Atonement

Chapter Ten

It didn’t take too long for Steve and Bruce to land on the roof of St. Michele Hospital. The security team waiting for them led them straight to the delivery ward, much to Steve’s utter relief. They didn’t even comment on the fact that Steve refused the wheelchair brought for him despite the fact that he had a sling on and seemed to walk with a limp.

The delivery ward was almost eerie at four in the morning. Only a few lights on the hallway were turned on and apart from the nurses drowning themselves in bad coffee and a headphone-clad janitorial personnel spin mopping the floor, it’s generally empty. Guess no other babies decided to be born just yet. Raul, as his name patch stated, gave them Tony’s room number and wished him luck before ordering the rest of his team to do god knows what. Steve’s meager knowledge of Italian words from Tony and his time serving in the war weren’t enough to give him a full understanding of what Raul was saying. Not that he needed more information than the room number so he didn’t really care.

Steve all but ran (as much running as he could do with a recently healed left leg anyway) to room 406, Bruce following after him with equal concern. Even from a distance, Tony’s cursing and grunting were as clear as day. He quickly and furiously knocked on the door until an older man, an alpha judging by his scent, opened it.

“Captain Rogers, I’m glad you arrived safely.” The alpha greeted amicably in accented English despite the extra loud colorful words coming from behind him.

Shaking, Steve still reached a hand out to the older man whom he immediately identified as Lorenzo. “I wish we could have met at a better time, sir. Is he… How is Tony?” asked the anxious alpha, respectfully not pushing the other alpha out of the way like he desperately wanted.

Thankfully, Lorenzo got the idea and let them both inside. “He’s doing great, all things considering. He’s waiting for you.”

Steve nodded resolutely and strode across the room, past the short hallway leading into the room at large. He could distinctly hear Bruce make conversations with Lorenzo but all of Steve’s focus was directed at the most beautiful omega in the whole world, face contorted in pain at preparation for the delivery of their baby boy.

Tony’s eyes popped open at the heavy surge of familiar alpha scent. “Oh, good, you’re here,” panted Tony, reaching an arm out to his alpha with so many emotions in his eyes.

“Tony, sweetheart,” gushed Steve, falling next to the omega in half a second. He took Tony’s hand and squeezed it comfortingly. “I missed you so much, Omega. Gosh darn so much.”

“I know. Yes. Miss you, too. Fuck, this shit’s painful,” Tony whined. Steve cooed and burrowed into the bed to wrap his uninjured arm around his laboring mate, whispering encouragements and praises. Within a few seconds, Tony finally audibly sighed in relief.

“That’s 5 minutes apart. You’re doing so well, Tesoro,” another unfamiliar voice spoke from the other end of the room, surprising Steve.

“Oh! I’m sorry for my rudeness,” Steve immediately apologized but didn’t bother removing himself from his hold on Tony. “My name is Steve Rogers. You must be Mr. Carbonell? Alberto?”

“Si. It’s a pleasure to finally meet my nephew’s alpha. Awful timing, but a pleasure nonetheless.”

“Zio, how much longer?” Tony asked, ignoring the pleasantries exchanged between his alpha and his Uncle. If he weren’t in labor, he would have introduced them way better.

Alberto tutted and gave Tony’s leg a gentle pat. “Not much longer, Antonio,” he told the omega before smiling at Steve. “I must go speak with his doctor about the neonatal care. I will leave you both to talk.”

Neither Tony nor Steve spoke when Alberto walked out of the room. Steve already knew Bruce would be joining the omega to talk to the doctor about Tony and the baby’s health, especially given the serum, so he was confident no one would be bothering them for at least half an hour.

“So, uhm…” started Tony, “Early bird catches the worm, right?”

Steve could not stop the snort that came out of his body. But the humor he first thought of quickly dwindled into concern. He himself was born two months earlier and he couldn’t help but think this was somehow his fault. Dr. Russo already mentioned on the phone that the chances of the baby ever inheriting the serum were extremely low given his current development. It was both relieving and alarming. Steve’s relieved their son would never be a target for trigger-happy scientists eager to recreate the serum and he would never have to live with such responsibility. On the other hand, without the serum, Steve might have just passed his faulty genetics to his son. All signs are unfortunately pointing towards a big yes sign.

