Fic: Baby Daddy
Title: Baby Daddy
Fandom: Avengers
Characters/Pairings: original Bruce/Pepper/Tony
Rating: R for languages and slightly sexual situations
A/N: Written for a prompt on avengerkink
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to anything MARVEL, I’m just trying to make someone’s day
Summary: Pepper ends up pregnant. Problem being, they’re not sure which of the science duo is the father… Not that they care.
Okay, first off, not every woman is gung ho for kids. Nor are they all screeching with delight over the answer to the test. Trust him, Tony knew. He’d been through a few scares with exes. Pepper, seemed one of the ones that didn’t fall into that category. “I’m pregnant!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, the moment she was through the door, over the music blaring. JARVIS instantly silenced the music and offered congratulations while Bruce and Tony just gaped at her.
“You’re sure?” Tony responded, Bruce barely nearly asked the same thing. Pepper just bounced, on high heels, how that was possible he didn’t know, and waved the little stick in front of his face with the positive symbol on it. “Pepper, you know those things have a pretty high fail rating…”
“Tony, I’m nearly a month late, there’s been no stress, other than the usual, and I’m positive it’s right because I’m taken three tests in the last four days just to be sure I’m not just running extremely late.”
“Wow, you planned ahead,” Bruce smiled softly and offered congrats of his own. “So, are you hoping for a boy or girl?”
“I honestly don’t care, I just want it healthy,” Pepper smiled and instinctively covered her stomach. “Bruce, you realize it could be yours too right?”
Bruce’s grip faulted on the table he was leaning against, making him stumble to stay on his feet. “What?”
“Seriously Bruce, if you don’t remember that the three of us have been fucking like rabbits we’re doing something wrong…”
“I remember,” Bruce blushing always made both of them itch to do SOMETHING about it. “I mean, the other guy… I can’t be the father, we’ve always been careful.”
“Yeah, like condoms don’t break. And you know we stopped with those when Pepper went on the shot. Which, can’t we sue them or some- ow,” Tony rubbed his head where Pepper had smacked him, “What? It’s not my fault I’m thinking of a nest egg for our newest addition.”
“Antibiotics Tony, remember? I had strep awhile back and TOLD you both that condoms were required…”
“Oops,” both men looked wide eyed at each other. “Well, this might be more of a challenge than we thought.”
“You two just figure out who’s gonna be ‘dad’ on the certificate, I’ve got a prenatal check up to schedule.” Both men gulped as Pepper went back to typing away on her phone, the forgotten test left to sit on the nearby table keeping them focused on the one question they needed to answer.
“It’s got to be yours right? I mean, I’m not exactly a common fixture in her bed. That and there’s no way, with the gamma, I have to be sterile, right?”
“Bruce, if you were sure you’re sterile you wouldn’t be freaking out right now. You know the only times we’ve tested your swimmers it was a fifty-fifty shot that you were shooting blanks.”
It didn’t stop Bruce from biting his lip and trying to figure out some scientific way to come up with a way of telling if it could be his. “Once Pepper gets done with the OBGYN I’m sure she’ll have a better timeline. We can figure it out then.”
“Yeah, so… Until then?” Bruce rolled his eyes at the taunt. “Wanna see if you’re shooting blanks?”
“Tony.”
---
Month four hit them both a little hard. Even knowing (approximately) when Pepper became pregnant neither of them could come up with a definite ‘it’s mine’ or ‘it’s yours’ only maybes. Now that it was too late to turn back, not that honestly any of them could do that… they had no choice but to bite lips, knuckles, nails, and wait as the doctor swung the wand over Pepper’s slightly bowing belly. “It’s a boy,” Tony was beaming proudly, his or not, as the doctor swung the monitor to show the image of the curled baby.
“Seems he’s got your ability to make himself as small as possible,” he joked and nudged Bruce’s arm as he took the print out to let Pepper have the physical proof that without a shadow of a doubt this was happening. It was real.
“He also seems to have your modesty Tony,” Pepper joked as she waved the second print out showing full well the gender of the fetus.
“Hey, Bruce is just as bad you know. Well in the field… and the bedroom,” Bruce was three shades darker and beyond happy that the doctor had been called away before they had started talking.
“I don’t think he’s mine. I mean, he’d be growing different right?”
“Bruce stop worrying, we love you. And I don’t care which of you is the father, he’s my baby boy, and I won’t let anyone hurt him.” Never in his life had he loved Pepper so much than when she put that shy but true smile on Bruce’s face as he looked at the infant and started gently helping Pepper clean up.
“So, names?” Pepper was already scrolling through them on her phone. Honestly, when had the woman started making a list?!
“No David,” Bruce grumbled.
“No Howard,” Tony stated.
“Alright…” Pepper was already cutting some names off the list.
