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Being an insomniac, Tony was used to short nights and long hours in the workshop. He’d sleep when he’d died and all that jazz. And with a superhuman husband by his side, they could use the free time they gained by avoiding sleep for more fun activities together .
All in all it should have been wonderful.
Tony had an amazing husband, supportive friends, a job he enjoyed, a team that was more a family than colleagues, and a baby. Little Peter had come into their lifes a short while ago. He was a gorgeous little bundle of toothless smiles and bright laughters. With his big bambi eyes and cheerful babbling, he’d wrapped everyone around his little finger in no time.
Admittedly the adoption had been a bit of a chaotic issue with them being internationally known superheroes and action figures, but Tony had the best lawyers and he had Pepper. Scary Pepper Potts, who grown ass men cowered before in fear, but was a puddle of goo, when holding her nephew.
Steve was happy, Tony was happy. Peter completed their little army of two.
The pair had given the idea of adoption a lot of thought. At first, they had been insecure if it was the right decision to bring a baby to their world. But in the end the wish to become parents had been stronger.
Now, two weeks after Peter had officially been introduced to his new family and moved into his own nursery in the Stark Tower penthouse suite, Tony started to question all of his life choices that had led him here.
“Peter, come on, baby… not again…” Tony leaned forward to look into the baby crib, where a crying Peter shook his tiny fists at his daddy. The toddler’s face was red and tears were running down over his chubby cheeks. He was hiccuping from crying so much.
“Hey, it’s okay. Daddy’s here for you. Come here, little troublemaker.” Tony gently took hold of his squirming son and slowly placed his tiny head on his shoulder to soothe the child. Rocking him softly, he walked through the room, humming a tune low in his throat.
Peter was not placated and sniffed pathetically into his daddy’s shirt, smearing snot and tears all over Tony. Oh well, the joy of being a father. He’d seen more poo and half-digested food in the last two weeks, than in the forty-ish years before that.
Tony yawned big enough that his jaw hurt. He glanced at the clock on the wall that read 4:17 am. This was the fourth night in a row that they’d played this game. He was dead tired. Exhaustion was sitting in his bones, pulling at his limbs like diving weights. What in God’s name had possessed him to agree to take care of Peter at night, when they’d established their schedule.
‘ Before sunrise he’s your son ,’ Steve had quoted The Lion King, and written down Tony’s name on his stupid timetable that he’d gotten from one of his stupid ‘New Mom’ books, to hang it on the stupid fridge door with a stupid NYC magnet.
And Tony, being the reckless idiot that he was, had agreed with an easy smile and a ‘sure, you know me, honey, sleep is for the weak .”
“Shhh, Peter, please, please, please, baby, calm down and let me sleep.” Tony begged their son who was still crying in his arms. Peter just wailed in response. Though he was at least no longer screaming his lungs out now.
The new father rubbed over his face with his free hand, before he searched for the pacifier in Peter’s crib. He wiggled the piece of plastic before Peter’s nose, hoping to catch his interest, even though he knew it was a lost cause. But it couldn’t hurt to try, right? Miracles could still happen, even in the twenty-first century.
Peter stopped sniffling for half a second and accepted the pacifier. Tony was almost convinced that it had worked, before his son started crying again and the binky fell to the floor with a quiet sound. Unhappiness was written all over Peter’s face, and he showed his father his rosy pink gums. He wailed even louder now after the unsuccessful attempt with the pacifier, but maybe that was just Tony’s imagination, born from exhaustion and fatigue. He’d barely slept those past two weeks.
“Again? Really, Peter?” Tony rocked his baby once more and Peter’s cries were enough of an answer for him to accept his fate. “You know, we can’t let this become a habit. If Steve wakes up, then all hell is gonna break loose. I’ll be forced to sleep on the couch. On the couch, Peter, at my age. I’m gonna die a gruesome death. And then I’m going to blame this on you, you know?”
Tony raised his baby up until he was hanging from his hands at eye level, his tiny sock-clad feet kicking the air. He almost socked his father on the jaw. The engineer brought his crunched up, angry face to his own and kissed his nose. That seemed to pacify Peter for about two seconds before the circle began anew.
“Okay, you got me, peanut.” Tony sighed. He drew a deep breath through his nose. “One more time and then we’ll cut it out, you got me?”
Peter just sniffled some more and Tony placed him in his arms again. Then he quietly padded out of the room and into the hallway, that would eventually lead him to his and Steve’s bedroom. The lights were out since Steve was still sleeping. With the wave of his hand, Tony motioned for JARVIS to leave it like that. With the glow of the arc reactor from within his chest, he had more than enough light to see what he needed to see.
The door to their shared room opened without a sound and Tony looked inside, a currently quiet Peter in his arms. The child apparently already knew what would come now and was excited for it.
Steve was still quietly snoring. The blankets pooled around his hips and he wasn’t wearing a shirt, as always. As much as Tony appreciated a half-naked Steve in his bed at any other time, he was glad beyond words that his husband ran so hot at times like these, when he was forced to adopt drastic measures.
Hah, adopt , pun intended.