“Hey,” Tony called his attention when his scent began to sour. “Everything’s gonna be okay, Steve. We’re all good here.”

“But what if… what if he turns out like me, Tony? I was born premature, too. He’s gonna grow up with the same issues as me. This is my fault, oh my god!”

“What? No! This isn’t your fault, Steven Grant! Even if our baby’s born early, we have technology that you didn’t have when you were born. And if he ends up getting bad eyesight or developmental delays, then we’ll deal with it. We’re still gonna love him so much, right, alpha?”

Taken aback, Steve sat upright and brought his hand over Tony’s bare stomach protectively. “Of course, Tony. I already love our son more than anything else in the world. Nothing will ever change that. When you told me you were pregnant, I thought I just died and gone to heaven. I’m so happy, sweetheart. I’m so excited to meet him.”

“That’s good,” sighed Tony. “Because I think it’s about to happen. You better call in doc, now.”

“Wait! What? It’s happening?! Oh my gosh!” Steve jumped off the bed and began panicking. “Is there anything I can do?! Do we have supplies? His clothes? Diapers? I didn’t bring the stuffed bunny I got for him!”  

“Steve!”

At Tony’s cry, Steve stilled and blinked slowly.

“We’ll have someone get the bunny, okay? Yes, we’ve got all we need. Zio Lorenzo drove back earlier to grab everything. All I need you to do is find my uncles and Dr. Russo. It’s happening, but it’s not happening that quick. I’m just having the urge to push now.”

“Okay. Okay,” breathed Steve, nodding as if preparing himself for a battle. “I will be right back, baby. Everything will be okay. I’ll be back.” Without another word, the full hunk of an alpha sprinted out of the room.

Tony rolled his eyes fondly and caressed the side of his stomach that felt awfully tight. He’s so grateful the epidural seemed to be finally doing its job. “Your daddy is an idiot, little bean. But we love him all the same, don’t we?”

Much to Tony’s surprise, Steve didn’t only manage to bring the people he asked for but also three other nurses and a certain nuclear physicist Tony missed dearly. They’re all already wearing scrub suits and the like.

“Bruce! Steve didn’t tell me you were here,” said Tony accusingly as he let a nurse raise both his legs onto the stirrup. He’s way past shyness at this point. Hell, he probably had done the very same procedure once or twice before without even being pregnant.

Steve had the courtesy to look apologetic while Bruce only grinned. “He’s got his mind on one thing only. If it’s any consolation, I told him on the way over that I will give you both privacy and talk to the doctors instead.”

“Dr. Banner’s knowledge on the serum is extremely valuable,” commented Dr. Russo easily despite her position between Tony’s legs. “Good news, you’re completely dilated. Are you fine with everyone staying?”

“Fuck if I care,” grunted Tony.

“That’s the spirit,” piped one of the beta nurses.

If Tony thought giving birth to a 7-month premature baby would be easy, he was in for a surprise. Seriously, his son couldn’t be that big, right?! Nevertheless, it took Tony one and a half hours to deliver his child to the world. He had a few yielding moments within those grueling hours that he thought he was actually gonna die because despite the anesthetic, the pushing part wasn’t made easy.

Steve was such a champ during the procedure. He never faltered even when curiosity tricked him into peeking behind the sheets. His scent alone helped Tony relax more and push through the urge. His alpha’s constant encouragements were the only thing that held Tony throughout the delivery.

And when their son was finally born at 7:46 in the morning of December 19^th weighing 3 pounds 9 ounces with less body hair than expected, Steve proudly cried as he cut the cord. 

Tony was only allowed a few moments with his baby before a nurse had to take him for his tests and procedures. The happy tears turned into full sobbing. He didn’t even notice the passing of the afterbirth.

“Shh, sweetheart, it’s okay. They’re just taking care of him. He’s okay, I promise,” murmured Steve softly in his ear. The cries of his baby were echoing inside the room, letting everyone know he wasn’t happy with what’s been happening. “You did so well, my love. So so well. I am so proud of you, Tony. You brought our son into the world. Such a good omega. Wonderful, amazing omega.”

