Last part - hope you enjoyed this short, cheesy as hell story! :D Also, shout out to RDJ for liking ANOTHER one of my tweets today...right before I booked my flight to be at the red carpet for IW next month! What an amazing day...
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Marvel characters or story lines!
Pepper's grip on Tony's hand loosened as she felt flush and weak after a few more pangs of pain shook her body. She groaned and blinked, fighting the slipping consciousness, watching as Shuri had injected her with something in her thigh; something to ease the pain, she guessed, because she quickly fell into a limp, calm state. She was drowsy, and the room was flickering around her, but she heard Tony clear as day.
"Hang in there, Pep," he demanded, squeezing her hand again. "Stay with me, honey."
Then, she heard Shuri faintly talking to Natasha, who still had her arm supporting Tony.
"I'll have to do this now, if you want a chance to save this baby," she told them urgently, looking over the tablets that read Pepper's vitals. "She's been having anxiety attacks. They're inducing premature labor."
"I did this?" Tony asked, managing to lift his new arm to brush her bangs aside as she shook on the table; she flinched at the cool touch.
"Don't over extend yourself," Shuri scolded, cutting up Pepper's skirt and ordering her screens to display her vitals.
"Tony, you saved the world," Natasha told him softly, catching his worried eyes for a brief moment. "This isn't your fault."
"She'll be okay, right?" Steve asked, gazing at her with his own amount of worry; they had grown close over the last few months.
Stark glared at him, feeling protective over Pepper, but didn't say anything back; he still felt fatigued, himself, but the adrenaline was keeping him going for the time being.
"I'm going to have to operate," Shuri suddenly decided, recruiting Banner in the process. "Doctor, I need you over here."
"I'm not that kind of doctor..." he muttered, but obliged.
Pepper blinked, trying to focus on Tony's face, but only caught his look of panic before her eyes rolled back and she met the darkness trying to greet her.
Next thing Pepper knew, she was blinking her eyes open to the blue glow from the arc on Tony's chest. He was lying in the bed with her, acting as her pillow. She groaned and lifted her head slightly, still feeling a little dizzy. Then, she winced as she flexed her hand and realized an IV was still in her hand.
Tony twitched, stretching his back slightly as he woke, himself. His eyes landed on her face, his lighting up instantly.
"Hey, babe..." he mumbled, kissing her forehead and shifting to wrap his metal arm around her and hug her close; she shivered at the contact again.
"You seem to have that thing down pat," she told him quietly, her voice still light and weak.
It had earned a grin from him as he sighed into her hair. "You gotta stop scaring me, Pep!"
"You first," she challenged.
Tony sighed. "I'm so sorry, Pepper."
"Stop," she whispered, lifting her hand to run over his cheek as she looked up at him. "You did your job. I knew what I signed up for."
"I should've been here," he protested. "But I just made it worse."
"Tony," she smirked, blinking her blue eyes up at him tiredly. "Nothing's ever gone the conventional way with us, now has it?"
He chuckled lightly. "Not at all, Potts."
"You're here now and that's all that matters," she answered, letting out a deep breath.
Tony ran his metal hand through her hair, groaning when he snagged on a knot and struggled to set her free. Pepper only laughed, making her stitching ache across his stomach as she whimpered in pain; the drugs were wearing off. Finally, Tony freed his hand and simply kissed her cheek, resting his forehead there afterwards for a moment of silence.
"Do you want to meet her, Pep?" he asked quietly into her skin, his voice lighter than she had ever heard it before.
"What?" she managed, taking in his familiar deep voice that she missed so much.
She felt him smile against her.
"Our daughter, Pep," he announced quietly, nuzzling into her sleepily. "She's perfect."
She grinned, her eyes now closed again as she took in the moment of stillness and bliss. "Well, you're her father, after all," she complimented as they cuddled.
Tony smirked and mumbled something in response, but it wasn't audible. Pepper sighed, melting into him and enjoying the comfort. This was why it was all worth it...they could finally be happy.
After a moment, they were interrupted by footsteps at the door and a happy looking Natasha knocking lightly on the door frame.
"Hey," her voice sounded, forcing the two to open their eyes. "There's someone who wants to meet you."
Pepper turned her head, her heart beating extra fast as she laid her eyes on the little bundle Nat was holding in her arms. Her heart instantly warmed and she forced herself to sit up, eagerly accepting the small child from her friend. She didn't know when she started grinning to wildly, but as she looked at the baby in the blanket, softly snugged in her own sleep, she couldn't hide it.
"Oh, hello sweetie," Pepper sang, her hand toying with the blanket around the child's face.
Tony raised an eyebrow in amusement as he locked eyes with Natasha; they had never heard Pepper so fond of a child before...or so relaxed. His lips tugged up in a faint smile, thanking her silently for watching over the new born while they recovered.