But how he was even able to sleep when Peter was crying louder than a fire alarm in the room next door was beyond him. The man had always slept like a log, but that was almost crazy.
Tony sat down on the edge of the mattress, where his beloved was sleeping. “Please know that I love you, and that I do this for the sake of our son, honey,” whispered Tony and proceeded to gingerly place Peter on his husband’s chest.
Peter immediately latched onto Steve’s left nipple, suckling happily. He was making content humming noises and Tony would’ve found it adorable, if he wasn’t about to fall asleep right then and there.
Steve’s breath hitched in his sleep and Tony was instantly awake again, waiting with bated breath if he’d wake up. But Steve just huffed and his breathing evened out again. Tony massaged his temples with his fingers, willing himself to stay awake a bit longer. The scene was weirdly domestic, if absurd and hilarious at the same time.
Tony stroked over their boy’s back a few times. Peter’s tiny fists opened and closed on top of Steve’s impressive chest. “Yeah, I know baby, he’s got great pecs. But nothing's gonna come out from there, no matter how hard you try, you know? I tested that myself.” Tony yawned again and scratched his chin.
After another moment, Peter let go of Steve’s abused nipple and his tiny mouth searched for the other one. Tony lifted him up and placed him on Steve’s other side, and the whole spiel started again.
“J, be a sweetheart and take some photos for me. I’m too tired to get my phone,” Tony whispered to his AI. “Send them to my private folder on the computer in the lab, you know the one.” This would be (perfect blackmailing material in the future) a cute addition to their family album, the moment he dared to tell Steve what happened every night while he was sleeping. Because up until now, his husband was innocently and completely clueless, and Tony thought that was a good thing.
JARVIS complied immediately and Tony continued to stroke Peter’s back. He glanced at Steve’s poor nipple and cringed at the angry red color that he could make out in the dim light of his reactor. Oops.
He almost missed the moment Peter fell asleep on top of Steve. Suddenly, only his son’s and husband’s quiet breathing was audible. The baby was no longer hiccuping and laid peacefully on top of Steve. Tony sighed in relief and scooped the boy up to bring him back to his nursery. Now that he was no longer crying and wailing, he looked exactly like the angel that he truly was.
The engineer kissed his son’s forehead when he was finally back in his crib, after having sated his hunger for his papa’s breast.
“You’re going to be the death of me, baby boy…Let’s just pray that Steve never finds out.” Tony sighed and threw one last glance at Peter before he left the room to return to his husband’s side. “I’m going to hell for this, I just know it.”
.oOo.
Another week later found Tony in the kitchen of their apartment. He’d just woken up after another long night of Peter wailing and crying and Tony giving in and offering him his papa’s nipples as a peace offering. He was stunned that the boy didn’t get bored by it after a while, since nothing came out from them.
Steve was standing by the stove, wearing only soft sweatpants and a tee, making pancakes for the family. It was a lazy Sunday morning and they were taking it slow. Peter was laying in his baby carrier, gnawing and sucking on a baby friendly toy. His blue binky was on the kitchen table, untouched and ignored. He was the perfect example of a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Tony shuffled into the room, nursing his first cup of coffee and he looked at Peter. Father and son shared a long look. Peter smiled at him, especially happy today, since he’d gotten a long papa break last night. Tony raised one eyebrow at him.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Steve greeted him with an easy smile. Tony came over to him and kissed him softly on the lips.
“Morning, gorgeous,” Tony returned quietly. His brain was still working in slow mode. He leaned against the kitchen counter next to Steve, wearing only briefs and a shirt. It was one of Steve’s and it smelled like his husband.
Steve straightened again to finish another pancake. The shorter man took another sip of his hot beverage and watched his son in amusement. If only Steve knew…
“Sweetheart?” Steve piped up after a while. He turned to look at Tony. Then he raised his hand and showed Tony another one of Peter's pacifiers. “Do you know why Peter refuses his pacifiers lately? I don’t know what could’ve happened. He used to love the green one.”
Tony swallowed and forced his face to stay carefully neutral against the panic that suddenly rose inside of him. He held onto his cup a little tighter. “No, I’m sorry, honey. I don’t know what could’ve happened. Maybe that’s just how Peter is. We’re not exactly normal parents as well, you know?”
“Yeah, you’re probably right…” Steve contemplated and started making another pancake.
“Don’t worry, honey, it’s all right. I’m sure of it.” Tony leaned up and kissed his husband again. His hand wandered over Steve’s chest to his jaw and brushed his nipples. Suddenly, Steve twitched hard enough that he almost let go of his spatula in mid-air. Heat was crawling up his neck and he flushed a bright red.
Tony halted with his hand on the taller man’s chest, suddenly worried. He stared at his husband’s face. “Hey, what’s wrong? Are you okay, sweetheart?”
“Yeah… I mean, it’s just- it’s embarrassing but… Maybe- maybe I should go and see a doctor, you know?” Steve stared at the pan in front of him for another moment, before he looked up into Tony’s eyes. “My nipples are sore lately.”
Peter laughed from within his baby carrier. Tony nearly choked on his coffee.