Chapter Text
Of all the things he could be doing—being with Hope, spending time with Cassie—here Scott Lang was, babysitting little Peter Rogers.
Which, in Scott Lang terms, meant he had volunteered to be responsible while being absolutely not responsible in the traditional sense of the word babysitting.
Still, Scott was a father. And an “uncle.” And just like Cassie, he loved his little spider boy. He had loved Cassie before she was born and after, and now he loved Peter the same way—before, after, and every day since the kid had come into the world.
Scott lounged on the couch, legs stretched out in what he considered a life of luxury, staring at the TV. On the rug below, Peter sat humming softly to himself, coloring with serious concentration. His coloring books were spread around him—Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men—crayons scattered everywhere.
Scott took a long sip from a juice box.
It tasted really good.
So good, in fact, that he wasn’t entirely sure whether it was his…or Peter’s.
“Uncle Scottie!” Peter chirped suddenly, pointing straight at him. “That my juicy box!”
Scott froze. He looked down at the juice box. Then back at Peter. “…Oops.”
Peter giggled, then wagged a tiny finger at him. His face scrunched into what was meant to be a stern look. “You in biiig trouble, mister you”
Scott grinned. “Okay, first…” he said calmly, already pulling out his phone. “Let me take a picture of this and save it and send it to everyone”
The camera flashed. Peter burst into giggles.
“And number two,” Scott continued, standing and bowing dramatically. “Excuse me, sir. It was just sitting there, and I was thirsty and it was very tasty. I did not mean to be known as the Juice Stealer.”
Peter laughed, tossed his crayons aside, and charged him. Scott barely had time to react before a tiny body slammed into his legs and little arms wrapped around him. A kiss landed on his cheek.
“Love Uncle Scott,” Peter declared happily. “Silly and funny.”
Scott melted instantly. “Yeah,” he murmured with a grin. “I know”
They went to the fridge together, grabbed another juice box, and returned to the living room. Scott knelt, opened it, and handed it to Peter. Peter hummed contentedly as he sipped. Scott stuck the straw back in his own box, leaned close, and gently tapped it against Peter’s.
Tap.
Peter tapped back.
They slurped and slurped until both boxes were empty.
Together, they exhaled dramatically.
Scott smirked. “And third,” he whispered, blinking exaggeratedly. “Am I silly?”
He leaned in, nose nearly touching Peter’s. “Am I really, little Petey?”
Peter giggled, poked Scott’s stomach, and laughed harder. “Am you really silly, mister?”
Scott gasped. “Am I, little spider?”
Peter paused, then shrugged. “May…be.”
Scott gasped again, clutching his chest. “So. You dare mock my intelligence?” he hissed playfully. “There must be…consequences”
Peter squealed as Scott scooped him up and dropped onto the couch. Laughter echoed through the room as Scott growled dramatically and pretended to nibble at his stomach.
“Uncle…Scott!” Peter laughed.
“Ant-Man hungry!” Scott announced. “Ant-Man need food! Ants need food, don’t they, Peter?”
Peter only laughed harder, squirming wildly.
Suddenly, something hit Scott’s back.
“Hey—!” Scott grunted.
A familiar giggle followed.
Scott twisted his head and stared. “Cassie?” he said in disbelief. “Cassie! You my own daughter! How could you attack your own father?!”
Cassie laughed, backpack still on her shoulders.
Peter roared playfully and launched himself at Scott’s chest. Scott collapsed onto the floor with an exaggerated groan as both kids pounced on him.
“Oh no!” Scott cried. “Attacking kids! Cassie! Peter! Please! I can’t take it! There are too many of you!”
He lay on his back as Peter and Cassie cackled, pinning him down.
“That’s not fair!” Scott protested. “There are two of you and only one me! Pick on someone your own size!”
Hope leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, smirking as she watched the chaos.
Scott spotted her. “Hope! Help! I need assistance! Help!”
She only smiled. “Hmm,” she said calmly. “You seem to be handling it just fine.”
“No fair!” Scott shouted. “That ain’t right! You traitor!”
Peter and Cassie laughed even harder. Scott finally wrapped an arm around Cassie and pulled Peter close, hugging them both as they giggled uncontrollably.
“You two really thought you could defeat me?” Scott said, breathless but smiling. “Defeat the Ant-Man?”
