Pepper shakes him awake the next morning, considerably earlier than the day before. Tony's gone already, though, and Steve feels such a sudden flash of relief that he nearly smiles. It feels like cowardice, but the less time Steve has to spend around Tony, the happier he'll be. The only thing that's keeping him going at this point is knowing that a plan for escape is in the works. With Tony around, making an escape plan is almost impossible. Even when Steve manages to forget about what happened that first night, it's still incredibly hard to think around Tony.
Apparently, they do eat breakfast here, and Steve just wasn't up in time for it yesterday. Pepper takes him out to the fire, where there's porridge waiting for them. Steve eats slowly, savoring it. In his village, he didn't usually get breakfast. Some days, he was lucky even to get lunch. His village doesn't treat orphans like him so well, but still, it's his village, the only one he's ever known, before this. If only he could figure out a way to get back there, everything would be better.
After they eat, Pepper leads him back out into the fields. It's not easy work, in the fields, but it's satisfying. Steve picked up the process pretty quickly after Pepper showed him yesterday. It's nothing like he's ever done before, in his own village, but he quite enjoys it, the weeding and the fertilizing, helping the plants grow.
When they've worked for several hours, Pepper takes them back to the fire for lunch and gets them food. Tony's there, too, but he's sitting with the man he was arguing with yesterday morning. When he sees them, he waves them over.
"Steve," he says, standing up. "This is Rhodey," he gestures toward the other man. "Rhodey, this is Steve."
The other man, Rhodey, stands, too and offers his hand to Steve. "Nice to meet you," he says. "You must be a saint to put up with this guy," he nods at Tony. "I know I sure couldn't do it. I'm honestly not sure how Pepper's survived this long."
Pepper laughs charmingly. "The trick," she says, leaning in conspiratorially, "is to tune him out. He's not half as terrible if you don't listen to anything that comes out of his mouth."
"Hey!" Tony says, but even Steve can tell he's not really offended. "You guys don't know what you're talking about. I'm the one that has to put up with you two, ganging up on me all the time, never letting me have any fun." He looks right at Steve, then. "Don't listen to them, Steve," he says, "I'm actually brilliant."
Steve smiles, despite himself. "So I keep hearing," he says and they all laugh a bit, even Tony.
After that they all settle in to eat. Tony and Rhodey apparently have very different ideas about what needs to be done in regards to the horses, but Steve doesn't listen to the arguments on either side. He eats slowly, and thinks, for being kidnapped, things could certainly be worse. He's not in any hurry to get back to the tent tonight, but the days, they're not so bad, so far.
Steve's days pretty much take on a routine after that. Pepper wakes him up in the morning, after Tony's already gone, and together they eat breakfast and head out to the fields. They work there until lunch, then after lunch another shift of workers head out to the fields, leaving Pepper and Steve free to do things that need done for the household, like washing the bedrolls and mending Tony's clothes. Tony, somehow or another, gets more holes and tears in his clothes than any person Steve's ever met. Tony's in charge of making horseshoes for the horses, Steve knows, so that explains some of the holes, the ones that look like they've been burnt, but the other ones Steve sees, the long tears that look like they've been ripped by animals, Steve has no honest idea where those come from, nor does Pepper when he asks her.
Some days, Tony comes and finds them while they're working. He always lends a hand, but he's pretty bad at it. His mending is absolutely terrible, though Steve isn't sure why. He's seen Tony's work on the horse ropes, up close and personal, actually, and the ropes are wonderful. It just doesn't make sense that his sewing should be so bad. The only thing that Steve can guess is that it's because Tony's so easily distracted when he's bored, getting up halfway through mending a tear to go chat someone up or try to help with something else.
By the time they're done with the household chores, there's usually about an hour left before supper. At those times, Pepper tends to wander off. Steve guesses she must have friends somewhere that she runs off to see. She's probably about his age, after all, and if Steve had friends here, he'd probably want to be with them, too. It's during those times, after Pepper's gone, that Tony comes to see him. Somehow, even if Tony hasn't been helping out with chores, he always knows when they're about done, and comes to drag Steve off to the horse paddock. Tony still makes Steve nervous and a bit uncomfortable, but he hasn't done anything, since that first night. Steve's starting to hope that he won't, again. Tony's not such a bad guy, apart from that, and if Steve just pushes it out of his head, he doesn't really mind spending time with him.
