Chapter Text
Tony was the first to reach her side.
Despite the fact that both Clint and Wanda were closer to Natasha, neither of them made an effort to go to her.
Clint, for all his training and skills was looking down at Natasha's crumpled form, eyes unfocused and body completely stiff, seemingly uncaring of the fact that his best friend was in the process of bleeding out at his feet, and Wanda... Wanda had the same stricken expression as everyone else painted on her face, the implications of what she'd done, of who she'd done it to, making her reach both hands up to cover the sobs that were threatening to spill forth from her thin mouth.
Tony had never felt more afraid, throwing himself to his knees, he gently cradled Natasha's form to him, mindful of the warnings that Friday was murmuring into his ear. Removing the armor's face plate off with trembling fingers, he felt more than saw, the bright red streaks of blood it left on his skin.
He could feel his breath beginning to leave him in short, choppy pants and he forced himself to breathe, now was not the time for a fucking panic attack. Natasha's prone form was still oozing red, a shade so much brighter than her hair and Tony didn't understand any of it all.
He had seen the moment when Black Widow was engaged in combat with Hawkeye, her face open and teasing, both of them knowing they had chosen their sides in this, and understanding where it left the other.
Black Panther and War Machine reached him as the emergency helicopter Friday had ordered came down, T’Challa gripping Tony’s encased hand tightly, unable to connect with him in the way he wished to because of their respective suits.
Tony clenched his eyes, not wanting to see as the personnel efficiently hooked up Widow to various monitors and I.V. fluids, her suit completely drenched in a myriad of black and red.
They had pressed gauzes to the gaping hole that had tried to rip her in half, (faces carefully blank, but eyes telling another story,) the hole that was caused by the jagged piece of metal that Wanda had impaled her on.
Tony swallowed the bile back, making a conscious effort to calm himself, it wouldn't do to let the bittersweet scent of fear and anger reach T'Challa or Rhodey, he didn't want to be a weak Omega, one who needed the support of an Alpha to calm him down, and he didn't want to make the situation any more volatile than it currently was.
Tensions were high enough already, and Tony didn't want to burn through the scent blockers any quicker than he had to.
Tony felt Wanda's distress as she was gathered into Barton's arms, the Alpha soothing the Omega as best as he could, (and why, why, why was he comforting her?)
His scent mixed with hers in such a putrid way that it made Tony's stomach roil in disgust. Not for the first time in his life, Tony stared into Wanda's cold, empty eyes and wished that magic didn't exist.
~
In the aftermath of it all, Tony learned that Captain America and Barnes had escaped.
Peter, God bless the kid, had done his best to stop them, but Scott Lang had intercepted and swatted him out of the way, knocking the boy out. Thankfully, other than a few scrapes and bruises, Peter was alright, Tony didn't know what he would've done with himself if the kid had gotten seriously injured.
The flight back to Avengers Headquarters was a quiet one, the kid's face was tearful and he gnawed at his lower lip, not willing to meet Tony's eyes. Tony could feel distress and guilt rolling off of him in waves, and Tony, who had never been good at offering any form of comfort, couldn't begrudge the kid when he curled into his side, hazel eyes meeting his meekly, as though expecting a reprimand of some sort.
Tony put his arm around the kid's scrawny frame and brought him closer, his scent helping in calming him down some, his nature already beginning to identify the boy as part of him, a part of his pack. He eyed the setting sky as Peter dozed off, thoughts running in every direction.
T'Challa and Vision had helped escort Wanda, Clint, Scott and Sam off to be interrogated by Ross. Rhodey had flown ahead and made sure Dr. Cho had everything she would require in order to treat Natasha.
~
It should have never come to this. Whatever issues Steve fucking Rogers had with him and with the Accords, didn't justify what had occurred in the airport. Tony hadn't expected to see Clint, or Wanda there.
Clint, for one, was supposed to be enjoying his vacation time with his family, far away from the mess that Captain America and the witch had inadvertently caused.
Wanda was to be staying at Avengers Headquarters, away from anything that could continue painting her in a bad light to the public, while Tony worked on getting her pardoned and hopefully trained under Charles' guidance.
Wanda had already proven to them before that her powers were beyond even her control, she let her emotions control her and today it had nearly cost Natasha her life. Tony didn't even know who the hell Scott Lang was, beyond what Friday had briefed him on, and really? Ex-convicts and temper-tantrum-throwing-teens, Tony had expected better from Steve, from all of them.
It was selfish and immature, running away from the things he didn't agree with, blindly trusting a brainwashed super soldier, putting him before his teammates, before his pack. Teammates he'd known and fought alongside with for nearly a decade.
Steve Rogers put Barnes before anything and everyone else, uncaring of the consequences, he hadn't even bothered to stay behind long enough to check whether or not Natasha was going to live. Some team leader he was, Tony thought bitterly, thinking of the way that Natasha had bled out before his very eyes. No amount of training or skill could've prepared her for Wanda's magic, she hadn't been able to move out of the way.