---
Seven months in, Pepper was sitting back on the couch rubbing her noticeably swollen belly when she suddenly flinched then flailed, “Bruce, he’s kicking!” Bruce nearly dropped the food he was bringing when she grabbed his hand to settle it over the lower half of her stomach, resulting in the feel of a hard kick against the sudden pressure. “He’s going to be a soccer player I swear…”
Bruce just smiled and handed over her ice cream and sardines. He knew she should have been staying away from the preserved fish but it was one of the only times she’d asked for them so he decided it would be better on her and the baby to not get her angry over fish. “I was pretty good at soccer when I was a kid.”
“Really? I didn’t know that…” Pepper said as she ate a spoon full of ice cream. Bruce smiled at the slow drip of vanilla from the corner of her mouth before he licked it off. Apologizing and pulling away automatically. “Bruce, it’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong,” Pepper smirked and pulled him closer by his collar. “You know, Tony isn’t going to be home for awhile.”
“Pepper, you know I can get… uh, a little rough sometimes. And I really don’t want to risk hurting you or the baby if I…” ‘lose it’ was a common excuse anymore for Bruce to stay out of their bed.
“Bruce, I’m pregnant not made of glass. I’m not any more fragile than before I got fat.”
“You’re not fat, you’re beautiful,” Bruce brushed hair out of her face smiling before setting his hand over her still moving belly. “But this is fragile, and I won’t hurt him.”
Pepper felt herself tearing up, “Damn hormones,” Bruce just smiled and hugging her close in hopes of keeping the breakdown to a minimum.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” Bruce just held her and rubbed her back while the others blinked at them.
“So, is it yours? I mean, as much as you take care of her…” Bruce bit his lip at Clint’s prodding before Pepper sniffled and rubbed her eyes, the mood swing finally over.
“We’re not sure,” she said plain as day as she pouted at her melting ice cream.
“I’ll get you more,” Bruce automatically pressed a kiss to her temple as he took the offending puddle away to get her more.
“Thank you.”
Clint smirked, “Not sure?”
“Well it’s either his or Tony’s,” Pepper stated as she pulled out her phone and tapped away, thinking she’d forgotten something. “Bruce, I’ve got a sonogram tomorrow… Do you want to-“
“Of course,” Bruce said as he hopped over the couch to hand her the bowl of ice cream, this time complete with pickles and chocolate sauce.
Pepper’s eyes lit up, phone dropped when she grabbed for the bowl and gave him a kiss that plainly informed the rest of the group that yeah, it could very well be his kid. “Pepper, your ice cream’s melting,” Bruce smiled as he gently pushed her away.
“Oh, right! How did you know that’s what I wanted?”
Bruce just smiled and shrugged, “I’ve always been a little empathetic around pregnant women.”
Pepper snorted, “Next time I get kicked…”
“I’ll text you,” Bruce smiled and kissed her hair while she ate her ice cream and stole a chocolate drizzled pickle.
“Hey!” She got a shrug when he took all of three bites to finish it off. “You back off to the lab?”
“Yeah, we still need to find a way to tell who the dad is. If it’s mine. I don’t, know what could happen during the birth.”
“Bruce, we’ve talked about this. I’m all for a ‘natural’ birth but I’m not a purist. I’m having a C-section to make sure everything is alright. It’s already scheduled for the end of next month.”
“Still, we’re both worried…” Bruce smiled and hugged her, “Humor us?”
“Seems to be what I’m always doing,” Pepper smiled as Bruce left before Thor was suddenly pulled in to be her cuddle buddy while she ate her ice cream and watched the nearly forgotten movie. “I missed it? Ugh, can we rewind?”
“Sure Pepper, we can,” Natasha smiled as she nudged Steve to hand over the remote, Tony still held a grudge from the last time he’d done more than just change the channel.
“Thanks god for DVR,” Thor blinked at Pepper’s statement before snuggling closer. “You smell like electricity… Good thing the morning sickness is gone. Hm, I wonder if that’s why I was always sick around you,” Pepper scrambled around for her phone, ending up with Thor being a gentleman and retrieving it when her stomach proved too much of a challenge for her to reach. “I can’t wait until I’m not fat anymore…”
“You are not fat Lady Pepper, as Bruce said; you are merely swollen with the growth of the child.”
Pepper smiled, “I think I like how Bruce said it better, but thank you for cheering me up,” Thor smiled at the kiss pressed against his cheek. He was far use to the shows of affection and anger of pregnant females, human and otherwise. After all, he had to deal with his brother’s- has it been four already?
Pepper grunted softly, making Thor still, suddenly worried he’d unintentionally hurt her. “It’s okay,” her phone chirped, making her laugh when she saw the message, Kidney shot. “I’ll be damned…”
Bruce was going to have to send everyone baskets over not setting Pepper off over the ‘three’s company’ thing, maybe after the baby was born so she doesn’t over react.
---
After three labor scares they pushed up the date of the surgery. “7 and a half months is alright, right? I mean, there have been preemies that survive at 6 right? He’ll be okay right?”
