Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/849094.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M
  Fandom:
      The_Avengers_(2012)
  Relationship:
      Steve_Rogers/Tony_Stark, Clint_Barton/Natasha_Romanov, Bruce_Banner/
      Pepper_Potts
  Character:
      Steve_Rogers, Tony_Stark, Pepper_Potts, Natasha_Romanov, Clint_Barton,
      Bruce_Banner
  Additional Tags:
      Mpreg, Alternate_Universe_-_Historical
  Series:
      Part 1 of I_Had_to_Have_This_Talk_With_You_(My_Happiness_Depends_On_You)
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-06-19 Completed: 2013-06-20 Chapters: 5/5 Words: 16663
****** Won't You Take Me By the Hand ******
by Tito11
Summary
     All Tony's ever wanted was to work with the horses, but now he's got
     a new focus: taking care of his sister Pepper and his new bride
     Steve, whose own plans for escape may cause problems for everyone.
     Tribal society!au.
Notes
     There’s a whole bucketful of things to keep in mind while reading.
     First, there’s a rape scene in this, and it’s fairly central to the
     plot. And maybe it’s not handled in the best way, but this isn’t an
     angsty rape-recovery fic, because that’s not what I wanted to write.
     There’s angst over it, sure, but I wanted a happy ending where it
     wasn’t an issue anymore, so that’s what happens. Of course, you could
     also make an issue for Stockholm Syndrome, but that’s really your
     prerogative. In my mind, it’s just a happy ending, end of story.
     Second, this takes place in a universe where mpreg is totally legit
     and accepted. And since men can have kids, too, the dominant partner
     in the relationship is decided by age. The older partner is the head
     and the younger partner is the bride.
     Third, the setting is an unspecified tribal society, at no particular
     point in terms of history or geography. Honestly, for inspiration I
     was using all those terrible romance clichés you hear about Native
     Americans kidnapping people from other tribes or settlements, but
     that’s obviously not what’s going on here, so I don’t even know…
     Um, also, I realize this is absolutely not any of the things I’ve
     been promising updates on, but my muse, like loki, pretty much does
     what it wants.
     Title from "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne
      
     *Edited note* I'm picturing pre-serum steve here, but i never really
     said and can't figure out a way to just slip it into the story
     anywhere. i don't wanna tag for that, though, because it's not really
     an issue in the story, and no one, even steve, has a problem with it,
     so they don't even mention it
***** Chapter 1 *****
It’s nearly dawn by the time Tony staggers back to his tent, drunk as the
proverbial skunk and shirt off to show off his spirit tattoo of the moon, big
and blue and right over his heart. The festivities have died down some, but
there are still members of the tribe around the fire, dancing and singing, and
drinking to Tony’s health, not seeming to care that the guest of honor has left
the party. It was a fantastic celebration, especially after the two long days
he spent in the desert on his spirit quest. But now, he’s tired and drunk, his
tattoo still hurts like a sonofabitch, and he just wants to lie down.
All that becomes less of a problem, though, when he gets back to his tent, the
one that used to be his father’s but is now Tony’s, and sees that instead of
Pepper in her usual spot, is a very beautiful boy. Tony’d forgotten about this
part of the ritual. The boy’s probably about Pepper’s age, fifteen or sixteen,
and he’s clearly just beginning to grow into himself, but he’s still very
lovely, all blonde hair and shining blue eyes.
And, well, Tony’s drunk, so he goes for it, leaning in and kissing the kid.
It’s nice for about two seconds, and then he yanks back, bleeding. The kid bit
him! As Tony’s bringing his hand up to his mouth, assessing the damage, the kid
begins to struggle in earnest. Of course, Tony designed these ropes himself,
though not for this purpose, exactly, but they’re virtually impossible to get
out of. Tony tells him so, not unkindly, he thinks, but the kid just growls at
him and keeps trying.
Eventually the kid calms down a bit, though his chest is heaving and sweat is
beading on his forehead. Tony feels a bit smug about how well the ropes held,
but now probably isn’t the time. Instead, he runs his fingertip down the kid’s
side. He means it to be soothing, but the kid jerks away. Not before Tony feels
how hard he’s trembling, though. The boy’s probably terrified, Tony thinks,
belatedly. And he should be, considering the reason they brought him here. Not
every new bride is taken with love and care. Tony was young when his father
remarried, but he remembers vividly the night Pepper was conceived. He’d been
in the corner of the tent, supposedly asleep. Howard was a vicious lover and
the poor lady had been crying in pain the entire time. But, well, Tony’s not
his father.
“I won’t hurt you,” Tony says, slowly, keeping his hands at his own sides.
“Then let me go,” the boy demands, notes of both defiance and pleading in his
voice.
“Can’t do it. Sorry, kid.” Tony tells him. And he is sorry, a bit. “If I let
you go, you’ll run away. The entire camp is outside right now. They’re having a
good time, but they won’t hesitate to end their night early to chase you down.
When they find you, they’ll either kill you or bring you back. And either way,
they’ll make another raid on your village. I don’t know where you’re from, but
I guarantee we’re stronger and more than capable of tearing it apart. That’s
not a threat, just the way it is.”
The boy looks away for a long moment and takes several deep breaths.
Eventually, he looks back. His eyes are blank, face impassive. “Get on with it,
then,” he says, dully.
“We can wait,” Tony offers, generously, he feels, but the kid shakes his head
almost at once.
“No. I don’t want the- the anticipation to build up. Do it now.”
“I won’t hurt you,” Tony repeats, “I’ll be gentle.”
The boy is already naked and Tony mostly so. He pushes his pants off quickly,
then skims a hand down the boy’s chest, carefully. He’s quite skinny, but he’s
got the potential to fill out well. Wherever he came from, he probably didn’t
eat as well as he should. With the solid, regular meals Tony will provide,
he’ll put weight on quickly. Especially if he conceives tonight.
Tony touches each of the boy’s nipples, and he jerks up, unwillingly. He tries
to resist the pleasure, but he doesn’t quite succeed. When Tony strokes his
cock, he whimpers, helplessly, then looks frustrated with himself. By the time
Tony’s fingers are circling his hole, the boy knows he’s fighting a losing
battle. It’s slow going, stretching the boy, one finger, then two sinking into
the tight heat. He puts four fingers in the boy before he decides he’s ready.
As he withdraws his fingers, the boy makes a shuddering little sound.
“Relax,” he tells the kid, then pushes slowly inside. It hurts, Tony can tell
from the hitch in the boy’s breath and the way his eyes scrunch, but he makes
no other sound of discomfort. He doesn’t cry, like Pepper’s mother had. Tony
starts slow, easing himself in and out of the tight body. When he’s satisfied
with how the boy’s reacting, his face smoothed out from the pained grimace he’d
worn before, Tony switches it up a bit, changing the angle and the pace. A
little harder and a little higher has the boy crying out with each thrust, loud
enough to be heard even over the noise of the music and shouting outside the
tent. They’re pleasure noises, though Tony can tell the boy is still clinging
to his defiance, if only just. When he takes hold of the boy’s cock again, the
last thread of resistance melts away and the boy comes all over Tony’s hand. He
clenches so beautifully that Tony can’t last. He thrusts as deep as he can and
comes, too.
After a while, Tony gets his breath back and withdraws from the boy. It
triggers something in the kid, who begins to struggle again. “Stay still,” Tony
says, a hand on his hip. “You’ve got a better chance at conception if you’re
not moving.”
It’s true enough, Tony knows, though he’s never been a participant on either
side before. In fact, all of his previous sexual encounters were specifically
engineered to prevent conception. But Pepper’s mother had been a healer, and
Tony the type of curious little boy who had a lot of questions about where
babies came from. Tony’d only known the woman for three years, but he remembers
her fondly, especially when he sees Pepper smile.
Tony realizes abruptly that the boy cannot be comfortable, all tied up like
that. It makes Tony uneasy, now that he thinks about it. This boy is his bride,
and it’s Tony’s job to provide for him and make sure he’s comfortable. With
luck, they’ll have conceived tonight, so Tony doesn’t have to force himself on
the kid again. Once was enough, and Tony feels bad enough about it already.
“I’ll untie you,” he says, reaching for the rope, “but you have to promise you
won’t run. It’ll suck for everyone if you try to run, but it’ll especially suck
for your village. Remember that, okay?”
Tony waits for the boy to nod before undoing the knots in the ropes. The boy’s
hands immediately go to his wrists, rubbing at the raw patches there. Tony
makes a mental note to find him some salve, in the morning when he’s less
drunk. He curls an arm around the boy’s waist and pulls him close. He’s a
pretty light sleeper, and any escape attempts will probably wake him. The boy
promised, sure, but he’d also been tied up for the last few hours; they aren’t
exactly in a trusting relationship. Not yet, anyway. Eventually, though, they
will be, Tony’ll make sure of that.
 
