This is, in some ways, the end of this story. There will be epilogues and whatnots though, so never fear!
At least the passing of time is consistently fussy throughout this entire thing. Actually, scratch that. It's not fuzzy, it's fluffy! Everything here is. You are welcome.
No copyright infringement is intended, only gratitude for being allowed to play in this sandbox.
TapTap
Pale winter sunlight streamed in through the windows, making Claire turn over and mutter, only half awake, "Jarvis, blinds please."
"Right away, ma'am," the AI politely noted, already blocking out the sun.
"Thanks..." Sleepily, Claire shifted and rested her head back on Wayne's shoulder. He was still fast asleep in her bed. They often slept in each other's beds, these days, though she knew he'd want them to have one that was theirs. But he understood and accepted her reasons for waiting to move in with him, and she loved him for it - amongst other things.
It was a good few hours later, after nine, that Claire stepped into the large Avengers' kitchen and living area. The smells of a great brunch cooking didn't disappoint, and unsurprisingly she found Steve, Bruce and Sam in the process of preparing food. Wayne was setting the table, seemingly giving a second opinion of some experiment or other of Bruce's as he did, while both Clint and Tony were fast asleep, each on his own sofa.
Pepper was nowhere to be seen, which usually meant she was working, but Laura had apparently stolen Natalia, and Natasha was playing with Nathaniel in turn. Lila and Marten were sleepily watching a Christmas movie on the bigscreen.
They opened gifts before the brunch - those from Tony taking up half the space under the tree - and then spent the day just enjoying their time together.
Claire was leaning against Wayne in the evening, using his chest as a cushion, when Laura and Bruce slipped into the subject of dates. Natasha offered to take the Barton kids so their parents could have a day for themselves before New Years, something which was seconded by everyone.
"I liked going skating, that was one of my all-time favourites," Wayne answered a question a moment later. "Gotham is cold, so we could do that again soon. We'll go cave exploring as soon as there's no ice to slip on, too" he added looking down onto Claire, smiling at her resulting smile, "like I promised."
Almost a week into the new year, Claire threw up the first time. She didn't pay it much attention, not at first, but three days later saw her in Bruce's lab so that he could run tests. It didn't take him much longer than it had taken Pepper's doctor, so many months earlier, to figure it out.
"Tony?" Wayne stood in the other's billionaire's formal SI office, a determined look on his face. Tony looked up and saw him, then merely sighed, clearly knowing exactly why he was there. "She won't answer any of my calls," the not so much playboy genius added. "What happened? What did I do?"
Tony sighed again. "Come, let's talk." The inventor took him up to the roof, not speaking while they walked. Even when they got up there, he said nothing for several long moments, before upon being asked reassuring his longtime friend as well as rival that nothing was wrong, exactly.
"Claire is pregnant," he told him finally, where they stood looking out over New York, leaning against the safety fence. "She's a little... panicked. She didn't expect it so soon. She's not considering not keeping the baby, but she's staying here."
"That's... hard to think about." Wayne blinked, standing entirely still for several minutes, until finally Tony spoke.
"Yeah," Tony agreed, where everyone else would have questioned him. He understood. His next words were a statement, not a question. "You're happy."
"Ecstatic." Wayne turned towards him gravely. "But Claire is upset. It makes me terribly conflicted. About her wanting to live here, tell her I understand. She can take her time, but she's not leaving me, is she?" There was deep anguish in his face and voice at the thought.
"No," Tony looked away still, studying the skyline, but his voice didn't waver and he spoke the truth. "She's not considering that either, she even said as much. But she's panicking, and she just can't face you right now. I think she feels guilty, hesitating about what to do, since she knows you'll be over the moon with it," he added, voice low. "She asked me to tell you. She told me to promise she would be happy. She says she's out of university, got to travel and got money enough to cope with a baby. She said there's a reason you get nine months to adjust."
"Tell her that I get it. And will you ask her forgiveness for me, for breaking my promise. Twice." His voice shook a little at the last word, and it took him a moment to notice the puzzled look the other man gave him.
"I promised her time," he replied to the unspoken question, voice pained, "I promised her a choice, and now this happened on its own. That wasn't what I wanted - I never wanted to pressure her. Tell her I love her, please? I'll come whenever she wants me here. Until then, you have my number everywhere. So does she." Tony didn't try to stop him as he left the Tower.
"It's Claire." Her voice was small, and she sounded a bit ashamed. "I'm sorry, I..."
"I know." His voice was soothing, rather than dismissive. "I get it. Are you alright?"
"Yes," she sighed slightly. "Sorry for panicking. Do you want to come over? We have decisions to make, I guess..."
"I'd love to... and we can do whatever you want. I'd suggest asking Laura for advice, but I'm sure you already know what we need to do. And the tower is already child proof, so that's a plus!"
He succeeded, much to his relief, to make her laugh. "I know what toys to get, and Tony is already building things for his 'first grandchild'. I know supersoldiers are the best for babysitting and shopping for baby clothes, but the rest... we'll work it out as we go?" Her voice was no longer sad, but hopeful, and he smiled.
"We will," he promised, and this time he kept his wow. "I love you."
