Author's Note:

Hello all! This is the third installment of my LLF series, and it's the first one to have multiple chapters. This story will come in four parts, and because it's already written, it shall be updated regularly.

As usual, feedback and votes are much appreciated.

Tschau,

~lexthemess


With glee that would have been impossible to hide had he not been wearing the suit, Tony shot down the last of the doombots, causing it to explode and submit to gravity, falling in a spiral of fire. The chance to fly around and shoot things was almost enough to make Tony forgive the Fantastic Four for not showing up. Almost.

"That's the last one," Cap's voice said over the comm. "Good job, team."

Tony was going to make a snarky reply, (something about trained puppies, probably; he didn't actually know yet,) but the Hulk's celebratory roar interrupted him. It was a loud, happy sound, slightly different in pitch from his angry roar.

Tony lowered himself to the Hulk's height, which may have been the weirdest thought ever, because hello, this should not be a concern with enormous green rage monsters. Apparently, the Hulk didn't care, though, and he just gave Tony a fierce, toothy grin. "Metal Man!"

"Hey, Big Green! Have fun?" Tony asked as he hovered in front of the Big Guy.

The Hulk gave a decisive nod. "Hulk smash puny robots! Hulk strongest!" He puffed out his chest in pride.

"Yeah, you are, Big Green! I've never met anyone stronger." Tony retracted the helmet and smiled.

Pleased with Tony's agreement, the Hulk caught Tony from the sky and pulled him close, carefully controlling his strength, into a hug. Tony returned it as best he could, but his arms only went so far, damn it.

After a few moments, the Hulk released Tony from the embrace, but kept a large hand wrapped around him. "Metal Man strong, too!" Hulk declared.

"Thank you, Big Guy!" And Tony preened, because that's what you do when the Hulk, of all people, calls you strong.

Take that, Capsicle.

"If you two are done," Hawkeye said dryly, "could one of you get me down from here?"

Tony looked around a bit before he saw Hawkeye perched on the roof of a building a little ways from Tony's own position. The building wasn't in great shape, and there was no way the archer was getting down on his own.

"On my way, Legolas." Tony turned back to the Hulk. "I have to go save Legolas, but I'll be right back. Okay?"

The Hulk nodded and let go of Tony, who flew towards the stranded baby birdy. "How's it going, Tweety?"

"Just great, Batman," Hawkeye replied sweetly, and Tony pulled in a sharp breath in offense even as Cap and Black Widow laughed.

"How dare you?" Tony asked dramatically. "After everything I've done for you! I have half a mind to just leave you here." Tony floated in front of Hawkeye, arms crossed in consideration.

And then he was knocked out of the air by a doombot.

Tony tumbled in the air for a few seconds before regaining his equilibrium and closing the helmet again.

"Iron Man, are you alright?" Cap called.

"Peachy," Tony replied absent-mindedly as he lined up his shot. He took it, but only managed to graze the attacker. The bot, however, had better luck (and that's what it was, luck, because Tony refused to believe that a fucking doombot had skill enough to land a hit on him) and Tony, unable to balance himself, quickly began to drop from the air, and he felt his heart squeeze with memories of falling from a much larger distance. After a moment, though, he stabilized and pushed the flashback aside, just in time to see the Hulk crush the doombot in his hand with a snarl. The giant proceeded to slam the robot into the ground and stomp on it repeatedly, muttering about "my Metal Man" all the while. He continued this even after the robot was well-destroyed.

"Well, if there was any doubt about who the favorite was, there's your answer," Hawkeye quipped.

"Yeah, I don't- I don't think that was ever in question," Black Widow replied. Tony could hear the amusement in the spy's voice.

After the Hulk had decided that the robot was dead enough, the team headed back to the tower. Bruce made an appearance midway there, and Tony flew the sleeping man the rest of the way. Once there, Tony laid his precious bundle on the couch, sitting on the floor by the salt- and pepper-topped head. The other Avengers each settled themselves after they'd retrieved food from the kitchen and changed into extra clothes they'd taken to keeping in the penthouse.

