Work Text:
“Hey Friday, do you know when Mr. Stark will be back?” Peter questioned timidly. He had made a habit of coming to the Avengers compound every weekend, per Tony’s request; and on this particular November evening, he was waiting for his mentor to get back from a mission.
It was an easy one, as easy as it could be in their line of work, so Peter wasn’t too worried.
“He should be back before 7pm, Peter,” Friday’s voice sounded comfortingly from the ceiling. Still, Peter pulled his phone from the pocket of his jeans, checking the time. “Ugh,” He groaned, falling back onto the couch, “It’s only 5:30! What am I supposed to do?”
After a moment with no answer, Peter huffed and looked through the large windows of the compound’s common area. It was snowing lightly, the wind blowing a scarce amount of leaves around. A few birds fluttered about; and Peter saw a few pumpkins around a tree, leftover from Halloween a few weeks ago.
He loved this time of year.
Deciding on making some hot chocolate to fit the weather, Peter sprang from the couch and walked over to the kitchen. The room’s open floor plan meant he could see his previous spot from near the coffee maker.
On a sofa near the surface of the window laid his laptop, gifted to him by Tony on his 16th birthday; next to it, a heavy flannel blanket he had brought from Aunt May’s room. He smiled at the thought of her.
She and Tony had warmed up to each other quickly; May seeing how much Peter admired him, and Tony seeing how amazing of a parent May was, and they had formed a mutual respect. When the billionaire had brought up the prospect of Peter coming to stay on weekends, May had been reluctant, but seeing how well Peter got along with the other Avengers convinced her.
She helped him pack almost every week after school; and walked him out to Happy’s car, saying hello and asking him to send her greetings to Pepper.
Aunt May was the best parent Peter could’ve asked for. She was always supportive of his transition, always had the best advice, and always knew just what to do to comfort him. After Uncle Ben died, Peter never wanted to worry her; he knew if anything happened to him she would be absolutely devastated. So when she found out he was Spiderman, some ground rules had been set.
Peter shook himself from his train of thought, laughing at the memory of May; eyes unbelievably wide as she opened his door, seeing him in his suit.
He heard the tell-tale noise of the coffee maker pushing out the last drops of steaming water and grabbed his favorite mug (It read ‘I put the bi in bitter’. MJ had made it for him in their viscom class a week after he came out to them.) stepping over and placing it on the island. Opening a cupboard, he dug out the hot chocolate he and Thor had bought.
The god had been excited to show off his new driving skills; and having passed Tony’s safety test, asked Peter if he wanted to go to the store with him and buy groceries. The positivity surrounding Thor was palpable, and they shared a common interest in sugary foods, so Peter agreed.
It had been a fun day.
Glancing around to make sure there were no prying eyes, Peter tore open two packets and dumped the contents inside his mug. Just as he finished, the elevator in the front of the room dinged, causing him to jump with a start and shove the packets in the trash quickly.
Peter whirled around in time to see one Steve Rogers exiting the elevator, eyes scanning the room and beaming when they landed on Peter, as if he had been searching him out.
Lately, the two had been spending more time together by default. Bucky and Peter had grown close, despite the clear contrast in personality. He helped the ex-assassin in the greenhouse twice a week and loved to play with Bucky’s service dog, Honey, when she was off-duty.
And given the fact that Captain America was joined at the hip with the White Wolf, Peter had been seeing him often.
He pulled a lopsided grin as the super soldier made his way closer to the island in the center of the kitchen.
“Hey Peter,” Steve smiled and fidgeted nervously, eyes looking everywhere but at the boy in front of him. He leaned his leg against the counter.
“Can I-” He cut himself off, as if he was choosing his next words very carefully. “Can I ask you about something?”
The grin quickly dissipated from Peter’s face as he felt ice in his veins that came more from instinct than anything else. Realizing himself, he smiled again; eyes flickering to the analog clock on the microwave. It had only been 15 minutes since the last time he checked his phone, and Mr. Stark wouldn’t be back for hours.
