Hey ho! A little warning for this chapter. This one deals with the loss of agency and body autonomy on Tony's part as well as dealing with consent issues and the nasty evil scum that is Obadiah Stane. Also TW for rape mention. It's small but I don't want y'all to get caught off guard. Don't say I didn't warn you. I'll see you at the end.
It wasn't just the candy.
Almost everyday for over a week, Tony had woken up feeling nauseous and needed to throw up. And it wasn't just in the mornings. Sometimes certain smells would set Tony off. There was one afternoon where Clint was making a bacon sandwich for lunch and the smell was so off-putting that Tony was sent running for the bathroom. What made it worse was that normally Tony bacon, but now he couldn't stand the smell of it.
That was what made Steve drag him down to medical. At first, the nausea could have been explained away by candy or a stomach bug, but it had been going on too long and Tony was suffering for it. He needed a doctor and Steve was going to make sure he got one. So, with much protesting, Steve literally dragged Tony to medical to get checked out. He could understand Tony's aversion to medical but Steve knew that Tony's health was important, hence the dragging.
"So, what seems to be the problem? Asked the doctor once Tony was wrangled onto the medical table.
"He's been throwing up every morning for over a week and certain smells have also set him off." Explained Steve as Tony stubbornly refused to talk.
The doctor did a few standard tests before suggesting a blood test. Tony hated every second of that. He hated needles but he knew better than to move around when the doctor was trying to draw blood. He'd just end up in more pain. Steve helped a bit by holding his hand but it still sucked.
While the blood was being tested the doctor decided to do an ultrasound of Tony's abdomen just to make sure that everything looked alright. Tony jumped a bit at the cold gel on his stomach which caused Steve to laugh a bit. That got Tony smiling a bit before he began to gag at the smell. After a moment of looking around, they hit a bit of a snag.
"That's not right." Commented the doctor and everyone looked concerned.
"What's not right? What's wrong?" asked Tony as he tried not to panic.
"I'll have to confirm with your blood test but you seem to have a fully functional uterus and it also looks like your about 4 weeks pregnant." Spoke the doctor.
"Nice try doc, but I've had full-body scans before and I can tell you right now that this isn't possible." Snarked Tony as he tried to hide the fear he was feeling.
"But all those scans were before Loki decided to keep hitting you with spells. He did hit you in the stomach in the last fight…" trailed off Steve as the situation dawned on them. Loki had done this. If they got proof of this change then they knew exactly who to blame.
The blood test came back positive for pregnancy.
Tony threw up at the news. Well, he didn't throw up because of the news. He threw up because the smell of the gel was getting to him. Steve was there rubbing his back and offering comfort while the doctors scrambled in and out of the room with equipment. It was driving them all crazy.
To say that the doctors were confused was an understatement. They were poking and prodding at Tony and Tony was feeling like a lab rat while unable to process his own emotions on everything. Eventually, Steve told the doctors that they needed to leave for a moment so that he and Tony could actually talk this though. They didn't need the doctors trying to influence Tony's decision.
And this was 100% Tony's decision.
The two sat in silence for a bit. Steve had sat down on the bed next to Tony and just help him as Tony tried not to cry. He was feeling so many different emotions. He was scared, first of all. This was something life-changing. This was something that in a normal world should never have happened. Tony was also scared of making the wrong decision. Tony was also feeling violated. This was twice now that Loki had made significant changes to his body without his consent. He was tired of others making choices about his body for him. That had been happening his whole life and it made him feel sick.
"What's going on in that head of yours sweetheart?" asked Steve as he hugged Tony, giving him what comfort he could. Tony sighed and leant into Steve for comfort.
"I just hate how it feels like all my choices are being taken away. Nobody even asks what I want to do with my own body. You're the only person who has. Shouldn't I have control over my own body? If that was true then so many things wouldn't have happened." Rambled Tony as a few tears fell from his eyes.
"Maybe Sunset would have never pressured me. Maybe I wouldn't have listened to Stane about how being a playboy would have made Howard proud. Maybe I wouldn't be stuck with an invasive hunk of metal in my chest. Maybe Stane wouldn't have tried to…"
Tony was starting to get panicked as he mentioned Stane. It hurt Steve to see Tony like this. The scars Stane left behind ran deep and they still affected Tony. Tony had told Steve what had happened the night Stane died. Steve felt his horror as Tony described what it was like to be paralyzed and have his heart stolen from him. Tony had described it as rape without the sex. It was horrifying to listen too. Knowing all of this information now it made perfect sense why Tony was scared about continuing to loose his agency even now.