When Steve wakes the next morning, the first thing he notices is that he’s
still loose and open from the night before. The thought makes shame rise up in
him, remembering how he’d moaned for it like a whore. The second thing he
notices is that a red haired girl is standing over him, holding a cloth.
“Hello,” she says, softly, sitting down beside him. “I’m Pepper. Tony sent me
to clean you up.”
“Steve,” he says, and his voice is hoarse.
She smiles at him softly as she holds out the cloth to him. He takes it, and
very gingerly sits up.
“Who’s Tony,” he asks, though he has a feeling he knows the answer.
“My brother,” she says, with something like a fond smile. “He was with you last
night. I don’t suppose anyone explained anything to you, have they?”
Steve shakes his head and cleans himself carefully but thoroughly. It’s not
like he has any modesty left, at this point.
Pepper sighs. “That’s so like Tony. He’s brilliant, but I swear he’d lose his
head if it wasn’t attached. Yesterday was his birthday. He went on his spirit
quest, then got his tattoo, and well, you.”
“Am I his slave?” Steve asks, cautiously. The ropes he was tied with last night
certainly point in that direction, as well as Tony’s words that he isn’t free
to leave. Steve’s not sure about that, yet, though. Once he knows more, he may
be able to work out a plan for escape, one that won’t endanger his village.
“His bride,” Pepper corrects. She kindly looks away when he cleans between his
thighs and further up, inside himself. “He’s the head of the household now.
Well, he has been for months, but now it’s official. He brings back the meat
and represents the family within the tribe. It’s your job to bear and raise the
children, and take care of things here, while he’s gone. I’ve been doing that
part ever since he took over the household when our father died last year, but
it’s your responsibility now. I can teach you, though, don’t worry.”
“Thank you,” he tells her, because she seems like a nice girl, and it’s not her
fault he’s in this situation. He’s still certain there’s a way out of this
mess, but until then, it can’t hurt to have allies.
When he’s finished cleaning, he hands Pepper back the cloth, which she trades
for a set of clothes. Steve puts them on slowly, still very aware of how open
and used he feels. The cloth is soft, softer than anything Steve’s ever had
before, and probably new, too, judging by the bright colors of the dye.
Pepper leads him outside then, and Steve gets his first good look at the
encampment. He mentally takes notes on anything that might be useful for his
future escape plans. The village is obviously semi-permanent. The buildings are
all tent-like structures, but there’s a field of corn and squash growing a bit
off in the distance, where Steve can just see men and women tending the crops.
On the other side of the village, there’s also a fenced-in paddock full of
horses, also being tended to. Steve can see mountains to the east, just on the
horizon line, but in all other directions there is only flat plain.
“This is the village,” Pepper says, spreading her arms out to encompass the
whole thing. “We’re here from spring to autumn. We tend the fields and care for
the children, mostly. There’s a big river about a day’s walk, too, so sometimes
we send someone to bring back fish. The heads, like Tony, help when they’re
here, but they can be gone for days or weeks at a time, hunting.”
She guides him toward the paddock, where two men are arguing. As they get
closer, Steve can see one of them is the man from last night, Tony. The shame
rises in him again, and Steve’s not sure he can look this man in the face, not
after what happened. Pepper’s not giving him much of a choice about approaching
though, hand pressing against the small of his back and leading him forward. He
could fight her, but he’s got a feeling that his best bet for escape is to not
make a scene. He’ll have to pretend he’s accepted it all, lure them into false
confidence, then he’ll make his move, whatever that move might be. But to do
that, he’s going to have to face Tony.
The man in question looks up as they approach, and waves a bit, wiggling his
fingers. The man he’d been arguing with throws his arms up in the air in
apparent frustration, then turns and walks swiftly away.
“Hello, loves of my life,” Tony says, leaning casually against the fence.
“Showing the new guy the ropes, huh, Pep?”
“Someone has to, Tony,” Pepper says, in a longsuffering voice. “And because you
probably didn’t even bother to find out, his name’s Steve.”
“Steve,” Tony repeats, and it feels so wrong to hear his name coming out of
that man’s mouth that Steve has to take a few steps back. Tony notices him
doing it, and something flashes briefly across his face, too quick for Steve to
really see what the expression was. Then the grin’s back, and Tony’s holding
out his hand.
“Come on,” he says, “I’ll show you the horses.”
Steve hesitates, but then Pepper’s giving him a little shove forward and Tony’s
grasping his hand, helping over the fence. Apparently satisfied Steve’s taken
care of, Pepper walks away, back toward the tents.
“Know anything about horses?” Tony asks, his hand on Steve’s back where
Pepper’s had been before, leading him forward toward the nearest horses. Steve
shakes his head. His village was near the mountains, and they had a few llamas,
but no horses. Since his village was permanent, unlike this one, and subsided
mostly on grown crops, there had been no need for horses.
“That’s fine,” Tony says, stopping in front of a group. “You’ll learn quick
enough, everyone does. I have no idea whether or not you’ll have to take care
of these guys, you’ll have to ask Pepper for that, but there’s always a few
here, at least, so you can come say hi to them or whatever, anytime you want.”
Tony points each of them out in turn: names like Snowy, Sweetpea, Mush, Lily,
Rose, Franklin, and for some reason, Old Roundtop. There’s more horses in the
paddock than Steve can even count, but Tony seems to know all of their names,
birthdates and personality quirks. Steve is honestly a little bit impressed,
despite his best efforts, and he has to remind himself again what this man did
to him last night.
It’s especially easy to remember when Tony starts talking about the rope they
use for the horses. Tony designed it himself apparently. It holds knots
extremely well and is almost impossible to break. Steve knows firsthand,
actually, because they used the same rope on him last night.
Of course, just as he’s working up his righteous anger and shame again, a
little spindly colt comes up behind Tony and nuzzles at his back. Tony whips
around to see what hit him, and when he turns back, his smile is sweet and
open.
“And of course, this is my baby, Dummy,” he says, scratching behind the colt’s
ears. “He’s not very smart, and he’ll bug the hell out of you anytime you’re in
the paddock, but he’s a cutie, I’ll give him that.” His smile falters a little
with his next words, but he keeps patting the colt’s head. “His mother died
when he was born, so you know, we have that in common, even if I’m a genius and
he’s just a dummy.”
He seems to rally, then. “Want to pet him?”
Steve reaches out, unsure, but Tony’s right, the colt is pretty cute. Dummy
moves his head up against Steve’s hand when they touch, and Steve thinks maybe
horses aren’t so bad, after all.
The moment’s interrupted by Steve’s stomach, which chooses exactly then to
remind him that he hasn’t eaten yet, today. It’s got to be near noon, and
Steve’s honestly pretty hungry. He worries, for a minute, what Tony’s going to
say, but then the man laughs.
“Come on,” he says, and grabs Steve’s arm. “Let’s go get something to eat.”
As they’re walking away, Steve takes a look back into the paddock. Horses, he
thinks and adds them to his assets for escape.
 
Tony watches his bride eat, noticing again how underfed the boy is. With the
shirt on, Tony can’t see his ribs sticking out, but he knows they’re under
there, mocking him. It doesn’t matter, though. Tony’s going to feed this boy
up. Even now, he’s eating the meat from the buffalo Tony helped bring down.
It’s a nice feeling, knowing he’s doing right by this kid, especially after
what happened last night. Tony doesn’t regret it, exactly. It was what had to
be done, and there was no other choice for either of them. And Tony, at least,
made sure Steve enjoyed himself, too. Still, it wasn’t much consolation when he
remembered that Steve had been kidnapped, taken away from everything he knew,
then tied down and raped. Well, Tony’ll make it up to him, somehow. He’s going
to make Steve happy if it’s the last thing he does.
After lunch, Pepper reappears in that silent, competent way she has, and steals
Steve back. Tony protests, of course, but Pepper levels him with a look.
“He has to learn his responsibilities, Tony. I know you don’t care if this
house falls apart, but some of us do.” And that is just a bald faced lie.
Pepper’s smiling as she says it, so Tony knows she’s joking, but still. Tony
cares about his house and the people in it more than anything. Not that he’d
admit it.
“Pfft,” he says, waving a hand, as if to brush away the thought of
responsibilities. “House, Shmouse. All I care about are the horses. In fact, I
think I’ll go over to the paddock now and invite a few of them to be in my
house, instead of you two. We’ll see how much you care about responsibilities
when there’s a horse in your bedroll tonight.”
Pepper laughs and kisses his cheek. “Come on, Steve,” she says, and pulls him
away.
Tony really does go back to the paddock, then, and argues with Rhodey some
more, just because he can. He makes sure to keep an eye on his sister and
bride, though. He watches as Pepper takes Steve over to the fields, shows him
how to work with the crops. Tony remembers that being his least favorite chore,
as a child. He was terrible at it, too, spent the whole time he was supposed to
be working daydreaming about horses or sneaking off to see them. All he’d
wanted out of life, then, was to work with horses and go on hunts. And now that
he’s officially the head of his house, he can do those things without the looks
he’s been getting in the months since his father died, like he didn’t quite
belong.
 
Dinner is a more formal affair than lunch or breakfast is. When there’s no
hunt, at least. Tony knows from experience on both sides of the equation how
informal and rushed a dinner can be during a hunt, both at the hunting camp and
here at the village. But tonight, everyone’s here, which means it’s a formal
event. It’s custom that everyone sits in their houses, so Steve’ next to Tony
and Pepper’s on Steve’s other side. Their house is pretty small, compared to
some, and it’s not particularly rich. It’ll be both large and prestigious,
someday though, if Tony has his way. If he can negotiate Pepper a marriage with
someone younger than her, she’ll stay in Tony’s house, and her bride will come
along, too. Then they’ll start having babies, and by that point Steve and Tony
will probably have a few babies of their own. So yeah, in a few years Tony’s
house will probably double in size, at least. And as for the prestige, well,
Tony’s got some ideas about that, too.
Tonight, though, this is nice, just the three of them in their own little
group, eating salted meat and spring vegetables, huddling around the fire
against the slight chill of the night air. Tony does his duty, subtly making
sure Steve gets at least three helpings in him. When everyone is more or less
finished eating, the music starts up, and Tony knows he’s got to make the
rounds. There are people he needs to talk to about making improvements to the
horse paddock, and there are people he needs to talk to out of social
obligation. He’s already made accidental eye contact with at least two people
across the fire, so he’s going to have to talk to them, too. It’s going to be
at least an hour before he can get away, and Tony sighs.
“Pep,” he says, standing. “Make sure Steve here gets back to the tent okay,
yeah? I’ve got to talk to a man about a horse.”
 