Tony grasped Steve’s offered hand as tightly as he could, taking in every comfort from his family. Zio Alberto was on his other side, also cooing and whispering praises. A quick glance let him know both Zio Lorenzo and Bruce were keeping eagle eyes on his son, giving Tony his much-needed reprieve.

The birth didn’t have the complications they all worried about. Tony didn’t hemorrhage or go into shock. The baby was, in all fairness, a healthy little boy for someone born at 29 weeks. Only then was Tony allowed to nurse his son for the first time ever. They placed him over Tony’s chest carefully and covered them both in a comfortable blanket. It took three tries before the baby finally latched. Steve, his alpha, shakily brought a finger over and traced their son’s tiny face with so much gentleness and reverence.

“You’re so beautiful,” whispered Tony, tears freely flowing. He leaned down and kissed the downy hair, realizing it’s been blond all this time. With the blood and the other messes from the birth removed, they could finally take in all the details of their son.

“He’s got my hair,” said Steve in a breathy laugh. “I hope he has your eyes.”

Tony shook his head and smiled wobbly. The baby hasn’t opened his eyes yet so none of them had a clue as to what color it might turn out. “I hope he has yours. He’ll be our own little Stevie.”

“Please don’t name our son ‘Stevie’,” begged Steve with less humor than he expected.

Chuckling, Tony shook his head once again. “Nah. Thought about it but realized it’ll be confusing when he grows up.”

Steve kissed their son’s head and then kissed Tony’s. “What are we naming him, then? I didn’t get a lot of time to think about it so I’ll defer to you, babe.”

Tony hummed softly, eyes never leaving the sight of the baby in his arms suckling like a fish outta water. “I like the name Primo,” he admitted.

“Huh,” mused Steve, a warm smile on his face. “That’s uh.. first, right? In Italian?”

The omega nodded. “I want him to know that he’ll always be our first in everything. Our first child, our friends’ first nephew, the world’s first Stark-Rogers, our first priority. I don’t want him to ever forget that. What better way than to make it his name?”

Emotions flooded through their previously quiet bond. Steve teared up for the nth time since seeing Tony laid in his hospital bed. “Then Primo he’ll be.”

“Plus, I like the sound of it. We can call him Mimmo as a nickname. It’s a shortened version of ‘bambino’. Shooting two birds with one stone and all that.”

“So, Primo Stark-Rogers?” asked Steve with a proud hint in his voice.

“Primo Something Stark-Rogers,” clarified Tony. “Or Something Primo Stark-Rogers. I want you to have a say in his name. He’s both ours anyway.”

“How long do I have to think about it?”

“I’m sure we can delay registering him for another week or so.”

Unfortunately, Primo still needed to be placed inside the incubator as soon as possible. He also needed to be attached to a ventilator because his lungs weren’t fully developed yet. Letting him go was particularly hard on Tony. If he weren’t so exhausted, he would have fought tooth and nail to keep his son in his arms. He was only able to finally succumb to his sleep when Steve promised to guard their son in the NICU for as long as he’s there.

The alpha reluctantly left Tony with Alberto while he follows the two nurses that wheeled his son into a different room on the same floor. The room was wide, brightly lit, and full of unfamiliar equipment. There were three other incubators inside, only one of which apart from Primo's contains an actual baby.

“I’m allowed to stay here, right?” Steve asked the nurses when he spotted the chair next to the incubator.

“Si,” answered the omega nurse kindly. “You call when you need help.”

Then, Steve was left alone to gawk at his son’s tiny figure inside the glass. Primo’s hands were the size of Steve’s fingernail. He’s that small. The baby was all pale pink and he’s got wires attached to his small chest, crushing Steve’s heart painfully. He still couldn’t believe he was a father. He barely had a week to digest the information.

But one look at Primo, he’s all wrapped around his tiny finger.

If his mother could only see him now. Him, little Stevie Rogers, was finally a dad to a beautiful little boy. Every fight he’s been through. Every weak punch he’s hit since Billy Doss pushed him off the swing at first grade. Those discouragements he’s heard for being a scrawny alpha, and those doubts when he got the serum. The war. Bucky’s fall. The ice. Waking up 70 years into the future. Meeting Tony. Bonding with the love of his life. Breaking Tony’s heart and his in turn. It all comes down to this moment. This is it. This is what his life means. Him watching his little bubba’s chest rise and fall rhythmically.

