Everlasting • Tony Stark✔️

65 | the crazy uncles and aunts

CLINT smiled reassuringly at her as she froze in front of the lab doors. Steve and Thor had returned, so she knew they would soon go to a briefing room to figure out how the hell they were going to find the scepter. He tapped her stomach twice with a laugh.

"Nat's right. She's going to have some crazy fucking uncles and aunts."

"She?"

"It's got to be a girl."

"Sure, that's all I need. A hormonal girl that'll hate me like I hated my mother at times. Oh, God. I can't do this. You wanna tell him?" she asked Clint with a smile. He shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because," he said before opening the lab door. "Hello, boys. Dr. Banner, would you care to join me downstairs."

"But I—"

"Great, let's go," Clint said as he winked at Lyra's frozen figure.

Tony eyed her warily as she watched Bruce and Clint walk out of the lab with Bruce asking confused questions. She walked into the room, fiddling with her fingers. "Hey, baby, where'd you three go?"

"Store," Lyra said as she sat on a chair. Tony walked to stand in front of her with furrowed brows. "Needed something."

"Needed what?" he asked.

Lyra grabbed his hands with a frown. "A test."

"A test?" Tony laughed. "What do you mean—" he paused. "A test you buy at the store. Test. Test. No, right? Not possible."

He turned, laughing. "Not possible," he said again softly.

"Tony," she called.

He turned with hard eyes. "Don't tell me there's something there," he said as he pointed to her stomach. "Not now. Not when I can't prote—Lyra."

She stood as her eyes welled with tears. "Tony, what do you want me to do? Lie? Yes, you're going to have a child soon. Yes, it's the worst moment in history to have one, but what do you want me to do!?"

Tony's eyes flickered from hers to her stomach. "How? I thought the Extremis serum screwed that up for us?"

"I guess you took it out enough," Lyra shrugged. "Will it be affected by the Extremis?"

"I-I don't know. I don't—Lyra, I can't be a father."

"You can't? I think you are going to be whether you like it or not," Lyra snapped.

"Y-You don't understand. I don't have good role models. I don't know what to do—"

"You think I do?"

"Lyra," he breathed, walking forward to wipe a tear that fell. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm being insensitive. As usual. I'm sorry," he whispered as he leaned down to stare at her stomach. "I'm so scared," he said softly as he leaned his forhead against her stomach. She ran her fingers through his hair as he held her tightly.

"Are you upset?" Lyra asked, throat heavy.

"Not at you. Not at this baby. God, Lyra, what if I can't protect it? I hardly can protect you!" Tony yelled as he stayed on his knees. He moved back as he placed a gentle kiss on her stomach. "I'm going to be the best fucking dad. Better than my old man."

"I agree," Lyra said softly.

She was about to say something else when Clint opened the door with the entire team standing behind him. She narrowed her eyes at them when Tony stood up suddenly and wiped his eyes. He smirked at the team.

"Did you tell everyone?" Lyra asked Clint.

He pointed to the red-head. "Nope! She did!"

Natasha shrugged. "Think about how awesome this kid is going to turn out with us around."

Lyra let out a laugh as Steve walked forward to hug her. The rest followed as she let them go. Thor picked up her, saying, "You did have a glow to you when I first saw you a few days ago. I know why now."

Lyra smirked as she hugged Bruce. "Bruce–er... Dr. Banner. Do you think it'll be affected by the Extremis serum?"

He shook his head. "Nothing negative, but I can run some tests if you'd like?"

Lyra nodded with a smile.

Tony clapped his hands. "All right, love fest is over. We have bases to destory." He pointed to Lyra. "You can't do any fighting, so don't ask."

Lyra stuck her tongue out at him as the team walked to the briefing room. She felt Tony beging to rub the side of her stomach softly as they walked with his arm around her waist. She could see the excitement in his eyes beneath the worry. She felt her stomach loosen from the worry she felt as well.

Tony coughed. "Does that mean you fought and wore your suit while pregnant? You let her fight, Rogers?"

"Does it look like I am a human pregnancy test, Stark?" Steve said as he sat down in one of the chairs. Lyra grinned at his response. "Hey, she didn't die. All good!"

Tony rolled his eyes as he sat in a chair, pulling Lyra onto his lap. Waving his arm to open files around the large table, he said, "All right, J. Let's figure out where our first raid is going to be."

"Yes, sir," Jarvis responded.

Bruce put his glasses on his face as he saw the different locations. "I have to Hulk out everytime?"

Tony nodded. "I've actually gotten an idea from studying your movements as Hulk to calm you down. It's fool proof, really. Romanoff, you'd be game to help with it?"

Natasha shrugged, smiling slightly at Bruce. "Sure."