#sah1k

[whindsor]

a little talk about babies

ship: implied mucky, mika/pepper friendship rating: teen word count: 1,250 prompt: for @buckysbitch4hire, who won a spot in the SaH 1k giveaway and wanted mika and pepper after endgame!

Whoever said pregnancy was beautiful lied. 

Mika felt bloated constantly, but also somehow hungry, and yet also nauseated. It was terrifying to feel as her clothes started getting tighter, and despite being so happy about becoming a mother, she’d cried the day she was no longer able to button her jeans. Of course, then Bucky pointed out that now she could wear leggings and his flannels constantly and no one would be allowed to judge her for it, and her tears had stopped immediately. 

She wandered up to the penthouse of the Stark tower, renamed now in memory of Tony, in an effort to find some tea to stave off the “morning” sickness (though why they called it morning sickness when it lasted all day, she’d never know). Bucky was down in a meeting with Sam and Bruce, and while she normally liked to sit in on these little get togethers (to know exactly what Bucky was getting himself into), this morning she needed a little bit of space. She found the peppermint tea in the cupboard and heated up a mug of water to drop the bag into, resting her head against the cabinet and absent-mindedly rubbing her belly as she watched the tea slowly steep.

“You okay?” someone asked, making Mika jump and hit her head against the cabinet. 

“Fuck!” she murmured, rubbing the offending spot and turning to see Pepper, a smile on her face and a tiny Morgan standing with her. She immediately felt herself pale. “Oh, my god, I’m so sorry.” 

“That’s alright,” Pepper said with a laugh, “she’s heard worse. My original question still stands, though.”

“Oh, right, uh, yes, thank you.” she said, her accent extra thick with her nerves. Her heart was still beating fast from the surprise. “I’m sorry, I was just trying to get some tea.” Her hands dropped protectively to her abdomen again, now that her headache was subsiding. Pepper gave her a sympathetic look.

“Morning sickness?” she asked, and Mika couldn’t help but blush as she nodded. Seemed mother’s intuition was universal. She hauled Morgan up, depositing her on the island before going to the pantry. “I never understood why they called it that when it lasted all day.”

“I’ve said the exact same thing.” Mika agreed with a smile. Pepper pulled out a different box, this time of ginger and lemon tea. 

“Trust me, this is the one you want.” she said, and she began preparing a cup for her before Mika could say anything. “How far along are you?”

“Nineteen weeks.” she said. Pepper nodded again, smiling.

“Good news is, the nausea will probably stop soon. Bad news is, that’s when the kicking starts.” she said with a grin. As if to augment her point, Morgan started kicking her legs, her heels making a rhythm on the cabinets below her. 

“Mom said I was a good kicker.” she said, and Mika wondered not for the first time exactly how old she was. Pepper smiled, raising her eyebrows and giving her daughter an amused look.

“You were. You even bruised a rib once. Daddy was very impressed, said that you were already the strongest Avenger.” she said, making Morgan laugh. Mika stayed quiet, unsure of how to continue the conversation when she so casually mentioned her late husband. Pepper looked to her, and her expression changed to one of annoyance. “No, no making that face. I get enough of that face from other people.” she said, dropping the tea bag into the now-warm water and going to get some honey.

“Sorry.” Mika said, still rubbing her belly just to give her hands something to do. “Is the kicking bad?” 

“First few times, it’s the most amazing thing you’ve ever felt in your life.” she replied, looking nostalgic and happy. “Then it just gets annoying. I’ll tell you the secret though: ice packs.”

“Ice packs?” she asked, unsure of where she was going with this. Pepper nodded enthusiastically.

“She liked to hang out up here,” she said, gesturing to the top of her stomach, “but put on a little ice pack, and she’d wander back where she was supposed to be. Still don’t like the cold, do you bug?”

“No!” Morgan said emphatically. Pepper handed the mug to Mika before going back to the pantry, getting out some bread and peanut butter. Mika felt bad for distracting them; clearly they were here to get the girl a snack. 

“And the ending...how bad is it?” Mika asked, the question that had been plaguing her since she found out she was pregnant. None of her friends had children, and her own mother still wasn’t taking her calls, despite everything. Pepper laughed, shaking her head.

“Horrible. It really is.” she said, making Mika’s heart drop and land somewhere in her shoes. “But the minute you hold them...you forget the pain. Then it’s just pride and love. Not to mention, you get to lord it over your husband for all eternity.”

Again, Mika was uncomfortable at the casual mention of Tony, and skirted around it. “I guess that’s why they give us medicine, hm?”

“If you get there in time, yes.” Pepper agreed, cutting the crusts off the peanut butter sandwich and handing it to her daughter. “Or, if you have a little nugget that likes to be very efficient, you get to do things all natural.”

“And the fear sinks right back in.” Mika said, cursing to herself (this time in Romanian). The tea Pepper made for her really did help, much more than the peppermint that she’d been drinking this whole time. The other woman laughed, coming up and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

“You’re going to be fine. You’re much tougher than you give yourself credit for.” she said seriously, and Mika didn’t know if it was hormones or the fact that she was finally talking to someone who knew what she was going through, but she suddenly felt the prickle of tears behind her eyes. She gave into her instinct to pull Pepper into a hug, and while she was stiff at first in surprise, she soon sank into it and hugged her back. Even though there couldn’t be more than ten years between the two of them, there was still something special about getting a hug from a mom.

“Thank you.” she said quietly, sniffling and pulling back. She rolled her eyes at herself, wiping away the couple tears that had escaped. “Oh wow, I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize.” she replied, still with that easy grin on her face. She held herself with such poise and strength, and Mika wondered how she did it. Pepper was clearly above her peers. She picked up her daughter and set her back on the floor, Morgan immediately taking off towards the door. “If you need anything, you can call me, okay?”

“Thank you.” she said again. “I appreciate that.”

Pepper smiled and gave her a nod before turning towards the door, Morgan already babbling happily about whatever mission they were on in the Tower. Alone in the silence, Mika picked up her tea and took another sip, letting the warmth soothe her. She thought she was going to be somewhat on her own with this pregnancy thing; sure, Bucky was there, and supportive, but he couldn’t really get it. But Pepper did. And she was kind, and helpful, and everything her mother should be at this time.

Perhaps she wasn’t as alone as she thought.