It had become a ritual of sorts. Bruce never remembered much from his time as the Hulk and upon waking, immediately concerned himself with possible casualties. The physicist's first thoughts went to the team, so everyone had decided to stick around to assure the disoriented man that they were fine. Afterward, they would retreat to their own floors, both to rest and to give the couple privacy.

J.A.R.V.I.S. had started up some trashy reality show that no one was really watching, choosing instead to talk amongst themselves. It was random, no real topic or depth to the conversation, just something to pass the time.

It took about an hour, and then, Bruce twitched a bit. He turned over slightly, made a face, and released an all-too-familiar whimper.

Tony froze. That was the sound Bruce made when he was waking up while he was in his Little space. Tony's eyes flashed towards the team, and he tried to look relaxed as he searched their faces for signs that they'd heard.

Naturally, they had, as they'd been waiting for Bruce to wake up. Thankfully, though, they seemed to only think he was only having a bad dream.

Tony stroked Bruce's hair and said, as casually as possible, "Maybe you guys should go down to your own floors, just in case he wakes up cranky." He thought that was a feasible enough excuse. Bruce didn't usually want to be around the team when he felt upset, too worried that he may Hulk out and hurt them.

Steve, the loyal ass, replied logically, "But if we left, Bruce would either think that we didn't trust him or that he hurt us, and neither of those things are true."

Clint made a sound of agreement, as did Natasha, but Tony could also see suspicion in her eyes.

Bruce made another displeased noise, and Tony whispered softly into his ear. "Shh, Brucie, it's okay."

Calming at the sound of Tony's voice, Bruce made a movement towards the other man, searching for him. He reached out with one hand, which caught the edge of Tony's shirt and then held it clenched in his fist. A soft sigh parted pink lips, and long eyelashes fluttered.

Tony turned back to the team and saw concern in Clint's and Steve's eyes. Natasha's, however, had understanding. The red-haired woman went to say something, but Bruce beat her to it.

"Daddy?" Bruce's voice was soft, husky with sleep, and pitched slightly higher, the way it always was when he was in that headspace, and though it was quiet, it was enough for the others to hear.

Despite wanting to evacuate the room of curious Avengers, reassuring Brucie had to come first, so Tony leaned forward and crooned, "Hey, Brucie Bear. Did you have a nice nap?" Tony rubbed up and down Bruce's side, which was still sleep-warm.

A soft, wordless cooing was the answer, bottomless eyes showing delight.

"Tony?" Steve asked cautiously, drawing Tony's and the baby's attention to him.

Bruce immediately became shyer if that were possible. He cast his eyes away and curled into himself slightly. Still, he asked, "Otay?" His eyes flitted up for a split second to see their faces.

Tony was prepared to intervene, but Natasha surprised him and said in a sugary voice, "Yes, Sweetie, we're okay."

Steve's eyes widened further as he whipped his head around to stare at the usually apathetic spy.

Clint, on the other hand, seemed to suddenly get it, and he said, "Yep, we're all fine, thanks to you." His voice, too, was more gentle, and his resting bitch face was morphed into a caring, more approachable visage.

Steve looked at them like they'd all grown second heads.

Ignoring him for the time being, Tony refocused on Bruce. After pressing a kiss to Bruce's forehead, Tony said, "Are you hungry, Baby?"

Bruce gave a little nod and frowned. "'Teve otay?" He snuck a glance towards the nonplussed man in question.

With an obvious attempt to gather himself, Steve choked out, "Yes?"

The spy twins and Tony glared at the lack of believability while Bruce flinched at it. The movement made Tony turn back to Bruce, and when Tony saw the tears and guilt in the baby's eyes, he (temporarily) put aside his plans for murder and started shushing and soothing Bruce. It didn't work well, but Bruce didn't start crying for real, at least.

"Sweetie," Natasha said, "Steve's okay; you didn't hurt him. He's just cranky. You know how you feel when you go without a nap for too long? That's how he feels. It's not your fault."

Steve had the good sense to nod along with what the spy was saying, a more convincing expression on his face now.