Supper's always fantastic, of course, though the formal setting does throw Steve off, for a while. It's not terrible, though, sitting with Pepper and Tony, as long as Steve keeps his mind off what might be coming later in the night. Steve asks once why they never had to take a turn at cooking, to which Pepper explains that the village has a few men and women whose only job is to do the cooking. This is a very organized village, Steve thinks, and he's not sure how to feel about that. He hates to think well of any village that would kidnap people and force them to become brides, but still, this village is very well run.
After they eat, there's usually music and dancing. Sometimes Steve and Pepper stay out for a while, enjoying the atmosphere, but most nights they just head to bed, Pepper to her own pallet and Steve to Tony's. When Tony comes in, Steve always holds his breath, afraid that tonight will be the night Tony wants to try again for a baby. It never is, though. Tony always just curls up behind him and pulls him close. They never talk, just lie together until they both fall asleep.
One day, after breakfast, about a month into this new situation, they're walking out to the fields to start work when Pepper looks at him oddly and asks, "Did you always sleep so late, or just since you've been here?"
Steve was always an early riser, at his own village, and he tells her so. It's only since he's been here that he's been sleeping late into the morning. She purses her lips when she hears this.
"It's just that pregnancy makes a person very tired, I've been told. If you're sleeping later, maybe the reason is that you've conceived."
"Maybe," Steve says. He doesn't have the heart to tell her that he's been sleeping later because he's been up late every night, worrying both about the threat Tony poses, sleeping right behind him, and about how his plan for escape doesn't seem to be coming together very well at all. Still, he doesn't think he should let her get her hopes up. He searches for a way to say it diplomatically, one that won't make him blush. "Actually, Tony hasn't done that to me since the first night."
That just makes Pepper look sad, though he's not sure why. "Steve," she says, stopping them just short of the fields and reaching up to touch his arm. "Tony hasn't done anything because he doesn't want to hurt you. He didn't have a choice about the first night. He had to do what he did, but it really hurt him to know he was forcing you. I could see it in his eyes for days afterward. He wants what's best for you. We'll be able to tell for sure in a month or so whether or not you've conceived and if you haven't, you'll have to try again. But until then, there's no reason for him to force himself on you, though believe me, I've seen heads do it like that. But Tony, he really likes you. You should give him a chance."
"Oh," Steve says, suddenly breathless, for some reason. "Okay." He gives her the best smile he can manage and they start toward the fields again.
It does help, though not in the way she was intending. It gives Steve hope. He's got at least a few months, then, before Tony will want to get inside him again. That means Steve's got plenty of time. He's sure that he can come up with and execute a plan for escape by then. Steve's a lot happier in the fields that day than he has been in a while.
The rest of the day goes like normal, with one exception. During their time alone in the paddock, feeding and rubbing down the horses, Tony turns to Steve and says, "I'm leaving tomorrow for a hunt."
Steve's not sure how to feel about that, honestly. On the one hand, Tony being gone means Steve doesn't have to worry at night, though with Pepper's words this morning, he's not sure he would have, anyway. On the other hand, though, Steve only spends time with two people, really, and Tony's one of them.
"How long will you be gone?" He asks and Tony shrugs.
"Depends how long it takes us to get something. Two weeks, probably, maybe a bit longer. Why, will you miss me, sweetheart?" He's wearing that grin again, the one that means he's teasing. He's always calling Steve things like sweetheart and love, but Steve's pretty much gotten over it at this point. He calls Pepper those things, too, so it's nothing personal, just the way Tony talks.
"Maybe," Steve answers, noncommittally, and Tony just laughs.
That night, after Tony's back in the tent, he does something he's never done before and kisses the back of Steve's neck. Steve tenses, but when no other touching follows, he relaxes again.
"I'll be gone by the time you wake up," Tony whispers. "I'll miss you."
Steve doesn't answer, and Tony doesn't say anything else, after that. They just lie together until Tony's breathing evens out and Steve finally falls asleep, too.
