The Start of an Adventure (pt 1)
"Where is this coming from?' Steve questioned his husband. Tony sat up in the bed. "I don't know Stevie, but seeing you comforting that kid after he suffered, it sparked something in me. I think we should look into it at the very least and if we don't like it, we drop it, no questions asked." he negotiated. Steve thought about it and sighed. "Honey, I'm not so sure I'm ready to be a dad" he admitted. "No one's truly ready at first, babe" Tony answered, standing up to pace. "I'm so overbearingly happy with just you and me, Steve, trust me. But a kid to expand our love, think about it." Steve brushed his hair back with his hand, guiding Tony to bed. "It's not a definite yes yet. I'll think about it" he kissed Tony's cheek. "We'll discuss more in the morning babe" he yawned. That seemed to pacify Tony allowing both men to turn in for the night.
~~~
Tony was awoken the next morning by a phone call. He groggily sat up, careful not to wake up Steve. He picked up the phone and hit the answer button. "Hello?" he yawned. "Good morning, Mr. Stark. This is Maria Hill. I understand you did want to keep updated with the Parkers" she started. Tony was fully awake at this point. "Is everything ok?" he asked, rubbing the sleep of his eyes" Maria hesitated for a moment. "Well that's the reason I am calling. I did send some background information on this family. The woman, May Parker, has turned for the worst at the hospital. She requested to speak with you and Mr. Rogers" Tony sighed, his mind racing a million miles away. He had the feeling that something was going to happen. "We'll be there in an hour" He said before hanging up. Tony leaned in Steve. "Honey? Time to get up" He kissed the gentle soldier's faced until he woke up. "My, isnt this a surprise. Usually, I'm the one waking you up" he kissed him back. "Yeah well our presence is requested at the hospital" Tony informed getting up. His husband reluctantly got out of their bed and got dressed. "By who?' "The woman we saved from the building" the inventor threw on a shirt and blazer and tossed Steve his button up. Although Steve was confused, he went along with it, offering to pickup some flowers.
The duo made their way to Queens Medical Towers, carrying a bouquet of flowers. They checked in as visitors and were told to go to room 454. Tony and Steve loaded into the elevator and rode, their hands intertwined. Tony let out a sigh and inched closer to his husband.He had a gut feeling something was going to happen. The elevator stopped and after 10 minutes of looking for the room, May's room was found. it was dimly lit as they walked in, a heavy smell of hand sanitizer and roses filled the air. There lay May Parker, wheezing with each breath, coughing here and there. In the chair next to her was a social worker, the one who called."Mr and Mr Stark-Rogers. Glad to see you could make it." They shook hands and watched as May slept. "Im sorry, but why were we called here" Steve whispered. "Mr Stark wanted to be updated on Mrs. May and the child you both saved yesterday. Im afraid the prognosis was grim. With many spinal and skeletal injuries and trauma, The doctors gave her only hours left. That was 10 hours ago." The 2 men were surprised and looked to May. "im so sorry" Steve whispered. "Mrs. Parker requested to converse with you both before it was too late" Tony listened to the heart monitor quicken gently and slowly but he looked to the floor. Suddenly, a groan was heard; May was awake but very weal. Her gentle gaze faced the Steve and Tony and a smile creeped on her face slowly. "A-are these the gentlemen who rescued me and my n-nephew?" she quivered but not of fear. "We are, Mrs. Parker " Tony clarified. This made the elderly woman smile. "I noticed the rings on your f-fingers. You 2 make an adorable couple" she wheezed. "To be young and in love. Ah my husband would have loved to meet you both" A violent cough bursted from her chest, increasing her heart rate. She asked for their story, smiling and laughing at the husband's wedding story. She shared her life story with her new friends, recalling them of her brother and his wife, how they died and left the baby to her and her husband, Benjamin. "When he passed, leaving me with a baby to raise, I just didnt know what to think. My little Peter is such a wonderful tot." She coughed and looked at them tiredly. "Have you any children?" She asked, Steve blushing and clearing his throat. "No maam, but we are discussing it" He held Tony's hand. May smiled, wheezing a little bit when she looked at them. "I know we only met, but I want to ask you both something...a favor if you will" Tony held her rose soft hand and nodded. He had only known her for a day but she was so sweet and kind. "I know how harsh and broken the foster system can be, with no guarantee to be adopted or even kept safe. I don;t want my Peter to go through that, I was his only family left and...and" She started weeping and coughing, holding Tony's hand. Before either could say a word, Steve spoke up. "We'll take him in" May nearly cried harder, kissing the captain on his cheek. "Thank you thank you thank you" She wheezed, the beeping getting little faster. "Please, I only ask that if you could foster him until a family is found for him." She handed them a picture of Peter celebrating his most recent birthday. Tony stood next to his husband and nodded. "We'll take good care of him" he promised. May layed back and winced in pain, Her heart rate increased until an alarm went off. A team of nurses rushed in and tried to help her. The heroes and Hill stood back as they watched. The aunt laid in bed weak and ill, glancing at the heroes and then towards the ceiling. She choked on a tear, smiling weakly. "Benjamin..."she breathed out. A flat line was heard and the woman fell into a peaceful rest. Tony and Steve gripped their hands and held each other close as they said goodbye.
After their farewells, they followed Maria to their agency to talk about the baby. Tony caught Steve alone as Maria went to make a call. "You really want this?" Tony asked, his face stained with dried tears. "I think we can handle him. Besides, we did want a family" Steve held his other half close. "I'm ready" he kissed Tony's cheek. The inventor couldn't believe what he was living through. "We're going to be great fathers" He assured. Maria came back with a ton of paperwork. "So you really want to foster this child? You understand the complexities of raising a toddler, especially after such trauma?" She asked. They both nodded and they began to file the paper work, agreements to do background checks, wellness checks, environment checks, agreement to attend parenting classes and to gain responsibility of Peter. It wasn't going to be easy, but they were going to get through this together.
~~~~~
After the paper work was filed, they worked harder than their SHIELD training ever put them through. They met with lawyers and counselors, took the parenting classes, baby proofed the house and spent who-knows how much to prepare for the chance to foster this kid. Tony even prepared a bedroom right next to their room. Everytime they became discouraged, they looked at the photo and worked harder to get it approved. After 3 weeks of classes, background checks, and hellish rejections of the house checks, they were called back to Maria Hill's office.
They sat in those uncomfortable leather seats, Tony fidgeting his leg nervously. Steve grabbed his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "its going to be worth it" he assured. Maria printed out a list of papers and typed away on her computer before standing up and meeting with them. "Mr and Mr. Stark-Rogers...I'm pleased to announce you were approved to foster this child" The pair lept to their feet and embraced each other, crying happy tears. "We're having a baby!" Steve repeated in such joy. Tony kissed Steve and laughed happily. "Lets go get him, shall we?"