Leg casts
There was a brief moment he felt calm as he flew through the air- the wind rustling his hair, the rushing in his ears. But right after that tiny moment, panic took over, and he quickly remembered that he wasn’t flying, he was falling.
He had been so distracted talking to Loki he forgot to slide on his bracelet suit. He grabbed his wrists desperately but it was clear nothing was going to save him. The comm was in the suit, so he couldn’t talk to the team, the others were scattered around the city, and he was rapidly approaching the ground.
He remembers flailing, he remembers closing his eyes, but he doesn’t remember splatting on the ground- thankfully. Someone caught him as he had passed out from panic.
When he woke up next, he was in Medical with pain so bad he could barely squint his eyes open.
“Mmmmghhhh,” he groaned, squeezing the rough bedsheets.
“It’s okay baby, the nurse is bringing more medicine now,” he heard a concerned voice say before he felt hands in his hair. He squinted his eyes open to see his husband’s blue eyes and blonde hair.
“There’s my genius,” the man smiled, pressing a kiss to Tony’s cheek.
“Hurts,” Tony rasped. His hands shifted from his sides and he looked down in confusion when he felt hard plaster. His legs were in two large leg casts from below his belly button to his toes. By his ankles was a bar that kept his legs in place.
“I know, Tones, you got hurt pretty bad out there.” There were tears shining in Steve’s eyes. “But you’re gonna be fine, baby, you’re gonna be just fine.” Tony didn’t know which one of them Steve was trying to reassure. Tony shifted his hand until it was touching his husband’s, causing the man to smile.
With Tony’s complaining, he only was forced to stay in Medical for another two days before he annoyed the staff enough that they released him. But going back to the compound was a new struggle he hadn’t even thought of.
It had taken the nurses hours to go over with Steve how to care for Tony in his casts- washing, changing, moving, etc. Steve was pretty overwhelmed, but he did his best to take in and remember all the information.
Although Tony hadn’t impacted with the ground, when the Hulk caught him by the legs, the momentum and force fractured several bones in his legs as well as his hips. Even with the cast and morphine, Tony was still in immense pain from his multiple fractures.
Steve had brought his own clothes back from the compound to dress Tony in since they would fit looser. Tony was slightly out of it as Steve dressed him, having been subjected to several painful tests in order to be discharged.
It was easy enough to slide the hoodie over Tony’s head, but the sweatpants were a whole different problem. The nurse had taught Steve how to remove the bar in order to slide on Tony’s pants, but every movement sent pain up Tony’s body.
“I’m sorry, baby, almost done,” Steve said softly as he wiggled the sweats around the casts. Tony had a firm grip on his upper arms and had his eyes squeezed shut in pain.
Tony couldn’t help but cry out when Steve had to turn him to get the pants over his bum. Pain was shooting up and down his legs, across his hips, and sparked in his lower back, it was incredibly painful. What made it worse was the unscratchable itch under his cast that he was forced to suffer through. He didn’t know how he was going to last 12 weeks with them.
Steve pressed kisses all over Tony’s face when he was finished dressing him. “Ready to go home?” He whispered. Tony hiccuped and nodded.
It was another two hours before they signed the discharge papers, got Tony’s medicine prescriptions, and Rhodey arrived to help.
The hospital gave them a reclined wheelchair which they stacked with pillows. Steve carefully lifted Tony from the bed, trying not to put too much pressure on the casts, before placing the genius into the chair. Rhodey fluffed the pillows around Tony and put large fuzzy socks over his exposed toes. “Comfortable, Tones?” Rhodey asked.
Tony sighed heavily but nodded. Despite having slept a fair bit since being in Medical, he was anxious to take a long nap in his own bed. Luckily, a few hours later, his wish came true.
Tony was deep in his slumber when he felt someone pulling at his sweatpants. “Not t’night S’evieee,” he groaned, hugging the pillow tighter.
“Stop squirming, Tony,” Steve huffed.
Suddenly, Tony felt air hit his crotch area. His cheeks tinted red in embarrassment. “Are you changing my diaper?” He muttered.
Steve paused for a second before going back to his task. “Yes, and I'm almost done, stop wiggling.” He removed the outer diaper that was wrapped around the outside of the casts before removing the one tucked inside the cast.
Tony didn’t know how to respond so he sat quietly until Steve was done.
“So I guess I really am your baby now?” Tony smirked.
Steve hopped onto the bed and cuddled around Tony after he finished. “Always,” he smiled.