He scrubbed at his suddenly damp eyes with the hand that wasn't holding Peter to him, cursing his raging hormones for making him all sorts of emotional.
And that right there, was another thing to worry about. How would T'Challa take the news? They weren't bonded yet, and a small part of Tony couldn’t help but wonder if that was because it was the way T'Challa wanted things to be. They hadn't been dating long, not even a year yet, and yet Tony was aware of the way he felt for T'Challa, he knew this was different, this, between them? It was something he wanted to last, to cherish, to protect, and see it bloom into something that went beyond dates and romps in the sheets.
It went beyond simple lust, and wow did that pain him to think, because lust?
Lust was easy, he could deal with wanting T'Challa simply for his body, a few quick fucks and he could get that out of his system, no messy feelings attached, but this was so much more than that.
And it terrified and excited Tony at the same time.
Tony knew that he'd never find someone on this Earth who complemented him in the way T'Challa did. He could only hope that the young King felt the same way.
~
He must've drifted off himself, because when he woke Peter was staring at him intently, hovering almost protectively over his wary form.
"Does he know?" He whispered shyly, all doe eyes and innocence.
Tony didn't bother feigning ignorance in regards to what Peter was talking about, so instead he settled for a curt no, eyes not meeting the teen's.
Of course, it'd be Spider-Baby of all people who would figure it out first. Though that was most likely due to the fact that his system had already burned through most of the scent blockers.
Not even T'Challa knew of this recent development, and Tony had no plans of telling him until after they got this whole mess sorted out and his not-yet-mate had some time to properly mourn for his Father.
He was suddenly enveloped in a warm hug, all long limbs and shaggy hair as Peter basically crawled into his lap, careful to avoid Tony's still flat stomach.
"Congratulations Mr. Stark! I'm sure he's going to be so thrilled!" And the way he says it, with so much conviction and that innocent naivety that all teenagers seemed to possess, made Tony almost believe him.
~
He had asked Peter to avoid telling anyone else, and had remembered to take some scent blockers before they arrived at the mansion upstate.
The kid had agreed, understanding it wasn't his place or his secret to tell, but that didn't stop him from voicing his concerns in regards to Tony fighting alongside them.
That was another reason why Tony didn't want anyone knowing about the baby, he was sure that T'Challa and Rhodey would not have hesitated to tie him down in his bedroom and kept him far away from anything they deemed too strenuous, and Tony didn't want that.
They needed him, they needed Iron Man and Tony Stark's influence and money and all the help they could get when it came to trying to sort this mess out.
There was no way Tony was going to get left behind simply because he was pregnant. That didn't mean he didn't worry about fighting. The suit was resistant, and he'd added additional improvements with T'Challa's help. Yet Tony knew he was far from invincible, when it came to dealing with super soldiers and mutants, Tony was just a rich guy playing dress up.
~
They arrived very late at night, and knowing that Rhodey and Dr. Cho were probably in bed already, Tony shooed the kid off to get some much-needed rest too.
"Listen kid, I have to go make a call to someone important, think you can get yourself settled in with Friday's help?" The kid was dead on his feet, but that didn't stop him from nodding dutifully and saluting Tony as he sauntered off in search of his rooms.
Tony watched him go, before he slowly wandered into his main office, shutting the door behind him and rummaging through his desk for an old StarkPhone he had hidden somewhere.
He thought about what he wanted to say, picking out the words in his head with great care, no need to cause another international crisis (that would undoubtedly fall on his shoulders) by angering ol' mean and green.
He knew that Natasha was alright now, Rhodey and Friday had kept him updated on her condition throughout the duration of his trip back home, and yet that didn't make what he was planning on saying any easier. Putting the phone to his ear, he waited as it rang...and rang...and suddenly Friday was flooding his desk with images and articles.
He took a moment to scan through everything, mind turning with the information he'd gathered. Tony dropped the phone into a drawer, a command on his lips as he gathered himself together and walked out of the mansion into the cold night.
~
He didn't understand what he was seeing, the tears were making it difficult, the ringing in his ears drowned out everything else, and still somehow, he manages to choke out, "Did you know?"
Steve's face was answer enough.
Tony's vision is swimming in red and he can't begin to make out what Steve is trying to say.
It doesn’t matter anymore, he carelessly aims a repulsor blast straight at Captain America's chest, grinning spitefully as it shoots the man back a few feet and straight into a wall.
Steve had made his choice, had chosen to side and protect his family's murderer, Steve had placed him before his entire pack.
He goes after his Mother's killer.
He doesn't even realize Steve is trying to pull him back and away from Barnes until it's too late.
He's wounded, and both of them are gaining on him. Tony spares a quick thought for his unborn child, anger and betrayal roiling within as he tries to give as good as he gets, and then suddenly Steve is looming over him, using the shield to crush into his chest, into the arc reactor, into him.
Tony coughs up blood, the syrupy thick texture of it making him gag behind the suit's face plate. His vision is beginning to black out at the edges, and he curls his body protectively over his stomach, already knowing it's a fruitless endeavor.
He's lost the baby.