Steve goes about his business, working the fields, keeping up the household. He's getting better at both, enough so that Pepper can take more time than she usually does to go see her friends. It's good for her, Steve thinks. She's just a kid, after all, and she deserves to have a bit of fun. She's been talking more and more lately, as they work together, about getting married. Steve does wonder, though she never says and he never asks, if she might not have her eye on someone in particular.
Steve's days are lonelier, with Tony gone. He didn't realize just how much time he spent with the man until he isn't there. Sure, there's the time together in the paddock, time that Steve now spends there alone, petting Dummy. There's other times, too, though, when Steve looks around and feels like something's missing, before realizing it's Tony.
Meal times are especially odd. They're less formal with all the hunters gone. There's still music and laughter, but the tribe is half as big, so everyone interacts a good deal more. Steve meets several people he's never spoken to before, all of whom seem friendly but none he'd consider a friend, yet. Pepper's still on his right whenever they eat, but it feels odd, lopsided, that Tony isn't on his left. Steve just sighs and tries not to think about it, about the reasons behind him missing Tony.
The worst, though, is at night, when Steve's all alone, with no Tony behind him to hold him or keep him warm. It should be a relief, but somehow, it's not. Steve misses Tony the worst at night, especially after Pepper's words about Tony not being a threat.
Tony ends up being gone for nearly three weeks. He gets back after Steve's already gone to bed, extra blankets wrapped around him to keep out the chill. Steve's very nearly asleep when there's a ruckus outside. Steve ignores it, mostly. Sometimes there are inexplicable noises in the camp at night, and Steve's found it's better not to ask. So he tunes it out, just rolls over to face the tent wall. That position is the reason he doesn't see Tony come in, the reason he's startled when Tony curls up behind and around him and nuzzles his neck.
"Hello, gorgeous," Tony whispers, pulling him closer. "Did you miss me?"
Steve did, and no one's more surprised than him about it, but he's not going to admit it. "You smell like horse," he says instead. It's true, too. Tony usually smells like horse, after spending most of his day with them, but Pepper usually manages to get him into a bath about once a week. It's not an easy task. For some reason, Tony can't stand water. Steve would bet Tony hasn't bathed the entire time he's been gone. Despite that, though, the smell is somehow comforting, and Steve leans back against Tony, falling asleep almost at once.
The hunt went well, Tony thinks. They brought down enough buffalos that there won't be a need for another hunt for at least a few months. Tony spent his entire childhood wishing he could be hunting. It's different now that it's his duty to hunt, though. It's not that doesn't enjoy it, but he misses his house when he's gone far more than he thought he would. This wasn't his first hunt, by any means. Tony's father's been dead for nearly a year, now, and someone had to step up and take his place. This was the first hunt since he'd been with Steve, though, and Tony'd missed him like crazy, the whole time. Pepper, too, but Steve especially. It'd been worst at night, when Tony'd had to cuddle up with Rhodey for warmth. Rhodey's not half the bedpartner Steve is. He kicks in his sleep and if Tony's not careful, he'll end up with no blankets by morning. Tony has no idea how Rhodey's bride puts up with it.
Now that he's back at the village, though, Tony's been noticing something different about Steve. The thing is, he's way more clingy than he was before Tony left. Before, Tony'd held him as they slept, and Steve held himself as rigidly as possible. Now, though, Steve not only lets him cuddle, but cuddles back. It's a drastic improvement, though it does make Tony lament Rhodey's bedpartner qualities even more.
The whole thing makes Tony think that maybe Steve's forgiven him for their first night together, or at the very least stopped being afraid of him. It makes it more difficult, too, though, because pretty soon, they're going to know if Steve conceived or not. And if he didn't, well, they're going to have to try again. It could set their whole relationship back by months, and that's something Tony seriously doesn't want. He's not going to have a choice, though, if Steve's not pregnant. They need a baby, it's their duty.
It gives him hope, then, a few weeks after Tony gets back from the hunt, when Steve stops eating. Normally, this would not be a good thing. Steve was terribly underfed when he first came here, and Tony's made it his mission to feed him up. He's been doing a pretty good job of it, too, he thinks, subtly refilling Steve's plate every night until Steve looks like he's comfortably full, then adding another helping, just for good measure. The result has been that Steve's no long skin and bones. He's been filling out nicely, and it's only made him all the more beautiful.
