Steve had not heard from Tony for some time now. Yesterday had been when he was supposed to call him for their weekly conversation, but he never had. Normally he would have tried to call Tony himself, but he wasn't sure if he had gone to a meeting for once or not.
So whenever he signed on to one of the various military computers during his free time and logged into his messenger account, he was a bit surprised to see that Tony was online. It was even more surprising when after only seconds of signing in, a message popped up to accept the call that was being sent to him. He quickly accepted it without even thinking twice. He couldn't even stop the smile that appeared on his lips whenever his boyfriend's face appeared on the screen.
The smile slowly disappeared whenever he noticed that Tony was inside of a hospital, which happened to be the Stark Private Hospital more than likely. If he had been hurt, why had he not called him or left a message? Steve would have made sure that he had gotten back to him and made sure he was alright. He looked him over, wondering what could be wrong. He didn't look hurt, just tired.
Had something happened to the baby they had been expecting? Had the serum that Tony had created to be able to conceive in the first place backfired during the last months? He didn't seem upset though, so surely Steve was just jumping to conclusions? There had to be a reason why Tony was in the hospital, though. If he was just there for a checkup, there was no reason he should be sitting up in a bed and inside of a hospital room.
He could not help, but be worried for his boyfriend. He was about to ask him what had happened whenever Tony's voice broke the silence.
"You don't have to worry," he spoke. His voice was tired and showed just a bit of the pain that he was in. "I'm fine Steve." There was a small smile on his face, a proud one.
"You're fine? Then can you explain to me why you are sitting up in a hospital bed?" He asked him. He knew that Tony was hiding something from him. Over the years they'd been together, Steve had been able to get to know Tony very well as was easily able to tell if he was lying to him or if he was hiding something from him.
"'Course I can," he beamed. It was if he had no problems with being in the hospital, as if it was more normal than anything. "And trust me Steve, I am more than fine. I'm perfect to be honest.' It was then that he tilted the screen and pushed his laptop back to where Steve could see him as well as a tiny pink bundle that was being cradled in his arms.
A smile found its way onto Steve lips. He stared, not saying anything for a long time. His blue eyes were transfixed on the slightly squirming bundle and the blanket was brought down just enough to where he could see the back of her head and the light tufts of hair that was on it.
"She was born two days ago. I named her Marina because I knew it was a favorite of yours out of the ones that we had picked out." He shrugged softly, looking down at the baby in his arms. "Plus ya know, I thought it kind of sounded the best whenever I saw her." He looked back up at his boyfriend who was still smiling like an idiot. He smirked and shifted Marina to where she was in his other arm as well as so that she could face her father.
Steve gulped, not even noticing whenever his eyes began to sting with tears. Normally Steve was not a very emotional person, but seeing his newborn daughter had brought out that side of him. He smiled wide as he looked her over. She was beautiful. There was no doubt that she looked like Tony besides her hair which was unmistakably blonde.
"She's absolutely beautiful," he breathed. The smile had not yet left his face and he was sure that it wouldn't for some time now.
He hated that he had not been there for her birth. He was very proud to be serving his country, but he wished that he had been deported this week instead of in two, leaving him to arrive only a couple days before Christmas. Of course Tony didn't know this, Steve having planned it as part of his Christmas present.
"Of course she is," Tony said before giving off a small laugh. "We are her parents are we not? She's bound to be beautiful, especially when she has a mother as good looking as me." He shot a wink at the webcam, which caused Steve to laugh as well.
"Of course," he agreed, rolling his eyes at the joke Tony had shot out. Trust Tony to make jokes only days after he had given birth to their beautiful daughter. They had waited so long for her to be born and now it was almost unbelievable that she was finally here.
Steve could still remember the first time that Tony had told him that he had been pregnant. For weeks the brunet had been working on a serum that would make him able to conceive a child. The first time had not worked at all. The second time, after Tony had tweaked some things, worked quite well up until the fourth month. That was whenever the serum had backfired and reacted badly to Tony's body, causing him to lose their child. Both of them had been devastated, Tony more so than Steve. For days Tony refused to come out of his room, not letting anyone, not even Steve, into the bedroom.
Finally after a week, Steve had been allowed into the bedroom. He did his best to console his boyfriend and eventually he was able to coax him out of the room and attempt to eat something light. He knew just how bad Tony felt about losing their child and Steve couldn't exactly blame him. He felt horrible as well, but Tony had been the one who had actually been carrying the child.
Weeks after, Tony's mood had been slowly feeling better. Bruce had convinced him to work on the serum some more and soon it had been improved. Tony had been wary to try it out, but Steve had been able to talk him into at least try. He knew it was a long shot, but maybe it would be the thing to make Tony feel completely like himself.