Hope laughed softly as she watched him holding their daughter and nephew, the room still echoing with laughter.
Cassie leaned and kissed her dad on the cheek. “Hi, Dad!”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, getting up as she and Peter still lay on the floor, resting his hands on his hips. “Nice sneak attack, and your mom betrayed me and let me suffer at the hands of you two terrors!”
They giggled, and Hope smirked as she walked over and gently patted his cheek. “Oh, boo hoo for you. You survived, hmm?”
He glared and mocked a laugh. “Haha.”
“Well, at least Peter and Cassie are cute, charming, and smarter than you,” she replied, patting his head.
“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t you dare judge my handsome looks,” he said, standing up and pointing at her. “You fell for this handsome face in the first place, and you are cursed forever to behold it!”
She walked closer. “Well, I am cursed with you, but at least I’m cursed in a good way—having Cassie and maybe even Peter. But you…I am cursed with you.”
“Boo hoo for you, sister. Deal with it,” he said.
Peter and Cassie stared, then Cassie leaned close to his ear. “Say, Peter, let’s go and play in your room and escape.”
Peter giggled, and they suddenly picked up the crayons and coloring books. Peter held her hand, bouncing with excitement, and she guided him as they turned. Hope asked, “What are you two going?”
“We are going to Peter’s room to play!” she said, holding the hopping Peter.
“Oh, you don’t want to stay and join the conversation with us?” Scott asked his daughter.
She grinned at the giggling Peter and chirped back, “Nope.”
They raced down the hall, leaving Scott and Hope behind. Once they entered his room, Peter and Cassie burst in with life as they gave chase—the box of crayons and stacks of coloring books scattered across the floor as they ran.
Cassie grabbed Peter from behind, and he cackled, holding her close like a favorite teddy. She laughed as she hugged him back. The best part of having the Avengers as part of her life—and way better than her parents being heroes—was having someone she could call a friend and like a brother. Peter made it perfect.
***
The elevator opened, and they stepped inside, hearing Scott’s voice. “Aw, the cavalry has arrived, I see, Captain.”
Steve and Natasha entered, and Hope greeted them. “Hey, you two”
“Hey,” Natasha replied, and she and Steve followed as the others entered. Steve’s eyes immediately landed on Scott, who was sipping something familiar.
“Is that one of Peter's juice boxes?”
They all stared, and Hope’s brow lifted with a grin. Scott lowered the box and replied, “Uh...may…be. But Peter said I can have more”
“Uh…” Hope began, but he quickly shushed her.
“Shh…shh…shh…” he whispered, hushed. “It’s ours and Peter's little secret.”
Natasha raised an eyebrow. “Hmm hmm. I’m sure Peter let you have one.”
Scott smirked. “Yes, he did. And I’m sure that if you ask him, he’ll tell you he did.”
“Oh, really?” Steve noticed Cassie’s backpack lying nearby and grinned. “Cassie’s here, huh?”
“She said she wanted to be with Peter,” Hope replied with a warm grin.
Looking down the hall, Clint asked, “Are they in Peter's room?”
“Where else? Even you know Tony would have a heart attack if Peter was in his lab,” someone replied.
“Haha,” Tony rolled his eyes.
Steve tilted his head, listening. “It sounds quiet down there,” he said with wonder.
“Very quiet,” Sam agreed. They could all remember the way Cassie made Peter laugh, how their voices usually echoed through the halls—but this time, it was pitch silent.
Scott and Hope exchanged glances with the others. “Yeah, they dashed off into Peter's room and were laughing in there for a while. We just lost track,” Hope said, staring down the hall.
“Come on. Let’s see what they’re up to,” Steve said.
They all walked down the hall to investigate. The door was closed, and Steve knocked gently before opening it. As he stepped inside, everyone halted at the scene before them.
The toys—crayons, coloring books, scattered everywhere—covered the floor. On the bed, Cassie and Peter lay together. Cassie’s jean jacket was draped over Peter like a soft blanket. Peter had his tiny thumb in his mouth, his other hand holding Cassie’s, while her arm was gently wrapped over him. Both looked utterly exhausted, still recovering from the day’s play.
They smiled at the sight. Hope and Natasha rested against Scott and Steve, soft smiles on their faces, and only Clint quietly reached over to turn off the light.
Steve slowly closed the door, careful not to disturb the little people at rest.