It was pouring outside and pitch black except for the flashing lights of police cars and people shouting even reporters were there snapping away and shouting questions as three cops pulled a snarly unkempt Howard stark out in hand cuffs. Tony himself was in the door way unkempt and pretty beat up only he was begging for them not to take away Howard.

"please stop"

"I didn't want this"

"give back my dad"

and so, on he was gripping his shirt and hunched over as he was yelling but another officer kept him back so he couldn't chase after Howard and the officers. Maria was gone left years ago and cut ties to tony and Howard and the last two years all staff was let go just Howard and tony remained in the huge apartment in the skyscraper. The night seemed to drag on for hours as things were sorted out and Howard was taken away and it only got worse when tony refused to go with the officers and social workers ending up beating on of the social workers badly too. Before he was stuffed into cuffs and the back of a police car to take him to the hospital, Tony's just barley seventeen but he was good at getting out of things which in this case were his handcuffs and then picking the lock on the moving car before opening the door. But the luck ended there as the car screamed to a halt throwing tony around in the back door and the door was closed and locked again and tony was once again put in handcuffs. They were close to the hospital when tony pulled his stunt and even more bad luck was that they had called ahead and had someone there to meet them and a nurse ready to sedate him though the other person didn't know that. Coulson was that person he was in the emergency room with a few of the kids he had at the time Sam, Bruce, Steve, and Clint had gotten roped into this when Coulson took the emergency call.

No of them were prepared for the doors to person and two cops struggle to guide a teen into the hospital they kid wasn't having it he fought tooth and nail screaming his lungs out the hole time. He was soaked and pretty beaten up and his hands were still cuffed. Coulson moved forward at the same time as the nurse and stopped mid step when he saw the needle Sam, Bruce, Steve, and Clint watch horrified as the cops pinned the teens arms to his side and the nurse jammed the needle into his neck. Bruce almost scream when the needle plunged into the teens neck and the kid dropped like a stone in the officer's arms his whole body sagging and his eyes rolling back into his head before another nurse rushed over with a gurney. They laid the kid on the gurney and took off the cuffs only to replace them with thick straps over his chest, stomach, knees and then his ankles and wrists before they wheeled him out. The two officers sagged into chairs exhausted from the long fit while another one came running in and stopped bent over panting,

"Please tell me your Coulson" she panted

"I am" Coulson was in shock as he looked over the scene again there was dirt, blood and water all over the floor staff everywhere scrambling to do their jobs and his charges all shocked Clint was even crying though he didn't realise it.

"what the hell was that"

"sorry my name is sergeant Maria hill, and I called you for the help we desperately need"

"okay but what happened"

"we just arrested that boy's father for horribly abuse against his son and he wasn't exactly happy we took away his father"

"and the sedation"

"the only way we can look after him"

"I'll be back first thing in the morning"

"thank you"

Coulson took the boys back to car and drove off making plans for tomorrow maybe brining all his charges with him they were from a variety of situations. All night they sedated tony and kept him strapped down while they treated him and changed him into hospital clothes and placing heated blankets on him. Tony was put in a private room and a floor where not many people were to be sure nothing happens if tony woke up and panicked again or fought them. Like Coulson said he pulled into the hospital parking lot bright and early followed by another car which parked beside him. In Coulson's car, there was Bruce, Natasha and Sam, in the other car was Sam, Bucky, and Steve which all followed Coulson into the hospital where he checked in and given directions to Tony's room.

"hey Coulson" Clint asked

"yeah Clint"

"is this about the kid last night'

"it is. You don't have to come I if you don't want to"

"mmm okay"

they stepped off the elevator and were greeted by frantic nurses and screaming Coulson quickly followed the nurses and saw the boy from last night had gotten out of all his straps but his ankle and wrist straps. He was screaming and Coulson could see blood spots on his clean clothes and even all bandaged up the kid was putting up a fight.

'let me go"

"fuck off"

"ill fucking kill you"

"get away from me"

And so, while nurses tried to calm him down and a doctor called for a sedative which made him fight more thinking quickly Coulson begged to have the room and try to work something out with the boy. Reluctantly they agreed and Coulson sighed in relief when the room cleared out looking around he had noticed everyone else had wondered close still weary of the voice. Coulson sighed and walked into the room leaving the door open and came face to face with.. he glanced down at the chart.. he came face to face with Anthony who was not any happier. He was still tugging at his restrains and growling, he was almost covered in bandages some dotted red from the struggle, soft brown curls suck to his forehead and honey brown eyes looked everywhere but at him.