"I realize now that he was just grooming me for his own usage." Finished Tony once he'd gotten out of his head a bit more.
"He can't hurt you anymore Anthony. He's dead and he can't hurt you." Soothed Steve, but Tony still had more to say.
"And now there's this whole thing with Loki. He's fucked with my body twice now. He's taken my choices away from me. He's taken my years away from me. He's forced me into a situation that I don't know how I feel about because of my shitty past. I don't know what to do anymore. I just want to make my own decisions regarding my own body. Why is that so hard for the world to understand?"
That was when Tony really started crying. Steve just held him close and cried too. He cried for all the hurt Tony had had to endure. It just wasn't fair. So, while Tony cried for Tony, Tony cried over his own pain and confusion. He wasn't sure what he should do about all of this. On one hand, he could end all of this and he knew that Steve would support him. This was potentially dangerous. But, in Tony's heart, he knew he couldn't give up on all of this. Tony had always wanted a family of his own. He'd wanted a fresh start. He'd wanted a life full of love. Maybe with Steve at his side, Tony could finally have that.
Tony's right hand unconsciously went down to rest over his stomach. There was a new life growing there. A better future then the one he'd been promised long ago was resting inside him. Even though Tony was scared, he felt hopeful. Hopeful that things would continue to get better. That life would be brighter.
Steve looked down and saw where Tony's hand was resting. He took the opportunity to rest his hand there as well, right over top of Tony's. This was Tony's decision and Steve vowed that he would support Tony no matter what he decided.
"Steve," spoke Tony after a while. "I want to keep the baby. Even if this is all Loki's fault we still made this baby out of our own love. I don't want to fail before this has even begun."
"Tony, you won't fail. This is your decision and I'll support you 100% the entire time. If you want to keep the baby then I'll be right there with you. I'll be with you through all the weird cravings and late nights. I'm not going to leave your side." Declared Steve and Tony began crying anew.
"Thank you." Whispered Tony and Steve continued to hold him close. They were going to be parents and they were going to do this all together. Steve wasn't going to be some deadbeat dad and just up and leave. He loved Tony, and even though he'd only just gotten the news, Steve knew that he would love this baby just as much.
Once the doctors were back in the room, Tony told them what he wanted to do. Although some of them looked confused and tried to talk Tony out of keeping the baby, Tony stood firm with Steve's supports. The doctors who genuinely wanted to help were kept around so they could work out a game plan for things going forward. Tony still looked scared as they talked about the risks and the things that would need to change. The no coffee and no Iron Man thing was the worst. Tony didn't know how to function in the morning without coffee and the world needed Iron Man.
"Anthony sweetheart, the world may need Iron Man, but the world also needs Tony Stark. I need you. It's alright to be selfish with this. This is your health we're talking about. We have a strong team to handle the villains. I just need you to be strong for yourself."
After about another hour of being poked and prodded and talked to, Tony and Steve could finally leave medical with a very strict list of do's and don'ts. They immediately when back to their room to just take a moment to relax. The whole morning had been so stressful and they needed a break. They ended up taking a shower together to wash away the scent of medial and sick. The warm water had the added benefit of relaxing their tense muscles and adding some calmness to the room.
"We'll need to tell our friends." Spoke up Tony once the two had gotten situated and comfortable in bed.
"Later. Right now I just want you with me. Want to keep you with me."
They both slept fitfully that night but at least they had each other.
The next day, after lots of discussion on what to do, Steve called a team meeting. They all gathered in the living room and took up their usual spots. Tony and Steve shared the couch, Bruce was on the armchair, Thor and Natasha took over the beanbag chairs, and Clint was perched on the back of another armchair. They all looked a bit confused over why Steve had called a meeting and why Tony was looking like he was about 10 seconds away from throwing up.
"So, uh, I guess we'll just jump right into it?" spoke Tony and Steve nodded and held his hand for support. "So, um, yesterday Steve dragged me to medical because I've been feeling sick for over a week now."
"Wait!" interrupted Clint, "You're not dying are you?"
"No, I'm not dying. But I will have to go off of active duty for a while." The others looked back at Tony in confusion. Tony always tried to join in the fight, even when he was injured. For Tony to be backing out, even if it was for a little while, meant that this was important.
"What's wrong Tony? It's not like you to back out of the fight." Asked Nat and Tony looked down at his hands.
"I don't know if you guys will believe me. But, considering all the crazy shit that's gone down in the past two years especially concerning me this whole thing isn't completely out of the realm of possibility." Sighed Tony and everyone was all ears. Steve squeezed his hand before Tony continued.