Now, though, Steve's stopped eating much of anything at all, and Tony's got reason to believe it might be the pregnancy sickness. Pepper's mother told him, when he was a child, and terribly interested in babies, that the pregnancy sickness is the real start of the pregnancy. It's the first sign that conception has occurred. Then about a month after the sickness, if conception has actually occurred and it's not some other type of sickness, the baby should start to be visible. It probably says something sappy about Tony that he's been wanting babies since he was practically a baby himself, but he's really excited about this. Not excited enough to let it change things, though. His relationship with Steve is delicate enough. He's just going to keep doing what he's been doing, feeding Steve at supper and holding him at night, taking him to the paddock and spending as much time with him as possible. If Steve is pregnant, it's all the better. If not, well, they'll deal with it when they have to.
Steve's been nauseous at least a week before he realizes what it means. He knows Pepper and Tony have been watching him, but neither of them have said anything, so Steve figures they're just concerned. Pepper's been taking up his slack in the fields when Steve has to slink off and vomit, away from the crops. The nausea never lasts long, but it comes and goes all day. Steve tries to work harder to make up for it, during those times when he's not feeling sick. Tony helps, too, though not in the same way. He rubs Steve's back at night, when supper's left him too sick to move, and makes shushing sounds when Steve can't stop the whimpers. He also doesn't say anything about the times Steve's accidently elbowed him awake while diving for the tent flap in the middle of the night. After two or three nights of this, though, Tony does come back with a basin, freshly carved, probably by Tony's own hand, so Steve doesn't have to leave the tent to puke. It's both sweet and extremely practical. Steve only hopes whatever he's got isn't contagious.
Then one day, it's midmorning and he's on his knees a bit away from the fields, dry heaving, when he feels a hand on the back of his neck. He looks up to see a boy about his age, with curly brown hair and a kind smile.
"Hi, I'm Bruce" the boy says, and helps Steve to his feet.
"Steve," he manages, and clings to the boy until he gets his balance.
Bruce nods. "Yeah, I know. Tony sent me out here to get you. Why don't you come back to the village with me. I'm training to be a healer. I can help you."
At this point, Steve's willing to take any help he can get. He nods and Bruce helps him stumble back to the village. Bruce doesn't say anything more about the help he's offering until he's got Steve in the healing tent, sitting on a pallet. They're all alone in the tent, and Steve wonders vaguely where the healer is who's training Bruce. It doesn't really matter, though. Help is help, and Steve certainly needs it.
"So this is your first pregnancy, then?" Bruce asks, as he's rummaging around on a shelf.
That gets Steve's attention like nothing else. "What?" he asks, suddenly feeling a bit dizzy.
Bruce turns back around, a curious look on his face and a bottle in his hand. "Didn't you know?" He asks. "Tony said you've been sick about a week and a half. These symptoms aren't unique, but they've lasted too long to be anything else. Here," he holds out the bottle, and Steve takes it with shaking hands. "Take this whenever you feel sick."
Steve feels pretty sick right at this moment, so he uncorks it and takes a sip. It's not the best thing he's ever tasted, but it's not so bad.
"What's in it," he asks.
"You know," Bruce says with a shrug, "Herbs, mostly. Meadowsweet, wild yam, a bit of peppermint, some other things, too. It depends on the person, but I've heard it works miracles."
"You haven't used it?" Steve asks. It's probably too soon for the liquid to work, but he's feeling a bit better, now that he's taken it, or at least more calm.
"Oh, no," Bruce says, and he blushes a bit. "I've never been pregnant. I'm not even married yet. I've got an understanding with a girl, but, well, we've got to wait for her head to get himself settled before anything else can happen."
"Good luck," Steve tells him, and means it.
"Thanks," Bruce says, then clears his throat. "Anyway, just use this stuff whenever you feel nauseous, and when you run out, come back to see me. I'll have some more ready by then. Once you get further along, we'll start you on some other things, too, to help with the birthing pains."