It was barely a week after than when Steve had been shipped off to the army, much to his and Tony's dismay. He hated leaving Tony in such a state, but he knew there was nothing he could say that could actually get him to stay.
Only weeks after Steve had left, he had received a rather surprising call. Tony was pregnant again. He knew Tony was trying to be excited as he told him, but Steve could tell that he was truly worried about if this baby would make it or not. The blonde reassured him this baby would be perfectly fine, especially if Tony ate regularly and got on a regular sleeping pattern.
Steve kept reassuring him every chance that he was able and before they knew it Tony had made it into his fifth month of pregnancy. To say Tony was now excited about their baby would be an understatement. Whenever he received the phone call from Tony telling them that they were having a little girl, Steve didn't think he had ever heard the brunet be so excited about anything other than science and his experiments.
Over the next three months, Steve was video messaging Tony whenever he had free time to do so. Tony was keeping him up to date on the progress as well as his various doctor appointments. He would listen to him whine about his aches and pains, but he didn't mind at all. To him, what Tony was going through was completely worth it.
Now they were here. Tony was holding their beautiful newborn daughter and even though Steve wasn't there, he was glad that he was still able to see her within the first couple days of her life. He couldn't be happier unless he was to actually be there in the room with Tony, but that was of course out of the question.
"Are you going to be home in time for Christmas?" The soft voice sliced through his thoughts, causing Steve to look up at Tony with a look of surprise.
"Huh?" His face fell as soon as his mind registered just what Tony had asked him. He gulped thickly, causing his Adams apple to harshly bob. He let out a small sigh, which gave the brunet his answer before Steve was even able to get out the answer. "No unfortunately. I'm not able to come home until at least February."
Tony's face fell and he gave a nod. Steve felt horrible for lying to him like this, but he knew the look on Tony's face whenever he was home in time for Christmas would all be worth it. He knew it would be even more worth it whenever he gave him the ring he had picked out the day before he had been shipped out. He had the chance to propose to him the day he left, but he knew it would make things that much more special if he did it on Christmas morning.
"Time will fly by and before you know it you'll be back in my arms," he said with a smile. He began to say something else, but stopped whenever Peggy came in, letting him know that the sergeant needed to speak with him. He gave a nod and thanked the dark haired woman before his eyes went back to Tony. "I have to go, but I promise I'll talk to you as soon as I can, alright? I love you."
"I love you too," Tony said with a small sigh. He tried to muster a smile, but failed as he reached over and shut his laptop. He leaned back and looked down at Marina. "I guess it's just you and me for Christmas this year, kiddo. You know, unless Pep and Natasha decide to show up." He gave her a small smile, lifting her up just a bit so he could press a gentle kiss to her forehead.
Two weeks later, Steve found himself standing in front of his home at six in the morning on Christmas day. His flight had been delayed, which meant he left two days later than he should have. He nervously licked his lips, calling out for Jarvis to unlock the door and let him in. Of course, he was listened to and he wasted no time walking through the door, which Jarvis locked behind him.
He set his bag down beside the door before he bad his way up to the floor in which his and Tony's bedroom was on. He wasn't sure if his boyfriend would be asleep, or if he had already began working in his lab all night once again. He gently opened the door, staying silent just in case Tony was asleep.
To his surprise, Tony was in the room, but he wasn't asleep. In fact, he had Marina fast asleep on his chest while he read the blueprint to what he could only think was a new invention. He didn't look up as Steve entered the room, completely focused with what was in his hands.
"You look very motherly," Steve spoke up, which caused the brunet to look up at him with wide, incredulous brown eyes. He watched as Tony set down the blueprint before gently scooping Marina into his arms and setting her on the bed before he stood up. Steve just stood there as Tony walked towards him and stopped only a foot away.
"Steve…You're home." His voice showed just how disbelieving he was, almost as if the thought of him being home so early wasn't possible at all. He didn't even let Steve speak before he closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around him into a tight hug. Steve instantly returned the hug, arms encircling his lover. "I've missed you," he mumbled into his neck, which caused Steve to chuckle gently.
"I missed you too." He beamed, holding him tight. He only pulled away when Marina began to stir, letting out a small whine. The blonde stepped away from his lover and moved towards the bed to pick up the whining child gently. She stopped instantly as soon as she was cradled in her father's arms, dark and tired eyes staring up at him. He sat down on the bed with her, the smile never fading as he peered down at her. She was even more beautiful in person, that was undeniable.
He didn't look up whenever he felt Tony sit down beside him. He merely kept his gaze on his daughter, afraid that she would disappear if he looked. "She looks a lot like you," he commented, making Tony laugh.
