Lost (Irondad fanfic) [re-write] DISCONTINUED

The First Month

Tony had returned home later that night. He spent the day with Amy and Ian just to get to know each other a bit. Ian was a very nice guy, and he was not even angry at the whole situation. 

Tony stood at the entrance of his empty home, staring at the bar that sat at the far end. He sighed and walked over to it, "Guess I'll have to get rid of these, and the ones in my lab. And under my bed, oh, right there's a bottle in the bathroom for some reason," 

He grabbed some trash bags (He didn't even know he had those) and started stuffing them with the alcohol. Starting with the main bar, then his lab, then his bedroom and bathroom. It took him a total of an hour and a half to remove every single bottle. He left the two bags at the front door to be thrown away later and laid down on the couch.

He couldn't even get his thoughts straight, he's going to have a son. God, was he even ready for fatherhood? Was he fit for fatherhood. What if he turns out like his father? What if his son turns into a hot mess like his dad. 

"Dad,"  he muttered. It sounded weird when he said it out loud. He had many nicknames; Merchant of Death, Da Vinci of Our Time (Which he still finds an inappropriate way to describe him because he does not paint) A Genius, Billionaire, and a Playboy, but a father just did not fit.

"Tones?" his best friend's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He sat up to see not only Rhodey but Pepper, too. "Why the hell did you go to San Diego so suddenly?" he asked, walking towards him and stopping until he was in front of Tony.

"And what are those bags outside?" Pepper asked, standing next to Rhodey. Tony laid back on the couch, rubbing his hand over his face.

"It's all the alcohol I have. Or, had, I suppose," He said, "And, to answer your question, Sourpatch, I went to San Diego because I messed up," he then added, "Big time,"

"You're gonna have to be more specific," Rhodey said, folding his arms over his chest.

Tony glared at him. He opened his mouth to speak but found himself unable to say anything. "Tony? You left after you got a letter from Amy Riedo and you looked nervous and scared after you read it. Did something happen?" Pepper asked.

"I...she's--she's pregnant," he whispered, but they heard him and their faces turned from concern and slight anger to shock. Utter shock.

"She's what now?" Rhodey said, dropping his arms to his sides, "Man, this is bad. I didn't think you could mess up this bad,"

"Thanks for the support, Rhodes," Tony half-heartedly joked.

"You're keeping it, aren't you?" Pepper question came out more of a statement. Tony's silence confirmed her thoughts.

"Is that why you're throwing your drinks away?" Rhodey asked, walking to he can sit on the couch by Tony's legs. Tony nodded.

"She can't keep him, she's engaged and the man can't take care of a baby that isn't his," he said.

"Wait, him?"  Pepper asked. Tony nodded once again, "She's three months in," He said.

"Oh, God. This is a disaster," Rhodey mumbled.

"It's a big disaster. I don't even know if I can take care of such a helpless and vulnerable baby when I can't even take of a fucking plant," he gestured around him at the lack of real plants. 

"Don't say that, Tones. Besides, we're here to help,"

"Does Obie knows?" Tony asked.

"Of course, Dummy. He's the one who read the letter first," Pepper responded, sitting on the couch opposite them.

"Right, I forgot," 

"Go to bed, Tones. We'll talk about this more tomorrow," Rhodey said, patting him on the knee. Tony did not even complain to resist because he was exhausted. Mentally and physically.

------February: the first month------

To say that Tony was a wreck was a MASSIVE understatement. Turns out, alcohol withdrawal was harder than he thought. That, coupled with preparing himself for parenthood was making him a huge mess.

The two weeks after The Shocking News, Tony spent it all in his lab, engulfed in his work, hoping that it would help him take his mind off of his alcoholism and anxiousness for the arrival of his son. His distraction would have worked if not for Pepper and Rhodey nagging him over everything.

He knew he had to do something. Maybe read a little about parenthood and all this shit. But the thing is, he did not want to. He knew he had a lot of work to be done, like preparing a nursery or buying some baby essentials. was it too early to do that?

"Sir, Ms. Potts is requesting access to the lab," JARVIS's voice rang. Right, he prevented any access to his lab.

"Send her in," he said, knowing full well he's going to get an ear full. Her high heels clicked as she stomped her way to Tony. 

"Why are you doing this, Tony?" She asked, her tone stern. Tony didn't turn around to face.

"What am I doing?"

"Correction, what are you not doing. You should be preparing yourself, instead, you just sit here all day!"

"I'm suffering from alcohol withdrawal, what did you expect?"

"What I expected was for you to take responsibility for your actions," 

Tony sighed. He knew she was right, he knew he had a lot of work to do. "Fine," He set his tool down and turned around, "What do you want me to do? Wait, where's Rhodey by the way? He hadn't called me in like a week,"

"He didn't call you? He got deployed to Afghanistan,"

"What? For how long?" 

Pepper hesitated, she knew he'd probably freak out if he knew, "Ten months,"

"Wha-- Ten months?! The baby would have been born by then!"

"Tony, relax. You still have me and Stane,"

"Jesus Christ. What have I gotten myself into?" He muttered under his breath.