“Pepper calm down, he’ll be fine. He’s obviously ready if he keeps putting you in the hospital just from kicking around so much,” Tony reassured, smiling brightly at her as he held her hand and waited for the anesthesia to kick in before they took her into the OR. “Bruce will be there, he’s already scrubbing up. I’ll be watching from the observation room. Everything will be okay.” They had discussed it, only one of them would be able to ‘be there’ when it happened. Procedure and all that. Bruce was just the logical choice. The man was a doctor, he’d understand if help was needed and would even be able to if it came down to that.
The drugs had started kicking in, he could tell the way her eyes were getting a little less focused. He hoped they didn’t over compensate and knock her out. She wanted to be conscious for it. “Okay, I think it’s time…”
“I’ll get the nurse.”
Tony smiled as Pepper was wheeled through the doors, “She’s all yours big guy.”
Bruce smiled at Pepper, offering his hand when she smiled up at him. She could only tell his expression from the way his eyes crinkled at the top of the mask. “I need you to speak up if you feel anything other than just pressure. Any pain means they got the dose wrong.”
“Okay,” Pepper nodded as they started pulling up the curtain to blind her to the surgery.
Bruce kept a close eye on the field but kept throwing reassuring glances at Pepper whenever she gripped his hand when she felt an odd sensation. “You’re doing good, they’re almost to him.”
Pepper gasped at the sudden feeling of pressure being alleviated, “Is he okay?”
“He’s okay, they’re just trying to get him out. Seems he’s a little bigger than they thought,” Bruce’s tone gave him away, he was worried.
Crying started; Pepper let out a sigh of relief but instantly tensed up when it started fading. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, they’re getting his airways clear and cleaning him up. They’re going to close you up while they do that.”
Tony was smiling from his spot in the observation room, grinning ear to ear actually as the child was held so he could see him. “I knew he’d be yours big guy.” Bright green eyes opened as the crying got louder before the nurse took the infant out of the room, making Pepper look worried while Bruce just soothed away her fears. Not a one of the nurses or doctors thought anything of green eyes. Tony knew it. He’d have to make sure they didn’t think anything of the slight green tint to the normally pink skin whenever the baby got angry or scared. Maybe a nice Christmas bonus would take care of that. Or maybe a donation to the hospital would ensure that the baby and Pepper got a private room while they recovered.
---
3 years later
“Bruce, this is just cruel! He’s his kid too. Wouldn’t you hate us if we told you that he was yours and NEVER let you see him?” Tony asked as Bruce bit his lip and looked at the toddler wondering around in the flower field. “Robert don’t touch that, it will hurt you.”
The young boy just jerked back before crouching down to observe the odd thorny plant with ever present green eyes. Not a soul ever thought anything of them; unless they’d seen Hulk everyone just assumed they were normal. “It’s pwetty,” the boy still ended up touching the plant, but only the soft petals the thorns sought to protect. “Mama would wike it.”
“We’ll pick some before we head back okay?” That got a smile and nod as the toddle came rushing back to hug Tony’s legs.
“Why papa scawed?”
“He’s afraid the other guy might try to hurt you…”
“Oddew guy? Wike when papa gets mad?”
“Yeah, that’s the other guy.”
“He wouldn’t huwt me. He wikes me.”
“Tell that to your papa.”
“Papa, don’t be scawed of him. He pwotects, not huwt.”
Bruce smiled down at those radiation tainted eyes. “He, he doesn’t like being let out and not smash something...”
Robert just smiled and lifted arms out to the open field, “Nothing hewe to huwt wight? Daddy was smawt. Pwease papa? We can build diwt castwes! Dewe twees ovew dewe,” the exited toddler didn’t even realize his frame was getting taller, stouter as his eyes glowed brighter from the excitement. “We can pway den go home wiff daddy. Jawvis promised he’d have cookies fow us when we got home!”
Bruce just smiled and ushered the slightly green skinned boy closer, “I love you son, you know that?”
“I wove you too papa, but why you scawed to pway wiff me? Evewything else is so fwagile…”
Bruce hugged him tighter, “Alright, let’s play.”
Robert’s eyes light up even brighter as he jumped around excitedly. Too bad his frame and jump could put any football and basketball player to shame. “Yay!”
Bruce smiled and let go, Hulk was there seconds later grabbing up the boy and happily flinging him into the air. Tony stepped forward eyes wide before sighing in relief when the laughing boy fell back down to land in the gentle cradle of giant green arms before Hulk(not too gently) tossed the boy back down to land in a half tumble. The child didn’t look any worse for wear, in fact he was tumbling around laughing and goading Hulk on as he ran toward the open field more on four legs than two. “I’m so glad I brought my camera…” Tony had the whole thing recording so Pepper could see the two happily jostling and playing, knowing full well Hulk was being even gentler with the boy than he would be even with the Avengers. Seems Bruce didn’t know the big guy as well as he thought.