Pepper leads Steve back to their tent pretty soon after Tony leaves. Everything
looks different in the dark and Steve makes note of it. If he’s going to
escape, he’s probably going to have to do it in the dark, so it’s best to know
now if there are any obstacles he might encounter, other than the dark itself.
Of course, then they get inside the tent and Steve’s blood goes cold. He’d
forgotten, somehow, with everything else going on and his plans to escape, what
he’s actually here for. Pepper’d told him, clear as anything, that he’s
supposed to bear children.
Steve isn’t stupid. He knows that thing Tony did to him last night was to make
babies. He also knows that it doesn’t succeed every time. Sometimes it takes a
few tries and sometimes it takes a lot of tries, before a baby’s made. Which
means Tony’s probably going to come back tonight, after he’s done doing
whatever he’s doing, and want to get inside Steve again. Steve just isn’t sure
he can handle it, not again. It’s not that it had been very painful, though it
had hurt a bit, but what really bothers Steve is the idea of it, of being used
like that, of a baby being forced into him. He’s always thought he’d have
children, someday, but he’d like to have the choice about when and with whom it
happens.
“You’ll be over there with Tony,” Pepper tells him, pointing to the spot he was
tied last night. “He probably won’t be done for a while, but he won’t mind if
you sleep. Take off your clothes first, though. No point in wasting material.
And I’ll be right over here, if you need me.” She goes over to the opposite
wall of the tent from Tony’s pallet and begins to undress. Steve averts his
eyes, and, unwillingly, begins to strip.
He lays, naked and shaking from nerves for at least an hour before the tent
flap moves again and Tony comes in. Steve closes his eyes most of the way,
pretending to be asleep. Maybe, if Tony sees he’s asleep, he’ll let Steve have
a break for the night from baby-making. He watches as Tony goes to Pepper’s
pallet, and leans down to gently stroke her hair.
“Good night, darling,” he whispers, so soft Steve almost doesn’t catch it. Then
he comes over to where Steve is lying, strips and curls up behind him. Steve
knows his shaking is giving it away that he’s not really asleep, but Tony
doesn’t say anything about it, just wraps an arm around Steve’s middle like he
had last night and pulls him close.
Steve waits and waits, for Tony to say something or do something, to touch
Steve or anything, really. But eventually Tony’s breaths even out and Steve
knows he’s asleep. Apparently, Steve’s plan worked, somehow. Tony didn’t make
him do anything at all. Tonight, at least. Tomorrow night, who knows. It’s that
thought that Steve plays over and over again in his head, until he finally
falls asleep.
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Summary
     All Tony's ever wanted was to work with the horses, but now he's got
     a new focus: taking care of his sister Pepper and his new bride
     Steve, whose own plans for escape may cause problems for everyone.
     Tribal society!au.
Chapter Notes
     Thanks to a lovely comment by mata, I’ve been thinking more Genghis
     Khan than American Indian for this chapter. Of course, then I did a
     tiny bit of research and found out about how important horses were to
     the Mongolians, just like they are to Tony. Old Genghis himself said
     “It is easy to conquer the world from the back of a horse.” Not that
     I see Tony as the next Genghis Khan, any more than I see him as the
     next Voldemort, but there are still all those lovely references by
     the Ten Rings leader to the guy in IM1 to consider.
Pepper shakes him awake the next morning, considerably earlier than the day
before. Tony’s gone already, though, and Steve feels such a sudden flash of
relief that he nearly smiles. It feels like cowardice, but the less time Steve
has to spend around Tony, the happier he’ll be. The only thing that’s keeping
him going at this point is knowing that a plan for escape is in the works. With
Tony around, making an escape plan is almost impossible. Even when Steve
manages to forget about what happened that first night, it’s still incredibly
hard to think around Tony.
Apparently, they do eat breakfast here, and Steve just wasn’t up in time for it
yesterday. Pepper takes him out to the fire, where there’s porridge waiting for
them. Steve eats slowly, savoring it. In his village, he didn’t usually get
breakfast. Some days, he was lucky even to get lunch. His village doesn’t treat
orphans like him so well, but still, it’s his village, the only one he’s ever
known, before this. If only he could figure out a way to get back there,
everything would be better.
After they eat, Pepper leads him back out into the fields. It’s not easy work,
in the fields, but it’s satisfying. Steve picked up the process pretty quickly
after Pepper showed him yesterday. It’s nothing like he’s ever done before, in
his own village, but he quite enjoys it, the weeding and the fertilizing,
helping the plants grow.
When they’ve worked for several hours, Pepper takes them back to the fire for
lunch and gets them food. Tony’s there, too, but he’s sitting with the man he
was arguing with yesterday morning. When he sees them, he waves them over.
“Steve,” he says, standing up. “This is Rhodey,” he gestures toward the other
man. “Rhodey, this is Steve.”
The other man, Rhodey, stands, too and offers his hand to Steve. “Nice to meet
you,” he says. “You must be a saint to put up with this guy,” he nods at Tony.
“I know I sure couldn’t do it. I’m honestly not sure how Pepper’s survived this
long.”
Pepper laughs charmingly. “The trick,” she says, leaning in conspiratorially,
“is to tune him out. He’s not half as terrible if you don’t listen to anything
that comes out of his mouth.”
“Hey!” Tony says, but even Steve can tell he’s not really offended. “You guys
don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m the one that has to put up with you
two, ganging up on me all the time, never letting me have any fun.” He looks
right at Steve, then. “Don’t listen to them, Steve,” he says, “I’m actually
brilliant.”
Steve smiles, despite himself. “So I keep hearing,” he says and they all laugh
a bit, even Tony.
After that they all settle in to eat. Tony and Rhodey apparently have very
different ideas about what needs to be done in regards to the horses, but Steve
doesn’t listen to the arguments on either side. He eats slowly, and thinks, for
being kidnapped, things could certainly be worse. He’s not in any hurry to get
back to the tent tonight, but the days, they’re not so bad, so far.
 
Steve’s days pretty much take on a routine after that. Pepper wakes him up in
the morning, after Tony’s already gone, and together they eat breakfast and
head out to the fields. They work there until lunch, then after lunch another
shift of workers head out to the fields, leaving Pepper and Steve free to do
things that need done for the household, like washing the bedrolls and mending
Tony’s clothes. Tony, somehow or another, gets more holes and tears in his
clothes than any person Steve’s ever met. Tony’s in charge of making horseshoes
for the horses, Steve knows, so that explains some of the holes, the ones that
look like they’ve been burnt, but the other ones Steve sees, the long tears
that look like they’ve been ripped by animals, Steve has no honest idea where
those come from, nor does Pepper when he asks her.
Some days, Tony comes and finds them while they’re working. He always lends a
hand, but he’s pretty bad at it. His mending is absolutely terrible, though
Steve isn’t sure why. He’s seen Tony’s work on the horse ropes, up close and
personal, actually, and the ropes are wonderful. It just doesn’t make sense
that his sewing should be so bad. The only thing that Steve can guess is that
it’s because Tony’s so easily distracted when he’s bored, getting up halfway
through mending a tear to go chat someone up or try to help with something
else.
By the time they’re done with the household chores, there’s usually about an
hour left before supper. At those times, Pepper tends to wander off. Steve
guesses she must have friends somewhere that she runs off to see. She’s
probably about his age, after all, and if Steve had friends here, he’d probably
want to be with them, too. It’s during those times, after Pepper’s gone, that
Tony comes to see him. Somehow, even if Tony hasn’t been helping out with
chores, he always knows when they’re about done, and comes to drag Steve off to
the horse paddock. Tony still makes Steve nervous and a bit uncomfortable, but
he hasn’t done anything, since that first night. Steve’s starting to hope that
he won’t, again. Tony’s not such a bad guy, apart from that, and if Steve just
pushes it out of his head, he doesn’t really mind spending time with him.
Supper’s always fantastic, of course, though the formal setting does throw
Steve off, for a while. It’s not terrible, though, sitting with Pepper and
Tony, as long as Steve keeps his mind off what might be coming later in the
night. Steve asks once why they never had to take a turn at cooking, to which
Pepper explains that the village has a few men and women whose only job is to
do the cooking. This is a very organized village, Steve thinks, and he’s not
sure how to feel about that. He hates to think well of any village that would
kidnap people and force them to become brides, but still, this village is very
well run.
After they eat, there’s usually music and dancing. Sometimes Steve and Pepper
stay out for a while, enjoying the atmosphere, but most nights they just head
to bed, Pepper to her own pallet and Steve to Tony’s. When Tony comes in, Steve
always holds his breath, afraid that tonight will be the night Tony wants to
try again for a baby. It never is, though. Tony always just curls up behind him
and pulls him close. They never talk, just lie together until they both fall
asleep.
 
One day, after breakfast, about a month into this new situation, they’re
walking out to the fields to start work when Pepper looks at him oddly and
asks, “Did you always sleep so late, or just since you’ve been here?”
Steve was always an early riser, at his own village, and he tells her so. It’s
only since he’s been here that he’s been sleeping late into the morning. She
purses her lips when she hears this.
“It’s just that pregnancy makes a person very tired, I’ve been told. If you’re
sleeping later, maybe the reason is that you’ve conceived.”
“Maybe,” Steve says. He doesn’t have the heart to tell her that he’s been
sleeping later because he’s been up late every night, worrying both about the
threat Tony poses, sleeping right behind him, and about how his plan for escape
doesn’t seem to be coming together very well at all. Still, he doesn’t think he
should let her get her hopes up. He searches for a way to say it
diplomatically, one that won’t make him blush. “Actually, Tony hasn’t done that
to me since the first night.”
That just makes Pepper look sad, though he’s not sure why. “Steve,” she says,
stopping them just short of the fields and reaching up to touch his arm. “Tony
hasn’t done anything because he doesn’t want to hurt you. He didn’t have a
choice about the first night. He had to do what he did, but it really hurt him
to know he was forcing you. I could see it in his eyes for days afterward. He
wants what’s best for you. We’ll be able to tell for sure in a month or so
whether or not you’ve conceived and if you haven’t, you’ll have to try again.
But until then, there’s no reason for him to force himself on you, though
believe me, I’ve seen heads do it like that. But Tony, he really likes you. You
should give him a chance.”
“Oh,” Steve says, suddenly breathless, for some reason. “Okay.” He gives her
the best smile he can manage and they start toward the fields again.
It does help, though not in the way she was intending. It gives Steve hope.
He’s got at least a few months, then, before Tony will want to get inside him
again. That means Steve’s got plenty of time. He’s sure that he can come up
with and execute a plan for escape by then. Steve’s a lot happier in the fields
that day than he has been in a while.
The rest of the day goes like normal, with one exception. During their time
alone in the paddock, feeding and rubbing down the horses, Tony turns to Steve
and says, “I’m leaving tomorrow for a hunt.”
Steve’s not sure how to feel about that, honestly. On the one hand, Tony being
gone means Steve doesn’t have to worry at night, though with Pepper’s words
this morning, he’s not sure he would have, anyway. On the other hand, though,
Steve only spends time with two people, really, and Tony’s one of them.
“How long will you be gone?” He asks and Tony shrugs.
“Depends how long it takes us to get something. Two weeks, probably, maybe a
bit longer. Why, will you miss me, sweetheart?” He’s wearing that grin again,
the one that means he’s teasing. He’s always calling Steve things like
sweetheart and love, but Steve’s pretty much gotten over it at this point. He
calls Pepper those things, too, so it’s nothing personal, just the way Tony
talks.
“Maybe,” Steve answers, noncommittally, and Tony just laughs.
 
That night, after Tony’s back in the tent, he does something he’s never done
before and kisses the back of Steve’s neck. Steve tenses, but when no other
touching follows, he relaxes again.
“I’ll be gone by the time you wake up,” Tony whispers. “I’ll miss you.”
Steve doesn’t answer, and Tony doesn’t say anything else, after that. They just
lie together until Tony’s breathing evens out and Steve finally falls asleep,
too.
 