Tony was right. Primo is the first. For the first time in Steve’s life, he finally lets go of his past. His whole world— his future— is right here in front of him.

“You are a very special little boy. You know that right, bubba?” cooed Steve softly.

“I’d say so myself.”

Steve jumped on his seat in surprise, turning around and meeting Bruce’s warm eyes.

“Sorry for scaring you. I just want you to know Nat called. The others will be flying in in a few hours. They’re bringing us both our stuff and the things we bought for the baby.”

“Thanks, Bruce. Oh, and his name’s Primo, by the way,” shared Steve with pride and happiness. “What did you and the doctors talk about? Nothing bad, I hope?”

“Tony’s sticking to his Italian heritage, I see.” Bruce shook his head fondly. “No. Not at all. Dr. Russo was right. Your son didn’t get any of the serum, which is good. He’s completely uh… human. All his tests show no anomalies so he didn’t get any of your ailments pre-serum. But because he’s born early, he still might get some complications. We’re not worried about them, though,” assured the beta. “He’ll probably be wearing glasses early on and have asthma but that’s about it.”

“That’s good,” sighed Steve in relief. His biggest worry of passing along diseases to his son was thankfully shut down. Bad eyesight and asthma were the least of their worries. In fact, Steve has it in confidence that Tony himself wore glasses until college when he switched to contacts and later on had one of those laser eye surgeries.

--

It was around 10 in the morning that the rest of the Avengers and Phil plus Pepper and Happy landed in Piedmont.

Surprisingly, Rhodey arrived with them. The Colonel's face was passive and annoyed but quickly turned soft when Bucky pushed the stuffed rabbit onto Steve's chest.

"Where's the baby?" was the first question raised from the group and it came unexpectedly from Natasha who was probably the least interested in children among them.

Chuckling, Steve gestured for them to follow him inside. They already moved Tony to the presidential suite on the penthouse floor so they were able to accommodate a large group. Tony and Primo were both still asleep, Tony in his hospital bed and Primo inside his incubator in the NICU. Lorenzo and Alberto were having their private "Granpa time" with the baby.

"Primo is still in the NICU. I can't all bring you at the same time so we'll do it three at a time. The rest, stay in our room. Bruce is there," Steve instructed.

"Primo? That's his name?" asked Bucky and Rhodey coincidentally at the same time. Steve had to hide the smile creeping on his face at the fact that the first reactions came from his and Tony's bestfriends.

"Cute," commented Clint with a grin. "Not something I thought Tony would name his son."

"What did you think of then?" asked Pepper despite herself.

The archer shrugged. "Somewhere between a mathematical equation and Luke Skywalker."

Everyone made a face.

Clint raised his hands in defense. "Hey, it's a legit concern. He did name his three robots, U, Butterfingers, and DUM-E. A math equation or a Star Wars character is me giving him the benefit of the doubt."

"I will never name my son after a Star Wars character," came Tony's disgruntled voice from the bed. His eyes were still closed but it appears as though he's just woken up.

"So a math equation was on the table?"

"Quadratic does sound nice as a middle name."

Steve shuddered. "You will not name our son Quadratic, so god help me Anthony Edward Stark!"

"Yeah, no. Trigonometry is better. Don't you think?"

Bucky hid a snort. Or tried to anyway since he ended up hacking a couch.

"As much as this is fun, I'm still waiting for someone to lead me to where my nephew is," said Natasha. "Congratulations on you two, by the way."

"Alright, alright. Who's coming with me first?" Steve asked.

All hands, including two of Tony's were raised.

"Never mind. We'll do Nat, Pepper, and Rhodey first. I trust the rest of you to not agitate my mate so much. He just gave birth so I expect you to be gentle and respectful."

"Geez, Cap, don't make it sound like I'm a damsel in distraught."

Steve ignored his whining and leaned over to kiss him on the head. "Behave, omega."

Tony pouted. Bruce rolled his eyes.

Three by three, everyone got the chance to say hello to little Mimmo. There were a lot of cooing and gushing that left Steve at constant preening. Thor even showered the baby with the blessing of a god, much to Steve's (and later, Tony's) gratitude.

