Chapter 5

Pepperony

Pepper was now at the sixth month of her pregnancy, and a lot had happened in those three months that had gone by. After announcing publicly that Pepper was indeed pregnant and that her and Tony were going to have a child, there had been much more media attention on the couple. Every time they left their home, there was always a crowd of photographers and reporters at their main gate, which was luckily a fair distance from their house, but Happy maneuvered around them easily and got them wherever they needed to go. Much to Tony's delight, Pepper's work schedule had altered to give her shorter days and more time off, which Pepper wasn't too happy about. She knew she needed to take things a bit easier now, but work was all she had done for years, she had nothing to do with her time.

Rhodey had tried to keep Tony out of the military business, even if they did need his help, thinking that he would rather be at home with Pepper, but when Pepper found out she insisted that their lives continue as normal. Just because she was pregnant did not mean she needed someone with her all of the time, and since Tony was already overprotective of her, he was harder to convince that she was going to be okay whether he was there or not. She refused to give up her daily routine and refused for Tony to do so as well.

Pepper was in the bathroom again on this morning, her morning sickness hitting her at exactly 7am which unfortunately woke Tony up as well. Tony didn't mind, he felt terrible that Pepper had to go through all of this and there was nothing he could do to help her, but he did the best he could. Once the bathroom door was shut, Tony knew she would be in there for a while, so he headed downstairs to cook some breakfast for her. He had been paying very close attention to all the different changes that Pepper had been going through, and he familiarized himself with all the different stages. Firstly, she would be sick in the morning on most days, he would bring her a glass of water about an hour later when she was back in bed, and then about ten minutes later she would walk downstairs and eat a big breakfast. He prided himself in knowing all of this because he always made sure he was there to help.

''Here you go,'' he walked over to Pepper who was sitting on the edge of the bed and handed her a glass of cold water. She accepted with a smile. ''Breakfast is ready whenever you feel like it.''

Pepper hummed. ''I'm starving.'' She always wondered how she could even think about food after being sick since most people can't stand the thought, but her stomach was empty and she craved food, any food.

Tony watched as she stood up from her position, her baby bump very round and healthy, there was no hiding her pregnancy now. She had the day off, so she was dressed in black yoga pants and a tank top that she wore when she was sleeping. There was something that Tony noticed about her for all of these months that had changed the way he looked at her. She was always beautiful to him, but now she was just radiant, everything about her was so much more amazing. He followed her down the stairs, watching her step since she was chugging the rest of the water down before the bottom.

''Mm, it smells delicious.'' she licked her lips as she pulled herself onto the bench stool. ''Is there pancakes?''

Tony smiled. ''You know there's pancakes. Syrups, chocolate sauce, cream, jelly, and a fruit smoothie.'' Tony also had taken notice to the fact she wasn't supposed to be having caffeine, at least not high amounts, but since being pregnant she just didn't like the taste anymore. So now her morning cup of coffee had been altered to a fresh fruit smoothie prepared by Tony. ''Not bad, huh? Husband of the year material? I think so.''

Pepper chuckled as she piled a few pancakes onto her plate, smothering them in syrup. ''You're getting there.'' she joked.

Tony shook his head in disappointment. ''Hmm, it's a tough title.'' Pepper's facial expression turned very surprised for a moment before she relaxed again, making Tony look confused. ''What?''

''No it's just the baby,'' she put her hand on her stomach. ''It's kicking like crazy.'' Tony moved around closer to her, bending his head down to rest his ear on her stomach. ''See? They're going crazy in there.''

Tony rested his head there for a while longer as if he was listening to something other than the constant kicking against Pepper's stomach. ''Mm hmm, no I understand, go on.'' Pepper laughed at him pretending to have a conversation with the baby, he was always so gentle and loving, she had no doubt that he would be a great father. Tony pulled his head up, looking at Pepper seriously. ''He's hungry. You better start eating then.''

Pepper's mouth fell open. ''Are you telling me what to do?''

Tony put his hands up in defense. ''Hey, his orders not mine.'' he pointed toward her belly.

''His? We don't know that yet.''

Tony shook his hands. ''I know that, that's just what I refer to the baby as. See, this wouldn't happen if we had names picked out. We should get one of those books, you know, with the names in them for babies. Baby names. Actually, I think that's what the book's called.''

''We have one of those Tony.'' she told him with a mouthful of pancakes. ''But there's still three months to go before we have to make a final decision for a boy and a girl.''

Dr. Tate had asked them at their last visit if they would like to know the sex of their baby, a question she had asked a few times but neither one of them could really answer her. They both wanted it to be a surprise, but they were too excited to wait, plus it would make baby shopping a whole lot easier if they knew. Pepper had an appointment the next day, and they were both still wondering if they should find out.

''Well we would only have to think of one name if we found out.'' Tony reasoned.

''I know that...and I've been thinking about it.'' she nodded. ''We're going back tomorrow, so maybe we should find out.''