"Pwomise?" Bruce said, and Tony's heart broke when Bruce's voice trembled.

"Promise." Steve gave the Captain America smile.

At this, Bruce settled, easing back into the couch and facing Tony again. Tony wiped the tears away, and Bruce smiled, his expression adoring. Tony couldn't resist leaning forward and rubbing their noses together.

"Bottle or big boy food?"

The question brought a moment of deliberation. "Big boy food," was the answer eventually produced. Tony was unsurprised. The meal replacement shakes that Bruce would drink from his bottle probably wouldn't do much good for post-Hulk hunger. "Change, too?" Bruce asked.

"Sure, Baby." An idea came to mind. "How about we go get you changed, and Charlotte- I mean, Natasha can get you something to eat?" Natasha was Bruce's friend, so it was probable that she had known about this side of Bruce before even Tony did, which would explain her lack of surprise today. If he got Bruce away from her and the others, she could explain to Steve without messing with Bruce's headspace.

Bruce turned to look at Natasha, making sure it was okay with her, Tony assumed, and after getting a smile, Bruce nodded at Tony.

"Come on, then." Tony stood and offered a hand to Bruce. Bruce stood from the couch and followed behind Tony to the baby's room.

"Let's get you clean first, huh?" Taking the cue, J.A.R.V.I.S. started running a bath. After undressing Bruce, which really just meant helping Bruce step out tattered pants, Tony added Bruce's favorite bubble bath to the water, filling the room with the scent of cinnamon.

By the time Tony had fetched a washcloth and a towel, J.A.R.V.I.S. was already turning off the water. "Ready, Baby Boy?"

Bruce nodded. Tony helped Bruce into the water, the bubbles making quiet noise as they popped. A joyful smile crossed Bruce's face as he sunk into the water, bubbles going up to his shoulders.

Tony dipped the washcloth into the tub and then started rubbing Bruce's back with it while the baby played with the bubbles. Tony moved around to Bruce's chest, gliding the washcloth over the hair there before moving onto his arms, which inhibited playtime with the bubbles and made Bruce disgruntled, and then to legs and feet, careful to get between the toes. Tony quickly but gently cleaned Bruce's more private areas and then said, "Dip your head in the water for me, Brucie."

The baby leaned his head back, and Tony made sure that the curls were thoroughly wet, helping Bruce return to an upright position after. Tony massaged subtly scented shampoo into Bruce's hair next, scratching Bruce's scalp in the way he knew made the baby's muscles relax almost immediately. After rinsing and conditioning, Tony eased a reluctant but obedient Bruce out of the tub. J.A.R.V.I.S. drained the dirty water, and Tony wrapped Bruce in a towel, drying him off quickly.

Bruce sat on the changing table while Tony rubbed the apple and vanilla scented lotion into the now clean skin and diapered him. "What do you want to wear, Baby?" Tony asked, kissing Bruce's cheek before he helped the other off the table.

Bruce pursed his lips in thought, and it was adorable, unselfconscious in a way he rarely was when he was grown-up Bruce, which was one of the reasons why Tony loved this part of their relationship so much.

Bruce suddenly bounced in excitement, eyes gleaming. "Iwon Man!"

Tony laughed, having forgotten about that purchase. "Alright, Brucie."

They went to the closet, and Tony pulled out the desired outfit. It was a footed onesie designed to look like the Iron Man armor, complete with an arc reactor that glowed when pressed, but it lacked the helmet. It zipped up the front and was made of terrycloth, and Bruce loved it. In all honesty, Tony did, too, because it fulfilled some urge within him that made him want to mark Bruce as his. Tony couldn't think of a mark more blatant than the onesie, other than tattooing, "Property of Tony Stark," on Bruce's forehead, and that seemed a little much.

Once dressed, Bruce started clinging to Tony, eyes showing his pleasure of dressing like Tony. "Little monkey," Tony said fondly. "Are you ready to eat?"

Bruce nodded. "Cão?"

"Go grab him."

Bruce scurried to fetch the stuffed animal from its place in the crib. When he returned, dog under his arm, he grabbed Tony's hand with his own free one, and they went back into living area.

