Chapter Text
The three of them fell into an easy routine and by Thursday Bucky and Steve could visibly see how much more confident Tony had become.
Tony would wake up early and go to work with Bucky. In the morning the two of them would work in the office together, Bucky on paperwork and Tony on the workbooks. In the evenings Phil would come over and check the work. He had noticed the gaps in Tony’s learning easily. The boy was a quick study but clearly self-taught. After lunch Bucky would take Tony into the shop to a small back warehouse that held a single bay. He would show the boy how to fix little things on an old Impala he was working on restoring. They both enjoyed their afternoons together. Steve was back on the day shift at the fire station, so he was home every evening to be with his husband and their foster child. Tony had warmed up to Steve well in the few short days he had known the alpha. It helped that Bucky clearly adored Steve and Steve in turn adored Bucky. Tony was very convinced that Bucky was the greatest person ever, so if he liked Steve than Tony would have to try as well.
Steve had taken the morning off to accompany Bucky and Tony to the Omega Clinic. Tony was anxious, hugging his bear close with one arm and holding Bucky’s hand tight with the other. Steve stood just behind Bucky and Tony, content with Bucky taking charge. Steve was just there for moral support, the Omega Clinic was not a place alphas usually ventured because it was one of the few areas of the world they were not viewed as in charge.
The Omega Clinic had worked hard to earn it’s place. It was one of the few official places that cared entirely for omegas, mostly by omegas. It didn’t have to answer to the government because it registered as a safe haven under the old laws.
The Clinic was busy, as usual, but very organized. The waiting rooms were organized by need and set up for that specific comfort. For sick omegas there was a waiting room with soft chairs, low lights, and dark walls. Older omegas getting general health checks and pregnancy appointments had a soft green room with seats that were easy to get out of and water stands every few feet. A children’s area was set up with walls painted with sea creatures and toys to play with. Then there was just a general waiting room in the middle for alphas who were waiting for their mates or children to be finished with appointments.
“Hello Tony,” said Dr. Stephen Strange, crouching down in front of Tony and smiling with his eye crinkling smile. “I’m Dr. Stephen Strange, we talked on the phone a few days ago. I showed you around the Clinic. It’s fine if you don’t remember, you’ve had an eventful few days I bet.”
“I remember,” said Tony quietly, huddling closer to Bucky.
“That’s wonderful,” said Stephen. “I was thinking that we could walk around a bit with Bucky and check things out in person and then we can get to the check up part if we have time. What do you think?”
“What do you mean, if we have time?” asked Tony, blinking up at the man. “I thought we were just here for a check up.”
“You are but I think it would be better if you could get comfortable first,” said Stephen calmly. “I know it can be pretty scary and if you’re anxious we won’t get a good idea of your vitals – like how fast your heart beats and how hard your blood goes through your body, things like that. That’s why I was wondering if you wanted a tour. It can help make things less scary if you know where you are and what is going on.”
Tony eyed him suspiciously for a moment before nodding, his grip on Bucky’s hand never wavering.
“Let’s get started then,” said Dr. Strange, standing back up to his full height. “Steve, would you just wait for us in the waiting area? We have a few new arrivals.”
“Of course,” said Steve instantly. Sometimes he was welcome to accompany Bucky but sometimes there were new omega arrivals escaping a bad situation and Steve being present wouldn’t help at all. “I’ll just be over there with my book. Have fun, Tony. I can’t wait to hear all about your tour with Bucky and Dr. Strange.”
Tony waved and followed Dr. Strange with Bucky further into the clinic.
As the tour went on Tony visibly relaxed. The warm tones on the walls served their purpose in helping calm the overwhelmed kid and Dr. Strange did a good job of explaining what each area was for. He would first say what it was in scientific terms and then repeat it, explaining it in a way that Tony would hopefully understand. Tony liked that – most adults tried to start off using really small words and simple terms, which confused Tony because how was he supposed to learn anything new if he wasn’t exposed to the proper terms?
“And this is one of the rooms where we normally do check ups on young omegas like you,” said Dr. Strange after they had explored nearly the entire facility. “Do you want to try getting your blood pressure taken?”
“How does that work?” asked Tony, peering around the room with interest.