''I wanted it to be a surprise to Pep, but it's like wrapping a present up and not being able to open it for nine months.'' Tony told her, shaking his head. ''No wait...that might sound wrong, but you know what I mean.''

Pepper rolled her eyes and nodded, thinking to herself. ''I really want to know. It would make things a lot easier, that's for sure.''

''And it would make renovating the room a lot simpler too.'' Tony agreed. ''It's hard to choose a neutral color.''

Pepper looked at him suspiciously. ''Have you been planning things behind my back?''

Tony instantly straightened himself up. ''No!''

''Yes you have, I know that look. Guilt.''

''Have not.'' he defended before folding his arms. ''Besides, even if I was, maybe it's a surprise.'' Pepper's lips tugged into a smile at how different things were now, beginning to chuckle. ''What's so funny? Is this another hormone thing, laughing at anything?''

Peppers shook her head. ''It's just...a big change.'' she told him. ''Six months ago, planning something behind my back meant you were testing some new kind of upgrade for your suit or something dangerous, and now it's baby colors and nursery equipment.''

Tony unfolded his arms and walked over to her. ''So that's what's funny then, me growing up?'' Pepper nodded, holding back her laughter at how insulted he looked. ''That is so hurtful. I have always been very mature.''

''Yes, very mature, sure.'' she turned around to the bench again, looking for more syrup to pour onto the pancakes. ''Okay, okay, stop kicking me.''

''I told you, hungry.'' Tony walked closer and put his hand on Pepper's stomach, feeling how hard the baby was kicking. ''Mm, hate to say it but I think our child has my appetite, not yours.''

Pepper had another mouthful of pancakes as she looked back at him, speaking in a muffled voice and a blank expression. ''I'm shocked.''

Tony was glad that he had picked a private hospital and doctor's surgery now that all of these reporters were following him and Pepper around. They were like hungry dogs, they just couldn't leave them alone. There were so many questions that people wanted them to answer, it was crazy, they had no time for it and it was annoying them every time they went out somewhere. Luckily, Happy was in full bodyguard mode when they had to leave for their appointment the next day, driving past another swarm of photographers at their main gate.

When they arrived at the doctor's, they didn't have to wait long before Dr. Tate collected them to go into the ultrasound room. They had seen their baby before on the monitor, they had even seen it move around waving it's little hand, but today they hoped to find out more than that. They had made their decision after talking about it all night in bed, they wanted to know the sex of their child.

''So, how is everything going Pepper?'' Dr. Tate asked, moving on from addressing her as 'Mrs. Stark' after they had spend so much time together over the past few months with their meetings.

''Everything's great, I feel good and the baby seems pretty good as well since it's constantly kicking me.'' she told the doctor, getting comfortable on the bed once again, resting her head back on the pillow.

Dr. Tate laughed. ''Yes, I do hear about that part quite often. Sounds like you have a very active baby, you're going to have your hands full. So you're not experiencing any uncomfortable or unusual feelings?''

''Are we talking hormones here? Because she cried when we ran out of cinnamon donuts the other day.'' Tony chimed in, earning a roll of the eyes from Pepper.

''Don't worry, that's perfectly normal. Your hormones go crazy during pregnancy. Mood swings, emotions, everything is in a whirlwind.'' Dr. Tate looked down at Pepper's file, making notes of her gradual stages. ''How about physically? No pain, nothing unusual?''

Tony looked at her, waiting for an answer since he had always kept an eye on her to make sure she was okay, but even if she wasn't she wouldn't want to worry him. However, the doctor needed to know, so now Tony would finally get a straight answer.

Pepper shook her head. ''No, everything feels fine...I think.''

''Excellent. Let's have a look at your baby, shall we?'' Dr. Tate prepared the monitor at her side.

Pepper lifted her shirt up, revealing her rounded stomach. ''Me and Tony were wondering if...'' she looked over to Tony for assurance.

''We'd like to know if we're have a boy or a girl.'' Tony summed up.

Dr. Tate nodded her head. ''Of course, I can let you know in a few moments.'' she spoke casually, putting gel onto Pepper's stomach and using the ultrasound remote to search for the right position of the baby. ''There you go, there's your baby.'' Dr. Tate moved the screen around so the couple could see, pointing at all of the visible body parts. Hands, face, feet, everything was perfect. ''He or she had grown quite a lot since your last visit. Everything looks great, that's one healthy baby.''

Pepper's eyes widened. She had seen her baby before on ultrasound, but Dr. Tate was right, he or she really was growing. She could see their little nose, tiny fingers and toes, it was mesmerizing to look at it moving around inside of her body. She looked over to Tony who seemed just as intrigued as she was by their unborn child. His eyes wouldn't move away from the screen, and his hand gripped hers tight.

''Wow,'' he whispered, loud enough for only Pepper to hear.

''I know,'' she smiled over at him.

