The Tower: Happily Ever After

The Feeling of Happiness

It's an unusual feeling to be aware of how happy you feel. It wasn't even that I hadn't been happy lately. I was generally very happy. But with the attack and cleaning up, it had been an adrenaline high and then drop, and as all the reminders of good things piled back on us, I felt like I was walking on air. The kids were settled and happy. Each one was finding the things that helped them define themselves. Whether that be a Valkyrie or an advisor, a parent or a mage, or whatever it was they were drawn to. It was something that stood out more now - especially given that Lyra was now heavily pregnant, to the point we could feel the baby kicking, and Pietro was not only becoming quite adept at magic but had also taken to the role of advisor to Thor.

We were back to planning the bonding. Both bondings actually. Billy and Teddy's first and then Paul would bond with Rose a month later. That joy on top of the relief of the kingdom returning to normal just made everyone feel light and free.

The first night back in our old quarters (which had been extended to include rooms for the twins) we were so excited that it took several hours before all of us fell asleep. When Synergy woke me to tell me the twins were awake, I was both exhausted and I ached in that pleasant post-sex way I liked so much.

I tried to pry myself free from the pile without waking everyone. The twins were much easier to handle alone than they used to be and usually, their one midnight wake-up just involved a diaper change, feed, and back into bed with no drama. I knew I could handle it myself and the others would let me sleep in later.

Unfortunately, Tony was wrapped around me like a koala, and I couldn't get free without waking him, and Bucky was sleeping like a cat, and as soon as I got up he jumped to his feet as if I'd punted him like a football.

The three of us made our way down and were greeted by Nova standing at the side of his crib holding his hands out and chanting 'dadadada' over and over. While Thour sat on her bottom whining and rubbing her eyes.

"Hey there, little one, daddy's here," Tony cooed, picking up Nova. Bucky went for Thour and while Nova looked around bright-eyed Thour buried her face in Bucky's neck and whimpered a little.

"Oh, sweetheart, I've got you," he cooed, rubbing her back. "Let's change your stinky butt and you can have a little snack and go back to sleep.

I went and made myself comfortable as they each changed a twin. I wasn't sure how much longer I'd get to breastfeed them. They were ten months old now, and while I had breastfed most of the kids for closer to eighteen, it was harder with two. Both in the sense that holding them and feeding them both at the same time became logistically difficult, but also just that it was hard to keep the milk production for two. I had barely managed to breastfeed Riley and Pietro for six months and even then it had been with bottle supplements. Wanda did better with Rose and Sarah, but even then she didn't last the full year.

Bucky brought Thour over first and the little girl straddled my leg and started feeding right away, her little hands held in fists against each side of my breast.

Bucky sat down on one of the sofa chairs beside me and smiled. "She looks so angry."

"She hates having to eat," I giggled.

"Just like Steve," Bucky chuckled.

Tony brought Nova over. The little boy was far too bright-eyed for my liking and was babbling up at Tony and trying to grab his beard. "I know," Tony said as he looked down into Nova's blue eyes. "That is what Fermat theorized, but Wiles showed it was really complex and not as easy as Fermat thought at all."

"Are you talking to our son about math?" I asked.

"What? He was the one that brought it up," Tony said, as he plopped Nova down on my free knee. The infant wriggled around and looked up at me and started babbling. "See. He's got a lot to say about the topic of algebraic number theory."