Steve goes about his business, working the fields, keeping up the household.
He’s getting better at both, enough so that Pepper can take more time than she
usually does to go see her friends. It’s good for her, Steve thinks. She’s just
a kid, after all, and she deserves to have a bit of fun. She’s been talking
more and more lately, as they work together, about getting married. Steve does
wonder, though she never says and he never asks, if she might not have her eye
on someone in particular.
Steve’s days are lonelier, with Tony gone. He didn’t realize just how much time
he spent with the man until he isn’t there. Sure, there’s the time together in
the paddock, time that Steve now spends there alone, petting Dummy. There’s
other times, too, though, when Steve looks around and feels like something’s
missing, before realizing it’s Tony.
Meal times are especially odd. They’re less formal with all the hunters gone.
There’s still music and laughter, but the tribe is half as big, so everyone
interacts a good deal more. Steve meets several people he’s never spoken to
before, all of whom seem friendly but none he’d consider a friend, yet.
Pepper’s still on his right whenever they eat, but it feels odd, lopsided, that
Tony isn’t on his left. Steve just sighs and tries not to think about it, about
the reasons behind him missing Tony.
The worst, though, is at night, when Steve’s all alone, with no Tony behind him
to hold him or keep him warm. It should be a relief, but somehow, it’s not.
Steve misses Tony the worst at night, especially after Pepper’s words about
Tony not being a threat.
Tony ends up being gone for nearly three weeks. He gets back after Steve’s
already gone to bed, extra blankets wrapped around him to keep out the chill.
Steve’s very nearly asleep when there’s a ruckus outside. Steve ignores it,
mostly. Sometimes there are inexplicable noises in the camp at night, and
Steve’s found it’s better not to ask. So he tunes it out, just rolls over to
face the tent wall. That position is the reason he doesn’t see Tony come in,
the reason he’s startled when Tony curls up behind and around him and nuzzles
his neck.
“Hello, gorgeous,” Tony whispers, pulling him closer. “Did you miss me?”
Steve did, and no one's more surprised than him about it, but he’s not going to
admit it. “You smell like horse,” he says instead. It’s true, too. Tony usually
smells like horse, after spending most of his day with them, but Pepper usually
manages to get him into a bath about once a week. It’s not an easy task. For
some reason, Tony can’t stand water. Steve would bet Tony hasn’t bathed the
entire time he’s been gone. Despite that, though, the smell is somehow
comforting, and Steve leans back against Tony, falling asleep almost at once.
 
The hunt went well, Tony thinks. They brought down enough buffalos that there
won’t be a need for another hunt for at least a few months. Tony spent his
entire childhood wishing he could be hunting. It’s different now that it’s his
duty to hunt, though. It’s not that doesn’t enjoy it, but he misses his house
when he’s gone far more than he thought he would. This wasn’t his first hunt,
by any means. Tony’s father’s been dead for nearly a year, now, and someone had
to step up and take his place. This was the first hunt since he’d been with
Steve, though, and Tony’d missed him like crazy, the whole time. Pepper, too,
but Steve especially. It’d been worst at night, when Tony’d had to cuddle up
with Rhodey for warmth. Rhodey’s not half the bedpartner Steve is. He kicks in
his sleep and if Tony’s not careful, he’ll end up with no blankets by morning.
Tony has no idea how Rhodey’s bride puts up with it.
Now that he’s back at the village, though, Tony’s been noticing something
different about Steve. The thing is, he’s way more clingy than he was before
Tony left. Before, Tony’d held him as they slept, and Steve held himself as
rigidly as possible. Now, though, Steve not only lets him cuddle, but cuddles
back. It’s a drastic improvement, though it does make Tony lament Rhodey’s
bedpartner qualities even more.
The whole thing makes Tony think that maybe Steve’s forgiven him for their
first night together, or at the very least stopped being afraid of him. It
makes it more difficult, too, though, because pretty soon, they’re going to
know if Steve conceived or not. And if he didn’t, well, they’re going to have
to try again. It could set their whole relationship back by months, and that’s
something Tony seriously doesn’t want. He’s not going to have a choice, though,
if Steve’s not pregnant. They need a baby, it’s their duty.
It gives him hope, then, a few weeks after Tony gets back from the hunt, when
Steve stops eating. Normally, this would not be a good thing. Steve was
terribly underfed when he first came here, and Tony’s made it his mission to
feed him up. He’s been doing a pretty good job of it, too, he thinks, subtly
refilling Steve’s plate every night until Steve looks like he’s comfortably
full, then adding another helping, just for good measure. The result has been
that Steve’s no long skin and bones. He’s been filling out nicely, and it’s
only made him all the more beautiful.
Now, though, Steve’s stopped eating much of anything at all, and Tony’s got
reason to believe it might be the pregnancy sickness. Pepper’s mother told him,
when he was a child, and terribly interested in babies, that the pregnancy
sickness is the real start of the pregnancy. It’s the first sign that
conception has occurred. Then about a month after the sickness, if conception
has actually occurred and it’s not some other type of sickness, the baby should
start to be visible. It probably says something sappy about Tony that he’s been
wanting babies since he was practically a baby himself, but he’s really excited
about this. Not excited enough to let it change things, though. His
relationship with Steve is delicate enough. He’s just going to keep doing what
he’s been doing, feeding Steve at supper and holding him at night, taking him
to the paddock and spending as much time with him as possible. If Steve is
pregnant, it’s all the better. If not, well, they’ll deal with it when they
have to.
 
Steve’s been nauseous at least a week before he realizes what it means. He
knows Pepper and Tony have been watching him, but neither of them have said
anything, so Steve figures they’re just concerned. Pepper’s been taking up his
slack in the fields when Steve has to slink off and vomit, away from the crops.
The nausea never lasts long, but it comes and goes all day. Steve tries to work
harder to make up for it, during those times when he’s not feeling sick. Tony
helps, too, though not in the same way. He rubs Steve’s back at night, when
supper’s left him too sick to move, and makes shushing sounds when Steve can’t
stop the whimpers. He also doesn’t say anything about the times Steve’s
accidently elbowed him awake while diving for the tent flap in the middle of
the night. After two or three nights of this, though, Tony does come back with
a basin, freshly carved, probably by Tony’s own hand, so Steve doesn’t have to
leave the tent to puke. It’s both sweet and extremely practical. Steve only
hopes whatever he’s got isn’t contagious.
Then one day, it’s midmorning and he’s on his knees a bit away from the fields,
dry heaving, when he feels a hand on the back of his neck. He looks up to see a
boy about his age, with curly brown hair and a kind smile.
“Hi, I’m Bruce” the boy says, and helps Steve to his feet.
“Steve,” he manages, and clings to the boy until he gets his balance.
Bruce nods. “Yeah, I know. Tony sent me out here to get you. Why don’t you come
back to the village with me. I’m training to be a healer. I can help you.”
At this point, Steve’s willing to take any help he can get. He nods and Bruce
helps him stumble back to the village. Bruce doesn’t say anything more about
the help he’s offering until he’s got Steve in the healing tent, sitting on a
pallet. They’re all alone in the tent, and Steve wonders vaguely where the
healer is who’s training Bruce. It doesn’t really matter, though. Help is help,
and Steve certainly needs it.
“So this is your first pregnancy, then?” Bruce asks, as he’s rummaging around
on a shelf.
That gets Steve’s attention like nothing else. “What?” he asks, suddenly
feeling a bit dizzy.
Bruce turns back around, a curious look on his face and a bottle in his hand.
“Didn’t you know?” He asks. “Tony said you’ve been sick about a week and a
half. These symptoms aren’t unique, but they’ve lasted too long to be anything
else. Here,” he holds out the bottle, and Steve takes it with shaking hands.
“Take this whenever you feel sick.”
Steve feels pretty sick right at this moment, so he uncorks it and takes a sip.
It’s not the best thing he’s ever tasted, but it’s not so bad.
“What’s in it,” he asks.
“You know,” Bruce says with a shrug, “Herbs, mostly. Meadowsweet, wild yam, a
bit of peppermint, some other things, too. It depends on the person, but I’ve
heard it works miracles.”
“You haven’t used it?” Steve asks. It’s probably too soon for the liquid to
work, but he’s feeling a bit better, now that he’s taken it, or at least more
calm.
“Oh, no,” Bruce says, and he blushes a bit. “I’ve never been pregnant. I’m not
even married yet. I’ve got an understanding with a girl, but, well, we’ve got
to wait for her head to get himself settled before anything else can happen.”
“Good luck,” Steve tells him, and means it.
“Thanks,” Bruce says, then clears his throat. “Anyway, just use this stuff
whenever you feel nauseous, and when you run out, come back to see me. I’ll
have some more ready by then. Once you get further along, we’ll start you on
some other things, too, to help with the birthing pains.”
Steve’s world goes a bit sideways when he hears the words “birthing pains.”
Somehow, in all this time Steve’s been thinking about conception, he never even
once considered how the baby was going to come out. He concentrates on just
breathing for a few minutes, trying hard not to think about it, and when he
pulls himself together, Bruce is rubbing his back.
“S-sorry,” Steve stutters. “I just hadn’t thought about the-”
“The birth?” Bruce kindly finishes for him. “Don’t worry. I won’t lie, it’s not
going to be pleasant, but between me and Tony, we’ll take good care of you.”
“Tony?” Steve asks. He’s almost certain Tony knows nothing about healing. Two
days ago, he’d cut his arm making new arrowheads and wrapped the cut with an
old horse blanket. It probably would have gotten infected if Steve hadn’t
cleaned it out and rewrapped it with a fresh bandage. Steve likes the man a
lot, but he’s not someone he especially wants involved in his healing.
Bruce must be able to tell what he’s thinking by the expression on his face,
because he laughs. “It’s worrying, I know,” he says. “But Tony’s actually
really knowledgeable about delivering babies. He usually helps with births when
he can, and he’s the one that births all the foals. In fact, that little colt
that follows him around, the silly one, I can’t think of his name-”
“Dummy,” Steve supplies and Bruce nods.
“That’s right, Dummy. If Tony hadn’t been there when that horse was born, he
would’ve died with his mother. Tony saved him. And you should have seen how
upset he was when the mother died a few days later. He may not be the best
healer, but he’s a damn good man to have around come birthing season.”
They talk for a while more, then Steve feels well enough to return to the
fields. Pepper asks him if he’s alright when he gets back, but he just nods and
gets back to work. Later, when they’re eating lunch, he turns to her. He knows
she’ll be pleased for him, but he’s still inexplicably nervous to tell her what
Bruce said. Finally, he just blurts it out.
“The healer said I’m pregnant.” He blushes as he says it.
Pepper makes a sound that’s close to a shriek and leans forward at once to hug
him. “Oh I knew it,” she says, grinning, “I just knew it, way back at the
beginning, I knew it. Oh, this is such good news, Steve. I’m so happy for you.
Have you told Tony yet?”
Steve shakes his head. “Haven’t had the chance.”
It’s true, but at the same time not the whole reason. Steve wanted to get back
to the fields as soon as he felt well enough, because he wants to pull his
weight in the village. He’s being fed three times a day, so he should work hard
enough to deserve that, which meant getting right back to the fields instead of
going off to find Tony. But the other part Steve’s a little shy about
admitting, even to himself. If Bruce is right about how much Tony knows about
pregnancy, Tony probably already knows, but Steve still wants to be the one to
tell him and he wants to do it in Tony’s favorite place.
After lunch, there are still chores to be done. Clothes need fixed and beds
need washed, and there’s a tear in the tent flap that needs sewed up. Steve
makes a note as he’s washing the beds to force Tony into a bath tonight,
whether he thinks he needs it or not. After all that’s done, it’s nearly
supper, but there’s just enough time for Steve to track Tony down out in the
paddock.
“Hey,” he calls out as he climbs over the fence. Tony’s with Dummy, who’s grown
considerably since Steve first met him, trying to fit a lead onto him. Dummy is
not having any of it, squirming and backing away, stepping on Tony’s feet as
often as he can manage.
Tony looks up and waves to him. Dummy takes advantage of his distraction to
work the rope off and run away, neighing happily. Tony picks up the rope and
stares after him.
“For crying out loud,” he says, though Steve can tell he’s not actually angry.
He shakes his head. “Never mind, I’ll get him tomorrow.” He looks back at Steve
and takes a few steps forward to meet him. “What’s up, cutie? Feeling any
better.”
Steve nods. “Yeah,” he says. “Bruce gave me something to drink for the
sickness. He, um, he also told me what was wrong.”
Tony’s eyes are wide, and maybe a bit hopeful. He nods for Steve to continue.
“I’m pregnant,” Steve says, shyly.
Tony grins, wide and relieved. “That is great, sunshine. That is fantastic.
There are no words for how fantastic that is.” He wraps his arms around Steve.
They just stand there for a few minutes, holding each other until the supper
bell rings and breaks them apart. As they start back toward the fire, Tony
grabs Steve’s hand, and doesn’t let go until they’re back in the village.
It isn’t until later, much later, after Tony’s already asleep behind him that
it occurs to Steve how much more difficult it’s going to be to escape, now that
he’s pregnant.
***** Chapter 3 *****
Chapter Summary
     All Tony's ever wanted was to work with the horses, but now he's got
     a new focus: taking care of his sister Pepper and his new bride
     Steve, whose own plans for escape may cause problems for everyone.
     Tribal society!au.
Not a lot changes for Steve, after finding out he’s pregnant. Little things
change, but nothing big. Steve stops worrying completely about any threat Tony
might pose, but he’d pretty much stopped worrying about that a while ago. Tony
does get a lot more cuddly at night, something Steve thought wasn’t even
possible. Ever since they found out about the baby, Tony’s been all over him,
just touching and rubbing his belly. There’s barely a bump there, but Tony
really, really, enjoys touching it. Steve doesn’t mind, so much, except that it
tickles, a bit. Aside from that, the only changes come from Pepper, who makes
sure he drinks enough and takes a few breaks during the day.
Mostly, though, things stay the same. Steve gets up in the morning, works,
spends time with Tony, and then goes back to sleep. It sounds pretty
unsatisfying, but honestly, Steve’s content. The only real problem Steve has,
aside from the distant threat of childbirth, is that his escape plan just
refuses to come together. There’s nothing solid yet, though he’ll get there,
he’s sure. Other than that, things are pretty good. Steve’s happier than he’s
probably ever been.
At about four months, the baby starts to move, which isn’t as fun as it sounds.
Oh, Steve’s sure it’s fun for Tony, who only has to feel it from the outside,
hands pressed against Steve’s belly. But for Steve, it’s just uncomfortable. It
also really makes it real, for the first time, and Steve sometimes has to stop
and just think about the fact that there’s someone growing inside him. It’s
deeply strange, though not, he thinks, unwelcome. He’s ready to love this baby
with everything he’s got, even if it kills him.
 
