A week.
It's been a week since Tony has found out about the baby and he's still kind of freaking out.
It isn't quite as bad as before, Rhodey and Pepper are both there to reassure him that he's a great dad, even if he doesn't always feel like one. And he's there to reassure Pepper that she does everything perfectly so he's sure she's going to be a stellar mom just like she is to the boys. He figures that 10 years and a couple of kids ago he would have thought it was all very disgustingly domestic, but now the domesticity of it is exciting.
It's that thought that shocks him with the reminder that he is part of a family unit and he has yet to tell the other parts of it.
It's been a week and he hasn't told the boys yet, and one of them has been stuck with him on suspension from school.
A large part of him wants to take the smiles that they give him when he helps with their homework or shows them a recipe his mother taught him, as a sign that he's doing something right. Even if he's keeping a huge secret from them.
He's going to be a dad again. From scratch this time and he thinks that maybe he should tell them soon.
The first time he tries, he's given Happy the day off so he can pick the boys up from school himself. It's just after school on Harley's second day back, 9 days since Tony's found out and he can't figure out how to bring it up the entire ride home. Even after hours working on homework and projects in the lab he hasn't been able to force the words out.
The second time is only minorly less successful, but isn't helped any when the Avengers show up for a meeting that Tony had forgotten about. He groans as he storms out, his heart's irregular beat pounding in his chest as he heads out to the conference room.
Rhodey catches up with him as he steps off the elevator to whichever floor FRIDAY had directed him to. He couldn't even be bothered to ask.
"You okay?" Rhodey asks, placing a grounding hand on his shoulder.
"Peachy keen, Honey Bear, but be on alert." Tony tosses him a smile before marching ahead with his hands in his pockets.
Rhodey leans his head back and groans, but follows him all the same. "That is not at all what 'peachy keen' means, man."
"Stark," says a surprised voice from the far side of the room.
Tony meets the eyes of James Barnes for maybe the third time since their falling out in Siberia and his subsequent re-becoming after the snap and he doesn't panic.
"Barnes." Tony nods at him then looks around the room before making the decision to sit next to him. Rhodey is right behind him every step of the way. The rest of the room becomes visibly more tense until Bucky turns to him and starts speaking.
"Are you feeling better?" His voice is firm while still being quiet and concerned. Tony forces out a breath that practically looks natural and nods.
"Yeah," Tony sighs out when he realizes it's true. He is much better than he was the last couple of times Barnes had seen him. "Thanks for asking, Fabio." Without thinking Tony's hand reaches out and pats the other man's shoulder where the arm is missing.
The smile Barnes sends him is genuine and reminds him of the meal he'd shared with him and Rhodey. It's easier to take in the rest of the table's occupants after that.
These types of meetings still feel like a waste of time, almost especially because now everyone who'd once been missing...that had been dead, are back now. Living, but terrified, even more than a month or so later.
"So," Rhodey starts as he notices Tony's posture and takes in the increasingly tense nature of the rest of the room. "What's up?"
Rogers glances at Tony and Barnes from the front of the room before he clears his throat and looks away to actually begin the meeting. There's nothing new to learn and Tony wants to rip his hair out for the proof that all this is a waste of time. So he says as much.
"This is a waste of time."
"Tony," says Rhodey but it's wrapped in a sigh so he knows he agrees.
"Tell the truth, Platypus," Tony counters with a partial smile. "This is a complete waste of time. Everyone's safe. There's no big bad waiting on the horizon anymore. We have time to relax before things ultimately go to shit again and I would like to spend that time with my family."
"Don't you think we know that?" says Sam Wilson from where he's seated next to Barnes. "For a lot of us the Avengers are our family."
"I'm sorry, I don't remember you being an Avenger. I remember you being an enemy of the state, interestingly enough."
"What Sam means is that this," Rogers motions to the table of heroes and ex-heroes, "this is our family. Or at least some of it."
Tony looks around and anger bubbles in him. He'd thought the same thing once, and he was left to die in the middle of Siberia for it. "Yeah, no. Forgive me if I don't believe that crock of horse shit. I don't trust most of you enough to sit with my backs to you. Too open for you to stab it."
"Tony, I—" Rogers starts. Tony is sure it's going to be some sincere apology about how he thought he was doing the right thing, but Tony doesn't need a lecture on the morality of what's right and wrong from Steve fucking Rogers.
"No. You don't get to stand over there and act high and mighty while we all sing Kumbaya. Rhodey, Pepper, my kids —they're my family. Not whatever farce this is."
"A— a farce?"
"A fake. A falsification. A two-bit replica. You all are co-workers. Civil acquaintances at best. But you," Tony says forcefully as he stands, "You don't get to stand there after doing what you did and call us a family."
Barnes stiffens up next to him, but doesn't make to move farther than where he grips the edge of the table with his flesh hand. The rest of the table's occupants are looking around confused but tense.
"What's he talking about?" Natasha's eyebrows are raised, though the rest of her face is an unbreakable mask. The strain on her shoulders tells Tony all he needs to know however, about how much she still cares about him.
"Oh, he didn't tell you?" Tony says and Rhodey grits his teeth at the forced nonchalant tone. "Why am I not surprised?"
"There were more important things going on," Rogers tries.
"More important things," Rhodey sneers."You almost killed Tony. You destroyed his suit so he couldn't contact anyone, and you left him alone in Siberia in the middle of a oncoming snow storm. And you think you had more important things going on?"
"Th-the UN...like Tony said, we were enemies of the state and Buck was being framed. We were just trying to—"
"You were just trying to save your own asses, and the cost for you bastards is always the same. It's always Tony."
"Rhodey..." Tony murmurs grabbing his husband's wrist as Rhodey's fists bare down onto the table.
"No, Tones, I'm tired of this." He doesn't turn away from where he's eyeing everyone else at the table even though Tony is trying to pull the both of them from the room. "He pays for your food, your shelter, and anything else any of you want. He even makes and upgrades your tech in his free time. He figured out how to bring back everyone we lost without having to lose anyone else." He shakes his head. "But that's not enough, is it. Well I'm speaking for him now. And I say he's done."
"Rhodey...HoneyBear, c'mon, let's go."
Rhodey let's Tony pull him away this time, but Tony knows this is far from over. "I wonder how long you guys will last without Tony wiping your asses for you."
Not even the door slamming behind them breaks the silence that echoes in the meeting room once they're gone.
-§-
hey futher muckers
dyall miss me?
lol of course ya did 😌
so! like it? love it? hate it?
lemme know!
i love when people stand up for tony it may be one of my absolute favorite things ever
anywho, as always i hope yall enjoyed
love y'all
black lives matter ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿
-- angel janeé xoxo 💋
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Our Dad's an Ir⎊n Dad || Marvel
Fanfiction[sequel to A Dad of Iron Will] Tony's retired. Mostly. He brought his kid back (and half the population with him), but it's been months since he and Pepper have had a full house. Now Harley's home and Peter's back and not even Tony knows what they'l...