"He's a carbon copy," wondered Bucky out loud, staring wide-eyed at the baby sleeping soundly inside the incubator. "He's tiny like you too."

"Did he even inherit anything from Stark? Because man, that kid looks like he's been cloned from you," added Sam.

"He's got Tony's nose," said Steve lovingly. "And his fingers are all Tony's. I had hoped his eyes are brown like his Papa but he opened them once earlier during a feeding and they're too light to turn into brown."

"Damn," whistled Bucky quietly. "A very Italian name for the son of Captain America, no less."

Steve shrugged carelessly. "I kinda like his name. Anyway, Tony gave me the honor to choose a middle name."

"Oh yeah?" grinned Clint. "What have you got then?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. If we had a girl, I probably would have immediately named her Sarah. I thought about James for a boy but Bucky turned out alive and it's bad form to name a child from someone not dead."

Bucky made a weird sound beside him and Clint giggled behind his palm. Then the three began to suggest names. Surprisingly, they weren't so bad. Hard pass on George, Howard, William, Grant, and Dmitri. A maybe on Timothy, Finn, and Shawn. Lincoln was quickly vetoed but Abraham was on the proverbial list. Primo doesn't look like an Abraham though but it's a nice gesture to honor Dr. Erskine. Carter sounds nice too but Steve didn't think naming his and Tony's son from his ex love interest was a very good idea.

"Wait, didn't you lose a bet with Phillips that one time in Poland? You promised to name your kid after him," his bestfriend suddenly reminded.

Steve stared at him in shock. "You remember that? Oh gosh, he was so smug about it too!"

"Don't tell me you're really naming your kid Phillip just because of a bet!" Sam reacted rather affronted. "Phillip is such a pompous name, Steve. And we already have one Phillip." They have two, actually. Steve's been told Tony has another French uncle named Philippe with an E.

"Hey, Phil's name is wonderful," defended Clint. "This little man would be so lucky to have a classy name such as Phillip."

"Seriously guys, I said no naming my kid from living relatives. My mother and I may be Catholic but we used to live in a prominently Jewish community. She would be appalled," said Steve.

"She would," agreed Bucky resolutely.

"Colonel Phillips's first name is Chester," added Steve, "That's a nice name. A little uncommon these days, though."

Sam hummed intelligently while staring at his friend's baby. "He does look like a Chester. Or you know... some other 'merican boy name like Aiden or Ethan."

"My son's a quarter Italian, you know that right?"

"Not with that hair."

"Take it up with the genetics police," grumbled Steve. Maybe his and Tony's second kid would look more like Tony. He's allowed to hope.

"Adorable little Primo Chester. I'mma call this kid One United. You know, since Primo is One and his name's gonna be Chester. One-Chester United. Nothing you can do 'bout it," announced Clint.

Steve closed his eyes and let his head fall back on his chair. His friends are all idiots.

Unfortunately, Pepper and Happy had to go back to the states for some unfinished business but promised to join them on Christmas Eve. Alberto and Lorenzo were happy to bring the rest of their large group to the Carbonell family villa while Steve remain with Tony in the hospital. Ideally, Tony would be allowed to go home by now but Dr. Russo wanted to keep him on observation. Neither Steve nor Tony minded. They couldn't take Primo out until a couple more weeks so staying at the hospital sounded way lot better. Steve was even tempted to use his previous injuries as an excuse to stay longer if it didn't mean he'd be stuck in a hospital bed like Tony.

Nonetheless, Tony was heavily distracted while in bed. The omega had to face not only the worried Avengers but also an overprotective best friend who had no idea Tony wasn’t even in New York. As it turns out, Rhodey came by the tower straight from the Air Force base wanting to surprise him. He ended up being the one surprised when he found the penthouse empty. He couldn’t even get all of the details from Pepper before JARVIS notified them of the emergency. Rhodey spent the whole flight to Italy fuming and pacing. There were a few threats spoken towards the great Captain’s name but none too terrifying.

They generally didn’t ask much about his and Steve’s relationship but rather focused on finding out what the genius billionaire has been up to for the past six months. All, including Barnes, asked to see an ultrasound image of Primo even though they had just or were about to meet the actual baby. Luckily, Zio Alberto brought his wallet that had Tony’s 12th-week scan when Primo had his little legs all straightened out and one of his hands looked as if it was waving hello. Their facial reactions alone made Tony realize just how spoiled his little boy would be growing up.

