Chapter 3c- part 3 of 4- Avowal

Tony sat at the kitchen counter after finally waking up around two o'clock the following afternoon. He smiled slightly at Jarvis who was buzzing around the kitchen, yet again marveling at the fact that his Tony Stark was voluntarily vying for food.

Tony had realized that the second his error-induced headache had passed, food took up a lot more of his thoughts then it should have considering everything he had going on. Beast had been right, Extremis was very demanding on his systems and apparently he'd never actually eaten enough before in his life. And while the nausea was still there, he didn't actually throw-up anymore. Except sometimes in the morning…

He was beginning to understand why they called it morning sickness instead of the all day puke-fest he'd entertained for 3 weeks straight. He wasn't sure if that was just him, or if women had to suffer all day vomit fun sometimes in pregnancy as well.

Weeks…

Tony began to count mentally. It had been about three months since he and Cap had finally gotten together. That first time… could it have been then?

And now he had what? Half a year?

Everything was happening so quickly.

Tony took a deep breath as he forced his eyes to focus on what Jarvis was doing in the kitchen.

Things that had been said last night were a bit of a blur to him. He'd tried so hard to stay fully awake. The gist he'd been able to gather together was that Steve had thought he was dying.

Great.

He should just tell him.

He should just tell Cap and then deal with the fallout.

It was better then leading Steve down a road he may not want to follow.

Before Tony could dwell any longer, Jarvis placed a plate of baked ziti and a glass of water on the counter. The thought of his patron fully appreciating his cooking abilities at long last was evident on the older man's face.

"Has food always been this good?" Tony joked, seeing Jarvis smile.

"Only when prepared by me Sir." Jarvis replied proudly, not missing a beat.

The click of designer heels on his hardwood floor notified Tony of another presence in the Tower. Janet Van Dyne walked up behind him and took a seat at the counter to his right.

"What are you doing here?" Tony asked between bites.

"Why does no one want me around?" She answered as though talking to herself.

"Cute. No, I thought you were working on your new line for--" Tony started.

"Oh that." Jan waved her hand. "Yeah, no I am." She replied, pulling Tony's plate of food closer to herself and accepting the fork Jarvis offered.

Tony eyed Jarvis like he'd been betrayed as the man quickly retreated into the living room to pretend to clean.

"I have a date though." Jan said, stabbing at the zucchini on his plate.

"Hank?" Tony responded hopefully, forking at the pieces Jan was trying to steal.

"Nope. With you." She smiled at him broadly. Tony hesitated in his quest to save his food.

"I love Hank, but he can't stand social gatherings. And you look so good in a tux."

"Hmm… who do you need me to schmooze?"

She scoffed at him in faux offense. "Come now Mr. Stark, I only need you to be your charming self." She smiled again. "I'd go stag but the designing contractor I'm trying to impress is somewhat of a traditionalist." Distain dripped from the word.

"So your plan is to bring the bisexual billionaire?"

"Hey…" She shrugged. "Don't ask don't tell."

"When?" Tony asked, taking another bite of food.

"Two weeks from Saturday."

Tony raised an eyebrow. That would equal fourteen weeks. That should be fine right? No one would notice that soon if he went out would they? It should be fine.

"Will there be food at least?" He replied nonchalantly. "Since you're eating all of mine now?"

Jan's smile widened and her eyes sparkled brightly with intent. It was enough for Tony to sit back in his chair and eye her wearily.

Jan reached over to pat Tony's stomach.

"Plenty for both of you." She said earnestly, putting her fork down and pushing her chair back from the counter.

Tony was frozen in place.

She kissed him near his ear, then stood up. "Thanks Tony! I've got to get down to design for fittings. So much to do and no time at all!" Jan stated breezily, wafting her way to the Tower's main set of elevators.

Tony managed a small sound in response.

The reality of this was getting huge. It wouldn't be just Cap who would find out. It was everyone.

He fought the urge to laugh hysterically.

"You just see a ghost?" The smooth voice of Carol Danvers was enough to bring him back to reality.

"I will." Tony responded tightly, turning to look toward the lift.

Carol sat down next to him. "Was that Jan?" She looked in the same direction.

"Yes." He replied, barely moving his lips.

"Ok…" Confusion was evident in her voice. She sighed. "Listen Tony are you busy?"

"No not at all." He said firmly. "I just have to call Hank and then figure out a way to kill him through the phone."

"Any particular reason?" She asked him, her voice sounding strained.

Tony finally looked over at her.

Carol was wearing a shirt and jeans, her blonde hair up in a pony tail. She looked like she hadn't been sleeping well.