Eventually, Tony has to go back out on another hunt. He’s not happy about it,
but there’s nothing he can do. If he doesn’t go, his house won’t eat. It’s his
duty, and Tony accepts that, he does, but that doesn’t mean he’s happy about
it. Every instinct he’s got is telling him he needs to be here for Steve. He
knows, rationally, that Pepper will take good care of him while Tony is gone,
make sure he eats and doesn’t work too hard, but who’s going to be there to
cuddle with him at night, or blow raspberries on his belly? Those are things
that only Tony can do, and while he’s gone, Steve will have to go without. Tony
never, ever wants Steve to go without anything.
At least there’s one small glimmer of hope on the horizon.
“Don’t worry,” he tells Steve the night before Tony’s supposed to leave. “This
hunt won’t last as long as the last one. We’ll be back in a little over a week,
in time for Natasha to leave on her spirit quest.”
Since Natasha’s only a few months younger than Tony, they pretty much grew up
competing with one another. She’s a tough bitch, and that’s for sure. She’ll
make a great asset to the hunting party, once she gets back from her spirit
quest. And as long as she stays away from Tony with anything sharp, they’ll be
golden. Tony’ll never admit it, but Natasha’s made him nervous ever since she
stabbed him in the neck when they were eleven. It hadn’t been a deep wound, but
Tony’s still got the scar. He swears it prickles every time she tries to sneak
up on him.
“Which one’s Natasha?” Steve asks. Sometimes Tony forgets that Steve doesn’t
know many people here. It’s not that the tribe is unfriendly or anything, but
they do have pretty scheduled lives. Steve usually only interacts with the
people that work in the fields at the same time he does. And Tony and Pepper,
of course, but they don’t count.
“The mean looking redhead,” Tony says, and shivers a bit, for effect. “She’s
vicious, Steve. I bet she’ll have no problem at all on her spirit quest,
because all the wild animals and the heat and everything will be too afraid of
her to go after her. Me, I was nearly delirious, but I bet she walks back into
camp fresh as a spring fucking daisy.”
Tony stops his rant, but only because Steve’s laughing at him. He’s got plenty
more to say about Natasha, though. He could recite epic poems with everything
he’s got to say about her.
“You’re such a goofball, Tony,” Steve tells him, but he scooches closer, so
Tony knows he doesn’t mean it. Or if he does mean it, he doesn’t mind, at
least. Tony nuzzles him, and then Steve’s quiet for so long Tony thinks he’s
asleep. Tony’s almost asleep himself when he hears Steve whisper, “I’ll miss
you.” And that, right there, might make the whole trip worth it.
 
Tony’s pretty distracted the whole hunting trip, but apart from some teasing
from Rhodey, no one really says much about it. They all know his bride’s
pregnant with their first child, so he gets some leniency. Still, just because
he’s distracted doesn’t mean he’s not a first class hunter. What he lacks in
aim, he makes up for in strategy, and it’s only thanks to Tony’s brilliant
plans that they bring down two of the buffalo. Also thanks to his new and
improved arrow heads. He’d worked on those for weeks, and they at least two
times better than the old ones. It’s all about design. Well, design and
material, but mostly design. Tony’s a genius, he’s always said so.
By the time they ride back into camp a week and a half later, dragging three
buffalo behind them, there’s only a day left before Natasha has to leave on her
spirit quest. Perfect timing, really. There’ll be just enough time for Tony to
have a very short, very dutiful conversation with her, hopefully surrounded by
lots of people, and wish her luck. He does that first, to get it out of the
way.
He finds her outside her house’s tent, sharpening her knives. Tony doesn’t
shudder, but only because she’s watching him. He keeps it short and sweet.
“Good luck tomorrow, Natasha,” he says. “I’m sure you’ll do well.”
She replies with a friendly, “Fuck off, Tony,” which is a cue to retreat if
Tony’s ever heard one.
Then, Tony goes to find Steve. He’s seriously been lacking in Steve-cuddles
this past week, and that needs remedied, like, now. He finds him, after much
searching, in the horse paddock, which makes a warm glow of pleasure flood into
Tony’s stomach. His favorite guy in his favorite place, petting that stupid
horse, Dummy, who, honestly, holds a special place in Tony’s heart, as well.
Tony doesn’t even think about it, just sneaks up behind Steve and clings. “Hey,
sweetheart,” he says, though it’s muffled in Steve’s neck.
“Tony!” Steve says, and he just sounds so happy about it that Tony can’t help
but laugh and hold him tighter, one hand creeping down automatically to touch
their baby. They stand their together like that until Dummy apparently decides
he needs attention, too, and nudges Steve’s shoulder. Tony finally lets go,
stepping back a few steps and giving Dummy a few pats on the head.
“You’re ruining my reunion,” he tells the horse, very seriously. Dummy just
chews on his shirt sleeve, unconcerned. To Steve, Tony says, “What are you
doing out here?”
“Pepper made me take a break,” he says, and he doesn’t sound happy about it.
Tony knows Steve feels useless when he’s not working, but at least he’s been
taking it easy for the baby’s sake.
"What were you guys working on?” Tony asks, taking Steve’s hand and guiding him
back toward the fire.
“Natasha’s tent,” Steve says. “I never realized how much work went into making
one. We’ve been working on it since you left, pretty much, and it’s still not
done. Pepper seems sure it’ll be finished by the time Natasha gets back
though.”
“It’d better be,” Tony says without thinking. “Otherwise I’m not sure where
they’re going to put her bride one the raiding party brings him back.”
Tony keeps walking and nearly has his arm jerked out of its socket when Steve
stops short. When Tony turns to look back at him, his face is white and he’s
swaying slightly.
“Steve?” Tony asks, suddenly alarmed. He lets go of Steve’s hand to grab his
shoulders and steady him. “Are you okay? Is it the baby?”
Steve shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. Tony helps him sit on the
ground and hovers over his shoulder, hand clenching nervously. He hasn’t even
considered it until now, but what would he do if something bad happened to
Steve and the baby. Tony’s never seen a mother die during childbirth, but it
happens, and it’s not that uncommon. Tony’s own mother died that way. He killed
her, as sure as anything, his father used to tell him so all the time. And now,
what if he’s killed Steve, by putting this baby in him. Tony should have just
said “fuck duty” that first night. He and Steve could have just taken Pepper
and run away together, gone somewhere no one would ever have to conceive and
then they’d all just stay alive.
Tony’s pretty much useless the whole time Steve is on the ground. He offers to
go get Bruce, but Steve shakes his head, face in his hands, so Tony just hovers
and worries. Eventually, after a few long, tense minutes, Steve looks up at him
again.
“I’m okay,” he says, and holds up his hands for Tony to help him to his feet.
He’s lying; his face is still pale and he’s shaking the tiniest bit, but Tony
doesn’t call him on it. He just tries to calm his own breathing and gets them
moving again, back toward the fire and supper.
 