"Doesn't she? I nearly shit myself when Pepper compared my baby picture to her whenever she was first born. There's no denying that she's going to be the best looking kid ever. I mean, how could she not?" Steve just rolled his eyes and just shook his head. Though, he did agree with Tony on that. She was going to be even more beautiful than she was now as she got older.
They sat there in silence for a few moments before Steve looked up at his boyfriend and pressed a soft, chaste kiss to his lips. He had missed him so much and he was very lucky to be back with him and their daughter, able to spend the holidays with them. Tony smiled a nudged him, gesturing to the door with his head. "Come on. How about we go unwrap presents? Pepper helped me pick out something special for you."
Steve gave him a nod, handing Marina over to him as they both stood up. "You mean you actually picked out a present for someone? I can't say I'm not surprised," he joked, which caused Tony to send him a faux glare.
"Har. Har. Steve. Keep that up and I might not even give it to you." He walked out of the bedroom door and led Steve downstairs to the living room. In one corner of the room, right beside the gigantic flat screen TV sat a gorgeously decorated tree. There weren't many presents under it, but he was sure that was only because Tony had already given the rest of their friends their presents. The only ones that remained were probably Steve's as well as Marina's. That was unless Pepper had brought some in whilst Tony was out with the label on it saying it was from Marina herself as a cute little joke.
As Tony made his way over to the tree, Steve made a beeline to his bag to pull out the last minute present he had gotten for Marina as well as the ring he had taken with him for Tony. He didn't trust the brunet not to find it somehow on accident. He brought both intricately wrapped presents over and sat them under the tree while Tony was busy putting Marina in a probably very expensive bouncy seat.
"So what is this special present Pepper helped you pick out for me?" He asked him, a joking smile on his lips. Tony glared at him once again before he turned around and plucked up a red package with a blue bow. He handed it over to Steve without a word, taking a seat on the floor beside Marina with his legs crossed.
"I hope you like it. A lot of thought was put into the damn present." Steve could only chuckle, shooting him a smile as he undid the bow.
"Relax, Tony. I'm sure I'm going to love it." He unwrapped the present, setting the paper aside before he opened the top of the box. His blue eyes widened as he gazed at the object that sat inside. He gently took it out, not wanting to drop it and break it. It was a picture. It featured both Tony and Marina sitting in front of the lit up Christmas tree. Tony donned a Santa hat along with his usual attire, while Marina was in a green elf dress, stockings, and boots. Covering her head was a matching elf hat with a black buckle around the middle and a bell at the point. Marina was sitting in Tony's lap, her head cradled in the crook of Tony's arm so that it wouldn't fall forward. The frame around the picture was gold and at the bottom it had had red lettering that spelled out 'Merry Christmas Soldier.'
"I was hoping you'd like it. I was thinking of telling you that Marina was your Christmas present, but I thought you also deserved this as well."
Steve had to make himself look away. The picture was very thoughtful and very beautiful. He set it down and hugged his boyfriend. "This is an amazing gift. I love it Tony. Thank you so much." He held him tight before releasing him. He reached over and grabbed his own present which was wrapped in a small red box with a tiny, gold adhesive star at the top. Tony took it, shooting him a confused look before he opened it.
Inside of the box sat a simple gold band, but red rubies decorated the middle of the ring, wrapping all the way around it. There was a design that went around the rubies. One line sat above the rubies, where the other line sat below it. Every other ruby they would go in the other direction, intertwining whenever they met.
Tony was absolutely speechless. He stared at the rings for the longest time, unsure of what to say. During that time, Steve took the opportunity to pluck the ring from the box before he took the box from Tony's hand and set it down on the ground. The blond was beaming whenever Tony looked up at him.
"Anthony Edward Stark," he started as he moved to sit on his knees, "would you do the honor of marrying me?" As soon as the proposal was done, Tony wasted no time in launching himself at Steve, successfully knocking him over. He hugged him tight, pressing a loving and passionate kiss to his lips.
"I think I'd be incredibly stupid if I said no. And I am far from that." Steve sat the both of them up, hugging him just as tight as Tony had hugged him just a moment before. He took his left hand, sliding the ring onto his ring finger before pulling him into another kiss. He then moved and unhooked Marina from her bouncy seat, holding her to his chest.
They were finally going to be a real family, not that they weren't already. They were going to be a true family where both of the child's parents were married. Tony looked down at their daughter before looking up at his fiancé. He had a beautiful daughter and Steve had showed up for Christmas after all. He wasn't sure how he'd ever done to become so lucky.
"This is the best holiday ever. Merry Christmas, Steve." The blond chuckled, wrapping an arm around the brunet.
"Merry Christmas Tony."