Steve's world goes a bit sideways when he hears the words "birthing pains." Somehow, in all this time Steve's been thinking about conception, he never even once considered how the baby was going to come out. He concentrates on just breathing for a few minutes, trying hard not to think about it, and when he pulls himself together, Bruce is rubbing his back.
"S-sorry," Steve stutters. "I just hadn't thought about the-"
"The birth?" Bruce kindly finishes for him. "Don't worry. I won't lie, it's not going to be pleasant, but between me and Tony, we'll take good care of you."
"Tony?" Steve asks. He's almost certain Tony knows nothing about healing. Two days ago, he'd cut his arm making new arrowheads and wrapped the cut with an old horse blanket. It probably would have gotten infected if Steve hadn't cleaned it out and rewrapped it with a fresh bandage. Steve likes the man a lot, but he's not someone he especially wants involved in his healing.
Bruce must be able to tell what he's thinking by the expression on his face, because he laughs. "It's worrying, I know," he says. "But Tony's actually really knowledgeable about delivering babies. He usually helps with births when he can, and he's the one that births all the foals. In fact, that little colt that follows him around, the silly one, I can't think of his name-"
"Dummy," Steve supplies and Bruce nods.
"That's right, Dummy. If Tony hadn't been there when that horse was born, he would've died with his mother. Tony saved him. And you should have seen how upset he was when the mother died a few days later. He may not be the best healer, but he's a damn good man to have around come birthing season."
They talk for a while more, then Steve feels well enough to return to the fields. Pepper asks him if he's alright when he gets back, but he just nods and gets back to work. Later, when they're eating lunch, he turns to her. He knows she'll be pleased for him, but he's still inexplicably nervous to tell her what Bruce said. Finally, he just blurts it out.
"The healer said I'm pregnant." He blushes as he says it.
Pepper makes a sound that's close to a shriek and leans forward at once to hug him. "Oh I knew it," she says, grinning, "I just knew it, way back at the beginning, I knew it. Oh, this is such good news, Steve. I'm so happy for you. Have you told Tony yet?"
Steve shakes his head. "Haven't had the chance."
It's true, but at the same time not the whole reason. Steve wanted to get back to the fields as soon as he felt well enough, because he wants to pull his weight in the village. He's being fed three times a day, so he should work hard enough to deserve that, which meant getting right back to the fields instead of going off to find Tony. But the other part Steve's a little shy about admitting, even to himself. If Bruce is right about how much Tony knows about pregnancy, Tony probably already knows, but Steve still wants to be the one to tell him and he wants to do it in Tony's favorite place.
After lunch, there are still chores to be done. Clothes need fixed and beds need washed, and there's a tear in the tent flap that needs sewed up. Steve makes a note as he's washing the beds to force Tony into a bath tonight, whether he thinks he needs it or not. After all that's done, it's nearly supper, but there's just enough time for Steve to track Tony down out in the paddock.
"Hey," he calls out as he climbs over the fence. Tony's with Dummy, who's grown considerably since Steve first met him, trying to fit a lead onto him. Dummy is not having any of it, squirming and backing away, stepping on Tony's feet as often as he can manage.
Tony looks up and waves to him. Dummy takes advantage of his distraction to work the rope off and run away, neighing happily. Tony picks up the rope and stares after him.
"For crying out loud," he says, though Steve can tell he's not actually angry. He shakes his head. "Never mind, I'll get him tomorrow." He looks back at Steve and takes a few steps forward to meet him. "What's up, cutie? Feeling any better."
Steve nods. "Yeah," he says. "Bruce gave me something to drink for the sickness. He, um, he also told me what was wrong."
Tony's eyes are wide, and maybe a bit hopeful. He nods for Steve to continue.
"I'm pregnant," Steve says, shyly.
Tony grins, wide and relieved. "That is great, sunshine. That is fantastic. There are no words for how fantastic that is." He wraps his arms around Steve. They just stand there for a few minutes, holding each other until the supper bell rings and breaks them apart. As they start back toward the fire, Tony grabs Steve's hand, and doesn't let go until they're back in the village.
It isn't until later, much later, after Tony's already asleep behind him that it occurs to Steve how much more difficult it's going to be to escape, now that he's pregnant.