Steve is such an idiot and he didn’t even realize. This whole week they’ve been
sewing Natasha’s tent, and the only thing he was thinking the whole time was
how nice a gesture it was, congratulations for her completing her spirit quest.
Not once did he stop to think what was going to happen in that tent. Not once
did it even occur to him that they were going to kidnap another innocent kid,
tie him up in that tent and force a baby into him. The worst part is, there’s
nothing Steve can do about it.
Steve can feel Tony’s eyes on him all night, as he picks at his supper, nodding
along as Pepper talks about something or other. Pepper notices, though, that
he’s not really paying attention, and she offers to go with him early back to
the tent. Steve’s feeling out of it enough that he doesn’t even protest at her
coddling.
Back in the tent, Steve undresses quickly and lies down, back to the tent flap.
Tony’s probably going to be in early, tonight, and he’s going to want to talk
about it, but Steve’s just not sure he can handle that. He doesn’t want to talk
about it, or even think about it. If only, he thinks wistfully, he had an
escape plan. Then he could help himself and more importantly, this new bride.
He wracks his brain, trying to think of something, anything, that could help
them. Nothing comes to him, though, and the baby makes Steve tired enough that
he ends up falling asleep, even before Tony comes back.
 
The next few days are awful. Steve gets up in the morning and goes to work in
the fields, but everyone can tell he’s not himself. Tony has at least three
people come up to him at different points in the day and ask about it. He
thinks about going to Bruce, but he’s not sure it would help. For one thing, he
doesn’t have any ideas at all about what might be wrong with Steve. He’d been
fine when they were in the paddock yesterday, and he doesn’t seem to be having
any actual physical symptoms that Tony can see. He’s just upset, and like it or
not, that’s kind of a pregnancy thing, too.
So Tony just watches and waits, keeping an eye on Steve from afar. Pepper’s
watching, too, he can tell, though they haven’t talked about it. It’s not
really enough, but as long as Steve doesn’t get any worse, it’s really he can
do.
That’s how it goes for the next two days, and there’s an awkward tension
between Steve and Tony the whole time. Then, on the night Natasha returns from
her spirit quest, Steve goes back to the tent before the celebration even
starts. Tony makes his excuses and follows after him. He knows Pepper will
cover for him. He shouldn’t, it’s not the done thing, but everyone’s seen how
off Steve’s been lately, so Tony knows no one will say anything about it. As
long as they go in the morning to greet the new couple, it should be fine.
In the tent, Tony finds Steve lying down on their pallet, tense and shaking
again. Tony lies down behind him and tries to pull him close, but Steve jerks
away from his touch. It hurts, more than Tony will admit, but he can’t give up.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
Steve’s, “No,” is so quiet Tony almost doesn’t hear it.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Steve doesn’t answer.
Finally, Tony says, “Well, I’m here if you need me.”
It’s all he can do, and until Steve’s ready to talk, he’s going to keep doing
it.
 
The lead feeling in Steve’s stomach never really leaves, even when he’s asleep.
When he’s woken up by Tony the next day, though, and told they have to go visit
Natasha and her bride, however, it gets a lot worse. He nods, because what else
can he do, and dresses. He can’t eat at breakfast, and Tony definitely notices,
but at least he doesn’t say anything about it. Tony doesn’t eat much either,
but then, he never does.
Then Steve’s time is up, and Tony’s leading him toward Natasha’s new tent,
where she and a blonde boy Steve’s never seen before are sitting. The bride, he
must be, but he doesn’t half as upset as Steve feels.
“Hi, Natasha,” Tony says, as they walk up.
Natasha gives him a delicate little wave that shows off the new spirit tattoo
on her wrist, a surprisingly lifelike black spider. “Tony,” she says
disdainfully, then she looks at Steve and smiles. “Steve,” she says rather more
pleasantly. “This is my bride, Clint.”
Tony nods at him, but Steve’s just can’t. No one seems to notice. Then Tony
sighs, like he’s mentally preparing himself, and, with a quick look at Steve,
says, “Natasha, let’s take a walk. I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about.”
Natasha smirks at him, but obligingly gets up. She pats Steve’s shoulder as
they pass. Then they’re both gone, leaving Steve alone with Clint. He sits,
awkwardly, in the spot Natasha was just sitting in, trying to find the words to
say.
“Are you okay?” he finally asks.
Clint looks at him strangely. “Uh, yeah,” he says, like it should be obvious.
It’s not the answer Steve was expecting. He’s not sure how he felt the morning
after this baby was conceived, but he’s pretty sure it wasn’t okay.
“But don’t you feel violated? Don’t you miss your village?” he asks, a bit
desperately. He doesn’t want to cause pain in this man, but he needs answers.
He needs to know.
Clint scoffs. “Are you kidding? A sexy lady pins me down and wants to put a
baby in me, it’s like a dream come true. Why would I feel violated? And why
would I miss my village? Everyone there were jerks. It’s much nicer here.
There’re telling me I get three meals a day, warm clothes and a pretty girl in
my bed every night. What else could I possibly want? All my life I’ve been
waiting for someone to rescue me from my shitty life. I think this might be it,
you know?”
“Oh,” Steve says, small and quiet. He hadn’t thought of it like that, before.
It makes him feel better, a bit, knowing he won’t have to rescue this bride, as
well as himself. He can breathe deep, now, knowing that no one was hurt last
night or forced into anything. He even smiles a bit, shakily. It’s like a
weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he’s a bit lightheaded, to be
honest.
“So you’re Tony’s bride, huh?” Clint asks, and Steve nods. “You know, Nat was
talking about him all morning. Don’t get me wrong, it was all complaints, but I
got the impression she could go on for a while about him. You think I should be
jealous? Oh, shit! What if they’ve run away together right now?”
Steve laughs, a little from giddy relief, and a little because he knows exactly
what Clint’s talking about. He’s not sure exactly what kind of messed up
relationship Tony and Natasha have with each other, but apparently Tony’s
ability to babble endlessly about her is mutual.
“Somehow I don’t think that’s likely,” Steve says, patting Clint’s shoulder.
“Tony was talking the other day about a stab wound she gave him once. I think
he’d be too terrified to go anywhere with her.”
“That could be a front,” Clint says reasonably. “It could all be to hide their
epic love.” Then they look at each other and laugh.
 
By the time Tony gets back from his terrible Walk of Doom with Natasha, Steve
and Clint seem to be fast friends. Tony’s so relieved to see Steve actually
smiling that he goes weak in the knees.
“Oh good,” Clint says, wiping a fake bead of sweat off his forehead. “We
thought you two had run away together.”
Tony likes this guy’s style, but the very idea of running away with Natasha
makes his eye twitch. Judging by Natasha’s smirk in his direction, she sees it.
“We were going to,” Tony says, to cover it. “But then Natasha realized she
forgot her dolly, so she had to come back for it.”
Natasha’s elbow to his ribs is vicious and swift. Tony doubles over, clutching
at them, aware that everyone’s laughing at him, even Steve, that traitor. They
keep laughing, the jerks, the whole time Tony’s down. When he finally
straightens back up, though, he meets Steve’s eyes, shining and lovely, and
thinks worth it.
 
The rest of the day goes pretty smoothly. Steve’s no longer looking like he’s
two seconds from passing out. He goes to help in the fields, under Pepper’s
watchful eye, and when Tony meets him at lunch, he’s eating again. After lunch,
Tony’s got some time, so he helps with the mending, doing his very worst job,
just to see Steve’s cute little scowl. Clint even comes over to sit by them
while he does his own mending, though thankfully he doesn’t bring Natasha with
him.
Before supper, Tony and Steve hold hands and take a walk. Steve smiles at him
the whole time, and Tony’s just so grateful he’s feeling better that he doesn’t
even care what caused it. He’ll find out, eventually, he’s sure, whenever
Steve’s ready to tell him. Until then, though, this is fine, great even. They
eat supper next to each other, then after Tony makes his rounds, they cuddle
together in bed.
Everything is going so smoothly and Tony’s just so happy, that it’s no wonder
things go so wrong so quickly afterward.
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter Summary
     All Tony's ever wanted was to work with the horses, but now he's got
     a new focus: taking care of his sister Pepper and his new bride
     Steve, whose own plans for escape may cause problems for everyone.
     Tribal society!au.
Chapter Notes
     this is the last chapter, just a short epilogue after this
     also, this chapter has only been spot-proofread because i'm just too
     tired to do it now. i'll fix any mistakes in a day or two, i promise
When Steve wakes up, it’s no surprise to find Tony already gone. Tony’s always
gone when he wakes up, though Steve’s not sure where he even goes this early,
when the sun’s barely up. Probably to work on his super-secret new arrowheads
or something, before prying eyes can find him. It’s a very Tony thing to do,
and it makes Steve smile to think about.
What is a surprise, though, is Pepper, still asleep on her pallet. Steve feels
a little flare of triumph. He’s never been awake before Pepper before, for all
that Steve’s supposed to be the main caretaker of Tony’s house. He watches her
sleep, as he rises and dresses. She looks so soft, asleep, and small. He’s
never even considered it before, but Pepper really is just a girl. He could
probably carry her, if he had to, he’s grown enough with the regular meals
these past few months, though it probably wouldn’t be good for the baby if he
did. Physically, though, he probably could carry her, steal her away somewhere.
That’s when the idea comes to him, the one he’s been waiting for ever since
that first night in this tent. Pepper’s the key, the one thing that’s going to
make his escape work. For some reason, realizing that doesn’t have the effect
Steve expected. He doesn’t feel relief, or happiness or excitement, or anything
he thought he’d feel, once he came up with a plan. It must be shock, he
decides, and goes to wake her up.
 
