Feeding Tube
Tony was always a picky eater. With his neglectful parents, he didn’t find out until he was older that it was not natural to throw up after every other meal.
When he started college, his diet shifted drastically- ramen noodles and cereal were all he had time to consume. He knew he was hurting himself, but he was too distracted by all the cool toys and technology.
Unfortunately though, when Rhodey found him passed out in his lab at MIT surrounded by his own vomit, he was rushed to the hospital. He stayed there for a week with a feed tube shoved down his nose and he fought the staff every step of the way. He hated it.
Despite his displeasure, his discomfort had decreased significantly after his stay. The drugs they gave him made his stomach more tolerant and he was to follow a specific diet. Because he responded well to the treatment he did not need a permanent feeding tube, which Tony was happy about, but every few months he would be forced to use a temporary one when his stomach wouldn’t obey. The disorder wasn’t gone, but the medicine helped. Still he had good days and bad days.
When he woke up feeling like someone was stabbing him in the stomach, he knew today was not going to be a good one. He couldn’t stop the tears that dripped and the small whimpers as he tried to shift in bed.
“No, baby.” He heard a sleepy voice mutter in response to his whimpers. Soon his head was pressed against a muscled chest and a hand was going through his hair. “Is it your tummy?”
Tony nodded pitifully into the warm chest. He squeezed his eyes closed and clenched the bed sheets to contrast his clenched stomach.
“Stevie, wake up.” Tony felt shifting behind him. “Stevie!”
“I’m up, I’m up,” Steve said, jumping up. “What happened?”
Tony turned to look at his sleepy-voiced boyfriend and couldn’t but laugh. Steve’s hair was pointing every which way, his eyes were more closed than open, and the shirt he insisted on sleeping with was almost sideways. Tony’s laughter diverted into a groan when another cramp hit him.
“Aw, Tony baby,” Steve said, face melting.
“I got him,” Bucky said to Steve, cuddling Tony even closer.
Steve nodded and ran out the room.
“Need to eat, ate too much, ate something bad, or something else?” Bucky asked the common question.
Tony shook his head. He couldn’t even comprehend the problem through the pain. It hadn’t felt this bad for several months. “I don’t know,” he cried.
Bucky sighed and shifted Tony so he was laying in his arms. He then started massaging Tony’s tense stomach, feeling the muscles clenched tightly. Tony groaned but didn’t ask him to stop. He kept his eyes closed and focused on Bucky’s light but firm touch as he rubbed smooth circles on his stomach.
Steve came back into the room with his arms full of pills, gatorade, heat packs, and chamomile tea. “You want a heat pack baby?” Steve asked softly.
Tony nodded with his eyes closed. Steve handed the heat pack to Bucky who laid it across their boyfriend’s slender stomach and they both watched as Tony melted into the sheets. Steve sat down at the end of the bed, both boys watching Tony anxiously, but they let out a breath when his breaths evened out and he fell to sleep.
“He should have taken a pill,” Bucky said.
“You know he doesn’t like to take those until he absolutely has to because it gives him migraines,” Steve huffed.
Bucky sighed and resumed playing with Tony’s soft hair. “He’s so little.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Steve smiled. He too loved Tony’s petiteness. It seemed he fit between them perfectly like a puzzle piece, or maybe an oreo- a super soldier oreo. They each could wrap their whole hand around Tony’s upper arm and they found it hilarious to Tony’s dismay. Even with Tony’s frequent workouts, he would never match the bulkiness of his super soldier boyfriends.
“Can you tell Bruce that Tony isn’t feeling well? He should check up on him later,,” Bucky whispered.
Steve pouted. “Fine, but I get Tony cuddles when he wakes up.”
Bucky rolled his eyes and pointed at the door. When the door closed he looked back down at Tony. Even in his sleep his eyebrows were creased in pain. He pulled Tony closer and let his own eyes fall closed.
__________________________
Bucky woke to someone calling to the bundle in his arms.
“Tones, it's lunch time. Come on baby, you gotta get up,” Steve whispered into the dark room.
Bucky yawned before tapping Tony lightly. “Tones?”
Tony whined, curling further into Bucky.
Bucky frowned when he felt the wetness on his chest. He pulled Tony gently away from him. Tony’s shirt was soaked with sweat and his skin was warm. “Steve, can you get him a change of clothes and text Bruce?” He asks.
Steve stares down at Tony worriedly but nods.
Bucky picks up the sleepy Tony and drags them both to the end of the bed. He sits them up, letting Tony’s sleepy body lean against his chest.
“How do you feel baby? Do you feel sick?” Bucky whispered into Tony’s ear.
Tony rubbed his eyes sleepily. “No, I'm just cold.”
“Are you hungry?” Bucky asked.
“No, I ate a lot yesterday,” Tony said, nuzzling into Bucky’s neck. “My stomach hurts.”
Bucky melted at Tony’s whine. “Okay, lets change your clothes and get some fresh air.”
Tony was quiet while Bucky removed his clothes. He tried to curl into himself as the cold air hit him, but Steve returned and helped Bucky put the new clothes onto him. He vaguely realized he was wearing Bucky’s sweatpants and Steve’s hoodie. Both boys admired how swamped and tiny he looked in their clothes while Tony smiled at the new warmth.
Steve grabbed Tony from Bucky’s arms and carried him bridal style into the communal room. Bruce had set up the couch with pillows and blankets so Steve laid Tony down gently. Tony, now wide awake, clenched his stomach as the cramps had started again.
Steve kneeled next to him to massage his stomach while Bucky walked over to Bruce who stood in the kitchen.