"No it's nothing." He replied, giving her his full attention.

She noticed the shift in his awareness and all but started to fidget.

"Tony I just wanted to apologize." She stated, stumbling to get the words out.

He blinked. Whatever for?

"I was unfair to you. I understand better why now but… that doesn't excuse my actions. Or lack of action." Her voice was strained. It was hurting her to admit this.

Tony stared at her blankly, not quite certain how to respond. He felt as though he should have seen something like this coming. He had no idea what she was talking about. He really had been wrapped up in his own life lately…

"I need you to know that I'm right here. And that I do know how you feel." She continued.

His first thought was that Hank had just gone around telling all of the Avengers everything but... that couldn't be right. He took in a breath to say something, and found that he honestly couldn't think of what response to give other then 'thanks… ditto' or 'what the hell are you talking about?'. With Carol's eyes looking at him in that haunted and all too familiar way, he knew that wasn't the right thing to do at all.

He remained silent.

"I mean, I've seen you…" Carol looked down at the countertop in front of her. "You stay so strong. And you held up so well through everything." She absently picked up Tony's glass of water. "And so after we had the Skrull under control, and then you and Cap finally…" Her grip around the glass slowly tightened. She started swirling the water around, her eyes never leaving it.

Finally she slammed the glass down against the counter, the water spilling slightly, and looked Tony Stark in the eye.

"Everything was going so perfect for you and to see you drink again! Well…" She looked back down at the glass. "It just really hit home that I'm never going to be out of the woods. Not truly." Tony could see her lips form a small smile. "It just wasn't a very pretty realization… that's all."

Then her face scrunched up like she'd forgotten something. "But this isn't about me." She placed her hand on top of his, squeezing lightly. "I… I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. You needed my support and all I could do was glare at you or ignore you completely. And that's not who I am. I'm not that person… the one who ignores her problems or her friends. Not anymore." She ended her words quietly, her face falling away from his.

Tony's mind was racing. What could he say to that? Should he tell her the truth right then? He'd have to eventually… but Cap deserved to know first didn't he? Tony'd never meant to hurt Carol in any way.

"I'm sorry that I let you down." He opted to say.

"Tony… I'm just glad you're feeling better." Carol was shaking her head.

"You're support means a lot to me. Thank you for telling me all of that." He paused. "It couldn't have been easy to say."

She smiled. "Sometimes the only way to say something is to just say it."

Tony swallowed his breath.

"You're exactly right."

He took his hand back as he glanced across the kitchen. "Have you seen Cap?"

"Uh," Carol stopped to think. "Yeah I saw him about twenty minutes ago."

"Yeah?" Tony twisted back around to face her.

"He was on the phone with Mr. Fantastic and then he kind of ran off..."

"Reed?"

Carol nodded, tucking a stray blonde strand behind her ear as she did so. "I only heard the tail end of the conversation. He hung up and knocked into me on his way out the door." She said with a tint of leftover surprise in her voice. "He didn't say when he'd be back." She shrugged. "He said sorry though."

"For bumping into me." She added when Tony didn't respond. "You ok?" Carol asked, taking a sip of Tony's water.

"I'm fine." He responded with what was one of the biggest lies of his life.


Tony had forgotten about the board meeting he was supposed to have held at 10 am that morning. Alright he hadn't so much forgotten as he'd been unconscious at the time. He'd already canceled one board meeting, and had been sick to the one before that… if Rhodey hadn't gone this morning in his place he was fairly certain he would have had to start looking for a new job.

And the stockholders were usually so understanding…

The damage having been done, and other things preoccupying his mind, he had thought to just take care of it after he'd had a chance to talk to Steve.

But now Tony found himself sitting behind his desk finally hanging up the phone for what seemed like the fifteenth time.

He had rushed down to his office once Mrs. Arbogast had threatened to quit and take the coffee machine with her.

Tony had called each individual board member himself and had talked to those who had bothered to pick up. He'd worry about the rest later. He was almost certain that the others all loved him again… or could at least tolerate his antics.

After the majority of Stark's technology had become corrupt during the Skrull invasion, Tony had been forced to rebuild a lot of his tech from scratch. The board members would have been in much worse shape, if not completely bankrupt, if he hadn't been there for industrial damage control. It didn't mean that he could be completely off his leash, but he did receive more free range for his "idiosyncrasies" and "pet projects" as of late.

To further placate his stockholders he'd said he was working on a project concerning pediatrics and had gotten wrapped up in the maternalness of it all. It'd be true soon enough and they'd seemed happy with it.