It takes Steve two days to work out the details. What he’s got to do is get
Pepper alone, and somehow unconscious. Then, he can put them both on a horse,
not Dummy, but one of the full-grown ones that can hold them both. He’ll just
have to ride off, then. Everyone will be so frantic over Pepper missing that
they won’t even remember about him. Or if they do, they’ll jump to any number
of conclusions that will buy him time. They might think he and Pepper were both
kidnapped by an enemy of Tony’s or maybe that he and Pepper ran off together.
It doesn’t matter what they think, only that they don’t know the truth, at
least not right away. By the time anyone figures out what really happened,
Steve will be at his old village with Pepper as insurance that they won’t
attack it. And once the tribe agrees not to attack, Steve can release Pepper
and they can all just go home. No one will get hurt. It’ll be perfect.
The only problem, as far as Steve can see, is that he’s not sure how he’s going
to knock Pepper out without hurting her. He thinks maybe Bruce has something
that can help him, and he's right. All he has to do is slip off to the healing
tent after lunch and fake insomnia. Bruce hands him another little bottle.
“This’ll work,” he says, cheerfully. “Don’t use too much, though, just a sip
will do. You’ll be out like a light in no time.”
Steve thanks him and puts the little bottle in his pocket. Tonight, he thinks.
Tonight’s when he’ll do it. He spends the rest of the day going about his
business as usual. He mends and repairs with Pepper, then goes to see Tony and
the horses. He feels a little wistful that this is their last moment like this
together, just the two of them. He’s really going to miss Tony. He thinks about
it again at supper, just before he puts his plan into action. He’s going to
miss these two, and his life here, but he knows that if he just gets back to
his old village, back to where he was before, his life will be normal again.
“Pepper,” he says, once Tony’s gone to talk to the other heads of houses. “Do
you want to take a walk?”
She smiles at him brightly, and Steve immediately feels bad, but it’s too late
to take the question back, now. “Sure,” she says and helps him to his feet.
Steve leads them, for once, in a winding path to the paddock, where he knows
the horses are. He can feel the small bottle in his pocket full of sleeping
draught. He’s thinking as they walk, arm in arm, about how he’s going to get
Pepper to drink it. He’s still considering by the time they get to the fence.
“This is a nice spot,” he says, stopping their procession and takes the bottle
out of his pocket.
Pepper laughs, easily and climbs up to sit precariously on the top rail of the
fence. “Of course you think so,” she says. “It’s Tony’s favorite spot and
you’re head over heels for him.”
“W-what?” Steve’s breath catches in his throat. “That’s not true.”
“Steve,” Pepper says slowly. “I live with both of you. I see how you two look
at each other. It’s no secret. Everyone can see it.”
She gives Steve a moment to process this, then says, casually, “Now, what was
it you dragged me out here to say? If something’s wrong, you know I’ll do
anything I can to help you.”
At that moment, Steve realizes just how selfish he’s being. Not just because by
executing this plan, he's destroying Pepper’s life, though that’s certainly a
big part of it, but he’s also putting the lives of everyone in his old village
at risk, if this plan doesn’t work out. All those lives might be taken because
Steve wants to go back to the village that hadn’t really treated him that well
to begin with. He was only ever orphan to them, and his mother, before she
died, had been a whore.
When he looks at this village, though, he can see that they take care of their
orphans. He even knows some of them, the ones that work near him in the fields,
Billy, Tommy, Teddy and Eli. These kids, the ones without anyone to represent
them, they always get fed and there are families that have taken them in, loved
them as their own. It really isn’t a bad village, when you get down to it.
And in any case, he realizes, what does he really expect to happen when he gets
back to his village, that they’ll just take him back, even though he’s clearly
pregnant and traveling without a husband? They’ll call him a whore, like they
did to his mother, and he’ll have to go into their tents, like she had, and do
whatever it was with them that caused her so much pain. No, that’s not a life
he wants.
Plus, he knows he’d miss them, Pepper and Tony. Pepper had been his first
friend here, kind to him since the day he’d arrived. He’d miss her laugh and
her smile and the way she takes charge when things need to get done, even when
it’s not her duty. And Tony, Steve would miss him, too, miss the look on his
face when he’s with the horses, and the way he curls an arm around Steve before
they go to sleep.
Tony’s always watched out for Steve, done his best by him, except for that
first night. Even that night, though, well, Steve has a lot of bad feelings
about it. He remembers being terrified and humiliated. What he doesn’t
remember, though, is it being painful, and that’s because it wasn’t. Actually,
he remembers it feeling really good. At the time, that had been worse than
pain, because it confused him so badly. But he can’t help thinking that if Tony
wanted to do that to him now, it would be different. There wouldn’t be any
fear, because Tony isn’t just some man that might hurt him, he’s someone Steve
likes, maybe even loves. And the shame isn’t there, either, because there’s
nothing shameful about being Tony’s bride. It doesn’t hurt him anymore to think
about himself like that. The feelings he does get when he thinks about it are
soft and fluttery. Maybe it’s just the baby causing those feelings, but still,
it’s Tony’s baby, and Steve can’t pretend that doesn’t do anything for him,
just a little.
All Steve can figure is that he’s been so focused on escaping this whole time
that he never even realized he wants to stay. It’s a nice thought, freeing, in
a way.
“Actually, never mind,” he says, smiling. He puts the bottle back into his
pocket. “It’s nothing. Let’s head back.”
What happens next happens so fast Steve can’t even react. Something, he’s not
sure what, probably an animal, startles one of the horses clustered nearby. The
horse rears up on his hind legs and lets out an ear splitting whinny, jostling
the fence and making Pepper lose her balance. Her arms windmill out, and Steve
doesn’t even have time to reach for her before she’s falling backward, into the
paddock.
“Pepper!” he cries, trying to climb over the fence. It’s not easy, with the
baby in the way, but he manages it. It’s not a long fall, but the paddock is
full of rocks around the edge, and when he sees her lying on the ground, eyes
closed, he fears the worst. He can’t see any blood, but he doesn’t want to move
her to check, in case she’s hurt something inside her. And even if he thought
it was a good idea to move her, he probably couldn’t carry her more than a few
feet. He has to go for help, it’s the only option, but he can’t leave her here
alone, either, What if something else happens while he’s gone?
In the end, he does the only thing he can think of.
“Dummy!” he calls, and the horse trots over immediately. “Dummy,” he says,
carefully, looking the horse straight in the eyes. “I need you to watch Pepper,
okay? You have to watch her and make sure nothing happens to her. Can you do
that?”
Dummy whickers, which Steve thinks means yes. It takes him a minute to climb
back over the fence, but when he does he’s off running. He’s worn out by the
time he gets back to the fire, but he knows he can’t rest now. He calls for
Tony, instead, and the man’s by his side in an instant, clutching his arm.
“Steve, what happened? Are you okay? Where’s Pepper?” He asks, real panic in
his eyes.
“She’s hurt,” Steve says between breaths. “She’s at the paddock and she fell
and now she’s hurt.”
“Take us there,” Tony says, gesturing to Bruce to follow, and Steve does, as
fast as he can.
The baby feels like it’s doing somersaults by the time they reach the paddock
and Steve’s panting, hands on his knees, but Dummy’s there standing guard over
Pepper, just like Steve asked him to. “Good boy,” he says, breathlessly.
Bruce climbs over the fence first, Tony right on his heels. Steve knows he
won’t make another trip across, so he stays where he is, ready to help any way
he can.
“She’s okay to move,” he hears Bruce say after several tense moments of
silence, then he and Tony are hoisting her up, getting her carefully across the
fence. Steve follows along uselessly as they carry her back to the healing
tent. Once they’re inside, they lay her down on a pallet, and Steve sees just
how young and vulnerable she looks, just like she did whenever he made his
stupid plan in the first place. He sits down hard onto the ground.
“I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” Steve whispers. Tony glances at him
sharply before looking back at Pepper.
“What can I do, Bruce?” he asks, but Bruce shakes his head.
“Nothing we can do,” he says, and he looks almost as distraught as Tony at the
realization. “It’s a head injury. Either she’ll wake up or she won’t. Best we
can do now is pray.” Then he walks out of the tent, shoulders tight and gait
stiff.
“They were going to get married,” Tony says dully, sinking down next to Steve,
looking dazed. “After the baby was born. They’d already approached me about
it.”
Steve lets out a strangled sob he just can’t hold in anymore. “I’m sorry,
Tony,” he says, and he is. He’s so, so, sorry that he ever thought up that
stupid plan, that he ever wanted to use Pepper that way. “I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault,” Tony says, and he reaches over blindly to take Steve’s hand,
eyes still fixed on his sister.
“It is, though,” Steve admits, and it hurts to say. “It’s all my fault.”
Tony finally turns to look at him. “What happened?” he asks, as though he’s
half-afraid to find out.
Steve tells him the whole stupid thing. He tells him about how used he felt,
after that first night, and how much it hurt to see Clint going through the
same thing, for all Clint took it better than Steve. He tells him about
realizing how he could make a run for it, without anyone getting hurt, with
Pepper’s help. He tells him everything, and Tony just listens, sad-eyed and
silent.
“I never meant for anyone to get hurt,” he repeats, at the end.
Tony takes a deep, ragged breath, after Steve’s finished talking. “I would have
let you go, Steve, if you’d asked.”
“What?” Steve asks, head spinning. “But, you said-” he falters.
“I was drunk that night,” Tony says, and looks away, back at Pepper. “Drunk and
delirious from two days in the desert sun, when I told you those things. But if
you’d have asked, I would have let you. It would have hurt like hell, but I’d
have done it. I love you, Steve, and I’d do anything for you, even fake your
death, let you escape, if that’s what you wanted.”
Steve takes a minute to absorb it all, then says, “I lov-”
“Don’t say things you don’t mean,” Tony says, and drops his hand at last.
“Please leave, Steve. I want to be alone with my sister.”
“Tony,” Steve tries, but Tony doesn’t look at him, just keeps staring at
Pepper’s face.
So Steve leaves, goes to sit outside. He finds Bruce there, staring at his
hands. Steve wants to tell him he’s sorry, that he didn’t mean it, but the
phrases are starting to lose their meaning, even to him.
Dawn comes and goes, and Steve sees the rest of the tribe getting up, starting
their day. Quite a few stop by to check on Pepper and their house, and Steve
steps up and does his duty, thanking them for their concern and swearing to
pass it on to Tony. He doesn’t go back inside, though. He just stays outside,
intercepting well-wishers, and in between visitors, thinking.
He really messed up, and he knows it. Tony, well, he sounded like he didn’t
want Steve around anymore. It hurts more than it should, considering Steve was
still planning on leaving him just last night. He’s changed his mind, sure, but
it doesn’t work like and he knows it. It’s Tony’s choice, now and Steve will do
whatever Tony wants, stay or go.
 
Tony’s been by himself for hours. He can’t even bring himself to pray. All he
can do is watch Pepper lie there, and think about how alone he is. His bride
doesn’t want him, never has. His baby’s going be take away from him by the man
that played him so completely. His sister might never wake up. Tony has no one
left.
How could he have been so stupid, as to make plans for the future he knew would
never happen? He always knew he’d be alone at the end. He’d killed his mother,
and now his sister, too. The baby might not survive, and even if it does,
Tony’ll never even see it. Steve will take it away, and Tony’ll be left with
nothing. Isn’t this the future his father warned him about?
He’s not sad, exactly. He doesn’t really feel anything at all, actually. Just
emptiness. Like there’s nothing in the world to live for, like there’s no point
in anything. It’s why he doesn’t cry, even at the darkest hour, when he’s sure
Pepper’s going to stop breathing at any second. He just stares and waits for
the inevitable.
 