There was a padded bench pushed against one wall with thin paper over it and another bench on the opposite wall without paper. Near the paper covered bench were some devices that Tony had seen throughout the tour but hadn’t asked what they were for. The sea foam green walls had two pictures of the ocean on them but nothing too loud or bright.
“Would you like a demonstration?” asked Dr. Strange. “I have found it is easier to understand when you can see it happening at the same time.”
“You can check my blood pressure,” offered Bucky.
Both adults waited until Tony nodded before Bucky lifted Tony onto the paper covered bench and sat down next to him, rolling up his sleeve to offer the doctor his arm. Tony got on his knees and leaned against Bucky, one hand on his shoulder for balance and watched raptly as the doctor slid a blue cuff up Bucky’s arm and fastened it in place with Velcro.
“Now this cuff is going to get rather tight,” said Dr. Strange. “Sometimes it squeezes a bit and can make your arm hurt a little but not for long. The cuff has to inflate enough to cut off the flow of blood very briefly. As the pressure in the cuff decreases the blood starts flowing again and we can detect arterial pulsations as oscillations. We listen as it reaches it’s maximum and then minimum, which gives us the systolic and diastolic readings. Basically we listen to the blood vibrations until we can’t hear anymore noise and that tells us how hard your heart is pumping blood through your body.”
Tony nodded and watched as Dr. Strange pumped up the cuff and then waited as it got smaller again.
“122 over 76,” said Dr. Strange. “That’s in the normal range, so that’s good.”
“Would you be open to trying?” asked Bucky, looking at Tony.
“Okay,” said Tony softly.
“Do you want to sit with me while it happens?”
“Yes please.”
“You can sit with Bucky for everything that happens at this appointment,” said Dr. Strange. “In the future you might have to sit by yourself for us to get proper readings or pictures but I’ll always let you know how long that will be. Okay?”
Tony nodded and settled on Bucky’s lap. Dr. Strange slid a much smaller cuff up Tony’s arm and talked him through the entire process again as it went on. When that was finished Dr. Strange listened to Tony breathe, checked his eye tracking and pupil response, and his reflexes.
“We are still looking to see if there are any medical records on you to see what vaccines you already have,” said Dr. Strange. “But there has recently been a resurgence of measles, so I want to give you that vaccine now in case you come in contact with someone carrying it. What questions do you have?”
“Will it hurt?” asked Tony, more curious than afraid now.
“A bit,” said Dr. Strange while Bucky smiled indulgently at the kid. “Have you ever felt a hard pinch?”
Tony nodded.
“It’s a bit like that, but it goes away fairly quickly. The needle we use for this vaccine isn’t very thick, so it doesn’t hurt as much as others.”
“Where does the needle go?”
“It will go into the upper part of your arm.”
“Does it stay in there forever?”
“Nope! Just a few seconds and then it’s over.”
“Okay, let’s do it,” said Tony, looking determined. He wasn’t thrilled about getting a shot but so far Dr. Strange hadn’t done anything terrible and hadn’t lied to him about what things would feel like. Plus, Bucky still had a hold of him and was warm and cozy, so Tony wasn’t too worried.
Dr. Strange cleaned the area and quickly administered the shot. He let Tony pick out a band-aide and then took a quick blood sample. After he said he would wait outside the room to let Tony gather himself and then walk them out.
Bucky walked around the little room with Tony in his arms, reading the signs to him and swaying gradually while Tony sniffled a little into his shoulder. After a few minutes Tony deemed himself ready to go on, though he did not ask Bucky to put him down, so Bucky walked out with Tony still cuddled in his arms. Dr. Strange walked them back to the waiting area and bid them farewell as Steve came to greet them.
“How’d it go?” asked Steve.
“I got a vaccine and they took my blood,” said Tony. “But not like vampires, they used needles, not their teeth. I guess it was okay.”
“Oh?” chuckled Steve as they walked to a nearby pizza shop for lunch.
“Yeah, I mean, it’d be kinda cool if Dr. Strange was a vampire,” said Tony with a shrug. “But he’s not. He’s just a doctor.”
“Are you sure he’sjust a doctor?” asked Steve in a light tone. “He might be a vampire and just hiding it.”
“No, vampires love blood and he didn’t even try to smell mine,” said Tony seriously. “Maybe he is a wizard, but not a vampire.”
“And that’s that,” said Bucky with a smile. “Now, what type of pizza do we want?”