Now he had to come up with a project concerning children… not that that was a bad thing--

Tony froze mid thought as he could have sworn he heard Steve's voice outside his office door.

He quickly swung it open and almost wished he hadn't. It was Steve. But instead of the drive he'd felt earlier in the day, that same useless anxious panicky emotion flooded his systems.

Did he know? Would he forgive him for not telling him sooner? Did he want the baby?

"Hey." He managed.

"You're in your office." Steve managed back. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. Cap looked at Mrs. Arbogast then over to Tony. Mrs. Arbogast patted Steve's hand in a placating way and turned back to her computer.

Having nothing in the way of reinforcements, Cap ambled slowly toward Tony's office door. It was pretty evident that he had thought Tony wasn't going to be there.

Tony closed the door behind them.

God… What do I say? How do I say this?

"You're awake." Cap began lamely. He looked affronted by his own communicating skills the second he'd said it.

"Yeah. Uh--"

"So are you free on the 25th?"

"What?" Tony looked up at him in surprise.

"Are you free the 25th?" Cap repeated. "I was going to ask Mrs. Arbogast but since you're here I can ask you."

Tony looked towards his desk. "To tell you the truth I have no idea. You'll probably have to ask Mrs. A anyway." Tony furrowed his brow. "Wait, is that a Friday or a Saturday because Jan has me going to a dinner on Saturday."

"It's a Sunday. Jan invited you to that too?"

Jan invited Steve.

Jan invited Steve?

Was that what she'd meant by the two of us?

"Oh thank God." Tony exclaimed before he could help himself.

"What?" Steve shot him a confused look.

"Nothing. So, Jan invited you before you talked to Reed then?"

Steve's look went from confused to terrified.

"How did you hear about that?" He stated with effort.

Tony sighed. "I didn't want you to find out that way Steve I am so sorry." He said, moving to lean against his desk. He moved his hand to his head.

"Find out what… what way?" Steve stumbled, moving closer to Tony.

Tony looked up at him. "That… the…" Tony paused.

He didn't know.

"What I should have told you last night." He avowed.

"Reed knows? Of course Reed would know." Steve chided himself as he moved to lean against the desk right next to Tony, their arms brushing together.

"So then what were you talking to Reed about?" Tony asked, once his curiosity cut through the twelve different emotions he was currently feeling.

"Nothing!" Steve said too quickly. He looked over at Tony who shot him a look. "I mean. That's why I wanted to know if you were free the 25th. I... it was supposed to be a surprise. I was trying to get passes to this Science Convention…"

"At the Javits Center?" Tony asked, momentarily excited despite himself.

Steve quickly allowed himself to smile. "Reed thought you'd like it."

"Why--" Tony looked over at the other man. Cap's light blue eyes settled on his and Tony had to stop.

How cliché was that? Steve took his breath away.

"Hell this is all backwards." Steve said, sounding exasperated. Tony looked at him oddly.

Wasn't Cap upset with him? Disappointed? Why would he be planning dates?

"It's just that it was supposed to be a surprise… all of this… but I don't even care anymore… I've only practiced saying this twice." Cap rung his fingers through his hair. It was a very un-Cap-like thing to do.

"Tony, you have to know that the incident with Ultron... that wasn't the first time I'd thought about being with you. There were so many times, so many different ways I dreamt about telling you and I was never brave enough. I was never brave enough. That's over. I'm never keeping things like that inside anymore. You… and me… Well everything we've been through and what I feel now… It's how I know this will work despite how fast it all must seem." Steve moved from Tony's side and centered himself in front of the other man, a hand on the desk at either side of him. "Tony I have to ask you something."

Tony could feel the heat from Cap's skin against his own. It felt like home. "Ok…"

Steve brushed the hair from Tony's eyes. He replaced his hand by Tony's side and leaned forward. Their foreheads touched.

"There comes a point in every person's life when they have to ask themself is this what I want? Is this what I hoped for? Am I on the right path?" Steve began. He straightened to look Tony in the eyes. "Back in the past, my past, I thought that that was it. That that was going to be my highest purpose in life, I thought I was content with… with being who I was in the war. That would have been a fulfilling life. A wonderful and painful life."

He paused, looking off slightly, recognizing those memories for what they were.

Memories.

"And then I came here. And I met you." Steve smiled. "And I realized I didn't know what contentment even was. The Avengers and you… you put a drive back into my life. A greater purpose then I could have ever imagined. A brand new life that still included everything I wanted to stand for. I am a soldier. Always. But I'm an Avenger now first. Which is something I never thought possible. And while I might be an Avenger, like you are, I'm also a man. And what Iron Man gave to Captain America, Tony Stark gave to Steve Rogers." Steve took a step back.