At about noon, Steve hears a shout from inside the tent for Bruce to come
quickly. It’s Tony’s voice, and Steve knows things have either gone very wrong,
or improved drastically. Either Pepper’s awake or she’s dead, and Steve’s not
sure he can handle the suspense of just standing outside, waiting for answers.
That’s why he follows Bruce in, though he’s got no right to be there, not now
that Tony doesn’t want him.
He takes great gulping gasps of relief when he realizes Pepper’s eyes are open
and he sees Bruce doing the same. Tony’s crouched down in front of her, with
tears in his eyes, clutching her hand. Pepper looks at them all, Steve and
Bruce standing and her brother kneeling by her side, then smiles groggily.
“What happened?” she asks, hoarsely, and Bruce snaps into action, checking her
over and asking her questions. Whatever he finds seems to please him, because
he’s smiling by the end of the examination, taking her other hand and talking
to her softly enough that Steve can’t hear what he’s saying. Tony, still
clutching Pepper’s hand, looks up at Steve, relief and joy in his smile. Then
he seems to remember who, exactly, he’s smiling at and the smile falls away,
replaced by a blank mask that makes Steve feel cold.
He turns to leave, but Pepper says, “Wait, Steve! I need to thank you for
getting help so quick.”
“Thank Dummy,” Steve tells her, and gets out of their way.
 
The next few days aren’t comfortable. Pepper’s well enough the day after her
fall to go back to their tent, but Bruce doesn’t want her working in the fields
for a while, just in case. That’s fine, though. Steve leaves her to rest and
goes out by himself. He works hard to make up for her absence, and for the part
he played in it. After lunch, Steve is as quiet as he can possibly be around
the tent and still get the work done. Tony’s nowhere to be found, though Steve
suspects he’s out in the pasture thanking Dummy for his newfound obedience. At
suppertime, Tony comes in from that direction, backing up Steve’s theory. Steve
helps Pepper to the fire, and sits down next to her. Tony sits on his other
side, like usual, but he doesn’t talk to Steve. He leans around him, briefly,
to touch Pepper’s arm and smile at her, but other than that, he just acts like
Steve doesn’t exist. Later that night, in their bed, it’s the same. Tony
doesn’t even touch him, just rolls so his back’s to Steve and goes to sleep.
Pepper’s cleared for work in the fields again after three days. She’s good as
new, as far as Steve can tell, and he’s glad for it. He never meant for any
harm to come to her. He loves her like a sister, and he knows she feels the
same, even if she doesn’t know about his part in her accident. He just can’t
bring himself to tell her, and he doesn’t think Tony has, either, for some
reason.
“Honestly,” Pepper says, as they’re walking out to the fields. “I don’t know
what you two are fighting about, but it’s gone on long enough. I think it’s
time you made up, don’t you?”
Steve doesn’t say, ‘Tony doesn’t want me, anymore.’ He wants to, but he knows
if he says it, she’ll want to help him. He doesn’t deserve her help, not after
what he did. It’s his own fault Tony doesn’t want him, and he’s just going to
have to deal with that.
Three days turns into a week, turns into two weeks, and Steve and Tony still
aren’t talking. It probably has the potential to go on a lot longer, but then
Steve wakes up one night in pain and Tony’s there immediately.
“Shh,” Tony says, holding Steve’s hand. “Shh, baby. Tell me what’s wrong.
Should I get Bruce?”
“It’s the baby,” Steve manages, between pained contractions. “Something’s
wrong.”
“I’ll get Bruce,” Tony says, and goes to stand up, but Steve can’t make his
hand let go.
“Don’t leave me,” he says, and Tony nods, kneeling back down.
“Pepper!” he calls, and she jerks away, sitting up. “Something’s wrong with the
baby. Get Bruce!”
She’s out of bed and outside in an instant.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Tony tells him, and pushes Steve's hair back off his
face. “It’s gonna be okay.” And for the first time in a while, Steve believes
it.
 
It’s a good thing it’s dark, Tony think vaguely, as Pepper reappears with
Bruce, because both of them were just running stark naked through the camp.
Then Bruce starts to examine Steve and Tony puts all his concentration into not
panicking. After various poking and prodding, and asking Steve questions, Bruce
looks at Tony.
“It’s false labor,” he says, matter-of-factly. “Probably caused by stress.”
“Stress?” Steve asks, still breathing hard from the pain.
“Stress,” Bruce repeats. “With everything that’s been going on lately, with
Pepper’s accident and you two fighting, your body can’t handle it. The baby’ll
be fine, but only if you keep yourself under control for the rest of the
pregnancy. Whatever’s going on between you two, it needs to end, for the sake
of the baby.”
After that it’s all pretty routine. Bruce gives Steve some herbs to take to
help with the pain, Steve promises to take them, Bruce gives them both a stern
glare, then Pepper and Bruce both go back to bed, leaving Steve and Tony alone,
in silence.
“I’m sorry,” Tony starts, but Steve shakes his head.
“It’s my fault, Tony. I’m the one who should be sorry. I know you don’t want
me, but I just keep thinking-”
“Wait,” Tony interrupts, surprised. “You think I don’t want you?”
“The night Pepper fell,” Steve explains. “You wouldn’t let me tell you I loved
you. And you made me leave.”
“Because you just finished telling me you didn’t want to be with me and never
had. Or were you planning on escaping because you secretly enjoyed my company?”
“I told you I changed my mind,” Steve says, defensively. “Before I even
realized I’d done it, I changed my mind. I haven’t wanted to leave for a long
time, I just thought I did.”
This whole thing is giving Tony a headache. “So, wait, let’s get this straight.
Do you or do you not want to be with me?”
“I do,” Steve says, and he’s so earnest and open that Tony believes him.
“Okay,” he says. “Let’s do it, then. Let’s be together again. Simple as that.”
 
Surprisingly, it really is as simple as that. For the time being, at least.
Tony’s sure that soon something will come along to fuck everything up, but
until then, they’re golden. They start spending time together again, before
supper and in the evenings. It’s awkward at first, but they push through it and
make it work. The best part, the very best part, is getting to cuddle with
Steve again, at night.
Then, of course, all of Tony’s cuddling pays off. One night, a few days after
the false labor incident, Steve rolls over to look at him after Pepper’s
asleep, when Tony’s pretty close to sleep, himself.
“Tony,” he says, almost hesitantly. “You know that thing we did to make the
baby?”
That wakes Tony up like almost nothing else could have. “Yeees,” he says,
slowly. “What about it?”
Steve blushes and asks, “Is that only for making babies, or could we do it
anytime? Like, for instance, now?”
Tony makes what he’s sure are a series of incoherent noises while Steve just
stares. Eventually, he pulls himself together enough not to just come all over
Steve’s thigh. “Yes, we can definitely do that. Are you sure?” Because Tony
wants this, he really, really wants this, but not if Steve doesn’t. He never
wants to hurt Steve like that again.
“I’m sure,” Steve says. “I wasn’t in the best mindset for it, the first time,
but I think now would be better.”
So Tony goes for it. He takes a long, luxurious look at Steve’s body, all
swelled up with Tony’s baby, and thinks that this is the hottest thing he’s
ever done. He reaches out to touch Steve’s nipples, like he did that first
time. This time, though, Steve arches up without shame, letting himself feel
the pleasure. They start to leak, too, after a few passes of Tony’s thumb, and
his eyes might roll back in his head, a little bit.
When he trails his hand down Steve’s belly, the baby kicks out at the feel of
his hand. Tony just adds it to the list of ways in which this could not get any
hotter and keeps going.
“Don’t mind us, little guy,” he tells the baby. “We’re going to have sex now,
but don’t worry, you won’t feel it.” Finally, all that baby development
knowledge is paying off.
Steve keens when Tony takes his cock in hand, gives it a few strokes. It’s a
good sound, and Tony doesn’t even care if Pepper wakes up, at this point. She
won’t say anything, or if she does, it’ll just be teasing. She’s happy for
them, he knows, happy enough to put up with them having sex while she’s asleep
in the tent.
Tony takes his time stretching Steve. He likes the feel of it, the heat around
his fingers. It’s nothing compared to when he has it around his dick, though.
He starts to rock gently in and out, and takes hold of Steve’s cock again.
"This is how we made the baby,” he whispers, and Steve cries out, though from
the words or the sensations, Tony doesn’t know. He hopes it’s both. “And after
this baby’s born, this is how we’ll make the next.”
It doesn’t last long; most good things don’t. Tony manages to hold out just
long enough to make Steve come, then he lets himself go. He’s careful not to
collapse on top of Steve and the baby in him, but it’s a near thing.
They lie together, afterward. Tony knows Steve has to be leaking everywhere,
but he doesn’t seem to mind. Finally, Tony says, “So what did you think?”
“It was good,” Steve decides “Better than last time.”
“And next time, it’ll be even better,” Tony promises.
Steve rolls his head to face him and says the magic words. “Prove it.”
***** Epilogue *****
“Guess who’s pregnant again?” Tony singsongs as he sits down around the lunch
fire.
Natasha gives him a level look. “I’m guessing it’s not you,” she says, cooly.
“Holy crap, Steve,” Clint says, looking up as Steve approaches with the baby on
his hip. “It’s only been a month since you popped that one out. Why the hell
would you let Tony get back up in you so soon?”
Steve blushes, but ignores him. He hands the baby to Pepper, who’s making
grabby hands for him, then sits down next to Tony. “It was an accident,” he
says, quietly.
“It was me.” Tony grins. “I’m super-potent.”
“Actually,” Bruce says, “It was probably Steve. It’s incredibly easy to
conceive right after giving birth.”
Tony fixes him with a look. “Bruce. Do you or do you not want to marry my
sister and come live in my tent.”
“Well,” Bruce hesitates. “I mean, ‘want’ is probably a strong word for how I
feel about living with you.”
Natasha and Clint laugh and pat Bruce on the back while Tony pouts.
“Don’t worry, Bruce,” Steve says, face feeling mostly back to normal. “I won’t
let him cancel your wedding festival.”
“Yeah, Bruce,” Tony agrees, smirking evilly again. “You can still marry my
sister. Steve and I will just be there the whole time, commenting on your
technique while she’s banging you afterward.”
“Tony!” Steve says, mortified.
“Don’t worry, Steve,” Pepper says, still making silly faces for the baby. “In
another seven months you’ll have three kids to take care of, instead of just
two.”
“That’s it,” Tony says. “I changed my mind again. The wedding’s off.”
“At least Bruce knows what he’s getting, moving in with you freaks,” Clint
says. “Poor Steve came into this whole mess blind.”
It’s true. Steve didn’t realize what he was getting into, that first night,
didn’t realize the crazy, wonderful family he was becoming part of. It hasn’t
even been a year since, then, but everything’s so much different. He’s got a
husband now, one he loves with everything he’s got, and a baby, too, with one
on the way. He’s got a sister-in-law he adores, and pretty soon she’ll have a
bride, too. He’s got friends, more than he’s ever had before. Altogether, he’s
got it pretty good.
“You know what,” he tells Clint, taking back the baby as Pepper hands him over.
“I think it all turned out pretty great, anyway.”
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