“I have some soup for him. I mixed in the medicine already,” Bruce said, handing Bucky a bowl.
“He said he’s not hungry,” Bucky said, handing the bowl back.
“I don’t care if he’s hungry or not. Jarvis said he hasn’t eaten a full meal for three days. He needs to eat or he’s going to get sick,” Bruce frowned.
Bucky froze. “What? But Steve and I make meals for him every day.”
“Sir has been vomiting after every consumption of food for the past 72 hours,” Jarvis answered in a low volume.
Bucky closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. After taking a breath, he snatched the bowl from Bruce and marched over to Steve and Tony on the couch. “Sit up,” he commanded Tony.
Tony opened his eyes from where they were scrunched up in pain. He eyed the soup and his lip started wobbling. “Please, no.”
“Yes. You promised to tell us if you were having stomach issues, which you have had for the past three days, and didn’t tell us,” Bucky said angrily.
“I didn’t want to worry you,” Tony said in a small voice.
“Lay off, Bucky. He’s not feeling well,” Steve said softly.
“No, he should have told us he wasn’t feeling well. Now open up,” Bucky said flatly.
“Please, i’m not hungry,” Tony cried.
“You have to try, open up,” Bucky said again. He scooped up a spoonful of soup and brought it to Tony’s mouth.
Starring hard into Bucky’s steel face, Tony opened his mouth slightly, letting his upset boyfriend feed him the soup. Immediately, Tony gagged at the horrible taste, but a look from Bucky made him swallow it down. Everyone in the room heard Tony’s stomach groan.
By the tenth spoonful, Tony was crying silently as Bucky fed him. Steve had sat on the couch next to him, holding him in his arms, but he could only focus on his hurting stomach, the horrible tasting medicine-soup, and his upset boyfriend.
Suddenly though, his stomach gave up on its groaning and decided to revolt. There was no time to warn Bucky as vomit traveled up his throat and poured out his mouth. Steve gasped as sick covered Tony’s front and lap and Bucky’s shirt. Bucky stood frozen.
Tony couldn’t even process their reactions as his body heaved over and over. His throat burned painfully and his stomach muscles clenched as he dry-heaved. Bruce had run over to replace Bucky who had run off and ripped off his shirt.
“Deep breaths, Tony,” Bruce encouraged as his face turned red.
His body was continuously heaving even though there was nothing else to bring up. It was painful and Steve’s arms around him were the only thing keeping him up. He was silently crying, but let out a loud sob as his body finished dry heaving.
Bruce handed him some water, but Steve’s large hand had to curl over his shaky one in order to not drop the bottle.
One sip sent his body immediately back into dry heaves. Bruce’s eyes widened and he jumped up to get his medical kit.
Steve rubbed his back as he cried and kept a steady hand on his stomach. “It’s okay, baby. You’re okay,” he whispered.
When Tony’s body finished its revolt, he collapsed back against Steve, exhausted and hurting. “Is B-Bucky mad a-at me?” Tony hiccuped.
“No baby, of course not. He’s just upset at the situation. We don’t like seeing you hurting,” Steve explained.
Tony squeezed his eyes shut and melted further into Steve’s hold. He stayed limp as Steve removed his vomit-stained hoodie.
When Bruce came back and knelt in front of him with a long tube- Tony lost it.
“Please, no. Please, no. Please, Brucie!” Tony cried, squirming in Steve’s hold.
Bruce looked stricken. “I’m sorry Tones, but it’s only until the meds start working and you can eat again,” he said. “You can try the soup again tomorrow, but we’ll give your system a break for today.”
“Please,” Tony cried brokenly.
Bruce sighed, putting on gloves.
“Bucky!” Tony cried. “Please Bucky, i’m so sorry. Please come back.”
Bucky, who was cooling off in their bedroom, heard Tony’s cries. He was extremely frustrated at his hard-headed boyfriend, but hearing his cries made him melt. He walked back into the communal room to see Tony completely panicking as Bruce neared with the feeding tube. All his anger at Tony dispersed and now he was just sad.
“Please, i’ll eat! I promise I'll eat. Please! Not again, not again, please!” Tony cried.
Bucky melted, kneeling in front of Tony and grabbing his face gently. “Tones, calm down. It’s only for a little while. We’ll be right here the whole time, okay?”
“You promise you won’t leave?” Tony sniffled.
“I promise,” Bucky said firmly.
Bruce took that as his que and started inching towards Tony again. Tony moved as far back as he could but was stopped early on by Steve’s broad chest. When Bruce put the tube into his nose and started feeding it down to his throat, Tony was breathing heavily with his eyes squeezed shut. As it hit his throat, he couldn’t help but jump and stop Bruce’s hand. Bucky peeled his hand off of the doctor’s and held them both in place. Tony struggled a little, but froze in fear as he felt the tube go further in him.
Tony coughed a little as Bruce finished. “All done,” he said, taking off his gloves.
“Now was that so hard?” Steve said, smiling.
Tony pouted and curled into himself. He ignored Bruce as he hooked up the bag of nutrients and he ignored Bucky and Steve who were trying to talk to him. Tears came to his eyes at how helpless he felt. “I hate this,” he whispered.
Bucky placed a piece of tape onto the tube to hold it Tony’s his cheek. Steve lifted them further back onto the couch and snuggled Tony closer. When Bucky cradled his cheek and Steve rubbed his arm, both of them staring at him like lost puppies, he melted.
“I love you,” they both said softly.
Tony sighed, letting his anger disappear. “I love you too.”