Another Try
Day 4
It’s flu season, which means Steve’s consultation hours are filled to the brim with coughing children. His position ensures that he gets only the children in the worst conditions, but it makes the job even more emotionally draining, especially when he knows there’s very little he can do. The busyness helps, though, it takes his mind off the turmoil that meeting Tony Stark has triggered. Steve’s not ashamed (well, only slightly ashamed) to admit that he StarkSearched the man as soon as the apartment was empty of Peter.
After all, Peter is mesmerised by the miracles that Stark Industries invents. Sometimes, Steve wonders how this could be his life and if there really is a God out there mocking him. He’s given up calling the man Doctor Stark in his head. For some forsaken reason, Steve’s mind insists on a litany of Tony.
The busyness still can’t save Steve from his friends, though. Natasha, Clint, Sam, and, most persistently, Bucky have all sung praises of Tony Stark. After a brief altercation Steve doesn’t dare to needle Natasha about, Natasha now has a rare respect for Tony, whereas Clint fell headfirst into fawning over Tony when Tony presented him with top-of-the-line hearing aids less than an hour after discovering Clint’s ancient ones. Somehow, Doctor Stark has charmed nearly the whole of SHIELD Memorial’s staff.
The few people who aren’t impressed whisper of Tony’s drunken days, his association with weapons industrialist Obadiah Stane, and his playboy days. They gossip about Rumiko Fujikawa, whose death sent Stark insane for months. ‘She died giving birth,’ they say in hushed voices in the break room, ‘nobody knows what happened with the baby. Maybe Stark killed his kid and he thinks this white saviour act is penance. Rich people think they’re entitled to everything.’
Steve knows they’re jealous and scared of Tony’s dominating energy, but Steve can’t reconcile the drug addict that overdosed weeks after his fiancée’s death with the kind man who saved a little girl’s life with the brilliance of his mind and the gentleness of his hands. It isn’t Steve’s place to judge, even if Steve can’t deny his curiosity about the truth.
So, he struggles to put Tony to the side as he heads over to the NICU, where he needs to check to approve for a baby to be taken out of hypothermia therapy. It’s these sick babies who weigh heaviest in Steve’s heart: Steve knows intimately what it means to struggle for life from the very first second. His haziest, earliest memories are of his mother singing softly to him as he struggles against the needle in his arm.
Of course, just when he’s managed to distract himself, he hears –
“– give the baby up for adoption. If you aren’t ready for him, there might be someone out there who is.”
Steve freezes. That’s Tony’s voice from the waiting room. Slowing down his steps, he sneaks a glance inside and sees Tony hunched next to a very pregnant teenager, holding her hand. There’s an irrational anger at the reminder that Peter’s birth parents might have abandoned him at the advice of someone like Tony. It’s not Steve’s place to interfere, though. Objectively, one could see how Tony could be right, but by God, Steve still hates Peter’s birth parents for leaving him alone in the hands of strangers for over a week before Steve found him. Peter didn’t even have a name until Steve came along.
“Doctor Stark,” Steve calls from the doorway before he can stop himself. “A word, please?”
Tony’s head jerks up towards him, and his eyes light up slightly. Steve hears Tony apologize to the young woman before he comes over, a small smile on his lips.
“Any miracles you need, Doctor Rogers?”
“Walk with me,” Steve says. After all, he does have a baby to attend to. Tony follows along happily enough. “What do you think happens to babies after they’re put up for adoption?”
It’s an honest question, but something dangerous glints in Tony’s eyes. His stance is no longer open or welcoming. “Why do you care?”
“That’s what you’re telling the lady to do with her child. That’s what her child will grow up knowing.”
“I know more than you think,” Tony’s voice is cold now.
Steve meets the challenge head on. “My son didn’t have a name for eight days. He was left anonymously in some random hospital by parents who didn’t care enough.”
Beside him, Tony audibly swallows. Steve doesn’t dare to look, pretending to be focused on the file in his hands, the tension growing. They’re nearly at the NICU when Tony speaks.
“What about the girl’s life? Don’t get righteous with me, Rogers.”
The doors slide open in front of them. Tony doesn’t follow Steve any further, so Steve finally lowers the file and makes himself turn around to look at the harsh lines on Tony’s face. “There’s no right or wrong with these things,” Steve says in lieu of a goodbye, “It’s just sort of personal for me.”
Tony doesn’t reply, just turns on his heel and stalks back down the hall.
It’s late when Steve bumps into Bruce as he hands in his paperwork for the day.
“How’s Peter?” Bruce greets Steve. His glasses are slightly askew and lab coat tainted with some green substance Steve internally decides is better to leave unquestioned.
“He’s with Phil. I have the day off tomorrow, so looking forward to spending time with him.”
On the rare occasions that Bruce emerges from the lab, Steve truly enjoys talking with the good doctor, who’s rumoured to be receiving a Nobel Prize soon for his work in oncology and gamma radiation. A physicist who found passion in medicine, Doctor Banner’s an extraordinary man with a distinctive sense of humour.
“When it’s not flu season, you should bring him around. Tony’s going to have a field day with your little genius.”
Something ugly stirs in Steve. Peter would love Tony, Steve knows that for sure, and yet Steve wants Tony Stark to stop invading every corner of his life, of his mind. “Yeah,” he tells Bruce noncommittally, “of course.”
Steve’s never been good at fibbing, so it’s natural that Bruce raises an eyebrow and comment, “heard you and Tony aren’t getting along well.”
Of course Bruce knows, Steve chides himself, nothing stays secret in this rumor mill. “Something about him just riles me up. He’s a good man,” Steve willingly admits, “even if I can’t help myself.”
Bruce has that unnervingly all-knowing look in his eyes. He nudges his glasses up his nose. “I’ve got to go. Timed experiment. But come by my lab with my chai tea and a cup of black coffee if you’ve got time next week,” he tells Steve.
“I thought coffee wasn’t good for your blood pressure?”
Bruce only huffs, waving over his shoulder at Steve as he takes increasingly quick steps.
“Huh,” Steve says to himself. Whatever schemes Bruce is planning, Steve can leave for after tomorrow. Right now, all he wants is to listen to Peter’s voice telling him everything about school and everything he’s done to drive Principle Morita up the wall.