"hey I'm Coulson sergeant hill called me"

"fuck you" tug "fuck her" another tug each one harder Anthony's wrist were red and purple

"I'm here to help"

"like fuck you are"

"I really am"

Anthony growled low and loud before ramming his head back over and over again setting off an alarm which had nurses running and sedating him again, before leaving Coulson alone in the room. Coulson sat in the chair at the end of the bed and sighed into his hands this was by far the hardest case since Barnes maybe even harder. Slowly the others start drifting into the room and getting comfortable a few times Tony's monitors went off and a nurse came in to check his vitals. Bruce, Sam, Clint and Steve filled everyone in from last night disgruntled faces appeared before relaxing. It wasn't until about three in the afternoon that tony started to come around again shifting and giving out little moans catching their attention they sat up straight and waited anxiously. James or Bucky sat closet to tony up at his head he was bent over forearms against his legs his long hair pulled into a messy ponytail the next closet was Natasha on the other side she was curled up in her chair watching intently. Its 3:30 when tony opens his eyes just a bit before trying again and finally opening his eyes and licking his lips before he began tugging at the restraints again. Coulson jumped in,

"Anthony stop"

"fuck off"

"Anthony you can't get out of them if you don't behave"

"I want out"

and then tony started screaming again trying to forcefully get out of the straps, Coulson jumped up and reach out a hand but it just escalated things, most of the other kids left the room James and Natasha stayed behind. Natasha reached out and gripped his right hand, tony went from struggling against straps to trying to get away from Natasha and hyper ventilating.

"hey calm down" her voice was calm

"Natasha I don't think" Coulson was cut off by James jumping up placing one knee on the bed and then grabbing Tony's head between his hands and tony froze it was a shock to everyone in the room.

"listen to me" James voice was low and rough

"if I take these off will you at least try not to run away?" James's ice blue eyes stared directly in Tony's honey brown ones tony froze mouth opening and closing a few times before he nodded and stuck his bottom lip just a smidge. James gave a ghost of a smile before cold ice grey eyes looked away and James began undoing the restraints with Natasha's help and soon enough tony was free from the restraints. Slowly and painfully tony sat up and tested his range of motion before sneaking a glance at James who nodded and tony slumped back against the bed the tension in his body lessening a bit. That was until a door banged and everyone startled and a booming voice which was pissed could be heard and tony began franticly pulling out the lines connected to his arms. James and Natasha tried to stop him but it was too late tony was out of the room in a flash and the man was staring right at him with a fury that could put anyone to shame.

"Anthony" he growled

"o-Obie "Tony was wiping the blood from the lines off his arms

"this is what you do. You have ruined everything' he stormed towards tony who didn't move even if he was shaking

'no Obie I didn't I swear I didn't do anything I tried to stop it' tony was pleading clutching at his shirt

by then tony and Obie were chest to chest Obie towering over tony he grabbed tony roughly by his shirt and threw him into a wall tony landed with thud and a gasp before Coulson stepped in and police stormed the floor. In the commotion, tony slipped away and began running through halls and down stairs until he was in the parking garage and sneaking out of the hospital and headed in a random direction. Clint and Bruce noticed tony missing first and sent all the others into a frantic search but only James was on the right track but he was doing what he would do in the situation. Unlike tony Bucky was huge over six foot and more muscle than a tank with a shiny metal arm to boot, he had straightest brown hair that hung a bit above his shoulders and had a permanent bitch face and he was 19. When he made it out the side door of the garage he looked left and right before deciding to right further into the maze of alleys and buildings following anything that looked like a clue. Even then if took forever to find tony it was way past sundown and pitch black except for the street lights, Coulson would have put out a bolo by now for them and would still be searching too. Bucky was dressed for the fall weather worn black jeans, combat boots, a t-shirt, hood and then leather jacket, tony however was only wearing a thin white t-shirt and soft thin blue pajama pants.

When James found him tony was curled into a ball in the corner of an abounded building knees to his chest and harms slumped to his side his head resting against his knees and soft clouds of breath could be seen. James quickly rushed over dropping to his knees kinda hard before touching Tony's hand there was no reaction so James checked Tony's neck it was hot and wet with sweat that worried James so he gently lifted Tony's head. Tony's eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow and he was running a fever, James was glad he found tony but didn't have his cell so he couldn't call Coulson or Maria or fury or well anyone. Instead he tried to roust tony but tony could barely stay conscious and make very weak actions to get away from James as he tugged off his leather jacket and put it on tony making sure tony had his arms in the sleeves for maximum heat.