Dr. Tate smiled at the couple who were so in love with their child already, looking over Pepper's file as she gave them a moment. They would have a recording of the ultrasound as well as screenshots for a baby book like many parents kept, but it was nothing like watching the baby move around right there and then.

''Would you like to know the sex of your baby now?'' she asked them after she had given them some time.

Pepper and Tony exchanged excited looks together before turning back to Dr. Tate. ''We would.''

''Okay then,'' she opened the file. ''Congratulations, you're having a little girl.''

The word rang over it their ears a couple more times, making sure they had heard correctly. They were having a girl. They were going to have a daughter. They didn't know what to say, although they were extremely happy to have found out. Dr. Tate once again gave them a moment, walking out of the room to fix up their ultrasound recordings. Pepper was crying at the news, a mixture of joy and hormone overload, whereas Tony was just smiling like crazy.

''A girl.'' Pepper repeated. ''We're having a little girl.''

Tony nodded, trying to keep his emotions steady as well. Seeing Pepper cry always made him want to cry, especially now, but he settled for leaning in and kissing Pepper through her tears. When he sat back up, his hands automatically went to her stomach, moving in a circular motion as he stared at the image on screen.

''A little girl.'' he smiled.

Pepper's tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she looked up at the image on the screen again. ''I can't believe this.''

Pepper walked out of the bathroom that night, fresh from the shower and dressed in her usual sleepwear. Her stomach no longer allowed her to wear her tank top since it would stretch the stitching, so now she wore one of Tony's band shirts that only just managed to slip comfortably around her swollen bump. She walked over to the bed and stopped by her side, opening her wardrobe door to reveal the mirror behind it.

Pepper's hand ran over her stomach, showing just how big she was now. ''I have put on so much weight.''

Tony couldn't believe she was worrying about that now. ''Are you kidding? Pepper, you're pregnant, you're supposed to put on weight. There's a baby in there.''

''I know that, but I just feel so...bloated, and fat.'' she confessed, lifting the shirt to see her body.

Tony had had enough. He couldn't listen to Pepper criticizing herself anymore. ''That's it. Bed. Now.'' he spoke firmly.

Pepper groaned and shut the wardrobe door. ''I'm sorry, I can't help it. You don't know what it's like not to fit into your favorite skirt, or anything you own really.''

Tony pulled her close to him as she laid in bed. ''I know I don't, skirt's aren't my thing.'' he joked. ''But this is supposed to happen, this is a good thing.''

''I know that. I just don't want everything I wear to look like the stitching is about to unravel and rip.'' she whined. ''I feel fat in everything because nothing fits anymore.''

''Then we'll go shopping, we'll buy new clothes.'' Tony told her. ''And now that we know, we can go buy baby clothes.''

Pepper raised her eyebrow at him. ''You want to go clothes shopping with me?''

Tony shrugged. ''Sure.''

''Why? What's going on?''

''Nothing's going on, I want to take you shopping is there something so wrong with that?''

Pepper looked down guiltily, realizing he was actually making an effort to make her feel better. ''Nothing, I'm sorry. Actually I'm sorry for a lot of my moods lately.''

''Don't be,'' he kissed her forehead. ''I'm a charmer, I got through all of your moods without any injuries.''

Pepper laughed. ''I suppose you are pretty good at that.'' Her hand flew to her stomach. ''Again? She's kicking so much.''

Tony moved his way down the bed so that he was eye level with her stomach, holding himself up by his elbow and listening again. ''Mm hmm, oh okay, yeah I'll tell her.'' he spoke to her belly briefly before looking back up at Pepper. ''Uh, yeah, she wants me to tell you that you're not fat.''

Pepper grinned. ''How sweet of her.''

Tony smiled as well, but he stayed in his position, looking at Pepper's stomach still. ''I can't believe we're having a girl. I'm going to have a daughter. That feels so weird to say.''

''I know.''

''And she's in there.'' he shook his head. ''It's crazy.''

''I wonder what she'll look like.'' Pepper thought, resting back into the pillow.

''Well, she's going to be gorgeous, that's a given. She'll have your eyes, your lips, your smile, your laugh.'' he smiled at his description. ''And then she'll have my awesome personality, and she'll take my side on anything.''

Pepper rolled her eyes. ''Our daughter is going to be more intelligent that that.'' she joked.

''You're right, she's going to be a genius, just like me.'' he smiled, running his hand over her stomach and feeling the baby kick again. She was all over the place as if she wanted to get out right now. ''Or she could be a soccer player, she seems the have the kicking part perfected. What do you think? Pepper?''

When Tony looked up, Pepper's eyes were closed and it was obvious that she had fallen asleep. Carefully, he pulled her shirt back down over the stomach and turned the lights out, taking his place next to her. A few moments later he could feel Pepper's hands on his back, and he rolled over to pull her into his arms, making them both content to sleep for the rest of the night.

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