You stood at the entrance to the tower, surrounded by boxes and suitcases, filled with the 18 years of memories that you had made in that building. Standing around those boxes were the people who made those memories with you; your team of superhero aunts and uncles, and of course, your two dads. The two who had rescued you as a baby and took a chance on raising you as their own when they had no idea of how to even begin.

But today was the start of your adult life, away from your family and on your own at college. You could have chosen to attend school in the city, but it was important to you to learn who you were outside of the group. You knew that you would return and formally join the team once you were done with school, so this time had to be yours alone.

"Can't we just go back to the first day of kindergarten?" Natasha whispered, "that seems so much easier, looking back." She reached up and curled a strand of your hair around her finger and gently released it to pull you in for a final hug. "You be good. Stay safe, okay? Remember what I've taught you." She pushed you back and kissed your cheek, trying to laugh quietly to hide the crack in her voice. "I hate goodbyes, so I'll see you later, alright? I love you, sweetie."

"Love you, too."

The goodbyes continued on, each of them draining you and making you feel homesick before you'd even left. Each hug was longer than the last, and Steve finally had to practically pry you out of Tony's arms so that you wouldn't be late to leave. "You call me if there is anything you need, you hear me?" Tony said pointedly, "I can fly out there in minutes, even if you just want me to pick up some ice cream and a movie."

"Okay, Uncle Tony, hint taken loud and clear. I'll set up a movie night, I promise." You turned to say your goodbyes to Steve and Bucky, even though the three of you had a long and painful session of ugly crying and hyperventilating the night before. "Okay, I'm just going to give you a hug," you said as you pulled each of them in separately, "a kiss, and then say that I'll call you when I get there."

"Yeah, okay. Love you," Bucky sighed as he walked away, unable to actually see you leave. Steve pointed at your belongings to direct the moving crew to load the truck, then took your arm to walk you to your car.

"Maybe stop and call a few times along the way." He opened your door and waited for you to settle into the driver's seat, then leaned down for one last kiss goodbye. "Love you."

"Love you, too. Bye, dad."

Steve waved and stood on the sidewalk until you had driven out of sight, and for at least another hour after. He knew that once he walked back into the tower his life would be completely different, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

~~~

"Buck, sit down. She'll be here soon enough."

"How does all of her stuff get here before she does? What if something happened?"

Steve sighed and put down the book he was reading so that he wouldn't obsess over the passing time until your arrival. "We talked to her 15 minutes ago." He stood and walked to the window to stand next to Bucky. "She's probably just down the block by now."

As if on cue, your car pulled up to the front of the building. You jumped out and threw your keys to one of the security guards and ran inside, anxious to see everyone again. When the doors opened you were met almost immediately by Bucky, his arms around you, lifting you in the air and spinning you around as he laughed loud enough to practically fill the building with it's sound.

"Oh, god," he whispered as he squeezed you almost too firmly, "I've missed you so much!" Bucky sat you down in front of Steve who took his turn to do the exact same thing. You laughed as he spun you again, starting to feel just a little dizzy.

"Welcome home, honey!' He put you down solidly on your feet, but you held onto his arm until you regained your equilibrium. "How's our college graduate?"

"Exhausted, relieved, disbelieving, and a little scared of what to do with my days now. I think I need about a four year nap, but then I hope you've got work for me, Cap."

"We sure do," Bucky interjected, "but first, everyone has dinner ready for you. They're almost more excited than we are."

You took a long breath and rolled your eyes, knowing that most group dinners quickly turned into a drunken mini-house party with Nat easily defeating everyone in a to-the-death game of Twister, Tony refusing to let anyone else have a turn at karaoke, and Clint challenging any taker to a game of darts filled with terrible trash talk.

You were attacked with hugs and greetings from everyone as you entered the kitchen, and the questions had already begun. They continued well through dinner and became more and more inappropriate and the laughter became louder as the wine and liquor had begun to take effect. Trying desperately to keep your wits about you for just a bit longer, you decided to tell everyone some news while they would be sure to remember it tomorrow.

"Hey guys, I have something that I'd like to tell you all, while I have you together."

The room became eerily quiet compared to the disorder and loud conversations of just a moment ago. All eyes were on you now, but your dads were the most attentive; you weren't sure if it was just because they were the only ones who were fully sober, or if it was because you were about to blindside them. You could feel your heart begin to race, and you could feel the heat building in your cheeks.

"Okay," you paused, clearing your throat quietly and trying to calm yourself, "so...you see...okay, well...it's probably easiest just to come right out and say it." Steve stood from his chair and gave you a look with the beginnings of worry. "You all know that about a year ago...I started seeing Jeremy...the guy from my biochem class..."

You caught a glimpse of Steve's hand moving to grip Bucky's shoulder, and his face dropped. He knew what was coming. "And?" he asked.

"And...we've decided to get...married."