Tony followed him with his eyes.

"I don't dare imagine my life without you in it. I don't think I'd last very long. You've shown me again and again that people can overcome so many things. You really inspire me Tony, you do!" He added, when Tony scoffed slightly. "You have a heart that just won't quit, and it's one worth protecting."

"You make me want to try harder, and you keep me in line. I know I'm stubborn. I've been an icon for half of my life. It can go to a person's head." He smiled again.

Tony wanted to disagree.

"I've decided that I don't care what this is." Steve flipped his hand, alluding to the secret Tony had been hiding.

"I realized that the only thing that's getting me upset is the thought of losing you. So I've decided to fix that… today."

Steve Rogers bent down on one knee.

"Tony Stark. Be mine. Forever."

"Marry me?" He asked, taking his hand.

Tony just stared at him.

"I don't actually have the ring with me right now." Cap said, slightly blushing. "I wasn't expecting to say this yet and I was talking to Pepper about rings, which was slightly scarier then talking to Fury about bachelor parties and…" Steve refocused his gaze. "Tony... Tony say something."

"I'm pregnant."

Sometimes the only way to say something is to just say it.

"Steve… I… I didn't plan on telling you this way either." Tony said, kneeling down to join Cap who had managed to sit back on his heels. He was still holding Tony's hand. "I just didn't know how, and then it seemed like I was waiting for something… I don't know what. But I don't think it was that."

"You could've just said no. You didn't have to make shit up." Cap tried to pull his hand away but Tony fought back.

"Damnit Steve I'm serious! There's a baby. Right here." Tony touched his abdomen with his other hand.

"That isn't funny Stark." Cap sounded angry and hurt. Tony wasn't getting through to him.

Tony tightened his grasp around Cap's wrist until his own hand hurt.

"Steven, I swear on my Mother's grave."

The expression on Captain America's face changed instantly.

"Wha… How?" Steve breathed.

Tony's eyes flickered between Steve's. He couldn't read Cap's reaction. There was something on the other man's face that Tony had never seen before.

"The really really really short version of it is that Extremis and Ultron used our DNA to--" Tony started.

"Our DNA." Cap interrupted. "It's mine."

It wasn't a question.

"Yes. It's ours and I am so sorry that I didn't tell you sooner and I understand if you need time to think about--" Tony stopped mid-sentence.

Cap was laughing. There was a huge smile spread across his face.

"It's mine!" He said again.

Then his laughter stopped and his face grew serious.

"How could you not tell me about this? Are you ok? You didn't seem ok last night."

"I… that was a mistake on my part but I've got everything figured out now I think and--"

"Ultron." Cap's voice was dark.

Tony sat back on the floor. "Yes and no. Trust me, Hank's panicking enough for the both of us."

"With good reason." Cap's grip on Tony's hand tightened.

"Everything says that the baby's unaffected by Ultron. It's just you… and me… and that's it."

"The baby..." Steve said aloud, perhaps to make it real. Then his face twisted again in concern.

"But how is Ultron still affecting you?"

"I'm fine." Tony responded automatically, though he had never even thought how Ultron might still be affecting him. "I really am."

Steve considered that for a while.

"Hank and Reed and Beast are all losing sleep though." Tony smiled. "It's all very fascinating for the scientists. Less so for the lab rat." Tony touched his chest.

Steve paused to look at Tony's stomach. "It's me and you."

"Yeah." Tony said quietly, looking down as well.

A cautious smile returned to Cap's face. "And it's ok?" He reached out his hand then stopped, looking at Tony once more.

"Yeah." Tony whispered. "Extremis is making sure of that."

Steve's face looked as though a lot of things were finally clicking into place and making sense now that everything was out in the open.

"A baby."

"I had no idea how you'd take it." Tony said truthfully.

"I just… I've always wanted this some day and now it's all here and I have no idea what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

Steve smiled again and moved in to wrap his arms around the dark haired man. He kissed him fully and deeply, breathing him in. He held Tony as tightly as he could realizing that there so much more to protect.

He held desperately to Tony on the floor of Stark's office and fought to understand the waves of emotion going through him.

Tony tried to pull back. Steve eventually let the kiss end.

"Yes." Tony stated, out of breath.

"Yes?" Steve murmured, going in for another kiss, never before wanting to be so close to Tony then at this very moment.

"Yes I'll marry you." Tony responded, not bothering to push Steve away.

Cap laughed. Their lips met again.

"Oh yeah…" Steve replied.

--