Eventually, once the others had gone to the vineyard with Tony’s uncles, Tony was allowed to leave his bed to visit their son provided he uses the wheelchair. He didn't even complain. Secretly, he was glad because now that the epidural's effects were fading, the pain between his legs was making its presence known. He doubts he can walk that long of a distance without falling over. Sitting down was painful enough.

The NICU only had Primo now since the other baby was finally released a couple of hours earlier. Steve admitted he had to contain his emotions when he watched the parents tear up in joy as the medical staff took off the wires attached to the baby girl. In a few more weeks, that would be them with their little Mimmo.

Breastfeeding Primo the second time was just as wonderful as the first time. It's been hours since he last held his son as Steve had the honor to feed him his last two feedings with a bottle of Tony's pumped milk.

Now that they were alone with their son, all of the events leading up to this point seemed null in Tony's mind. Being with Steve again for the first time in 6 months didn't feel so different yet at the same time, felt a lot more valuable.

"We'll need to buy smaller diapers," said Tony absentmindedly as he pats Primo's butt gently. "All we have are two sizes too big on him."

Steve frowned, feeling uneasy with how tiny their son is. "I'll have Phil on it. He and Clint are coming in later with your stuff."

"Oh, good. I need my phone. I promised Stella I'd call her first when this one arrives."

"Stella. That's your cousin, right?" asked Steve to make up for the silence.

Tony nodded and began giving his alpha a rundown of his relatives. They’re not exactly a big family compared to other rural Italian households but they’re larger than any of their friends have. Honestly, Tony wasn’t even sure if any of the Avengers still have biological families apart from Thor and Sam Wilson.

When Steve asked if the Carbonells will be around for the holidays, Tony can’t help the look of horror flashing across his face. His relatives have a shit load of blackmail material on him and the last thing he wanted was Clint and Natasha getting ahold of them.

“They’ll be here on the morning of the 23rd. I’m not sure if they plan to stay until the New Year, though,” said Tony once Steve promised to keep a leash on their friends. “How long is everyone staying for?”

“Well, Colonel Rhodes says he has to go back before the year ends or his mom’s gonna kill both of you.” By the look on Tony’s face, Steve was certain the Air Force pilot wasn’t kidding at all. “Sam needs to be home in New Orleans for Christmas but other than them, everyone else plans to stay as long as they’re allowed.”

Without having to specify, Tony knew who exactly thought they wouldn’t be allowed. “Steve, you should know I don’t mind Barnes staying. He’s your best friend. I really, truly don’t have anything against him.”

Steve’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Thank you, sweetheart. He’ll be so happy to hear that. He really wants to be your friend, you know? Told me I was a dumbass for ever hurting you like that.”

Tony shrugged. "He's not so bad. We did spend a few hours at the lab before when I fixed his arm."

"Maybe call him Bucky? He isn't really keen on people calling him Barnes. Or James for that matter."

The omega snorted, remembering the other Alpha's sour face whenever Nat called him by his first name. "I'll see what I can do."

Their conversation was cut short when Primo unlatched from Tony's nipple and let out a disgruntled cry. Both parents quickly shushed and scented him, letting the baby know they were there protecting and caring for him.

A nurse went over to help them when it was obvious from the weight and warmth of the diaper that Primo just had his first poo. Tony almost gagged at the sight of the black goo while Steve was still the champ and didn't even bat an eyelid when the nurse instructed him to wipe their son's butt.

"My mom was a nurse and I've seen her do this a thousand times before. Heck, I changed Becca's diapers more than Mr. Barnes ever did," was Steve's response when Tony didn't stop staring at him like he'd grown a new head.

"Well then, you got yourself the job as Mimmo's diaper changer because no way in hell am I gonna touch that black stuff."

"His poop won't always look like that," Steve rolled his eyes. "And I don't mind the role. It's the least I can do for him and for you. I'll do all the dirty jobs for you, sweetheart."

Both Tony and the nurse sighed dreamily.

"You'll be such a great dad, Steven Grant."