The others didn't seem to have moved from their seats, but on the table in front of the couch on which Bruce had been lying, there were a few grilled cheese sandwiches, a bowl of tomato soup, a bag of fruit gummies, and a sippy cup full of something. When the team heard Bruce and Tony coming, they turned to face them, and if Natasha and Clint's faces didn't fucking melt at the sight of Bruce and his outfit, Tony would give Fury free reign to J.A.R.V.I.S.'s servers. Steve had his press release face on, but Tony could see the worry in his eyes.

Tony and Bruce claimed their seats again, and Bruce looked at Tony hesitantly, glancing back towards the food pointedly.

Tony mentally moved inventing time travel so he could kill Brian Banner up the list of priorities.

"Yes, Baby, it's for you." Tony gave a reassuring smile.

Bruce turned and looked at Natasha timidly. "T'ank you, Tasha," he murmured.

"You're welcome, Sweetie." Natasha gave a smile.

Bruce tucked into the food then, curling into Tony's side. Tony ran his fingers through the slightly damp hair, causing Bruce to smile contentedly.

Tony's phone chimed in his pocket. He took it out and saw that he had a text from Natasha. Huh. He hadn't even seen her get her phone out.

I explained the basics to Steve, and it helped a bit. He's not judging Bruce, but he's concerned that you may have less than stellar intentions and refuses to leave until he's sure Bruce is entirely comfortable and consenting.

Tony tried not to get angry that Steve thought Bruce was in any kind of danger with Tony and mostly succeeded. Steve was from the forties, and the age play thing wasn't even really accepted now. Tony understood. Really. And he was happy that Bruce had people who would worry about him now. He couldn't help that there was a part of him, though, a rather large part, that resented the idea that anyone would even suspect that Tony would do anything to hurt Bruce. Didn't Steve know him better than that?

Bruce made a questioning noise, and Tony looked down at the baby's wide, inquiring eyes that held obvious anxiety. Bruce must have felt Tony tense. To smooth it over, Tony smiled in a carefree way and kissed the top of Bruce's head. "How's your food?" he asked.

Satisfied that Tony was okay, Bruce beamed, cheese around his mouth. "Good!"

"I'm glad you like it, Sweetie," Natasha said.

Tony nodded a thank you to her and to Clint, deciding to ignore Steve for now. "J.A.R.V.I.S., put on some cartoons," he ordered. A tug on his sleeve had him sighing and tacking on, "Please."

"Of course, Sir," was the reply, and Tony wasn't imagining the amusement in J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice. "Young Master Bruce, do you have a preference?"

Through a mouthful of sandwich, Bruce said, "Tom and Jewwy, pwease."

"Of course, Young Master."

Brucie reached for his sippy cup and took a long sip. At this point, most of the food had been scarfed down, only the dregs of the soup and the packet of gummies remaining.

The room was mostly silent, Bruce's complete attention on the show and everyone else watching him. Cão was secured under Bruce's arm, hugged tightly to his chest, and Bruce was chewing absently on the spout of the sippy cup. His face was entirely relaxed, and the TV was reflected in his eyes.

Tony adjusted his position slightly, stretching his legs in front of him on the floor and slumping so that his head was level with the back of the couch. Bruce moved so that he could rest his head by the arc reactor and tucked his legs beside him on the couch.

From the edge of his vision, Tony could see Steve watching them intently. Turning his head to return the look, Tony could notice the caution and curiosity the super soldier was feeling. Steve's gaze was focused on Tony and Bruce, examining them like they were specimens under a microscope. A mini staring contest broke out, Tony defiant and challenging, daring Steve to say something, and Steve's was determined and observant, watching in case Tony did something damnable.

Bruce's giggle burst the little bubble, letting Tony turn away and see the wide, wide grin on the baby's face. Tony didn't know what happened on the screen, but he was grateful it did. Bruce didn't smile like that enough. Tony wrapped his arms tightly around Bruce and didn't let go.


Author's Note:

Feedback me, pretty please?

Tschau,

~lexthemess