Although he knew Steve would never say anything to intentionally to hurt him, he braced himself for questioning.
While recovering from top surgery a few months prior, he still visited every weekend; meaning almost everyone with Avenger’s level clearance knew he was trans.
The Spiderling had known he was a boy from an early age, around 6 or 7. Aunt May was nothing but supportive, cutting his hair, even saving what little extra money they had to buy him a new wardrobe.
Of course, Uncle Ben had been just as good about it. He didn’t necessarily understand, but he read article after article until he did, and had been the one to suggest the name Peter.
He snapped himself back to reality before any tears could come from the memory.
Steve must have sensed that he was uncomfortable, Peter thought; because the blonde turned a light shade of red and looked up at a very interesting spot on the top of the fridge, blurting out quickly, “It’s not- I mean, I thought- I saw your Twitter, and,” He ran his hands over his face, which was turning redder by the moment; huffing, before starting again.
“I, um, I was hoping you could tell me about,” He grew quieter, “Being.. LGBT? Is that the right way to say it? Sorry,”
Huh. Whatever Peter had been expecting, it wasn’t that. He really didn’t think that Cap knew how to use twitter, let alone find his account on it. He had his orientation written in his bio, he remembered.
His smile faltered once again as he looked at the older man in front of him.
Steve looked absolutely terrified. Fiddling roughly with the hem of his shirt, his eyes covered every inch of the room; as if something terrible would happen had he been heard. And Peter supposed that growing up in the twenties, it probably would have.
Studying Steve’s Golden Girls t-shirt, he contemplated how he hadn’t seen the signs sooner. He realized that even though Bucky and Steve were practically inseparable, Steve really only touched Buck when just Peter was around; leaning his head on the other man’s shoulder or smiling at him like he was the only person in the world.
The teen chided himself for being oblivious to Steve’s openness with him, assuming they were more like brothers than anything else. He vaguely remembered how scared and confused he had been wearing a kitten-print dress on his first day of preschool.
Absentmindedly picking up his mug of cocoa, Peter gently offered it to the startled man in front of him. “Hey, it’s okay, Mr. Rogers,” He began, giving Steve a reassuring smile.
“I’m gonna make a second cup, do you wanna sit and talk with me? Mr. Stark won’t be back until around 7, and I think everyone else is out.”
For a moment, Steve looked taken aback; before relief flooded his features and he nodded silently; accepting the mug in two hands and staring down at the brown liquid as he waited for the teen to make his own.
A few minutes later, the two were sitting on opposite end of the couch, facing each other with their legs crossed. The captain looked like he was ready to bolt at any moment, so Peter started cautiously.
“Um, so, you have a twitter?”
A small laugh bubbled from Steve, and Peter counted it as a win. “I- yeah, it’s not flashy or anything, just- Buck’s been getting me back into art, so I post that sometimes, it’s not a- it’s nothing much.” His gaze was fixed on the floor as he smiled fondly.
Peter tilted his head, amusement shining softly through his expression. “Can I follow you?”
The blonde perked up, red returning to his face. “yeah- yeah, if you want to,”
Peter laughed before continuing. “Okay, I’ll write down your username. But,” He took a sip of his hot chocolate, setting it down on the edge of the coffee table next to him. “What do you want to know about being LGBT? Or do you just want me to talk about the general stuff?”
Steve seemed more comfortable then he had been in the kitchen, although he still seemed embarrassed about the topic; gripping his mug tightly. Peter waited empathetically.
“I- um, you see, I know,” He grimaced; and if the teen wasn’t genetically enhanced he probably wouldn’t have heard the man, “I know I won’t get in trouble, anymore, but whenever I sit down and try and look it up on my own I- I can’t,”
They made eye contact, Peter nodding solemnly as the captain stared almost fearfully at the younger boy. “I can’t imagine growing up in a time like that. I’m really sorry, Mr. Rogers.”