'Anthony 'James voice like he had heard before was low and rough but it was soothing

'no' tony mumbled weakly James barley heard it

'tony I won't take you back to the hospital but you have to come with me okay 'James was pleading at this point

'mmm' Tony tried to get away again

'I protect you I'll stay by your side I won't let you leave my sight'

finally, tony gave in and weakly nodded and Bucky maneuvered him into a piggy back his hands resting just below Tony's butt and Tony's arms hung over James shoulder his face tucked into James's neck puffing short hot breath against his skin. James started back towards something that was familiar to him so he could get his bearings right occasionally boosting tony up a bit and getting a couple mumble against his took about a half hour before James saw a familiar site of the subway station he often took when he was out with the others and luckily next to the stairs to go underground was a phone booth. James hiked tony up again before grabbing change from his pocket and putting it into the slot and punching in Coulson's number not worried about dropping tony because he had set Tony's wait to his left arm which was his prosthetic metal arm. James mumbled pick up over and over under his breath as he listened to the phone ring and then he felt tony shift against him not letting go over the receiver James looked over his should and rested his head or what he could against Tony's brown curls before a voice pulled him back to the phone.

'hello'

'Coulson?'

'James? where are you? are you okay? did you find Anthony?'

'yeah, yeah I got him took me a long time though, look Phil tony he, he can't go back to the hospital and he has a fever'

'um okay okay tell you what take him back to the compound okay we'll meet up there'

'yeah okay sounds good'

James hung up and shifted tony back against his back and used both arms to support him while he walked down the stairs two at a time, if he took the train he could be at the compound in thirty minutes. And luckily because it was so late there was hardly anyone around at James scanned his card over the sensor and walked through the gate and stranded on the platform hiking tony up again. Tony had managed to grip James sweater loosely wherever his hand s had ended up and he was warmer not because of the fever but from James body heat which was good. The train arrived quickly and Bucky went into the empty car and sat down moving tony to lay on the bench next to him his head-on James's leg while James left a hand running through his hair. Sure, enough the train reached where the compound was held quickly and James tugged tony back onto his back and headed out and up onto the street Tony's face once again against his neck. James didn't know what to expected but it wasn't what he was greeted with that's for sure, Maria, fury, and Coulson were all standing by their cards lights from the compound and sirens lite up the front lawn.

Clint, Natasha, Bruce, Sam, Steve, were all waiting around watching for anything when they noticed James they began running over to him when they saw tony slumped against James's back using James's coat for another layer. This caused a commotion and the adult quickly ran over not like some of them weren't adults but it's different anyway they let James know what happened after they all got separated and Coulson had gotten everything tony needed ready on the island kitchen. James listened and then told them his side of the situation as they headed into the kitchen no one taking off shoes because the floors were hardwood and no one was worried about the dirt now. Everyone was concerned for tony was Bucky set him down on the couch and tony slumped to the side crashing into the cushions not able to do anything let along keep his eyes open. Coulson quickly set everyone to jobs they could do to help tony while James slid down against the couch onto the floor his head leaning back against the cushion and Tony's hand. The night and next day passed quickly full of buzz and figuring out what's going on it was decided tony would stay in the compound with the others and by the afternoon of the next day Tony's fever broke. Tony woke up in a strange room a dark grey with black trim the room was empty except for the desk and chair in the room by the window. The bed side table held a bowl and towel along with other things that tony recognized as medicine before touching his forehead pushing back wet curls and got an idea of what happened. Strangely though he wasn't in hospital clothes and some one changed his bandages he knew that because there was no blood or dirt on them and some of them have been taken off. Tony looked at the clothes he was wearing pulling at them slightly, someone put him in a black t-shirt about two sizes too big and a red pair of sweat pants that oddly enough fit but looked like a girl's sweatpants. Tony swung his legs over the bed and pushed the blankets away before standing up swaying a bit before gaining his footing and heading to the door only to jump back in shock when its thrown open. In the door was another boy, he had very short black hair and dark skin, he wore a white long sleeve and red gym shorts, the boy was equally surprised to see tony awake. Tony used that moment to push the boy out of the way and took off running down random halls he heard the boy yelling something and then there were footsteps everywhere.

….

Tony rounded a corner at sonic speed and slammed into another body much bigger and harder than his, the other person was quick to react grabbing tony around the waist as they stumbled back.