approved. I can’t wait to work with you.”
“We can get a kid?” you ask tearfully.
“That’s the first part of the process. We have sent in your application to mothers who are looking to put their children up for adoption. If and when they pick you, I will call with the next steps.”
“Thank you so much.” You cry when she hangs up. “We’re getting a kid.”
Steve pulls you in and kisses the top of your head emotionally. You have to wait for a birth mother to pick you so until then, you just have to wait. Most couples wait months or even years to get called, but you get a call from Amy only a couple of days later with a date set to meet a birth mother who chose your application among a few others. You’re nervous as hell because what if she doesn’t pick you? What if she hates you as soon as she meets you?
You get to the office where the meetings are held and wait for Amy and the birth mother to come. Her name is Jessica and she is too young to be having a kid. She is only twenty-three and she doesn't want kids at this age. Maybe when she is older but definitely not now.
Jessica walks in and seems to be about six months pregnant. She just came back from meeting a potential couple, so you straighten up and smooth down your skirt to make yourself look more presentable.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you two. My name is Jessica.”
“Y/N and this is my husband, Steve. Thank you for seeing us.”
“Yeah, I was intrigued when I read about your hobbies and your work with Stark Industries. Did you know Tony?”
“Uh, yeah.” You look at Steve and have a silent conversation through your eyes. If she is going to pick you, she should know exactly who you are. “I hope this doesn’t affect us negatively but he’s Captain America and I’m… Vixen.”
It takes Jessica all of five seconds before she starts crying. This is it. This is where she runs for the hills and gets you blacklisted from ever adopting a child.
“Captain America saved my life,” she sniffles. “I was visiting a friend in Sokovia when Ultron happened. You saved me.” She turns to Amy and wipes her eyes. “I don’t want to see anyone else.” She looks at you with a teary smile. “I can’t think of anyone better to care for my child than you two.”
“I’ll get the paperwork started,” Amy smiles and leaves the room.
You can’t believe what you’re hearing. You’re getting a kid. You’re getting a kid. You’re finally able to start your own family.
x
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Thoughts on Sirius/Harry and Regulus/Harry?
thank you very much for the ask, anon!
sirius black/harry potter
i've never really vibed with sirry. this is not, i think, because of the aspects of it which are transgressive and/or taboo [i think these can be interesting for authors to explore and, even if i didn't, i am neither a cop nor a priest], but because it often seems to focus on things which aren't what i'd consider interesting to examine within the premise.
i never like the idea - influenced by the films - that sirius struggles with separating harry from james, and that any relationship between them would feature sirius acting out his unrequited love for his best friend, repressing his grief by thinking of james as still living, or trying to relive his youthful relationship with james through harry.
i do think sirius would be uncomplicatedly horrified to find himself attracted to harry - whether or not that attraction was reciprocated, and for him to regard it as a major betrayal of the paternal relationship james wanted them to have when he made sirius his son's godfather.
but does this mean he'd never give into temptation? no.
but i think that one aspect of sirius and harry's canon relationship which would really come into play - but which is often overlooked even when writing them platonically - is that there is a reversal of this parent-child dynamic in order of the phoenix, as sirius finds himself lacking the emotional capacity to look after harry because he's trapped and depressed and regressing while stuck in his childhood home and harry takes on the adult role in their dynamic, going out of his way to protect sirius, not wanting to burden him with his problems, and not expecting him to offer him the emotional guidance a child should expect from a parent.
this would enable - in a sexual and/or romantic relationship between them - a really quite interesting power balance, in which sirius would have the power inherent in him being the older of the two [although, obviously he doesn't actually have much more life experience than harry] and the person who is most obviously transgressing the boundaries which are supposed to exist between them [because he's harry's legal guardian and because, as the adult, he's supposed to reiterate that boundary if harry attempt to cross it], but harry would feel a responsibility for sirius' welfare which made those boundaries feel less tangible to him.
i think you can do some really thorny stuff with that.
regulus black/harry potter
harry canonically suggests he thinks regulus is mid - and nobody wants to date a man who's constantly thinking about how they're less attractive that their own brother.
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