Steve let a small smile play at his lips, and for a second he looked less frightened and more.. Tired. “You can call me Steve, Peter, I’m not actually- can I tell you a secret?” He implored.
Peter’s face mirrored his surprise at the unexpected question. “Yeah, sure, what is it?” He picked up his mug again, taking a sip as he waited for the other man’s response.
Steve smirked. “I lied on my enlistment form. If you leave out the years I spent in the ice, I’m actually only 28.”
Choking on the cocoa he was sipping in reaction, Peter went slack-jawed. “What? I thought- Mr. Stark told me you were 34! How did you get away with that?”
Adding quickly in his head, he continued, “Doesn’t that mean you were like, 17 when you enlisted? holy shi- I mean, holy crap.”
Steve was doubled over in laughter, all traces of the previous anxiety shaken away. “Oh my god, you should see your face,” He chuckled, wiping his eyes of tears before continuing.
“It’s true. I wanted to help my country, yeah,” smile morphing into something less joyous and a little more bittersweet, “But it was.. it was more than that. Buck’s a year older than me, and he was drafted a couple months after his birthday. I knew I could barely even pass for 15, at the time, but I still tried anyway. Eventually Erskine caught me and gave me a chance.”
Steve paused, eyeing his drink for a moment.
“I couldn’t.. I couldn’t be without him. I had no idea if he was coming back or not, there was no way I could just wait and do nothing.”
Peter hummed in understanding as the remnants of Steve’s smile dissipated into a tight frown, hands quivering through the grip on his mug.
“But then.. I met Peggy, and I didn’t- I don’t know.” He sighed, head drooping almost guiltily. “Maybe a part of me was relieved, you know, to know that I actually liked a woman, but- I don’t know. When we found him in the Hydra camp that day it all came flooding back, and-”
The teen frowned slightly as he watched the older man in front of him grow more and more upset, still shaking slightly as he continued.
“I just, I’m really- really confused. I loved Peggy, I know that I did, but I loved- still love- Bucky. It just makes me feel like, what if I really don’t love him because I liked Peggy too? I can’t be gay if I liked a woman, right?”
Peter was dumbfounded. He tried his hardest not to giggle at the stressed man in front of him, to no avail. “Steve, it’s okay,” He smiled at the blonde. “Have you ever heard of bisexuality?” He said, tapping the silly phrase on his mug.
“Umm, no… What-uh, what does that mean?” Steve stuttered out, calmed slightly by Peter’s relaxed demeanor.
“It means you’re attracted to two genders, in this case, both men and women. There are a lot of other terms too, like pansexual, which means you’re attracted to all genders. Do you think that could be it?”
“Oh.” Steve looked laughably shocked. “You mean I can.. Be attracted to more than one gender?”
“Yeah! There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it.”
Steve took a sip of his cocoa before stating simply, “Huh. So I’m bisexual.” He paused a minute before he began to laugh. “Wow, okay. So it’s okay- I’m not- not just convincing myself I like one or the other? I can like both?”
Peter joined the other in laughing, “Yeah, you can,” He held his mug out to Steve. “Welcome to the club!”
Steve smiled wide and clinked the two mugs together. “Thank you Peter. You really helped me today.”
“Don’t worry about it- I’m glad I could help you figure it out. Just remember that there’s still assholes out there, but you’re never going to get in trouble for this, okay? It’s not wrong.” Peter told him sincerely.
As Steve opened his mouth to answer, the elevator dinged from across the floor and none other than Bucky Barnes strolled out, water bottle in hand and towel around his neck, his long hair pulled back into a bun. He stared questioningly when he saw the two facing each other on the couch before walking over and promptly taking his place next to Steve. “You missed our workout, punk,”
“Hah, sorry, jerk,” Steve replied, wrapping his arm around the man’s waist in response to him putting his head on Steve’s shoulder. “Yuck, you’re a little sweaty.”
The three laughed simultaneously for a while before falling into a peaceful silence, enjoying each other’s company.
Of course, Bucky would have to ruin it. “So where’s my hot cocoa?”