Tony had no idea what had prompted him to even start the paperwork. Out of all the people in the world that shouldn't be parents, he knew he was at the top of the list, but he'd still gotten everything in order and paid the right people to get their application pushed to the top of the list.

Steve had been hesitant. He'd always wanted children, but he wasn't sure about the mechanics of same-sex parenting. He told Tony several times that he didn't want his kids to have a hard time growing up because of choices he'd made, because of what he'd wanted. Tony had brushed it off and tried to convince Steve that it was the norm in 2012, but he had still met with resistance. He'd been angry, but he had to admit that it was utterly like Steve - always putting others before himself.

So Tony had taken it upon himself to do what needed to be done. And now he had the fruit of his labor nestled carefully in his arms, wrapped in a light blue blanket and fresh from the city hospital where he'd been born.

He found Steve in the Tower's rec room, flipping through channels on the TV. With a slowly blooming smile, Tony crossed the room to stand in front of the man he loved, the only person in the world he wanted a family with.

When Steve saw him, his smile immediately vanished when he saw the bundle in Tony's arms.

"What is that?" he asked, his voice a whisper and full of hopeful disbelief.

"Oh, c'mon," Tony said, his tone playful. "You can't tell me you don't recognize our son."