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It had all started when Steve and Tony were dating.
They’d had a date planned and Steve had showed up with a bouquet of flowers. He was greeted by a very excited Morgan at the door, a sight which he had not expected at all.
“I'm so sorry,” Tony had apologized when he'd run to the door behind Morgan. “Pep had to go out of town last minute so I took Morgan early. Rhodey’s on his way though, should be here any minute.”
“Who are those for?” she'd asked excitedly, with all the subtlety of a 7-year-old.
“Um, they're for your dad actually,” Steve had answered a bit sheepishly. If he'd known she was there he would have grabbed her something. This was still a fairly new development in the grand scheme of things – not that anyone was surprised that they were (finally) dating. Steve had plucked out a few flowers from the large bouquet – white daisies – and he had crouched down to offer them to the girl. “I can definitely spare a few for you though, Miss Morgan.”
Morgan’s smile could have powered the house for how bright it turned. She'd turned to Tony and let out a high-pitched shriek before sprinting to the kitchen, exclaiming that she needed a vase for her pretty flowers.
“You're never allowed to leave now, you know that, right?” Tony had teased him with a broad smile of his own.
“Good,” Steve had answered as he stood and handed the bouquet to Tony. He placed a sweet and lingering kiss on his cheek before he'd whispered, “that's the plan.”
And every date after that, he'd brought two bouquets – one for Tony and one for Morgan, who insisted they be the same pretty white flowers every time. Steve had tried to find pretty varieties in pinks and blues and purples, but she never got quite as excited for anything but the simple daisies.
When they had moved in together, Steve made sure there was always a bouquet on the table on the weeks they’d had Morgan. And when they were away from one another on special occasions, Steve always sent her flowers.
She was a grown woman now. And this was her wedding day.
Steve was seated in the front row in their backyard at the lake house with all their friends and family, watching as Pepper and Tony walked their baby girl down the aisle. Morgan's smile was just as bright and excited as it had been 20 or so years ago now, and her parents were beaming with pride – both biological and the ones she'd acquired by way of new relationships.
Steve couldn’t help snapping a picture of the three of them, and that's when he noticed Morgan's bouquet. When she caught his eye as she got closer, she hiked up the bouquet just a bit, wrinkling her nose as she smiled, and he gave her a quick nod and a wink, willing himself not to cry. It didn’t quite work.
“You doing okay?” Steve whispered quietly to his husband as he took his seat next to him, handing him a handkerchief.
“About as well as you,” Tony replied just as softly, giving Steve a quick peck on the lips. They leaned into each other, Steve's arm wrapped around Tony's shoulders, as they watched Morgan exchange vows with the love of her life.
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Pictures and dinner, speeches and first dances. All perfectly planned and timed, with no time to spare for chit chat.
Steve was moving his husband around the outdoor dance floor later that night when the music changed to a slow beat, a song he recognized from Morgan's youth and that had always made Tony roll his eyes. Before he had even pulled Tony flush against him for the slow dance, Morgan appeared beside them.
“Mind if I cut in?” she asked.
“Not at all, sweetie,” Steve replied quickly. “I'll go grab us some drinks-"
“I was asking Dad, actually,” she replied with a giggle.
“Oh!”
“Absolutely fine, peanut,” Tony chuckled before turning to Steve. “I’ll go grab us those drinks. Don't step on her toes.”
Steve chuckled on turn as Tony gave him a kiss and tried to weave his way off the dancefloor before being accosted by Pepper, who was apparently also looking for a dance partner.
Steve took Morgan's hand and twirled her. He remembered the little girl who used to insist on wearing dresses and would spin around until she was dizzy just to see the skirt lift around her before going back to learning about engines and running after frogs by the lake. In that moment, her laugh was very much that little girl, and Steve smiled happily before pulling her into his arms.
“Your dad made me take dance lessons. I won’t be stepping on your toes, promise,” Steve assured her. “You look stunning, Morgan. And so happy.”
“Thanks. I am,” she replied easily.
They swayed around a few more beats before Steve remembered. “Your flowers-"
“Did you like them?” she smiled brightly again.
“Was that ‘cause of me?” She nodded and Steve's heart felt like it might beat right out of his chest. “Why? You could have had anything you wanted.”
“And you didn't need to do that when I was little,” Morgan smiled. “It meant the world that you did. You could have easily just dismissed me as Dad's kid, but you always included me and treated me with love and respect. Same as you did with Dad.
“Watching you and Dad fall in love was the best. I know it wasn’t easy for you two, and you had to work through lots of stuff to make it work. You never treated me like I belonged to another part of his life that didn’t implicate you. I know the flowers started off as a silly gift for a little girl that believed in fairytales, but they always stuck to me as our own little thing, how you included me in your life. Watching Mom and Dad make things work even when they were getting divorced, and then you and Dad, and then Mom and Phil, you all taught me a whole lot about what relationships look like. The flowers just made sense.”
Steve felt momentarily overwhelmed. They'd never actually discussed her part in their family – it was always just a logical thing for Steve and one he never even discussed with Tony. Morgan was going to be part of his life if Tony was, so he made sure to include her from the start. “I can't imagine not including you as part of our life, kiddo. Even when it was still brand new… you were always going to be in your dad's life, so it was a no brainer."
“I think I made more of my friends jealous because of how you included me in your life as they were that my dads were Iron Man and Captain America. Not all step-parents see it that way. I lucked out with you and Phil.”
“We lucked out with you too, sweetie,” Steve replied, eyes wet. “It is an absolute joy to be one of your parents.”
“Don't cry! Then I’ll cry, and I can't ruin my makeup,” she teased him as she wiped a tear from his cheek. “I’ve managed to stay composed all day, don't break my streak.”
Steve laughed before kissing her forehead. “Love you, kiddo.”
“Love you too, Pops.”
The last few bars of the song played and Steve twirled Morgan one more time before pulling her in for a tight hug.
“Did you make the old man cry, Morguna?” Tony asked as they pulled away from each other, wrapping his arms around Steve's waist.
“Who are you calling old?” Morgan replied with a smirk as she lifted her hand to the side of her dad's mostly salt, slightly pepper hair, earning her an affronted gasp from her dad.
“I think Blake's looking for you, Morgs,” Steve cut in before Tony could reply, pointing behind her. She kissed Steve's cheek quickly and thanked him for the dance before turning away, ignoring her dad.
“This is not over, Morgan,” Tony called out with a small smile as Morgan made her way through the crowd blowing a kiss their way. “I love her so fucking much,” Tony sighed fondly.
“You and me both,” Steve replied as he pulled Tony in for a hug of his own. “You and Pep made a pretty awesome kid, babe.”
Tony pulled back to look up at Steve. “You get some credit too, you know. At least 11% of the credit.”
“That is an oddly specific number. I’ll take it,” Steve smiled, kissing his husband.
“She loves you a whole lot, Cap. You were really good for both of us, you know. Thanks for loving us so much. For making both of us part of your life. Making us a family.”
“Was always the plan, Tony,” Steve replied fondly, kissing Tony slow and purposefully. “Come on, old man, let's go get those drinks before someone else wants to dance with us.”
“Why do you and Morguna mistreat me so, when all I ever do is love you? I really resent this old man business,” Tony started as they weaved their way through the crowd, Steve smiling earnestly the whole way.