~~~

If anything, you had certainly guaranteed that party night wasn't going to happen now. Once the initial shock wore off, the majority of the group congratulated you and seemed genuinely excited. Nat and Wanda had already begun to talk about ideas for your bachelorette party. Tony, however, sat in complete silence at the end of the table, staring at the glass in his hand but never moving to drink from it.

"You're only 22!"

"Age is not a valid argument, dad. I've grown up faster than anyone else my age and you know it."

"What about grad school? What about joining the team?" Bucky had been pacing but stopped abruptly to look at you with wide eyes, "what about living here with us again? Is that not going to happen now?"

"That's all still going to happen, dad, if you are okay with both of us living here." You looked at Tony for a reply, but he was still sitting motionless. It was starting to worry you, not knowing what kind of reaction would come from him once he snapped out of it.

Bucky stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his head in disbelief and denial. "(Y/N), you are only 22. This is ridiculous. Steve, why the hell aren't you more upset about this?"

"Maybe I've mellowed over the years, I don't know," he sighed, smiling at you, "but she's 22, Buck. She can make this decision for herself." Steve moved to stand next to you, putting his arm around you and pulling you into him so he could kiss the top of your head. "He's a good kid, and if he loves her and can treat her the way we would expect him to, then I'm happy. We should consider ourselves lucky that she's found that."

"When the hell did we get so old?" When you heard Tony finally speak you pulled away from Steve and hurried to sit next to him. "When did you grow up?"

You put your hand over his and he quickly grabbed it to hold tightly. He looked up at you as if he were studying your face, trying to understand how this could have happened; that you were an adult now and not the kid that followed him around the tower asking incessant questions. He used to teach you about the mechanics of the suit and his ongoing projects in the lab, but there were probably things that you could teach him now.

"Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose," you shrugged. "Just kinda happened."

~~~

The next three months were a whirlwind of activity preparing for your wedding, once Bucky finally got on board and took over a large part of the planning. He and Steve had taken care of almost every detail so that you wouldn't have to worry about anything other than relaxing before the big day. Natasha had insisted on throwing a bachelorette party for you, but it didn't sound appealing; instead you opted for a dinner out with the team followed by a movie night like you used to do when you were younger. If they all wanted you to relax, then this was the best way.

"Kid, I'm not sure if you noticed this or not, but you aren't five-years-old anymore," Tony groaned as you sat across his lap and leaned on his shoulder like you had always done as you grew up. "You weigh a ton."

A collective gasp filled the room, followed by silence as they all stared at him for his tactlessness. "Tony! That was so rude!" Natasha scolded, "you apologize right now."

You sat up and crossed your arms, waiting for him to ask for forgiveness, but instead he only laughed. "I didn't mean it that way, calm down!" He leaned forward and held his hands up in defeat, "I only meant she's not a little kid anymore, that's all, I swear."

"Okay, okay, I can take a hint." You began to move to a different spot, but you stopped when his arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you back against his chest. "Where do you think you're going? This is the last chance I have to do this," he whined, resting his head against yours as the movie started.

"So where's the boy? Is he not joining us tonight?" Sam asked, walking to the bar and grabbing as many bottles of beer as he could carry, handing one to you first as the guest of honor. "I've never met the kid, ya know. Doesn't my opinion count for anything?"

"You know it does, Sam, don't be that guy. He's not allowed to see me now until we're both at the altar. Some people in the room insist on a few old-fashioned ideas." You cleared your throat and mumbled under your breath, "stuck in the 40's."

Steve's head snapped up from opening his beer, laughing quietly as he smirked at you, "you know what, young lady? Talking about other old-fashioned ideas might get uncomfortable for you, but we can go there if you want. Maybe just be happy that this is all we've insisted on."

"Yeah, we're not talking about that. Good call, dad. Good call."