"Have you picked a name?" they heard Happy's voice ask as he and Cap appeared behind Widow at the doorway, filing into the room.
"No, not yet," Pepper whispered, never moving her eyes from their baby girl.
"How about...Toni. With an i," Tony offered, grinning largely as he waited for her response. "That can be a girl's name, right?"
Pepper giggled, but dismissed it. "There's already enough of your ego in you," she told her fiance. "Hopefully she'll grow up to learn some humility."
"I thought you wanted Maria," Cap asked from the end of the bed.
Stark shook his head. "I get it, but...too many memories."
Pepper nodded, agreeing. "That's okay. We can think up something else, can't we," she asked, more so to the baby than anyone else.
"Or..." Stark thought out loud, his eyes back on Natasha. "What about Natalie?"
Pepper finally looked up, meeting his soft chocolate eyes with her own. "I love it."
"After the one who took care of you while I couldn't," he finished, warmly shifting his gaze back to Natasha.
She looked surprised, but didn't argue, so Pepper spoke up.
"And her godmother," she decided, looking up at Nat. "If you'll accept."
"And uh, Happy," Tony summoned, looking at his life long friend. "You've put up with my shit for so long...would you do the honors?"
Hogan slapped a hand on his knee from the edge of the bed, eagerly agreeing to take the position of godfather. Pepper gazed warmly around the room, holding onto Natalie as delicately as she could, before resting her eyes back on Stark beside her. He met her with a soft kiss to the lips, earning a small cat call from the others in the room, which forced some laughter.
"I love you, Pepper," he told her sincerely, his heart soaring. "I promise I'll try to do my best with this dad thing, but-"
"You'll do great," she silenced him, smiling back.
He swallowed. "And I'm...I'm done with the suit. Iron Man. The Avengers," he added, looking toward Cap. "I'm out. That's not important anymore...and I just need to make sure you two are safe. Pep, you guys deserve better, and I'll be damned if I put our little girl in danger."
Pepper shook her head in amusement. "I know you're not, Stark," she answered. "But that's okay. There are other people in the world to protect besides us. They need you, too."
"But-"
"No."
Stark grunted in reply, but accepted it; they could talk it over later.
"Who would've thought," Happy mumbled, interrupting. "Tony Stark, a parent...with Pepper. Man, you couldn't have paid me enough to believe this a decade back."
Tony glared playfully at his security detail but couldn't stay mad; instead, he placed his cool metal fingers over Pepper's hand next to the baby's side, mesmerized by how tiny she really was. He felt her sigh again, and he closed his eyes as he nestled his face into the top of her head again, finally feeling whole.
They took another week to heal themselves, but once Pepper was okay with walking again, Tony had decided it was time to go back home; back to their home, the tower in New York, and focus on their life together. He had still insisted he was done with the suits, but she didn't buy a word of it.
Before they left, he demanded she put on a dress Shuri had picked out for her. Then, she Wakandan had done her makeup, traditional to Wakanda, and helped her carry Natalie to the tribe's sacred waterfall, where T'Challa was named king, to say goodbye and present their baby to the tribe before taking off. But, to her surprise, the walls were lined with their friends...the same friends who had fought against Thanos...the ones who had survived, and the ones that would represent those who didn't. And in the middle of it all was Tony, standing in one of his recent suit purchases, waiting for her in the water.
Pepper was greeted by Natasha, who took Natalie willingly, standing back in place next to Banner. Then, she hesitatingly stepped into the water in her sandals as she was ushered to stand with Tony, and she watched as T'Challa himself met them at their side.
"Tony," she whispered under her breath. "What are you doing?!"
He smirked, squinting slightly in the sunlight; he decided against the sunglasses for the first time in a while.
"Marrying you," he answered simply. "I don't wanna wait anymore, Pep."
She stared at him for a moment, but then her lips curved up in a smile as they softly pressed together, trying to hide her giddiness. She glanced around the surrounding crowd again, feeling her emotions take over as she fought her tears.
"How long have you had this planned?!" she asked, needing to know.
He grinned. "Since I found out about Natalie," he admitted. "Before we left to fight Thanos. I promised myself I'd do you right if I made it back, Pep. You deserve happiness. And a normal life. A normal family."
"Nothing's normal with you, Stark," she teased.
"I know." He took her hands in his, nodding to T'Challa. "What do ya say? Wanna get married, Miss Potts?"
She pretended to ponder the idea for a moment, her face scrunched up in thought. Tony cocked an eyebrow, amused, until she finally decided.
"That's gonna be Mrs Stark to you from now on," she answered, turning toward Natasha, who was still holding their baby girl. "Natalie Maria Stark."
"We'll..we'll work on that middle name," Tony chuckled, squeezing her hands lightly.
Then, they began, and the tribe welcomed them as a happily married couple not long after.