"So, um, when I was in medical yesterday they ran a whole bunch of tests including a blood test and an ultrasound just to see what was making me sick. And, well… When we last fought Loki he hit me in the stomach with a spell that gave me a uh… a uterus. And when Steve and I finally got together I uh... Well… I'm now pregnant." Stuttered Tony. It still felt weird to say it out loud.
The room was shocked. Nobody really knew what to say. This whole thing sounded ridiculous, but then again, they were the Avengers. Weird shit happened to them at least once a week. But, the fact that this had happened to Tony made things a little more upsetting. Tony had been through so much he really needed a break. Hopefully, he'd be getting one.
"This is just like some fucked up fan fiction bullshit." Gasped Clint in an attempt to break the awkward silence in the room. That caused a little bit of a laugh and the room felt less stuffy.
"So what are you going to do?" asked Bruce.
"I'm going to keep the baby. That's why I can't go on active duty. It just wouldn't be safe."
"CONGRATULATIONS!" shouted Thor as he got up to hug the pair of expecting parents. Everyone else quickly joined in and let Tony and Steve know that they would be there if they ever needed help throughout this whole journey.
After a nice big lunch with the team, Tony and Steve went down to the lab. They needed to tell Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey and the best way to do that would be with a video call. Sure, Happy wasn't the most technologically savvy when it came to video calls but if he was with Pepper then he'd be fine. He was the Forehead of Security after all.
"Hey, guys." Spoke Tony once the group call connected. He tried to smile but it looked forced and everyone picked up on it.
"What's going on Tones? It's not often that you call all of us at once." Asked Rhodey and Pepper and Happy nodded.
"So um, remember when I broke my leg because Loki disabled my suit and then launched me off of a roof because he hit me in a stomach with a spell?" they all nodded. "Well, we found out what the spell did."
"So, what was it?" asked Happy looking a bit concerned.
"Well, um…" stuttered Tony and Steve gave him a hug for comfort. This wasn't an easy situation to talk about. "Well, the spell gave me a fully functioning uterus and when Steve and I got together I fell pregnant. So, um, I'm pregnant."
Happy, Rhodey and Pepper were just as shocked as the team was when they got the news. This was just a strange situation, but they all knew that Tony was telling the truth. This was serious and Tony was physically incapable of lying. So, they just had to make sure that they were there for Tony moving forward.
"Are you going to keep the baby?" asked Pepper as delicately as she could. Tony nodded. He understood where the question was coming from.
"You sure it's not Loki's kid?" joked Rhodey, but it was still a valid question.
"Yes, the times don't match up. My bun in the oven is at least 50% all American apple pie and 50% genius."
"Well, I guess congratulations are in order." Smiled Pepper. "I take it you'll want to keep this a secret for a little bit."
"For a while yes." Replied Steve. He could tell that Tony was getting tired of talking. "We don't really want the public knowing until we have more information and a game plan."
They all ended up talking for a little bit longer with Happy and Pepper making plans to come and visit within the next week and Rhodey promising to visit in a month when he had time off. They all gave Tony their congratulations before signing off.
Tony and Steve spent the rest of the day just being together. There wasn't much talking, but their touches and emotions said all the words that they didn't need too. They had each other and neither were leaving. They were in this together, no matter what.
That night, Steve found that he couldn't sleep. There was a lot going on in his mind. First off, he was worried about Tony. This was life-changing and he was scared that something bad would happen. Tony already had pretty bad morning sickness, what if it got worse? Second, Steve was scared for the baby. This was such an unusual situation and Steve prayed that nothing bad would happen to his and Tony's baby. And that brought on Steve's third fear. Steve was scared of becoming a father. He didn't have a father of his own growing up. His had died back in WW1 just months before Steve was born. He didn't really have much to go off of. But Steve wanted to do right by Tony and their baby. He wanted to be a good dad. He wanted to keep them safe and happy. He wanted to be the father neither he nor Tony had growing up.
He just wanted everything to be alright.
So… I didn't get the job. They wanted someone older even though I have the experience. The job market sucks ass. Also, did any of you spot the little reference to my other stony fic More Than He Seems? I thought a callback joke was necessary for all my long-time readers. Also because cat. m. ford pointed something out and I couldn't just not play off of it. Also, what does everyone think about how Tony is taking this? He and Steve are going to love the baby with everything they have, but still. What Loki did was wrong. Very wrong. Well, I'll see you next chapter. -Shadows