~~~

When you woke the next morning, your stomach was in knots and your hands were already shaking. Your head was pounding, so you dragged yourself into the bathroom and fumbled around for anything you could take to just make it stop. As you dug around in the drawers you glanced at your reflection in the mirror and the nerves only got worse. The face looking back at you was tired and sad, but you didn't know why. "It's just nerves," you mumbled to yourself, "get it together, (Y/N)."

"Honey, can we come in?"

"It's open," you yelled back towards the door as you quickly swallowed the two pain relievers. "I'll be right there." After a quick brush of your teeth you walked out to see Natasha opening the bag from your dress and Wanda laying out various cosmetics and hair products. "Oh, god, it's happening, isn't it?" you gasped.

Nat reached out and took your hand in both of hers, looking at you with concern, "hey, you okay? I'm not good at the wedding advice, but I can give it a shot."

"Yeah," you said as you took a deep breath, closing your eyes and letting it out slowly, repeating the pattern several times until you felt a bit calmer. "It's just nerves. I'll feel better once you ladies work your magic. And...when I can talk to my dads."

"Okay then," Wanda said with a reassuring smile, tapping her hand on the chair for you to take your place, "let's do this, shall we?"

~~~

"Rogers, you haven't been able to do your own tie for as long as I've known you. I thought you could do anything." Bucky concentrated on finishing the bow tie, stepping back to be sure it was even and positioned straight. He sighed and shook his head at the sight of Steve in a tux, pausing to think about what was about to happen. "We only just brought her home. At least it feels that way."

"I know."

"When we brought her home, we over-prepared, do you remember? There were diapers, and clothes, and bottles, and toys everywhere but we only used maybe half of it," Bucky lowered his gaze to his feet and began to wring his hands together. "But, we figured it out eventually. As good as we got at it after a while, I don't think that I would ever be prepared for this."

"You gonna be okay?"

"Nope," he sighed, "but let's go do this anyway."

Steve and Bucky arrived at your door as Nat and Wanda were exiting so that you could have a few minutes before heading to the ceremony. Nat stepped forward to the two men and held up her hand, glancing back over her shoulder to be sure the door was closed before she spoke. "She's a bit of a nervous wreck in there, guys. She's waiting for you."

Steve pushed the door open, but his feet felt frozen to the floor when he saw you. He swallowed hard as the lump built in his throat and tears began to form in his eyes, but he couldn't get himself to move any closer. Bucky pushed past him and stood behind you as you looked at yourself in the mirror one last time.

"Wow," he whispered. "you're more beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined, baby. I think your other dad might be in a bit of shock from it, actually."

When you both turned together to look at him, he finally blinked and shook himself to attention. He entered the room slowly and almost cautiously, taking his place next to Bucky. "I...I can't...you're just..."

"Thanks, dad."

He nodded, thankful that you let him off the hook, since he was clearly unable to form a sentence on his own. "Are you ready?" Bucky asked, turning you back towards the mirror so you could see all three of you together. "We're both gonna be right there with you, okay?"

"Then that's all I need," you said to your reflection, reassuring yourself. "Alright, you good lookin' fellas ready to give me away?"

It was amazing to see them both go pale simultaneously, but it also made you extremely worried. Their expressions were almost identical, with their mouths hanging open and their eyes nearly bulging from their heads. You would have found it amusing if it weren't five minutes before your own wedding and these two were walking you down the aisle.

"Guys? Guys, what's wrong?"

"Um...it's...it's nothing," Steve whispered, almost inaudibly. He put on his best forced smile and took your arm. "Nothing for you to worry about, sweetheart. We're ready."

'Well,' you thought, 'at least someone is.'