The soldier and the metal man

Closer

Ch. 11

"Steve. Can you stay? I think we need to talk."

Steve frowned and sat back down. "What is it, Tony?"

Tony shut the door and took a seat next to Steve.

"You're really pregnant?"

Steve let out a deep sigh. "Yes, Tony, I am."

"And it's definitely mine?"

"Who else's could it be? Unless you've forgotten that you took my virginity and devastated me after that and all."

Tony cringed. "I know, I know. Fuck. I'm sorry, Steve. I'm not good at this."

"Obviously not."

"If... if it's true, then I'll step up and do my best to help you. If you want my help, of course."

Steve raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden change in heart? This morning you told me to leave!"

"I told you I'm not good at this, Steve. I don't know what to do. Every relationship I've ever had has gone to hell. I didn't want it to be the same with you. I was hoping that if I cut it off early there wouldn't be as much drama. I didn't expect this to happen."

"I need to know one thing. Do you actually care about me? Or was that just a lie to get into my pants?"

"I care about you. Just seeing you before, sitting there looking all sad hurt me. I don't want to hurt you, Steve. That's the whole problem here."

"But you don't want a relationship."

"I don't know. I guess we have to have one, if we're going to be having a kid. At the very least we ought to be friends. Maybe we can just see where it goes. Unless you don't want me to be around, that is."

"No. I want the kid to have both of it's parents in its life. It's just going to be hard."

"I understand. I guess we should start by getting you moved back into the Tower."

"Yeah. Okay."

"I'll send someone over to pick you up tonight."

00

Steve and Bruce arrived back at Stark Tower a little after eight. Tony helped them bring their suitcases to the elevator.

"Hey, Tony, my room's on the fourth floor," Steve said, seeing Tony hit the buttons for the 5 and 6.

"Not anymore. You're going to stay on the same floor with me in case you need any help."

"Oh."

The three continued going up, first dropping Bruce off on the fifth floor and then up to the sixth where Tony lived.

Tony led Steve down the hall, stopping right outside of his room. Tony pointed to the door next to it.

"That's your room. It's connected to mine, that way if you need anything I can be right over."

Steve pushed the door open. Tony had already decorated the room to look exactly like Steve's old room.

"You didn't have to do that, Tony," Steve said, looking it over. "I could've taken everything up myself."

"Didn't want you to have to exert yourself more than necessary."

"I'm pregnant, not crippled," Steve replied. "But... thanks. That was nice of you."

"Not a problem." Tony picked up Steve's suitcase and brought it into the room. "I can help you unpack," he offered.

"Nah. It's okay. I'm actually kinda tired, I want to get some sleep."

Tony glanced at the clock. It was barely past eight, but Steve probably had to rest more than usual.

"Yeah, sure. Just come get me if you need anything, alright?"

"Okay, Tony," Steve said, cracking a smile. "I'll see you later."

"Later."

00

Steve slept peacefully for a few hours until an odd sensation woke him up. He felt incredibly hot. He was actually sweating, that's how bad it was.

"JARVIS, lower the temperature?" Steve asked, throwing his blanket off. "It's boiling in here."

"Sir, the temperature is fifty five degrees."

"That's it? It feels way hotter."

"Perhaps taking a cold shower would help," the AI suggested.

"Good idea." Steve got out of bed and made his way over to the bathroom attached to his room. It was huge, decked out with both a hot tub and a large shower. Tony definitely gave him one of the best rooms available.

Steve turned the water on in the shower and walked in. He was still way too hot and was getting more uncomfortable each minute. The cold water felt good on his warm skin, and Steve decided to enjoy it for as long as possible.

Sadly for him, about ten minutes in he began to feel sick. Instead of feeling warm his body felt like it was freezing, and the nausea that had plagued him for much of the previous day had returned. It came on so quickly that Steve barely made it to the toilet in time, even though it was only a few feet away.

As he began to throw up, the bathroom door opened. Tony walked in, and placed a hand on Steve's back. Steve could hear Tony mumbling something but was too focused on being sick to understand it. It was only after he finished that he understood. Tony was repeating "It'll be okay" under his breath, trying to keep Steve calm.

Steve leaned back against a wall, breathing heavily. "Ugh," he sighed, resting a hand on his stomach. He could see Tony reaching for a glass and filling it with water.

"Here," Tony said, kneeling down next to Steve. "Drink this."

Steve took a sip but soon realized that it was a mistake. He immediately moved back over and began throwing up yet again. By the end of it, he was so weak that all he could barely stay kneeling. Just as he felt like he was about to fall over, two strong hands reached under his arms and pulled him back towards the wall.

"Just sit down for a while," Tony instructed. "When you feel better I'll help you back to bed."

Steve closed his eyes. "This sucks, Tony," he whispered.

"I know it does." Tony sat down next to him. "I'll keep you company at least."

"Thanks..."

The two remained there until Steve felt comfortable getting up. When he did, Tony wrapped an arm around his waist and helped him back to bed, just like he said he would.