AMERICA'S POV

"Steve, I'm home!" I call, pushing the front door open before I get even more wet, which would be hard to do. I forgot an umbrella, slipped in a puddle because I was running too fast, and it's been pouring all day. "I got the paint."

He glances up from where he's been sketching at the kitchen table. "What color?"

"Light blue," I answer, bending down to give him a kiss on the cheek. "It's Addi's favorite color. I checked."

"Good choice. We've got a week to pull the spare bedroom together. You just about ready to get to work?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to get some lunch first."

"I'll get started, then. See in a bit." He winks and grabs the paint before walking down the hall. I look down at his drawing and smile when I see it's based on one of our wedding pictures.

After successfully cooking myself an omelet (yes, I can cook now, but that's the only thing I'm allowed to cook without Steve's express permission in writing), I sit down on the couch to enjoy the one thing I know how to make. Unfortunately, lunch turns into accidentally falling asleep on the couch for a few hours. When I open my eyes, I find a thick blanket draped over me. Instead of getting up, I bury myself further under the quilt and sigh. It's nice to lay down on a rainy day.

I haven't been sleeping well recently and Steve won't stop worrying about me. It was nice at first, but it's getting a bit annoying. Seriously annoying. Super annoying. He keeps bothering me about going to the doctor but I've never fully shaken my fear about hospitals. I'd prefer to stay away from them.

"You feeling any better?" Steve's forehead creases between his eyebrows. My poor husband is sitting on the floor, leaning on my couch, and completely covered in paperwork. Probably adoption forms. He looks completely frazzled.

I run my fingers through his hair and he leans back into me. "You should take a break."

"No, I'm almost done," he insists. "And you didn't answer me, sweetheart."

"You have paint in your hair," I say, giggling when I find flecks of blue in his blond hair. "Steve, I'm sure you've been working all afternoon."

"You still didn't answer my question. Are you feeling any better?"

"I'd feel better if you were on the couch with me." I kiss him on the neck and playfully flap the quilt. "Come on. There's space under my blanket! It'll be cozy!"

Steve sighs in defeat. I scoot over to make room on the couch while he stacks the papers. He wraps his arms around me and I snuggle closer to him, laying my head on his chest.

"Feel better?"

"A bit." I close my eyes and listen to his heartbeat, steady as ever, trying to ignore the fact that he smells like paint and it kind of makes me want to throw up.

He starts to play with my hair. His touch is so soft that it's a struggle not to fall asleep again. "Mer, you really should see a doctor."

"No," I mumble, shaking my head.

"Doll, you've had no energy for weeks now. Super soldiers aren't supposed to be able to get sick at all."

"Maybe it's a side effect of my metal hand," I joke lazily. He rolls his eyes, unamused by attempts to stop the conversation from getting too serious. "Did Anna ever mention getting tired from lugging the vibranium hand around?"

"No. You're ridiculously stubborn, you know that?" He asks. I hide under the blanket. "If you don't want to take care of yourself, fine. Just please let people take care of you."

I peep my head out from under the blanket. "I don't need people to take care of me. I'm not sick."

"And that would be where you're wrong." He smirks and takes my hand, kissing my knuckles. "Why don't you go take a shower and I'll make dinner? Then we can watch a movie or something."

"Fine," I say annoyingly, even though that sounds like a perfect night. He knows just how to get to me.

*

I'm rinsing the shampoo out of my hair and failing to sing Christine's part in Phantom of the Opera when the thought hits me like a ton of bricks and I almost fall over in the shower. It's all I can do not to scream or freak out or jump up and down like a little kid. I can't do that. All I have are suspicions.

Either way, I dry off as soon as I can and get dressed. Then, I rummage frantically through the bathroom vanity drawers until I find what I'm looking for.

I'm not particularly patient, but I never knew how long three minutes could last.

"Please, please, please," I mutter to no one in particular. I walk back into the bedroom, but can't stop pacing. My fingers keep flicking rapidly at my sides. This could change everything. "Please, please, please."

My phone timer dings. Instead of running, I cautiously approach my nightstand, the place where I set the test down. With trembling fingers, I flip it over and read one word.

Pregnant.

There's a moment where I just stare at the white stick in my hand in shock. I definitely didn't see that coming.

Then it registers. We're going to have a baby.

"Steve!" I yell, but I keep rereading the test as if the result is randomly going to change. I just can't believe it. Finally. "Steve!"

"Hey, you okay?" He runs in, looking concerned. "What's wrong? What's-?" He looks at my massive smile, then the test in my hand, then back to me. "Are you-?"

"Yes," I nod, barely holding back tears. "Yes!"

His face splits into the biggest grin I've ever seen on him. He envelopes me in a hug and I hold onto him tightly. "Are you serious?"

"Yes!"

"How did you know?"

I laugh as he spins me around. "I don't know! I've just been so drained recently even though I haven't been doing anything, and that's sort of how I felt last time, minus the throwing up. Thank God that hasn't happened yet."

"We're going to have a baby," he says, setting me down with this expression of pure happiness. "Mer, this is incredible!"

"I told you I wasn't sick," I say triumphantly, smirking at him. 

His eyebrows raise in amusement. "That's really what you're thinking about right now?"

"It is. Actually, I'm thinking about a lot of things. We'll have two now!" I laugh, but then the realization of that sentence kicks in. "Steve, we're going to have two kids. Last week we had none, and now we have two?" Even I hear the nerves in my voice.

He sits down on the bed and pulls me over so that I'm sitting next to him. "Don't freak out about that."

"We only have one extra bedroom-"

"We'll figure it out," he says soothingly. "Like always."

I lean into him. This isn't how it happened last time. When I found out I was pregnant a few years ago, I was terrified and alone. Now, it's different, but I'm still worried. "What if something happens like last time? What if I'm a terrible mom? What if-?"

"You've got to stop it with those what-ifs. You're going to drive yourself crazy." Steve holds out his hand and I take it, drawing in a deep breath. "This isn't like last time, doll. We aren't on the run. We aren't even really with the Avengers anymore. We're safe now, and we're together."

"You're right," I say, exhaling slowly. "Why are you always right?"

"It's because I'm the male version of Mary Poppins." He winks. "Practically perfect in every way."

"Shut up. When can we tell people?" I'm already thinking about our friends' reactions. It'll be so much fun to see. They were ecstatic when we told them we were adopting, especially Wanda.

Steve considers my question. "We can tell people whenever we want, but I kind of want to wait a little while. We should tell Addi, though."

I chuckle. "You think a five-year-old girl can keep a secret? That's as bad as telling Pietro."

"She's part of the family. She's going to have a little brother or sister, she should know," Steve points out. "Maybe not now, but soon. Before the others."

"I like the idea of that," I say, nodding. 

"We're going to have to pick out more godparents."

I stifle a groan. "But we just finished picking Addi's!" Apparently choosing only two of your group of friends that are more like family is a lot harder than you'd think. It took us a week to pick for Addi.

"At least that means we have less people to choose from," he reasons. "That takes Wanda and Buck out of the running."

"We have time to figure that out." My eyes fall on the pregnancy test next to us on the bed. It's amazing how much your life can change in a few minutes. I'm still in awe that there is a person growing inside of me. "We're going to be a real family, Steve." 

"We already were a real family," he reminds me with a kiss on the hairline. "It's just getting bigger."

I place my hand on my stomach, and Steve covers mine with his. "There's someone in there," I whisper, finally letting it sink in. "That's our baby."

He kisses me again, and I wonder how it's possible to be happier than I am right now.

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