steve harrington imagines

magic kisses

Phoebe was teething, which meant she was chewing on whatever she could get her tiny hands on. It was frequently something she shouldn't have in her hands, much less something that she should be chewing on. Steve crouched down in front of his daughter, fingers grasping her chubby cheeks gently as he murmured, "Whatchya got now, lovey? Something you shouldn't have, right?" He pried her jaw open as carefully as he could, and hooked a finger in her mouth, swiping to find whatever it was that she was chewing on.

She immediately whined, squirming in his arms to get away, jerking her head in the opposite direction. "I know, I know, sweets," Steve huffed, finally pulling out the sizable piece of plastic that had broken off of one of her toys. She likely wouldn't have choked on it, but he didn't want her to chew on it. He was usually pretty good about making sure there was nothing lying around, but some things slipped by.

"Some things aren't supposed to be chewed on, lovey. It's too dangerous for you," he explained. He was soft with her, of course, softer with her than with anyone else (other than you), but still usually talked to her like he would anyone else.

He scooped her up into his arms, fingers pressing into her squishy baby tummy to get her to laugh. It was his favorite sound in the entire world, and he did his best to make her laugh any chance he got. She giggled, squirming in his arms, tiny hands curling into the fabric of his shirt as he carried her into the kitchen with him to throw away the broken toy. He over-exaggerated each step he took on the way, bouncing on the balls of his feet and making silly noises as he did so to keep the giggles coming.

It was all fun and games until Phoebe noticed the broken piece being dropped into the trash and she let out a whine, one hand reaching down as if to save it. She looked up at Steve with big, pleading eyes that you swore she got from him, but Steve refused to give in this time, "Sorry, baby girl. Are your gums bothering you? Let's find something else for you to chew on, huh? Something safe. How does that sound?"

Steve pressed a kiss to her forehead as he opened the freezer, in search of the teething rings they had for her. They were just plastic rings filled with water so they froze and would feel cool against her aching gums. It was simple, but it usually did the trick. Phoebe wasn't interested, though, turning her head away as Steve held it up to her mouth.

"No? You don't want it?" he asked, a frown forming on his lips as he thought, eyes searching the kitchen for something else that would help, "What do you want then, sweets?"

Ever observant, even at nine months old, she copied the look on her daddy's face; bottom lip pushing out into a pout, eyebrows drawn together slightly. This made Steve laugh, one of his hands reaching up to smooth the space between her eyebrows before his thumb brushed over her cheek gently, "Hm, what do you think, silly girl?"

Phoebe grabbed at Steve, her entire hand wrapping around his pointer finger, and before he could stop her, she was pulling his hand to her mouth, gnawing on it immediately.

"Gah!" Steve shouted dramatically, feigning shock with his eyes wide, staring at her seriously, "Not my finger! Give it back, Bee!" Steve had many nicknames for his daughter, but Bee or Bumblebee were his favorites.

She liked the nickname, too, a quiet giggle coming from her as she kept her grip on his hand. Steve wiggled his finger as if trying to pry it free, causing another peal of laughter from her. He gave her a mock stern look, demanding, "Oh, you think this is funny, do you?"

Her answer came in the form of another gummy chomp to his finger. Another small laugh. Her teeth hadn't quite broken through her gums yet, so it didn't hurt. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but if it helped his daughter soothe the ache a bit, he was more than alright with it.

"Noooo!" he yelled, face twisting as if in pain, though he really wasn't, "Let gooooo! Ouchie! You're hurting Daddy's fingers, Bee!" She shrieked with laughter again, both of her hands coming up to grip his and hold him in place. Steve laughed loudly, too, peppering her face in kisses as he muttered, "Oh, you're such a little menace, aren't you? A trouble maker!"

Just then, the back door in the kitchen opened and you stepped through, holding the bags of groceries you'd been out to get. You'd heard all the yelling and laughter as you walked up, and couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of you; your little girl clutched tightly in your love's arms, one of his fingers caught in her mouth as she chewed dramatically, "What's going on here? What's with all the yelling, my loves?"

"Your little girl is a monster! Trying to chew her daddy's fingers off! She thinks it's funny!" Steve exclaimed, finally yanking his finger free.

You plucked Phoebe out of Steve's arms, one arm supporting her bum as you held her against your hip. Your free hand tickled her side as she giggled again, pushing her face into your shoulder, "Are you chomping on your daddy, Bee? It is a little bit funny, huh?"

"Hey!" Steve protested, making a show of cradling his finger to his chest, pushing his bottom lip out into a dramatic pout. He squeezed his eyes shut, making a few pretend crying noises.

All this did was pull another round of giggles out of Phoebe. She could tell he was being dramatic, but you played along, brushing a bit of her hair out of her face, putting on a frown, "Oh no! Daddy's finger hurts! He's sad, lovey. Maybe you can give him a kiss to make it better?"

She nodded, holding her arms back out in Steve's direction, making grabby hands at him. He took her back into his arms, keeping up the tearful act as he held his hand up, "My finger has an owwie, can you kiss it better?" Phoebe leaned in, pressing a sloppy baby kiss to his finger, and Steve's heart melted right then and there. He blinked up at you, a smile spreading across his face as he realized you were still watching intently. Turning his head back to her, he pressed a soft kiss to her tiny nose, "Another kiss?"

Tiny hands grabbed at his face, pulling him in as she pressed another slobbery kiss near his mouth, missing her intended target. Steve returned the favor as he hugged her to his chest tightly, one of his hands cradling the back of her head to keep her close, "Oh, thank you so much, Bumblebee. Daddy feels so much better. You've got magic kisses!"